Are we being played by the big boys ?

[Dahnsouff]

2 minutes ago, PAPA LAZAROU said:

Oh christ, we've gone into the tin hat conspiracy mode now have we? We are no threat whatsoever to the big boys now and they know it. They are more concerned with outdoing each other they don't give a toss about us, other than selling their own players who did not make the grade to us or buying our star players at a cut price. The status quo has been resumed they have no need to feel threatened by us.

 

Unless we suddenly have mega money pumped into the club we can now look forward to comfortable mid-table finishes with a chance at the cups. That is the reality and considering our past history of being a yo-yo club I for one am happy to see regular top-flight football down here every year. That doesn't mean I or the club have no ambition it's just the reality of where we are at the moment.

 

Harsh truth

[fuchsntf]

Itt always been...just the Calculation & odd Team change..Its life...I

Enjoy what within..

Edited 29 July 2022 by fuchsntf

[Foxdiamond]

53 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

It's not that we're a "threat", it's that we've had some good players.

 

The best / bigger clubs can always get the best players. It's how football has always worked.

 

We can get Justin from Luton. Just like Man Utd can get Maguire from us. Just like Barcelona can get Suarez from Liverpool.

Yes, there has always been a pecking order. It's just that the long time big 6 have kicked the ladder away in the coop.

[glen parva fox]

Thought these so called big teams or any team couldn’t speak to someone else’s players or reps without permission from their clubs, so how is it the say they have agreed personal terms with players?

[coolhandfox]

16 minutes ago, glen parva fox said:

Thought these so called big teams or any team couldn’t speak to someone else’s players or reps without permission from their clubs, so how is it the say they have agreed personal terms with players?

So you don't think we agreed terms with Fofana before we spent 2-3 weeks trying to buy him? 

[FoxinNotts]

kind of

[gerblod]

To suppose a cartel has somehow formed is to suppose there's no rivalry between the six. Two teams are preeminent currently and they're not going to call Chelsea or United and tell them its their turn to win the Prem next season. 

Anyway, with Saudi money burning their pockets, Newcastle could soon be making it a big 7. It's always brwildered me why West Ham, with their huge fan base, aren't more influential than they are.

We've just not been sensible about looking after the team. There have been a lot of significant outlays on players who haven't complimented the team and it appears that wages have been out of control. We miss Vichai's stewardship. Top still has much to learn and has seen KP income decimated by Covid. This lack of funding for transfers will have to be weathered, I fear. Doubtless the income from the KP seating extension and the facilities on offer will bring income eventually, but I'm resigned to a middling season or two before things improve.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

The "big boys" didn't make us sign guff on huge contracts. 

[Arriba Los Zorros]

No more than they 'play' the rest of the 'other 14' PL clubs and the EFL. We're not a special case.

[mozartfox]

4 minutes ago, Arriba Los Zorros said:

No more than they 'play' the rest of the 'other 14' PL clubs and the EFL. We're not a special case.

The media are certainly sticking the boot in at every opportunity. Just read some bell-end from the Daily Mirror on News Now.  He has us well truly cattled.

[Spudulike]

"We don’t want too many Leicester Citys". 

[ARM1968]

Genuinely think our title win was the last great hurrah for the outsiders. Cannot see it happening again. 

[Bablemikey]

6 hours ago, gerblod said:

To suppose a cartel has somehow formed is to suppose there's no rivalry between the six. Two teams are preeminent currently and they're not going to call Chelsea or United and tell them its their turn to win the Prem next season. 

Anyway, with Saudi money burning their pockets, Newcastle could soon be making it a big 7. It's always brwildered me why West Ham, with their huge fan base, aren't more influential than they are.

We've just not been sensible about looking after the team. There have been a lot of significant outlays on players who haven't complimented the team and it appears that wages have been out of control. We miss Vichai's stewardship. Top still has much to learn and has seen KP income decimated by Covid. This lack of funding for transfers will have to be weathered, I fear. Doubtless the income from the KP seating extension and the facilities on offer will bring income eventually, but I'm resigned to a middling season or two before things improve.

The emergence of Newcastle as a major power is going to be a really sad day as it'll essentially mean we have a big 7, and any club outside of that will find making a European place an ever decreasing prospect. 

They're not there yet, but there is a sense of inevitability about it given the wealth they have access to & the drive that the Saudi's have in sports washing their image.

[Foxdiamond]

7 hours ago, gerblod said:

To suppose a cartel has somehow formed is to suppose there's no rivalry between the six. Two teams are preeminent currently and they're not going to call Chelsea or United and tell them its their turn to win the Prem next season. 

Anyway, with Saudi money burning their pockets, Newcastle could soon be making it a big 7. It's always brwildered me why West Ham, with their huge fan base, aren't more influential than they are.

We've just not been sensible about looking after the team. There have been a lot of significant outlays on players who haven't complimented the team and it appears that wages have been out of control. We miss Vichai's stewardship. Top still has much to learn and has seen KP income decimated by Covid. This lack of funding for transfers will have to be weathered, I fear. Doubtless the income from the KP seating extension and the facilities on offer will bring income eventually, but I'm resigned to a middling season or two before things improve.

I know what you mean but did the big 6 not get together at least loosely when the European Super Rubbish League was mooted. As for us the prospect of a mid table finish is something we could only dream of not so long ago. 

[jayfox26]

Another example of this is Cucurella at Brighton. Man C put in an insulting bid, knowing full well it gets rejected and then he hands in a transfer request. Can see Chelsea trying something similar with Fofana but hopefully he won't hand in a transfer request. 

[gerblod]

16 hours ago, Foxdiamond said:

I know what you mean but did the big 6 not get together at least loosely when the European Super Rubbish League was mooted. As for us the prospect of a mid table finish is something we could only dream of not so long ago. 

Yes, that's absolutely right - they did choose to be part of a cartel which intended to abandon their peer teams in Serie A, La Liga and the Prem. At the moment their money effectively allows them to sustain positions that their management wouldn't had they similar incomes to the rest of the Prem.

[An Sionnach]

15 hours ago, jayfox26 said:

Another example of this is Cucurella at Brighton. Man C put in an insulting bid, knowing full well it gets rejected and then he hands in a transfer request. Can see Chelsea trying something similar with Fofana but hopefully he won't hand in a transfer request. 

If he did , it would be the same as Maguire on here. Harry the hero became Harry the chump almost overnight. I am not one of those who thinks Fofana is going to be a world beater but he is a talented defender and that wouldn't change even if he was playing for Chelsea.

[Nick]

In terms of being played by a bigger club or a club with more money, the best transfer business done last season by any club in terms of profit was probably Wood to Newcastle. Quite simply it removed the front man from a relegation rival and helped ensure Newcastle’s safety. He’ll end up third choice striker for them eventually as they make their transition to become a bit more of a force in the PL.

[jayfox26]

20 minutes ago, An Sionnach said:

If he did , it would be the same as Maguire on here. Harry the hero became Harry the chump almost overnight. I am not one of those who thinks Fofana is going to be a world beater but he is a talented defender and that wouldn't change even if he was playing for Chelsea.

Fans naturally get disappointed when their best players leave. Its inevitable that our best players will eventually leave and its always been the way and always will be. Fans turn against players a bit more if they hand in transfer requests or act like a tit like Mahrez and Drinkwater did. Whilst players want to move, they have to understand that the club wants to get the best money for them and won't let them leave cheap. 

[Guest Col city fan]

1 hour ago, Nick said:

In terms of being played by a bigger club or a club with more money, the best transfer business done last season by any club in terms of profit was probably Wood to Newcastle. Quite simply it removed the front man from a relegation rival and helped ensure Newcastle’s safety. He’ll end up third choice striker for them eventually as they make their transition to become a bit more of a force in the PL.

Good observation that

👍

[-sodapop]

1 hour ago, Nick said:

In terms of being played by a bigger club or a club with more money, the best transfer business done last season by any club in terms of profit was probably Wood to Newcastle. Quite simply it removed the front man from a relegation rival and helped ensure Newcastle’s safety. He’ll end up third choice striker for them eventually as they make their transition to become a bit more of a force in the PL.

Wonder if the move for Maddison is similarly motivated by a "cripple the direct competition rather than necessarily make the best or most efficient signing possible" mindset.

[cruzFOX]

I’m curious and I’m sure our owners have privately contemplated this as all business owners do. If their ambitions are being limited by their financial clout they could bring in outside investment in which means sharing some control of the club. If they do it I have faith they will be smart smart about it but the kind of money we could get will be a huge help.

[lcfcbluearmy]

The big problem that we have is the way that FFP rules are designed by the powerful “big” clubs of the premier league and Europe to keep them that way under the guise of “sustainability” when in reality they have next to nothing to do with that. They are designed to stop clubs ever being able to financially challenge the “top” teams by restricting investment into clubs based on revenue knowing that they already have a much larger revenue than the “smaller” reams and making it much harder for teams to grow. 
The enforcement of the rules is also a complete farce when “smaller” teams get heavily punished for minor breaches whilst teams like Man City and Barcelona constantly break the rules and seemingly get away with no or minimal punishment.
If football really want to make FFP rules fair (which I don’t think they do) they need to look at other options such as a salary cap not based on turnover but that will never happen as unfortunately the “big” clubs are too powerful and will never allow it. 

[Le Renard]

The bigger/richer clubs will always try to destabilise a player from a team considered beneath them, but it doesn't help with 24hr media now constantly talking about this or that player going to this or that club.  I  don't think it helped our cause with Rodgers opening his big mouth and saying we need a summer refresh.  Now we can't seem to offload the players we want, the vultures are circling and offering derisory amounts for the players we want to keep. 

[fairbanksh]

However just putting FFP aside

This is a shambles City find themselves in. Top should look long and hard at Rudkins performance and that of Rodgers.

This situation is mainly self inflicted