Billy Hogan speaks out on FSG criticism and future plans for Liverpool

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan has explained how he and the Fenway Sports Group leadership team at the Reds deal with criticism.

Next month sees FSG mark 13 years in charge of Liverpool after John Henry and Tom Werner’s firm, then known as New England Sports Ventures, acquired the club from the deeply unpopular Tom Hicks and George Gillett for £300m.

In the years that have followed the takeover there has been much change at the club, both on and off the pitch, with the value of Liverpool now past the £4bn mark; the capacity of a now world-class Anfield to rise to 61,000 in the coming weeks, up 15,000, from 2010; a balance sheet that is one of the strongest in European football, with revenues pushing £600m per year; and Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup and EFL Cup triumphs.

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It hasn’t been, however, all smooth sailing and FSG have had to cave to fan pressure after misreading supporter sentiment on several occasions, from the attempted furloughing of staff during the pandemic, to attempts to trademark the Liverpool name; from attempts to raise season ticket prices to a botched plan to join the doomed European Super League plot. On each occasion they have had to be forced into a climbdown as fans made their feelings known.

While Liverpool have been the only side in recent years to truly challenge the competitive dominance of Manchester City on the domestic and European stage, FSG have long come in for criticism around their lack of spend when compared to some of their rivals, with the owners’ focus