Fenway Sports Group’s John W. Henry has responded to growing unrest around the Boston Red Sox by insisting that they can’t be ignored as “you have to win.”
FSG’s portfolio has taken a major knock over the past year, with Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox both struggling.
In an email shared by the Sports Business Journal, Henry issued a telling response to the situation at the Red Sox.
“Fans get frustrated. The Sox looked terrible for [their] first 25 games,” he wrote.
“I remember a plane flying overhead when we were beating Manchester United 7-0 that read ‘FSG OUT!’.
“It doesn’t mean you ignore them, it means you work harder – you don’t settle for mediocrity. You have to win.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, March 5, 2023: A plane flies a banner over rge stadiun "FSG Out Klopp In Enough is Enough during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
A record of just 10 wins and 17 defeats in the first 27 games of the season led to Red Sox manager Alex Cora being sacked after eight years last month.
Prior to that decision, Henry had faced chants of “sell the team” at Fenway Park in scenes which have mirrored some of those at Anfield during FSG’s reign.
While Cora was relieved of his duties in Boston, there remains uncertainty around **Arne Slot**‘s job at Liverpool – despite wider claims that the club’s owners intend to stand by the Dutchman.
Liverpool Managerial Records: Last 5 Permanent Bosses
Manager P W D L Win %
Rafa Benitez 350 197 74 79 56.29%
Roy Hodgson 31 13 8 10 41.94%
Brendan Rodgers 166 85 39 42 51.20%
Jurgen Klopp 491 305 99 87 62.12%
Arne Slot 110 66 16 28 60.00%
* Performance data via LFCHistory.
Slot has led Liverpool to their joint-worst record of defeats in a single season this century, and with three games left to play there is every chance his side eclipses the 19 losses suffered by Rafa Benitez in 2004/05 and 2009/10.
It has been an undoubtedly poor second season in charge, but it can certainly be argued that, having won the title in his debut campaign, Slot still has credit in the bank.
That may at least be the stance taken at FSG, though it is less likely to be the case among supporters and the increasingly critical media.
Will FSG stick or twist with Arne Slot?
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, April 14, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot (R) and first assistant coach Sipke Hulshoff react to VAR sending referee Maurizio Mariani to the monitor for a penalty check during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Whether Henry and Co. back Slot to “work harder” and restore Liverpool to winning ways or decide “mediocrity” has set in and opt for a change remains to be seen.
But while it is maintained that Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes would preside over any decision, the reality is that Liverpool’s owner will have a major say.
“We don’t think in terms of investment when we’re getting involved in something,” Henry said.
“You only have so much time on the planet. So you get involved in something because you want to be involved.”
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