Why I'm thrilled about Robinho

I am a Chelsea fan. All summer, my club has been attempting to sign the Brazilian forward Robinho. Yesterday, with minutes to go before the summer transfer window shut it was announced that Real Madrid had sold Robinho for more than £30m. To Manchester City.

And I am thrilled.

This is not because I think Robinho is a poor player. Quite the contrary.

I am pleased, because the sudden ability of City to acquire such a star (the result of their acquisition by Arab billionaires) is a futher fillip to the Premier League and to big money football.

Those who dislike the way the Premier League has developed over the last twenty years complain that it has become drearily predictable. They accept that wealthy clubs have been able to bring some of the best players in the world to England, but claim both that this is not a price worth paying for the predictability.

This was a dubious point even before yesterday.

There are twenty clubs on the league. Before the City takeover, four of them had a more than 10 per cent chance of winning the title and nine a more than 10 per cent chance of being relegated. Of the remaining seven sides, four had a more than 10 per cent chance of qualifying to play in a European tournament next season.

Now City will move from relegation candidates to candidates for a top four position and, if the new owners are to be believed (I think they are) to title contenders next season.

By allowing big money (some of it, I better acknowledge, money from those who also own the Times)into football, the English Premier League is succeeding in becoming both thrillingly better than top flight football in this country 20 years ago while remaining unpredictable.

It is a victory for commercialism and market freedom.

Comments

[Adam Michie]

So with the new money that has just come in that has made the league unpredictable again, you're predicting Man City to be top four contenders this year and title contenders next year? Should that be the case, isn't the league predictable again?

[Graham]

I'm also a Chelsea fan (for 40 years) and agree wholeheartedly with the comments expressed here. In truth, I much preferred watching the likes of Harris, Osgood, Bremner, Keegan, Dalgleish, etc in the 'blood & thunder' style but if we have to go this route, its best that more (everyone) has a multi-billionaire. I've always maintained that money has only been a part of Chelsea's success of recent years

[Nilsey105]

will you be so thrilled if he scores the winning goals against you in all meetings of the two clubs this seaon? not a cat in hells chance. i can see the tears rolling down your cheeks now.

[rob]

"money has only been a part of Chelsea's success in recent years"?

Hilarious!

[Kenneth Mortimer]

Nilsey105, as a Chelsea fan, I would be delighted to see Robinho score goals - if only to remind people how appalling, arrogant, and incompetent our management is.

[LS]

"four of them had a more than 10 per cent chance of winning the title"

Meanwhile, back in the real world, only two have any non-negligible chance. You can't seriously think there's a 20%+ chance that both Chelsea and ManYoo will collapse completely simultaneously (which is what it would take for Arsenal or Liverpool to limp in to a title), can you?

when every club in the PL has a big money owner and each team worth £200m in players then nothing will have changed really except teams who play in red will mostly win, they way they do now despite the odd blip...!

[JC]

The article fails to mention the fact that its always the same 4 teams with the greater than 10% chance of winning. The thing that separates them from the rest is quite simply cash. Cash should never be the determinant factor in winning/losing at sport. At this point it ceases to be sport in my mind.

Sport should be the great leveller. Where success is built on determination, effort and drive not the identity of the majority shreholder of the team.

Manchester City goes from being a mid table team to being a top 4 contender within the space of 24 hours - is that what sport is about?

[Ged Parker]

As a city fan I am dismayed that English football is being ripped from its roots. Can't see myself attending the home games of Abu Dabhi City (2008) Inc. after they relocate

[Dave]

Predictable ? Look at any major league across eurpoe for evidence of predictability. As a matter of fact, over the last 20 years, 7 clubs have been champions of England (8 by next year if City go the way Abu Dhabi expect). Is there another major european league with such a large spread of recent league winners ?