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I don't know if it's just me, but a lot of people are making too much of a deal over the new owners of Manchester City. Sure, Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) has shown that it has the money to bring in the best, but that's about it...

Manchester United Will Always Be Bigger And Better Than Manchester City

by Thomas (Senior Writer)

36

939 reads

Opinion

September 04, 2008


I don't know if it's just me, but a lot of people are making too much of a deal over the new owners of Manchester City. 

Sure, Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) has shown that it has the money to bring in the best, but that's about it.  When they made a successful last-ditch effort to bring in Robinho, they were making trying to make a statement.  They were basically saying:  "We're rich enough to bring in the best so now we will be the best.  Everyone fear us!"

Apparently, people got the message as they have all the sudden talked about Manchester City becoming the biggest club in the world.

For instance, Liverpool veteran Jamie Carragher has expressed his concern over ADUG's obvious financial supremacy, while Manchester United forward Carlos Tevez believes the Mancunian derby will now be recognized among the world's greatest.

I must laugh at this. Only a few weeks ago, City fans were complaining about their owners and now, they think that they'll be the best club in the world.  I'm sorry if I missed something, but you can't become the best in the world in a few short weeks. 

Sure the Manchester Derby will be a little more interesting, but what else will happen?  Nothing in the immediate future, I say. Manchester United will always be the bigger and better club. There, I said it.

I don't care if no one else agrees with me, but from what I've heard, Ryan Giggs does.  To him, no amount success over the next few seasons will see the Sky Blues outgrow the Red Devils.   

"City have the richest owner in the world but I still see United as the biggest club," the United winger, formerly of City's youth system, told The Guardian.

"United have status and history that has taken years to build up. It stretches back to the days of the Busby Babes, to players like Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best. We have fans in India, China, South America. That popularity is a result of our history. Money can't necessarily get you that."

The Red Devils have a far greater impact in the world. They have a better record than the Sky Blues and no one can deny it.  Manchester United last won something this year 2008, but Manchester City haven't won anything since 2002! 

United has rich history full of stars and champions. 

I can't think of any past player from Manchester City that a normal person on the street would recognize.  "How bout Shaun Wright-Phillips?" you might ask.  I said PAST, as in 1990s and back.  However, if you went to someone and said the names like Eric Cantona, George Best, Sir Bobby Charleton, and others people would know exactly who you were talking about. 

Wherever you go in the world, you'll find a Red Devil fan.  I've been to eight different countries in my short 18 years of life, and not once have I seen a Sky Blue fan. 

I've seen fellow Manchester United fans in Thailand, Chelsea fans in Korea, Fulham and Newcastle fans in the States, and even Leeds fans in Canada.  But not once have I found a Manchester City fan. 

Sure, they have supporters clubs around the world.  Heck, even the USA has a MCFC USA.  But they don't have half as many supporters as United.  I challenge someone to find 10, yes, 10 MCFC fans outside of Great Britain.  I can show you 10 MUFC fans right in my small city of 50,000 people.

Manchester City can try all they want to become the best club in the world.  However, until they start winning at least the Premier League, you can't say that they should even be considered the best.  Come talk to me in another 25 years and then we might have something to talk about.

I'm not trying to bring down Manchester City, all I'm saying is that ADUG has no right in saying that they'll be the best club in the world within three years or so.  There's no way that that can happen. 

Sure, the Sky Blues may start winning more often, but it'll never be as big or as popular as dear old Manchester United.

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36 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Andrew McNair 10 months ago

    Fair enough Thomas. Until Man City are winning the league and dominating United then United will be the biggest club. End of.

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  2. Salaar Arshad Shamsi 10 months ago

    easier said then done..fair enough, Thomas..City need to prove their supremacy..on the pitch not with the cash

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  3. Karen Patel 10 months ago

    You're absolutely right. Man City fans are getting too carried away.

    The fact that some fans are now rushing out to buy season tickets just shows how fickle they are. Weren't your team worth watching before? What are you gonna do if you don't win anything this season? (which will probably be the case) Are you gonna ask for a refund?

    Man United are no doubt a bigger club and have been one of the biggest clubs in the world for some time. it didn't happen overnight.

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    • Thomas 10 months ago

      this is almost as bad as when ppl got Beckhamania here in the States, except here, it helped us.

      People get too excited over little things. It's getting ridiculous.

      on a different note, Newcastle fans have every right to protest. good for them

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  4. Salomon Gonzales 10 months ago

    Man City have the advantages of learning from Chelsea's mistakes. ADUG are at the exact same stage as Roman was 4 years ago. If they dont use Chelsea as an example and use their money wisely then all I can say is, they will deserve everything thats coming to them..

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    • Thomas 10 months ago

      That's easier said than done, they're gonna have alot of temptations to blow their money. We'll see what happens.

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  5. Jeff Harbert 10 months ago

    Right you are Thomas! City will never come close to matching the history of United and their success won't even be worth comparing to United's in my opinion. No matter how City does in the next few years, they'll never be better than United.

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  6. Tom Lime 10 months ago

    I can't believe anyone could even entertain the possibility right now. Some of the false attitudes and disrespect for history and success suggest September 2nd 2008 might be the day that football died. Certainly it was the day Manchester City sold its soul.
    Take this quote : "Ronaldo has said he wants to play for the biggest club in the world, so we will see in January if he is serious," the Guardian newspaper quoted Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim, of City's new owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group, as saying on their website.
    I am not convinced Dr Sulaiman is the full shilling, upon considering this quote. This man is the ultimate ego centric meglomaniac. I am a Manchester red and take some pride in knowing that the millions my club spends are generated solely by footballing and commercial means. People who claim spending millions is the same evil in every case are deluded. I have no problem with teams like Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan spending as much money on players as they like - for they have earned that over decades of successes. Manchester City will undoubtedly achieve success, with Mark Hughes being under massive pressure to achieve this.
    Nothing has changed however. United have not been able to compete with Chelsea for new players in financial terms for the last few years - yet have remained as successful as ever. After only a few hours it was clear that Dr Sulaiman was dictating the most impressive and noteworthy transfer targets to Mark Hughes. I don't imagine Sparky would have immediately thought to add Ronaldo, Torres, Fabregas etc.. to his ranks. Clearly the new owners are interfering with transfer matters (wanting only the superstar names) which suggests to me that this little adventure is doomed to failure.

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  7. S B 10 months ago

    Nuff respect.... but lots of stuff you loath about City are exactly what made the modern United.

    I`d also like to know where these United - South American fans are from.

    Do they all know each other? Are they from the same family etc?

    :)

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  8. Tim Oates 10 months ago

    Aren't Coventry City FC known as the Sky Blues. Sky Blues is used in the preview. To my knowledge Manchester City FC's nicknames are 'The Citizens, The Blues, City'.

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  9. Shyam Parthasarathi 10 months ago

    I see Man Utd fans getting defensive all over.. I don't see your rationale for writing this article in any case.. everyone knows that Man Utd are bigger than City but to suggest that they'll NEVER be able to usurp Man Utd is something which you can never judge.

    For the foreseeable future though, you are right.

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    • Thomas 10 months ago

      I believe that United fans have the right to say that City will never be as big and better as us. It would take City winning every trophy for the next 20 years and United winning nothing to say City is better and bigger. I don't see that happening.

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    • S B 10 months ago

      I agree. Just writing the article alone shows real FEAR.

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    • Simon Williams 9 months ago

      They are running scared S, there are articles everywhere saying the same thing!

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  10. Gary Nolan 10 months ago

    yeah there are alot of man u fans around the world....intresting to see how many have joined the fan base in the last 15 years!!
    Wondering Thomas......how come you picked Utd to support??

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    • Thomas 10 months ago

      moved to Thailand from the States when I was 13 & the first soccer game I saw a Man. Utd. game. It was amazing!

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  11. Yoosof Farah 10 months ago

    You have a good point Thomas. As a United supporter myself, I hope you are right and that City will never be bigger than United. But in time, it could be possible City could be the better team. As I always like to say, money can make a club. It is true money is the key ingredient for success. United's dominance in the Premiership since it was created is largely down to money. United will have the richer history, but City could be the better team in the future.

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    • Thomas 10 months ago

      as I keep saying, unless United never wins a trophy again for the next 10 years or more, and City wins everything in sight, United will always be the better club.

      Thanks for the comment Yoosof.

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  12. J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago

    It is one thing to have the money, it's something altogether different to know how to spend it. Even if you get the star players in, you need to put them into a proper framework, and some of these bucco buck types will simply not want to play along.

    I think of ManU and ManCity being roughly equivalent to the NBA's LA Lakers and LA Clippers. Same town, owners with more money than God, even the same facility, but one is a multiple champion and the other is a laughingstock.

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  13. K Rogers 9 months ago

    "I can show you 10 MUFC fans right in my small city of 50,000 people."

    Well, duh. It's easy to root for a frontrunner. I can go overseas and find ten Yankees fans in a day. How many of them understand the rules of the game or can name more than two players? None. Yes, ManUre dominates the press headlines and have had success. Does that make their fan base more informed or dedicated? No, it makes them bandwagon jumpers.

    I've been a lifelong Mets fan and a City fan for the last decade. We do not cheer for these team because it is easy. We can savor the good times because we've been through the bad. To update an old phrase, "cheering for United is like cheering for Microsoft." It takes no commitment, no passion to root for a team like United. I and my fellow Blues will keep cheering on City.

    Oh, and even with ADUG's money, which team swept the last derby? I can't remember...

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    • Keith Griffin 9 months ago

      Ah yes, we were awfully dissapointed last season that we didnt have the "Champions Of Manchester" trophy to put beside our Premier League and Champions League trophies. Maybe next year along with some major investment and the Bulgarian Berbatov up front(who turned down City) we may be able to topple the behemoth that is Manchester City. Yawn....

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  14. Simon Williams 9 months ago

    You have to laugh at American Man Utd fans and American Man City fans arguing like it's some local bragging rights battle.

    What next?

    Two Iranian's having a fight about who is better between Shaun Goater and Brian McClair?

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    • Salaar Arshad Shamsi 9 months ago

      LOL.

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    • Anthony Sanchez 9 months ago

      Classic comment!!

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    • Jon Marum 9 months ago

      haha no I think it will be two Peruvians arguing who wa a bigger waste of money- Steve Daly or Gary Birtles!

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    • K Rogers 9 months ago

      I'm saddened by your provincialism. I know I'm not Mancunian or even English and admitted as such in my comment when I didn't have to. I would hope that one as yourself would be proud to spread love of the world's game and even prouder of your nation's league being watched and supported by people all over the world. I would have assumed that the EPL's goal would be to provide the highest level of football in the world to everyone. Would you be happier if only Englishmen played and the games were only broadcast nationally?

      I've heard the complaints and the jokes before and I guess I should be used to them by now. More than anything else, it's just sad that some choose to be so limited when it comes to sport when sport can be something that can make the world a little smaller.

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    • Anthony Sanchez 9 months ago

      He's pulling your leg K !!!

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    • Simon Williams 9 months ago

      Chillax K, I made a joke, no-one died.

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