The Great City Fire Sale, summer 2008

Didsbury Dave

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Something mentioned in another thread reminded me of this bizarre and almost forgotten event in our recent history.

I think it was a week before the ADUG takeover, and after the stellar impact of that day, it seems to have been wiped from most people's memories, partly because it was never officially acknowledged by the club, at least to my knowledge.

Thaksin's assets had been frozen, there was a lot of panic around the club because despite pubic assertions that he effectively had billions under his bed (I'm sure we briefly had a song about that but can't remember what), it looked like another false dawn was upon us, and the club was right in the shit yet again. As the season started the rumour mill suddenly went into overdrive. We couldn't afford the wages, and I'm petty sure that John Wardle had to bung us another few million just to stay trading. Hughes's first home game had a really shit crowd (35K I think) and suddenly players like Ireland and Corluka, our best players at the time, we being linked with cut-price deals elsewhere.

There was a story of Steven IReland being summoned to the stadium from a shopping trip during a game to be told he'd been sold. And then a really strong rumour broke that the whole first team had been put up for sale.

It was a totally and utterly odd time at the club, I think at the time various anti-Shinawatra factions at the club were leaking bullshit stories to turn the fans against him. One of these was that the team were going to have to salute him before games. So you never quite knew how much truth was in these "Fire Sale" stories.

Within a week the club went from being on the brink of financial meltdown to the richest in the world. But the full story of that period has never emerged. Can you imagine being a City Director and knowing that ADUG were looking at the club, and waiting for the decision? Can you imagine the euphoria following the phone call to say "It's you", like that great big lottery finger on the advert. Knowing that if they chose Everton we were fucked?

I'd love to know what really went on behind the scenes in the late summer of 2008.
 
You can freeze a billion pounds to the tune of 500 miles was the song IIRC?

Everyones favourite pundit Danny Mills was telling everyone there was a fire sale when he was summarising for channel 5 on our UEFA cup game. I'm not sure how much there was to it though because we sold Charlie to Spurs but almost immediatly signed Zabba, if we were just raising cash surely Zabba wouldn't have been brought in?
 
I know what you mean about all the different rumours. I thought it was a case of Corluka had been sold to Spuds and Ireland was about to be sold only for Hughes to threaten he'd quit if the sale went through???
 
Didsbury Dave said:
Something mentioned in another thread reminded me of this bizarre and almost forgotten event in our recent history.

I think it was a week before the ADUG takeover, and after the stellar impact of that day, it seems to have been wiped from most people's memories, partly because it was never officially acknowledged by the club, at least to my knowledge.

Thaksin's assets had been frozen, there was a lot of panic around the club because despite pubic assertions that he effectively had billions under his bed (I'm sure we briefly had a song about that but can't remember what), it looked like another false dawn was upon us, and the club was right in the shit yet again. As the season started the rumour mill suddenly went into overdrive. We couldn't afford the wages, and I'm petty sure that John Wardle had to bung us another few million just to stay trading. Hughes's first home game had a really shit crowd (35K I think) and suddenly players like Ireland and Corluka, our best players at the time, we being linked with cut-price deals elsewhere.

There was a story of Steven IReland being summoned to the stadium from a shopping trip during a game to be told he'd been sold. And then a really strong rumour broke that the whole first team had been put up for sale.

It was a totally and utterly odd time at the club, I think at the time various anti-Shinawatra factions at the club were leaking bullshit stories to turn the fans against him. One of these was that the team were going to have to salute him before games. So you never quite knew how much truth was in these "Fire Sale" stories.

Within a week the club went from being on the brink of financial meltdown to the richest in the world. But the full story of that period has never emerged. Can you imagine being a City Director and knowing that ADUG were looking at the club, and waiting for the decision? Can you imagine the euphoria following the phone call to say "It's you", like that great big lottery finger on the advert. Knowing that if they chose Everton we were fucked?

I'd love to know what really went on behind the scenes in the late summer of 2008.

Sounds like a great idea for a book "The week that changed our World "

I can remember someone bumping in to our Garry at the Europa league game and him saying "We have our Saviour" or words to that effect.

And then marco got his balls out
 
without a dream said:
You can freeze a billion pounds to the tune of 500 miles was the song IIRC?

Everyones favourite pundit Danny Mills was telling everyone there was a fire sale when he was summarising for channel 5 on our UEFA cup game. I'm not sure how much there was to it though because we sold Charlie to Spurs but almost immediatly signed Zabba, if we were just raising cash surely Zabba wouldn't have been brought in?

That's the song. I think I remember it.

"You can freeze a billion pounds and you can freeze a billion more
But our Thaksin has got five billion stashed under his bedroom floor
Shinawatra! Shinawatra! dadadadumdumdum......"

With regards to the transfers, we suddenly signed SWP and Zab and on relfection, I reckon the deal had been shaken on by then and these signings were being funded by ADUG. As I said, it's all a bit of a mystery.
 
Good post, I frequently wonder about this era of the club.

Wardle lent us £2m to pay the wages if I remember rightly and I believe both Hughes and Cook were ready to quit.

The concerning thing is only a fortnight or so earlier we were trying to buy Ronaldinho.

You seriously have to wonder what decision making processes were at play at the time.

I genuinely think that would have been our last season in the Premier League and the club would now be similar to Portsmouth.

I will forever be in debt to Sheikh Mansour for saving us, but I firstly thank John Wardle for keeping us afloat and think the fact he has no postition at the club (in a non executive role) an abberation.
 
well you can freeze 500 million
and you can freeze 500 million more,
but Frankies got a billion stashed beneath his bathroom floor,
shinawatra,shinawatra nananana nah
 
The post on the WSC forum I think appeared on here and caused a mixture of panic and cynicism. On reflection I'd say ot was genuine, and I'd love to know who it was. Garry Cook? Just read it! 3 weeks before we signed Robinho and shook the world:

I'm sorry to say this, as a life long fan and - for the last few (for me at least) unforgettable months - employee, MCFC as we know it is finished. Here are the FACTS, for those who really want to know. Thaksin is, as of midlnight 10th August, 2008, an international fugitive. He now has to be found guilty of corruption in Thailand in his absense, offering no defence. Extradition requests will surely follow. The PL will then have to find him short of the fit and proper ownership rules (and believe me, the pressure for that from fellow 'members' has been growing since June). Thaksin is trying to palm off City onto whoever will now take it, an insolvent mess of a business, completely incapable of sustaining itself. The truth is that the only interested party (until recently) - Wardle - is not now able to bail City out now , he cant come close on his own and no partners have been found. The wage bioll and committments due on the last 2 years' transfers have spiralled out of control. The Corluka affair is the last straw - I personally worked on the deal and can assure anyone interested that he has already been transferred to Spurs. Spurs have this evening started legal action, and he will be barred from playing for City following an injunction in the courts tomorrow. Personally I expect Hughes to then resign on principal (he has no choice now, he is on record as saying that he wilol have final say on all transfers). Many wont believe any of this, but a few will. I am very close to this situation (readers will never know who I am or how close - a few would know my name but it isnt appropriate to for me to come 'out') - trust me, I am close enough to know what has happeneded in the last fortnight, I am p*ssed off with it (as a fan, and as someone who has worked hard for the club durinig the ast 18 months or so) and it must be said, a little drunk. I am posting this message on a few sites - apologies for those that keep reading it, but I want City fans to know what is happening. The sad truth is we are finished, and that as a result, the PL will be facing its biggest challenge since inception within 2 weeks of now."
 
I remember be a vocal and staunch supporter of Dr T ... was a very very weird time indeed because the rumours were strong that everyone was for sale. But IIRC we were at the same time buying players, although the stories were we'd sold off future season ticket sale money to fund the purchases.

Something which I'm curious about but don't know if it's ever been publicly acknowledged - how long was Dr T talking to Sheikh Mansour for before the sale. Didn't Amanda Staveley do her due dilligence throughout that summer. If so I reckon Thaksin took us to the wall because he knew a sale was in the pipeline.

Or maybe I'm saying that because I liked the guy ...
 

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