Sandro Rosell

[Cule Angles]

I concur...The fear I'd have with a Rosell character is a return to the shady days of backroom deals and chasing the almighty €

Yeah, because transparency and an aversion to the almighty € have been hallmarks of Laporta's tenure

rosell is a power hungry mother sucker, who should not be allowed to be president.

Power hungry? Our current president is a man so obsessed with power he's fallen out with two boards and is well on his way to falling out with another. His delusions of grandeur lead him to believe that he can dictate Catalunya's future from the Camp Nou's offices and he's used the club as his personal launch pad to a political career.

also, anything about the training/fitness staff?

Nothing mentioned along those lines, but then backroom staff is hardly the policy area that wins elections. I assume that Pep would be entitled to choose his own fitness team etc. given the more extensive powers that Rosell has outlined for him.

Do you know what he would get rid of? I hope its not much, its a fantastic project, would make the Camp Nou the best stadium in Europe again, really the roof is essential, not sure about the increase of spaces.

Either the details weren't mentioned or I can't remember them. Personally I'm not a fan of the Foster design although I accept that the Camp Nou needs a facelift.

He has already said he would gut the palua blaugrana and build a new one.

Quite frankly this should be the priority for any president that has enough integrity to put the club's needs ahead of empty popularism. The sides at the Palau are an integral part of Barça and the current facility is an embarassment to the club when you compare it to Joventut's arena or other premier venues in the ACB.

 

[Galning]

Sounds like good news to me!
Pep more power and Txiki out =

Although I would love to see the new stadium, I hope the plans aren't going to be put on hold.

 

[FCBarca]

Yeah, because transparency and an aversion to the almighty € have been hallmarks of Laporta's tenure

2 CL titles, 3 Liga crowns and 1 CDR cup...In 6 seasons (We still have to see what is won, if anything, this season), that's already a helluva legacy...La Masia saw an improvement in not only their performances but their training ground and production of first team players...UNICEF, the partnership that has certainly broadened the appeal of the club...The resurrection from debt and the discovery of a phenomenal leader for managing the club in Pep...Has any club experienced this kind of renaissance in a similar period of time??...I don't think so...Shots can be taken at Laporta for his political posturing but selling out the club for the € or tarnishing it's image is without basis.

Power hungry? Our current president is a man so obsessed with power he's fallen out with two boards and is well on his way to falling out with another. His delusions of grandeur lead him to believe that he can dictate Catalunya's future from the Camp Nou's offices and he's used the club as his personal launch pad to a political career.

Falling out with a board can be a good thing, particularly if the board is filled with those who seek to make names for themselves at the expense of the club...I don't see the merit in Rosell yet and all I heard from him during the successes was hating and that hardly sounds like a Cule...It'd be one thing if matters were in disarray but that is far from the case...The club is financially solvent, successful both on & off the pitch, without reliance on all the Ballon D'or players and integrated with their youth academy like no other club.

 

[spursandbarca]

power hungary??? you are having a laugh.


Look who sandro wants to have on his board. they are all strong characters and not yes men. sandro int the one who wants to be president of the generalitat or prime minister of spain.


backroom deals. like having 4 vice presidents followed, employing your fascist brother in law, taking money from uzbeki's, having your own law firm profit from the sale of mallorca. where is the transparency in any of that?


soriano has as much charisma as a wet paper bag.

and half of those trophies sandro sme credit towards.

 

[FCBarca]

power hungary??? you are having a laugh.


Look who sandro wants to have on his board. they are all strong characters and not yes men. sandro int the one who wants to be president of the generalitat or prime minister of spain.

Laporta isn't continuing as President so what would his political aspirations have to do with Rosell or who comes next?...For that matter, how did it negatively impact the club all this time??

backroom deals. like having 4 vice presidents followed, employing your fascist brother in law, taking money from uzbeki's, having your own law firm profit from the sale of mallorca. where is the transparency in any of that?

This is new news, wrt to the 'spygate' and nothing has been proven with regards to that...At worst, what are we talking about, IF true, anyway?...That he investigated (Which at this point, is still unclear that Laporta authorized it) the VPs and their activities?...An internal audit, essentially?...Where's the money laundering or conspiracies there?

and half of those trophies sandro sme credit towards.

Rosell gets credit for getting Ronnie here...That's where his contributions begin & end...Let's not inflate and rewrite history now...So many of the successes of the current club aren't even ON the pitch and they reflect no work of Rosell.

 

[Cule Angles]

2 CL titles, 3 Liga crowns and 1 CDR cup...In 6 seasons (We still have to see what is won, if anything, this season), that's already a helluva legacy...La Masia saw an improvement in not only their performances but their training ground and production of first team players...UNICEF, the partnership that has certainly broadened the appeal of the club...The resurrection from debt and the discovery of a phenomenal leader for managing the club in Pep...Has any club experienced this kind of renaissance in a similar period of time??...I don't think so...Shots can be taken at Laporta for his political posturing but selling out the club for the € or tarnishing it's image is without basis.

Congratulations on totally avoiding the point in question. You mentioned transparency and chasing money, I challenged it and you reply with little more than a list of achievements that we're all aware of none of which have anything to do with the previous debate.

Transparency: The brother in law belonging to the Fundación Francisco Franco who still works at the club. A spying scandal within the board itself. Appropriation of CL final tickets destined for fans and supporters clubs, after Paris he made a huge noise about implementing set quotas for how tickets would be distributed, the next CL final we get to he broke his own rules. Lack of transparency regarding membership numbers - the figure the club claims isn't reflected in the income from membership fees. The continuing blind eye turned towards the practice of people selling their season tickets at exorbitant prices and therefore denying people on the ST waiting list the chance to fulfill their dream.

Chasing the €: An official cheese (!!!), Uzbekistani connections and behind closed doors friendlies, post-season friendlies in the middle east at the end of a tiring season, cheapening the meaning of "mes que un club" by effectively turning it into a marketing slogan that appears anywhere and everywhere, downgrading the level of service offered to supporters by stripping club departments of necessary staff in the name of savings when he will still charge the club for the use a private jet instead of travelling with the team.

I could go on but you'll probably just try to circumvent the issue once again.

Falling out with a board can be a good thing, particularly if the board is filled with those who seek to make names for themselves at the expense of the club...I don't see the merit in Rosell yet and all I heard from him during the successes was hating and that hardly sounds like a Cule...It'd be one thing if matters were in disarray but that is far from the case...The club is financially solvent, successful both on & off the pitch, without reliance on all the Ballon D'or players and integrated with their youth academy like no other club.

Falling out with a board can be a good thing? Once could be forgiven, three times is the sign of a man who is difficult to work with due to severe personality problems and borderline megalomania.

 

[FCBarca]

Congratulations on totally avoiding the point in question. You mentioned transparency and chasing money, I challenged it and you reply with little more than a list of achievements that we're all aware of none of which have anything to do with the previous debate.

Calma te, senor...No one is making any personal attacks yet you act as if you've been insulted...Thin skinned?

Transparency: The brother in law belonging to the Fundación Francisco Franco who still works at the club. A spying scandal within the board itself. Appropriation of CL final tickets destined for fans and supporters clubs, after Paris he made a huge noise about implementing set quotas for how tickets would be distributed, the next CL final we get to he broke his own rules. Lack of transparency regarding membership numbers - the figure the club claims isn't reflected in the income from membership fees. The continuing blind eye turned towards the practice of people selling their season tickets at exorbitant prices and therefore denying people on the ST waiting list the chance to fulfill their dream.

The Echevarría issue is your explosive transparency issue?...From 2005??...At the near beginning of things?...You think Laporta is harbouring some Franco love or something being the Culé he is?...Come on, that suggests a scenario above the simple 'Get a family member a job' controversy...Which as jobs go, that's hardly a nefarious plot.

I've read nothing nor heard anything about the membership issues or money...Is the club solvent?...Is it successful on the pitch?...Is the image of the club aspired by the world at large?...Does that stand in stark contrast to the time before he arrived?

As for 'spygate', didn't Laporta arrive in '03 with claims that the boardroom was 'bugged'?...Seems like the spying issue existed before him so if he's to be criticized for being a part of it, consider that it was a malignant issue to begin with.

Chasing the €: An official cheese (!!!), Uzbekistani connections and behind closed doors friendlies, post-season friendlies in the middle east at the end of a tiring season, cheapening the meaning of "mes que un club" by effectively turning it into a marketing slogan that appears anywhere and everywhere, downgrading the level of service offered to supporters by stripping club departments of necessary staff in the name of savings when he will still charge the club for the use a private jet instead of travelling with the team.

Behind closed door friendlies?...Uhh, when?...Those friendlies added to the revenues of the club, those friendlies are played by ALL the big clubs and is not exclusive of Barcelona...While I agree match numbers need to be kept at a minimum, consider how much better the injury issues have been, the success on the pitch and the management of how the club is run.

Now the Més issue is being attacked?...I think it's pure genius...It hasn't cost the club anything but brought in revenue while espousing the virtues of the club...It has reinforced to the world, a model by which other clubs aspire to...I can't even comprehend how these points can be attacked.

Falling out with a board can be a good thing? Once could be forgiven, three times is the sign of a man who is difficult to work with due to severe personality problems and borderline megalomania.

Or, the sign of stability by ridding the club of the malignancies of how things 'worked' in the past...Consider this, the controversies you spoke of involve an occurrence of his brother in law in '05...The 'spygate' remains a bizarre issue to me and hardly reflects some sinister plot...If it has, I'd love to hear it....I'm trying, at the moment, to think of what aspect of the club one could truly be critical of and all I can think of is perhaps how contracts are done up by Txiki and even that is a reach

Your complaints of Laporta reflect a personal bias, IMHO, rather than one of his body of work...Because, the work speaks for itself...Plus, he's not up for re-election, is he?...He's gone so to pile on and pile on a successful president seems like you're simply spinning your wheels in mud.

 

[G.J]

Laporta's pros outweighs his cons in my book. It will be a sad day when he leaves the club after such a successful era on and off the pitch for FCB.

P.S I just hope that no one get overexcited about Rossel Nike connection. The market now is very different than it was in 03. Considering his major targets (allegedly) are Robinho and Cesc. Lets see how hes going to even deal with those clubs.

 

[FCBarca]

Laporta's pros outweighs his cons in my book. It will be a sad day when he leaves the club after such a successful era on and off the pitch for FCB.

P.S I just hope that no one get overexcited about Rossel Nike connection. The market now is very different than it was in 03. Considering his major targets (allegedly) are Robinho and Cesc. Lets see how hes going to even deal with those clubs.

Very true, very true.

Biggest thing I worry about with the next group in charge is the conduct externally with other clubs in terms of transfers as well as presenting a continuing image of the club...For all the criticisms on the club with Laporta, I can't recall a time the club has been viewed more positively, globally, than it is now

 

[Cule Angles]

Your complaints of Laporta reflect a personal bias, IMHO, rather than one of his body of work...Because, the work speaks for itself...Plus, he's not up for re-election, is he?...He's gone so to pile on and pile on a successful president seems like you're simply spinning your wheels in mud.

My points about Laporta simply reflect the hypocrisy when you make claims about Rosell that can't be backed up. Your comments suggest that you think Laporta walks on water, you dismiss serious issues as non-events because it suits your thesis that he's whiter than white. Pathetic.

Very true, very true.

Biggest thing I worry about with the next group in charge is the conduct externally with other clubs in terms of transfers as well as presenting a continuing image of the club...For all the criticisms on the club with Laporta, I can't recall a time the club has been viewed more positively, globally, than it is now

Yet within Spain our popularity is the lowest it's ever been thanks to Laporta's politicking.

Laporta's pros outweighs his cons in my book. It will be a sad day when he leaves the club after such a successful era on and off the pitch for FCB.

I think his pros do outweigh the cons but what annoys me is people who think that he has made no significant errors

Or, the sign of stability by ridding the club of the malignancies of how things 'worked' in the past.

I don't know where you get your info from but if you'd done your research properly you'd know that he didn't rid the club of anybody, individuals chose to resign because they had lost confidence in a president who has continually alienated people throughout his time at the club, up to a point where a vote of no confidence drew a 60% result against Laporta

Behind closed door friendlies?...Uhh, when?...

Something else you don't know? We played a behind closed doors friendly against that Uzbeki side (Odonkor?).

As for 'spygate', didn't Laporta arrive in '03 with claims that the boardroom was 'bugged'?...Seems like the spying issue existed before him so if he's to be criticized for being a part of it, consider that it was a malignant issue to begin with.

If I thought you were clueless before, now I know you are. Go away and read Mundo Deportivo/Sport in relation to the recent spying episode as you clearly know sod all about what has happened. The current spying on VPs of the club is in no way related to the bugs Laporta CLAIMS were found in the boardroom upon his arrival, which he presumably had removed in 2003.

 

[Barcaman]

Keep it friendly guys, we could have a quality thread here!

 

[FCBarca]

My points about Laporta simply reflect the hypocrisy when you make claims about Rosell that can't be backed up. Your comments suggest that you think Laporta walks on water, you dismiss serious issues as non-events because it suits your thesis that he's whiter than white. Pathetic.

Whiter than white? You are obsessed, son...You have an agenda with Laporta and I understand that...I have friends in Barcelona and some seem to really have a problem with the political side of him more than anything else....But, it indeed sounds personal and I've never suggested Laporta should have a statue but considering the success of the club both on & off the pitch AND the fact that it occurred after one of the deepest/darkest times for the club, is remarkable...Nothing short of implausible...Could you imagine Gaspart's era ascending to the current heights of the club?

The political issues are serious ones, despite not being Spanish or Catalan myself...Being a Culé, I wanted to learn more about the history etc. and it's not unlike many minorities around the globe...There are prejudices against Catalans...There are real biases against the club, both in La Liga and among refereeing...Being a Barca fan, that much is obvious...One may not like it and I certainly would like it more if he included politics less but let's not discount the reality that Barca has always been a representation/symbol of Catalan pride just as Bilbao is for the Basque...Plus, President Zapatero never hides his love of Laporta or Barca so you can't say that Spain is entirely down on him.

I asked for what the serious issues were...Your initial claims were that he hired his brother in law who was subsequently fired in 2005...THAT is a serious issue?...The spygate issue cannot be used as a basis for much when there is little to be learned of who did what and for what extent/purpose...Everything that has since been revealed, revealed nothing insidious let alone incendiary.

Yet within Spain our popularity is the lowest it's ever been thanks to Laporta's politicking.

So, yeah, it sounds personal...You think Catalunya have been made a joke in Spain...I get that...I also happen to have friends in Madrid who I saw this summer and while they love Barcelona the city and the football that is played, they go nuts about Independence talk...That, however, is separate from what he has done as President...And let's not forget this key point here, he's not up for re-election...You want to demonize him for political leanings, that's your business...But as for the club, it's stature in the world is arguably at it's peak...In a global economic meltdown felt all over the world (Not just Spain), Barca is solvent and immensely successful on the pitch...It's easy to say well 'Rosell could've done it too' but let's face it, it's a Cinderella story that anyone would want written for them...It just so happens that credit will largely, fairly or not, fall to Laporta...And again, he's out so a walk around the Ramblas to blow off steam might be in order.

I think his pros do outweigh the cons but what annoys me is people who think that he has made no significant errors

I'm sure he's made errors...He was a lawyer coming into the situation and even in that Barca vid they had from the BBC that documented his beginnings with the club revealed many of them...Let's also not forget how much this man has also been vilified...He got rid of those nutters, the Boixos Noix and faced routine death threats even far before any of the controversies etc. came out...You saw how gutted he'd get when they lost, you saw how excited he was when they won...The guy is a Culé, no matter how you slice it...He can't even hold in his grin when he sees Messi score a beauty of a goal while most Presidents sit up there in the box like they're royalty or something.

I don't know where you get your info from but if you'd done your research properly you'd know that he didn't rid the club of anybody, individuals chose to resign because they had lost confidence in a president who has continually alienated people throughout his time at the club, up to a point where a vote of no confidence drew a 60% result against Laporta

We get resignations in the US military and politics all the time and rarely is it their 'own' decision so it matters little who resigned or who was fired...A board fails, it fails...The success however, remained despite those losses so to somehow point to those losses as evidence as failures on Laporta's part seems to conveniently sidestep the obvious overall successes....And let's not mix history if we're going to stick to facts...The no confidence vote occurred when?...AFTER the debacle of the 07-08 season when the Ronnie issues etc. were seeing the club falter after the CL win before...Everyone was disgusted and frankly I would've been ready to see him go then too...You glad he remained or would you have rather him left, hired Mourinho and watched us play some negative football for 2 seasons?

Something else you don't know? We played a behind closed doors friendly against that Uzbeki side (Odonkor?).

I don't know anything about this other than it was played and it brought in 5 million USD to the club...There is some sort of cooperation pact between the two clubs even evidenced by the similarities in the crests.

Looked pretty damn cold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoSmebNSt9Y

If I thought you were clueless before, now I know you are. Go away and read Mundo Deportivo/Sport in relation to the recent spying episode as you clearly know sod all about what has happened. The current spying on VPs of the club is in no way related to the bugs Laporta CLAIMS were found in the boardroom upon his arrival, which he presumably had removed in 2003.

Doesn't play well with others, that should be your sig

I know about the spygate, I read the reports that were translated from Catalan...The reference to the '03 spying/bugs was that this seemed to be the M.O. for clubs, particularly clubs that had gotten very 'fat' and corrupt...There's no two ways about it, Barca was a mess when Laporta entered into it...Corrupt, contracts were a mess, playing conditions and facilities were a mess etc...Now, he leaves with a helluva legacy...Anyway you slice it, Laporta will go down in Barca's history as one of the greatest Presidents :flagvl8:

 

[mobster_1930]

Maybe Barca is getting lower popularity in Spain, but I think that Barca is getting more and more popular all over the globe. Just for info, ManU is not even the most popular club in Manchester (City is) but the bunch of fans outside England make ManU so famous and rich above all. Just look at stats, they are always first at the profit table !

 

[Super Pippo]

I can't imagine Barca is decreasing in popularity in Spain after unprecedented success over these years, not to mention decline of other large clubs like Valencia, Zaragoza, Betis etc. Even in the region I am most familiar with, Asturias, you see many Barca shirts, and I think this particular region, people generally favour a Madrid/Spain outlook.

 

[Cule Angles]

.Plus, President Zapatero never hides his love of Laporta or Barca so you can't say that Spain is entirely down on him. Zapatero is only in power because of Catalan votes, go figure.

I asked for what the serious issues were...Your initial claims were that he hired his brother in law who was subsequently fired in 2005...THAT is a serious issue?...The spygate issue cannot be used as a basis for much when there is little to be learned of who did what and for what extent/purpose...Everything that has since been revealed, revealed nothing insidious let alone incendiary. His brother, if he was fired, was subsequently reappointed. The problem wasn't so much the brother's position so much as the fact that Laporta lied about Echavarría's membership of the FFF until a letter from the organisation was printed on the front cover of MD confirming that the guy is a member. All Laporta ever had to do was say "his politics are irrelevant, he's the best man for the job" but instead he chose to lie to the socis. Your point was about transparency, this incident shows Laporta's lack of such transparency despite the fact that he, along with Sandro, ran on the Elefant Blau ticket which promised to bring more openness to FCB.


So, yeah, it sounds personal...You think Catalunya have been made a joke in Spain...I get that...I also happen to have friends in Madrid who I saw this summer and while they love Barcelona the city and the football that is played, they go nuts about Independence talk...That, however, is separate from what he has done as President...And let's not forget this key point here, he's not up for re-election...You want to demonize him for political leanings, that's your business...But as for the club, it's stature in the world is arguably at it's peak...In a global economic meltdown felt all over the world (Not just Spain), Barca is solvent and immensely successful on the pitch...It's easy to say well 'Rosell could've done it too' but let's face it, it's a Cinderella story that anyone would want written for them...It just so happens that credit will largely, fairly or not, fall to Laporta...And again, he's out so a walk around the Ramblas to blow off steam might be in order.

Barça's solvency or otherwise is not the issue here, you accused Rosell of lacking transparency and chasing the euro which is a totally unsubstantiated charge. Credit for Barça's economic performance goes to Ferran Soriano, another man who Laporta alienated. Joan Laporta is not an economist.




I'm sure he's made errors...He was a lawyer coming into the situation and even in that Barca vid they had from the BBC that documented his beginnings with the club revealed many of them...Let's also not forget how much this man has also been vilified...He got rid of those nutters, the Boixos Noix and faced routine death threats even far before any of the controversies etc. came out...You saw how gutted he'd get when they lost, you saw how excited he was when they won...The guy is a Culé, no matter how you slice it...He can't even hold in his grin when he sees Messi score a beauty of a goal while most Presidents sit up there in the box like they're royalty or something.

Just what does this have to do with Rosell's alleged lack of transparency and obsession with money? You launch into these bizarre romanticised diatribes for no good reason, stick to the relevant points please.



We get resignations in the US military and politics all the time and rarely is it their 'own' decision so it matters little who resigned or who was fired...A board fails, it fails...The success however, remained despite those losses so to somehow point to those losses as evidence as failures on Laporta's part seems to conveniently sidestep the obvious overall successes....And let's not mix history if we're going to stick to facts...The no confidence vote occurred when?...AFTER the debacle of the 07-08 season when the Ronnie issues etc. were seeing the club falter after the CL win before...Everyone was disgusted and frankly I would've been ready to see him go then too...You glad he remained or would you have rather him left, hired Mourinho and watched us play some negative football for 2 seasons?

There's no basis for claiming that the departures of board members were due to anything other than irreconcilable differences between the president and the individuals involved. In fact it's a fact that you have to accept and Laporta has never disputed the reasons for people leaving. The people who went were all successful in their roles at the club, there was no reason for them to leave other than their total lack of faith in Joan Laporta.



I know about the spygate, I read the reports that were translated from Catalan...The reference to the '03 spying/bugs was that this seemed to be the M.O. for clubs, particularly clubs that had gotten very 'fat' and corrupt...There's no two ways about it, Barca was a mess when Laporta entered into it...Corrupt, contracts were a mess, playing conditions and facilities were a mess etc...Now, he leaves with a helluva legacy...Anyway you slice it, Laporta will go down in Barca's history as one of the greatest Presidents

So if you know about Spygate why do you claim a non-existant link between the 2003 bugs and the 2009 scandal? One was a bid by the previous regime to keep tabs on the new guys, the other was....well, who really knows?

The tragedy is that Joan Laporta should be beyond all doubt the greatest president we've ever had. The fact that he isn't is down to the reasons I have outlined, and you are yet to substantiate in any way, shape or form your claims that Sandro Rosell would bring a lack of transparency and a money-obsessed attitude to the club above and beyond that which Joan Laporta has overseen.

.