Media Thread 2020/21

[oakiecokie]

Conn still spouting on about "sportswashing", his personal bias and one sided political agenda when football has finally woken up that CFG is about business. The self styled elite have found themselves falling further behind in terms of success and finance with little chance of catching up.

What must really stick in their collective craws is the loyalty to Manchester City of the the fans, the owners, the staff, the players, Pep, other coaches and backroom staff?

The old model of running a football club on debt and spending as little as possible whilst extracting as much cash as possible, has been blown apart. CFG has gone for growth by reinvesting on and off the field as well as in local communities.

At the time of the take over, ADUG did say they had a 20 year plan in place and we still years to go.

By then, there is every chance that Conn and his ilk and the likes of the Guardian will no longer be around. They are already on borrowed time, becoming as irrelevant as City Bingo with their tropes, prejudices and falshoods.

If anyone required a good slap, without being on a train to Nottingham, then its this twat.

 

[Zinchilla]

Hah. "Abu Dhabi is courted by western countries including Britain, which sells the country large stocks of arms".

Britain sells arms to all sorts of countries, many with worse human rights records.

That's the sin of the seller, not the buyer.

Spot on. As others have said David Conn spews out the same article every couple of months and that vacuous, throw away line about arms sales sums it up.

His independent, pen is mightier than the sword, intellectual shtick coupled with allegedly being a City fan gives him the ‘authenticity’ to write utter shite, lapped up by the holier than thou Guardian editor and a certain socio-economic type of Liverpool, United and Arsenal supporter who read it. Supporters of such beautifully constructed, finely evolved clubs. Sweeping statement of my own, Conn style: with a few exceptions journalism is shit in this country, most things paid for or put forward by lobbyists and PR people.

 

[Inter Me Nan]

Because these articles, quotes and arguments to try and belittle the achievements of our club, owner and Pep are born from one thing....

FEAR

The history clubs and their ex-players, and the rest of the jealous mob are fearful of what has been happening before there eyes since Sheihk Mansour arrived on these shores.

Take one massive example of that playing out on BT sports when Joe Cole said Kane should go to City - Ferdinand couldn't hold that thought in his head, the fear rose and he went straight into school boy bully mode spouting 'united are the biggest club' - Ferdinand had to re-assure himself that Kane to the rags was a no-brainer based on some old history shite that they are a bigger club - and then you had the giddy BT anchor laughing like the sad kid who hides behind the school bully hanging onto his every whim

The old pisscan said 'never in my lifetime', the takeover was seen as a joke at the time and one that wouldn't last.

We have overtaken them all in every part that MATTERS - Infrastructure, Scouting, Academy, Players, Managers, breaking domestic records, and now collecting trophies each season = FEAR

The only thing we lack is this stupid statement of being seen as a "bigger club" - based on what, overseas fans, well that doesn't bother me one iota - they can keep it. Is it based on trophies? - well we are addressing that currently are we not, But then they realise that if we start by lifting a 1st CL trophy this Saturday then they will be worried about us winning more

The truth is (and I will use myself as an example age wise, I am 42yrs old) that the red top history clubs (who believe they have this divine right to be lauded as the pinnacle of the English game) are realising that what has been built has the POTENTIAL to go on and become the most successful English club side ever = FEAR

FEAR is written all over this. It is between the lines in everything they say, every article that is written, every snide little comment that is made live on TV or radio.

 

[jimharri]

For f**k sake! Who the f**k! is this designed to appeal to?




A long way from a nipper paddling through the piss at the Maine Road urinals....Too long

Bloody philistine. Appreciate a spot of culture, FFS. It's not all "I said maaaaybeeee, you're gonna be the one that saaaaaves meeeee".

 

[Asa's left peg]

We told them this was coming (player wanting to sign for us and not them ) years ago when it became apparent the detail our ownership puts into everything. Pep warned them again on Sunday, on sky - ' if you think this is all about money, you're f***ing crazy '
Personally I hope they never wake upto it. I'm ok with that.

 

[The perfect fumble]

Bloody philistine. Appreciate a spot of culture, FFS. It's not all "I said maaaaybeeee, you're gonna be the one that saaaaaves meeeee".

It is you ponce ;-)

 

[Rochdale Blue]

You can just imagine how Scouse piss will boil if both European trophies come to Manchester. Will the media still be obsessing over their third place finish ?

Don't you think City being asked to play Thursday and Saturday would be a bit much?

 

[BeerIsTheBest]

For f**k sake! Who the f**k! is this designed to appeal to?




A long way from a nipper paddling through the piss at the Maine Road urinals....Too long

I would have preferred Sanchez on the piano, Pisscan and Olly playing (with each other’s) organs and Klopp gnashing his teeth like a set of castanets.

 

[Pablo ZZZ Peroni]

It depends what you mean by soft power. CFG is now a big global organisation which is interested in making profits like any other business. It is perfectly reasonable for any organisation to promote itself and enhance its brand. It is a fact that the success of Manchester City, owned by a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal family, will raise the profile of Abu Dhabi as a place.
All organisations and countries in the Gulf region are in a race to diversify away from being reliant on oil revenues. Sheikh Mansour is no different to anyone else.
I don't believe Sheikh Mansour has invested in football for political reasons but he will be more than happy to use the influence it brings to help generate more business (a form of soft power?).
I agree that the sportswashing concept is just a pure fabrication. Even Amnesty don't put Abu Dhabi anywhere near the top of its list of the worst states for human rights abuses in the world.

I get all that Bobby - I just diverge from you because I think we are more closely aligned to the state than you albeit not legally. Etihad and Abu Dhabi sponsorships are examples of "soft power".

Words that have no place on a football forum :) :
Gulf airlines’ employment of sponsorship represents a means through which the respective countries seek to establish and exert soft power. We have defined soft power sponsorship as: A contractual relationship between a fully or partly state-owned entity and a property aimed at promoting the attractiveness of the former’s country, culture and/or policies, and with the intention of altering the attitudes and behaviors of key target audiences (which may include overseas politicians, decision-makers, as well as customers) (Chadwick, et al., 2020).

 

[CC1]

For f**k sake! Who the f**k! is this designed to appeal to?




A long way from a nipper paddling through the piss at the Maine Road urinals....Too long

Great piece. - not long enough

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Marvin, off course it is a soft power project irrespective of the legal structure. It is even documented as such by the likes of Gary Cook who referred to it as a proxy for Abu Dhabi. Then there is the involvement of Simon Pearce. At the time of takeover he was the head of Strategic Communications for Abu Dabhi and his job was to protect and enhance the reputation of Abu Dhabi. Khaldoon, just a mate helping out? Come off it man.

BUT there is nothing wrong with soft power. The UK do exactly the same thing. Or attempt to anyway...
I agree with your comment about the failed PR campaign.

The problem comes with the derogatory term "sportswashing" and the inference that everything we do is to hide human rights abuses. That frankly is bollocks.

If they wanted to hide human rights abuses, they made a spectacularly bad job of it as every fucker has suddenly become an expert on them, and Abu Dhabi's alleged abuse of them, since 2012.

 

[Irlamblue]

Because these articles, quotes and arguments to try and belittle the achievements of our club, owner and Pep are born from one thing....

FEAR

The history clubs and their ex-players, and the rest of the jealous mob are fearful of what has been happening before there eyes since Sheihk Mansour arrived on these shores.

Take one massive example of that playing out on BT sports when Joe Cole said Kane should go to City - Ferdinand couldn't hold that thought in his head, the fear rose and he went straight into school boy bully mode spouting 'united are the biggest club' - Ferdinand had to re-assure himself that Kane to the rags was a no-brainer based on some old history shite that they are a bigger club - and then you had the giddy BT anchor laughing like the sad kid who hides behind the school bully hanging onto his every whim

The old pisscan said 'never in my lifetime', the takeover was seen as a joke at the time and one that wouldn't last.

We have overtaken them all in every part that MATTERS - Infrastructure, Scouting, Academy, Players, Managers, breaking domestic records, and now collecting trophies each season = FEAR

The only thing we lack is this stupid statement of being seen as a "bigger club" - based on what, overseas fans, well that doesn't bother me one iota - they can keep it. Is it based on trophies? - well we are addressing that currently are we not, But then they realise that if we start by lifting a 1st CL trophy this Saturday then they will be worried about us winning more

The truth is (and I will use myself as an example age wise, I am 42yrs old) that the red top history clubs (who believe they have this divine right to be lauded as the pinnacle of the English game) are realising that what has been built has the POTENTIAL to go on and become the most successful English club side ever = FEAR

FEAR is written all over this. It is between the lines in everything they say, every article that is written, every snide little comment that is made live on TV or radio.

yeah but...... empty seats

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

I think the description of FFP as having been a legitimate set of rules enforced by “properly constituted internal bodies”, was my favourite line in Conn’s latest piece of sad, reconstituted waffle.
So not a carefully constructed protectionist racket designed to safeguard the income streams of a handful of greedy clubs then, and definitely no ex-directors from United, Liverpool, Bayern, Madrid, Juventus, etc, helping shape said policy in classic ‘tail wagging the dog’ fashion. Nothing to see here, move along.....

 

[The perfect fumble]

I would have preferred Sanchez on the piano, Pisscan and Olly playing (with each other’s) organs and Klopp gnashing his teeth like a set of castanets.

The rags are releasing a version with the pisscan surrounded by the Class of '92....

 

[The perfect fumble]

Great piece. - not long enough

Pseuds Corner

 

[mat]

yeah but...... empty seats

This could be Rotterdam....

 

[Marvin]

Marvin, off course it is a soft power project irrespective of the legal structure. It is even documented as such by the likes of Gary Cook who referred to it as a proxy for Abu Dhabi. Then there is the involvement of Simon Pearce. At the time of takeover he was the head of Strategic Communications for Abu Dabhi and his job was to protect and enhance the reputation of Abu Dhabi. Khaldoon, just a mate helping out? Come off it man.

BUT there is nothing wrong with soft power. The UK do exactly the same thing. Or attempt to anyway...
I agree with your comment about the failed PR campaign.

The problem comes with the derogatory term "sportswashing" and the inference that everything we do is to hide human rights abuses. That frankly is bollocks.

Well then why not sell it as such to City fans, or to Emiratis. Neither happen.

If a member of the British Royal Family bought an overseas asset then their private sec. etc would be involved, particularly if it could be politically charged and high profile. If the UAE state was really behind MCFC then assorted royals wouldn't have tried to buy rival clubs a sovereign wealth fund would have invested in City and sorted out the sponsorship. As it was Sheikh Mansour's own companies were used with the exception of Etihad Airways.

 

[Pablo ZZZ Peroni]

I think the description of FFP as having been a legitimate body of rules enforced by “properly constituted internal bodies”, was my favourite line in Conn’s latest piece of sad, reconstituted waffle.
So not a carefully constructed protectionist racket designed to safeguard the income streams of a handful of greedy clubs then, and definitely no ex-directors from United, Liverpool, Bayern, Madrid, Juventus, etc, helping shape said policy in classic ‘tail wagging the dog’ fashion. Nothing to see here, move along.....

I can still recall Conn's whiney voice on some pod or Radio 5 arguing that the legal guys heading up the committees were men of repute but, worse, we even had the audacity to attack a former Belgian prime minister Yves Leterme. He ignored the fact that the duplicitous Leterme was heavily condemned by the head of the adjudicatory chamber as being effectively a disgrace for the way he handled and helped PSG get off one of their charges.

 

[Pablo ZZZ Peroni]

Well then why not sell it as such to City fans, or to Emiratis. Neither happen.

If a member of the British Royal Family bought an overseas asset then their private sec. etc would be involved, particularly if it could be politically charged and high profile. If the UAE state was really behind MCFC then assorted royals wouldn't have tried to buy rival clubs a sovereign wealth fund would have invested in City and sorted out the sponsorship. As it was Sheikh Mansour's own companies were used with the exception of Etihad Airways.

Soft power is about promotion of the UAE to the outside world and not Emiratis.
Likewise City fans are mainly sold on own ownership.

I think I'm right in saying a SWF is not allowed to directly own a Premier League club.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Conn has a problem. He's a few years younger than me but I suspect our experiences growing up, him in Prestwich and me in Crumpsall, were similar.

He may have gone shopping on Cheetham Hill with his grandma, probably on the bus. If she wanted chicken or a piece brisket, she went to the butcher. If she wanted bread, she went to the baker. Veg, to the greengrocer. Vimto, to the grocer. Milk or cheese, to the dairy shop. Etc. When she'd got everything they would have gone home, she'd have made a cup of tea with tea leaves in a pot, poured through a strainer and, at 5pm, the first programmes would start on the TV they rented. If it was cold, she might have put sme coal on the fire or put the gas heater on. There were 4 or 5 cinemas in walking distance of the house I grew up in, and she might have taken him to one of those. Polio and diptheria were real fears and catching measles, mumps and rubella was expected

If it was a Saturday, they might have watched the football results, of clubs owned by local small businessmen made good, like butcher Bob Lord, our own TV supplier, or a purveyor of bribes and rotten meat to councils. For these people, it elevated them into loal dignitaries, like modern days squires of the manor. One or two, like Liverpool and Arsenal, might have been owned by seriously rich families, who saw it as their civic duty to provide entertainment for the masses who worked for them and provided their riches.

Gradually the world changed. Supermarkets, where you could get everything under one roof, and there was at least one in every town. Central heating, mass car ownership, multiplex cinemas, where you had a choice of ten or more films. Not needing to wait for the results of matches, because you could watch or stream them live.

Football moved out of the realm of the local boy made good and became big business. Conn probably shops in supermarkets or online, owns more than one TV and car and has central heating. His kids will have been vaccinated and don't fear the childhood diseases he and I did.

He accepts this as part of modern life but he's never accepted football changing.