Boly red card ends game as a contest

Manchester City 3 v Wolverhampton Wanderers 0

The last time Manchester City took to the field in anger they put nine passed lowly Burton Albion. I then heard that the average weekly wage of a squad member at Burton is £2,500 as opposed to £150,000 at Manchester City. You get what you pay for I suppose.

The journey to these riches has been delightfully explained in a new book out this week called The Club; How the Premier League Became the Richest Most Disruptive Business in Sport by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg. Back in 2008 Manchester City were on their uppers. Though their owner Thaksin Shinawatra had $1.4billion in assets a Thai court had frozen his bank accounts. In his absence he had been sentenced to two years in prison for his role in a crooked land deal. Step forward Sheik Mansour of Abu Dhabi whose nation at that time was eight years younger than Mark Hughes, the Manchester City manager. Acutely aware of Abu Dhabi’s questionable image Mansour didn’t want it to be seen as an irresponsible nouveau-riche petro state with more money than sense and a disgraceful human rights record. So as one does he bought a Premier League football club with money from his own back pocket. It took him two years to attend his first game, the 2010 fixture against Liverpool. Stepping into the director’s box he gave a somewhat diffident wave to the fans and ….. never came again, the ownership of a globally visible property for Abu Dhabi more important than how the side performed on the pitch. Once the authentic team in Manchester, City now faced accusations of a sell out.

So, what price the soul of a football club? I have pondered this question before when Chinese money came flooding in through the front door at Molineux. Would it make a difference to how the fans felt about their club? We’d probably like to see a few more players of local born stock - the motor driving the conveyor belt of footballers coming out of Bilston being currently broken – but apart from that it doesn’t matter a jot. I’m in my 60th year and the majority of those sitting around me are a few years older. Some even remember Wolves in their heyday. Yet none has gone away. And given the quality of the football they won’t be doing so any time soon. In the final analysis it doesn’t matter who owns a club so long as the football on the pitch is good and the way in which the club conducts itself is honourable. So whilst at times we may rail against the ridiculous sums paid to young lads of limited intelligence to kick a football around a piece of grass, we also take great joy when they do it well.

And, as if on cue, in minute 10 of last night’s encounter Aymeric LaPorte’s defence splitting through ball followed by a Leroy Sane cross and Gabriel Jesus tap in provided the perfect example of football being played well. The move gave an indication of City’s intent and a sense that for Wolves it was going to be a long night. Barely ten minutes later Willy Boly’s rash challenge on Bernardo Silva produced a red card, a decision that to all intents and purpose ended the game as a contest. Two further City goals ensued, but by minute 90 at least Wolves could take solace in preventing a rout. Nuno also sensibly shuffled his troops, who will need to be at their best for the visit of Leicester on Saturday.

Wolves: Patricio 7, Bennett 6, Coady 6, Boly 5 (Sent off), Doherty 6, Jonny 6 Neves 6, Dendoncker 6, Moutinho 6 Sub Gibbs White, Jota 6 Sub Saiss, Jimenez 6 Sub Traore

Manchester City: Ederson 6, Walker 6, Stones 6, Laporte 7, Danilo 6, B Silva 6, D Silva 6 Sub De Bruyne, Fenandinho 6, Sterling 7, Jesus 8 Sub Aguero, Sane 6 Sub Gundogan

Attendance: 54,171

Referee: Craig Pawson 8

©Mark Brennand