I think the Red Cartel is a myth used by underachieving club supporters.
Liverpool didn't win a league for 30 years.
United similar
Arsenal 22 and never won a European Champions Cup
Chelsea were a run down shitheap run by a man putting barbed wire up.
City were a club you just had to beat to get where you needed to go.
Villa finished second in the early Prem and never capitalised despite always been run prudently
Newcastle won nothing for 70 years with plenty of fans and Prem money.
Leeds spent half of their existence outside of the top flight
Yes, there are romantic and historic reasons why Liverpool, United and Arsenal "caught fire" and imaginations of huge numbers. It's why people buy iphones, Ferraris, want to live in London, New York or Paris. Some things transcend the normal.
The 3 big clubs aren't all wine and roses either. Glazers are a cancer on the club, FSG and LFC fans butt heads often, likewise Kroenkes. But to suggest they have some golden key to unlock corrupt practice over 5 decades on their favour, there just isn't the evidence for it.
Do I believe every club should start a season having a capable squad which I'm theory could win the league? Yes.
Do I think the current financial rules punish some clubs because of the corruption of others? Yes.
Do I think every club should spend whatever they like? No, because of the shitshow we're seeing today.
City and Chelsea when I was a kid were second division also rans and a Steve Mackenzie thunderbastard v Spurs. And that's cool, loved both.
But the "Red Cartel" trophy cabinet is real, and won fairly and squarely at home and abroad. Rome, Barcelona, White Hart Lane, etc etc.
Chelsea, City ( and other clubs now) feel 60 years of being crap entitles them to a turbo charged catch up programme based on state ownership, oligarchy and alleged serious financial wrongdoing.
Those clubs should all come together and force the Prem to change all sorts of rules. They don't. Why? They all look after number 1.
Many examples of Sir Alex Ferguson's genius but if we're to boil it down to money (because, well, everything else is these days) perhaps his most impressive achievement is in his final 10 years #MUFC were not the highest wage payers in PL once, yet they won the league five times
One club in Manchester has lost over £1bn paying its owners dividends and interest on debt the Glazers took out to buy United. THEIR debt, dumped on OUR club.
The other cheated by inflating revenue and hiding costs by £900m+ so it could spend more and win titles.
United were forced to pay for the Glazers to own us. City’s rivals were forced to compete against cheating while everyone else played by the rules.
How is either ownership good for football?
Both are a disgrace. Both need kicking out of the game.
If rules can be systematically circumvented for almost a decade and the consequences don’t reflect the scale of the findings, what exactly are the rules worth?
114 of 115 charges found proven.
9 seasons of Premier League rule breaches.
£900m+ of revenue artificially inflated and costs reduced through “sham” arrangements.
£830m+ of sponsorship income found to have been funded through Abu Dhabi-linked payments……
This isn’t just a Manchester City story. It’s a test of the credibility of the Premier League, its regulations and English football’s sporting integrity.…..
It is absolute madness that Man Ud are 1.1 billion pound in debt, last week they borrowed a further 90 million pound, they have brought in 100 million in players in the window, they have paid out god knows how much in managers void contracts, and everyone thinks its fine 😅🤣😅🤣