Who misses Garry Cook?

What does "Garry Cook's energy helped build Man City" mean?

He worked a lot?

It's one of those corporate-speak things that I've never really understood.
 
AustinBlue said:
That's just not true. Marwood is not my mate. I've worked in and around the entertainment business for a portion of my career, and don't for one minute count anyone "famous" as a mate unless we've crashed on each other's floor or bailed one another out of a tough situation. Schmoozing does not win my loyalty. My loyalty is to City. I do have some insight into how transfer business is handled, and not because I had a beer or two with Marwood after the FA Cup semi final. If I thought that Marwood was playing a game of football manager and pushing crap players, I'd be the first to call him out. You don't have to listen to me, but don't tell people you know what I'll do and won't do. You don't know me.
Click to expand...

So Marwood wasn't unlike Cook in terms of schmoozing with fans around matches in order to curry a bit of favour? He inevitably played the "I'm a simple man from the North East who got a bit lucky card" before slithering away somewhere else.

He's woefully out of his depth and continually at fault upsetting players on the books here or being unable to bring new ones in. He must go.
 
AustinBlue said:
I have not said that any other football executive could not handle things - I'm sure there are others who could... so what? We had Cook. And Abu Dhabi chose City. You can say that we were obviously the stand-out option, but I think any number of clubs would argue that with you. Abu Dhabi needed to build their brand through the club they purchased, and they saw something in Cook that helped make the decision to choose City. Negotiating through the minefield of agents, managers, Arab owners, and all the egos and personalities requires some deft diplomacy and yes, charisma... It's not just about money, people want to be associated with winners, and you have to carry yourself like a winner. I don't deify anyone, and I don't make anyone a hero except my grandfather. But given the state of the organization when he arrived, and the condition when he left, I am grateful to Cook for his time in leadership with us, and I do think that he was the right man for the time. You are entitled to your own opinion.
Click to expand...

I guarantee you that 'Abu Dhabi' did not "see something in Cook" that helped them make their decision. Unless you are suggesting that such experienced and thoughtful businessmen make decisions about which institution to invest in based upon something as irrelevant as the charisma or appeal of the sitting CEO.

Cook may well have made a professional job of presenting the club to them but these are people that make decisions based on facts, figures and hard nosed potential. Not someone being a dab hand with a Powerpoint and having a Colgate smile.

It has been said that the likes of Everton were poor and unprofessional in their tentative dealings with the owners. But that is a shocking reflection on their clubs, rather than a particularly huge positive for Cook.

Anyway, I don't think anyone, his critics or his supporters, believe that the way that Cook initially presented the club to the owners is here or there when considering the way he handled his day to day duties, whether he should still be here and the way he portrayed the public face of the club over the length of his tenure.

Credit to him if he helped the owners come to their decision. They didn't come here because of Garry Cook though.

Which club, considering locations, stadiums, fanbase and potential would stand next to City as an option at that point? City was most definitely the stand out option. You might be able to make a case for Newcastle but I doubt that they were ever a realistic selling option at that point.

Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that you are building your hyping of the man on phrases like "charisma", "wanting to be associated with winners", "bravado", "gaffes were inevitable", "daring to say.....", "was always going to draw flack".

These are all cliches, without foundation and exactly the sort of buzzwords and meaningless, baseless jargon that people criticised Cook for.

The bloke should be judged on the criteria I mentioned in my first post above, along with his ability to present a professional and credible image to the world. I have no idea as to his effectiveness in those areas mentioned. I have no reason to suspect he wasn't up to the day to day job and I have no reason to suspect that he was outstanding in those aspects. I would guess, and it would be baseless, that he was fairly effective in those day to day, nuts and bolts of the role, matters. However, on the presenting the correct and professional image of the club issue, he was awful and the issue he was forced to resign over, specifically his reaction to it, is illustrative of his public approach to matters of appearance.

His 'charisma' and smooth talking (or so he thought) are no substitute for professionalism and presenting the correct sort of image (And by that I don't mean the nonsense, cliched image of "being a winner")
 
I miss garry cook. If only for the expectation of him saying/doing something daft.
Like prince phillip or mad mario or that daft uncle you have who always nanages to do something deserving of a face palm meme.
Everyone loves an eccentric.
 
jma said:
AustinBlue said:
I have not said that any other football executive could not handle things - I'm sure there are others who could... so what? We had Cook. And Abu Dhabi chose City. You can say that we were obviously the stand-out option, but I think any number of clubs would argue that with you. Abu Dhabi needed to build their brand through the club they purchased, and they saw something in Cook that helped make the decision to choose City. Negotiating through the minefield of agents, managers, Arab owners, and all the egos and personalities requires some deft diplomacy and yes, charisma... It's not just about money, people want to be associated with winners, and you have to carry yourself like a winner. I don't deify anyone, and I don't make anyone a hero except my grandfather. But given the state of the organization when he arrived, and the condition when he left, I am grateful to Cook for his time in leadership with us, and I do think that he was the right man for the time. You are entitled to your own opinion.
Click to expand...

I guarantee you that 'Abu Dhabi' did not "see something in Cook" that helped them make their decision. Unless you are suggesting that such experienced and thoughtful businessmen make decisions about which institution to invest in based upon something as irrelevant as the charisma or appeal of the sitting CEO.

Cook may well have made a professional job of presenting the club to them but these are people that make decisions based on facts, figures and hard nosed potential. Not someone being a dab hand with a Powerpoint and having a Colgate smile.

It has been said that the likes of Everton were poor and unprofessional in their tentative dealings with the owners. But that is a shocking reflection on their clubs, rather than a particularly huge positive for Cook.

Anyway, I don't think anyone, his critics or his supporters, believe that the way that Cook initially presented the club to the owners is here or there when considering the way he handled his day to day duties, whether he should still be here and the way he portrayed the public face of the club over the length of his tenure.

Credit to him if he helped the owners come to their decision. They didn't come here because of Garry Cook though.

Which club, considering locations, stadiums, fanbase and potential would stand next to City as an option at that point? City was most definitely the stand out option. You might be able to make a case for Newcastle but I doubt that they were ever a realistic selling option at that point.

Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that you are building your hyping of the man on phrases like "charisma", "wanting to be associated with winners", "bravado", "gaffes were inevitable", "daring to say.....", "was always going to draw flack".

These are all cliches, without foundation and exactly the sort of buzzwords and meaningless, baseless jargon that people criticised Cook for.

The bloke should be judged on the criteria I mentioned in my first post above, along with his ability to present a professional and credible image to the world. I have no idea as to his effectiveness in those areas mentioned. I have no reason to suspect he wasn't up to the day to day job and I have no reason to suspect that he was outstanding in those aspects. I would guess, and it would be baseless, that he was fairly effective in those day to day, nuts and bolts of the role, matters. However, on the presenting the correct and professional image of the club issue, he was awful and the issue he was forced to resign over, specifically his reaction to it, is illustrative of his public approach to matters of appearance.

His 'charisma' and smooth talking (or so he thought) are no substitute for professionalism and presenting the correct sort of image (And by that I don't mean the nonsense, cliched image of "being a winner")
Click to expand...

I never said City were chosen because of Cook. And certainly didn't suggest that analysis hadn't been done. But my personal experience is that a significant driver in major deals getting done is comfort with the senior people involved. Moreover, if the right people aren't at a target company, then the deal either doesn't get done, or the people are forced out as a condition of closing - which strongly suggests that Cook was considered an asset by Abu Dhabi. Thoughtful and professional businessmen, bankers, and lawyers take the leadership of an organization into account just as much, if not more, than the numbers every day. I may use some buzzwords and cliches - but so do people who negotiate and close major deals every day. You may not like the way I talk, it might not be your cup of tea, but it's effective for me and for those around me who make a living closing deals and running substantial companies.
 
I don't miss Cook, but there has been a power vacuum, which is manifesting itself in the Mancini/Marwood spat. Regrettably the new guy doesn't start until after the window closes.

My take on the transfer inactivity is that the new CEO will be charged with sorting out the management structures, and schmoozing the UEFA corridors of power re FFP. This accounts for the lack of funds being made available this time round, I'm not convinced ADUG trust either Marwood or Mancini, and in particular Mancini has shown poor judgement in criticising Marwood in public.
 
Just been and had a couple of beers with Gary Cook in Worcester.
What a top bloke, left his table and talked to me for ages at the bar.
I said I wouldn't repeat what he said to me as I said I was on here, but listening to the 'other' side of the story makes me think quite a bit. He still works for the sheik doing UFC nowadays and lives in London.
He had no need to stop and have a drink with me with his brother and friends at a table, so thanks Gary.
anyone who thinks he still isn't connected to the club would be naive to think so.
 
In my view he has done quite a lot for our club, so I have no problem with him. With our new Executives we have people have who have a lot of experience with one of the biggest Football Clubs in the world, so hopefully it will show with City.
 
Yeah i Miss him.

He made a few gaffs early on but learned quick and was very good for us all in all imo.

Nice one Kinky, he sounds like a top fella.

Fucking joorabchian or whatever he is called is a slimy cnut, that is all.

That said i am exited with the new chaps we have.
 
1kinkladze said:
Just been and had a couple of beers with Gary Cook in Worcester.
What a top bloke, left his table and talked to me for ages at the bar.
I said I wouldn't repeat what he said to me as I said I was on here, but listening to the 'other' side of the story makes me think quite a bit. He still works for the sheik doing UFC nowadays and lives in London.
He had no need to stop and have a drink with me with his brother and friends at a table, so thanks Gary.
anyone who thinks he still isn't connected to the club would be naive to think so.
Click to expand...

Yet another example of Cook apparently telling fans things and hoping they don't pass it on to anyone else. I know a handful of Blues who have had the same situation with him. We know he's still connected with the Club. i.e. Welcomed. He was at the QPR match last season.

The truth is, he'd taken City as far as he could and his constant gaffes were a PR disaster. He's admitted he had to move on in order to prevent City from receiving even more flack in the media. Soriano is a class act and the man to take us forwards. Perhaps he'll spend more time organising corporate sponsorship and making City more self-sufficient than buying the drinks in the Pub for Blues.
 
Cookie's still buying beers for blues?

What a great guy he still must be.

Anyone know if there are any break clauses in soriano's contract? I haven't heard of a single beer he's bought and he's been here six months now.
 
I can't say I miss him but I think Cook did an effective job (esp. in marketing the team.) It will probably take a few years to put his tenure in perspective. A lot of it depends on how our new management turns out.
 
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