The time Liverpool almost went under
39Gerard Houllier had held Liverpool’s hand as they ventured back into the now unfamiliar territory of European football, finally winning a European trophy for the first time in a generation with the UEFA Cup win over Alaves in 2001.
Rafael Benitez had set Liverpool free, winning their fifth Champions League four years later in Istanbul in his first season in charge on Merseyside.
For a brief time in the spring of 2009, he almost had Liverpool fans dreaming of a first Premier League title, and a first English league title since 1990.
But after missing out by just four points from a dominating Manchester United side, Rafael Benitez would leave 12 months later, after failing to reserve Liverpool’s spot at Europe’s top table for the 2010-11 Champions League season.
What followed was a reign lasting 191 days and the Liverpool ship stewarded through some choppy waters by Roy Hodgson, whose team produced almost choppier results.
Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres were all gone, as was Roy Hodgson but crucially for Liverpool, George Hicks and Tom Gillet were too after a calamitous spell as owners of Liverpool.
Their purchase of the club came in March 2007 with £40million or so worth of debt – standard for a football club of its size.
October 2010: Fenway Sports Group purchased Liverpool with £350 million of debt festering in the corner right next to Jonjo Shelvey.
Liverpool were lucky to pull their noses up just in time, with RBS forcing Hicks and Gillet into a sale of the club.
Choppy waters soon levelled out, amidst a first trophy in 6 years with the League Cup, renewed optimism under Brendan Rodgers and then success at the top with Jurgen Klopp, with a sixth Champions League then a first league title in thirty years shortly thereafter.
#LFC #PremierLeague #UCL
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Voice: Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
Illustrations: Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
Words: Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
Edit: Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
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