Man City Bosses Regret Allowing Thaksin To Take Over Their Club

[plachon]

T always presents himself as a big shot business genius

He has that effect on people, it's a god given gift and he's got it. Not fair to fault Man City's bosses for falling for his charms, they were not the first ones.

A lot of people in Thailand regret having him as PM too.

Very true, but as your post fails to mention most do not. Good to see an anti-Taksin football post again, it has been a while venting on that angle.

Perhaps we also need to hear about:

His tailor

His favorite restaurant

His favorite exile country

His latest Gik

What brand of underpants he wears

What haemorrhoid cream he uses

Does her prefer Viagra or Cialis

Come on, there are plenty of anti-Taksin topics not even covered yet.

Oh, I thought he already has 3 or so red fanzene mags to document such must-know facts to the loyal minions.

And by the way, who is his latest gik? Lydia or Mai no longer in the running?

[lazygourmet]

Does her prefer Viagra or Cialis

None of these: Charlie...

[LancasterBFC]

The article - or at least the headline - is hugely misleading. The non-Google-used is Garry Cook, a Thaksin appointee who never had any say in whether Thaksin got involved. I'm sure the people who sold the club to him are too busy counting their money to care

[Rumfoord]

17/9/2009

Remarks by His Excellency Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand at the reception on the occasion of the visit of Mr. Joseph S. Blatter, President of the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA)

Mr. JOSEPH BLATTER, President of FIFA,

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour to welcome you all here this evening to the Government House and to Thailand.

Football, undoubtedly, is the most popular sport for Thais, young and old alike, including as a spectator sport. While many Thais, myself included, are die-hard fans of foreign football clubs, local professional Thai teams, especially in the Thai Premier League, are getting stronger.

I would like to commend FIFA, not only for its contribution to the advancement of football as an international sport, but also for its efforts to help upgrade football in Thailand through programmes that would develop the skills of local players. What is important is that football, and its indoor version futsal, remain favourite sports for Thais, that can keep them fit and healthy, and especially for the youth as a wholesome activity. The Government fully supports the core values of authenticity, unity, performance and integrity in sports, as well as activities for the advancement of football and the improvement of standards.

I thank FIFA, and the Football Association of Thailand under Patronage of His Majesty the King, for the valuable roles in developing the sport in Thailand. And true to its mission to “Develop the game, touch the world, build a better future”, FIFA will continue to contribute towards building a better future for the world by using the power and popularity of football.

Thank you.

http://media.thaigov.go.th/pageconfig/view...;contents=36280

more photos here: http://media.thaigov.go.th/pageconfig/albu...63&pageno=1

[brahmburgers]

"I know a guy who cashed out his portfolio 100% - two weeks before the crash"

only because he needed the money. If your suggesting he saw it coming he would literally be one in a million.

Yes, to be perfectly honest, it was dumb luck and not smarts that caused the guy to call his broker and tell her to sell everything and transfer the cash to his account. Still luck accounts for a lot in business, does it not?

For his part, T got lucky when he scored some exclusive gov't no-bid contracts for his mobile phone biz. He also got lucky when he traded millions of baht for dollars (using inside gov't info) ...just before the baht tanked in '97.

Garry Cook, the club's executive chairman, said he "deeply regretted my failure to do proper research on Thaksin"

So google hasn't reached Manchester yet?

Similarly, if Mr. Cook had taken notice of postings on Thai Visa, he would have made better informed decisions re; T. Next time Gary wants good investment info, he can pay me a retainer of $30,000/week, and I'll assist - and probably save him from making similar costly blunders in the future.

[animatic]

Due diligence was not applied in vetting Thaksin in any way.

MC is now at the bottom of the heap again; one bloke to blame.

And he is such a wonderful business man, he can save the country from the world wide recession,

but can't managed a footie team... Oh yeah lets give him back a nation to run in tough times.

Yeah! Right! "That's the ticket!"

Bottom of the heap? Glad to see you check your facts before posting. They sit in second 3 points behind Chelsea with a game in hand.

We know you are the leader of the Thai Visa Anti Thaskin Brigade, but give the boys from MC a little credit

I will accept that.

I am a yank I real rarely follow this particular sport,

BUT... last I saw of a rating for MC they were doing rather poorly.

Not my sport. mea culpa.

no clue, no idea, no substance, no facts, but an "expert" to spot the bloke who is to blame.

And you can only flame...

He was forced to sell out, not the hallmarks of Best Business Practice.

Just because the Sheik got the team back together since,

doesn't mean Thaksin did squat right.

Go ahead comment on Lax Due Diligence in vetting him.. .

MC management admits this whole heartedly.

The MAIN point is not the current state of team affairs,

nor is it my not caring to follow English Soccer league stats.

Edited September 20, 2009 by animatic

[ballpoint]

no clue, no idea, no substance, no facts, but an "expert" to spot the bloke who is to blame.

There are none so clueless as those who flamingly reply to a thread without reading the OP

Ireland added: "It was mad that somebody like that ... could own our football club"...

Hughes was frustrated by the club's problems during the tumultuous few months he worked under Thaksin...

Hughes found it difficult to concentrate on his job while Thaksin was at the helm...

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the club's current chairman, said the situation the new owner, Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, inherited was "simply unacceptable" and forced quick action to make basic improvements to, for example, the club's gym.

We know who was to blame, the club itself is saying Thaksin's tenure was disastrous. Yet we still get his supporters on here trying to tell us no, it was a great success. Who should we believe?

[Publicus]

Due diligence was not applied in vetting Thaksin in any way.

MC is now at the bottom of the heap again; one bloke to blame.

And he is such a wonderful business man, he can save the country from the world wide recession,

but can't managed a footie team... Oh yeah lets give him back a nation to run in tough times.

Yeah! Right! "That's the ticket!"

Bottom of the heap? Glad to see you check your facts before posting. They sit in second 3 points behind Chelsea with a game in hand.

We know you are the leader of the Thai Visa Anti Thaskin Brigade, but give the boys from MC a little credit

I will accept that.

I am a yank I real rarely follow this particular sport,

BUT... last I saw of a rating for MC they were doing rather poorly.

Not my sport. mea culpa.

no clue, no idea, no substance, no facts, but an "expert" to spot the bloke who is to blame.

The man stated his "mea culpa" so why the diatrabe? The "mea culpa" is the act of a gentleman whether you agree with his posts regarding Thaksin. Rather than carry on with denunciations against such a reasonable and honorable, gentlemanly statement, one should have the character and magnaminity (and class) to recognize and accept the proper humility and class expressed in the post.

Too few people would so readily admit being human and accordingly take the proper action as animatic has done. Perhaps you would do credit to yourself and reflect well on yourself by recognizing the action and thereby being equally human and showing comcomitant class.

Edited September 20, 2009 by Publicus

[tracer0]

Let's face it, if he didn't have those shady telecoms deals, he would not be who he was today. Didn't he start off selling computers or something like that? Anyway, it is very sad to learn that a lot of Thais seem to take his word for everything simply because he is rich.

When around 25 years ago I asked what was available in computer jobs (g) I somehow seem to remember a Mr T. being active in selling used computers to the Thai government... Its a long time ago though...(g) Sorry for asking but did they ever check what he really did all these years before being PM????

[bjderb]

BUT... last I saw of a rating for MC they were doing rather poorly.

Not my sport. mea culpa.

Well before you post, you should maybe have a quick check as to what is the current situation.

Played 4, won 4. Maximum points

now played 5 won 4 lost 1 .

[cdnvic]

Discuss the issues and drop the personal attacks, or someone's getting red carded.

[Oberkommando]

Due diligence was not applied in vetting Thaksin in any way.

MC is now at the bottom of the heap again; one bloke to blame.

And he is such a wonderful business man, he can save the country from the world wide recession,

but can't managed a footie team... Oh yeah lets give him back a nation to run in tough times.

Yeah! Right! "That's the ticket!"

If he was running the nation right now and the military hadn't stuck their oar in I'd warrant we'd be in a better position and more Thais would be better off.

What an utter, utter mess it has turned out to be since the coup though.

Citeh are doing fantastic after Thaksin's exit, the country certainly isn't.

[Siripon]

They both used each other, City wanted the money and Thaksin wanted a public relations vehicle. Hey! I thought Thaksin declared in his assets he held no foreign capital. Surely not another honest mistake!

Edited September 21, 2009 by Siripon

[caf]

Due diligence was not applied in vetting Thaksin in any way.

MC is now at the bottom of the heap again; one bloke to blame.

And he is such a wonderful business man, he can save the country from the world wide recession,

but can't managed a footie team... Oh yeah lets give him back a nation to run in tough times.

Yeah! Right! "That's the ticket!"

Bottom of the heap? Glad to see you check your facts before posting. They sit in second 3 points behind Chelsea with a game in hand.

We know you are the leader of the Thai Visa Anti Thaskin Brigade, but give the boys from MC a little credit

I will accept that.

I am a yank I real rarely follow this particular sport,

BUT... last I saw of a rating for MC they were doing rather poorly.

Not my sport. mea culpa.

Oh come on Animatic. Just accept gracefully that you got your facts wrong. You spoil the apology with your BUT,,,,,,,

It then makes your point about the world recession look rather weak

[brahmburgers]

If you watched football games on TV in b&w, the broadcasters could show the same game over and over, with new commentary for each game, and most viewers would think they were watching a new game each time. That's my 2 cents worth. My point is, football is booooriiiiing for many of us, as each game looks about the same as any other. Ok, they change the color of the shirts, ...that's about it. Though admittedly, football/soccer is not an utter snooze-fest as golf or baseball - which shouldn't even be categorized as sports.

The future is with challenging sports such as triathlons, x-games, and rock climbing which involve a host of athletic skills and endurance. One big difference between rock climbing and football, is that football is played on a big flat rectangle, so the venue can be kept uniform for each game, and it's easier to administer. All the photographers stand on flat ground at one end or the other. Rock climbing would require challenging camera angles, and you couldn't get the bleachers all lined up like a football stadium, so it may never be commercially viable, which is actually a good thing for anyone who likes civility, nature and the wide open spaces.

Still, there seems to be some sort of unspoken agreement among financiers: "the less skills and endurance required in a 'sport', the more money it attracts." Golf and baseball and racing car driving are among the biggest money sports, yet they don't require 1/20th the endurance of a triathlon or mountain climbing race - with or without bicycles.

I think the main reason is, the scant-little-endurance sports are more appealing to old people and it's old people who have nearly all the money, so naturally, they're going to invest (thru sponsorships, inflated-value purchases, etc) in the sports they can most relate to.

In the US, all the biggest money sports abhor athletes getting tired. You'll notice in Basketball, American football, there are incessant 'time outs'. It's as if the rules commitee and the coaches were terrified that their multimillion dollar players might get a bit winded. To its credit, football/soccer allows players to actually play for more than a couple minutes without calling time outs and sending in substitute players, which US sports do incessantly.

Edited September 21, 2009 by brahmburgers

[Bagwan]

The man stated his "mea culpa" so why the diatrabe? The "mea culpa" is the act of a gentleman whether you agree with his posts regarding Thaksin. Rather than carry on with denunciations against such a reasonable and honorable, gentlemanly statement, one should have the character and magnaminity (and class) to recognize and accept the proper humility and class expressed in the post.

Too few people would so readily admit being human and accordingly take the proper action as animatic has done. Perhaps you would do credit to yourself and reflect well on yourself by recognizing the action and thereby being equally human and showing comcomitant class.

Rather a lot to expect from a soccer fan. They are not renowned for their intelligence, intellect or sense of fair play. Some have stated that their priorities are 1. United/City/Rovers 2. Their kids 3. The wife. Says it all for me.

When Dr. T took control of MC myopic fans here held the view that it was OK for him to spend his ill gotten cash extracted from 60 million needy Thais to satisfy the desires of, say, 100,000 City fans. I was so happy that they got their comeuppance - and again last evening.

[Plus]

As someone said - the club comes out and say Thaksin's reign was disastrous, while Thaksin fans here tell everyone it was great.

The club is ok now, in THIS season, which has only seen five games so far, and with the new owner who's been in charge for about a year already.

When Thaksin was in charge - what progress Man City has made in Premier League? What progress comparing to Everton or Aston Villa, for example.

Were they not supposed to win Champions League last year, according to Thaksin's promises?

The only good thing is that he sold those poor suckers to a better owner.

[animatic]

Due diligence was not applied in vetting Thaksin in any way.

MC is now at the bottom of the heap again; one bloke to blame.

And he is such a wonderful business man, he can save the country from the world wide recession,

but can't managed a footie team... Oh yeah lets give him back a nation to run in tough times.

Yeah! Right! "That's the ticket!"

Bottom of the heap? Glad to see you check your facts before posting. They sit in second 3 points behind Chelsea with a game in hand.

We know you are the leader of the Thai Visa Anti Thaskin Brigade, but give the boys from MC a little credit

I will accept that.

I am a yank I real rarely follow this particular sport,

BUT... last I saw of a rating for MC they were doing rather poorly.

Not my sport. mea culpa.

Oh come on Animatic. Just accept gracefully that you got your facts wrong. You spoil the apology with your BUT,,,,,,,

It then makes your point about the world recession look rather weak

Caf that was the truth. Last I HAD seen, it wasn't doing well,

and I don't follow footie enough to keep current. Facts.

I know how to play it and I follow big end of season match up when in the company of fans,

but otherwise it's nothing too high on my radar at the best of times.

And this change of topic was used to avoid discussing the due diligence issues.

The OP points out they didn't vet him properly at all, and when the Sheik got the place it was

A shambles and losing... last I had seen.

I am of course happy MC is back on the tracks.

One line out of several was singled out based on out dated information on my part.

But that doesn't make it a lie either. Nor a reason to derail the actual point.

Edited September 21, 2009 by animatic

[dr_Pat_Pong]

no clue, no idea, no substance, no facts, but an "expert" to spot the bloke who is to blame.

There are none so clueless as those who flamingly reply to a thread without reading the OP

Ireland added: "It was mad that somebody like that ... could own our football club"...

Hughes was frustrated by the club's problems during the tumultuous few months he worked under Thaksin...

Hughes found it difficult to concentrate on his job while Thaksin was at the helm...

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the club's current chairman, said the situation the new owner, Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, inherited was "simply unacceptable" and forced quick action to make basic improvements to, for example, the club's gym.

We know who was to blame, the club itself is saying Thaksin's tenure was disastrous. Yet we still get his supporters on here trying to tell us no, it was a great success. Who should we believe?

The true believers.

[hammered]

The English Premier league has become a hearltess version of football manager or fantasy football for the super rich of the world. It certainly has its share of colourful and controversial owners and provides a nice high profile lifestyle for in the media limelight. Im sure Thaksin knew what he was doing when he took over Man City. Im sure it was a tumultuous time too. However, Im not sure it was just a case of Thaksin using Man City. There is enough greed and desire to buy the way to the top without a thought for business practice to go around in the English premier league.

[Oberkommando]

Caf that was the truth. Last I HAD seen, it wasn't doing well,

and I don't follow footie enough to keep current. Facts.

I know how to play it and I follow big end of season match up when in the company of fans,

but otherwise it's nothing too high on my radar at the best of times.

And this change of topic was used to avoid discussing the due diligence issues.

The OP points out they didn't vet him properly at all, and when the Sheik got the place it was

A shambles and losing... last I had seen.

I am of course happy MC is back on the tracks.

One line out of several was singled out based on out dated information on my part.

But that doesn't make it a lie either. Nor a reason to derail the actual point.

You just can't admit you were wrong can you?

And they did vet him and he passed the Premier League's 'Fit and Proper Persons Test', so do yourself and us a favour and stop posting on a topic you clearly know absolutely nothing about.

[animatic]

I did at the very beginning, seems you can't read it properly.

You just like to make your negative point over and over.

Having fun yet?

No reason at all to suddenly follow british football just to make points

with those bound and determined to show up any mistake I could make.

Thaksin left the team a shambles,

and i didn't and don't care enough about it to follow up on it further.

[Plus]

And they did vet him and he passed the Premier League's 'Fit and Proper Persons Test', so do yourself and us a favour and stop posting on a topic you clearly know absolutely nothing about.

Have you read the OP? How could you miss this headline?

'We failed to do proper research on him,' chief executive tells Guardian

[mrbojangles]

And they did vet him and he passed the Premier League's 'Fit and Proper Persons Test', so do yourself and us a favour and stop posting on a topic you clearly know absolutely nothing about.

Have you read the OP? How could you miss this headline?

'We failed to do proper research on him,' chief executive tells Guardian

That's not the same as passing the Premier Leagues Fit and Proper Persons Test. Thaksin passed that test in June 2007, that is what allowed him to buy the club in the first place. I think Cook is saying that they should have done more research on him and not just relied on the Premier Leagues test.

[Plus]

What company would NOT do background check on potential buyers and rely on some generic "fit and proper" test that is like ticking boxes on visa application.

[mrbojangles]

I don't know what they (City) did or didn't do Plus, in regards to background checks. But at the time he was a PM that had been ousted by a coup and hadn't been found guilty of anything.

[animatic]

And they did vet him and he passed the Premier League's 'Fit and Proper Persons Test', so do yourself and us a favour and stop posting on a topic you clearly know absolutely nothing about.

Have you read the OP? How could you miss this headline?

'We failed to do proper research on him,' chief executive tells Guardian

That's not the same as passing the Premier Leagues Fit and Proper Persons Test. Thaksin passed that test in June 2007, that is what allowed him to buy the club in the first place. I think Cook is saying that they should have done more research on him and not just relied on the Premier Leagues test.

They clearly did not do enough research.

If the Fit and Proper test is based on what he had done IN ENGLAND, then easy to pass.

But he was under multiple INDICTMENTS in his home country,

and that should have cleary sent up serious flags on Fit and Proper.

Three kinds get of leaders get removed by coups.

1 The utter incompetent, nice guys, but wrong for the job and the country suffers

2 The just unlucky, middle of the road type, who are taken out by a future Despot.

3 The out of control megalomaniac despots,

who typically feather their nests and run the nation into the weeds in double time.

Thaksin could never be confused with #1...

A proper look at him would have disqualified him just for the likely

disrepute he clearly would have given the team, and in fact did for a time.

Even today THEY say that they are still living it down.

Anyone not wearing BeerGoggles could have seen he was not' fit and proper'

after 1 week down here asking questions of ALL sides.

Edited September 21, 2009 by animatic

[harleyclarkey]

Makes my mind boggle....didn't fully know what the new owners were like??? To have such incompetants in charge of a local village football club would be bad enough....but Man City???? Unreal.

Maybe someone should have told them about Google??

[harleyclarkey]

That's not the same as passing the Premier Leagues Fit and Proper Persons Test. Thaksin passed that test in June 2007, that is what allowed him to buy the club in the first place. I think Cook is saying that they should have done more research on him and not just relied on the Premier Leagues test.

Mr Bo.....For sure. It really is 100% up to the club to decide whether he is a fit person to run/own the club. Is this another "well they said he was OK", not my fault incidents? What the heck did the Fitness committee of the Premier League judge him on?

[mrbojangles]

What the heck did the Fitness committee of the Premier League judge him on?

Don't shoot the messenger

From the BBC, this is the Premier League's fit and proper person test. He passed it and as far as i am aware wasn't guilty of any of the offences "at the time". Accused and being guilty are two different things:

DISQUALIFYING EVENTS:

A person shall be disqualified from acting as a director and no club shall be permitted to have any person acting as a director of that club if:

Either directly or indirectly he is involved in or has any power to determine or influence the management or administration of another club or Football League club

Either directly or indirectly he holds or acquires any Significant Interest in a club while he either directly or indirectly holds any interest in any class of shares of another club

He becomes prohibited by law from being a director

He is convicted on indictment of an offence set out in the Appendix 12 Schedule of Offences or he is convicted of a like offence by a competent court having jurisdiction outside England and Wales

He makes an Individual Voluntary Arrangement or becomes the subject of an Interim Bankruptcy Restriction Order, a Bankruptcy Restriction Order or a Bankruptcy Order

He is a director of a club which, while he has been a director of it, has suffered two or more unconnected events of insolvency

He has been a director of two or more clubs or clubs each of which, while he has been a director of them, has suffered an Event of Insolvency.

SCHEDULE OF OFFENCES:

Conspiracy to defraud: Criminal Justice Act 1987, section 12

Conspiracy to defraud: Common Law

Corrupt transactions with (public) agents, corruptly accepting consideration: Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, section 1

Insider dealing: Criminal Justice Act 1993, sections 52 and 61

Public servant soliciting or accepting a gift: Public Bodies (Corrupt Practices) Act 1889, section 1

Theft: Theft Act 1968, section 1

Obtaining by deception: Theft Act 1968, section 15

Obtaining a money transfer by deception: Theft Act 1968, section 15A + B

Obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception: Theft Act 1968, section 16

False accounting: Theft Act 1968, section 17

False statements by Company Directors: Theft Act 1968, section 19

Suppression of (company) documents: Theft Act 1968, section 20

Retaining a wrongful credit: Theft Act 1968, section 24A

Obtaining services by deception: Theft Act 1978, section 1

Evasion of liability by deception: Theft Act 1978, section 2

Cheating the Public Revenue/Making false statements tending to defraud the public revenue: Common Law

Punishment for fraudulent training: Companies Act 1985, section 458

Penalty for fraudulent evasion of duty etc: Customs & Excise Management Act 1979, section 170

Fraudulent evasion of VAT: Value Added Tax Act 1994 section 72

Person subject to a Banning order (as defined) : Football (Disorder) Act 2000, Schedule 1

Forgery: Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, section 1

Copying a false instrument : Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, section 2

Using a false instrument: Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, section 3

Using a copy of a false instrument: Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, section 4

Cheating the Public Revenue/ Making false statements tending to defraud the public revenue: Common Law

Punishment for fraudulent training: Companies Act 1985, section 458

Penalty for fraudulent evasion of duty etc: Customs & Excise Management Act 1979, section 170

Fraudulent evasion of VAT: Value Added Tax Act 1994, section 72

Person subject to a Banning order (as defined): Football (Disorder) Act 2000, Schedule 1

Forgery: Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, section 1

Copying a false instrument: Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, section 2

Using a false instrument: Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, section 3

Using a copy of a false instrument: Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, section 4