Champions League Final: FC Internazionale Milano vs 115 Charges FC

eire-red

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Let's put it into context - United were the biggest financial powerhouse in the PL in 99. They went out and bought the best available CB in Europe, the best CF they could from the PL itself and Blomqvist (ha!). United spent the most money of any PL club in the 90s and continued to do so into the 00s.

City is not much different, just on a larger scale.
Alternatively, let's look at it this way... United had a core of homegrown local lads and a manager who had spent the last 13 years assembling a brilliant squad, spending money that had been earned from success that fans were craving after such a barren period for such a historic club with a rich history.

It's vastly different.
 

MrMarcello

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I can only assume you’re trolling, as the situations are not remotely comparable. United’s treble winning squad was built around a core of academy players - four of them started the CL final and three more were on the bench (including Jonathan fecking Greening). And the guy who scored the winner was bought for a measly £1.5m - Alan Shearer was fecking dearer, as the song goes.
Greening was signed from York at age 19 but everything else is spot on.
 

DRJosh

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If all our new owners do is pay off the Glazers’ debt, fund the long overdue upgrades to the stadium and training facilities, and allow us to invest our football-related income in improving our squad without siphoning off millions, then no, it wouldn’t be anything like what 115 Charges FC have done, regardless of who those new owners are.

But if we cheat like 115 Charges FC have done then yeah, victory would be just as hollow and meaningless for us. Perhaps more so, because we shouldn’t really need to cheat to win. All we need is for the authorities to stop other teams cheating.
I agree although I wonder if being state owned almost inevitably implicates a club into murky territory. I don’t know if state ownership and ethical financial management is as mutually exclusive as most think it is. Same goes for any ownership but more so with owners who have limitless funds/assets.
 

VeevaVee

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Let's put it into context - United were the biggest financial powerhouse in the PL in 99. They went out and bought the best available CB in Europe, the best CF they could from the PL itself and Blomqvist (ha!). United spent the most money of any PL club in the 90s and continued to do so into the 00s.

City is not much different, just on a larger scale.
Just the small asterisk of City having done it with their entire team bar one player who despite being up their with the best players in the league they still have better players to start, who were of course bought through cheating.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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So in our 10 years post SAF since our collapse we have seen

Liverpool win their 19th league title and 6th CL
City dominating domestic side and breaking our record as the only English club winning the treble.
Chelsea winning Champions league
Arsenal competing for the league title before us

It's pretty hard being a United fan these days.
Not to be that guy, but when SAF retired, I said this was a potential that we end up like 90s Liverpool.
 

Mmm-Qatarian

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There’s no right way for Liverpool. Ever. In my mind anyway.
I just feel ambivalent about City winning. It just felt inevitable. Like chicken and beans for dinner.
Liverpool I’d be sick as a dog right now
But that’s just me
Completely agree but for me it's not just the inevitability but also the complete lack of romance behind it. (Which, in fairness, you could argue stems from that inevitability factor)

I just don't know what big story you'd have to tell about this City side. With the '99 team, you had the Class of '92 and the two goals in injury time. With Guardiola's Barca team in '08, you had Xavi and Iniesta, and you had Messi. What do you have to say about this City side? Haaland, who they spent quite a bit of money on and was already a massive name before he joined? De Bruyne? Rodri?

They're a wonderful footballing side. Nobody can have any qualms with that. I think it's fair to say they are at least one of the best sides ever assembled for in terms of pure footballing brilliance. But if you were to try to write a book about them, it'd be really fecking boring.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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Completely agree but for me it's not just the inevitability but also the complete lack of romance behind it. (Which, in fairness, you could argue stems from that inevitability factor)

I just don't know what big story you'd have to tell about this City side. With the '99 team, you had the Class of '92 and the two goals in injury time. With Guardiola's Barca team in '08, you had Xavi and Iniesta, and you had Messi. What do you have to say about this City side? Haaland, who they spent quite a bit of money on and was already a massive name before he joined? De Bruyne? Rodri?

They're a wonderful footballing side. Nobody can have any qualms with that. I think it's fair to say they are at least one of the best sides ever assembled for in terms of pure footballing brilliance. But if you were to try to write a book about them, it'd be really fecking boring.
I hate Liverpool..like despise that club but I respect they're and actual club, not a project.

The respect I have for them is from their history.
 

Care_de_Bobo

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Let's put it into context - United were the biggest financial powerhouse in the PL in 99. They went out and bought the best available CB in Europe, the best CF they could from the PL itself and Blomqvist (ha!). United spent the most money of any PL club in the 90s and continued to do so into the 00s.

City is not much different, just on a larger scale.
Deary me. United's squad in 99 cost less than £70m. That's less than an 8th of City's squad when adjusted for inflation. That doesn't even include their eye watering wages and Haaland's daddy and agent fees. There's no real comparison.
 

Mmm-Qatarian

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I hate Liverpool..like despise that club but I respect they're and actual club, not a project.

The respect I have for them is from their history.
Entirely agree.

If it were Liverpool that had just won the treble tonight, I'd be feeling pretty crap about it. As it is, I'm really not too fussed. (It's easy to say that but I swear it's true!)

Whatever else I can say about Liverpool, they do at least evoke feelings in me as a rival fan because they're a club with character. I just don't feel the same way about City because they're a sportswashing project, and this is some part of why I'm so desperate for us not to be taken over by Qatar.
 

Eric_the_Red99

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Completely agree but for me it's not just the inevitability but also the complete lack of romance behind it. (Which, in fairness, you could argue stems from that inevitability factor)

I just don't know what big story you'd have to tell about this City side. With the '99 team, you had the Class of '92 and the two goals in injury time. With Guardiola's Barca team in '08, you had Xavi and Iniesta, and you had Messi. What do you have to say about this City side? Haaland, who they spent quite a bit of money on and was already a massive name before he joined? De Bruyne? Rodri?

They're a wonderful footballing side. Nobody can have any qualms with that. I think it's fair to say they are at least one of the best sides ever assembled for in terms of pure footballing brilliance. But if you were to try to write a book about them, it'd be really fecking boring.
But surely then you’d just pay off the book critics to gush about how it’s the greatest achievement in literary history
 

Garnacho's Shoelaces

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Deary me. United's squad in 99 cost less than £70m. That's less than an 8th of City's squad when adjusted for inflation. That doesn't even include their eye watering wages and Haaland's daddy and agent fees. There's no real comparison.
Doesn't include the "consultancy fee" tax evasion schemes via offshore payments known with Mancini and Yaya Toure which more than double their salaries.
 

Mmm-Qatarian

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But surely then you’d just pay off the book critics to gush about how it’s the greatest achievement in literary history
To be fair, it seems as though they might already have been doing that given the BT Sport commentary tonight!

None of it is very convincing, though.
 

FriedClams

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Pathetic how we treat the GK position like a complete afterthought rather than a critical component of the team and of the desired style of play
I don’t think we do, rather we’ve been hamstrung by having a goalkeeper on a massive contract. I don’t think any team can get away with replacing a 350k a week goalkeeper permanently with him still at the club.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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Entirely agree.

If it were Liverpool that had just won the treble tonight, I'd be feeling pretty crap about it. As it is, I'm really not too fussed. (It's easy to say that but I swear it's true!)

Whatever else I can say about Liverpool, they do at least evoke feelings in me as a rival fan because they're a club with character. I just don't feel the same way about City because they're a sportswashing project, and this is some part of why I'm so desperate for us not to be taken over by Qatar.
I agree, it would suck seeing them win the treble but at least our greatest rivals did it. I can live with that. But for some scumbag royal family with backwards beliefs spunking money on a project to bribe foreign investors, feck that
 

Fluctuation0161

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Just looking at the responses in here and how I feel right now. City’s treble is definitely not as hollow as people have been saying on here. If it was then all the posters on here wouldn’t give a shit. Look at the media, look at rival fans, most are triggered by this.
If someone is "triggered" it is likely because no one likes cheats.
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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Ah, so you know the inner dealings of the process.
Awesome!
Anything else you can let us in on?

Truth is no one knows, and if we get him for £50m or less it will be a good deal for a young English international.

But to say United are being held to ransom for him? Hilarious and pathetic in all honesty :lol:
Blah blah blah but you’re doing the age old forum tactic of not actually answering the question about the thing you raised an issue with so here goes. . .

are not currently in negotiations for a player entering the final year of his contract at a team that have to sell for a fee somewhere in the middle of what they’d like to pay & are being told to?
Hilarious & pathetic is getting upset over semantics, call it ‘ransom’ or whatever term suits your fragile state of mind over the club.

Also, you’re the ITK here. . .
Good job we're not getting held to ransom then eh!?
This fanbase love to turn on their own but you really are putting the u in place of the a in your user name tonight.

Maybe the rivals winning a treble has derailed your though process.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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I don't think it matters if they are better than the 99 team. I think they are but so what? Utd being an organically created team built on homegrown players who went through years of pain in Europe with an incredible rivalry with a great Arsenal team domestically is why it is such a legendary season.

City should be winning trebles and breaking records.
Only took seven years and £2bn.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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This City team is incredibly good (not so much tonight) and Pep is an all-time great. But journalists should drop all this “journey” bollocks with stories about Paul Dickow. A new club was created in 2008 in which an Abu Dhabi investment fund acquired the rights to use the PL membership and IP rights of a down at heel, fourth biggest in the North West football club called “Manchester City”. They have implemented that project with ruthless efficiency. But any connection with that pre-2008 entity is about as convincing as a “Rialto Bridge” in Vegas or an Asian shopping mall.

So as not to sound like Bertie Magoo, I did feel genuine sympathy for KDB tonight. To be injured out of the two biggest matches of your career is rough.
Makes sense his GF slept with Courtois.
 

mu4c_20le

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If someone is "triggered" it is likely because no one likes cheats.
Only triggering I see are towards the media, who are probably paid off anyways. Sorry but they don't tell me how to feel, or that this isn't hollow like a preseason tournament.
 

Realist08

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Tonight feels like ripping a plaster off.
You knew you would have to deal with it and you’ve spent ages preparing for the unbearably torturous pain you're about to feel.
Then you sike yourself up, rip the thing off and feel absolutely nothing.

I almost want the pain. But City don’t even inspire the hate filled emotions. It’s just all a bit underwhelming really.
 

siw2007

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Yeah right keep fooling yourself. Man Utd is gone. Man City is here to stay. Pray that Pep who to me is the best coach ever leaves otherwise the rest of the league is done for.
Football is cyclical. Liverpool’s era came to an end, so did United’s. One day City will meet the same fate. Pep is possibly the greatest of all time, and as long as he is at City then they will continue to dominate. But one day he won’t be there, just like one day Fergie wasn’t here and things can change.
 

Care_de_Bobo

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Doesn't include the "consultancy fee" tax evasion schemes via offshore payments known with Mancini and Yaya Toure which more than double their salaries.
To be fair to them, they did forget to buy Yaya a birthday cake so we can let them off for that one as they were only fairly compensating him.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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Aye, not only were that United team the first English club to do it - they did it with a mixture of academy products and shrewd transfers. Yes, there was the odd marquee signing (Stam was £14m which was enormous back then) - but the success was down to excellent management. I'd love to know how the footballing landscape would lie in England had Fergie never retired.
Weird how Stam was perhaps skimming the top ten transfers fees that year across Europe. Ventola, Vieri, biefhoff, Henry, Veron, Frey, Fabio Jnr all went for similar or more transfers.

Not quite every player in our squad going for top five fees each year.
 

how_giroud

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I've got one mate who is a City fan, been a season ticket holder since the late 70s. Been with them through the shit years, never wavered, never sold it.

I'm happy for him, and only him. I don't know if I could keep supporting if that happened to my club, but I get it was tough for him at least.

To hell with the rest. Those who signed on after knowing what built this team? Get tae feck.
 

Marvin look out

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That was a fantastic final. The level was good, not great, but the tension and the stadium atmosphere really elevated this game.

I thought it was 60-40 in City's favor before the game as I saw Inter as a relatively difficult matchup for City, and they proved to be just that and maybe a little bit more.
The result is fair, so would have been an extra-time.
Dzeko's substitution was a game changer. Inter just couldn't get a hold of the ball anymore afterwards and City ended up scoring after multiple long possession sequences. Inter lacked a bit of technical abilities to hurt City in some situations but they are very impressive physically. The talent gap is such that City won despite losing a key player on an injury, several average individual performances and not playing / not being allowed to play their best football.

A few players stood out.
For Inter:
Onana: beautiful display of composure and passing, a couple of solid saves
The 3 CB's: handled Haaland well
Di Marco: amazing performance; the best player on the pitch for me
Brozovic: grew up in the game nicely

For City:
Rodri: good everywhere and scored the winning goal (and the replay shows it wasn't an easy one)
Stones: did his job defensively, tidy with the ball, moved the ball forward well
Foden: City's main offensive threat, although he messed up all the corner/free kicks he took
 
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