What Football Club Should a Gheorghie Support: Ahoy, Polloi

Despite his Appalachian upbringing, Danimal is the most cosmopolitan of the Gheorghies. He's a world traveler, banking air miles by the bucketload as he jets to China, South Africa, and...Texas. He rubs shoulders with Presidents, Kings (RIP, GWHB and Arnie), and Doggy Dogs. He's comfortable among the common and the fancy in equal measure. And he looks pretty sharp in pastels.

Danimal needs a football team that combines elegance with local roots, on-field class supported by generations of blue-collar backers. 

Not for nothing, we're feeling kinda bad about what we did to Zman, consigning him to rooting for a Norwich side that's winless in nine matches, so we're gonna balance the scales by giving at least one  Gheorghie a side that's likely to wind up on the other side of the table.

Danimal should root for Manchester City. For starters, their primary color is a perfect match for the zip-up he wore when he met Snoop, so he's already got his wardrobe foundation. The Citizens have a long and varied history. The club was founded in 1880 as St. Mark's West, becoming Manchester City FC in 1894. They were a modestly successful side for much of the 20th century, winning the league and all the major tournaments in the 1960s and 70s. City were a charter member of the Premier League, but fell on very hard times in the late 90s and early 2000s, falling all the way to the third division of English football while local rivals Manchester United ascended to become one of the world's most celebrated clubs.

City's fortunes (pun kinda intended after the fact) changed dramatically in 2008 when the Abu Dhabi United Group purchased the club. Along with Roman Abramovich's purchase of Chelsea, the deal marked the beginning of the era of ultra-wealthy often state-backed entities entering the world of football. The Emirati group infused a great deal of cash into the club, which paid dividends in 2012 when Sergio Aguero's last-match last-gasp stoppage time winner over Queens Park Rangers capped one of the most remarkable days in Premier League history and gave City their first title in the Premier League era. 

City megafan Noel Gallagher loved it:

Despite the team's current wealth, City's support remains strong among Manchester's working-class backbone, making the club a unique mix of nouveau riche and common folk. And as we've noted above, Danimal walks that divide with ease.

City's also awesome to watch. Along with Liverpool, they play the Premier League's most exciting brand of football. On their day, they can be breathtaking, pinging the ball all over the field, moving with fluidity and grace and scoring some of the best goals you'd ever want to see. In Belgian midfielder Kevin DeBruyne, City feature one of the world's best players, but their multi-cultural roster features Brazilians, Englishmen, Germans, Spaniards, Frenchmen, and American, a Dutchmen, an Algerian, and a couple of Portuguese for good measure. Led by Pep Guardiola, City are one of the world's best sides.

They've won three of the previous four Premier League titles, but the big prize of European football has eluded their grasp. City have never win the UEFA Champions League. So Danimal's got something to look forward to as he dons City's Sky Blue.

Danimal deserves the finer things in life. He should be a Cityzen.

Up the Sky Blues! Up the Danimal!