Who Looks Stupid Now?

Manchester City blew it and I am glad.

Back in September, City fans went nuts when their team beat Arsenal 4-2. At the start of the season they viewed Arsenal and not Liverpool as the team they were confident of replacing for 4th place in the Premiership.

Arsenal's only purchase last summer was Thomas Vermaelen for 10 million pounds. Manchester City on the other hand spent 118 million on new players. Their fans became cocky and arrogant, confident that money will buy them success.

City's belief, was that once they had secured a Champions League spot, the superstars would follow. Kaka, Ronaldo, Ribery, Fabregas, and Torres.

This dream will have to wait another season and City will have to make do playing in the Europa League with the likes of Burnley.

I'm not happy that Spurs have a chance of making the Champions League group stages. However, they deserve to finish fourth and have done so without the crass spending power of Manchester City.

If City had qualified for the Champions League qualifiers, there is no doubt that they would go on an aggressive spending spree, using the highest wages and Europe's premier competition as bait. Now all they can offer is the world's highest wages.

A mercenary culture will prevail at City, where players with the same attitude as Adebayor will join, with money their only motivation.

Players such as Stephen Ireland will leave and prove City wrong by prospering at another club, where their talents will be utilized more effectively and where they will feel wanted because they will be an important component in that clubs progression for honours.

City are the Paris Hilton of football - a Paris Hilton that has fallen in love with Prince William, who would never consider dating such a materialistic woman of abundant wealth because she has no class. That's how the likes of Torres and Kaka view City. A club who last won a major trophy back in 1976 and who last played in a final back in 1981.

No doubt City will spend big again this summer, but not making the top four is a massive blow to signing the likes of Ribery et al.

It's also a massive blow to football in the northwest. London now has three clubs in the Champions League next season. Fulham are in the Europa League final. A power shift has occurred. It may only be temporary but with Spurs about to build a new 60,000 seater stadium, it could eventually be permanent.

Spurs need to say a big thank you to Damien Comolli. After all, he only signed 7 of the players that beat City 1-0. Sure, Harry Redknapp has added resilience to those players, but he joined a club that had very good players.

The plus side to Spurs making the Champions League qualifiers is that it will force Wenger to act regarding transfers because he knows that Spurs can now offer Champions League football and a life in the capital.

Keep it Arsenal