Khaldoons End of Season Interview

[halfmist]

Unbelievable chairman love the man I have every confidence in him. Gundogan has to make big decisions I hope he decides to stay.

Frustrating, for legal reason he can’t talk about the charges

When we were facing EUFA charges I remember him saying, “they have one view on how a football club should be run, we have another, time will tell who adopts the right approach, I am confident it is us”. so I know who my money is on.

 

[Keeper!]

Me too.
I'd love him to talk dirty to me or just read me a book at bedtime.

He could read readers wifes real life stories , kill two birds with one stone!

 

[OB1]

I think it was quite telling that he DID NOT say that we are innocent of all charges and that we will be fully vindicated through the legal process. Why did he NOT say that, I wonder?

I can think of three reasons.

1. Our lawyers have told him to say nothing. There's nothing to be read into it, it's just a good policy to say nothing in case anything you do say may be taken out of context or even damage your case in some way, so silence is the safe option. Quite possible, IMO.

2. He's aware of developments in the case which he cannot comment upon, such as we're reaching agreement to get all serious charges dropped provided we agree to a slapped wrist for trivial non-compliance such as not providing required documentation? Again, possible, IMO.

3. He knows we're in a tight spot and doesn't want to look like a prat by telling everyone we're completely innocent only to be found guilty on some counts later. And OBVIOUSLY he can't say well we're probably guilty on some counts. So he has to say nothing.

I really do not know how to read it, but I do think his silence on the matter is significant. I am inclined to think (2) above, if I had to pick.

All the above are indeed possible.

I'd read more into the way he said he would comment when the legals are done.

The club has issued its official unequivocal view of its innocence and the way the media always mention that City strenuously deny any wrongdoing when they bring the subject up strongly suggests that the club continues to brief to the effect or at least remind journos of their stance. Legal depts across the press are being very careful.

 

[Kippax77]

Having read the last ten pages of the thread, I am quite surprised by some reactions to the interview.

I think some—who I otherwise considered fairly astute individuals—are being blinded by personal frustrations and anger over the abuse they get from rival fans.

Those seemingly calling for a ‘scorched earth’ type of campaign from our management against the forces trying to teardown the club are being quite naive. If you study such strategies, you’ll find that they often ultimately harm the entities carrying them out nearly as much as those entities on the receiving end. Any gains are almost always short-lived; the resulting losses are felt more acutely and for longer, as well.

Our management is aware that they operate in the same environment as our enemies, and simply burning it to the ground is not going to benefit the club, as we would just then struggle to operate in a wasteland.

Could they expose the corruption, collusion, and criminality of the Premier League and UEFA? Knowing our management and owners, I imagine they likely have enough evidence to do that, if they wanted. But doing so would harm the club almost as much as our rivals and attackers. They understand that the club’s revenue right now is largely dependent on the overall success and legitimacy of the leagues we play in, even if the current brass of the leagues are trying to tear us down.

We can’t burn down the factory because management is trying to nefariously get us sacked and then expect to keep working at the same wage.

But we can slowly, quietly, methodically cull the elements within the leagues, organisations, and rival clubs attempting to destroy us, thereby reducing the harm to our club whilst preserving the benefits.

And to those wishing the club would be more vocal about the organised attack we have experienced for many years now—and “not leave it to the fans”—that is not how this type of combat works. Quite a lot of what the club could do will be subject to legal, regulatory, and commercial consequences.

We as fans are free to say and do whatever we want, with mostly only our own individual responsibilities and consequences to consider. Yes, we can reflect poorly on the club—and even directly expose it to negative consequences—if we act irresponsibly, either on our own or collectively, and I have talked about the harm that can come to the club from that.

But, generally, that does not compare to the jeopardy the club can experience if they act in the same overly-aggressive manner. There are potentially sweeping and comprehensive consequences to that tactic that they have to be very careful to avoid. Many that would impact we the fans, as well.

We may not like the ‘softly, softly’ approach as fans, because we have to live with the ignorant, often vitriolic abuse from rival fans every day. But there is no real alternative that does not pose penalties on our club that we would also decry. Our management are not patronising or misleading us. They are acting in the only way that balances fighting the collective action against the club with maintaining a strong and successful enterprise, capable of continuing the fight long after most of our enemies have sunken back in to the dark depths from which they came.

Just as our owners, management, staff, and players do, we have to assess the complexities of every battle individually, whilst also never losing sight of the war itself.

And the war must ultimately be ended with our club being one of the entities standing in strength, not by destroying everything, including ourselves.

Every fan has a right to be an armchair general. But I don’t think we are in a better position to understand the full complexities, challenges, consequences, and opportunities of the theatres the club are fighting in. Even those of us that have worked directly with the club in various capacities will not be aware of all of the variables and pieces in play. Nor could we fully predict the possible outcomes of various strategies. Only our management team is in a position to be able to do that to any decent level, and even they struggle with it at times, I am sure.

As someone that has a background in fraud detection and prevention, and has worked in the fraught environments and situations in which such investigations and interventions take place, I can say with experience that bombastic approaches almost always fail miserably.

I, for one, think City’s brass are doing an exceptional job in an extremely hostile environment. In fact, given the outcome with the UEFA charges and the Super League debacle, I am not sure they could have done any better, really.

I personally think we all need to meditate on the proverb “be careful what you wish for”. It may help us feel better about how the club are choosing to go about things.

Very profound

 

[SebastianBlue]

Very profound

Surely you meant prolonged?

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

I think it was quite telling that he DID NOT say that we are innocent of all charges and that we will be fully vindicated through the legal process. Why did he NOT say that, I wonder?

I can think of three reasons.

1. Our lawyers have told him to say nothing. There's nothing to be read into it, it's just a good policy to say nothing in case anything you do say may be taken out of context or even damage your case in some way, so silence is the safe option. Quite possible, IMO.

2. He's aware of developments in the case which he cannot comment upon, such as we're reaching agreement to get all serious charges dropped provided we agree to a slapped wrist for trivial non-compliance such as not providing required documentation? Again, possible, IMO.

3. He knows we're in a tight spot and doesn't want to look like a prat by telling everyone we're completely innocent only to be found guilty on some counts later. And OBVIOUSLY he can't say well we're probably guilty on some counts. So he has to say nothing.

I really do not know how to read it, but I do think his silence on the matter is significant. I am inclined to think (2) above, if I had to pick.

I suspect it was comms and legal advice. The headline would have been: "We are innocent" says Khaldoon. As you suggest that could have undermined future negotiations. This is not the time to rock the boat. In addition to this (and as in the UEFA case) we have gained leverage from the fact that someone has been leaking information from the PL side. We could be accused of double standards if we start blabbing now. Remember Ceferin's claims about having a "concrete case" against City backfired in the UEFA fiasco.

 

[Father Paul]

No, but I'm a bit constipated. At least you made me laugh. I should be so chilled as I'm having a pleasant week relaxing in Wales.

I know I'm coming over as ungrateful for everything they've done for us but I'm really not. I had tears rolling down my face when I got inside the Atatürk stadium at the sheer emotion of watching my team as favourites in a CL final. I know I'm so blessed to be watching us at the greatest time in our history.

But having spent 4 years working closely with the club's operational management team, and getting increasingly frustrated about how they pay lip service to us but simply don't seem to get us in any meaningful sense.

Khaldoon is an exceptional communicator and a joy to listen to but the platitudes just wash over me these days.

I see where your coming from but you can't have your cake and eat it. The degree of success we have enjoyed
could not have been achieved outside of a business model and operational management structure which was globalist
rather than parochial in outlook.

 

[cookster]

Some proper weirdos posting on this thread :)
And yes I am one of them.

 

[Worsleyweb]

Some proper weirdos posting on this thread :)
And yes I am one of them.

And drone hasn’t even posted yet.

 

[Father Paul]

Having read the last ten pages of the thread, I am quite surprised by some reactions to the interview.

I think some—who I otherwise considered fairly astute individuals—are being blinded by personal frustrations and anger over the abuse they get from rival fans.

Those seemingly calling for a ‘scorched earth’ type of campaign from our management against the forces trying to teardown the club are being quite naive. If you study such strategies, you’ll find that they often ultimately harm the entities carrying them out nearly as much as those entities on the receiving end. Any gains are almost always short-lived; the resulting losses are felt more acutely and for longer, as well.

Our management is aware that they operate in the same environment as our enemies, and simply burning it to the ground is not going to benefit the club, as we would just then struggle to operate in a wasteland.

Could they expose the corruption, collusion, and criminality of the Premier League and UEFA? Knowing our management and owners, I imagine they likely have enough evidence to do that, if they wanted. But doing so would harm the club almost as much as our rivals and attackers. They understand that the club’s revenue right now is largely dependent on the overall success and legitimacy of the leagues we play in, even if the current brass of the leagues are trying to tear us down.

We can’t burn down the factory because management is trying to nefariously get us sacked and then expect to keep working at the same wage.

But we can slowly, quietly, methodically cull the elements within the leagues, organisations, and rival clubs attempting to destroy us, thereby reducing the harm to our club whilst preserving the benefits.

And to those wishing the club would be more vocal about the organised attack we have experienced for many years now—and “not leave it to the fans”—that is not how this type of combat works. Quite a lot of what the club could do will be subject to legal, regulatory, and commercial consequences.

We as fans are free to say and do whatever we want, with mostly only our own individual responsibilities and consequences to consider. Yes, we can reflect poorly on the club—and even directly expose it to negative consequences—if we act irresponsibly, either on our own or collectively, and I have talked about the harm that can come to the club from that.

But, generally, that does not compare to the jeopardy the club can experience if they act in the same overly-aggressive manner. There are potentially sweeping and comprehensive consequences to that tactic that they have to be very careful to avoid. Many that would impact we the fans, as well.

We may not like the ‘softly, softly’ approach as fans, because we have to live with the ignorant, often vitriolic abuse from rival fans every day. But there is no real alternative that does not pose penalties on our club that we would also decry. Our management are not patronising or misleading us. They are acting in the only way that balances fighting the collective action against the club with maintaining a strong and successful enterprise, capable of continuing the fight long after most of our enemies have sunken back in to the dark depths from which they came.

Just as our owners, management, staff, and players do, we have to assess the complexities of every battle individually, whilst also never losing sight of the war itself.

And the war must ultimately be ended with our club being one of the entities standing in strength, not by destroying everything, including ourselves.

Every fan has a right to be an armchair general. But I don’t think we are in a better position to understand the full complexities, challenges, consequences, and opportunities of the theatres the club are fighting in. Even those of us that have worked directly with the club in various capacities will not be aware of all of the variables and pieces in play. Nor could we fully predict the possible outcomes of various strategies. Only our management team is in a position to be able to do that to any decent level, and even they struggle with it at times, I am sure.

As someone that has a background in fraud detection and prevention, and has worked in the fraught environments and situations in which such investigations and interventions take place, I can say with experience that bombastic approaches almost always fail miserably.

I, for one, think City’s brass are doing an exceptional job in an extremely hostile environment. In fact, given the outcome with the UEFA charges and the Super League debacle, I am not sure they could have done any better, really.

I personally think we all need to meditate on the proverb “be careful what you wish for”. It may help us feel better about how the club are choosing to go about things.

Have to say Blue that is a well thought out piece and deserves serious consideration and reflection.