Even if we ignore the fact that they're a plastic club who won the lottery. They won a treble in a season where their domestic competition was a spineless bunch of bottlers and the top clubs in Europe were all a bit shit. A treble is an impressive feat no matter what the circumstances but all of the stars aligned for them to finally get over the line.
Do City leave you cold?
- Thread starter Pogue Mahone
- Start date
They're the Lance Armstrong of football. Keep ya head up, the truth will always catch up with them in the end
Removed from the overarching context, they're a great team. As good as our best under SAF. It would be pretty ridiculous to argue otherwise.
I just don't know why anyone would remove that overarching context. They got to this point via cheating, simple as.
I just don't know why anyone would remove that overarching context. They got to this point via cheating, simple as.
No. I’ve always said they leave me in awe.
Dominant. One of the best seasons in English football history.
Dominant. One of the best seasons in English football history.
It does seem like state ownership is the new norm that's being accepted more and more by fans and the media. I guess in that context I cannot blame those who prefer Qatar as it would make us the most competitive. Who knows how far behind we may fall without a nation owning the club if our competition includes Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar...
I agree with you however in that if it happens I may just stop following top level club football altogether.
They're at least the more likeable English Treble winning team. From a neutral:
Schmeichel: Joined City.
Gary Neville: Owns half of Manchester and pays his workers minimum wage.
Stam: Looks like a thug. No smoke without fire.
Irwin: Republican. May have links to terrorism.
Keane: Might be responsible for Erling Haaland.
Giggs: Nice fella.
Beckham: Mates with Corden.
Butt: Wife beater.
Scholes: Sucks his daughters toes.
Andy Cole: Doesn't talk to someone for 20 years because of a handshake.
Sheringham: Dated Jordan.
Yorke: Also dated Jordan. Doesn't pay for childcare.
Fergie: Hates Germans.
Schmeichel: Joined City.
Gary Neville: Owns half of Manchester and pays his workers minimum wage.
Stam: Looks like a thug. No smoke without fire.
Irwin: Republican. May have links to terrorism.
Keane: Might be responsible for Erling Haaland.
Giggs: Nice fella.
Beckham: Mates with Corden.
Butt: Wife beater.
Scholes: Sucks his daughters toes.
Andy Cole: Doesn't talk to someone for 20 years because of a handshake.
Sheringham: Dated Jordan.
Yorke: Also dated Jordan. Doesn't pay for childcare.
Fergie: Hates Germans.
No one goes around saying that removed from the overarching context, Lance Armstrong and Ben Johnson are sporting greats, they just happened to cheat to get to the top. Same thing here.
I think people are putting their hopes on City being found guilty with these charges and I just have no faith that any true consequences will be felt. I would genuinely like to hear someone's opinion of why they're optimistic that something will be done.
I've said it before but so few people actually seem to care outside our fanbase.
I've said it before but so few people actually seem to care outside our fanbase.
This.
The trophies will stay with them. There might be some bad press but they don't seem bothered at.
It is a bit besides the point. If you forget about the cheating for a moment, they are a hard working successful team.
However knowing they are cheats, it ruins their accomplishments.
115 Charges FC will be tainted even if they are let off the hook. I think there is too much there for that to happen though. It would be a disgrace.
However knowing they are cheats, it ruins their accomplishments.
115 Charges FC will be tainted even if they are let off the hook. I think there is too much there for that to happen though. It would be a disgrace.
If we remove, the rich and powerful always get away with it factor. How likely legally are they to get away Scott free?
I think people keep putting it like that but I don't really see why it should be. We could be better than ever but they could still win trophies. We never won everything. City have dominated the league but Liverpool have won every available trophy under Klopp.
We've been struggling to get into the CL in recent years, never mind winning it. If City winning the treble doesn't show you how far we've fallen and the standards we expect of our team, you're burying your head in the sand.
I need to understand this Lescott connection. Why is he up there on TV as some sort of big City fan or legend? This is Birmingham born guy who played his youth career at Wolves and has nearly double the number of appearances there than he at City.
Yet he comes on TV as if he is a City youth prospect and big fan or legend like Aguero. No one has made more of City rise to the top than this guy.
Yet he comes on TV as if he is a City youth prospect and big fan or legend like Aguero. No one has made more of City rise to the top than this guy.
Surprised how little media reaction there has been on what was their biggest night. I guess the narrative is that it was to be expected.
I mean Spurs losing the final got more diverse coverage.
I mean Spurs losing the final got more diverse coverage.
I didn't watch the final and felt nothing when I checked the internet this morning...I put it alongside Chelsea winning a few CL's. It means nothing to me.
I think partly that is down to growing up with Liverpool and Arsenal as the main rival. City is more like a separate entity that I associate with Pep, currently they have no real rivals in the UK for various reasons and it all adds up to leave myself emotionless to them, neither good or bad.
I think partly that is down to growing up with Liverpool and Arsenal as the main rival. City is more like a separate entity that I associate with Pep, currently they have no real rivals in the UK for various reasons and it all adds up to leave myself emotionless to them, neither good or bad.
I remember Lescott more as an Everton player.
I’m guessing because he was part of their first title winning team (I think?) Off the top of my head he’s probably the only person from that team they could get for a job like that. Aguero pops up to do his John Terry impersonation. Kompany is a manager. Yaya hates them. A few of the rest of them are still playing I think. That probably whittles it down to either Lescott or Gareth Barry
It’s not just simply a case of City spending money and winning. We are a prime example of that.
Every other club around them is spending too. City have a manager who has spent wisely though and players who fit into a certain style.
Therefore there should be far more competition now but City are still dominating. To win a treble is an incredible achievement.
Every other club around them is spending too. City have a manager who has spent wisely though and players who fit into a certain style.
Therefore there should be far more competition now but City are still dominating. To win a treble is an incredible achievement.
Yeah actually forgot he played for city
Wolves for me.
Yesterday compounded it for me, I don’t really get worked up about their doctored FM save Treble. And clearly neither did their fans.
Not only they leave me cold but I don't actually rate this version.
Remember this happening when United winning the Europa league got way more coverage than them winning the league like 5 years too, that's just how it is with City everyone knows its manufactured despite being a massively historic achievement it just... isn't really or at least it can't feel like one the emotion isn't there.
What about City pre-2008, did they leave you in awe?
In terms of an emotional reaction to City, I am at best disdainful and at worst apathetic.
I think the real City fans are happy to see their club win things but disappointed it comes at the cost of being supported by the plastic whoppers
The obvious answer is that they don't have many real "legends" owing to being a nothing club until the Sheikhs bought them. Anybody half coherent will do right now.
That said, in 20 years time we'll be seeing a whole bunch of actual ones so let's not complain too much about it now
Suck it up , CIty are a great team whilst we are way off by some distance. But let us make up stories to fit the narrative for all of us to have a warm blanket of superior morals whilst we can reject the money needed. Sooner everyone accepts it the better as to think any different on here makes you racist. phobic and misogynistic. But if it makes you feel better, crack on , let's all tweet "They didn't celebrate enough," "They didn't win it with class" "They were lucky" 115 charges or whatever. I personally will wallow in the shortcomings of my own team who spent loads of money on average players who are not fit for purpose and can't be sold and hope that Ten Hag hangs around long enough and can sort it. Meanwhile I'm finishing of an advert " Business opportunity, Owner wanted who isn't an arse" email ManU_R_Skint @ gmail.com. The world has changed folks and as they say in Shawshank " I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying."
Yeah-I'm trying to put my United bias aside and make an impartial comparison between Pep and Sir Alex.
SAFwas instrumental in breaking the Scottish monopoly of Rangers and Celtic and then went one step further by winning a European trophy.
He came to a United when they hadn't won the title for a generation and were seen by many as having Champagne Charlie players in the first team.
Pep came to a club which had recently won the Premiership and had some top drawer players already there. More importantly, the "Guardiola project" meant that the club was structured to accommodate Pep and to help his philosophy to thrive. He effectively moved into a beautiful house which had already been custom built for him
I'm aware we've struggled to get into the CL but that doesn't effect City winning the league. Barcelona won the league constantly with Messi but couldn't stop Real Madrid winning the champions league repeatedly.
Southampton stopped City from winning a quadruple but they're still shite.
Same. I rate Haaland, and KdB and some individual highlights, but for me this hasnt been some remarkable City team although it’s impressive on paper to win the treble. I just dont think more than 2-3 players really stood out this season. Just a lot of steady performances from many players really. But that’s what you can do with a team where every player is sort of the same type.
In awe?
That surprises me. More than any previous club, they bought their success. Oh yes, I know they play very well and money on its own is said not to work, that they’ve been really well managed and all the rest of it. And that’s true.
Despite that, it comes down to sheer volume of capital outlay. They utterly lack humanity. They’re a panzer division of androids. No flesh and blood in ‘em.
Eh? They even covered the plane landing back in the U.K. from Istanbul - it was covered like the Queens funeral.
They won the treble for playing 4 CBS at once arguably in football for the 1st time or after a long time in history. Teams didnt know how to penetrate it because they could switch to a back 3 or a back 4 just on the positioning of Stones & it gave them a level of unbeautiful consistency - especially with the constant haaland & kdb on the other side.
I feel like people undervalue defensive fullbacks.
Though it was never particularly memory inducing football for me - a bit like Peps Barca; great tactics but boring football.
I feel like people undervalue defensive fullbacks.
Though it was never particularly memory inducing football for me - a bit like Peps Barca; great tactics but boring football.
It feels like getting angry at your mate's FIFA 23 career mode team.
They are an incredible footballing side, and financial questioning aside, they deserve everything they've won, but the intangibles of a rivalry feel like they're absolutely missing. I'm in my 30s and I've been watching football since the 90s, and I'm absolutely gutted every time we lose to Liverpool still, so it's not like I'm entirely desensitized. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you don't really have a lot of hardcore City fans around you unless you're in Manchester maybe. Perhaps it's because they've been so far ahead of us for most of a decade now, we don't naturally look at them as equals in our heads. But whatever it is, it just doesn't matter as much.
They are an incredible footballing side, and financial questioning aside, they deserve everything they've won, but the intangibles of a rivalry feel like they're absolutely missing. I'm in my 30s and I've been watching football since the 90s, and I'm absolutely gutted every time we lose to Liverpool still, so it's not like I'm entirely desensitized. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you don't really have a lot of hardcore City fans around you unless you're in Manchester maybe. Perhaps it's because they've been so far ahead of us for most of a decade now, we don't naturally look at them as equals in our heads. But whatever it is, it just doesn't matter as much.
It goes to show if you have a proper keeper who can play from the back like Onana and you have strikers who can hold the ball up then it’s a lot easier to play against the likes of city. Guardiola said it himself, Inter was a lot harder than us for that reason. Every time we kept going long we lost the ball because Rashford can’t hold up the ball, that’s not his strengths.
Unfortunately, Inter were a harder test than us for a lot of reasons. I’ll never not be angry at this team for how they put up absolutely zero fight and showed zero desire in the Fa Cup final. City didn’t even get out of first gear. Pathetic display all round from us. At least Inter sort of put up a fight and looked like they wanted to win. They were just a bit hopeless.
Those great tactics were exposed by Inter pretty effectively. They created enough chances to easily win that game. The final win wasn't some Pep masterclass, rather down to Inter missing some massive chances.
I'd say the need to stress how they leave us cold, that streches for 20-something pages of a thread, kind of goes against this 'leaving us cold' narrative.
But then, yeah... if Liverpool or Arsenal have done the same, it'd hurt like mad.
With City, I think I'm anywhere between emptiness and sadness. feels like a different sport than the one I and many others grew up watching.
I'm somewhat sad for fans who grow up nowadays and consider it normal for a state to own a football club.
I'm sad that the same could happen to United, and even if it won't happen in the near future, it'll happen with other clubs eventually.
I wish it was easier to take a break from following a football team. As I wrote on another thread,
walking away completely seems impossible.
I find myself contemplating more and more whether I want us to be bought by mega-rich owners, and get back to the top by having the absolute best squad in the world. I don't know.
But then, yeah... if Liverpool or Arsenal have done the same, it'd hurt like mad.
With City, I think I'm anywhere between emptiness and sadness. feels like a different sport than the one I and many others grew up watching.
I'm somewhat sad for fans who grow up nowadays and consider it normal for a state to own a football club.
I'm sad that the same could happen to United, and even if it won't happen in the near future, it'll happen with other clubs eventually.
I wish it was easier to take a break from following a football team. As I wrote on another thread,
walking away completely seems impossible.
I find myself contemplating more and more whether I want us to be bought by mega-rich owners, and get back to the top by having the absolute best squad in the world. I don't know.
Thru are cooking the books hence 115 charges. They were not transparent with their spending. So are not spending the same as everyone else. That is the point.