Watching Spurs throw the kitchen sink at Man City, I found myself wanting them to score every time they went forward.
It made me realise that City – a team many of us used to like – are now a club that I want to fail. And fail spectacularly.
It’s like when Michael “Lotto Chav” Carroll won £10 million. For a while it was amusing and we all had a laugh when he started buying ridiculous things to amuse himself.
After a while though, all of the expensive toys simply looked vulgar.
It used to be easy to like City – forever in the shadow of their illustrious city sibling, a succession of passionate but flawed managers like Keegan and Pearce, and players that thrilled but never really achieved like Wanchope and Kinkaldze.
Now though they are the richest club in the world and are determined to buy their way to success.
Since they were taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, they have spent a staggering £455m and counting.
The £28 million theys pent on Yaya Toure is probably more than the total spending of any other club in the league this season.
Consequently, player for player they have probably now got the best squad in the Premier League.
The reason I wan’t them to fail though is that their clout is not as a result of sustained success, wise investment or even good business decisions to make them an attractive proposition for investors.
They simply won the lottery by being available as a very rich man’s plaything at the right time.
It probably sounds like sour grapes but I don’t begrudge the other wealthy teams their success.
Manchester United gave us a golden generation of English players – Scholes, Beckham, Butt, the Nevilles – by putting faith in youth when they could have just splashed the cash.
Chelsea’s best players are still Lampard and Terry and new young players like Sturridge are still taken on.
With City though, if you’re not a name that looks good in the owner’s treasure chest, forget it.
The best players at Eastlands for the last few years have been Bellamy, Ireland and before them Dunne.
The unfashionable defender was shipped off to Villa where he has been outstanding while Bellamy is outside of the match squad and Ireland is being offered cash to leave the club to make way for Milner – someone they simply don’t need.
Jez Moxey was amongst the leading voices pouring scorn on City at the weekend.
Here’s what the Wolves chief executive told the Express & Star:
“The Manchester City situation is not good for football in the Premier League.
“Not only are they contributing in a big way towards spiralling wages and unrealistic demands elsewhere, but there is a risk that they could garner all of the talent.
“It’s becoming so difficult for anyone else to compete both on a competitive and talent level but also on a financial level.
“And they’re only able to do it because they’ve got sovereign wealth behind them.
“I’m not sure that’s what I would want to see if I could control it. But I can’t so all I can control is what we do.
“Manchester City are trying to win the Premier League and dominate Europe — if they can — for certain reasons.
“Their owners want to promote themselves and the club, and they see that as a good way of doing it.
“They’ve got more money than they know what to do with and they’re investing with it.”
And about Stephen Ireland refusing to leave over reports that he wants a £2m ‘pay-off’ . . .
“It’s reported that he’s going to continue negotiating until he gets more and more money to leave.
“We run the risk of losing what the game is really about.
“It gets too distorted too easily when you have such wealth to buy the best players wherever they are in the world.
“But as we saw last season, sometimes buying the best talent doesn’t always means you’re going to be the most successful.”
Spot on Jez. I’m glad I’m not the only one hoping to see them fail.
If not for Joe Hart they would have at the weekend too. It could have been 5-0 to Tottenham on Saturday if not for the outstanding goalkeeper.
The young star – signed from League Two Shrewsbury! – was the best player in the Premier League in its opening weekend.
He’s the only player at the club that I want to see succeed.
Sadly though, in football as in life, money talks and it won’t be long before his team-mates get up to speed.
-----------
As for Wolves’ magnificent performance against Stoke on Saturday, here are my thoughts:
• Fletcher looked like a great acquisition and his link-up play with Ebanks-Blake was magical
• Craddock’s tackle on Jones was fair – not even a foul. He got the ball and the striker unfortunately fell awkwardly.
• Jelle Van Damme looked composed and was involved at both ends of the field.
• Dave Jones’ goal was the best of the weekend.
---------------------
**** This blog is automatically fed to Twitter. To keep updated, follow @espnwolvesblog *****
Comments
 |
Posted by jez on 08/16/2010
thought you were talking about Jez Moxey, clearly the biggest chav going.
jealously is an ugly thing.
Don't let a lack of facts or insight get in the way of your article writing, keep trying.
|
Posted by Bob the Blue on 08/16/2010
Jealousy is an evil thing!
..............and the reason I want Wolves to fail is because of your Manager's capitulation BEFORE the match at Owed Trafford last season.
|
Posted by SaddleworthisBlue on 08/16/2010
Funny how you forget to mention that the owners are about to embark on a £1BILLION regeneration of the area around the ground creating hundreds of jobs , creating a new training facility with onsite lodging for the youngsters in the academy ( doesnt sound like a good strategy to me if we are buying the title ),leisure facilities the like never seen before around Beswick and Clayton ( thats where our ground is situated in case you didnt know )
Or the fact that on the recent tour to the USA they opened up a £500000 facility for the under privileged kids in Spanish Harlem .
Every opportunity someone wants to knock the club .
So be it but heh get used to it because The Future is Blue ,MCFC Blue
ps ..... and not a penny borrowed !!
|
Posted by CptPattern on 08/16/2010
Great original post. Thanks. A breath of fresh air. As a matter of interest - if Wolves were offered a buy out by someone worth one and a half trillion dollars tomorrow - honestly , with your hand on your heart, would you have no inclination to take the investor on? If you did turn the chance down - how would you expect the ensuing seasons to pan out knowing what was passed up and, if accepted,in what ways would you expect your tranfer policies to change, if at all. Just wondering....it's only fair to ask.
|
Posted by Bluenose on 08/16/2010
City last season still gave more game time to players coming through their youth system than the teams you mentioned in Chelsea and Man Utd. This includes giving 4 youth team players their professional debuts last season alone. In fact you mentioned a player for Chelsea in Sturridge who came through the City ranks and left because we wouldn't pay his as much money as Chelsea.
City have 5 players in their first team squad who have played over 50 games and came through the ranks. At least another 5 who have played less than that and came through the ranks. So lets call it a minimum of 10.
City have spent a fortune upgrading the training complex and youth academies.
You also say you don't begrudge teams like United for earning their money. How did they do that? By being successful at just the right time when the sky money started flooding in and the champions league money? Wolves won two consecutive titles in the 50s. If they did that now they'd be rich. Just food for thought.
|
Posted by James on 08/16/2010
Bitter? I have to admit as a Man City fan I happen to like Wolves and respect how they run the club. How can you be so bitter to a club who has not won a trophy for 34 years? And listing Lampard, Terry and Sturrige (ex city)? United monopolise the foreign market and no club would be able to compete with the money they generate from global merchandising.... Do you suggest everyone else just joins the premiership to have fun with the likes of Man United. Johnson, Hart, Richards, Barry are all English and in the City 1st team yet are not big names.
|
Posted by Johnny Crossan on 08/16/2010
Good headline grabber - made me think of Wolves getting promoted tho
|
Posted by Anthony Unwin on 08/16/2010
So, you used to like City but now dont as they were fortunate enough to receive a multi-billion takeover? Surely then that can only be construed as jealousy?
You also say Chelsea are ok, as their best players were already there? And they give youth a chance, ie Sturridge?
You then go on to say that Hart (young, English and at City long before the takeover) was Citys best player! So double standards on both parts of your argument there!
There are few teams that bring youth thru like City, maybe only Boro.
It astonishes me that Chelsea are sited as an example of looking at youth! Do you know that 3 years ago, City beat Chelsea in the YouthFinal with 10 Brits in the starting line-up! Chelsea had 2, the rest being foreigners! Any idea who Sturridge was playing for that day?
Before everyone starts, Im not a City fan, im neutral, and as such would like to see unbiased journalism. Unfortunately, ive not read anything other than unresearched vitriol regarding City since the takeover!
|
Posted by Mike on 08/16/2010
Yes Daniel it does sound like sour grapes. So you would rather have a closed shop of the same four teams winning everything in sight? Instead we have the repulsive reality that 8 clubs could clinch the title. This must be awful for the neutrals!
Manchester City possess a large core of incredibly loyal supporters who have proven their quality throughout 35 trophyless years. City won the FA youth cup in 2008 and have an excellent youth academy and superb stadium. This was the reason for the huge investement.
It is not the case that the clubs owners randomly selected any available club. All clubs are available at the right price. Football is also big business if you havn't noticed.
Man Utd have bullied in the transfer market since the start of the premier league. Can you remember 1992? Where is your criticism of Chelsea? Did they not buy success? you mentioned Sturridge as a positive for them. Do your research pal, he was a product of City's academy!
Jealousy is ugly.
| |
Post your comment |
|
|
RSS feed