And thank you for your eloquence by return.pipes Ok here's my go at a rebuttal. You have argued with some eloquence (I'll add) our debt to Levy and ENIC. Citing our toils with Iverson, Fox, Sinton, all of whom I remember with affection and dispair(I'll see them and raise you: Thomas, Doherty, and Booth.
You also talk correctly about infrastructure: training ground, lodge stadium. All of this overlooks the huge incremental fortunes in TV revenues, global streaming technology, and online merchandising that had zero to do with Levy and benefited all EPL owners in this period. Now as the clubs custodian what I'll give him is that he put that windfall into the football club which I'd not have trusted Sugar Venables or Scholar to do.
But -and I love a big one a brother can not lie- this misses the major criticism of him, that I and many have. Its not what he has done, but what he did not do. When posters say "I don't trust the slimy****" They often mean..."to finish the job" He is penny wise and pound foolish. Yes he has built a sustainable elite business but he has on a couple of occasions stood at the threshold of building an elite winning football team and lacked the vision to seize that opportunity and a bigger fortune as a result.
No one argues he has not been a good steward for the clubs stability but what is his sporting legacy as an owner? When we pushed Lecister for the title investment in two elite level players in my opinion yields a title, ditto when a Liverpool side we had dismantled 4-1 at Wembley added VVD and Alison to become the worlds best team by some distance had we matched that ambition where would we be? My belife is at the summit.
Yes we owe Levy a debt, but this does not mean he has not made mistakes, nor that he could have done better. I believe he lacks vision, and I also worry that the dual nature of the ground(NFL/Soccer) point to less than a total commitment to the football teams success. He has insured ENIC duel revenue streams certainly,but that term 'anchor tenant' should make you sick to your stomach, before we laugh too heartily at West ham. Many people think he has taken us as far as he can, just as he felt Pochettino and Jol had. I am certainly one if them.
The anchor tenant thing first - I’m pretty sure that’s just legal speak to show we are the main show in town over and above NFL.
And please let me confirm that I think Levy does stuff wrong. We have had chances to do better by signing a few players here and there.
But right now, I think ENIC are doing as well as they could be.