As the fallout continues from Manchester City’s industrial-scale cheating and we await their appeal (Building of the Pep supremacy is an era that will be defined by sham-ball, 30 September), it probably hasn’t been reflected upon enough how little they got for their money.
Yes, you can look at the six league titles in seven years and the “Centurions” team in 2017-18, all under the aegis of Pep Guardiola. But take a closer look and they were run remarkably close on multiple occasions.
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool lost out on the title by one point on two occasions (and in any other year would have won the title) and, barring a few last-minute wobbles, Arsenal could conceivably have won the title earlier than they did.
This is testament not only to skill of the managers, but also to the tenacity of the teams they built. And let’s not forget that City won their first title only on goal difference, despite their huge spending (which we now know came from ill‑gotten gains).
It only goes to highlight that you can cheat your way to glory with almost £1bn, but still only win by the finest of margins. And it perhaps goes to show why the Premier League is still the most competitive league in the world. Just.
Mike Alhadeff
Stoke Newington, London
I must take exception when Richard Bryant says “Money did not enable [Manchester] City players to train harder or run faster” (Letters, 28 September). That’s precisely what it did do.
By swelling City’s coffers, the owners allowed the club to expand their squad, building both strength and depth. This allowed regular squad rotation without weakening the team, giving players more rest than was the case at most other Premier League clubs. Rested players can indeed train harder and run faster. That’s pretty much the point.
As a Liverpool fan, one of the things that galls me is that many Liverpool players ran themselves into the ground in order to compete with Manchester City. In doing so, players have shortened their careers. With Manchester City beating us to the title once by two points, and twice by a single point, can there be any doubt at all that the Reds were robbed of the even greater success these efforts merited?
As Bryant says, “City’s victories were paid for with effort”.But it seems pretty clear that a considerable portion of that effort was paid for by cheating, and the efforts to counteract that cheating were paid for by other clubs, players and fans.
Ed Barrett
Bebington, Merseyside
The relentless rolling coverage of the Manchester City financial verdict across your sports section has taken on an uncomfortably triumphant tone. While the independent commission’s findings are historic, it is time for the media’s rhetoric to be toned down. The breathless calls from rival clubs and commentators for unprecedented, disproportionate punishments ignore the harsh human reality of such a sanction.
Expelling a club from the top flight doesn’t just impact wealthy owners or multimillionaire players. It devastatingly threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of ordinary, non-playing staff – from matchday stewards to kitchen workers. In the rush to see a football giant cast down, the media should remember the innocent people who will actually bear the consequences.
Neil Smith
Glossop, Derbyshire
