'Killing The Game' new book

"An affection starved puppy" That's a terrible thing to say about you Gary.

Hope you're not too upset about that but if you are have a biscuit, play with your squeaky toy for a while and I'll take you for a walk later. Get down - Later I said!
"whos a good boy ...whos a good boy...yes you are...wheres your ball...
 


I've only seen one review (link above), which gives it an absolute slating. It's from a source likely to be hostile to City anyway so little surprise there, but even allowing for that fact, it does sound as though it's been produced by someone who makes a living from purveying the kind of vapid PR bullshit I usually loathe.

I'm waiting for other City fans to read it and say whether, nonetheless, they gleaned information of interest from it. Also, I'm abroad and buy most of my books in Kindle format for convenience rather than entrusting them to the Russian postal service; I'm therefore waiting for the price to drop. I think a tenner is overpriced for a book in that format.


In essence, Martin Calladine, a freelance writer, is using his review as a vehicle to promote sales of his own book which he shamelessly does very clearly at the end. Any semblance of credibility was compromised as soon as he did that.
 
It comes out as a hardback on October 15th, so I think I’ll wait till then, as I can’t get on with kindle.
One extract I did read, which suggests it’ll be a decent read, was:
Then came the influx of new players but not everybody was impressed, as then football administrator Brian Marwood recalls.

'I remember picking up Gareth Barry and we were in the car,' he explains. 'talkSPORT was on and the story had broken that we were signing him.

'They were absolutely caning him, saying things like, "He won't win anything at Man City, he's only going there for the money, plastic club, seen all this before, foreign owners coming in, killing the game, these guys are mercenaries".

'That was the narrative, and I said to him, "Do you want me to turn this off?" and he went "No, I want to listen to it". He said: "I'm not bothered. I'm just going to remember this, because I want to show these people they are wrong".

'That's when you know you're getting the right people, and people like Gareth were so important to where we are now.'

Gaz Baz.

A proper player.
 
Judging from the title - "killing the game" - it's going to be very anti-City.

If I'm correct - and if you want to see what an anti-City viewpoint looks like - I guess you could read the book.

Otherwise - with respect to the book - not having read it - fuck off!

City has abided by the ridiculous supposed "FFP" rules - which were instead promulgated not to ensure financial parity (a dubious proposition in-and-of-itself) but to entrench established elite sides in the stratosphere of football hierarchey.

Sides with more resources - and especially with bigger fan bases - have every right to field elite teams.

Teams talented enough to compete with the elite from other leagues.

And to ensure that complacency doesn't creep in - financial rules need to allow the opportunity for newcomers to challenge the established elite.
===
Edit - who knows what the book's viewpoint actually is.

Reviews such as this:
https://www.thenational.ae/sport/fo...-decade-of-change-at-manchester-city-1.766473

paint the book as neutral in viewpoint.

Yet one questions the choice of title if the author is both:
1) gifted; and
2) neutral.

City fan or not - why would you be in favor of "killing the game" - lacking context of what that actually means? - as a book title - there's zero context.
===
Seems like a book title designed to spark interest in book sales - ill-suited towards a pro-City stance if that was indeed the author's intention.
 
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I've only seen one review (link above), which gives it an absolute slating. It's from a source likely to be hostile to City anyway so little surprise there, but even allowing for that fact, it does sound as though it's been produced by someone who makes a living from purveying the kind of vapid PR bullshit I usually loathe.

I'm waiting for other City fans to read it and say whether, nonetheless, they gleaned information of interest from it. Also, I'm abroad and buy most of my books in Kindle format for convenience rather than entrusting them to the Russian postal service; I'm therefore waiting for the price to drop. I think a tenner is overpriced for a book in that format.


I bought your book Stop Making Sense (?) many years ago & I seem to remember that it got an absolute slating by one reviewer on MCVITA :)
 
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MIght a more accurate title for the book be...

"I'm Hoping to Kill it in Books Sales - How CIty Did Some Amazing Stuff - or Maybe How City Sucks - You'll Need to Buy the Book to Be Sure."
 
Judging from the title - "killing the game" - it's going to be very anti-City.

If I'm correct - and if you want to see what an anti-City viewpoint looks like - I guess you could read the book.

Otherwise - with respect to the book - not having read it - fuck off!

City has abided by the ridiculous supposed "FFP" rules - which were instead promulgated not to ensure financial parity (a dubious proposition in-and-of-itself) but to entrench established elite sides in the stratosphere of football hierarchey.

Sides with more resources - and especially with bigger fan bases - have every right to field elite teams.

Teams talented enough to compete with the elite from other leagues.

And to ensure that complacency doesn't creep in - financial rules need to allow the opportunity for newcomers to challenge the established elite.
===
Edit - who knows what the book's viewpoint actually is.

Reviews such as this:
https://www.thenational.ae/sport/fo...-decade-of-change-at-manchester-city-1.766473

paint the book as neutral in viewpoint.

Yet one questions the choice of title if the author is both:
1) gifted; and
2) neutral.

City fan or not - why would you be in favor of "killing the game" - lacking context of what that actually means? - as a book title - there's zero context.
===
Seems like a book title designed to spark interest in book sales - ill-suited towards a pro-City stance if that was indeed the author's intention.
The book title is, I think, an ironic dig at those who claim City have been Killing The Game. It's got interviews with key people - including Sheikh Mansour - and for that reason it is definitely not anti-City. In fact those that like to laugh at City probably say it's too supportive of the club, but give it a read and make your own mind up.
 
The book title is, I think, an ironic dig at those who claim City have been Killing The Game. It's got interviews with key people - including Sheikh Mansour - and for that reason it is definitely not anti-City. In fact those that like to laugh at City probably say it's too supportive of the club, but give it a read and make your own mind up.
I’ve just read it and it’s very pro-City, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given the author’s connection to Abu Dhabi.

To be fair, he doesn’t make any attempt to hide this and admits that’s it’s a very sympathetic view in the foreword. Without that connection though it’s highly unlikely he would have got the access he did so it’s swings & roundabouts. There’s a bit of mutual back-slapping and there are a couple of bits where I reckon that we’re being told what Abu Dhabi want us to know rather than what actually happened but aside from that it’s a very interesting read. There’s some cracking stories about the early days of the takeover and a particularly funny one about Vicky Kloss and her United-supporting husband after the 6-1. The narrative around the setting up of NYCFC is really fascinating.

I doubt many Liverpool fans will be buying it but definitely a good read.
 

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