kowenicki said:
Man U paid 60m for two players years ago (ferdinand and Rooney)... probably about 80m in todays money. Utd bought the title many times spent big money on many players, as did Chelsea, as did Blackburn, as did many other teams. |
My take on the whole "big-money" debate is this...
David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt... These players cemented Manchester United's dominance of the Premier League in the 90s. They were not the product of money, they were the product of good management and one of the most nurturing youth systems ever. Sure they've spent big in recent years, but that is only possible due to their earlier, self-made success.
Manchester city are missing that. Outside of Joe Hart, I can't think of one player still at Man City who has risen through the ranks.'They even gave away their home-grown star Stephen Ireland, once voted 'player of the year', just so they could spend £24m on another player. I think something valuable has been lost from the club when that happens.
Chelsea did exactly the same thing. The only remaining product of the pre-Abramovich era are John Terry and Frank Lampard. Surely the real feeling of victory is missing from a club like that. It's like cheating in a video game; you'll win, but it wont feel the same.
