It's a tricky one: they, along with Chelsea, broke up a thirty year near monopoly on the title between three clubs in a way that hadn't been done before - in so far as they didn't burn brightly and fade (like Forest, Everton, Leeds, Blackburn), but established themselves as regular title winners.

Inevitably that leads to other fans such as Evertonians just seeing them as part of a closed shop at the top, but the reality is that they and Chelsea have never been accepted by Shelbyville, United and Arsenal in the time honoured fashion that old money never accepts, say, a lottery winner as being of their class: City and Chelsea are seen as nothing clubs.

There's a weird kinship between the three when it comes to being "proper clubs".

Timely reminder for Arsenal and United that Everton were second only to Arsenal and Shelbyville* in terms of titles won when the Barclays began..:and that "massive" Tottenham have won the league twice, the last of which was shown on Pathé News.

*cheers, Mers!