Manchester City have become the club everyone loves to hate since their Middle-Eastern take-over in 2008. They were once deemed everyone's second club by opposition supporters as pitiful fans felt sorry for City since bitter rivals Manchester United dominated not only on a domestic scale but a continental scale for nearly two decades.
After the takeover, popular myths have been created to not only knock the club (who remain keen on world domination) but also to begrudge the City supporters who have been loyal and committed to the team despite their slump down English football during the mid-1990s.
The club has taken disparaging criticism with the majority of it being underserved or misinterpreted by major media outlets as the threat to United and Liverpool - renowned media darlings - continues to grow.
So what are the myths that need answering and sharing for the ignorant masses? Here are five of the best made up lies that the modern football fan tends to believe.
#1 If Sheikh Mansour leaves the club will struggle for success
It's odd, ignorant and very naive for football supporters to believe that Sheikh Mansour would leave Manchester City anytime soon. Why? It's very simple. Since 2013, City have overturned losses that crippled the club with UEFA's Financial Fair Play rulings to make increasing revenue records every season since.
In fact, only four other sides in the entire world made more revenue than Manchester City last year - according to City's published financial records. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich were the only teams to record more revenue than City. Whether that be from merchandise, match-day sales, television rights, sponsorships, or player sales, City have become a self-funding company with record levels of profit expected to be announced this season.
It's difficult to see how City will struggle if Mansour leaves - which he won't - when their revenue continues to increase on an annual basis.
#2 No supporters/Glory hunters only follow City
Contrary to popular belief, Manchester City do in fact have supporters, a majority of whom have been supporting the club for years. There's little denying that success brings fans who always jump on the bandwagon, but the majority of City's fan base, or at least 98% of them, have witnessed a pre-Sheikh Mansour era.
For example, under Manuel Pellegrini in 2014, City won the Premier League in front of an average crowd of 47,075 fans. When you compare the side's success that season to the club's first campaign at the Etihad Stadium in 2003/04 it makes an obvious reading. City fought relegation and finished 16th in front of an average crowd of 46,834. You don't need to be a mathematician to realise that's an increase of just 241 supporters.
Also, when City were in League One in 1998/1999, the Blues had an average attendance of 32,547 - a record that remains untouched. Those records speak for themselves.
#3 Empty seats everywhere
It's difficult to image having the time to take a photo of an empty stadium at half-time, circle empty seats with a red pen and sharing it on social media because no other criticism can be labelled at City. But that's what people have done throughout the years as they attempt to hate on City for reasons unbeknownst to everyone else.
The vast majority of City supporters would agree the Etihad Stadium has at times felt like a ghost town for cup competition games, but City have failed to sell out eleven Premier League games since 2010 - that's more than any other side in England.
Also, clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United have witnessed their grounds empty in recent months and years as they deem their season a failure because City, Leicester or Chelsea have claimed a Premier League title ahead of them. The saying pot calling the kettle black was never more worthy of stating right now.
#4 City have no history
History remains probably the most used argument or 'comeback' by opposition football fans as they attempt to take the moral high ground regarding City's success or attempts. Sadly, the majority of football supporters tend to believe the sport in England didn't exist until 1992 when the Premier League was birthed for the first time - but it did, and City were around ninety-eights before the F.A. decided to establish a league to suit the 'bigger clubs'.
City's F.A. Cup victory in 1904 was four years before Manchester United ever claimed silverware, 26 years before Arsenal were so fortunate, and staggeringly, 51 years ahead of Chelsea. Believe it or not, but "history" is not defined by success, it's a whole series of past events connected with, in this case, a club. The club has the highest recorded attendance in English domestic football when in 1934 more than 84,000 packed into Maine Road to watch City take on Stoke.
Maybe a different terminology is needed to push this argument over the line.
#5 English players will ruin their careers at City
Every season City frequently find themselves linked with talented English players before the masses attempt to voice their opinion by stating City, in fact, ruin English players' careers.
Rubbish! Since 2009, Manchester City have had nine England internationals represent the club with six of them winning a domestic honour at the very minimum. Raheem Sterling is the only one of six who has won just the one solitary trophy - the League Cup in 2016. Other than that, Joe Hart, Joleon Lescott, Gareth Barry, Adam Johnson and Micah Richards have all won the majority of their England caps while at City, and each won a minimum of two trophies.
John Stones only joined the Blues this season and will undeniably achieve success at City under Pep Guardiola. However, injuries to Jack Rodwell prevented his progression at City - a move City is still blamed for his start-stop career. If the former Everton man were available for selection, he would have indeed been in contention.
Scott Sinclair is the ninth England player, and nothing much is needed to speak of his career except for the lack of talent and inability to play top-flight football.
