Thaksin Completes Man City Buyout

[Tony Clifton]

[John K]

If the referees are wearing or displaying a logo associated with one teams owner, that at least raises the question if the they are truly un-bias or have they been bought off.

[Tony Clifton]

If the referees are wearing or displaying a logo associated with one teams owner, that at least raises the question if the they are truly un-bias or have they been bought off.

Wasn't he manipulating Election Commissioners as a politician as well?

[Sanpatong]

If the referees are wearing or displaying a logo associated with one teams owner, that at least raises the question if the they are truly un-bias or have they been bought off.

Don't be ridiculous. They decided to have shirt sponsoring for referees because they're a visible surface in the games. It just happens to be on the shirt of the ref but it could easily be something else that the FA controls. In fact, the FA sells loads of ad space but now that it's visible on the ref's shirts it somehow affects the individual ref's?

And secondly, Frank sold Shin Corp, last time I checked.

And thirdly, City are playing well enough not to be bothered about ref's decisions!!

We are the lads who are playing to win

City - the Boys in Blue will never give in!

[Tony Clifton]

Do you smell something burning?

Thaksin's Man City deal facing scrutiny

The Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) will launch another inquiry into deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra's purchase of Manchester City football club. The inquiry would find out if Thaksin really bought the club and if so where the large amount of money needed to do so really came from. A source close to the ASC said Auditor-General Jaruvan Maintaka, said there was a need for the ASC to investigate Thaksin's "existing" assets to determine if they were ill-gotten during his tenure as PM. The ASC has, meanwhile, rejected Thaksin's request that ASC documents relating to his cases should be sent to his address in Britain. So far all documents have been delivered to Thaksin's residence in Bangkok.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/23Oct2007_news10.php

================================================================================

=========

Thaksin faces new Thai probe

Bangkok • Thailand's anti-graft body said yesterday it had begun a probe into whether ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra bought English Premier League soccer club Manchester City with legitimate financing.

The Asset Examination Committee (AEC), set up after Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless coup last year, will ask the central bank to provide details of his money outflows and the British government to help verify the takeover.

"We want to know if Thaksin really bought the club. If so, where did he get the money from and whether that money had been declared with the Counter Corruption Commission," as required by law, AEC chairman Nam Yimyam told reporters.

Another AEC member, who declined to be identified, said the panel would ask the British Embassy in Bangkok to help find out whether the takeover was done by Thaksin himself or by nominees and how it was financed.

"If the probe shows he actually bought the club, we then will have to find out whether the money came from stock manipulation or legitimate businesses," the AEC member said.

Thaksin's family cemented their control of Manchester City in July when they took ownership of 75 per cent of the shares in the struggling club for 81 million pounds.

The AEC said in August that Thaksin might have bought the club with money he had hidden from the government.

Reuters

[lazeeboy]

Do you smell something burning?

Thaksin's Man City deal facing scrutiny

The Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) will launch another inquiry into deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra's purchase of Manchester City football club. The inquiry would find out if Thaksin really bought the club and if so where the large amount of money needed to do so really came from. A source close to the ASC said Auditor-General Jaruvan Maintaka, said there was a need for the ASC to investigate Thaksin's "existing" assets to determine if they were ill-gotten during his tenure as PM. The ASC has, meanwhile, rejected Thaksin's request that ASC documents relating to his cases should be sent to his address in Britain. So far all documents have been delivered to Thaksin's residence in Bangkok.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/23Oct2007_news10.php

================================================================================

=========

Thaksin faces new Thai probe

Bangkok • Thailand's anti-graft body said yesterday it had begun a probe into whether ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra bought English Premier League soccer club Manchester City with legitimate financing.

The Asset Examination Committee (AEC), set up after Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless coup last year, will ask the central bank to provide details of his money outflows and the British government to help verify the takeover.

"We want to know if Thaksin really bought the club. If so, where did he get the money from and whether that money had been declared with the Counter Corruption Commission," as required by law, AEC chairman Nam Yimyam told reporters.

Another AEC member, who declined to be identified, said the panel would ask the British Embassy in Bangkok to help find out whether the takeover was done by Thaksin himself or by nominees and how it was financed.

"If the probe shows he actually bought the club, we then will have to find out whether the money came from stock manipulation or legitimate businesses," the AEC member said.

Thaksin's family cemented their control of Manchester City in July when they took ownership of 75 per cent of the shares in the struggling club for 81 million pounds.

The AEC said in August that Thaksin might have bought the club with money he had hidden from the government.

Reuters

may have hidden from the government thats a laugh ........

[Tony Clifton]

Just wait and see how much money he illegally and secretly took out of the country under this government and surely much more under HIS government, and then try to match that with his existing assets declarations over the years.

[John K]

Noppadon: ASC swimming against the current

(BangkokPost.com) - Noppadon Pattama, legal adviser of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra has attacked a planned investigation by the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) to determine the source of money used to buy shares of Manchester City football club.

Mr Noppadon, who is also the deputy secretary-general of the People Power party (PPP), branded the investigation order “a predictable strategy that comes just a few months before the election”.

“With the little time that they have left, they just want to discredit Mr Thaksin,” he said. “It is also part of an ongoing plan to destroy the People Power party.”

More here : http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=122934

It certainly sounds like they are on the right track if Thaksin is saying go away.

[Tony Clifton]

“With the little time that they have left, they just want to discredit Mr Thaksin,” he said.

I'll have to look up the definition of micro-credit, maybe...

“It is also part of an ongoing plan to destroy the People Power party.”

The PPP will see to it themselves. Worked with their last version of a party.

[nickynomates]

"With the little time that they have left, they just want to discredit Mr Thaksin," he said.

I'll have to look up the definition of micro-credit, maybe...

"It is also part of an ongoing plan to destroy the People Power party."

The PPP will see to it themselves. Worked with their last version of a party.

Just look at the base facts here.

He had an injustice done while he was not even in the country.

We all know about saving face its in his culture what was he to do.

He used his instincts to get the best result form a negative situation and brought a English football club near to relegation for peanuts. Gets full media coverage in all but Thailand.

Gets the nick name of Frank the man, has hot thai totty especialy flown over to sing with him

And he has taken Man city to almost the top playing what can only be described as inventive beautifull football.

Who would you want to vote for come December 23rd.

For balls it Frank the man.

[nickynomates]

"With the little time that they have left, they just want to discredit Mr Thaksin," he said.

I'll have to look up the definition of micro-credit, maybe...

"It is also part of an ongoing plan to destroy the People Power party."

The PPP will see to it themselves. Worked with their last version of a party.

Just look at the base facts here.

He had an injustice done while he was not even in the country.

We all know about saving face its in his culture what was he to do.

He used his instincts to get the best result from a negative situation and brought a English football club near to relegation for peanuts. Gets full media coverage in all but Thailand.

Gets the nick name of Frank the man, has hot thai totty especialy flown over to sing with him

And he has taken Man city to almost the top playing what can only be described as inventive beautifull football.

Who would you want to vote for come December 23rd.

For balls it Frank the man.

[nickynomates]

And he has Shinga beer advert all over the ground and air asia all over the refs.

[John K]

I would not be too worried about things advertized on things other then the referees, to me it makes me think their pay is based on how they rule. He has had practice in manipulation supposedly neutral people and bodies in the past. The election commission, the courts and so on. If the referees had advertisements that were not related to Thaksin then it would no be so bad. This is almost like a taunt.

[mrbojangles]

From the Bangkok Post:-

Thaksin kicks in more funds

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged more funds to back Sven-Goran Eriksson in the January transfer market, the British media reported Thursday.

Thaksin has already spent 40 million pounds on new players since his summer takeover of the Eastlands outfit, or about 2.8 billion baht.

This is despite having nearly 100 billion baht of his assets frozen in Thailand.

Thaksin has already earmarked more money for Eriksson to continue his astonishing start to life with the Blues, according to the SportingLife.com website on Thursday morning.

The move seems to indicate that Thaksin is not intimidated either by threats in Thailand to seize assets to pay his children's tax bill, or a new investigation by the military-appointed Assets Scrutiny Commission into the source of the funds Thaksin used to complete his City buy-out earlier this year.

Currently third in the top flight, Manchester City are to play former champions Chelsea on Saturday knowing victory will take them an amazing seven points clear of Chelsea in the Premiership.

Both Thaksin and Eriksson accept there is still plenty of work to be done, SportingLife reports.

But having vowed to take City into Europe within three years, Thaksin has confirmed he will back Eriksson when the transfer window opens in the new year in a bid to gain Uefa Cup qualification well ahead of schedule.

He told the Manchester Evening News:

"There will not be many new faces like there were in the summer but possibly, there will be a few.

"There is no doubt that I trust Sven to spend my money well... His track record has been brilliant so far. There were those who questioned us when we appointed Sven as manager but they are not doing so now. So far, he has proved to be a perfect choice."

Thaksin has said he will not return to Thailand until at least next year, after elections and the formation of a democration government. That leaves him free to concentrate on Manchester City, and turning the team into a major Premier League force.

"We set out with a three-year plan and though people will say we are ahead of that plan we have only played 10 games so far," he told the Manchester newspaper.

"But we have started very well and we seem to be winning the disillusioned fans back."

[sriracha john]

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged more funds to back Sven-Goran Eriksson in the January transfer market, the British media reported Thursday.

Thaksin has already spent 40 million pounds on new players since his summer takeover of the Eastlands outfit, or about 2.8 billion baht.

This is despite having nearly 100 billion baht of his assets frozen in Thailand.

The move seems to indicate that Thaksin is not intimidated either by threats in Thailand to seize assets to pay his children's tax bill, or a new investigation

What it really seems to indicate is that Thaksin had concealed more assets and looted more money than what was previously thought.

[younghusband]

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged more funds to back Sven-Goran Eriksson in the January transfer market, the British media reported Thursday.

Thaksin has already spent 40 million pounds on new players since his summer takeover of the Eastlands outfit, or about 2.8 billion baht.

This is despite having nearly 100 billion baht of his assets frozen in Thailand.

The move seems to indicate that Thaksin is not intimidated either by threats in Thailand to seize assets to pay his children's tax bill, or a new investigation

What it really seems to indicate is that Thaksin had concealed more assets and looted more money than what was previously thought.

Ignoring the typically fatuous knee jerk response above, as a very moderate football fan I have only just focused on the performance of Man City and by God it's utterly fantastic since Frank took over, with I suppose much of the credit belonging to Sven.But it does remind one that Thailand under Thaksin did have some kind of a strategic direction.It's not too fanciful to detect the same sound management in Thailand's economic policy under Thaksin aplied to Man City.Yes Thaksin was unsavoury and needed taking down a peg or two(by the electorate in fair elections not by a motley collection of military goons and assorted political dinosaurs).But he had the support of most Thais and this is the important bit - who apart from the unreformed juntaphiles can seriously maintain that Thaksin's government was not immensely superior to the horrible state of affairs the country now suffers from?

[JacknDanny]

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged more funds to back Sven-Goran Eriksson in the January transfer market, the British media reported Thursday.

Thaksin has already spent 40 million pounds on new players since his summer takeover of the Eastlands outfit, or about 2.8 billion baht.

This is despite having nearly 100 billion baht of his assets frozen in Thailand.

The move seems to indicate that Thaksin is not intimidated either by threats in Thailand to seize assets to pay his children's tax bill, or a new investigation

What it really seems to indicate is that Thaksin had concealed more assets and looted more money than what was previously thought.

Ignoring the typically fatuous knee jerk response above, as a very moderate football fan I have only just focused on the performance of Man City and by God it's utterly fantastic since Frank took over, with I suppose much of the credit belonging to Sven.But it does remind one that Thailand under Thaksin did have some kind of a strategic direction.It's not too fanciful to detect the same sound management in Thailand's economic policy under Thaksin aplied to Man City.Yes Thaksin was unsavoury and needed taking down a peg or two(by the electorate in fair elections not by a motley collection of military goons and assorted political dinosaurs).But he had the support of most Thais and this is the important bit - who apart from the unreformed juntaphiles can seriously maintain that Thaksin's government was not immensely superior to the horrible state of affairs the country now suffers from?

I think I am perhaps qualified to comment on this as I have been a Manchester City fan all my life.

The performance has got ZERO to do with Thaksins strategic directions.

The only input from Thaksin is, I am sad to say, his ill-gotten gains stolen from the Thai people. It saddens me greatly that a rogue such as this is allowed to become a director of a football team. Thaksin knows absolutely zip about football, however money talks and when you have got the kind of money he has, you are able to buy talent.

The reason City are doing well right now, is because they have an excellent manager who has experience all over the world, coupled with the best fan base in the world. I just wish that I didnt have to keep looking at that smarmy faced T##T every time I watch my beloved team

[younghusband]

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged more funds to back Sven-Goran Eriksson in the January transfer market, the British media reported Thursday.

Thaksin has already spent 40 million pounds on new players since his summer takeover of the Eastlands outfit, or about 2.8 billion baht.

This is despite having nearly 100 billion baht of his assets frozen in Thailand.

The move seems to indicate that Thaksin is not intimidated either by threats in Thailand to seize assets to pay his children's tax bill, or a new investigation

What it really seems to indicate is that Thaksin had concealed more assets and looted more money than what was previously thought.

Ignoring the typically fatuous knee jerk response above, as a very moderate football fan I have only just focused on the performance of Man City and by God it's utterly fantastic since Frank took over, with I suppose much of the credit belonging to Sven.But it does remind one that Thailand under Thaksin did have some kind of a strategic direction.It's not too fanciful to detect the same sound management in Thailand's economic policy under Thaksin aplied to Man City.Yes Thaksin was unsavoury and needed taking down a peg or two(by the electorate in fair elections not by a motley collection of military goons and assorted political dinosaurs).But he had the support of most Thais and this is the important bit - who apart from the unreformed juntaphiles can seriously maintain that Thaksin's government was not immensely superior to the horrible state of affairs the country now suffers from?

I think I am perhaps qualified to comment on this as I have been a Manchester City fan all my life.

The performance has got ZERO to do with Thaksins strategic directions.

The only input from Thaksin is, I am sad to say, his ill-gotten gains stolen from the Thai people. It saddens me greatly that a rogue such as this is allowed to become a director of a football team. Thaksin knows absolutely zip about football, however money talks and when you have got the kind of money he has, you are able to buy talent.

The reason City are doing well right now, is because they have an excellent manager who has experience all over the world, coupled with the best fan base in the world. I just wish that I didnt have to keep looking at that smarmy faced T##T every time I watch my beloved team

I would normally defer to a knowledgeable fan like yourself, because by my own admission I'm not an expert on football.Leaving aside the debate on the source of Thaksin's wealth (he was a legitimately wealthy tycoon long before he became PM), it doesn't really matter that Thaksin is ignorant about football.It's all about management skill, and the paramount point is to choose the right people.Under Thaksin Man City has delivered the goods.I really just wanted to highlight the contrast between his performance at Man City and the junta's perfomnce in Thailand.

[sriracha john]

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged more funds to back Sven-Goran Eriksson in the January transfer market, the British media reported Thursday.

Thaksin has already spent 40 million pounds on new players since his summer takeover of the Eastlands outfit, or about 2.8 billion baht.

This is despite having nearly 100 billion baht of his assets frozen in Thailand.

The move seems to indicate that Thaksin is not intimidated either by threats in Thailand to seize assets to pay his children's tax bill, or a new investigation

What it really seems to indicate is that Thaksin had concealed more assets and looted more money than what was previously thought.

< Flaming snipped >, as a very moderate football fan I have only just focused on the performance of Man City and by God it's utterly fantastic since Frank took over, with I suppose much of the credit belonging to Sven.But it does remind one that Thailand under Thaksin did have some kind of a strategic direction.It's not too fanciful to detect the same sound management in Thailand's economic policy under Thaksin aplied to Man City.Yes Thaksin was unsavoury and needed taking down a peg or two(by the electorate in fair elections not by a motley collection of military goons and assorted political dinosaurs).But he had the support of most Thais and this is the important bit - who apart from the unreformed juntaphiles can seriously maintain that Thaksin's government was not immensely superior to the horrible state of affairs the country now suffers from?

I think I am perhaps qualified to comment on this as I have been a Manchester City fan all my life.

The performance has got ZERO to do with Thaksins strategic directions.

The only input from Thaksin is, I am sad to say, his ill-gotten gains stolen from the Thai people. It saddens me greatly that a rogue such as this is allowed to become a director of a football team. Thaksin knows absolutely zip about football, however money talks and when you have got the kind of money he has, you are able to buy talent.

The reason City are doing well right now, is because they have an excellent manager who has experience all over the world, coupled with the best fan base in the world. I just wish that I didnt have to keep looking at that smarmy faced T##T every time I watch my beloved team

Indeed, his baht billionaire status prior to becoming PM evolving into a pound billionaire status when he was dumped is worthy to note. The sad conclusion that many in the electorate reached during his first election thinking he was already rich and wouldn't be corrupt failed to realize that his greed knew no bounds and thus elevated him to be the most corrupt Thai politician ever in regards to the amount of money he stole... the first paragraph gives a glimmer into that wealth.

[Ricardo]

Yes Thaksin was unsavoury and needed taking down a peg or two(by the electorate in fair elections not by a motley collection of military goons and assorted political dinosaurs).

Agreed, but it was Thaksin's refusal to run a fair election, for fear of losing face through being criticised in any way at all, which precipitated the crisis, and eventual coup.

I would also dispute that DL was any sort of successful businessman, prior to his ascendancy to the PM-ship, based on competing in a real market. His first few ventures all failed, he owed the banks B200-million, and then hit upon the pork-barrel contract to supply computers to the police, which established the future pattern of his 'success'.

[younghusband]

Yes Thaksin was unsavoury and needed taking down a peg or two(by the electorate in fair elections not by a motley collection of military goons and assorted political dinosaurs).

Agreed, but it was Thaksin's refusal to run a fair election, for fear of losing face through being criticised in any way at all, which precipitated the crisis, and eventual coup.

I would also dispute that DL was any sort of successful businessman, prior to his ascendancy to the PM-ship, based on competing in a real market. His first few ventures all failed, he owed the banks B200-million, and then hit upon the pork-barrel contract to supply computers to the police, which established the future pattern of his 'success'.

I don't believe your first para stands up to serious scrutiny, but that's another discussion.

In your second para you do make a fair point about monopolistic practice which is common in Thai business life.In fact Thaksin was far more outward looking than most of his peers, eg Prachai of TPI notoriety.As to Thaksin even his critics (eg Baker/Pasuk) acknowledge his drive,acumen and strategic capability.It's just denying reality to say Thaksin was not a talented if flawed businessman.

[hammered]

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged more funds to back Sven-Goran Eriksson in the January transfer market, the British media reported Thursday.

Thaksin has already spent 40 million pounds on new players since his summer takeover of the Eastlands outfit, or about 2.8 billion baht.

This is despite having nearly 100 billion baht of his assets frozen in Thailand.

The move seems to indicate that Thaksin is not intimidated either by threats in Thailand to seize assets to pay his children's tax bill, or a new investigation

What it really seems to indicate is that Thaksin had concealed more assets and looted more money than what was previously thought.

Ignoring the typically fatuous knee jerk response above, as a very moderate football fan I have only just focused on the performance of Man City and by God it's utterly fantastic since Frank took over, with I suppose much of the credit belonging to Sven.But it does remind one that Thailand under Thaksin did have some kind of a strategic direction.It's not too fanciful to detect the same sound management in Thailand's economic policy under Thaksin aplied to Man City.Yes Thaksin was unsavoury and needed taking down a peg or two(by the electorate in fair elections not by a motley collection of military goons and assorted political dinosaurs).But he had the support of most Thais and this is the important bit - who apart from the unreformed juntaphiles can seriously maintain that Thaksin's government was not immensely superior to the horrible state of affairs the country now suffers from?

Hi younghusband

Too much death associated with the Thaksin administration for me to see them as immensely superior to anything really, not that what we have now can exactly be described in glowing terms either. It is kind of not exactly a wonderful choice. It is also not easy to hold out hope for something a lot better in the immediate future.

As for Man City it was a smart move to get Sven in. He had the connections and a point to prove. It will be interesting to see how they fare by the end of the season if they suffer an injury crisis to the first team players and a trip up to Newcastle etc on a cold frosty Tuesday evening will also be a bit of a test. Personally I wouldnt be surprised at fifth place by the end and they may even sneak into the Champions league with Chelsea and Liverpool seemingly underperforming although that will take some doing but after a quarter of the season they are well placed and it is nice to see some team other than the usual suspects in the top 4 right now.

[younghusband]

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged more funds to back Sven-Goran Eriksson in the January transfer market, the British media reported Thursday.

Thaksin has already spent 40 million pounds on new players since his summer takeover of the Eastlands outfit, or about 2.8 billion baht.

This is despite having nearly 100 billion baht of his assets frozen in Thailand.

The move seems to indicate that Thaksin is not intimidated either by threats in Thailand to seize assets to pay his children's tax bill, or a new investigation

What it really seems to indicate is that Thaksin had concealed more assets and looted more money than what was previously thought.

Ignoring the typically fatuous knee jerk response above, as a very moderate football fan I have only just focused on the performance of Man City and by God it's utterly fantastic since Frank took over, with I suppose much of the credit belonging to Sven.But it does remind one that Thailand under Thaksin did have some kind of a strategic direction.It's not too fanciful to detect the same sound management in Thailand's economic policy under Thaksin aplied to Man City.Yes Thaksin was unsavoury and needed taking down a peg or two(by the electorate in fair elections not by a motley collection of military goons and assorted political dinosaurs).But he had the support of most Thais and this is the important bit - who apart from the unreformed juntaphiles can seriously maintain that Thaksin's government was not immensely superior to the horrible state of affairs the country now suffers from?

Hi younghusband

Too much death associated with the Thaksin administration for me to see them as immensely superior to anything really, not that what we have now can exactly be described in glowing terms either. It is kind of not exactly a wonderful choice. It is also not easy to hold out hope for something a lot better in the immediate future.

As for Man City it was a smart move to get Sven in. He had the connections and a point to prove. It will be interesting to see how they fare by the end of the season if they suffer an injury crisis to the first team players and a trip up to Newcastle etc on a cold frosty Tuesday evening will also be a bit of a test. Personally I wouldnt be surprised at fifth place by the end and they may even sneak into the Champions league with Chelsea and Liverpool seemingly underperforming although that will take some doing but after a quarter of the season they are well placed and it is nice to see some team other than the usual suspects in the top 4 right now.

A well considered response.You are right of course to make the point that the atrocities in the South and the so called drugs war tarnish Thaksin's reputation, even though these policies were supported by most Thais.My main purpose was to stress his relative competence with the junta's relative incompetence.Above all in discussing these issues it's really important to insist on truthfulness and that means conceding Thaksin's major strengths as well as his weaknesses.

[sriracha john]

I believe that salutation is usually given with the palm facing down and without bending the wrist:

Thaksin lawyer says Man City takeover deal legitimate

BANGKOK - Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has nothing to fear from a Thai investigation of his purchase of Premier League football club Manchester City, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

"We don't need to pull our pants down to prove that we are innocent," Noppadon Pattama told reporters :D after the Asset Examination Committee (AEC) said it had begun a probe into whether the club was bought with legitimate financing.

The deal was legitimate and Thaksin was not concerned, he said.

"He is not not paying attention to this bid to discredit him, but working on how to make the City the number one club," Noppadon said of a team which has started the season well and now lies league after finishing the last season 15th.

The AEC said on Monday it would ask the Thai central bank to provide details of Thaksin's money outflows and the British Embassy in Bangkok to help find out whether the takeover was done by Thaksin himself or by nominees and how it was financed.

Thaksin's family cemented their control of Manchester City in July when they took ownership of 75 percent of the shares in the struggling club for 81 million pounds.

The new probe of Thaksin, who already faces corruption charges, began amid fears that his supporters could win an election later this year because he remains widely popular in the countryside, which swept him to two landslide victories.

Thaksin denies any wrongdoing and vows to return to fight graft charges after a December 23 general election, saying he could not get a fair trial with a military-appointed government in charge.

- Reuters

[Martin]

Where Thaksin goes, things liven up.

And he did infinitely more for the improvement of life for us in the 'boonies' (who form the majority of the people of Thailand relative to you in Bangkok by 85 to 15, quite probably becoming 90 to 10 and then 95 to 5 within a generation) than any former Prime Minister.

I use the word 'infinitely' carefully; but, if I remember my schoolboy Maths, anything (in this case, a vast improvement in health care and a big reduction in the exposure of our young people to drugs) divided by nothing gives an answer of 'infinity'.

I do see that he took a big risk, so far as his political future was concerned, by pushing the Bangkok middle-class snouts away from the trough, and it was his downfall. Whether that political downfall is temporary or permanent remains to be seen. We will live in interesting times.

They say that you tell the men from the boys by the size of their toys---and ownership of a football club seems to be the in-vogue toy.

I am not a football fan.

As a boy, to see if it was something about which I might get enthusiastic,my father took me to Maine Road on a cold, wet Saturday afternoon, and we stood on the terraces and, with 87,998 others, we watched 22 grown men kicking around a leather-encased bladder for 90 minutes.

I was not enthused.

But had the sun shone and the eleven representing Manchester City and the eleven representing Everton managed to score a few goals, rather than none, the course of my life might have been different.

But they also say that you can tell the leaders by their led, and (although I am not a fan) I see enough written about football to realise that having this 'Sven' at the head of his led must also be impressive to the impressionable for 'Frank'.

So what is this "democration government" that has to be installed before he comes back here?

"Democration" is a new term to me. I would have been helped by some shedding of light upon it by the Bangkok Post.

As to the confidence with which 'Frank' is committing some of his millions, a conspiracy theorist might propound that the deal struck between 'Frank' and those who were going to take over when he was at the UN included a piece that said: "We will have to 'rattle our sabres' for a while and pretend to be chasing you through the Courts for some sequestration of your loot, but we will 'let that sink into the limbo of forgotten things' (in the British Civil Service parlance) in due course."

It is frustrating not to be able to discuss the run-up to the coup, but the alacrity with which the moderators trashed the first non-superficial posting about that (not from me) remains a salutary memory.

[mrbojangles]

As you know jack, i too am a city fan and although i agree with many of your sentiments, i have to disagree with a couple.

The performance has got ZERO to do with Thaksins strategic directions.

He has laid out a 3 year plan and brought in Sven. Now at the time, most if not all city fans, didn't want him. Frank stood by his strategic decision to get Sven and i for one am glad he did.

Thaksin knows absolutely zip about football, however money talks and when you have got the kind of money he has, you are able to buy talent.

I would argue he knows the same if not more, than any other owner of a football club. I.E. Glaziers, Abramovich etc. and he was often being linked with the Thai National team. Although many said he was poking his nose in, it still shows he was interested in football long before he bought City. Personally, i want him to run it more as a business or we could end up like another Leeds.

The reason City are doing well right now, is because they have an excellent manager who has experience all over the world, coupled with the best fan base in the world.

Yep

[Mobi]

I would argue he knows the same if not more, than any other owner of a football club. I.E. Glaziers, Abramovich etc. and he was often being linked with the Thai National team. Although many said he was poking his nose in, it still shows he was interested in football long before he bought City. Personally, i want him to run it more as a business or we could end up like another Leeds.

I strongly suspect that if all Thaksin's plans to make a 'proxy comeback' in the forthcoming elections (assuming they are not cancelled) come to nought and the parties he is sponsoring do not have a share of power, then he will almost certainly off- load his football investment rather quickly.

The same would apply if the Thai authorities are successful in extraditing him and prosecuting him.

So I guess you City fans had better hope that Thaksin stays on the political comeback trail

[Tony Clifton]

There's no need for him to get rid of Man City, he's got way much more stashed illegally than most think.

[lazeeboy]

There's no need for him to get rid of Man City, he's got way much more stashed illegally than most think.

for him man city was just small change .

[Martin]

"The same would apply if the Thai authorities are successful in extraditing him and prosecuting him."

They are not being noticeably vigorously and swiftly active about doing it, though, are they?

I would guess that the warm glow of the 'international man' thing has now seduced Thaksin, and he will continue with City whether he comes back on the national stage here or not. (And that probably depends on events in that all important area for which the moderators trash our posts for even mentioning its existence.)

How much and in what ways Thaksin has been changed by his involvement in events of the past couple of years would be interesting to see. As Harold Wilson pointed out: "A week can be a long time in politics", so a couple of years can be very formative, or reformative!

If he does come back older but wiser, my City will be able to feel proud.

But if he comes back cleverer but badder, it'll have to keep stumn.

Ah,well. "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster; and treat those two Imposters just the same......"