In the summer of 2008, Manchester City officially became the richest football/soccer club in the world, and yet, despite this astonishing move, are currently (as of January 2009) languishing in the lower half of the Premiership table. Their predicament is not unfamiliar - but bizarre in a time of big investment followed by (expected) big success.
Having hovered around the periphery of the higher-echelons of the Premier League for the past few seasons, City have been known more for their revolving-door manifesto in regards to coaches, and little significant success has been had, other than maintaining their position in the Premier League.
Investment Brings Hope
However, with the investment of the Abu Dhabi United Group, a consortium of oil-rich Arab businessmen, the middling football team became the talk of the soccer world. Their intent was made instantly with the amazing steal of the Real Madrid forward Robinho from under the nose of Roman Ambramovich's Chelsea - a daring and shocking move that galvanised the debate over foreign investment.
Having stolen Robinho away from Chelsea, and having brought former player Shaun Wright-Phillips back from the London team in a second blow, City were riding high on optimism - a feeling that was soon inflated with the match at home to Chelsea, which seemed perfectly timed in its placing. Whilst going down 2-1, Robinho's magnificent free kick, coupled with a resolute team performance, allowed many to wonder whether City would challenge the upper half of the table.
Unfulfilled Promise
So after all of this hype, why has there been no success, no tangible improvement? Other than a resounding 6-0 thrashing early on over Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth, the newly-subsidised team has struggled with some unlucky circumstances (injuries and suspensions), but in general have distinctly underwhelmed. The January transfer window sees them desperately attempting to buy new players with their wealth, but there isn't exactly a Madrid or Chelsea style prestige about City.
In addition to this issue with consistency, the remainder of the League's teams have truly improved their game - and the top four, bursting away from the remainder, are far too good for City to comprehend at this stage. The consistency in both management and performance will need to drastically improve, and manager Mark Hughes has stated that there may not be obvious improvement for at least two seasons; a fact that will not go down well with the team, the fans or the investors.
Consistency and Stability
Perhaps if City can manage to at least remain stable, and not sack Hughes, the vastly-rich investors may start to see a profit making its way toward them - and the team some success.
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