When Stuart Pearce was sacked as Manchester City manager a decade ago, the club's supporters were at one of their lowest-ever ebbs. The results hadn't been disastrous, but the performances were awful, and the club was stuck in a rut. There was no money. There was no manager. There was no future. It looked hopeless.
On July 6, 2007, everything changed. Former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's offer of £81.6 million for the club was accepted and he became the majority shareholder. The takeover went ahead despite allegations of corruption in his home country, after the Premier League deemed him a fit and proper owner -- though some objected to that ruling.