Boring Boring Football

[D.boy]

The only plus side of Man Citehs new wealth is seeing the faces of chelsea fans that have realised they are no longer the biggest financial fish in the pond.

[JUAN PABLO]

I know this Chelsea fan , wears the shirt 24/7 but has never been to a game , typical Sky armchairer .  I hate this Mancity wealth but the only one little good thing is winding that litte Chelsea f**ker up .

Like yesterday , after he said 'We were brilliant the other night ' , I replied 'Man City have won the league mate and for the next ten seasons ,they can buy anyone they want ', he nearly walked off crying .

[5ft811st2 Durham]

I don't agree with what city are doing, but other teams have done it on a lesser scale in the past.  Still don't believe anyone who says they'd be complaining if we were top of the league tonight and had the players they had.

I honestly don't think I'd enjoy it. When your owners can buy any player in the world, what does winning prove?

It proves nothing, but on the other hand the way the game's gone it's pretty much the only way you can win.

I would still enjoy elements of it it however  because we'd be able to beat Man U occasionally and I hate them as much as any City fan does.

However I wouldn't particularly enjoy the ritual thrashings of impecunious provincial sides and I would remain fully aware that the game is now basically sick.

[dave.woodhall]

Someone said something on here this morning that I expanded on talking to a Stripey after the match. Time was that if you were doing poorly you'd think "If we get a good young manager, he brings in some inspired signings and gets a bit more out of the ones we've already got, we could do well." Think BFR with them and Saunders then Little with us.

Now it's "If a billionaire buys us..."

[Rigadon]

Dave, yes that's the sobering fact in the premier league.  Outside it I still think the model you describe is valid. Our problem as a club is that there is nowhere for us to go. Lerner knows it, we know it and the players know it.  We're in no mans land.

[dave.woodhall]

Dave, yes that's the sobering fact in the premier league.  Outside it I still think the model you describe is valid. Our problem as a club is that there is nowhere for us to go. Lerner knows it, we know it and the players know it.  We're in no mans land.

And what should Randy do? He can't afford to finance another mega-spree, he won't - and neither should he - write off his debt and walk away. Even if another owner is out there, £200 million to buy Randy out, another £200 million minimum for players, then what? Another £200 million, another new owner?

[KevinGage]

For genuine designs on 4th and higher (probably even 5th now)  you need serious finance.
It's highly unlikely that a Moyes/ Everton 2005 scenario will occur again.

But look at  Lambert and Norwich.   The supposed gulf in quality between his side and Liverpool today means that surely they were just going up there to take a spanking and go on their merry way.  Yet Norwich didn't seem to conform to the prepared script in quite the same manner we did last weekend.

An inspired managerial choice even last season might have put us in with a chance of 4th again.  I accept those days are gone for the foreseeable.  But it's a bit extreme to go from those type of ambitions to widescale cutbacks and a staggeringly negative appointment in the shape of McLeish. The pace at which all this has occurred is also alarming.

[Dave Clark Five]

Dave, yes that's the sobering fact in the premier league.  Outside it I still think the model you describe is valid. Our problem as a club is that there is nowhere for us to go. Lerner knows it, we know it and the players know it.  We're in no mans land.

And what should Randy do? He can't afford to finance another mega-spree, he won't - and neither should he - write off his debt and walk away. Even if another owner is out there, £200 million to buy Randy out, another £200 million minimum for players, then what? Another £200 million, another new owner?

Is Lerner's club, that we all throw our money at, really worth £200 million?  Just a question.

[Dave]

But look at  Lambert and Norwich.   The supposed gulf in quality between his side and Liverpool today means that surely they were just going up there to take a spanking and go on their merry way.  Yet Norwich didn't seem to conform to the prepared script in quite the same manner we did last weekend.

See also Newcastle.

Apparently a club in crisis who are veering from one catastrophe to the next, appointing a dreadful manager and selling their best players.

Yet they actually appear to be a club with a sensible plan, a sensible transfer policy and a pretty bright future with some excellent players (several of whom would have been perfectly accessible for the likes of us).

[PaulWinch again]

But look at  Lambert and Norwich.   The supposed gulf in quality between his side and Liverpool today means that surely they were just going up there to take a spanking and go on their merry way.  Yet Norwich didn't seem to conform to the prepared script in quite the same manner we did last weekend.

See also Newcastle.

Apparently a club in crisis who are veering from one catastrophe to the next, appointing a dreadful manager and selling their best players.

Yet they actually appear to be a club with a sensible plan, a sensible transfer policy and a pretty bright future with some excellent players (several of whom would have been perfectly accessible for the likes of us).

Yeah agreed, you don't have to spend megabucks for good players, you just need to know where to look. An investment of £15-20 million could completely turn this side around, with some high earning departures and with the correct strategy we could push on. If we have Cabaye and Tiote in centre mid we could potentially be a very good side.

[pauliewalnuts]

Dave, yes that's the sobering fact in the premier league.  Outside it I still think the model you describe is valid. Our problem as a club is that there is nowhere for us to go. Lerner knows it, we know it and the players know it.  We're in no mans land.

And what should Randy do? He can't afford to finance another mega-spree, he won't - and neither should he - write off his debt and walk away. Even if another owner is out there, £200 million to buy Randy out, another £200 million minimum for players, then what? Another £200 million, another new owner?

He needs to put at least enough in to keep us afloat.

He's taken so much out so quickly this season that he's genuinely risking our premier league status.

[dave.woodhall]

Dave, yes that's the sobering fact in the premier league.  Outside it I still think the model you describe is valid. Our problem as a club is that there is nowhere for us to go. Lerner knows it, we know it and the players know it.  We're in no mans land.

And what should Randy do? He can't afford to finance another mega-spree, he won't - and neither should he - write off his debt and walk away. Even if another owner is out there, £200 million to buy Randy out, another £200 million minimum for players, then what? Another £200 million, another new owner?

He needs to put at least enough in to keep us afloat.

He's taken so much out so quickly this season that he's genuinely risking our premier league status.

He hasn't taken it out.

[tepavilla]

Personally, it doeen't bother me if we don't win anything in the next, lets say, three years. What bothers me, is that our management (from chairman to manager and coaches) do not realise and follow what I call the 'evolution of the game'. If they did, we would have never appointed anti-football-McLeish and we would at least trying to play modern football a'la Swansea, Brighton etc (purposefully didn't mention Barca since one could argue there's a tiny quality-cap between our players and theirs). This is the thing that bothers and frustrates me the most, week after week. This long-ball tactics played by McLeish is ancient and taking us nowhere. I'm just a passionate Villa-fan from Finland and rarely have the change to go to games but if I was, I would be the first one to boo every time we just hoist a silly long ball to our strikers. And that happens way too often in our games. I'd say propably the most of any PL sides, now that Bolton is not coached by Allardyce anymore.

[Rigadon]

Dave, yes that's the sobering fact in the premier league.  Outside it I still think the model you describe is valid. Our problem as a club is that there is nowhere for us to go. Lerner knows it, we know it and the players know it.  We're in no mans land.

And what should Randy do? He can't afford to finance another mega-spree, he won't - and neither should he - write off his debt and walk away. Even if another owner is out there, £200 million to buy Randy out, another £200 million minimum for players, then what? Another £200 million, another new owner?

Yes I agree and that's what I'm saying really, it's a bit of a conundrum all round.  We've spent big, didn't make the champions league and now appear to be sitting about waiting for something to happen.  I'm sure it's not the case and behind the scenes there's a plan, but it's not being conveyed too well.

[dave.woodhall]

We're stuck in no man's land. Too big that just being in the Premier League is an achievement, too small to make any headway.