Cook - They Bottled It

[Chippy_boy]

At the present moment in time, only the most deluded of fans would think that the best players in the world (and quite a few of the average ones too) would come to us for anything other than a sackfull of money.

The concept that we can currently deal with AC Milan on an equal footing is complete la la land.

The only thing we can compete on is buckets and buckets of cash.

If (and I do say IF) anyone involved in this whole thing truly believed this was about 'selling the vision' then I'm just stunned. 'The Vision' if there is one, is that we are going to spend our way into a competetive position. At least, I hope that's the vision. The way to express that vision is to slap your money on the table.

If we have some different vision, involving using our wily business, brand and footballing nous to lift us out of mediocrity whilst operating within sensible monetary boundaries, then that is fine. It just means were the same as every other team outside the Euro money cartel. Don't expect it to work though.

Did I write this? Agree 100%

 

[bizzbo]

At the present moment in time, only the most deluded of fans would think that the best players in the world (and quite a few of the average ones too) would come to us for anything other than a sackfull of money.

The concept that we can currently deal with AC Milan on an equal footing is complete la la land.

The only thing we can compete on is buckets and buckets of cash.

If (and I do say IF) anyone involved in this whole thing truly believed this was about 'selling the vision' then I'm just stunned. 'The Vision' if there is one, is that we are going to spend our way into a competetive position. At least, I hope that's the vision. The way to express that vision is to slap your money on the table.

If we have some different vision, involving using our wily business, brand and footballing nous to lift us out of mediocrity whilst operating within sensible monetary boundaries, then that is fine. It just means were the same as every other team outside the Euro money cartel. Don't expect it to work though.

Did I write this? Agree 100%

cmon boys, we didnt offer them any money, we wanted to talk about the vision and kaka's role at the club, but they wanted to talk about the cash. doesnt that tell you something? if you go to a job interview, sit their looking bored until the conversation turns to salary and you perk up, are you going to get the job?

 

[AntonDonJuan]

Jesus fucking Christ Pam.

Do you ever give it a rest?

 

[BobbyLazarus]

if you go to a job interview, sit their looking bored until the conversation turns to salary and you perk up, are you going to get the job

If I am known within my particular industry as being the best at what I do - if I get head hunted, then the FIRST thing we talk about is money. If the approach doesn't come with a headline figure, you tell them to go away. Headline figure I find attractive - then I'll meet you.

 

[bizzbo]

if you go to a job interview, sit their looking bored until the conversation turns to salary and you perk up, are you going to get the job

If I am known within my particular industry as being the best at what I do - if I get head hunted, then the FIRST thing we talk about is money. If the approach doesn't come with a headline figure, you tell them to go away. Headline figure I find attractive - then I'll meet you.

thank you for your time, we'll let you know

 

[CBlue]

Sorry, just exactly why were we talking to Kaka's father about the environment?

Pam, I'm sorry but you are coming across as a bit thick & allowing prejudice to blind your judgement - you obviously don't like Cook!

I hope you aren't interpreting the environment as being the ozone & the fucking weather?

The environment Cook is talking about is Kaka's environment FFS - his deeply religious environment. That's why he was talking about humanitarian issues - he was selling a package. Kaka is on record as saying it isn't about the money. This was the background to the discussions i.e. the environment.

So the environment was set - Cook was selling our vision & plan within this environment & Kaka's representatives wanted to talk money. Money is the least of City's problems - it didn't matter - we have enough of it to pay whatever WE THINK is correct.

What is clear is that Kaka is a bullshitter - money is more important to him than his religion & his humanity.

City were fed BS from the start & walked away as we weren't dealing with honourable people - I applaud them for it & so should you.

 

[Dyed Petya]

All this, "They only wanted to talk money," stuff has a ring to me of PR spin for the benefit of City fans, designed to make us think that he's a mercenary and we're better off without him. I don't believe for a second that our delegation, who are all reasonably high-flying professional people, for one minute believe that Kaka will join us purely because of his interest in the so called "Project".

 

[bizzbo]

if you go to a job interview, sit their looking bored until the conversation turns to salary and you perk up, are you going to get the job

If I am known within my particular industry as being the best at what I do - if I get head hunted, then the FIRST thing we talk about is money. If the approach doesn't come with a headline figure, you tell them to go away. Headline figure I find attractive - then I'll meet you.

look, the point is, i might make you a vague no promises offer before i meet you. but if i meet you and all you want to talk about is the money, then i think something is wrong. this is your career, your waking life. you don't want to know about who you are working with, what their goals are, what role you will play, what you can get out of it? bullshit. you are either only in it for the money (in which case i question your potential commitment), or you are just interested in getting an offer out of me so you can show it to your current employers.

 

[foreverblue]

WTF is that supposed to mean? Of course they wanted to know what the pay would be. What is Cook talking about?

The talks with AC Milan wouldn't involve Kaka's wages/clauses etc. That would be discussed with his agent/dad/him.

the talks on monday were with kakas dad to discuss personal details. a fee of £97m had already been agreed between the clubs

source please!

 

[Alanm1980]

WTF is that supposed to mean? Of course they wanted to know what the pay would be. What is Cook talking about?

The talks with AC Milan wouldn't involve Kaka's wages/clauses etc. That would be discussed with his agent/dad/him.

the talks on monday were with kakas dad to discuss personal details. a fee of £97m had already been agreed between the clubs

source please!

The only source is what the media have been spouting, SSN were saying this morning about a fee being agreed and signed last week but we know how realiable they are for getting the story right.

 

[CBlue]

All this, "They only wanted to talk money," stuff has a ring to me of PR spin for the benefit of City fans, designed to make us think that he's a mercenary and we're better off without him. I don't believe for a second that our delegation, who are all reasonably high-flying professional people, for one minute believe that Kaka will join us purely because of his interest in the so called "Project".

Oh FFS - we are the fucking richest sporting organization on the planet - we would pay whatever we wanted to pay - money is no object. He stated that it wasn't about the money & it WAS about the project FFS.

 

[Alex B]

Well said Garry Cook. Starting to really dislike AC Milan, hope we fet them in UEFA.

 

[KINKY99907]

we will prob get them in uefa and kaka will get hat trick before half time. half time hughes rings the changes and throws on jo, benjani and vass we end up with a 4-3 victory just like against the spuds

 

[foreverblue]

How very very telling. Cook: "were we looking for the opportunity to joint venture in areas that would take this club on to a different platform"

As I thought. When it came to brass tacks, what we had in mind for our "offer" of £100m was in terms of some cash, some appearance fees, some marketing royalties etc etc. Not "here's £100m cheque".

So basically we bottled it, not Milan. (Rightly or wrongly, I don't want to get drawn into that.) But had we said "Here's a hundred million pound cheque", Kaka would now be ours. I was 100% certain of that prior to yesterday and I remain so now.

You can construe that statement to mean any one of a million different things and you've gone for the one that makes City look cheap and shite. Why exactly?

Why? Because I always doubted the sincerity of an offer of £108m. And why did I do that? Because it's WAY too much money for any one player. When the previous world record fee was less than £50m and the world is entering into (or is in) the biggest recession for 80 years. £50m or £60m would have been a STAGGERING offer. £108m was completely ridiculous.

I always said if the £108m was a no-strings attached offer, then Milan would have to accept it as it is just too good to refuse.

It seems patently obvious to me now that we had other things in mind than "here's the cheque fellas". I believe it was Milan that first started talking about £100m and we probably went along with it on the basis that we could see a way that they could achieve that amount of money from the sale based on various criteria, as I mention above. This is 100% normal in the commercial world Cook comes from. (And which I work in, for what it's worth.)

The fee has been media speculation possibly leaked by Milan officials to try and appease their fans, by saying how can we turn this down for one player. Cook has said today there was an agreement to keep the pursuit of Kaka secret. We stuck by this agreement Milan didn't.

There has been no acknowledgment by anybody connected to City about the size of the transfer fee. IMO it was much less than Milan was leaking and then tried to ask for a higher price when they realised how their fans had reacted to the possible sale, and that reaction would have been much greater had a lower fee been agreed. I believe this is why we pulled the plug when we saw that the negotiations where going nowhere.

In turn Berlusconi had his people put it on his website and Milan TV that the sale would go ahead for 130m euros with the salary at 20m euros. Then he tells Kaka he wants to keep him and gives an interview on TV saying that Kaka rejected City.

The fact is Berlusconi is a liar and crook.

 

[machig]

Very much agree with 'foreverblue'. We have gained pride from not being bullied from a so called super power!

Lets build step by step!

Don't get me wrong it would have been very nice - but the kaka way is not the way to avoid the laughing stock we want.

 

[machig]

Very much agree with 'foreverblue'. We have gained pride from not being bullied from a so called super power!

Lets build step by step!

Don't get me wrong it would have been very nice - but the kaka way is not the way to avoid the laughing stock we want.

 

[machig]

Very much agree with 'foreverblue'. We have gained pride from not being bullied from a so called super power!

Lets build step by step!

Don't get me wrong it would have been very nice - but the kaka way is not the way to avoid the laughing stock we want.

 

[machig]

Very much agree with 'foreverblue'. We have gained pride from not being bullied from a so called super power!

Lets build step by step!

Don't get me wrong it would have been very nice - but the kaka way is not the way to avoid the laughing stock we want.

 

[Soulboy]

I remember when Kenyon was the Chief Executive at the Rags and kept talking about them as a "brand".

My how I took the piss out of Rags with that term for them!

So how fucking disappointing is it that City are now known as "The Project"

How i hate that term.

We are City (Super City).. not a fucking project!!!

 

[Widnes blue]

This is my take on the whole Kaka saga.
1) If he had really wanted to come he would have signed days ago, or at least said he was. But all we got was "I dont want to go" so it was no surprise that he didnt come.

2) Berscoloni (or whatever his name is) definetly wanted to sell but hadnt bargained for the hostile reaction of the fans so he thought "Oh dear, I have dropped a bollock here, how do I get out of it? Lets make up some story showing City in a poor light then we dont come out of it looking too bad".

3) And this is the bit that shows Kaka^s true colours. He claimed that he wasnt motivated by money, so why did he (or his dad) issue an ultimatum to what his personal terms would be? If he really wasnt bothered about money, then why the rush to talk cash?

BTW, I am not bothered about him not coming, I have always had the view that I would rather get the backbone of a team for the amount of money allegedly being spent on the Kaka deal. Just a thought, how many Tim Cahills could you buy for one Kaka? If he had come, who would be getting better VFM, Everton or City?