Do City leave you cold?

[Dansk]

They've doped, but that is not the sole reason for their success. City's success is purely down to Pep. They'd be 25 points a year worse off without him, and there won't be this cold consistency. He's the SAF of the modern era and they will be untouchable till he sticks around.

Spending money alone won't get clubs anywhere. Just look at Chelsea this year, or United over the last decade. They can have 20 Haalands and De Bruynes in their team and it wont matter. Don't take the credit out of Pep people.

Funny, I don't recall them being mid-table up until his arrival. I recall a team already winning the title every other year, and then he gave them that final edge. By no stretch of the imagination does he "elevate them by 25 points." I mean, that's just not the case. It's a statement that can be dismissed out of hand because we can see how many points they got in the seasons leading up to his arrival.

He's not the modern-day SAF. He's more like the F1 racer who's on the team with the fastest car. He still has to be a competent driver, he still has to know what he's doing; but he basically wins by default because his car is the fastest, as long as he isn't so inept at the job that a faster car doesn't make you win. He probably wouldn't be the one who can race for a team with a less powerful car and win. It's even possible that he's the best racer currently in the F1, but does it mean he's the best racer there has ever been? If he's only good enough at racing to get the car to go 5% faster than the average racer, but wins because that makes him unbeatable, is he better than the racer who's so skilled that he makes his car go 20% faster than anyone else could but is on a team whose car isn't as fast on its own?

I've never been impressed with Pep. I don't think he'd succeed at any club that isn't already the favorite to win. Whenever he hasn't been that - in the CL, notably - he hasn't done particularly well except for his time at Barcelona where that team would have won it all with a chimpanzee as head coach. Meanwhile, SAF did the impossible at Aberdeen, and then came to United when we were nowhere even slightly near the top and elevated the club to the absolute peak. To say Pep is comparable to that is so idiotic and absurd that it cannot possibly be taken seriously. Pep has never done much more than what you'd expect of the club with the best players in the league, and when it comes to his European record, he has actually done rather poorly since he left the cheat code that was Messi/Iniesta/Xavi.

 

[RedRocket9908]

The obvious question to ask would be, why was Pep was given the resources that United spread across five Managers? It’s not out of blind loyalty or the kindness of Sheik Mansour’s heart

Sheik Mansoor is worth hundreds of Billions so the money Pep's spent is nothing to him and I imagine any manager would have been given the same resources.

Pep hasnt invented a new style of football and made it work using youth and players that were already there when he arrived he has taken a system that was used by teams like Ajax and Barcelona previously and has spent a huge ammount of money buying a top player or 2 for each position in his team.

 

[Nogbadthebad]

You all forgot the bit where he also cheated.

100 charges of cheating from the FA.

Or are we pretending pep was unaware of the cheating, just like he was at barcelona?

He hasn't spent 1.2 billion.

No one knows how much pep has spent, because they spent 10 years cheating.

Great managers don't need to cheat.

 

[TenHagsEmpire]

No. They leave me in awe.

 

[Fts 74]

No. They leave me in awe.

I think your on the wrong forum.

 

[Rightnr]

I think your on the wrong forum.

Criminals have fascinated people throughout history. Hardly surprising

 

[Red Star One]

They still do. Looked very vulnerable in both finals, too

 

[pascell]

A long time coming, stark reminder how far we've been left behind.

 

[tenpoless]

The club equivalent of "The modmins (with 115 charges) say freeze and I got numb"

 

[Tyrion]

I thought them winning the treble would feel worse but it does help knowing that they needed a team of lawyers and had to pay a fine just to get into the champions league and the Premier league has called them cheats. They have the treble but it's tainted by how they won it, which they seem aware of based on their constant whining.

A long time coming, stark reminder how far we've been left behind.

Not really. People make it out like every success they have is down to us being weaker but it's not a like there's a limited quota of football success each city gets. Them being good is independent of how good we are.

Barca had Messi but couldn't keep Madrid from winning Champions Leagues.

 

[FujiVice]

I'm amazed how little I'm mad about it to be honest. Its like they were handed some Sports Relief style trophy. City getting pelters on social media.

 

[stw2022]

Feels like an alternative director's cut ending to Rocky IV where Ivan Drago wins

 

[MikeKing]

If Liverpool was on this run, I would be angry or sad. I just feel apathy towards football in general, this City side is ridiculous. Very good team but it's totally artificial. It's just fake, and in a competition, a competitive sport having the artificial team win everything just feels, pointless. It's the same feeling as when editing the bot's team on Fifa to consist only of weak players so you'll easily win. It's fraudulent and the competitive element is removed. Utterly pointless to care about any of this

 

[Scarlett Dracarys]

Cold is not the word I'd use.

 

[Judas]

I suppose the huge amount of inevitability adds to the coldness.

It just feels like this will be the first of many trebles, which in itself just makes it even less interesting.

I'm just relieved its not Liverpool.

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

A long time coming, stark reminder how far we've been left behind.

Which is why I want the Glazers gone but I know there is already a car crash of a thread about them already so will just leave it there.

 

[Raw]

I thought I'd be more bothered but I'm just not. All romanticism has been taken out of it.

 

[Ole'sattheWheel]

Yeah I don’t even give a shit now and it’s been like 30 minutes. Same with losing in the fa cup final to them, it’s shit but I’m not distraught. Now imagine this was Liverpool, I honestly think I’d be on suicide watch

 

[Maroon Lucifer]

they don't leave me cold as such. they're irrelevant, a non-entity flash in the pan that will have every domestic title wiped from the record. They'll probably be the only champions league winning team to have won feck all domestically.

 

[Big Ben Foster]

Not really. People make it out like every success they have is down to us being weaker but it's not a like there's a limited quota of football success each city gets. Them being good is independent of how good we are.

Barca had Messi but couldn't keep Madrid from winning Champions Leagues.

Yes and no. Our inability to compete with them does, by definition, improve their chances of success because there's one less competitor for them to deal with.

But even setting that aside, their success is still symbolic of our decline in many ways, regardless of whether the two are actually linked or not.

 

[Wilt]

Bollocks to City…. the thought of Qatar owners leaves me cold

 

[kafta]

Honestly, I didn’t want it to happen. But now that it has, I feel like whatever. It will never have the importance of our treble. They don’t really matter.

 

[Offside]

The fact they were banned a couple of years ago total mockery. When you compare it to our treble or Liverpool’s League Cup one in the 70s it is actually sad to think about the state of football.

 

[2mufc0]

Great team that play excellent football.

But all the cheating makes it all a bit hollow.

It's like using one of those mods on call of duty which allows you to see and shoot through walls. Then when you finish the game with a 10 kd ratio you run around celebrating like you have achieved something great.

 

[Guy Incognito]

Feels like a 'Lance Armstrong' moment will come in football.

And people will look back on this and really question how on earth they (or other teams) got away with it.

 

[Irwin99]

Morality in sport has become outrageous really. We can hardly claim any dubious moral highground if we're taken over by a state either (or if a certain player plays for us aga...errrr., let's not go there )

 

[Bobski]

The fact they were banned a couple of years ago total mockery. When you compare it to our treble or Liverpool’s League Cup one in the 70s it is actually sad to think about the state of football.

Yep, it not even about City really, kind of sad for the kids growing up now with European club football in this state. They don't realize how much that made it great has been lost.

 

[Winrar]

Honestly the inevitability of it all just took the sting out of any emotional pain I thought I'd endure. Admittedly it helps that City fans I actually know in real life are far cry from the rabid lunatics over at Bluemoon.

Now if Liverpool does the treble any time soon... I would be nauseated beyond comprehension.

 

[fergosaurus]

If they weren't state owned they'd be a mid-table club at best. If Abu Dhabi had taken over Fulham it would be them winning the treble and getting all the accolades. Their success tonight seems so hollow and the media wankfest is nauseating but much more bearable than if a respectable rival like Liverpool had done it. Jake Humphreys saying "they've absolutely earned it" made me chuckle.

 

[Judas]

Morality in sport has become outrageous really. We can hardly claim any dubious moral highground if we're taken over by a state either (or if a certain player plays for us aga...errrr., let's not go there )

So no point ever pointing out bad things because other bad things exist? How is this a way to live?

 

[Bert_]

Do any of their players give a shit. It's like they've just won the charity shield. Going through the motions

 

[gormless]

Just grateful its not Liverpool - now that would hurt.
Just sort of meh. It felt inevitable for the last few months, and there is a small chance it may get taken off them anyway - or be reduced to being meaningless in my mind if its confirmed they cheated

 

[Castia]

Yep

I live in Manchester and have a lot of City fan mates/work mates and get relentless banter so I hate them with an absolute passion

Ill be honest this is one of the worst nights I’ve had regarding football.

 

[Castia]

Great team that play excellent football.

But all the cheating makes it all a bit hollow.

It's like using one of those mods on call of duty which allows you to see and shoot through walls. Then when you finish the game with a 10 kd ratio you run around celebrating like you have achieved something great.

Until the PL do something about it all they can do is win. This case is dragging on for years it’s a shambles

 

[Shane88]

They're cheats and not just financially.

Coasting through a treble season with a breeze playing ultra high intensity and no fatigue to speak of? Yeah fecking right. Guardiola has the contacts.

 

[Judas]

Will they still boo the CL anthem?

 

[Raiden Shogun]

As a neutral, it feels.. not fake but the history, the 'journey' doesn't really have any football romanticism behind it. Which is why I think it would be a great tragedy if United or Liverpool ever sell out to state ownership. You still have the rich history but anything hence forth is tainted.

We always knew eventually a state owned club (PSG/City) would win the CL, it's now up to the rest of football to stop them dominating it.

 

[Salfordlad70]

I thought I'd be more bothered but I'm just not. All romanticism has been taken out of it.

Pretty much how I feel. I was dreading this moment all day and then when the game began I found myself oddly uninterested in the outcome.

Any Liverpool success, no matter how big or small drives be nuts. I can’t stand the them, but I have every respect for them. They’re a proper club and yet city just don’t leave me with that feeling. There will always be a dark cloud surrounding any of their successes from 2009 onwards until the legal stuff is either cleared up or acted on and it should be being discussed more. The media are just lapping it all up and quite honestly it’s both depressing and worrying because football in this country is being damaged, maybe beyond repair and Newcastle will only be encouraged by what they’re seeing.

It has to be said that city are a great team, but for the sake of everyone, can we just have the courts decide if they have been bending the rules or have actually achieved their wins legitimately

 

[JustAGuest]

Feels like a 'Lance Armstrong' moment will come in football.

And people will look back on this and really question how on earth they (or other teams) got away with it.

Hopefully all of the charges actually lead to something. It all feels a bit off watching them win while not knowing whether they will actually keep their titles.

 

[Salfordlad70]

As a neutral, it feels.. not fake but the history, the 'journey' doesn't really have any football romanticism behind it. Which is why I think it would be a great tragedy if United or Liverpool ever sell out to state ownership. You still have the rich history but anything hence forth is tainted.

We always knew eventually a state owned club (PSG/City) would win the CL, it's now up to the rest of football to stop them dominating it.

I really don’t want state ownership at united. I think I’m gonna have to call it a day it that happens.

Others on here welcome it and it’s their choice, but it’s a no from me. I don’t know what will come of the club sale, but it’s worrying. All options and outcomes concern me. It’s a real mess.