Laughed out loud when I heard Ferguson , sort of , whinging about not being able to keep up with City spending . Looks like Manchester has come full circle ! Like I've mentioned on another thread , Manchester United had less top flight titles , before the Premier League started , than Everton ... speaks volumes !!
Can you read? How in any way am I ignorant of what has happened to football since the advent of the Premier League? That is the subject of the thread. It's the reason why, as I already stated, I haven't watched much Premier League in 10 years. It's boring. Man City are THE most dramatic example and won the title last week....that's why the thread concerns Man City. Why are you the guardian of Man City fans' feelings then? No, I didn't cut and paste the Guardian article (Did my thread from the perspective of what it must feel like for a fan, as this is a fan's forum), but you have to agree that the same point is being made?
Was thinking of debating this like an adult the I just thought bollox. If I was a Man City fan I think you'd just sound bitter - and a bit mad. No offence but if it happened to us most fans would lap it up. It wouldn't stop us being Swansea City would it? They won the title in style playing some great stuff. An unnecessary post that does nothing to enhance our reputation on the boards.
Is this about discussing the Swans and our ideas on footie or a popularity contest? What is Swansea City? Should we be looking for our own Malaysian backers then? They could do as they pleased as long as we're still called Swansea City?
As far as I'm aware Abu Dhabi Rovers have the same kit that they've had for ages. Seems to me all the owners have done is pump money in by the bucket load to improve the Club and the benefits are starting to be realised. I see no sign of a real loss of identity, just a morphing from a bit part club to a major player. Good on them.
Of course they did. They bought most of the best players in the World and paid them 200k a week didn't they. They bought up rivals players to put them on the bench didn't they (Nasri)? Entertaining wasn't it. How would you like to buy a ticket for David Haye v the kid who lives on my street? In fact there's lots of kids on my street, we could line them up and Haye could knock one out after the other. Anyone pointing out that what Haye is doing is unpleasant and not worth the entrance money could be chastised for not celebrating our new great and glorious champion. Your assertion that most of our fans would lap it up if it happened to us is interesting. I'm sure you are correct of course....most people are morons....but I wonder how many on this board would welcome that development? Which leads me neatly on to the point you missed....I sympathise for Man City fans such as us Jacks on here. They've had their club taken away from them, exchanged for hollow, meaningless victories like last week.....would you call it a dream?
im basically with you on this terror but its coming on a bit simplistic, were all involved to some degree or other even little ol Swans suddenly with aload of cash in our back pocket. man city bought the title yes but it takes some talent to assemble and mould a great team which they have done. i agree though its not a level playing field and many are disilusioned, i am too but i just cant give it up and it gives me hope that teams like us are gatecrashing the party
You are being one eyed with this, the top clubs in this league have been doing exactly that for decades, there are umteem examples of this over the years, clubs buying players and paying them huge wages and they don't even make the bench. The reason is to stifle other clubs from getting hold of them, we'd think it would be great if someone came in and say offered £25m for one of our players, all that would do is goive one of these clubs a bench warmer. And that would mean that this player is prevented going to another club. Yes Man City bought the title, but so has Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Blackburn. In fact since the premier league's inception it has been a bought league there is no competition as we know who will win next year, the year after and the year after that and on and on.
Personally I'd hate it if some dude came and pumped ridiculous money into our club, got rid of all the players and bought a new squad. I know players come and go and you always try to buy better than you already have, but it's a natural change as plyers get older / sold etc. So it's easy to associate with the team because it's a slow progression and there is an essence of continuity. Man City seem to have done it so quickly that I feel it's a bit like waking up with a different wife ( new improved, better looking and more expensive of course) because you got a huge payrise.
Me too. Take your cash and sling your hook - I'd much rather follow a sustainable club than one run by a sugar daddy.
Of course you're right but is it not the case that in the 70's the likes of Derby County and Forest came through and achieved great things despite having less resources than rivals. QPR, Wolves, Ipswich, Everton and West Brom even challenged for the title. Cup finalists/winners included; Sunderland, Newcastle, West Ham, Fulham, Southampton and Ipswich. In the 80's we saw the rise of Ipswich, Aston Villa, Everton, Watford, Southampton and West Ham (challenging for titles). We even had a shout under Toshack. Cup finalists/winners included; Man City, QPR, Brighton Hove Albion! Watford, Coventry, Wimbledon and Crystal Palace. In the 90s, before the Premier League (3 seasons), Villa came second, Palace came 3rd and Leeds won the title the year after being promoted....that year Sheffield Wednesday came 3rd. The point is, yes the biggest clubs with the most fans always had an advantage but the advent of the Premier League has vastly distorted the game in this country. It gets worse every year, and for what? Better quality? Our clubs used to win European trophy's at about the same frequency as they do now. Our international sides (all 4 UK nations) fared as well if not better. We have desecrated our sport for some money, and in fact it's counter productive for the likes of Murdoch pumping money into our game. If the T.V. money was distributed more fairly (and by that I mean a reversal, so that the bottom half of the league receive more money than the top half) and tight regulations meant that big clubs would have an advantage but not be able to distort the competition....Murdoch, and us, would have a much better product.
I don't believe that most Man City fans would find their recent achievement as "meaningless" or "hollow" at all. You are living with a romanticised notion of the way football should be - in common with most Swans fans. It's all very sweet and heart-wrenching but has little to do with reality. Let's be clear, as a supporter since the 60's I'm hugely proud of having a Club that pays its way (at long last) and is run the right way (ditto). The fact we've kept most of our Championship team intact in achieving what we have is just fantastic and I wouldn't have it any other way. But here's the reality check, and you may not like it. To challenge for the top 4 places you need money - lots of it. If the Swans are ever going to get to those dizzy heights we'd need to spend a lot more than in all likelihood we're able to generate. This means that we would inevitably fall foul of the new Financial Fair Play Rules arriving soon even if we had a benefactor, as would any other club. Why do you think the Malaysians are desperate to sign off on their proposed deal? They'd be in breach for sure, but the penalties don't kick in for another season - effectively sticking two fingers up to the authorities and the other clubs in the Championship that haven't got that kind of money. Scott - the point you make about having a sustainable club is well made. But ALL clubs will have to be run that way soon whether they like it or not, and the days of the sugar daddy will soon be over. We may not like the idea of a club "buying the title" but it's not a recent phenomenon and will continue. The only difference will be that the new rules will mean that the playing field has been slightly levelled for the rest of us.
To a point I think, there'll always be haves and have-nots, as it were, but I'm quite happy aiming to be "the best of the rest" if it means I know we're not, essentially, cheating! Recently I've come to see football as a good representation of the state of the western world in general. Money is ruining everything, and I want no part of it! If I thought FIFA, UEFA, the FA or whoever would actually get around to sorting out all the mega-rich "owners" it wouldn't bother me so much, but why would they? Behaviour like theirs has made the game what it is, and there's something to be said for that, but it doesn't mean I have to like it!
"If I thought FIFA, UEFA, the FA or whoever would actually get around to sorting out all the mega-rich "owners" it wouldn't bother me so much, but why would they?" The Financial Fair Play Rules suggest they already have, Scott.
If Man City, Real Madrid et al actually comply without finding some loopholes, I'll eat my hat! How are they supposed to reduce their wage bills without decimating their squads? Long term no doubt it WILL help, but the gap between the rich and the poor will always be there I think. I'm quite happy being poor
Its these teams who dont care about how much debt they get into just to buy the title that makes a mockery of the premiership. the old div1 was much better and even we were in top spot all over the xmas period, The title was open to anyone who produced the best football of the season and you could not say at the start of the season who would win it. ....imagine if we did that and spent well above our means just to buy the title, we would be in administration before you know it...how can these teams be over £100+ million in debt but still allowed to pay £35 million for a player and pay him £200,000/week......its one rule for them and one rule for the rest of us.....Its a joke and they should be forced to pay their debts first before they can buy up the best players that for some of them sit on the bench.....the sooner something is done the better football as a whole will be for everyone, and not just these so called big clubs....
Absolutely. Why can't we change things, we changed to the Premiership didn't we? What's with these people arguing for the dis satisfactory status quo. If it's not working bin it.
The only change they can do now is form a European league and let these teams fight it out between themselves. and good riddance,, lets get football back to what it is....a game of fair play and sportsmanship with everyone has a sporting chance to win something....
Dai: You criticise teams for going into debt to buy success at all costs (a valid argument) but weren't you the one saying how great it was that Man U had never bought the title? Now correct me if I'm wrong but Man U's debt, despite having an enormous turnover is actually colossal because they've spent too much on players and their wages. This link (if you scroll down after clicking) shows a table for last year. Man U were in debt to the tune of £590M !!!!!!!! Please make your mind up. The days of jolly hockey sticks and fair play are long gone but I do believe that the new rules will go some way to sorting out the imbalance.
kangaroo your an idiot if you cant understand the difference i want all these top clubs banned from getting into the debt they are in including man utd, you cant compare the sort of debt the smaller clubs have but still get threatened with sanctions and admin to the so called big clubs who are allowed to run up these massive debts but still plash the cash on players who cost more than the smaller clubs debt and threatened with administration...
