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A genuine question: What are the links between us and Guardiola? I can't remember seeing anything substantial more than Soriano and Cheeky know him, which seems a bit like the type of transfer link where a player might move to a club because he knows another player there, which basically never happens, IMO. Have I missed something, like a statement or something between the lines that is obvious re Guardiola? Or are people just assuming? There seems to be a lot of certainty about Pep coming here eventually and I don't understand why. Help me, you're my only hope.

Cocacolajojo wrote:A genuine question: What are the links between us and Guardiola? I can't remember seeing anything substantial more than Soriano and Cheeky know him, which seems a bit like the type of transfer link where a player might move to a club because he knows another player there, which basically never happens, IMO. Have I missed something, like a statement or something between the lines that is obvious re Guardiola? Or are people just assuming? There seems to be a lot of certainty about Pep coming here eventually and I don't understand why. Help me, you're my only hope.

Pure speculation and putting 2 and 2 together. I see in the press this morning that Simeone is being lined up now!! Its press hacks, you know the drill, they wont say Alan Curbishley is on the short list as that will not get any clicks on their stories.

Links they like to give are:
Pep knows Cheeky
Pep knows Soriana
Pep has a great relationship as they all grew together in Barcelona
Pep plays football the way they want City to play
Pep speaks perfect English
yada yada yada

Cheeky gave Guardiola his break. It was him that recommended Guardiola get the first team job at Barca when he was DOF there and as you know, they went on to create one of the best teams European football has ever seen.

Rather than it being a link where two players know each other, it's more like a link of a coach having worked with a player before and they share a mutual respect and understanding eg Pellegrini and Demichelis if you like.

Wonderwall wrote:

Cocacolajojo wrote:A genuine question: What are the links between us and Guardiola? I can't remember seeing anything substantial more than Soriano and Cheeky know him, which seems a bit like the type of transfer link where a player might move to a club because he knows another player there, which basically never happens, IMO. Have I missed something, like a statement or something between the lines that is obvious re Guardiola? Or are people just assuming? There seems to be a lot of certainty about Pep coming here eventually and I don't understand why. Help me, you're my only hope.

Pure speculation and putting 2 and 2 together. I see in the press this morning that Simeone is being lined up now!! Its press hacks, you know the drill, they wont say Alan Curbishley is on the short list as that will not get any clicks on their stories.

Links they like to give are:
Pep knows Cheeky
Pep knows Soriana
Pep has a great relationship as they all grew together in Barcelona
Pep plays football the way they want City to play
Pep speaks perfect English
yada yada yada

Such reasoning is exactly why he is the favourite for the job.

Another good reason : stop the mob down the road getting him.

To cement the club through every age group through to the 1st team, the manager options for that are very limited. 10 year contract for me and watch the blue moon rise.

When Mancini was manager we were perennially linked with players from Seria A and bought a few too - notably Balotelli, Nastasic, Maicon to name three - along with the every window yawn-fest of being linked to Ibrahimovic and De Rossi (thank god that's stopped now). Mancini was Italian and knew the Italian league, hence the natural co-dependency.

Same think with Pep here. Our hierarchy are Spanish/Catalan, with significant experience working at Barcelona; so is Pep - sometimes it is that obvious, and just because its blindingly obvious doesn't make it any less true.

Our two Spanish power brokers would crawl 15 miles over broken glass, just for the chance to stick matchsticks in Peps turds.

Goaters 103 wrote:When Mancini was manager we were perennially linked with players from Seria A and bought a few too - notably Balotelli, Nastasic, Maicon to name three - along with the every window yawn-fest of being linked to Ibrahimovic and De Rossi (thank god that's stopped now). Mancini was Italian and knew the Italian league, hence the natural co-dependency.

Same think with Pep here. Our hierarchy are Spanish/Catalan, with significant experience working at Barcelona; so is Pep - sometimes it is that obvious, and just because its blindingly obvious doesn't make it any less true.

Our two Spanish power brokers would crawl 15 miles over broken glass, just for the chance to stick matchsticks in Peps turds.

If he joined Arsenal, the scum would they be looking for another job?

Hazy2 wrote:

Goaters 103 wrote:When Mancini was manager we were perennially linked with players from Seria A and bought a few too - notably Balotelli, Nastasic, Maicon to name three - along with the every window yawn-fest of being linked to Ibrahimovic and De Rossi (thank god that's stopped now). Mancini was Italian and knew the Italian league, hence the natural co-dependency.

Same think with Pep here. Our hierarchy are Spanish/Catalan, with significant experience working at Barcelona; so is Pep - sometimes it is that obvious, and just because its blindingly obvious doesn't make it any less true.

Our two Spanish power brokers would crawl 15 miles over broken glass, just for the chance to stick matchsticks in Peps turds.

If he joined Arsenal, the scum would they be looking for another job?

Nope, because just like City buying De Rossi or City buying Ibra, its about 90% plus chance it never happens anyway, but its a default story the press will go to again and again on quiet news days when they need to fill column space. Similar ones are the Ronaldo back to Utd, or Spurs being taken over stories that are on a constant press loop.

They are on record as saying how highly they rate Pep. Basically they think the bloke is 'a genius'.

Mourinho was interviewed for the Barca job, but they chose instead to give it to a bloke who had barely any experience, & they were right. Now, the whole City setup below first team level is being run on the same lines as Barca, pre Pep. It's nailed on they would have wanted him at City, but the timing was all wrong.

BUT, if we were replicating what happened at Barca, then it would actually be Vieira who came up to the first team, alongside a bunch of the academy players, in a few years time. The question is whether they rate Vieira as highly as they do Pep. If they don't, then they will almost certainly be trying to get him in when his Bayern contract runs out. People who know Guardiola recon he will do one 'intense' spell at Bayern, then move to England.

If his plan is to do a similar spell in England, then it could easily be the case that both him & Vieira end up managing City.

If i had to guess, I'd go Bayern-City-Spain national team.

We will have a good idea in the next year or so, as Bayern would surely want him to extend his contract. If he does, it obviously all over for the time being. If he doesn't; would Txiki want him managing the rags, or Arsenal or rather get him at City ?

Cheeky gave Guardiola his break. It was him that recommended Guardiola get the first team job at Barca when he was DOF there and as you know, they went on to create one of the best teams European football has ever seen.

I thought it was Cruyff who recommended Guardiola. Perhaps I am wrong.

Which ever PL club Pep goes he will want to know he has the players/finance to challenge and exceed his bitter rival Mourinho.

Unless their are major changes regarding FFP, could the rags potentially offer him more finance than ourselves? Despite their debts they have been able to spend big and are likely to continue doing so.

Cocacolajojo wrote:

Cheeky gave Guardiola his break. It was him that recommended Guardiola get the first team job at Barca when he was DOF there and as you know, they went on to create one of the best teams European football has ever seen.

I thought it was Cruyff who recommended Guardiola. Perhaps I am wrong.

"Would you see Manchester City as your strongest opponent in the group, is that fair to say?

Manchester City has a super, super coach and I know him very well, Pellegrini. Their Director of Sport Txiki Bergiristain is (one of) the more special persons of my life. He gave me the challenge to train the second team of Barcelona and after that the first team and I think he's one of the smartest guys in football around the world."

http://news.adidas.com/GLOBAL/Latest-Ne ... 0fe6aca94a

"Would you see Manchester City as your strongest opponent in the group, is that fair to say?

Manchester City has a super, super coach and I know him very well, Pellegrini. Their Director of Sport Txiki Bergiristain is (one of) the more special persons of my life. He gave me the challenge to train the second team of Barcelona and after that the first team and I think he's one of the smartest guys in football around the world."

http://news.adidas.com/GLOBAL/Latest-Ne ... 0fe6aca94a

Fair enough, that's straight from the horse's mouth.

I was thinking of this, which doesn't really contradict your point, from Balague's biography on Guardiola

"In early november, Pep's name was eventually raised at a board meeting by one of the directors, proposting that Rijkaard be replaced by the B tam coach. However, Txiki Beguiristain was opposed to plunging Pep into the middle of a crisis at the halfway stage of the season: too much too soon fora relatively inexperienced coach

Not everyone agreed with Thiki. Johan Cruyff became concinced that there was no way back for the first team nad that a change was needed. After ruling out Marco van Basten ... Cruyff met with Thiki to discuss Pep's potentia. The former Dream Team coach then went to see how Guardiola was doing, visting him at the Mini Estadi to take the measure of Pep and the B team, before having lunch with him to talk football. Later, Cruyff sent a message to Laporta: 'Pep is ready. He sees football with absolute clarity'."

http://books.google.se/books?id=FdVABn_ ... la&f=false

Cocacolajojo wrote:

"Would you see Manchester City as your strongest opponent in the group, is that fair to say?

Manchester City has a super, super coach and I know him very well, Pellegrini. Their Director of Sport Txiki Bergiristain is (one of) the more special persons of my life. He gave me the challenge to train the second team of Barcelona and after that the first team and I think he's one of the smartest guys in football around the world."

http://news.adidas.com/GLOBAL/Latest-Ne ... 0fe6aca94a

Fair enough, that's straight from the horse's mouth.

I was thinking of this, which doesn't really contradict your point, from Balague's biography on Guardiola

"In early november, Pep's name was eventually raised at a board meeting by one of the directors, proposting that Rijkaard be replaced by the B tam coach. However, Txiki Beguiristain was opposed to plunging Pep into the middle of a crisis at the halfway stage of the season: too much too soon fora relatively inexperienced coach

Not everyone agreed with Thiki. Johan Cruyff became concinced that there was no way back for the first team nad that a change was needed. After ruling out Marco van Basten ... Cruyff met with Thiki to discuss Pep's potentia. The former Dream Team coach then went to see how Guardiola was doing, visting him at the Mini Estadi to take the measure of Pep and the B team, before having lunch with him to talk football. Later, Cruyff sent a message to Laporta: 'Pep is ready. He sees football with absolute clarity'."

http://books.google.se/books?id=FdVABn_ ... la&f=false

A lot more romantic isn't it?

Yes, I imagine it must have been, although we'll never know if Cruyff called him back.

Goaters 103 wrote:

Hazy2 wrote:

Goaters 103 wrote:When Mancini was manager we were perennially linked with players from Seria A and bought a few too - notably Balotelli, Nastasic, Maicon to name three - along with the every window yawn-fest of being linked to Ibrahimovic and De Rossi (thank god that's stopped now). Mancini was Italian and knew the Italian league, hence the natural co-dependency.

Same think with Pep here. Our hierarchy are Spanish/Catalan, with significant experience working at Barcelona; so is Pep - sometimes it is that obvious, and just because its blindingly obvious doesn't make it any less true.

Our two Spanish power brokers would crawl 15 miles over broken glass, just for the chance to stick matchsticks in Peps turds.

If he joined Arsenal, the scum would they be looking for another job?

Nope, because just like City buying De Rossi or City buying Ibra, its about 90% plus chance it never happens anyway, but its a default story the press will go to again and again on quiet news days when they need to fill column space. Similar ones are the Ronaldo back to Utd, or Spurs being taken over stories that are on a constant press loop.

Pep will move on from the Munchens IMHO if he rocks up anywhere but us then we will see change at the top.

Cocacolajojo wrote:Yes, I imagine it must have been, although we'll never know if Cruyff called him back.

he may have, but Peps voicemail went....."OLAAAAAAAAAAAAA PEP HRE LEAVE A MESSAGE" and Cruyff thought I couldnt work with him

I have already mentioned it on here, but will do so again: Txiki interviewed Mourinho for the Barca job, & instead chose Guardiola.

Not Cruyff: Txiki.

If Cheeks can get Pep he will.

FACT