Jump to content
TLW
TLW

Wright: There is an elephant in the room surrounding Man City

    image.jpeg

Ian Wright believes that the discussion surrounding the modern day success of Man City comes with an important caveat attached, that being the 115 charges that they have to answer to for alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules.

 

Liverpool and Man City engaged in another chapter of their storied rivalry on Sunday afternoon, and as happens after so many of these games, there was plenty of talking points to come out of it.

 

Despite being undermanned, the Reds ability to put the reigning champions for a sustained period of time surprised and impressed many observers in equal measure, not least the Liverpool manager himself who said “there is no higher scale than playing the best football you can play against Man City, causing City the problems we caused them today.”

 

Then there was the dramatic finale when a seemingly stone-cold penalty appeal  was denied when Michael Oliver did not view Jeremy Doku’s high challenge on Alexis Mac Allister to be worthy of one.

 

So while the fixture ended all square for the second time this season and we are no clearer to knowing what it means in terms of the title race, another question has started to emerge.

 

klopp3_600.jpg

 

With Jurgen Klopp departing at the end of this season, the clash on Sunday was the last time that the German and Pep Guardiola will come up against each other in the Premier League.

 

In terms of that competition, City won five, Liverpool four and  there were eight draws, and in a overall sense with also covers their time in Germany it is Klopp that edges it with 11 wins to 10.

 

As those figures state, there is certainly not a lot that separates them, however it is simplistic to go on wins and losses alone.

 

The vast riches that Guardiola has had at his disposal courtesy of the Man City ownership differs greatly to the way FSG does business and the way that Klopp has had to build his team basically from the ground up.

 

The matter of the pending breaches that Man City have to face is something that the mainstream football media have almost looked to tiptoe around and close their eye to and it has been left to investigative journalists to keep the topic in the forefront of people’s minds.

 

Ian Wright is one of the very few pundits to really address it in a public setting as he was speaking on the Sky Sports Monday Night Football program (per the Echo).

 

image.jpeg

 

“I think when you look at the trophy cabinet that Pep [Guardiola] has done very well, but then you look at what Klopp has done to try and catch Manchester City and the way he has built that team to get them there.

 

“You have to say, yes, it’s been easier for Pep with what he’s done. But, Klopp has a lot of love, but it’s there for everyone to see in respect to the amount of trophies.

 

"But, we can’t speak about City without talking about the 115 charges around them. The one thing I would like more than anything else is for that to be gone so you can give the team and the manager the flowers they deserve because when you speak about them, it’s like there is an elephant in the room."

 

Wright went on to say on his record of trophies won as a basic measuring stick alone, he would say that Guardiola has done better.

 

While opinions will differ on ‘who is better, who has done better’, what is pleasing is that Wright has shone a light on this matter. Man City may be focussed on winning more honours, but their ultimate judgement is still to come, and this one will be away from the pitch.

 

 

User Feedback

Recommended Comments



Does he call them out? He pretty much says he'd be alright if they just cancelled all the charges. 

 

"The one thing I would like more than anything else is for that to be gone so you can give the team and the manager the flowers they deserve"

  • Like 2
  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

Does he call them out? He pretty much says he'd be alright if they just cancelled all the charges. 

 

"The one thing I would like more than anything else is for that to be gone so you can give the team and the manager the flowers they deserve"

 

He really didn't. It's a "proof your innocence".

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are l guilty though. Would you be surprised if they got away with it, I wouldn't. Just look at the CEO pay the other day. They are cooking the books every way they can, they're cheats.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Jairzinho said:

 

He really didn't. It's a "proof your innocence".

 

 

 

 

 

There is no proof to their innocence though. Their only hope will be getting off with a technicality. The hacked emails show that and absolutely everyone knows it who can be arsed taking 20 seconds to find out about it. There's no way wright doesn't know they can't prove innocence, so if that's what he's trying to get at, he should just say it. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The last few paras of Ken Early's piece on Monday were excellent:

 

The other big call was the decision by Michael Oliver not to award a penalty in the last minute when Jérémy Doku kicked MacAllister in the chest. It will surely go down as one of the worst refereeing decisions of the season. We can at least look forward to the spectacle of the PGMOL boss, Howard Webb, having to discuss a ref botching a studs-to-chest incident on his TV show with Michael Owen. The most famous (non-) decision in Webb’s own refereeing career was his failure to notice Nigel de Jong kicking Xabi Alonso in the heart in the 2010 World Cup final. Webb, at least, could plead in his defence that he didn’t have VAR. Oliver could have gone to take a second look at the incident, but he decided he didn’t need to.
 

It’s not that Oliver, who earlier this season officiated a game in the UAE Pro League, has an objection to making big decisions on video evidence. He was on VAR duty when Manchester City played at Old Trafford earlier this season. He instructed referee Paul Tierney to give a penalty to City after seeing that Rasmus Højlund had held on to Rodri at a City set-piece. It was a surprising decision in the context of a season where all manner of premeditated holding, blocking and shoving has become so normalised at set pieces.

Oliver was also the referee when Manchester City played Arsenal in October. Kovacic committed two big fouls in quick succession, against Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice. Oliver let him away with a single booking, to the fury of the Emirates. Webb later admitted that Kovacic should have been sent off. “He doesn’t want to have a negative impact on the game by overreacting to something,” Webb said. Why should he “overreact” when he can have just as big an impact by doing nothing at all?

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Bobby Hundreds said:

They are l guilty though. Would you be surprised if they got away with it, I wouldn't. Just look at the CEO pay the other day. They are cooking the books every way they can, they're cheats.


They are guilty as sin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's also worth noting that refereeing decisions eventually decided the two titles that were won by a single point by city. So there's two titles city effectively stole from us due to various forms of cheating, so Klopp by all rights should have 3 PL's right now and who knows what might happen if they are eventually charged. On another point, Klopp on top of all our win's has got us to numerous finals that were we have lost usually by inches, that often gets forgotten, and it's some challenge to fighting on all fronts nearly every season when you have limited resources. I'm not sure what his name is, but that man city chairman (Khalud?), really makes my skin crawl I almost cant watch the interviews i've seen with him, it's all so phoney and you can see right through his bullshit, an absolute unscrupulous cheat with no morals or humility. 

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/03/2024 at 11:56, Mathewbet1 said:

It's also worth noting that refereeing decisions eventually decided the two titles that were won by a single point by city. So there's two titles city effectively stole from us due to various forms of cheating, so Klopp by all rights should have 3 PL's right now and who knows what might happen if they are eventually charged. On another point, Klopp on top of all our win's has got us to numerous finals that were we have lost usually by inches, that often gets forgotten, and it's some challenge to fighting on all fronts nearly every season when you have limited resources. I'm not sure what his name is, but that man city chairman (Khalud?), really makes my skin crawl I almost cant watch the interviews i've seen with him, it's all so phoney and you can see right through his bullshit, an absolute unscrupulous cheat with no morals or humility. 

It’s always pissed me off that despite all the benefits that the baldy cunt gained through the club’s cheating he still couldn’t better Jurgen. Cunt h needed the  cheating bastards from PGMOL to give him the edge.

 

Also, the fact that citeh refused to provide accounts over the last few years must mean that at least those charges will have to stick.

 

Elephant in the room, more like a fucking blue whale.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

City could bankrupt the PL and the PL know it. 

Football wouldn't die in this country it would just start again in fact it might be the best thing that ever happened to it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, col06 said:

Football wouldn't die in this country it would just start again in fact it might be the best thing that ever happened to it


Yeah probably. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Jimmy Hills Chin said:

It’s always pissed me off that despite all the benefits that the baldy cunt gained through the club’s cheating he still couldn’t better Jurgen. Cunt h needed the  cheating bastards from PGMOL to give him the edge.

 

Also, the fact that citeh refused to provide accounts over the last few years must mean that at least those charges will have to stick.

 

Elephant in the room, more like a fucking blue whale.

Lots of people say on here city haven't submitted their accounts the last few years. They have though. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

Lots of people say on here city haven't submitted their accounts the last few years. They have though. 


Part of the 115 is the failure to engage with the process 2018 to now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Bruce Spanner said:


Part of the 115 is the failure to engage with the process 2018 to now.

But that relates to the years they're being charged with I think. So for 4 years, the PL attempted to get answers out of city relating to the hacked emails etc and city didn't cooperate. But the annual submissions as far as I understand are a condition of competing. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

But that relates to the years they're being charged with I think. So for 4 years, the PL attempted to get answers out of city relating to the hacked emails etc and city didn't cooperate. But the annual submissions as far as I understand are a condition of competing. 


I think the truth is somewhere in the middle, like they dump the stuff without narrative meaning the PL can’t make hard nor tail of them and won’t respond to questioning. 

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Bobby Hundreds said:

There's an elephant in the room now his Arsenal may lose out to them. The elephant has been in the room as long as Abu Dhabi have.

Git a lot of time for Wright but that's bang on. No-one gives a shite until it's effecting them directly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup. No one bat an eye lid when we finished with the highest number of points a 2nd place team ever got - twice. 

 

Anyone but scousers it was then. 

 

Now that there is another team fighting for the title, elephant in the room, eh? 

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites




Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...