Looking back at domestic football history there are a few moments that stand out as title deciders. In recent years Jose Mourinho’s super-confident arrival and the emergence of Roman Abramovic’s chequebook stand out, in the nineties Kevin Keegan’s outburst and the Eric Cantona’s signature are obvious watermarks. Block it out as they might, Liverpool fans will remember the day Kenny Dalglish resigned all too clearly, they knew it was only downhill from there. But has the last, last minute takeover, and spending jamboree, that occurred at the City of Manchester Stadium on Monday just handed the title back to the Mancunians in red?
A tedious and horrible summer for United fans has just ended in precisely the fashion they would have liked, and they have Manchester City to thank for it. Not even the most imaginative of pundits has dared predict a Premier League winner emerging from any team other United and Chelsea for the 2008/2009 season, and whilst the neutral would maybe prefer to see Arsenal’s colours on the trophy in May, the pundits have probably got it right.
There is a wafer thin difference between the quality of the teams and only John Terry not being up to the job separated the sides in Moscow. For years Chelsea have been using Kenyon’s knowledge of Ferguson’s transfer targets to gazump United (please read the moves of Essien, Mikel, Ballack and Robben for proof of this). This year it seemed as if both were trying to find the last piece of the jigsaw in an attempt to outdo their rivals. As the clock struck 12 on Monday night, United had their man and Chelsea, palpably, did not.
Robinho, far from turning into a Pumpkin, has become a Manchester City player. Mr. Kenyon and his cohorts are left holding little more than a glass slipper (perhaps the same type that JT plays in), something essentially non-existent and certainly not the marquee new striker they were hoping for. United have gone home with Cinderella.
City fans will treat the takeover with a sense of startled delight, but they are far too experienced a bunch to get carried away immediately (maybe). I imagine they will rub their eyes before reading the morning’s papers to make sure it is all true. In time, City could well become a force in the league if this latest round of promises to their beleaguered fans proves to have substance. But for the time being, the first act of their new owners has been to trip up the neighbour’s main rivals. Happy as the average bluenose is with Robinho’s arrival, they would all have preferred to nick a player off United at the last minute if they could have done.
Not so, and if United march to the title again next may we may have to extend a grateful handshake in the direction of Eastlands, it would be rude not to.
Footnote: Apparently City’s new owners turned down the chance to save crisis-ridden Liverpool before Thaksin approached them. This just keeps getting better doesn’t it?
And they looked at the now-Keggyless Newcastle before deciding against …