Media Thread - 2021/22

[Manc in London]

They have created a no-lose argument amongst themselves. We go on to win it, it's a one-team league blah, blah, if we don't win it, it's a terrible failure and whoever does win it has done so in a heroic, giant-killing come back against the odds. Grist to the sensationalist mill.

Exactly. It's clearly disingenuous.

 

[Mid Wales blue]

If he was crucified, I doubt he would get any work at all.

I’ve got a club hammer and a few 6” nails hanging around the shed.

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

Exactly. It's clearly disingenuous.

But keeps their myopic supporters happy.

 

[manimanc]

I’ve got a club hammer and a few 6” nails hanging around the shed.

Jesus!!

 

[halfcenturyup]

If he was crucified, I doubt he would get any work at all.

Naah, crucifixion's a doddle.

 

[LongsightM13]

It’s bizarre they never saw this coming. What people do know and admire about the Emirati’s, that they stop at nothing to have the best. If they’re not 100% confident that they are the best for the task at hand, then they will find the best.

You only need to watch that recent BBC documentary on Dubai or the Chanel 5 documentary on the QE2 hotel to see just how much detail they put into everything.

A very rich, highly educated & motivated man bought our football club. He then went about employing a highly educated, highly motivated and visionary Chairman who then sought out a highly motivated & visionary upper management team. They the bought into Sorriano vision of the CFG.

Is it any wonder we’ve stolen a march on clubs like Real, Barca, United etc ran by either half assed egomaniacs, jobs for the boys or self motivated self serving Americans.

Exactly this.
Sheikh Mansour, Khaldoun etc are highly educated and hugely sophisticated and visionary business people, globally respected and with some of the planet’s top 5% of power brokers, movers and shakers on speed dial.
It is no surprise whatsoever that they have transformed a proud but ailing asset into a world leader in just over a decade. Nor that their business nous makes it now worth multiple times their overall investment, never mind their initial purchase price.
Yet the media and opposition narrative from day one seems to have been informed by the sneering, dog whistle tropes and stereotypes of the 1970s and 80s, when the spendthrift scions of the newly wealthy gulf states were buying up half of Mayfair and Belgravia and dropping mind blowing sums at the casinos and Playboy Clubs of London.
Hence it used to be “rich Arab’s plaything”, “wait til the sheikh gets bored” “wait til the oil runs out” etc and other assorted, bitter nonsense from people who were desperate for it to be true.
Now the penny has dropped that these guys aren’t going anywhere, their dubious suspicions and narrative have shifted to “sportswashing”.
They don’t want to accept that it has not only been a brilliant business investment but the CFG also opens new doors and potential markets and opportunities for them globally. New York, China, Japan, India etc
I do still think using Sulaiman al-Fahim as frontman immediately post takeover, and some of his gauche and outlandish statements, caused us a lot of reputational damage and played into and confirmed these existing stereotypes. The fact he was flirted off sharpish and replaced with Khaldoun doesnt matter to them.

 

[Bozzie]

It’s bizarre they never saw this coming. What people do know and admire about the Emirati’s, that they stop at nothing to have the best. If they’re not 100% confident that they are the best for the task at hand, then they will find the best.

You only need to watch that recent BBC documentary on Dubai or the Chanel 5 documentary on the QE2 hotel to see just how much detail they put into everything.

A very rich, highly educated & motivated man bought our football club. He then went about employing a highly educated, highly motivated and visionary Chairman who then sought out a highly motivated & visionary upper management team. They the bought into Sorriano vision of the CFG.

Is it any wonder we’ve stolen a march on clubs like Real, Barca, United etc ran by either half assed egomaniacs, jobs for the boys or self motivated self serving Americans.

Ironic that at the time of the takeover Man U were so far ahead of us both on and off the field that had they not had the thickest, most short sighted owners and a management team of dinosaurs they could have taken us on head to head. Whether they'd have won or not is debatable but they'd have certainly hampered the speed of our development. I've often wondered whether they, the Glazers, were influenced by Henry and Kroenke (in which case we owe them a debt of gratitude) to believe that the best way to prevent us becoming another Chelsea was to stop us growing financially through FFP rather than compete with us on the pitch. FSG are clearly at the forefront of those clubs trying to guarantee CL places and all the knock on financial benefits through perceived status and past glories rather than, how it should be decided, football results.

 

[spiny]

Watch the football from the 90s and early 00's, its kick and rush with two fast wingers and a target man with a clogger in the middle of the park and in defence. Citys football is a thing of utter beauty and unfortuantly we will probably only appreciate how good it is when we look back on it in years to come. Idiots saying football is boring well yes for them as their teams are not at the top anymore. For me the 90s and 00s were boring as nited won everything. Klopp and the dippers are a throw back to the kick and rush era and Pep and City being so far ahead shows how City have evolved as both a Club and team to set the new standards while the dippers have just stood still hence why they are way behind City.

This dates back to the 1950's and before when the centre of pitches were mud heaps for most of the year.

Busby introduced the concept of all players getting behind the ball when losing possesion. That is part of "the United style" and not much different to Klopps philosophy.

 

[Leveblue]

I’ve got a club hammer and a few 6” nails hanging around the shed.

Oh, I didn't Know the city store sold hammer's, may pick one up for the wife.

 

[spiny]

Exactly this.
Sheikh Mansour, Khaldoun etc are highly educated and hugely sophisticated and visionary business people, globally respected and with some of the planet’s top 5% of power brokers, movers and shakers on speed dial.
It is no surprise whatsoever that they have transformed a proud but ailing asset into a world leader in just over a decade. Nor that their business nous makes it now worth multiple times their overall investment, never mind their initial purchase price.
Yet the media and opposition narrative from day one seems to have been informed by the sneering, dog whistle tropes and stereotypes of the 1970s and 80s, when the spendthrift scions of the newly wealthy gulf states were buying up half of Mayfair and Belgravia and dropping mind blowing sums at the casinos and Playboy Clubs of London.
Hence it used to be “rich Arab’s plaything”, “wait til the sheikh gets bored” “wait til the oil runs out” etc and other assorted, bitter nonsense from people who were desperate for it to be true.
Now the penny has dropped that these guys aren’t going anywhere, their dubious suspicions and narrative have shifted to “sportswashing”.
They don’t want to accept that it has not only been a brilliant business investment but the CFG also opens new doors and potential markets and opportunities for them globally. New York, China, Japan, India etc
I do still think using Sulaiman al-Fahim as frontman immediately post takeover, and some of his gauche and outlandish statements, caused us a lot of reputational damage and played into and confirmed these existing stereotypes. The fact he was flirted off sharpish and replaced with Khaldoun doesnt matter to them.

Decades ago the middle east desert oil states started to plan for the future. Their business plan has evolved even since the takeover of City.

It was always different to the "history clubs" but has evolved into something they could not anticipate, have failed to stop and is unlikely they will adapt to match.

They were caught with their pants down and failed to see!