Chief Exec News from Torygraph

[Darkhorse]

anyone read Spanish?

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.economiadigital.es/es/notices/2012/01/soriano_aceptara_la_oferta_del_manchester_city_26294.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.economiadigital.es/es/notice ... _26294.php</a>

Good old dodgy Google translator.

Spanair president, Ferran Soriano, has decided to accept the offer to head the British soccer club Manchester City in terms of diluting the echoes of the precipitate closing of the Catalan airline, has been told Digital Economy of the presidential sources. The manager will occupy a position of General Manager, equivalent to the combined general direction of English. The former sporting director of FC Barcelona Txiqui Beguiristain to accompany you on this new venture. In fact, the decision was taken to leave the company for weeks at the prospect of an unhappy ending in the project Spanair. Even if investors from Qatar Airways catarís trading with the Government of the Generalitat and the Lazard investment bank had agreed to join the airline's capital , Soriano would have left the presidency. The continuation of the negotiations during the second half of the year had Soriano led Spanair to commit to "close the deal", as reported this week at Digital Economy airline's vice president, Miquel Martí, who declined to relieve the outgoing executive's maximum liability. Relieve stress Personally, walking Manchester also allow Soriano to ease tensions arising from closures explains its environment. To restart a new professional adventure miles away will mitigate the effects of failure of the Catalan company, but will not dilute the responsibilities arising from the management. The duo Soriano-Beguiristain take the reins of the London club, now owned by Abu Dhabi, in the context of a profound restructuring of the organizational structures they wish to implement the new owners. While Soriano could occupy a position equivalent to the presidency or general management executive will be responsible Beguiristain sports. Both have been contacted by the club to move up there a model of organization and operation similar to that success has made ​​the FC Barcelona.

I think that is giving me good news?

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Excellent news if it happens.

These Potts rumours made me nervous.

We'll have a proven, experienced football CEO.

Potts made me nervous too. I've never heard any information that he was nailed on for the job but people have put 2+2 together. We absolutely need someone who knows football inside out (or at least top-level sport) and can move comfortably in the corridors of power.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Excellent news if it happens.

These Potts rumours made me nervous.

We'll have a proven, experienced football CEO.

Potts made me nervous too. I've never heard any information that he was nailed on for the job but people have put 2+2 together. We absolutely need someone who knows football inside out (or at least top-level sport) and can move comfortably in the corridors of power.

Yep, if this happens I'd be delighted as it would be an experienced football operator. Some of the more shambolic stuff behind the scenes would hopefully be behind us.

 

[MCFC-alan88]

Excellent news if it happens.

These Potts rumours made me nervous.

We'll have a proven, experienced football CEO.

Potts made me nervous too. I've never heard any information that he was nailed on for the job but people have put 2+2 together. We absolutely need someone who knows football inside out (or at least top-level sport) and can move comfortably in the corridors of power.

Agreed, the only other person free that fits that criteria is Peter Kenyon, I'd rather have Soriano.

 

[i went to rotherham]

anyone read Spanish?

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.economiadigital.es/es/notices/2012/01/soriano_aceptara_la_oferta_del_manchester_city_26294.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.economiadigital.es/es/notice ... _26294.php</a>

Good old dodgy Google translator.

Spanair president, Ferran Soriano, has decided to accept the offer to head the British soccer club Manchester City in terms of diluting the echoes of the precipitate closing of the Catalan airline, has been told Digital Economy of the presidential sources. The manager will occupy a position of General Manager, equivalent to the combined general direction of English. The former sporting director of FC Barcelona Txiqui Beguiristain to accompany you on this new venture. In fact, the decision was taken to leave the company for weeks at the prospect of an unhappy ending in the project Spanair. Even if investors from Qatar Airways catarís trading with the Government of the Generalitat and the Lazard investment bank had agreed to join the airline's capital , Soriano would have left the presidency. The continuation of the negotiations during the second half of the year had Soriano led Spanair to commit to "close the deal", as reported this week at Digital Economy airline's vice president, Miquel Martí, who declined to relieve the outgoing executive's maximum liability. Relieve stress Personally, walking Manchester also allow Soriano to ease tensions arising from closures explains its environment. To restart a new professional adventure miles away will mitigate the effects of failure of the Catalan company, but will not dilute the responsibilities arising from the management. The duo Soriano-Beguiristain take the reins of the London club, now owned by Abu Dhabi, in the context of a profound restructuring of the organizational structures they wish to implement the new owners. While Soriano could occupy a position equivalent to the presidency or general management executive will be responsible Beguiristain sports. Both have been contacted by the club to move up there a model of organization and operation similar to that success has made ​​the FC Barcelona.

So now we know where the new stadium will be !

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16787761" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16787761</a>

 

[Harry Godwin]

Think somebody has already alluded to the fact that this guy is well
in with Platini and crew.This is a very shrewd move by our owners.
Puts us right in the heart of the European cabal.Just watch attitudes
change towards us if this really does go through.

 

[bumbleblue]

Hope this gets done asap. I think we need someone who can tred the corridors of power at uefa and fifa and even the FA knowing the games played etc. I think we need to play by the top boys rules and at the moment we are still left out.. a bit like the lottery winners who move into the posh street. Could be the best signing yet.

 

[petrusha]

People are, of course, correct when they point out that one of the major boxes that Soriano ticks from the MCFC point of view is that he's well acquainted with the movers and shakers at the top of European club football. Currently, we're regarded by those people as a rather unwelcome, monied arriviste, and as has been said by various posters above, there's potentially a great benefit to the club if we have a senior executive who commands respect in those circles.

Of course, he lacks prior experience of English football. However, when we gave John Williams a role last summer, there were already rumours that Garry Cook was in his last year as CEO. I believed then, and suspect now, that part of the thinking behind bringing Williams in is for him to assist a CEO who needs schooling in the ways of the English game.

There's one thing that interests me about Soriano that no one has mentioned yet. I posted a while back that I believe very senior people at MCFC are admirers of the Barcelona 'mes que un club' ethos. Given the intensive concentration of football clubs in NW England, we're never going to be able to claim to represent a region in the way that Barca style themselves. But, as we go forward and as the developments around the stadium take shape, the club will be looking to project itself as a representative of its community.

If Soriano arrives, then I wonder if part of the attraction is his prior involvement with stressing this aspect of the club's heritage at Barca. It caught my interest that the MEN seemed keen to emphasise this in the story they ran about City's alleged interest in him.

Meanwhile, we'll see about Begiristain, but given rumoured interest in various candidates for a technical director position over the last year or two (Arnesen, Baldini and so on), it doesn't seem impossible. Many have jumped to the conclusion that his arrival would necessarily entail the departure of Brian Marwood, but I'm personally not so sure. (Danamy, one of the very few posters on here that I particularly look out for, seems not to have the highest regard for Marwood, but I haven't heard serious suggestions that Abu Dhabi are unhappy with him).

I suspect that the big thing we want, however, from a technical director would be to develop our academy. After all, we've announced plans to put in place some of the best academy facilities in the game, but what we need is to ensure that the structure is in place to exploit that to best effect. So who better to oversee all that than the guy who, as Barca's sporting director, presumably had ultimate responsibility for the best development set-up in the game.

And the other area in which we have a problem, and where he could be a big help, is ensuring we have a structure in place to get the kids from the top of our academy (where they stay up to age 18) and into the first team. Currently, there's a problem - we pulled out of the reserve league this season, but don't seem to have found an adequate replacement, while we lost all our games in this Next Generation competition. So there definitely seems scope for a highly qualified professional to come in and get his teeth into our development set up.

For that reason, I suspect that it would be viable for Begiristain and Marwood to work together. Whether there would then still be a role for Mike Rigg, who currently has the title technical director, I'm not so sure. Maybe there would - as far as I know (though I stand to be corrected), he was Hughes's appointment, and is essentially a senior scout. Maybe he could report to Begiristain in a new structure, maybe not.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes, but my opinion is that if these two come in, it would be a bold yet sensible move by the club. They bring attributes that seem to be currently lacking among employees at the top end of our operation. I hope it's true, because for these reasons I find it a rather exciting prospect.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

People are, of course, correct when they point out that one of the major boxes that Soriano ticks from the MCFC point of view is that he's well acquainted with the movers and shakers at the top of European club football. Currently, we're regarded by those people as a rather unwelcome, monied arriviste, and as has been said by various posters above, there's potentially a great benefit to the club if we have a senior executive who commands respect in those circles.

Of course, he lacks prior experience of English football. However, when we gave John Williams a role last summer, there were already rumours that Garry Cook was in his last year as CEO. I believed then, and suspect now, that part of the thinking behind bringing Williams in is for him to assist a CEO who needs schooling in the ways of the English game.

There's one thing that interests me about Soriano that no one has mentioned yet. I posted a while back that I believe very senior people at MCFC are admirers of the Barcelona 'mes que un club' ethos. Given the intensive concentration of football clubs in NW England, we're never going to be able to claim to represent a region in the way that Barca style themselves. But, as we go forward and as the developments around the stadium take shape, the club will be looking to project itself as a representative of its community.

If Soriano arrives, then I wonder if part of the attraction is his prior involvement with stressing this aspect of the club's heritage at Barca. It caught my interest that the MEN seemed keen to emphasise this in the story they ran about City's alleged interest in him.

Meanwhile, we'll see about Begiristain, but given rumoured interest in various candidates for a technical director position over the last year or two (Arnesen, Baldini and so on), it doesn't seem impossible. Many have jumped to the conclusion that his arrival would necessarily entail the departure of Brian Marwood, but I'm personally not so sure. (Danamy, one of the very few posters on here that I particularly look out for, seems not to have the highest regard for Marwood, but I haven't heard serious suggestions that Abu Dhabi are unhappy with him).

I suspect that the big thing we want, however, from a technical director would be to develop our academy. After all, we've announced plans to put in place some of the best academy facilities in the game, but what we need is to ensure that the structure is in place to exploit that to best effect. So who better to oversee all that than the guy who, as Barca's sporting director, presumably had ultimate responsibility for the best development set-up in the game.

And the other area in which we have a problem, and where he could be a big help, is ensuring we have a structure in place to get the kids from the top of our academy (where they stay up to age 18) and into the first team. Currently, there's a problem - we pulled out of the reserve league this season, but don't seem to have found an adequate replacement, while we lost all our games in this Next Generation competition. So there definitely seems scope for a highly qualified professional to come in and get his teeth into our development set up.

For that reason, I suspect that it would be viable for Begiristain and Marwood to work together. Whether there would then still be a role for Mike Rigg, who currently has the title technical director, I'm not so sure. Maybe there would - as far as I know (though I stand to be corrected), he was Hughes's appointment, and is essentially a senior scout. Maybe he could report to Begiristain in a new structure, maybe not.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes, but my opinion is that if these two come in, it would be a bold yet sensible move by the club. They bring attributes that seem to be currently lacking among employees at the top end of our operation. I hope it's true, because for these reasons I find it a rather exciting prospect.

A superbly insightful post and one I agree with most of. There can be no doubt that with the investment in the new training campus, City are going to want world class leadership to ensure it works. We appear to be miles off it at the moment. The conveyor belt of talent seemed to stop with the sidelining of Jim Cassell, although I totally appreciate that the standard of football at the club means it is hugely harder for kids to break through. I also found the "Nextgen" results alarming, particularly as we have been waving the chequebook around the world in an attempt to bolster this generation of players.

Another thing to consider is that Abu Dhabi have had good links with Barca, I don't know if it was through these two or others. Remember the Juan Gamper Trophy? Remember The Sheikh sitting as guest of honour?

With regards to Marwood, I know a few people around the club are questioning his role in the absence of Cook. He's not popular with the playing squad as he is seen to go telling tales to the top brass behind their backs. I have no idea how popular he is where it counts, in Abu Dhabi, but I see no reason why there is a problem. I think Mancini's problems were with Cook rather than Marwood. With regards to Williams, he seemed a strange appointment. There's also the guy acting as chairman, forgot his name, and Mike Rigg too as you say.

Like you, I am quite excited with the potential of this, if it happens of course. We might well be seeing a bit of a clearout, which is no bad thing. A few of us agreed in the summer that it may well be necessary. Cook's idiocy helped of course.