Our Chairman seems to know the score!

I have been asked to do an article on what our Chairman has had to say on several subjects lately and I am more than happy to do so.

Now we know that people in his position will say things to please certain people, but in Khaldoon Al Mubarak's case he seems to try his best to elaborate on the things he says, as if to prove he means what he says.

He has had a lot to say lately so I am going to do my best to go through some of those things.

On the signing of Robinho our Chairman says.........

“That was a key signing for many reasons,” said Mr Al Mubarak. “First, Sheikh Mansour comes in, he’s the new owner, but for the fans his intentions may not have been clear. People don’t know whether it’s going to remain a mid-table club, is it going to drift to the bottom or are we going to compete for the Premier League? The other question for people was that even with considerable financial commitment, can Manchester City attract a top-tier player?

“It was a statement of intent from Sheikh Mansour; he bought the club and bought in a top-notch player that Chelsea were on the verge of signing.”

He added: “It was crazy, put it that way. He was not metres away – I would say inches away from signing for Chelsea and that arrangement with Robinho was a huge coup for us.”

In the same piece he goes on to talking about our owner.......

“Sheikh Mansour is someone that you would definitely classify as competitive and a winner,” he said.

“We are not in this to just make up numbers. We are here to win and build a club that is going to compete and be in a position to win trophies. There’s no question of that and what we do this summer will set the tone of that very clearly.”

Now from this piece it is clear that the Chairman says all the right things and his assured way of putting things fills you with confidence. The question is, is he just talking the talk and the answer is no, things he has said have been backed up by actions and I believe that anything he says will continue to be acted on.

The main theme of this article was to display our ambition, he talks about the Robinho signing and makes sure he mentions that we took him off Chelsea, he also says we will not just make up the numbers and that this summer that will be reiterated.

There is no doubt about the ambition of these people and I have to say I like our Chairman's confidence. Only time will tell if we reach the highest level with these men in charge.

On the topic of buying players our Chairman says...........

“There are two things going on.’’ “One, a general view of Arab investors and two, a whole hierarchy within football where there is a group of clubs that fall within the hierarchy and the clubs that fall outside don’t have a seat at the table and shouldn't even demand one.

“I’m frustrated with people assuming we are going to throw crazy money at deals, that we won’t understand true values and we can’t negotiate or get value for a player. We’ve had numbers thrown at us that are a joke.

“There are situations where a £10 million player will be offered to us for a ‘City price’ of £20 million.

“We just leave because at that point there’s no point arguing – if people are throwing crazy numbers at us, fine, deals won’t be done.”

Perceptions of Man City as a club run by extravagant Arabs were wide of the mark, he insisted.

“Look at Sheikh Mansour; he’s a very shrewd businessman who has conducted himself in a professional way. I will defend the value of every deal we have done.

“Look at our Robinho deal. If he went in this transfer window for the same price [£32.5m] it would be a steal. Our deals to date presented fair value to the clubs we brought them from, fair value to us and are typical of the type of deals we are looking to make.”

“When we looked at Kaká, the numbers being thrown around were crazy, suddenly in the news you see ‘City are crazy’ and ‘City are irresponsible’.

“Why is it when Real Madrid not only talks about but actually closes two deals, like the ones they’ve closed with the numbers they’ve committed to, it’s fine?”

I don't want to get into this subject to much because I could be here all night ranting, but what he said about it being ok to spend big money as long as your not Man City is all spot on. It is ridiculous that because of who you are, you can be treated so differently. Now the argument could be that it was because our money is coming from one man, but in Real Madrid's case it has all come from a bank so what the difference is I do not know. I suppose that we should just hope that one day we will reach a level where we will be 'respected' as much as Real Madrid.

Going on to what he said about being offered players at double their value, well that was always going happen and has to be expected, I am glad however to hear we are standing firm and not being held to ransom.

Another interview by our Chairman that is impressive, that's 2 out of 2 so far.

On building a brand our Chairman says.................

“You have to look at Asia and Africa. These are markets which are growing and where there is a tremendous football base,” he said.

“These are markets where if you position yourself well enough, you have an opportunity to really capture.

“In Europe there is a traditional football market. But you go to Asia and Africa and you have a good opportunity to build on your base and [their] huge populations. “They don’t have leagues of the quality of the English Premier League and that is an advantage if you come in with a club built on the right foundation, with the right players and the right appeal.

“I am very confident that over the next two seasons we will be very big in the Middle East.“First of all the English league is already very popular. Our association with the club is very well known and that will grow as we develop the club. “I think Middle East supporters like to associate with us and knowing this is a club owned by Sheikh Mansour and you see Etihad on our shirt and the new website we are developing. “As you start seeing us winning, you will see a very fast growth.”

“I think that, no question, signature signings has a huge appeal here. “Football is so popular in this region. One attraction is clubs and the other is players. You have to build the brand as a club, and attract these players that fit your needs as a club but also give you that tremendous fan base. That’s a win-win for everyone.“Everybody has an opinion, but there are particular positions that if you are looking for an A-class player, your options are not that big. “That’s what makes us see those huge [transfer] numbers. If you are looking for impact player, the reality of the situation is quite thin. How will United fill the void of Ronaldo?”

Yet again in this article he says everything that you would like to hear, but it sounds more convincing than some could make it seem.

To be honest without sounding spoilt we don't need to build a world brand because of all the money we have, but then again you get the feeling they want to have that relationship with people around the world and obviously their own people.

I also think that what they could achieve by connecting City with the rest of the world and particularly their own country could really help the relationships between people outside of football matters. For example without getting deep, people who may feel like a minority within our community may feel more comfortable coming to games or may decide that City is a place where they will start to watch games, the link up with all those different countries will show them that they are welcome at City. That is just a little example of what a global brand could help to generate, because one thing is for sure it isn't because we need the money!

I have to say all the things that the Chairman has had to say are impressive and it sounds like he will help to make it all come true as well, lets hope he does!

Thanks to City gal for asking for my opinion on the subject of what our Chairman had to say, I did my best I hope it is what you were looking for.

Also guys I do encourage my readers to express any topics they would be interested in talking about, as soon as I have time I would be happy to have a go at writing about what you ask for, thanks.