My little-tiny-take now we're half a season in sans-Levy.
Levy's remit was to make the club financially viable in the long-term- the stadium was the last stone in that. He - of course - didn't realise that was his sole purpose - he has the shares and was an ever-present, probably-too-close to the day-to-day running. He seemed genuinely delighted when involved with receiving the Europa - as excited as any one of us would have been in his own way (without the swearing and jumping). Levy was too much of a fan in the end to distance himself appropriately from the running of it and use the club purely to print the money and administer the Lewis family cash-cow.
ENIC 'proper' are more akin to the Glazers or Brady or Ratcliffe - they'd like to win but are fairly happy if they don't, as long as they don't get relegated (and they can still blame Levy / Frank/ Lange/ Vinai if this happens). This is why they haven't really done anything they might have done since Summer to make some changes - whether that's with some emergency loans in January or taking a hit on Frank. Based on the past 20 years of Levy-ENIC, we would all have expected Frank to have gone or some Paratici-wheeling-dealings to bring in unwanted Juve veterans to get everything a bit more solid. None of that has happened.
Whether that is a) to drive down the cost of the shares to pressure Levy to release them fast or b) because they're absolutely incompetent I don't know. I do know that - since even the days of Sugar - I have not seen the club so badly run as it is right this minute, with clear dislike for the board and even the club (apart from Conte and Mourinho, no ex-players or coaches have ever moaned about Levy, in fact, quite the reverse) from outspoken players and a departing Paratici. Obviously, people have agendas, but these are outbursts that haven't happened until the past few years when Levy's planned obsolescence was coming into play. I don't think Levy fully realised his days were numbered, but he must have had an idea - maybe why we chased the trophy, not the league? Maybe why he spent so much of ENICs money in the summer?
This is not a defence of Levy, but a criticism of ENIC v.2 who are cowardly hiding behind the only scapegoats they have left -
1) The 'ghost' of Levy; 2) Frank; 3) sub-standard players (and the 'good fortune' of a second successive season of injuries); 4) Lange; 5) Vinai. Assuming we survive this season in this league (not quite a guarantee), I would expect to see Vinai become Levy mk.2 and the target of ire from the fans. The issue, though, is ENIC and their reluctance to back the club - those decision aren't made on a personal level as they were back at the start of ENICs tenure, but at a board level. Think back and see how different we were ten seasons ago - clearly building and improving- yes, we didn't recruit for Poch until it was too late; yes, we loaned two players for Redknapp; yes, Levy went chasing the next 'big thing' with Ramos over Jol; Mourinho over Poch. But - these were understandable (and misguided) easily understood decisions - and decisions which one person took responsibility for. Now? No 'one' person is to blame. We have Frank as a mouthpiece saying what he must to keep a job; Lange, the same. The reality is that ENIC don't want to speak because to do so shows their real intent or lack of interest.
Where we are now? It makes no sense. One of the wealthiest clubs in the world and down to a bare bones squad.
I have always defended Levy on a human level. This lot. No. The faces we know have no real power - some spreadsheet somewhere is where the real 'meaning' is for ENIC.
I hope we turn it around and generate long-term success, of course I do. If we don't, for the first time since they took over, I want ENIC to sell up and I'll take a chance with whatever the alternative is.
