Had Robert Kraft bought Liverpool in 2005, the Kop might now be preparing to rub the noses of Manchester United fans visiting Anfield on Sunday in the number of Premier League titles that they, and not United, had won in the past few seasons. Because although the Glazer family has enjoyed success in this country since buying United, their Tampa Bay Buccaneers have trailed in the wake of Kraft’s New England Patriots in the NFL.

The franchises meet at Wembley on Sunday, a few hours after Liverpool kick off against United, and while the Glazers will be expecting victory at Anfield, they must fear a humiliation for their winless Buccaneers against the New England juggernaut in London.

How Liverpool fans must wish that Kraft had not decided to pass on buying Liverpool because of the absence of a salary cap in European football.

Kraft claims that he bought the Patriots to prevent them from moving from New England, but he promptly set about making them winners. His team won their first Super Bowl in 2002 and, while the Glazers’ Buccaneers followed suit a year later, they have never threatened a repeat. The Patriots, in contrast, have won two more Super Bowl titles and come within a touchdown of a fourth — and every rule in the NFL book is designed to achieve competitive balance among the 32 teams.

“I paid the highest price for any franchise in any sport in the world,” Kraft said. “It was lowest in revenue and had the worst won-lost record. But over the last 15 years we’re near the top in revenue, we’ve been to five Super Bowls and won three, we have the best winning record. It was a lot of hard, difficult work, but I must tell you that anyone who has the privilege of owning an NFL franchise can do the work that we did.”

After several unpromising seasons, hiring Bill Belichick as head coach in January 2000 was arguably the key decision. Belichick, unusually among NFL teams, has the final say on personnel as well as coaching and his degree in economics has helped him to exhibit a mastery of the machinations necessary to overcome the limitations imposed by the NFL salary cap.

But the culture of the team comes from the top and the details count. For example, Kraft provides tickets for members of the British fans’ group who attend games and where other stadiums are surrounded by only car parks and retail outlets, the Patriots’ lavish facility in Foxborough, Massachusetts, includes a hospital.

“Throwing money at things doesn’t work,” Kraft said. “You have got to have an internal culture, build a trust. We do a lot of little things that make the difference. We took Richard Seymour and Ben Watson and then Tom Brady to Israel. We witnessed Richard and Ben being baptised in the River Jordan, we took Tom Brady to Bethlehem and it was great seeing them react to different cultures.

“There’s no one on our team that I wouldn’t have at my dinner table. I give autonomy but I told the coach, ‘The only rule is: no thugs and hoodlums. If we need that to win, then I’m getting out.’

“These people carry my name in the community. They pulled a fast one early on and drafted a player who beat up women and I cut him, to make the point.”

New players instantly understand what makes the Patriots different from their previous outfits. “They are all about business and getting things done,” Fred Taylor, the running back, said. “Mr Kraft is very successful and very hard-working and has vision about the organisation going forward. These guys don’t brag and boast about who they are, they go in quiet and come out with the last laugh. They express it on the field.”

Stars such as Brady, the quarterback, know that they have the Patriots ethic to thank for their outrageously high profiles. “It starts with the ownership,” he said. “They hired probably the best coach in the history of the NFL and he brings players that fit in — not only to the system, but also what the concept of team is.

“It’s about buying into team goals that are greater than any individual goals or successes that you may have. That’s what this team’s all about. That’s where it starts and, pretty much, that’s where it ends.”

As the internal wrangles go on at Anfield, Liverpool can only reflect on what might have been.

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Streets ahead

Robert Kraft Age 67 Estimated wealth $1.5 billion (about £903 million).

Acquired the New England Patriots in 1994 for $172 million. Their present value is $1.4 billion (fourth in the NFL).

Achievements Three Super Bowl wins (2002, 2004, 2005), five Super Bowl appearances, ten play-off appearances. Perfect regular season in 2007 (16 games, 16 wins).

Malcolm Glazer Age 80 Estimated wealth $2.2 billion Acquired the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995 for $192 million. They are valued at $1.1 billion (eighth in the NFL).

Achievements One Super Bowl win in 2003, seven play-off appearances.

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