When I was a kid, quite some time ago now, I was under the impression that my football club were rich. There they were, in my big Purnell's Encyclopaedia of Football breaking the British transfer record in June 1968, Allan Clarke, Fulham to Leicester City, £150,000.
Can you imagine that, 150 times one thousand pounds!
Of course, it was all smoke and mirrors even then. The popular, big-hearted Frank Large was despatched to Fulham for £40,000 of that fee, and a year later the transfer record rose again – June 1969, Allan Clarke, Leicester City to Leeds United, £165,000.
City had given the impression of being big spenders, but had actually turned in a profit.
Although many City fans would have preferred to see Frank fighting the relegation scrap than Allan, we might have won it then.
When City regained their top-flight status, they dished out £100,000 cheques left, right and centre as Jimmy Bloomfield looked to his native London to build his side – Keith Weller, Dennis Rofe, Jon Sammels, Steve Earle, Alan Birchenall...
Again, as a youngster, I had the impression that Filbert Street housed a rich and powerful club.
What I hadn't worked out, but the bank had, was that City had two big assets in David Nish and Peter Shilton, who were both already well above the £100,000 bracket.
By the time City cashed them in, the actual outlay was very little indeed.
Towards the end of the 1970s, City were more frugal, breaking the club record once to buy Roger Davies from Bruges, and that didn't go terribly well.
Through much of the 80s and 90s, City were run on a shoestring and the only big transfers were the ones going out. The club didn't break the £1million barrier until 1994 when they bought Mark Draper from Notts County before their first Premier League season.
This was 15 years after Forest became the first club to spend £1m, on Trevor Francis.
Even during the Martin O'Neill era, and all the success it brought, saw no outlay on balance.
By this time, I had got accustomed to the idea that my club were as poor as a church mouse, and when they did get a few quid to spare, they did not spend it wisely.
Ade Akinibiyi for £5m? Half the Emile Heskey proceeds down the drain in one afternoon's work for Peter Taylor.
Going into administration hammered home the idea that we didn't have a pot to relieve ourselves in, followed by years of austerity.
So you will have to excuse me if this Wednesday's story in the Mercury has sent me a little giddy.
There's our chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha chatting to reporters in Bangkok, telling them how he plans to get City into the top five.
"It will take a huge amount of money, possibly 10bn Thai Baht (£180m), to get there," said Vichai.
"That doesn't put us off. I am asking for three years, and we'll be there."
Blimey! Not quite in Manchester City's league, but certainly better off than Crystal Palace and Hull.
I may have to get used to the idea of us being rich again.
