Now, I have been a defender of Cook over the past six months/year as, as far as I am concerned, cock ups like 'Uwe/United' and some other stuff are periphery to his real job - i.e. being a successful and inspiring CEO of M.C.F.C.
Yes, he stuff about beating United in New York was very cringe worthy but I will still defend him to the hilt over the Mancini press conference and don't think he did anything wrong at all in that scenario.
Many, City fans included, were lining up to slaughter the bloke over these incidents and more, calling him an embarrassment to the club and all sorts of other names. I remained of the opinion that, whilst some of the things they moaned about might be unfortunate, the real test of him was in his day to day job and how the club functioned with him at the helm. A criteria that not many of us are in a position to judge on.
As fans we come into direct contact with relatively few of his decisions and duties. Yes, building an indoor ticket office is nice and all very well, but the blokes main job is running the club successfully, not buttering up fans with relatively meaningless ideas like that.
At the same time that the world and his wife were sluaghtering him, there was a vocal band of City fans willing to defend him to the hilt. The gist of their argument was that many of them had met Mr Cook and , in their opinion, he was a 'top bloke' who 'really cared' and talked a great game about how important existing fans are to both the club and him personally.
Well, that changed today, with the season ticket announcements.
Before I go on, I am obviously laying the blame/credit/whatever you want to call it for the season ticket decisions at the feet of Garry Cook. As the CEO I am assuming that he has a significant, possibly final, say in decisions on this matter.
I very much doubt that it is the Sheikh who has been frantically on the phone insisting that prices are put up or that people be relocated because he wants a few extra quid in his club's bank account. Maybe, I am wrong, but I doubt he could care less whether prices go up or remain the same at City.
So, the blame must lie at Cook's feet. Maybe someone else within the club may have suggested a price increase or pushed for it, but unless that person is Khaldoon, then I doubt their voice counts for anything in relation to Cook's.
Yet, for all the talk, all the bluster regarding how much he loves the fans, the one thing that most would appreciate is exactly the thing that they don't do - ie: make some sort of gesture regarding ticket prices.
At a time when, throughout the world, the biggest issue has been, is and remains finances, City decide to put up their prices and force many loyal fans into seating that they don't want, in favour of attracting new fans.
At a time when the one attribute that City, as a club, has, without doubt, is ludicrous amounts of money, the club decides that the one group of people who are not worthy of receiving even the smallest gesture in relation to this are the fans.
At a time when the club is rolling in cash, the fans are adjudged to be paying too little for the privilege of watching a club that most of them have supported for decades.
At a time when the margins gained from price increases squeezed out of fans matters less to City than it has ever done to any club in the history of football, someone decides that they will still squeeze the ordinary man for a chunk of extra cash.
At a time when agents, scouts, new directors, off field officials, players, agents and everyone else are making obscene money from the circumstances surrounding City, with the club only too happy to go along with that, the fans are determined to be the one group of people who are not pulling their weight financially.
Let me make clear, I will almost certainly be renewing my season ticket. My circumstances allow me to. That isn't the point. I assume most people reading this will be renewing. I also imagine that there are plenty of clowns out there who, as is usual when any mention of football fan's finances are ,mentioned will take the extremely selfish attitude of 'it affects me very little, therefore it must be similar for everyone, stop moaning. To be honest, their selfish opinions matters very little to me.
And yes, I know that this isn't a ball breaking increase, when compared to maybe someone like the Glazers, but it is the principal of the thing that is a disgrace. Millions of hangers on and mercenaries making loads of filthy cash from the fortunate circumstances that the club finds itself in, yet the fans aren't even deemed worthy of their financial commitment - a commitment that is worth one hundred times that of any big money player or any agent or scout commisioned to find a star of the future for the club - staying at a level. Or even only rising in line with inflation.
Finally, for all the responses that I expect this to get, the ones that are going to wind me up the most are the "it's a business, not a charity" and "if you want to watch the best, you have to pay those sort of prices."
That is nonsensical.
The increase in prices has absolutely no effect whatsoever on any decision that this club will make regarding its finances in the foreseeable future. Their is no conceivable scenario where the club's hierarchy sit down and say "Well, chaps, we couldn't afford to buy XXX or undertake investment in YYYY but now that the season tickets have gone up, we are able to go ahead with it, get the cheque book out."
And as for paying the best to watch the best. I pay to watch Manchester City. I paid to watch them play against dross in Division Two and I've paid to watch them play against some of the best players in the world. My decison to do so wasn't based upon who the opposition was, or who happened to have the shirt on. It was because I wanted to watch Manchester City. United have played far better regular opposition and had far better players and I have chosen not to pay to watch them play some other team at all. Because I want to watch Manchester City. Not the opposition. Not a team of superstars who happen to be wearing a kit I like the colour of. Manchester City. That decision is not a function of the quality of player on the pitch or the opposition.
If you think it is then I suggest you get on the bandwagon with this phony, Cook. The man who talked the talked and was willing to grease up to as many fans as possible when attempting to paint himself as the fan's man - but who, when push came to shove on the one decision that affects every single fan in the most direct manner possible, decides to shaft them.
It isn't the size of the increase (although you should not underestimate the sacrifices that some people make to afford a season ticket, just because you or I don't have to make the same), it's the principal.
If this isn't Cook's doing then I'll take this back and lay it at the feet of whoever's it is. (But if it isn't his doing, then what exactly is he doing as CEO?) Until then, the man is a sham as far as I am concerned and this pales into insignifcane next to his publicised gaffs. Maybe I should have agreed with all those who claimed he was a PR led, full of hot air liability. Because his rhetoric, when put next to this decision, seems to be exactly that.
Oh, sorry, maybe I am forgetting the fantastic products and match day experiences that we are going to feel the benefit of in the future. Hooray, two foot long hotdogs and someone firing t-shirts into the crowd at every throw in. Fantastic. But that isn't what I pay to see, Mr Cook.
