Former chairman Broughton keeps mum over Kenny's Liverpool future
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UPDATED:
21:30 GMT, 12 April 2012
Liverpool's former chairman Sir Martin Broughton has remained remarkably quiet in all the noise surrounding the club’s travails under struggling manager Kenny Dalglish.
But significantly Broughton, who brought the Fenway Sports Group to Anfield before stepping down, had dismissed any thought of him appointing the Scot on the day Roy Hodgson was unveiled as Liverpool manager in July 2010.
Broughton had his doubts whether Dalglish could be a success in the Anfield hot seat after 12 years away from top-flight management. Also, Liverpool were looking for new owners at the time and Broughton didn’t want the possibility of them losing popularity at the start of their reign by having to dismiss a club legend.
Keeping mum: Former Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton
But FSG’s John Henry and Tom Werner, who showed their steel yesterday by parting company with director of football Damien Comolli and head of sports science Peter Brukner, might have to do just that if Liverpool have a poor start next season, despite having given Dalglish and managing director Ian Ayre the dreaded vote of confidence.
Insult to injury
The baffling departure of Liverpool’s respected sports medicine chief Peter Brukner can only be explained by a clash of cultures with old school manager Kenny Dalglish. A current sports science table of the top eight clubs in the Premier League has Liverpool in first place for injury avoidance.
No acknowledgement
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The fall-out from Kumar Sangakkara’s brave Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s last summer, when he was highly critical of the unethical way the sport is run in Sri Lanka, contributed to the cricket authorities in Colombo refusing to allow their star player to acknowledge the double honour of being chosen as Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World and one of their Five Cricketers of the Year.
England's driving maul
BMW, who have replaced Land Rover as the RFU’s official vehicle supplier, intend to invite England players and RFU staff to test their cars around Brands Hatch, as they do with their other major sports sponsorships in golf and London 2012.
This is despite Land Rover’s partnership with the RFU going pear-shaped during the World Cup when England’s ‘arrogant and rude’ players misused their performance cars as well as breaking the speed limit on an Auckland beach during a nightmare company day.
Land Rover were still keen to extend their deal but the RFU have chosen to double their money at least with BMW’s 3m-a-year endorsement. There will be no conduct clauses in the BMW agreement, but the RFU say they will be ‘very firm’ on any misconduct issues.
Taking action
The FA are considering legal action
against controversial agent Peter Harrison after he renewed his attacks
on Bolton chairman and FA board member Phil Gartside.
Harrison, who is back working as a
middle man after previously walking out on football, has followed up
numerous allegations on Twitter about the way Gartside runs Bolton by
accusing him of favouring rival agent Mark Curtis in all transfer deals
in an inflammatory open letter on popular Bolton blog site Manny Road.
Under fire: Phil Gartside has been challenged by agent Peter Harrison
Senior FA executive Adrian Bevington
said: ‘We are considering our legal position in relation to Peter
Harrison’s conduct due to his continued public accusations. Any
allegations or claims made against Phil Gartside are without any
evidence of wrongdoing.’
Harrison, who keeps insisting he
intends to lift the lid on football corruption, briefly left the game
after losing an FA tribunal case involving his agency contract with Andy
Carroll, who is now represented by Curtis.
Tick the Umbro box
Martin Prothero, who was England kit supplier Umbro’s main representative with the national team for three decades, is now a consultant to sports agency Kentaro, whose clients include Brazil.
Prothero’s departure will make it easier for parent company Nike to switch the England shirts to the swoosh logo when they renegotiate the FA contract, which Prothero insisted had Umbro brand guarantees.