MAN CITY RELEGATED HERE WE GO?

Hello, everybody.Welcome to That's Football.I'm Mark Goldbridge.Our Manchester City about to face the Chargers at last.It's like the never -ending story, isn't it?But look, many rumours in the last 24 hours that the decision around the Man City 1 -1 -5, 1 -1 -6, 1 -3 -0 is imminent and could happen before the World Cup.

Now, we have been here before, but There has to be something.It can't be the never -ending story.There has to be a resolution at some point.And a lot of people are saying, well, this is why Pep Guardiola's left.Last season, he looked tired and stressed with the job.This year, he looked like he was actually enjoying it.

He didn't look like a person that needed to leave Man City.He looked happy.He was building a team.And he walked away.Is this an indicator that something big is about to hit Man City and Pep Guardiola wants to be away from that?Well, maybe it is, but maybe he's just on a Jürgen Klopp.

Maybe just, you know, he's tired.Maybe he wants a break.Maybe he's had enough.But look, I think, look, reality is there are a lot of rumors floating around that this is coming up very, very soon.Lots of people are writing about it.And I think that realistically, There's talks of points deductions.

There's talks of relegations.There's talks of transfer bans.But you know what I find interesting?There's also talks of Elliot Anderson being close to signing for Manchester City.Semenu and Gehi signed for them four months ago.I just, I just, I wish I did have an answer.

I don't, I don't have an answer.If they've been, look, what we have to remember here is, is that if Man City get found guilty, this has basically built Man City's success.

This is between 2008 and, was it 2018, where there's numerous things that they've been accused of doing, where money's gone into that club that shouldn't have gone into that club, and we know that Man City spent a lot of money on players.

So the foundations of what they built would be built on cheating.And therefore, you know, a 40 point deduction or a fine or a transfer ban for one summer doesn't really cut it.So the enormity of what this is about has to be understood.And I personally, I don't know which way it's going to go.And I'm sure there'll be an appeal after it anyway.But on the one hand, They're probably about to announce Enzo Fernandez and Anderson as their midfield signings imminently.

And then you expect me to believe that they're about to be told they're going to get relegated and get a transfer ban.It just doesn't marry up, does it?And I think what we've had with this all along is this, oh, it's going to be now.Oh, it's going to be now.Oh, it's going to be at Christmas.Oh, it's going to be in the summer.

And it never actually happens.And Man City have a, you know, a very, very, very, they're a wealthy club and they have a very, very vested interest in surviving this charge and staying as a Champions League Premier League challenging football club.So I find it difficult to believe that we're about to see Manchester City found guilty and anything happen very quickly after that.I think we'd still be waiting a couple of more years anyway.And also, I think some people play on this romanticism that Man City might have been told what's coming and that's why Pep's left.But if Man City know what's coming and that's why Pep's left, why are they trying to sign Elliot Anderson then?

Why would you do that?Why would Elliot Anderson sign?

Is he not being told?So I don't think Man City have been told anything.I don't think Pep Guardiola was told anything.Man City have always come across very confident about these charges.

So I would still lean towards the opinion that I don't think we're about to hear anything that's going to be game -changing.I think Man City will be up there with Arsenal.challenging for the title next season, with a very good team, managed by Maresco, with Erling Haaland winning the Golden Boot again.I mean, I think in the absence of...Well, if I had to guess, that's what I would say is going to happen.What I will always say, and I said it a couple of minutes ago, is that the charges against them are cheating if you get found guilty.

if you get found guilty.And if they do get found guilty, when you think about what's happened to teams like Everton in recent years, I think the volume and years and trophies that would have come off the back of that cheating, I don't think a 40 point deduction really works.

I don't think they can relegate them because the championship has got nothing to do with the Premier League.But I would be saying I would be saying an 80 point reduction basically relegates them.And a 40 point deduction wouldn't relegate them.I was trying to figure this out.A 40 point reduction wouldn't necessarily relegate them because if we have a bad year next year, where three teams do really badly, there's no guarantee that Coventry, Ipswich or Hull would actually get 25 points.So if Man City had a 40 point deduction, they'd only need 67 to stay up.

because that would be 27 points.So and you'd back Man City to get 67 points, is it?I would say Man City will get 80 points.So if you give them a 40 point deduction, they're not going down.So that points deduction needs to be 60 minimum to relegate them, which is what needs to happen.And I don't think the Premier League have got the authority to drop them into the National League or the Championship.

I think they have to put something in place that relegates them.So I think it would have to be a I'd go for an 80 point deduction that they might appeal down to 60, but 40 won't reallythem anyway.It just means they won't win the league.They could still get back in the Champions League with a 40 point deduction as well.Maybe, maybe not actually.

No, they'd have to go some to do that.But look, we're talking hypotheticals, aren't we?And you know what, I would expect a more severe, and I know we're now talking if they've been found guilty, which is what a lot of people want.If they're found guilty, when you actually look at the list of charges they've made, and there's a lot of them, apparently there's 115.I don't think a 40 point deduction and one transfer ban really washes for years of winning titles that maybe they shouldn't have won.So I think that would be quite a light punishment, if I'm being completely honest.

But yeah, we'll have to wait and see on it.

As I said, a lot of people get very excited that maybe there's going to be a decision.But I mean, how many years has this been going on?How many times have we been told we'll know by the end of this year or the end of next year?I understand probably why it's taken so long by way.I think a lot of people will look at it like that.

But I think that you can read this both ways.It's going to be damaging, whatever the result.And you can definitely read it both ways.That may be the reason it's taken so long is that they want to be absolutely watertight on their decision.because they know whichever way it goes, the Premier League might appeal it if they lose, and Man City will certainly appeal it if they lose.So maybe that's the thing.

Or maybe they're taking so long because they're just not sure whether they've actually done it.

I don't know.I don't know.But I think I said this to you last time we had a video about this.I've got to the point now where I think in the first year of this, I was sort of like, charge them, find them guilty, and relegate them to the National League.It's been going on so long now, I'm sort of like, oh, just one way or the other.Can we get a bloody result on it so we can all just move on?

Because it's almost become a bit of a myth.

I think it was a reality at one point that there actually was a court case.Now it's just sort of like, you know, you have to remind yourself that it actually happened.So I think everybody, and I always think about Man City fans, because they're blameless.They're innocent.Man City fans are obviously going to back their club, but they don't know what went on in the boardroom, really.You just back your club because we're tribalistic, aren't we?

But they're the innocent parties in this.It's like Southampton last week, isn't it?I mean, Southampton could have been in the Premier League now.They're not in the Premier League now because their coach has decided to send a bloody guy with a pair of binoculars up there.And who suffers?The people of Southampton.

So I think It just needs to get resolved, doesn't it?But let me know in the comments which way do you think this is gonna go and do you think we are actually gonna finally gonna get a result on this in the next few weeks.Thanks everyone for watching.Make sure you smash the like and subscribe.I'll speak to you on the next one.