Balotelli - will anyone miss him?

[Ian]

Yes well done, you probably will never win the Premiership ever again, but that's sport life.
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So we are in agreement - you do agree with having a rich benefactor then :-)

[sandgrounder]

So well done to the well run clubs like Arsenal, Everton, Wolves who attempt to manage to balance their books.

Yes well done, you probably will never win the Premiership ever again, but that's sport life.

Sometimes Keith you type complete and utter rubbish! City are second in the premiership using virtually the same players as last season. Any football club in the world would welcome a benefactor with millions to spend. It doesn't mean they would automatically win the title or the FA Cup. Players have to gel and they have to have a manager capable of making that happen.

It doesn't matter what league we talk about either. Every tier in English football has clubs that have a chairman who pours money in to ensure success. As for City probably never winning the premiership again, they will, and on more than one occasion! Manure may well win the title this season but only because they spent millions on RVP. He is the only difference this season.

[Scunner]

So we are in agreement - you do agree with having a rich benefactor then :-)

Of course, why shouldn't it be right for a team like Hereford or Rotherham to become the best club in the country due to them being the club of choice of some billionaire with more money than sense. The team gifted the most cash should win the Premiership. That's the definition of sport, isn't it?

[Scunner]

Same reply to you Russ!

[Scunner]

Man City bought the league title last season, and as they haven't added this season to the billions they spent last season I am talking rubbish?

If money buying success is ok with you (and I suspect as a Man City fan it does, unlike when you had none and City fans thought the same as I am saying when it was about Chelsea and Ambramovich) then let the Premier Bankrolled League Championship commence. Let the team with the biggest sugar daddy win - doesn't sound that attractive really does it   

[sandgrounder]

So we are in agreement - you do agree with having a rich benefactor then :-)

Of course, why shouldn't it be right for a team like Hereford or Rotherham to become the best club in the country due to them being the club of choice of some billionaire with more money than sense. The team gifted the most cash should win the Premiership. That's the definition of sport, isn't it?

Sport (Noun) An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others.
Money hasn't helped Real Madrid in recent seasons. Only the addition of a decent coach helped them win La Liga. It remains to be seen whether they can win the Champions league.

[sandgrounder]

Actually City didn't "buy" the league last season. The only players of note to join the squad were Clichy, Nasri and Aguero. Great players I'll admit but not exactly buying the title. The championship was won with hard work and guille!

[Scunner]

Russ it is quite understandable to me that as a Man City fan you see nothing wrong with billionaires gifting their fortunes to football clubs.

[Ian]

But as Russ said "they all have sugar daddies now in the Premier League" just some bigger than others and there is still competition between those in the sugar daddy league.

Note Roy Hodgson at Liverpool - Paul Lambert at Villa and Mark Hughes when at QPR - money does not always guarantee success.

Consequently it makes you admire the Stoke City's and the Everton's of this world who punch above their weight and will occasionally pick up a trophy - but surely their real pleasure nowadays are one off cup finals against the bigger sugar daddies.

Football has changed and if you don't like what you see these days - and what goes with it - you do what my brother has done and switch allegiance to a semi professional side in a non league team - North West Counties.

And guess what - they look like they might be promoted this year so the league have said they need to upgrade the toilet block and the turnstiles so there is now a drive to do this and spend / raise money     

[sandgrounder]

Russ it is quite understandable to me that as a Man City fan you see nothing wrong with billionaires gifting their fortunes to football clubs.

I see nothing wrong with billionaires gifting to any club at any level. It's the way the world is and has been for many years. It's only here in the UK that it's a relatively new phenomenon. I'll stick by my beliefs that money alone does not bring success. A club can spend millions on a player but doesn't mean to say he will gel with his team mates and be happy. Balotelli springs to mind!