We might not have been as far forward as people imagine, because so-called Financial Fair Play would have prevented the level of investment originally envisaged. If Munto had been real, they probably would have had to follow a similar strategy to the current owners, albeit at a more breakneck pace, investing in growing the club's supporting infrastructure in order to increase revenue streams and expand organically.

The established big clubs were terrified of comparatively small clubs becoming rich and powerful overnight and threatening their positions, which is the real reason FFP was invented. The cover story was that it is designed to prevent smaller clubs over-reaching themselves, but you would have to be exceptionally naive to believe the football establishment suddenly developed a conscience about such things. The true purpose of FFP is to keep the existing hierarchy intact.