Garry Cook - Clueless

[uwe rosler 28]

i met gary in shalke what a top guy buying drinks for all the blues and telling us all about the lazy brazilians top guy he know's success and he'll bring it

 

[citytillidie24]

£515

Cheers Corky!

I'll be renewing for sure and hopefully we'll have some big european games next year! CTID.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

That's just not true. Every single home game seats come on sale in every block in tier one apart from a few. I'll tell you how I know. Because my mate sits in East STand Tier 1 block 102 and I sometimes buy a seat near him if I need too. And at the end of a season a good number just move on or die or relocate, so a goodd amount become available then.

Why make stuff up? People with STs move to be with mates odd matches, an d their seats are sold, and some corperate deal spares are sold etc, and the odd single on the front row. There will not be a level one option for 90% as you get the choice of where to move from last seasons spare seats before it is known if other stands will renew.

'Options' will be very limited.

Corky, I'm dealing in facts. Although I note you've moved from "Totally sold out" to "some left", so you've already conceeded the point.

Returns and unsold corporates all over the ground go on sale last of all usually, when every spare ticket in the stadium is sold. That's why the seat counters go mad because they thought there was a sellout then suddenly a batch become available all over the ground.

When the tickets for every home game go on sale this season there are seats available in many tier one blocks.

How many times do I have to keep repeating this point?

 

[1337]

tl;dr

 

[1_barry_conlon]

If only it was run along the old lines when Swales/Lee/Bernstein/Wardle (delete as applicable) looked after the fans at a reasonable price and gave us world class players and a team we were proud of who were always challenging for honours,year in and year out.

Now we seem to be just a bauble for a rich man. Oh to bring the soul back to the club eh?

And Cook must be clueless, what has he ever done? Just because he created one of the most recognisable brands in sportswear with his Nike/Jordan range, what else does he know about marketing eh, eh?

The club needs to be back in the hands of a local TV rental man,butcher, green grocer or similar. Someone who knows the heartbeat of the club. Only then will we return to our rightful place of abject failure and the season over before you've even took the wrapping off your xmas presents.

Come on city, sort it out.

 

[M18CTID]

If only it was run along the old lines when Swales/Lee/Bernstein/Wardle (delete as applicable) looked after the fans at a reasonable price and gave us world class players and a team we were proud of who were always challenging for honours,year in and year out.

Now we seem to be just a bauble for a rich man. Oh to bring the soul back to the club eh?

And Cook must be clueless, what has he ever done? Just because he created one of the most recognisable brands in sportswear with his Nike/Jordan range, what else does he know about marketing eh, eh?

The club needs to be back in the hands of a local TV rental man,butcher, green grocer or similar. Someone who knows the heartbeat of the club. Only then will we return to our rightful place of abject failure and the season over before you've even took the wrapping off your xmas presents.

Come on city, sort it out.

That's bollocks and you know it! There's many a time under previous regimes that we've had something to play for right up until the latter weeks of the season - a relegation battle in most cases ;)

 

[1_barry_conlon]

If only it was run along the old lines when Swales/Lee/Bernstein/Wardle (delete as applicable) looked after the fans at a reasonable price and gave us world class players and a team we were proud of who were always challenging for honours,year in and year out.

Now we seem to be just a bauble for a rich man. Oh to bring the soul back to the club eh?

And Cook must be clueless, what has he ever done? Just because he created one of the most recognisable brands in sportswear with his Nike/Jordan range, what else does he know about marketing eh, eh?

The club needs to be back in the hands of a local TV rental man,butcher, green grocer or similar. Someone who knows the heartbeat of the club. Only then will we return to our rightful place of abject failure and the season over before you've even took the wrapping off your xmas presents.

Come on city, sort it out.

That's bollocks and you know it! There's many a time under previous regimes that we've had something to play for right up until the latter weeks of the season - a relegation battle in most cases ;)

You are indeed correct sir. I left myself wide open with that one. :-)

 

[M18CTID]

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.

Well this makes a welcome change from you moaning about Mark Hughes.

Seriously JMA, you are one fucking drama queen. Why is that you always have to spout over-the-top attention seeking bollocks? Like most other people, I can understand the frustrations of those having to relocate to other stands, but the main beef of your post - price increases - in general are quite moderate. It will still mean that our club compares extremely favourably in terms of season ticket prices against clubs of a similar size and stature.

My season ticket for next year will cost £405, an increase of £36 on last season. But still only £55 more than I paid 6 years ago. In relative terms that's fuck-all, even for someone with a tight budget. Obviously the recession means that some people's circumstances have changed. Some may be far worse off due to losing their jobs and as such probably can't afford a season ticket but you can't expect City to legislate for every single person's individual circumstances. If they did, then we'd have a million and one different pricing levels which would be impossible to incorporate.

By the way, any chance of reminding us how much you paid for your Hamburg home ticket last season?

Oh, and if you're that pissed off with the club over such extortionate price increases you could always get a season ticket in the Chaddy End at Oldham Athletic. It only costs £399. Fucking bargain.

 

[Anonymous]

.
I wouldn't want to be anywhere other than where I am,though-and if I was being forced to move to another part of the ground than where I am now I'd sack it off.

That is quite an amazing quote.

Unbelievable.

Nothing else you say on this matter has any credibility with me any more.

Oh gosh-I've lost my "credibility" on an internet football forum with "Didsbury Dave."
Seriously-how can I carry on after this?LOL!

I don't have to explain anything to you-but here goes anyway.

I first sat in CB L1,virtually at pitch level when we moved to CoMs.
First season and derbies apart,the atmosphere was for the most part,bobbins.
Like sitting on the moon.
I tried to move seats at the end of the first season but got told "there's nowhere to move to."
During the Pearce era,me and a couple of mates got the chance to relocate to 111 for a cheap deal as the initial enthusiasm had obviosuly worn off with a few newbies-and it was the total opposite.
A good giggle-you got to stand,sing and do your thing.

If City told me I had to permanently change seats from there,I had no choice in the matter and I had to go back to CB or somewhere similar and pay £100 more,I think I'd knock it on the head.

MY CHOICE.

After having three seasons surrounded by fans who seem to enjoy themselves-I couldn't go back to sitting on my hands.
Apologies to those that do or have no choice but to,but I can't watch football like that.

And talikng of "credibility"-tell me, David.....

Oak or Nelson?

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

I understand where you're coming from JMA but I think you're talking total bollox by and large.

At the risk of winding you up, the club IS a business. Every professional football club is a business and always has been. Even if the fans owned City it would have to be run as a business. Your argument falls down when you say "the club has loads of money". It doesn't. Our owner does, which is a different thing entirely.

We currently run at a massive loss. We are no better off than Wigan or Fulham, who are bankrolled by their wealthy owners. Only Chelsea make a bigger loss than us. To put that right we will have ot increase our revenue significantly. A lot of that will come through playing success, in terms of CL prize money, etc. Some more will come through vastly increased commercial income as we increasingly become seen as a desirable "brand" and the rest will come through the gate.

Currently the rags take in over double what we take on a match day pro rata. Part of that comes from having increased their prices dramatically over the last few years but a lot of it comes from clever use of segregated pricing and expansion of corporate facilities. I think I said they had 15,000 corporate seats a while ago but it's actually just less than 10,000 but that's still a lot more than us. We're starting to copy that model with the use of segregated pricing. That means the closer to the halfway line you sit, the more you'll pay. If you sit on Level 2 you'll pay more. There will still be reasonable ticket prices but you won't have as much choice over where you sit for those prices.

You don't have access to the business plan for the next few years (and neither do I) but I suspect this is a one-off move designed to lay the foundation for that plan. A new/expanded stadium is also a large part of that plan. And I'll tell you something else - if they think they've got it wrong because a large number of fans are up in arms about it - then they'll think again because I think they do care about the fans.