Anyone that knows me will tell you that I love two things: my four basset hounds and Liverpool football club. Thankfully the woofs are fine, but Liverpool FC are in an utter mess. Sunday’s defeat to Chelsea condemned us to one of the worst seasons I can remember in a lifetime of following the Reds.

It that wasn’t bad enough the British and Swedish press have been savaging Rafa Benitez, the club’s manager, left right and centre; it seems that every time my RSS feed updates there’s more speculation that Rafa is going / staying / having a tantrum and that the club is about to implode under the burden of financial debt.

Caught in a Media Firestorm

Following Liverpool fans on Twitter, Facebook, and in various online forums you can see that speculation is mounting about what’s going to happen. Worse than all the rumours is the overriding feeling of frustration at the secrecy and lack of openness coming from the club. Even players like Yossi Benayoun and Lucas Leiva have publicly admitted the players are frustrated at being in the dark.

Following a season of boardroom shenanigans and poor performances on the pitch with practically the same team that finished second in the League just 12 months ago, the club needs to hold its hands up, admit its mistakes and communicate clearly how it expects to turn things around.

The club has one of the most popular football websites on the web, but unfortunately it’s not making use of the web to engage with its fans. The official Liverpool FC website makes no mention of the problems and has the feel of a poor marketing ploy to sell more replica shirts with plenty of glossed pics of fan favourites Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher than placate its anxious fans who’ve stood by club and manager all season.

Frankly, this is a prime example where social media should be used to build bridges and lift the gloom surrounding the club and ultimately the brand.

Imagine Rafa Benitez appearing in a vlog or YouTube video, talking directly to fans, admitting the frustrations of the campaign and outlining where he hopes things will go. A sense of passion and determination could lift spirits, and meet some of the detractors head on.

Even if Rafa leaves the club, as many commentators seem to think, it would be refreshing to see a manager talking directly to the fans about his motives for leaving instead of mediating his position via the media, who level their own commentary and agenda on top of everything they print.
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