City & FFP | 2020/21 Accounts released | Revenues of £569.8m, £2.4m profit (p 2395)

[Malty]

We need to go back to our model of buying the World's best players.

 

[Sigh]

Khaldoon described FFP as a "pinch" which would have no lasting effect on the progress of the club. To doubters i would simply ask what promises has the Sheikh or Khaldoon made since they day they bought City, which they have not kept. Time and time again they have proved the happy clappers right: time and time again they have made the preachers of doom and gloom and hell fire (and brimstone). In 2008 English football seemed locked forever in the icy grip of the Big Four. That clique has been destroyed and is hoping UEFA can restore its fortunes. How many City fans would have believed in 2008 that seven years later that City would have won two PL titles as well as every other domestic trophy and that we would have enjoyed an unbroken run of 4 seasons in the champions league. Now it's a disgrace because we can't beat possibly the best club side of all time in the last 16!!! We're a disgrace because we don't get to the semi final! How underwhelming to be only the most successful English club domestically over the last 5 years!

Do you remember the days when City were a club worth £80 million, but with debts of £90 million? The days when "no-one will ever sign for a club like City with no istry and tradition", when, a little later, we could buy players, but team spirit and playing for the shirt were things you couldn't buy? The days when there was a magic bout the United badge which gave them unique match winning virtues and brought last minute goals when all seemed lost? The day when Edin and Sergio won the title with a goal each in stoppage time. Now we're actually a disgrace because we can't buy Messi, beat Barcelona and win the CL! Football knows that nothing is impossible for City, and that it is a near certainty that City will be champions of Europe before Khaldoon sits down in 6 years to honour his promise to repeat the interview he gave after winning the title last May.

These have been spectacular years off the field. City's annual revenue has climbed to almost £350 million. What as it in 2008? This is the second highest in England, and the fifth highest in the world. Who would have believed that in 2008?! And it is growing. For all the moaning about our commercial department it has performed magnificently, despite working against the backdrop of the longest recession in history. How much more would our deals be worth in more prosperous times? Yet we have more partners than any other club in England and the number is growing. Our commercial revenue will grow too and maybe at the dizzying levels seen since 2008. Especially as the sponsorship oh the CAF and other campus buildings come in. But if the recession has held back one development more than any other, it is the collar site, of which the revenue generation capabilities are truly enormous. FFP is no more than a pinch, to be taken in our stride as City advance inexorably on the summit of the game.

 

[Chippy_boy]

Khaldoon described FFP as a "pinch" which would have no lasting effect on the progress of the club. To doubters i would simply ask what promises has the Sheikh or Khaldoon made since they day they bought City, which they have not kept. Time and time again they have proved the happy clappers right: time and time again they have made the preachers of doom and gloom and hell fire (and brimstone). In 2008 English football seemed locked forever in the icy grip of the Big Four. That clique has been destroyed and is hoping UEFA can restore its fortunes. How many City fans would have believed in 2008 that seven years later that City would have won two PL titles as well as every other domestic trophy and that we would have enjoyed an unbroken run of 4 seasons in the champions league. Now it's a disgrace because we can't beat possibly the best club side of all time in the last 16!!! We're a disgrace because we don't get to the semi final! How underwhelming to be only the most successful English club domestically over the last 5 years!

Do you remember the days when City were a club worth £80 million, but with debts of £90 million? The days when "no-one will ever sign for a club like City with no istry and tradition", when, a little later, we could buy players, but team spirit and playing for the shirt were things you couldn't buy? The days when there was a magic bout the United badge which gave them unique match winning virtues and brought last minute goals when all seemed lost? The day when Edin and Sergio won the title with a goal each in stoppage time. Now we're actually a disgrace because we can't buy Messi, beat Barcelona and win the CL! Football knows that nothing is impossible for City, and that it is a near certainty that City will be champions of Europe before Khaldoon sits down in 6 years to honour his promise to repeat the interview he gave after winning the title last May.

These have been spectacular years off the field. City's annual revenue has climbed to almost £350 million. What as it in 2008? This is the second highest in England, and the fifth highest in the world. Who would have believed that in 2008?! And it is growing. For all the moaning about our commercial department it has performed magnificently, despite working against the backdrop of the longest recession in history. How much more would our deals be worth in more prosperous times? Yet we have more partners than any other club in England and the number is growing. Our commercial revenue will grow too and maybe at the dizzying levels seen since 2008. Especially as the sponsorship oh the CAF and other campus buildings come in. But if the recession has held back one development more than any other, it is the collar site, of which the revenue generation capabilities are truly enormous. FFP is no more than a pinch, to be taken in our stride as City advance inexorably on the summit of the game.

The owners have done wonders for this club. Their own target was to make us one of the top clubs in world football, we are number 5 in revenue in the world but are yet to look like top 10 in European competition.

The transfer strategy since 2011 as been awful and left us in the position of a team with an ageing squad needing numerous new players. If we had signed ONE real quality player each season then we would be a better team and have better squad.

With the money the board / manager has had to play with , even with FFP, they have not done a very good job.

Immediately after the takeover, we had to spend big - and over the odds - to attract good players. People talked about huge spending and relevatIve lack of achievement and said we punched below our weight, but you could explain and justify it.

But looking at where we are now, we have no excuses. The performances in the cups, the CL and the now the league as well have just not been good enough.

As I posted elsewhere, I don't know what's to be done, but I honestly don't think it's a minor tweak or tinkering about. Our manager is ancient and stuck in his ways, and he can't go on for much longer, even if we wanted him to. And many of our players are at or past their prime - it's not like this is a young squad for the future.

So I think a major rebuild is needed, perhaps not to the extent as at the swamp, but a big rebuold nevertheless. Looking at the last 2 years transfers, it's hard to conclude that Txiki and Pellers are the right men to oversee that.

 

[BluessinceHydeRoad]

I take on board all the points made in reply to my earlier post. I was horrified at our display yesterday, my doubts about our manager have resurfaced and I do have concerns about Txiki. I do, however believe that we have the best players and the best squad in the PL. But the point I was trying to remind myself of is that we are in the middle of the worst run since the takeover, going into the later stages of the most lacklustre season since 2010-11 and yet we're second in the PL and grumbling because we lost 2-1 at home to Barcelona in the CL! The Sheikh assured us all that he would create a club which would be able to compete with Europe's elite out of its own resources - but saw this as a ten year plan. We are little more than half way through yet we have the fifth highest revenue in football, which is large enough to bring in the players we need regardless of FFP. If we look at the other members of the big revenue league we notice that Chelsea and Arsenal are below us, Bayern have had a season without CL football since the Sheikh bought our club, Manchester United are currently trying to get back in, Barcelona were given a drubbing of all drubbings by Munich in the semis in 2013 and the present holders were trounced by a German club with well under half it's revenue! The elite don't play each other until at least the semis - UEFA make sure we have to play two of them before the quarter finals! There are problems at City, but let's not lose sight of the fact that the medium term outlook is bright and the long term is dazzling. FFP is a glitch that may well be removed within months.

 

[bobrivers]

The owners have done wonders for this club. Their own target was to make us one of the top clubs in world football, we are number 5 in revenue in the world but are yet to look like top 10 in European competition.

The transfer strategy since 2011 as been awful and left us in the position of a team with an ageing squad needing numerous new players. If we had signed ONE real quality player each season then we would be a better team and have better squad.

With the money the board / manager has had to play with , even with FFP, they have not done a very good job.

To be fair, your massive income has very little to do with your success/lack of on the pitch.Being a Chelsea fan, I know very well how hard it is to be profitable for a club with 'new money'. We've been the most consistent English club over the past decade if you look at the domestic and European trophies and overall success and yet we've started turning even a small profit only recently. Your great commercial success is based on Khaldoon taking money out of his left pocket and putting into his right pocket. Take out any money that has ties to Aby Dhabi from your revenue, then try getting anything remotely close tour "sponsorship" deals in the real world and you'll see what your club as a brand is really worth.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

City used to spend on players who you could argue a case for being included in a World XI.

As of late, City have signed players who would struggle to be included in a Premier League XI.

FFP has been more than a pinch, much as our chairman rightly-needed to portray a narrative of 'business as usual'.

It has been anything but, sadly.

 

[moomba]

To be fair, your massive income has very little to do with your success/lack of on the pitch.Being a Chelsea fan, I know very well how hard it is to be profitable for a club with 'new money'. We've been the most consistent English club over the past decade if you look at the domestic and European trophies and overall success and yet we've started turning even a small profit only recently. Your great commercial success is based on Khaldoon taking money out of his left pocket and putting into his right pocket. Take out any money that has ties to Aby Dhabi from your revenue, then try getting anything remotely close tour "sponsorship" deals in the real world and you'll see what your club as a brand is really worth.

Our "success/lack of" includes a league and cup double last season, and two titles in the last three years. I'll take that lack of success any day.

What is the point of taking out money that has ties to Abu Dhabi? It's still money coming into the club, and I would imagine if (for example) that we cancelled the Etihad deal it would be replaced by a bigger deal with another company.

 

[tonea2003]

City used to spend on players who you could argue a case for being included in a World XI.

As of late, City have signed players who would struggle to be included in a Premier League XI.

FFP has been more than a pinch, much as our chairman rightly-needed to portray a narrative of 'business as usual'.

It has been anything but, sadly.

time to flex our muscles then come the summer if our restrictions are lifted

 

[Damocles]

City used to spend on players who you could argue a case for being included in a World XI.

As of late, City have signed players who would struggle to be included in a Premier League XI.

City have never bought a single player who could be argued as in a World XI at the time of their purchase. We have bought players who might have developed at some point into that but we didn't buy them.

Silva was playing for Valencia and still isn't rated highly in Spain. Aguero was at a midtable Atletico and nowhere near the discussion. Yaya had his position nicked by Busquets and was having to fill in wherever he could, generally at CB. Dzeko was at Wolfsburg and outside of a purple patch was nowhere near the best strikers in the world. Kompany came to us because he wanted to join a "smaller" English team as a stepping stone to the Uniteds and Chelseas but luckily coincided with the take over. Zabaleta wasn't even in that conversation for most of his City career, let alone previously. Tevez was perhaps in a World 25 but not a World XI, and even then there's an argument as he was essentially pissed around with at United in a way that Ronaldo wouldn't have been.

We bought people who were young and hungry to make the step up or had disappointing patches elsewhere and needed a reinvigoration. I don't think we've ever bought a world class player.

 

[Marvin]

City used to spend on players who you could argue a case for being included in a World XI.

As of late, City have signed players who would struggle to be included in a Premier League XI.

City have never bought a single player who could be argued as in a World XI at the time of their purchase. We have bought players who might have developed at some point into that but we didn't buy them.

Silva was playing for Valencia and still isn't rated highly in Spain. Aguero was at a midtable Atletico and nowhere near the discussion. Yaya had his position nicked by Busquets and was having to fill in wherever he could, generally at CB. Dzeko was at Wolfsburg and outside of a purple patch was nowhere near the best strikers in the world. Kompany came to us because he wanted to join a "smaller" English team as a stepping stone to the Uniteds and Chelseas but luckily coincided with the take over. Zabaleta wasn't even in that conversation for most of his City career, let alone previously. Tevez was perhaps in a World 25 but not a World XI, and even then there's an argument as he was essentially pissed around with at United in a way that Ronaldo wouldn't have been.

We bought people who were young and hungry to make the step up or had disappointing patches elsewhere and needed a reinvigoration. I don't think we've ever bought a world class player.

What is this rubbiish about Silva not being rated in Spain. He's closing in on 100 caps for Spain!!

Aguero and Yaya Toure are also World Class players. Jury maybe out on whether he still is, but that's not the point.