City And The City

"The image of reinvention, conjuring up some kind of Google-land, can also, while understandably wanting to attract businesses, veer into overstating the case. If this had happened so successfully, this “remarkable economic transformation”; including the outlay of public money to create “sport city”, then hitting the jackpot with Abu Dhabi, why are the areas right around the stadium still mired in England’s worst deprivation?"

In Episode Thirty Seven we revisit ‘City and the City’ by David Conn. Looking at the takeover of Manchester City by Sheikh Mansour (and at its previous owner, Thaksin Shinawatra), David places the mega-rich gulf owners' stewardship of the club in the wider economic landscape.

What does their ownership of the club mean for the city itself? Why is there still a juxtaposition of investment in sporting facilities in the east of the city while it's still home to some of the most deprived boroughs in the UK?

There's also an opportunity for you to win a signed Sergio Aguero Manchester City home shirt - for full details listen to the episode, or head to www.theblizzard.co.uk/podcasts

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

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