It feels like the situation is changing every few seconds." Manchester City fan Steven McInerney was talking to BBC Sport as the fallout continued after the club were found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges levelled against them. "My mood's varied between doomscrolling and catastrophising to suddenly feeling quite defiant and thinking this is just football," the 41-year old from Manchester added. It's been 14 days since news of the guilty verdicts began to emerge.
They were later confirmed by the Premier League, though the club continue to deny the charges and are appealing against the decision. The reality is a case that has been hanging over the Premier League since February 2023 shows no signs of an immediate resolution, with the appeal outcome and potential sanctions still unknown. Which, in turn, leaves plenty of time for those who support the blue half of Manchester to reflect and contemplate what the future has in store for their club.
Maresca will be demanding a siege mentality from Man City - Pulis Maresca says 'feeling is fantastic' among Man City squad Rival clubs want range of punishments for Man City Steven's first City match was in 1994. Back then, the Blues were enjoying their third consecutive season in the newly formed English top flight under the management of Brian Horton. "I've been in every mood possible, which for a City fan, is pretty normal," he said.
"People largely didn't expect the verdict to come because this had been going on for so long. It blindsided me and I think it blindsided the football world. "All I want to do is make sure my club is going to survive this.
"If your club does things that are out of your control, it affects you as a fan. It's going to be a lot harder to enjoy football until this all comes to fruition. I don't expect anyone to care about that, and that's fair enough." City will return to action after the international break with an away match against Liverpool.
The charges City were found guilty of relate to a period from 2009-10 to 2017-18. They won the Premier League three times then, including pipping Liverpool in 2013-14. The memories of lifting those trophies will live on for fans.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
