Seriously,H,it's great to be winning trophies and games, but City are just like Chelsea. Just buying success. What's the point ? I reckon I could win you the league if you gave me their money and squad. Look at how much money City and Chelsea lose every year and it tells you something.Even City's sponsors are blood related to City's owners. Their wealth will bankrupt 90 % of clubs in the Premiership. It will all end in tears ! Pep Guardiola will be at Chelsea next season. He was tapped up at the end of the game ! Another expensive.....err....purchase.

As a long suffering Spurs season ticket holder, I'm tempted to suggest that we merge this thread with the one titled "Does Anyone Care Any More?"!

I think Guardiola will stick to his aim of taking a year off to recharge his batteries; he doesn't seem motivated by cash and why would any sane man swap Barcelona (with whom he's been man & boy) for Chelsea?!

I'm no great admirer of United, but I'd rather they won the title for a decade than have City buy it even once (where will they be when the owners clear off and leave them in the sort of debt which would look like small change to Glasgow Rangers?).

Still, at least City's fans still turned up when they were in the 2nd & 3rd divisions; amazing how many Chelsea fans claim to have been regulars all their lives - can't work out how only 6,000 turned up for their big local derby against Orient 30 years ago!

Any club which sacks a manager (Ancelotti) after he's won the domestic double, and which will probably deny the job to the current temporary incumbent, even if he were to win the Champions League, deserves to remain forever frustrated. Maybe they should let John Terry manage the team officially (that would provide a strong moral lead - not!); he thinks he's doing it already and he's paid enough to do both jobs!

Spurs &, to a lesser extent, Arsenal refuse to break their wage structure by paying players astronomical wages, so it will always be hard to compete. However, I can recall my team very nearly going bust in 1991 and that was far, far worse.

Blimey; looks like I may care after all!

These things are all relative but, from where I am sitting, all top flight English clubs have far too much "unearned" money and it is hard to distinguish one club from the pack.

Helen,

I think any football fan would have to admit that the big clubs (and not just the Big Four) have been spending/wasting money for years like kids in a sweet shop; some have bought more success than others. What doesn't seem right to us is that City seem to be trying to do it all in one splurge, instead of allowing the rest of us to enjoy the lack of return on their investment for a few years!

It's only the fact that Abramovich is clearly only interested in the one trophy which keeps eluding Chelsea (and long may that continue!) which makes their Premiership titles almost bearable!

I don't think anyone was suggesting that City's fans have crawled out of the woodwork or suddenly attached themselves to the club for the first time. As you say, you pick your club (or vice versa) for life, not just for the good times.

The worrying thing is that there's so much money in the Champions League now that it became a self-perpetuating cycle (i.e. the money received one year buys the following year's qualification) and we almost got to the point where only four teams could hope to qualify (a bit like an expanded version of the SPL, where the title has been a two horse race from August each year). That's why true footie fans may be hoping to see Spurs and/or Newcastle edge out Chelsea (and ideally Arsenal too, but I fear that's too much to hope for!).

BTW, who was your relation in the City squad 1968-73?

What I'm trying to say is United, Spurs and Arsenal balance the books to an extent. City and Chelsea just buy anyone and everyone at any cost. They've lost their identity. Might as well call themselves the Harlem Globetrotters. Yaya Toure left Barcelona because he ....err....wanted a new challenge .....and £250,000 a week at City ! Who's next? Messi ? Drogba ? Gerrard, Suarez, Rooney, Ronaldo, Torres, Modric.,Van Persie, Fabrigas ? Oh ,what the heck,why don't they buy all of them !!! Buy all the competition. Yorkshire County Cricket Club will not allow anyone to play for them if they weren't born in Yorkshire. They haven't won much over the years,but I admire them for that. At leas tthey can say that Yorkshire lads won something for Yorkshire. UEFA should bring in some law that says every club should have at least 6 players on the pitch that are local lads. Otherwise,where's yer soul!!

Having said that, I do admire the City fans.Loyal throughout the bad times. And there were many bad times ,weren't there !!

Try being Inverness Caledonian Thistle season ticket holder, that can try your loyalty sometimes.

J. O'B.