Around 13 years ago, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) made the decision to purchase a majority stake in Liverpool, saving the Merseyside club from the troublesome ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett. John Henry was the face of the consortium, having already delivered success to the Boston Red Sox after exploring the world of baseball.
His wish was to use similar methods to achieve an edge in football, with a data-driven culture fostered at Anfield which would later prove to be ahead of its time. Henry’s first appointment once he arrived on English shores was that of a new sporting director, which was not particularly common in England. Having been inspired by the role of a general manager in baseball, FSG wished to appoint a similar figure above the head coach of the first-team squad, with that person responsible for looking after the medium-to-long term health of the club. It didn’t take long for the right man to appear, as he’d been recommended to Henry by none other than Billy Beane — the mastermind behind the famous ‘Moneyball’ approach.
