Why Manchester City Will Become the Heroes of the Premier League

PORTLAND, OR - JULY 17: Craig Bellamy of Manchester City of battles Derek Gaudet the Portland Timbers during a friendly match on July 17, 2010 at Merlo Field in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Everyone loves the underdog. However, when the underdog becomes the richest club in the worldnot so much love. Yet at one point, every club that now holds a major position in world football has received massive financial support. How do Manchester United and Real Madrid continually grace the ranks of top flight football? The answer is money. You might say good youth players, good scouting, or just a traditionally strong squad- yet what does that all boil down to? Money.

You might even argue that its the fans who make a team great. Seeing a sea of committed supporters year after year is what really makes a team successful. Yet there is a difference between the turnout at a Scunthorpe United game as compared to the turn out of an Arsenal game. This is for various reasons: city population, stadium size and the general societal class of its supporters. Yet again, what difference is there between North Lincolnshire and London? Money.

This is not to say that money can buy success. Money cannot buy success. Manchester Citys purchase of Robinho or Real Madrids purchase of Kaka or even Cristiano Ronaldo can attest to this. Furthermore as the Beatle-esque saying goes: you cant buy love (or Champions League football, or devoted support from fans). So why then do I believe that Manchester City will win our hearts and our attention? Simple they are the heroes in this story.

For the last 15 years, the dictators of English football: Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool have held their reign. During this time many have come c! lose but few have succeeded. Its not that the Big Four are necessarily evil, rather its more so an issue of being notorious for success. While every team in the Premier League has a chance at success, its only a select few who have a relative shot at it. True, Bolton could easily upset Chelsea in an important game, and true, Tottenham continually come close to or land in the Champions league. Yet time and time again, they as with Bolton, do not have the ability to sustain their efforts.

Sooner or later, the Big Four will resume their reign. This is what makes Manchester City so special. Every once in a Blue Moon, a team will come within shouting distance of the Big Four, and while most get turned away, some have the potential for an upheaval, even a revolution.

It takes a lot to become a hero. First, there must be an underdog status. Not simply that the club in question has spent time with a low ranking, but more so that a club with massive potential has spent time in this position. Think of a hero who spent years being made fun of or a hero who had the power to change but refused to use it. This is Manchester City. Even before the injection of their recent capital, Manchester City were the club among all clubs who certainly carried the potential to be in top class European football but for some reason were not.

Second, the hero needs to have potential. Every major league in the world has its fair share of impressive teams, and yet a team like Newcastle never really stand a chance at being a major threat for Chelsea. They might lose a game or two, but they will never lose continually. Why is this? Because Newcastle doesnt have the potential. Dont get me wrong, I am actually a supporter of Newcastle. They are a grand team. However, if it came time for me to choose a team to save the world, as a hero, I wouldnt choose Newcastle they dont have the potential to go up against the dictators who rule the land.

Manchester Citys potential can be measured in many ways. First and foremost they ha! ve world -class talent. With the likes of Carlos Tevez, Joleon Lescott, Kolo Toure, Gareth Barry and the recent signings of David Silva and Ya-Ya Toure, Manchester City have the talent and depth of any world class team. And with time still left in the current transfer season it will only strengthen and gain potential.

Beyond this, City also have an unprecedented amount of youth players and previously unrecognized players who are coming to fruition in their reserves and first team. Players like Nedum Onuoha, Micah Richards, Alex Nimely and Vladimir Weiss will only have short time until they become stars in the world of football. Academy graduates like Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips are an example of this. Furthermore, Manchester Citys potential extends to players from other clubs as well. Take Carlos Tevez for example. At Manchester United, Tevez was a second class striker condemned to follow behind Wayne Rooney. And yet, once he joined the better half of Manchester, City didnt just allow him a starting position they gave him potential to grow. Tevez is in the top rank of the best strikers in the world.

Another example is the recent transfer of Adam Johnson. While Johnson preformed well at Middlesbrough, it was nothing to be amazed of. And yet upon arriving at Eastlands, AJ has blown past all of our expectations. Why? Potential. When a player with massive potential meets a club with massive ambition amazing things will happen. A few months ago Adam Johnson was a second rate midfielder at an unthreatening club and until recently, he was even a strong contender for a position in Englands World Cup squad. Thanks to Manchester City, Adam Johnson is destined to become an English legend. And this is because of potential. Finally, the hero must have ambition. Not just any ambition unfaltering, unwavering, diehard ambition; I want to change the world ambition. The kind of ambition that everyone calls crazy. The kind of ambition that makes others wonder if youre really the hero or the enemy. A! mbition can be a confusing thing but in the world of European football its the essential catalyst behind winning. Money can certainly buy players, and players can certainly have potential, but without this unique form of raving ardor no success will be seen.

In due time, Manchester City will become the hero of the English Premier League. Some may scoff at the likes of a zealous club with bottomless pockets but its all a matter of perspective. Its all a matter of whether or not you see the club as the hero or the enemy. And frankly, its all a matter of chance will the stars align for Manchester City? Only time will tell, but for now, I am happily entranced by the heroic ambition of the Blue Revolution.

Related posts:

  • Where Manchester City Needs To Go From Here
  • Manchester City Looking To Bid On Buffon, And Why They Shouldnt
  • Manchester United 1-0 Manchester City Matchday Observations and Late Drama



    • World Soccer News | Video | Podcast | Gallery | Live Streaming

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Mr. Hodgson Or: How We Learned To Stop Worrying And Blame The Manager

    Image
    The manager has risen from club secretary to official face of the club since the creation of football teams worldwide. He has moved from the man that kept the record books to man that is larger than the football team he manages. Commentators and pundits refer to Fergusons United or Wengers beautiful, passing football. He even has books written about him. The Manager by Barney Ronay, an excellent book that discusses the rise of the manager into the modern game, unearths some of the origins of the managers image and attempts todiscuss what kind of person the manager really is. While the book wasnt ever intended to be an academic study of the merits of various tactical thoughts of managers, it does address some of the often listed character traits ofsuccessfulmanagers. When all these traits are put together, to many the manager appears to be a father figure, a scary headmaster, a politician youd like to have a beer with, or somecombination. Yet despite all this popularity, he is little mo...
    Keep reading

    England World Cup camps need to lose doomsday siege mentality

    Image
    One day last week, near the junction of Maude Street and Rivonia Road, in the Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, a line of smiling young men in shirts and shorts strolled along the pavement towards their hotel. Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie, Dirk Kuyt, Mark Van Bommel and the rest of the Dutch squad waited at the lights until there was a break in the traffic and then ambled across the road. These were some of the best known players in the world, superstars of the game, walking along city streets on their way back from training and looking as though they did not have a care. There was no security with them. None to speak of, anyway. There were no photographers running in front of them and taking their picture. There were no girlfriends tottering along beside them. None of them wore headphones. They did not insulate themselves. They seemed at one with their surroundings. It was only a snapshot of the way the Dutch are living their lives at this World Cup but ...
    Keep reading

    How an American Influence Is Rubbing Off On Manchester City

    Image
    Manchester Citys match day experience is becoming more and more American with each new season. While Maine Road was what you could expect a typical British experience of what it was like to see an English football match in the 80s, the City of Manchester Stadium experience seems as American as apple pie. In previous seasons, City have tried to focus on improving the match-day experience. Theyve added buskers, i.e. public performers, around the ground to add to the atmosphere. And recently theyve adopted American entertainment methods such as turning down the house lights before kick-off and trying to get everyone excited for the big match. Theyve also been a pioneer in English football in their usage of American social media sites such as Facebook, Foursquare, Flickr and others to create a bond with supporters. And now for their first home match in the league for the 2010-11 season, against Liverpool tonight, theyre set to unveil two new features. Both of them have a uniquely American...
    Keep reading