An accountant running a football club. Well not surprising given the money in football.As per the title. Forgive me if this ends up sounding like a petty rant but I'm intrigued as to how other Blues view this.
For all his misdemeanours, particularly at Hall of Fame ceremonies, I don't think anybody can doubt Garry Cook's passion for the job he had at Manchester City. He genuinely seemed to care about the club, it's fans and how it went about its business. His partnership with Khaldoon seemed to work wonders, and I think his contributions can never be underestimated in terms of just how good those first 4 years of the Mansour Era were. The history of the club was treated with the utmost respect, as were the fans. This was reflected in the club's relationship with the core fanbase and even simplicities like the kits. In the face of obscene media scrutiny, the club forced ahead and kept true to its soul. I've always felt Cook played a huge part in that.
Compare that to Soriano, who I don't think cares one bit about Manchester City, it's image or the fans. His idealistic vision is a prosperous CFG, a corporate's wet dream. He's more focused on the tourist, the plastic and the social media diehard, not forgetting his obnoxious little project in New York. He's dismantled communication with the fans, he's allowed Nike to dick all over us with the kits (visually and economically) and ultimately you can imagine that the manner in how the badge was changed was his idea, "let the fans vote on ideas, create something we like that mildly represents what they want and maybe they'll shut up".
I genuinely believe that with Cook at the helm we would've kicked on after 2012. Instead I feel like we've tip toed forward instead of making significant leaps. From 2008 to 2012 the club took giant leaps forward whilst maintaining and even enhancing the club's image and soul and it's relationship with its fans. Under Soriano, I feel we've stuttered forward whilst undoing the good work implemented before he arrived.
Again, apologies if this comes across as a petty rant but while I'll never stop loving Manchester City, in recent times I've felt a disconnect to the club which seriously fucking hurts, whether it's a squad of players whom the majority don't care, a kit that looks designed by a tourist, a badge that could be so much better, or season ticket prices that go against exactly what we told to expect. I'm not saying it's one man's fault, but it certainly feels like our direction as a club changed when Soriano arrived.
City have always had solicitors, and accountants on the board. But when you have football people like Begiristain and Guardiola at the club, why are fans talking about who the accountant is? They are their to ensure the smooth operation of the finances and to ensure that the football operation has the resources. The only time there was an issue at the club was when Pellegrini was at the end of his time, and we were in limbo. Looking back now it could probably have bee no other wayThere was gonna be no Guardiola without Soriano and/or Txiki. That about sums it up.
No Pep means no Leroy Sane, no Gabriel Jesus.
As per the title. Forgive me if this ends up sounding like a petty rant but I'm intrigued as to how other Blues view this.
For all his misdemeanours, particularly at Hall of Fame ceremonies, I don't think anybody can doubt Garry Cook's passion for the job he had at Manchester City. He genuinely seemed to care about the club, it's fans and how it went about its business. His partnership with Khaldoon seemed to work wonders, and I think his contributions can never be underestimated in terms of just how good those first 4 years of the Mansour Era were. The history of the club was treated with the utmost respect, as were the fans. This was reflected in the club's relationship with the core fanbase and even simplicities like the kits. In the face of obscene media scrutiny, the club forced ahead and kept true to its soul. I've always felt Cook played a huge part in that.
Compare that to Soriano, who I don't think cares one bit about Manchester City, it's image or the fans. His idealistic vision is a prosperous CFG, a corporate's wet dream. He's more focused on the tourist, the plastic and the social media diehard, not forgetting his obnoxious little project in New York. He's dismantled communication with the fans, he's allowed Nike to dick all over us with the kits (visually and economically) and ultimately you can imagine that the manner in how the badge was changed was his idea, "let the fans vote on ideas, create something we like that mildly represents what they want and maybe they'll shut up".
I genuinely believe that with Cook at the helm we would've kicked on after 2012. Instead I feel like we've tip toed forward instead of making significant leaps. From 2008 to 2012 the club took giant leaps forward whilst maintaining and even enhancing the club's image and soul and it's relationship with its fans. Under Soriano, I feel we've stuttered forward whilst undoing the good work implemented before he arrived.
Again, apologies if this comes across as a petty rant but while I'll never stop loving Manchester City, in recent times I've felt a disconnect to the club which seriously fucking hurts, whether it's a squad of players whom the majority don't care, a kit that looks designed by a tourist, a badge that could be so much better, or season ticket prices that go against exactly what we told to expect. I'm not saying it's one man's fault, but it certainly feels like our direction as a club changed when Soriano arrived.
To you he does, but to the owner he certainly doesn't, Sheik Mansour bought a failing business, and he's rapidly overseeing it turning into a very successful business, this might not be to a football fans liking, but its certainly to the owners.Soriano needs to spend a bit of time making the core long term fans feel more appreciated and make the club feel more Mancunian than this generic team in sky blue that could be from anywhere like we've become.
I don't agree. Yes you're right that football is now a completely different business from what it was when we had people like Swales, Lee & Wardle running us. But like all businesses it has to make sure that it treats its core customers with respect because we are the people that help make it the spectacle that it is. The people who watch from the comfort of their armchairs contribute financially but their match day experience is a vicarious one. So you can be as sniff your as you like about the 'Alan Alehouses' of this world but 2,000 of them were at the Stadium of Light this afternoon and without them, people like you, let's call them the Alan Armchairs of this world, would be the poorer.Soriano is a universal step up on Garry Cook which is why the club is going from strength to strength under him whilst Cook left under the cloud of mocking an academy product's mother for having cancer. That's not to say that Cook didn't have his uses at the time, but clearly we're better off without him.
It has amazed me in the last few years since the "Spanish mafia" came in, how many people think they know a) exactly what their jobs are AND b) why they're performing so terribly. This whilst they continue to be employed by the best owners in the world and the club as I said continues to go from strength to strength.
This thread is more or less another one which should really be entitled "MODERN FOOTBALL" and moved to the General Football Forum because most of the complaints people actually have which are tangible aren't about City or Soriano, they're about modern football. The game's now an international multi-billion pound business and is run as such. It's little or no surprise that within that context Alan Alehouse might feel that his voice isn't being heard when all he's got to say is "I hate that shirt design" "I hate the matchday experience" "I hate Hugh Ferris".
There's no doubt that Soriano has done a great job at turning our finances around and making us profitable (although, there's nothing to say that Cook couldn't have done that, too).
However, I don't think I've ever felt more disconnected from the club. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I feel that there is a combination of factors, mainly being: 1) the way the whole 'matchday experience' seems to be tailored more for tourists and corporates; 2) the way the website/social media is dominated by irrelevant Youtube vloggers and pointless 'challenges' (as opposed to the insightful behind-the-scenes stuff that we used to get); 3) the invisibility of Soriano.
Cook had his foot in his mouth a lot but at least you knew where he was and at least he seemed to know and care what the fans wanted.
This isn't to say that Soriano is doing a bad job, per se. I just preferred Cook, that's all.
There's a lot of doubt that he's done a great job. The main increases in revenue have come from media income, thanks to better deals being negotiated between the TV companies and the PL/UEFA. That's fuck all to do with him. Also a large part of our commercial income comes directly or indirectly from Abu Dhabi. He can probably take credit for an increase in match-day income but that's come by doing the very things that are impacting our match-day experience - pandering to tourists and corporates - as you talked about.There's no doubt that Soriano has done a great job at turning our finances around