Liverpool season tickets for 2013-14 are good value at twice the price (just add Rafa)
YOU need to buy success in the Premier League. And Liverpool FC are coming for your money. Next year’s season tickets at Anfield are up to 9% on this year.
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre, says the Reds have only hiked up the prices after “careful consideration”.
A season ticket to Anfield will set you back between £710 and £850.
Next season, the cheapest season ticket at Everton will be £427.
A season ticket at Arsenal costs £1,955. And the Gunners only spend massively on players when those pricey tickets come up for renewal.
But is the Liverpool ticket worth the extra?
Under Rafael Benitez, they finished 3rd, 4th and 2nd in the Premier League. In 2009, they came second on 86 points. In many seasons, that would have won the title. And then bad management stuck the boot in.
Benitez never got the one of two top players that could have made Liverpool champions. And then he left. And so did the number of goals Liverpool scored.
2008/09 – goals scored in the Premier League: 77
2009/10: 61
2010/11: 59
2011/12: 47
And this season someone in the brains trust that runs Liverpool sent Any Carroll – all £35million of him – out on loan. And, no, Brendan Rodgers, the new manager was given no replacement until the mid-season transfer window.
This lunacy came after other recent boardroom-level disasters, such as: Tom Hicks and George Gillett’s obvious failings as owners; Damien Comolli working as Director of Football Strategy and undermining the decent Roy Hodgson by signing players seemingly on a whim; Hodgson getting sacked and being replaced by caretaker manager Kenny Dalglish; Fernando Torres heading to Chelsea in the middle of the season; the £50m earned from Torres being invested in Luis Suarez (£25m and excellent) and Andy Carroll (£35m and why?).
A lack of foresight and confusion about finances and what playing style Liverpool should employ have undone the club’s ambitions. The fans have suffered from trouble at the top.
But signs are that corner has been turned. The Reds have scored 56 goals so far this season. The new owners have deep pockets, and appear to be opting to ape Arsenal, Everton and Manchester United, and build prudentially. Comolli has gone.
And the fans – Liverpool’s huge fanbase – are being asked to play their part. If Twitter is a guide, Liverpool are the country’s third most talked about club. (Manchester United have no official twitter feed, and would surely be in the top two). At the time of writing, the 10 Premier League clubs with the most Twitter followers are:
1. Arsenal – 2,182,542
2. Chelsea – 1,863,546
3. Liverpool – 1,523,120
4. Manchester City – 726,760
5. Tottenham Hotspur – 378,599
6. Newcastle United – 193,167
7. Everton – 157,628
8. West Ham – 144,078
9. Aston Villa – 132,135
10. Fulham – 107,171
On Facebook, the clubs with most “Likes’ are:
1. Manchester United – 31,644,369
2. Chelsea – 15,820,837
3. Arsenal – 13,153,197
4. Liverpool – 11,505,126
5. Manchester City – 4,769,690
6. Tottenham Hotspur – 1,638,918
7. Aston Villa – 1,002,120
8. Newcastle United – 362,357
9. Everton – 304,064
10. West Ham – 304,026
Liverpool have spent big. The team is under-performing. If they can get consistency in the boardroom, they can get it on the pitch. Signs are that they can. Now pay up…
PS – Do you Liverpool fans want Benitez back? Come on, you must do…
Posted: 11th, March 2013 | In: Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
