Liverpool banter 7

02 Oct 2026 21:05:35
I really hope that the atmosphere vs City isn't too toxic. I would hate to see us lose the moral high ground by smashing up their bus etc.

From the unprecedented language of the panel's verdict, they are going to be punished far beyond what any of us expected.

I do have some sympathy for their fans - it must be hell. Their players I have less sympathy for: their lawyers and agents would all have known that the numbers don't stack up - yet they signed up anyway.

That said, there at least two other clubs who look pretty shifty - so maybe players just don't care about the source of their wages.

I fear that this is all the tip of an iceberg. Money laundering etc from various clubs.

02 Oct 2026 21:16:35
I'll have sympathy except for the sanctimonious Gallagher twins and especially Noel's comments when they pipped us to the title. Definitely not losing sleep over that GS.

02 Oct 2026 21:36:27
Hell them right through out the game every team should. Half of them won't be there next season. They'll be like rats leaving a sinking ship.

02 Oct 2026 22:10:12
They're not twins but anything that will shut Noel up can only be good.

02 Oct 2026 22:41:47
I have no sympathy whatsoever, it's a plastic club with a tiny amount of genuine fans, who the majority of have supported the club through the years of accusations of cheating.

03 Oct 2026 01:00:05
1. Don't be ridiculous; their bus isn't going to get smashed up.
2. Sympathy for their fans? You must be joking, have you heard/seen what they're saying? Blaming everyone and everything else, from the rest of the top 5 to the league to UEFA, over the past week I've heard 1 fan accept the truth and admit to what it is.

I hope its only the tip of the iceberg, cheating must be brutally stomped out.

03 Oct 2026 03:06:33
City fans got to celebrate winning the title over us three times on the last day and it was all built on the back of financial cheating. Why would any Liverpool supporter have sympathy for them? I've seen Steven Gerrard get robbed of a league title and 97 and 92 point teams finish second because they cheated.

03 Oct 2026 06:59:45
The City bus has been smashed up before and it's only natural to hope it doesn't happen again.
I hadn't thought about it happening but I hope it doesn't happen now that someone had mentioned it.

I know quite a few City fans but I haven't seen to any of them yet so I don't know what they are saying. I'm looking forward to bumping into them though 😁.

03 Oct 2026 08:43:49
The world could do with a little bit less senseless violence and vandalism.

Support your team, give them your energy, don't waste it on City.

03 Oct 2026 08:58:08
Roar on our team without attacking theirs. Create a cauldron in Anfield without overstepping the realms of decency. Get the three points that's the most important thing. But get it with class.

if the rest of the league want to descend into been animals let them. These are just players playing for and fans just supporting their team. I just want a great performance from the lads.

03 Oct 2026 10:53:32
Absolutely Ron and Florian and everyone else saying we should save an our vitriol and channel it into positively inspiring our team.

Don't give their side time to breathe on the pitch, make their players feel the full force of the legendary atmosphere and use Anfield's power to drain the life out of them.

03 Oct 2026 11:22:15
Great time to play Man City, hoping the crowd are cheering on the Reds and booing Man City in possession, their players heads must be somewhere else so they are vulnerable but don't cross the line with any violence that will be an antidote for them.

04 Oct 2026 00:25:49
It says an awful lot about people when they start talking about 'smashing up' a football team's bus. Jeez.

02 Oct 2026 20:09:53
Have to say, having watched city home games over the years I always doubted them as a big club. I'm sure they are reasonably big now/ certainly bigger than they were anyway.

But how can they be that big and have so many empty seats for every home game?

Truly big clubs can fill their stadiums over and over again. For every game.

Whist I'm at it Chelsea holds 38k or so? I'm not saying there are empty seats as regular as city but it's not massive support.

Newcastle fill their ground every week, yes it's a 1 team city.

But city just don't it's always nagged at me. Trying to get tickets for us is like knitting Fog and has been for years.
I guess the signs have always been there!

02 Oct 2026 20:22:59
There is irrefutable evidence that City get 120,000 on for every home game.
Which is some going when tickets are five grand a game.

02 Oct 2026 20:32:57
City games are always sold out just like the club.

02 Oct 2026 21:09:23
Newcastle used to only get 20, 000 fans before Keegan. Your talking nonsense.

02 Oct 2026 21:13:35
That's the thing, you can't just turn a small club into a big club in the space of a decade. Not when it comes to how many supporters you have. Especially local ones who will go the game. That's always going to be pretty much capped. Because you generally get born and you then support the team your dad does.
Unless the city owners start paying city supporters to have more kids than United fans then that's going to be roughly the same number forever.


You'll pick up fans internationally when you put on a good show in Europe but they are floaters who will be Madrid fans next year, Liverpool fans the next, then United etc and they are certainly not filling the stadium on match day.

02 Oct 2026 21:46:01
They have had some good teams down the years, but they have always had a good core of local fans, that followed them throughout the lower leagues when they have been relegated. Them supporters have deserved the success the club have had but they've been kicked in the balls by those in charge. feel a bit sorry for them fans.

02 Oct 2026 22:16:45
Markp08, we had only used to get 36, 000 back in the 80s, when we were winning everything.

02 Oct 2026 22:28:28
I've been at Anfield with less than 24,000 on the 80s.
The city was on its arse, people were out of work and couldn't afford to go to three games in a week.
That was a League Cup game, mind. I fondly remember being in the Anny Road and West Ham clambering across to get at us Liverpool fans.
Great days, though 😂.

02 Oct 2026 22:44:58
The only way city are selling out their stadium is if we hold the appeal there, and even then it'll all be fans from other clubs.

03 Oct 2026 01:03:30
Since they were found guilty, City have become a bigger club than they ever were for all the trophies they won in the last 15 years.

03 Oct 2026 05:12:33
Agree with Scouse John, they were averaging 28k fans at home when they were in Division 2 (equivalent to League 1).
Those fans deserved the success that came along.

03 Oct 2026 08:02:49
City fans will back their club, as we would lfc, but in time when dust has settled I think they will be disappointed with their owners. they could've done it differently and been successfully in time. With their money they could've pumped it into academy (which they did) and used them players instead of buying players all the time.

Rodgers + Palmer to name just 2 of the players they had who never got 1st team chance as they prioritised ready made players.

03 Oct 2026 08:43:02
I've been at Anfield with 16,000 in attendance, that's not my point.

My point is that on a match day (prem) they have loads of seats available. Quoting Keagan; Newcastle when he started there they were an old second division club. On the boats of their arse. He did a remarkable job in very bad economic times when Thacher was PM and coal mining was being run down.

As a player and then manager, he got the ground full through pure enthusiasm. Comparing, this is night and day. My point is they have all the money they need but can't spend it. City no mater how much talent they put on the pitch just don't fill their ground.

Everton do! Smaller city in population no success for 30 years and mid table squad at best. They fill their ground. Loads of ways to look at it. But if you are the top team in Europe in terms of talent on the pitch and bench. Surely there should be no empty seats.
For gods sake, West Ham fill their ground every week.

03 Oct 2026 11:27:57
Correct 1985mikey1985 here down under these are probably the top 10 football jerseys I see in the street (in no particular order)

Barca
Real Madrid
Liverpool
Arsenal
Man United
Chelsea
Al-Nasser
PSG
Juventus
AC Milan

I would guess I see more Leeds Utd, Santos, Celtic, Newcastle United before Man City shirts.

04 Oct 2026 00:29:23
City had @30, 000 go to their matches when they were in the old Division 3 in my lifetime.

OP, what do you mean by 'big' Are you just talking about fans in the English game who attend home matches?

02 Oct 2026 16:46:45
Hi All,

Given the 'Sham City' situation has come to a head i thought i would see if i could find if the great Ed002 had give one of his detailed (and usually correct) explanations of the situation, i have managed to find the below nugget of info

RIP Ed002 / Keep up the good work Eds

"{Ed002's Note - Yes, Liverpool will continue to look to improve the side but won't buy for the sake of it. They need to settle on clear targets.

As for Manchester City, I don't expect there will be any consideration to "title stripping" but if found guilty the potential punishments are slapped wrist (they need to clear out the charges which are simply noise and that may deal with those), fine (that could be negotiated to avoid any appeal - an option Nottingham Forest were looking to, but they were harshly treated), transfer ban (unlikely given a previous transfer ban for another club went horribly wrong for the authorities), points deduction (if found guilty of some of the serious issues and the most likely punishment I would think) and in theory relegation by expelling them from the Premier League if found guilty of multiple serious charges (could potentially happen but it would cause a huge problem with the EFL and the EFL clubs) or having their license cancelled completely (it has happened to Bury, Anzhi Makachkala and others over the years - but won't happen to Manchester City). Manchester City will claim, and subsequently use the claim in an appeal if necessary, that the charges are largely the result of criminal activity where computers were hacked - legally that puts the Premier League in a difficult position which may encourage some sort of settlement). Going down the appeal route will not suit anyone.

The huge difficulty with the concept of "title stripping" or any retrospective punishment is that it would be necessary to remove Manchester City from the equation for the Premier League for certain years by deleting all of their results, goals scored and conceded and re-adjusting the points and the prize money allocated. This would retropspectively impact which clubs qualified for the Champions League and other European competition - and again gained prize money from it, it may well also impact the relegation of teams and therefore impact the integrity of the Championship and lower leagues in subsequent seasons. It would mean years of liturgation and the relaunch of the pan-European league again.}."

02 Oct 2026 17:27:03
You've rendered us all a tremendous service Maxi, thank you.

02 Oct 2026 17:36:01
I think the titles will be stripped, it's not as difficult as recalculating and handing out trophies, think the league as a whole will agree 'years x, y, z titles are void'.

This won't be an easy fix for city, they've lied to the Premier League, their sponsors like that saying one thing to the UK and another to the USA about their funding of the airline itself (a different case but shows they're liars).

I'm not convinced there will be a Manchester City when this is all over.

The players will probably find legal footing to leave the club too.


Good riddance too I say, their cheating gave the league an Agueroooo moment and the cost of a Liverpool team that would have been undeniably the best single season of a team league team ever.

They voted for the rules, broke them, tried to hide it and are now trying to swing their political weight around.

02 Oct 2026 18:01:53
Everyone played by the Rules

But Man City cheated

Kick them out of the league, strip the titles, ban them from signing players for 5 years.

02 Oct 2026 18:49:46
If the League is going to take this as seriously as they should, I don't see how anything other than relegation to League 2, a 5-year transfer ban and a 30-point deduction for 5 years could be sufficient, should be 10, but that won't happen, and that's being very lenient in my opinion.

They cannot simply be granted the opportunity to make their way back to the PL within 12-24 months, that would make a complete mockery of the entire proceeding, the rest of the teams who follow the rules, the league, the FA, the whole lot.

The owners and anyone else involved need a lifetime ban, that's non-negotiable. Trophies stripped and awarded appropriately. No time for this "I don't want those trophies" nonsense some people are spouting, saying, "it dosn't feel the same", of course it's not the same, we were robbed, it's justice, and justice is imperfect.

02 Oct 2026 19:34:04
If the owners walk away like LIV golf or even just disengage - which might be happening at Newcastle - Man City's existence would be in doubt.

A settlement will have to be reached IMO.

02 Oct 2026 19:56:08
I think some of you are going to be disappointed.

02 Oct 2026 21:23:56
The owners should be kicked out, how can they possibly be allowed to continue after this?
That does probably mean City is finished as a club though.

Hopefully a deal can be had where the owners are booted out and city are allowed time to move on their players and balance the books to stop a billion pounds worth of dept and the players wages instantly crippling them. Alongside a deal where every other club agrees not to sue them to oblivion?

I do think the titles should be stripped as well. They can't possibly stay on the record.

Alongside a relegation.

Ed002s insight would have been amazing right about now. I remember him posting that post a while ago, new information has come to light since then though.
It wouldve been interesting to have his take on City's mental appeal approach today.

02 Oct 2026 23:08:46
Why people think city will have their own way is beyond me.

Looking at it in any sensible way .
Other clubs want them taking the cleaners, politically UAE is struggling. To deal with the mess that is the Middle East, the evidence is stacked against the club.

Nobody wins if city get off easy bar the club, UAE and Burnham.

They're going to be taken the cleaners and be lucky if the club still exists by time this is done, that's just fact. Good riddance too! The cherry on the top being the two mancs who call themselves a band will be heart broken too!

03 Oct 2026 08:57:44
I think after what Burnham said and the fact the City chairman was in Downing Street days before the guilty verdict, they will get a less harsh punishment. I think it will be a negotiated settlement to draw a line under it.

It seems Ed002 was leaning towards a points deduction as the most likely - which I agree with.

It could be a huge one this season effectively relegating them. Then would their players try? Would teams who have already lost to them object? Would this effectively force the owners to leave, which we know Burnham wants to avoid.
I think they will get away with a less harsh punishment, something along the lines of 30 points per season for their next 3 - 5 PL seasons.

Whether they be consecutive seasons or not (if they got relegated).
It would give them a tiny chance of winning the league, it would give them a chance of continuing in the CL. It's very unlikely to relegate them.

Then they'll reform the rules again and make another pig's ear of it. There will need to be set punishments IMO.

03 Oct 2026 09:49:55
Hello, Sailor.
Man City will still exist after any sanctions. I will guarantee you that.
And I don't think the war in Iran will go on forever. It's affecting a lot more people than just the UAE.

02 Oct 2026 15:44:54
Pub quiz question:

Who is the only bald manager to ever legitimately win the Premier League apart from Arne Slot?

02 Oct 2026 15:52:48
Antonio Conte. bald as a coot!

02 Oct 2026 20:15:48
Isn't the moniker Bald Fraud more suitable for Pep Gladioli now?

02 Oct 2026 21:58:21
Did vialli win it?

02 Oct 2026 22:17:07
Vialli never won the PL as a player or manager.

02 Oct 2026 23:12:21
Another pub quiz question.

Q. By the year 2027 what do aguero, KDB, Rodri and myself all have in common?
A. None of us have won a Premier League title.

Bonus question.
Q. What do pep, lance armstrong and my cousin have in common? They all cheat, granted my cousin Ants monopoly strategy isn't as involved but I remember Christmas Day 2012 Anthony!

01 Oct 2026 22:14:28
Ed666, Wirtz scored tonight 🤫.

{Ed666's Note - Cheeky Fecker 😃😀

02 Oct 2026 07:09:48
Klopp uses a different formation than Iriola. He has Wirtz playing a Bobby Firmino false nine in a 4-3-3. Iriola has Wirtz stuck between a two man midfield pivot and Isak as the nine. That puts Wirtz in the midst of a crowd. Defenders push him off the ball and force him into giveaways. Looks like Klopp has him playing where he belongs. Klopp also used Diogo this way as a false nine - brilliantly.

We need to do the same. been saying it for a long while.

02 Oct 2026 08:01:54
But that worked fine because we had Salah and Mane thriving off Firmino. At this stage we have no-one on the wings capable of giving the same numbers as those two did.

Also interesting is that down below someone claims that Wirtz was playing off the left of a 4-3-3 so can someone actually confirm that there there were 2 Wirtz on the pitch last night?

02 Oct 2026 09:18:56
Wirtz generally starts on the left for Germany and Leverkusen but essentially, he has a free role around the pitch. That is his best position imo and he played his best for us while doing that too.

{Ed025's Note - we are yet to see his "best" Drac..

02 Oct 2026 09:24:37
He didn't start off the left he was the left hand CM of a 3 Gnabry, Wolte, Scherhant played upfront Pav and Bisch did the leg work to give him the freedom needed to push up and play with Wolte.

02 Oct 2026 10:02:28
Klopp did not play him as a false 9 he played Woltemade as a 9 with Wirtz on the left of the midfield 3 with licence to roam.

So essentially the same way Iraola plays him.

02 Oct 2026 10:35:57
@The_thin based on the highlights I saw, Woltemade played the 9 role with Wirtz playing in the free role behind him with runners behind him (Wirtz) in midfield.

That is the way Iraola actually plays at least on paper, as @Rios said. Also, we have seen Wirtz in the false 9 role and he was completely lost there. Personally, I don't want to see that again.

As said above, I didn't see the whole game but Flo scored a good goal and in fact, was heavily involved in the first goal as his dribbling and quick shot that hit the post led to a tap in.

02 Oct 2026 10:39:23
Until we get a couple more passers into the first team, our forward line will continue to underperform against the sums spent on it. We can keep blaming everyone - the crop of midfielders and fullbacks we have, the wide players and forwards that are supposed to be making the runs in behind, the coaches or Florian Wirtz himself. It won't change anything until either the existing players become better passer or we bring in a couple. I don't really mind if it is solved through changing midfielders or fullbacks - or even a bit of both. It just needs solving.

We keep going on about Mo and Sadio and their output but they also had players behind them that could progress the ball quickly - Trent and Virg are unicorns, Robbo was very forward thinking with his passes, Fabinho and Hendo could be very direct too if the pass was on. And of course Bobby was the king of making the most of the touches he got.

I watch our current mids and fullbacks - they can run about until the cows come home but all seem to want several touches of the ball or carry it before passing it on, when one quick pass would be more effective.

To be fair, Macca has been better this season. I think Trey has it in his locker too. We've no passers in our fullback ranks at all. Having a bit more of it will help everything massively.

And to complete my unplanned rant - we really could use one or two more left footers in the squad!

02 Oct 2026 11:04:43
I's simple. Jurgen is the best manager we've had in 30 odd years. A generational talent. He rates Florian Wirtz. I agree with him.

02 Oct 2026 11:01:39
Wirtz was playing in the midfield in that 433 last night, not as a false 9, but if you watched the game, he was really just playing as a 10 who favoured that half space just off to the left, so technically there was still a 2 man midfield behind him. No point in trying to make out like it was the minor technical differences of the setup that made Wirtz a better player, they were playing Serbia after all, the difference in quality between that and the PL is massive, not to mention time on the ball, physicality, pressure, etc.

Wirtz played great because the opposition was trash, he had tonnes of space and the confidence of playing with his countrymen under zero pressure, should serve as a nice confidence booster for him, there's nothing more to take away from it. He has the same positional freedom when playing at Anfield, but he doesn't get the same time or space.

02 Oct 2026 12:24:32
Actually, I have irrefutable evidence that it was 0-0.

02 Oct 2026 12:29:17
Oops did I start something 🤭.

02 Oct 2026 13:35:21
It's really encouraging to see how many pro licence standard posters we have on here, in case it doesn't work out with AI, or should that be SI now? We're in good hands whichever way we look at it😁.

02 Oct 2026 13:53:23
Very good posts there, Chewy and Pelican. I agree with all the angles and approaches to the topic.

Hopefully and despite the diverse factors and contexts surrounding the game (the opponent, more space, etc.), Wirtz can get some confidence from his perf. which will help him moving forward.

Flo needs to realise that he is still a top talent who is just going thru a rough time and that he needs to be bold and front-footed in his play and his decision-making in PL games.

Take control of the things over the stuff he actually has control of, essentially.

{Ed025's Note - him being out of form for 14 months does not exactly fill me with much confidence mate..

02 Oct 2026 14:25:07
Flo must've been Andy Capp'd by his Liverpool teammates.

02 Oct 2026 07:00:46
Gonna be a long day for you Ed666.

By the way. that Wirtz is so crap. we should cash in.

{Ed666's Note - I can’t catch a break mate 😀

02 Oct 2026 15:12:14
Like it Rigsby 👏.

02 Oct 2026 15:45:15
Big difference between international football & Premier League. At the moment he is not hacking it in the epl. Hopefully he will.

01 Oct 2026 22:31:13
Wirtz scored tonight Ed. Can we talk about him now?

{Ed033's Note - Sure, go ahead.

01 Oct 2026 23:33:38
Well taken goal, lovely touch to take it round the defender, looked sharp, hit the post in the first half too, hopefully serves as a well-timed confidence boost for the City game.

01 Oct 2026 23:42:18
It seems pretty standard these days for our players to play better for their country than they do for Liverpool.

02 Oct 2026 00:00:49
That's because international footy is easier than Premier League footy.

What formation and position did Klopp play him in, anyone know?

02 Oct 2026 00:11:56
I'm pretty sure you can find the game on social media @ Stoneage.

02 Oct 2026 00:40:46
stoneage, Klopp went with a 433 according to the tellybox, with Wirtz on the left side of a midfield 3, but he had a huge amount of freedom, constantly coming inside and out to the right even, and way up top with Woltemade at times, so whatever he was on paper, he was really playing as a 10, favouring that half space off to the left as he usually does.

02 Oct 2026 00:59:23
That's how he played at Leverkusen - well the little bits I have seen - basically on the left but with a licence to rove about.

Ideally he could do that for us, with Dom in the middle BB on the right but with all inter changing during the match and Trey and Macca behind them stepping up as needed when we are attacking.

02 Oct 2026 09:44:36
Wirtz won't make it in the Premier League wrong type for the prem.
Better suited to Spain or back to Germany in Munich.

01 Oct 2026 17:32:46
Ed001, not sure if I'm understanding this correctly or not but City's defence has now shifted to 'the money didn't come from the owners, it came from the UAE government'. Now correct me if I'm wrong, is that not the same thing considering Sheikh Mansour is the vice president?

{Ed001's Note - not really, there are government investment vehicles and companies, but the Emirates keep them separate as a rule, both from the other Emirates and from personal wealth. So they are trying to fudge things, but technically they are separate.}

01 Oct 2026 22:53:22
The can't enter new evidence into an appeal, they should have had that in their defence in the first place.

01 Oct 2026 23:12:08
City saying money didn't come from private owners, money came from government, but the government leaders and controllers of their wealth fund are City's private owners;

• Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Club Owner)
• Vice President of the UAE
• Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE
• Chairman of the UAE Presidential Court
• Brother of the UAE President

• Khaldoon Al Mubarak (Club Chairman)
• Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority
• CEO of Mubadala (Abu Dhabi's state sovereign wealth fund)
• Board Member of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company

It's absolutely comical that they're trying to claim that 1. It's the government's money, and 2. Because it's the government's money, it has nothing to do with the owners. This is the most blatant piece of cheating I've ever seen. This is just a case of moronic spoilt brats doing whatever they want because nobody's ever challenged them, I really hope they get a lifetime ban, they should never be allowed near a football team again.

02 Oct 2026 00:32:53
Dear Manchester City, you are now telling lies about the lies you were found guilty of when adjudged by the independent panel.

Apart from the fact that you are lying about lying, as has been said, you can't now actually enter the lies as evidence in a case that has already made a judgement.

There is a saying that 'two wrongs don't make a right' but in this case two wrongs actually make an even bigger wrong.

Nice to see the lads from His Majesty's Revenue and Customs have been given a shout.

To misquote the Bay City Rollers,

'Bye, bye City, City good bye'

P. S. Not only is the PM, trying to defend the indefensible is a mealy mouthed manner, according to the BBC he's also an Everton fan. The country's going to sh#t.

{Ed078's Note - according to him he's an Everton fan, always has been.

02 Oct 2026 00:47:27
The deputy PM is a Man City fan and she made a joke about the investigation during the Labour Party Conference.
Biggest scandal in English football, possibly global football, and they're joking about it and supporting the perpetrators.

02 Oct 2026 03:30:34
I highly recommend watching the Overlap piece on y/t with Carra and Ornstein.

{Ed666's Note - Kate Scott…Would you or wouldn’t you??

01 Oct 2026 21:00:15
From what I gather they are trying to get out of it on the technicality that Premier League said it was the owners money and it wasn't.

So basically they are guilty and sin but they are trying to find a loophole in the court case.

What an absolute joke sometimes the legal system is.

Do you think it'll get them anywhere Ed?

{Ed001's Note - no.}

02 Oct 2026 08:23:50
The defence city have put in the public domain is the same defence that they put to the panel who said we don't believe you. This is therefore not new evidence.

02 Oct 2026 10:38:43
Jari, and this is the wave City will ride into oblivion.

Claim they are innocent and that the PL is out to get them and their delusional fans will lap it all up and play the victim till the end.

On their way to League 2, I hope.

02 Oct 2026 11:45:55
Stripping of titles, sent to league 2, and their owners now failing the fitness test for ownership.

They made a mockery of the rules and the league.


Interesting to see the fall out, in employment law, there has to be a level of trust between employee and employer (duty of mutual trust and confidence). A lot of talent could be going to Madrid and Barcelona for free when this is all done and dusted.

02 Oct 2026 12:22:49
I don't see how it coming from the government is any better? Surely the agreements were inflated regardless and that's the issue.

Add to the fact they will try to delay the appeal because it will fall under the old timescales and that says everything you need to know. If I was innocent I'd want my name cleared tomorrow. I wouldn't be kicking the can down the road.

As for punishment, I'd throw them out the league but looks like the money men will bottle that decision. They have done as they pleased and tarnished the league, robbed fans of memories and then had the audacity to claim woe is me and they are out to get me. Get them gone, and maybe United can buy the stadium and stop public money going to a vanity project. They can't go to league 2 without approval from the EFL clubs, and why would they accept them as they'd just be accepting a smaller chance at promotion? Send them down to the bottom of the pyramid and let them take their medicine.

Personally think they will get a huge 'gesture' fine which will be relegation. But ultimately will mean nothing as they'll bounce straight back.

02 Oct 2026 12:27:22
The interim Prime Minister can't decide if he's from Manchester or Liverpool. Even makes slight changes to the bizarre hybrid accent depending on what he is trying to achieve that day.

02 Oct 2026 10:06:55
Ed666, Happily married for 26 years and not into Ozempic face so there's your answer : p.

{Ed666's Note - congratulations mate I commend you for the length of your marriage. What’s your secret?

02 Oct 2026 15:32:58
His length.

02 Oct 2026 15:42:15
He hasn't spoken to her for 25, works a treat!

01 Oct 2026 16:18:36
So, no that we can all assume city are cheats and corrupt what's everyone's thoughts on them paying refs?
For example a couple of seasons ago we drew with them but in my opinion should have had a last min pen when Doku kicked Mac Allister in the chest. But nothing.
Was that ref paid off?
Coote has shown that not all refs are professional people.

{Ed666's Note - I’ll talk about anything if it means we do t have to discuss Wirtz

01 Oct 2026 16:39:16
Ouch!

01 Oct 2026 16:49:52
What about decisions that have went Liverpools way over the years? Did Liverpool pay those refs off as well?

01 Oct 2026 16:58:08
Wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if city's cheating was limited to cooking the books.

Doping with performance enhancing drugs has followed Pep around since his 2 failed tests as a player so wouldn't be surprised if City is also doing it.

And wouldn't be surprised if Refs are being bought as well by them, they have had some questionable decisions over the years and some refs did go over there a few years ago for some nice little side earners.

01 Oct 2026 17:28:52
Did pep receive an apology for his doling as a player?

01 Oct 2026 18:19:40
The Spurs/Diaz goal game with the VAR that had just got back from Saudi. Imo was the clearest ever indication of officials having been paid off.

01 Oct 2026 18:49:32
Wasn't there rumours a few years back while Pep was in charge of injured City players being sent to Spain for treatment and getting back to fitness in double quick?

Like I said only a rumour.

01 Oct 2026 18:08:56
So Ed666 let's talk about Wirtz lol.

{Ed666's Note - that made me chuckle so hard you have no idea mate 🤣

01 Oct 2026 19:00:56
100% Refs getting paid off, look at the state of the Bias, it's just as obvious as the charges before made guilty and Everyone knows it

Interesting comments coming from the prime minister, back handers when he was mayor of Manchester maybe? Get him checked aswel, old tax dodger over there at number 10.

01 Oct 2026 19:13:04
Bristol_Red were they being bathed in Horse gism?

01 Oct 2026 19:22:18
Honestly

I've no idea. It's just as likely as a thing else

Barca had 2 decades of paying the referees off.

Ultimately I think there's a serious problem with the a little of referees withing the game who never played and are afraid to make big decisions is what it's down to. Was it the Rodri handball Vs Everton too? The clear penalty Vs sait. Maximan among 10s of not hundreds that city got as well as fernandinho making 10 fouls before he'd see a yellow.

I think the problem stems from the fa though not paying the refs off. They prioritise young referees over competent referees because they can stay in the Industry longer

There's also been no change in refs fees since I was playing under 11s I run a team now at 40 and we still pay them the same wage we paid refs in the 90s/00s £45 to arrive 30 mins before kick off. 1.30 pm Saturday 2 hours work. Then drove 30 minutes back. This is less than minimum wage to run around because spat at, punched verbally abused.

It's no wonder the top talent don't stick around.

Sadly Its simply incompetence from my POV

Sorry ed666 I know you hate my long replies.

{Ed666's Note - get it off your chest mate no apologies needed

01 Oct 2026 20:12:56
Didnt the Ciry owners also pay for a ref to go on holiday in Dubai or. to ref some games in Saudi or something along those lines? But yeah. nothing to see there.

01 Oct 2026 22:14:13
Said it for years, imo refs definitely on the take.

01 Oct 2026 22:15:25
That was a shocking decision, Duke, absolutely shocking. However, like Irish says, we've had loads of decisions go our way over the years. We need to stop this "everything goes against us" guff.

01 Oct 2026 23:03:54
Refs getting paid off. tehe ole human factor/influence. Luckily I've been quietly advised that we will have robotic refs running around within the next two years (currently being tested in China), all with built in whistles.

Which leads into the question how long until the players are robots and that leads into the question do you think the current Man City squad might have some hidden bionics up their sleeves? , or down their socks.

02 Oct 2026 00:29:52
I think there should be an investigation. I know some on here don't like this talk or want to talk about calls that go our way, but there's an easy way to answer this question: do an actual assessment of the refs performances.

It's not hard, it just takes time an will and can all be modeled. Bad refs mean bad calls/contentious noncalls are made against all teams equally. Biased refs mean that bad/contentious calls go for one team statistically more often.

02 Oct 2026 01:45:39
I think it's naive to think that refs don't get paid off.

There's so much money in the game with clubs and betting syndicates able to earn absolute fortunes it doesn't take too much imagination to assume that they will be doing everything they can to make sure the odds are in their favour.

Refs are an easy win. They don't get paid anything remotely close to what the players get paid so will be very easy to incentivise and they can have real time material impact on a game.

It won't be just for one team as that would be too obvious but you can bet your bottom dollar they are manipulating results for financial gain.

Just look at the levels of dishonesty the City owners have stooped to so they can gain an advantage. Do you honestly believe they are above bribing a ref?

It happens. It would be more of a surprise if it didn't happen in my opinion.

{Ed666's Note - I dont know about the refs but someone needs to check Slots bank account after the way we played last season!!

02 Oct 2026 07:48:35
Infantinio - you may jest, but who ref's today's games? The man in the middle is there for the simpler decisions, the two linesmen don't do anything anymore, apart from wave the flag 3 weeks after an offside. There used to be linesmen on the goal line - I don't know what they did, but they didn't last long.


How many men in the broom cupboard at Stockley park, and what's their influence on a game - in constant correspondence with the ref via an ear piece.
So your little robots may replace that symbolic man in the middle. because we're not 100% sure who does what?
Robots cannot do worse?

01 Oct 2026 15:01:19
Arne Slot the only baldy manager to ever win a legitimate Premier League. You'll never sing that.

01 Oct 2026 15:11:49
Can we stop with the misinformation as to the status of Slot's hair? I believe the information on this topic is irrefutable.

01 Oct 2026 15:36:13
Slot actually has a full head of thick luscious hair, but he began religiously shaving it on a daily basis after he spent a period of 8 years studying under the shaolin monks. The lad is absolutely wicked with a set of nunchucks.

01 Oct 2026 15:38:07
Like his trophies, Guardiola's baldy status was fraudulent. Unkempt stubble, unlike Arne's magnificently shiny tanned dome.

{Ed666's Note - you lot just need any excuse to criticize Pep

02 Oct 2026 00:36:50
Is the rumour about Wirtz going to shave his head correct? Sorry, couldn't stop myself.