Ok, how about this

when I went to see my first City game in April 1972 we had a long history which we were proud of and a good fan base integral to and interlinked with the community it represented. It was, and felt as though it was, a strong club. And yet at that time it had never spent a single season in the top flight.
Because we then had a period of 20-ish years when we were mainly in the top flight some people who grew up with it have come to believe that the top flight is where we 'belong' and is somehow integral and essential to the club.
It isn't. We, the fans are. I believe that in the future that 20 year spell will be looked at as brief aberration in the club's history where it punched above its weight, before returning to it's normal level. But a club's strength comes from its fanbase and strength of identity with the community it represents. As long as WE care about the club and support it then it will always be a great club, as it was for all those years before 1972. That is something we can control, whereas the greed-obsessed direction football is taking is something we can't. So let's concentrate on that and keep our club great. Because we CAN do that, whatever the finances or league position looks like.

Posted By: mr carra, Sep 25, 09:13:58