Maybe money does buy success after all
That is if Manchester City are anything to go by. There is nothing like a 6-0 victory to spark belief that the title will follow (it won´t, of course, but the belief is still there!). But when you look at the team, the only impact the new Arab owners have had is the purchase of Robinho. Granted, he has had two good games, but one player does not make a team.
Jo – another big money Brazilian signing, but a legacy of the Thaksin reign – has been in outstanding form. Shaun Wright Phillips is looking like he has never been away from Eastlands. Aside from those three, this is largely Sven Goran Eriksson´s Manchester City side. And yet they are playing with the swagger of a Real Madrid or an AC Milan.
It is amazing what the prospect of being a truly big club can do. The personnel are largely the same, the manager is from Wales and is hardly a glamorous coach. It is the money that has made the difference to Manchester City, and they have barely begun spending it yet. The confidence that stems from knowing that there are huge amounts of money in the bank is giving the team a huge lift. Take Stephen Ireland as an example. He has always been a decent prospect and shown moments of brilliance, but with the confidence boost from the takeover he now looks like a world-beater.
The promise of the money is bringing the best out of City at the moment, but it could also prove to undermine their efforts this season. If the club continues its form from the rout against Portsmouth yesterday then there will be little point in making wholesale changes in January. The new owners are likely to want to make a few more prestige signings though – a couple more prize assets for the portfolio. Carlos Tevez and Karim Benzema are the latest players to be added to the list of rumoured targets. Quite how Mark Hughes would fit those two, Jo and Robinho in the same attack remains to be seen.
In other words, City were supposed to be a work in progress. Having found form so early, it will be difficult to maintain momentum and equilibrium at Eastlands.
Topics: Manchester City
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More poor quality cliche driven journalism, sadly like so many others wishing to preserve the status quo. Keep it up, it will only serve to make City stronger and make victory all the sweeter
September 22nd, 2008 @ 12:06Hmmmm wonder if it’s anything to do with hughes being a top mnager who gets the best out of players. No you’re right Ireland is suddenly showing his real talent ’cause were rich. Haha yeah okay mate!
And what a stupid headline….of course money buy success – Utd and Chelsea have spent more than anybody else and have been the most successful….City will prove nothing in that resepct.
September 22nd, 2008 @ 12:07Sven did give us somewhere good to start from, with regards to players he bought, but apart from that 1 fact – you don’t seem to have a clue my friend?
1. Aside from those 3…? You seem to be missing out Zabaleta and Kompany – which makes 5 (as in half of a team).
2. Personnel largely the same? Hughes brought in 3 of his own coaching staff.
3. Hardly a glamourous coach… I’m a fan of Sven, but it’s about work ethic. Its hard to imagine a team of Mark Hughes’ being 4th in January, only to be bullied of the pitch by Fulham, Birmingham, Wigan, Reading, shall i go on?
It seems quite apparent that you know very little about football, let alone Manchester City.
Other than that – stirling work! (Do you do this for free by any chance?)
September 22nd, 2008 @ 12:10whats with all the negative journalism every site i go on?? cant wait for city to succeed and all these journos can go **** em selves
September 22nd, 2008 @ 12:13A terrible piece of journalism.
September 22nd, 2008 @ 12:17Of the team that squashed Pompey Hart, Richards, Dunne, Garrido, Elano, Ireland were Sven’s Men
Kompany, Jo, Zabaleta, Wright-Phillips and Robinho have come since Sven’s departure.
For most of Sven’s tenure Garrido and Ireland were fringe players and Elano was sued in a variety of positions, in some of which he was unsuited.
Hughes has found a good role for Elano and has turned Ireland into a class player.
There is no hard evidence that the likes of Tevez, Benzema, Owen, Terry etc etc are coming and fropm the words of the Sheikh wholesale changes are not on the cards.
The current City team is already far more than the ‘one player’ you suggest. A left back and another centre half (as neither Richards nor Dunne are currently playing that well) would make us a very hard team to beat indeed.
Mark Hughes has done well. Give credit where it’s due.
OF course money buys success, after all United bought theirs, going right back to Tommy Taylor. You really must learn not to repeat newspaper gossip as fact
September 22nd, 2008 @ 13:54Agree with all the above especially Jay and Mick regarding Zabaleta and Kompany making up nearly half a team of players acquired by MH. It’s a young team too. Once they get to know each other and gel together I can only see us becoming stronger and more difficult to beat.
We’ve still got Petrov and Johnson to come back too. Any quality signings in January and MH is gonna have his work cut out deciding his best eleven and keeping everyone happy. Reckon this season might be a bit too early to break the top four – but next season who knows? Other teams ought to be getting worried….
September 22nd, 2008 @ 17:40Money will buy short term success; a few wins here and there.
But it will not buy a strong, cohesive team, which takes time and dedication.
Arsene Knows.
September 22nd, 2008 @ 21:08Arsene has not won in a while… maybe he needs to invest in success to get success… of course he could be held back by the stingy board…
September 22nd, 2008 @ 21:21