There sure is. Guarded by polar bears and rabid seals.
115(+15) vs the world
- Thread starter MomoWASright
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There sure is. Guarded by polar bears and rabid seals.
There WAS - you've blown it now and Dantes is again on the run.
A bit like Narnia or so I've heard.
No Dantes allowed.
Sorry mate. It is absolutely part of the story of how we've been fucking robbed blind by these cunts.
I took a quick look at City's transfer business in recent years. In that time they have become addicted to selling players to make serious transfer profits (and I'm guessing this is, in part, to try to protect themselves against their PSR challenges). But they have massively weakened their squad as a result, relying on a core of ageing players, and letting go some real stars. When you look at this, their current plight seems almost inevitable.
Sales
2021-22- c £90m, including Jack Harrison and Ferran Torres.
2022-23 - c £180m, including Sterling, Zinchenko, Porro, Jesus and Lavia
2023-24- c £140m, including James Trafford, Mahrez, Laporte and Palmer
2024-25 - c £160m, including Harwood Bellis, Liam Delap, Julián Alvarez and Cancelo
Admittedly, not all of those players would walk into the current City team, but there are quite a few they'd gladly take back and a lot of them would at least make the bench right now.
Purchases
2021-22- Alvarez and Grealish
2022-23 - Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, Akanji
2023-24 - Kovacic, Gvardiol, Doku, Nunes
2024-25- Gundogan, Savinho
A lot of misses / squaddies in there.
Most of those sales have been of defensive and attacking players, not many midfielders. And yet their midfield (Kovacic, Gundogan, Foden and Savinho have the most appearances) is as weak as I can remember. Rodri has been carrying them for years.
Sales
2021-22- c £90m, including Jack Harrison and Ferran Torres.
2022-23 - c £180m, including Sterling, Zinchenko, Porro, Jesus and Lavia
2023-24- c £140m, including James Trafford, Mahrez, Laporte and Palmer
2024-25 - c £160m, including Harwood Bellis, Liam Delap, Julián Alvarez and Cancelo
Admittedly, not all of those players would walk into the current City team, but there are quite a few they'd gladly take back and a lot of them would at least make the bench right now.
Purchases
2021-22- Alvarez and Grealish
2022-23 - Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, Akanji
2023-24 - Kovacic, Gvardiol, Doku, Nunes
2024-25- Gundogan, Savinho
A lot of misses / squaddies in there.
Most of those sales have been of defensive and attacking players, not many midfielders. And yet their midfield (Kovacic, Gundogan, Foden and Savinho have the most appearances) is as weak as I can remember. Rodri has been carrying them for years.
Yeah, felt sick after watching that
This season has really shown how Rodri papered the cracks over. Which is why I'll be shocked if they aren't in heavy for Zubimendi this month.
He's not as good as Rodri but if he can ably deputize for Spain in Rodri's absence, he's probably the quickest solution for City as well.
he’s a skittish creature though zubimendi, city’s situation is very precarious and the manager looks close to breakdown. not sure the player would fancy it but who knows
Yeah, definitely may frighten him off. Although in the long run it seems likely that City will be fine, barring a serious punishment after the charges are resolved.
hopefully the uncertainty causes at lot of problems, especially with recruitment
Define 'fine'?
1, There's the penalty (hopefully relegation),
2. they'll need a complete overhaul of this old and depleted squad.
3. however without the unlimited resources they've had previously, to just plough in whatever money is required, because FFP will be all over them.
4. Despite his protestations there's no way Guardiola stays to see them fight their way back into the Premiership from whatever division they're relegated to.
5. Also no way half that squad of mercenaries will stay on. Haaland will be off in a flash for starters.
6. No way the best players in Europe move to a team without CL football and not even in the PL.
1) I'm skeptical about a significant penalty.
2) They have money to overhaul the squad.
3) They've been smart from an FFP perspective in recent years.
4) It's better for them if Guardiola leaves now.
5) They'll find new mercenaries.
6) It will take a couple seasons or more for them to reload
No doubt they'll be set back for a bit and their advantages over other clubs will have significantly diminished but let's not pretend they won't still be a force when all is said and done.
I dunno. Seeing the meltdown of Pep is funny and worrying at the same time. The sadist in me wants to see it carry on. He’s past the point of no return.
Surely we must be getting close to this judgement being released - wasn’t March the expected month.
Feels like the international window is the time to do it while there aren’t games directly affected by it, so that there’s a little while for things to sink in and settle whichever way it goes.
Feels like the international window is the time to do it while there aren’t games directly affected by it, so that there’s a little while for things to sink in and settle whichever way it goes.
It’ll come out around the same time as we officially win the league. It’ll be a bigger party than when thatcher dies.
There'll be one in Dallas. It will consist of three people - Me, and my two embarrassed daughters trying to get me to stop walking through traffic along Greenville Avenue, drunkenly singing at very confused Americans....
some more indiscretions by Man City that @Beamrider told us about previously......................
La Liga president Javier Tebas says he has reported Manchester City to the European Commission for alleged breaches of rules relating to state-owned companies.
Tebas - a long-standing critic of City - told media at the FT Business of Football Summit that the complaint was made in 2023.
He said he believed the case was currently in an "investigation phase" by the European Commission - the executive body of the European Union which develops and enforces laws for its member states.
Tebas said that the complaint centres on his belief that "City have a structure that circumvents the rules" including a group of companies in the United Arab Emirates outside the City Football Group.
La Liga argues that has given the Premier League champions a competitive advantage in both English competitions and the Champions League.
City have not commented on Tebas' allegations but club sources are aware of them, and strongly refute them.
Tebas said: "City have a lot of companies in their group which lie outside the City Football Group structure, extra companies where they put their expenses.
"These other companies lose the money but not the club itself. We have reported Manchester City to the EU. We have the facts and figures.
"We asked for City to be checked. It's very important that all clubs are subject to the same transparency rules and governance on both the sporting and financial side.
"The City case is one where we believe they have put the losses on the companies that are not officially part of City Football Group."
He added: "They have a scouting company, a marketing company. That's where they have very high expenses. They invoice City for less money.
"City have costs that are less than if they didn't have this circle of companies around."
Tebas said the complaint has been made under Foreign Subsidies Regulation that came into effect on 12 July 2023 and grants the EU powers to investigate state-controlled foreign subsidies.
City declined to comment, but sources close to the club said Tebas has a long history of attacking City.
City sources point to the club's accounts, which are a matter of public record, as proof of no wrongdoing.
City are awaiting the outcome of the hearing into their 115 charges for alleged Premier League financial rule breaches. If they are found guilty, they could face a massive points deduction or relegation.
In 2022, La Liga filed a complaint to Uefa about what it believed to be "irregular financing" of City and Paris St-Germain, who Tebas previously described as "state clubs".
BBC Sport has contacted the European Commission for comment.
La Liga president Javier Tebas says he has reported Manchester City to the European Commission for alleged breaches of rules relating to state-owned companies.
Tebas - a long-standing critic of City - told media at the FT Business of Football Summit that the complaint was made in 2023.
He said he believed the case was currently in an "investigation phase" by the European Commission - the executive body of the European Union which develops and enforces laws for its member states.
Tebas said that the complaint centres on his belief that "City have a structure that circumvents the rules" including a group of companies in the United Arab Emirates outside the City Football Group.
La Liga argues that has given the Premier League champions a competitive advantage in both English competitions and the Champions League.
City have not commented on Tebas' allegations but club sources are aware of them, and strongly refute them.
Tebas said: "City have a lot of companies in their group which lie outside the City Football Group structure, extra companies where they put their expenses.
"These other companies lose the money but not the club itself. We have reported Manchester City to the EU. We have the facts and figures.
"We asked for City to be checked. It's very important that all clubs are subject to the same transparency rules and governance on both the sporting and financial side.
"The City case is one where we believe they have put the losses on the companies that are not officially part of City Football Group."
He added: "They have a scouting company, a marketing company. That's where they have very high expenses. They invoice City for less money.
"City have costs that are less than if they didn't have this circle of companies around."
Tebas said the complaint has been made under Foreign Subsidies Regulation that came into effect on 12 July 2023 and grants the EU powers to investigate state-controlled foreign subsidies.
City declined to comment, but sources close to the club said Tebas has a long history of attacking City.
City sources point to the club's accounts, which are a matter of public record, as proof of no wrongdoing.
City are awaiting the outcome of the hearing into their 115 charges for alleged Premier League financial rule breaches. If they are found guilty, they could face a massive points deduction or relegation.
In 2022, La Liga filed a complaint to Uefa about what it believed to be "irregular financing" of City and Paris St-Germain, who Tebas previously described as "state clubs".
BBC Sport has contacted the European Commission for comment.
Ah shit. I've always thought Tebas was a nob and now he goes and agrees with me.
City's defence lines are hilarious though. Their accounts are "proof of no wrongdoing", hoping no-one will like, you know, take a look and find out the opposite is true. Seriously, these fuckers need to go down.
I've been trying to get the details of this story published in the UK, this might be the nudge that the editors need...
I also love the “incontrovertible evidence” line that their fans parrot.
If the evidence was incontrovertible then their case would have been thrown out on day one.
Yeah, but that won’t work if they’re barred from European competition.
Of course, they’ll try and get everyone banned in that case.
I don't think anyone really knows. The charges aren’t time-barred, so their intention isn’t to delay the judgment for that reason. I suspect it’s more about managing the ‘brand’—if they’re found guilty of something that happened so long ago, most people without a vested interest will just shrug it off and forget all about it within a week. There's always another drama around the corner. Kurt Zouma booting a hamster would relegated it to the inside pages after a few days. I also think they just love being petty and spiteful. They see it as 'us against the world, largely being they're collectively a fragile and insecure football club from top to bottom, so they'll get a kick about being as disruptive as possible to the proceedings.
If I had to call it, I would say that it's in neither the PL or Cities interest to strip away past titles, so that will remain the stuff of fantasies. If they are found guilty of a large number or charges I think the most we can hope for is a sizable points deduction and a fine that will be a drop in the ocean for their finances. I'm mostly hoping for the rules to be tightened up and more 'real-time accounting' coming into play. Putting the City case aside, the whole idea of breaking rules, winning multiple titles, and being punished years later is such bullshit. Same thing happens in motor racing, where a car breaks engineering rules, wins loads of races and then gets a slap on the wrist later. The process encourages shady practices by design.
If I had to call it, I would say that it's in neither the PL or Cities interest to strip away past titles, so that will remain the stuff of fantasies. If they are found guilty of a large number or charges I think the most we can hope for is a sizable points deduction and a fine that will be a drop in the ocean for their finances. I'm mostly hoping for the rules to be tightened up and more 'real-time accounting' coming into play. Putting the City case aside, the whole idea of breaking rules, winning multiple titles, and being punished years later is such bullshit. Same thing happens in motor racing, where a car breaks engineering rules, wins loads of races and then gets a slap on the wrist later. The process encourages shady practices by design.
