The Super League | FA + PL: New Charter & Fines | UEFA: Settlement

[kippaxwarrior]

The 300 Spartans at Thermopylae lastest longer than The Super League

 

[oakiecokie]

It was Mahrez's fault after all

FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That will start again tonight.;)

 

[Brewster's millions]

I find that difficult to believe that a club run by a man as clever and powerful as Khaldon Al Mubarak would be rushed into making a monumental decision in the space of a few hours.

This has gone on for months, the club have known about this for months, they f%%ed up, end of story, spin what you want, we f%%ed up, but at least we have come to our senses if damaged.

Completely agree - the idea that we were unaware of this and somehow bounced into joining at the last minute is simply untenable. Ridiculous even.

The US-based owners had their own game plan - i.e. replicating the structure which exists in their other, franchise-based sports investments - and the poor performance of Arsenal and the Scousers this season meant that CL participation next season and the associated cash is very doubtful. Meanwhile, the financial difficulties of the others is common knowledge. It’s hardly rocket science to deduce that clubs which have embarked on phenomenally expensive stadium projects during or shortly before a pandemic would be desperate for cash. Dissatisfaction over the CL reforms may have been the final factor which pushed the trigger on the breakaway.

Either way, we would have been primed for a breakaway move, and frankly if we weren’t, then it would have represented a gross failing of our management which should result in heads rolling regardless of any Fall-guy move. Granted, the timing may not have been to our choosing, but we cannot have been unprepared.

As for the conspiracy theories, there may be an element of this but in my view that’s wishful thinking. Handling something uncharacteristically poorly is not proof of conspiracy, and our actions have not been without cost. First, the past couple of days has alienated a significant share of the support, and second we can’t be certain at the moment what the implications will be. UEFA may be glad to have us back, and the previous structure may have been unstable in any case, but we have helped stir up a hornets’ nest and we could now be vulnerable to change from a period of at least domestic dominance.

We could be debating this for years but at the moment my view is that we have had a very bad couple of days in the office. The statements from the club over the next few days will be fascinating.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

John Henry video apology now released. Fair play for facing the camera, none of our lot will, but as if anyone is going to accept it.

 

[SWP's back]

sounds like the players especially fern played a big part. Well done to them all and that includes shaw, rashford, Henderson, Milner, bamford etc.

Nah ignore The Athletic, it’s all because of Boris, apparently.

 

[schfc6]

That’s a glass overflowing way of squaring it, and if you can do it and forgive the club, more power to you.

I look at the way our owners have operated in the past, meticulously planning and strategising, and struggle to accept that they would sign up to something at the last minute, without first knowing the ins and outs. Their track record tells me that they were complicit in this.

Don’t get me wrong, if it’s the case that they were complicit, I understand from a business perspective why they would want to rake in millions, but it’s going to take some very frank explanations and apologies before I call it water under the bridge.

Either that or Khaldoon gets put on the UEFA board, Ceferin acknowledges that City blew the whistle from within weeks ago and the club get lauded as saviours of the game. The cards have landed in a manner that aligns suspiciously well with that conspiracy theory - but equally the glass would be floating in an ocean, never mind half full.

I for one will sit and await the explanations and apologies, glad that the plan went up in smoke, but ashamed that our hands probably aren’t clean.

How methodical and measured approach CFG have taken over everything would lead me to believe that we were rushed into this or there is a master plan. I’m certainly not convinced on the master plan bit. I’m also not convinced that people as powerful as Mubarak & Sheikh Mansour would reverse a long thought out measured decision based on very short term public reaction..

I really don’t know though and I’m simply playing devils advocate. I think we could all agree that this last 48 hours are far more indicative of our past than our present.

 

[Blue Mist]

So as the dust begins to settle everything is back to normal, Sky rule, the dippers and rags are the best thing since sliced bread and we are run by a country and break all the rules. Oh well. C'est la vie.

 

[BlueMoonz1977]

Poor old yankee doodle dandy John w Henry makes an apology for the second attempted american takeover of football

..............until the next time

 

[Deleted member 77198]

What's the situation with Gill.?

Gill and Parry are still at UEFA, they seemingly had nothing to do with all this.

 

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

Did you think it would all come for free? Those players, the stadium redesign, the managers before Pep, and the ultimate man at the helm himself?
We aren't the City all nicey nice a Maine Road and haven't been since 2008. None of this will have been thought about though when those trophies kept rolling in and we got to a place where we can place arguably one of the best players in the world on a £400k a week contract.

No mate - I'm still fuming over this in spite of all of the above............