Claret and Hugh’s article yesterday concerning the possible outcomes of the Manchester City charges and appeals process has sparked a variety of comment.
With a three week break in Championship football allowing for all sorts of extra topics to be debated – and of course the release of the tribunal findings timed to coincide with no domestic games- West Ham fans have not been slow to voice their own opinions on punishments that should be meted out should the original verdicts be upheld once the ongoing appeals process is completed.
A balanced view from John Lattimore: “There’s no way historical results will be affected, it would be far too complicated. Let’s just hope that Manchester City get a realistic and appropriate punishment and forget about any effect on West Ham or other teams’
C and H reader ‘Morty’: “If the appeal fails, then the first action should be to ban their current owners from owning or having shares in any English or Welsh club. I don’t think posthumously awarding their trophies to the runners up is right, instead I think there should be no winners in those instances, much like the UCI did with Lance Armstrong’s 7 Tour de France wins”.
Reader Steve F: “Chatting to a Villa supporter earlier we agreed that a 46 point deduction each season for the next 10 years might be a satisfactory penalty. City could still qualify for Europe via one of the cups, but they’re gonna have to play exceedingly well each season do not to get relegated.”
Reader Taffy Hammer: “Think the Premier League should be ashamed of themselves for not identifying Manchester City owners as not being fit and proper people. The Manchester City owners should be made to take their money and run away from the game if they are still found to be the cheats as labelled after all appeals.”
My own opinion? Repeat the penalty imposed on Rangers back in 2012 and demote Manchester City to the lowest division within English football. Oh and give them a fifty point deduction and a five year transfer ban too. Simply dropping them into the Championship for a season would not fit the crime they’ve committed of tainting results in the Premier League for the last 20 years.
And it’d seem pretty harsh on those Championship clubs struggling to make their own way up the greasy pole into the top tier to have the biggest cheaters in world football in their league.
Firstly, cheating is cheating and shouldn’t go unpunished. However, essentially Man City have won trophies based on their wealth advantage. This isn’t much different from success gained by most trophy winner of let’s say the past 40 years with a few exceptions. Without wealth Liverpool don’t spend the money on £100+ or high value players that are unattainable to most others. Man Utd, Blackburn, Chelsea, Arsenal. All can or could afford players that have allowed them to win honours. We’ve whinged at length on how unfair the spending regulations on clubs of our stature. Regulations that are put in place not only to protect clubs from financial meltdown but also to protect against anybody stirring up the settled order. IF those regulations are purely put in place to stop clubs putting themselves into jeopardy financial, they aren’t really necessary for protecting people that have wealth that knows no bounds.
The harsh reality is money usually wins out, this time though those that thought they had it sewn up have been usurped by something far bigger. I’d have more respect for the spirit of the spending regulations if they came clean and admitted what they were put in place for.
Part of me has enjoyed hearing all the pundits affiliated to the old guard castigating Man City and calling their achievements worthless. Well, Mr Keane you can chuck so your medals in the bin too as the club you played for also bought players that us low life’s couldn’t dream of affording. Those players bought your medals just as much as the Man City bought theirs.
Love it, Bob. Well said and I am with you all the way. Stuff the pathetic whingers and all of the money-jealous supporters and onlookers.
In addition to my comments above, I support the idea of relegating City to the lowest possible level. A new owner would need deep pockets and a patient plan to get them back to premier league level. Even then they would be in the position of most clubs in not being able to adequately challenge the super rich teams because of existing financial rules. A fitting punishment. I’m not sure a transfer ban works as it would stop players leaving as well as joining. Maybe a limit on spending would be more appropriate?
Wonder if Staveley is having 2nd thoughts about whom she represents…. nah, no way, money talks.
They cheated other clubs of success.
There should be some penalty and some redress.
Every club they pushed down a final league position were cheated a payment, clubs were cheated cups and league titles.
Although it happened it is difficult to quantify, there should be some forgoing of income maybe TV money that is paid to other clubs.
That would require remaining in the top tier so significant points reductions for the same amount of time as the malpractices went on.
I suspect that the eventual penalty will be severe but it will not equal the setbacks that other clubs suffered.
Huge fines of millions should then be spread among the club’s directly affected. Demoted out to the lower leagues with deductions every year, say 50 the first year 40 the next 30 the next until you get to zero. This seems logical as the better players will have left by season 3 or 4. Owners banned from owning a club and must sell up.
I thought Rangers went into administration and had to create a new club, ie Rangers #2. That’s why they went to the bottom league
The actions of Manchester City owners are shocking. The UK government needs to be on the right side of history and not bend to political pressure from the UAE. The owners should be banned from the UK, City should be ejected from the EPL and rejected by the EFL.
thing is with these people who are in charge a fine no matter how much is going to bother them to much.
i think you are right that they should be dropped to the lowest league we have as it will take them what 4/5 years to get back to the premier. historic results are what they are and nothing really can be done in that respect.
but yes dropped to lowest league should be the main principle for any other owners and also not be allowed to sell until those 4 or 5 years are up.
this isnt the fans or the players but a line has to be drawn regardless. this is what should happen to any team/club that breaks the rules.