By Dominic King
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John W Henry insists owning Liverpool is no distraction but admits there are concerns in America about his involvement at Anfield.
Liverpool's principal owner has come under fire for the way the Boston Red Sox baseball team, Fenway Sports Group's other major sporting investment, have performed.
He has also come under scrutiny from Liverpool fans, who think Henry is more concerned with restoring the Red Sox to former glories than rebuilding Liverpool.
Absence: John Henry has not been in England since the FA Cup final
But Henry, who has not been to England since the FA Cup final last May, has again stressed he is committed to a long-term project on Merseyside, along with his Red Sox vision.
Speaking in Florida on Monday, Henry said: 'Everything affects you but the things that have been said, repeated over and over again, are fairly ludicrous.
'The last time I was in Liverpool I think was in May of last year. I don't know where this fraction comes from. You can say every major league owner is distracted if you want to try and make a case for it because they all have other businesses, other endeavors. I think they all do. The major thing is the perception.
Henry added: 'Imagine if I had nothing else to do other than run the Red Sox? What do you think would be different?
Slump: Boston Red Sox had a poor 2012 season, finishing with a 69-93 record
'I would say some of (FSG's limited partners) are not OK. They read the same stuff, and probably some think that we are distracted. Last year's (Red Sox) losses weren't the result of Liverpool.
'I would say all three of us are intimately involved every day with everything that goes on at Fenway Sports Group. But every day is different. You have different issues that come up just about every day.'
The Red Sox as an organisation, Henry said, got away from the values that led to two championships, the last in 2007.
'We had a core philosophy for a lot of the years and we moved away from that philosophy and it's hurt us. It's definitely hurt us. Last year, I think, was the beginning of trying to put us back on the right track,' he said.
'When you have a certain amount of success you generally you don't tend to change your philosophy. In our case there was a very profound shift, I think, of what we were trying to do. Why? That's a good question. I would only speculate why. But there was a shift and I don't think it ultimately, with hindsight, proved to be [right].'
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