Hello! I’m John Henry.

The boys are going through a rough patch right now. And that means as supporters, we’re going through a rough patch, too.

When will we stop the skid in the EPL? When will we concurrently be able to keep each and every Manchester and London team from the top of the table? And when will this duo of hopes blossom and become fact?

I’m certain that these questions are buzzing around your head, too. What is going on with our team? How did we get here? And for the love of god, what’s coming next in this vexing season?

First, if I could tell the future, I’d be able to make much more cash off of DraftKings, and I’d never get another parking ticket.

READ MORE: The Remote Control & The Beautiful Game by Jeff Cutler
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Next, if I had the skillset to evaluate, correct and enhance the gameplay at Anfield, you can bet I’d have done so already.*

In August, I was in Liverpool breaking up a wedding – see my last column

But having the innate ability of Klopp or Slot isn’t something you just wake up with one morning. In fact, I might live to sleep another million nights, and I very likely would never wake up with gaffer skills.

The harsh reality hurt, but I decided to do what every parent does at the carnival. You know the situation. Parent and child are standing at the squirt guns and poppy balloons.

Kid whines. Parent digs into bills with LOTS of numbers on them – carnivals ain’t cheap – and buys two spots at the squirty horse-race game. Sitting gingerly on a tetanus-delivering metal stool, you both aim at the clown’s mouth and squeeze your trigger.

I may have confused the popping balloons, the racing horses, the clown faces, and other carnival pieces in this description. I apologize now, but this is clear evidence of how insane and bizarre the atmosphere can be.

Moving forward, the kid ends up dousing the lower-level prize shelf with a gallon of fetid water. Your horse needs to be shot about halfway down the track. And some lady with one leg and no eyes beats the field by 15 lengths and wins a giant Koala bear.

While this vignette has been comical and fun, it underscores the REAL POWER a parent has at the carnival. The WALLET. That’s right, CASH. MOOLA. MONEY. With enough money, any child can leave the carnival with the big teddy bear and a bunch of other plastic and often dangerous toys.

Money and its spoils are how I’m coping with a losing Liverpool team. By using the almighty dollar, I’ve been able to keep myself sane and add some enjoyment to my life. In fact, the process is really not puzzling at all.

This less mystical way to stay entertained while I watch LFC stumble through their matches week after week is a financial term. DIVERSIFICATION. That’s it. Diversify. Spend time and effort, and money on things other than LFC.

HOLD ON!! We are NOT replacing LFC in any way, shape, or form. We (I) am just taking a moment to invest myself in other pursuits. To that end, I asked myself three questions…

What would make me feel as if I had more control in the random soccer universe?

Is there something I could purchase that would assist me in achieving my goals?

How can I keep my expenditures and time investment reasonable?

That’s all it took. Once I had these questions in mind, I was able to find a fun and fulfilling answer.

So, this summer, I convinced a friend of mine to buy a soccer team. We’re both from the United States so I’m calling it soccer…but we all know it’s football. Regardless, we took note of the growing sports-ownership and sponsorship segment of the global economy, and we jumped in!

This wasn’t one of those questionable Carrick Rangers investments on Facebook. It’s not a Green Bay NFL football fake share, or a similar arrangement at the NBA Basketball Boston Celtics. Nope. This is more marketing than operations, and it scratches the right itch when it comes to running a football team.

Think about it. My friend Phil and I bought a team. And by ‘bought’ we decided to sponsor a team in our home community. We ended up with a 3-4-grade team that we dubbed Osprey Design.

Being our first foray into ownership, we didn’t give thought to nouns. What were the Osprey Design players? Were they the Osprey Design Sparrows? Owls? Raptors? Ospreys – redundant?

So we screwed that up. But there’s also more that we forgot to do. The list of misses is long and boring.

Suffice it to say that next year, we WILL pay attention to uniforms; ice cream parties; actually attending the matches; help for the coaches and recreation staff; and a better name.

What’s all this have to do with Liverpool and never walking alone and living our lives to the fullest? I think it’s just a reminder to slow down a little. Could you take note of what we still have? Lament and honor the things and people we’ve lost.

It’s pretty simple.

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I love Liverpool and the joy they bring to my life. My heart is full of the memories and experiences this organization created. And there are no words for the valuable relationships I’ve made and maintain because of this amazing club.

As with any relationship, there will be bumps. And with the right relationships, the love endures, the commitment remains, the excitement gets rekindled. It’s magic, it’s meaningful and and it’s mine.

Even if you decide you need to take a break. Even if you need to follow a different sport. If you feel a bit of angst over the side’s performance. Even through it all, there’s a golden sky shining down on all of us.

So take a deep breath. Realize we can’t win every match and every on-field challenge. We have been blessed and will be blessed again. Ride the wave and be ready for the next successes. They are coming.

If you need to buy a soccer team, go ahead. Or you could read a book, paint your house, or start needlepoint.

No matter how you occupy your mind, body, and soul, if you’re here at AmericanScouser.com, you’re already part of the solution. We’re all together in this. 2025-26 is proving to be an adventure.

Through it all, we all walk together. #ynwa

Our team finished fourth in a six-team league – next year we’ll be more hands-on.

See you next issue.