Manchester City’s Financial Doping

[Batman]

****, I really hate Man City! Such a despicable franchise. And the English media and pundits fawn over them endlessly. Pep think he is some kind of genius for winning the league going 3/4s speed for most of the season just because he can thanks to their squad being so deep it is unreal.

The sad thing about Pep is that he's a really good coach but we'll never really know how good he is because he would rather take the LeBron route of stacking the deck than the Jordan route of competing.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

The sad thing about Pep is that he's a really good coach but we'll never really know how good he is because he would rather take the LeBron route of stacking the deck than the Jordan route of competing.

I rate him, but not as high as if he had actually showed at least one time in his career that he can make due with a not superior squad. His CL record is for example relatively poor. And cups are where squad depth and quality isn't as important. Or at least it is mitigated somewhat compared to a 38 game league season.

I am less and less impressed with him to be frank. He has a real ego and talks like he is working some kind of miracle by winning the league year in and year out. We all know the primary reason for it and it isn't Pep's brilliance for sure!

 

[TornadoTed]

I'm with the majority, I will never rate him unless he wins things at a club that isn't the number 1 financial powerhouse in that league.

I consider Jose a chequebook manager but I rate him higher than Pep for the Champions League win with Porto.

 

[Batman]

I'm with the majority, I will never rate him unless he wins things at a club that isn't the number 1 financial powerhouse in that league.

I consider Jose a chequebook manager but I rate him higher than Pep for the Champions League win with Porto.

I would argue that Mourinho's CL with Inter is also more impressive than anything Pep has ever done.

 

[A_G]

@Riou Remember when I asked certain mod why this thread was hidden from the forum and he said there never been such a thread.

A-M taking money from shady places. Unreal.

Thread was just created yesterday:

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

View attachment 15175

God also told his believers that earth is like 10000 years old.

People with power will always lie for their benefits.

 

[A_G]

God also told his believers that earth is like 10000 years old.

People with power will always lie for their benefits.

 

[Blankety Blank]

Pep is one of the best coaches ever imho.
But we all know that since the mega money corrupt entities came into the game pretty much buying titles it totally changed.
It started with abramovich at Chelsea.
Then came the horrific 'nation states' of Man City & now an even worse regime at Newcastle.

The league became way harder even though certain posters here vehemently disagree.

As someone said earlier in the thread there used to be 3 'natural' top clubs in the league. Man U, Liverpool & Us.


For many years if you beat those 2 really big clubs you would likely win the league.
Arsène found this early in his tenure as George Graham did
before him.

Doing this would bring us titles.

Post mega miney abramovich & the nation states though all that changed.

4th became a big achievement.

Us finishing 2nd this season ahead all of natural rivals is as good as winning the league back in the day.
Something should be done about these obviously corrupt owners.
However they are bullies. They have so much money that they can tie the governing bodies up for years in legal action & bankrupt them if they wish.

The premier League or Uefa are sh!T scared of their power understandably.

 

[The_Playmaker]

I think what bothers me most, is ignoring the charges City have on them at the moment in favour of criticising Arsenal rather than praising them for actually competing with them.

Take any other sport. Say a 100m runner gets accused of cheating and is charged with drug use but found innocent based on a flaw in the procedure. They then go on to win the world champs and the Olympics by a clear distance. They then get accused again and during the process of this going through, break the world record. Does the sprinting world look at this athlete as potentially the greatest ever or do they question the validity of his or her accomplishments?

I think they question it and the caveat is always there of well they probably cheated.

City were found guilty, they had it thrown out on appeal based on technicalities. The league has had to build a case for 4 years because thye know City pay for thr best lawyers and will find some kind of loophole to worm their way out of it.

There is absolutely no way they haven't cheated. They posted PROFIT during covid when every club in the world suffered a loss. They are currently questioning who is leading the case based on the team they support.

Yes City are the best team in the world, but it is NOT founded on a manager making use of the sum of its parts and getting more out of a group than would have been thought possible.

Guardiola can rotate and have no drop off because they have spent an insane amount of money consistently over a long period and pay wages of starters to sit on the bench.

If money is passed to Mancini under the table to have his actual wages lower on the books compared to what they pay him off the books, then why is that not possible with every single transfer or wage they pay?

Why are all their transfer fees so low? Why do players not moan about not playing? Why are the media so easy on them?

It's all corruption, its all bullshit and hopefully the Premier League can do their job and double relegate these cheaters.

 

[Gooner Zig]

How did City sign Haaland for only £51m? Dortmund sold Dembele and Sancho for far higher sums, wtf was going on there?

 

[Tir Na Nog]

How did City sign Haaland for only £51m? Dortmund sold Dembele and Sancho for far higher sums, wtf was going on there?

Release clause. Dortmund are cvcks basically.

 

[2Smokeyy]

How did City sign Haaland for only £51m? Dortmund sold Dembele and Sancho for far higher sums, wtf was going on there?

City are being creative with all this reporting.

 

[Rex Stone]

The sad thing about Pep is that he's a really good coach but we'll never really know how good he is because he would rather take the LeBron route of stacking the deck than the Jordan route of competing.

Jordan had an actual competent GM around him that signed Rodman and drafted Pippen.

LeBron carried nobodies like Boobie Gibson to a finals appearance.

 

[GDeep™]

I would argue that Mourinho's CL with Inter is also more impressive than anything Pep has ever done.

Over what Pep done at Barcelona? Yes he had the talent but you still have to put it all together, that tika taka run was incredible.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Over what Pep done at Barcelona? Yes he had the talent but you still have to put it all together, that tika taka run was incredible.

Winning 6 trophies in his first year (or so) as manager still as a rookie basically is insane. But yeah for 4 years this team was at a level never seen before and to be at that level for 4 solid years even if they didn't win the league in the final year was crazy.

Sure Inter's CL win was special but it's also in isolation. Don't think they had much competition domestically either.

 

[The_Playmaker]

Why are Chelsea the most successful club in recent history? Because they were financially backed to the hills, well run, prevented other clubs from improving by taking their targets, making big money on transfers, hording young talent and abusing the loan system.

Why are they now in the bottom half of the table? They are not being run properly and they don't have a money issue, but they had a transfer ban. They were found guilty and were unable to invest and extend contracts which weakened their squad. In that period, teams overtook them. Even with all of that, they were still able to win a Champions League.

It's not one season of doping. This goes back years to the point where the league wasn't ready to govern this kind of investment.

They need to hamstring City for at least 2 years to allow other clubs to build and compete.

 

[GDeep™]

The only hope is Pep leaving and that does decline City enough for others to get into a PL race with them, without having to go to 90-100 points maybe.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

I think that's always where the Mourinho vs Pep comparisons fall flat for me. It's always comparing a single season from Mourinho (or at a push 2) to several for Pep.

Porto in 04 was absolutely incredible, but in isolation Deportivo and Monaco the stars sort of aligned once they knocked out United. Chelsea back to back in 05 and 06 was also pretty good but it was nowhere near what Pep did for 3/4 years at Barca or even now with City 5 titles in 6 seasons, and you can't acknowledge Pep's financial advantage against Chelsea back then. Then Inter again it was one amazing season and similarly with Real in 11/12 where they gave everything and were amazing that one year but then the next it all fell apart.

And it's funny because Pep used to get criticised for not staying at a club long and building a real legacy.

And btw I much prefer Mourinho to Pep in terms of personality.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

I remember a tweet from the 16/17 season when everyone was comparing Conte to Pep and how they were doing in their first seasons at their respective clubs, I think it was by Registability, he said Conte was building a house and Pep was building the Sistine Chapel. While everyone was criticising Pep for not winning in his first season when Conte was, Pep was laying down the foundations for what we are now seeing 7 years down the line. Obviously the players have changed and even the tactics have somewhat been altered but in general a lot of the priniciples and the culture have remaining. I think it's really understated that when he came into City he inherited weak keepers, aging FB's, brought in a young John Stones but Otamendi and even Kolorov were starting a lot as his CB's. It took time basically converting KDB and Silva into 8's and Sane was also fairly raw. He still had to build his City side.

 

[Gooner Zig]

City are being creative with all this reporting.

Is that legit? ****ing hell I'm gonna have to look into this.