As per the title. Forgive me if this ends up sounding like a petty rant but I'm intrigued as to how other Blues view this.
For all his misdemeanours, particularly at Hall of Fame ceremonies, I don't think anybody can doubt Garry Cook's passion for the job he had at Manchester City. He genuinely seemed to care about the club, it's fans and how it went about its business. His partnership with Khaldoon seemed to work wonders, and I think his contributions can never be underestimated in terms of just how good those first 4 years of the Mansour Era were. The history of the club was treated with the utmost respect, as were the fans. This was reflected in the club's relationship with the core fanbase and even simplicities like the kits. In the face of obscene media scrutiny, the club forced ahead and kept true to its soul. I've always felt Cook played a huge part in that.
Compare that to Soriano, who I don't think cares one bit about Manchester City, it's image or the fans. His idealistic vision is a prosperous CFG, a corporate's wet dream. He's more focused on the tourist, the plastic and the social media diehard, not forgetting his obnoxious little project in New York. He's dismantled communication with the fans, he's allowed Nike to dick all over us with the kits (visually and economically) and ultimately you can imagine that the manner in how the badge was changed was his idea, "let the fans vote on ideas, create something we like that mildly represents what they want and maybe they'll shut up".
I genuinely believe that with Cook at the helm we would've kicked on after 2012. Instead I feel like we've tip toed forward instead of making significant leaps. From 2008 to 2012 the club took giant leaps forward whilst maintaining and even enhancing the club's image and soul and it's relationship with its fans. Under Soriano, I feel we've stuttered forward whilst undoing the good work implemented before he arrived.
Again, apologies if this comes across as a petty rant but while I'll never stop loving Manchester City, in recent times I've felt a disconnect to the club which seriously fucking hurts, whether it's a squad of players whom the majority don't care, a kit that looks designed by a tourist, a badge that could be so much better, or season ticket prices that go against exactly what we told to expect. I'm not saying it's one man's fault, but it certainly feels like our direction as a club changed when Soriano arrived.
For all his misdemeanours, particularly at Hall of Fame ceremonies, I don't think anybody can doubt Garry Cook's passion for the job he had at Manchester City. He genuinely seemed to care about the club, it's fans and how it went about its business. His partnership with Khaldoon seemed to work wonders, and I think his contributions can never be underestimated in terms of just how good those first 4 years of the Mansour Era were. The history of the club was treated with the utmost respect, as were the fans. This was reflected in the club's relationship with the core fanbase and even simplicities like the kits. In the face of obscene media scrutiny, the club forced ahead and kept true to its soul. I've always felt Cook played a huge part in that.
Compare that to Soriano, who I don't think cares one bit about Manchester City, it's image or the fans. His idealistic vision is a prosperous CFG, a corporate's wet dream. He's more focused on the tourist, the plastic and the social media diehard, not forgetting his obnoxious little project in New York. He's dismantled communication with the fans, he's allowed Nike to dick all over us with the kits (visually and economically) and ultimately you can imagine that the manner in how the badge was changed was his idea, "let the fans vote on ideas, create something we like that mildly represents what they want and maybe they'll shut up".
I genuinely believe that with Cook at the helm we would've kicked on after 2012. Instead I feel like we've tip toed forward instead of making significant leaps. From 2008 to 2012 the club took giant leaps forward whilst maintaining and even enhancing the club's image and soul and it's relationship with its fans. Under Soriano, I feel we've stuttered forward whilst undoing the good work implemented before he arrived.
Again, apologies if this comes across as a petty rant but while I'll never stop loving Manchester City, in recent times I've felt a disconnect to the club which seriously fucking hurts, whether it's a squad of players whom the majority don't care, a kit that looks designed by a tourist, a badge that could be so much better, or season ticket prices that go against exactly what we told to expect. I'm not saying it's one man's fault, but it certainly feels like our direction as a club changed when Soriano arrived.
