Probably a fair assessment, although I've never really been one for the direct comparison approach, it always smacks of desperate Liverpool or Arsenal fans trying to prove that their side isn't that inferior to Utd by their ability to use > and < to make up for any sort of success. The only thing that's worth pointing out is that regardless of the quality of the starting line ups, we have by far the greater strength in depth. Vidic, Evans, Jones, Buttner, Giggs, Scholes, Nani, Young, Welbeck, Hernandez, Anderson, Fletcher (when he has a new arse) Lescott, Toure, Richards, Maicon, Rodwell, Garcia, Nasri, Dzeko That's ultimately what is likely to make the difference between the two teams this season - our ability to replace players who get injured, provided of course we don't have another massive injury crisis like we did last season.
Probably the only comparison that really matters is Ferguson > Mancini How you cope when he's gone will be interesting
how ? we are 9 points ahead this sesaon, and last season we end up with same points despite having a bigger injury list
Which as the main point of my arguement the whole time.... And the comparisons were made very quickly. I know I missed players like nani, anderson, evans etc but I also missed maicon, rodwell nastasic etc... And is both teams play different systems it doesn't really accomplish too much I was just trying to show that in my opinion, the city squad just edge ours in terms of individual quality. Again, just my opinion. And for whoever said De Gea = Hart (The one position you really can compare players like that) I do think you are really wrong. De Gea will be at the very top level in a few seasons time but right now he is below Hart regarding his overall game.
Not a fan of either team, but if I had to back one it would be utd due to their history and how they have got were they are by results on the pitch rather then some random take over, we could have been talking about Oldham winning the prem in a few years time if he choice to buy them. For me ferguson (bit of a tool) but hate to say it the best club manager in my life time I have never rated Mancini a very average manager After seeing your arguments between who has the best team between you two, for me they are on a par but I believe you lot should be over the moon as city gave just gone out and bought who ever they want price no object, so to be on a par, or maybe better is amazing the signing of rvp has been the signing if the season. You will win the league but for me this was your hardest challenge vs their billions
You must not forget, they cant spend ££££££ now as FFP is kicking in, so they need to spend wisely and not pay silly money on wages
Ref fair play I recon there will be a loop hole like there was for the 25 man squad fun and games a few years ago I would guess they would get one of his companies to become the major club sponsor with a stupid deal which would over ride the overall net Turn over, don't know how but that's the overview of the idea
Definitely not. Hardest challenge was vs Mourinho in 06/07. Not only is he the only PL manager of similar quality to SAF, but he came to Chelsea when Utd were in the middle of a major slump so Mourinho had two years of pretty much unchallenged dominance. He was also able to spend hundreds of millions at a time when most other clubs were cutting their budgets and we were hamstrung by debt payments. Chelsea also had no financial fair play restrictions to worry about - they spent more from 2003 to 2006 than we had spent in the first 14 years of the PL! Overhauling Mourinho's expensive and high quality team, with our biggest purchase being Carrick, was far and away SAF's greatest achievement in the league. They've already done that. City are now tied into a ten year deal for shirt, stadium and training sponsor @ £40 million a year. Sounds impressive until you consider Utd have just signed a seven year deal solely for shirt sponsorship @ £50 million a year. City have already shown some of the impacts of FFP - signing Rodwell and Garcia rather than RVP and Hazard, and selling Balotelli with no replacement just so they can try to balance the books prior to 2015.
Have to agree with Swarbs. Mourinho's Chelsea was an instoppable (did I mean unstoppable, pathetic English) force and we were barely in contention in those duals. They were also a genuine force in Europe. City only have last year to show their domination over us and now its back to usual order.
Although it was absolutely gut wrenching for City to win with their last kick and United to give it away in the last few matches by losing points to Wigan and Everton, at least we can say that arguably the strongest team won. I felt that city were stronger and almost irresistible last season. They defeated most top teams including United home and away. I wonder which strongest team missed out on the title in the last twenty years? I wouldn't say Newcastle because I always felt they were vulnerable to pressure in that famous season.
Us in 94/95. We had better goal difference than Blackburn, beat them home and away and in the Charity Shield, lost fewer games and were a single point away from winning despite having our best player suspended for half the season. Tbh I think that's the only PL season where the strongest team didn't finish with the title.
