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

[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.

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.

That's fair, granted, although I certainly considered Tevez, Aguero, Silva and Yaya world class upon their arrival, whatever someone's definition of that may be, and outside of interest from clubs elsewhere.

I never considered Kaka world XI material at the time we attempted to sign him, although plenty will have made the argument for it.

 

[pavelsrnicek]

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.

Absolutely a major problem, we have shopped at Asda while others have shopped at Harrods. We have spent a lot but no doubt some signings did not work out. Since FFP became an issue we bought Garcia, Sinclair, Maicon, Rodwell, Fernandinho, Demichelis, Jovetic, Navas, Negredo, Fernando, Sagna, Caballero, Mangala and Bony.

Garcia ultimately did ok and was moved on at a good price. Negredo did well initially but tailed off and was moved on at a good price. Fernandinho was excellent last season but hugely inconsistent this season, Demichelis after initial struggles has done well. The jury is out on Mangala as he shown promise in some matches and been awful in others. Sagna has barely played. Caballero has been no real improvement on Pantilimon and it's too early to judge Bony. Navas has done ok in spells but is frustrating as hell and

The rest are and were disappointing - Sinclair awful, Jovetic and Rodwell carried their injury problems into their City careers and Fernando after initial promise looks lost.

It's hard to see any really successful signings. We have done what Liverpool did under Benitez after running United close, instead of bringing in players to play in our first XI we have bought squad players.

However I think the biggest problem is our set up, when we appointed Pellegrini the intention was to set our team to press high and work hard without the ball and keep a high tempo possession game with the ball. The problem is a lack of work rate without the ball and our tempo and movement with the ball is often lacking after the first 15 mins. I really don't think he has delivered on his brief in terms of playing style.

Last seasons fast starts meant we could play open football at home and with space we would win, yes we conceded a few goals but we were scoring more than anyone. This season it's no surprise we are decent away from home as we thrive on space. Against 15 teams we will win an open free flowing game. The bigger teams tend not to be so generous so funnily enough Pellegrini's City hasn't won at Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. Yes we won at Spurs, Everton and United last season but I think we will struggle to win at either the swamp or White Hart Lane this year.

 

[Damocles]

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.

Neither Aguero or Yaya were in that World XI bracket when we signed them.

Silva might have almost 100 caps for Spain but they still don't think he's as good as numerous other players in his position. It's often commented by those journos who go round Europe that they can't understand why the Spanish press don't rate Dave as highly as others.

 

[Manchester_lalala]

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.

A bit of sense amongst the madness on this forum. I heard Carragher yesterday say the city teams is at an end of an era, squad wise he's probably right. But were a financial powerhouse now, and we've only just started. We won't be going anywhere, although I am expecting a season of transition if we do have a massive rebuild in the summer. Out of all clubs in england, city have the best future out the lot of them. This is why I'm not worried about a few bad results, we've suffered a lot worse before our takeover.

 

[OB1]

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.

Aguero was long ago talked about as a possible World Player of the Year.

No idea what the perception of Silva is in Spain but I saw enough of him at Valencia to realise he was top notch and he still manages to get the odd cap for Spain!

The Yaya to Busquets comparison is the wrong one IMO; although SB did take Yaya's place, a better comparison is to Xavi and Busquets would keep Xavi out of the side as a DM.

Whether these guys were World XI or not, they are players on a level, in terms of technique, that we have not bought at since the addition of Nasri.

 

[Centurions]

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.

Instead of blindly believing whatever the other idiots on theshedend post you'd be best advised to try thinking for yourself. If not, you could just do one.

 

[LoveCity]

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.

Absolute rubbish. Do some research, the majority of City's new sponsorships have nothing to do with the Middle East. Does Abu Dhabi own Nissan? This is as cliche as us saying all your money comes from Roman.

As for the Etihad deal, it's now incredibly undervalued and making up an increasingly small % of City's total revenue.

Why are Chelsea fans starting to sound like the exact fan base who threw cliched rubbish at them for 10 years - Gooners? Suddenly, because they've done a bit of prudent business in the market, they're starting to join the moral elite looking down their noses at others. Maybe it shouldn't be surprising when their club took the selfish route of supporting FFP to try and deny anyone else the hope and dreams Roman gave them.

 

[CheethamHillBlue]

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.

Absolute rubbish. Do some research, the majority of City's new sponsorships have nothing to do with the Middle East. Does Abu Dhabi own Nissan? This is as cliche as us saying all your money comes from Roman.

Gazprom are nowt to do with Abramovich are they? Both Russian, they must be...on your basis.

 

[Bill]

platini will be creaming himself. his ffp plan to halt us is working.

 

[LoveCity]

platini will be creaming himself. his ffp plan to halt us is working.

Is it though... yes we have limits but we've still spent a hell of a lot and much of it on junk and squad players. Since FFP became a concern (after our first title win) we've spent something close to £225m I'd wager (£50m-ish 2012/13, £100m-ish 2013/14, £75m-ish 2014/15), which only a few teams have topped. We've probably outspent Bayern Munich since our title win. Bearing in mind we had Aguero/Silva/Kompany/Zaba/Yaya/Nasri/Dzeko before we spent that £200m or so, think of the team we might have built. FFP is a nuisance but it shouldn't have stopped us going from good to great.