Bluerevolution

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1492849_comment-manchester-city-buying-glory-now-thats-rich

Another nod for Sopers

I've just edited it to make it reader friendly

City have no more bought the title than any club in the last 20 years.

Interesting article: How many times have you heard the following said over the last two days, in pubs, offices and factories all around this great city? ?Yeah, but it doesn?t count as much because City have bought the title.? Putting aside the obvious response, which is that the title is a long way from being over, it is breathtaking nonsense. If you?ll forgive the mixed metaphor, you get the feeling that this particular pot, blackening the name of the kettle, is stuffed with sour grapes. Of course City, if they close out this season, have bought the Premier League. But then again, which Premier League winner hasn?t? The problem that United fans have got is that, under the austerity of the Glazers, they HAVEN?T bought the title, as they have been doing for the past 20 years. In the history of English football, United have broken the transfer record five times. City have done it three times ? and one of those was on super-flop Steve Daley 32 years ago. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Reds have set new highs in the transfer market to bring in Andy Cole (?7million), Juan Veron (?28.1million) and Rio Ferdinand (?29.1million). Since the Abu Dhabi takeover, City have done it twice, on Robinho (?32.5m) and Sergio Aguero (?38m). And if that is not enough, United?s team on Monday contained the most expensive goalkeeper in English history, as well as the most expensive defender and the most expensive teenager, not forgetting the fact they had a ?30million striker sitting unused on the bench. Monday?s game pitted a ?300million squad against a ?250million squad, hardly prosperity versus poverty. When Fergie won his first league title in 1993, it came on the back of a ?6.75million spending spree on Gary Pallister, Danny Wallace, Neil Webb, Paul Ince and Mike Phelan. That sounds like peanuts today, but in 1989 it represented a huge outlay. It paid dividends too, as the Reds won the league two years running, and they have continued to spend more than the vast majority until the relative austerity of the Glazers. The only teams who have hitherto challenged United?s hegemony have been Blackburn, funded by Jack Walker?s fortune, Roman Abramovich?s Chelsea and Arsenal under Arsene Wenger. Perhaps only Arsenal could claim to have won the title on anything resembling a budget, but they also spent big ahead of their title successes, splashing out over ?20million on talent such as Marc Overmars, Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit in 1996. Wenger has a reputation as a manager who doesn?t spend, but he has flashed the cash when necessary ? remember Thierry Henry (?10.5m), Sylvain Wiltord (?13m), Jose Reyes (?13m) and a chap called Samir Nasri (?15.8m)? The bottom line is that the top flight of English football ceased to be a pure football competition many years ago. If you want to win the title, you need a top manager and top players, all of which cost. City didn?t ruin football, as some sniffy fools have suggested. They have just joined the game, and started to play by rules not of their own making. Once the notion that City are doing something wholly new and horrendous is nailed, there is an even more scurrilous nonsense dragged up. ?Well, yeah, everyone spends money, but United?s money is their own ? they earned it, and weren?t just given it by some Arab sheikh.? Of course, this is specious nonsense, the kind of tripe spouted by the fans of rich clubs who don?t want upstart oiks elbowing their way to a place at the trough. Newcastle clash will be tougher than the derby, warns Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini City boss Roberto Mancini happy for striker Carlos Tevez to remain at Etihad This is where UEFA?s financial fair play rules come in. You would like to think they are a genuine attempt to rein in the financial madness which has enveloped football, and stop clubs spending beyond their means in a vain grasp for glory. But when a club like City, financially secure through owners who are pouring millions into football and their community, is under scrutiny, you have to doubt UEFA?s true intent. Blame That makes it look like a charter for the establishment, trying to ensure that global brands like United, Real Madrid and Barcelona will NEVER be challenged. United fans, and UEFA, should be looking at the priorities of the Old Trafford owners, rather than the benevolence of Sheikh Mansour, if they want to see where the blame will lie if the balance of power shifts over the course of the next 10 days. There are plenty of grounded Reds fans who know this. One of their number said, three years ago, that City?s owners were supplying the Blues with ?rocket fuel?, while United?s rulers were forcing Sir Alex Ferguson to drag a tractor behind him. United rake in more money than anyone else, but sizeable amounts of their income comes from the pockets of their own fans ? who have suffered huge price increases over the past five years ? from concentrating their efforts to become a global brand, and from trading on the club?s name. City have tried to maintain their local identity and support as well as expanding their horizons, and are active and purposeful in engaging with their community. The Glazers, meanwhile, seem most preoccupied with trying to re-balance their balance sheet. That should be a far more important argument than petty nitpicking about how the money was made ? it should be a case of ?Where is the cash going?? rather than ?Where did you get it from?? City didn?t beat United on Monday because their owners have bigger bank balance. They won because they deserved to win it. Roberto Mancini out-thought Sir Alex Ferguson, and his players showed a desire and determination, as well as a level of football, which proved beyond the Reds on the night. No-one should forget it was the greed of United, who were instrumental, along with Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham in forming the Premier League, which led directly to where we are today. To win the Premier League, you need to be both financially stacked and football savvy, and the two are inter-dependent. So for any fans ? Red or otherwise ? to start bleating about it now is pathetic. Read more at: http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1492849_comment-manchester-city-buying-glory-now-thats-rich

Yet again The Sun shows what an odious "newspaper" it is.

red devil Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Bluerevolution Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > > Me and RD last night ! ;-) > > http://useless_bull.tripod.com/babiesmiddlefinger. > jpg http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s183/eldritchshiner/GIFs/fail.gif

at least they won't have Hart troubled

Red Devil and Laddy Muck, I know today is pretty miserable but help is at hand call 0800 1-6-1-6-1-6 or 0800 1-0-1-0-1-0

I never felt more like singing the blues when City win and utd loose, oh City you got me singing the blues ! My throat and head are killing ! Our pub was packed to the rafters with Blues ! Me and RD last night ! ;-)

Don't record in HD? Use catch up?

Hark now hear the city sing, united run away, for we shall fight forever more because of derby day. CMON CITY. http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh80/levibi/Smilies%20Gif/Wave_WFUWHL.gif Hi RD and Laddy Muck ! Sitting comfortably? Or is it twitchy bum time ?

get at least 3 different quotes

Ashley Young training today and getting tips and advice.

7 games to go

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I heard about that from a former barmaid at the > Cherry. It went something like "yeah I'm Irish, so > I must me a @#$%& whisky expert". Made me chuckle. If she is Irish she would have said "WhiskEy"

RD did you get tickets for THE game?

Atticus Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Totally agree with RD re human nature, however it > must irk the year in year out supporters who > suddenly find themselves jostling for cup tickets. > BR, reckon you'd have filled that pub a few years > ago? Again, agreed with the fact that almost every > city fan I know is from Manc or its surrounds. > Don't really know what my point is here... It's taken me 3 years of networking to get the numbers we had-average figure is 20-30 Blues

Well I was there when we were sh*te

I'm surprised you haven't seen me out and about-always got something with City crest on. I have an email list of 300 London Blues and have packed our pub in Farringdon with Blues We're not really here !

RD stop saying Citeh- we talk like that cos we're Mancunian and it's our natural accent

maxxi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Judging by the cheer that greeted both ManC goals > in The Actress tonight there are more City fans in > ED than I ever realised - or more Chelsea/ManU > haters. Plenty of us about and majority are Manc exiles not plastics ;)

Very good meeting, as said-standing room only- The history was fantastic