Manc in London
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I like Simon Mullock. All the other Mirror football journalists are arses of the highest order.
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Jose Mourinho at the Etihad
- Thread starter Blue Punter
- Start date
bluemanc
Well-Known Member
The Manchester City column: Real Madrid know all about buying history whereas City's is one you can really be proud of
"In terms of financial doping, Real Madrid has no equal," argues the Sunday Mirror's man in Manchester
It was a bit rich of Jose Mourinho to tell Manchester City that they can't buy history.
After all, this is a man who works for a club that has done just that.
Real Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in football, with a record nine European Cup triumphs and 32 La Liga titles.
Arguably, they are THE biggest, thanks to a world-wide fan base that only Manchester United and Barcelona can compete with.
But scratch beneath the surface of Real's success and you wonder whether all those triumphs and trophies are worth boasting about.
This is a club that were founded in 1902 – 22 years after City were formed as West Gorton FC – that won just two titles in the first half century of its existence.
It wasn't until fascist dictator General Franco realised that he could use the people's game as a tool to keep his heel on the throats of the Catalans and Basques that the Real Madrid legend began to grow outside the club's own city.
Franco's methods to quell political opposition would have even made former City owner Thaksin Shinawatra blush.
The general's lackeys used government funds and political power to turn Madrid into the most successful club in Europe in the 1950s.
It is still a source of some rancour in Barcelona how Argentine genius Alfredo Di Stefano was able to help Real win the first five European Cups after he had already agreed a deal to play at the Nou Camp.
In the final 21 years of Franco's life, his favoured team were crowned Spanish champions 14 times.
During this period of success there were constant allegations of referees and officials being bribed and intimidated.
Ironically, it was this fight against the system that made Barcelona more than a club as they became the force behind which the people of Catalonia became united.
In terms of financial doping, Real Madrid has no equal.
The club's links with government remain incestuous.
In 2001, even Sir Alex Ferguson was moved to publicly criticise a deal which saw Madrid sell their training ground to the city council for an overinflated price that enabled them to wipe out debts of £170million accrued during the Galaticos period.
It was typical Mourinho to fire the first shots in the inevitable mind games he will play with Roberto Mancini in the build up to Real's Champions League opener against City at the Bernabeu on Tuesday week.
You can be certain at some point that the Special One will also remind Mancini that he was the man who turned the team the Italian left behind at Inter Milan into European champions.
But when Madrid play in Manchester in November, I would advise Mourinho to give former City historian Gary James a call so that he can fill in the glaring gaps in his education.
James has just launched a book that gives an astonishingly detailed history of the Premier League champions called 'The Manchester City Years.'
At the book's launch, James told me: “Since Sheikh Mansour took over at City, rival fans have tried to paint City as a club with no history.
“Every club has history – both good and bad – but if you are measuring heritage purely in terms of success than I'd like to point out that when City won the FA Cup in 1904 it was the first time a major national trophy had been won by a Mancunian club.
“City won a trophy four years before Manchester United, 26 years before Arsenal and 51 years before Chelsea.
“They won the FA Cup 61 years before Liverpool and were the first English club to win a domestic and European trophy in the same season.
“This is the club that was playing in third tier of English football as recently as 13 years ago, but once drew a Maine Road crowd of 84,569 that remains the biggest attendance at any English ground outside of Wembley.”
Gary James gets a mention aswell.
"In terms of financial doping, Real Madrid has no equal," argues the Sunday Mirror's man in Manchester
It was a bit rich of Jose Mourinho to tell Manchester City that they can't buy history.
After all, this is a man who works for a club that has done just that.
Real Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in football, with a record nine European Cup triumphs and 32 La Liga titles.
Arguably, they are THE biggest, thanks to a world-wide fan base that only Manchester United and Barcelona can compete with.
But scratch beneath the surface of Real's success and you wonder whether all those triumphs and trophies are worth boasting about.
This is a club that were founded in 1902 – 22 years after City were formed as West Gorton FC – that won just two titles in the first half century of its existence.
It wasn't until fascist dictator General Franco realised that he could use the people's game as a tool to keep his heel on the throats of the Catalans and Basques that the Real Madrid legend began to grow outside the club's own city.
Franco's methods to quell political opposition would have even made former City owner Thaksin Shinawatra blush.
The general's lackeys used government funds and political power to turn Madrid into the most successful club in Europe in the 1950s.
It is still a source of some rancour in Barcelona how Argentine genius Alfredo Di Stefano was able to help Real win the first five European Cups after he had already agreed a deal to play at the Nou Camp.
In the final 21 years of Franco's life, his favoured team were crowned Spanish champions 14 times.
During this period of success there were constant allegations of referees and officials being bribed and intimidated.
Ironically, it was this fight against the system that made Barcelona more than a club as they became the force behind which the people of Catalonia became united.
In terms of financial doping, Real Madrid has no equal.
The club's links with government remain incestuous.
In 2001, even Sir Alex Ferguson was moved to publicly criticise a deal which saw Madrid sell their training ground to the city council for an overinflated price that enabled them to wipe out debts of £170million accrued during the Galaticos period.
It was typical Mourinho to fire the first shots in the inevitable mind games he will play with Roberto Mancini in the build up to Real's Champions League opener against City at the Bernabeu on Tuesday week.
You can be certain at some point that the Special One will also remind Mancini that he was the man who turned the team the Italian left behind at Inter Milan into European champions.
But when Madrid play in Manchester in November, I would advise Mourinho to give former City historian Gary James a call so that he can fill in the glaring gaps in his education.
James has just launched a book that gives an astonishingly detailed history of the Premier League champions called 'The Manchester City Years.'
At the book's launch, James told me: “Since Sheikh Mansour took over at City, rival fans have tried to paint City as a club with no history.
“Every club has history – both good and bad – but if you are measuring heritage purely in terms of success than I'd like to point out that when City won the FA Cup in 1904 it was the first time a major national trophy had been won by a Mancunian club.
“City won a trophy four years before Manchester United, 26 years before Arsenal and 51 years before Chelsea.
“They won the FA Cup 61 years before Liverpool and were the first English club to win a domestic and European trophy in the same season.
“This is the club that was playing in third tier of English football as recently as 13 years ago, but once drew a Maine Road crowd of 84,569 that remains the biggest attendance at any English ground outside of Wembley.”
Gary James gets a mention aswell.
Bodicoteblue
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I don't understand this idea of buying history- that is an impossibility even the rags couldn't do -history is just a record of the past - you can't buy it or sell it. What you can do though is make history and secure a rich and successful future.
Bodicoteblue said:I don't understand this idea of buying history- that is an impossibility even the rags couldn't do -history is just a record of the past - you can't buy it or sell it. What you can do though is make history and secure a rich and successful future.
And by rag/gunner logic, if we and Chelsea don't have history, how many teams in the English football league system actually have history? Do we go through the Championship and League One and tell almost every team "You have no history". It's a ridiculous comment by arrogant, spiteful, and vile fans of clubs who have failed to cope with not getting their own way all the time.
Sir peace frog
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does the istory thing bother anybody ?
its like being called a midget when your 6ft 4
i really dont give a flying fcuk what people think because it doesnt matter one little bit ,our history this yr is weve won the same as manchester united did last yer before the season started proper,now thats history.
its like being called a midget when your 6ft 4
i really dont give a flying fcuk what people think because it doesnt matter one little bit ,our history this yr is weve won the same as manchester united did last yer before the season started proper,now thats history.
morleyswife
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What fucking annoys me is the misuse of the English language.
History is something that has happened. Not how many trophies you have won
Would have been interesting if the Notts County experiment would have provided a league title.
History is something that has happened. Not how many trophies you have won
Would have been interesting if the Notts County experiment would have provided a league title.
Ancient Citizen
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Good points by Bluemanc regarding Real Madrid. This club, along with Barcelona is now accepted worldwide as one of the so-called 'iconic' or 'drenched in history' clubs, when,in reality their rise to the levels they have achieved was fostered by, a sugar daddy. The Daddy in question happened to be the country's brutal dictator, Franco, a mate of Adolph's for the duration of the war and a recipient of considerable German military assistance during the Spanish civil war.
In common with Juventus, who have gratefully accepted wedges of cash compliments of the Fiat corporation over the years, they are the products of, shall we say, governments with a less than tidy attitude about fair play and balance. Mourinho is a crafty twat and the mind games have started, so it will be interesting to see how Mancini plays it when the mud slinging really starts.
In common with Juventus, who have gratefully accepted wedges of cash compliments of the Fiat corporation over the years, they are the products of, shall we say, governments with a less than tidy attitude about fair play and balance. Mourinho is a crafty twat and the mind games have started, so it will be interesting to see how Mancini plays it when the mud slinging really starts.
SamTheGuru
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LoveCity said:Bodicoteblue said:I don't understand this idea of buying history- that is an impossibility even the rags couldn't do -history is just a record of the past - you can't buy it or sell it. What you can do though is make history and secure a rich and successful future.
And by rag/gunner logic, if we and Chelsea don't have history, how many teams in the English football league system actually have history? Do we go through the Championship and League One and tell almost every team "You have no history". It's a ridiculous comment by arrogant, spiteful, and vile fans of clubs who have failed to cope with not getting their own way all the time.
Well said,
sir peace frog said:does the istory thing bother anybody ?
its like being called a midget when your 6ft 4
i really dont give a flying fcuk what people think because it doesnt matter one little bit.
Spot on just makes me smile.