07 January 2025 GMT: 00:10

We are in this for the long-term, insist new Liverpool owners

By Andrew Warshaw

October 17 – Liverpool’s new co-owner insists his organisation is in it for the long term and will not sell the club short in its quest to get back to winning ways.

Roy Hodgson’s team slumped to second from bottom in the Premiership today for the first time ever, hardly the best start for New England Sports Ventures (NESV), who own the Boston Red Sox baseball team and bought Liverpool from Tom Hicks and George Gillett last week.

But co-owner Tom Werner insists they will stay the course and restore the club to its former glories. 

“We are not short-term thinkers or investors,”  Werner told the BBC in his first ever interview.

“We have now owned the Red Sox for nearly a decade.” 

And, he says, Hodgson (pictured) will be given time to put things right.

“I think the one prescription for disaster is to lurch to the left and lurch to the right.

“We see no reason why Roy can’t be our coach this year and in the future.”

Werner and NESV co-owner John Henry have promised to strengthen the side without being too gung-ho.

“Our style is to under-promise and over-deliver,” he said.

“I don’t want to make any promises about when and how but we realise there is a strong correlation between success in the Premier League and wages.

“I have certainly signed cheques in the past for the long term.

“Our first priority would be to listen – we don’t want to come in like a bull in a china shop – and then to create stability before finally creating revenue. 

“For the last two years we have been voted the best owners in baseball.

“We are thoughtful and I think our track record speaks for itself.”

Liverpool haven’t won the league title since the Premiership began but Werner is confident he and Henry can finally put that right and sees clear similarities with the Red Sox.

“In 2001 when we took over the Red Sox, we came into a situation where there was a very special club that had not won a World Series in 86 years but we had good management and faith in a long-term strategy,” he said.

“We don’t expect a long honeymoon here and we are not asking for one.

“I would like the fans to understand that we are seasoned.

“There is a lot of work to be done and we are going to roll up our sleeves.”

Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1736208474labto1736208474ofdlr1736208474owedi1736208474sni@w1736208474ahsra1736208474w.wer1736208474dna1736208474

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