Mixed reports over Cook future

Seemingly not one to be out of the headlines for long, Garry Cook finds himself centre stage once again today with the suggestion in The Guardian that ADUG are giving 'serious consideration' to the possibility of replacing him in the summer:

Manchester City's owners in Abu Dhabi are starting to give serious consideration to the position of the chief executive, Garry Cook, at the end of the season after becoming increasingly perturbed about his leadership style and the frequency with which he has attracted bad publicity.

Contrasting this though is a piece in The Independent, and somewhat a surprise given - as JPB also notes - that both are usually on the same page is the suggestion that Cook has the backing of the owners:

The Arabs have been astonished by the blizzard of publicity which City attract and they view Cook as an individual who has taken the hit for them after Hughes' departure last month. They also consider him pivotal to aspects of the club's corporate transformation which are alien to many traditionalists, and recognise the substantial role he had in player recruitment before Brian Marwood's arrival as football administrator. Cook, who remains generally popular with City fans, was heavily involved in the signing of Shay Given.

It should be noted that the club, via The MEN have dismissed the suggestion that Cook is on his way and I have to say I would be more inclinced to believe he will remain at the helm.

Cook is clearly a figure who divides opinion amongst fans, but it is clear that although his gaffes have been unwelcome and not endeared him too many, he has helped drive the club forward over the past 18 months - something surely not lost on those who employ him.

How the sacking occurred

More emerging this morning as to how the downfall of Hughes was planned, and executed, and one which left Hughes a lame duck manager:

It emerged a verbal agreement on Mancini’s three-and-a-half-year contract was reached on December 2, as City beat Arsenal in the Carling Cup, but the board wanted to delay the appointment until after tough games against Chelsea, Bolton and Tottenham.

Mancini, set to earn £10million during his time at City, will begin his reign with fixtures against Stoke, Wolves and then Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.

And perhaps equally as bad, are reports that Hughes was not given a straight answer when he challenged Garry Cook over the growing speculation that swept around the club on Saturday:

“Am I being sacked?” Hughes asked the sheepish-looking chief executive. Cook was non-committal. The man who had told anyone who cared to listen that Hughes was the best young manager around did not have the decency to tell him the truth. Hughes had to wait until after the game to be told to pack his bags during a ten-minute conversation with al-Mubarak, the man who had driven through Mancini’s appointment.

Perhaps it is a little naivety on our part to think underhand shenanigans are not part and parcel when concerned with the machinations of a football club, but ADUG have always portrayed themselves as different from the average owners.

They have always stressed the importance of the values they possess, but as more and more emerges about how the sacking of Hughes (and his staff) was conducted (and exactly when it was decided upon), the more badly it reflects on all concerned.

Dunne hits out

"The manager (Mark Hughes) is very quiet, he does his own thing and I spoke with him a few times through the summer about what was going on. He was of the opinion that City needed two players for every position and that was the way the squad was going to work.

'The last time I spoke to him was in Africa after I had found out some other stuff. I said, "Where do I lie in the whole thing?" and he said they were trying to sign players and I would be part of his squad and I could fight for my place.

'He said I was still the captain and even last week he said to me he would rather I stayed but he was told we needed to get money in. I don't think it was his decision.

'They told me they have a certain amount of money they have to recoup each season to make things look better on the books. I could understand if I was being sold for £200m, it might make sense, but it was a bit strange really.

'It just needed people to be honest with me. I was getting phone calls from people saying Garry Cook (pictured) was trying to sell me behind my back, two months after me going to him and saying if he has any problems to come and deal with me. I'm disappointed with people who say one thing and then do the other.

'I'm not going to cry just because the club wanted to sell me - just don't do it behind my back.'

>>mail online.

It makes for sensationalist headlines for sure, and the 'back stabbing' angle is the one that has been followed by most of the press following Dunne's comments.

The main protagonist according to Dunne is of course Garry Cook. A man (and his actions) who the majority of fans are wary of will not have endeared himself if there is truth to the accusations that the departure of Dunne was conducted in a distasteful manner.

Of course it could well be a case of Dunne venting some frustration given the way in which he faced losing his position as player and captain in the side and then was sold when he had no great desire to leave (or choice in the matter).

At the very least, it is a scenario where a player - under contract for four further years - was ushered out of the club, and whilst he could have rejected a move, in reality there was no real opportunity for him to do that.

The Cook report

Where the outside world sees a team languishing in the middle of the Barclays Premier League after a disappointing first season under the ownership of the Abu Dhabi United Group and the management of Mark Hughes, Cook, the chief executive, sees progress and boundless potential.

>>timesonline

A brief paraphrase of a lengthy piece that but eatured in todays timesonline from an interview with Garry Cook, where, amongst other things he discussed Mark Hughes, transfers, the owners and future hopes for the club.

Say what you will about Cook - and he has had his detractors both amongst fans and the media, but he does strike as a positive guy, used to success and very clear in what he wants and setting out his vision in how to achieve it.

There are some interesting topics covered and well worth taking a read.

Hughes to remain in charge

The sheikhs have raised the stakes. Defeat to Tottenham on Saturday killed off Manchester City's slim hopes of competing in the new Europa League next season, and with it went a potential carrot to entice new recruits to Eastlands.

The goal now set by the club's owners Abu Dhabi United Group is to break into the top four next season. Mark Hughes has been reassured after a meeting with the chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, on Friday that he will remain as manager for the next 12 months.

>>independent.co.uk

With Garry Cook's "Mark Hughes is our manager" comment, it does appear that Hughes will be in charge for the 2009/10 season and as regular readers will know, something that I do agree with.

Whilst there have been a number of frustrations throughout this season, equally there have been a number of strides and progressions made. The squad undoubtedly stronger (with the likelihood of further strengthening), off the field changes to the infrastructure of the club, and in addition having had a full season in charge with his backroom staff should lead to a stronger season next time round. Easy to forget of course how much upheaval off the field there was during his initital days and weeks in charge of the club.

There was an interesting quote from Garry Cook in the midst of his backing:

"I don't think necessarily getting into the Uefa Cup is going to change the impact of whether we are going to build," he said. "That is not going to make a difference. In fact, in some ways it might give us the chance to get to the next piece of rebuilding. We are relatively pleased with the year. It has given us a good chance to consolidate."

This is something I threw out there a week or so ago in that not having the obvious distraction of the UEFA Cup/Europa League (as nice as it was) would benefit us in the league, and that for ADUG it was the Champions League that was the aim. I think we can assume that to now be the case.

Pressure has been one of the facets of the job that I'm sure Hughes has come to realise over the past nine months or so. At times he has been lucky to have remained in charge at the club this season, but having survived he is about to see that pressure cranked up more than a notch or two with a top four finish demanded of him, leading to 2009/10 being top four or bust.

Club announce further appointments

From mcfc.co.uk:

Following last week’s meeting of the Board, Manchester City Football Club is pleased to announce three new appointments to its Executive Leadership Team:

Graham Wallace, Chief Financial & Administration Officer

Responsible for leading and managing all Club financial matters in addition to overseeing the Information Technology, Human Resources, Legal and Administration functions. He joins the Club from IMG, where he is Senior Vice President of Finance for IMG’s worldwide Sports Media and Entertainment businesses.

David Pullan, Brand and Marketing Officer

Responsible for growing the Club’s supporter base. He joins the Club from Aegis Media, where he was President of Isobar Global Client Management.

Brian Marwood, Football Administration Officer

Responsible for supporting the Football Manager by building world-leading football infrastructure which will meet Mark Hughes’ requirements in terms of academy liaison, overseeing of medical, sports sciences and performance analysis, talent identification and player support.

The two positions of most interest are the 'Brand and Marketing Officer' and 'Football Administration Officer'. Clearly the club are really aiming big in terms of developing worldwide exposure and untapped potential overseas and this appointment seems a clear acknowledgement of that.

Perhaps more applicable to on-field matters is the appointment of Marwood, and it is interesting to see his role and responsibilities. It does not, on the face of it at least, appear that he is arriving as a technical director or at a position 'in charge' of Mark Hughes, more working alongside (or even for) him. It seems a strange role job description though, covering a multitude of roles that appear to function perfectly adequately at present.

Marwood appears to very much be a 'Cook man', so does his appointment then suggest further evidence of Hughes's position being secure for the long term?

Marwood appointment set to strengthen Hughes's position

From the excellent Henry Winter:

He is not a technical director. Repeat not. Knowing he would have to explain Marwood’s role to Hughes, Cook used the apt analogy of a winger serving a centre-forward. In City’s new chain of command, Marwood reports to Hughes. A popular figure within football, Marwood could prove a real ally for City’s manager.

It does appear that Cook is well and truly behind Hughes as manager, and even if there was a suggestion from the ownership that a more 'glamourous' name (eg, Scolari) was preferred, then unquestionably Cook would advise against it. Winter expands further:

Speculation persists about Sparky’s future. Is he strong enough to deal with big-name, moody Brazilians like Robinho? Wouldn’t the Special One, Jose Mourinho, or another Portuguese speaker, Big Phil Scolari, extract more from such talents? During Thursday’s board meeting, Cook underlined to the Abu Dhabi owners why they are right to keep the faith in Hughes.

Everything is in place at City: respected manager, fine stadium, loyal fans, great academy and fistfuls of petro-dollars. With sensible stewardship, with continued belief in the manager, City can flourish.

As we head towards March and the back end of the season it appears that the club is in a far more stable position than it has been all season. The January signings have bedded in fantastically well and both results and performances have picked up since the low points of January.

Well positioned now in the last sixteen of the UEFA Cup to make serious run at winning it, and sitting only three points of seventh place in the Premier League, are we now beginning to see the first real and tangible signs of a promising future?

Football Administrator to be appointed

Mark Hughes is to be joined at Manchester City by Brian
Marwood, the one-time ­England winger, who is expected to be appointed with
the title of football ­administrator. Marwood had ­initially been lined
up as a director of football, but City have offered him a ­different role
because Hughes did not want anybody brought in above him.
City have been
talking to Marwood, currently the head of the UK football operations for Nike,
for several weeks about appointing him in a role that would reunite him with the
club's executive chairman, Garry Cook. The two men had worked together at
Nike.

>>guardian.co.uk

This story definitely came out of the blue this morning, and despite not being carried anywhere else (the MEN carried a very small article regarding 'management additions' today), Daniel Taylor in The Guardian has usually been accurate in his reporting.

'Football Administrator' is definitely a new title on me and what remit he will have is not apparant, but if it is true that Hughes got his way in terms of Marwood not being appointed above him, it does show that despite reports persisting of him bening replaced his position looks to be s secure as it can be.

Apart from his commentary work, I can't confess to knowing too much regarding Marwood's post-playing career in terms of his suitability for such a position. It does appear though he has worked with Cook at Nike, and does seem to have a 'business head' about him in addition to his football background.

As ever with these scenarios, it will be interesting to see what precise role Marwood may hold, given that I don't see Hughes as the type to relinquish much (if any) control over playing matters. The difficulty with such appointments historically is that there has been no defined boundaries as to who is responsible for which area, often leading to problems at that level and rarely in the British game has there been a succesful example of the set up working.

Perhaps he is to be more of a part in developing the commercial side of the club along with Cook (and acting s a 'bridge' between the football and commercial side) as I'm sure the management (rather than playing) side are really looking to develop the club now along the lines of American sports models, where they are far ahead even the most succesful football clubs in terms of their operations.

Hughes given Cook backing

"It does surprise me where we are," said Cook. "But we knew
it was not going to be a quick fix. A lot of people expected a light-switch to
be flicked as soon as the club changed control. Yes, things have not gone
according to plan but that does not mean we veer off our original
strategy.
"Sheikh Mansour is in step with that and Khaldoon Al Mubarak [the
club chairman] is absolutely in step with that. We know the second half of the
season will be better than the first and we want to bring some depth into the
squad."

>>guardian.co.uk

Not the dreaded vote of confidence then, but tantamount to an acknowledgement that they (ownership) still view Hughes as the man and have no plans to replace him, although in a similar piece in The Times had a slightly more cautious note, quoting a 'for now and the foreseeable future' tone.

Cook stated he still has hopes of a top six finish this season, although admitted that a top ten position may be more of a realistic aim.

I know there is plenty of talk regarding Hughes's future, with the manner of performances as much as the results themselves being the disappointing factor.

From Cook's words though, he is not straying from the long term philosophy that was espoused when the new owenership took control at the start of the season, and on face value at least, that would suggest that Hughes remains part of that plan as well.

City to secure new kit and shirt deals?

MANCHESTER CITY are close to completing a new kit deal worth £40million.

The mega money tie-up with sportswear giants Puma will cover the next four years.

It is largely incentive-based on the Eastlands side reaching the Champions League and is an indication of City’s marketing potential under new owner Sheikh Mansour.

The current deal with Le Coq Sportif is up at the end of the season but City want the new sponsors tied up by Christmas.

Club Executive Chairman Garry Cook is already exploring new areas to promote City’s brand and persuade Puma it is the right deal.

>>the sun.

Hat tip to regular poster 'gaga' for the suggestion on this one, and something that has been discussed over at bluemoon today as well.

It really wouldn't be a surprise to see us switch to a bigger name - and more lucrative deal of course with the le coq sportif deal expiring at the end of the season (and maybe why le coq sportif got three kits into the market this season as a sort of 'pay off'), but I thought Nike would have been the more logical fit given the links to Garry Cook and the Brazilian's we now have in the ranks.

I also imagine that we will be securing a bigger deal for shirt sponsor as well, given that the Thomas Cook deal also runs out this season and Cook has been critical of British sports merchandising before, labelling it '10 years behind the US'.

This article from The Independent in August suggests the deal with Thomas Cook is only for £1 million a season, and there have been stories ever since Thaksin took over that we would be lining up a big sponsorship deal, and with the increased profile you would imagine we should be able to dwarf the current figure.

One of the principal reasons Garry Cook was brought into the club by Thaksin was his reputation as a real 'brand' guy with Nike, and it does seem that one of his remits was to secure far better and more lucrative tie-ups with regards to the kit.

Ambitions of the top four on the pitch then, and the next six months should begin to see the first steps under the regime to match those sides off it as well.

The Telegraph interview with Garry Cook

"Is he a nice guy? Yes. Is he a great guy to play golf with? Yes. Has he got the finances to run a club? Yes. I really care about those three things. I need a left-back who can win tackles, get the crosses in and Jo can bang them in. Whether he’s guilty of something over there, I can’t worry too much about."

>>telegraph.co.uk

Quite a revealing interview with Henry Winter in The Telegraph which covers a range of topics - from what Thaksin is really like, long term plans for the club (and its financing), the pursuit of Ronaldinho and some very, very interesting thoughts on the future of the Premier League.

(Unsurprisingly) it provides a defence of Thaksin and gives a glimpse into his relationship with Mark Hughes - something which will hardly dampen the rumours with regards to transfer disharmony over the past couple of weeks:

"I’m not treating them like a commodity but in the two transfer windows everybody is for sale,”We told Mark not to come if he thought we didn’t need a superstar. Mark wants to challenge himself to manage the best footballers in the world.

But Mark is from the old school. He would rather overpay for the player he knows than for the player where he’s relying on scouting reports. That’s an endearing piece of what Mark is all about."

Well worth a read indeed.