YANKS A MILLION!
How one Liverpool fan in the Fenway office persuaded John W Henry to buy Anfield club
WHEN Liverpool’s American owners took over the club, the talk was of rebuilding a giant that had been neglected for far too long.
Now, with the Champions League trophy tucked safely away, the job appears almost complete.
All they need now is the domestic title to go with their continental dominance.
Joe Januszewski was in Madrid on the evening that Liverpool celebrated their sixth European crown, thanks to a 2- 0 win over Spurs at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium
That name might not be immediately familiar to Liverpool’s supporters.
But, as the club prepare for another assault on a first topflight title since 1990, his role in Liverpool’s rebirth under the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) should not be underestimated.
Now the exec u t ive vice- president at the Texas Rangers Baseball Club, Januszewski is currently overseeing one of the biggest and most ambitious stadium redevelopments in global sport.
Whatever happens in Texas, though, is nothing compared to the miracles performed at Anfield since he first alerted John W Henry to a Premier League investment opportunity that has paid off in every sense.
“I was the resident football fan in the office there (at FSG) and had been for many years,” said Januszewski.
“I had be en constantly espousing the values and culture of global football and English football, in particular.
“I had followed L iverpool at university and had almost 30 years of fandom with the club.
“I had been watching and monitoring the Liverpool situation and I think my owners eventually got tired of hearing about it – because they weren’t soccer guys.
“But they are businessmen and, in August 2010, maybe they were feeling in a whimsical mood.”
Januszewski ( below) was at home in Boston one evening that month, just watching the Red Sox – the Major League Baseball giants owned by FSG since 2001 – on television when the phone rang.
The voice on the end was a familiar one.
“The ownership group called me and said that they wanted to hear more about what was h a ppe n i n g at Liverpool,” he said.
“Because I was the resident soccer guy, I was their first port of call.
“They told me to send them an email and keep it brief.”
Disti l l ing Liverpool’s problems at the time was no easy task.
Under the ownership of George Gillett and Tom Hicks, the club’s financial position had become desperate.
With debts amounting to £350million and with losses totalling £55m, the club were hardly an attractive proposition off the field. On it, things were even worse. The previous season saw Liverpool finish seventh in the Premier League.
They had been knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round in a replay against Reading and f inished third in their Champions League group.
A run to the semi-finals of the Europa League – where they lost to Atletico Madrid – was scant consolation.
Worse was to follow when Rafa Benitez left the club and was replaced by Roy Hodgson. Optimism was in scarce supply, but things were to change.
“I got an email back from John Henry that same day and he asked me to help form a working group,” said Januszewski.
“We got together the following morning and that was pretty much the start of everything.”
It certainly was. In just 66 days, FSG were putting pen to paper on a deal to buy the club.
Things would never be quite the same again.