Josko Gvardiol

[Any1aBlue]

Interesting take.

Absolutely bizarre at several key points in your analysis, and definitely betrays a potential agenda - but it’s always interesting to hear counter arguments to the prevailing narrative.

This place would be boring if we all thought in exactly the same way!

I would challenge your assertion that our owners success is purely down to being lucky and rich - although they are definitely both those things too, as any successful person is.

I’m not going to detail it here, but Chairman’s track record in business would suggest he’s an incredibly talented and astute commercial operator. And whilst undoubtedly surrounded with a team of expensive advisors, our owner has made several investments which are frankly staggering in the returns they’ve delivered for him. Once or twice could be considered lucky - more than that, and you have to acknowledge a pattern which indicates a lot more than pure dumb luck.

What they’ve also proven to be very successful at is seeing a golden opportunity out of a potentially disastrous situation, and seizing the momentum to dizzying effect.

Sheikh Mansour’s 2008 investment in Barclays would be an excellent example of this.

Another excellent example would be the turmoil at Barcelona following Sandro Rossell’s successful campaign for the Presidency in 2010.

At which point - having looked completely off the table and out of reach for years - the most successful commercial and sporting football leadership team in the World at that time, which included Pep, Txiki and Berrada, and had previously included Ferran Soriano, suddenly became available.

Our owners saw the opportunity, and were systematic in securing it.

It was as far from a gamble as any set of appointments - certainly including the appointment of Mancini - and was as close to a sure thing as was available at the time.

The fact they brought them all in together again gave the plan an ever greater chance at success.

And the results have been astonishing - from both a sporting and a commercial angle. Top of the Deloitte Football money league two years on the bounce - ahead of Madrid, Bayern, United, Liverpool - the most successful team in European club football last season, and an excellent net spend position.

We are the envy of the footballing world.

I would see our owner’s investment as another in a long line of smart investments they have made across their business portfolio, and a great example of their capacity to see the potential in a situation others may view as a complete mess.

Can you précis this tome please?

 

[Any1aBlue]

Can you précis this please as it might have something of interest in it. Thanks.

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

Can you précis this tome please?

Nah - it’s way too long, granted, but you’re under absolutely no obligation to read it mate.

I guess - it wasn’t a gamble, it was a calculated move to bring in the most successful football leadership team in the world - covers some of it.

And if you like the sound of that bit - by all means read on!

 

[Carlos- the- jackal]

Interesting take.

Absolutely bizarre at several key points in your analysis, and definitely betrays a potential agenda - but it’s always interesting to hear counter arguments to the prevailing narrative.

This place would be boring if we all thought in exactly the same way!

I would challenge your assertion that our owners success is purely down to being lucky and rich - although they are definitely both those things too, as any successful person is.

I’m not going to detail it here, but Chairman’s track record in business would suggest he’s an incredibly talented and astute commercial operator. And whilst undoubtedly surrounded with a team of expensive advisors, our owner has made several investments which are frankly staggering in the returns they’ve delivered for him. Once or twice could be considered lucky - more than that, and you have to acknowledge a pattern which indicates a lot more than pure dumb luck.

What they’ve also proven to be very successful at is seeing a golden opportunity out of a potentially disastrous situation, and seizing the momentum to dizzying effect.

Sheikh Mansour’s 2008 investment in Barclays would be an excellent example of this.

Another excellent example would be the turmoil at Barcelona following Sandro Rossell’s successful campaign for the Presidency in 2010.

At which point - having looked completely off the table and out of reach for years - the most successful commercial and sporting football leadership team in the World at that time, which included Pep, Txiki and Berrada, and had previously included Ferran Soriano, suddenly became available.

Our owners saw the opportunity, and were systematic in securing it.

It was as far from a gamble as any set of appointments - certainly including the appointment of Mancini - and was as close to a sure thing as was available at the time.

The fact they brought them all in together again gave the plan an ever greater chance at success.

And the results have been astonishing - from both a sporting and a commercial angle. Top of the Deloitte Football money league two years on the bounce - ahead of Madrid, Bayern, United, Liverpool - the most successful team in European club football last season, and an excellent net spend position.

We are the envy of the footballing world.

I would see our owner’s investment as another in a long line of smart investments they have made across their business portfolio, and a great example of their capacity to see the potential in a situation others may view as a complete mess.

Bang on!

 

[BamberBridgeBlue]

Can you précis this please as it might have something of interest in it. Thanks.

It’s an interesting concept that many people at my place of employment have. Something might be interesting, but they can’t be bothered to read it. They’d prefer me to reread my own work and deliver it back to them and then they’ll ultimately decide if it was of interest or not. With the ultimate goal of remaining in gainful employment I choose to ignore it rather than replying with “fuck off you lazy twat. I can only write the email, I can’t read it and inwardly digest it on your behalf.”

 

[Lavinda Past]

I don't understand the use of the phrase you used previously - "huge gamble." I may have misunderstood, but you sound like you are suggesting our leadership team behaved recklessly in relation to Pep's appointment..?

I mean that the owners spent a fortune purely to tempt Pep to join the club Ignore any money spent on players etc, the amount spent on Pep before he put pen to paper was huge.

Any new appointment has an element of risk. While I appreciate that the level of risk around Pep was low, it remained a risk, and we all know that firm favourites don't always win! As such, it was a huge gamble.

 

[Kamaro011]

Just because we don't hear the news on public doesn't meant there isn't movement behind scene.

People that still banging 48 hours news need to relax. Go outside and don't feel stressed needing to look at internet every single hours to hear news update regarding Gvardiol.

 

[Gaz (FMwkdsoul)]

This thread is a car crash.

 

[failsworthblueboy]

I struggled but eventually remembered whom this fella reminds me of; he's a left footed version of Nicky Reid, granted I haven't watched him much but that is my opinion, for what it's worth (which isn't much)

Has he signed yet?

 

[Lavinda Past]

Interesting take.

Absolutely bizarre at several key points in your analysis, and definitely betrays a potential agenda - but it’s always interesting to hear counter arguments to the prevailing narrative.

This place would be boring if we all thought in exactly the same way!

I would challenge your assertion that our owners success is purely down to being lucky and rich - although they are definitely both those things too, as any successful person is.

I’m not going to detail it here, but Chairman’s track record in business would suggest he’s an incredibly talented and astute commercial operator. And whilst undoubtedly surrounded with a team of expensive advisors, our owner has made several investments which are frankly staggering in the returns they’ve delivered for him. Once or twice could be considered lucky - more than that, and you have to acknowledge a pattern which indicates a lot more than pure dumb luck.

What they’ve also proven to be very successful at is seeing a golden opportunity out of a potentially disastrous situation, and seizing the momentum to dizzying effect.

Sheikh Mansour’s 2008 investment in Barclays would be an excellent example of this.

Another excellent example would be the turmoil at Barcelona following Sandro Rossell’s successful campaign for the Presidency in 2010.

At which point - having looked completely off the table and out of reach for years - the most successful commercial and sporting football leadership team in the World at that time, which included Pep, Txiki and Berrada, and had previously included Ferran Soriano, suddenly became available.

Our owners saw the opportunity, and were systematic in securing it.

It was as far from a gamble as any set of appointments - certainly including the appointment of Mancini - and was as close to a sure thing as was available at the time.

The fact they brought them all in together again gave the plan an ever greater chance at success.

And the results have been astonishing - from both a sporting and a commercial angle. Top of the Deloitte Football money league two years on the bounce - ahead of Madrid, Bayern, United, Liverpool - the most successful team in European club football last season, and an excellent net spend position.

We are the envy of the footballing world.

I would see our owner’s investment as another in a long line of smart investments they have made across their business portfolio, and a great example of their capacity to see the potential in a situation others may view as a complete mess.

Great post mate. I have no 'agenda' whatsoever. I just don’t hold the view that everything in the garden will remain rosy following Pep's departure. I simply have concerns that the owners will be relying on luck and money rather than judgement when it comes to appointing Pep's successor(s).

I'm a glass half empty kind of guy!

 

[Lavinda Past]

I struggled but eventually remembered whom this fella reminds me of; he's a left footed version of Nicky Reid, granted I haven't watched him much but that is my opinion, for what it's worth (which isn't much)

Has he signed yet?

Who?

Nicky Reid?

 

[Lavinda Past]

This thread is a car crash.

Great isn't it!

The new typical City.

 

[Sir peace frog]

Great post mate. I have no 'agenda' whatsoever. I just don’t hold the view that everything in the garden will remain rosy following Pep's departure. I simply have concerns that the owners will be relying on luck and money rather than judgement when it comes to appointing Pep's successor(s).

I'm a glass half empty kind of guy!

judging by your last few posts you've emptied a few glasses before your "rich and lucky "post.
they wanted pep,that took years of planning the infrastructure , a well executed plan in my eyes, imo what you said was showing nothing better than what has been thrown at us for the last ten years by united,liverpool,arsenal ect ect fans,dismissed it as some arab bloke who knows fuck all but is loaded, pretty fucking low for a city fan, disrespectful not only to the owners and board,but also to pep who in your opinion is only here because we chucked a load of money at him.

we should see pep rock up in saudi next if its all about the money

 

[blueparrot]

Great post mate. I have no 'agenda' whatsoever. I just don’t hold the view that everything in the garden will remain rosy following Pep's departure. I simply have concerns that the owners will be relying on luck and money rather than judgement when it comes to appointing Pep's successor(s).

I'm a glass half empty kind of guy!

Still nonsense.

 

[paska]

I would not be surprised to see Txiki leave when Pep does and just hand over control to a new director who gets his own choice of who they want as a manager.

That said I think the perfect person to have at the helm is Pep till Gundo is ready to take over.

We all rate his football intelligence a bit higher than Kompany anyways..

I believe successful transitions come from a manager to his assistant or a manager to one of his players who understands the system (Shankly - Paisley - Fagan - Daglish).. so the formula is continued rather than given a massive change.

With you on all of this except the comparion of Gundo to Vinnie.

Only because I place Vinnie’s football intelligence incredibly high, more than anything after having watched his transformation of Burnley… I’m expecting them to impress even more this season.

With the Paisley example, Tito was meant to be exactly this for Pep at Barça. Were he not taken from us in such an untimely fashion, I expect Tito would’ve stayed there for quite a while and the club would never have gone through the relatively weaker spell that it has done ITTL.

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

Great post mate. I have no 'agenda' whatsoever. I just don’t hold the view that everything in the garden will remain rosy following Pep's departure. I simply have concerns that the owners will be relying on luck and money rather than judgement when it comes to appointing Pep's successor(s).

I'm a glass half empty kind of guy!

Even when there are countless examples of strategic decisions they’ve taken over the years which demonstrate just how astute and considered they are in their investments?

I’m still not sure where this idea they just chuck money about and sometimes get lucky comes from - there’s literally no evidence to support it, and countless examples of where they’ve done precisely the opposite.

I’m sure this isn’t your intent at all, so to be clear I’m not accusing you of it - but it can sound a little like lazy stereotyping when all evidence is ignored in favour of ‘I just have a hunch’ based on fallacious tropes about Arab investors.

 

[failsworthblueboy]

Who?

Nicky Reid?

FOC, sorry I watched him from being a kid in the old A & B teams at Platt Lane, he had a decent career with us.


Nicky Reid played 217 times for Manchester City F.C. and scored twice in two spells at the club between 1977 and 1982 and 1982 and 1987 before transferring to Blackburn Rovers F.C. in July 1987

 

[Utter bobbins]

I don't think its unreasonable for people wishing our success continues into the future.

Well just say that then

 

[Txiki Txiki Bang Bang]

You’re on here trying to find out where we are up to with the guy just like everyone else as there might be someone who just might post something that they know. Someone will know something at some point. I’ll guess you’ll not see this response though as you know that nobody knows anything so you won’t be here.

Oh I don't really care if it happens or not. Read through my posts. I might even say I don't actually see the need to sign him up but what do I know

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

Always loved Nicky Reid. Him and Tommy Caton would have been our centre backs for many years except for John Bond signing his son. Kevin did well but the money spent on him needed to be spent elsewhere. Probably the worst decision of John Bond’s reign.