you live from Radio Row in Phoenix. So, what better time
to talk, Man, City and everything that happened to
them.
Let's welcome in
Matt's later, senior Football news reporter for the athletic
and Brad, Thomas
Now, Matt, the thing happens in the Premier League, this week
being talked about us. What could potentially be?
One of the biggest weeks in premier league history. Now,
I listened to your breakdown on, the totally football.
A show with James Richardson, where you went into a lot of
depth around everything, that man city have been charged
with.
Can you maybe give our audience a bite-sized kind of overview
of what happened this week?
Yeah. Okay. So
your audience might remember, there were a series of
exclusives big Scoops by a German publication called
the Spiegel about 45 years ago all to do with how much the city
may
have been artificially inflating, their revenues by
getting people that knew
The owners therefore the UAE there from Abu Dhabi
other companies from the UAE to basically put
their sponsorships didn't make sense. It's just another way of
funneling money into the club
and this is because there are spending rules in European
football. A soft salary cap if you like and they were also may
be disguising some costs as well. So the manager had
a little side hustle going on with the team in UAE were
paying off his wages.
I am simplifying
a lot, but that's basically the story.
Now, the premier league has been investigating for four years,
what? We got this week were the charges and that's what really
shopping one. Because most people have forgotten
the federal League were investigating made to the city
and to the number of charges
over 100 leaves 115.
Now, I can group them together
the main ones are
they have not provided
accurate Financial accounts. So there's almost as of dishonesty
element to it and then they also haven't cooperated with
the Premier League's investigation. So, two big
groups of charges
pretty serious? The penalties are off the charts.
Yep. Now, I think what makes this so
I guess confusing is that it's all going to play out in
private and then all of a sudden it seems like it's just
going to appear on the Premier League website or whatever what
the repercussions are. Now I've heard some speculation around
the timeline, that's going to take to
play out. Do you think that this is something that is going
to affect the standings, in the Premier League this season? Or
is this something that could take? Two, three, four years.
The latter. So let's as I said over four-year investigation,
typically when we've had these sort of cases before never
about a club, this big never about
basically sort of suggesting that an entire State yabba
dabba, dabba government might well have been fibbing.
It could take a year year and a half these disciplinary cases
because both sides argued. Oh, I'm never to be an appeal.
I think this one is going to take a year and a half to two years
minimum. I really do.
And then we get into the whole.
What do they do?
Because we're talking about 14 years worth of charges. Here it
goes. Back all the way to 2009
met with the heavy ramifications. You think that
message our city are going to be affected on the pitch?
No, I don't. Because they've been here before, that's
the city of Been Under Suspicion for ever since they got taken
over by Abu Dhabi 2008 and they've been in trouble twice
with European football's governing body
once in about 2014, 15 ish. And then again, off the back of
those, the Spiegel allegations which are all Somehow, it's
emails.
I recommend people to go back and refresh. Their mind is
an amazing story, but they've been there before and it didn't have
an impact before in some ways, it kind of galvanized them US
versus the world. That's certainly the way we talk to
Magic City fans,
that's how they feel. They feel is US versus the world. It's
the established order. It's the status quo versus US disrupts
the club they want to pull up the drawbridge. They don't like
us because we knew money.
I don't I think there's any more of that Siege mentality.
Yeah, now Premier League transfer Spent obviously a Hot
Topic after Chelsea bought
everyone on the planet
in the transfer window. Do you think that this is something
that could potentially affect city from a transfer
perspective, particularly in the next six months?
I mean it might do. Yeah, I mean if you are in the go she
actions with her with a, you know, the next big thing and
this is hanging over you
and there's potential
relegation, potential European ban.
Just missing out on Europe because maybe a points deduction.
Yeah, that May well play on the, on the mind of the player.
That's that wants to join the club
on the flip side, Man. City have won those two previous
cases. Ultimately, I mean, they got a slap on the wrist
the first time with UEFA, and they effectively got a slap on
the wrist the second time, but they, but they would claim they
won on the big substantive
issues. So,
man says, he will be looking at these guys and saying, we're
right before, we're right now, we've done nothing wrong. This
is a fishing trip. This is then ganging up on this. Don't
worry, we got the best lawyers in the world. We're going to
win,
so I'm with us. We're really good.
It's really it's a good question. I don't know the answer.
No, that's totally fair.
I find myself, you know, kind of wondering what happens in
the big picture and the rest of the season and I know that fans
do all around the world. They want to know. Can Manchester
City ultimately overcome this adversity, ultimately erase the
five-point deficit that they have, but listen to have to
play Aston Villa, Arsenal have to play in a match this week,
as well. Do you think either team get caught looking ahead
with each other clashing each other Wednesday?
Possibly. Yeah, but I mean,
again,
I think the real story is that are slipping fantastic. They've
been really, really good. Surprisingly good. They had
a wobble in their last game when they lost
to Everton.
Classic new manager, bounce,
didn't play that badly. No, Everton, kind of rough them up.
A bit was an old-fashioned Everton performance, but it
wasn't a disaster that happens, you know, lose away from home.
I've been to see how they get on against Brentford
Rover, a really good team, but they're a home
man. Says he's a different Man City you have.
Have not been playing that. Well, you know, they've got
great sea and they added to it with the, you know, the best
driver in the world, but it's,
as it makes it worse. There's something funny going on with
entity the moment. The predates this round, we have this
conversation, we're having now. So I don't know who I mean,
a lot of us here, expect men City to sort of snap into gear
and put together 10, 12
games in a row and put are still under pressure, but they
haven't done it yet and they don't really look like doing
it. The moment.
Yeah, that's the funny thing with Man City. I mean, a week
ago, we were talking about You know the this Harland ruin Pep
Guardiola system are they better off playing with more
just the false - their Striker and now
we're talking about them potentially getting relegated
so it changes quickly
last one for you, man.
I think certainly the team of most interest in the Premier
League for this. All happened was Chelsea. Who have
constructed? Basically a
make-your-own FIFA roster. Team,
they play away to West Ham this weekend. What are you expecting
from them? The rest of the seasons,
Good question. I mean, who knows
what a small strange. He's in the head. You know, obviously
the big money take over the whole drama of saying goodbye
to Roman Abramovich. The circumstances of that, Todd
boldly, the new guy throwing money around in the summer,
going off to Stars Raheem Sterling coulibaly could karela.
And then we've just had this most recent window when they
spent money again, but in a completely different way, like
a different strategy, they've gone young. They seem to have
borrowed the Brighton textbook.
And I'm trying to sort of put these two strategies together
from Summer to Winter and how Christ. I've got now and yeah,
bright grandfather has got to find a mix that works. They
have been hit by injuries but there's been. No, it's been no
consistency around performance or selection? I don't know.
I mean they could carry on like this and just be mid-table or
they could get better and come sixth. I don't see much much
better than that. To be honest.
Yep. No, I'm with you there. Well Matt, thank you for
joining. Thank you for I know you're you're outside a pub on
your phone instead. It's the best phone internet connection
I've ever seen
in. Human history from outside a pub. So I don't phenomenally
there. Can you tell people where to follow you and what
you're working on at the moment? Well, I worked there
for a sec, so you have to come behind the table with me,
but I am on Twitter or NJ, shrimper shrimper, being
the club. I support, Southend United who are in real trouble,
okay,
so praise the south end
and I'm working on all sorts of stuff, man, city European Super
League news and all of that.
Excellent, I encourage everyone to check out that totally
football podcast with James Richardson. From a few days ago
where Matt did break down
in further detail everything going around Man City. All
right, thanks very much for your time Matt and and have
a great weekend.
You're welcome guys.
Plenty happening
in the Premier League. Not too many people talking about on
radio row but they should be Brad.
This is how quickly with what your best bet is for
the weekends brother? Yeah, I'm actually going to back
Brentford plus one and a half against Arsenal.
It is your classic. Look ahead spot
as dominant as Arsenal.
I've been at home and as sluggish as Brentford have been
on the road. This is still a spot that I have to play.
I think, Arsenal do enough to keep this low scoring 10, but
Brentford also do enough not to make Arsenal explode. I'm
figuring something
like one-nil Arsenal and I cover my bet,
I like that. Yep, I'm not gonna give out a couple of Futures
bats. Another, that outline that, you know, this is going
to take
a while and it's unlikely that City faced Point deductions.
But I think with everything going on it introduces more
variants into the top four, right? Ace.
I think also a man united slipping up dropping two points
against Leeds yesterday, that opens the door as well, for
a couple of teams. So I'm back Tottenham at plus 170 to finish
in the top four and Liverpool Applause. 500 to finish in
the top for those two teams with a lot of upside,
the rest of the way.
Alright, that is all from us. Thanks again to Maps later for
joining.
I'm Jay crowd, you can follow me on Twitter at Croucher. JD
this is Brad Thomas you can follow him at mr. Brad Thomas.
And we'll be back next week.