The City Group informal partnership

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Watching last night’s Champions League semi-final, it is clear that Manchester City are one of the all-time great sides, as well as everything else, they retired half of that magnificent Real Madrid team.  There is a belief that City will, sooner or later, win the tournament, but this could be their last chance for a while, or ever.

They have been charged by the Premier League with 113 breaches of Financial Fair Play rules.  Uefa banned them from European competition for two years for similar offences in 2020, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport lifted that punishment, as many of the offences were either time barred or not sufficiently established.  The Premier League has no such bar.

This is all conjecture at the moment.  City are yet to be found guilty and may never be.  If punished, they will suffer at least one year of significant points deduction, with possible limits on future budgets.

It is important to keep an eye on what is happening at the bottom of the Premier League table right now.  Everton face a points deduction if found guilty on charges of breaking Premier League financial rules.  It looks like any deduction will happen next season.  If so, Leeds, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Burnley have threatened to sue Everton for £300m, as a points deduction this season would relegate the Merseyside club.

England has a different view on sporting advantage than Scotland.  With Everton hovering the right side of the relegation battle, a precedent could be set that would have ramifications for charges for a decade’s non-compliance at Manchester City.

Much of what is going well for Celtic these days happened because of the City Group’s off-field talent development strategy.  We have had a profitable, informal, partnership with them for many years, culminating in the recruitment of a spectacularly successful manager and head of recruitment.  For this reason, I want their on-field strategy to be successful, because ours is a scaled down version.

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  1. Interesting article, many of us will have mixed feelings towards Man City, purveyors of the beautiful game no doubts but financial doping gives a big sporting advantage in every area, Well bar Scotland of course

     

     

    Much of what is going well for Celtic these days happened because of the City Group’s off-field talent development strategy. We have had a profitable, informal, partnership with them for many years, culminating in the recruitment of a spectacularly successful manager and head of recruitment. For this reason, I want their on-field strategy to be successful, because ours is a scaled down version.

     

     

    Can’t for the life of me see that connection

     

     

    Man City are spending a fortune on players they are not earning

     

     

    We are earning money and banking it away rather than spending it on players, so kinda at a loss anyone illuminate?

     

     

    Also, who is our Head of recruitment?

     

     

    Hail Hail

  2. Head of Recruitment – an ANGE appointment

     

     

    his second name though, seems familiar but I just cant place it –

     

     

    ————

     

     

    Celtic Appoint New Head of First Team Scouting and Recruitment

     

    By Celtic Football Club

     

     

    Share

     

     

    Celtic Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Lawwell as Head of First Team Scouting and Recruitment.

     

     

    Mark joins Celtic from his position as Head of CFG Scouting and Recruitment, within City Football Group’s global structure, having spent the last 10 years there.

     

     

    Mark, who will join the Club in readiness for the summer transfer window, previously worked closely with Celtic Manager Ange Postecoglou on scouting and recruitment throughout Ange’s time as Manager of Yokohama F Marinos.

     

     

    Celtic Manager, Ange Postecoglou said: “I was very keen for Mark to join the Club and clearly I am delighted that he has accepted this important role and that we have been able to bring him to Celtic.

     

     

    “Mark is someone who I worked closely with throughout my four years at Marinos, through which time we developed great trust and an excellent working relationship. He knows the way I like to work, the way my teams play and the particular player profile which this requires.”

     

     

    The Manager added: “I know he will be a great addition to our team, leading our first-team scouting and recruitment function and delivering on our key objective of identifying and bringing exciting, talented players to the Club.

     

     

    “We have a great team of people at the Club and since joining Celtic I have been hugely impressed by the staff around me who have all worked so hard to deliver success.

     

     

    “I have said before that I didn’t want to make changes just for the sake of it, but we always aim to build and develop everything we do and in bringing Mark in I know we have made an appointment which will be hugely beneficial for us moving forward.”

  3. First half from City yesterday was awesome. I just hope they don’t think that was the final as we did against Leeds.

  4. SAINT STIVS @ 12:13 PM,

     

     

    Cheers, I knew Mark Lawwell had joined us but didn’t realise he was head of recruitment

     

     

    He has been in position almost a year, so I’m guessing the “spectacularly successful” wasn’t including ML.

     

     

    Hope he has a great summer transfer window, getting value for those moving on and buying some quality first team talent is crucial imo.

     

     

    When you look at what Real did to us, then what Man City did to Real there is a huge chasm we need to start addressing

     

     

    Maybe the F.A.’s and UEFA’s FSR and an ambitious Celtic manager and talent scout will help

     

     

    Hail Hail

  5. Paul 67,

     

     

    There is no doubt Manchester City are an awesome team. The most famous name in world football was systematically taken apart last night. Especially in the first half..

     

     

    That is all.

     

     

    HH.

  6. FYI.

     

     

    This article has already been viewed 3466 times on Twitter.

     

     

    HH.

  7. I don’t watch many games unless we are playing but chose to watch the City Vs Madrid game. Two clubs financially doped to the gills. Putting that to one side, City were good value for 4-0. Their football was sublime.

     

    Two small observations. Their highest-paid player, Kevin de Bruyne, had 4-5 chances to play a killer through ball to Haaland and overhit all of them. Imagine if he had been on form?

     

    My second observation is more of a question – when did Jack Grealish become so good? Last year the talk was of him being biggest transfer flop in history (after Torre André Flo).

  8. Contention:

     

     

    Reading Glasgow City FC site, it is abundantly clear that many Celtic supporters, especially female are also long standing supporters of Glasgow City.

     

     

    There are also mentions of its great to have big crowds but they don’t need the non football songs in the Ladies game.

     

     

    I must agree.

     

     

    C’est la vie does not have to be.

  9. GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL @ 12:39 PM,

     

     

    Like me I think you may have read it wrong, possibly could have been written as…

     

     

    …culminating in the engagement of a head of recruitment and a spectacularly successful manager

     

     

    Hail Hail

  10. So before we go getting what we wish for ie DD away and a new ownership model, I think it is better to understand somemore what “THE CITY GROUP” actually is and how it operates.

     

     

    wrt to this piece

     

     

    Much of what is going well for Celtic these days happened because of the City Group’s off-field talent development strategy. We have had a profitable, informal, partnership with them for many years, culminating in the recruitment of a spectacularly successful manager and head of recruitment. For this reason, I want their on-field strategy to be successful, because ours is a scaled down version.

     

     

    “a profitable and informal partnership”

     

     

    eh whit does that even mean ? sounds a tad underhand, insidious, insider dealing is it ?

     

     

    it is a massive organsation, more than Man Ciry,

     

     

    if DD wanted out what better way than seeling on to the CITY GROUP

     

     

    Glasgow Celtic City anyone.

     

     

    —————————-

     

     

     

    Established in May 2013, City Football Group is the owner of football-related businesses in major cities around the world, including football clubs, academies, technical support and marketing companies.

     

     

    It is our ambition to increase participation in football on and off the field, to find and develop the best footballing talent, and to deliver an exciting and forward playing game.

     

     

    By achieving these ambitions – playing attractive football, engaging our community of passionate fans and adopting a uniquely global yet local approach – we are growing a sustainable and socially responsible organisation, consistent with what ‘City’ football has meant to people for over a century.

     

     

    Timeline

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Today, City Football Group is the world’s leading private owner and operator of football clubs, with total or partial ownership of thirteen clubs in major cities across the world: Premier League Champions Manchester City in the UK, New York City FC in the US, Melbourne FC in Australia, Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan, Montevideo City Torque in Uruguay, Girona Futbol Club in Spain, Sichuan Jiuniu FC in China, Mumbai City FC in India, Lommel SK in Belgium, ESTAC in France, Palermo FC in Italy, Bahia SAF in Brazil and partner Club, Club Bolivar.

     

     

    CFG is majority owned by Newton Investment and Development LLC, with a significant minority shareholding held by global technology investment firm, Sliver Lake (18.16%).

     

     

    From 23rd September 2008 until December 2015, City Football Group was wholly owned by ADUG, a private investment and development company belonging to His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

     

     

    From 25 July 2021, CFG’s ultimate parent undertaking is Newton Investment and Development LLC, a company registered in Abu Dhabi and also wholly owned by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

  11. The recuritment of Ange and Mark from City group where they had been spectacularly succesful previously.

     

     

    reading it, why did they bother looking to Howe ? just piggy back onto the City group, who is their next succesful manager ?

  12. Yup City are a magnificent team

     

    Then again if you have an unlimited budget and consistently flaunt rules while having the support of a state.a team like City need no plaudits.

     

     

    City taking over state funded cheating title from Russian and rouble funded Chelsea- obramovich And Arsenal- osamov

     

     

    Give us another article on the 2club identity shatoot from edmiston.The cheating works.

     

     

    Uefa will do sweet fa for any fsr/ffp indiscretions their title.Bit like our own inefficiencies which via OUR boardrooms flooded our game in 2012.howd that turn out

     

     

    City’s football is a joy to watch.but let’s not pretend this is part of footballs rule following. If it where the cheating hun there you’d be havin a wean Paul.

     

    It’s cheating but it’s the modrin game :-(

     

     

    HH

  13. !!Bada Bing!! on

    I suppose it’s a better partnership than with someone like…..The Dallas Cowboys, I suppose…

  14. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    Chairbhoy

     

    Ah – that could be it! Certainly struggling to think of too many (any?) “spectacularly successful” signings since he took on the role.

  15. I will be back on later, but I am trying to piece together how many players did we recruit from the City group ?

     

     

    Did it start with Samaras ? Robbie Keane, Bellamy ? how far back does it go, ………

     

     

    lets start a list. fees, games, profits,

  16. https://uofg.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b8SUoY0L2XInJMW?fbclid=IwAR0QsNVGw74cm1i1liTYhhLnulwfd0nfabu70l8ZjOnMWnOnHCExEamsUAU_aem_th_Acrg022Eq37mPS5TAmxpxLBnXQ2aZvaQJ7Ggct4Bfx6uI4r2E1Gt64y68Kb4qTF_zTeaBrerYEOxK_DmKKtW4Arz

     

    University of Glasgow survey

     

    The research study investigates Celtic PLC (known as Celtic Football Club) ability to facilitate meaningful fan and small shareholder engagement that would support the club’s governance and accountability in relation to its football and business strategies.

  17. Tim Malone Will Tell on

    We Never Stop” running today – .4.45 at York.

     

     

    Do you fancy its chances ?

     

    ——————————————————————–

     

     

    With a name like that, I expect it to win the 4.45…..the 5.15….and the 5.45

  18. Daizen maeda already won the 445, 515 and the 545 , he is due to land back in glasgow around now

  19. SAINT STIVS

     

     

    Shirley it would be City of Glasgow Celtic… Or Celtic Glasgow city 😜

  20. Tim Malone Will Tell on

    I have no admiration whatsoever for Man City. All they have done is picked up the financial doping baton from the gangsters and money launderers and showed what you can do if you have serious dirty money.

     

     

    To those suggesting that Celtic need to ‘close the gap’, you are kidding yourself. Unless proper Financial Fair Play rules are introduced and adhered to, that task is mission beyond impossible.

     

    In fact, the game would be healthier if all the financially doped just pissed off and played each other every week in Dubai, Qatar etc. – and left the rest of us to it.

  21. Bognorbhoy,

     

     

    that 3rd Kit being circulated looks a shade closer to a blue than a green,

     

     

    I am suspicious.

  22. Well, what we could do is list our top twenty sales of all time and go down the list and pull out all the Man City players

     

     

    Kieran Tierney

     

    Arsenal

     

    €27M

     

     

    Moussa Dembélé

     

    Lyon

     

    €22M

     

     

    Odsonne Edouard

     

    Crystal Palace

     

    €16.3M

     

     

    Virgil van Dijk

     

    Southampton

     

    €15.7M

     

     

    Kristoffer Ajer

     

    Brentford

     

    €15.7M

     

     

    Victor Wanyama

     

    Southampton

     

    €14.5M

     

     

    Fraser Forster

     

    €12.5M

     

     

    Aiden McGeady

     

    Spartak

     

    €12M

     

     

    Jeremie Frimpong

     

    €11M

     

     

    Stiliyan Petrov

     

    Aston Villa

     

    €10M

     

     

    Mark Viduka

     

    Leeds United

     

    €9.2M

     

     

    Josip Juranovic

     

    Union Berlin

     

    €8.6M

     

     

    Stuart Armstrong

     

    Southampton

     

    €8M

     

     

    Sung-yueng Ki

     

    Swansea

     

    €7M

     

     

    Gary Hooper

     

    Norwich

     

    €6.3M

     

     

    Pierre van Hooijdonk

     

    Nottingham

     

    €6M

     

     

    Kenny Miller

     

    Derby

     

    €4.5M

     

     

    Patryk Klimala

     

    New York RB

     

    €4.4M

     

     

    Scott McDonald

     

    Middlesbrough

     

    €4.3M

     

     

    Georgios Giakoumakis

     

    Atlanta United

     

    €4M

     

     

    Hail Hail

  23. Tim Malone

     

    That would mean that the best players would be playing in a very select and expensive environment.

     

    We would be reduced to being permanently in the slow lane, fishing in a pool of untried youngsters and castoffs from the elite clubs.

  24. ADI_DASSLER NOT FOR 2ND BEST on 18TH MAY 2023 1:13 PM

     

    FAO Big Jimmy

     

     

     

     

     

     

    “We Never Stop” running today – .4.45 at York.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Do you fancy its chances ?

     

    …………

     

    Ive backed the Horse Each Way at 20/1 this morning. The Trainer ( Kevin Ryan) has his Horses running very well just now, so its a Stable in good form.

     

    Its a VERY TRICKY Race with so many Horses having NEVER run before, and the FAVOURITE having one good run.

     

     

    I do NOT expect it to Win….as the Horse could be ” ANYTHING”, just like the vast majority of the runners ?

     

     

    HH

  25. The Everton situation is interesting,

     

     

    Wycombe Wanderers had a similar situation a couple seasons back

     

     

    Derby County were due to get points deducted for breaching EFL accounting rules but it was delayed until the following season.

     

     

    So Wycombe went down instead…

     

     

    They appealed without success.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  26. I posted last night that Man Citeh lawyers are their 12th man – FFP is a joke and I’m sure its replacement will be equally so.

  27. Tim Malone Will Tell on

    GG

     

     

    Not sure where you are coming from – what you describe is exactly what is happening at the moment.

     

    The likes of Man City and Chelsea are milking the system from both ends – paying wages for the ‘finished article’ that are beyond reality and hoovering up everybody else’s young talent to then loan them out to whatever league they see fit.

     

     

    Everybody else just has to be content with crumbs from the table and endorse some delusion that when the stars align, we will ‘close the gap’.

     

     

    They treat every other side as fodder – to be exploited as far as they can bend the rules.

     

    That’s the reality – we might as well recognize it for what it is.

     

     

    I was delighted when the ‘Big 6’ threatened the super league – genuinely wish it had happened. Not because I had any desire to watch financially doped teams play each other every week – but the fact that it would have liberated every other team from second class slavery.

  28. I watch the EPL every weekend when the games do not collide with the Celts. It works great in the US when you can watch 2 games in the morning while finishing a late breakfast. 2 teams I just cannot warm to are Man City and Chelsea. I think it’s the fact they went out and bought success and in the process lost whatever identity they might once have had. When they’re the only option, I don’t bother to set the alarm.

  29. bigrailroadblues on

    Good afternoon all from the Vicky Bar. Back on familiar territory after my west end jaunt. Govanhill publicans rejoice.

  30. Aren’t we buying success in comparison with the likes of Ross County, St Mirren etc etc

     

    We have a bigger budget to buy and sell, a better quality of back room and better facilities to improve players either bought on the open market or nurtured in our academy.

     

    Even Aberdeen coulnt join a B league as they didn’t have the finances to support it.

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