David Concannon, who writes for the Manchester City fanzine, is having a go at author Colin Shindler in the latest issue. Shindler, apparently, feels that City has sold its soul to buy success. In response to this view, Concannon writes...

"If you want some romantic notion of how football should be, doing things the honest way and achieving bug*er all in your lifetime, you could go to Maine Road FC. The 100 others would be glad of increasing their support base by 1%..."

Is it me, or is that rather rude?

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Leaky Creaky Ultra

It was okay when Colin Shindler made us laugh and weep when we read his stories about a life that is involved in supporting City. All true City fans will recognise this.
He is entitled to his opinion, what ever he may say. Thats what makes for open debate.
David Who????

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From Mayo I say:

"Play Up You BLUES!!"

EDIT: I didn't even notice the "achieving bugger all" part on first read. I can see how that may come across as rude, though maybe it was said tongue-in-cheek.

As for Schindler, well, as the above poster says, he's entitled to his opinion, and though there is some truth in some supporters feeling disconnected from City nowadays, it's a small percentage, in my experience, and natural when so much changes at a club in such a short space of time. He's sort of taken it to an extreme, though, in becoming the go-to New City Miserablist for the press. Can't say i share his opinion, though i understand football supporters feeling disenfranchised with top-flight football and all the nonsense that comes with it in this day and age.

Whatever the writer's intentions, if it gets one more person through the turnstiles then perhaps it's worthwhile. If Schindler's right, and City are losing supporters who no longer feel involved, then local non-league clubs would be the natural next point of call, or so you'd hope.

It's true that some will feel that the goal posts have been moved in the top flight with rich investment, 'cos thats what it is. There are lots of supporters who would not be envious if their club had been transformed like City, but sadly money, big money, is accounting for the winning formula in the premier league it seems
I don't think it will reach the heady days of forming a new outlet for disgruntled fans as per AFC Wimbledon and FC United. But who knows......Great oak trees and all that.

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From Mayo I say:

"Play Up You BLUES!!"

It is rude, because Maine Road FC's steady progress from Sunday League to NWCFL is one hell of an achievement - particularly given the complete absence of large-scale investment.

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MAINE ROAD F.C.
South Manchester's Premier Club

I think its rude, arrogant and condescending too - he has done himself no favours, whoever he is.

It's clear that the artricle in the fanzine has set a few feathers ruffling.
My old man used to say "don't worry, you always get people who will say something to get noticed, but the're forgotten sooner than you think"
A bit like the kid in the school team, does nothing, scores a fluke goal, runs around like mad for the next 10mins and then does nothing for the team in the remainder of the game.

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From Mayo I say:

"Play Up You BLUES!!"

His articles are under the title Concannon's Broadside... I think Concannon's Backside would be more apt.

He gets it wrong about FC United as well, accusing them of 'buying' their way up the leagues... They've been going, what... 7 seasons? They've been promoted 3 (three) times. My math is fluffy at best, but 3 promotions isn't exactly 'buying' their way up the leagues is it.

Because buying success is all wrong isn't it... oh... erm...

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Leaky Creaky Ultra

Thought it was a bit quiet, nice to hear from you again "Machine".
It's true what you say, FC were formed by a group of fans who loved the simple game.
To me, sadly nowadays, there is far to much money floating around in the game.
If I'm honest, its ruining it. There, I've said it.
I'm sure there are plenty who agree, and not just from the smaller league clubs.
Any club who has a never ending cheque book in the drawer isn't good for the game.
We need to have goalposts in place to stop this mentality of outbidding rediculous money to sign some person, who honestly, is nothing more than gifted. All this talk about paying premium wages because they retire early.... Tell that to the hero in Helmand.
Turnstile prices are too high and what was a regular thing, now becomes a special treat for more and more families these days. Just look at the prices of club shirts in the shops. There is no justification what so ever in charging these types of prices. Don't these clubs realise the UK, Europe, the World, is TRYING TO CLIMB OUT OF recession.
However, if people are going to pay these silly prices, then who am I to argue, after all I support a team who were pretty average for 40 years, now they are the richest in the world. Do I like it?, no not really. I was glad to win the title last season, got that monkey off our backs, but now, I don't really care who wins.

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From Mayo I say:

"Play Up You BLUES!!"

Cheers, Mayo – just keeping a lower profile coz I mouth off & say stuff I shouldn’t…

With the inception of the ‘Premier’ league, I and many others called it for what it was – a league designed to keep the clubs at the top – at the top. Not to mention, make a lot of money. Football was certainly in need of a clean-up; what football got instead was a business plan and a lot of people got (are getting) their pockets lined. Ditto the ‘Champions’ league, of benefit only to the already rich and successful. And we, the supporters, let it happen. Oh, some of us shouted a bit and stamped our wittle footsies but in the end we accepted it, because we’re football fans and we slap our money down to follow our club, no matter what happens.

But I was never comfortable in the ‘Premier’. I couldn’t see any future for City or for any of the other also-rans. If we signed or brought through a good player, the ‘Sky 4’ were on hand to cherry pick, aided and abetted by a gleeful tabloid press whose job it is to unsettle a transfer target with daily hyperbole spewed up by ‘sources close to the club’. How were any of us to build a team ‘the right way™’? We could only offer hopes and dreams; top players don’t sign for hopes and dreams, they sign for instant glory, they sign for now. More than anything, they sign for whoever offers them the best deal. But none of that matters when you support a club, it doesn’t matter who you buy, who you don’t buy, who you sell or what league you end up playing in. It certainly didn’t matter to me; all that mattered was a game of football to go and watch at the end of the week. But supporting City started to feel like I was supporting the ‘Premier’ league. Something had to give.

The die was cast when I turned up for a home game to find several of my fellow supporters had arrived bearing a letter from the club warning them about their future conduct. They were asking the fans around them, me included, who had reported their seat number. They didn’t want trouble; they wanted to face their accuser and ask them why? I’m not saying these blokes were all angels but I never heard any racist chanting where I was sat; the most it could’ve been was for bad language and/or persistent standing (it’s a miracle I didn’t get a letter). Myself, if I hear something I don’t like I’ll tell you I don’t like it – I won’t inform on you anonymously. I couldn’t handle Blues snitching on fellow Blues and I couldn’t handle the club encouraging fans to do it. I wrote the club a long and heartfelt letter detailing my concerns about that, the ‘Premier’ league and the direction/goals of the club in general. It’s sad really, had I received a reply, any kind of acknowledgement of the time and effort I put into that letter I probably would’ve stuck around – though I would’ve changed stands. Then again I think it would only have been a matter of time before I banged out a steward and got banned. Anyway, City didn’t reply and we parted company at the end of the season (the one before Pearce’s full season).

I don’t agree with David Conn (The Guardian) and Schindler but I do see where they’re coming from. Conn himself has written a very good book about the state of football today (The Beautiful Game: Searching For The Soul Of Football) and I’ve got a lot of time for him. Schindler not so much. Man United never ruined my life; they didn’t even exist until ‘derby’ day. Both authors bemoan City’s riches but how else can City, or anyone, reserve a place at football’s top table without the financial clout of a wealthy owner? Odd isn’t it, how for 18 years it’s been all fine and dandy for the ‘Sky 4’ to buy whoever they want and pay them whatever wages are asked for… until now. Suddenly it’s not all right for a club to do that. Suddenly, clubs doing that must be stopped – so say the clubs who have had unequalled success doing just that. It’s a specific rule that tells City and any other also-rans with ideas above their station that if they’re not on the list they’re not coming in. We have the farcical situation of a club announcing a profit while being £400 million in debt, yet they never appear on the FA/UEFA radar. Apparently, being in debt is a great way to run your football club. If I make £20 today but I owe the bank £500, I’m not £20 in profit. Debt = good; having the money to make a club successful = bad. Think about it. It’s a case of the ‘Premier’ league protecting their ‘own’. In my personal opinion, it’s bent from top to bottom and needs investigating and blowing wide open. Will that happen? Don’t hold yer breath.

I don’t know if City can outwit FFP. Don’t know, don’t care. All I know is that in not replying to my letter, the club delivered me from a hive of scum and villainy (the ‘Premier’/ ‘Champions’ leagues, not necessarily City). I found MRFC which wouldn’t have happened otherwise. And I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be here.

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Leaky Creaky Ultra

Cheers Machine, a good read.
Like it or hate it, Money will be the downfall of a top flight club,Simple physics dictates that a bubble can only stretch so far before it pops. Rangers are north of the border, but if they can fold.........
Over inflated wages will blow the game apart. Look at David Silva, new deal, £200,000 a week.
I don't blame him, if a club will pay such over inflated money, who's the mug? They slated Joby MacAnuff recently when he criticised "out pricing" of families at games
Take my brother in law, 51yrs old, worked since 16yrs old, never out of a job, never claimed benefits. Comes down with Epilepsy, loses his driving job, now on £22.00 a week, yes £22, because his wife works 20hrs and the Government say "live on that and do voluntary work until you are well enough to get a job" Insulting or what?
The personal touch from a club goes along way, no matter the subject. I recently contacted Old Trafford and The Etihad on a subject, by e-mail.
United, replied in person in less than a day. City, an automated response, no reply to date, that doesn't bode well in endearing the fans. Then again they probably receive umpteen dozen mails a day from unknowns like me.(See. I'm even defending them).
How did you get on without seeing City? I only ask since you obviously followed them all your life prior to walking away. I know the country is full of fans of the game like yourself and I suspect there will be more. Their clubs need not worry though, the glory hunters will glady fill the void and pay those rediculous prices for shirts, tops, joggers, anything the clubs produces.
And another thing,why the need to change strips each season? Can someone just explain where I have gone wrong on this issue? is it me or what?
Sadly, love it or loathe it,mega money is here to stay, we are all faced with two options:
(1) You either try to keep up with the cash flow, or
(2) You look deep into your soul and ask "Is this real football?"
Everybody knows what is happening and thankfully, they have the freedom of choice.I will never knock that.
Clubs like MRFC are the foundation stones of the game, some followers will say "a bit old hat nowadays", but this is where football started and is in reality, the true essence of the game, "Run by the people, for the people" .
Long my they reign.

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From Mayo I say:

"Play Up You BLUES!!"

Re: “How did you get on without seeing City?”

Much easier than I expected; my dear old Dad first took me to City in 1973 when I was a nipper. Off and on up till 77/78, I started going regularly then, think the season ticket came along mid-80’s. So I thought it would be a wrench but in all honesty I’d had enough of the entire ‘Premier’ circus. I miss the fans more than the club.

After a season out of it I started to miss seeing some football. I went along to watch an FC United match versus Flixton. I don’t think I ever had any intention of following FC; though I admired the idea behind it I still felt the breakaway should’ve happened sooner, when Man United turned into a Plc and dropped ‘Football Club’ off the badge. I was curious, that’s all. But once I heard the songs about Leeds, Liverpool & City… I just didn’t get that. The song about Rio I understood but the other stuff, I didn’t see any relevance at this level of football. Plus I noticed one or two ‘faces’ amongst their support; FC didn’t need that kind of bad blood following them…

Flixton, on the other hand, were fairly close to where I live, just a bus journey and I considered that idea. But then I was told that Trafford FC were slightly closer and I more or less made my mind up to go there. Had a look at their web site, noted the league and glanced down the other teams in it… And there was Maine Road FC. As a kid I used to see Maine Road results in the Pink Final and always wondered if they were anything to do with City, but nobody seemed to know. Then I stopped getting the Pink and forgot all about it. So, of course, I checked to see where MRFC played and they were slightly nearer again. It was destiny. Done and done.

Football strips; clubs change ‘em to make fast money, simple as that. Think of how many shirts Kagawa has sold already. I was amazed to see City turn out a ‘Champions’ league kit – even though they don’t need one. I presume they’re thinking of the turnover & the ‘FFP’…

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Leaky Creaky Ultra

Good man.
I went that way with the old Wimbledon in the end. Bit of a soccer sellout thing at the death.
AFC was a great venture, like a family affair, loads of faces from Wimbledon FC on the first game. A bit like Glasgow Rangers today, a lower division, with massive gates. AFC regularly had 2000 at home in the early days in the lowest league of the pyramid, with away support 2-400. The small clubs enjoyed our visits, much needed cash boost etc. They are struggling a bit at the moment and will do well to avoid the drop back down I am afraid to say.
MRFC are turning out well this season, seems the regime is bedding in well and from reading reports, we're playing exciting stuff. Nice one.

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From Mayo I say:

"Play Up You BLUES!!"