One very bitter author...

[cleav]

well he's obviously bitter about milner and barry...although, to be fair, i guess he's not really trying to hide it

 

[bluelol]

I was shocked when I read this yesterday and responded on his blog as such:-

You bitter knobhead!!! I had so many things ready to say to you but thankfully the more informed than yourself have already responded to your brain-dead diatribe.

Manchester City didn’t create this status quo, we just played by the rules created by the likes of Villa who used their billionaire benefactors wonga to rip Young from the heart of Watford, Downing from the down & out Boro, Milner from the relegation threatened Geordies & Bent from a struggling Sunderland…. Do I need to go on?

When we bid for Milner it was Villa who quoted a ridiculous price which we were forced to pay & you accuse us of greed & financially doping football? As part of the Milner transaction you received our former player of the year & your current player of the year Stephen Ireland. If it wasn’t for Ireland, Given & Dunne, the relegation places would have already been decided this season.

When O’Neil was buying all the aforementioned players (Young, Downing, Milner etc) you forget that at the other end of the scale was a club with a higher average attendance than you that had no billionaire benefactor & who had an annual transfer budget of £6m, plus whatever could be raised from player sales….. That was back in 2007 & that team was Manchester City & where were you then?

Fast forward to 2012 & now we’ve got a trillionaire benefactor, you want to complain? Sir you are a steaming lump of ill-informed dog-shit of the stenchest order!!!!

Pretty much sums it up for me

And me, the bitter author also forgot to mention the investment City have made in the academy and the surrounding area which will create hundreds of jobs. THE PRICK.

 

[Vladika]

The thick little **** seems to forget that the world's biggest club, Real Madrid, have been financial bully boys for decades, throwing money at everyone and everything and disregarding their youth system in favour of their "galactico" policies.

Bet if you were to ask this tool who the world's top club is he would probably say Real. Double standards and bullshit.

Rag reincarnated into a Villa fan's body.

Twat.

 

[ifiwasarichfan]

Bloody hell, this guy has it bad...

http://footballblog.co.uk/manchester-city-title-signal-death-football.html

A Manchester City Title May Signal the Death of Football As We Know It

Newcastle United were swept aside on Sunday as Man City almost certainly sealed the Premier League title. A bit of English football died that day. Man City have undermined the integrity of the sport financially, competitively, and morally.

£24 million Toure scored the goals, the stand-out performer amongst the £82 million Man City midfield. Do we need another scary statistic? Well, their starting 11 cost £179 million, with collective wages of over £1 million per week. Say what you like about Mancini’s managerial qualities, City’s fight back when the title seemed beyond them, or simply the feat of out manoeuvring Alex Ferguson; Manchester City have bought the Premier League trophy.

There are numerous economic reasons why the oil-rich billionaire’s toy is having a drastic affect on football, but let’s start with the most obvious. Football is a sport built on very simple ethics; a successful club is built on a tradition, and it is built on slow progress.

Manchester United‘s current position has come from decades of brilliance. Their stadium, their fan base, their commercial power, their ability to attract players – in short, their success – is built from a long history of achievement, each contributing to the next generation, each weaving a stronger thread into the complex tapestry of their success. The same can be said of Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Everton (amongst others).

In modern football, success is dependent on money. Whether you see this as a blessing or a curse, it is difficult to deny. A successful league season will be rewarded with prize money or lucrative European football, which will allow a club to build towards the top. Villa almost got there, Tottenham are getting close. Manchester City, on the other hand, skipped this bit, pretending they were a big club and producing money out of nowhere.

As an Aston Villa fan, let me use the Villa as an example of how football is supposed to work. Founded by 4 men convening under a lamp post in 1874, Villa became one of the world’s biggest clubs in the Victorian era. Slowly gaining household status after FA cup and league success, crowds flocked to watch the Villans, leading to an eventual move to a larger ground, now known as Villa Park. Over the next hundred years the stadium and fan base grew, with Aston Villa remaining a famous name in European football. Today, the 40 000 capacity stadium, the club’s financial position, and the club’s Premier League status, are all a result of this chain of success.

Man City have not grown to their current position. They have produced money from an industry that has nothing to do with football, and used it to buy the world’s best players, cheating the system and frankly destroying the integrity of club football.

Man City’s rise to Premier league champions has been anything but organic, and to achieve a rapid ascent to success relies on incredible transfer sprees. Since there is not an infinite pool of world class players, this inevitably hinders the progress of those clubs who have persevered with a more traditional, honest approach, before seeing the talent they have nurtured lured by City’s billions. Their signings ripped the heart out of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Everton, Newcastle, Valencia, West Ham – the list goes on. Everton, fighting heroically for European football on a small budget, had Joleon Lescott lured away from them in their prime. Aston Villa, desperately trying to finish in the top 4 and consolidate their rebirth under Lerner and O’Neill, saw captain Gareth Barry and playmaker James Milner taken from them in successive seasons, with the latter transfer culminating in the resignation of the manager. Wenger’s endlessly ‘transitional’ Arsenal side were cut down by the sales of Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri to Man City.

Of course, the reason these players leave is because Man City can offer wages and transfer fees that are (seemingly) impossible to refuse. Prepared to make a substantial year on year loss, the amount they invest is essentially ‘free money’; there are no repercussions for spending grotesque amounts on footballers that will bring them trophies. It is quite simply an abuse of economic power, treating the structural integrity of the sport carelessly, with no consideration for the long term effects of their actions on the industry as a whole. Losing one billion pounds in four years may not affect Manchester City, but it has huge repercussions on the rest of English football.

It is common knowledge that the debt of English clubs is spiralling out of control. This is almost entirely due to inflated transfer fees and increasing wage demands that do not correlate with the finances of top level football. 17 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs are making a loss each year; that is a failing industry. Millions of pounds are written off every season, making players and agents wealthier and football clubs (and fans) poorer.

When did it get out of control? Certainly football finances have been managed ineptly across the board, but the game never really got out of control until the creation of the Premier League, and the first ludicrous football investment at Blackburn Rovers. Rovers would win the league in 1996 after creating a dream team from the millions made available for transfers, but being built without lasting foundations, their decline was almost as rapid as their ascent.

This story, along with similar exploits at Leeds in the late 1990s, Chelsea in 2004 and Man City in 2008 had an enormous impact on the market, doubling or even tripling the valuation of footballing talent and raising wage expectations. Abramovich can flippantly throw £50 million at Fernando Torres, but any club without the luxury of being able to record a loss, cannot afford the knock on effect of inflated fees.

There is an undeniable correlation between the over-paying of Blackburn, Leeds, Chelsea and Man City during their periods of heavy spending, and the overall inflation of player valuations. The trickle down effect of this is hard to see, but football economists claim that an increase in the average price of a premier league player increases the valuation of players at every level. Teams in the lower divisions of English football cannot make up this gap without serious consequences.

In a conventional confined economic system, a market will fluctuate based on supply and demand. Logic would assume that clubs would baulk at inflated fees and refuse to pay them, thus bringing prices back down. Unfortunately, the stakes are too high for such stubbornness.

Since the creation of the Premier League in 1991, TV deals have become an integral element of football finance, and short term success is crucial in maintaining TV income (such is the disparate spread of generated revenue). Relegation threatened clubs cannot afford to risk refusing increased transfer fees. Short term failure could cost them upwards of £60 million in the following financial year. Equally a team desperate for European qualification is forced to yield to the market even to tread water, with the difference between 4th, 5th and 6th costing a club tens of millions. This catch 22 is exactly the same with regards to the increase in wage demands. The average premier league wage today is £22 000 p/w, with some earning £250 000 p/w. When free-spending Blackburn signed Alan Shearer in 1992 he was paid around £8 000 p/w.

The type of success Man City have bought has contributed greatly to the rise in transfer fees, which has directly affected the enormous debt that looms over football, threatening to completely obliterate the sport at professional level. If the current situation persists, it is simply impossible to see football surviving another 20 years in its current format. Fortunately, the first wave of clubs to sink into administration this millennium (QPR, Hull, Bradford, Leicester, Derby, Ipswich, Wimbledon, Leeds, Southampton, Portsmouth, Rangers) have all been rescued at the last minute. It cannot be long before one club is left to drown, and when one club is liquidated, many more will fall.

Unless of course, UEFA’s Fair Play initiative has anything to say about it. Firstly, it is worth mentioning that this system, although likely to reign in club football debt (Chelsea have begun a ‘sell to buy’ strategy now and many other Premier League clubs have begun cutting their wage budget), the system has already had setbacks. The £400 million sponsorship of Man City’s stadium by Abu Dhabi Group owned Etihad is, overtly and unashamedly, just another way to pump £400 million of their own money into the club. It is cheating, and it undermines the system, again. But even if this system does work, there is a very high chance that it will be a poisoned chalice.

From next season clubs must be profitable; their expenditure cannot exceed their turnover by more than £5m, or they face transfer bans, withholding of prize money, or even bans from European competition. Although appealing, this initiative holds one fatal flaw; it does not allow for the risk of investment for long term gain.

Aston Villa and Tottenham, two sides who have challenged the top four (with varying degrees of success) in recent years spent £120 million and £140 million respectively in the space of four years. The idea being that initial investment will break the monopoly of the big clubs and bring Champions’ League qualification, which is worth up to £70 million per year in TV revenue and prize money, offering an eventual return on the money spent. If such gambles are stopped, then the rich clubs will simply cement their dominance, relying on financial might gained from European football to ensure nobody else can take their spot away from them. The league is in danger of becoming repetitive and non-competitive. Newcastle may break the top four this year, but there are already rumours that their key players will be signed by bigger clubs, and it is unlikely that they will be able to repeat their success next season. A system that may cause more problems than it creates has only been instigated as a result of the morally dubious exploits at clubs like Chelsea and Man City.

Early signs of this are already becoming apparent. The gap between the big clubs and the rest is so plainly evident that owners may have begun to realise that there is no financial gain in attempting to be competitive. With £9 million prize money separating 17th from 5th, and £60 million+ separating 17th from 18th, what is the use in investing, aiming high, when the chances of any monetary gain are so small?

This is clearest of all at Villa. McLeish was seen as a ‘safe’ appointment, ahead of a riskier one that would try to build something challenging the top 6 again (of course, we can now see how foolish he was in thinking McLeish was safe, but that’s a different matter). Boring mid-table obscurity becomes an attractive prospect for an owner who has seen significant financial investment fail to turn into anything substantial.

Clubs creating wealth from nothing, like Man City, are the cause of this dearth in competition. They have forced UEFA’s hand that may reduce long term competition. They have taken key players from burgeoning sides and thus stunted growth and increased competition. They have made it impossible to sign players without running up insurmountable debts, thus reducing the ability for others to compete and causing the financial system to fold in on itself. They have contributed to the wealth disparity that has led to pragmatic management aimed at safety, not glory. And they have done it through means that essentially amount to cheating the system, producing money out of nowhere, leaving nothing but chaos in their path.

That is why we are watching a two team league. We are lucky it is as competitive as that.

Aww didums

 

[MCC]

Yawn. TAKE IT! TAKE IT! TAKE IT!

 

[Scum Hating Leeds Fan]

The thick little **** seems to forget that the world's biggest club, Real Madrid, have been financial bully boys for decades, throwing money at everyone and everything and disregarding their youth system in favour of their "galactico" policies.

Bet if you were to ask this tool who the world's top club is he would probably say Real. Double standards and bullshit.

Rag reincarnated into a Villa fan's body.

Twat.

Not to mention Madrid City council buying Real Madrid's training ground from them at a vastly, vastly inflated price, much higher than market value, which not only allowed them to continue their spending but also wiped up their huge debt.
Yet more proof, as if any were really needed, that bitter nonsense like this is simply dreamt up by people who are wringing their hands that City are the big kid in the playground now.
I still dont buy the supposition that this 'piece' was written by a Villa fan however, its got scummer whineing througout it......

 

[Vladika]

Yea mate it has RAG all over it that.

 

[zeven]

Very good read :) hehe poor guy!

but the best part is, where he blame us for all the dept all other clubs are in.

It is common knowledge that the debt of English clubs is spiralling out of control. This is almost entirely due to inflated transfer fees and increasing wage demands that do not correlate with the finances of top level football. 17 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs are making a loss each year; that is a failing industry. Millions of pounds are written off every season, making players and agents wealthier and football clubs (and fans) poorer.

Second, its funny how he mention Leeds,blackburn and Chelsea but still put all blame on us :)

HAHA

 

[Scum Hating Leeds Fan]

Very good read :) hehe poor guy!

but the best part is, where he blame us for all the dept all other clubs are in.

It is common knowledge that the debt of English clubs is spiralling out of control. This is almost entirely due to inflated transfer fees and increasing wage demands that do not correlate with the finances of top level football. 17 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs are making a loss each year; that is a failing industry. Millions of pounds are written off every season, making players and agents wealthier and football clubs (and fans) poorer.

Second, its funny how he mention Leeds,blackburn and Chelsea but still put all blame on us :)

HAHA

Bitter.
Like I said, not even tomorrows fish and chip paper
Emotional dross spouted by a scummer in Villa clothing whos journey back to Surrey will feel a little bit longer from now on

 

[blueinsa]

Very good read :) hehe poor guy!

but the best part is, where he blame us for all the dept all other clubs are in.

It is common knowledge that the debt of English clubs is spiralling out of control. This is almost entirely due to inflated transfer fees and increasing wage demands that do not correlate with the finances of top level football. 17 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs are making a loss each year; that is a failing industry. Millions of pounds are written off every season, making players and agents wealthier and football clubs (and fans) poorer.

Second, its funny how he mention Leeds,blackburn and Chelsea but still put all blame on us :)

HAHA

Bitter.
Like I said, not even tomorrows fish and chip paper
Emotional dross spouted by a scummer in Villa clothing whos journey back to Surrey will feel a little bit longer from now on

Like any good blue, you have a fine nose for smells like this fucker gives off ;-)

 

[meldrew]

Diddums.

Just smile and wave boys, there's nothing to see here!

 

[TomBolland]

I don't understand when people say we've ruined football with all this spending, ask any neutral who they'd rather watch play football, us or say Liverpool?

It might have become easier for us to win things now but the actual football playing isn't ruined at all. We play lovely football. If anything we are improving football.

 

[Scum Hating Leeds Fan]

Very good read :) hehe poor guy!

but the best part is, where he blame us for all the dept all other clubs are in.



Second, its funny how he mention Leeds,blackburn and Chelsea but still put all blame on us :)

HAHA

Bitter.
Like I said, not even tomorrows fish and chip paper
Emotional dross spouted by a scummer in Villa clothing whos journey back to Surrey will feel a little bit longer from now on

Like any good blue, you have a fine nose for smells like this fucker gives off ;-)

I can spot them a mile off.
The way to do it is......
Tell them that you know they were Liverpool fans in the 80's, then simply watch the look in their eye as they quickly scurry away to update their Sky HD subscription.
Dead give away mate<br /><br />-- Wed May 09, 2012 6:25 pm --<br /><br />

I don't understand when people say we've ruined football with all this spending, ask any neutral who they'd rather watch play football, us or say Liverpool?

It might have become easier for us to win things now but the actual football playing isn't ruined at all. We play lovely football. If anything we are improving football.

You havent ruined football at all mate, its just bitterness, normal more nothing less.
Quite the contrary in fact, City have been a joy to watch this season, my sides are still sore from the 6-1 win at The Piggary ha ha ha

 

[Bodicoteblue]

Ill conceived,ill thought out,bitter,fact free rant- this boy has a bright future in journalism!

 

[blue since 69]

Pay no attention to arses like that they are just green with envy and are not worth bothering about although it can be f,ing annoying to see it in print.

 

[BTH]

In the bad old days, we'd sit around in pubs and clubs and wonder if and when a knight in shining armour would turn up and take City to an unprecedented level, someone like Bill Gates (it was a while back). I cannot remember anyone ever thinking: let's get a multimillionaire in who's got zero ambition and won't spend any of his money on the club, leading to us losing our well-respected manager and having to make do with a lesser manager from our most hated rivals. Obviously, this must have been the thinking at Villa.

A couple of things though: years ago when we had no hope of winning anything, we'd be taunted about our history by fans of the all-conquering rags and Liverpool, rather than taunted about a lack of it - as seems to be their wont nowadays - so long ago had our salad days been.

And finally, all this crap about the rags doing it the right way, having class and generating their own income etc. Their history is full of dodgy deals (e.g. Louis Edwards - see the book Manchester United - The Betrayal Of A Legend http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manchester-United-The-Betrayal-Legend/dp/0330314408), helping hands (e.g. The 'Gibson Guarantee', City on several occasions) and using their position as the country's biggest club to maximise situations for their own ends (e.g. advocating a rule change to keep gate receipts) and then palming these ideas off as being good for football.

 

[TCIB]

Im not reading all that crap, what i wanna know is wtf is their no reddit style downvote.
FB only allows stupid fucking upvotes, what happens when your a misserable bastard like me eh ?, i wanted to downvote it to oblivion.

"Got a new Kitten, so cute" this type of shit on FB on the very very few imes i logon i would nuke with downvotes or thumbs down.
I don't give a toss if its garfield bearing gifts of lasagne, fuck off.

 

[Notinmylifetime]

The worst article I've ever read, ever. 100% wrong biased shite.<br /><br />-- Wed May 09, 2012 8:58 pm --<br /><br />The worst article I've ever read, ever. 100% wrong biased shite.

 

[Citizen52]

If he is a Villa fan it is not surprise. I had a few friends from Uni who were very upset regarding Barry and Milner (I remember removing one on FB as he called us the Chavs who won the lottery).

Sad really as I used to like Villa and love talking football with fans of other clubs, but after the bile some of them have been coming out with since our takeover I would have been quite happy to see them drop this season.

Best one was something I read in 2009 that always stayed with me, I think on a Villa forum, 'at least if Barry had gone to Liverpool I wouldn't have minded - he'll never win anything with Man City'.

Obviously a prophet in the making...not.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

He says he is a Villa fan. Poor bastard.

My arse, he is. Red, green and yeller to the core. He'll be among the hordes passing through Piccadilly after a MANUre home match, back home to Birmingham!