City's surprise takeover on September 1st will surely go down in the annals of footballs greatest 'transfers'. Without so much as a whisper prior to the takeover most supporters of City were left totally dumbstruck. I'm still pinching myself to see if it really is true! This is dreamland at it's very very best. The ultimate dream come true - providing it's the real thing! 

So much happened on September 1st it left me bewildered, speechless, mesmorised and walking on air - yet there was a nagging doubt that the bubble may just burst in your face. I had this nagging fear that the takeover was all a dream and we would wake up to the reality that it was a group of ex-miners from the Welsh province of Aberdovey ploughing their hard earned pensions into City. However, the dream became reality with The Abu Dhabi United group headed by Sulaiman-al-Fahim buying out Dr Thaksin. Shinawatra must be congratulated on his decision to sell in the best interests of the club and to find a buyer who wasn't just reimbursing the Thai for monies invested in the club. Whatever you think of little Franky, he has authorised some £100m to be spent on transfers during his tenure. They kept the move close to their chest but appear to be more open and willing to flex their financial muscle. Unless you've been elsewhere this last twenty four hours you will be well aware that a certain Brazilian superstar-aka-Robinho was signed in an eleventh hour deal for a mind blowing and British transfer record fee of £33m. Manchester City football club gazumping Chelsea in the race for the Real Madrid Galactico brings a smile to the face of us long suffering fans.

 If the west coast of America is bracing itself for the hurricane season we are bracing ourselves for what could eventually prove to be the most eventful period in the clubs long and chequered history. Given that in some quarters we are now considered as the richest club in the world we can become a magnet for the worlds best players. For City to be able to compete with Englands top four and Europes leading clubs is a fabulous change in circumstances and can only be good for the benefit if City. It's so hard to imagine that we could match the financial clout of others and compete for the services of the likes of Messi, Villa, Fabrigas, Torres or Ronaldo. Whether we are able to attract players purely based on our ability to win trophies remains to be seen.

As delighted as I am at recent events their still needs to be an element of caution throughout all this. For those of you who peruse my newsletter contributions, you will be well aware of the concern I have voiced over the Abramovich effect on football, in particular the Premier League. The predictability of the P L was worrying and was detrimental to the overall concept of the Premiership. But I have always said that if this was the direction football was going, if we wanted to be involved we had to go the same way. Well for now that is the direction Manchester City are going and we have to applaud the Arabs for their investment and intentions. This is a gigantic step of mammoth proportions and we have to grasp the opportunity with both hands. On a cautionary note I hope that the acadamy doesn't suffer as a consequence but the big spenders have shown that opportunities for youth becomes very limited as the cheque book talks. I'm certain that this influx of spending power will also see a number of established and favourite players departing the club within the next twelve months or so. Will Joe Hart, Richard Dunne, Micah Richards, Benjani, Vassell and others remain in the team if the manager has three or four £20+m players available for selection. Something tells me that this is only the beginning of a football revolution never ever seen before world wide.

 

 

 

I'm trying so hard not to become carried away but the smell of potential success is breathtaking. But remember one thing, WE AIN'T WON NOTHING YET! This love affair I've had with City continues and could become even better with age!

Sheikhin' Stevenson 

 

 

Geoff Stevenson

 

                     

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