Could this be us in the future?

So, Gareth Barry completes a £12m move to Citeh yesterday - there is nothing wrong with that is there? Well aside from the fact that Citeh are neither the champions league club that he claimed would be the only side he would leave for, nor will they be in any form of European competition next season...

The common opinion is that Barry sold out!

But did he?

To be fair to Citeh, and in all honesty I have been fairly critical of them over the past couple of years, they seem to be doing a lot of things right that is not actually talked about - ok, they might be spending over the odd on players and then be offering obscene amounts of money wages wise. To be fair on that score too they are paying over the odds for some players because they are being asked to, not just because they can. If the point comes where this is way past what they will pay they walk away, and have done this already. As for the excessive wages, again to be fair 'the big 4' have been paying this for some time, and all-in-all most have been forced into increasing what they offer to land players, in the current financial climate there will no doubt be a rethink, there sure as hell was going to be one here!

So, back to the 'Barry sold out' point...

Of course, as an outsider looking in it is easy for me to 'stick my beak in' and I may be well be well off the mark, but potentially I think that the only mistakes that he made where his 'public thoughts' that he wanted to join Liverpool last summer as they were a bigger team and the one that has come back to bite him in the arse most strongly, the 'I only want to leave for a team in the champions league' thoughts.

As said, Citeh are neither, well not the champions league - or European team - for next season anyway!

Most just view Citeh as a club 'splashing the cash' but to give credit where I do feel it is due our change in situation, or at least should be change, has opened my eyes somewhat to what is going on at Citeh.

It is 'said' that it is not just a case of money thrown at players left right and centre, or at least trying to, plenty of money has been pumped into the general running of the club in order to ensure that it is run the right way - ok, throwing money at something is not exactly the right way, but the suggestion is that all aspects at the club have been looked at, modernised, networked and foundations well and truly put in place for future development from within as well as from outside.

So, all in all Citeh do appear to be putting together a professionally run outfit that is serious about a real challenge - and this challenge seems to have a genuine vision, a vision that is sold to people.

Of course, and lets not kid ourselves, the amount of zeros that follows the first number in the weekly pay cheque also acts as a real eye opener for the players, but money is not the sole motivator for some, granted most these days, but not all.

I really do feel that Citeh have a serious strategy in place, and one that really could threaten a shakeup in the English game - they just happen to have the finances to do this!

Whilst it is all too easy to look at them and think 'yep they buy success' and 'players greed will see them through' others, albeit it on a less scale have done this for years, it does not come down entirely to that. The misfortune of Barry's claims for wanting to leave Villa are not Citeh's fault that this was not the case - the potential that the England man can see in their club, along with the wages as mentioned, was enough to jump on that bandwagon.

Although Villa had said they would not sell Barry even if it meant losing him on a free next summer - apparently they were not so willing to do that, as when all is said and done they could have said 'no'. Thought is they were actually fairly quick to accept the offer, how true that is I do not know?

Whilst I do not think for one minute that once our takeover has gone through, all being well it will without any problems, we will be on a financial level with Citeh I do feel that 'if' most is to be believed we 'should' have substantial financial backing - of course the whole infrastructure of Pompey needs looking at too, but if/when we get those looked at, not so much the academy as we have already done some pretty special work on that, who is to say that we will not one day be in the position that Citeh are?

That position being one where players decided that Pompey is the place to go instead some other 'bigger clubs?' Ok, maybe due in large part the 'possible' money on offer will be a draw, but another being the potential and vision of the club that was sold to them...

There has been plenty of 'debate' with Spurs recently that they are 'a bigger and better side' that is 'much more universal' and has a 'vastly superior fan base than we ever will' but given time, effort, patience and of course money who is not to say that in 5, 10, 15, 20 or however many years time we cannot one day not only overtake them in all areas but also become one of the biggest and best clubs in the land?

Afterall every club, even the likes of Arsenal, Chelski, Liverpool and Manyoo all had to start somewhere - and look at them now!

Until our deal goes through and we really know what is one offer we do not know that much, but 'potentially' I guess as much as anything it is not inconceivable that this could not happen to us and if it did it is also not incomprehensible that the situation that has just seen Gareth Barry chose Citeh over others could not 'be us in the future' as well...

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