Ferran Soriano & Txiki Begiristain

[JoeMercer'sWay]

Seriously though if Pep valued Txiki so highly you wonder why he gave the finger to Soriano when he invited him to take over here a couple of winters back.

I think there's a lot of misinformation about Pep/City, especially about whether he was or wasn't offered the job. The truth is we'll never know how officially or unofficially we approached him and when this occurred. However your assertion that Pep was approached two winters ago (so the winter of 2011) seems a little wide of the mark to me. He was at the time Barca manager, hadn't even announced that he was going to leave at the end of that season, and Txiki and Ferran were still some ways away from working at the club.

If i had to hazard a guess, it'd be that Pep made his mind up very soon after meeting Bayern in the early summer of 2012 that that's what his next job would be. He will no doubt have known that Txiki was coming to City, but I don't think it automatically follows that him not following Txiki should be seen as a snub when City weren't actively canvassing for a new manager. More likely that Pep felt Bayern and Germany would be a good starting point outside of Spain, and City felt that Mancini, Txiki, and Ferran, needed to be given a chance to work together.

I agree with what DD said above, I don't think that clubs make 3 year succession plans. I do however think that it's a no brainer if Pep comes to England, and Txiki is DoF at City, that City would be an obvious and easy destination for him. But that requires all the dominos to remain in place and you simply can't predict that.

My guess has always been that at Christmas, txiki was only able to say to guardiola that he believed there was every chance of a vacancy in summer but it would depend on the end-of-season review and the nod from Abu Dhabi. And guardiola wanted a job in the bag. But your version of events fits with the guy who told me that at Christmas a certain person of major influence at the club was telling people he wanted Pep at the club whatever it took.

The thing is, if in three or four years Pep wants a move and we are champions of Europe and are the dominant force in England, it will be a no brainer: we will stick with the existing manager.

champions of europe?! let's just try and win a bloody away game first!

 

[Anonymous]

My guess has always been that at Christmas, txiki was only able to say to guardiola that he believed there was every chance of a vacancy in summer but it would depend on the end-of-season review and the nod from Abu Dhabi. And guardiola wanted a job in the bag. But your version of events fits with the guy who told me that at Christmas a certain person of major influence at the club was telling people he wanted Pep at the club whatever it took.

The thing is, if in three or four years Pep wants a move and we are champions of Europe and are the dominant force in England, it will be a no brainer: we will stick with the existing manager.

It's a perpetual game of speculation I guess. I don't buy that we made a play for Guardiola last Christmas simply because I don't think Txiki would have to make a play for him. They speak every week by all accounts and did do throughout Pep's sabbatical. That suggests to me that Pep to City wasn't on the cards this time round.

Also worth baring in mind a lot of people close to Guardiola suggested that he didn't want to come to England post his sabbatical because he didn't want to resume hostilities with Jose quite so quickly.

 

[adrianr]

I think there's a lot of misinformation about Pep/City, especially about whether he was or wasn't offered the job. The truth is we'll never know how officially or unofficially we approached him and when this occurred. However your assertion that Pep was approached two winters ago (so the winter of 2011) seems a little wide of the mark to me. He was at the time Barca manager, hadn't even announced that he was going to leave at the end of that season, and Txiki and Ferran were still some ways away from working at the club.

If i had to hazard a guess, it'd be that Pep made his mind up very soon after meeting Bayern in the early summer of 2012 that that's what his next job would be. He will no doubt have known that Txiki was coming to City, but I don't think it automatically follows that him not following Txiki should be seen as a snub when City weren't actively canvassing for a new manager. More likely that Pep felt Bayern and Germany would be a good starting point outside of Spain, and City felt that Mancini, Txiki, and Ferran, needed to be given a chance to work together.

I agree with what DD said above, I don't think that clubs make 3 year succession plans. I do however think that it's a no brainer if Pep comes to England, and Txiki is DoF at City, that City would be an obvious and easy destination for him. But that requires all the dominos to remain in place and you simply can't predict that.

My guess has always been that at Christmas, txiki was only able to say to guardiola that he believed there was every chance of a vacancy in summer but it would depend on the end-of-season review and the nod from Abu Dhabi. And guardiola wanted a job in the bag. But your version of events fits with the guy who told me that at Christmas a certain person of major influence at the club was telling people he wanted Pep at the club whatever it took.

The thing is, if in three or four years Pep wants a move and we are champions of Europe and are the dominant force in England, it will be a no brainer: we will stick with the existing manager.

champions of europe?! let's just try and win a bloody away game first!

Made me laugh :D We have genuine aspirations of Europe, and genuine worries of being turned over by Southampton away.

 

[I'm no cynic but...]

My guess has always been that at Christmas, txiki was only able to say to guardiola that he believed there was every chance of a vacancy in summer but it would depend on the end-of-season review and the nod from Abu Dhabi. And guardiola wanted a job in the bag. But your version of events fits with the guy who told me that at Christmas a certain person of major influence at the club was telling people he wanted Pep at the club whatever it took.

The thing is, if in three or four years Pep wants a move and we are champions of Europe and are the dominant force in England, it will be a no brainer: we will stick with the existing manager.

champions of europe?! let's just try and win a bloody away game first!

Made me laugh :D We have genuine aspirations of Europe, and genuine worries of being turned over by Southampton away.

LOL That's the baggage that goes with being a blue!

 

[blue city199]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2914...ester-city-pep-guardiola-the-one-who-got-away

Manchester City and Pep Guardiola is one that won't go away.

Manuel Pellegrini will know that, had Manchester City's executives got their way, the Spaniard would be in charge of the home team for the Champions League clash at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola was wooed and pursued, wined and dined, at least to some extent, by a number of Europe’s leading clubs during his sabbatical last season, including Manchester United and Chelsea.

Yet in the end, it essentially came down to a straight choice between City and Bayern Munich.


While Bayern were willing to ruthlessly oust Jupp Heynckes to bring in the most sought after coach in world football, City tried to play their game behind the scenes, refusing to make a definitive decision on the future of existing manager Roberto Mancini.

Guardiola now brings the Champions League holders to the Etihad Stadium knowing he could have been tasked with improving the English club’s dire record in two seasons in the competition during which they have failed to progress from the group stages.

Bayern were the club who made the move for Guardiola and saw the Spaniard as the man to build on recent success and build a dynasty, to dominate domestically and in Europe.

It was the same brief that City's Abu Dhabi owners have given the club's hierarchy. City’s power brokers, chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain, have made a shrewd appointment in Pellegrini, especially given his excellent record in Europe in comparison with Mancini.

But Pellegrini does not have the reputation or the proven track record to even compare with Guardiola, who won 14 trophies in four years in charge at Camp Nou after being appointed by Soriano and Begiristain.

The three enjoyed a close relationship at Barcelona - especially Begiristain and Guardiola - and held several informal conversations about the former midfielder taking over at City and how they could achieve success while pursuing the parallel target of a self-sustainable business model with focus on the Academy.

City could afford Guardiola’s wage demands with little trouble and the man himself spoke of his desire to coach in the Premier League and experience a new culture.

But in their first season in Manchester, the two Spaniards in the City boardroom were eager to appear sensible and cool-headed in relation to Mancini.

The Italian had, of course, just won City their first title in 44 years and was popular with the club's supporters, but his days were numbered following the executive appointments and he knew it, despite just signing a five-year contract.

They ended up with a messy divorce as they failed woefully to defend their league title and lost the FA Cup final to soon-to-be-relegated Wigan, while the dissenting noises about Mancini’s management style reached deafening volume.

By that point, the game was already up and Mancini had to face the humiliation of answering questions about Pellegrini’s proposed appointment while he was still in charge of the club.

Had Soriano and Begiristain gone with their instincts and pulled the trigger earlier, they could have landed the man they really wanted and continued with their carbon copy of the Barcelona blueprint. A shift on the pitch has already begun under Pellegrini, with the La Masia-inspired Etihad Campus, opening next summer, designed to instill a new footballing philosophy at the club.

It is, after all, a long term project in east Manchester, and one in which the City power brokers can still privately foresee a significant role for Guardiola. They will be watching him and Bayern closely.

on Wednesday evening Pellegrini, a ...ged 60, cementing a legacy will be difficult.

At the perpetual motion machine that is City, who are regenerating an entire area of Manchester, never mind just a football club, the outlook is decades ahead, not just a game at a time.

As such, although Guardiola will arrive at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday the enemy, the club's kingmakers haven't finished with him yet. Manchester City and Pep Guardiola is one that wonn't go away.

 

[blue city199]

VIEW FROM SPAIN

By Pilar Suarez
According to various reports in Germany and Spain, it was Pep who made the first move towards taking over at Bayern back on July 26, 2011, when he was still in charge of Barcelona.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness were seated at the VIP restaurant in the Allianz Arena, when Pep arrived and took a seat alone at another table. Rummenigge approached Guardiola and the Spaniard said: “May I speak with you both?” The three of them ordered coffee and Guardiola added: “Your philosophy is very interesting. I can imagine myself training Bayern.”

He wrote his phone number on a piece of paper and gave it to Rummenigge before leaving the room. After that, he told his brother and agent Pere: "I've given my number to Rummenigge, I think he will call me."

Later, Pere Guardiola called Giovanni Branchini, one of the most famous agents in Italy, and told him to make Bayern aware of his brother's interest. In the autumn of 2011, Pep told Sandro Rosell that he may not renew his contract with Barcelona. In January 2012, Branchini met with Rummenigge and told him about Pep’s interest. Pere wanted to move his brother to the Premier League, particularly to Manchester City, but Pep was focused only on Bayern by this point; his mind was made up.

In November 2012, Pep called Rummenigge from New York and told him: “I want to train Bayern.” The following month, Hoeness took a flight to New York and presented Guardiola with his contract.


Why did Pep prefer Bayern to City? Because he was in love with the philosophy of the team and believed he would only have to make two or three modifications to achieve perfection.


how pep guardiola came to munich http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/how-pep-guardiola-came-to-bayern-munich-a-905688.html

 

[Ronnie the Rep]

I can tell you that late November 2012, when chelski were courting Pep, he was in New York laughing about it with Ferran. At that time Ferran thought it unlikely he would join City

 

[Anonymous]

I can tell you that late November 2012, when chelski were courting Pep, he was in New York laughing about it with Ferran. At that time Ferran thought it unlikely he would join City

Makes sense as by then he had most certainly agreed to joining Bayern.

Also why I don't buy that City approached Pep at any point last season. Just seems unlikely given how close they are to him and for how long he had been talking to Bayern prior to taking that job.

 

[BlueDejong]

I can tell you that late November 2012, when chelski were courting Pep, he was in New York laughing about it with Ferran. At that time Ferran thought it unlikely he would join City

Makes sense as by then he had most certainly agreed to joining Bayern.

Also why I don't buy that City approached Pep at any point last season. Just seems unlikely given how close they are to him and for how long he had been talking to Bayern prior to taking that job.

Pep is coaching over at Bayern(3yr), and then long - term coaching in City ?

2015~2016 MCFC is got new training ground & youth academy & large stadium.

He want to dynasty at City ? I think that MCFC 2016 is got a great player, trophy, great youth academy(similar La masia).

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Re: Ferran Soriano & Txiki Begiristain

I can tell you that late November 2012, when chelski were courting Pep, he was in New York laughing about it with Ferran. At that time Ferran thought it unlikely he would join City

Makes sense as by then he had most certainly agreed to joining Bayern.

Also why I don't buy that City approached Pep at any point last season. Just seems unlikely given how close they are to him and for how long he had been talking to Bayern prior to taking that job.

Haha. Two conflicting press stories, one backing my theory and one backing yours.

We both know where the first one came from too ;-)

I think on balance I'm buying yours. They know each other so well that a 'gentleman's' could have, and probably would have, been reached very early if there was will on both sides.