Jack Grealish

[dozzie26]

We were THE Manchester Team long ago, going back to the 30s, hence the nickname of the Trafford red socks, THE RAGS, because they were so poor.

Like it or not, the Munich disaster was the making of the Rags and their popularity sored because of it.

Manchester City were and are a huge club, only during the late 70s and 80s thanks to PJ Swales did our reputation get tarnished.

Unpopular opinion in football but I wholeheartedly agree.

 

[Keeper!]

Unpopular opinion in football but I wholeheartedly agree.

Its a fact and I am not making light of the actual event which was a tragedy.

They got sympathy from the whole world and it brought them enormous support that has stuck with them.

 

[dozzie26]

I work in the West Midlands, i prefer the Baggies over all of them

They wrapped up the title for us at the swamp and have the best away pub amongst the current crop, enough for a soft spot. That Indian food in the Vine is worth the trip alone.

 

[EL APACHE TEVEZ]

We were THE Manchester Team long ago, going back to the 30s, hence the nickname of the Trafford red socks, THE RAGS, because they were so poor.

Like it or not, the Munich disaster was the making of the Rags and their popularity sored because of it.

Manchester City were and are a huge club, only during the late 70s and 80s thanks to PJ Swales did our reputation get tarnished.

Bang on keeps

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Just a different opinion, which should be welcomed amongst other like-minded people. I want us to win everything and we will do one day, but I don't get the blue tinted specs view that we are the biggest team in England because we are champions. There's 6 or 7 bigger than us and I'm fine with that.

6 or 7 hmm? Go on and what's your criteria?

 

[Keeper!]

Bang on keeps

It winds me up city and no history, it's insulting and so very wrong.

Our crowd base was always incredible ,84k crowds in the 30s.

Ask a scouser about there club during that time, or ask a rag.....

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Villa are a bigger club than us. But Grealish would win more here, it's a short career and I think he'd be a breath of fresh air at City, hope we sign him.

Ha ha, absolute comedy gold.

Villa have had larger average attendances than us in just 10 of the last 50 seasons, and they've won 1 x FA Cup in the last 100 years and 1 x league title in the last 110 years. Unfortunately, the latter led to them winning the European Cup into the bargain, which they never shut up about, although closer examination suggests that even Bristol City could have gone close had their route to the final comprised such luminaries as FC Valur, BFC Dynamo, Dynamo Kiev, Anderlecht and, er, that's it.

I hate all that arbitrary 'big club' guff as a matter of course, but if you're going to invoke it, then at least select a comparator whose hey-day wasn't when they had string for crossbars and goalkeepers in knickerbockers

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

Jesus, wasn't expecting to get as many backs up with that comment, wasn't intended as a wind up. We were big in the late 60s, early 70s then fell into oblivion in the grand scheme of things, as others benefited from the start of Premier League, including the juggernaut of Manchester United.

Villa were one of the EFL founder members with fantastic early success, then obviously won the European Cup nearly a century later. Go to the Midlands, it's a massive catchment area and if people don't support United or Liverpool, it's usually Villa. We have been so lucky with the investment we've been given, but without that we are a mid table top division team with about 30-40k hardcore fans (consistently higher crowds than Villa in the Championship, so fair play). The last 10 years has been great but we need to sustain that for the next 20-30 years to be considered up there with the Uniteds, Liverpools, Arsenals. Loads of fans coming through in Gen Z and younger, but it'll take these guys starting to come to games and bringing their kids too for us to grow as a genuine fanbase. Currently we wouldn't fill a stadium the swamp's size week in week out. They struggle due to their drop off in success, and they're a generation or two ahead of us in their establishment at the big table. History isn't everything, we are a fantastic club with a fantastic bunch of fans and we are here to stay; but we're not a massive club.

Back to Grealish, I agree he's stuck around at Villa and been a legend there. Most of their fans probably wouldn't begrudge him a move to a title contender.

On what metric are Villa a bigger club than City? Trophies? Same amount of trophies won even though Vill had a 10 head start by 1900. Attendance? City have the higher average attendance over history. So what makes Villa a bigger club?

 

[HelloCity]

Jesus, wasn't expecting to get as many backs up with that comment, wasn't intended as a wind up. We were big in the late 60s, early 70s then fell into oblivion in the grand scheme of things, as others benefited from the start of Premier League, including the juggernaut of Manchester United.

Villa were one of the EFL founder members with fantastic early success, then obviously won the European Cup nearly a century later. Go to the Midlands, it's a massive catchment area and if people don't support United or Liverpool, it's usually Villa. We have been so lucky with the investment we've been given, but without that we are a mid table top division team with about 30-40k hardcore fans (consistently higher crowds than Villa in the Championship, so fair play). The last 10 years has been great but we need to sustain that for the next 20-30 years to be considered up there with the Uniteds, Liverpools, Arsenals. Loads of fans coming through in Gen Z and younger, but it'll take these guys starting to come to games and bringing their kids too for us to grow as a genuine fanbase. Currently we wouldn't fill a stadium the swamp's size week in week out. They struggle due to their drop off in success, and they're a generation or two ahead of us in their establishment at the big table. History isn't everything, we are a fantastic club with a fantastic bunch of fans and we are here to stay; but we're not a massive club.

Back to Grealish, I agree he's stuck around at Villa and been a legend there. Most of their fans probably wouldn't begrudge him a move to a title contender.

Most of Villa’s success was in the 19th century apart from a good couple of years in the 80’s - a decade they were also relegated. We were actually more successful overall in the 20th and 21st centuries.

 

[StillBluessinceHydeRoad]

This whole big club, bigger club, biggest club in the world is not only childish but totally irrelevant. City has always been the biggest club in the world for me even when we were in the third tier and I'm sure that Villa fans feel and felt the same about their club. Rags and scousers have never counted in my eyes and never will. But it doesn't matter because we have no idea what Jack Grealish thinks important. If he is a life long Villa fan whose sole ambition is to play for the Villa we'll never get him: if he wants to win as many trophies as he can then we've got a better chance than any other club. If his ambitions are different we'll just have to wait and see.