The 2002 commonwealth Games were at that moment the biggest sporting event held in the UK

• Nickname:  Nancy

• Most notorious person.   The chairman who is wanted on several hundred charges of corruption in his homeland. 

• Ownership:  Thai

• Best known song:  Blue Moon – a Blue Moon (the second full moon in a calendar month) occurs at most 4 times a year, so whatever they are singing about it doesn’t happen that much.

• Most obvious tactics:  Bring in a new manager and spend lots of money.   Failed for many years, until Sven turned up.

• Greatest claim to fame:  Their stadium, built at the expense of the public.  See below. 

Give us some morality

Swedish club Orebro SK rejected the chance to hire Diego Maradona in December 2007 for their centenary game for ‘moral reasons’. ‘He doesn’t represent the values we stand for,’ said chief executive Jan Karlsson. Orebro’s new plan: an invitation to Manchester City, via owner Thaksin Shinawatra.

Give us some public money,

The 2002 commonwealth Games were at that moment the biggest sporting event held in the UK.

The organisers knew that Olympic facilities were often left  empty at the end of the Games – this happened in Australia, and again in Greece.  Manchester City Council didn’t want to have such egg on their faces, so they came up with a cunning plan to avoid such a scenario — they gave the City of Manchester stadium away to Manchester City FC.

The Club moved in during 2003. Conversion costs, including ripping out the athletics track and some seating, are being covered by the Council.

The Council claimed that there are potential revenue streams from its deal with City.  The deal (all paid for by the taxpayer – that is you and me) meant that if Man City got up to 35,000 at a game they kept the income.  Over that they give it, or some of it, to the council. 

One of the stadium’s funders, Sport England, is part funded by the Lottery. Sport England has put £135 million of Lottery funds towards Games facilities, and a further £30 million towards running costs. Lottery money is not supposed to subsidise private companies such as Manchester City football club but effectively this is what is happening.  

Man City have got a sensational deal.  A stadium for nothing, a guarantee that unless their crowds utterly collapse they have a sold out stadium of 35,000.   No need at all to make any effort to sell extra tickets through discounts etc when they are doing well, because they don’t get any of the money over 35,000.

And we paid for it all – and most of us don’t even support the club.

Give us a manager

Here’s a list of City managers with the percentage of games they have each won

• Peter Reid 43%
• Tony Book 0%
• Brian Horton 30%
• Alan Ball 27%
• Steve Coppell 33%
• Phil Neal 20%
• Frank Clark 33%
• Joe Royle 44%
• Kevin Keegan 44%
• Stuart Pearce 37%

Not bad eh?