Media Thread - 2021/22

[HelloCity]

Defo a red, mate, @Prestwich_Blue knows his family well
Also there was this among other stories about him on here

That’s why I thought he was a red.

 

[Charlesfarsbar]

Great Thread by @Prestwich_Blue here which dispels some of the crap that’s being written about us and the way we are financed

 

[Chris in London]

How would you respond to assessments such as these @petrusha, as these are the ones that I end up getting into a rage over when arguing.

1. It is simply untrue that City is state-owned. Anyone and everyone who says otherwise is either ignorant of our true ownership structure, or understands it but dishonestly describes it as something else to suit their own purposes and arguments.

2. What is undoubtedly true is that the ultimate owner is a very rich man. (The majority owner, that is. The minority owners are Chinese and American investors. The very substantial sums these investors parted with to own a share of City is something that is often overlooked by those with their own agenda to promote.)

3, City has gone from being a club that spent the majority of the three decades before HHSM bought the club either in the bottom half of the premier league or completely outside it. Since then it has become (arguably) the best team and the best run club in the world. Those things do not happen without significant investment.

4. It is from a wider perspective undoubtedly a bad thing that it is only if your club is owned by a very rich man that you can challenge at the very highest level for a sustained length of time. However this has been true for a very long time before Sheikh Mansour bought City and it is a situation that was made worse by the formation of the premier league and the champions league.

5. As City have demonstrated, what is required is a sustained initial period of funding at a very high level. What then happens is that success breeds success. Our accounts show that we are self financing. It is some time since HHSM put additional funds into the club.

6. City are still funded by a number of businesses with connections to Abu Dhabi. Rather more comes from businesses with no such connection (other than perhaps a desire to do more business with the Emirate). A very significant proportion of City's income is related to success on the pitch, in particular TV revenue. Success breeds success.

7. What the board at City had was a strategic vision of a worldwide group with all the advantages that involved. That vision is in the process of being realised. To describe peak Barcelona as the Apple of the football world is only to tell half the story for two reasons. First, Apple had many years of success behind them, and so had the resources to develop the visions of their visionaries. Whether or not Barcelona might had the financial wherewithal to develop the idea of a global football brand but they certainly did not have the vision. (I have never heard anyone at Barca say "of course we wanted to pursue Ferran's 'Barcelona Football Group' idea but we couldn't afford it." I have however heard many say that at Board level Barcelona just weren't interested in the idea. What is clear, though, is that the concept that has become/evolved into the City Group was first offered to Barcelona, who simply looked at it and turned it down. If they had pursued that vision, Txiki and Ferran would not be at City, and neither would Pep. What HHSM delivered was the environment in which that idea could be developed and implemented. We are now beginning to enjoy the fruits of that process.

8. As to purchasing Barcelona's leadership team wholesale, virtually any other premier league club could have done that, not just City. Certainly United, Liverpool and Chelsea could have done, if the Barcelona team had been willing to go there. None had the foresight to bring that team in, but most could have afforded to do so. Pep, Ferran and Txiki simply don't have salaries that only City can afford to pay.

9. The reality is that a propaganda war is being fought by those who for whatever reason - emotional, commercial, whatever - have some motivation that City's success runs adverse to. These people aren't likely to let things like facts get in their way. It is why we hear distortions, exaggerations, simple untruths and irrational opinions at every stage. "City is state-owned." Simply untrue. "City has a bigger squad than everyone else." Simply untrue, we have a smaller squad at present and started the season with the same size squad as everyone else. "City dominance is boring." Any club dominating is boring, but the same mouthpieces were curiously silent when the rags won all those titles in the 90s and 00s, and said nothing about Liverpool leading the league at the same stage of the season just two years ago. "All City's funding is investment disguised as sponsorship from related companies." No it isn't. Read the accounts. Read the CAS judgment.

The answer to those who parrot these and similar untruths is to know the details, but be prepared: details don't interest these people. (Where have we have seen this style of argument before?)

 

[KS55]

I get them, even when City are 4-0 up :-)

I firmly believe that Typical City died with that Aguero goal. But a feeling still lurks deep down inside me, just waiting for a ludicrous self- inflicted disaster!!

 

[Centurions]

Rory Smith is a bellend pass it on.

Rory Smith is a bellend, pass it on.


:)

 

[N1985]

You know what the best remedy is for losing your taste and smell with Covid?

Salty tears and boiled piss.

Thankfully both are in full flow at the moment. Plenty to go around.

Long may it continue. Sad cunts.

Mind the gap.

 

[Blue Til Death]

I firmly believe that Typical City died with that Aguero goal. But a feeling still lurks deep down inside me, just waiting for a ludicrous self- inflicted disaster!!

I’m completely with you on that mate, I will take that feeling to the grave, regardless of what we achieve until that fateful day :-)

 

[SilvaisSkyBlue]

How would you respond to assessments such as these @petrusha, as these are the ones that I end up getting into a rage over when arguing.

Only had a minute scan of those tweets and associated replies, anything containing Deloony can automatically be classed as irrelevant and clear lies, but for arguments sake, a few points:

1. We are not state owned, and putting in a clear business plan and structure upon the takeover from Sheikh Mansour is wrong? Acquiring a business, putting already successful people in charge and allowing them to grow the business from initial 1/3 billion to several billion dollars at last estimate is a state bought structure, and not simply an already successful business man implementing a very successful business plan? Show us the documents which state City are state owned, they must be there, after all they wouldn’t spread lies would they?

2. Txiki joined City I think two years after Barcelona, Soriano 3 or 4 years after Barcelona, both available and obviously recruited as and when they were available, what a surprise, Deloony talking and writing nonsense which in no shape or form was true, City did not buy the Barcelona leadership structure as neither had worked for them for years, who knew, not the fücking moron Deloony, or he knew and simply lied, no, he wouldn’t would he?

3. City wage bill is far higher than everybody else’s? Ah this old gem , simple google, united way out in front by some sixty plus million, Chelsea 2nd, City and liverpool within 4 million of each and some 20 million or so behind Chelsea. Yep, just more lies spread by more morons and liars who affectionately like to be called journalists!

4. City are spending billions constantly or have spent billions. Again simple google check, the consensus is that City have spent 1.7 billion since 2008 to 2020 gross and about 1.1 billion net (so add JG and take off FT for this season, so plus another 35 million or so). A lot of money, yes, but when adjusted for starting point of where we were in 2008 and the initial cash injection to get us moving upward fully understandable and if adjusted for inflation when compared to similar cash injections, not at all excessive. We must also remember we are definitely not a selling club for first team squad players (yes for CFG and youth players) and we try and keep players here for their majority of their respective careers if successful.

5. So about 2 billion (gross) spent when including initial cost of buying City (1.4b net) and the Sheikh is currently looking at about a 1.5 billion profit for money spent as opposed to what the CFG is worth now with Manchester City at the forefront of that success.
Other clubs have also spent a billion plus including liverpool and united in the same timescale, Klopp more than 1/2 billion alone (though as more of a selling club have a much better net spend #netspendwankeradustment), united have spent similar amounts to City with nowhere near the success City have had.

6. American owned clubs are literally siphoning off billions from the EPL and not investing nowhere near as much of their vast profits back into their respective clubs as City are, and City have made a sizeable investment in East Manchester and the Greater Manchester area, something which often gets ignored and/or overlooked by the media and certainly not publicised as much as it should be.

Apologies, trying to write this post as quick as I can and just thought a quick few pointers against the bollocks contained in those tweets might be helpful.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Frank Maloney !!, should we be worried about you're sexual preferences, Tolm.
Just asking for a friend !!

Frank is one of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet.

It was a bit of a shock, admittedly, but takes a very brave person to do what they did at their age and go full Kelly.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Pretty sure he's a red going off his twitter

He's a very good liar then, because he would be happy to let it be known at City he was a Blue.

Perhaps it was convenient.