Fenway Sports Group officially sack manager
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from DaveOCKOP or go back to LFC Live.
Image Credits: Imago ImagesIt has been a season of stark contrasts for Fenway Sports Group.Twelve months ago, their flagship football club Liverpool were celebrating a Premier League title under Arne Slot in his debut season: 82 points, a dominant campaign, the kind of statement arrival that had supporters believing a genuine era of sustained success was beginning.Fast forward to April 2026, and the same club sit fourth in the table on 58 points, level with Manchester United and Aston Villa, scrapping for a Champions League place rather than challenging for honours.They have won just 17 of their 34 league games this season, losing 10, compared to last season’s imperious form.Their title defence has evaporated entirely, they have exited the Champions League, and Mohamed Salah is injured and has almost certainly played the final weeks of his Anfield career.Expensive signings in Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike have produced inconsistent returns, and supporters have grown frustrated enough to stage protests inside Anfield itself, with yellow cards visible in the stands during Saturday’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace in direct response to planned ticket price increases.The pressure on Slot has been building all season.Questions about his future have circulated persistently, with Xabi Alonso’s name repeatedly surfacing in the media as a potential replacement, though UK-based journalists have consistently indicated no approach has been made and no appointment is pending.Sky Sports reported last week that Slot is “expected to continue” next season, with the hierarchy backing him to oversee a summer rebuild following Salah’s departure.Three consecutive league wins have steadied the ship, and Champions League qualification next season now looks likely.But the mood around Anfield is not comfortable, and FSG know it.What happened on Sunday, however, had nothing to do with Liverpool or Arne Slot.FSG have sacked a manager — but it is not the one Liverpool supporters have been debating.The axe fell on Alex Cora, the manager of FSG’s other major sporting asset, the Boston Red Sox baseball team, along with five members of his coaching staff.The decision was confirmed on Sunday after the Red Sox posted a record of just 10 wins and 17 defeats to start the new MLB season, a dismal return that prompted the ownership group to act decisively despite the fact that Cora had guided the same franchise to one of the greatest seasons in their history as recently as 2018, winning the World Series in his first year in charge.The timing is notable. Cora delivered a title and was still shown the door when results fell below expectations.FSG principal owner John Henry released a statement that was warm in its tribute but unambiguous in its message.“Alex Cora led this organisation to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude,” Henry said.“These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.”“I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organisation.”Cora will be succeeded on a temporary basis by Chad Tracy, the manager of Triple-A Worcester.It is the first time the Red Sox have dismissed a manager mid-season since Jimy Williams in August 2001.For Liverpool supporters watching events unfold across the Atlantic, the message is clear enough.
FSG sacked a World Series-winning manager because the results were not good enough.They have owned Liverpool since 2010, overseen two Premier League titles and a Champions League, and have shown consistently that sentiment does not override performance when the numbers demand action.Slot’s position looks safer than it did two months ago, but Sunday’s events in Boston are a reminder of exactly who is making the decisions at Anfield, and what those decisions can look like when FSG feel the time has come.A Statement from the Boston Red Sox: pic.twitter.com/7NXev6jpqe— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 25, 2026 FSG