CITY Pep’s Blues bad for the game? Nonsense

CITY have apparently been ‘ruining football since 2008,’ as lampooned by the Blues’ fans cheeky banner.

All of that investment was terrible for the sport, the argument went, even though the Blues’ spending was largely staying within the sport and benefiting less wealthy clubs.

But the fact City spent big has spurred rival clubs into splashing out their own money. Cash that was heading for the Glazer family pockets had to be diverted into United’s transfer spending instead, to try to make the Reds stay competitive.

The fact they have not managed that is down to poor strategic planning, bad buys and a dodgy choice of manager.

United’s spending has not fallen far short of City’s in the last five years - they have actually exceeded the Blues’ club transfer record on three occasions, and their wage bill is higher.

And then there is Liverpool, whose own manager took a noble stance by suggesting he would walk away from football if he had to spend big money to compete.

His club then woke up, spent more money in a calendar year than any other club in history, and he announced he had changed his mind, and that spending was actually a good thing.

So that was an end to that. With City being outspent, money was no longer the root of all evil.

Now it seems that the Blues are simply too good to be a positive influence. Check out some of the online headlines we have seen this season, and last - City are ‘in danger of making Premier League boring’ says one.

It is utter tosh. City are forcing English football to up its game, rather than ruining it.

The fact that Liverpool reached the Champions League final last season proves that - they were the first English club to get there in six years. They are making a fist of the title race, whereas at this stage last year City were eight points clear of a stuttering, fumbling pack.

It is almost as if English football is no longer incapable of embracing excellence.

United won the league by 18 points in 2000, and they were lauded, quite rightly, as brilliant. Their period of dominance was a challenge to the rest - there was no question of them ‘ruining’ anything, or of them making it ‘boring.’

Their team was correctly applauded for raising the standard.

United’s dominance forced everyone else to up their level. City are now dragging the rest of the Premier League with them.

Their magnificent football, and raising of coaching and technical standards, is a big positive, not a reason for gloom and despondency.