What are the owners/board thinking???

[Boots_]

For those saying the squad is fine just as it is, consider this. (Similar to Soulboy's analysis on TF).

We had a 25 man squad + Balo + Boyata. (27)

At the beginning of Jan we added Dzeko. Happy days. (28)

Since then we've loaned 3 out (Bridge, Ade, RSC) and Taylor, Logan and M Johnson have not featured at all. (22)

Apparently City are in a legal dispute regarding the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 as, in their 25 man squad, they referred to Jo and Vieira as football players. (20)

SWP may be frozen out or unable to perform due to his transfer request. (19)

AJ injured (18)

As part of the 18 then, you've got Balotelli - a dozen or so appearances in over 5 months - and Boyata, an inexperienced academy graduate.

Seems a bit light to me.

 

[fbloke]

The club have backed the current manager in his approach to the development of the squad and are seemingly happy with what they have seen.

I personally see far fewer issues with what Mancini has done and far fewer negatives during the latest couple of transfer windows than under Hughes.

The FFPR are no doubt informing the decisions on the macro level, and when you calculate the wasted wages on players that are no longer delivering then it is no surprise that a buying in January was the least of the boards concern.

Edin had been a target for a while, they went out and got him at considerable cost.

The Manager made it clear that HE thought that Edin was the last piece of the jigsaw.

If the board are backing the manager then they are at least being consistant in that approach as not buying more matches what Mancini was saying.

"only the very best players now wanted and they dont become available in january very often"

The injuries are problematic for sure, but they cannot force decisions on the club as that is bad business and goes against everything we are being told about City in the new world of transfers.

Manicni has already laid out what we should expect in the future as well.

"2 or 3 players in the summer"

Now it may be that City push for one of those players earlier but I doubt it.

So the policy seems to be about doing little in January and the summer will bring in only big names.

I can live with that TBH.

As for the rest of the stuff about Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs is so far just "sound and fury, signifying nothing".

As I write this no deals have been concluded. Perhaps Torres will go to Chelsea, perhaps not but he was told to feck off by City once he was offered late last month (he had his chance and blew it and City no longer beg people to join).

So City are doing exactly what I expected they would.

It just seems we are worrying that others may get into the top four based on what happens in Jan'.

History suggests that that wont make a real difference.

A fair and reasoned post fb but i will argue that as a club, we are not in any position to tell a player of Torres stature and abilty to "fuck off, you have had your chance" yet and if this is true, whoever has made that decision needs to give their heads a fucking wobble. That is of course if we were ever in a position to be offered the lad?

Whilst i agree that panic buying is not the ideal, football is a fluid game and injuries and suspensions do occur and seasons and goals set can and will be decided by such things. That in mind and given the fact we do need cover, even Bobby knows this any budgets or worries should be put to one side and everything done to get the players in and make sure that the season is not de-railed.

I was paraphrasing the message sent to Torres ;-)

But Torres is a case in point. How long do you wait for a player, and how long do other things remain in doubt before a decision has to be taken?

Torres is a fantastic player but that would be putting a lot of eggs in one basket, at least financially.

Getting in Dzeko has offered other things, at less cost, and so it was a decision the manager has taken about squad development not about a glamour purchase.

I personally am heartened by that stance.

Now we need to trust that the manager can deliver and barring a few teething troubles (yes I know we have been awful at times) we are going in the right direction.

 

[Deleted member 14625]

4 words!.

Financial Fair Play Regulations.

Two words; Champions Lg.

If we only have Dzeko and Jo fit and we have all these games coming up like te FA Cup replay, ARIS home and away, plus the important league games with these as our only two options and Tevez playing with a back injury we will struggle to stay in the position we are currently in. I think we need to accidentally on purpose lose at home to Notts or bring in a forward player (doesn't have to be a striker, in fact it's best not to be, just a forward like Silva or AJ).

If we fail to qualify for the CL that will fair worse for us than any sanctions on FFPR!

 

[blueinsa]

A fair and reasoned post fb but i will argue that as a club, we are not in any position to tell a player of Torres stature and abilty to "fuck off, you have had your chance" yet and if this is true, whoever has made that decision needs to give their heads a fucking wobble. That is of course if we were ever in a position to be offered the lad?

Whilst i agree that panic buying is not the ideal, football is a fluid game and injuries and suspensions do occur and seasons and goals set can and will be decided by such things. That in mind and given the fact we do need cover, even Bobby knows this any budgets or worries should be put to one side and everything done to get the players in and make sure that the season is not de-railed.

I was paraphrasing the message sent to Torres ;-)

But Torres is a case in point. How long do you wait for a player, and how long do other things remain in doubt before a decision has to be taken?

Torres is a fantastic player but that would be putting a lot of eggs in one basket, at least financially.

Getting in Dzeko has offered other things, at less cost, and so it was a decision the manager has taken about squad development not about a glamour purchase.

I personally am heartened by that stance.

Now we need to trust that the manager can deliver and barring a few teething troubles (yes I know we have been awful at times) we are going in the right direction.

Fair enough mate.

For the record, i am more than happy with the purchase of Dzeko and i hope he goes on to fulfil his potential which is immense imo. I just worry that our preferred playing style wont suit him and allow him to fully hit the heights his talent deserves but as you say, Bobby will hopefully prove me wrong on that front.

 

[waspish]

A fair and reasoned post fb but i will argue that as a club, we are not in any position to tell a player of Torres stature and abilty to "fuck off, you have had your chance" yet and if this is true, whoever has made that decision needs to give their heads a fucking wobble. That is of course if we were ever in a position to be offered the lad?

Whilst i agree that panic buying is not the ideal, football is a fluid game and injuries and suspensions do occur and seasons and goals set can and will be decided by such things. That in mind and given the fact we do need cover, even Bobby knows this any budgets or worries should be put to one side and everything done to get the players in and make sure that the season is not de-railed.

I was paraphrasing the message sent to Torres ;-)

But Torres is a case in point. How long do you wait for a player, and how long do other things remain in doubt before a decision has to be taken?

Torres is a fantastic player but that would be putting a lot of eggs in one basket, at least financially.

Getting in Dzeko has offered other things, at less cost, and so it was a decision the manager has taken about squad development not about a glamour purchase.

I personally am heartened by that stance.

Now we need to trust that the manager can deliver and barring a few teething troubles (yes I know we have been awful at times) we are going in the right direction.

Totally agree! Some spoilt brats on here! We have a quality squad which will push us very close to the top 2-3

 

[Anonymous]

I was paraphrasing the message sent to Torres ;-)

But Torres is a case in point. How long do you wait for a player, and how long do other things remain in doubt before a decision has to be taken?

Torres is a fantastic player but that would be putting a lot of eggs in one basket, at least financially.

Getting in Dzeko has offered other things, at less cost, and so it was a decision the manager has taken about squad development not about a glamour purchase.

I personally am heartened by that stance.

Now we need to trust that the manager can deliver and barring a few teething troubles (yes I know we have been awful at times) we are going in the right direction.

Totally agree! Some spoilt brats on here! We have a quality squad which will push us very close to the top 2-3

Who exactly are you calling spoiled brat? I'm delighted you're happy with the squad. Plenty of people aren't. Calling them spoiled brats shows your own myopia...

BTW - lets see if any MODS step in and tell the snipers to STFU and move on...

 

[blueinsa]

I was paraphrasing the message sent to Torres ;-)

But Torres is a case in point. How long do you wait for a player, and how long do other things remain in doubt before a decision has to be taken?

Torres is a fantastic player but that would be putting a lot of eggs in one basket, at least financially.

Getting in Dzeko has offered other things, at less cost, and so it was a decision the manager has taken about squad development not about a glamour purchase.

I personally am heartened by that stance.

Now we need to trust that the manager can deliver and barring a few teething troubles (yes I know we have been awful at times) we are going in the right direction.

Totally agree! Some spoilt brats on here! We have a quality squad which will push us very close to the top 2-3

It has got nothing to do with being a spoilt brat as you continually keep posting.

Many of us share a concern and we are commentating on it.

For the record, it would appear that Bobby himself is now a little worried as well and he is trying to get a last minute deal sorted.

Tell me, does that make him a spoilt brat as well?

 

[citysince88]

In Regards to spashing major cash to get a player today it comes down to whether or not the player would significantly increase our chances of a top four spot, we could offer mega money for a top player but the time it would take for him to bed in could lead him to be ineffective until next season which would mean it would be a waste and if we didn't at least get fourth what shit storm would that bring up in terms of the accounts ?

Of course the other side would be, we sign a player who lands on his feet an does very well an helps us get fourth meaning the money from champs league qualification pays for him ?

It's a gamble I personally would either try an find a loan or try an sign a journeymen someone with pace and decent delivery and just say get down the wing and whip a few in. If we can't find someone who fits the bill then we just have to mix and match Viera and MJ can come in against a lesser team, we can stick sliva and milner swp and tev on the wings we could put Kolorov further up the field at some point. this will be where Mancini shows us his ability.

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

I think our board are very concerned about the size of our wage bill in relation to our income, and are extremely reluctant to add to the outgoings before we have removed some of the very highly paid players we already have on the books who can barely even get on the bench these days.

January is an awkward time to buy, particularly when you get towards the end of the windoe as we were when AJ got injured. Agents will ask for astronomically high wages knowing we're a) loaded and b) desperate, and options are limited as most top players don't move in January, which could result in another overpaid flop on £150,000 a week who we want rid of at the end of the season, alongside Ade, SWP, Bridge, RSC, Bellers, etc.

It would be a moment of truly absurd 'typical City' if we splurged all this money to make sure we come third this season (the only result we actively have control of), only to have the wages we're stuck with count towards us being barred from the Champions League in a couple of years.

Whilst it is undoubtedly frustrating being left short by AJ's injury, we have to introduce a slightly more sustainable approach than "lets just buy Santi Cazrola/Alexis Sanchez for £30million and pay them £150k per week - then we'll definitely finish third' - its unrealistic and could end up causing us more problems in the long run.

Wages won't be the issue as they would be the same today or in the summer for the likes of Sanchez. The issue would be the transfer fee.

Also, regarding our wage bill. RSC gone, Bellamy gone, Petrov gone, Ireland gone, Ade gone, Bridge gone...off the top of my head that's a hell of a lot off the wage bill...SWP will go either now or in the summer. Viera will go in the summer (he's on 100k a week).

Finally it's worth noting with have a top notch scouting department in place and the likes of Rigg and Marwood will have a dossier full of players who they think are suitable for the club.

I'm not sure wages would be the same now - its all part of the negotiating process, and we don't have time to walk away from an absurd demand with only hours to go, whereas in the summer we have more scope to negotiate a more reasonable wage.

Also, from the list you've given, RSC, Bellamy, Ade and Bridge are all gone for the moment, but there is a strong possibility all will be back in the summer, bringing their wages with them. We need to remove them from the books entirely before we can consider adding another £150k wage to the bill.

The way I see it, we'd be ripe for a financial shafting both on the fee and the wages with so little time left, and we still have far too many overpaid players to come back in the summer. The days of free spending are over, and we have to adopt a more considered approach to the way we do business from hereon in.

 

[Falastur]

Some people mentioned it at the start, but clearly a lot of people have not taken it in, so I will repeat it again.

FFPR don't come in until this summer? Correct. However, FFPR does not treat transfers as a lump-sum. FFPR treats transfers via amortisation.

Amortisation:

In business, amortisation is the distribution of what would otherwise be a single lump-sum cash flow into many smaller cash flow installments, as determined by an amortisation schedule. Unlike other repayment models, each repayment installment consists of both principal and interest. Payments are divided into equal amounts for the duration of the loan, making it the simplest repayment model.

So if we bought player A today for £35 million and he signed a 3 and a half year contract, that would NOT be £35m which we snuck outside of the FFPR rules! It would, instead, be £35m divided equally over 3 and a half years. We would get precisely £5m outside of the FFPR checks, and for the next 3 years we would have to declare £10m of transfer spend EACH YEAR on that one player...and that's before his wages. In other words, doing business now "to beat FFPR" DOES NOT WORK AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE NOT DOING IT!