Ten years ago Manchester City held their Christmas party and in keeping with the spirit of largesse at the club, manager Sven Goran Eriksson bought drinks for all the 100 staff present.
At another function around that time, at the Bem Brasil restaurant in Ancoats, Eriksson picked up the tab when an excitable lady from ticketing ordered a bottle of Cristal champagne for her birthday. It set the Swede back £600.
But this was Manchester City 2007 and this was the mood.
After years on the periphery of English football, an £80million takeover by former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had placed City front and centre.