A lot has changed in Manchester football in the last couple of years. The wealth of Manchester City's millionaire owner has, like Chelsea several years ago, overnight turned them from mid-table fodder into title challengers. It was also several years ago when Manchester City were loitering in the third tier of English football. These days, their wage bill exceeds their entire turnover and just last month they posted an annual loss of £133m.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been on the offensive in the last couple of days and while this blogger finds it painful to agree with Old Whiskey Nose, he has a point. Ferguson arrived at United in 1986 at a time when they were struggling badly, worse than City were when the Arab billions arrived. Through his shrewd on-pitch management and a number of well-executed off-field commercial and marketing ventures, United became, and still are, one of the biggest clubs in the world. Seeing City headed towards that elite club virtually overnight with a wave of an oil-soaked wand frustrates the average armchair football fan, so for somebody like Ferguson, (particularly as he is in charge of their city neighbours) City's newly found status in world football must really get up his aforementioned nose.
Which is why, no doubt, his team will be sent out with some big words ringing in their ears. Fergie is always looking for a little edge to give his players. Men such as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have won pretty much everything their is to win in football and are almost beyond the twilight of their careers, yet they continue to defy age and logic to turn in superb performances. Ferguson is no doubt largely to thank for that, undoubtedly motivating them with the carrot of becoming a couple of the greatest players in United's history. Tonight, Fergie's job will almost be done for him, with City manager (how much longer will he have that title?) Roberto Mancini claiming that it's between both Manchester Clubs for second place in the league.
One job that won't be done for Fergie, however, is picking his team. He has a spate of players either injured or laid low by a virus. United are a team for big occasions, no more so evident than in three victories over Man City last season, including two games that were settled in injury time. City will probably set up to defend as they tend to do in big games so a draw, priced at 23/10, is appealing.
Paddy.
