Wolves Banter 3

27 Sep 2026 10:21:17
Let's get back to Wolves. I am still buzzing about the Sandwell Town result. Fer Lopez is the best player in the division and will take us into the premiership. Keiron Trippier should be made captain. He still has a couple of years in him. Can't wait for the next game. Fffffff forget Man City.

27 Sep 2026 10:33:18
Lost - completely agree Fer Lopez has been an amazing and a welcome revelation.
Can I also give a shout out to Djiga who has similarly astonished me with his rehabilitation from the negative atmosphere regarding him last season.
Those 2 have made an enormous difference to the side this season and give me some hope that the club has not just bottomed out but has actually turned a corner and is once again moving forwards.


The new manager must also take some credit if only for the energy he has managed to instil into the side.
Shame the international break has taken some of the momentum out of the season.

27 Sep 2026 20:13:02
Lopez has a bit of the young Diogo Jota in him. Here's hoping.

28 Sep 2026 07:29:40
The break also hopefully gives time for a few injuries to mend so I don't mind it tbf partcularly as our next game at Boro is a big test.

27 Sep 2026 09:51:44
I think they should be forced to rename the club Manchester S*****.

27 Sep 2026 13:02:09
Just listening to Keiron Maguire he's done a back of a fag packet estimate that City may have benefited by as much as £1Bn in league position, Euro Cup and other bonuses since their new owners took over. He compared their average league position, successes, etc before and after and therefore the difference in payouts, bonuses, prize money, etc.

27 Sep 2026 14:37:37
Wolves improved a lot after Fosun took over.

27 Sep 2026 14:48:10
Long - did you read my post a few days ago.
It's on banter 2 now.
I postulated a figure of £1bn for the fine!
I don't want to diminish what the chap does but it is amazing how whenever he comments on the "screamingly obvious" people suddenly realise its "screamingly obvious".


He wrote a piece a few weeks ago on Wolves financial demise over the past few years and it was like no one had heard of it before!
ps I think the £1bn is probably an underestimate of what they should be fined but in the ball park.

27 Sep 2026 16:26:38
I didn't see it tfiog but you're right none of these experts/pundits say much until as you say it's blindingly obvious.

Personally I started questioning City's finances about 6/7 years ago asking where's the money coming from. Der Spiegel I think wrote an article along similar lines and then everyone had an opinion.

28 Sep 2026 07:31:43
They did Handsome but hopefully Fosun haven't been cheating the system.

28 Sep 2026 15:08:29
The only reason we improved, out of hand, was the Nuno / Jorge Mendes connection !

27 Sep 2026 07:39:03
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Bournemouth v Liverpool - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

27 Sep 2026 00:05:04
People stating Guardiola has left City probably arent aware he remains formally employed by the City Football Group (CFG). While the specific financial terms and salary figures of his contract as a Global Ambassador have not been publicly disclosed by the club, it is a contractual, professional position
Apparently it will be lucrative & he's taking a short sabbatical in Barcelona before starting his new role which will take him between Girona, New York & all the clubs to be added to the City Group.

27 Sep 2026 00:39:53
Or he might be going to Stoke on a wet Wednesday to watch his old team play 😳.

27 Sep 2026 06:52:25
He may still be employed by "the group”, but as you say Lupo, it's in a global role. So technically he has very little, if any, contact/ business at the Etihad. Not like he was before, the main man, head coach, pretty much the main man at city. If this all goes pear shaped in a serious way, he is in a way, out of it, out of the picture.

He can still travel the world doing whatever his job entails, but won't have to face the press and get grilled about potential points taken, or for that matter leading his team out each week in a lower division.

27 Sep 2026 12:44:30
He was involved in a drug scandal as a player, too.
I don't think he is the most honest person in the world.

26 Sep 2026 17:17:41
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Bournemouth v Liverpool - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

26 Sep 2026 16:26:22
Be very interesting to see the punishment for City, I get the feeling that it will be a few points, not enough, together with a fine.
Surely they should at least be relegated however I don't want them in our division that doesn't seem fair on other teams in our league.


The fact that they claim they are not guilty is ridiculous as well and should result in an increase in penalties.

26 Sep 2026 16:46:56
Mate this will be watched very closely, if EPL only do a fine and few points deduction they could be sued by quite a few clubs.

26 Sep 2026 20:11:46
Ban them permanently from the Premier League.

27 Sep 2026 08:32:39
I personally would like to see all of their results expunged and the tables re calculated. In effect, turn each season into a 36 game season.

27 Sep 2026 13:17:15
Good. Even Traore's two goal game?

26 Sep 2026 09:37:11
Regarding the mancs, what would happen if (and they probably will) win the league again this season? That would be a massive piss take and the whole league would be in uproar.

So, the powers that be cannot afford to drag their heels again and MUST at the very least give them a massive points deduction to ensure they will be relegated to the Championship, along with maybe another points deduction that could see them in Division 2 the following year.

As someone has pointed out there is little point in fining them lot of cash. Anything less that what I have said would cause a massive s*** show. Just my thoughts, sorry for rambling on.

26 Sep 2026 10:00:01
I don't normally get political, but Citeh are following the playbook of a certain American president, who learnt his craft from his mentor, the late disgraced lawyer Roy Cohn: delay delay, delay, deny, deny, deny. Never ever apologise. Declare victory. If all else fails, sue the other side. If courts declare against you, don't pay up, delay, delay, delay, etc. Brazen it out.

Chelsea took the sensible course with far fewer offences to apologise for, and came forward. They were dealt with very leniently.

Citeh have to be thrown out of the top four divisions as a penalty and start again. Citeh have never admitted a thing. They have insulted our intelligence.

The stage is set for numerous clubs to sue the authorities on the basis that they missed out on qualifications for league places, cups etc because Citeh were cheating all this time.

26 Sep 2026 12:11:06
Hard to know where to start with this can of worms. How long can these issues be traced back and how many seasons does it impact? I mean the season we lost in the europa league and just missed qualifying again, how can any compensation be worked out for that or indeed any of the league seasons.

All the league results involving city will need scrubbing the tables redrawing and it doesn't automatically follow that second will be first if third place were one behind city but second took more points off city, it could make third or another side champions.

The cup final wins will be somewhat easier to recalculate I suspect.

26 Sep 2026 13:26:38
I think that the PL will have to hit Citeh so very hard, and at the same time change the rules to prevent other teams challenging to overturn their own league placings. For example, we missed out on sixth place in PL and Europe on goal difference one season. We could challenge that now as a result of Citeh's cheating that season. If every disadvantaged team took similar action, it would be absolute chaos for years to come.

The punishment meted out to Citeh will have to be so severe as to justify the damage caused to other clubs. A massive points deduction designed to cause repeated relegations and also hundreds of millions of pounds to compensate clubs such as us and others? This is bigger than the European super league nonsense of a few years ago.

26 Sep 2026 14:04:18
The only retrospective action I think will be taken is city paying compensation to various teams, like how Everton had to pay Burnley.

As far as punishment goes I think the only thing the prem league can do is a massive points deduction. They can't automatically relegate a team as that leads to a whole mess with fixtures and amount of teams per league etc. possibly at the end of the season they could but I think this season they will get 50-70 points deducted and maybe drop another league at the end of the season.

26 Sep 2026 14:26:53
Fining them the prize money they received for each premier league season that they were guilty may be a starting point.

26 Sep 2026 15:38:01
I don't get it,City have only done what Blackburn & Manu done ( in the early years of the Premiership ).it's still 11 v 11.but i do think Albion need relegated because of it & there stadium being knocked down !

26 Sep 2026 16:43:36
For clarity.

PSR was introduced into the Premier league for the 2013/14 season.

FFP was agreed by Uefa in 2009 and implemented for 2011/12 season.

27 Sep 2026 12:52:51
Firstly, they are so wealthy that any fines will be irrelevant.
Secondly, the Premier League cannot give point deductions for any league/division other than itself. It is a free standing leagùe.
If they are actually banned from the Premier League ie thrown out, then maybe the EFL can refuse to take them into the Championship since they weren't relegated.

27 Sep 2026 12:55:58
A mere points deduction reukting in demotion pushes the issue onto the EFL, who are no way responsible for this fiasco and would be unfair to them.

26 Sep 2026 07:39:03
{Ed's Note - Reddevilfan has posted a new article entitled, United Need a Leader, Not Another Nice Guy

26 Sep 2026 06:10:59
One of the reasons Chelsea 'got away with it' a bit was because the new owners brought the leagues attention to issues from the Abramovich years, effectively pleading guilty.

City have consistently denied all wrong doing, still do and have failed to cooperate with the Leagues enquiry accruing legal bill's for themselves and the League totally about £100M.

It took Man Utd 60 years to build their brand and get to where they did but City a smaller club did it in about 7 years. It's been obvious for years what's been going on and you have to wonder if any legal action will come from other clubs in Europe who also lost out in European competitions, especially as UEFA have now been proven right as well.

Draconian punishment is not only needed in this case now but City could find themselves in court for years to come. Trophies may not get rescinded but they'll certainly be diminished and tainted by this scandal.

26 Sep 2026 09:39:50
We were saying in the pub last night, this could potentially ruin Man City as a club and business. I know it's doubtful they'll get the maximum punishments, but IF they did, fines, points docked, relegation, it could literally be the end of the club as it is now.
I think it was Thefutureisgold, who made a very valid point (as always) about the players, their salaries and contracts. We all know they'll fight it, and it will drag on through appeals.

People are saying they'll successfully appeal against the findings, but a while back, some of these same people were saying the charges wouldn't stick. This could all end up very very interesting, and not just affect City. I imagine a lot of clubs here, not just premier teams, and clubs across Europe will be awaiting the final outcome, with their legal teams ready on speed dial. Interesting times ahead, but worrying times for city fans.

26 Sep 2026 09:45:30
It has been a long wait, whilst it was obvious to so many that something was amiss at City. To achieve such ongoing success from humble beginnings where traditional big clubs struggled to compete with them. Now at last we can say they cheated their way to success.

Cheats must not prosper or everything becomes devalued. Punishment must be severe, or say goodbye to any semblance of equality in football. The game becomes a cheat's playground. They are forever tainted as the cheating club, Manchester Cheaty.

25 Sep 2026 21:23:44
For they need to go to league two with 20points docked so they cany just win that league.

26 Sep 2026 01:08:35
Maybe RAN will be playing Championship ball soon anyway!

25 Sep 2026 15:56:14
Citeh: Guilty as charged it seems.

25 Sep 2026 16:07:59
Yup be interesting to see what happens now as EPL could be left open to being sued by other clubs if the action taken isn't adequete.

25 Sep 2026 17:36:43
At last a result. The implications are huge. The punishment should match the crime.

25 Sep 2026 18:08:36
Kinda brings the question to mind - did Pep have an idea what was coming? Strange of him to walk away from the club the way he did.

25 Sep 2026 19:56:50
It definitely makes the timing of Pep's departure more suspect. The problem now is, will the punishment fit the crime? Will the punishment be about business and money by keeping a big 6 club in the Premier League, or will it be about sporting integrity? I don't think there is a right answer on this, but I think they should be kicked out of the league and whether the EFL take them is their choice.

25 Sep 2026 19:58:57
What I find staggering is the delusional response from the City fans I've heard comment on this. Everything from denial "it's not true" to "we'll get a slap on the wrist because the Premier League needs City", oh really?

As Stefan Borsen said, they have been found guilty by facts so how can you win an appeal? How can you claim the independent panel was biased like some have tried in the past when the people who would rule on that would be that very panel?

What will be interesting is the severity of the punishment because it could and should be brutal.

25 Sep 2026 20:08:19
They will appeal, and drag it out. Just read that any penalties will not be retrospective, in other words the penalties will start from the date they are imposed and will not be backdated.

Titles will not be removed. If the past is to safeguarded maybe the penalty should be severe, such as relegation down the divisions? No point in a fine as they will always find the money.

25 Sep 2026 21:16:03
So if they get relegated, will one more team go up?

25 Sep 2026 21:43:09
Assuming hell hasn't frozen over before all the appeals have been heard how will they be punished?
Surely any fine has to be meaningful so in the light of the clubs vast financial resources it would need to be 10 figures.
In addition automatic relegation to Div 2 sounds fair but what about the players contracts?
Should these be voided and the players all made free agents?
Under the SCR rules City if relegated to Div 2 obviously couldn't afford to keep the players anyway but should they be allowed to benefit from selling their assets?
I strongly doubt any of this will happen and the fine will be a few million with maybe a handful of points deducted - all completely irrelevant to City.


It would be interesting though if a football regulator with teeth was put in place and examined the activities of various other teams in the Prem.
I strongly suspect City aren't the only ones who have sailed close to the wind.

26 Sep 2026 03:07:38
As i said the EPL could be left open to being sued by many other clubs including us if correct action isn't taken.
Don't forget points lost to them cost us Europe once too.
Pep knew exactly what was going on there is a reason he is known as chequebook pep.