Oil isn't a dirty word - Arsenal fans would love to have a man like Sheik Mansour... and why Pep Guardiola does things his way or he walks

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Journalism should be informative and well-balanced. There'll be opinions expressed but a good article is like an invitation to take sides. Those of us who can be bothered add our comments and then, once a week, Martin Samuel comes along and explains why he's always right, why those who agree with him are right, and why the rest of us are wrong. Ah well. I don't think much to his taste in music either. Rocket Morton, Fylde Coast.

Yes, but at least I know how to spell Rockette Morton, mate. Rockette, not Rocket. Real name Mark Boston to those of you who don’t know, which I’m guessing is around 99.9 per cent, no offence intended. He was the bass player for Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band in their peak years, from Trout Mask Replica to Clear Spot. Beefheart had great fun creating pseudonyms for the group. Elliott Ingber became Winged Eel Fingerling, and Bill Harkleroad was the mighty Zoot Horn Rollo. And, dear Ricket, if you’d actually been paying attention to the debates over the years you’d find the Captain popping up on more than one occasion. As for your other point about my intransigence – well, what do you expect? I spend all week – or in the case of financial fair play the best part of a decade – thinking about a subject, you dash off a quick 80 words by way of response and that is supposed to change my view? That’s rather a claim for your powers of persuasion. And to digress slightly, a column isn’t an invitation to take sides. That’s a by-product of the modern media interactive format. A column is one view, one opinion, from one person. Now I’m not saying I don’t care what anyone else thinks, because I am always interested in other viewpoints – but the only columnists who sway in the wind to your whims as you seemingly require are those who write for effect or without conviction. A columnist should always be able to stand his ground, if he writes what he truly believes. Equally, as far as these weekly debates go, I can only work with the material provided. Ideally, I’d run a broad church here, responding to flights of fancy, whimsical notions, the odd yarn. However, if all I get is several hundred posts moaning about Wayne Rooney, well that’s the avenue we have to go down. Again. So, Racket, vary the contributions and let’s see where it leads us. As for not approving of my taste in music, I care about that even less than I do about people who disagree with the columns. And now, excuse me while I alienate another thousand or so readers. Take it away, Rockette Morton.

Point one: about Bradley Wiggins

I'd be interested to hear your opinion on Bradley Wiggins. Even if what happened was given official clearance surely it was at the very least suspect. TheMasterOfCurrabaha, Waterford.

First of all, let me say that my colleague Matt Lawton has done an absolutely brilliant job on the Bradley Wiggins story, and he is the real expert in the field, not me. Also, legally, with a story of this nature one has to be very careful. I think sometimes people are looking for a thumbs up or thumbs down and it’s a little bit more complicated than that. What I would say is that the whole issue of therapeutic user exemptions needs to be looked at, because at present the system is open to abuse. Equally, Dave Brailsford and Team Sky have not emerged from this well at all, and too many of the explanations raise as many questions as answers. Meanwhile, am I happy that this initially appeared as the work of Russian hackers? Not at all. The Fancy Bears seem engaged in a game of equivalency and even if they have succeeded in damaging the reputation of Sir Bradley Wiggins, his behaviour does not compare to the systemic doping programme that took place in Russia. Leaks of TUE details imply that all nations are guilty of exploiting the system, but that isn’t true. The majority of TUEs are necessary and innocent, unlike what was happening in Russia with dirty samples disappearing, replaced by clean ones and even government officials implicated. Having said this, the reception Wiggins has received in London this week suggests some of his fanbase would be happy to cheer a British hero in any circumstances, and that is dispiriting. We cannot sit in judgement on others without being prepared to put our own system under the microscope. I think this investigation is far from over.

Sportsmail's Matt Lawton has led the way on the Bradley Wiggins story

Point two: about oil clubs

So according to Samuel, Manchester City have spent billions yet are not to blame for not having a team good enough team to win the Premier League or Champions League. Yet Arsenal – who have spent a fraction of that – have failed by not winning the Premier League for 12 years. Why is he so keen to protect the oil money clubs? Paul1973, Chelmsford.

Arsenal are the fifth-biggest spenders since last winning the Premier League, so let’s not pretend they have failed to invest. Yes, City have spent more heavily – not the billions you claim, but roughly twice as much as Arsenal – but they had to swiftly buy their way into the elite due to the rapid approach of FFP restrictions. Arsenal were already on the inside so did not have to act so hastily. Basically, both clubs have acted pragmatically to suit different circumstances, although City have not built teams unable to win the Premier League as you suggest. They have won it twice in recent years and lead the table again this season. I do not believe City have failed and I’m not sure Arsenal have either, considering their aim on the corporate side is to achieve financial stability and profit. Stan Kroenke does not seem unhappy with the present state of affairs – it is the fans who are always in a rage, not the board. But here’s my real point: what is it about oil that makes it such a dirty word in football? Is it the dirtiest industry? Not really. Are those involved the worst owners? Far from it. Arsenal fans would kill to have a man at the top who believed in investing in the team – and kept ticket prices relatively low – like Sheik Mansour. Nor is it as if football was a haven for the morally upstanding until the oil barons arrived. Anyway, doesn’t Arsenal’s stadium bear the name of an airline from the United Arab Emirates? So how is City’s oil money dirty and Arsenal’s oil money clean?

Point three: about that useless Pep Guardiola

Brian Clough and Peter Taylor found their world beaters in places like Brighton, perhaps Guardiola should start there? You never know he could win the Champions League without having to buy the ‘world's best players’ and save the club a few 100m. I thought he was another genius. It doesn't take genius to spend money, does it? Magoo, London.

Newsflash! The top spending coach needs to spend even more. Nothing special about him. If you spend the most you should be winning all your games. Howie76, Manchester.

This is the exact reason I feel Guardiola is very overrated. The greatest managers can somehow get the best from every player, the way Sir Alex Ferguson did out of Darren Fletcher, Nicky Butt, Phil Neville, John O’Shea and Wes Brown, and Arsene Wenger got Arsenal consistently into the top four with players like Sebastien Squillaci, Marouane Chamakh, Manuel Almunia and Denilson. Carlo Ancelotti has managed a number of great clubs without having to sell a big player because he does not fit his style. He simply comes up with a system that works. Guardiola needs players to be at the Barcelona level of technical ability, or his system will fall apart. James Hardy123, London.

One argument against this article. Leicester showed you don’t necessarily need the masters, Lionel Messi or Gareth Bale, because there is something else. Villamedici, London.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will always play his way

Sheik Mansour (centre) is the man investing in Manchester City and Guardiola

Yes, but you wouldn’t employ Guardiola to get him to play the way Claudio Ranieri did at Leicester last year. The club adapts to Guardiola, rather than the other way around. Now you may think that egotistical, or even one-dimensional, but that’s the way it is. With Guardiola a club is almost importing a brand of football in a way it simply isn’t with, say, Ranieri. He went to Leicester and adapted his philosophy to the fact he had exceptionally quick players in his first-team group. This year, having lost N’Golo Kante and with Jamie Vardy more closely guarded, he has tinkered again. Guardiola doesn’t adapt. He plays his way, his philosophy, or he walks; and Manchester City have bought into that way. As for the posts about his spending, I’m afraid anyone who thought the message in Wednesday’s column was that Guardiola needs to buy more players missed the point. I was doubting there were enough great players out there to recreate what he had at Barcelona. I wasn’t suggesting he should buy – rather questioning where buying could get him when Paul Pogba has so far made scant impact at Manchester United. And he’s Guardiola, remember. So just qualifying for the Champions League or winning the odd cup doesn’t cut it. Clubs bring him in to produce the best, the ultimate; not to emulate the last 12 years of Wenger at Arsenal, or to win having had less possession like Leicester. Shopping in the Championship isn’t meant to be what Guardiola is about but my concern for City is that I am not sure where he could shop that is going to make that much difference.

Paul Pogba hasn't lived up to a world-record transfer fee since signing for Manchester United

Point four: about David Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth, and Gary Lineker

So David Davies is a creep for slating anyone who disagrees with him yet Martin, in the same column, casually calls anyone a fool who had a counter argument on the Milan issue. Oh, the irony. Wobbler1, Isle of Wight.

OK, Martin, I’m a big fan of yours and have total respect for your articles regarding the European elite. Right, now for the rant. Lineker brings out the worst in me. I cannot accept him labelling Britain racist and asking ‘what has happened to our country’? I would ask the same. What has happened to a country where an old ex-footballer and millionaire, paid £2m a year for presenting football games – poorly I may add – paid for by licence payers like me, has the effrontery to label people who have reasonable concerns on who is entering the country racist. This is typical of the metropolitan elite, living in a world of their own, not having any trouble seeing a doctor or dentist, or having to wait hours in A&E due to the NHS being overstretched because of a rising population, mainly caused by immigration. No, the likes of Lineker will have private medicine and all the privileges that go with being a millionaire. Rant over. Derrydave, Derry.

Yours may be, Dave, but mine’s not. I am completely sick of anyone who has remotely liberal, pro-European Union or, whisper it, humanitarian sentiments being labelled part of some metropolitan elite. Lineker’s dad had a stall in Leicester market. My father is a stall-holder, too. He sells poultry. He still stands by the roadside for his living and would probably share a lot of your views on immigration but, guess what: he voted Remain. Why? Because he knew the price of food would go through the roof outside the EU. Which it will, and because of the cost to producers, not greed on the part of the retailers. So it’s a little bit more complicated than just throwing out the divide as if it is NHS users versus the metropolitan elite because my old man still struggles to get in at the doctors, but that doesn’t mean he backed Brexit. Now, considering 55,000 EU nationals work in our NHS is immigration bleeding it dry or propping it up. What if they all left? Where would we be? It is very easy to parrot the phrase ‘metropolitan elite’ and no doubt Lineker can go private – that is one of the benefits of being one of the finest footballers this country has produced, and being right at the top of his profession – but that doesn’t mean he isn’t entitled to his opinion or has no experience of life as it is lived by millions. He’ll have relatives and friends from all levels of society, the same as we all have. I know millionaire bankers, I know people on benefits. And I am increasingly resentful of the fact that close to half the country are now being portrayed as unentitled to a view, or part of a clueless elite, simply because they do not embrace this lurch to the right in politics. So, that’s my rant over. Except to point out to Wobbly on the Isle of Wight that there is a difference between finding an argument foolish, and wanting a person sacked for pursuing it. And that’s the difference between me and the delightful David Davies MP.

Point five: on halfwits

How many years would you like the co-efficient to be valid then, Mr Samuel? And why is it you think you are the voice of reason? Your whinging on about the same pointless subjects is getting rather tedious. Rather than make excuses for Manchester City try writing an article on the re-emergence of Liverpool. Tadsy, Australia.

What, like the 3,000 word interview with Jurgen Klopp we published a month ago? Just for that appalling ignorance: some more Rockette Morton. He’s just about audible over the soprano, alto and baritone saxophone cacophony. So enjoy, he says, laughing hysterically. And don’t blame me; blame the bloke at the top of the page. He wanted it. One of my favourites, this. Until next time.