MCFC supporters trust

I was contacted a little while ago by one of a group of people who are looking to establish a Manchester City Supporters Trust, in reaction to many of the concerns and issues that many fans have relating to the club currently.

They have now set up a blog themselves which is posting news and updates on their efforts to do this and it is definitely worth taking a look around. I have also linked to them on the right-hand side City links section.

The group have also put together a mission statement:

"The supporters of Manchester City appear to be increasingly disillusioned about their club and generally feel remote from it. Crowds are falling as fans see themselves as less important than other external stakeholders. We see a democratically constituted Supporter's Trust as the ideal vehicle to try to reverse this, being independent from the club management but ideally working with them, to ensure that the paying fans are recognised as key stakeholders in Manchester City's future.

We want to create a mass-membership organisation, covering every element of our fantastic support, where everyone has an equal stake and whose actions are democratic and transparent. We see a trust as a channel that is run by the fans, for the fans and with the club's best interest at its heart. We also recognise the excellent work that Manchester City already does in the community and wish to support that and spread it further, wherever possible.

We do not see the trust as simply a pressure group but do see it engaging with and challenging management where we feel their actions are not conducive to the best interests of the club and its supporters.We see a trust as the appropriate umbrella for existing shareholdings and also as a vehicle for potentially acquiring further shares, wherever possible. However membership will not be limited to existing shareholders of Manchester City plc but all members will become shareholders in the trust for an affordable subscription, thereby ensuring it is accessible to the widest possible constituency."

Everton preview

When and where:
Saturday 30th September, Goodison Park.

Current form:
Everton have started the season brightly, and the 06/07 season looks as though it could shape up to be a good one in their recent up and down performances. Andy Johnson has settled in quickly into the 4-5-1 formation and has added the goals they were perhaps lacking at the start of last season.
A good win at home for City got the season (slightly) back on track following the Reading and Chesterfield defeats. Still, back to back wins have been a rarity in recent times - almost as much an away win in fact.

Team news:
Ousmane Dabo returns from his three game suspension and could press for a recall given Stuart Pearce musing over a change to the formation to combat the away woes:

'We have lost three away games in the league already this season. 'Now we need to win one and I might have to tinker with the players and the formation to achieve it. 'This is the first time I have had Ousmane Dabo, Dietmar Hamman and Barton available together in midfield and the significance of that will be evident.'

This may result in a three-pronged attack or a more advanced role for Sinclair and Ishmael Miller - who will be confident of keeping his place in the line-up after his performance against West Ham.

Everton meanwhile are hit by injuries in defence to Gary Naysmith, Alessandro Pistone and Alan Stubbs whilst Tony Hibbert misses out through suspension.

Keys to the game:
Avoiding silly mistakes that prove costly. Both against Chelsea and Reading soft free-kicks were given away that resulted in headed goals from the resultant set-piece. Big games are required from Distin and Dunne as the pace of Johnson and the deep runs of Tim Cahill will be a major threat.
Avoiding falling the trap of relying on the long ball is something that must be done as well - especially if we go with the midfield trio Pearce suggested. Getting the ball to the midfield to control possession and create chances is a must.

Why City will win:
Dunne and Distin will have big games, nullifying the twin threat of Johnson and Cahill.
The confidence of the West Ham will be taken forward into this game, and a (welcome) change in away tactics will more play to our strengths.

Why City will lose:
11 defeats from 12 away games. No back to back Premiership wins in 35 attempts. Last win at Goodison Park saw Mike Sheron score twice. Need anymore?

Prediction:
A scrappy, hard fought 1-1 draw.

Thatcher avoids criminal charges

It seems that Ben Thatcher won't face any further punishment for his elbow on Pedro Mendes. The statement from Greater Manchester Police reads:

“Officers from GMP have spoken to the relevant parties involved in an incident during the Manchester City versus Portsmouth match on August 23, in consultation with the injured player, the clubs and The Football Association, GMP have been informed the player would like to pursue a complaint and have asked for it to be dealt with by The FA, not the police.
In light of this, GMP will not be investigating the incident further and consider the matter to be closed.”

All parties involved in the incident stressed throughout that they didn't want any police involvement and were happy to let the FA ajudicate over it, so I think it makes sense for the FA and City to be the ones to hand down any punishment as opposed to taking this forward through the police.

Seems not everyone is happy though.

The 2G's football show

Update:

I don't know if any of you managed to catch my appearance this afternoon on the show. I'm sure you can detect my nervousness on there if you did - going live across America is a little daunting, but I think I managed to settle down a little as it went on.

Anyhow, thanks to the guys for having me on and hopefully it will be something that will be repeated in the future.

You can check out there site here, where you can listen to their daily shows live and also pick up previous shows as a podcast (including todays one).


I'll be making a guest appearance live on the 2G's football show this coming Thursday between 5-6pm UK time (9-10am Pacific time in the US).

Click on their site link to find out how to access the show.

City pay up for Sturridge

City have been ordered to pay a compensation fee of upto £200,000 to Coventry City for youth team player Daniel Sturridge.

Sturridge, just seventeen but tipped by many in and around the club for great things spent a year at Coventry when he was thirteen years old.

Coventry receive £30,000 immediately then a further £30,000 after he makes five first team appearances, £30,000 again if he makes 15, a further £30,000 if he makes 25 and a final £30,000 if he makes 40 first team appearances.
On top of that, we will receive £50,000 if he goes on to make a senior international appearance, and perhaps most crucially of all in thsi award, they will get 10 per cent of any fee if we sell him on.

I've been quite scathing in the past about the poor compensation awards clubs receive for young players who leave at the ages of 16 or 17 - ironically when Sturridge was rumoured to be interesting Chelsea I was quite vocal about this, but I don't think Coventry can have any real complaints about this award considering the short period of time at a young age he actually spent at the club.

I've seen Sturridge a couple of times now and have mixed reviews of his performances - I actually thought Kelvin Etuhu outplayed him on both times, but he seems to be continuing to build his reputation and I would be surprised if he didn't feature at some stage this season.

Royle vs Keegan

It's been a relatively quiet couple of days news wise following the West Ham, with only Beanie the horse managing to keep the press occupied since the 'Pearce out' headlines seem to be yesterday fish and chip wrapping.

Looking round the excellent mcfcstats site, I came across an interesting comparison between two of our most recent managers - Kevin Keegan and Joe Royle.

'King Kev' - the great entertainer, champion of gung-hu, attacking football and 'Big Joe' - famed for the dogs of war and grinding out results. I assumed that Keegan's record would be far superior - having had the superb promotion season and continuous Premiership campaigns wheras Royle endured a more topsy-turvy time in charge - experiencing two relegations and two promotions during his time in charge.

As a comparison though, their records are surprisingly identical and definitely worth looking at:

Games in charge:
Royle 145, Keegan 151.

Wins:
Royle 61, Keegan 64.

Draws:
Royle 40, Keegan 35.

Losses:
Royle 44, Keegan 52.

Goals for:
Royle 211, Keegan 244.

Goals against:
Royle 160, Keegan 192.

Win %:
Royle 42.1, Keegan 42.4

Obviously there are differences worth looking at - noticeably that the majority of Keegans games were in The Premiership whereas Royle had a lone season at the top level, but Keegan had a far better squad and financial resources at his disposal, but the similarities in the wins was surprising and I expected Royle to have suffered more defeats than Keegan following two relegations and a (in the main) stuttering promotion from Division 2.

Keegan, unsurprisingly has the edge in goals scored and living up to his reputation endured more goals against.

Both had decent win percentages as well - comparing favourably with Peter Reid over the past couple of decades, but neither was the manager with the best win record during the past twenty year.

Who was it?

This guy.

Soccer Shout podcast

SS 2006-09-25 - Phil-tastic
In which Phil, and only Phil, give a round-up of England and Scotland, and takes a look ahead to the rest of the week. Danny - Bitter and Blue Blog - give us a review of Italy.

City 2 West Ham 0

Crisis? What crisis!

Three points, a clean sheet and all is well in the world of City eh?!

As I said this week when the vultures were beginning to circle around Stuart Pearce after the Chesterfield debacle, it is ultimately a results based business and he needs to put some wins on the board.

And there was no better time to start than on Saturday. Admittedly, a West Ham side themselves lacking confidence and struggling to adjust (on and off the pitch) with the high profile signings of Mascherano and Tevez were not the sternest of tests, but hopefully beating them will put an end to the miserable run that effectively started when they dumped us out of the FA Cup last season.

Team wise, I was glad that Corradi and Samaras were given another opportunity together and it paid dividends with Samaras scoring both of the goals. Of all the strikers on the books at the moment, Samaras for me is the one who is the 'purest' goal scorer that we have and Corradi could be a good foil for him, and suggests the decision to play him on the left at the start of the season was not a wise one.

Somewhat of a surprise though that Ishmael Miller got the start ahead of DaMarcus Beasley, and points to the fact either Pearce is not filled with confidence in him or he is not fully fit - which begs the question why did we pick him? For me Miller can be best described as 'raw' at this point of his career, but credit to him for his role in the opening goal - although he was a touch fortunate that his shot/cross made it's way to Samaras, who took both goals extremely well.

Pleasing that there was a clean sheet as well, and West Ham failed to get a shot on target during the whole ninety minutes and it extends our sound defensive run this season. Given our miserable away form in recent times, it demonstrates how impressive - not to mention important the home form (on the whole) has been.

Tougher tests no doubt loom on the horizon in recent weeks than yesterday, but it is important that this is now built on, with some confidence and momentum taken forward as recent history tells us this City side is not blessed with success in putting back to back performances together.

But confidence is a wonderful thing in sport, and we do have the players at the club who are capable of helping the side be a success in the Premier League.

They just need to start showing it on a consistent basis.

Square Football article

This weeks take on the world of Italian football from me over at Square Football.

West Ham preview

When and where:
Saturday 23rd September 2006, City of Manchester Stadium.

Current form:
The signings of Tevez and Mascherano were heralded by all and sundry when they touched down at Upton Park but the pair are still to taste victory for the Hammers in the three games since then.
As sketchy as West Ham's form has been though, it pales into comparison when compared to that of City. Only a win against Arsenal as a positve this season, the defeat to Chesterfield on Wednesday being the pinnacle of the slide in form since we exited the FA Cup last season - at home to West Ham.

Team news:
Paul Dickov may earn a recall to the side after the less than impressive performances from Corradi and Samaras against Chesterfield, whilst DaMarcus Beasley may start to add some attacking impetus.
For West Ham, John Collins will be missing from the defence - possibly be replaced by Jonathan Spector.

City link:
Tyrone Mears (or Ty as he now seems to be known) looked anything but Premiership quality during his time at the club but sealed a summer move following his time at Preston.

Keys to the game:
From what I have seen of Tevez and Mascherano so far in West Ham colours, they clearly stand out. Mascherano looks capable of controlling the game from a deep lying midfield position, whilst Tevez has undoubted class and will be a handful for the City defence.
For City, they really need to shake off this malaise that has surrounded the whole club of late but with fan unrest growing against Pearce and the side it will not be easy. An early goal would settle everything and avoid unrest from the stands - however, even going a goal ahead is no guarantee at present.

Why City will win:
West Ham are struggling also at the moment, but primarily the players will respond to the recent criticism and prove that contrary to speculation they are totally behind Stuart Pearce.
Plus, beating West Ham at home will add some symmetry to the woes since the Cup exit.

Why City will lose:
Mired in an awful spell of form, fans arguing with players, players arguing with managers, pressure on Pearce from the media. It all adds up to a bad afternoon on the pitch, giving the fans plenty of ammunition.

Prediction:
City 1 West Ham 1

The Goat speaks out

The Goat is in town plugging his autobiography at the moment and as well as an interview with GMR on Thursday evening, a few tasters have appeared in the press over the course of the past couple of days as well.

The main topics that the press have picked up on are his comments regarding his relationship with managers Kevin Keegan and Joe Royle, and also the confirmation that the relationship between Nicolas Anelka and Robbie Fowler was hardly cordial:

"One particular story was when Robbie Fowler signed. On the day you arrive you have to see everyone like the doctor etc, so invariably you're late on the training field that first day.
But when Robbie turned up on the pitch Anelka wasn't there.
Robbie asked why we hadn't started jogging and warming up but we were waiting on Anelka. We had a golf cart that was used to bring out the cones and markers and he got a ride out on that to drop him off.
That was the first sign that Anelka just wanted to show Fowler that he was the daddy."

On Kevin Keegan:

"I know that if Robbie Fowler had scored he'd have said, `what a great header etc,' but I got none of that. I never got the little praises that, when you're doing well, you look for.
It was strange because I always felt that whatever I did, it wasn't good enough.
We had Ali Bernarbia who was the best player I'd ever played with. Keegan would tell him how brilliant he was but I'd always get negative comments."

Whilst Joe Royle fares somewhat better:

"I had such a difficult time at City in my initial years and Joe was so persistent in picking me. At one time I thought, `don't pick me,' because my confidence was that low.
I can't thank Joe enough".

Goter's best City moments can be found here, and his retirement moment here.

Chesterfield 2 City 1

Well, what can you say?

Even given our patchy form this season, and our habitual capitulation against lower lague sides, most of us expected to still go through last night (although maybe not as comfortable as my 3-0 prediction).

Yet once again we are out at the first stage of a competition which offers both the best chance of silverware and the most realistic avenue into European football. All this from a game in which taking the lead shortly before half time should have ensured that we came out for the second half and put the game beyond doubt.

Once Chesterfield pulled it back to 1-1 though, there was a great worry that they would add a second - and when it came I never expected us to get back into the game and force extra time, let along go on and win the game.

There appears to be real lack of belief in the side in games such as this, and looking at the substitutions made it was more of a case of 'let's see what happens' as opposed to any real tactical thought. Worryingly there also are rumours circulating round that Pearce has lost the dressing room and that Joey Barton didn't endear himself to Pearce or the crowd (again) last night.

Despite more opinions (some on this site) that it is time for Pearce to go, I think that it would be a premature move at this stage and he deserves more time to get his best side out on the pitch as we have not been blessed with too much luck on the injury front.

It certainly doesn't appear that Pearce will resign - given his bullish post-game comments, but the real worry is is that once the media get hold of something they will run with it until they move onto another target. This invariably results in a snowball effect that the more the media will focus on the issue, the more it is out in the public domain and the more the weight of opinion against Pearce will grow and it seems that Alan Curbishley has always been touted as a possible replacement. It also has ends up being a negatitive side-show over everything that goes on at the club on a day to day basis

The only way to remove the issue and prevent it from being a cloud that hangs over the club is to win games and begin to climb the table. However, recent form in no way suggests that this is in any way likely meaning it will be difficult for Pearce and the club to properly focus on on field matters.

It is fast becoming an issue though that needs to be resolved.

The Panorama programme

If a week is a long time in politics, then a day is a hell of a long time in the world of football. Barely twenty-four hours after being installed as the favourite to face the sack, Stuart Pearce sees Sam Allardyce replace him as the evens favourite on the back of the revelations in the BBC current affairs programme Panorama on Tuesday evening.

It was billed as the programme to rock the world of football and expose the crooks and cheats within the game.

Whilst it provided many a talking point and implicated a couple of figures - notably Sam Allardyce, it didn't provide the 'killer moment' or 'smoking gun' that many hoped it would do.

Harry Redknapp - widely reported to be a figure widely named was featured, but it amounted to next to nothing with Redknapp merely suggested that he would take a particular player (Blackburn's Andy Todd) - but there is nothing to suggest here other than he would be interested if the player became available.

Former Blue Kevin Bond fared not so well though as phone recordings appeared to suggest he and Harry Redknapp would not be averse to receiving payments. Bond today has announced he will be sueing the BBC for libel.

Sam Allardyce was the figure in which the programme ultimately centred around, but the 'evidence' against him was only that of a circumstantial nature, and delivered by a collection of agents who hardly managed to improve the general perception of image of them as shadowy, manipulative figures whose primary motive is that of greed.

Allardyce has come out fighting today, stating he had 'never taken, received or asked for any payments' . Accusing the agents involved of being greedy, and lying in order to inflate the value of their business to make money from the fictional agent.

Allardyce's son Craig doesn't come out of this with any credit. Coming across as someone who seems to have made his way in life on the back of his father's reputation, his stupidity in revealing the deals he claims he was involved in have probably done as much to harm Sam Allardyce's reputation than the revelations made by the three wise men - sorry, collection of agents.

One interesting point to draw from this is if Allardyce does have a reputation within the game, could this have been a factor in him being overlooked for the England job? The FA would hardly be looking to appoint somebody to such a high profile position only for it to blow up in their faces.

It may well be tough for Allardyce to survive this, as although from the programme there is no direct evidence implicating him (unless there is further evidence which wasn't aired), mud does stick and every transfer he has been involved in (and will be involved in in the future) would be scrutinised and subject to innuendo.

Bolton are standing by him for now and have asked for all the footage the BBC have on the subject. The problem is is that the media scrutiny on Allardyce on Bolton will now be immense and it maybe that Bolton and/or Allardyce feel that his position becomes untenable.

It maybe that Allardyce will need his son to be the 'fall guy' in this situation in order to clear his name and allow him to continue in management.

Overall though, the programme posed lots of questions and opened up the doors for further investigations by the LMA and Premier League, so rather than the programme being the evidence to nail anyone it may just be further suggestion that the culture of bungs exists.

And as the former agent Steven Noel-White stated in the programme, ultimately it may well need a 'supergrass' type figure with the 'smoking gun' evidence to bring the corrupt elements of the game (chairman, managers, agents and players) to justice.

Chesterfield preview

When and where:
Wednesday 20th September 2006, Saltergate

Current form:
City are mired in a disastrous away form at present and have spent most of the week fending off growing talk of a 'crisis'. A potential banana skin tie at lower league opposition does not exactly feature highly on the agenda of games to turn it around.
Chesterfield meanwhile have a mixed start themselves, taking twelve points from their opening nine games - but have only won once in the past five games.

Team news:
I doubt we are in a position to be able to rest any players in this tie, but it is a shame that Isaksson and Trabelsi could not get some first team action. It will be good for Hamman to get ninety minutes under his belt but I don't see Pearce chopping and changing the line-up, although youngsters Sturridge, Etuhu and Johnson have been named int he squad.

Keys to the game:
It is vital that we can impose ourselves on the game early and establishing an early lead wouldn't go amiss as the last thing we want is for Chesterfield to get a foothold in the game with what will likely be a partisan crowd behind them. We are clearly the better side so it is imperative that we play like it.

Why City will win:
Because we are the better side and there are several players in the likely starting line up who are due a good performance. The players should also be up for it as it is realistically our best shot of silverware and European qualification.

Why City will lose:
Doncaster, Lincoln, Barnet. Could Chesterfield add themselves to the list of sides to humble us in this competition over the past ten years? Confidence is low in the side, there is pressure being put on from certain sections and historically we have fared badly. Surprising then that Sky haven't sniffed around this game sensing an upset.

Prediction:
Chesterfield 0 City 3

The burning question

Last weeks poll saw 71% of you say Micah Richards didn't deserve the axe for his reaction to being substituted during the Reading defeat.

This weeks questions asks - 'Will Stuart Pearce still be in charge by the end of the season?'

Will Stuart Pearce still be in charge by the end of the season?
	Yes
	No
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Pearce under pressure?

The bookies certainly think so anyway.

William Hill have shortened the odds on Stuart Pearce being fthe first Premiership manager o be fired this season to just 3/1 following the poor start to the season after Glenn Roeder's odds were lengthened over the weekend.

There are more than a few of you out there who are now beginning to voice the opinion that Pearce is not the right man for the job and are of the feeling that time is beginning to run out and he doesn't have many games left to halt the slide seen since the end of last season.

In fact, take away the excellent start when he took over as caretaker manager and the bonus of last seasons hot start and his record has been a little shaky. In his fifty games in charge of the club, over half (26) have ended in defeat and this includes the shocking return from away games during this calendar year. This has also been coupled with an air of apathy that has begun to engulf the terraces since the latter part of last season as fans begin to realise that a ceiling has perhaps been reached athe club both on and off the pitch with the current powers in charge.

Since taking over from Kevin Keegan he has definitely put his stamp on the side and personnel wise half of the side that lined up against Blackburn were brought in (either from the youth team or via transfer) since Keegan departed and there has also been numerous departures (some admittedlty not entirely of Pearce's own choice). Added to this is the revamping of the backroom staff - most notably the departure of Arthur Cox and the arrival (and increasing role) of Steve Wigley.

At the time of Pearce's arrival I wasn't convinced he was the right man for the job as there potentially better and more experienced candidates out there. Whether or not he is under pressure from the board is not something that is known at this point, but at this stage I don't believe that he is. He appears to have a good working relationship with the board and is not over demanding in the way that Keegan was which led to the split and the ousting of David Bernstein.
Would the board sack him? Not at this stage no. But losing Premiership status (or merely the threat of it ) is catastrophic in this day and age and should we get to the Christmas period in or around the relegation zone then there may be some twitchy trigger fingers developing in the club hierarchy. Added to the fact is the clause in his contract which apparantly means Pearce or the club can terminate the contract with no compensation required. Given our history of paying former managers that is something that may appeal when coming to a decison.

But the board know it isn't an easy job. His hands have been relatively tied by the lack of funds available - although he hasn't exactly been forced to raid the piggy bank, he has done a good job in easing the talented crop of youngsters into the senior set up and he appears to be a popular figure at all levels of the club.

I don't believe that there would be a shortage of candidates to take on the job though - whether or not money is available as undoubtedly the job does hold prestige and there cannot be many more bigger challenges to be the one to 'get it right' at City.

Despite being the new favourite for the axe, for me Pearce still has plenty of room to manouvere without the need to look over his shoulder but he as much as anyone else will be aware it is a business where you live and die by your results and ultimately if he doesn't deliver there will only be one outcome.

Soccer Shout podcast

SS 2006-09-18 - Go Pompey Go
In which Phil and Tony take a tour of all the top games in England and Scotland - Arsenal win at Man Utd, Chelsea best Liverpool, but the results of the weekend belong to Reading and Portsmouth with away wins that push them up...RIGHT UP!...the league. In Scotland, Celtic forge ahead but Hearts leap up to second place...and I contribute my weekly slot looking at Serie A.

Blackburn 4 City 2

Score two goals away from home against a Blackburn side struggling for goals and confidence and you'd be expecting to walk away with all three points in the bag.

However, a City side who have lost ten of the previous eleven games on the road are far more accomodating and another defeat away from home in Stuart Pearce's fiftieth game in charge leaves us hovering on the edges of the relegation zone.

Certainly in the second half we looked the more confident of the two sides and passed it around well in the midfield areas but yet again failed to provide a cutting edge or telling final ball in attack. Samaras again looked lively when introduced but Corradi and Dickov failed to impress for me.

Perhaps worryingly though, the goals that were conceded in the second half were poor from a defence that has by and large looked solid for some time now - gifting possession and space to a grateful Blackburn side who must be scratching their heads a little at how they managed to win the game.

So, no points in a week on our travels in games where we could (should?) have taken the points but for some wasteful play in front of goal and lack of concentration at the back. Looking at the squad it is difficult to see what changes can be made to spark us out of the slide we are currently in.

It is all very well working on the professionalism of the side but there aren't a great deal of options personnel wise to alter. I'd expect Samaras to get a run up front now, Beasley looked bright at times yesterday and Hamman will bring some quality once fully fit but wholesale changes are not on the agenda due to the lack of options in the squad unless Pearce throws in a batch of youngsters - something which isn't going to happen.

If being stuck with the personnel is what Pearce has got to work with, then surely the tactical approach to games must be better. Look around the Premiership and sides like Bolton and Middlesbrough are more than capable of going on their travels and picking up a point or even snatching a 1-0 victory but that is something that I don't expect us to do, but if we don't arrest this horrific away form we will be in trouble.

Don't forget that our home record ultimately saved us from a relegation scrap last season, and if we don't reproduce that we will have a big battle on our hands.

Pearce talked after the game about the 'bad week' we have endured. Chesterfield away from home in the Carling Cup on Wednesday - could it get worse?

Reaction:

"We were so far off the pace City could have been out of sight by half-time." - Mark Hughes

"We can't afford to do what we do best only in bits of games and then gift the opposition goals like we did at Blackburn. We created enough chances to get something out of the game but we gave away soft goals." - Stuart Pearce

Match reports:

The Times
Guardian
Independent

Blackburn preview

When and where:
Sunday 17th September 2006, Ewood Park.

Current form:
Both sides have started patchily this season and have managed just a goal each in the Premiership so far this season. Although Blackburn notched a couple of goals in their midweek tie they are still winless so far this campaign whilst away from home we have lost ten out of the last eleven.

Team news:
Didi Hamman should come into make his belated debut in place of the suspended Dabo, whilst DeMarcus Beasley may win a place on the bench. It remains to be seen whether Micah Richards will retain his place in the side following his midweek indiscretion.
For Blackburn, Steven Reid is still out but Francis Jeffers comes into contention and may start in a bid to provide some goals.

Keys to the game:
With confidence between the sides fairly low and goals hardly forthcoming, whoever can get on the scoresheet first will be in the driving seat in this match-up. The key for me though is who comes out on top in the physical battle as it is certainly to be a close, scrappy affair.

City link:
No ex-Blues in the Blackburn line up but the games sees Paul Dickov return to Ewood Park to moan and harrass his way around ninety minutes.

Why City will win:
Because it's totally unexpected. Dreadful away form and no cutting edge up front means we will surely come away with three points.

Why City will lose:
For precisely the same reason and logic will prevail. We will be out-battled by a determined Blackburn side and will struggle to carve out any meaningful chances.

Prediction:
Blackburn 1 City 1.

Square footbll article

My latest article on Serie A is now posted up at Square football.

Mills joins Hull in loan deal

Danny Mills has joined Championship side Hull on loan for the next two months. Mills had stated recently that he was looking for regular football and must have been hopeful of a deal before the transfer window closed.

Mills featured as a substitute in the victory over Arsenal (curiously in midfield) but with the return to fitness of Hatem Trabelsi he has seen his chances of first-team action reduced even further.

With their slow start to the season, Hull will hoping for a short-term boost from the signing but I think it highly unlikely the move will be made permanent. I don't believe that Hull will have the necessary finances to the fund the move on a permanent basis unless Mills lowers his wage demands though, and it maybe more of a case of Mills being in the 'shop window' to force a permanent move in the January transfer window.

Dabo red card appeal fails

The FA have failed to overturn the red card given to Ousmane Dabo on Monday night. The club lodged the appeal against the decision but Dabo will now be suspended for three games as a result of the decision.

Although Dabo caught the player, I certainly don't think it was conclusive that there was any deliberate intent on his part and it didn't appear as there was too much protest from the Reading players.

The FA do appear to be intent on cracking down on use of the elbow though, and I didn't expect the appeal to be succesful as we have already seen a number of red cards this season for elbows where there is a big element of doubt surrounding whether they were intentional.

Where are the goals coming from?

A pertinent question given the lack of potency shown by the attacking duo of Corradi and Dickov on Monday night.

With Andrew Cole having departed, we are left with Corradi, Dickov, Samaras and Vassell as the attacking options to break us out of the goal drought we are currently experiencing.

Corradi looks a strong player with his back to goal, but needs the support of a genuine attacking midfielder - a 'fantasista' type player that he would have been used to back in Serie A. He may have success with Vassell (who linked with Cole well last season), but Vassell is a player who needs to be 100% confident to be a significant factor in a game.

Dickov is a player I didn't warm to first time round, and this time round he hasn't altered my opinion. He offers nothing in the way of attacking play or creativity and it frustrates me to see him cheered from the rafters for closing down a full-back. Yes, he is passionate and committed but is not the answer for me.

Samaras looked lively when he came on against Reading, and of the quartet he has the most potential to be the 'finisher' that we need. He is a big guy, but can move well with the ball and at least looks to head towards goal.

There was a comment posted recently on the site in response to my piece in the Observer which suggested Daniel Sturridge could get an opportunity against Chesterfield. I do think that he will see action at some stage during this season but I didn't expect it to be as a desperate measure.

If our attacking woes continue, it may be that Pearce has little other option.

Thatcher hit with further ban

A little late posting up on this one, but Ben Thatcher copped an additional ban from the FA yesterday, increasing his time on the sidelines already handed down by the club.

The clubs initial six game suspension (two of which were suspended) was increased in length to a total of eight games but the £80,000 fine was deemed sufficient financial penalty at least.

I think an eight game suspension in total (Thatcher could also face further penalty if he transgresses again in the future) is about right in this instance. Clearly Thatcher deserved a lengthy punishment and the four game ban handed down the club was not severe enough for the FA (as I predicted previously) but to be out for just under a quarter of the season is surely harsh enough to even placate those calling for Thatcher's head?

Or maybe not.

The burning question

Last weeks poll saw 32% of you plump for Corradi and Samaras as the ideal striking partnership.

This weeks question is 'Should Micah Richards be dropped for his reaction to being substituted?'

Should Micah Richards be dropped for his reaction to being substituted?
	Yes
	No
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Reading 1 City 0

I wrote in the Observer on Sunday that the three forthcoming games (Reading, Blackburn and West Ham) were more likely to be an indication of our season hopes than the opening three were.

If last night's performance is any pointer then it is likely to be a long struggle, and a not very entertaining one at that.

At half-time, the game was still there for the taking and my prediction of a 2-1 victory was still very much alive, but a second half performance that offered even less than the previous forty-five minutes ensured that we continued to be the only side in the Premiership to not score from open play.

Despite Stuart Pearce talking afterwards that it was our best performance, I thought it was anything but. It was expected that Hamman would come in for his debut but he was left on the bench in favour of Reyna - who returned on the left in place of Vassell.

Throughout the game, there was a lack of width from both sides - with the full-backs being the most attacking threat, and no link play between the midfield and attack which left the forwards isolated. However, the performance of Corradi and Dickov was poor last night. Corradi looked strong with his back to goal but without any link to the midfield was ineffectual whilst Dickov's contribution was minimal - failing to get any power behind a great chance in the first half.

I cannot understand those who have cheered Dickov's every move since his return, yet counter that to the indifference that Anelka received during his time at the club. Although Samaras looked bright, clearly, we are some way from the quality in attack that we had during Keegan's days at the club and highlights the loss of Andrew Cole even more so.

I thought that Pearce got the substitution of Richards totaly wrong. Initially, I thought Reyna or Sinclair would be withdrawn and Richards moved into midfield where he would have been a bigger threat. Whilst his petulant reaction was wrong, let's not forget he is only eighteen and was certainly frustrated at the decision. It is something he will learn from, and hopefully it doesn't now lead to a spell on the sidelines to 'educate' him.

As for Reading, I thought they offered little. The goal they scored was as a result of a needless foul (also see the first goal at Chelsea) and I thought Weaver was culpable as a 'keeper should come for the ball around the six yard box as if an attacker wins the header he has virtually no chance of stopping the ball. As good a shot stopper he has shown, it is worrying that he doesn't display the presence he should on set pieces.

But back to us. We do have what looks to be two difficult games on paper coming up with an attack that is not threatening any goals at all. It has been a difficult start on and off the pitch so far this season.

It may not get much easier any time soon.

Soocer Shout podcast

Sun, 10 September 2006
SS 06-09-11 - A Show of Two Halves
In which Tony and Phil manage to deliver half a show...annoyingly the second-half didn't record. But we do have a bit about the Italian game from Danny (Mr. Bitter and Blue, the Man City blog).

Observer Sport Reading preview

Check the following link for my latest contribution to The Observer Sport.

Reading preview

When and where:
Monday 11th September 2006, Madejski Stadium

Current form:
City have improved results wise as the season has progressed since the opening day defeat, and undoubtedly turned in the best performance in the victory over Arsenal. Reading have slipped to two successive defeats away from home, but opened the season with a home victory against Middlesbrough.

Team news:
Didi Hamman is in contention for his first start since arriving at the club and Hatem Trabelsi is also pressing claims to be involved. Darius Vassell has joined Isaksson on the sidelines and DeMarcus Beasley is not yet considered.
Graeme Murty and Dave Kitson will be big losses for Reading, but Ibrahim Sonko returns after serving a one game suspension.

Keys to the game:
A main key will be which side performs well after the international break as it is now two weeks since either side played. Readings attack - particularly Lita and Doyle look impressive and City's sound defensive start will need to continue. Corradi and Dickov showed early signs of a decent partnership against Arsenal, but the introduction of Hamman will be a key element in the make up of the City side.

City link:
Former manager Steve Coppell - who had the briefest of tenures at Maine Road, will go up against City for the first time since his departure.

Why City will win:
City will take a lot of heart from the victory over Arsenal and confidence is currently good in the side. Reading, I think, will look to come forward and this suits their approach far better than teams who set their stall out to defend.

Why City will lose:
Reading started well at home and are capable of winning games in the Premiership, and we have yet to post back to back victories in 32 Premiership games.

Prediction:
Reading 1 City 2

Square football article

Check the following link for my Serie A season preview which appeared on Square Football.

Pearce versus Cole

Whilst not quite going to the extremes that Chelsea decided upon when putting forward their version of events over the transfer of William Gallas, Stuart Pearce hit out in the media today at Andrew Cole over his recent transfer to Portsmouth - and specifically how it was engineered.

"My initial reaction was ‘no definitely not, you’re not going anywhere’, but one or two things developed and we tried to find some form of middle ground.
He had an extremely good offer from Portsmouth, an offer of two years as well from them, and I tried to offer him not just this year but next year as long as he fulfilled x-amount of appearances".

It was at this stage that Pearce suggests the threat of retirement was mentioned:

"Well that’s always an option to do that but there were suggestions that the player might retire if I didn’t let him go. After that was suggested to me what choice did I have?
In the terms of negotiations it was mentioned that this deal [from Portsmouth] was too good to turn down and it might be a case of the player retiring if we did not agree to the transfer.
That came from the agent. It was a bit disappointing and as soon as you hear that then you just move on and say ‘right ok’. We decided, myself, the Chairman and the Chief Executive to take the money on the player and move on.
He wanted to go and play somewhere else, I tried my best to offer the player another contract that wouldn’t just leave the club wide open to be paying a player. We had to bear in mind that the player has not played for seven months."

Whilst Pearce's comments are more measured and less inflamatory than Chelsea's, it is nevertheless still strongly worded and to infer that there was in effect a threat to never play for the club again is bold indeed.

Cole has not commented on the alledged incident, but his agents denied Pearce's claim:

"It never was the case that either Andy or us on his behalf threatened that he would retire, Manchester City had no offer on the table until very late in the 11th hour. When they did produce an offer it came nowhere near to matching that made by Portsmouth"

Cole himself preferred to focus on Portsmouth, but aimed a swipe at City when he said:

"I'm coming to a club going upwards, I think you could say the tide is changing between Portsmouth and Manchester City".

I was surprised at Pearce's comments though - and whilst he is lauded as being an 'honest' character, even if he is claims are true then the club should act with some restraint and not respond with what only comes across as a petty shot at Cole. Maybe it was done to get the fans 'onside' with the club as they have come in for criticism in some quarters about being unable to hang onto players. Either way, it isn't something I am keen on but seems to be creeping in with one or two of the deals made over the summer.

I don't like the comments that Cole's agents have responded with, stating that we 'had no offer on the table until the 11th hour'. Cole was under contract to the club and had previously dragged his heels on signing a new deal for this season. Why would the club offer him a new deal, until we were in effect forced to do so to counter the approach from Portsmouth? At this stage I believe the club were flexible, offering what was really a two-year deal (matching the length offered by Portsmouth) despite his injury record last season - subject to appearances.

What this does illustrate is the lack of muscle that clubs do actually have these days. As we have seen with William Gallas and Ashley Cole - and ourselves with David James and Andrew Cole, if a player wants to leave the club are in no position to keep them. All that a contract means is that the 'selling' club is entitled to compensation in return for their departure.

Throughout all this, it does appear clear that the reasons for Cole moving are primarily financial. For all the talk of Portsmouth moving forward - it is still clearly a long term project for them and if they do establish themselves as a force in the Premiership it will clearly be well after Cole has retired.

The burning question

Despite 44% of you deciding that Ishmael Miller is the answer to the problem left hand side position in last weeks poll, Stuart Pearce was evidently not convinced and snapped up DeMarcus Beasley for the remainder of the season.

This weeks poll is - after Andrew Cole's departure, to decide who is City's ideal striking combination:

Who are City's ideal striking partnership?
	Corradi/Dickov
	Corradi/Samaras
	Corradi/Vassell
	Dickov/Samaras
	Dickov/Vassell
	Samaras/Vassell
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Could Gallas have helped us?

I thought it amazing that Chelsea decided to put out the statement today regarding the alledged threat former player William Gallas.

It is certainly a very strongly worded attack on the player - is something Gallas has since denied and it seems to be a situation in which neither side are able to prove the truth. The crux of the matter is summed up in the paragraph concerning the game against ourselves on the opening day of the season, in which to be fair we could have done with all the help we could get:

"Before the first game of the season against Manchester City, when only four defenders were available and John Terry was doubtful with an injury, he refused to play.
He went on to threaten that if he was forced to play, or if he was disciplined and financially punished for his breach of the rules, that he could score an own goal or get himself sent off, or make deliberate mistakes".

If Gallas had really threatened to do any of the above, and did play in the game - would he really have got away with it? Surely it would have been too obvious to the watching public to have done so?

Then again, remember this?

Momentum killer?

There can't be too many club managers who welcome the intervention of the international calendar at any stage of the season, but one who must be particularly irked at the moment is Stuart Pearce.

A fairly wretched start to the season saw a comprehensive defeat at Chelsea, followed by a poor home opener against Portsmouth - which also featured the subsequent distraction of the Ben Thatcher 'incident' to add to his woes.

Lo and behold do City then go and record our first Premiership win in many a year against Arsenal in what manager and players alike hoped would kick start the season. But we then face the prospect of a sixteen day wait before our next meaningful game (discounting the Ballymena friendly) with some of the squad away with their respective international sides.

Whilst I have no doubt that partway through a season, when injuries and general wear and tear from a season are more prevalent then an international break could be welcomed by a manager but Pearce must surely be frustrated to have this interruption so early in the season when trying to build upon an impressive victory.

As much as the intensity can be maintained during training, form and momentum can only be built upon during the ninety minutes of competitive action. Noises coming from the club suggest that the mood in the camp is positive and upbeat.

It remains to be seen though what effect the enforced break will have when the team next play a week today at Reading.

Transfer deadline day - a look at the key deals

It was a slow start to proceedings on deadline day but in the end there were plenty of deals made - with the high profile ones all going through in the end as well. Some moves were predicted, but some can be classed as shocks.

What is also apparant is the increasing number of loan deals being conducted these past couple of seasons - both within and beyond the Premiership.

Below is a brief look at some of the bigger name moves that were made yesterday:


Julio Baptista [Real Madrid - Arsenal] Loan
Jose Antonio Reyes [Arsenal - Real Madrid] Loan

The first of Arsenal's wantaway players gets his 'dream move' to Real - albeit only for an initial season. Reyes will be missed but Arsenal have plenty of players who can cover the left hand side, whilst they pick up Baptista - who potentially will offer something different to their side with a more physical presence.

DaMarcus Beasley [PSV Eindhoven - Manchester City] Loan

A useful pick-up for us, who should provide much needed options out wide. Was a loan deal Pearce being canny to take a season long look at him, or a sign that the kitty was nigh on empty?

Pascal Chimbonda [Wigan - Tottenham] Undisclosed

BBC Sport list it as undisclosed but it is reported the fee is around £5 or £6 million. He had an impressive season last campaign and was keen to get away from the JJB, and although he is a useful player I feel Wigan have clearly got the better of this deal as it allowed them to finance other moves.

Andrew Cole [Man City - Portsmouth] £500,000

A good pick up for Portsmouth, and a loss for ourselves but I get the feeling that it is primarily a financial based move for Cole - despite his comments about it being an 'opportunity'.
For us, business wise it makes sense but will undoubtedly hurt us on the field.

Ashley Cole [Arsenal - Chelsea] £5m + William Gallas

The biggest saga is now over and I feel both sides benefit and take a loss on this deal. Player wise, Arsenal get a guy who can fit into the centre (and cover full back) whilst Chelsea finally get the left back they have been seeking. Despite snapping up Gallas, Arsenal clearly received a lower fee than they hoped with Chelsea having to give up a good player in Gallas. I'd call this deal about even.

Pascal Cygan [Arsenal - Villarreal] £2m

Another centre-back departs from Arsenal, but I cannot see too many tears shed over Cygan's departure - and somehow they manage to receive £2million in the process for a player who was unlikely to threaten first team action this season.

Jason Euell [Charlton - Middlesbrough] Undisclosed

Middlesbrough pick up a player whose Charlton career has been dead in the water for the best part of a season. A move I cannot understand 'Boro making as I don't think he adds anything to their side.

Robert Huth [Chelsea - Middlesbrough] £6m

A young player who doesn't seemed to have progressed a great deal at Chelsea (funny that). He does have talent but is still largely unproven, so a fee of £6 million is too high in my opinion - perhaps 'Boro's woeful defensive start forced an extra couple of million onto the asking price.

Kevin Kilbane [Everton - Wigan] Undisclosed

A player I've never rated all that highly but he has been a regular at Everton and international level the past few years. A decent pick up I guess for Wigan as Paul Jewell continues to revamp the side after last seasons impressive debut.

Jan Kromkamp [Liverpool - PSV Eindhoven] Undisclosed

A brief Premiership stop for Kromkamp who barely played a dozen games. His departure led to rumours of Lucas Neill arriving (and a knock on move involving Danny Mills) but Benitez obviously feels he has plenty of cover.

Shefki Kuqi [Blackburn - Crystal Palace] £2.5m

File along with Cygan move in over the top transfer fees. A limited player at Premiership level, Palace must have had Andy Johnson's cash burning a hole somewhere. Will undoubtedly do a job for Palace but he will need to shoot them to the Premiership to help pay off that fee.

Sylvain Legwinski [Fulham - Ipswich] Undisclosed
Steed Malbranque [Fulham - Tottenham] Undisclosed

After being threatened with 'rotting in the reserves' for the season (will that ever happen?), both players get moves away from Craven Cottage. Malbranque - after being linked with umpteen clubs gets his (rumoured) move to the Capital. A consistent Premiership performer, he will help offset the loss of Michael Carrick. Despite being 34, I was surprised that a Premiership side didn't take a gamble on Legwinski as I've always thought him a talented player. Surely a one-year deal would have been worth it?

Javier Mascherano [Corinthians - West Ham]
Carlos Tevez [Corinthians - West Ham]

The deal that shocked the whole of the Premiership, and may well have left messrs. Ferguson, Wenger and Mourinho scratching their heads. It is a deal that has led to speculation of mystery investors, 'parking' of players and Chelsea involvement. Whatever mysteries may have been behind the deal, it cannot be denied that the Hammers pick up two of the most highly rated prospects in World football. After an impressive first season back in the Premiership, this will be a boost to their prospects of kicking on this time round.

Shabani Nonda [Roma - Blackburn] Loan

A former big money player when he moved to Monaco, he spent an inconsistent season in Serie A last season but could produce some goals during his season long loan.

Antoine Sibierski [Manchester City - Newcastle] Undisclosed

A late move and one which capped a miserable day for the Geordies - judging by fan reaction at least. A strange move, and I cannot see exactly where he will fit into the side with Duff and N'Zogbia on the left, he will have to battle for a spot up front. Another salary dump from ourselves - perhaps to finance the Beasley move?

Florent Sinama Pongolle [Liverpool - Recreativo de Huelva] Loan

Farmed out on loan for a second successive season and his Liverpool future is probably short lived with some of the moves they have made. A useful player who has always impressed for me, and a surprise a Premiership side didn't make a move.

Stilian Petrov [Celtic - Aston Villa] £6.5m

Martin O'Neill splashes the dollars for the only time this window and picks up a player he knows well from his time at Celtic. A solid player who was well thought of at Celtic and should make the transition to the Premiership.

Jonathan Woodgate [Real Madrid - Middlesbrough] Loan

Woodgate moves to the Premiership in a bid to kick start his career after an injury wrecked few seasons. He is keen on remaining at Madrid but fell down the pecking order since the arrival of Capello. Perhaps the most talented English centre-back there is but needs a full season for 'Boro to get the benefit.

Anger management

I see the courses Joey Barton attended must have brought a whole new side of him out...