Colin Shindler in the Mail

[Balti]

Re: An Interesting read..............

We've seen it mate. It's bollox. It describes a loss that most of us do not feel. His loss. Yawn.

When is Eto'o signing?

 

[Dyed Petya]

Re: An Interesting read..............

I came across this article and I thought you Guys & Gals might like to read it.

We already have. There's a fifteen-page thread on it, plus further discussion in the thread entitled New York Times, which is about an article mentioning this one. The concensus, with which I fully agree, is pretty much that Shindler is on his own in feeling this way.

 

[r.soleofsalford]

Re: An Interesting read..............

Old news,plus the guys a dick.

yes prick of the highest order. wrote a book about city made money, wrote newspaper articals about city made money. can hardly be called a fan, always used us for his own financial gain. besides all the points he made in the last artical arnt worthy of an individual reply

 

[r.soleofsalford]

Re: An Interesting read..............

Old news,plus the guys a dick.

yes prick of the highest order. wrote a book about city made money, wrote newspaper articals about city made money. can hardly be called a fan, always used us for his own financial gain. besides all the points he made in the last artical arnt worthy of an individual reply

 

[scorer]

I guess if people actually took time to read the aricle and properly digest and understand it they would appreciate the points that were trying to be made.

Many people (not all) on this forum are quite embarassing at times, always ready slate anyone or any newspaper that happens to have a view which is contrary to theirs, then the next day when there is an article that is supportive of the club they're all behind it... quite shallow really.

 

[dave_blue12]

OK lads - here it is. Let me know what you think.

Shindler's Lost (His Love For City). An open letter to Colin Shindler from the Manchester City fans on Bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk:

Dear Colin,

Your article in the Daily Mail certainly generated some comment on the City websites and forums. However, I don't believe it is representative of the views of the vast majority of your fellow fans.

Being a City fan is a unique experience. What other club could win the title one season then get relegated the next, with much the same squad, despite being the top goal-scorers in the division? What other team could attempt to play out a draw in the last match of the season, not realising they actually needed to win to avoid relegation? Which was the first club to win a European trophy and end up playing in League 1? What other club could be taken over by a billionaire with no money? There’s only one and that’s the club that we (but maybe not you) still love. And isn’t that maddening but somehow endearing capacity to do the unexpected why we loved City?

Many would agree that we lost something when David Bernstein left at a time when things were really starting to look up for the club. We were back in the Premiership after years in the wilderness, with a high-profile manager, an exciting team and brand-new stadium promising extra revenue. Yet somehow, a few seasons later, despite being one of the best supported clubs in the Premiership and having one of the highest revenues outside the top four, we ended up flirting with relegation under Stuart Pearce, with John Wardle having to prop the club up financially. Some fans fell out of love with City then but most of us ploughed on, hoping against hope that things might get better one day.

Thaksin’s ownership was indeed “smoke and mirrors” and he nearly took us to the brink of disaster. Yet we still went to games because the soul of any club is not the chairman, the manager or the players. They come and go, while we remain. We, the fans, are the soul of the club because we know our history, we have experienced the highs and lows and we have the trademark City sense of humour. We don’t go in for maudlin self-pity; we take the knocks, move on and laugh about it afterwards.

Do you really think we had any more “soul” when we were owned and run, with varying degrees of ineptitude, by a series of local businessmen made good? Or was that ineptitude, in your eyes, what gave us that “soul”? Was being everyone’s favourite laughing stock, the Comedy Club, the Theatre of Base Comedy what gave us that “soul”?

Now we have new owners (or “…that Abu Dhabi lot…” as you disrespectfully refer to them) who have lots of money and are prepared to invest it in the club. There may be something in it for them but there’s a lot more in it for us. Money does not in itself ensure success, as Newcastle fans know, and we’ve won nothing yet so I’m not counting my chickens. But more importantly than giving us trophies, the new owners have given us and the club their respect. They are professional and now see us as true stakeholders, to be consulted and encouraged, instead of just as “customers”.

The owners don’t just pay lip service to the club’s history but have tried hard to understand it. One of the first people they spoke to was the then club historian Gary James in order to understand just where City had come from and what it was. They understand our relationship with the club and what we want from it, off the field as well as on it. And they are delivering. At the UEFA Cup Quarter Final against FC Hamburg, they reduced entrance prices to £5 in order to have a full house that would generate an atmosphere. And there was an electric atmosphere that night. Were you there? I resent your statement that the club is “…rotten to the core…” On the contrary it’s more vibrant and exciting than it’s ever been since the 1960’s and 99.9% of us are looking forward to the future. There’s more soul there now than there has been for years.

Things have changed in the world and the game of football, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse and sometimes for both better and worse. Likewise, the Manchester City you knew has changed. You knew her as a dotty, eccentric, slightly down-at-heel young girl, who could be amusing and irritating in turn. Someone the local lads laughed at while wolf-whistling at the local vamp in red. But for all her imperfections, you and her other friends loved her even though she embarrassed you from time to time.

Well now she’s won the lottery, had liposuction, a facelift, boob job and gone on a shopping spree at Harvey Nicks. She’s gone from being a mousey brunette to being a striking blonde. She looks like a million dollars but hasn’t lost her sense of fun. She’s someone you want to be seen with even if you’re still not sure she’s not going to do something she really shouldn’t.

And everyone’s taking notice now so you perhaps feel a little jealous of all the attention she’s getting and that’s only natural. But she’s made it clear that she’s not going back to what she was, just to keep you happy. There are new people chasing her affections and new places to go. But as long as we are still there in her inner circle, she’ll never be allowed to forget what she once was. We’ll still be her real soul. So swallow your pride, stop whingeing and get on the bus. It’s going to be an exciting ride.

Thank you Prestwich Blue for taking the time and having the skills to write such an insightful piece.

It truly brought a tear to my eye.

CTID

 

[MCFC-alan88]

I guess if people actually took time to read the aricle and properly digest and understand it they would appreciate the points that were trying to be made.

Many people (not all) on this forum are quite embarassing at times, always ready slate anyone or any newspaper that happens to have a view which is contrary to theirs, then the next day when there is an article that is supportive of the club they're all behind it... quite shallow really.

Welcome to the fickle football world and those that enhabit it.

 

[Dyed Petya]

Many people (not all) on this forum are quite embarassing at times, always ready slate anyone or any newspaper that happens to have a view which is contrary to theirs, then the next day when there is an article that is supportive of the club they're all behind it... quite shallow really.

Of course there are people on this site whose Pavlovian response is to foam at the mouth at any criticism of City and praise to the skies any positive coverage. That's reflected in this thread to a degree, but there are plenty of good and thoughtful responses too.

I guess if people actually took time to read the aricle and properly digest and understand it they would appreciate the points that were trying to be made.

There are plenty of reasoned and intelligent posters who've contributed to this thread who have taken the time to read the article and "properly digest it". They fully understand what it means, but happen to disagree with it in the strongest terms. They're perfectly entitled to do so. Equally, you can support him if you want, but to imply, as you do, that most of the disagreement stems from a failure to understand what he's getting at is simply wrong.

 

[Balti]

OK lads - here it is. Let me know what you think.

Shindler's Lost (His Love For City). An open letter to Colin Shindler from the Manchester City fans on Bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk:

Dear Colin,

Your article in the Daily Mail certainly generated some comment on the City websites and forums. However, I don't believe it is representative of the views of the vast majority of your fellow fans.

Being a City fan is a unique experience. What other club could win the title one season then get relegated the next, with much the same squad, despite being the top goal-scorers in the division? What other team could attempt to play out a draw in the last match of the season, not realising they actually needed to win to avoid relegation? Which was the first club to win a European trophy and end up playing in League 1? What other club could be taken over by a billionaire with no money? There’s only one and that’s the club that we (but maybe not you) still love. And isn’t that maddening but somehow endearing capacity to do the unexpected why we loved City?

Many would agree that we lost something when David Bernstein left at a time when things were really starting to look up for the club. We were back in the Premiership after years in the wilderness, with a high-profile manager, an exciting team and brand-new stadium promising extra revenue. Yet somehow, a few seasons later, despite being one of the best supported clubs in the Premiership and having one of the highest revenues outside the top four, we ended up flirting with relegation under Stuart Pearce, with John Wardle having to prop the club up financially. Some fans fell out of love with City then but most of us ploughed on, hoping against hope that things might get better one day.

Thaksin’s ownership was indeed “smoke and mirrors” and he nearly took us to the brink of disaster. Yet we still went to games because the soul of any club is not the chairman, the manager or the players. They come and go, while we remain. We, the fans, are the soul of the club because we know our history, we have experienced the highs and lows and we have the trademark City sense of humour. We don’t go in for maudlin self-pity; we take the knocks, move on and laugh about it afterwards.

Do you really think we had any more “soul” when we were owned and run, with varying degrees of ineptitude, by a series of local businessmen made good? Or was that ineptitude, in your eyes, what gave us that “soul”? Was being everyone’s favourite laughing stock, the Comedy Club, the Theatre of Base Comedy what gave us that “soul”?

Now we have new owners (or “…that Abu Dhabi lot…” as you disrespectfully refer to them) who have lots of money and are prepared to invest it in the club. There may be something in it for them but there’s a lot more in it for us. Money does not in itself ensure success, as Newcastle fans know, and we’ve won nothing yet so I’m not counting my chickens. But more importantly than giving us trophies, the new owners have given us and the club their respect. They are professional and now see us as true stakeholders, to be consulted and encouraged, instead of just as “customers”.

The owners don’t just pay lip service to the club’s history but have tried hard to understand it. One of the first people they spoke to was the then club historian Gary James in order to understand just where City had come from and what it was. They understand our relationship with the club and what we want from it, off the field as well as on it. And they are delivering. At the UEFA Cup Quarter Final against FC Hamburg, they reduced entrance prices to £5 in order to have a full house that would generate an atmosphere. And there was an electric atmosphere that night. Were you there? I resent your statement that the club is “…rotten to the core…” On the contrary it’s more vibrant and exciting than it’s ever been since the 1960’s and 99.9% of us are looking forward to the future. There’s more soul there now than there has been for years.

Things have changed in the world and the game of football, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse and sometimes for both better and worse. Likewise, the Manchester City you knew has changed. You knew her as a dotty, eccentric, slightly down-at-heel young girl, who could be amusing and irritating in turn. Someone the local lads laughed at while wolf-whistling at the local vamp in red. But for all her imperfections, you and her other friends loved her even though she embarrassed you from time to time.

Well now she’s won the lottery, had liposuction, a facelift, boob job and gone on a shopping spree at Harvey Nicks. She’s gone from being a mousey brunette to being a striking blonde. She looks like a million dollars but hasn’t lost her sense of fun. She’s someone you want to be seen with even if you’re still not sure she’s not going to do something she really shouldn’t.

And everyone’s taking notice now so you perhaps feel a little jealous of all the attention she’s getting and that’s only natural. But she’s made it clear that she’s not going back to what she was, just to keep you happy. There are new people chasing her affections and new places to go. But as long as we are still there in her inner circle, she’ll never be allowed to forget what she once was. We’ll still be her real soul. So swallow your pride, stop whingeing and get on the bus. It’s going to be an exciting ride.

That's what I meant to say! Great work PB. I'm sure that sums up the feelings of the vast majority. And lol @ ''She’s someone you want to be seen with even if you’re still not sure she’s not going to do something she really shouldn’t''.

I'm sure she will mate. I'm sure she will....... ;-)

 

[dannybcity]

Many people (not all) on this forum are quite embarassing at times, always ready slate anyone or any newspaper that happens to have a view which is contrary to theirs, then the next day when there is an article that is supportive of the club they're all behind it... quite shallow really.

Of course there are people on this site whose Pavlovian response is to foam at the mouth at any criticism of City and praise to the skies any positive coverage. That's reflected in this thread to a degree, but there are plenty of good and thoughtful responses too.

I guess if people actually took time to read the aricle and properly digest and understand it they would appreciate the points that were trying to be made.

There are plenty of reasoned and intelligent posters who've contributed to this thread who have taken the time to read the article and "properly digest it". They fully understand what it means, but happen to disagree with it in the strongest terms. They're perfectly entitled to do so. Equally, you can support him if you want, but to imply, as you do, that most of the disagreement stems from a failure to understand what he's getting at is simply wrong.

Good response DP. The article was vicious, selfish and throughly ridiculous. I've not met one City fan who feels that the takeover is not one of, if not the best thing to happen to the club. I stand by my statement with regards to him not being welcome at the club. We don't need people like Schindler, we were all there in division 2 (well most of us), we all suffered the hard times and we all dreamed of a day like September last year, and it was his type of inwards thinking that put us there in the first place. We don't need it holding us back anymore. To be so down right disrespectful to a man who has come and changed the club from another ran to the name on everyones lips can earn you nothing but the ultimate contempt from your peers in my eyes. Schindler is a patronising sell out and if he goes though with his promise of falling out of love with City I won't shred a tear.