Clearly one rule for Manchester City and one for everyone else
Oh joy of joys; it’s another blog about Manchester City killing football. And as a City fan, I of course present the backlash to the backlash.
There’s no doubt that things are changing in English football. The old guard is retreating (very slowly). Liverpool is in turmoil, United being bled dry, even Chelsea are looking at austere times, and a tightening of their Russian owner’s belt.
There’s no greater clue to the changing times than how lame Fergie’s “mind-games” have become. Once upon a time, Alex could will whole opposition teams and referees to fall before him with just a few achingly-sharp words. The story goes that after one such rebuttal to an opposition manager in a post-match “presser”, the manager in question’s hair fell out overnight, and he ended up living in a cave in Somerset surviving only on carrots and cup-a-soups. Now though, he’s no more than a mouthpiece for the Glazers. There’s no value in the market, you see?
One of the first criticisms I heard of Manchester City is that they are no longer likeable – “City used to be everyone’s second team”. Another way of phrasing this is City are no longer utter pants. Because that’s what likeable teams are – failures. Successful teams are hated, unsuccessful teams pitied. Sod being liked by other supporters – football is not a popularity contest, it is a series of competitions.
“The soul of the club has gone,” the writer and journalist Simon Hattenstone wailed, as he announced his detachment from the club he supposedly loved (he’ll soon came crawling back). Of course, he had no idea what this soul was, but hey, it sounded good. I can only imagine this soul was constant failure, a misshaped ground, poor players, boardroom turmoil, debt and mismanagement. I prefer being soulless to be honest. We were a Manchester-based club with an outdoor ticket office, because, what’s the worst that could happen?
Essentially, we were liked because we were a bit of a shambles – a comedy club (the Theatre of Base Comedy as Stuart Hall called Maine Road, until Kevin Keegan told him to shut up), unthreatening to anyone, fuelled by hope and nothing more. It’s when we started becoming a threat that people stopped liking us. “Nobody knows your name” sang United fans. They certainly do now.
Or perhaps it was when we started flashing the cash around. Now, you could argue it’s possible to be successful and well-liked. I’m sure it is, but you won’t find many examples. Barcelona springs to mind, but as we’ve seen in recent months, it’s partially built on a myth. They’re skint, with debts of 400m Euros (they can’t even afford to put a roof over the stands), they openly chase other teams’ players, their players dive and feign injuries for club and country (yes you, Iniesta), they’re much like the rest of us. The fact is, it isn’t a possibility for City. They could spend 20 years slowly, slowly building up a team, making value-for-money purchases and not stepping on any toes –who knows, by 2025, we might have crept into the Big 4. Or we can say sod it, we’re building a whole new legacy here, and we’ll go for it now. We’ll transform the club and the community beyond it, invest in the local economy, and lays the foundations for generations. Because we can.
In the end, what other fans think is irrelevant. History doesn’t record outlays, balance sheets and profit margins, just trophies, just success, however it is earned.
Another accusation is that City have now been accused of buying a history. Well there’s no need to, as we already have one. As Martin Samuel said, even MK Dons have a history. It seems there was no football before 1992 – it was all a dream. Nope, it all started with the launch of the premiership, and any achievements prior to that count for nothing. City won the NW Masters for the 3rd time recently, and still people claim we have no history.
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Brilliant , all the good points in one place .
Bloody well written .
Cheers
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Best article i’ve read in yonks.
I’m sure the vast majority of City fans can relate to this,
Brilliantly written.
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Good article, a bit long but some great points.
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holy arseholes thats some lengthy blog,but pretty damn true and well put across,i quite enjoy being part of something hated it beats sympathy anyday.
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Other fans started hating us the day we were taken over. Their hate reflects badly on them not us. It shows them to be churlish, envious and reactionary. They’d prefer the rags and Chelsea kept winning the trophies for the next years doing exactly what we’re doing – throwing money at it. Sod them they can weep into their bitter and twisted replica shirts every time we win a trophy (if should a thing should happen)…
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Couldn’t access the third page, but still the most comprehensive demolition of City’s critics I’ve yet seen. Take a bow, son!
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Fantastic article that blue, I have been saying much of the same things myself to those who criticise City as killing football, but never that well put across, fantastic article take a bow.
I just hope one or two fans of other clubs actually read it, like you stated I couldn’t care less what they think, but there is not a thing in there that can be argued with or denied.
5 stars and a High Five from this blue
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Best rebuttal of the hate, bitterness, jealousy and downright misconceptions that surrond our club at the moment that I’ve yet seen.
Get the author a beer keg to hook up to his taps, he deserves it!
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Thanks for comments. Change 3 in web address for page 3 from 3 to 03 to see last page!(ie add zero)
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I am an Arsenal fan and I do agree with some of what you say. City have not set a new trend. Chelsea were already doing it and before them Madrid. I however was not happy with, what i consider to be, the influence they had on the global market and similarly I am not happy with how city are going about things. I do not begrudge you pushing the boat out a bit with the financial back up you have but beyond a certain level it becomes distasteful. I agree that you are now in a position where you do not have to slowly build over many years but I think a 3-5yr plan to be regularly in the top 4 and challenging for top honours is not unreasonable. The transfer fees and wages you are paying are abhorrent, (even though, before you say it, hypocritically we benefited with Toure and the other charming chap from Togo). I believe that City now, but also still Chelsea and Madrid, dictate the wages and transfer market from the top down and the amounts these 3 pay in transfers and more particularly wages has a knock on, domino type effect down through the league so that all players wages are elevated. If Gareth Barry is paid what he is what does that make Fabregas and Van-Persie worth? Much more than we (or most other clubs) could afford even though we have a healthy turnover and profit. I believe all other clubs then are paying higher wages than they want or can afford due to the dictation of players wages from the 3-4 clubs that don’t have to operate within a normal business model. When a club goes into administration it is normally because their wage bill and money spent on transfers is unsustainable. if all clubs were operating more or less within a normal business framework then the transfer market and players wages would stabilise to a normal level so, even though you are not the first to act this way, I believe that this mode of operating is an enemy to football as a whole and I always feel that when a club is going to the wall that it can be traced back to the 3-4 clubs that are distorting the financial situation in football.
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