PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

[M12Blue]

Unless the statement is "We're desperate" :)

We are

 

[ganganvince]

Not easy to make statement signings in January.

Unless there is an active release clause.

 

[Kinkys Left Foot]

Im confident we wont be buying any top players in January. Only rarely do the calibre of player required to improve our squad become available in Jan. Anyone with a release clause is likely to be ridiculously expensive. Weve proven we wont be bent over anyones barrel. The likes of Musiala and Wirtz are not moving from their respective clubs, no matter what the financial incentives, it doesn't happen. You can count on one hand tge number of top quality players who've jumped ship in Jan.

I have no idea if the charges have had an impact on player decisions to come to us or not and its no point speculating as we'll never know. We don't know if some future deals are already sorted.

This squad of players have gotten us into this mess, it's up to them to get us out of it. We know they have the balls and the knowhow, time to dig deep and find those elusive qualities! The leagues gone this year. It's imperative we don't finish outside the top 4.

I suspect summer will see us be very proactive in the market once these charges are laid to rest. I think we may look very different at the start of next season.

 

[petrusha]

That is a brilliant summary of where we are right now. When you say that you are sanguine about it do you mean you will just take whatever comes next in your stride or that you think it will improve markedly quickly?

If it is the latter then I'm not at all sure it will. Trying to find replacements for de Bruyne, Walker, Bernardo and possibly Stones in one summer window is a huge ask. Add to that the fact that we have three attacking wide players that don't contribute goals or many assists and no recognised left back (Gvardiol isn't one in my view) then it's a major reconstruction rather than a refresh. The club has been asleep at the wheel in the last couple of seasons and we have hit the buffers (mixed metaphor time).

When I say I'm sanguine, I mean I think we can probably scrape a narrow, possibly undeserved win to stop the rot and lift flagging confidence. As injured players return and we're able to rest players now and again rather than send them out onto the pitch unfit and knackered, results will probably pick up gradually.

Maybe with a couple of judicious January acquisitions, we'll eventually go on a run of the type we've been capable of down the years (maybe 31 points from 12 games, or that sort of thing) to dispel any fears about making the top four. Who knows? Perhaps we could even challenge in a knock-out tournament in the second part of the campaign. And next time out, with more decent signings, I don't think any of our rivals will be taking us lightly given the pedigree we've amply demonstrated down the years.

That's obviously a best-case scenario and it may prove to have been glimpsed through blue-tinted spectacles, but IMO it's definitely not completely fanciful (and I'm an avowed City pessimist of 49 years standing). However, I do believe we'll eventually beat these charges to the extend of avoiding any significant punishment, and I do think a year from now the on-field situation then will have us looking back at the current travails as a distant memory.

 

[alexmcity]

When I say I'm sanguine, I mean I think we can probably scrape a narrow, possibly undeserved win to stop the rot and lift flagging confidence. As injured players return and we're able to rest players now and again rather than send them out onto the pitch unfit and knackered, results will probably pick up gradually.

Maybe with a couple of judicious January acquisitions, we'll eventually go on a run of the type we've been capable of down the years (maybe 31 points from 12 games, or that sort of thing) to dispel any fears about making the top four. Who knows? Perhaps we could even challenge in a knock-out tournament in the second part of the campaign. And next time out, with more decent signings, I don't think any of our rivals will be taking us lightly given the pedigree we've amply demonstrated down the years.

That's obviously a best-case scenario and it may prove to have been glimpsed through blue-tinted spectacles, but IMO it's definitely not completely fanciful (and I'm an avowed City pessimist of 49 years standing). However, I do believe we'll eventually beat these charges to the extend of avoiding any significant punishment, and I do think a year from now the on-field situation then will have us looking back at the current travails as a distant memory.

I agree with most of that but a run of 10 wins and a draw in 12 games is likely beyond us this season, unless both Haaland and Foden start playing like top 3 players in the world and some of the midfielders rediscover their best form.

 

[Keeper!]

I do think if don’t invest in January it will have more to do with Pep having a change of heart than any misgivings about the case I reckon.
I do expect a spend of some significance however

I would say the total opposite, if we don't back Pep in January he could walk and I would not blame him.

The more i see of what has happened and our lack of transfer activity in the last 2-3 windows I think my view of us been not guilty may not come true. In saying that would the club sink 300M plus into a ground expansion if we thought we had done wrong?

Our intentions or lack of them in previous transfer windows is so strange and so out of character in a club that plans so much.

 

[M12Blue]

I would say the total opposite, if we don't back Pep in January he could walk and I would not blame him.

The more i see of what has happened and our lack of transfer activity in the last 2-3 windows I think my view of us been not guilty may not come true. In saying that would the club sink 300M plus into a ground expansion if we thought we had done wrong?

Our intentions or lack of them in previous transfer windows is so strange and so out of character in a club that plans so much.

I was trying to suggest the same re-pep. Uncertainty on both sides.
I’m not sure related to investigation but as you say why spend £300m on the stadium unless preparing it for some other team needing a new stadium ;) I jest of course, but we as fans and club need resolution asap. I quit Twitter because of the vile cesspit it is, and everywhere I turn there is negativity. F#cking done with it

 

[Zenmanc]

It's a strange world if you have to spend millions on lawyers when you clearly state that you are innocent and have the evidence to prove it.

Have you been frozen in a glacier the last 100 years and just recently thawed out? This is sort of how the world has been for a while.

 

[WRicko]

For me the biggest issue is the potential compensation claims from other clubs, which could hamper City for year's to come. They make ongoing planning and transfer activity more difficult.

Even if we are confident on the 115 case, there is alway's the likelihood that some form of point deduction, fine comes our way e.g. for non cooperation. The club is still however in a good position to ride any storm like this.

A year out of Champions League or even worst case- relegation can be dealt with. We will get extra income from club world cup, so this compensates things somewhat.

It makes sense to operate with older players under this wait and see scenario. Giving Gundo short term contract, stick with Walker for a bit, buy Savio where wages not so high.

The problem is if other clubs can hamper us over the longer term, by making massive compensation claims. Even if these claims were relitively unsuccessful they would seriously effect our ability to plan ahead/ buy top players, young players on long term deals, while the claims were being fought over. City would need to avoid risk under future PSR/whatever rules are brought in.

I don’t see how we can get points let alone compensation claims for non cooperation since it has not affected anyone of our rivals on the pitch or financially