Manchester City on a different planet

[jackal2]

Oh the shallowness of some comments on here. Yesterday the Guardian carried a lengthy commentary on Man City by Giles Tremlett, a highly respected journalist.
Man City are not a passing fancy. They are now the head of a 'venture scheme' CFG (City Football Group) that is bent on global domination steered by money from Abu Dhabi and its principal architect - a Spaniard named Ferran Soriano.
Here's the thinking that lies at their heart:
"If you invest £10m each in 10 players, you only need one to get to the top and be worth £100m"
They now have City clubs in 10 different countries. Hundreds of young players will be ruthlessly exploited in their determined search to find the next Messi / Ronaldo / de Bruyne.
This is football as raw capitalism. Money and business before any sense of community. Of course, in the end it comes down to just one huge venture taking over the entire world of football. They will then be in a position to determine the laws and structure of the game to ensure their own dominance for the foreseeable future.
Clubs like Man City are a serious danger to those of us who value football being placed at the heart of the community. Isn't that something that Notts County fans value?
Well, fluck me, there I go off on one about politics again. But in a way it's football too, innit?
Love you all for Christmas.
El Sid

Vintage Sid!

[upthemaggies]

I enjoy watching them, I've always had a soft spot for City since one of my boyhood heroes was Peter Barnes. I'd definitely have a poster of Kevin De Bruyne on my wall alongside my Notts squad photo if I were a 10 year old today.
Whatever they go on to achieve though, and there is the potential for them to become one of the all-time greats, it's never going to match the romance of the Celtic side that won the European Cup in 1967 with all but one member of the 15 man squad born within 10 miles of Celtic Park.
If only a rule had been introduced 60 odd years ago that dictated that all clubs must field at least 6 home grown players in all competitions. Nobody would have objected to that then and football would be very different today with players sticking around far longer, supporters having something more tangible to identify with, we'd have a much stronger national side and agents would be taking far less money out of the game.

[sidders]

Vintage Sid!

But will you partake of the drink, J2?

[jackal2]

But will you partake of the drink, J2?

J20 maybe!

[Old_pie]

I enjoy watching them, I've always had a soft spot for City since one of my boyhood heroes was Peter Barnes. I'd definitely have a poster of Kevin De Bruyne on my wall alongside my Notts squad photo if I were a 10 year old today.
Whatever they go on to achieve though, and there is the potential for them to become one of the all-time greats, it's never going to match the romance of the Celtic side that won the European Cup in 1967 with all but one member of the 15 man squad born within 10 miles of Celtic Park.
If only a rule had been introduced 60 odd years ago that dictated that all clubs must field at least 6 home grown players in all competitions. Nobody would have objected to that then and football would be very different today with players sticking around far longer, supporters having something more tangible to identify with, we'd have a much stronger national side and agents would be taking far less money out of the game.

I remember watching that game on TV and of course the first British side to win a major European trophy, Man U taking another year to succeed.

My wife, who has a passing interest in football, whilst watching MOTD last night, asked if Scottish footballers were allowed to play in the English leagues!!! A sad indictment from someone who remembers the likes of Dennis Law, Joe Baxter (and oops I nearly said Joe Baker). And it seemed that every other top football league manager was Scottish.

[drillerpie]

Well there you go - you get to see what brilliance money and success can do and the response is to try and bring it down to the lowest common denominator. Tell you what, why not let a left wing guvment take over and finance football, at the taxpayers expense so that everyone gets an even chance and then we can all wax lyrical at what was served up yesterday at Meadow Lane, if we're lucky.

I'd say it's part excellence, part astronomical budget.

[jackal2]

When Pep Guardiola managed Barcelona I wondered whether his influence was overrated, given that he had walked straight into one of the top club jobs without proving himself at any other club. I thought maybe he had just inherited the benefits of years of work by La Masia, the club academy, and a world star (Lionel Messi) entering his peak years. I also wondered if his success at Bayern Munich was just a case of continuing a dominance which was already established.

However, I think a Manchester City, Guardiola has shown over two seasons that (albeit with excellent resources) he can create a style of football several levels above what was achieved by previous managers who had equally good resources available to them. I now recognise Pep as a truly great coach, rather than a guy who has a knack of being in the right place at the right time. Managers at the big clubs will always stand accused of buying success, but in the same way that you can see with hindsight how important Sir Alex Ferguson was to Manchester United's success, I think you can also now see the true value of Pep Guardiola.

[drillerpie]

When Pep Guardiola managed Barcelona I wondered whether his influence was overrated, given that he had walked straight into one of the top club jobs without proving himself at any other club. I thought maybe he had just inherited the benefits of years of work by La Masia, the club academy, and a world star (Lionel Messi) entering his peak years. I also wondered if his success at Bayern Munich was just a case of continuing a dominance which was already established.

However, I think a Manchester City, Guardiola has shown over two seasons that (albeit with excellent resources) he can create a style of football several levels above what was achieved by previous managers who had equally good resources available to them. I now recognise Pep as a truly great coach, rather than a guy who has a knack of being in the right place at the right time. Managers at the big clubs will always stand accused of buying success, but in the same way that you can see with hindsight how important Sir Alex Ferguson was to Manchester United's success, I think you can also now see the true value of Pep Guardiola.

I completely get what you mean Jackal, I really do. He's clearly an extraordinary manager with a fantastic vision of what pure football should look like, but I still haven't got over the issues you mentioned. At Barcelona he did inherit the midfield of the best international side in the last 20 years, plus the best player in the world, possibly of all time (all small, agile, extremely technically gifted, with the exception of Busquets who is tall, agile, and extremely technically gifted)

At Bayern he inherited another totally dominant team with a large budget, and hoovered up some of Europe's best young players who were small, agile, extremely technically gifted.

At City last season he inherited a very talented side, at a club which has spent the last five years hoovering up talent from all corners of the globe, massive net spend, massive wage bill. He sent them out to play the only way he knows how, and they didn't do particularly well in any competition. The players he got rid of this summer were generally good players, most of them full internationals with hundreds of caps between them, but they weren't the EXACT type of player he wants, so it didn't work. In summer he hoovered up the cream of Europe's small, nimble, technically gifted players with no budget restraints, and hey presto!

[i961pie]

I completely get what you mean Jackal, I really do. He's clearly an extraordinary manager with a fantastic vision of what pure football should look like, but I still haven't got over the issues you mentioned. At Barcelona he did inherit the midfield of the best international side in the last 20 years, plus the best player in the world, possibly of all time (all small, agile, extremely technically gifted, with the exception of Busquets who is tall, agile, and extremely technically gifted)

At Bayern he inherited another totally dominant team with a large budget, and hoovered up some of Europe's best young players who were small, agile, extremely technically gifted.

At City last season he inherited a very talented side, at a club which has spent the last five years hoovering up talent from all corners of the globe, massive net spend, massive wage bill. He sent them out to play the only way he knows how, and they didn't do particularly well in any competition. The players he got rid of this summer were generally good players, most of them full internationals with hundreds of caps between them, but they weren't the EXACT type of player he wants, so it didn't work. In summer he hoovered up the cream of Europe's small, nimble, technically gifted players with no budget restraints, and hey presto!

You can buy as many gifted players as you like but you can't guarantee they will gel or be winners, the secret is buying the right player to fit into your system. Pep obviously as that skill.

[drillerpie]

You can buy as many gifted players as you like but you can't guarantee they will gel or be winners, the secret is buying the right player to fit into your system. Pep obviously as that skill.

Absolutely, I don't doubt that at all. He's the best in the world at taking fantastic players and giving them a system in which they can express their talents on a whole new level.