As a club - what have we done so wrong?

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

I have mates who support rags, Liverpool, everton, Leeds, villa.

None of them are resentful of our progress.

The Liverpool fans I know accept that they are not going to win the league this year and want us to win it as they fcking hate united.

The rags appreciate the football we are playing but years of success means they still think they will edge it which they might.

I think too many of our fans have become totally paranoid. An article that doesn't go our way is jumped on with venom and hatred. some of our "so called" fans have wished death on people which frankly is ridiculous over a sport.

Everyone says the Media and pundits hate Balotelli when that's not the case at all. He splits opinion as other mavericks like him did.

Other managers have complemented us this year. Even Ferguson praised Mancini in his program notes on his handling of the Tevez affair. Lampard praised us last night. Pundits are highlighting the brilliance of Silva, the power of Yaya and the huge improvement in Richards.

The media have pretty much backed Mancini in his handling of the Tevez affair.

We got a bad decision last night but on the whole refs have been fair with us this season and certainly no worse than for anyone else!

I think some people just pick up on the negative coverage and choose to ignore the positives.

Some of our fans have become arrogant. "we will smash Chelsea", "I can see is beating Arsenal 4 or 5 - 2. Booking train tickets to wembley when we still have a very hard semi final to play. (fair enough if you are prepared to lose the money or sell to the scousers should we lose but if you seriously do not think Liverpool will be a challenge then that is arrogance which frankly after one cup final win and a decent start to a season we haven't really earned the right to be)

I think at the moment we are not hated but carry on with some of the above and we will become hated. Continued success could also bring hatred as it has done for the rags. Everyone is jealous of someone more succesful than them and that applies in all walks of life!

 

[KillieMitch]

I’m a Kilmarnock fan but I love reading forums to see what the real fans of clubs are saying. I often read this one and have found the City fans on here level headed and good humoured. Thought I’d respond to the OP here because this is an issue my mates and I always seem to end up debating in the pub.

I’m torn over the Man City issue. On the one hand I support a small club and I know what it’s like to stand in the shadow of bigger ones financially. To that end I can appreciate how fantastic if must be for City fans to finally compete for the Premiership. From a fans point of view I’m delighted that fans that have seen a side go up and down for years are getting success. Also, it’s better than the Chelsea takeover to me as the fans were there all along with City. You’re a big club, with a huge fanbase who deserve to do well.

That said, for some reason I just cannot feel happy about City winning things. I know this makes no sense logically speaking, but there’s just something about the money that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Yes it’s jealousy to an extent – if someone bought Killie and made us better than the Old Firm I wouldn’t complain for a second. There’s just something artificial and cold about the whole project to me, and much as I enjoy watching Aguero and Silva and have hugely enjoyed have Balotelli in the Premiership I just can’t seem to shake it.

As stated, I am well aware that this makes no sense. The other big clubs are where they are because of money too - but the sheer amount involved with City skews things for me. There’s such a disparity between even City and their next biggest rivals now that when City win my feelings are ‘well so they should’ – and that’s a little disappointing from a competitive point of view.

I’ll try to use an example to show why there’s something about the City takeover that crosses some line for me. Previously a player like Walcott looked at the clubs on offer, considered which club held the most place in his heart and suited his style of play. He chose Arsenal with offers from the others. Nowadays, a player like that almost automatically signs for City – the money makes it inevitable. I don’t blame City and I don’t blame the player – I’d do the same – but as I said it makes the whole thing feel cold.

Compare the situation with Walcott to that of Nasri this summer. If the money wasn’t an issue he’d be an Arsenal player – a club that has shown faith in him, brought him on and with fans who loved him. Or even if he wanted to leave, Man Utd were arguably a better option where he’d play every week. Again, gone to City. I find myself in the situation where I simply cannot applaud a good Nasri performance on that knowledge – the sheer money of it all is frustrating and leaves me a bit saddened by football.

I think, to try and pull all that together, the money/corporate side of football is turning people off football for all sorts of reasons, but City seem to embody all that frustration. When people get really frustrated about City I think it’s often the money situation in football generally that annoys them rather than the club. Unfortunately you’re a magnet for everyone’s annoyance about the way football has gone.

Hope I’ve explained that well – because I know it doesn’t hold together, but it is the way I feel. Best of luck for the season, and maybes send a few young lads to Killie to get experience...

 

[kalouk]

I understand your point and think we have been a media target for so long now that it's getting boring but I have come to the conclusion that it isn't just us they will go for anyone they can stick the knife into. Think back to the beginning of the season they couldn't knock us so they moved onto Arsenal, then the rags after the 6-1, I think Chelsea would have been next but yesterday has saved them and now it will go full circle back to us and how we will crumble etc It is all about headlines, the majority don't do any research or try to be informative. For example when Sky Sports had the financial expert on who said we were looking good for FFP they didn't want to know I don't think this interview was repeated once all they wanted was to show our record breaking losses.

As for other fans they either don't see or don't want to see what we are doing and the good things that the club is doing. We are a threat, we are the competition, they don't like us, it is the easiest stick to beat us with. If we are honest we don't look any further than the media headlines when talking about their clubs, it's the nature of the beast. We know it's crap, like the history line they like to throw out, our club must have one of the best cases for history in the league, the highs and the lows but why should they care it's just a cheap line to try to rattle us. I am not going to let any fan of any other club put a downer on what is one hell of a ride for us. Let them woman and moan we know the truth.

 

[dom]

A genuine question to all City fans - What have Manchester City Football Club done that is perceived as so wrong? As City supporters we're all on the inside of this journey and so it's natural to get defensive and see little or no wrong in our clubs actions but it's obvious we've been up to no good because we're pissing off a lot of people on the outside.

Now obviously I know we're now challenging the elite and superior established top four but that alone does not warrant some of the negativity the club as a whole attract. Tottenham are also challenging the so called big 4 but yet seemingly appear to be given a free ride and as everyone likes to agree (or at least publicly if not privately) that the more competition there is then the better the English Premier League becomes. This weekend my 48 year old Rag brother-in-law and his Liverpool supporting wife had a verbal attack on my 19 year old daughter whereby they were literally screaming in her face about 'how you don't deserve it'. This at a family party ffs! I wasn't there at the time but when I see the fuckers theyre gonna get an earful, shes been to more games than the two of them put together (not that it would be difficult). So why don't we deserve it?

Ever since the takeover its fair to say there has been more negative press than positive and I do feel it's whipped up an already envious and disgruntled football world to near bursting point to see the 'billionaire newcomers' put firmly and rightly in their place. I've genuinely no problem in how Chelsea want to celebrate their victory last night, it was deserved but it is very amusing watching how their fans and players both on and off the pitch took it as if the title itself depended on that 90 minutes. How the times have changed for us and i'll take it as a backhanded compliment.

So what have the club actually done that has been so wrong? Was it our policy of buying quickly and expensively? Should we have only bought one player per season and tried to build a successful team over the next decade because if so then thats a ludicrous suggestion. But would that have appeased the footballing world? Is it the owners, is it the manager, is it the players? Lord knows Balotelli is every so called media experts prime target and personally I do believe the press he receives has carried itself to the officials and how they deal with him on the pitch. He rarely gets decisions in his favour and seriously 'Who gives a fuck about his non-celebrations' - I for one love him all the more for it. I see the clubs everyday actions and supporter liasons as good as if not better than most others. I don't see any of our dealings as particularly any worse than other clubs. I see Mancini and his players refusing to get embroiled in a war of words with other managers and players both on and off the pitch whenever enticed. Our players are always ready for international duty.

This isn't meant as an us against the world or all officials are out to get us at every opportunity, because I know thats not actually true. What is true and undeniable though is we're everyones number 1 target, is it really only because we're 'potential champions'. I already know the footballing world are envious and threatened by our new status but is that all there really is to it or is there something more sinister we've been up to that I've missed. So as a fan from within how do you view City and how as a club have we gone from everyones favourite second club to not quite but nearly the new 'MAN U' god forgive us and everyones most hated club.

Ace post , Josh.. and a good, balanced, summary of what seems to be going on just now in terms of the stories that the (lazy) media want to tell about our club....

The sports media are fundementally conservative and lazy.. football , of all sports , sems to be one where those paid to provide objective analysis , with a few exceptions (pace henry Winter), seem unable to let go of lazy painting by numbers reporting.... e.g (ooh!! 'Arry is a fine man manager... oooh, 'Fergie' [sic] always has a masterplan that none of the rest of us mortals could spot, etc etc .. compare this to the abilty of rugby pundits to 'man up' and be objective when needed

The arrival of City as a well backed club back in 2007/8 initially provoked laughter from the 'meeja'... we had the lothario Sven in charge and dodgy Thai owners... nevertheless we ratcheted up the league and began to look like a side that might squeak a European place (albeit UEFA)... cue the Mark Hughes semi era..for all his faults he attracted better players e.g. Bellers, Given etc...as well as bringing talent through... Ched, Ned etc
At that stage we could still be easily 'patronised' (despite some key wins) by the 'Sky 4' clubs and their pet pundits

The earthquake that was summer 2008 was unprecedented (nearest comparison for the meeja was Chelski...) We were multimillionaires overnight, having just been a 'wealthier' club.. we buy Robinhio, sack hughes, get Bobby Manc, drop Robinho, and then nick Tevez off Man Yoooo.... cue Meeeja resentment,

Then cue Bobby using our funds (hello Man U and Chelski) to get top quality (although not world famous) names

Bobby outwits the 'pundits' again...

At the same time their darlings ManYoooo can't seem to compete with us financially and we pillage the Arse for some of their talent...

This means lazy journos have to do a rethink...especially as this season we are playing suptuous footy and have spanked 2 of their darlings in their own back yard.......

Some have been quicker than others... brighter sparks like Winter and Taylor have thought it through... others (Custis, Ashton, Smith, Neville, even!!) and saddos who can't let go of club bias (e.g. Hansen, Claridge etc) are looking more and more silly

nevertheless .. they are tapping into the lower end of human nature.....

After a few more seasons of success (fingers still crsse... I'm a City fan FFS!!) the lazy twunts will be creaming themsleves over.. 'City's wonderful, one touch football' and Bobby Manc's 'dignity and shrewdness', .... we'll see...

They don't seem to have fully forgiven Chelsea yet.. it might be quite a few yaers before the lazys forgive us

 

[City Raider]

its the 'new money' thing, we've just replaced chelsea and in a few years someone will replace us, especially if we are successful as we will then be seen to be 'earning' the money we spend

 

[dom]

its the 'new money' thing, we've just replaced chelsea and in a few years someone will replace us, especially if we are successful as we will then be seen to be 'earning' the money we spend

Typical European, and especially English, snobbery !!!!

 

[Anonymous]

What we have done is dared to compete.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Funnily enough i was having this conversation at work with a rag today. We decided it was because we used to be everyone's favourite comedy club, no threat but good for a laugh. No matter how bad things were at their club, there's always City to have a laugh at.

Now we're beating all these teams whose fans used to hold us in a certain amount of affection and we're winning proper cups not ones for cock-ups.

 

[1961_vintage]

I’m a Kilmarnock fan but I love reading forums to see what the real fans of clubs are saying. I often read this one and have found the City fans on here level headed and good humoured. Thought I’d respond to the OP here because this is an issue my mates and I always seem to end up debating in the pub.

I’m torn over the Man City issue. On the one hand I support a small club and I know what it’s like to stand in the shadow of bigger ones financially. To that end I can appreciate how fantastic if must be for City fans to finally compete for the Premiership. From a fans point of view I’m delighted that fans that have seen a side go up and down for years are getting success. Also, it’s better than the Chelsea takeover to me as the fans were there all along with City. You’re a big club, with a huge fanbase who deserve to do well.

That said, for some reason I just cannot feel happy about City winning things. I know this makes no sense logically speaking, but there’s just something about the money that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Yes it’s jealousy to an extent – if someone bought Killie and made us better than the Old Firm I wouldn’t complain for a second. There’s just something artificial and cold about the whole project to me, and much as I enjoy watching Aguero and Silva and have hugely enjoyed have Balotelli in the Premiership I just can’t seem to shake it.

As stated, I am well aware that this makes no sense. The other big clubs are where they are because of money too - but the sheer amount involved with City skews things for me. There’s such a disparity between even City and their next biggest rivals now that when City win my feelings are ‘well so they should’ – and that’s a little disappointing from a competitive point of view.

I’ll try to use an example to show why there’s something about the City takeover that crosses some line for me. Previously a player like Walcott looked at the clubs on offer, considered which club held the most place in his heart and suited his style of play. He chose Arsenal with offers from the others. Nowadays, a player like that almost automatically signs for City – the money makes it inevitable. I don’t blame City and I don’t blame the player – I’d do the same – but as I said it makes the whole thing feel cold.

Compare the situation with Walcott to that of Nasri this summer. If the money wasn’t an issue he’d be an Arsenal player – a club that has shown faith in him, brought him on and with fans who loved him. Or even if he wanted to leave, Man Utd were arguably a better option where he’d play every week. Again, gone to City. I find myself in the situation where I simply cannot applaud a good Nasri performance on that knowledge – the sheer money of it all is frustrating and leaves me a bit saddened by football.

I think, to try and pull all that together, the money/corporate side of football is turning people off football for all sorts of reasons, but City seem to embody all that frustration. When people get really frustrated about City I think it’s often the money situation in football generally that annoys them rather than the club. Unfortunately you’re a magnet for everyone’s annoyance about the way football has gone.

Hope I’ve explained that well – because I know it doesn’t hold together, but it is the way I feel. Best of luck for the season, and maybes send a few young lads to Killie to get experience...

You should resign from the forum with immediate effect - that way you go out at the top after posting what is a top class contribution to the debate!

My own view is that whilst I don't believe that in any way MCFC have done anything wrong, and that any club in the world would love to be in our situation, I see the dilemma that you describe on the face of almost every opposition supporter that I talk to.

 

[WestGorton]

They don't like a northern working class club doing well. No matter now they do well.It's as simple as that. The British love order and being told what to do. Surrey supports Arsenal, Chelsea and predominantly United.

City yet again break the mould. After years of breaking the mould with "humour" now we are shit hot. That breaks the mould again. The ruling class want to put down the northern oiks. How dare we be good? It just isn't cricket.