Media thread 2022/23

[Tracking back]

disappointed in the BBC. I thought they were better than that

The BBC?

They're the worst.

 

[SSBlue]

This hasn't aged well.

View attachment 80129

Indeed. Warner was lbw to Anderson for 2 in the first innings.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Yes that's good. We shouldn't get too precious if the charges are mentioned in articles about us, it is a fact that the charges have been brought and that they are still outstanding, after all.

What would be nice is a little understanding of the charges, though.

They aren't 115 charges of wrong-doing. They are 115 breaches of regulations caused by a limited number of actual alleged transgressions. People who are working themselves up into a lather on this are just too stupid to understand the actual issues. The press are supposed to be intelligent, though, so they should be able to understand, and explain, the difference. We are talking sports journalists, though, and generally they don't seem to be very bright.

There are 5 charges.

One is the catch-all about providing accounts that give a true and fair view of our financial position. For that to stick, there would have to have been material misstatements. Highly unlikely.

The second is the key one, relating to Mancini's side contract with Al Jazira and player image rights. If the PL can't land this one, they basically lose the whole case.

The third and fourth relate to meeting UEFA FFP and their own financial rules, based on our submitted accounts. These fall pretty well by default if they can't land the key second charge.

Then there's the non cooperation one, which may be the only one they do land.

So there's really only one substantive charge (or two - the Mancini contract and image rights payments - if we're being pedantic).

 

[paulchapo]

Rob Draper with a good and fair read today of City's charges in MoS.

On another note, Sky pulled plug on Delaney being on show this morning.

200m sperm and this twat made it.

The thing is there is no need to mention the charges at all, especially today of all days. The only reason they are is to lessen our achievements.

 

[JASR]

It’s mad the things I’ve read this week and especially today.

- People saying the leagues easier to win now
- Peps a chequebook manager, he’s had an open budget to write blank cheques
- City have spent X billion so it’s no surprise we’ve won the league

I can tell you, this is all bullshit, they’re incredibly lazy arguments which hold no weight when faced with facts. When the media say no one can compete with Pep due to finances, they’re actually getting his name mixed up with Alex Ferguson.

Only one team in the 90’s was consistently breaking transfer records, that was Utd, and no one was saying anything. In the early 2000’s they aggressively paid well over the odds for players, whilst everyone else was left behind. Leeds nearly bankrupted themselves between 2000-2003 trying to keep up with them and they failed to achieve anything. In 2001 they spent the equivalent in inflation to what Nottingham Forest have just spent to survive in the PL. In basic terms, PL teams have far more money now. Without FFP the majority of teams could break the British record transfer fee no problem, whereas in the 90’s only one team could do it consistently, that was Utd.

Alex Ferguson is the actual chequebook manager, he was the one with an open budget. He had no FFP to contend with, and he over inflated the market so much, that player values went beyond what most clubs could afford. In the early 00’s, teams at the mid to lower end of the league, were still working on budgets of the early 90’s. Whilst Ferguson signed players like Veron, Nistelrooy, Ferdinand, Rooney, Carrick, for exorbitant fees, way over the market values at the time. Ferdinand value was 2.5x over what the rest of the league was paying for the top market players. It would be like paying the equivalent of £250M today. He was doing it for years, and more to the point, for a long time when no one else could compete financially.

When Chelsea came along in 2002 with new ownership, now Ferguson and Utd had competition in the market. Chelsea went toe to toe with them, they went wild at the start with their signings, with no apparent regard for the actual value of players. As of last year, they’ve managed to inflate transfers on 14 occasions, by paying over market value for players. In comparison, Utd have done it 12 times, Liverpool and Arsenal just three times, Newcastle and Aston Villa only once and City, just twice. We only did it with Grealish and Diaz. Both are brilliant players, but Diaz was slightly over the market value at the time, and Grealish was quite a bit over. However, interestingly Grealish came down to a buyout clause in his contract, which was actually set in a year where the market values were inflated, so Aston Villa’s analytics team must’ve felt he could achieve the market cap. So in their defence, it was actually not such an over inflated figure. But It was only over inflated for us, because we had Covid and the transfer markets crashed quite a bit. If Covid hadn’t of happened, the £100M mark would’ve likely already been broken.

Pep and his teams transfer policy has been absolutely incredible since he arrived. We picked up Ederson, Stones, Laporte, Walker, Bernardo, Rodri, Gundogan, Haaland, Alvarez, for all around half the price or less, of top transfer caps in those season. If we had followed Utd and Chelsea’s past transfer dealings, we would’ve signed someone like John Stones for about £100M. But we didn’t, we got him a great price for the time.

The only reason City have had to spend Billions, is because Utd inflated the market from 93-2002, and then both Chelsea and Utd continued to do that up until this very day. When City signed Robinho for £30M+ in 2008, Utd had already got near that figure 3 times in 6 years with Veron, Ferdinand and Rooney, and Chelsea had got near that figure 5 times. Meaning the tone had been set for a top valued player. But If they hadn’t of inflated the transfers paying over the odds collectively on 8 occasions, in the years before. Robinho would’ve gone for around £15M. Since we were taken over, both Chelsea and Utd have consistently bought more expensive players than City, which result in the price of all top players going up. Whereas City have largely stayed under the radar of the top transfer bands. Which suggests our financial team has a great understanding of what the fair prices are in the climate, and will walk away from deals, that could cause inflation in transfers. Compared with Utd and Chelsea, who don’t seem to care at all, and never get called out for over spending or making stupid deals.

The fact Pep is still able to dominate when there is so many people at the table is astounding. We have signed many players for prices that other clubs could’ve easily afforded. Take our last window for example, Haaland, Akanji, Alvarez and Ortega. All players picked up for minimal fees, yet all of them could probably get in any side in the league. Whereas Chelsea went crazy, and again paid over the odds for Enzo Fernandez and Utd paid over the odds for both Anthony and Casemiro. However, it was the media slagging us off for signing Haaland.

It speaks volumes as to the job Pep and the club as a whole have done in the last few years. Whatever the media say, we should all be incredibly proud and extremely satisfied in the way we’ve gone about becoming a dominate force. We’ve done it in a better way, than both Utd and Chelsea have and that’s a fact, not just a bullshit opinion from some journalist who has never done any actual research.

Excellent piece.

May I ask where you’ve been hiding for the past decade or so, with your join date of January this year :-)

 

[laserblue]

Indeed. Warner was lbw to Anderson for 2 in the first innings.

And Benteke won fuck all at Liverpool.

 

[Eric Hitchmough]

There are 5 charges.

One is the catch-all about providing accounts that give a true and fair view of our financial position. For that to stick, there would have to have been material misstatements. Highly unlikely.

The second is the key one, relating to Mancini's side contract with Al Jazira and player image rights. If the PL can't land this one, they basically lose the whole case.

The third and fourth relate to meeting UEFA FFP and their own financial rules, based on our submitted accounts. These fall pretty well by default if they can't land the key second charge.

Then there's the non cooperation one, which may be the only one they do land.

So there's really only one substantive charge (or two- the Mancini contract and image rights payments - if we're being pedantic).

How confident are you Col? I’m more bullish about it than I was.

 

[bluenova]

If they had put a bit of thought into the Alvarez situation. They could have actually written a good article.

A World Cup winner sitting waiting for Haaland to get tired. Or a player being taught to play Kev’s role.


Have we bought the next Kevin De Bruyne for £14 Million.

Remember the absolute fawning in the media when United bought Chicharito before a World Cup?

There were so many articles about how it was possible to find bargains and how clever Ferguson was.

And what about little Ole. Apparently sitting on the bench for United was a privilege.

 

[laserblue]

Rob Draper with a good and fair read today of City's charges in MoS.

On another note, Sky pulled plug on Delaney being on show this morning.

200m sperm and this twat made it.

Miggsy must have had another brekadown in the green room.

 

[freshie]

Fuck the lot of em. Champioooooooones
Champiooooooooones olé olé olé!!