Money, money, money

I had a listen to the official MCFC podcast yesterday for the first time and within the other news and propoganda contained within it was the second part of an interview with Alastair Mackintosh, focusing mainly on proposed investment into the club.

The main statement that came from Mackintosh was:

"We are always open to the idea of new, appropriate investment. We continue to look for appropriate parties that might contribute to this football club. Money is money, as long as it is from an appropriate individual who continues to be a custodian of this club, and who keeps in mind our links with the community and in particular our fan base.

If someone was just looking at a football club as a property play, I don’t think they would look at Manchester City as closely as other clubs. I don’t want someone who wants to look at this football club as a property play, I want them looking at this as a football club. This is our home, I want it to be owned by Manchester City Football Club, not an external investor who wants to sell it on."

As Ollie pointed out in his post it sounds that ideal partner profile the club is trying to court is exactly the group that the Supporters Trust are aiming to set up - but as of yet they are still to receive a response of any substance from the club.

One thing that struck me though is would the club be so choosy that any potential investor 'ticked all the right boxes'? To the best of my knowledge the club have been seeking to attract significant investment (rather than an outright takeover) for the best part of three years now and have come up empty handed despite rumours of Norwegians, Russians and god knows who else linked to the club. I can't see that an investor would just look to pump in £10 million or so and be a silent partner or have a minor role on the board. Anyone who was serious would - I imagine, look to gain full control of the club (much like the Glazers or Randy Lerner have done with United and Aston Villa).

If that was the case and a 'sugar daddy' approached the club with a view to a takeover, would they be so strict that the criteria laid out by Mackintosh needed to be met? Could this even be demanded? This is assuming that Wardle et al would be looking to sell outright, but assuming they are surely they would be just keen to ensure their outstanding loan to the club was repaid and they received a tidy profit on their investment?

Maybe a little cynical of me, but I'm pretty sure areas such as 'club custodians' and 'community links' may not be too high on the list for prospective buyers.