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<\/p>\nWhen Moneybags City – sorry, Manchester City – head Nottingham-way at the weekend, we\u2019ll catch the sound of that roadshow from afar. Once dubbed \u2018noisy neighbours\u2019 by a frustrated Alex Ferguson who could sense Manchester United\u2019s domination in decline as Man City announced themselves with new owners and new money in 2008, the club is now the big beast in domestic football. All teams measure themselves by their standards and success.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not the impressive array of trophies – including six Premier league titles in the last dozen years – you\u2019ll hear jangling in a sack on the team coach, perhaps stored in the luggage compartment so an eye can be kept on it in case the club is to be relieved of its silverware. Because the noise surrounding Manchester City FC at the moment is of another order. Beneath their light blue – fragile-egg-shell blue – shirts, lie layers of what it is has become to be a powerhouse in the Premiership. Money, monumental amounts of it, shapes the game. City, embroiled in a complex and lengthy investigation about the stuff, have now been charged with 101 – no, not Dalmatians! – breaches of competition rules.<\/p>\n
The case does show that football\u2019s financial regulations mean something but quite what City\u2019s punishment will be remains to be seen. Possible sanctions could be points deducted to demotion from the Premiership. In overstating its revenue and much else, over several seasons, the club is effectively being accused of cheating. That means bringing the game into disrepute.<\/p>\n
When cyclist Lance Armstrong, winner of seven consecutive Tour de France races, was finally exposed as a serial performance-enhancing drug user, he was stripped of his titles. He had tarnished his sport, fundamentally damaged its image. When, closer to home, our Chancellor of the Exchequer was recently exposed as not keeping a grip on his personal tax affairs, he was – finally – sacked. He had undermined the reputation of one of the highest offices of the state. Actions have consequences at an individual and organisational level.<\/p>\n
On the pitch, rather than in the law-courts, where the actual game is played, Pep Guardiola tries to capitalise on his club\u2019s situation. He\u2019s an exceptional coach and manager. After criticising his players\u2019 complacency following a couple indifferent performances, he reminded them of the insatiable hunger required for success. He\u2019s also pointed the finger at other clubs, suggesting there might be a cartel more than happy to see City receive a severe punishment. That move is aimed at galvanising his team: us against the rest. \u2018Do your talking on the pitch\u2019, he\u2019s told them.<\/p>\n
Manchester City have graced our screens and England\u2019s stadia for a decade with their superlative performances. So much of that has been achieved under Guardiola. He is football pedigree, a man of the game, caught up in the paper-chase of financial irregularities by his employer. Famous Irish playwright Oscar Wilde, has a character in one of his plays quip that there are those \u2018who know the price of everything and the value of nothing\u2019. There are plenty who have a stake in football about which that can be said but he is not one of them, despite the vast sums paid out for so many of their players.<\/p>\n
His focus will be on the next game and the one after that (though he might have an eye to winning, finally, the Champions League Cup this year). But City are not the imperious force they were. Yes, they can rip an opposition apart but they can falter. And so they should! Football\u2019s great allure continues to be its unpredictability. It\u2019s part of what compels us to watch the twists and turns of a match, as a neutral or fan.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s said that, weight-wise, cartridge ink for printers is the most costly item on earth. It might soon be players, bought and sold by whatever hedge-fund or mind-boggling financial arrangement that lies behind some clubs. Be that as it may.<\/p>\n
Come match-day, most of us sweep aside off-field tales and rumours. We fill the terraces with blind faith, hope, expectation, pride and a dash of gallows humour and focus on what\u2019s in front of us. With some justification, Forest fans can unfurl that \u2018Fortress\u2019 banner again because football is the art of the possible.<\/p>\n
For ninety minutes (plus unpredictable amounts of added time), the Reds have the opportunity to match the best squad in the land, supported by the noise from the City Ground faithful. Not many thought Arsenal would blindside the likes of City to be sat at the top of the league at this stage. Can Forest spring a surprise on Saturday? One thing\u2019s for sure: the result will come a lot quicker for City than finding out their fate in court.<\/p>\n
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