I been posting here a bit coz of our mutual friend Carl Ramsbottom. Anyways, I just stumbled on this thing I wrote about City a while back and thought you may want to read it:
A lot of crap has been said about the latest zillionaire takeover of a Premier League™ club, and it’s taken me a while to figure out what I think as I’ve been listening to the mostly loaded and vested interest ridden bile that ‘fans’ and ‘journos’ have been going on about for the past few days.
The way I see it, there are tons of precedents for injecting money into football clubs, and well pre Chelsea. Madrid had their training ground controversially re-zoned out of greenbelt type status into industrial land and then flogged it to skyscraper developers via the government for €480m, 10 years ago, and proceeded to sponk the money on players – two of which, bought 7 and 8 years ago respectively remain the #1 and #2 world record transfer fees. Zidane’s record at €60m in 2001 was about to get beaten in the summer. Who was buying? According to UEFA and Platini, it must be one of these sick Premier League ™ sides who have all this dirty foreign money – but of course no, it was Madrid again, trying to buy someone from our league. Blatter, Platini and Jesus were disgusted that the poor greasy spotty slave couldn’t be bought for any amount of money. Our fault again then.
In fact, in the last 25 years (but of course not for 7) the world record transfer fee has been beaten. Let’s have a look at which clubs managed it:
3 - AC Milan
2 - Inter Milan
2 - Juventus
2 - Real Madrid
1 - Lazio
1 - Napoli
1 - Newcastle United
1 - Real Betis
Milan with three. They must have made their money honestly through their great success. Or maybe that dirty greasy Mafioso that runs their backassward corrupt country was propping them up all along, a bit like Roman? Of the 13 records there, 9 were by Italian sides, 3 Spanish and then Shearer going to the barcodes. Juventus say that they’re a good honest club, who just happen to have had their time in the sun paid for by Fiat since 1923. I don’t get how that is any more honourable either. Was UEFA bothered about things getting out of control when Italy ran it, when Madrid broke the record two seasons running at such a high cost that it still hasn’t been beaten? Oddly not.
In fact, I hate defending either Manure or Chelsea, but let’s have it right. They have both bought multiple stars for around 30m, but as they haven’t actually raised the bar the way Milan, Juve and Madrid have since they started, it’s clear that they’re working within a context, a framework and a set of parameters created in Europe. UEFA are only pissed because the English clubs are beating them at their own game – and haven’t even moved the goalposts...yet.
Ah, but Citeh have no history – say the poor bastards from every other ‘big’ club scared of losing a CL place or losing their best players. You know, as if Citeh just started and didn’t have 30,000 watching them in the 3rd division a few years ago and made it back into the top flight on merit (sorry Gillingham). As if they hadn’t won multiple European trophies when Roman was still in nappies. I’d rather it was them than anyone else, having to put up with Manure for that long. .. Oh but Madrid are 9 times European Champions, they have all that history – so them being gifted near half a billion euros is different. Balls. Madrid won 5 of them on the spin in the 50s when it was an invitational only, when it made G14 look like an evangelical church, inviting all comers.
But what about them all being dirty foreigners, all these yanks and sheiks are ruining our game and killing our identity, so I’m told. If you hadn't noticed, we're an island with a long history of immigration, global commerce, crusading, invading and empire building. It's how we do stuff, even St George was a Turk. I know that some more inclusive backward European countries that still have peasants working in the fields mightn't be able to get their head round this. They argue that this investment isn’t fair because of the wages we pay, all of a sudden we eclipse the contracts that they dish out in Spain so it isn’t fair. Let’s not get into fair in the context of Daily Mail readers screaming for our lovely nurses and boys dying in Iraq. But compared to other footballers - More people around the world are watching the Premier League™ than any others, they’re playing at a higher level to a far greater global audience. Course it’s bloody fair.
I’m a Liverpool season ticket holder and I can see right away how this shakes us up. No longer guaranteed a 4th spot in a few seasons time – surely that makes us less valuable. We were a shoe in, now we won’t be. Do I care? Do I bollocks. Bring it on. Like anyone has a divine right to win games. Like CL money bothers me when I’m screaming at my 11 dickheads to beat your 11 dickheads on a Saturday afternoon. (or Sunday lunchtime, but whatevers)
As for City’s decision to buy Robinho – not sure on that one. I mean, what you really need, when you're at a club where everything has been in flux and no one knows what's really happening and nowhere to turn - what that dressing room really needs for morale, is one crying whinging mercenary bastard in the corner on ten times more wages than everyone else telling the Daily Mirror how he hates the rain and can't get on with Mark Hughes. I’m sure there’ll be another few along soon to cheer him up.
In February 1978, Clough broke the million barrier and doubled the UK transfer record to sign Trevor Francis, who ended up scoring the winning goal in the European Cup Final three months later. Did they buy that title? I’m sure it must have been asked.
The end of football as we know it? Not a chance. It’s just City’s turn. I like going away to City, I love the fans, their songs and having a pint in the Shambles. If they can swap Kaka for cack on the pitch then I’m made up for them. Out of all of us, they deserve a laugh.
A lot of crap has been said about the latest zillionaire takeover of a Premier League™ club, and it’s taken me a while to figure out what I think as I’ve been listening to the mostly loaded and vested interest ridden bile that ‘fans’ and ‘journos’ have been going on about for the past few days.
The way I see it, there are tons of precedents for injecting money into football clubs, and well pre Chelsea. Madrid had their training ground controversially re-zoned out of greenbelt type status into industrial land and then flogged it to skyscraper developers via the government for €480m, 10 years ago, and proceeded to sponk the money on players – two of which, bought 7 and 8 years ago respectively remain the #1 and #2 world record transfer fees. Zidane’s record at €60m in 2001 was about to get beaten in the summer. Who was buying? According to UEFA and Platini, it must be one of these sick Premier League ™ sides who have all this dirty foreign money – but of course no, it was Madrid again, trying to buy someone from our league. Blatter, Platini and Jesus were disgusted that the poor greasy spotty slave couldn’t be bought for any amount of money. Our fault again then.
In fact, in the last 25 years (but of course not for 7) the world record transfer fee has been beaten. Let’s have a look at which clubs managed it:
3 - AC Milan
2 - Inter Milan
2 - Juventus
2 - Real Madrid
1 - Lazio
1 - Napoli
1 - Newcastle United
1 - Real Betis
Milan with three. They must have made their money honestly through their great success. Or maybe that dirty greasy Mafioso that runs their backassward corrupt country was propping them up all along, a bit like Roman? Of the 13 records there, 9 were by Italian sides, 3 Spanish and then Shearer going to the barcodes. Juventus say that they’re a good honest club, who just happen to have had their time in the sun paid for by Fiat since 1923. I don’t get how that is any more honourable either. Was UEFA bothered about things getting out of control when Italy ran it, when Madrid broke the record two seasons running at such a high cost that it still hasn’t been beaten? Oddly not.
In fact, I hate defending either Manure or Chelsea, but let’s have it right. They have both bought multiple stars for around 30m, but as they haven’t actually raised the bar the way Milan, Juve and Madrid have since they started, it’s clear that they’re working within a context, a framework and a set of parameters created in Europe. UEFA are only pissed because the English clubs are beating them at their own game – and haven’t even moved the goalposts...yet.
Ah, but Citeh have no history – say the poor bastards from every other ‘big’ club scared of losing a CL place or losing their best players. You know, as if Citeh just started and didn’t have 30,000 watching them in the 3rd division a few years ago and made it back into the top flight on merit (sorry Gillingham). As if they hadn’t won multiple European trophies when Roman was still in nappies. I’d rather it was them than anyone else, having to put up with Manure for that long. .. Oh but Madrid are 9 times European Champions, they have all that history – so them being gifted near half a billion euros is different. Balls. Madrid won 5 of them on the spin in the 50s when it was an invitational only, when it made G14 look like an evangelical church, inviting all comers.
But what about them all being dirty foreigners, all these yanks and sheiks are ruining our game and killing our identity, so I’m told. If you hadn't noticed, we're an island with a long history of immigration, global commerce, crusading, invading and empire building. It's how we do stuff, even St George was a Turk. I know that some more inclusive backward European countries that still have peasants working in the fields mightn't be able to get their head round this. They argue that this investment isn’t fair because of the wages we pay, all of a sudden we eclipse the contracts that they dish out in Spain so it isn’t fair. Let’s not get into fair in the context of Daily Mail readers screaming for our lovely nurses and boys dying in Iraq. But compared to other footballers - More people around the world are watching the Premier League™ than any others, they’re playing at a higher level to a far greater global audience. Course it’s bloody fair.
I’m a Liverpool season ticket holder and I can see right away how this shakes us up. No longer guaranteed a 4th spot in a few seasons time – surely that makes us less valuable. We were a shoe in, now we won’t be. Do I care? Do I bollocks. Bring it on. Like anyone has a divine right to win games. Like CL money bothers me when I’m screaming at my 11 dickheads to beat your 11 dickheads on a Saturday afternoon. (or Sunday lunchtime, but whatevers)
As for City’s decision to buy Robinho – not sure on that one. I mean, what you really need, when you're at a club where everything has been in flux and no one knows what's really happening and nowhere to turn - what that dressing room really needs for morale, is one crying whinging mercenary bastard in the corner on ten times more wages than everyone else telling the Daily Mirror how he hates the rain and can't get on with Mark Hughes. I’m sure there’ll be another few along soon to cheer him up.
In February 1978, Clough broke the million barrier and doubled the UK transfer record to sign Trevor Francis, who ended up scoring the winning goal in the European Cup Final three months later. Did they buy that title? I’m sure it must have been asked.
The end of football as we know it? Not a chance. It’s just City’s turn. I like going away to City, I love the fans, their songs and having a pint in the Shambles. If they can swap Kaka for cack on the pitch then I’m made up for them. Out of all of us, they deserve a laugh.