I only ever went to one AGM, held in the BP gym with CN chairing, as I walked in Martin Fish was throwing the Hart brothers out. Don Robinson must have put some of his own money in whilst CN remained major shareholder and later Richard Chetham through his marriage to VN? All part of the club tapestry.
It wasn't manageable. The Allams had run out of cash (cash not assets) and had to borrow £24 million from a bank to get us promoted, which we managed, just. The majority of the Premier League money for the following season was accounted for before a ball was kicked, at least £50 million in wages, and £24 million to the bank. That's excluding the £77 million owed to the Allams. The decimation of the squad that season allowed us to repay the money to the bank, eventually, and stabilise the club financially.
It was managed, so by definition, it was manageable. You have to speculate to accumulate and for all their failings, the Allams were no mugs financially.
Bartlett speculated and accumulated nothing but memories. Assem Allam speculated and accumulated nothing but memories. Ehab Allam stopped the spending, sold players, cut bills, set up the academy and managed the mess his father and Steve Bruce left. Half a billion pounds later we have our memories and a rented academy at Bishop Burton.
Football clubs are all about memories and every single one of them go through peaks and troughs although we, like most clubs, have had more troughs. I wouldn't swop our brief period of success for the world.....we dont know how lucky we were.
He was referring to the quote from the previous poster which was from Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses, not what was said by the Allams.
You quoted what Del said to Rodney and he responded saying he said it while living in a council flat and renting a market stall from the council. So where was he confusing fact with fiction?
Isn't it time we just kept all this where it belongs....in the past and just looked forward. The argument and pov will never change by any of the individuals who keep posting about it
I liked Steve Bruce.He was by far our most high profile manager to date(IMO),was very successful and took us on some fantastic journeys.. I agree with you though,his tenure was expensive,he left no stone unturned in his pursuit of players and the wage bill and associated costs crept up accordingly.I still maintain he was absolutely the right man at the right time but his spending was unsustainable,Ehab called a halt to it and the rest is history. Great times under him but sadly I don't ever see it being repeated,trying to compete with the big boys is fraught with danger...
Have we ever had a poll on City's greatest ever manager? That would end the debate in an instance. Mebee.
[ Brownie wouldn't be far away? Took us to somewhere most of us never thought possible with team spirit and hard graft. His efforts will never be forgotten.
Steve Bruce is a horrible, lying, full of ****, two faced ****. It doesn’t matter what he has or hasn’t achieved.
Warren Joyce for me, if he hadn't pulled off the great escape then we probably wouldn't even be here today
As a manager, my opinion differs somewhat from the general consensus, best ever. That is not why I am replying. Many years ago, I bought a shirt to be signed by the team, for a birthday present. I asked at the shop how I managed this, try the office, next doorish. I was greeted with a look that could not have been harsher if I hid taken a **** in the sour faced old cows handbag. You'll have to go the training ground and try there. Arrived at the training ground, parked in the car park, and walked into reception. I had just started telling my story when in walked Steve Bruce. He stood patiently, listened to the full story and immediately agreed, yes the team would love to sign the shirt. Not, get the **** out of here, what on earth, where the *** do you think you are, I have a training session to watch over. Anything he could have said, he didn't. Listened and said, yes. I have only the met the man once and as result of that meeting of the man, I would refute every word of your post. He was kindness itself in listening, the shirt was duly signed as he said it would be, no full of ****, just said yes.
I’ve only met him twice, but I know a next door neighbour of his in Birmingham, who also hates him. He’s not the mr nice guy you think he is. He’s an arrogant, self obsessed, mardy, dour ****. Couldn’t trust a word that comes out of that arseholes mouth. I hated him before he came, like most people did. A bit of success on the pitch doesn’t change my opinion of him.
