Everyone who was suffered a defeat on a rainy Wednesday night in Stoke has probably wondered - What if? If only we had some money, we could turn this thing around and become one of the greats. Every club needs a knight in shining armour to bankroll the dream, and if you are lucky enough to get one, how do you make sure he stays?

Knights are a fickle breed, just ask any Malaga fan. Little more than two years since Sheikh Abudullah Ben Nasser Al Thani opened Aladdin’s cave for them, they find themselves with little more than an Aldi warehouse full of bills.

Twenty years ago the ruins of the club that in its various guises had represented the city for the best part of a century faced extinction. Financial irregularities and mismanagement had dumped them in the fourth tier of Spanish football, yet earlier this week they earned their place in the next round of the Champions with a draw in the San Siro of all places.

Sounds like a fairy tale to the uninitiated. However, Malaga's friend from the East has fled, and taken his money with him. Even if they were to win the Champions League, the income would probably not even cover expenses. It looks like the ride is over, players will be sold and gravity will take its toll on a club unable to maintain such a lofty status.


So why did he go? The full story is unclear, but Malaga fans mistakenly assumed his passion for the club was unwaning, what seems more likely is that his ulterior motives, investments in the Costa del Sol, provided less impressive results than those of the football team. People who use football as a business know just how many of us are soft enough to follow blindly whatever happens, those with a mind for business simply move on to the next venture.

Malaga’s home defeat this weekend seems to suggest that fighting on more than one front is beyond the capabilities of a squad which lost their star player, Santi Cazorla to balance the books. Perhaps there is little more than a hangover element; how often have we seen teams pull of an unexpected victory, only to be brought back down to Earth by more humble opponents at the weekend. The next few games are crucial for Malaga, they have already slipped out of the Champions League places and with the manager’s hands tied vis-a-vis the winter transfer market.

So, is it worth it? Would you settle for a magical year or two only to be brought back to reality just as quickly? Most of our teams will never play in the San Siro, never hear the Champions' theme or be talked about in hushed tones. For most of us, those rainy nights in Stoke are our past, present and future, and as we know full well our knight will never come, we make plans to return to the Potteries next year. 

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About the author
Craig Cavanagh
Una perspectiva diferente sobre el fútbol en Hispalis y más allá.