Hahaha! Love the ending, talksport is great.

0-3 even nicer!

 

 

 

gutted

^BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA

At least losing to Arsenal is respectable though.

Why won't Allardyce die?

At least losing to Arsenal is respectable though.

 

quite simply a case of a small club losing to a big club. nothing abnormal there.

Why won't Allardyce die?

 

Don't you mean Allardiece? :rolleyes:

 

Or maybe you just meant Allardyce.

Man City's ambition to win may have come a bit late in the day if UEFA Financial Fair Play is to come into force. Just found out that clubs aren't allowed to make a loss of £38m in the period between 2011 and 2014. So say if Man City continue their spree next year similar to this years making losses at £125m then they will already be set at a massive task to reduce it to £38m. They won't be able to sell the players because as Arsene Wenger stated nobody will want to pay the same ridiculous wages as they get at City. City say they plan to gradually reduce wages as well as pump money into a 5 star academy which is easier said than done. The famous Liverpool and Man Utd academies as well as Arsenal's took years to fully reap the benefits.

We are such a cool team... look how much we care about our nieghbours and the enviorment.

http://csr.mcfc.co.uk/# this is very jazzy.. !

We all Love Garry Cook and our lovleys owners plans to "run " THE game of football and keeping it alive

 

Manchester City's chief executive, Garry Cook, emphasises the all-round work to enhance the experience for fans. Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

For the executive heart of the half a billion pound Abu Dhabi campaign to reshape Manchester football's balance of power, Garry Cook's office in the low-rise block on the Eastlands forecourt is remarkably unremarkable. Small, grey, functional, a partition wall between him and his shirt-sleeved troops, this is a world away from the marble floors and golden chandeliers of the Emirates Palace Hotel, where Cook's ultimate boss, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, meets the family to chat about City's progress.

 

From Cook, some of whose public appearances have not produced notable PR triumphs since he was appointed as City's chief executive by the previous owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, in 2007, there is, up close, palpable enthusiasm for the club's rebuilding. City watched United's turmoil over Wayne Rooney last week with some satisfaction, as a measure of the progress made since Mansour bought the club from Thaksin in August 2008 and began to pour in money and resources.

 

Beyond Roberto Mancini's holding remarks, suggesting City might be interested in Rooney, neither Cook nor anybody from the club commented and they deny that any offer was made. But they were pleased that, rather than chasing world- class players like Kaká and not landing them, City were cited without question as the other club most likely to sign Rooney. While Sir Alex Ferguson strives to argue that hisodd, frugal collection of signings over the past two years has nothing to do with the mountainous cost of servicing the Glazers' £769m debts, Mansour is investing huge money into City. He has assembled for Mancini a muscular squad with which the manager now says he is happy, notwithstanding Sunday's 3-0 home defeat by Arsenal. The fans, generally, are along for the ride, Cook and the Abu Dhabi regime making consistent efforts to reassure them their support is valued. At Sunday's pre-match memorial to the former City manager Malcolm Allison, Cook's speech was noted by fans as a respectful homage to the club's golden age.

 

"Is there an overarching philosophy?" Cook asks. "We want to be properly successful and among the European elite but we must remember our roots and we must remember our supporters. The history and heritage of this football club are dear to us."

 

Discussing City and the annual report for 2009-10, which showed income up to £125m but exceeded by the stellar wage bill, £133m, and a £121m loss, bankrolled by Mansour, Cook is as keen to emphasise the all-round work as he is the lavish accumulation of players. They have, he says, spent £255 per paying fan on improving and humanising the Eastlands concrete bowl; they have a designated "head of supporter experience", Danny Wilson, leading a department to nurture fans' loyalty. They built City Square, the first decent area to eat, drink and gather, and one of Cook's touches was to move the ticket office inside so that fans, in one of the world's wettest cities, no longer have to queue in the rain.

 

"Yes, the annual report shows income growth and the loss, which people are asking questions about," says Cook. "But when you look from a broader perspective, there are investments not only for the team but for the fans. The aim is to enhance the experience of this football club for all those that touch it."

 

This, not just the money-no-object signing of players, explains why City fans from the Bluemoon website clubbed together to produce the banner opposite the directors' box, from which the owner has watched one match: Manchester Thanks You, Sheikh Mansour. For some it is embarrassingly craven, from a once great industrial city to an absentee owner, but the gratitude is another wholesale contrast to United, whose supporters are in open rebellion against the Glazers.

 

Dave Wallace, sixty-something editor of King of the Kippax and the embodiment of grandfather-as-fanzine-editor, reflects: "I will always believe supporter-ownership is the ideal model for football clubs. But if we can't practically have that, you want owners who invest in clubs and show some understanding of fans. I think City fans do appreciate the care this regime is taking and their efforts to engage with us."

 

That, of course, is not what the rest of football primarily sees when contemplating City. They see players on eyewatering wages bought with £500m by Mansour, whose family claim the oil wealth in an Arab emirate run on clan politics not democracy. City, led by the chairman, Mansour's trusted executive Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, Cook and Brian Marwood, the chief football administration officer, have serially outbid other clubs for players, made Aston Villa the £26m offer they could not refuse for James Milner and paid whatever wages it takes, nudging £200,000 a week for Yaya Touré.

 

Fans alienated by the Premier League's commercialisation complain that such buying of success by club owners is not football, not in the English game's tradition until Jack Walker at Blackburn in 1995 and Roman Abramovich at Chelsea since 2003. Other clubs argue the spending is seriously inflating wages generally, as witnessed in Rooney's restlessness. Mansour's funding of City has also, critics say, fuelled an unhealthy, previously alien culture, in which fans yearn for a rich saviour to throw money in. As Portsmouth fans can lament, such genuine gold-plated, benefactor-style billionaires are few in the world.

 

When this is put to Cook, the former Nike brand manager seems genuinely bemused. Watching from Abu Dhabi, Mansour saw English clubs available to buy, Abramovich spending £700m building Chelsea, the clubs with the most money always dominating. His lieutenants can barely understand criticism of Mansour, for investing money and spending it professionally, while the Glazers suck cash and goodwill from United.

 

'Critics only have their own perspective," Cook argues. "They're not at the football club, they haven't been part of the planning or the long-term financial strategies. People think we choose players from the fantasy football league but there was a clear plan for who Roberto wanted to sign. One of the perceptions was that we only buy foreign players, then suddenly people saw that six of the England team who finished against Switzerland were City players.

 

"When people see the good things we are actually doing, they seem to be enlightened." Yet while the Premier League still has no regulations to prevent Glazer-style "leveraged" buy-outs, City must negotiate Uefa's "financial fair play" rules, designed to prevent overspending pumped up by rich owners. Last year's £121m loss, with this year's certain to be higher, vastly exceeds Uefa's permitted limit of €45m over the three years between 2011 and 2014, so City risk exclusion from the European competitions Mansour demands.

 

Cook recites the plan to break even: gain success on the field and commercially, invest in the academy to produce young players, who will gradually replace the better paid stars. That, though, takes time that City do not appear to have.

 

"Clearly our intention is to comply," Cook says. "Our two-year plan was to take a budget and build a competency to compete at the highest level, not forgetting the need for succession planning in every position. We are pleased with how that worked and will not be signing players to the same level of intensity in the next transfer windows.

 

"Financial fair play is on our conscience, we talk about it at every board meeting and it's part of our long-term plan."

 

Cook, though, is keen to communicate that the buying of players, and how to make the books balance, is far from all they talk about. There is an intimate connection with Abu Dhabi, via multiple sponsorships, which some argue represent further Al Nahyan patronage but Cook says are genuine commercial deals. Mansour is intensely aware that what happens at City reflects directly on Abu Dhabi's image, which is also marketed on the theme of embracing progress while respecting tradition.

 

Cook points to 155 new staff taken on in all departments, thorough investment in what was a run-down club and now the plans to develop land around the stadium in partnership with a grateful, cash-strapped city council.

 

Sir Howard Bernstein, the council's chief executive, who has met Mansour and Khaldoon, in Manchester and Abu Dhabi, came away encouraged. Of the discussions he says wryly: "They're very sophisticated, always discussing what they can put in, rather than get out – which separates them from any other Manchester City owners I've spoken to."

 

Cook stresses City's community work, too, as evidence of a commitment to be good citizens. He is researching City's foundation, in industrial Gorton in 1894, by the family of Arthur Connell, vicar of St Mark's Church, to provide a wholesome activity for deprived local lads.

 

"Every organisation has to understand what it is at its core," Cook says. "City began as a social good and that purpose must inform everything we do."

 

Which, presumably, was what he was preparing to tell Paul Stretford, if City's interest in gazumping United had solidified into serious discussions, about wages of £200,000 a week.

quite simply a case of a small club losing to a big club. nothing abnormal there.

:wacky:

Don't you mean Allardiece? :rolleyes:

 

Or maybe you just meant Allardyce.

 

:lol:oh reilly

 

 

the AC Milan v. Napoli was really good!! despite the little dispute in between!

:wacky:

 

 

:lol:oh reilly

 

 

the AC Milan v. Napoli was really good!! despite the little dispute in between!

 

I just had a feeling that was going to happen, I was really hoping Napoli could fend them off damn:cry:

I didn't actually watch the game, I've just seen the result and the updated Serie A table.

I just had a feeling that was going to happen, I was really hoping Napoli could fend them off damn:cry:

I didn't actually watch the game, I've just seen the result and the updated Serie A table.

 

At first Napoli was bad but then they got better after Robinho's goal! they had plenty of chances and I wanted Napoli to win as well! oh well :(

is AC above of Inter in the standings!?

Good to see AC Milan doing well again. I have a lot of time for them, They've had a strange few seasons but I think they can go on and win the Serie A again this season. Ibrahimovic and Robinho are massive players to have bought in aren't they. Good to see they scored.

City owners invest fresh €90 million

In this section »

 

 

SOCCER NEWS : MANCHESTER CITY’S owners have injected another €90 million into the club, taking Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s cash investment in the past 12 months over the €280 million mark.

 

Mansour purchased 37,547,169 new shares in the Eastlands club on 30 September, each costing him €2.39. It amounted to €89.7 million of fresh investment.

 

The sum is small change for the Abu Dhabi billionaire, but it raises fresh questions about City’s capacity to meet new regulations coming into force from next season.

 

Uefa’s financial fair-play rules require that no club should make an aggregate loss of more than €45 million over the three seasons from 2011-12, or it will face being excluded from European competition.

 

“Clearly our intention is to comply,” says Garry Cook, the City chief executive. “Our two-year plan was to take a budget and build a competency to compete at the highest level. We are pleased with how that worked, and will not be signing players to the same level of intensity in the next transfer windows.”

 

Those who believe City will escape the rule’s effect by having spent extravagantly before it comes in to force misunderstand simple accounting mechanisms.

 

The exact dates when cash changes hands on transfer fees are not relevant; instead there is a balance-sheet instrument know as amortisation by which the total value of the fee is written down according to the length of the contract, causing a natural lag in the impact of transfer activity.

 

When David Silva joined City for €29 million on a four-year contract in June, it added €7.3 million a year to City’s amortisation charge. By the end of last season the total charge had already reached €80 million – or almost 57 per cent of the club’s €140 million turnover.

 

Between them the additions of Jerome Boateng, Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli and James Milner added close to €19 million, which the departure of Robinho and his €9.2 million a year in amortisation charges could only partially offset.

 

Unless more of City’s expensively acquired superstars join Robinho in leaving, their 2011-12 amortisation charge will be close to €100 million.

 

Their huge wage bill further compounds City’s difficulties, given the summer arrivals.

 

Meanwhile Manchester United chief executive David Gill insists the club can still compete with big-spending neighbours City despite being overtaken in the pay league.

 

City’s wage bill of €150 million has rocketed up €56 million in the last year, overtaking United’s €148 million.

 

United agreed a bumper new deal with Wayne Rooney last week but are still maintaining their policy of ensuring wages remain less than half their turnover.

 

Asked if he was concerned that United were now behind Manchester City in the wages league, Gill said: “No not really – I’m not concerned by that as ever since we have been a public company we have had a policy that wages should be 50 per cent or less of turnover.

 

“We believe we can do that and still retain and attract the stars we need on the pitch. We think that’s the sensible model.”

 

United have managed to match Chelsea on the pitch in terms of silverware since Roman Abramovich took over at Stamford Bridge.

 

Gill added: “That’s exactly right – we have remained competitive.”

 

United’s latest financial figures earlier this month revealed the club’s wage bill is €148 million. Chelsea’s is €159 million, City’s €150 million and Arsenal are fourth with €124 million spent annually on salaries.

 

United’s total wages are 46 per cent of turnover – the lowest ratio among Premier League clubs, Arsenal have the next lowest ratio on 49 per cent, while City spend more on wages than their total revenue.

 

The healthy wages-turnover ratio is one of the reasons United are confident that they will meet Uefa’s financial fair play rules – despite the sums they have to pay out in interest to service the loans taken out by the Glazer

 

 

 

 

***** MORE MONEY !!!! oh year baby !

***** MORE MONEY !!!! oh year baby !

I'm not english, I might not understand about english football as much as you do, but I'd love to know why you celebrate MONEY (which isn't yours) as if it were a title. With all the respect City and its supporters deserve, you just keep spending and spending, yet your last relevant title was a League Cup 34 years ago. That's not something to celebrate.

I'm not english, I might not understand about english football as much as you do, but I'd love to know why you celebrate MONEY (which isn't yours) as if it were a title. With all the respect City and its supporters deserve, you just keep spending and spending, yet your last relevant title was a League Cup 34 years ago. That's not something to celebrate.

 

It will be in the end.

Being in the postion wheras we now are getting players like Wayne Rooney knocking on the door, makes us all feel dead proud.. ! We have a simple plan, to run the game of football forever more.

 

A part of this is by taking most of the players of the market, so they can not play for our rivals

 

We don´t really care or give a monkeys where the money comes from as long as we keep getting it.

Being in the postion wheras we now are getting players like Wayne Rooney knocking on the door, makes us all feel dead proud.. !

Well, I wouldn't be proud if Rooney knocked on my team's door :rolleyes:

 

We have a simple plan, to run the game of football forever more.

Does that plan involves winning titles?

 

We don´t really care or give a monkeys where the money comes from as long as we keep getting it.

That's not the point. Money is not something meant to be celebrated, the titles that it might bring are. And, again, your last relevant title was 34 years ago.

 

It's fine to criticize your team once in a while. It's actually healthy. You can't just think that 34 years without a title is something normal. You have to be pride of the team you support, but you must criticize it, you must demonstrate that you're not happy with the absence of titles.

 

My team won its last Brazilian League title in 1979. After that, we spent 27 years without titles (excepted of a Brazilian Cup in 1992), meanwhile our local rivals won the Intercontinental Cup once and the Libertadores Cup twice. Luckily enough, times have changed, we won two Libertadores (2006 and 2010) and a Club World Cup (2006), and we might win another CWC in December. And you know why it changed? We never got satisfied, we demanded a good administration.

Well, I wouldn't be proud if Rooney knocked on my team's door :rolleyes:

 

 

Does that plan involves winning titles?

 

YES... Lots of them ! 35 years will be worth the wait !

 

 

That's not the point. Money is not something meant to be celebrated, the titles that it might bring are. And, again, your last relevant title was 34 years ago.

 

It's fine to criticize your team once in a while. It's actually healthy. You can't just think that 34 years without a title is something normal. You have to be pride of the team you support, but you must criticize it, you must demonstrate that you're not happy with the absence of titles.

 

My team won its last Brazilian League title in 1979. After that, we spent 27 years without titles (excepted of a Brazilian Cup in 1992), meanwhile our local rivals won the Intercontinental Cup once and the Libertadores Cup twice. Luckily enough, times have changed, we won two Libertadores (2006 and 2010) and a Club World Cup (2006), and we might win another CWC in December. And you know why it changed? We never got satisfied, we demanded a good administration.

 

Yes and we have changed our adminstation of our team 4 or 5 times in the past 20 years. Now we dont need too any more.

 

I am sure you can look though this thread, and at times I have been very outpoken when my team has not done what is capable of it. Or when we have made changes that I have not agreed with !

Even though I don't post often, I've been reading this thread for quite an while. And, to me, you seem to be satisfied. Satisfied with the large bank account and the tiny trophy room.

 

Just a clear up: here in Brazil, teams aren't ran by (and like) companies. They are non-profit organizations. All the money that comes in is re-invested, with the purpose of keeping the football game running. The paying supporters are able to choose the club's president. We had some bad administrations, but we finally found a good one, that took us as a small team and made of us a big team, that's been winning international titles from time to time.

Personally I would love it if we was all like this non profit run by the fans. However given the commercial populatity of the game in Europe espically the EPL we have no option.

 

I would like a team that has around half the team from the region, some of the country and just one or 2 from further afield !

Rovers might be getting bought out. Could be good. Modest investment hopefully.

is AC above of Inter in the standings!?

 

Yes Milan are on 17 points, Lazio are first with 19 points and Inter are 3rd on 15.I still think Inter have a very good chance of winning the league thier just finding thier feet with a new manager etc and will be back to top form again soon.It's actually nice to see Lazio doing well and I'm happy for them.

I

 

We don´t really care or give a monkeys where the money comes from as long as we keep getting it.

 

 

Totally unrelated but my housemate wasted £8 on the phone to Man City's ticket office today and didn't even get to speak to a person. They sure know how to make money!

Totally unrelated but my housemate wasted £8 on the phone to Man City's ticket office today and didn't even get to speak to a person. They sure know how to make money!

 

If you speak to Garry Cook he will personally give your flatmate back thier money and apoligise.

---------------------------

 

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Customer Charter

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/The-Club/~/media/Files/Club/Customer%20Charter.ashx