Long before John W Henry, there was an American businessman who had a significant influence on the lives of the people of Liverpool.
His name was Henry Ford. Away from the docks, his Ford Motor Company was, at one point, probably the most important employer on Merseyside. Aside from being one of the most pre-eminent industrialists of his time, Ford had a penchant for soundbites: “Any customer can have a car painted any colour he wants, so long as it is black.”
He also had a view on retrospection. “History is more or less bunk,” he declared. “The only history that is worth a tinker’s dam is the history we make today.” Or the Premier League, as it is known.
