Manager vs Owners: Who will win

By: ed | November 26th, 2007

If you work, as I do, in a big company, you know two things. One, that shit rolls downhill and two, never pick a fight you haven’t already won.

Rafa is, seemingly, the latest in a long line of managers who should have known better than to pick a fight with their owners. Jose Mourinho discovered earlier in this very season that despite two consecutive EPL championships, two Champions League semi final spots and a couple of minor cups, he still couldn’t openly defy the man who ultimately signs his pay check.

I often say that there are massive parallels between business and sport - desire and drive are essential to success in both worlds - so when the two combine, there is often a big-ass pile up.

Benitez seems to have that quiet drive and determination, that stubbornness to never accept defeat or admit he’s been wrong. But Rafa, here’s a tip for you. Hicks and Gillette haven’t gotten to where they are without those very qualities. So who will win; the boss or his employers? In my experience there is usually only one winner in these disputes.

However ego-driven the two sides may be, both should only have one interest at heart. The interest of Liverpool Football Club. If I were Rafa, I would, I believe, see the value in having two experienced businessmen owning and running the LFC business. I would see that the vision of the new stadium is something that was deprived of my predecessors and that, if I can continue to run the sporting side of the club with the astuteness I’ve bought to the past three years, once the stadium is built, whichever manager is in charge will be in the place to build not just a championship winning team (if such a team has not already been formed at Anfield) but to build a dynasty to rival Shankly, Paisley, Fagan and Dalglish’s.

But, if I were Messrs Hicks and Gillette, I would hope that I would recognise we had a great manager who had the support of both the players and the fans. A manager who held all the tools for success in the modern age. A man who could ignore outside influence, pick his road and stay true to it. A man who loved the game and who the game clearly loved - anyone who saw the 2005 Champions League final could see that. I would realise that, out of all the alternatives, this man represents the best chance for success in an ultra-competitive league. A man who can identify, attract and nurture the best of the best; the talents and the phenomenons.

As I said before, if I were either party, I would hope I could resolve our differences and get back to the real work - winning trophies for Liverpool Football Club.

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