The Manchester City Super Thread

[Al.Bundy]

Arab billionaire Dr Sulaiman al-Fahim pledges £540million for Manchester City players

By Paul Byrne 2/09/2008

The man behind yesterday's sensational takeover of Manchester City has given manager Mark Hughes just three years to win the Champions League.

But billionaire Dr Sulaiman al-Fahim - frontman for a mega-rich Middle East business group - will hand over an astonishing £540million to bring the world's top stars to the under-achieving Premier League club to help achieve the quest.

Sulaiman said in an exclusive interview that he wants to buy 18 new players - at a cost of £30million each.

He added: "I need to meet the manager but the best players in the world average £30million. We need a minimum of 18 players at that level.

"Without that you can't win the Champions League."

Hughes (right) admitted he was "stunned and excited" by news of English football's latest big takeover.

And within hours of agreeing the deal the club was trying to hijack Dimitar Berbatov's £30million move from Spurs to deadly rivals Manchester United.

Sulaiman went on: "Our goal is very simple - to make Manchester City the biggest club in the Premier League.

"We have to spend to get the world's best players . The club has everything it needs except really good players. It has good players but not excellent players who can really compete at the top.

"To compete with Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, you need good support from the board to finance players and support the manager. For this season our aim is to change the club's image and be in the top four. We want to win the Champions League in the near future.

"We have to give that trophy to the fans. I'm hungry for success. I am very excited. It is my dream for our group to own a club like City."

Sulaiman, a 31-year-old married father of three and property tycoon, plans to watch his first game at the City of Manchester Stadium when big-spending Chelsea visit on September 13. He added: "I hope the team play well on that day."

The takeover was greeted with delight by City fans. Kevin Parker, of the official supporters' club, said: "Teams are looking for investors with deep pockets and it appears they have deep pockets.

"In the past 30 years we haven't had any success and we're desperate to win a trophy."

Sulaiman heads the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, which has agreed to buy City for £150million from controversial chairman Thaksin Shinawatra. Backed by the Abu Dhabi royal family, the consortium is thought to be worth £120billion.

Sulaiman said: "The UK has the best league in the world and the idea is that Abu Dhabi would like to position itself as a sports and cultural hub."

Ex-Thai prime minister Shinawatra, 59, sold the club just 14 months after taking charge.

He bought City for £80million, but plans to pump in millions more were foiled when almost £1billion of assets were frozen in Thailand. Together with his wife Potjaman, 51, who is on bail after being sentenced to jail for tax fraud, he is in exile in London.

The freezing of his assets has caused City cash huge flow problems in recent weeks.

Now Shinawatra is poised to step down as chairman and take a role as honorary president.

Money will not be a problem for the new owners, based in the United Arab Emirates, which is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter.

Flamboyant Sulaiman will sit on City's board under the deal, which was agreed on Sunday.

The chief of Hydra Properties enjoys the company of film stars such as Demi Moore and Leonardo DiCaprio and has been described as the Arab world's answer to Donald Trump. He also hosts a reality TV show.

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City said officially: "We can confirm a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Abu Dhabi United Group and Manchester City FC. A period of due diligence for all parties has now been entered."

Abu Dhabi vs Manchester: Tale of tape

ABU DHABI CITY

Population: 850,000

Climate: Sunny, blue skies, average temp of 40C

Dress: Men - white robes, women - black abba

Alcohol: Forbidden

Favourite dish: Falafel

Pass times: Sand-surfing and golf

Music: Sufi - for a mystical mood

Shopping: The Al Ain camel market

Celebrities: Holiday spot for Pamela Anderson

GREATER MANCHESTER

Population: 2.2million

Climate: Rain, rain and more rain

National dress: Unisex shellsuits

Alcohol: A must

Favourite dish: Hot pot and curry

Pass times: Football

Music: Oasis, The Smiths, Happy Mondays

Shopping: Arndale Centre

Celebrities: Coronation Street cast

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-st...-for-manchester-city-players-115875-20721189/

 

[B-Train]

Yeah, I was cut and shocked.

Check this post out at Red Cafe...

http://www.redcafe.net/f6/abu-dhabi-boss-plans-ronaldo-swoop-216578/#post5084129

Haha. Well I was quite good at doing that with City in Championship/Football Manager.

Its alright. No need to feel insecure Doga. Every reign comes to an end and just because the roles will be reversed from here on in when City and the Arabs turn us into a better version of Chelsea doesn't mean you didn't have a good run there for a while.

After Ronaldo goes to Real, Ferguson finally retires and Rooney goes to gaol you won't have much left besides a severely overpriced Berbatov.

Enjoy last year while the memories are still fresh.

 

[Al.Bundy]

Haha. Well I was quite good at doing that with City in Championship/Football Manager.

Its alright. No need to feel insecure Doga. Every reign comes to an end and just because the roles will be reversed from here on in when City and the Arabs turn us into a better version of Chelsea doesn't mean you didn't have a good run there for a while.

After Ronaldo goes to Real, Ferguson finally retires and Rooney goes to gaol you won't have much left besides a severely overpriced Berbatov.

Enjoy last year while the memories are still fresh.

lol talk about getting a head of yourself

 

[B-Train]

lol talk about getting a head of yourself

LOL. A man has to dream.

 

[cmrn]

hahaha @ "For most people there is the PS2. For those with money to spend there is the PS3. And for oil tycoons there is Man City."

quality

 

[Malla]

1 Chelsea 4 3 1 0 9 2 7 10
2 Liverpool 4 3 1 0 5 2 3 10
3 Arsenal 4 3 0 1 8 1 7 9
4 Aston Villa 4 2 1 1 8 6 2 7
5 Hull 4 2 1 1 5 8 -3 7
6 Man City 4 2 0 2 9 7 2 6
7 Fulham 3 2 0 1 4 3 1 6
8 Middlesbrough 4 2 0 2 6 6 0 6
9 West Ham 4 2 0 2 8 8 0 6
10 Portsmouth 4 2 0 2 5 6 -1 6
11 Everton 4 2 0 2 7 9 -2 6
12 Wigan 4 1 1 2 7 4 3 4
13 Man United 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4


hehehehe

 

[Shanked]

yeah but we got 1 game in hand

 

[Malla]

i realised
who cares
saviour the moment baby

 

[Shanked]

true, cause it won't last for long

 

[Hansta]

6-0 2 lil bro. good stuff

 

[Shanked]

Brighton send Man City packing

By Angus MacKinnon in London, England
September 25, 2008

CASH strapped Brighton struck a blow for the have-nots of English football on by dumping moneybags Manchester City out of the League Cup.
The League One side scored a last-minute equaliser to force their second round tie into extra-time and went on to clinch a third-round date with Derby by winning the penalty shoot-out 5-3.

It was a sharp reminder for City, newly-rich following their takeover by Abu Dhabi United Group, that money alone cannot buy success and Mark Hughes's men only had themselves to blame for their embarrassing evening on the south coast.

City had appeared to be coasting to victory inside the 90 minutes after Swiss midfielder Gelson Fernandes's deflected shot put them ahead just after the hour mark.

But complacency crept in and sloppy defending ensured they were forced into extra-time when Glen Murray equalised in the final minute of regulation time.

Joe Anyinsah then put Brighton ahead five minutes into extra-time and it was not until eight minutes from the end of the second period that Stephen Ireland forced the tie to penalties.

And when it came to the crunch, it was Brighton's unheralded stars who held their nerve, producing five textbook strikes while City defender Michael Ball missed his side's fourth effort to hand victory to Mickey Adams's side.

Elsewhere, Tottenham earned some breathing space for under-pressure boss Juande Ramos with a 2-1 win over Newcastle that sent the League Cup holders into the fourth round of the competition

Second-half goals from Russian striker Roman Paylyuchenko - his first for the club - and midfielder Jamie O'Hara, gave the club currently propping up the English Premier League their first win of the season.

There was no such respite for managerless Newcastle, for whom Michael Owen scored a consolation effort in the last minute.

On the evidence of this supine display, the Magpies could find it harder to get out of the EPL's relegation zone than Tottenham will.

Chelsea, the side beaten by Spurs in last year's final, marched into the fourth round with a convincing 4-0 win at Portsmouth in which Frank Lampard continued his superb early season form.

The midfielder has been outstanding for club and country since the uncertainty over his future was resolved before the start of this campaign and he capped another all-action display with two goals at Fratton Park, the first from the penalty spot.

Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou were also on target for Luiz Felipe Scolari's near full-strength side, in which Didier Drogba made his first start of the season.

Championship side QPR produced a shock when they knocked out high-flying Aston Villa with a 1-0 win at Villa Park.

The most notable result since the west London club was taken over by Formula One tycoons Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone was secured by a Damion Stewart header just before the hour mark with Daniel Parejo - on loan from Real Madrid - the supplier of the cross.

Ipswich were made to pay for missing a string of first-half chances as they went down to a 4-1 defeat at home to Wigan.

Jonathan Walters cancelled out Lee Cattermole's opener for Wigan but goals from Olivier Kapo, Paul Scharner and Henri Camara saw the Premier League outfit run out convincing winners.

Martin Olsson's 10th-minute strike proved enough for Blackburn to overcome a weakened Everton at Ewood Park.

The left-back played a neat one-two with Robbie Fowler before beating Tim Howard with a low shot for his first goal for Blackburn.

The win was marred for Paul Ince's side by an apparently serious injury to goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who was forced off shortly after Olsson's strike.

yeah the carling cup aint big, but every title they don't win still makes me smile

 

[B-Train]

Just finished watching the game against Wigan.

Firstly, I love Hughes as a manager, but playing Elano that deep in midfield as a sort of holding player is a huge waste of his talents and goal scorung ability IMO.

Jo was very poor, as was Robinho and Ireland wasted a few good chances.

Wigan played very hard and were closing down and providing no space for anyone all game.

However as bad as we were, Wigan shouldn't have gotten that penalty and Bennett gave them numerous free kicks when the Wigan player would just obviously fall to ground yet when Dune got a slight push at the end of the first half there was no penalty. And that is fair enough but if he gave the soft penalty before then he has to give that one.

Also Micah Richards should have gotten a free just outside the box towards the end of the game and maybe even a penalty and he gave the free kick to Wigan!

There were many decisions like that all game which somehow went Wigan's way.

But again, we played quite poor, lacked sharpness and Wigan out enthused City. We had some very good chances and just didn't take them.

It just goes to show that if you give Robinho no time on the ball and crowd him he doesn't like it. Well he better get used to it because almost every Premier League team will be doing to him every time.

Liverpool at home next, we need to improve alot to beat them.

Oh by the way Zaki was great (even if he did dive quite a bit) and is a really good, strong and quick player and Valencia's goal was brilliant (even if it was shocking City defense for not closing him down and giving him way too much time)

 

[Shanked]

Just finished watching the game against Wigan.

Firstly, I love Hughes as a manager, but playing Elano that deep in midfield as a sort of holding player is a huge waste of his talents and goal scorung ability IMO.

Jo was very poor, as was Robinho and Ireland wasted a few good chances.

Wigan played very hard and were closing down and providing no space for anyone all game.

However as bad as we were, Wigan shouldn't have gotten that penalty and Bennett gave them numerous free kicks when the Wigan player would just obviously fall to ground yet when Dune got a slight push at the end of the first half there was no penalty. And that is fair enough but if he gave the soft penalty before then he has to give that one.

Also Micah Richards should have gotten a free just outside the box towards the end of the game and maybe even a penalty and he gave the free kick to Wigan!

There were many decisions like that all game which somehow went Wigan's way.

But again, we played quite poor, lacked sharpness and Wigan out enthused City. We had some very good chances and just didn't take them.

It just goes to show that if you give Robinho no time on the ball and crowd him he doesn't like it. Well he better get used to it because almost every Premier League team will be doing to him every time.

Liverpool at home next, we need to improve alot to beat them.

Oh by the way Zaki was great (even if he did dive quite a bit) and is a really good, strong and quick player and Valencia's goal was brilliant (even if it was shocking City defense for not closing him down and giving him way too much time)

how dare you take hughesy as you manager*shakes fist* when sir alex retires, he will be ours

 

[B-Train]

how dare you take hughesy as you manager*shakes fist* when sir alex retires, he will be ours

Haha, well Fergie would have to eventually retire for that to happen. Which we both know won't happen til he is at least 95.

And Hughes was a United legend, but he also played at long stints for a thousand other clubs, namely Chelsea and Southampton.

 

[Shanked]

Haha, well Fergie would have to eventually retire for that to happen. Which we both know won't happen til he is at least 95.

And Hughes was a United legend, but he also played at long stints for a thousand other clubs, namely Chelsea and Southampton.

exactly lol besides if he doesn't provide tropheys hell get sacked by the arabs for mourinho probably and we'll snap him up

 

[B-Train]

exactly lol besides if he doesn't provide tropheys hell get sacked by the arabs for mourinho probably and we'll snap him up

Haha. We shall see.

I still think it was a massive mistake to sack Sven. No matter what people say about him and England, he is a great club manager and did a good job his first year and made many astute signings.

We still got a good replacement in Hughes but it seems the new ownership are more understanding and reasonable than Thaskin. I hope they are anyway!

 

[F R 3 D 5 7 A]

Hi Malla

 

[Malla]

lol shut uppp

 

[Al.Bundy]

back in your box citeh

 

[Özil]

lol citeh... all talk