City may have bought the title, but who hasn't?

Around ten seconds after Sergio Aguero wriggled free of the QPR defence to unleash the title-winning strike, a cold mist of unfamiliar disappointment fell over the United contingent at the Stadium of Light. Yet it did not take long for the pain and anguish to turn to anger, and the familiar old claim that City have 'bought success' began to take hold again. Certainly it is undeniable that the mass investment from Sheikh Mansour has brought glitz and glamour to the club in ways that they could not have dreamed of, certainly not under the previous regime of the suspect Thaskin Shinawatra, but whilst Mansour's spending has eclipsed every other club over the last four years, it is not the case that City have been the only ones spending. Such is the football world these days that vast amounts of cash are required to hit the dizzy heights of success, as nearly all of the previous winners have supported. Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal and Manchester United, have all been equally guilty of 'buying the title' in years prior, and the unfortunate yet logical reality is that he who spends the most is rewarded with success in the end.

Since Mansour's completed takeover of Manchester City on September 1st 2008, the club has gone on to spend unprecedented levels of money in what has become known as the 'Sheikh's billion pound project'. Despite only raising £365 million via their own operations between 2008 and 2011, the club spent over £930 million in transfers and wages. This is not taking into account the money spent in the 2011/12 season, as the figures have not yet been published, but with the purchase of Stefan Savic (£6 million est.), Gael Clichy (£7 million), Samir Nasri (£25 million) and £38 million Sergio Aguero, plus the wages throughout the year, it is safe to say that City's total expenditure has now breached the billion pound mark. Whilst this may be pocket change to the man who has only seen his project play once at the Etihad Stadium, it has inflated the football transfer market to boundless new heights, causing many to question their morals and respect for the integrity of the game.

The critics of City's antics have come from far and wide over the last few seasons, yet the loudest of them all are those who have each previously been the cock of the walk at some point over the past twenty seasons. Criticism aimed towards the Premier League flavour of the year is not a new phenomenon by any means, whether it is City's billions, Chelsea's hundreds of millions or Blackburn's tens of millions, each has experienced similar levels of vilification upon achieving success. Whilst these three examples rose to prominence with inflated cash injections over a short period of time, other clubs, particularly Manchester United, have been culprits of spending large sums over a more elongated time span. Needless to say, an endless reel of all United's purchases from the past twenty years is surplus to requirements, but their dominance is best highlighted by the fact that they paid four of the six highest transfer fees in Premier League history before 2011. Even Uefa's love-child Arsenal have been guilty at times of frivolous spending, as for every Fabregas throughout their history there has been a Chamakh, Anelka a Jeffers, and so on. Furthermore, contrary to condemning mass spending, it is no secret that the fans have been begging Arsene Wenger to spend some serious cash so that the club may once again compete at the top, such is the nature of the modern game.

Another criticism of the newly-crowned Premier League Champions is that their vast sums of money have restricted opportunities for youth development within the club. Micah Richards aside, the biggest names to emerge from City's academy of late have been Joey Barton and Ched Evans, a point which needs little further explanation. Yet it can be argued that foundations are needed before the club can have an opportunity to explore its ranks and, having lived in the shadow of their Devilish neighbours for almost eternity, it would have been extremely difficult for City to have attracted the most talented Mancunians before now. This is best demonstrated in the case of the young Ryan Giggs, who was snatched from their youth team by Sir Alex Ferguson back in 1987, as the lure of a 'big club' seemed too tempting to miss. Having won their first major victory in the recent era over their main rivals however, on top of spending over £60 million regenerating the area surrounding their empire, City will be hopeful that the next time a Ryan Giggs comes along, they will have the means to keep hold of him.

United fans can console themselves with the fact that Manchester City won the title based on the size of their bank alone if they wish, but they must ask themselves whether it is truly anger at their rivals, or anger at the fact that their owners seem incapable of releasing the funds necessary to buy the calibre of players they expect to see at Old Trafford. And, much in the way that the likes of Everton and Arsenal have been crying out for a trillionaire buyer, the accusation of jealousy bears truth with every club in England, as the majority know that, deep down, they would swap bank accounts with City in an instant given the chance.

The Demise of Paul Scholes?

Following Paul Scholes' recent dismissal in United's FA cup semi-final defeat to local rivals Manchester City, reports have been circulating that this is finally the end of Scholes' illustrious career. After all but ending United's treble hopes on Saturday with a reckless challenge on City's Zabaleta, which resulted in his tenth career red card, he must now make the decision whether to call time on one of the Premier League's most celebrated careers.

Since his debut for Manchester United in 1994, Scholes has risen to legendary status within the British game, winning 9 Premier League trophies and 2 European Cups and playing a crucial role in each season he has been fit to play in. At the beginning of the season it was widely appreciated that this could be his last year at Manchester United, with his 36th birthday imminent and the likes of Anderson, Gibson, Fletcher and Cleverley waiting in the wings. His form in the early half of the season, however, particularly that which earned him the August Player of the Month Award, coupled with the superb performances of fellow veteran Ryan Giggs, served evidence that the two players still have some years left in them at the top. With 59 appearances between the two so far this season, it is certainly evident that the two have played more than a bit-part role in United's quest for further silverware.

The statistics would also appear to favour the Salford-born magician; with him having played in 20 of United's 32 Premier League games so far, including key title matches against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City which would appear to imply that Sir Alex Ferguson still relies upon the 'wiser' head of Scholes in the bigger games. Delivering one goal and four league assists (only one less than Steven Gerrard, and one more than team-mate Dimitar Berbatov) in the league, this evidence alone would appear to imply that Scholes' playing days are far from over.

It is the case, however, that whilst Scholes' range of passing has been something to behold over the past 17 years, displaying an air of calmness and control when in possession of the ball - envied by any playmaker, his Achilles heel has undoubtedly been his decision-making when not in possession; most notably his tackling. His disciplinary record is undeniably as poor as his passing is good; He has received more yellow cards in the Champions League (32) than any other player, including the booking in the 1999 semi-final which caused him to miss the final; He is the third most yellow-carded player in Premier League history, (behind Kevin Davies - 92, and Lee Bowyer - 99), with 89 to his name, which includes the 10 domestic yellow cards he has received in this campaign, for which he has already served a two-match ban.

Although there is a case that he has always been a fiery character, serving a ban for the 1999 Champions League Final at only 25 years old the obvious example, it is evident that the less he is able to influence games positively as he ages, the more his negative elements have crept into his game. After only receiving one red card in the first 10 years of his career, he has since seen 8 red cards in his last 7 seasons. This does, incidentally, coincide with the crucial departure of Roy Keane in 2005, a player who Ferguson has found extremely hard to replace. The loss of Keane, combined with the tiring legs of Scholes, has led to him occupying an increasingly deeper position in the team, with him often being deployed as the holding midfielder - a role which suits his passing repertoire, yet not his defensive abilities.

Furthermore, despite appearing in 27 games this season, 7 of those appearances have been from the bench, and although the season is not yet over, this is some way down on his average of 40 appearances a season since 1994. His influence when playing would also appear to have diminished considerably, with United winning 75% of the PL games he has not featured in, compared to only 55% of the matches he has played in. Although his legs are often saved for the bigger and more difficult tests, it is certainly a statistic which represents a fall from grace from one of Ferguson's most trusted employees.

With his contract expiring this summer, we are yet to see whether he will follow in the footsteps of Giggs, who signed a one-year extension in February. Always a humble player, however, it is realistic to suggest that, despite being younger than Giggs, Scholes' performances have not matched the welshman's in recent months, and that it may be time to draw an end to a fantastic career. It would be a shame to see the player, who Zinedine Zidane once named as his 'toughest opponent', bow out from the big stage without a big send off, and it would be perhaps fitting for his last game to be in the Champions League final at Wembley. After being exposed and outrun by the likes of De Jong and Yaya Toure on Saturday, however, it remains to be seen how much faith Ferguson will place in him, should they reach the final.