While there is no denying that Thaksin owns Manchester City, you can’t help but feel that perhaps he has let the whole situation go to his head. His latest reported actions, if true, reveal that Thaksin is a madman with little to on appreciation of English football. Thaksin has, apparently, asked for player to bow to him before each match.

It’s as if Thaksin sees himself as a god in Manchester and he now expects people to treat him as such. I don’t know if Thaksin has had much chance to speak to football fans in Manchester, but he should try it to assess their opinions no bowing before former Thai Pms. From The Nation:

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has hit the club with another shock by asking for the players to bow to him Thai-style before each game, Sunday Mirror reported.

Officials at the Eastlands club have been worried for some time by requests from Thaksin - and his latest is for the team to bow towards him after performing their pre-kick-off sporting handshake with the opposition.

Bowing is a traditional mark of respect in Thaksin’s native Thailand. But some at City see this as another example of how the former Thai Prime Minister is turning the club into his personal dictatorship.

A City insider said: “At first we thought it was a joke, but the owner was serious about the players paying their respects. It’s just not going to happen.”

Manchester City are on the verge of imploding. The fans, the players and the board are behind Sven. Everyone is bemused by Thaksin’s bizarre actions. What’s next? A statue of Sir Thaksin in Manchester city center?

While Manchester City may have had their best season for some time, a solitary flag and power-hungry former prime minister could be about to spoil the party.

Firstly, the flag. Someone took a Thai flag with them to Manchester and hung it up at the City of Manchester Stadium. Nothing out of the ordinary there, but the flag bore the name of Thaksin Shinawatra, Man City’s crazed owner, who is also the former prime minister of Thailand.

What could have been brushed off as a minor incident has been propelled into the limelight and extorted into a full-blown national crisis. Thai authorities apparently have “an idea” whom the flag belonged to, said Prime Minister’s Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair.

An “ill-intentioned people” group of people have set out to ruin the country by hanging a flag bearing Thaksin’s name. Right.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said, “It is inappropriate. It must not happen again.”

Under Article 53 of the 1979 Flag Act, affixing pictures, letters, numbers or other symbols upon the national flag is against the law with a maximum penalty of a year in jail and/or a 2,000 baht fine.

In Thailand, sure, that holds some weight, but in Manchester?

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama somehow drew the conclusion that the flag was the work of football fans. At a football match? Surely not!

According to The Nation, Manchester City has apparently posted warnings on the club website urging people not to take Thai flags bearing Thaksin’s names to matches. I could find reference to no such warnings on the Man City website. I also couldn’t find anything on the Thai-language version of the website. (Bangkok Post)

I pose this question to Man City bloggers and fans: how do you feel about being told what to do? Man City fans have, allegedly, been warned about this flag incident. Will you respect those warnings or do you think the Thai government has turned a harmless situation into a farce?

I suspect, heaven forbid, that at future Man City games, there may be numerous flags bearing Thaksin’s names. Theoretically, of course, this would protest not only the Thai government’s overbearing response to the incident, but also, Thaksin’s ham-fisted attempt at dealing with club affairs.

Man City did well this season, finishing in the top half of the table. They started strong and only faltered in the second half of the season. However, Thaksin’s meddling ways have cast a shadow over any good that may have been done. His decision to sack Sven at the end of the season won’t be reversed, despite protests from all corners.

Now, Thaksin faces a mutiny as his team’s top stars have rightly decided that they will follow Sven out of Manchester. The friction stems from Thaksin deciding to take transfers out of Sven’s hands, despite a pre-season promise that all transfers would be Sven’s call. (The Sun)

Thaksin now wants to bring in Jose Mourinho to replace Sven.

The players, the fans, the club’s management are all behind Sven; Thaksin is the one with the problem. to further confuse the issue, Thakin’s son has been quoted as saying that Sven will lead Man City on their tour of Asia this summer, which includes a stop-off at Koh Samui.

As I said, it would be a real shame to see any more flags at Man City games this season.

Breaking news this morning:

Thaksin Shinawatra, former prime minister of Thailand, has been left in a coma after a tree he was standing next to toppled over and crushed him.

Doctors treating the deposed PM say there is a 50-50 chance of Thaksin waking up.

Thaksin is reported to have given the tree “a little kick” before it uprooted itself and pinned him to the ground, said police.

Police have sent the tree to forensic experts to be examined.

The Nation reports that “the number of taxi motorcyclists who gathered at Suvarnabhumi International Airport to welcome former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra grew to over 2,000 shortly before his arrival”.

Thaksin opted not to take a motorcycle taxi to court, instead choosing to hitch a ride with his buddy Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung.

With all the motorbike taxis at the airport, the rest of Bangkok has been left stranded.

How was your vacation?