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'Little romance in City's title win' - outstanding article!



Goldstone Rapper

Rediffusion PlayerofYear
Jan 19, 2009
14,865
BN3 7DE
This is by John Nicholson.....

"You don't have to be a rabid socialist to realise that in the 21st century, a tiny elite of people are creaming it up to the benefit of almost no-one except themselves, while the rest of us fight amongst ourselves for a few spare fivers, having been successfully turned against each other by that very same elite in order to allow them to get away with this outrage.

For those of us who feel this is wrong to the point of immorality these are depressing times, especially because there seems no way out of it. Decades ago we could put our faith in alternative political parties to correct injustice, but now everyone seems to sup from the same corporate cup of fear and mind-wipe.

So much about the very basic fabric of society, from the tax system to the finance industry, to the housing sector and the political class just seems almost exactly opposite to what is needed to create a content, equitable society. People who are so rich they don't have to work are telling people with nothing to work for a pittance on punishing zero-hour contracts. I don't even think it's especially political to say that's vulgar, indecent and downright insulting. It's like being punched in the face and then told off for bleeding on the carpet.

Try and point this out and government ministers and others who do their bidding will tell you such critique is merely the politics of envy. That it is born, not out of moral outrage, but out of jealousy. Jealousy of those who have done well, of the rich and the powerful. That is the degree to which our basic humanity is misunderstood.

So the news that the richest club in the Premier League won the Premier League fits very nicely with the Zeitgeist. Of course they did. It's the money go-round, 'they got it stitched up tight, they got it safe and sound' , as Paul Weller once said. And again the distaste for this is not born out of jealousy, it's born out of a sense of basic unfairness. I know people often say, ever was it thus - the richest clubs have always won everything - it's not true, but even if it was, what rich means now is off the scale compared to what rich used to mean."

For the rest of the article:
http://www.football365.com/john-nicholson/9308354/Little-Romance-In-City-s-Title-Win


I'd be interested in your thoughts on it...
 


Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
24,721
Worthing
If this develops into a ffp argument then remember you'll never see a Blackburn win the Premier title again.
Not that that was necessarily your point.
 


m20gull

Well-known member
Jun 10, 2004
3,414
Land of the Chavs
And for how many years has the wealthiest club won things. How about asking the club that has one 20 times. That was not achieved with two brass farthings. Football has always been a professional sport and it is always about the money. Name the first £1m pound transfer.
 


Green Cross Code Man

Wunt be druv
Mar 30, 2006
19,632
Eastbourne
This is by John Nicholson.....

"You don't have to be a rabid socialist to realise that in the 21st century, a tiny elite of people are creaming it up to the benefit of almost no-one except themselves, while the rest of us fight amongst ourselves for a few spare fivers, having been successfully turned against each other by that very same elite in order to allow them to get away with this outrage.

For those of us who feel this is wrong to the point of immorality these are depressing times, especially because there seems no way out of it. Decades ago we could put our faith in alternative political parties to correct injustice, but now everyone seems to sup from the same corporate cup of fear and mind-wipe.

So much about the very basic fabric of society, from the tax system to the finance industry, to the housing sector and the political class just seems almost exactly opposite to what is needed to create a content, equitable society. People who are so rich they don't have to work are telling people with nothing to work for a pittance on punishing zero-hour contracts. I don't even think it's especially political to say that's vulgar, indecent and downright insulting. It's like being punched in the face and then told off for bleeding on the carpet.

Try and point this out and government ministers and others who do their bidding will tell you such critique is merely the politics of envy. That it is born, not out of moral outrage, but out of jealousy. Jealousy of those who have done well, of the rich and the powerful. That is the degree to which our basic humanity is misunderstood.

So the news that the richest club in the Premier League won the Premier League fits very nicely with the Zeitgeist. Of course they did. It's the money go-round, 'they got it stitched up tight, they got it safe and sound' , as Paul Weller once said. And again the distaste for this is not born out of jealousy, it's born out of a sense of basic unfairness. I know people often say, ever was it thus - the richest clubs have always won everything - it's not true, but even if it was, what rich means now is off the scale compared to what rich used to mean."

For the rest of the article:
http://www.football365.com/john-nicholson/9308354/Little-Romance-In-City-s-Title-Win


I'd be interested in your thoughts on it...

Pretty much synthesized my thoughts into a news article. I like the part in which he states that the leading clubs are lying to themselves that everything is all right. I believe their supporters are also blinded by their apparent 'success'. It's the main reason I do not wish us to achieve promotion. I was only saying to my dad earlier that in the 70's, clubs like forest, Ipswich, Derby and qpr either managed to win the league or finish 2nd. Can anyone really imagine that now. Football stinks, it's rotten to the core and I sincerely hope that sooner, rather than later, it comes crashing to the ground, starting with the likes of man u, city, Chelsea et al.
 


Leighgull

New member
Dec 27, 2012
2,377
And for how many years has the wealthiest club won things. How about asking the club that has one 20 times. That was not achieved with two brass farthings. Football has always been a professional sport and it is always about the money. Name the first £1m pound transfer.

Trevor Francis?
 




The Large One

Who's Next?
Jul 7, 2003
52,343
97.2FM
And for how many years has the wealthiest club won things. How about asking the club that has one 20 times. That was not achieved with two brass farthings. Football has always been a professional sport and it is always about the money. Name the first £1m pound transfer.

Since the financial gulf was artificially but very forcefully widened under the ludicrous notion that it would benefit the national team.

Before that, during the 1980s, Liverpool (not the richest club) ruled the roost, but Ipswich Town (twice), Watford, Southampton all finished runners-up; Wimbledon and Coventry City won the FA Cup.
 


Goldstone Rapper

Rediffusion PlayerofYear
Jan 19, 2009
14,865
BN3 7DE
If this develops into a ffp argument then remember you'll never see a Blackburn win the Premier title again.
Not that that was necessarily your point.

I remember how unpopular it was when Jack Walker's millions 'bought' Blackburn Rovers the Premier League title. Nowadays, it seems like a romantic fairy tale compared to the operations at Chelsea and Manchester City.
 






pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
30,178
West, West, West Sussex
Pretty much synthesized my thoughts into a news article. I like the part in which he states that the leading clubs are lying to themselves that everything is all right. I believe their supporters are also blinded by their apparent 'success'. It's the main reason I do not wish us to achieve promotion. I was only saying to my dad earlier that in the 70's, clubs like forest, Ipswich, Derby and qpr either managed to win the league or finish 2nd. Can anyone really imagine that now. Football stinks, it's rotten to the core and I sincerely hope that sooner, rather than later, it comes crashing to the ground, starting with the likes of man u, city, Chelsea et al.

Tend to agree with that.
 


Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
24,721
Worthing
Since the financial gulf was artificially but very forcefully widened under the ludicrous notion that it would benefit the national team.

Before that, during the 1980s, Liverpool (not the richest club) ruled the roost, but Ipswich Town (twice), Watford, Southampton all finished runners-up; Wimbledon and Coventry City won the FA Cup.

Imagine if a team like Wigan won the FA cup. Yes those days have gone TLO.
 


Hamilton

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
12,390
Brighton
I agree.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more made of the death of Manchester City FC. For many of their die hard supporters this latest trophy must have a real hollow ring about it. For decades they have dreamt of lording it over their more successful neighbours and now that time has come, but at what price? They have sold their soul for the ultimate prize and yet I imagine that victory tasts sour because it is ill gotten. They have bought the Premier League. They haven't earned it. they've bought it.

Manchester City used to stand for something. It was the Manchester club without the riches that always fought for top flight football, occasionally got it and occasionally won something. They fashioned themselves as the honest team in Manchester. Now they are the dishonest team. United are City and City are United. For many a Sky Blue this is the start of a time when their club will become unrecognisable. The values the club once had will mean nothing; its history a sad footnote that the present owners will have no time for and will play no part, unless airbrushed, in any future retelling of the club's history.

City have bought the league. They've also stolen football from all of us. They stole our right to see a fair and balanced competition this season, and they'll be stealing our right to see future fairness in football. Arsene Wenger is right. They should be thrown out of the European Cup. If they can't play by the rules, then they should not be allowed in the competition. Where is the incentive for other clubs to play by the rules if one club is allowed to walk over the guidelines using their deep pocket resources.

The same should apply to the Premier League. City should be docked points rather than fined. What does a rich owner care about a 50 or 60 million euro fine? It's a small price to pay for success. It's half a Gareth Bale for goodness sake! The reason City haven't reached a settlement is because UEFA are trying to hit them where it hurts with restrictions on their squads. A fine sentiment, but why the negotiations? The rules should be clear and the punishment metered out. Squad sizes mean little though, especially when City will still be in the richest competition in the world. No, it's points that win prizes and points that give a team entry to competitions and make them attractive to the top players. That's where the punishment should start.

All this only adds to a culture in sport where managers whine about money being made for transfers. Where do they think this money comes from? Does it grow on trees? Unless you have a rich owner step in, nobody can afford to subsidise a club. Then when you do, your club becomes the ego statement; the portfolio value and the play thing of a too often rich foreign owner. It becomes part of an investment strategy. Do you want to support an investment strategy? Short-term like a drug it'll give you a high, but when you come down - boy will you come down.

Well done City. Unfortunately, I have no respect for you whatsoever.
 






Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
24,721
Worthing
The team that was bankrolled by an individual, metamorphasising itself from what it was to something completely different? Who'd have thought it?

The trouble is with that argument is that realistically every club has its place based on its attendance ? Income ? That's too narrow TLO.
 


Green Cross Code Man

Wunt be druv
Mar 30, 2006
19,632
Eastbourne
The trouble is with that argument is that realistically every club has its place based on its attendance ? Income ? That's too narrow TLO.

The Wigan win in the cup is more a result of the cup's random nature. There is nothing random about who wins the premier league.
 




Diego Napier

Well-known member
Mar 27, 2010
4,416
And for how many years has the wealthiest club won things. How about asking the club that has one 20 times. That was not achieved with two brass farthings. Football has always been a professional sport and it is always about the money. Name the first £1m pound transfer.

Of course it has but you're missing the point completely; the issue is the excess of money, the massive disparity between the priveledged few and the rest as the gap grows and grows. With the self perpetuating wealth of the top 6 or 8 English clubs, the best clubs like Brighton can ever dream of is Premier League survival.
 




Seagull

Yes I eat anything
Feb 28, 2009
775
On the wing
Outstanding article and good debate on here. The rot really started with the formation of the Premier League and the breaking of the old way football finances were split among all 92 clubs. There was more care for the wider football community before then. The Premier League has become so predictable and dull at the top, not to mention devoid of English players. A corporate oligarchy that tries to persuade fans to care more about 4th place and Champions League cash than actually winning anything. The broadcasters join in with this lie, implying that football only started in the early 90s with every drooling sycophantic platitude they utter.

I love football but have lost interest in the PL and don't value these titles bought by the highest bidder. Who cares? So bored I would struggle to name the City team.
 






Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
24,721
Worthing
Of course it has but you're missing the point completely; the issue is the excess of money, the massive disparity between the priveledged few and the rest as the gap grows and grows. With the self perpetuating wealth of the top 6 or 8 English clubs, the best clubs like Brighton can ever dream of is Premier League survival.

The disparity is wrong we all know that. Can anything be done about it though in terms of money filtering down more.
I very much doubt it now. You can't un-invent the wheel or Sky if you prefer.
 


Goldstone Rapper

Rediffusion PlayerofYear
Jan 19, 2009
14,865
BN3 7DE
Long dicussion on Five Live tonight about all the work/outreach the club is doing in the local community.

A nice little bit of corporate PR by Manchester City?
 



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