City Football Group (CFG) [Owner of Melbourne City]

[Dylan]

4 minutes ago, thisphantomfortress said:

Sydney Roman Abramovich-Lite Dodgy Russian Bloke Who Knows What He Really Does? FC

I think he has something to do with tractors (srs)

[thisphantomfortress]

Just now, Dylan said:

I think he has something to do with tractors (srs)

Yea running over his puny competition with them!

[Dylan]

Western Sydney Sausage

[thisphantomfortress]

Brisbane Mining Oil and Gas Conglomerate Roar 

[Dylan]

1 minute ago, thisphantomfortress said:

Brisbane Mining Oil and Gas Conglomerate Roar 

Nah just Brisbane Debt

[haz]

Newcastle Chickity China the Chinese Chicken Jets

[belaguttman]

AC Bunga Bunga Milan (they sacked me, the bastartds)

Edited March 22, 2017 by belaguttman

[mjake1234]

After starting off with a lot of hype we have been served up another depressing season with absolutely boring football that is guaranteed to lose members rather than gain them. Every other team play a much more entertaining, compact attacking style than we do. CFG don't seem to either care or understand what's going on in Melbourne. There is no indication that they have meetings where they review each team in their stable, otherwise what is obvious to us would be obvious to them. Since the days of Heart my enthusiasm has gradually been whittled away. Now completely over it and next season l'm out.

Edited April 1, 2017 by mjake1234
Add

[fensaddler]

2 hours ago, mjake1234 said:

After starting off with a lot of hype we have been served up another depressing season with absolutely boring football that is guaranteed to lose members rather than gain them. Every other team play a much more entertaining, compact attacking style than we do. CFG don't seem to either care or understand what's going on in Melbourne. There is no indication that they have meetings where they review each team in their stable, otherwise what is obvious to us would be obvious to them. Since the days of Heart my enthusiasm has gradually been whittled away. Now completely over it and next season l'm out.

Classic example of over promising and under delivering, rather than the opposite.  Don't come in with all this bollocks hype and then deliver tripe.  Absolute 101 on how to piss off your customers.

[Dylan]

3 hours ago, mjake1234 said:

After starting off with a lot of hype we have been served up another depressing season with absolutely boring football that is guaranteed to lose members rather than gain them. Every other team play a much more entertaining, compact attacking style than we do. CFG don't seem to either care or understand what's going on in Melbourne. There is no indication that they have meetings where they review each team in their stable, otherwise what is obvious to us would be obvious to them. Since the days of Heart my enthusiasm has gradually been whittled away. Now completely over it and next season l'm out.

Just a slight overreaction there mate

[jeffplz]

We won the FFA Cup.. but thats all for this season. Still, we promised silverware and got it

[johnno cpfc]

The way i see it is,if we were taken over by the OLD Man city i could have expected mediocrity but we werent and it is hurting all of us not only the club but ALL of us.

[Falastur]

15 hours ago, fensaddler said:

Classic example of over promising and under delivering, rather than the opposite.  Don't come in with all this bollocks hype and then deliver tripe.  Absolute 101 on how to piss off your customers.

Firstly, I've quoted you, but this comment is also to the various other posters I've seen who have made similar comment. Pardon my interference here, as I try to keep out of any topic involving a team's fans working out their relationship with their club and its owners, and you can interpret my response how you want as my feelings on CFG are complex and not easily definable as "pro" or "anti", but I have to ask:

Did CFG ever actually "come in with all this bollocks hype" in the first place? I'm not sure what Munn has said publicly but I'd be surprised if they had. CFG tend to very much work to the standard Middle Eastern model of "never promise anything, your only PR should be your actions". Call that prudent businessmanship or the cultural by-product of a "father-knows-best" political system, but its how they usually operate.

When they bought Manchester City, their front-man at the time promise a billion-pound spending spree on the world's best players. They fired him about three days after the takeover was announced because what he was saying was not how they wanted to operate their club, and replaced him with Khaldoon al-Mubarak who is one of the quietest, privatest but most studious people you will ever come across. When they bought into MLS they held a press conference/grand unveiling because MLS basically necessitates it of owners due to their typical American demand for showmanship and drama, but in that conference all they said really is "we want to be the best we can", and since then they've been a lot more silent. When they bought into Yokohama F. Marinos they literally said absolutely nothing, although I wasn't surprised by this as - like I've said elsewhere - I don't think they consider the club to be literally a CFG, more a marketing partnership. I re-read the press release from when they bought into Melbourne Heart and the only things they really promised then were 1) they will invest in the club long-term, not as a three-seasons-and-gone whirlwind romance, and 2) they will use CFG's scouting resources to find future recruits, both of which they have so far lived up to. CFG, in my experience, are basically the anti-hype of world football. Note I'm not suggesting if that's a good or bad thing - that's for everyone to decide on their own.

 

Anyway, should this all make you reconsider your opinions? Probably not, and if it doesn't then I support you in making your decision that you don't like the ownership. I agree that they've not been perfect in Melbourne. My point is, though, that from Day One of CFG's ownership all the hype that I've ever noticed has come directly from the fans and their interpretation of what CFG's investment would look like, and if that is now causing angst amongst those who did the hype-building then I'm not sure CFG are entirely to blame (though I agree that they could have prevented the fan unrest if they had been more successful).

I also would comment that you're probably picking the wrong time to leave as in the summer we will finally see what a CFG-appointed manager in Melbourne looks like, and that could be really underwhelming or it could be the biggest change in the club's history. Let's not pretend, after all, that JVS and Valkanis have been blameless as they overachieved on no resources. If they'd been a bit more competent the club's fortunes would be looking golden right now. But that is by the by.

 

Anyway, I've made my point so I'm going to withdraw from the discussion. As I said, I'm not trying to change your opinions on CFG, I just feel the need to speak up when I feel that people's emotions are running high over things that they are not seeing from quite the right angle. Make of this what you will.

[fensaddler]

6 hours ago, Falastur said:

Firstly, I've quoted you, but this comment is also to the various other posters I've seen who have made similar comment. Pardon my interference here, as I try to keep out of any topic involving a team's fans working out their relationship with their club and its owners, and you can interpret my response how you want as my feelings on CFG are complex and not easily definable as "pro" or "anti", but I have to ask:

Did CFG ever actually "come in with all this bollocks hype" in the first place? I'm not sure what Munn has said publicly but I'd be surprised if they had. CFG tend to very much work to the standard Middle Eastern model of "never promise anything, your only PR should be your actions". Call that prudent businessmanship or the cultural by-product of a "father-knows-best" political system, but its how they usually operate.

When they bought Manchester City, their front-man at the time promise a billion-pound spending spree on the world's best players. They fired him about three days after the takeover was announced because what he was saying was not how they wanted to operate their club, and replaced him with Khaldoon al-Mubarak who is one of the quietest, privatest but most studious people you will ever come across. When they bought into MLS they held a press conference/grand unveiling because MLS basically necessitates it of owners due to their typical American demand for showmanship and drama, but in that conference all they said really is "we want to be the best we can", and since then they've been a lot more silent. When they bought into Yokohama F. Marinos they literally said absolutely nothing, although I wasn't surprised by this as - like I've said elsewhere - I don't think they consider the club to be literally a CFG, more a marketing partnership. I re-read the press release from when they bought into Melbourne Heart and the only things they really promised then were 1) they will invest in the club long-term, not as a three-seasons-and-gone whirlwind romance, and 2) they will use CFG's scouting resources to find future recruits, both of which they have so far lived up to. CFG, in my experience, are basically the anti-hype of world football. Note I'm not suggesting if that's a good or bad thing - that's for everyone to decide on their own.

 

Anyway, should this all make you reconsider your opinions? Probably not, and if it doesn't then I support you in making your decision that you don't like the ownership. I agree that they've not been perfect in Melbourne. My point is, though, that from Day One of CFG's ownership all the hype that I've ever noticed has come directly from the fans and their interpretation of what CFG's investment would look like, and if that is now causing angst amongst those who did the hype-building then I'm not sure CFG are entirely to blame (though I agree that they could have prevented the fan unrest if they had been more successful).

I also would comment that you're probably picking the wrong time to leave as in the summer we will finally see what a CFG-appointed manager in Melbourne looks like, and that could be really underwhelming or it could be the biggest change in the club's history. Let's not pretend, after all, that JVS and Valkanis have been blameless as they overachieved on no resources. If they'd been a bit more competent the club's fortunes would be looking golden right now. But that is by the by.

 

Anyway, I've made my point so I'm going to withdraw from the discussion. As I said, I'm not trying to change your opinions on CFG, I just feel the need to speak up when I feel that people's emotions are running high over things that they are not seeing from quite the right angle. Make of this what you will.

Thanks for a very thoughtful contribution.  I rather hope you don't withdraw from this discussion because you've made an excellent case and given the number of likes you've struck a chord.

Yes, emotions are running high.  This has been a season which promised much, but failed to deliver, and in particular started sliding away very early and is dribbling away to a whimpering conclusion.  I'm long enough in this game to have seen plenty of seasons like this.

Not sure where the hype has come from, but there certainly has been a deal of expectation that CFGs arrival would bring success.  I suspect there was an unwritten Faustian pact between the owners and the supporters that we would put up with changes to colours and names if it delivered growth, good football and success.  Whilst that success fails to materialise, fans become more aware of the loss of what they used to have, and gave up.

I've no idea how many matches I'll be watching next season, but that has as much to do with changing circumstances in my life as it does with footballing matters.  I certainly won't be 'leaving' or changing my allegiance.  Unfortunately football clubs are for life... 

I'm really hoping that the close season delivers a real change, not least in who we appoint as manager.  There may be limited scope for squad change but I'm hopeful we'll address some of the glaring weaknesses and build on the developing strength of our youth program.  That's where CFGs long term approach does appear to be paying dividends.

[Falastur]

37 minutes ago, fensaddler said:

Thanks for a very thoughtful contribution.  I rather hope you don't withdraw from this discussion because you've made an excellent case and given the number of likes you've struck a chord.

Yes, emotions are running high.  This has been a season which promised much, but failed to deliver, and in particular started sliding away very early and is dribbling away to a whimpering conclusion.  I'm long enough in this game to have seen plenty of seasons like this.

Not sure where the hype has come from, but there certainly has been a deal of expectation that CFGs arrival would bring success.  I suspect there was an unwritten Faustian pact between the owners and the supporters that we would put up with changes to colours and names if it delivered growth, good football and success.  Whilst that success fails to materialise, fans become more aware of the loss of what they used to have, and gave up.

I've no idea how many matches I'll be watching next season, but that has as much to do with changing circumstances in my life as it does with footballing matters.  I certainly won't be 'leaving' or changing my allegiance.  Unfortunately football clubs are for life... 

I'm really hoping that the close season delivers a real change, not least in who we appoint as manager.  There may be limited scope for squad change but I'm hopeful we'll address some of the glaring weaknesses and build on the developing strength of our youth program.  That's where CFGs long term approach does appear to be paying dividends.

I'll respond if I'm invited to, but my point was that I didn't want a topic where Melbourne-based fans were starting to air legitimate grievances to then get overrun by a UK-based fan of CFG teams in general coming in to tell them where they were wrong, for fear that my intentions might be misinterpreted as me trying to tell you under what terms you should see CFG. I would agree with what you've said, and I think that your Faustian pact is something I've seen fans of all three CFG teams buying into without any necessary instigation from CFG themselves. Indeed, my impression is that if you were to ask the likes of Soriano or Khaldoon their thoughts on the matter, they would see the last three seasons - while undisputably underwhelming - as decent and acceptable progress because they are all about the long build.

For better or worse, the Barcelona model of "plant the seed and wait several years for it to germinate" is entirely how they see the ways of running teams - in fact, I get the feeling that they are ever-so-slightly uncomfortable with the idea of achieving success too quickly, for fear that it is built on unfirm foundations and that a follow-up season which is far less impressive will result in a far stronger fan backlash. That said, when they feel that they have build a winning team and then that team slips from the place in the sun that it should be in, that's when I think that they truly put their feet down and go "this has to change, improvements must be made". Unfortunately for you guys, Melbourne haven't quite got there yet (the FFA Cup will definitely increase their expectations, but I don't think they will believe the team has hit its "alright, we're apexing now guys" moment) so they're still quietly sitting back and stroking their chins as they debate the next step, so to speak.

Just my take on it, anyway.

[Dylan]

8 hours ago, Falastur said:

Firstly, I've quoted you, but this comment is also to the various other posters I've seen who have made similar comment. Pardon my interference here, as I try to keep out of any topic involving a team's fans working out their relationship with their club and its owners, and you can interpret my response how you want as my feelings on CFG are complex and not easily definable as "pro" or "anti", but I have to ask:

Did CFG ever actually "come in with all this bollocks hype" in the first place? I'm not sure what Munn has said publicly but I'd be surprised if they had. CFG tend to very much work to the standard Middle Eastern model of "never promise anything, your only PR should be your actions". Call that prudent businessmanship or the cultural by-product of a "father-knows-best" political system, but its how they usually operate.

When they bought Manchester City, their front-man at the time promise a billion-pound spending spree on the world's best players. They fired him about three days after the takeover was announced because what he was saying was not how they wanted to operate their club, and replaced him with Khaldoon al-Mubarak who is one of the quietest, privatest but most studious people you will ever come across. When they bought into MLS they held a press conference/grand unveiling because MLS basically necessitates it of owners due to their typical American demand for showmanship and drama, but in that conference all they said really is "we want to be the best we can", and since then they've been a lot more silent. When they bought into Yokohama F. Marinos they literally said absolutely nothing, although I wasn't surprised by this as - like I've said elsewhere - I don't think they consider the club to be literally a CFG, more a marketing partnership. I re-read the press release from when they bought into Melbourne Heart and the only things they really promised then were 1) they will invest in the club long-term, not as a three-seasons-and-gone whirlwind romance, and 2) they will use CFG's scouting resources to find future recruits, both of which they have so far lived up to. CFG, in my experience, are basically the anti-hype of world football. Note I'm not suggesting if that's a good or bad thing - that's for everyone to decide on their own.

 

Anyway, should this all make you reconsider your opinions? Probably not, and if it doesn't then I support you in making your decision that you don't like the ownership. I agree that they've not been perfect in Melbourne. My point is, though, that from Day One of CFG's ownership all the hype that I've ever noticed has come directly from the fans and their interpretation of what CFG's investment would look like, and if that is now causing angst amongst those who did the hype-building then I'm not sure CFG are entirely to blame (though I agree that they could have prevented the fan unrest if they had been more successful).

I also would comment that you're probably picking the wrong time to leave as in the summer we will finally see what a CFG-appointed manager in Melbourne looks like, and that could be really underwhelming or it could be the biggest change in the club's history. Let's not pretend, after all, that JVS and Valkanis have been blameless as they overachieved on no resources. If they'd been a bit more competent the club's fortunes would be looking golden right now. But that is by the by.

 

Anyway, I've made my point so I'm going to withdraw from the discussion. As I said, I'm not trying to change your opinions on CFG, I just feel the need to speak up when I feel that people's emotions are running high over things that they are not seeing from quite the right angle. Make of this what you will.

Rule number 1 of internet forumry  never post anything sensible. 

[GreenSeater]

How to support Melbourne City, a calendar guide:

OCTOBER: "Wow we've started the season really well. The way we played in the first game was really impressive, and we won the derby! This really feels like our year."

NOVEMBER: "Things are still looking up! Yeah we've dropped a few points against teams we should have beaten, but the squad looks like it's beginning to gel nicely. Once we get *insert visa player here* back from injury we'll be unstoppable!"

 

DECEMBER: "Gee we're starting to look shaky here. The club need to spend big in January. Hopefully we can bring in some injury replacements for *insert visa player here* and *insert squaddie here*. We're falling a bit off the pace now, and the Christmas derby will probably be the defining moment of our season. If we win it we'll get some momentum for the second half of the season!"

 

JANUARY: "I can't believe we haven't brought in any injury replacements for *insert visa player here* and *instert squaddie here*. If CFG are serious about us getting anything from this season they need to start investing in the squad. I was pretty disappointed to see *insert promising youth player on the fringe of the squad* get sold. He looked like he had potential. Ah well we still have plenty of depth to cover him."

 

FEBRUARY: "Oh for fucks sake! I can't believe *insert visa player here* is still out for a Germano! We really needed to get an injury replacement in January. And now that *insert decent Aussie player here* and *insert squaddie here* are out we're going to be absolutely screwed at *insert key position here*. If only we'd never sold *insert promising youth player on the fringe of the squad* we wouldn't have to rely on playing kids there! We haven't won a game in ages and it's disgraceful that *insert any player here* said he thinks we're doing okay! We're a joke and *insert terrible manager* is doing nothing to fix it."

 

MARCH: "THAT IS IT! THAT IS THE FINAL FUCKING STRAW! I have given my heart and soul for this club! And after all those long years of supporting a franchise I still can't believe CFG have taken over and turned my belived franchise into nothing but a plastic franchise! If *insert visa player here* hasn't recovered from his calf strain within the next few weeks this season is over. I am so sick of this shit. Bring on the offseason."

 

APRIL: "Well there it is. Another summer of my life down the fucking tube watching this group of no-hopers walk around not caring about the fans and accepting mediocrity. I'm out. Officially out. I know I said that last year but I've finally hit my limit. I can't do this any more. I can't believe we've lost another semi-final. Now we have to watch *insert club with annoying supporters* lift another bloody trophy. Why can't CFG make us more like that? The unwavering passion of us desicated fans should be enough reason for them to invest millions and millions of dollars into a little club at the arse end of the world. On that note did I mention I wont be renewing my membership next year?"

 

MAY: "Well it's about time the club finally got rid of *insert squaddie here*. It's a shame that *insert visa player here* still has another 17 years left on his contract. Why do we always sign players over the age of 30? Next season I hope CFG invest in a good young batch of visa players at their prime. I want us to pry a young tallented kid away from his future of earning millions playing in the best leagues in Europe and bring him over here to play in front of us dedicated 5000 fans in the heat of the Australian summer for a small enough wage to fit into the salary cap. Somebody who could be our Thomas Broich except much better. Also I'm expecting an announcement about our new manager any day now."

 

JUNE: "What are CFG thinking?! Why on earth have they re-signed *insert shit manager here* for another two seasons?? Can't they see he's useless. This club shows no ambition. I'm out. Not getting a new membership."

 

JULY: "Why on earth have we signed *decent ALeague player on minimum wage*?!? We should be targeting payers like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for our bench! This club is so happy with mediocraty it's disgusting. I AM OUT"

 

AUGUST: "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS SHIT! Have you seen the prices for memberships this year?!? How can they justify an increase in price after how terrible last season was?!? I remember when this club used to care about the fans and listen to our input. This really is the final straw for me. I am out for good."

 

SEPTEMBER: "Our squad is coming together really nicely on paper. This is probably the best squad we've ever had. Surely even *insert shit manager here* has to win the league with this team. After going to the FFA Cup game last week and seeing us demolish *insert state league 2 team here* has really made me excited for the new season. I've bitten the bullet and bought a membership, come on City!"

 

repeat until death

[jeffplz]

Top notch.

inb4 green line,

inb4 hellenic hero reply laughing,

inb4 thisphantomfortress with something to add but its a bit more depressing,

inb4 simpsons reference

[Jovan]

Qua

43 minutes ago, GreenSeater said:

How to support Melbourne City, a calendar guide:

OCTOBER: "Wow we've started the season really well. The way we played in the first game was really impressive, and we won the derby! This really feels like our year."

NOVEMBER: "Things are still looking up! Yeah we've dropped a few points against teams we should have beaten, but the squad looks like it's beginning to gel nicely. Once we get *insert visa player here* back from injury we'll be unstoppable!"

 

DECEMBER: "Gee we're starting to look shaky here. The club need to spend big in January. Hopefully we can bring in some injury replacements for *insert visa player here* and *insert squaddie here*. We're falling a bit off the pace now, and the Christmas derby will probably be the defining moment of our season. If we win it we'll get some momentum for the second half of the season!"

 

JANUARY: "I can't believe we haven't brought in any injury replacements for *insert visa player here* and *instert squaddie here*. If CFG are serious about us getting anything from this season they need to start investing in the squad. I was pretty disappointed to see *insert promising youth player on the fringe of the squad* get sold. He looked like he had potential. Ah well we still have plenty of depth to cover him."

 

FEBRUARY: "Oh for fucks sake! I can't believe *insert visa player here* is still out for a Germano! We really needed to get an injury replacement in January. And now that *insert decent Aussie player here* and *insert squaddie here* are out we're going to be absolutely screwed at *insert key position here*. If only we'd never sold *insert promising youth player on the fringe of the squad* we wouldn't have to rely on playing kids there! We haven't won a game in ages and it's disgraceful that *insert any player here* said he thinks we're doing okay! We're a joke and *insert terrible manager* is doing nothing to fix it."

 

MARCH: "THAT IS IT! THAT IS THE FINAL FUCKING STRAW! I have given my heart and soul for this club! And after all those long years of supporting a franchise I still can't believe CFG have taken over and turned my belived franchise into nothing but a plastic franchise! If *insert visa player here* hasn't recovered from his calf strain within the next few weeks this season is over. I am so sick of this shit. Bring on the offseason."

 

APRIL: "Well there it is. Another summer of my life down the fucking tube watching this group of no-hopers walk around not caring about the fans and accepting mediocrity. I'm out. Officially out. I know I said that last year but I've finally hit my limit. I can't do this any more. I can't believe we've lost another semi-final. Now we have to watch *insert club with annoying supporters* lift another bloody trophy. Why can't CFG make us more like that? The unwavering passion of us desicated fans should be enough reason for them to invest millions and millions of dollars into a little club at the arse end of the world. On that note did I mention I wont be renewing my membership next year?"

 

MAY: "Well it's about time the club finally got rid of *insert squaddie here*. It's a shame that *insert visa player here* still has another 17 years left on his contract. Why do we always sign players over the age of 30? Next season I hope CFG invest in a good young batch of visa players at their prime. I want us to pry a young tallented kid away from his future of earning millions playing in the best leagues in Europe and bring him over here to play in front of us dedicated 5000 fans in the heat of the Australian summer for a small enough wage to fit into the salary cap. Somebody who could be our Thomas Broich except much better. Also I'm expecting an announcement about our new manager any day now."

 

JUNE: "What are CFG thinking?! Why on earth have they re-signed *insert shit manager here* for another two seasons?? Can't they see he's useless. This club shows no ambition. I'm out. Not getting a new membership."

 

JULY: "Why on earth have we signed *decent ALeague player on minimum wage*?!? We should be targeting payers like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for our bench! This club is so happy with mediocraty it's disgusting. I AM OUT"

 

AUGUST: "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS SHIT! Have you seen the prices for memberships this year?!? How can they justify an increase in price after how terrible last season was?!? I remember when this club used to care about the fans and listen to our input. This really is the final straw for me. I am out for good."

 

SEPTEMBER: "Our squad is coming together really nicely on paper. This is probably the best squad we've ever had. Surely even *insert shit manager here* has to win the league with this team. After going to the FFA Cup game last week and seeing us demolish *insert state league 2 team here* has really made me excited for the new season. I've bitten the bullet and bought a membership, come on City!"

 

repeat until death

Now that's a quality post.

[belaguttman]

55 minutes ago, GreenSeater said:

How to support Melbourne City, a calendar guide:

OCTOBER: "Wow we've started the season really well. The way we played in the first game was really impressive, and we won the derby! This really feels like our year."

NOVEMBER: "Things are still looking up! Yeah we've dropped a few points against teams we should have beaten, but the squad looks like it's beginning to gel nicely. Once we get *insert visa player here* back from injury we'll be unstoppable!"

 

DECEMBER: "Gee we're starting to look shaky here. The club need to spend big in January. Hopefully we can bring in some injury replacements for *insert visa player here* and *insert squaddie here*. We're falling a bit off the pace now, and the Christmas derby will probably be the defining moment of our season. If we win it we'll get some momentum for the second half of the season!"

 

JANUARY: "I can't believe we haven't brought in any injury replacements for *insert visa player here* and *instert squaddie here*. If CFG are serious about us getting anything from this season they need to start investing in the squad. I was pretty disappointed to see *insert promising youth player on the fringe of the squad* get sold. He looked like he had potential. Ah well we still have plenty of depth to cover him."

 

FEBRUARY: "Oh for fucks sake! I can't believe *insert visa player here* is still out for a Germano! We really needed to get an injury replacement in January. And now that *insert decent Aussie player here* and *insert squaddie here* are out we're going to be absolutely screwed at *insert key position here*. If only we'd never sold *insert promising youth player on the fringe of the squad* we wouldn't have to rely on playing kids there! We haven't won a game in ages and it's disgraceful that *insert any player here* said he thinks we're doing okay! We're a joke and *insert terrible manager* is doing nothing to fix it."

 

MARCH: "THAT IS IT! THAT IS THE FINAL FUCKING STRAW! I have given my heart and soul for this club! And after all those long years of supporting a franchise I still can't believe CFG have taken over and turned my belived franchise into nothing but a plastic franchise! If *insert visa player here* hasn't recovered from his calf strain within the next few weeks this season is over. I am so sick of this shit. Bring on the offseason."

 

APRIL: "Well there it is. Another summer of my life down the fucking tube watching this group of no-hopers walk around not caring about the fans and accepting mediocrity. I'm out. Officially out. I know I said that last year but I've finally hit my limit. I can't do this any more. I can't believe we've lost another semi-final. Now we have to watch *insert club with annoying supporters* lift another bloody trophy. Why can't CFG make us more like that? The unwavering passion of us desicated fans should be enough reason for them to invest millions and millions of dollars into a little club at the arse end of the world. On that note did I mention I wont be renewing my membership next year?"

 

MAY: "Well it's about time the club finally got rid of *insert squaddie here*. It's a shame that *insert visa player here* still has another 17 years left on his contract. Why do we always sign players over the age of 30? Next season I hope CFG invest in a good young batch of visa players at their prime. I want us to pry a young tallented kid away from his future of earning millions playing in the best leagues in Europe and bring him over here to play in front of us dedicated 5000 fans in the heat of the Australian summer for a small enough wage to fit into the salary cap. Somebody who could be our Thomas Broich except much better. Also I'm expecting an announcement about our new manager any day now."

 

JUNE: "What are CFG thinking?! Why on earth have they re-signed *insert shit manager here* for another two seasons?? Can't they see he's useless. This club shows no ambition. I'm out. Not getting a new membership."

 

JULY: "Why on earth have we signed *decent ALeague player on minimum wage*?!? We should be targeting payers like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for our bench! This club is so happy with mediocraty it's disgusting. I AM OUT"

 

AUGUST: "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS SHIT! Have you seen the prices for memberships this year?!? How can they justify an increase in price after how terrible last season was?!? I remember when this club used to care about the fans and listen to our input. This really is the final straw for me. I am out for good."

 

SEPTEMBER: "Our squad is coming together really nicely on paper. This is probably the best squad we've ever had. Surely even *insert shit manager here* has to win the league with this team. After going to the FFA Cup game last week and seeing us demolish *insert state league 2 team here* has really made me excited for the new season. I've bitten the bullet and bought a membership, come on City!"

 

repeat until death

OK, fold the forum, this should be pinned to every thread and the threads can then be closed

[GreenSeater]

35 minutes ago, jeffplz said:

Top notch.

inb4 green line,

inb4 hellenic hero reply laughing,

inb4 thisphantomfortress with something to add but its a bit more depressing,

inb4 simpsons reference

I forgot to mention the other type of City fan. The one that doesn't read the forum and is only there for Tim Cahill

[n i k o]

Thoroughly enjoyed that @GreenSeater

[GreenSeater]

2 hours ago, n i k o said:

Thoroughly enjoyed that @GreenSeater

The worst part is it's a very accurate representation of the City fan experience

[n i k o]

18 minutes ago, GreenSeater said:

The worst part is it's a very accurate representation of the City fan experience

Yes very much so

[hakz7]

1 hour ago, GreenSeater said:

The worst part is it's a very accurate representation of the City fan experience

All accurate except October cos we usually don't win until the 4th round lol

[haz]

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/85/england/2017/04/05/34320542/manchester-city-have-a-mentality-problem

"Manchester City have a Mentality Problem".... Must run in the family.

[playmaker]

1 hour ago, haz said:

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/85/england/2017/04/05/34320542/manchester-city-have-a-mentality-problem

"Manchester City have a Mentality Problem".... Must run in the family.

This sums up Pep to a tee:

It is almost an expectation that the fundamental problems which have held back City’s progress under Pep Guardiola this season - fragility in goal and at the back, a failure to convert chances - can be and will be remedied in the transfer market.

He buys success, very underwhelming TBH

[Falastur]

Takeover of Torque has now been announced on mcfc.co.uk and the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39508498

CFG have also entered into a partnership with a Venezuelan club out of nowhere, so that's more bottom feeders for Melbourne City to lord it over (Y)

 

8 hours ago, playmaker said:

This sums up Pep to a tee:

It is almost an expectation that the fundamental problems which have held back City’s progress under Pep Guardiola this season - fragility in goal and at the back, a failure to convert chances - can be and will be remedied in the transfer market.

He buys success, very underwhelming TBH

That may be the case now, but I'd argue that his prior reputation was less "buying success" and more "taking over clubs which are already set up for sustained success".

Edited April 5, 2017 by Falastur

[jw1739]

11 hours ago, Falastur said:

Takeover of Torque has now been announced on mcfc.co.uk and the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39508498

CFG have also entered into a partnership with a Venezuelan club out of nowhere, so that's more bottom feeders for Melbourne City to lord it over (Y)

 

That may be the case now, but I'd argue that his prior reputation was less "buying success" and more "taking over clubs which are already set up for sustained success".

Falastur, I have been in Hong Kong, able to read the Forum but not to post to it (probably not "tech-savvy" enough). If I may I would like to respond to some extensive comments you made in another thread about CFG and its intentions with Melbourne City.

First I agree with you that I am unable to easily find explicit public commitments from CFG to particular achievements for Melbourne City. However, I have saved several documents that do indicate that CFG have set some objectives for our club. The first comes from Ferran Soriano in his letter to members and supporters on 14th January 2014. This letter contained the following tow paragraphs - I can send you the whole thing if you wish:
"Today, on our first full day, the work has begun to help your Club to fulfill its immense potential both on and off the field, within Australia and beyond."
and
"The one thing we already know is that we will work hard to deliver very good football. Melbourne coaches and players will have access to City’s world-class global football resources, including scouting, coaching, human performance and performance analysis. It is also expected that players and coaches from Melbourne will spend time at the City Football Academy (CFA) - a world-class facility for football training and development that will open adjacent to the Etihad Stadium in Manchester in July 2014."

On the first quoted paragraph, I don't think that there is any doubt that supporters are justified in interpreting "...fulfil its immense potential on...the field, within Australia and beyond" as A-League silverware and participation in the ACL, because other than the occasional 3rd-place finish, you can't do anything "beyond" without such silverware. On the second paragraph, I don't think CFG have fulfilled the quoted expectation, which is much more that just the scouting network. To my knowledge the players have been to CFA Manchester on one occasion only, and JvS may have also visited the place but only "en passant."

I'd also like to refer to the report of a meeting of our Fan Representative Group in April 2014 in which Simon Pearce participated. I'm not a member of the FRG, and the minutes are unofficial, but they do contain the following:
"In terms of the playing squad (including marquees & loan players), it was indicated that appropriate investments will be made and that the utilisation of the full resource at City's disposal will be considered to achieve KPI driven success that includes finals and Asian Champions League."
Again, I would suggest to you that this is a strong indication that it is an objective for us to play in the ACL, and, as above, you can't do that unless you win A-League silverware except for the occasional entry to the ACL via 3rd place.

I would also like to suggest that I can't see why CFG would have such a heavy focus on "brand" if it is going to tolerate entrenched mediocrity at any of its clubs. To my knowledge CFG paid around $12m to buy Melbourne Heart, and around $15m to build CFA Melbourne plus some additional capital for the women's facility. There has been considerable operating expenditure on the team both within the cap and outside it - this year we have the most expensive squad in A-League history (according to the media). The insistence on "brand" sees the club still (AFAIK) in unresolved legal dispute with another club over the use of the name "Melbourne City", and stoushes with both the A-League and Sydney FC (ironically now pissing all over us on the field) over the use of all-sky-blue jerseys. We further clashed with FFA over the loan player arrangements, leading to the "Lampard Rule", and direct transfers between A-League clubs, leading to the "Caceres Rule." And, of course, CFG have alienated many supporters over the loss of our red-and-white home colours. Why would you do all this if you were content with mediocrity on the field? How can mediocrity on the field enhance the "brand"?

No, overall IMO although there is no readily-available explicit commitment to A-League silverware and participation in the ACL it is there in what has been communicated to members and other supporters of Melbourne Heart. I think we might debate the timetable but not the commitment.

Edited April 6, 2017 by jw1739

[xXCiTyZeNXx]

[belaguttman]

All I would add to this is that if you look at Simon Pearce's actions off the field he is clearly manoeuvring for the A League franchises to run their own show like EPL or perhaps more specifically like MLS. This arrangement would give MCFC more flexibility to dominate the League (or perhaps they see it that way). In the meantime success on the field is more difficult

[Falastur]

15 hours ago, jw1739 said:

Falastur, I have been in Hong Kong, able to read the Forum but not to post to it (probably not "tech-savvy" enough). If I may I would like to respond to some extensive comments you made in another thread about CFG and its intentions with Melbourne City.

First I agree with you that I am unable to easily find explicit public commitments from CFG to particular achievements for Melbourne City. However, I have saved several documents that do indicate that CFG have set some objectives for our club. The first comes from Ferran Soriano in his letter to members and supporters on 14th January 2014. This letter contained the following tow paragraphs - I can send you the whole thing if you wish:
"Today, on our first full day, the work has begun to help your Club to fulfill its immense potential both on and off the field, within Australia and beyond."
and
"The one thing we already know is that we will work hard to deliver very good football. Melbourne coaches and players will have access to City’s world-class global football resources, including scouting, coaching, human performance and performance analysis. It is also expected that players and coaches from Melbourne will spend time at the City Football Academy (CFA) - a world-class facility for football training and development that will open adjacent to the Etihad Stadium in Manchester in July 2014."

On the first quoted paragraph, I don't think that there is any doubt that supporters are justified in interpreting "...fulfil its immense potential on...the field, within Australia and beyond" as A-League silverware and participation in the ACL, because other than the occasional 3rd-place finish, you can't do anything "beyond" without such silverware. On the second paragraph, I don't think CFG have fulfilled the quoted expectation, which is much more that just the scouting network. To my knowledge the players have been to CFA Manchester on one occasion only, and JvS may have also visited the place but only "en passant."

I'd also like to refer to the report of a meeting of our Fan Representative Group in April 2014 in which Simon Pearce participated. I'm not a member of the FRG, and the minutes are unofficial, but they do contain the following:
"In terms of the playing squad (including marquees & loan players), it was indicated that appropriate investments will be made and that the utilisation of the full resource at City's disposal will be considered to achieve KPI driven success that includes finals and Asian Champions League."
Again, I would suggest to you that this is a strong indication that it is an objective for us to play in the ACL, and, as above, you can't do that unless you win A-League silverware except for the occasional entry to the ACL via 3rd place.

I would also like to suggest that I can't see why CFG would have such a heavy focus on "brand" if it is going to tolerate entrenched mediocrity at any of its clubs. To my knowledge CFG paid around $12m to buy Melbourne Heart, and around $15m to build CFA Melbourne plus some additional capital for the women's facility. There has been considerable operating expenditure on the team both within the cap and outside it - this year we have the most expensive squad in A-League history (according to the media). The insistence on "brand" sees the club still (AFAIK) in unresolved legal dispute with another club over the use of the name "Melbourne City", and stoushes with both the A-League and Sydney FC (ironically now pissing all over us on the field) over the use of all-sky-blue jerseys. We further clashed with FFA over the loan player arrangements, leading to the "Lampard Rule", and direct transfers between A-League clubs, leading to the "Caceres Rule." And, of course, CFG have alienated many supporters over the loss of our red-and-white home colours. Why would you do all this if you were content with mediocrity on the field? How can mediocrity on the field enhance the "brand"?

No, overall IMO although there is no readily-available explicit commitment to A-League silverware and participation in the ACL it is there in what has been communicated to members and other supporters of Melbourne Heart. I think we might debate the timetable but not the commitment.

Sorry I didn't respond to this before. I wrote a whole long response on my phone before I headed to work, and then as I switched to another tab to copy a link, it reloaded the page and I lost everything I'd written. Just got back in front of my PC now, so I'm taking this opportunity to catch up.

Basically, my point was: fair play. Good research, and I wasn't aware of most of that. I will accept that that is fairly direct and I couldn't hold it against anyone to be upset at CFG on the basis of that. I will say that all of those points seem to relate to the very early period of CFG's involvement, though, so my only response can be that everything since then is fan-sustained hype, but I can't deny that they definitely did contribute to their own expectations after all if that was said.

[jw1739]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/39508498

Manchester City's owners have bought Uruguayan side Atletico Torque.

The club play in the Second Division of the Uruguayan league and have had two top-six finishes in two years.

The City Football Group already owns clubs in Australia, Japan and the United States and the purchase of Atletico Torque is seen as a way of increasing scouting in South America.

City have also entered a collaboration agreement with Atletico Venezuela of the Primera Division of Venezuela.

CFG chief executive Ferran Soriano said: "We are pleased to take this next step in our football development operations.

"The investment in CA Torque enables our organization to build on existing connectivity in Uruguay and helps to expand the options for identifying and developing local and South American talent.

"This move also provides us with an administrative hub for our pre-existing scouting operations in the region and provides a footprint for City Football Group in South America."

[3 Points]

Could this tempt Fornaroli to go home? 

[jw1739]

13 minutes ago, 3 Points said:

Could this tempt Fornaroli to go home? 

I very much doubt it. He wouldn't get marquee money playing in the 2nd Division in Uruguay. By all accounts he's very happy here in Melbourne. He's with us for two more seasons, by which time he'll be 31, so perhaps by then he might consider finishing his career with Torque. But why bother to to think that far ahead?

[Falastur]

8 hours ago, 3 Points said:

Could this tempt Fornaroli to go home? 

I don't see it either. He may be a well-known name in the A-League but he's still nowhere near the national team so I can't see him being a huge draw for fans as a big-name signing, and that's if they make it back to the Primera Division, as suggesting he would sign for Torque right now is like suggesting that Mile Jedinak might be tempted to return home by the prospect of playing in the NPL. That would be the only reason I can see CFG might see an interest in it, because their record so far suggests that they aren't buying multiple clubs in order to play annual games of musical chairs with their players, especially with moving players to less prestigious leagues.

[haz]

21 minutes ago, Falastur said:

I don't see it either. He may be a well-known name in the A-League but he's still nowhere near the national team so I can't see him being a huge draw for fans as a big-name signing, and that's if they make it back to the Primera Division, as suggesting he would sign for Torque right now is like suggesting that Mile Jedinak might be tempted to return home by the prospect of playing in the NPL. That would be the only reason I can see CFG might see an interest in it, because their record so far suggests that they aren't buying multiple clubs in order to play annual games of musical chairs with their players, especially with moving players to less prestigious leagues.

All I can see Torque being is a "Customs/Immigration Gate" for south American players. I would be surprised if they get re-branded.

[Falastur]

35 minutes ago, haz said:

All I can see Torque being is a "Customs/Immigration Gate" for south American players. I would be surprised if they get re-branded.

I would've thought that too, although the evidence is (that is, the press release even refers to it) that long before CFG closed the deal with them they'd already stumped up the cash for Torque's own version of CFA, plus apparently they are paying to have a stadium in Minas (note: not the city Torque are from) done up, which makes it sound like at the very least they want to be seen to be investing properly on giving the club resources. I suspect that any players they do pass through Torque they will want to play there for at least a season each in order to avoid any suggestions of literally just being a slant on third-party ownership.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Falastur

[Shahanga]

2 hours ago, haz said:

. I would be surprised if they get re-branded.

Really? Why? 

My assumption is that will be the first thing that happens. "Paint the world sky blue".

Vale Torque.

[Falastur]

1 hour ago, Shahanga said:

Really? Why? 

My assumption is that will be the first thing that happens. "Paint the world sky blue".

Vale Torque.

I think it's quite possible (though not certain). However, I will say that I suspect that they would have to register the name change before a season, so likely the earliest that they would change their name is by the end of 2017.