Hi looses all credibility when he says they are not state run and instead owned by an "individal" - it is that very brainwashing that gets them into this mess.
my two cents for what its worth....
I should say from the outset, i've always had a soft spot for Man City, I was bright to Maine Road as a kid and was delighted to see them get back into top flight football, but I was not a fan to the take over and the transition the club went through as a result. They lost a lot of their fans, who rightly questioned the deal and with that the soul of the club was damaged although clear not eradicated, which is great for the club and new owners.
Their achievements since have been incredible, they have invested strategically and have 5 leagues to show for it, but it doesnt change the fact that they have achieved this through financial doping, they have accepted their guilt and paid the fines (twice now), they did their deal with the devil (which is fine) but the consequence of it is the asterix beside any if their achievements.
Their reality is the media, the public in general and the football fraternity, will never give them the credit they deserve, but that's the trade off they have for the way they have gained their success, they are a showpony for an arab state & they are treated that way, their wins will be forgotten by history, we dont see Premier league years when they win leagues and their biggest moment "Aguerooooo" is remembered as much for costing United is a league as it is City's win.
Where for me this gets interesting is the players, they also dont get recognition outside the club, that again some of them deserve, David silva should be talked about like Scholes, Lampard etc, he is not. De Bruyne doesnt get the credit her deserves, again this is the trade off for representing an Arab state.
I mentioned in another thread recently the "emthyhad" jibes as the epitome of the challange that city have, the owners are desperate to portray an institution like Barca or United, but the reality is they have resorted to falsifying their gate numbers (Source - GMP reports) to give themselves some credibility, it's a desperate move from an ownership, who offer "influencers" free admission in exchange for instagram posts.
Ultimately, your man is right, there is apathy towards them, the media aren't bothered, because they cant get ratings when they are on, the papers wont do an 8 page pull out because it wont sell and history will forget their achievements or at a minimum belittle them, but that is the price of dancing with the devil the have. I wouldnt want to see us go the same route, even if it it meant 5 titles in 10 years.
