Noisy neighbours are on the up.
Former Manchester City and England midfielder Trevor Sinclair believes long-term planning is what separates his former club apart from neighbours Manchester United.
The 42-year-old, who played for City in their first season at the Etihad Stadium, has given the explanation for a gap that looks set to widen once Pep Guardiola joins the club in the summer.
“City seem proactive while United are behind the curve,” he told JOE in an interview carried out before the club announced their managerial change.
Sinclair claimed a “quick-fix” approach has hindered United since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I think everything has been short-term with them. When Sir Alex was there there was a very long-term plan in place, everything was being thought about, but after David Moyes didn’t work out they went for a quick-fix,” Sinclair said.
As for City, the England international points to the introduction of satellite clubs, as well as owner Sheikh Mansour’s investment off-field, as reasons why the team he left in 2007 has impressed so much.
“It’s a different monster now – Manchester City has always been a big club if you look back, even before the Premier League era, but they have taken it to the next level,” he said.
“Everything seems to be long-term – look at [former City reserve team manager] Patrick Vieira going to New York City FC, the satellite club in Melbourne, the brand growing and bringing new income.”
Anyways, here's Patrick Vieira in a #NYCFC scarf! What a time! #MLS pic.twitter.com/XHqLldPw3Z
— Arielle Castillo (@ariellec) January 20, 2016
Things have changed drastically since Sinclair first joined the club, with several managers leading the club to where they are now.
Kevin Keegan brought life-long fan Sinclair to Manchester from West Ham, before being succeeded by Stuart Pearce in 2005.
Sven-Goran Eriksson, Mark Hughes, Roberto Mancini and current incumbent Manuel Pellegrini have since taken the reins, but the imminent arrival of Guardiola is just the latest indication of City’s constant need to improve.
