Brendan voyage: From Antrim to Anfield

When the Fenway Sports Group took over Liverpool in October 2010, there was widespread excitement.

Not only were they not Tom Hicks and George Gillett, but John W Henry had tried to appoint Billy Beane to be general manager of Boston Red Sox. He was an owner who grasped sabremetrics, somebody who understood the importance of statistical analysis and could perhaps find truths previously hidden to those who had grown up within the culture of football. He even, played by Arliss Howard, made a brief appearance in the film Moneyball.

Things started badly. Roy Hodgson left on January 8th, 2011. In came Kenny Dalglish, initially as a short-term move until the end of the season. Fernando Torres was sold for £50 million and Andy Carroll signed for £35m, which didn’t look much like what Brad Pitt had been doing in Moneyball. Dalglish lifted the mood. Results improved.