Gidday Soc, I do wish you'd choose a new persona cos every time I watch tv and a documentary, history or something similar bloody Socrates pops up and I end up thinking of your avatar.

But I'd agree with what you've mentioned above. Everything about the game today is totally different. The modern players are faster, stronger, more technical, better tactics. Even the ball from back then probably feels like a medicine ball to current players.. Despite a truckload of pundit's being from that era and spouting "well in my day" while spitting tobacco (Sounnes, Keane, Neville, etc) they would get annihilated by all but the worst PL teams now.

They might get a fine. A points deduction they already have courtesy of spurs. Who I thought thoroughly deserved their win btw.

Edit: Oh you mean the news about FFP

Problems mounting for Abu Dhabi City:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64536785

and like the FIFA 'investigation' I highly doubt anything meaningful will happen. Their accounts will throw up a bunch of shell companies and super complex hierarchies of money flows to distance from the know fact that they were pumping billions of 'Etihad' dollars straight into the club.

Chelsea I thought were just as bad over the last 15 years with Abramovic writing cheques after transfer window.

You’re probably right, but we can hope.

Just the guilt by association issues denigrate their achievements; it’s nice to see the suspicions/knowledge backed up by an official investigation.

Just realised they’ve won 6 PL titles since being doped, would not have guessed that many, suppose that proves how disengaged I’ve become with the whole circus. It is kind of ironic that this should happen right after the chavs latest spending spree.

My money is on nothing happening.

I honestly think this one has legs.

Der Spiegel have been banging on about all this for years. Thanks to some Portuguese hacker, they have reams and reams of detailed and well-documented evidence. UEFA brought a case based on the findings but City were able to win an appeal based on statute of limitations. Those time limitations don't apply here.

Squeaky bum time at The Etihad.

A nice round of grubby articles that take the shine off would be nice. Hopefully the opposition supporters chime in with some annoying repetitive chants of “cheats”.

Let’s also hope that guardiola gets lots of questions about it and the team lose their focus because they’re worried the tax man is going to start poring over their inflated salaries.

City relegated, spending, endorsements, player recruitments limited, Pep walks away.

Under 18s live on AFC site FA Youth Cup action.

2-0 down at half time now 4-2 up with 15 mins of 2nd half to go.

They could teach the first team a few things

Now this is bang out of order. Too ridiculous.

My take on Man City and the recent allegations is pretty simple:
1) what are the intentions of the FFP rules? Answer, to stop artificial investment beyond the normal spending means of the club. Ie: you can only worn what you earn.
2) do Man City genuinely earn an amount of income to justify FFP regulations?
3) or are most of Man City’s incomes simply just a wedge of money shoved through the tills by the owner?

You can twist it however you want but we all know the reason why FFP was introduced, and City and Chelsea have exploited those rules for a number of years

Whisper it quietly but that’s also why they (along with Kroenket) wanted to create that super league ridiculousness. Spend as much as you want and split the enourmous profits amongst a smaller majorit ly without contributing anything to the smaller clubs.

Had we won the Everton game as expected, I'd have gone into this Brentford match mildly fearful of a bad result. Now? I am obviously a bit more worried as Brentford is a much better team and has some top 6 scalps to its name.

I hope...or I think we will go into this next game like a cup final. I'm hoping and I tend to think we are now going to be more focused. I don't see Man Utd catching us but City has to have a genuine fear of them. Man Utd are only 3 points behind them. 8 behind us with us having a game in hand and not having to play them in the league (but a chance in the Europa cup).

I wouldn't necessarily count Man Utd out of runner up. If City catches us then its we that might have to worry about being 3rd behind both Manchester sides.

I would assume that the evidence the Premier League have compiled on City is watertight or they will look a proper bunch of Charlies when City's high powered lawyers tie them up in knots, as they did with UEFA.

If the evidence of City cooking the books is proven then don't the PL have to kick out City's owners for no longer being a fit and proper owner, or whatever the term they use is.

City would effectively be unable to participate in the PL unless they sell up and the owners are replaced by some who do pass the Premier League's fit and proper owner tests.

I mean, how could you continue to let them run the club if they have been proven to be cheats who ignore the PL's rules?

Now that I have read more I think you might be right. 100 different charges. Seemingly the KC setting up the commission to "try" this is a season ticket holder at the Emirates.

A change of ownership at City might not be a good thing for those who detest the idea of a Super League or a league with no relegation. The Americans like that idea, and once they own the majority of Premiership clubs, it will come.

The tale behind the manager Will Still is even more remarkable.

https://en.as.com/soccer/who-is-will-st ... manager-n/

The owners of Newcastle literally had Jamal Khashoggi hacked to pieces like he was a Christmas ham.

This seems a bit fanciful what are you expecting mate

Yes, I'm not sure that any post referencing the appalling death of Jamal Khashoggi needs that chuckle emoji, but the idea of City being forced to sell up as unfit owners does seem a tad unlikely.

The Italian clubs were caught actually rigging games. The worst of the worst of offenses. As despicable as City did it doesn't rise to that in the minds of those who will make the decision. Likely? A huge fine and not missing 1 or 2 transfer windows. No point deduction, no forfeit of games. That's my best guess going by how I've seen these things pan out in the past.

There’s over 100 charges, it will be a points deduction. They’ve been paying their staff via secret contracts and for 8 years didn’t disclose any financial information for FFP. Every club in the league would complain and it would show even when found guilty FFP doesn’t work. That’s if it can be proved and it will take years too.

If proven it has to be at the very least a massive points deduction, enough to relegate then, otherwise every other club might as well throw away the rule book because any punishment does not fit the crime and you might as well flout the rules if all you will get is a fine or a small points deduction.

If proven then they've basically cheated their way to several titles and silverware. The Premier League will lose all credibilty if they do nothing of any consequence.

Everton home game rescheduled for wed March 1st.
4 of our next 6 league games are now at home.

No way the charges would be brought if it wasn't a certainty. And its not about if City should have points deducted. They full deserve to be if the charges are true and they appear to be. I am a bit cynical and money, marketing, etc, has always guided decisions it seems. I just don't think the league will do it. I don't think the league, the FA UEFA care enough to do that. There is nothing but the 'death penalty' automatic relegation for what Juve and the other clubs did.

It goes to the heart of the integrity of the game. So much money has been spent by the biggest clubs that I think fans don't see it as bad anymore. Chelsea has spent over half a million in several months and its supposed to be all legal...so far. City brings in revenue for EPL in viewership globally.

The cynic in me says they will not have points taken or forfeit games. Massive fine and no transfers for a window or two. I'd be somewhat surprised if more than that. Hopefully they will surprise me.

Another penalty they may do is no European football or a year or two. I can see that happening as well. I'd very surprised at point reduction because I don't think they have the balls to do it. If it happens, its us, Man Utd and Newcastle top 3.

The thing with the City stuff is it kind of has to be no punishment or huge punishment. Imagine they just get a big fine or even (as sky report) a small points deduction. If it was say 5 point deduction then everything they’ve done is totally worth just 5 points, it says you’re guilty of buying 6 prem titles so we’ll take 5 points off you. Punishment doesn’t fit the crime.

I have no idea how this plays out.

Probably because I'm guessing you live near London ....... the papers main focus will always be West Ham . Tott , Chelsea , Arse .

We lived in Kent and at one stage I spent about six months working in Manchester upgrading a little chemical plant ;

I was amazed at the total immersion with events Man U, City , Oldham........it was if Arsenal Spurs Chelsea didn't exist .

Very easily if UAE and their allies say no more oil and gas for you Poms

Okay off to the airport Mrs Kiwi and myself flying out of Christchurch back home .

Hope the Tiger Moth is fully fueled

I'd suggest it's because Klopp has managed Liverpool superbly for the last 4 or 5 years. They are now having a very poor season, but you'd want to be some clown of a journalist to seriously question him about his managerial decisions less than a year after winning two cups, getting to the CL final and taking the title race to the last day of the season. In short, he has a fair bit of credit in the bank.

If it's a points deduction, I reckon it will be 20 or 30, not some something as small as 5 points. City won't take it lying down. That's for sure. I think the talk of awarding the titles to the teams that came second is silly though.

Again, I'm looking at this as not what's fair but what the powers that be typically do. Maybe seeing the corruption in American politics first hand has jaded me. Maybe seeing how the CL is rigged so that the most popular clubs will always have a place no matter how badly they do for a time has jaded me.

In a fair and just world, everything proposed would be done. Maybe it will but I just don't see it. First of all: politics. This is not just about City but the country that funds it. It's a political issue. My guess again, is if its a point deduction it will happen next season. My guess is that they won't just de facto hand us the title and hand Man Utd runner up probably, depending on the point deduction.

I think at a minimum we are looking at probably record fines. They have the money. I think at a minimum we are looking at multiple transfer windows. How many? Who knows. I can also see at a minimum being banned from the CL for a season or two or whatever. After that, its up to the powers that be and we must include the politics of both the governing bodies and the UK and Qatar governments. It is de facto accusing a country of cheating. And all the ramifications of doing so.

I can see titles being stripped after the fact. If that happens, and we go back 10 years which I think the charges say they have had financial malfeasance (not sure) then Liverpool gets 3 titles and Man Utd will get 2. Tottenham were runners up in 2017 but Chelsea were champions. Just imagine if they were runners up when City had won recently? Shudder the thought.

Lastly, and I reiterate, its not about what is fair its about how fair and honorable the governing bodies are both the FA and the Parliament, who will have a say I hear and this affects international relations with another country.
I don't see automatic relegation. Too much TV money at risk.

Going down the plausible deniability route

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64563546

Plenty of city affiliates are going to embarrass themselves over this btw

Hi Dec,

Whats the good in a deduction even of 30 points, they might be denied a PL title challenge but they won't be relegated and basically all their cheating over the last decade will have been rewarded with PL wins and other silverware.

If the PL really wanted to make a statement they would relegate them and put a transfer embargo on them for the next 5 seasons. Anything else is just sending a message that cheating is OK because the punishments do not fit the crimes.

Talk about running for the new manager. In all prem games Everton have played this season 5 of the 7 greatest distances ran during a game came from 5 players in the game v Arsenal.

Over 21 games that is 231 starting players - 210 if we take out the GK. And in those 210 individual performances 5 of the top 7 came against us.