Jackie Broon

That isn't a "fact" Rafa, because it isn't public knowledge exactly what the assurances were, the PL's statement was that they had received assurances that the Saudi state "would not control the club", that could have been for example been an acceptance that the state could control the club via its ability to control of PIF but an assurance that control would be left entirely to the PIF board.

If it was with Bolognese sauce he's in proper trouble!

I don't think there would be a more ergonomic way, it's actually a very efficient use of space as it is. If anything, building it to modern standards in the same footprint would probably reduce the capacity.

I'm not sure about the FA but FIFA can from all football related activities worldwide for up to 3 years.

Also, there are probably over 100 different owners and no matter how much money they throw at people there will always be one or two who will refuse to sell their homes. Even if the council were to agree to undertake a compulsory purchase that is not a quick and easy process or guaranteed to go through.

They are, together with the rest of the park https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1000550?section=official-list-entry

I think it was reported as over £100m rather than actually £100m. There have only been 8 transfers of £100m or more and most, or all, of them will have been in structured instalments rather than up-front. It's doubtful whether any club outside of Man City and PSG would have the ability to pay £100m+ up-front.

The speed of thought and weight of the first time, outside of the foot pass back to Bruno was pure quality too.

It's a shame, he has the talent to be one of the greats, but I suppose that's what separates the greats from the level below them.

I wasn't there last night but sounds just like the Barca match in 97, hugging complete strangers like we'd known each other all of our lives and it felt like the most natural thing in the world

https://x.com/TomSymonds14/status/1708070153550795257?s=20

Exeter at St. James' Park please.

Looks quality, and quite like Sam Fender.

If not, Trippier can.

I don't think advantage technically matters, but in reality if the officials are trying to assess whether someone intended to handle the ball whether they gained an advantage from it is relevant to that. Someone isn't going to intentionally do something that doesn't help them and vice versa.

To be a handball it has to be deliberate. If a player scores with their hand or immediately after it handling the ball, even if accidental, a goal shouldn't be given but if another player scores the handball has to be deliberate for it to be ruled out. It hit his hand accentually and he didn't gain any advantage, in fact it almost took the ball out of play. The game actually turned on the injury to Barnes (no criticism of Barnes).

Love reading through opposition match threads with hindsight... "Howe won’t manage them next season. The Brighton manager is their next conquest. I feel if they lose to us, he has 2 more games before De Zerbi gets poached for life changing millions. Think Hecky could tactically outsmart Howe, so let’s see what happens."

I think there is a sizable minority of Man City fans who feel that, Man Utd and Liverpool's megabranddom is so long standing that very few will remember anything different. In my view though we lost our club long ago, long pre-Ashley. Really there was only a very short period where the club felt like it was 'ours', between John Hall buying the club and the stock market floatation. The nadir was Ashley, but before that we had the influence of the bankers resulting in Keegan leaving and the team he had built being torn apart. Then the Halls turned from saviours into leaches stealing the family silver in dividends and then the final nail in the coffin was becoming a zombie club under Ashley. I have massive qualms about our owners, from the right-wing politics of Staveley and Reuben to the human rights abuses to the insidious influence of Saudi Arabia on global politics and ideology, but, in football terms, I feel far more connected to the club now than I have since that brief period of 1992-97.

Makes it surprising how much he has played, with some other players (such as Bruno, Gordon and Barnes) Howe is brought them into the first team much more gradually, starting from the bench at first, Bruno made five appearances from the bench before his first start. Maybe that's down to Willock and Joelinton's injuries but he has been starting ahead of Anderson, who had a great pre-season. It' doesn't seem to be Howe's way to throw someone in at the deep end if he doesn't think they're ready.

And the PL's rules are so broadly drafted in relation to control that, taken to the letter, any state could be interpreted to have control over a club in the ownership of a individual or company based in their country. Ultimately, they are the PL's own rules and they can interpret them how they like, and there is little to no ability for that to be challenged by anyone other than the club that is directly affected.

Yeah, it's pretty obvious that was the driving force behind the PL's interpretation of their rules to block the takeover and then what they accepted to unblock it when the piracy issue was resolved. But piracy was never officially a reason (although it might have become an official reason if the state had undergone the O&D test). The official reason was always about whether the Saudi state could control the club, it seems likely that the PL accepted assurances that the state would not be involved in decisions at the club. Not that the state and PIF are separate, which is what a lot of people think was accepted.

I assume you mean in terms of ‘separation’. There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the separation issue. The issue wasn’t ‘separation’, the issue was ‘control’; whether the Saudi state could control the club (not specifically MBS; the state itself). From the details released in the High Court case the club’s argument against that was on the basis of legal separation of PIF from the state, but that was not accepted by the PL. The PL’s position was that, irrespective of any legal separation, the state could control the club and so the state itself should undergo the owners and directors test. None of us know what was in the ‘legally binding assurances’ that finally convinced the PL to allow the takeover, but it seems very likely that it was an assurance that, even though the state could control the club, the state would not be involved in the club’s decision making. Again, probably not MBS specifically as he clearly would be involved in his role as the PIF chairman. All of these 'look, this proves PIF isn't really separate from the Saudi state' comments are probably meaningless because that's probably not the basis on which the takeover was allowed.

There was quite a bit of complacency about it back then, maybe we were a bit spoilt. Only the Barca home game was a sell out in 02/03. Even the iconic Barca match in 97 with the capacity of 36,000 was pretty easy to get tickets for. This time round it feels different, no one is taking this for granted!

A repeat of Barca away in 2002... I wonder how many actually did lose their job / get divorced because of that?

Aye Forest H 2.0, Brighton A 0-0, Man City H 3-3, Wolves A 1-1, Liverpool A 1-2 - 6 points and +1 GD. Took us another 3 matches to get our 2nd win as well.