Delusions Of Grandeur As City Attempt To Shatter The Glass Ceiling

Manchester City it seems, are the new Chelsea.

After being taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) yesterday, the club signalled it’s intent by having an offer accepted for Dimitar Berbatov, and most shockingly of all, stealing Robinho from the clutches of Chelsea.

City’s new owners have left no one in doubt as to what their ambitions for City are. They promise to turn City into a top four club by 2011 and qualify for the Champions League next season.

The bluster has continued yesterday, with ADUG suggesting that they will try to get Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United:

“Ronaldo has said he wants to play for the biggest club in the world, so we will see in January if he is serious," ADUG spokesman Sulaiman Al-Fahim said.

"Real Madrid were estimating his value at $160m but for a player like that, to actually get him, will cost a lot more, I would think $240m.

"But why not? We are going to be the biggest club in the world, bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United.”

The newspaper that ran the quotes, The Daily Mail, also report that City will attempt to sign Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres as well. The term “in your dreams” springs to mind.

Al-Fahim is in for a stiff reality check.

Comparisons are being made to the summer of 2003, when Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea and changed the landscape of English football forever. However, Man City are not the new Chelsea, and there are a number of reasons for this.

When Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea in 2003, the club were already established as a top club, and had just qualified for the Champions League for the second time. Chelsea could offer such a carrot in negotiations with the world’s top players. City have never qualified for the Champions League and haven’t won a major trophy since 1976. For all the “no history jibes”, Chelsea were already winning trophies and getting to finals before Abramovich showed up.

Abramovich took over a club that had been on a path to revival that had been instigated by Glen Hoddle back in the 1990s. Foreign stars such as Gullit, Zola, and Vialli improved Chelsea and the end of the 90s was a period of great success. Al Fahim has a lot of work to do, Abramovich by contrast didn’t.

Of course, throwing money around will get some players, just ask Robinho (who REALLY wanted to play for Chelsea by the way). But most players take other things into consideration besides the size of their bank balance.

Manchester City threw money at Tottenham in the hope of getting Dimitar Berbatov, but they failed because Berbatov didn’t care about the money, he wanted to play for a team in the Champions League and who are one of the favourites to win the Premier League.

An interesting point raised in the aftermath of the takeover is whether Mark Hughes would have remained City manager had the takeover been completed earlier. Once Abramovich had took over, he needed a manager to take the club to the next level.

While some people will have you know that Chelsea’s success was just down to money, Mourinho played a crucial role in elevating Chelsea to the next level, Ranieri, in my opinion, wouldn’t have been able to do that. A top class manager is needed to mould expensive superstars into a team and formulate the tactics.

Mark Hughes has done well with Wales and Blackburn, but he is not in the same managerial league as Mourinho. When it comes to luring players to the club, will they really want to work for Hughes instead of Ferguson, Wenger, Scolari, or Benitez?

Therefore I think Hughes could be handed his P45 as City seek to really become the new Chelsea.

The bravado of the new owners also differs from Abramovich. Abramovich didn’t set any such targets when he took over Chelsea, indeed he hardly ever gives any interviews. The press speculate all they like, but Abramovich is a very secretive man.

The ADUG’s comments will mean that the pressure is immediately on City to barge it’s way into the top four.

The ADUG are having delusions of grandeur, and of course there is nothing wrong with that. It will make the Premiership more interesting and I don’t begrudge City fans their new found wealth.

However, calling Manchester City the new Chelsea feels a bit hasty and after the euphoria of yesterday’s events, reality will begin to set in, and it may not be the one that City fans hoped for.

You only have to ask Liverpool and West Ham fans about their tribulations with takeovers from foreign investors to know that they aren’t always good things. West Ham just avoided relegation a year ago and Liverpool still haven’t won a league title for 18 years.

Manchester City could be next onto the list as they attempt to shatter the seemingly multi-glazed glass ceiling that is the Big Four.

Dreams are free, but money doesn't guarantee that they will come true.