I've been meaning to write an article about this for ages, but with a young family and a busy job I've found little time for ja606 of late other than nipping on here and there to wind up Mamba. Anyway, I find myself sat waiting for the RAC just off a roundabout after my van conked out at 6.30am so now is probably my best chance!
This article is probably going to be a messy stream of consciousness, for that I apologise, but I've been wrestling with how I feel about City, and top flight football in n general for a while now. To give the context, City have been ingrained in my blood and upbringing since day one - my dad will tell the story of being able to see Maine Road from the hospital window when I was born in St Mary's. My grandad was a steward at the ground after the war. My mum, one of six, all blue households - except the ones in Urmston, but we don't really speak about them. I caught the tail end of Maine Road, first derby was a 0-1 loss, Beckham scored, and I was there the following year for the 3-1 win and Gary Neville's "motm" performance! By the time we move to Eastlands I was going to virtually every home game, and taken on aways too. 2003-2005 when Shaun Wright-Phillips was as good as a peak Messi, as well as half a season under Stewart Pearce where we didn't even score at home!
Fast forward to 2008 and essentially being spared from liquidation by Sheikh Mansour. This coincided with a time in my life where I was really enjoying going to the football, understand more of the game, have opinions, like a few pints, and a bit of the crack with the away fans (we had moved to block 211, near to them by now). Loved the hit and miss nature of us in the early days, give a few beatings out but take a few too. Some real dud buys back then, but once the likes of Zabaleta, Kompany, Yaya and David Silva started signing up, we really started to kick on. Been to some great games especially the year we first won it, Chelsea 2-1 with Nasri and Tevez, United 1-0 and they didn't even have a shot on target, then the QPR finale. Exciting times to be a City fan, I did one European away for years just for the crack, seen us play in Paris, Barcelona, Munich etc, but it's always been the domestic games I've loved going to the most.
Our most successful years, under Pep, have funnily enough been the years I've gone to the fewest number of games since I started in the late 90s. Obviously we had COVID, and now I've got a family, and we've moved away from east Manchester to Cheshire (I know 😉)
There has been a change of circumstance for sure, but there is also a nagging battle of conscience I've been having with myself too. For a few years now rival fans have dogged us with 'human rights' put downs, and here is no different. I have a problem with it. I find it disingenuous. For all the countless times I've hear it on here or in real life, I've never hear one single reference to a specific claim. People are keen to use it for cheap point scoring, but seem to have little interest in the substance, so I've always brushed it off.
Then, earlier this year I ended up going down a bit of a rabbit hole myself. I was listening to a podcast on the Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the current conflict. If you think of that as one of the most deplorable and unimaginable things humans can do, I got from there to camel racing in the middle east. I know use of child jockeys is now illegal, but our owner Sheikh Mansour was pictured at a meet in 2002. There is too much to write about this to do it justice, in what is already a very long post, but for any interested there is plenty of further reading online, and I am happy to point you in the right direction. And there is much more beyond that, Amnesty International are unwavering in their criticism of the UAEs ruling class, of which our owner is part of.
To put it mildly I feel incredibly uneasy and conflicted at this stage. City has been such a huge part of my life and upbringing, but this season I haven't been to any games, I haven't watched any games, yet I find myself unable to resist the urge to check the score on my phone or watch motd after a big game. Perhaps it's a case that with a young family and life coming thick and fast I just don't have the headspace for football I once did, at least for now... Maybe I'm just bitter about missing Istanbul, we had a bit of an emergency at home (everyone is fine now) but as my dad and brother jetted off with match tickets I ended up catching it at home on the sofa... Or possibly I just preferred to support City when we were getting away with the cheating 😉... Likely a combination of all three 😂 but for now I have to say, the lure of top flight Premier League and Champions League football just really isn't doing it for me. Warrington Town play a short walk from our new place, and I'm much more tempted to go to a few games there this season! Anyway cheers to anyone that made it all the way through this 😂🍻
Love of the club
posted on 5/12/23
The changing nature of this site, in some ways, reflects the change in many football related aspects we’ve gone through in recent years. Whereas previously, we as city fans could have and perhaps should have, engaged more in a debate and discussion around the moral conflicts that I know many of us have regarding the ‘fit and proper’ notion of our owners, we didn’t. Understandably, we embraced the opportunity to put Pearce and Beanie behind us relive the highs of an earlier era that I am sadly old enough to remember.
It is undeniable that we have been given some football played at the highest end of excellence and have revelled in the moments of glory it has delivered. But, for those blessed or plagued with a conscience, the question remains in our minds - at what cost? For those sat in either their armchair or the heated seats of the second tier, it is not a question that is answered by a prison cell. It is, however, for some and we know it.
It is apposite that Grated’s post should appear in the very week that a UAE minister states to the world that there is no science behind the impact of fossil fuel on climate change - a debate, that if conducted on this site, would follow the usual tack.
As a single football fan I can’t change the ownership of my club, much in the same way I can’t majorly affect the amount of carbon going into the atmosphere. Grated, you are where a number of us I believe - on the horns of a dilemma where we must find our most acceptable place to sit.
posted on 5/12/23
I've no problem with our owners coming from an oil producing country considering the US, Saudi Arabia and China are way ahead of the UAE in that league table and all those countries have citizens that own PL clubs.
I was a lot more concerned about club ownership when Thaksin Shinawatra was at the helm, a lot of fans were OK with that though because he put on a free spread for supporters in Albert Sq. plus he had a fit daughter.
posted on 5/12/23
comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 2 minutes ago
I've no problem with our owners coming from an oil producing country considering the US, Saudi Arabia and China are way ahead of the UAE in that league table and all those countries have citizens that own PL clubs.
I was a lot more concerned about club ownership when Thaksin Shinawatra was at the helm, a lot of fans were OK with that though because he put on a free spread for supporters in Albert Sq. plus he had a fit daughter.
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That like sayin peeppe dont like Trump becuse he has sheet hare style.
Their moor 2 it
posted on 5/12/23
You would have to expain that one to me.
posted on 5/12/23
comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 3 hours ago
I've no problem with our owners coming from an oil producing country considering the US, Saudi Arabia and China are way ahead of the UAE in that league table and all those countries have citizens that own PL clubs.
I was a lot more concerned about club ownership when Thaksin Shinawatra was at the helm, a lot of fans were OK with that though because he put on a free spread for supporters in Albert Sq. plus he had a fit daughter.
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It's a fair point about Frank and his background. Same goes with all the Chinese product we consume, as with the with the Keterboxes from Israel. All I'm saying Boris is it's ultimately yourself you've got to live with.
posted on 5/12/23
I also don't go as much as I used to, just other things in my life. When I first moved overseas I missed Maine Road hugely and despite living a long while in Brazil where there was a game on TV every night, I always tried to find a way to watch City.
I don't post as much as I used to, largely because it seems to be less a football forum and more just a string on wum attempts. The admins have a thankless task so I will not blame them but it is killing the site sadly.
The football at City has been such a glorious thing to watch, the likes of Silva x2, Aguero, KDB, Vinnie etc have changed the way the game is played and I am grateful to have seen them.
posted on 5/12/23
It's certainly not the place to come if you want a serious discussion on anything concerning City.
The football landscape has changed over the last 20 years, just as it changed over the previous 20 years and every decade before that.
We've definately part of the more recent changes but we're certainly not responsible for many of the negative aspects that the media try to blame us for.
We certainly weren't the first club to 'monetize' football, neither were we the first to have wealthy foreign owners.
People like David Bernstein were instrumental in us being an attractive proposition to potential new owners. Khaldoon is really the person I credit for taking us to a different level with his appointments of key figures like Txiki Begiristain, Ferran Soriano and ultimately, Pep.
posted on 6/12/23
Sorry to hear your having the doubts about football and City.
When all is said and done this is football part of the entertainment industry not life and death.
And if you early want to feel bad about the corruption of football by money you need look no further than our scouse friends and their sugar daddy Littlewood Pools. That was the start of money corrupting football. But do they feel guilty about it, not a chance.
posted on 7/12/23
That’s quite the realisation, and I guess most City fans will realise it eventually. The case against the PL will open many eyes.
posted on 7/12/23
The root cause is, sadly, the amount of money available for Champions League participation that clubs are desperate to be in it and will make the investment to get into the CL. Likewise the clubs that were in it were desperate to keep others out so they could keep their snouts in the trough. That is the cause of the corruption. Anybody who thinks FFP is for the good of football is kidding themselves.