- How football is failing to sort itself out: Part 1
- How football is failing to sort itself out Part 2: Green football off the agenda
- How football is failing 3: we have lost the abilty to analyse
- How football is failing 4: Chelsea’s £1bn transfer fund gets record yellow card level
By Tony Attwood
There is a growing realisation that the “age of the football manager” is dead. Instead we now have “head coaches”. Next season Liverpool will move over to the head coach title, and so probably will West Ham.
No one knows what’s going on at Manchester United, least of all the owners and the board, but more than likely (and leaving aside the promoted clubs who might or might not do anything as they prepare for a season of hanging on in desperation), the only managers will be at Arsenal, Manchester City, and Everton.
So the two most successful clubs of recent years have had managers which rather suggests managers might be a good idea. But that has never stopped clubs making a change.
A manager generally speaking does two things: manage the day-to-day, and take care of the overall vision. It is what Arsene Wenger did so brilliantly – at the start when given the task of recovering from the disaster of Bruce Rioch and then keeping the club in the top four as the bills from the new stadium came rolling in.
Indeed he did manage the club – he decided everything from pre-season to food and if there had ever been any discussion of hanky panky with the funding he would have been blamed.
But never everything is changing, as managers become coaches – which mostly they probably want to do, especially as they discover what might have been going on with Manchester City and which is the subject of their 115 charges.
We’ve speculated before on the three possible outcomes in the City case: guilty on most charges, guilty on a number of charges similar to Everton, or not guilty. And of course none of us know what the result will actually be. But whatever it is, Manchester C could be an uncomfortable place to be a manager.
For such is the level of annoyance among virtually everyone of the other clubs, anything other than a largely guilty verdict and a massive punishment that is built on the levels given to Nottingham Forest and Everton and ratcheted up to meet the higher levels of rule-breaking, will do.
Multiple newspapers have previously run the story that Everton could now be sued by likes of Leeds United, Leicester City and Burnley for gaining an undue advantage because of their rule breaches in previous years. The league has taken its revenge on the rule-breaking clubs with the points deductions, but the rule breakages were in previous seasons, and, the clubs claim, affected the final league table.
Leeds, Leicester and Burnley all feel that they were relegated unfairly because of the machinations of Everton in previous seasons. Five clubs have stated that the charges should have been dealt with before Leicester, Leeds and Southampton were relegated and the League is in breach of its duties. That issue still does not seem to have been resolved.
The Manchester City case will make all this much more complex since there are 115 different charges. And of course I could have got this wrong – and I will always admit that – but from what I am given to understand there are three other sets of proposals on the desks of the chief executives of all the Premier League clugs other than Manchester City.
Meanwhile there is the case of what to do if Manchester City, one is what to do if Manchesster City win. And actually there is a third set of proposals – what to do if Manchester City manage to spin this out any further, given that every season that passes there are more clubs being relegated who will claim that the league table is invalid because of Manchester City’s actions.
We also have to remember that the 115 alleged breaches against Manchester City covered nine seasons and the investigation into those allegations has taken over four years to complete.
Now if we think of the law of the land, it doesn’t matter how long it takes to bring an individual or a company to court, the penalties imposed are those in place on the day of the final judgement, not the ones that applied when the crime was committed. Which means relegation, or indeed multiple relegations are certainly on the cards if Manchester City is found guilty.
But equally if the punishment is small or the verdict not guilty, there is still a large number of clubs and a far larger number of fans who will be very angry. The possibility of a number, if not all, of the Premier League clubs leaving the league, on the grounds it is out of control, and forming their own league, is strong.
Of course we don’t know but there is a chance that a not-guilty or only very slightly guilty verdict could be the start of a set of long-overdue changes as to how the Premier League is run. But it could be.
And of course there is a suggestion that the end result could be fudged so as not to upset the applecart. I am not sure that some of the PL club owners would accept that.
How about giving it a rest for a while and us something less repetitive to read
You’ve probably seen this as it’s been all over the place:
This from GB News, as well as several other sources:
UK government held discussions with Manchester City regarding 115 FFP charges in Abu Dhabi: Report
Published at : May 21, 2024 at 12:56 PM
“According to The Athletic, the UK government acknowledged that discussions regarding the Premier League’s charges against Manchester City took place at both its embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in London.”
“However, the government is not releasing the relationship as it may jeopardise the UK’s diplomatic relations with Abu Dhabi.
On the last day of the season, Pep Guardiola’s team defeated West Ham 3-1 to take home additional hardware. After facing 115 Premier League allegations for purported financial irregularities—which they vehemently deny—City have now been facing these claims for 15 months.
Furthermore, other reports indicate that a verdict might not come for at least a year. There have been 115 charges against City for breaking Premier League rules overall.
These violations are not all related to money problems. Thirty-five of them are connected to the club’s purported inability to work together with the Premier League’s inquiry from February 2023 to 2018.”
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Surely, the mere fact that they are talking to the Government about these charges suggests they think they are in trouble?
Now I haven’t a clue why they are talking to the Government.
– It might be to ask if they watched the game on Sunday?
-It might be to tell them they are not guilty and cant wait to explain away every one of the 115 charges.
-It might be to remind them just how fragile future trade deals with the UK are, and if Man City, or rather the ADUG are found guilty, it is hardly likely to facilitate any future agreements.
Who knows? It could be all innocent and above board. On the other hand it could be threats.
I know what I think.
I think that what most people do is not read something they don’t want to. I am not sure I can be held responsible if you read something you don’t like.
Some people don’t understand numbers and 115 is a big number, ergo the request to give it a rest.
No doubt, I’m in a very small minority here but I really hope City are found not guilty? The possibility of trophies been rewarded post script would make it seem all the time following those seasons of football a waste? I would rather finish a brilliant second then have something gifted posthumously.
Now whilst they may or may not be guilty, the whole FFP was set up for the entitled history clubs. I don’t dispute that the amount of money they spent is obscene but it’s not been borrowed and to be frank money killed the game many years ago.
I also like their supporters, certainly the older ones. Anyone that can follow a team in the shadow of Fergies ere deserves their time in the sun, and to think we wonder how bad it must be to follow Spurs?
Looking forward to seeing the summer signings, exciting times,
@Nitram,
a governement intervening in football affairs is theoretically ‘illegal’ under FIFA rules… so this raises another subject.
But I’ll be happy when the governement owning (or owning through someone) City will start blackmailing the UK….
This to me is the first attempt to pressure, to warn off, to scare, to intimidate…. the PL ought to signal it cannot accept any intervention of any governement form of any kind because of FIFA rules at which point maybe FIFA will comply and change it’s rules…
The day will come and will spell doom of all nation owned teams, as it happened with the oligarchs. At some point having power often leads to wielding too much of it and powerfull people are mostly incapable of figuring out where the tipping point is.
@AI,
after Arsenal winning so many games and scoring so many goals past season, Untold has been giving a rest from football games and team news are we are all tired of so little negatives…
I was wondering…
How about Arsenal getting Rashford and letting Mr Arteta heal the guy and make him part of our strike force – like he did with Havertz ?
Perhaps ‘Prime Minister in waiting’ and alleged Arsenal fan Sir Keir Starmer could help speed up the process to punish Manchester City when he gets into number ten in July?!
I find it amazing that anyone should not want justice to be done if City have cheated, It would be an irremovable stain on our game and it might even be classified as fraudulent behaviour and criminality has occurred if they are found guilty. So I think it is utterly ridiculous to hope City are found not guilty .
It won’t be the same if we are given titles retrospectively. That would be one of the ways in which City would have ruined football if tge6 are adjudged to have violated PL rules but it would be quite wrong for us jus5 to give up the investigation because it might throw up some unpleasant situations.
If City have cheated , they shoukd be punished for their wrongdoing in suc( a way that nobody else will be tempted to feel they can ride roughshod over rules tgat othe4 clubs respect. I want justice to be done and so, surely, must all other right thinking fans
@ Bertie Mee.
rightly said !
One thing is already happening. The public at large is now being aware that something is off, something is cooking.
It may well be that reactions of the public and stakeholders is being evaluated ny bits and pieces trickling out.
Were they found not guilty, my take would be PL clubs should systematically play their u-21s against City for the whole season. Why waste your energy, risk injuries and losing physical fitness, being exhausted playing them if rules are bent for them. Titles would be worthless, clubs could evaluate your players and the only important place in the PL would be the second one. City would find it impossible to prepare for european football.
Maybe its the old romantic in me but i just prefer titles to be decided on the pitch not in the courtroom?
The other thing as i mentioned in the actual rules they have been accused of breaking?
Rules that have been drawn up to protect the big history clubs and stop anyone gatecrashing the top table. I think it was Jack Warner who bankrolled little old Blackburn to the title? That wouldnt have been allowed today under current rules?
As for the idea of the rest of the premier league breaking away, i find that fanciful at the least? Do you think ( bar five or six clubs) anyone is really bothered that ourselves, Utd or Liverpool are upset because City have spent more money than us and keep winning the league? Thats the world they, and all the other clubs below have to belong in. I won’t even mention the Euro super league cash grab!
If you read other clubs forums there is not a fraction of the resentment for City you’ll find on ours and the other clubs I have mentioned. Us and even more so Utd and Liverpool are seen as entitled clubs and supporters. You won’t find much sympathy out there?
Maybe they were more desperate to get the ball than Arsenal
My bet is that City will be found guilty , but are forced to pay a big fine , to deter them in the future . Oh , and that they be docked ONE point to show that no Tomfoolery will be ever be in the future entertained !
Carry on , all’s well that ends well !