johnny crossan
Well-Known Member
Just out of the blue. Driving to the match, listening to GMR and suddenly there was Jimmy Wagge extolling the virtues of his guest, one Henry Winter. Dear Henry had just slagged off the Club (tragi-comedy), the owner (foreign only interested in business not football), the chairman (gutless), the CEO (a joke), Mancini (B -List)uninterrupted for 10 minutes. Jimmy said it was a real pleasure to have such a distinguished and well-respected journalist step up to the plate.
Disgraceful.
Here's a bit of vintage Winter from the middle of the week in case you haven't seen it
"MANCHESTER CITY DRAMA HITTING ABU DHABI'S REPUTATION HARD
Senior advisers of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan have been left 'aghast' by the negative publicity surrounding Mark Hughes's dismissal as manager and the potential damage it may inflict on the reputation of Abu Dhabi.
But the club's shoddy handling of Hughes's dismissal, characterised by the revelation – aired on live television – that the sheikh himself had held talks with new manager Roberto Mancini more than two weeks before Hughes's sacking, has prompted withering criticism of the sheikh's regime at Eastlands.
Having so far failed to visit Manchester on club business during his 15 months as owner, it is particularly damning that the sheikh's first known trip to this country on City duties was to meet his new manager before the incumbent had even been dismissed.
Grand ambitions for City to become a glittering model of how Abu Dhabi does business have been reduced to tatters with chief executive Garry Cook, chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak – who left Cook to face the barrage of criticism at Mancini's introductory press conference on Monday -- and Sheikh Mansour all earning condemnation for their conduct during the build-up to Hughes's dismissal.
Yet while leading figures in the Premier League accept the inevitability of censure and criticism as part of the package, the reaction to Hughes's sacking has left Abu Dhabi officials shocked and bewildered.
A source in Abu Dhabi said: "Sheikh Mansour and his people never experience anything like the criticism they have received in recent days.
"The media in Abu Dhabi would never openly condemn any member of the ruling family, so they will be aghast at the reaction to what has happened at Man City.
"The business model in Abu Dhabi is very much based on a long-term view of everything.
"They don't make snap decisions and they pride themselves on that, so the negative publicity hasn't gone down well at all. They will learn from this, though."
Although the sheikh's purchase of City has been described by high-ranking advisers as a "personal equity play" rather than a government-backed initiative, upholding the reputation of Abu Dhabi and promoting the emirate in a positive light is paramount.
Keen to portray Abu Dhabi as the antithesis of its brash and financially-troubled neighbour, Dubai, the slick publicity machine that capitalised on the success of the F1 Grand Prix at Yas Marina this year had been achieving similar positive results at Eastlands.
Yet with the process of managerial change being exposed as one of back-channel talks with managers and their representatives, flawed justification for Hughes's dismissal and an inability to make a clean break with the Welshman, the Abu Dhabi model could have been based on that of Peter Swales, the much-maligned former television salesman turned City chairman, rather than a cutting edge 21st century blueprint for life after oil in the Gulf.
As perhaps the most high profile investment in Sheikh Mansour's portfolio, Abu Dhabi's dealings at Eastlands will inevitably shape the perception of the emirate and this has undoubtedly been a bad week for the brand.
The ferocity of the condemnation this week has stung Abu Dhabi, particularly the disparaging reference to the sheikh and his advisers as City's 'Arab' owners. One headline, billing them as 'Desert Rats' proved particularly irksome.
But having told the world that the Abu Dhabi way of patience, long-term thinking and sustainability would be exemplified at Eastlands, the reality is proving somewhat different and that might ultimately prove more costly to Abu Dhabi than Manchester City."
Disgraceful.
Here's a bit of vintage Winter from the middle of the week in case you haven't seen it
"MANCHESTER CITY DRAMA HITTING ABU DHABI'S REPUTATION HARD
Senior advisers of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan have been left 'aghast' by the negative publicity surrounding Mark Hughes's dismissal as manager and the potential damage it may inflict on the reputation of Abu Dhabi.
But the club's shoddy handling of Hughes's dismissal, characterised by the revelation – aired on live television – that the sheikh himself had held talks with new manager Roberto Mancini more than two weeks before Hughes's sacking, has prompted withering criticism of the sheikh's regime at Eastlands.
Having so far failed to visit Manchester on club business during his 15 months as owner, it is particularly damning that the sheikh's first known trip to this country on City duties was to meet his new manager before the incumbent had even been dismissed.
Grand ambitions for City to become a glittering model of how Abu Dhabi does business have been reduced to tatters with chief executive Garry Cook, chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak – who left Cook to face the barrage of criticism at Mancini's introductory press conference on Monday -- and Sheikh Mansour all earning condemnation for their conduct during the build-up to Hughes's dismissal.
Yet while leading figures in the Premier League accept the inevitability of censure and criticism as part of the package, the reaction to Hughes's sacking has left Abu Dhabi officials shocked and bewildered.
A source in Abu Dhabi said: "Sheikh Mansour and his people never experience anything like the criticism they have received in recent days.
"The media in Abu Dhabi would never openly condemn any member of the ruling family, so they will be aghast at the reaction to what has happened at Man City.
"The business model in Abu Dhabi is very much based on a long-term view of everything.
"They don't make snap decisions and they pride themselves on that, so the negative publicity hasn't gone down well at all. They will learn from this, though."
Although the sheikh's purchase of City has been described by high-ranking advisers as a "personal equity play" rather than a government-backed initiative, upholding the reputation of Abu Dhabi and promoting the emirate in a positive light is paramount.
Keen to portray Abu Dhabi as the antithesis of its brash and financially-troubled neighbour, Dubai, the slick publicity machine that capitalised on the success of the F1 Grand Prix at Yas Marina this year had been achieving similar positive results at Eastlands.
Yet with the process of managerial change being exposed as one of back-channel talks with managers and their representatives, flawed justification for Hughes's dismissal and an inability to make a clean break with the Welshman, the Abu Dhabi model could have been based on that of Peter Swales, the much-maligned former television salesman turned City chairman, rather than a cutting edge 21st century blueprint for life after oil in the Gulf.
As perhaps the most high profile investment in Sheikh Mansour's portfolio, Abu Dhabi's dealings at Eastlands will inevitably shape the perception of the emirate and this has undoubtedly been a bad week for the brand.
The ferocity of the condemnation this week has stung Abu Dhabi, particularly the disparaging reference to the sheikh and his advisers as City's 'Arab' owners. One headline, billing them as 'Desert Rats' proved particularly irksome.
But having told the world that the Abu Dhabi way of patience, long-term thinking and sustainability would be exemplified at Eastlands, the reality is proving somewhat different and that might ultimately prove more costly to Abu Dhabi than Manchester City."