It's likely that one of the first emotions that ran through the minds of many Liverpool fans when NESV took over was fear. And who could blame them? It was an American group that had previously run their beloved club into the ground, what would make this group any different?
If it was dread running through the Reds' fans minds, it was quickly diminished when they realized the vision of NESV, and what they have in store for the future of Liverpool.
In a recent article on goal.com, a comparison is drawn to the 2004 Red Sox. Soon after John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino took to the helm of the Red Sox organization, a dream was realized by Red Sox fans. A dream that hadn't been reached in 86 years.
Henry looks to bring that same notion of change and hope to Liverpool. No exciting promises of billion-dollar players and spanking-new stadiums — just the forward-looking promise that things will change.
One of the many differences between NESV and Liverpool's former owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, is what the goal.com article refers to as a "sporting philosophy." Henry has proven that he's not in this game for the sake of owning a big-name football club. He's in it to change the fate of a historical club that has a devoted fan base.
This isn't Henry's first time working with a passionate group of fans. Red Sox Nation ring a bell?
Henry has already laid out the groundwork of the upcoming plans for the Reds. Transfers will be made through scouting young talent, and developing players from the ground up, rather than buying big names. A similar framework was run in Boston, weeding out the aging veterans and bringing in a young squad that formed an unbreakable chemistry.
Henry also brings with him a wealth of business experience, and Anfield will be run as a business. Henry has developed the Red Sox into more than just a baseball team, they're a way of life, and several business ventures run through the walls of Fenway, and it's looking like Liverpool will be no different.
The relationship between NESV and Liverpool is still young, but it seems the Reds have much to look forward to in what lies ahead.
