PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

[KS55]

The charges were rushed out, framed and presented for maximum reputational damage to our club, the press were briefed and we were duly slaughtered by the media and the fan bases of rival clubs.
At that time, City were not at their peak - Pep had criticised attitudes, plus we’d just lost to Spurs and an attractive Arsenal side had a decent lead in the PL. United were talking about a quadruple. The jackals in the press gathered for Pep’s conference and all the early questions were all about him walking. Job done, so they thought.
Only Pep came out swinging, he named names and stood defiant. The club, the team and fans were galvanised and we’ve just completed the best season of any club in the history of English football.
That worked well for our enemies, didn’t it ?
United are a shambles of a club with their never-ending sale and a Manager and playing staff with the collective personality of an aspirin. Next season Liverpool will play on Thursday nights. All this, while we sit at the very top table with Erling and Jack hoovering up young fans across the globe. And Government regulatory oversight coming soon to a Premier League cartel near you !
A paradigm shift has just happened and even us blues are struggling to keep up with it. We’ve cracked the big one. Middle Eastern capital is circling, the Saudi League will compete for (ageing) star players, the broadcast Media landscape is changing. City’s charges were the last throw of the dice of the old world but that world is fast disappearing. City are now global box office gold. The PL will not be looking to commit self-harm by dragging City through any more shit - harming us harms them. Money talks. They’ll find a way out of the mess they’ve created.
Ask yourself this : does Khaldoon look worried ?
Does Pep look worried ?
We’ve got this.

Don’t insult aspirins.

 

[Chris in London]

The point being is that just because United may have casual supporters throughout the world, how do they monetise them? They ain’t turning up for games or buying tat in the souvenir shop. TV money is where it’s at, City have qualified for the champions league every year since 2011. United, Liverpool, Arsenal. Spurs etc haven’t. They have also made the last 16 consistently since 2014 and also made the semis and finals 4 times in the last decade. Add that also winning the Premier league title 7 times since 2012. All that turns into extra air time on tv and prize money at the end of it. Then you have the sponsorship deals that come in because companies want to be associated with success. City’s ceo embarked on a strategy of signing deals with smaller sponsors but doing so in high quantity.

All this on the bottom line stacks up into money, standing still and believing that their clubs will always be some historical cash cow has been the mistakes made by teams that play in red. All the while City’s owners are constantly looking at how they can grow the club further. Keep an eye out for the biggest arena in Europe opening in December next to City’s ground and then a hotel opening up when the expanded North stand is opening up. City can’t possibly have bigger revenue than United though can they?

Just an example.

im in Italy at the moment. We went to the leaning tower of Pisa. Outside were the usual stores selling tourist tat including knock off replica shirts.

every one had Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo National shirts, some had PSG shirts, some had Bayern, Real, Inter, Juve. One or two Salah’s.

Every single one had a City Haaland shirt. Not a single rag shirt anywhere.

of course, ever if they did the rags don t monetise these directly because they are knock off shirts. But these traders know what is selling and what is not.

I viewed it as a sign of which way the wind is blowing.

 

[Shaggy]

Just an example.

im in Italy at the moment. We went to the leaning tower of Pisa. Outside were the usual stores selling tourist tat including knock off replica shirts.

every one had Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo National shirts, some had PSG shirts, some had Bayern, Real, Inter, Juve. One or two Salah’s.

Every single one had a City Haaland shirt. Not a single rag shirt anywhere.

of course, ever if they did the rags don t monetise these directly because they are knock off shirts. But these traders know what is selling and what is not.

I viewed it as a sign of which way the wind is blowing.

Correct, I used to see a lot of Fiorentina shirts on sale in Andalucia/Costa Del Sol in the 90's, you don't see them anymore. The reason, El Arcangel, Gabriel Batistuta.

 

[jaseisblue]

The charges were rushed out, framed and presented for maximum reputational damage to our club, the press were briefed and we were duly slaughtered by the media and the fan bases of rival clubs.
At that time, City were not at their peak - Pep had criticised attitudes, plus we’d just lost to Spurs and an attractive Arsenal side had a decent lead in the PL. United were talking about a quadruple. The jackals in the press gathered for Pep’s conference and all the early questions were all about him walking. Job done, so they thought.
Only Pep came out swinging, he named names and stood defiant. The club, the team and fans were galvanised and we’ve just completed the best season of any club in the history of English football.
That worked well for our enemies, didn’t it ?
United are a shambles of a club with their never-ending sale and a Manager and playing staff with the collective personality of an aspirin. Next season Liverpool will play on Thursday nights. All this, while we sit at the very top table with Erling and Jack hoovering up young fans across the globe. And Government regulatory oversight coming soon to a Premier League cartel near you !
A paradigm shift has just happened and even us blues are struggling to keep up with it. We’ve cracked the big one. Middle Eastern capital is circling, the Saudi League will compete for (ageing) star players, the broadcast Media landscape is changing. City’s charges were the last throw of the dice of the old world but that world is fast disappearing. City are now global box office gold. The PL will not be looking to commit self-harm by dragging City through any more shit - harming us harms them. Money talks. They’ll find a way out of the mess they’ve created.
Ask yourself this : does Khaldoon look worried ?
Does Pep look worried ?
We’ve got this.

‘Stands and salutes’

 

[casebian]

Just got back from a holiday in Parga, Greece. The day I arrived I saw two 8 to 10 year olds both in full City kits with Harland on the shirts. I thought great at least there are some Mancs here to chat about the treble. Turned out they were not even British.
Every shop that sold football shirts had Harland shirts in prime position, with very few Rag shirts on display.

I was in Spain a few weeks back for fa cuo and champions league
Spanish kids German kids wearing city kits
And local Spanish cheering us on was weird to see but good

 

[Didsbury Dave]

I hate those fake Harland shirts.
Rip off merchants.

I bought one in Egypt last November as a present for my Ukrainian lad. As others have said, every single knock off shop had them on prominent display along with Messi, Ronaldi, Lewnadowski and Salah. I think I haggled him to about a fiver.

At christmas I bought my own lad a real home City kit. When it turned up it was a completely different shade of blue.

 

[wolfie1988]

I bought one in Egypt last November as a present for my Ukrainian lad. As others have said, every single knock off shop had them on prominent display along with Messi, Ronaldi, Lewnadowski and Salah. I think I haggled him to about a fiver.

At christmas I bought my own lad a real home City kit. When it turned up it was a completely different shade of blue.

Big regret from Istanbul was not buying one of the fakes as a souvenir. All of the bar owners in the old town had them on and some were that bad that they were brilliant.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

United became a very arrogant club at all levels and they are now paying the price for their arrogance. Come on City!

Watching the slow decline of United these past 12 years has certainly helped to boost the joyful experience of seeing City become the best team in world football.

 

[ZanteWeatherman]

Just an example.

im in Italy at the moment. We went to the leaning tower of Pisa. Outside were the usual stores selling tourist tat including knock off replica shirts.

every one had Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo National shirts, some had PSG shirts, some had Bayern, Real, Inter, Juve. One or two Salah’s.

Every single one had a City Haaland shirt. Not a single rag shirt anywhere.

of course, ever if they did the rags don t monetise these directly because they are knock off shirts. But these traders know what is selling and what is not.

I viewed it as a sign of which way the wind is blowing.

Even if these are snide shirts, the fact that people are walking around wearing them is a sort of free advertising for the club whether they get anything financial out of it or not. It is what it is.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

The charges were rushed out, framed and presented for maximum reputational damage to our club, the press were briefed and we were duly slaughtered by the media and the fan bases of rival clubs.
At that time, City were not at their peak - Pep had criticised attitudes, plus we’d just lost to Spurs and an attractive Arsenal side had a decent lead in the PL. United were talking about a quadruple. The jackals in the press gathered for Pep’s conference and all the early questions were all about him walking. Job done, so they thought.
Only Pep came out swinging, he named names and stood defiant. The club, the team and fans were galvanised and we’ve just completed the best season of any club in the history of English football.
That worked well for our enemies, didn’t it ?
United are a shambles of a club with their never-ending sale and a Manager and playing staff with the collective personality of an aspirin. Next season Liverpool will play on Thursday nights. All this, while we sit at the very top table with Erling and Jack hoovering up young fans across the globe. And Government regulatory oversight coming soon to a Premier League cartel near you !
A paradigm shift has just happened and even us blues are struggling to keep up with it. We’ve cracked the big one. Middle Eastern capital is circling, the Saudi League will compete for (ageing) star players, the broadcast Media landscape is changing. City’s charges were the last throw of the dice of the old world but that world is fast disappearing. City are now global box office gold. The PL will not be looking to commit self-harm by dragging City through any more shit - harming us harms them. Money talks. They’ll find a way out of the mess they’ve created.
Ask yourself this : does Khaldoon look worried ?
Does Pep look worried ?
We’ve got this.

I agree there has been a huge power shift and not just in football. The globalisation of football is inevitable because everything else has been globalised thanks to digital technology. There are lots of downsides to globalisation but this situation is not going to reverse whatever some of our short-sighted politicians say. Thanks to our owner and our business model we are riding the crest of the wave at present and are better placed than any other sporting group to succeed. Our rivals have been asleep at the wheel. For "legacy" fans like me it is hard to get your head round it but I am staying around for the ride as long as I can.