I'm still trying to come to terms with the takeover of my beloved Blues by the Abu Dhabi United Group whose resources make Roman Abramovich's billions look like loose change.
Crazy, isn't it? We've spent the best part of half-a-century trying to be the biggest and best club in Manchester.
Now, with the flourish of just one pen-stroke the Blues are on the verge of being the biggest, most successful club on the planet - especially with Robinho now in the ranks.
For most of you Blue-Mooners this is pinch-me time. For years you've wanted Stretford United to play second fiddle to God's own club but in your hearts you knew it was never going to happen.
You can pinch yourself now as hard as you like. For the revolution is here.
Dr Sulaiman Al- Fahim has promised that within three years City will be bigger then Real Madrid and bigger than United. And what the good doctor promises he delivers.
If I say that I wasn't surprised at the Arab takeover, you would be right to call me a liar.
But the fact that the Blues would become a major footballing power in this country didn't surprise me in the least. Because football runs in cycles. What goes around comes around, just as it does in life and I knew in my heart that City would rise again before I went to meet my maker.
You see, I am so old now that I was around when City WERE the dominant force in English football.
For the under-50s reading this column by mistake, let me take you back four decades down Memory Lane.
It's the mid-60s and the Blues had just been promoted to the top flight from the old Second Division.
Chalk
City's manager was the legendary Joe Mercer - gentle, wise and wonderful. His assistant was Malcolm Allison - mercurial, unpredictable and volatile. They were chalk and cheese. But together they were magnificent.
And I should know. I was a member of that City squad under Mercer and Allison which brought the Championship trophy to Maine Road in 1968.
To achieve that they bought wisely. Inspirational skipper Tony Book, who had never played professional football until he was in his 30s, arrived from Plymouth Argyle.
A leggy youngster named Colin Bell was snapped up from Bury for the princely sum of £45,000.
Slowly, the jigsaw dreamed up by Mercer and Allison began to take shape. Mike Summerbee arrived from Swindon Town - the only winger in the country who frightened full-backs.
From neighbouring Bolton came the barrel-chested Francis Lee - strong as a bull, completely fearless and the best winner of penalties in the history of English soccer.
So this team of oddments and assortments were slowly moulded into a unit which, in 1968, reached the very pinnacle of English soccer when they were crowned champions after a never-to-be-forgotten victory over Newcastle on the last day of the season.
Dr Al-Fahim will take the Blues back to that pinnacle but, before he splashes the cash, I hope he looks at the way his new club won their championship title 40 years ago.
For a start, every member of that 1968 Championship winning side were English-born. Is that ever likely to happen again? Sadly, I think not.
And a good percentage of that fabulous team had come through the ranks at Maine Road - full-back Glyn Pardoe and his cousin Alan Oakes, other local lads like Mike Doyle, David Connor and Neil Young also played major roles in City's success.
Don't get me wrong. I was right to be dubious about Thaksin Shinawtra's takeover but this Arab one is the Real McCoy and I couldn't be more delighted.
Fabulous
But there are elements of Dr Al-Fahim's grand designs for the future of this fabulous club which have set off the alarm bells at the back of my mind.
He says he wants the Blues to be in a top four position at the end of this season with a Premiership Trophy in the Eastlands' cabinet the following season to be joined by the Champions League Trophy the season after.
I'm sorry doc, but football doesn't work like that and not all the money in Christendom is going to change it. Abramovich threw millions at Chelsea when he took over at Stamford Bridge but it took his team three years to win the title and they still haven't won the Champions League Trophy.
I've already seen Dr Al-Fahim's dream team and - frighteningly - it contained only one Englishman. And to make matters worse that Englishman was Rio The Red.
Like every other City fan, I believe we can't have enough quality players. But then I think back to that City team of `68 with all those home-grown products in the team.
Under Jimmy Cassell, the Blues have built the best youth set-up in the country, producing such talent as Micah Richards, Stephen Ireland and Michael Johnson.
How are City's promising youngsters going to percolate through if we have 40 experienced players competing for 11 senior places every week? The answer is those promising kids won't come through the system at all and will end up plying their trade in the lower divisions.
For years I've dreamed of the Blues dominating English football. Now, thanks to the Arab Group, I can add European and global domination to that list.
But I just hope the Arab Express reaches its destination in the proper manner.
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Its good to see the comments of a true blue journalist on these pages again, and generally Paul Hince makes sense, and I would agree with what he says today. Thankfully, the real moneyman behind the scenes of the takeover is making the right noises about youth and the academy still being a vital part of the club, and stressing that MH will be the one who picks the players he wishes to try and get, and that Al Fahim was prhaps a little over-enthusiatic with his comments about buying virtually every top player on the planet. It is interesting to hear that kaka is not against joining City next summer if we qualify for the Champions League, what a statement that would make if he joined!
How nice is it to read an article with a blue bias to it.Congratulations Mr Hince,top article
I think you're on the same wavelength as the rest of us Hincey - nice one!
All we're hoping for ("all"!!!) is a steady, controlled and - most important of all - a dignified climb to the pinnacle. The big question is: are Al-Fahim, Cook et al able to get their heads around this concept?
Good piece Paul, I remember those days so well. They were indeed heady days and as you so rightly point out ALL English players! The media at the moment are in a frenzy, think of a player double what he's worth an add another 20 mill seems to be the order of the day. Mark Hughes is grounded enough and I would suggest he'll come up with quality signings for 'real money' such as Kompany. This guy is class.
The revolution is here boys, hold on tight!
As always paul Hince comments about being a blue are spot on,still in a state of shock and i am counting the hours down to saturday.
A true blue writing about the blues, Top article.
I see this one's been wheeled out of the care-home again.
We are most definitely not 'on the verge of being the biggest, most successful club on the planet' We're a good few years away from that and a bit of reality check would not go amiss.
Chris Bailey.........please take note! Bring back the Hince as our full time Blue Journalist!
A quick point - it isn't clear whether the "Dream Team" list is from the new owner or the Arabian Business News article authors, and in any case the list actually starts with the whole Brazilian team from 1982, which sort of discredits it as a declaration of intent to purchase - don't you think?
One thing in the same article was interesting though. Abu Dhabi is a state that is sick of being in the shadow of better known neighbours (Dubai). Ring a bell?
Nice piece Paul, it is all hard to digest and has a weird surreal feeling about it. I have been speaking to many rags who are genuinely alarmed at the proceedings at Middle Eastlands . maybe they like us can see that their dog has had its day and ours is just beginning, when their fall comes which it surely will, it will be a mighty one with debts in excess of £800 000 000 there might be no return to their lofty heights, the irony of it all will be that it will all have been self induced when only they had the financial clout all be it on the never, never to secure all the best players and buy the title year in year out.
At long last Manchester City will soon be the biggest club in Manchester (in reality it always has), whilst our Trafford neighbors will be the paupers in Salford, all those years of smug abuse will come back to haunt them, it really is true he who laughs last laughs longest, I still have not stopped laughing even filling my car up now brings a smile to my face.
Great comment. And I just hope the new owners will stop fooling about with their so-called dreamteams and wish lists. It belongs in the computer games and footy magazines for kids and has no part in the real world. Even Chelsea and United know that. You buy gradually where needed and build a team. As a club we should continue what we have done so far with the academy and add 3-4 world class players in the needed positions. Nothing more. You cant buy 4 world class strikers when you only play with one up front. On top of that, who is better than Joe Hart, Micah Richards and SWP in their respective positions? I cant think of any at the moment when you look at our system and the pace of the PL.
I thought this joker had retired?
Paul, you are going to have to be a bit more politically correct if you want an occasional seat at the top table with our new Arab owners. It's not "all the money in Christendom" that they are seeking to spend - that would not be enough - but I get your drift. Hope you don't get barred, and continue to entertain us with stories of the good old days.
I see Hince's affiliations lead him follow the money still.
Good article by PH. I think things will settle down and MH will manage City and get them
playing good football. We will see where we are in Jan,top 6 will do nicely. A couple more quality players in to fine tune, and away we go again, and hopefully have a good finish. A good run in any of the cups will be a bonus.
Next season we will really go for it!!!!!
CTID
I am of the opinion that if youth players are good enough for the prem league then they will play in it. By raising the first team standard that puts the bar higher, but aint that the point of football....to win? Not to settle for mediocre just cos we can play mediocre younger players as that is correct?
I am quite sure that Hart, Johnson, SWP, Sturridge, maybe even Ireland, can remain in the first team squad despite the millions to be invested. Plus we are in 4 competitions.....maybe the Wengerr model for the league cup will see our younger players getting more games?
Those good old days. Sadly, I wasn't old enough till the days of Powell's time.
Chris Bailey take note,this is what you are paid to do,welcome back Mr Hince nice article.
durban blue moon
they weren't all English in '68
I remember seeing that there was that chinese striker Lee Pen
Bring back Peter Swales !!
Nice to have you back Hincey.. Dont rate this Bailey fella, at all.
Positive article from Hince, although I think he needs to calm down a little bit.
I see there's still no mention of Robinho's sublime goal against Chile from the other journalists at the MEN
Oh,look who's crawled out of the woodwork.You jumped into bed with the darkside, we don't want you back.
Bye Paul.
I am red, but this is clearly great news for City and if managed correctly you should become very successful. I geniunely wish you well, and I look forward to seeing both Manchester dominate global club football. I welcome the competition, the PL needs it. It will take longer than 1-2 years for you to build a team though, and you need to give the right man enough time. There are no guarantees of success, so before you all become the most hated/envied club in the world, limit the gloating/celebrating until success on the field actually happens. No point being rich if you don't have the trophies. Get used to a whole new football experience - intense expectation, pressure and impatience.
Generally balanced and sensible reactions on here, but LEE BRADBURY CITY RUINED MY LIFE really brought a smile to my face.
Are you really that stupid, so criminally under educated that you truly believe United are going suffer a "mighty fall" and become paupers? I wouldn't hold my breath. Our club has been built by the sheer brilliance of some of the most admired men on and off the field for 60 years or more. You know the names, and you can't ever erase our history. Our growth and resultant power has come from football, nothing else. If your success does come, you will never, ever be able to say that. Can you honestly say you truly respected Chelsea 2 years ago for buying success using an oligarch's cash? Well you are in the same boat. Chelsea have been given artifical success, and the same may happen to you.
At the end of the day, it's all about pots and glory not money, and if you've forgotten we are currently champions of England and Europe. Isn't that what you new
Surprised you found the time between kissing SAF's backside to comment!!!!!!
Book - Plymouth, Heslop- Everton, Bell-Bury, Summerbee - Swindon,
Lee - Bolton, Coleman - Doncaster
Home grown talent?
more than half the team bought even in those days.
I see your journalistic prowess is still c**p
All English yes.