Daniel Taylor
Friday March 21, 2008
The Guardian
Thaksin Shinawatra has conceded for the first time that there will not be "huge amounts" of money available to Sven-Goran Eriksson this summer, an admission that will be of great disappointment to the former England manager as he plots another extensive recruitment campaign at Manchester City.
Thaksin is due to stand trial next month on corruption charges in Bangkok and if, as he confidently expects, he is cleared, the former Thai prime minister is optimistic about recouping the £800m worth of assets that have been frozen by the courts. Until then, however, he has made it clear that Eriksson will have to work on a restricted budget.
Article continues
While there will still be the kind of money available that will make City the envy of most Premier League clubs, Thaksin has found his first year in English football "heavy on the pockets" after spending £56m on 11 new players and it is unlikely, therefore, that Eriksson will have the backing to take on the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in the transfer market - at least for the time being.
The strategy outlined by Thaksin is that, if Eriksson brings in three or four more accomplished signings during the summer, City should be in a position to qualify for the Uefa Cup next season. If everything goes according to plan, he has then promised to back Eriksson with greater funds to help them achieve his goal of reaching the Champions League for the start of the 2010-11 season.
"First year, top 10; second year, top six; and third year, Champions League. That is the strategy," said Thaksin. "We are eighth now so there is not much pressure to reach the top six but reaching the top four is a lot of pressure. There will not be huge amounts spent this summer but maybe the following summer."
That will be of concern to Eriksson who, referring to his transfer outlay thus far, confessed yesterday that he had wanted "the same again". Eriksson added: "I don't know if that is going to be the case but, to be among the top six, we need to take good players. The competition between the top eight, nine, 10 teams will be even more difficult next season. If we want to play in the Champions League on a regular basis that costs a lot of money."
Bolton and Everton have been fined for crowd trouble in their respective Uefa Cup matches against Atletico Madrid and Brann Bergen last month. Bolton have been fined £5,000 for disturbances in their last-32 second-leg game against Atletico Madrid; their opponents have been fined £15,000 for fans throwing missiles. Everton face a £2,500 fine for fans invading the pitch; their opponents face a £7,500 fine for similar offences by home supporters.
Friday March 21, 2008
The Guardian
Thaksin Shinawatra has conceded for the first time that there will not be "huge amounts" of money available to Sven-Goran Eriksson this summer, an admission that will be of great disappointment to the former England manager as he plots another extensive recruitment campaign at Manchester City.
Thaksin is due to stand trial next month on corruption charges in Bangkok and if, as he confidently expects, he is cleared, the former Thai prime minister is optimistic about recouping the £800m worth of assets that have been frozen by the courts. Until then, however, he has made it clear that Eriksson will have to work on a restricted budget.
Article continues
While there will still be the kind of money available that will make City the envy of most Premier League clubs, Thaksin has found his first year in English football "heavy on the pockets" after spending £56m on 11 new players and it is unlikely, therefore, that Eriksson will have the backing to take on the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in the transfer market - at least for the time being.
The strategy outlined by Thaksin is that, if Eriksson brings in three or four more accomplished signings during the summer, City should be in a position to qualify for the Uefa Cup next season. If everything goes according to plan, he has then promised to back Eriksson with greater funds to help them achieve his goal of reaching the Champions League for the start of the 2010-11 season.
"First year, top 10; second year, top six; and third year, Champions League. That is the strategy," said Thaksin. "We are eighth now so there is not much pressure to reach the top six but reaching the top four is a lot of pressure. There will not be huge amounts spent this summer but maybe the following summer."
That will be of concern to Eriksson who, referring to his transfer outlay thus far, confessed yesterday that he had wanted "the same again". Eriksson added: "I don't know if that is going to be the case but, to be among the top six, we need to take good players. The competition between the top eight, nine, 10 teams will be even more difficult next season. If we want to play in the Champions League on a regular basis that costs a lot of money."
Bolton and Everton have been fined for crowd trouble in their respective Uefa Cup matches against Atletico Madrid and Brann Bergen last month. Bolton have been fined £5,000 for disturbances in their last-32 second-leg game against Atletico Madrid; their opponents have been fined £15,000 for fans throwing missiles. Everton face a £2,500 fine for fans invading the pitch; their opponents face a £7,500 fine for similar offences by home supporters.
Comment