Their obsession with Manchester City is comical, what is it that makes Arsenal, Chelsea and McTraffordster Uniteds fans and players amongst others so bitter, envious and or obsessive?
We've seen Newcastle and Everton fans in the past vent their bitterness when Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan purchased our club, they declared it should have been their clubs and not Manchester City, relations between Newcastle and Manchester City became worse over night upon Nigel Dejong accidentally breaking the leg of Hate Ben Arfa. The fan fuelled fallout turned into a lynch mob intent on destroying the career of Dejong resulting in his International career temporarily cut short.
It's well documented that we apparently don't deserve to be in the Champions League, don't deserve our status at the top of English football. Apparently we bought our way to the top and as a matter of fact, we actually did buy our way to the top of English football.
In fact every professional football club in the world bought or are trying to buy their way to success or survival, there's not one professional club in the world who are not or have not. They all purchase players with cold hard cash, they all pay those players wages. Point me in the direction of one Professional Football club who aren't a business, who don't run on an income and, or do not pay their employees a wage.
Obsession, Bitterness and Envy are the subjects and the next group are Arsenal, their fans are extremely bitter and obsessive, even more so recently than McTraffordster United fans. Manchester City have purchased a few Arsenal players over time aka Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Adebayor, Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri who is bitterly hated by the Gooners, they don't seem too pleased about it at all. A couple of the Arsenal blogger's can't help but mention us in 1 in every 3 articles they publish, they equally hate us for our club challenging their status as a top four club.
Even Liverpool fans have got in on the act, I mean I wouldn't dream of challenging Liverpool's status. They are after all one of if not the most famous English club around, but even they achieved their success with cold hard cash. I'd put their contempt merely down to the fact we beat them to the title recently, which has been compounded by the transfer of one Raheem Sterling.
United's fan base are famous for their bitterness towards us, most notably on the last anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster and Manchester Derby. Their club and blogger's stated publicly that they expected Manchester City fans to disrespect the anniversary and occasion at Old Trafford, the day was widely televised. The stage was set and the world was watching on, what was to happen next was to change history. The world finally realised United were a wolf in sheep's clothing. The Manchester City faithful louder than ever, respected the occasion as they always do. After all the Munich Air Disaster wasn't just United's loss like they pretend it is, Manchester City lost a Manchester City legend in Frank Swift, also City legend Sir Matt Busby a survivor. United fans are also bitter because we challenge their status. All they cared about in 2015/16 was beating us to fourth spot, the fact they were in an FA Cup final meant nothing to them while the opportunity to beat us to Champions League football was still a possibility. Slowly but surely Manchester City have taken the United fans book of material and ripped page by page out, rewound back the banner they proudly hung at Old Trafford declaring how long it was since we had won the title and shown the world that Manchester City are back in business, are here and never went away. Right now all they have left to taunt us with is their 20 titles, 1 Champions League trophy and the history that the majority weren't even around to witness most of. It's only a matter of time before we win the Champions League and even now footage of our history's being unearthed.
But most recently it's Chelsea fans who are now upset? Have joined the ranks of the bitters in claiming we haven't earned our status but rather bought it. They justify why they are a different case by saying, they were already an established top 4 club in the Premier League. But my counter argument too that is that, we were once just as big a club as Man United, were once successful. So the fact our club hit hard times and struggled through the last so many decades means we deserve our renewed status less? Just to remind everyone to a few facts, we as a club fought our way back to the top of English football. We went into administration and had to auction our playing staff off too rival clubs, went through decades of rising and falling from the championship to the 3rd division. Before we were taken over by Thaksin Shinawatra and sold to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we fought our way back into the top 10 of the Barclay's Premier League. If any club deserves to be where we are now more than anyone else, it's Manchester City FC. The only reason your clubs got there first and enjoyed decades of success was, because you all had sugar daddies, big investment to help achieve that success. I use the term help because I acknowledge the fact, a business still has to be run properly despite the large amount of investment.
The most recent voice to join the ranks is Chelsea's Pedro, there's a growing trend with these guys queueing up to question, predict Guardiola and how he will fair in English football. The ludicrous part is the other side of the coin, he has also said Jose Mourinho is a great manager and have backed him to succeed at United? Obviously he's pointing to the fact Guardiola is unproven in the Barclay's Premier League, as well as the fact Jose Moronho has proven himself already in the same league.
That's all well and good but what he fails to acknowledge is, that Jose Mourinho took the Barclay's Premier League Champions. The very same squad that won it, and turned them into mid table survivors. The very same Jose Mourinho has left Chelsea FC in £1.1 billion of debt which doesn't even include Dr Carneiro's compensation after he turned her life upside down and got her unlawfully sacked for his own incompetence. he also fails to acknowledge that right now United are unable to compete with debt free Manchester City, United still in around £300 million debt with a dated and struggling academy after they neglected it, requiring Manchester City to turn up and create a successful multi million pound academy complex, to realise where they went wrong but it seems to me like it's too little too late.
The arrival of Pep Guardiola has certainly turned up the heat for sure, as of yet they are reluctant to take us seriously. You'd think the City Football Academy and the fact we reached the Semi Finals of the Champions League would make them take us serious but. The truth is they just don't want to take us serious, so until we our club lifts the Champions League trophy we won't be seeing any change. Even then they will point to our owner and investment, despite the fact we are no longer financed by our owner. Our club is now finally financially stable and self sustaining. Over the last 2 seasons City have turned a profit and that will only continue, Manchester City's the 6th highest revenue generating club in Europe and we pay our players less than Chelsea and Man United.
The truth is there is no easy game and not one club in the Premier League can be underestimated, there's strong competition for the title now and even more so when the TV revenue is released. Guardiola may well find it tough but, he's in a far stronger position than any other Premier League coach right now. With the best Academy in England to pick and a blank cheque book to utilise, his own reputation and the added power of no other club knowing what his moves are before he makes them. The most respected coach on the planet by players and he has it all, the prime opportunity to prove to the world he really is the best coach in Europe if not the world.
So is their obsession and bitterness justified, for whatever reason I put this down to being part of football. It doesn't really matter how bitter and obsessive they are, all that matters is that they are. It's a strong indicator that we as a club and fan base are getting under their skin, not to mention telling us we are moving in the right direction. After decades of goading and taunting it's a refreshing change, I think it's only going to get more interesting.
But there's one fundamental thing I have to keep telling myself, don't become one of them. Stay true to Manchester City and myself, don't drop to the level of arrogance and ignorance that they project. Don't cross the fine line between banter and contempt, we have much to look forward too, and I'm particularly looking forward to who Guardiola will sign and how we will setup and play next season.
