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Chocolate biscuits at half time. Sound.Yeah we're not spending anything this January
The Pittsburg Penguins acquisition is another blow to any thoughts of getting Bellingham.
For our owners, it's an illustration of how acquisition itself is the goal - the one true love - and the love of the game is non-existent.
Fenway Sports Group. John Henry. Show us that Liverpool FC means more to you than just the market value, you bunch of fucking wankers.
Put that in your fucking bot report.
For our owners, it's an illustration of how acquisition itself is the goal - the one true love - and the love of the game is non-existent.
Fenway Sports Group. John Henry. Show us that Liverpool FC means more to you than just the market value, you bunch of fucking wankers.
Put that in your fucking bot report.
Great investment for FSG.
Shit for us.
Shit for us.
They don't care beyond the market value. Most owners don't.
I am not so sure. They are still hanging on to the Red Sox.
They still have a bit to learn about investing in the team though, in a place where there is no draft system and salary caps.
Fenway Sports Group, owner of Red Sox and Liverpool, in talks to buy Penguins: Source
By Pierre LeBrun and The Athletic Staff
November 16, 2021Updated 10:23 PM GMT
67 Comments
Fenway Sports Group is in advanced talks to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins, a source told The Athletic, confirming multiple reports. FSG and the Penguins have been in communication for a few months, the source added, but nothing is finalized yet. The Wall Street Journal first reported the potential sale.
The group, principally owned by John Henry, owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC and is part owner of the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing NASCAR team. The Penguins are currently owned by Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, who purchased the franchise in 1999. Lemieux would retain a minority stake in the organization as part of the proposed deal, per the source, but it's unclear yet if Burkle would stick around or not.
In March, Fenway Sports Group confirmed an investment by RedBird Capital Partners that valued FSG at $7.35 billion. Fenway Sports Group bought the Red Sox in 2001 and has owned Liverpool since 2010.
The financial details of a potential sale are not known. The Penguins were recently valued at $845 million by Sportico, which would be the highest price ever paid for an NHL team.
(Photo: Ryan Yorgen / NHLI via Getty Images)
What do the Penguins bring to the Fenway group?
Sean Gentille, NHL writer: For at least a while longer, one of the NHL's 21st-century icons. Sidney Crosby's star power, combined with the franchise's recent run of success on and off the ice, fits the FSG template.
That's not to say there aren't concerns; Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are all on the back nine of their careers, and ticket sales in the post-Crosby era will be anyone's guess. A rebuild isn't far.
But ultimately, the Penguins are a premium NHL brand with an enormous local following — a 14-year sellout streak just ended. If FSG wanted to get into hockey, this spot makes all the sense in the world.
What should Penguins fans know about FSG?
Jen McCaffrey, Red Sox beat writer: While Fenway Sports Group, led by Henry and Tom Werner, started off with their ownership of the Red Sox in 2002, they've ramped up their investments in other sports ventures significantly in recent years. First, with Roush Fenway Racing, then ownership of Liverpool Football Club followed by a recent partnership with LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
Under Henry and Werner, the Red Sox ended their 86-year championship drought in 2004 and since have won three more championships, the most of any MLB team in that span. Though each sports entity under FSG is operated independently, that hasn't stopped fan speculation about how spending for one team affects the others.
Does John Henry have any connection to hockey?
Lisa Dillman, NHL writer: A small one, a long time ago. More than three decades ago, he was the frontman and investor behind the effort to bring an NHL expansion franchise to Miami. It didn’t materialize, but he had an eye on the NHL back in 1990 when the league awarded expansion franchises to Ottawa and Tampa Bay.
"I'm glad it's over," he told the Tampa Bay Times then. “Now I can pursue something that makes more sense.” Apparently, it made a lot more sense after a lot more water under the bridge.
What does this mean for the Penguins?
Dillman: It’s all good. The early history of the Penguins was that they were frequently undercapitalized, and had issues with bankruptcy, payroll and viability. Lemieux received an equity stake in the team in 1999 to compensate for money he was owed. When Burkle came aboard as an investor, things stabilized.
The new group has a lot of financial clout behind them and would continue a smooth transition, ensuring the Penguins remain one of the more financially stable teams in the NHL.
By Pierre LeBrun and The Athletic Staff
November 16, 2021Updated 10:23 PM GMT
67 Comments
Fenway Sports Group is in advanced talks to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins, a source told The Athletic, confirming multiple reports. FSG and the Penguins have been in communication for a few months, the source added, but nothing is finalized yet. The Wall Street Journal first reported the potential sale.
The group, principally owned by John Henry, owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC and is part owner of the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing NASCAR team. The Penguins are currently owned by Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, who purchased the franchise in 1999. Lemieux would retain a minority stake in the organization as part of the proposed deal, per the source, but it's unclear yet if Burkle would stick around or not.
In March, Fenway Sports Group confirmed an investment by RedBird Capital Partners that valued FSG at $7.35 billion. Fenway Sports Group bought the Red Sox in 2001 and has owned Liverpool since 2010.
The financial details of a potential sale are not known. The Penguins were recently valued at $845 million by Sportico, which would be the highest price ever paid for an NHL team.
(Photo: Ryan Yorgen / NHLI via Getty Images)
What do the Penguins bring to the Fenway group?
Sean Gentille, NHL writer: For at least a while longer, one of the NHL's 21st-century icons. Sidney Crosby's star power, combined with the franchise's recent run of success on and off the ice, fits the FSG template.
That's not to say there aren't concerns; Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are all on the back nine of their careers, and ticket sales in the post-Crosby era will be anyone's guess. A rebuild isn't far.
But ultimately, the Penguins are a premium NHL brand with an enormous local following — a 14-year sellout streak just ended. If FSG wanted to get into hockey, this spot makes all the sense in the world.
What should Penguins fans know about FSG?
Jen McCaffrey, Red Sox beat writer: While Fenway Sports Group, led by Henry and Tom Werner, started off with their ownership of the Red Sox in 2002, they've ramped up their investments in other sports ventures significantly in recent years. First, with Roush Fenway Racing, then ownership of Liverpool Football Club followed by a recent partnership with LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
Under Henry and Werner, the Red Sox ended their 86-year championship drought in 2004 and since have won three more championships, the most of any MLB team in that span. Though each sports entity under FSG is operated independently, that hasn't stopped fan speculation about how spending for one team affects the others.
Does John Henry have any connection to hockey?
Lisa Dillman, NHL writer: A small one, a long time ago. More than three decades ago, he was the frontman and investor behind the effort to bring an NHL expansion franchise to Miami. It didn’t materialize, but he had an eye on the NHL back in 1990 when the league awarded expansion franchises to Ottawa and Tampa Bay.
"I'm glad it's over," he told the Tampa Bay Times then. “Now I can pursue something that makes more sense.” Apparently, it made a lot more sense after a lot more water under the bridge.
What does this mean for the Penguins?
Dillman: It’s all good. The early history of the Penguins was that they were frequently undercapitalized, and had issues with bankruptcy, payroll and viability. Lemieux received an equity stake in the team in 1999 to compensate for money he was owed. When Burkle came aboard as an investor, things stabilized.
The new group has a lot of financial clout behind them and would continue a smooth transition, ensuring the Penguins remain one of the more financially stable teams in the NHL.
Not sure they expand the Kop and the Kenny is backed up by houses so no chance of a Main stand equivalent unless they go down the CPO route. Most of those houses are occupied however. Daft considering the club used to own quite a few of those houses before letting them run down and then selling off cheaply. Just can't see it Si
The issue with the Kenny is that the seats are very close together. If they do anything that changes the existing infrastructure then they'll have to adopt for modern comfort standards, whereas if they do nothing significant then they can get away with the existing position. The seat spacing in the Main Stand, for example, is massively different to the rest of the ground, and the lower tier / Paddock (where the structure seems to have been largely maintained) have been re-profiled to higher comfort standards, with seats lost as a result (but the seat / hospitality gain in the other tiers made it worthwhile overall). So if they adapt the Lower Kenny then they'll lose a lot of seats from the "re-profiling" of the existing tiers.
With the Annie Road, I expect they'll be trying not to touch the lower tier because of the seat loss if they have to re-profile. They'll just build a new, bigger second tier, with fans still crammed like sardines into the lower tier.
I think the cost benefit of just expanding the upper tier for the Kenny is probably not worth it - you'd end up spending a lot of money on steel / infrastructure to add more, low-value seats (not attractive for hospitality and too far from the pitch to attract premium general admission pricing).
However, if the League / safety authorities were to insist on the latest comfort standards being applied in the same way throughout the ground then it would make sense at that point to look at expanding the Kenny. And although there are houses behind, there is a decent footprint before you get to those houses. But any expansion of the Kenny would take 18 months - 2 years and they'd probably lose the hospitality spaces for most of that time period. That eats a fair chunk of revenue.
I think the Kop is unlikely to change. If they have to re-profile then they might look at rail seating to try to minimise the seat loss, but there's not much scope to expand because if already juts out towards the road (and they already did some minor infilling of some of the corners in 2017 to add some seats). If there are other parts of the ground where they could add a few extra seats by filling in corners etc then I'm sure they'll already be looking at that.
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Elephants hate penguins. They can't get the wrappers off.
[article]
With the Main Stand coming at a cost of around £110 million and the AXA Training Centre worth £50 million, the Anfield Road expansion was due to cost £60 million.
But according to The Athletic‘s Simon Hughes, the true cost of the redevelopment is £20 million more, at £80 million.
[/article]
With the Main Stand coming at a cost of around £110 million and the AXA Training Centre worth £50 million, the Anfield Road expansion was due to cost £60 million.
But according to The Athletic‘s Simon Hughes, the true cost of the redevelopment is £20 million more, at £80 million.
[/article]
I don't think it will affect us. As @Beamrider pointed out, we are going to invest what we make, which is fair enough. Also, think the Penguins are a great team to own. Pittsburgh is a proper sports-mad town with incredibly loyal fans. Unlike us and Red Sox when they were taken over by FSG, they have had quite a bit of recent success. With the draft and salary cap, I can see FSG doing very well with them.
probably using that Klopp has not spent in the transfer windows to buy Penguins...
I don't think it will affect us. As @Beamrider pointed out, we are going to invest what we make, which is fair enough. Also, think the Penguins are a great team to own. Pittsburgh is a proper sports-mad town with incredibly loyal fans. Unlike us and Red Sox when they were taken over by FSG, they have had quite a bit of recent success. With the draft and salary cap, I can see FSG doing very well with them.
They've had a lot of success bc they were terrible at a really good time and drafted two generational talents. They did very well to surround them with great teams but they're running towards the end of a cycle now and look set for a major rebuild in a couple seasons. Could be some pain before gain for FSG.
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