What a fairytale of a story. after being banned for two years from the Champions League last year and after trying to set up a rival league, that will change the shape of European club competition, Manchester City have qualified for the Champions League final…..Walt Disney could not have written it better himself.
Of course some of it is in jest, afterall, any shade thrown at City from an Manchester United fans point of view will always have the stench of jealously attached to it. Kudos to City for finally reaching the pinnacle (for now) of club competition. Only 25 years ago they became the second ever European trophy winners to be relegated to their country’s third league tier, the lowest point in their history. Goes to show what only a bit of grit, determination and a bottomless pit of money can do. No doubt an inspiration to the 1981 Uefa Cup champions Ipswich, the league one strugglers need not fret.
What Cha Gonna Do, Brother!
Now many view Chelsea as the original City, just swap The Sheik for an oligarch. Daddy Roman came in and blew every other club out of the water and changed my feeble youngs minds perception of football to a certain degree. Money buys success it seems but does it buy happiness? Blackburn were no doubt delighted with Jack Walkers investment at Ewood Park, and Manchester United fans were always delighted when they continued to smash transfer records. Even before the premier League The Red Devils smashed the British Record for the likes of Denis Law in 1962 and Bryan Robson in 1981. No fans look at the holy trinity statue outside Old Trafford or pictures of Robson lifting a Premier League trophy and think to themselves, well they bought that. No we just think of the happy memories. (Money buys Happiness confirmed)
Why do Manchester City and Chelsea get tarred with a different brush then? Of course they spend obscene amounts of money, but so does every other club that are competing at this level. Sure people may view them as less working class but most clubs have lost those roots, and they have been gone for a long time. For all the slagging City get for having no fans in the Emptihad, sorry the Ethihad Stadium, I have been in Old Trafford where despite the attendance you could hear a pin drop. Ed Woodward once apparently described Old Trafford as Disneyland to Jurgen Klopp, yep…..sigh. (You can compare him to Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Ursula, Scar take your pick)
We all love seeing the greatest players in the world playing on the biggest stages, and that simply costs money. Other fans of “elite” clubs (Not Tottenham) can’t throw stones, I used to believe that Manchester United’s fortunes came from being successful during the most profitable era of football, but that is just kidding myself. They helped establish this Premier League, which in turn has aided and abetted in creating a financial monster. When there is money to be made, the guys who have it always want more.
The Final Say
Come the 29th of May no doubt i’ll be popped infront of the TV , sipping a few tins, watching this weird bastardized version of a game I once loved. Encapsulated by the sight of millionaires running after a ball, to garner more money for their billionaire shareholders, all the while giving out about the referees. Only thing that connects the game I play on Sunday and the one they play in the Champions League is the giving out about the refs……and the tin’s part.
What am I trying to say? I dont really know to be honest. Maybe this article has been a way to express my complete ambivalence to the sport. Football nowadays is like trying to decide to break up with your partner or not, yeah you still may love ’em but by god do they drive you crazy.
