It’s no secret that Man City’s performance throughout the years has been somewhat erratic. They are, after all, the only English champions to be relegated in the subsequent season. But judging by the club’s recent track record and Manuel Pellegrini’s confidence as future manager, a smoother ride is expected on this rocky road to success.
Despite finishing up the season in second place behind Chelsea, the Blues have come away with a Golden Boot, Golden Glove and a spot in Pot 2 of the Champions League group stage draw – not a bad haul. Their final six games were proof of the club’s ongoing revival and should give fans hope of pushing forward.
If there is one thing City have proved throughout their history, it’s that they are fighters and certainly live up to their motto “Pride in Battle”. Symptoms of ‘Cityitis’ began to show late last year as the team plunged eight points behind Chelsea and were close to elimination, but they soon pulled back with a last-minute victory over Bayern Munich. It was an extraordinary turnaround and marked another exciting chapter in their history.
Indeed, there has been no shortage of drama in City’s 135-year existence. For a time – 1969 to 1976, to be exact – they were undeniably the cream of the crop in English football. Beginning with the FA Cup win in 1969 and then the League Cup and Fairs Cup in 1970, the club saw a run of success that outstripped their arch-rivals Manchester United, who were relegated in 1974. The last victory came two years later with another League Cup win against Newcastle at Wembley.
What followed was a long and slow decline for City, supposedly instigated by coach Malcolm Allison, who sold all their best players. Even with a brief period of stability in the early nineties, the club faced further blows later on: two relegations in three years.
The story started to change when Abu Dhabi United Group purchased the club in 2008 for £210 million. The investment since then is believed to have revived City and brought them back into a position as contenders. However, according to Pellegrini, that is not the case. “You can’t do it with money,” he said. “You can do it with character, with personality, with skill, with style of play, a lot of things. You spend money because you need a strong squad, but there are a lot of things you have to do after money.”
He is probably right. Money can of course be hugely beneficial in the making of a successful club, but it won’t do it on its own. Take Fulham’s Shahid Khan, who saw his team relegated from the league last year despite investing millions. Furthermore, only two of the fifteen richest club owners saw their clubs take their respective league titles last season.
As United Group have demonstrated, smart investment will go a long way. A good manager and skilled players are the main draws, but after that it is all down to hard work. ‘We’re Man City, we fight till the end,’ is often the chant from fans, and not without good reason. The team proved numerous times that they are willing to battle untill the very end and pay back any bets made on them. Thus it is well worth following the actual betting promotions on Bonuscorner.com.
So where do they go from here? Pellegrini is staying for the next season and definitely deserves to, mainly to demonstrate his long-term capabilities. With the player transfer window soon to open and the likelihood of some big names joining, the future of this club is looking bright.
