Classless Pep

[mozo]

3 hours ago, harvey54 said:

They were well off the pace yesterday. KdB has looked half fit for a while Haaland was out for a long time and not been firing on all cylinders. 

I think Peps loyalty to certain players might cost him this season. 

As for Arsenal, I've a massive soft spot for Spurs so I might not comment but I think Liverpool have the easiest run in.

I wouldn't say 'well of the pace' is a fair description. They dominated the first half and Arsenal were defending really deep. Arsenal are just well organised and hard to break down. I think a more measured description is that Man City didn't show enough killer instinct.

3 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Man City's demise can't come quick enough. 

Assuming they're guilty of even a fraction of the financial doping charges they're accused of, then when the verdict eventually comes, it will be one of the biggest scandals in European football for many years.

And they'll be a big fat asterisk next to Pep and their achievements over the past 10 years. 

Totally agree mate. We'll look back on the titles across the last 20 years and Leicester will probably be the only fair winners. 

...

Just going back to the original post, Grealish definitely didn't seem to enjoy that debrief, and Pep definitely shouldn't be doing that on camera.

However, I'd imagine Pep was frustrated that JG was getting the ball frequently, showing a lovely control and touch, but never driving into the box or mixing up moving inside and outside. Most of time he passed the ball or whipped it to the far post where Doku was. JG clearly is a talent, but that £100m was a waste imo. 

Edited April 1 by mozo

[glastored]

3 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Man City's demise can't come quick enough. 

Assuming they're guilty of even a fraction of the financial doping charges they're accused of, then when the verdict eventually comes, it will be one of the biggest scandals in European football for many years.

And they'll be a big fat asterisk next to Pep and their achievements over the past 10 years. 

I wonder if the same fate awaits them as happened to Rangers?

[Mr Popodopolous]

10 minutes ago, mozo said:

Totally agree mate. We'll look back on the titles across the last 20 years and Leicester will probably be the only fair winners. 

Leicester cheated on the way up in 2014...fact they failed EFL FFP.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/apr/11/leicester-city-finances-football-league-financial-fair-play-investigation

In addition to a straight up overspend, there was also this.

I'd have score(s) to settle if I was the Football League and I'd be trying to do something now, at the first opportunity of a slip.

Edited April 1 by Mr Popodopolous

[Maltshoveller]

3 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

In terms of where the money came from, yes. And to be fair Chelsea were (eventually) sanctioned for that. 

Regards breaking financial rules though, City have (allegedly) taken it to another level. 

For me if a club can afford to spend money let them

 

[Shauntaylor85]

3 hours ago, Fpcity said:

Haaland is a strange one for that Man City team. Unless he scores he hinders the team. They were a lot more fluid before and could change things if it wasn't working. Haaland is rarely subbed isn't he? So it's usually just a change to the wide players, Doku doesn't really do much and Grealish doesn't have a great impact sometimes. They miss Mearez I think. Even Cole Palmer would've given them something different. 

Agree with the view on SSN today that Alvarez for Haaland may have helped City win yesterday. Something different for Saliba and Gabriel to think about. 

[Shauntaylor85]

2 hours ago, The Journalist said:

Unpopular opinion = Harry Kane is a far better player than Erling Haaland.

He is a much better player than Haaland and would have scored just as many, if not more had he managed to get the move there. Haaland’s hold up play and overall game is lower league standard as Keane said. Kane’s is world class. 

[Sleepy1968]

2 hours ago, The Journalist said:

Unpopular opinion = Harry Kane is a far better player than Erling Haaland.

That's not unpopular here. I'd have either in the city side though. Brian, are you listening?

[Lew-T]

2 hours ago, downendcity said:

I admire Pep's Man City because they play highly controlled and effective football, but enjoy watching Klopp's Liverpool because they play exciting football.

If I had to choose between a season ticket at The Etihad or Anfield, it would be Anfield.

Exactly how I feel.

[mozo]

1 hour ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Leicester cheated on the way up in 2014...fact they failed EFL FFP.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/apr/11/leicester-city-finances-football-league-financial-fair-play-investigation

In addition to a straight up overspend, there was also this.

I'd have score(s) to settle if I was the Football League and I'd be trying to do something now, at the first opportunity of a slip.

Great shout Pops 

[Ashtonboy]

That's 2 hours of my life I'm not getting back. I've seen faster football in over 60s walking football.  If that's the future of football,  you can keep it!

[Kid in the Riot]

4 hours ago, glastored said:

I wonder if the same fate awaits them as happened to Rangers?

That feels like a reasonable punishment. Should they face a punishment that relegates them from the Prem then the EFL don't have to accept them. 

3 hours ago, Maltshoveller said:

For me if a club can afford to spend money let them

Fine to have that opinion.

However Man City agreed with the rules, voted for them, and then broke them continuously. 

That's deceitful and destroys the integrity and fairness of the game. 

[Corkonian]

Handling players like that in public, especially after just giving them a bit of game time, doesn't seem like the best approach. And comparing it to how Fergie used to handle things, it definitely feels off.

[Natchfever]

5 minutes ago, Corkonian said:

Handling players like that in public, especially after just giving them a bit of game time, doesn't seem like the best approach. And comparing it to how Fergie used to handle things, it definitely feels off.

I didnt like it personally.

[REDOXO]

10 hours ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

That Man C team is finished. Been saying it for a while, thrilled that Keane referred to Haaland as a league two player, reminds me of the ex Luton striker Steve Howard! Touch and overall play is dire to watch, massively overrated, KDB also looks past his sell-by date. Think they need some new creative players. Arsenal are the future and can see them dominating for years. 

I hate April fools day!

[W-S-M Seagull]

7 hours ago, Lew-T said:

I don’t really enjoy watching Man City play. It’s often silent at the Etihad, the football is a little slow paced for my liking. 
 

It’s all very flat.

You forgot to mention how the stadium has more empty seats than fans and that Pep has no passion. 

[harvey54]

2 hours ago, Corkonian said:

Handling players like that in public, especially after just giving them a bit of game time, doesn't seem like the best approach. And comparing it to how Fergie used to handle things, it definitely feels off.

Thank you 

[Leaning To One Side]

4 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

That feels like a reasonable punishment. Should they face a punishment that relegates them from the Prem then the EFL don't have to accept them. 

Fine to have that opinion.

However Man City agreed with the rules, voted for them, and then broke them continuously. 

That's deceitful and destroys the integrity and fairness of the game. 

Genuine question KITR (I’m not really ‘clued up’ on these things), what kind of things have they allegedly done?

[Kid in the Riot]

14 minutes ago, Leaning To One Side said:

Genuine question KITR (I’m not really ‘clued up’ on these things), what kind of things have they allegedly done?

A little taster from journalist Nick Harris. Man City have threatened him with injunctions and legal action for reporting their misdemeanours. 

Nick Harris@sportingintel

Lots of commentary in  past 36hrs about why PL charges under PSR rules against EFC and NFFC appear to be being expedited, while Man City's 115 charges (from an investigation dating back to 2018) linger, TBD on a now-agreed but not public timetable 1/n

Everton (for a second time) and Forest have been charged for "simple" failures to balance their books around the "acceptable" losses of £105m over a 3-year ruling period. 2/n
 
Whereas Man City's 115 charges effectively amount to accusations they were conducting financial fraud on a grand scale over a long period, and hoodwinking not just the PL but UEFA, and not co-operating. 3/n
 
We know from Football Leaks and other sources that the City hierarchy's view has long been they'd “rather spend £30m on the 50 best lawyers” and sue Uefa “for the next ten years” than accept a punishment. THIS is plutocracy. 4/n
 
They HAVE spent millions on lawyers. The've used every legal avenue possible to stall the process. When I was an MoS reporter in 2021 we used an external QC to gain access to "open justice" and attend court as City tried to stymie the PL's investigation. 5/n
 
If Man City's supposed mountain of irrefutable evidence of their innocence is ready to go, then bring it on and get it sorted. For the benefit of everyone. 6/n
 
They could have cooperated almost SIX years ago when the PL first started investigating them, and they didn't. That's their prerogative. It's not great on the optics but they don't care about optics. 7/n
 
There is also a massive (MASSIVE) political element to this case. Sheikh Mansour is the deputy PM of a significant political ally of the United Kingdom. Imagine if he and his club were shamed by multiple guilty verdicts. Unprecedented and unpalatable. 8/n
 
I'll be submitting further FOIs to try to establish the extent of British government involvement in the PL vs City case, but others so far have been fruitless. The stakes are SO much higher than whether a football club broke some football rules. 9/n
 
Some (some) City fans go to extremes to convince themselves there's no case against City. Despite having been fined 90m euros (later reduced to "only" 30m) for major breaches of financial rules, and dishonesty, and non-cooperation. Before 115 PL charges. 10/n
 
I've reported on City my whole working life. I knew, and know, people inside the club at all levels. I've been Khaldoon's guest in their directors' suite (albeit before I called them out). I have multiple sources who told me what really happened. 11/n
 
Man City's hierarchy realised around 2010 that they needed "accelerated investment' before UEFA's FFP came into force. Their solution was cooking the books. That was evident from their 2014 punishment onwards. It's all been in plain sight. 12/12

Goodnight. X

[Fpcity]

6 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

A little taster from journalist Nick Harris. Man City have threatened him with injunctions and legal action for reporting their misdemeanours. 

Nick Harris@sportingintel

Lots of commentary in  past 36hrs about why PL charges under PSR rules against EFC and NFFC appear to be being expedited, while Man City's 115 charges (from an investigation dating back to 2018) linger, TBD on a now-agreed but not public timetable 1/n

Everton (for a second time) and Forest have been charged for "simple" failures to balance their books around the "acceptable" losses of £105m over a 3-year ruling period. 2/n
 
Whereas Man City's 115 charges effectively amount to accusations they were conducting financial fraud on a grand scale over a long period, and hoodwinking not just the PL but UEFA, and not co-operating. 3/n
 
We know from Football Leaks and other sources that the City hierarchy's view has long been they'd “rather spend £30m on the 50 best lawyers” and sue Uefa “for the next ten years” than accept a punishment. THIS is plutocracy. 4/n
 
They HAVE spent millions on lawyers. The've used every legal avenue possible to stall the process. When I was an MoS reporter in 2021 we used an external QC to gain access to "open justice" and attend court as City tried to stymie the PL's investigation. 5/n
 
If Man City's supposed mountain of irrefutable evidence of their innocence is ready to go, then bring it on and get it sorted. For the benefit of everyone. 6/n
 
They could have cooperated almost SIX years ago when the PL first started investigating them, and they didn't. That's their prerogative. It's not great on the optics but they don't care about optics. 7/n
 
There is also a massive (MASSIVE) political element to this case. Sheikh Mansour is the deputy PM of a significant political ally of the United Kingdom. Imagine if he and his club were shamed by multiple guilty verdicts. Unprecedented and unpalatable. 8/n
 
I'll be submitting further FOIs to try to establish the extent of British government involvement in the PL vs City case, but others so far have been fruitless. The stakes are SO much higher than whether a football club broke some football rules. 9/n
 
Some (some) City fans go to extremes to convince themselves there's no case against City. Despite having been fined 90m euros (later reduced to "only" 30m) for major breaches of financial rules, and dishonesty, and non-cooperation. Before 115 PL charges. 10/n
 
I've reported on City my whole working life. I knew, and know, people inside the club at all levels. I've been Khaldoon's guest in their directors' suite (albeit before I called them out). I have multiple sources who told me what really happened. 11/n
 
Man City's hierarchy realised around 2010 that they needed "accelerated investment' before UEFA's FFP came into force. Their solution was cooking the books. That was evident from their 2014 punishment onwards. It's all been in plain sight. 12/12

Goodnight. X

Wow! Really hope they get thrown out of the league. I've heard about the lawyers thing before and with the political side of things as well this could drag on? 

They seem very arrogant about it all. 

[2015]

11 hours ago, The Journalist said:

Unpopular opinion = Harry Kane is a far better player than Erling Haaland.

Not unpopular at all, it's completely accurate. Last season i'd argue Kane's G & A stats were just as impressive as Haaland's were as he played for a much weaker side.

[2015]

Personally prefer Liverpool's style of play to Man City/Arsenal. I feel Klopp allows his player's more freedom tactically which makes their games far more entertaining from a neutrals POV.

I am tired of seeing slow methodical passing to control games and positional play being the key to winning matches which is what Pep and Arteta are disciples of. 

I would take Liverpool's chaotic style of play to Pep's structured style any day of the week purely because I like to be entertained.

[W-S-M Seagull]

12 hours ago, mozo said:

I wouldn't say 'well of the pace' is a fair description. They dominated the first half and Arsenal were defending really deep. Arsenal are just well organised and hard to break down. I think a more measured description is that Man City didn't show enough killer instinct.

Totally agree mate. We'll look back on the titles across the last 20 years and Leicester will probably be the only fair winners. 

...

Just going back to the original post, Grealish definitely didn't seem to enjoy that debrief, and Pep definitely shouldn't be doing that on camera.

However, I'd imagine Pep was frustrated that JG was getting the ball frequently, showing a lovely control and touch, but never driving into the box or mixing up moving inside and outside. Most of time he passed the ball or whipped it to the far post where Doku was. JG clearly is a talent, but that £100m was a waste imo. 

I agree with you on the first part. 

Any criticism of the game should be on Arsenal playing for a point in such a massive game. That was truly anti-football. 

Man City kept knocking on the door but we all know how incredibly difficult it can be to break down a team whos intent is to park the bus. 

JG was one of their best players last season so played an instrumental part in them winning the treble so on that basis it was money well spent. 

[richwwtk]

6 hours ago, 2015 said:

Personally prefer Liverpool's style of play to Man City/Arsenal. I feel Klopp allows his player's more freedom tactically which makes their games far more entertaining from a neutrals POV.

I am tired of seeing slow methodical passing to control games and positional play being the key to winning matches which is what Pep and Arteta are disciples of. 

I would take Liverpool's chaotic style of play to Pep's structured style any day of the week purely because I like to be entertained.

I have always had a dislike for Liverpool for no real reason other than growing up in the seventies and eighties you were pretty much a Liverpool fan or you despised them. I was the latter.

Klopp has conflicted me on that because he is just such a likeable bloke and the football he produces is unquestionably fun.

Damned bloke has made me actually want Liverpool to win stuff! Looking forward to next season when he's gone and I can get back to wanting them to lose tbh.

[ExiledAjax]

7 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

A little taster from journalist Nick Harris. Man City have threatened him with injunctions and legal action for reporting their misdemeanours. 

Nick Harris@sportingintel

Lots of commentary in  past 36hrs about why PL charges under PSR rules against EFC and NFFC appear to be being expedited, while Man City's 115 charges (from an investigation dating back to 2018) linger, TBD on a now-agreed but not public timetable 1/n

Everton (for a second time) and Forest have been charged for "simple" failures to balance their books around the "acceptable" losses of £105m over a 3-year ruling period. 2/n
 
Whereas Man City's 115 charges effectively amount to accusations they were conducting financial fraud on a grand scale over a long period, and hoodwinking not just the PL but UEFA, and not co-operating. 3/n
 
We know from Football Leaks and other sources that the City hierarchy's view has long been they'd “rather spend £30m on the 50 best lawyers” and sue Uefa “for the next ten years” than accept a punishment. THIS is plutocracy. 4/n
 
They HAVE spent millions on lawyers. The've used every legal avenue possible to stall the process. When I was an MoS reporter in 2021 we used an external QC to gain access to "open justice" and attend court as City tried to stymie the PL's investigation. 5/n
 
If Man City's supposed mountain of irrefutable evidence of their innocence is ready to go, then bring it on and get it sorted. For the benefit of everyone. 6/n
 
They could have cooperated almost SIX years ago when the PL first started investigating them, and they didn't. That's their prerogative. It's not great on the optics but they don't care about optics. 7/n
 
There is also a massive (MASSIVE) political element to this case. Sheikh Mansour is the deputy PM of a significant political ally of the United Kingdom. Imagine if he and his club were shamed by multiple guilty verdicts. Unprecedented and unpalatable. 8/n
 
I'll be submitting further FOIs to try to establish the extent of British government involvement in the PL vs City case, but others so far have been fruitless. The stakes are SO much higher than whether a football club broke some football rules. 9/n
 
Some (some) City fans go to extremes to convince themselves there's no case against City. Despite having been fined 90m euros (later reduced to "only" 30m) for major breaches of financial rules, and dishonesty, and non-cooperation. Before 115 PL charges. 10/n
 
I've reported on City my whole working life. I knew, and know, people inside the club at all levels. I've been Khaldoon's guest in their directors' suite (albeit before I called them out). I have multiple sources who told me what really happened. 11/n
 
Man City's hierarchy realised around 2010 that they needed "accelerated investment' before UEFA's FFP came into force. Their solution was cooking the books. That was evident from their 2014 punishment onwards. It's all been in plain sight. 12/12

Goodnight. X

Not only did they spend millions on private law firms and barristers, but they have an in-house legal team - ie full time club employees - of about 15 people. That's a small law firm in itself. 

The next biggest in-house legal team that I know is Man Utd who have 8 I think it is. Honestly most clubs have one or two, many (including Bristol City) have 0.

[Leaning To One Side]

18 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

A little taster from journalist Nick Harris. Man City have threatened him with injunctions and legal action for reporting their misdemeanours. 

Nick Harris@sportingintel

Lots of commentary in  past 36hrs about why PL charges under PSR rules against EFC and NFFC appear to be being expedited, while Man City's 115 charges (from an investigation dating back to 2018) linger, TBD on a now-agreed but not public timetable 1/n

Everton (for a second time) and Forest have been charged for "simple" failures to balance their books around the "acceptable" losses of £105m over a 3-year ruling period. 2/n
 
Whereas Man City's 115 charges effectively amount to accusations they were conducting financial fraud on a grand scale over a long period, and hoodwinking not just the PL but UEFA, and not co-operating. 3/n
 
We know from Football Leaks and other sources that the City hierarchy's view has long been they'd “rather spend £30m on the 50 best lawyers” and sue Uefa “for the next ten years” than accept a punishment. THIS is plutocracy. 4/n
 
They HAVE spent millions on lawyers. The've used every legal avenue possible to stall the process. When I was an MoS reporter in 2021 we used an external QC to gain access to "open justice" and attend court as City tried to stymie the PL's investigation. 5/n
 
If Man City's supposed mountain of irrefutable evidence of their innocence is ready to go, then bring it on and get it sorted. For the benefit of everyone. 6/n
 
They could have cooperated almost SIX years ago when the PL first started investigating them, and they didn't. That's their prerogative. It's not great on the optics but they don't care about optics. 7/n
 
There is also a massive (MASSIVE) political element to this case. Sheikh Mansour is the deputy PM of a significant political ally of the United Kingdom. Imagine if he and his club were shamed by multiple guilty verdicts. Unprecedented and unpalatable. 8/n
 
I'll be submitting further FOIs to try to establish the extent of British government involvement in the PL vs City case, but others so far have been fruitless. The stakes are SO much higher than whether a football club broke some football rules. 9/n
 
Some (some) City fans go to extremes to convince themselves there's no case against City. Despite having been fined 90m euros (later reduced to "only" 30m) for major breaches of financial rules, and dishonesty, and non-cooperation. Before 115 PL charges. 10/n
 
I've reported on City my whole working life. I knew, and know, people inside the club at all levels. I've been Khaldoon's guest in their directors' suite (albeit before I called them out). I have multiple sources who told me what really happened. 11/n
 
Man City's hierarchy realised around 2010 that they needed "accelerated investment' before UEFA's FFP came into force. Their solution was cooking the books. That was evident from their 2014 punishment onwards. It's all been in plain sight. 12/12

Goodnight. X

Thanks KITR, much appreciated…….wow, sounds as though the repercussions from this could be huge if they don’t find a way of wriggling out of it

[W-S-M Seagull]

4 hours ago, Leaning To One Side said:

Thanks KITR, much appreciated…….wow, sounds as though the repercussions from this could be huge if they don’t find a way of wriggling out of it

There is no "wriggling out of it" if they are not guilty. 

[Robbored]

43 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

There is no "wriggling out of it" if they are not guilty. 

Money talks Seagull - City have already spent millions of top lawyers to stall the proceedings and to search vigorously for loopholes in regulations.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Man City got off with a transfer ban rather than a points deduction.

[W-S-M Seagull]

11 minutes ago, Robbored said:

Money talks Seagull - City have already spent millions of top lawyers to stall the proceedings and to search vigorously for loopholes in regulations.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Man City got off with a transfer ban rather than a points deduction.

But of course they are going to spend millions on defending themselves. Any club would. 

Forest are spending money on lawyers on appealing in the hope of getting a single point back. 

I don't like this arguement about how the lawyers are stalling progress. They are facing 115 charges. Look how long it took for Everton and Forest with just the one charge each? There will literally be 100s of thousands of pages of paperwork that need to be gone through. It's not stalling, these things just take time. It's also not as simple as the charges other clubs faced. They charges are very technical. 

I guess you meant to say "if Man City are found guilty then it wouldn't surprise me if they get off with a transfer ban"

[Markthehorn]

23 hours ago, 2015 said:

Personally prefer Liverpool's style of play to Man City/Arsenal. I feel Klopp allows his player's more freedom tactically which makes their games far more entertaining from a neutrals POV.

I am tired of seeing slow methodical passing to control games and positional play being the key to winning matches which is what Pep and Arteta are disciples of. 

I would take Liverpool's chaotic style of play to Pep's structured style any day of the week purely because I like to be entertained.

Liverpool are much more entertaining to watch .

Arsenal went for a point and got it through some physical tactics which is unlike them to unsettle Man City who had no idea what to do .

Might have been different maybe if the  ref had booked a couple of players earlier but maybe he didn’t want to be seen getting too fussy ?

Haaland is very much a  goalscorer whereas Kane has a more all round game.

[W-S-M Seagull]

On 01/04/2024 at 14:18, Shauntaylor85 said:

He is a much better player than Haaland and would have scored just as many, if not more had he managed to get the move there. Haaland’s hold up play and overall game is lower league standard as Keane said. Kane’s is world class. 

Kane at 30 is a career bottle job. Won nothing. He even bottled moving to Man City. 

Haaland at 23 has won pretty much everything. 

Much better player than Haaland? please.