Tricky Burgerstain/Soriano etc

[Green & Blue]

Happy days this is a huge coup for the club.Marwood to the academy hmmm.Long live Bwian

[trueblue64]

They are all ready putting 2 and 2 together and making 5, saying first step to getting Pep in..........

[Green & Blue]

They are all ready putting 2 and 2 together and making 5, saying first step to getting Pep in..........

Well it is the obvious story to run with, they were always going to throw that in.

[Blue Blood]

#MCFC have appointed Txiki Begiristain as director of football with Brian Marwood to become managing director of the academy.

Finally a known pro in charge of recruitment.

Thank the heavens!

Great signing!

[ant london]

Why do we want that leatherfaced spastic anywhere near the academy??

Just boot him out FFS

[lets all have a disco]

Why do we want that leatherfaced spastic anywhere near the academy??

Just boot him out FFS

My thoughts exactly.

Welcome in Cheeky lad hope it all goes to plan.

[Blue Since 76]

From the City website


Manchester City Football Club recently announced that the City Football Academy, a world leading youth development and first team training facility, would be operational at the beginning of the 2013-14 season. Given the unprecedented scope, investment and importance of the CFA, it is vital that the highest level of resource and focus is dedicated to it. At the same time, there must also be appropriate capability and support for the Club's first team operations. Crucially, both facets must be underpinned by a common football philosophy which links the youngest academy boy to the most senior first team player in an increasingly competitive and ambitious first team squad.

Recognising the scale of the Club's growing football operations, the Club has restructured in this area in order to better achieve its long term goals. Two specific, but interconnected roles have therefore been created.

Brian Marwood, as co-architect of the CFA project has chosen to take on the role of Managing Director of the City Football Academy with all associated international responsibilities and will be responsible for the recruitment, development, training and management of up to 400 players in Manchester and at other global training centres.

In an interlinked role, Txiki Berigiristain will join Manchester City FC as Director of Football. Txiki, a former footballer at Real Sociedad, FC Barcelona, Deportivo A Coruna, Urawa Reds and the Spanish national team, held the position of Director of Football at FC Barcelona in the period 2003-2010. His new role at Manchester City will see him take responsibility for supporting the first team manager, Roberto Mancini, in first team recruitment and operations.

Both new roles will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Ferran Soriano.

Speaking of the appointments, Chief Executive Officer Ferran Soriano said:

"Sustainability has always been central to Sheikh Mansour's investment in Manchester City Football Club. The long term future of the football club is dependent upon our ability to recruit and develop young players all the way through to the first team squad. The focus must be on both Academy and First Team and the close coordination between them.

Given the scale and importance of this challenge, we want to commit our very best people to it. I am delighted that Brian Marwood will take leadership of the CFA initiative and I am equally very pleased to welcome an individual of Txiki Bergiristain's calibre to the Club. I have no doubt that together, and in support of Roberto Mancini and the wider football club, they will be a formidable team. "

Commenting on his new role, Brian Marwood said: "The Club's new football operations structure is a hallmark of our hard work to date and the two leadership roles are a necessity borne of both success and ambition. Txiki and I have a shared philosophy when it comes to football operations and I very much look forward to the work that we will carry out together. The leadership of CFA allows me to take up an incredibly challenging role. We have a shared expectation that CFA will shape the footballing future of MCFC and as a result it is a role through which I feel I can make a major contribution to the Club."

Echoing Brian's thoughts, Txiki Begiristain said: "I am very pleased indeed to have been offered such an exciting opportunity. The progress and on field achievements at Manchester City are plain for all to see and I am honoured to have been asked to contribute to its future success. I am very much looking forward to working with Brian Marwood, Roberto Mancini and Ferran Soriano in continuing to build a football team and philosophy which will serve Manchester City well in the near and long term future."

[mcfc1632]

for those cocnerned with Marwood's capabiity regarding recruitment would these changes not see him responsible for a much higher level of recruitment and with the impact of such recruitments being felt over a very long period?

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Why do we want that leatherfaced spastic anywhere near the academy??

Just boot him out FFS

My thoughts exactly.

Welcome in Cheeky lad hope it all goes to plan.

Fear not. They are easing him out while new feller takes charge so transition goes as smoothly as possible. Completely made up title and he'll be gone by the end of the season 100%.

[Twobob]

Fear not. They are easing him out while new feller takes charge so transition goes as smoothly as possible. Completely made up title and he'll be gone by the end of the season 100%.

I hope so mate, part of the club that we don't need hanging around like a bad smell

[Bluez]

Will they teach Mancini how to crack Europe?

Mate, this Mancini ain't good for Europe is utter crap, which cannot belong to a brilliant mind like You.
A "manager" is either good or not good wherever a ball roll on a grass pitch.

loved the barsteward bit: I almost spat my tea on the desk at the office... ;)

btw: when Your new responsabilities are due to start? countdown should be quite over, now.

This is clearly not true unless Mancini has been really unlucky in Europe.
Collate his results for league and compare them to his results in Europe, both here and at inter.
If you are correct then they should be comparable. They are not

[Ted Hughes]

for those cocnerned with Marwood's capabiity regarding recruitment would these changes not see him responsible for a much higher level of recruitment and with the impact of such recruitments being felt over a very long period?

Marwood was already in charge of building the academy. It is going to plan in the way that he, & others, designed.

We have a scouting network which will already be top notch & will be added to & monitored by Tricky & Soriano. That network has been partially dismantled & it was clear that there was a reason; the reason obviously being that these blokes will now be putting their own men in there to replace the ones who left.

If people think that the aquisition of Pozo, Suarez etc was something Marwood should be sacked for, then fine. If the new team would prefer their own man in there, then fine.

Otherwise, why not just let him continue the brilliant job he and others are doing putting the academy together ?

If you want to ask questions about this stuff,what do you think they will make of Scapuzzi & Mancini's son being on the books, & of the job Baldyianio is doing with the EDS ? Who is responsible for that ? Marwood ?

[Bluez]

These guys really know what they are doing. This should be seen as a plus for Mancini. If they can all work together the futures bright, the futures blue.

[Ted Hughes]

These guys really know what they are doing. This should be seen as a plus for Mancini. If they can all work together the futures bright, the futures blue.

This is absolutely true, but imo they are going to follow the same policy Marwood did, as that is current club policy. They will spend big on occasions, but they won't have the piss taken out of them. If a deal is a bad one financially, they will walk away.

Mancini is the one who will have to bend, they won't.

[Alex Sapphire]

for those cocnerned with Marwood's capabiity regarding recruitment would these changes not see him responsible for a much higher level of recruitment and with the impact of such recruitments being felt over a very long period?

I read this as a sideways move for Marwood at best , removing all repsonsibility for recruitment direct into the first team but seeing him oversee recruitment to the Academies (not just the UK one) Long term impact, yes but much less/no influence on 1st team matters

[Swales4ever]

for those cocnerned with Marwood's capabiity regarding recruitment would these changes not see him responsible for a much higher level of recruitment and with the impact of such recruitments being felt over a very long period?

Dearest 1632,

You, Ted and alias I mean, have been told of what would have happened before it did :
the CEO void space replaced with the sole candidate ever chased by the Club, taking the time needed to recruit him.
the former CEO's muppet, who has temporarly filled the grey areas left, as it always happens in any organization while upon reorganization, have been politely and silently sidelined in a role where he may endeavour his general executive [supposed and yet to be proved, also these] capabilities, while the footballing technical decisions will be assessed by three professionals, each and every one of which have a track record of established competence and football knowledge, proved and cemented over the years with their respective achievements.
"Promoveautur ut amoveatur": I am sure it means familiar at least to Your educational course, if not to Ted's and alias'.
in the meanwhile the manager has been confirmed with the longest contract ever given to anyone in that role since ages: it's not just obvious, it's mathematics that, if Owner and Chairman were planning to replace the Mancini idea of football with the Barca one, they would had just let the former contract of the manager running to natural expiry, still having one year to recruit Pep, after having recruited Soriano and Begiristain.

Now if You want to continue stirring the same porridge started with Mancini it's a caretaker, continued with Mancini is Italian and consequently can only understand negative football made of 11 defensive midfielders and now perpetuated with Mancini has proved able to overtake 11 opponents on the English grass but will never be able to do the same when the 11 play on continental grass... I mean... fair enough... the beauty of football even lies on that entertainment keep going with talks, and all that.
I hoped it had ended with the evidence from this sumer, but not. Just please let me state here, with the most humble and naive attitude of a kid's eyes, that I am really not able to see why, people who I very much like, whose opinions I rate before respecting very much and who certainly had spent an entire life backing and praying for the enhancement of this Noble FC feel the need to keep let shite going - EVIDENTLY - made up by the Taggart's destabilising machine in the evidence that the only means to stop the rise of MCFC is to revert the Club to the status of ANARCHY in force at the Club (sadly for decades) before Mancini, it's well over my intelligence.

Now let's keep pretending to neglect the fact that while a playing footballer can define his fate just performing on the pitch, a managing footballer can only devise and agree with the Club the purchase of a team, set them to play his pattern of football train them to enhance it but THEN his fate is NECESSARILY brokered by the players talking on the pitch... fair enough: let keep entertain us by thinking that while the manager lined at West Brom a certain team set up to play the most reliable style and told them to stay focused and fight till the end, 4 days later, travelling in Europe, he told to the same lineup, set up with the same style, not to bother and stay focused on fighting for each ball till the end. As well, at Bernabeu, he told them to go in front since 3 minute to stoppage time but then to lose the focus, allow opponents to break easily down to the edge and let them shot freely on target.
YET AGAIN, while even the Taggart's career is there to prove that the best manager is the one who makes less mistakes and is capable to learn from them, 5 minutes of additional and composed focus in Madrid and 1/3 of the WBA effort put in place by the same players in Amsterdam would have seen us now comfortably on path towards CL knock out stages, getting through the hardest group ever drawn in the competition.

I frankly will try my best to stay off this silly debate, whose only possible achievement is to undermine the players' believe in the manager and restore the rollercaster which has granted anarchy at the Club for so long.
I am confident that ADUG are very experienced and qualified businessesmen who will address any possible weakness in the Club structure as well as they have done replacing Mark Hughes with Roberto Mancini, the resigned Garry Cock with Ferran Soriano and Garry's flunkey with Txiki Begiristain.

Upon reading the literal wording of the diplomatic statement released by the Club, in order to justify the replacement of a non professionally qualified sporting director with the most qualified one, please feel free to think that, from now on, the technical decisions will be assessed from the Academy (because its development is the first aim of the Club) and therefore Marwood will be telling Begiristain which players are to be chased, who in turn will go to Soriano to beg for the relevant money. as a result, the "coach" will be given the personnel chosen by Marwood idea of football.
I will continue to laugh and remain awaiting for the evidence of facts to come up and impose reality over speculations as happened all along the last 3 years, from the caretaking speculation on.

[Swales4ever]

If you want to ask questions about this stuff,what do you think they will make of Scapuzzi & Mancini's son being on the books, & of the job Baldyianio is doing with the EDS ? Who is responsible for that ? Marwood ?

Ted,
my respected friend,
I suggested You, several times: keep talking about played football, because You are the most intelligent reader of a football game and all the board, including passengers and journalists can benefit from that.
Please mate, stop keep embarrassing Yourself with weird twists and turns on the asset of management on which You have more talent for surreal sci-fi rather than reality.
Every one has his own qualities: it's just human.
Why a Leegnd among the Club fans and one of the finest reader of the football game has to embarrass himself by highlighting the contribution of Mancini to the Club enhancement in a "Scapuzzi & Mancini's son" nutshell?
Come on Pal, I love You so much that I cannot let You go down to such embarassment: we all have big egos, but sometimes it's wise to let a losing point fall... just saying.
As I wrote You privately this summer, I will continue to love Your footballing bright intelligence even if You will deem me as a noisy neighbour... ;)

next review coming up in 24 months time: where will Marwood be by then and where Mancini and Pep?
certainly Scapuzzi & Mancini's son will have been moved to lesser football clubs.

ciao amico mio

[Ted Hughes]

Mancio, us discussing the absolutely obvious & genuine possibility that the new bosses may replace Mancini if results don't go as expected, will destabilise the club ?

Do you honestly think for one second that if a club brings in the former management team of Barcelona & the former team coach of Barca is currently unemployed, that the world's press are all waiting for a few knobs on Mancityfans.net to come up with the possibility of him replacing Mancini ? They really won't mention this if we keep quiet ? Really ? It never occurred to them ?

Get real ffs. Guardiola is going to be linked with this job until either he gets it or he gets a job somewhere else. What the fuck else could possibly happen if you appoint the blokes who gave him the Barca job ? The press will be all over this week in week out.

As far as Mancini's 5 year contract goes, for one: the Sheikh is not so stupid that he won't have put clauses in it, one of which is probably qualification for the Champions League later stages, two: if you bring in a management team like this you are not doing it short term & you are not doing it as a trial to see if they can work with the manager, they are here to stay, you are putting them in charge of the club, manager, everything, three: they did not give Mancini a five year contract, Khaldoon & the Sheikh did (probably in consultation with football people such as the incompetent Marwood & others) & these guys would not take the job if they weren't given the assurances that they would be allowed do it to the best of their ability. If that means that they decide changing the manager is the way to go, they will do it, & won't even miss a beat.

Marwood, Mancini & most of the players, are on trial here, make no mistake.

[Ted Hughes]

If you want to ask questions about this stuff,what do you think they will make of Scapuzzi & Mancini's son being on the books, & of the job Baldyianio is doing with the EDS ? Who is responsible for that ? Marwood ?

Ted,
my respected friend,
I suggested You, several times: keep talking about played football, because You are the most intelligent reader of a football game and all the board, including passengers and journalists can benefit from that.
Please mate, stop keep embarrassing Yourself with weird twists and turns on the asset of management on which You have more talent for surreal sci-fi rather than reality.
Every one has his own qualities: it's just human.
Why a Leegnd among the Club fans and one of the finest reader of the football game has to embarrass himself by highlighting the contribution of Mancini to the Club enhancement in a "Scapuzzi & Mancini's son" nutshell?
Come on Pal, I love You so much that I cannot let You go down to such embarassment: we all have big egos, but sometimes it's wise to let a losing point fall... just saying.
As I wrote You privately this summer, I will continue to love Your footballing bright intelligence even if You will deem me as a noisy neighbour... ;)

next review coming up in 24 months time: where will Marwood be by then and where Mancini and Pep?
certainly Scapuzzi & Mancini's son will have been moved to lesser football clubs.

ciao amico mio

I'll answer this point seperately. Why you think I'm somehow being light hearted about Mancini's son & Scapuzzi I don't understand. I find it stomach turning that he allows these shites to swan around our club like a fucking holiday camp, it disgusts me.

THE most important thing about this club is the academy project imo, & this shit sends out completely the wrong message to potential players coming to our club. If I was in charge, I would boot Mancini junior & Scapuzzi out tomorrow morning & if Bob saw his arse about it I would send him with them. It's an honour to wear our shirt, not something you hand out to your mates & family.

[blues2win]

I'm only speculating but I doubt Mancini is pleased at the layer of authority between he and Khaldoun. I'm pleased that Marwood has been replaced as Director of Football. The recruitment of Scott Sinclair was taking the piss. Has anyone, Doug included, seen any sign at all that he's remotely good enough for where the Club's going? I can't believe Mancini had anything to do with it.

Is Mancini under pressure? Of course he is. If he doesn't walk out in a fit of pique this season,which is unlikely but not impossible, he will have to do far better in the CL next season, assuming we have a decent League campaign which probably means winning the title again or very close to it. The sheikh didn't spend all that money in order to qualify for the Europa Cup with third place in the CL league phase, assuming we manage third place this season that is.