TheBrownBottle

Can’t see him applying at all. I could see an approach, though.

That’ll dee

£8.5m was decent money in 2002. He’s still the slowest midfielder I’ve seen in B&W. Lad had talent, but he was completely unsuited to English football.

I genuinely blacked out Bellamy’s winner. The train back to Amsterdam that night was great

I’ve always thought that the solution was allowing owners to spend but capped to the turnover of the previous season’s richest club. So if you take over Bournemouth and they have a turnover of £100m, and Man City have a turnover of £600m, then - bingo - you have a lot of spending leeway. It means that you can’t blow the league apart by outspending even the big boys by a ridiculous margin, but you can pump as much money in as a you want until your income is at a level where you don’t need to anymore. Won’t happen due to UEFA regs etc, but it always struck me that what is unfair is the ability to spend well beyond anyone else in the league. If you can only ever match through investment the highest earner, then what’s the issue?

I don’t think he should (or will) either, but I’d understand the temptation

They’d be mad not to at least put out feelers to him. Up to Howe at that point. Could completely see how he’d be tempted given the talent he’d have at his disposal

I could see them appointing him too - he’s cheap

A manager who’s managed anyone but kids would be a starter for ten for me

Shouldn’t be anywhere near it

Imagine being a goal down with 15 secs to play and playing the ball backwards to the keeper three passes in a row

I’m glad for Greece - totally deserved that one

Nick Pope saves that Actually, I reckon John Ruddy saves that

Undeserved

Just thinking this. Sell Lancaster Gate and fund a proper fucking manager. They’re on to squander this group.

Schoolboy defending

Yeah, I remember him saying this - after we’d signed long term deals for our kit and main shirt sponsorships which were a lot less than those of the Sky six. There is nothing stopping the club from signing one year deals with PIF-linked firms and upping them the following year.

I think they’re terrified of taking pot shots at a GK of his stature

Solanke comes on to confirm the narrative that what you need to get capped is sign for a big club

Yep, I’m betting precisely that. The club has been hyper-compliant so far.

These aren’t the rules that were in place in 2014, and Man City are accused of some pretty serious things tbf.

Of course! When it comes to those running football - which includes our own ownership - I’m not a beacon of positivity or reverence. My scepticism would boil down to the ongoing lack of sponsorship deals from KSA, including for things which seem so easy to have pushed through (training ground / kit, stadium, etc). We haven’t done the low-hanging fruit, but we’ve got massive deals which the PL has blocked? My suspicion (and it can be only that) is that part of the PL waving the takeover through was guarantees of precisely this nature. It might go some way to explain why the ownership has been so inert for so long.

Agreed - it should be straightforward, provided that the PL had rejected previous potential sponsorship deals. We’ll find out soon enough if this has happened. I’m betting it hasn’t.

Yep, the new APT rules will be interested - and how they’ll be enforced. Can’t see them rushing this - they’ll want to make absolutely sure that they’re in line with any legal requirements. It would be hugely damaging to be challenged - and lose - again.

They’d need proof of sponsorship deals they had lined up and rejected