Manchester City : The Norwich Inquest

The End is Nigh! Manchester City, the end is nigh! So rings out the social media storm and the words of the pundits.

There have been a couple of sideshows following the defeat against newly promoted Norwich last weekend which seem to cement the role Manchester City have in the football world these days.

Firstly, the media has been in a furore over the result. The gleeful way in which the pundits – admittedly mainly of a red leaning persuasion one way or another – have reported the defeat has been extreme. I swear on Sky Sports it has featured in every single piece of programming since Saturday, edging out Brexit on Sky News.

Tactical experts have been out in force – dissecting our approach and showing every one how fallible the Champions are. Don’t tell everyone! I mean if it takes Garry from Bootle to expose our defensive flaws on Twitter then it is a surprise Real Madrid and Barcelona have not yet signed him up as a tactician!

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The thing to get used to here though is that it is a sign of quite how big our Club has become. Beating City is now a major news event, because it happens so infrequently. We have dominated the domestic football scene for a decade.

That brings us to the second side show. The bickering amongst the fan group about the reaction to the defeat at Norwich. Again this is symptomatic in many ways to the our stellar growth over the last 10 years.

You see there is a lazy kind of shorthand being employed that somehow older City fans are less bothered by defeat. That the social media over reaction is the preserve of newer City fans who may not be used to the mythical moments like York Away.

The thing to try and cling to here is that social media may not be a barometer of anything other than extreme opinions. It provides a focus and amplifies the shocking – as Ricky Gervais says most of time it just like reading the graffiti on a toilet wall.

Whilst it is true to say older City fans may have seen more defeats, it does not mean they have enjoyed them or suffer any less with the next one. I don’t feel desensitised in any way to those raw emotions.

However, as a football fan I still enjoy the spectacle of the sport. The marvellous goal – even if it scored against us. I respect when we have been beaten by a team who played better – like on Saturday. Sport is all about learning and improving. We must get better quickly and move on again.

I must admit I quite like the differing reactions amongst the fan base. It serves to remind me how all of our opinions are different and valid and this is one of the benefits of how quickly our club has grown in this last decade.

That diversity is I feel a real strength and I always appreciate hearing something I don’t agree with because it challenges what and how I think. And sometimes it makes me change my mind too!

So City fans – the media obsession with covering our defeats is something we should drink in. It reaffirms what we know – we are the best Club in the country. The fan disagreements are part of our growth and how refreshing it is to see so many people from all around the world sharing in our love for City!