If any City supporters were wondering what Simon Jordan makes of their club, the former Crystal Palace owner has removed any lingering doubt.
Jordan delivered a remarkably forthright assessment of City on talkSPORT following their Champions League victory over Porto, taking aim at everything from the club’s spending power to its supporters.
And Enzo Maresca didn’t escape either.
Simon Jordan certainly isn’t a City admirer
Jordan began by admitting he has never been a huge admirer of City and described their style of football as “a little bit pedestrian”, contrasting it with the Liverpool teams he has enjoyed watching.
He did acknowledge what City have achieved and said he has a degree of appreciation for their success. That, though, was followed by a rather longer list of things he doesn’t like.
“I don’t respect the way Manchester City operate,” said Jordan. “I don’t respect their buying power. I don’t respect the credentials of the football club. I don’t respect their fan base.”
Asked whether his judgement of City was influenced by his opinion of Maresca, Jordan initially rejected the suggestion.
He has previously made clear that he is not an admirer of the City boss, although his criticism of the club itself plainly stretches rather further than whoever happens to be sitting in the dugout.
None of this will particularly surprise City supporters. Jordan has been a regular critic of the club on talkSPORT and was involved in another debate this week when football finance expert Stefan Borson challenged former City chairman David Bernstein’s suggestion that the Blues should have faced a transfer embargo while awaiting the outcome of their Premier League case.
For now, City have rather more immediate concerns. Maresca’s side have won their opening three Premier League games and returned from Porto with a 2-0 Champions League victory. On Sunday they head across Manchester for the first derby of the season at Old Trafford.
Whether Jordan will be cheering them on seems reasonably clear.
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