If I played too much emphasis on youth development it wasn’t my intention, but I think a football club should be an active part of its community and youth development is a part. Not in the sense that kids have to get into the team, but more the development they get from being at the club, including going to college and learning other life skills. Of course you want to see some break through and Man City have been very good at this in recent years, but it’s not the be all and end all and if someone had suggested Stuart didn’t sign any players this summer so more of our youngsters got a chance I’d have strongly disagreed.

You may be right about the club needing investment if we go up, but if that’s the case I’d hope it was in the right areas. I don’t agree with Man City’s owners signing up players on ridiclously large money because it’s not self sustaining, nor are the players there for any other reason. If the owners pulled out Man City the club would still have to honour the contracts, just like Chelsea, and they’d probably end up going bust. More likely Man City fans will have to pay by increased ticket prices (it’s not received much press attention but I gather a lot of people have stopped going to watch Man U since the Glazers because they can’t afford it). If City attracted more investment which allowed us to pay more for players great, but only if it was still largely within our means and was reflected in commercial revenue and gate receipts.

When we were in the Premiership I loved it (no matter what we’ve suffered, I will always be grateful I saw someone of Beni’s ability in Claret and Amber) but I don’t believe the Premiership is the same place anymore and my personal view is I’m not sure I’d want City back there.

I admire your tradionalist, grass roots view of football - but unfortunately in this day and age, football is a business. Fair enough not so much in division two, but it still requires money to move up the leagues. If football was based entirely on youth development and links in the community, Crewe Alexandra would have been in the Premiership by now would they not?

The simple facts are, that if we go up this season (and I believe we will) then we will have to spend money to succeed in bringing players with bigger wage packets into the club when we are in League One. If we want to replace these players with home grown youth talent, then we will have to find some money to improve the training facilities at the club or widen the scouting network. This would mean the club looking for additional investment from the board, or an additional investor added to the board.

Unfortuantely its not jumpers for goalposts anymore, its billionaires for chairman now. And if an Arab came sniffing round Bradford City, then I would be extremely interested in what he had planned for Bradford City.

A friend of mine supports Blackpool and when they reached the Championship he said they had achieved all they could realistically ever hope for and it was truly wonderful.

The same applied to me when City reached the Premiership and no Manchester City fan will get the same pleasure by simply buying success.

I agree with you that if City ever get back to the Championship it will be far better to me than anything Manchester City can ever achieve.