New takeover rumours

[DubaiSpur]

City’s mini stadiums are weird
They struggle to fill their own stadium which they still don’t own

Yeah. Struggle to see the catchment area for those - my feeling is that women's games will eventually be moved into club stadiums anyway, and youth games don't get that much traction. Just using them as examples of where we could upgrade our own if a new owner wanted.

In terms of infra upgrades, maybe they could even take a look at the stadium again. It's at its max capacity, probably, but is there a way to bring a retractable roof into it, like the new Bernabeu? Is there a way to incorporate LED walls, etc, into the structure, like the new stadium Populous is building in Saudi Arabia? Lots of possibilities if you're a rich owner who wants to spend.

 

[Finney Is Back]

City’s mini stadiums are weird
They struggle to fill their own stadium which they still don’t own

Where does this ‘struggle to fill their own stadium’ idea come from

 

[Finney Is Back]

.

There's also just the backstop of having a rich and ambitious owner - right now we operate at under 50% of our revenue on football operations, far under the permitted 70-75%. An ambitious owner would get us up to the permissible spending amount since he/she has the financial backing to backstop us. That immediately means we can buy a higher quality of player, match bids for the market's best, compete.

So, it could still be quite transformative.

They could also choose to operate somewhere close to the maximum overspend loss of £35m per year instead of at the permitted 70% of income level.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Well, a few ways. People have already pointed out the non-football real estate, but to me that is more a benefit for the owners, not the club. For the club -

On the football infrastructure side of things, the training infrastructure could actually be upgraded - City have multiple mini-stadiums in and around their training pitches for their youth and women's teams, for instance, a level we don't quite have. There's room for an upgrade there.

Then there's sponsorship as you say - a rich owner could just sponsor us and the stadium, and although he or she would have to convince the Prem it would be fair value, I don't doubt a dual shirt and stadium deal could easily be worth 100m a season given our location, brand new stadium, NFL, etc. That would give us 100m of spending room basically instantly.

There's multi-club ownership - a rich owner could build a network of clubs akin to City and Chelsea to seed our youth talent around and also grab the best of theirs.

There's also just the backstop of having a rich and ambitious owner - right now we operate at under 50% of our revenue on football operations, far under the permitted 70-75%. An ambitious owner would get us up to the permissible spending amount since he/she has the financial backing to backstop us. That immediately means we can buy a higher quality of player, match bids for the market's best, compete.

So, it could still be quite transformative.

Arent we already buying the golf club next to the training ground with the intention to expand (under the slight guise of women's facilities)?

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

Arent we already buying the golf club next to the training ground with the intention to expand (under the slight guise of women's facilities)?

Looking for an area for a permanent nfl training centre as well.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Where does this ‘struggle to fill their own stadium’ idea come from

The fact they advertise CL seats on the radio
I know people will claim they fill the stadium but I’ve heard many adverts for city games on the radio when up in Manchester
They also give tickets away to schools. They claim is a community thing but it’s because they don’t sell out without it
I know a few companies that work with city and they always have a mare predicting footfall game by game (you need to know the demographic to plan for impact on things like food and cleaning)

 

[Grays_1890]

The fact they advertise CL seats on the radio
I know people will claim they fill the stadium but I’ve heard many adverts for city games on the radio when up in Manchester
They also give tickets away to schools. They claim is a community thing but it’s because they don’t sell out without it
I know a few companies that work with city and they always have a mare predicting footfall game by game (you need to know the demographic to plan for impact on things like food and cleaning)

Yeh a massive part of their MO is now working in community and giving tickets away. On one hand, great for them, nice to give the community something, on the other, they don't fill the ground with as many paying customers.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Yeh a massive part of their MO is now working in community and giving tickets away. On one hand, great for them, nice to give the community something, on the other, they don't fill the ground with as many paying customers.

They have always been the club of manchester
Despite their success, few paying fans haven’t just materialised. It takes years or icons (a Sonny)
I went to the play off final when they played Gillingham and their fans were top notch.
I was up there for the CL quarter final and the new breed of fans were as entitled as you could get
It happens

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

They have always been the club of manchester
Despite their success, few paying fans haven’t just materialised. It takes years or icons (a Sonny)
I went to the play off final when they played Gillingham and their fans were top notch.
I was up there for the CL quarter final and the new breed of fans were as entitled as you could get
It happens

I'm noticing it around my way with Brighton fans becoming entitled.

The is a Villa fan at work who told me with a straight face that villa were a bigger club and that some spurs fans had the wrong impression that spurs were a big club.

Could not be bothered to say about 14 years of European football, champions league final and premier league runners up.

 

[Bishop]

I'm noticing it around my way with Brighton fans becoming entitled.

The is a Villa fan at work who told me with a straight face that villa were a bigger club and that some spurs fans had the wrong impression that spurs were a big club.

Could not be bothered to say about 14 years of European football, champions league final and premier league runners up.

Villa are a massive in though. Are they bigger than Spurs? I dunno but they have been more successful in more recent times than ourselves. I don't think it's an outrageous view especially if you look at it from a Midlands/Villa view. Conversely it's not outrageous to say Spurs are bigger. In reality I think we are about the same tbh.

 

[SpurMeUp]

Villa are a massive in though. Are they bigger than Spurs? I dunno but they have been more successful in more recent times than ourselves. I don't think it's an outrageous view especially if you look at it from a Midlands/Villa view. Conversely it's not outrageous to say Spurs are bigger. In reality I think we are about the same tbh.

Pre-THFC Stadium you were probably correct. Both clubs with past successes. With our stadium I think we're more 'on the map' than they are and can attract the likes of Lucas Bergvall and Dragusin. Whereas Villa are overspending on players who we don't go for. They have bought well never the less and I'm pleased to see them back as it were. But lets not beat around the bush, they've been nowhere over the past 15-20 years. We've at least aspired to the top, and been flirting with it. A simple tally of European football over the last 15 years should come out in our favor.

 

[Grays_1890]

Pre-THFC Stadium you were probably correct. Both clubs with past successes. With our stadium I think we're more 'on the map' than they are and can attract the likes of Lucas Bergvall and Dragusin. Whereas Villa are overspending on players who we don't go for. They have bought well never the less and I'm pleased to see them back as it were. But lets not beat around the bush, they've been nowhere over the past 15-20 years. We've at least aspired to the top, and been flirting with it. A simple tally of European football over the last 15 years should come out in our favor.

And spent a recent period in the Championship.....

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Villa are a massive in though. Are they bigger than Spurs? I dunno but they have been more successful in more recent times than ourselves. I don't think it's an outrageous view especially if you look at it from a Midlands/Villa view. Conversely it's not outrageous to say Spurs are bigger. In reality I think we are about the same tbh.

Define success?

 

[harr1984]

I'm noticing it around my way with Brighton fans becoming entitled.

The is a Villa fan at work who told me with a straight face that villa were a bigger club and that some spurs fans had the wrong impression that spurs were a big club.

Could not be bothered to say about 14 years of European football, champions league final and premier league runners up.

Ah yes, this is what all the big clubs crow about - they avoid mentioning trophies and get straight to the big boy accolades....

 

[harr1984]

Pre-THFC Stadium you were probably correct. Both clubs with past successes. With our stadium I think we're more 'on the map' than they are and can attract the likes of Lucas Bergvall and Dragusin. Whereas Villa are overspending on players who we don't go for. They have bought well never the less and I'm pleased to see them back as it were. But let's not beat around the bush, they've been nowhere over the past 15-20 years. We've at least aspired to the top, and been flirting with it. A simple tally of European football over the last 15 years should come out in our favor.

Size of club etc always brings up debates that go round in circles. But if we are honest Villa and Spurs are similar size clubs, in that bracket just outside the real top ones of Liverpool, Man U and Arsenal. We are definitely ahead right now in terms of our infrastructure but if Villa secure CL they could most definitely be a threat and at the end of the day for all our 'flirting' we have achieved the square root of naff all in recent years.

If Villa win the Conference League and secure CL football in tandem with that which they have a good chance of doing, then they have already achieved more than we have for some years no matter how much some on here will try to put the Conference League down.....

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

Villa are a massive in though. Are they bigger than Spurs? I dunno but they have been more successful in more recent times than ourselves. I don't think it's an outrageous view especially if you look at it from a Midlands/Villa view. Conversely it's not outrageous to say Spurs are bigger. In reality I think we are about the same tbh.

No where close over the last 15 years. I am not one to have rose tinted glasses either. I sadly think arsenal are bigger then us.

Villa have had a good 18 months.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

Size of club etc always brings up debates that go round in circles. But if we are honest Villa and Spurs are similar size clubs, in that bracket just outside the real top ones of Liverpool, Man U and Arsenal. We are definitely ahead right now in terms of our infrastructure but if Villa secure CL they could most definitely be a threat and at the end of the day for all our 'flirting' we have achieved the square root of naff all in recent years.

If Villa win the Conference League and secure CL football in tandem with that which they have a good chance of doing, then they have already achieved more than we have for some years no matter how much some on here will try to put the Conference League down.....

I thought conference league winning it got you Europa.

I agree it would be good to win things but I'm looking at league placings. Not being relegated and regularly competing in European football.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

Ah yes, this is what all the big clubs crow about - they avoid mentioning trophies and get straight to the big boy accolades....

I would suggest that competing in European football in something like 12 of the last 15 years is better then a club who have been relegated and then flirted with relegation.

Get how some want to win stuff,but don't allow the press, brick pundits and macaron opposition fans try and fool you into thinking clubs like villa have been comparable to us over recent seasons, they have not.

 

[Bishop]

Define success?

League titles wins goes to them 7 Vs 2. They've won the CL we haven't. We have 8 FA Cups to their 7. Giving the successes of the clubs I think it quite comparable. There is obviously the recency element, we've been better in the last 15 or so years but without actually winning anything so a bit like how the first 15 years of the PL favoured them. Neither period has actually resulted in any solid tangible success. Both teams have even seriously challe fed for the PL once and finished 2nd.

Both clubs strike me as fairly similar, sleeping giants essentially.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

League titles wins goes to them 7 Vs 2. They've won the CL we haven't. We have 8 FA Cups to their 7. Giving the successes of the clubs I think it quite comparable. There is obviously the recency element, we've been better in the last 15 or so years but without actually winning anything so a bit like the first 15 years of the PL favouring them. Neither period has actually resulted in any solid tangible success.

Both clubs strike me as fairly similar, sleeping giants essentially.

We have been better than them since 1982