The ‘I told you so’s’ that infest football are out in force. They’ve always perplexed me that they chose a place so brimming with emotion; they hover about, selling their ‘unlucky bags’ of fatalism.
“I’ll believe it when I see him on the official site, holding up the shirt!” And, of course, the eponymously entitled “Careful what you wish for,” which they drop with the gravitas of a god.
Stifling conversation is their killer move for removing hope and/or aspirations.
Understandably, this whole Manchester City moneyball thing has them solemnly whooping the Nihilists, who were right all along: if you wish hard enough, if you really want to find doom, you need not look much, ‘cos death was probably under your nose the whole time.
So Manchester City are guilty of cheating by essentially overloading the club with cash they didn’t legitimately have to play with. The very discussion of cash sends the puritans into a spin. Why?
Well, it’s a heady mix of envy and the fact that so many people are uncomfortable with money. Like the aggressive child on the funfair ride screaming, “Make it stop”, the idea that other people are okay with the thrill, simply doesn’t compute.
Despisers gotta despise, and so we’ve had some of the very worst commentary on the subject by some of the very worst in the audience. Funny how nobody is allowed to dream until the Doom Brigade are offered a go, and then they can’t stop.
Have City done Christopher Moltisanti’s trick of tucking a matchbook under the scale? If they have. They should be punished to such a severe degree that nobody thinks of doing this, or anything like this, ever again.
What I recoil against is this whole 10-year-old’s Spanish Inquisition routine, with folks imagining all the torturous stuff they can inflict. Some of you out there have taken this so personally. I get that someone breaking into your house needs to be punished, but the need for the restitution to descend into an outtake from the torture scene in Maynard and Zed’s pawn shop is frankly all too much for this fella in his fifties.
City are resolute, to put it mildly; Ferran Sorriano has called it a bit of a distraction.
“I want to share some information related to the ongoing disciplinary process between Manchester City and the Premier League. A document has been made public with an opinion of the Premier League commission that is negative to our interests. I want to explain exactly what this is, the next steps and how we are going to continue to defend the club, and finally be vindicated in this process.
“This has gone for so long that it is important to remind ourselves that the whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation - that the owners’ personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi. This is just not true.
“Irrefutable evidence has been provided to the Premier League commission that shows that it could not happen and that it did not happen. This includes bank statements, money transfers, witnesses and everything necessary to categorically demonstrate that the money did not come from the owner. Every other false charge that has been thrown at us - and aggressively marketed and promoted - comes from the simple, central, and completely false accusation.
“Surprisingly for us, and for our lawyers, after nearly two years the Premier League Commission has introduced an opinion that supports the Premier League’s conspiracy theory. To do so, the opinion had to ignore the extensive evidence provided by the club in order to reach a conclusion that is clearly wrong.
“Our lawyers will now file an appeal that sets out the opinion contains clear material errors of law, principle and fact and it is unsafe. Remember we have been here before. In 2020 we were also wrongly ruled against for many of the same issues. We appealed to an independent body in CAS and we won.
“We will now be relentless in our work. We will focus on the independent appeal process and also all other legal avenues available to us in order to win the case, and we will take all necessary action to protect the club and seek compensation from any party that tries to damage it now, and in the future.
“I know this can be a bit of a distraction but please remain focused on our business and take care of our extended City family as we always do. Please follow the normal protocols in referring to fan, partner and media enquiries. Very soon we will look back at this and recognise it is another time in our history when we dealt with adversity and overcame it together.”
I don’t know what exactly took place, but I do know this: I don’t want to hear from Pochettino or Redknapp on the grassy knoll, lamenting life. The reason the phrase “We was robbed” has stood the test of time is largely becuase it adds humour and brevity to any debate. This pair are ready to talk at length at any given moment.
Just give me the facts, as proven by law; keep your kooky imaginings to your playgroup.
Boy, do I wish they’d released the punishment at the same time, and not during an international break!
I wouldn’t have minded 10 years of what they had.
I'm sure Levy & Enic FC have a few financial irregularities in their closet. Our fans shouldn't be too cock sure in proclaiming burn the witch. It might just be our turn next.