How Are the Club Doing it...?

[KS55]

There's a saying that 'culture beats strategy' (or process) though it might be more accurate to say it drives and underpins the strategy. Either way the culture of the organisation is hugely important to it's success. Pep's systems only work because the club is able to convince multi-millionaires, many of whom have had their egos stroked from a young age to (a) recognise they don't know it all and stay in learnimg mode (b) work like dogs on the field (c) remain grounded and consider the greater team goal is the most important thing. Recruitment is a key part too, some people are just not suited to the culture of any given organisation.

When Pep gives interviews saying things like 'if you don't run, you sit on the bench next to me' the players know he means it. When he says you have to be 'brave' in how you play, the players know he means it. That is all about culture and behaviours rather than the system itself.

We are very well managed at multiple levels but a key part of this is the culture that has been fostered. Look at the swamp and what has passed for culture there in the last decade: entitlement, complacency, deference to sacred cows, lack of having each others backs or buying into a strategy. That culture gap is a big reason why City's investment has returned tenfold of the rags despite them chucking money about left right and centre.

Spot on. Every organisation has a culture. In football they talk about DNA. Good culture produces good organisations with great results. Poor culture produces poor results.
Culture is no guarantee, though. You still need intelligent, hard working, knowledgeable people to bring the rewards of good culture. We have many such people in the club, particularly as it affects the teams. Pep and Txiki are the bedrock. Soriano looks after business. But does it stop at the teams and the business? So there are black spots too. The club is not properly responsive to supporters needs, so ticketing, for example, can be a mess. Communication is poor. The club do not understand how the false accusations we suffer affects the supporters. An organisation needs to keep working to spread the culture through all parts and to maintain and renew it. I hope City understand that and keep working at it.

 

[the blue panther]

So why can't others in the UK and Europe copy this model. Is it just about the people, our people are better?
The challenge will be when these people move on. Not just Pep but Soriana & Txixi, the Chairman, the COO, etc.
Top down we need serious succession planning better than any club or business has ever managed to achieve. That bit is scary. Recruitment of people is key.

That's already present - succession planning. Khaldoon has spoken of it in end of season videos many times. I agree that when he moves on, let's hope there's someone just below who's ready to slip into his place.

 

[Del_Bosque]

We've got the best manager in the world and 3-4 genuine world superstars Haaland, KDB, Foden & Grealish

The rest of the squad has been packed with tactically switched on, technical physically great players with good attitudes.

In terms of sustaining it, Peps powers absolute anyone who's attitude drops he can get rid of, and I mean anyone.

 

[threespires]

Spot on. Every organisation has a culture. In football they talk about DNA. Good culture produces good organisations with great results. Poor culture produces poor results.
Culture is no guarantee, though. You still need intelligent, hard working, knowledgeable people to bring the rewards of good culture. We have many such people in the club, particularly as it affects the teams. Pep and Txiki are the bedrock. Soriano looks after business. But does it stop at the teams and the business? So there are black spots too. The club is not properly responsive to supporters needs, so ticketing, for example, can be a mess. Communication is poor. The club do not understand how the false accusations we suffer affects the supporters. An organisation needs to keep working to spread the culture through all parts and to maintain and renew it. I hope City understand that and keep working at it.

Totally agree. Given the culture elsewhere in the club, the thing I find sad about the failure around supporter needs is that to me it probably indicates they don't see us as being part of the clubs core business anymore, supporters are in effect closer to commodity than real customer/stakeholders these days.

 

[KS55]

We've got the best manager in the world and 3-4 genuine world superstars Haaland, KDB, Foden & Grealish

The rest of the squad has been packed with tactically switched on, technical physically great players with good attitudes.

In terms of sustaining it, Peps powers absolute anyone who's attitude drops he can get rid of, and I mean anyone.

When Cancelo complained about lack of minutes (despite having more than any other player) he got the bum’s rush. Pep followed it up in a discussion about his team first philosophy with:
”Anyone who complains about it, they are out of here.”

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

Just the other day I was thinking about how many 'greatest teams' City have developed and this one is right on the verge being another amazing team!

If I'm honest I'm blown away about how many 'perfect storms' the club has created for our teams to be constantly on the verge of greatness.

So, I guess my question is since there are many factors going into what happens, what's the leading one...?

The directors' ability to plot a pathway for the team and player?

The player's belief in his own ability coming through?

The manager's ability to get a player to 'believe'?

The fact it happens so often can't be coincidence, but I can't get my head around what's different about an amazing team built on potential and not 'galacticos'.

Or are we 'Galacticos', really...?

The evidence points towards the manager. It wasn't this great before him and we all suspect/know it wont be as great after him.

But our club structure and the leadership from the top down has matched Pep's ability and drive. I cant think of ANYWHERE else that Pep would have so much freedom to pick his dream team of midfielders whilst the media leave him to it (largely).

He couldn't have achieved this at utd/bayern/lfc/chelsea, too much politics. Those clubs demand that "Sancho" or Sterlings are bought for the fans, not the manager. at those clubs he wouldnt have been allowed to buy unknown Dias, or would have had to ditch Stones like Maguire was.

And finally, us fans. We sing how we're Not Really Here. Or that we're lucky to have Pep. Humility from top to bottom of this club.

 

[SebastianBlue]

Brown bags to the refs, according to Tuchel.

 

[Jason]

We don't rotate managers like other club and buy players that fit into Peps style of play. Hate to bring up the Dippers but if Klopp had been at any other big club he probably would have been sacked in his first season and if it wasn't for us they would have had 3 or 4 Premier League titles,and they could have sacked him this season but I can see them challenging again next season because they've not panicked and will give Klopp a chance to turn it around. I honestly believe if Chelsea hadn't gone on a buying frenzy and given Potter a chance and bought in the players that suited his style ,next season they could have been challenging especially without European football.

 

[feedmpenzaandhewillscore]

We’ve come along way since the early champions league campaigns where we couldn’t get past the group stages. Mancini trying to play 3-5-2 and Dortmund coming to the Etihad and completely dominating us. Then there was the mental block of not being able to get past the quarter finals and now we are at the point where we’ve made it to the last four in the past three seasons. We will win it at some point, it might not be this year however if we get past Madrid we probably won’t have a better opportunity to win it.

Be disciplined in Madrid with a close score maybe and they won’t fancy going to the Etihad. Longest unbeaten home run in the champions league do we have?

 

[Didsbury Dave]

It's becasue we are a well run club from the top downwards. No more mystery than that.

And well funded of course.