We'll always have Andros's screamer against them to look back on.

So they of course have now won the league but I couldn't help musing over the commentary and pageantry that followed the Chelsea game today.

Bit of a random post so late on a Sunday night and I am well aware of others' awareness, longstanding scrutiny and quite glaringly obvious criticisms of the club.

I have a theory in mind which may have some substance, that once they have won the Champions League (which I believe they will) the Saudis may lose some (if not all) interest and therefore investment may at least wain if not decease.

I have to say though, watching what is essentially a second string City side quite easily stroll past a club, in Chelsea, that has been at the top of English football for some time now and whilst acknowledging their terrible status quo still alone spent a ludicrous amount of money on players this season (was it half a billion or have I made that up?) I did become somewhat unnerved.

Whilst this has been the situation for some time now I couldn't help but feel that which once was, the richer teams obviously doing best, it has reached almost ludicrous levels now with a state run club, with endless financial resource, removing any competitiveness and therefore core essence and soul from football? Even in trying to keep up the likes of Chelsea, L'pool, United and Arsenal are struggling to compete.

There's surely a difference between one club being richer than another and the absolute chasm between say City and any given promoted club? Where does this actually end or are we going to see all clubs run by trillion or billionaires? Is it the end of competition in football? What happens if these entities suddenly decide they are not interested anymore? At what point might some clubs say 'we don't want to exist in this context anymore, we want something different'? There'll be far more of them than the Citys of this world!

Perhaps I've stayed up too late, perhaps I worry to much. Did p!ss me off however the complete lack of acknowledgement of this and false romanticism and narrative running through the whole coverage. Call it as it is: there is nothing heroic, noble or admirable about it. Any 12 year old with FIFA can recreate a situation where they move a ludicrous amount of the world's best players to one team and have them win everything.

'Tis rhubarb.

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

For sure the financial gap between Man City today (Abu Dhabi, UAE) & the rest is ridiculous - Perhaps in a couple of years Newcastle (Saudi Arabia) & Man Utd (if Qatar take over) will eventually get their super league (in whatever form it takes) No doubt Chelsea, Liverpool Arsenal & Spurs will want to be included, the rest of us will become a kind of second tier operation who's main goal will be to try to appeal to real fans (rather than the glory hunting prawn sandwich brigade) & retain as much of the available media riches as possible that filters down to remain competitive.

Man City - The Harlem Globetrotters of football.

Red and Blue Army!

And you frequently read members of HOL saying that what CPFC needs is owners with deep(er) pockets who are prepared to "invest" in the team ie spend THEIR money on high transfer fees and salaries so we can enjoy watching our team finish a few places higher in the league.

Palace since 19 August 1972. Palace 1 (Tony Taylor) Liverpool 1 (Emlyn Hughes)

Indeed. And Spurs, Arsenal, ManU and Liverpool were so rubbish, they never even entered it. They obviously knew they wouldn't get past the likes of us!

ManC did get to the final once (like us) but (unlike us) weren't good enough to win it.

Palace since 19 August 1972. Palace 1 (Tony Taylor) Liverpool 1 (Emlyn Hughes)