The club has given me some of the best (Denis Tueart's overhead goal and 2012) and some of the worst (a biblically wet day in Halifax in 1980) days in my life.
I like to think it still retains its dignity even in this age of uber money, deceit and arrogance.
The quotes from Senor Perez, a tortured man but not a man subjected to torture, are those of a bitter man seeing his vision dying (for the moment at least). He has no reason to laud us but to me his words provide me with further reason why I've lived through a lifetime of extreme emotions.
Some may say we shouldn't have become a participant but I prefer "to keep my friends close but my enemies even closer" as per Sun Tzu or Michael Corleone.
What may have happened if we had not attended? The Americans (as with all of their fellow billionaires apart from Bill Gates; Warren Buffett and the former Mrs Bezos who are keen on giving it away to good causes) would have ploughed on regardless. Money "Trumps" everything in their world. "Tradition, history, decency" are words in a dictionary. So is "money" but that means more.
Our owners may not be perfect but I do feel they have an understanding of tradition and fair play.
I've not been a season ticket holder since 1981/2 (£28 well spent) so I can't talk about ticket inflation. I will say that the "product" has improved since my day. Rivers don't flow down the stands with the same intensity anymore; the pitch is green and the trophy cabinet is larger. Away end tickets are rarer than they've ever been.
Referees are as amateur and as selective in their judgement as they've always been (Dear old Alf); but at least his generation's faults were more human rather than Machiavellian.
In conclusion, I am more a "happy clapper" than a conspiracy believer in this whole episode. Here's to the moles and hiss to the snakes.
Sid Lowe who is an Spansh based football journalist is reporting Real Madrid's owner's comments about the English club. That might start penetrating into the consciousness of a few people.
These are just interpretations. There wont be a smoking gun but there will be a strong impression from a lot of football observers that this was a settling of scores.
The whole greed v fan power discussion the media is pushing is not very convincing. Why would City exit a set-up where we are dominant to a set-up where we'd be mid-table and where we'd have refinanced all our rivals. It's illogical. We'd have to be really financially desperate to do that. We know that Real Madrid, Man Utd and Liverpool are devious, and they plotted behind the back of football but City imo used their desperation to deliver a punch below the belt. They had it coming.
