Beasley in, but Cole and Sibierski depart

Barring any last minute further deadline moves, Stuart Pearce looks to have completed the make-up of his squad for the first half of the season at least.

Andrew Cole's transfer to Portsmouth was completed this morning, with Cole claiming he was keen to move to a club 'looking to push forward'. The MEN reported that Cole will see his pay increase by £15,000 per week and has an extra year guaranteed on his contract - something the club were will to match length wise (if not wage wise) on the proviso he plays twenty games this season.

A £500,000 return is decent business really and I can't argue that the club should have matched what Portsmouth were offering, but it is disappointing that a player of Cole's influence works his way back to full fitness and departs before we see any of the benefits.

The move for Olivier Thomert died off late yesterday, with rumours surrounding the possible arrival of DaMarcus Beasley. That has come to fruition now as the American international joins from PSV - albeit only on a season long loan. He will undoubtedly bring some much needed width to the side and is a good pick up.

But, out of the blue though came the news that Antoine Sibierski had left the club. In a big suprise, he has remained in the Premiership as he has left to join Newcastle in a one-year deal. No fee has been mentioned so far and this maybe more of a case of getting a player of the books. A very strange move for me by Newcastle, and as big a 'trier' Sibierski is, it won't be a move mourned by many fans.

Thatcher suspended and fined by the club

The club announced today that they had fined Ben Thatcher six weeks wages and suspended him for six matches (two of which are to be suspended) for the 'challenge' on Pedro Mendes which brought universal condemnation on the player.

Thatcher still awaits an FA (and possible police) charge over the matter and has until September 12th to reply to their charge, which could result in a further fine and suspension handed down by themselves.

I certainly believe he will receive an additional fine by the FA, but I wonder if the clubs six game suspension is enough to ward off further punishment in that respect? Part of me thinks it may well do, but I do have a feeling that the FA will also like to be seen to be acting over this so may add an additional couple of games on top as with the part-suspended sentence, he will only miss four games - only one more than for violent conduct resulting in a straight red card.

After initially being critical of the clubs handling of the matter, I feel they at least deserve some credit for how they have subsequently dealt with it and for all the talk of sacking Thatcher, I believe that would have been an overly harsh sentence to hand down.

Interesting though that the club are believed to be unhappy at the FA for not taking further action over Michael Brown's challenge on Ryan Giggs - described as 'career threatening', and this is where you run the danger by allowing the FA to act on cases with 'exceptional circumstances' in that there are no guidelines currently in place to determine what is and isn't exceptional, which I intially commented on in the aftermath of the Portsmouth game.

Cole move looks likely

I initially dismissed reports of this earlier today as nothing more than a wishful attempt from Portsmouth, but checking the newsfeeds just now it seems there is substance to the story that they want to sign Andrew Cole, and perhaps more worryingly that Cole himself is keen on a move - so much so that the club have been moved to announce on the website that although they 'don't wish to lose Andrew at such a late stage in the transfer window, he expressed a desire to leave the club and join Portsmouth'.

The reason (above all) it suprised me was when he joined the club from Fulham, one of the main reasons was because it offered the opportunity to move back to his family in the North-West, so from a geographical perspective it makes no sense. He also did state that it would be his last move in football as well.

There is no immediate reason announced why Cole wants to leave, so early guesses are that whilst he has a one-year deal at City, Portsmouth are prepared to offer a longer deal - perhaps two or even three years, and he feels that he may have more of an opportunity to start with Pompey than at City.

It will be disappointing if he does go as his value to the side is apparant, and I believe last season our average goals scored with Cole in the side was around 1.5 per game, but without him fell substantially.

It seems that whilst Portsmouth have not been able to make a splash in the transfer market with true 'big names', they are able to entice players towards the end of their careers with the offer of a far lengthier deal than they will get anywhere else.

The burning question

Despite a strong start to the season, Nicky Weaver has been unable to convince you that he has what it takes to become the new number 1 'keeper, with only 28% stating that he will.

This week, we take a look at the problem on the left hand side with Stuart Pearce already trying out a number of different options:

Who is the answer to the left midfield problem?
	Samaras
	Vassell
	Miller
	Sibierski
	Sun Jihai
	Sinclair
Free polls from Pollhost.com

'Gay-friendly' initiative announced

One story that came out (pun very much intended) was the announcement that the club had signed up to become part of what is known as the Diversity Champions Scheme. The scheme, run by gay rights group Stonewall is designed primarily for employers to focus on a range of gay-friendly initiatives.

According to Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill:

"The work can range from looking at recruitment processes to what's already going on in the workplace, to developing marketing strategies.....it is mainly about Manchester City wanting to be an exemplary employer."

This prompted some of tabloids today however to unsurprisingly run headlines such as 'Men City' (The Sun) and 'Man on Man City' (The Mirror), whilst it has also been suggested that it could lead to a series of changes such as a pink away kit or YMCA becoming the new song the teams run out to.

A by-product of the initiative will be to try and attract members of the gay community to the club, but this in itself is not a particularly groundbreaking move. The club has always attempted to have strong links to the community - I believe that local schools still benefit from free tickets from the club, whilst when the club were at Maine Road a number of tickets were made available to the University. A recent study also looked at the club when compiling the report 'Football and its communities'

I don't know what the current percentage of City's attendance is actually gay, or whether the initiative will see significant number swapping Canal Street for the City of Manchester Stadium on a Saturday afternoon, but the club could also have one eye on attempting to reach as a wide an audience as possible to ensure future attendances remain at a sustained level. Don't forget that the club has loans on the basis of future attendances, but the average attendances have dropped year on year since moving to the new stadium.

If some of the 'newer' fans who arrived at the time of the stadium move are now beginning to drift away, then the club will have to look at the 'next generation' of supporters, and as a demographic, the gay community in Manchester - with a young-ish age range, above average disposable income and increasing numbers would fit the sort of target market that the clubs marketing advisors would suggest they target.

Pearce closing in on Thomert

With the transfer window now just a few days away from closing it is looking increasingly likely that Lens player Olivier Thomert will be joining the club.

Thomert himself is quoted as saying;

"I've agreed terms and am waiting on the clubs to finalise the deal. I just can't wait to play in the Premiership."

According to the MEN, Pearce is meeting the board this week to finalise the terms of the deal - believed to be an initial one year loan with the option of a permanent move next summer.

City 1 Arsenal 0

With four weekends of cricket still left, it meant I was unable to get to the game yesterday, but due to us coasting home by a nine wicket margin I was able to put my feet up and watch yesterday's match, along with Lancashire's C&G Trophy defeat - whilst having one eye on the action out in the middle of course.

To say it was a much needed win is a touch understated, but it undoubtedly brought some welcome relief at the end of a troubled week on and off the pitch.

From what I caught of the game, it looked to be our best performance so far - both in quality and spirit. It was a gritty performance as there were spells when we were under the cosh, but equally we created chances and opportunities ourselves.

Pearce again made changes to the side, with the Jordan returning in place of the absent Thatcher, Corradi in for Samaras (with Vassell playing on the left) and Dabo coming in for Reyna.

Two big plus points for me were Corradi and Dabo. Dabo, playing in a defensive 'holding' role augmented the excellent Dunne and Distin and allowed Barton to more licence to get forward in attack. The distribution of Dabo was also an upgrade over that of Reyna. Corradi impressed me with his movement up front, his strength and ability to hold the ball up - and linked well I thought with Dickov.

Nicky Weaver had another good game - possibly prompting a change of heart from one or two of you? More than once saving well from a misfiring Thierry Henry, whilst defensively in the main we coped with Arsenal's attacking play as well asI've seen us do.

Let's not totally kid ourselves though. Before Barton put us ahead, Arsenal could have been two, possibly three goals up and had chances in the second half to get themselves on level terms but once we got to the hour mark I sensed that the points were fairly safe.

Arsenal had the look of a side struggling for confidence. Whilst Fabregas and van Persie were superb, with Walcott looking bright when he came on they looked very lightweight. Henry missed more chances than he usually does in a season, whilst Djourou and Hoyte in defence didn't inspire confidence. Whilst they have only played two games, they are already playing catch-up in the title race and I wonder if they have the depth of squad to make a sustained bid for the title.

With another 5.15pm win behind us (can we petition the league to switch all games to then?) we are on four points and in eighth place, and are probably ahead of where most of us thought us to be looking at the opening three games on paper. We have 'winnable' games coming up against Reading, Blackburn and West Ham with the Cole and Hamman to return, so it maybe then that an indication of how the season may pan out will be far more clear.

Match reports:
The Observer
mcfc.co.uk
Arseblog

Carling Cup draw

Chesterfield have been handed the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Doncaster, Lincoln and Barnet in humbling us after we were handed an away tie in the Carling Cup, to be played week commencing September 18th.

Arsenal preview

When and where:
Saturday 26th August 2006, City of Manchester Stadium.

Current form:
We have yet to score in our two outings this season, and didn't really threaten Portsmouth too much on Wednesday night. Confidence does not appear to be high and worryingly it seems that we are struggling to shake off the form from the end of last season.
Arsenal rescued a point in their opening game at the new Emirates Stadium but had a relatively comfortable passage through their Champions League qualifier, without really excelling.

Team news:
Thatcher's suspension rules him out so it maybe that Distin moves to the left, although I would be loathe to split the Dunne-Distin partnership up. Cole, Hamman and Trabelsi are not deemed ready enough to play, whilst Andreas Isaksson is going to be out for six weeks following an ankle operation. Bernardo Corradi is available again following his suspension.
For Arsenal, Jens Lehmann and Thierry Henry will start, whilst Tomas Rosicky could come into the side due to injuries to Ljungberg and Reyes.

Keys to the game:
We need to put Arsenal under pressure. Generally sides have done well getting at the Gunners as opposed to trying to outplay them. An obvious one is the need to stop Henry, but they are assembling an impressive supporting cast around him to relieve some of the pressure. Pearce said we need to get 'cuter', and he is right to an extent in that we need to be smarter and not as one-dimensional as we appeared to be against Portsmouth.

City link:
No former Blues in the Arsenal squad, but former Gunner Paul Dickov will probably start up front for us.

Why City will win:
We have a good record in the 5.15 Saturday kick off games (most notably defeating Chelsea) and the side will come together following the problems of this week.

Why City will lose:
Home Premiership record versus Arsenal - Won 0 Drawn 1 Lost 8, and in that time I don't think we've really threatened to come close to taking the points.

Prediction:
City 0 Arsenal 2.

Thatcher banned by club, charged by FA

With the weight of public opinion growing against him, Ben Thatcher received a double blow yesterday as the club announced that it had suspended him following Stuart Pearce's review of the incident and the FA also announced that Thatcher is to be charged with 'serious foul play'.

The FA are believed to be following the same rule that was used to charge Lee Bowyer following his on-pitch punch up with team-mate Kieron Dyer - despite having already been sent off in the game. Bowyer received a six match ban for his actions that day, so it is conceivable that Thatcher will be banned in excess of ten games due to the injuries sustained by Mendes.

The club also announced a suspension, possibly in a bid to stave off the growing furore around Thatcher but almost certainly as a result of critcism levelled at the club and Stuart Pearce for the non-committal stance since Wednesday. Pearce has since said that he has had chance to 'review' the incident again after initially not having had a clear view of it.

In a statement the club said:

'Manchester City can confirm that Ben Thatcher has been suspended from first team action pending the results of the club’s internal investigation into the incident involving Pedro Mendes during the game with Portsmouth on Wednesday.
The player will miss tomorrow’s home fixture with Arsenal. Ben Thatcher fully agrees with this decision'.

Whilst Stuart Pearce added:

"What happened on Wednesday was indefensible. Any form of discipline will be discussed at board level, kept internal and we will move on from there.
But I can assure everybody that this has hit the player very hard. There's no bravado about him. He has gone home, turned on the TV and seen the challenge. The more you watch it, the worse it gets. His face was ashen when I spoke to him yesterday. He's disgusted with himself and there's no way I, or anyone at my club, can defend it.
People are having a go at him, but, in all honesty, he hasn't got a leg to stand on."

Thatcher could also still face further punishment as the police are still considering whether or not there is the evidence or a case to be able to lay criminal charges against him.

Storm raging over Thatcher 'challenge'

There is a real storm beginning to develop around Ben Thatcher following his clash with Pedro Mendes in last nights game, which left the Portsmouth midfielder in hospital, requiring oxygen and suffering from seizures.

Universal condemnation has followed - ranging from Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, the FA, the police, mainstream media and even Alan Pardew all queueing upto to criticise Thatcher.

For his part, Thatcher has remained quiet on the subject although it is revealed that he has written to Mendes offering his apologies - although there is no indication of him admitting any guilt. Stuart Pearce has also been cautious on the subject, refusing to criticise Thatcher (so far) although he did say that action could be taken once he has properly seen the incident again on video.

Whilst there is clearly no doubt that Thatcher was guilty of a crude and violent assault, a concern for me is that the FA will now override it's own rules by using video evidence to further punish an incident in which a referee has seen and taken what he feels (rightly or wrongly) is appropriate action.

Video evidence (as it stands) is used to met out punishment for an incident that a referee has missed but if it can now be used for 'exceptional circumstances' then I fear that the FA could be heading in a direction where they will be forced to interpret and adjudicate on incidents in every game, undermining the referee's decisions and authority.

Surely the question needs to be asked of why Dermot Gallagher felt it only warranted a yellow card? He was not far away from the incident and must have seen it in full? Maybe he saw a challenge but not the elbow and this is what the FA may now use as reason to charge Thatcher.

Clearly Thatcher deserves far worse a punishment than he was handed out last night, but with talk of the FA now acting, and even the police being involved in the matter, it is the wrong way of going about it.

City 0 Portsmouth 0

Any optimism that made it's way to the ground tonight must have been washed away by a performance which indicated nothing but frustration lies ahead this season.

Coming up against a Portsmouth side who clearly set their stall out for a point - and to their credit backed this up with some solid play, and could have sneaked it if not for a couple of smart saves from Nicky Weaver and Dermot Gallagher failing to spot Micah Richards handball.

If truth to be told though, it was a game that was there to win, but instead City put in a performance that was no improvement confidence or performance wise from how last season ended with a side that personnel wise only added Paul Dickov to that of last season - a worry considering the general concensus was that we have strengthened on last season.

Team wise, we had a new pairing up front with Vassell and Dickov getting the nod, whilst Samaras moved out left as Reyna played in the middle alongside Barton seeing Dabo drop to the bench. Tactically was a big concern for me, and the approach could have only been instructed by Pearce and the coaching staff. Time and again, the first ball by a City player (namely Weaver or the defence) was a long, diagonal ball across field to either Samaras or Sinclair out wide on the touchline.

Why this approach was adopted is a mystery as I don't see this as playing to our strengths, and I don't see who was in place to win the second ball. This only served to play into Portsmouth's hands as they could get men deep behind the ball and clear their lines time and again.

There weren't a great deal of positives individually to take from this. Weaver made a couple of crucial saves and defensively as a unit we were solid - without being placed under too much pressure. Barton improved from Sunday and I have hope that his partnership with Hamman can spark some much needed creativity.

Negatives? Plenty. Samaras is wasted on the left, as much for the fact he offers nothing defensively. He should have played up front and Vassell withdrawn for Miller - who has not impressed thus far in that role. Sinclair played in fits and starts but offered little in the way of attacking threat.

Special mention must be made for Ben Thatcher though. Poor positioning and distribution was augmented by an attitude that bordered on disinterested, but as I've read reports when I got back it seems his challenge on Pedro Mendes was not merely 'clumsy' and unnecessary as I thought at the time, but a deliberate one in which he led with his elbow. I've still not seen replays but the Portsmouth camp are incensed with it and it may not be a surprise if the FA get involved.

We undoubtedly miss Cole from the side, and Hamman should make a difference - but we still lack that 'game breaker' - someone who can turn a game on their own with a moment of magic. A player such as Wright-Phillips or Anelka. We don't suffer from a lack of hard work and graft, but they ultimately do not win you Premiership games.

And won't win back the fans who are seemingly voting with their feet.

Reports:
MEN
ITV sport

The burning question

Last weeks question was 'Where will City finish this season?' and the clear winner with 47% of the vote said we will end up in mid-table mediocrity.

After Nicky Weaver started a competitive game against Chelsea on Sunday, this weeks question is 'Will Nicky Weaver re-establish himself as the number one 'keeper?'

Will Nicky Weaver re-establish himself as the numer 1 'keeper?
	Yes
	No
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Portsmouth preview

When and where:
Wednesday August 23rd, City of Manchester Stadium

Current form:
Contrasting fortunes for both sides on the opening weekend with new-look Pompey sealing an impressive 3-0 win at home to Blackburn, whilst we fell by the same scoreline at Chelsea. Difficult to place too great an emphasis on those results as home advantage should see the balance swing our way.

Team news:
For City, Bernardo Corradi is definitely out through suspension with Darius Vassell likely to replace him. Andrew Cole and Didi Hamman are not expected to be fit enough to start, whilst Hatem Trabelsi probably won't make it despite his clearance coming through. Portsmouth are expected to be unchanged from Saturday, although Kanu may press his claims for a starting role.

Keys to the game:
For me the key is how well we can respond from Sunday. It is the opening home game with an expectant crowd so a good early start to the game will set us up well. Portsmouth have not won at City for some time so the onus is on us to come out flying.

City link:
David James makes an early return to the club, and wasn't 100% complimentary about the club - although this may have been provoked by Stuart Pearce's claim that in Andreas Isaksson we had a 'better keeper'. His form was superb throughout his time at City and he will look to continue that in this fixture.

Why City will win:
The side will be keen to make amends for the opening day defeat. Home advantage will count for a lot and a strong performance in the opening half-hour will seal the game.

Why City will lose:
Portsmouth will be buoyed by their opening day victory and will take a lot of confidence into the fixture. If they keep it level at half-time they will feel they are in with a good shout of taking all three points.

Prediction:
City 2 Portsmouth 1

Chelsea 3 City 0

As I wrote in my Observer preview; "It will be a tough ask to take anything from this game, but I'd like to think we can keep ourselves in with a shout for the most part".

For me that was the disappointing factor in that we were never in with a shout or looked like getting back into the game after falling behind to John Terry's goal little over ten minutes into the game, as generally we have been one of the few sides that have always ran Chelsea close in our games with them since Mourinho took over.

I don't think there were many of the City side who really came away with too many positives from the game. Yes, they battled hard and there was plenty of effort put it in but a lack of overall quality needed to get ourselves back into contention.

Nicky Weaver looked fairly solid in goals, but for a 'keeper of his size doesn't dominate the box as well as he should (something James was excellent at) and I thought he should have come for the free-kick which led to the first goal.

Micah Richards played well (probably MOM) and got forward at times - something Ben Thatcher failed to do. The central partnership of Dunne and Distin looked as shaky as I've seen it and the midfield were not convincing in their support of them.

Joey Barton saw plenty of the ball in midfield, but lacked the final touch or pass to generate sustained attacks, whilst both Reyna and Sinclair had no more than a handful of runs from midfield that threatened the opposition.

The attack was a disappointment for me as Corradi and Samaras were not cohesive, and I would have preferred to see Vassell's pace used away from home if we were trying to play more of a counter-attacking style, whilst Dickov's brief cameo illustrated to me why we shouldn't have brought him back to the club.

Although it was a Chelsea side that were missing a couple of key players, I thought they played well and showed that they remain a class apart from all other sides in the Premiership, let alone ourselves who have more modest ambitions.

It is easy to be critical though, and I don't want to convey a total air of doom and gloom as it certainly isn't the case as early season we are still missing some key players from the starting side and it will take time to bed in the new arrivals.

So, I don't think we should get too downhearted as no points and no goals away to Chelsea is not entirely unexpected, and it is more realistic that we take maximum points in games such as the Portsmouth one this Wednesday.

Reports:
MEN
CFC.net

Distin : 'I want to stay'

In comments made to French TV station TPS, Sylvain Distin stated his desire to stay at City this season, ruling out a transfer to Middlesbrough - or even a late move by Portmsouth.

Distin is quoted as saying:

"As I have the opportunity to talk about it, I will tell you the truth, I'm a professional, I am 100 percent (Manchester) City, and don't want to leave my club."

This backs up what Stuart Pearce has been saying in that he has a 'gut feeling' that Distin will stay - but as yet there is no word on whether he will extend his contract beyond next summer.

Chelsea preview

When and where:
Sunday August 20th 2006, Stamford Bridge.

Current form:
Hard to tell if pre-season form will have any bearing on the game. We ended badly in China with a 4-3 defeat to Kashima Antlers, but Chelsea themselves were beaten 2-1 in the Community Shield last week again Liverpool - a game in which Jose Mourinho conceded they were some way short of fitness.

Team news:
Michael Ballack is expected to miss the game for Chelsea along with Joe Cole, Peter Cech and Robert Huth, whilst Richard Dunne has returned to full training for us but Didi Hamman may join Andrew Cole on the sidelines.

Keys to the game:
Although Ballack is expected to miss the game, our midfield will have a tough ask coming up against Lampard, Makelele and Essien. If he plays, Didi Hamman will be the key in the midfield in trying to shut down Chelsea's attacks. The key for me though will be how our defence copes in shutting down Andriy Shevchenko.

City link:
Shaun Wright-Phillips struggled last season for Chelsea with limited opportunities - something which contributed to his World Cup axing. With Damien Duff having moved on and Joe Cole injured he may get an early season opportunity.

Why City will win:
We will come out of the blocks quickly with the new players keen to impress. Barton will get a grip in midfield and outshine Lampard. This will be coupled with a lethargic showing from Chelsea and see us sneak a 1-0 win.

Why City will lose:
Even without their missing players through injury, Chelsea will have enough to take the points. Pearce will send us out with a damage limitation exercise but Chelsea will have enough quality to come through.

Prediction:
Chelsea 2 City 0

The big City season preview

After previewing yesterday how I expect the Premiership table to look come next May, it is time to turn my hand to looking a bit more in depth at how I expect our season to go.

One thing I did notice when working out the final table was how open the Premiership is this season. Apart from the top five which looks to be a closed shop, pretty much every other side in the league must be looking at that sixth spot and thinking they have a chance. Of course every side goes into the season with optimism - having brought in new recruits and starting the season afresh, but I cannot see an obvious stand out candidate to finish sixth. Another reason for this I think is that most sides have question marks hanging over them - be it managerial or on the playing side which means they could also struggle at the wrong end as well as competing at the top end.

For me it does make for an interesting start to the season at least, as I look for sides trying to get out of the blocks quickly as once you build momentum it can take you a long way through the season. It is also imperative that you avoid getting yourself dragged into the danger zone early on as it difficult to escape once in there - as proved with Birmingham last season.

General predictions have not been overly favourable to us. Most have us coming in around lower mid-table. From the press, The Observer has us 16th, The Independent 15th and Sunday Times 14th. Elsewhere the guys at B&W&RAO tip us to finish 15th, Square Football 17th, whilst your votes also put us around mid-table.

It is clearly a big season for City. Without trying to hype it too much we are clearly at a crossroads as a club. We have now established Premiership security and are now enjoying our longest spell in the top flight for some time. Whilst financially we are by no means secure, the sale of SWP last season has clearly helped and Stuart Pearce has been aforded some flexibility in the transfer market.

There were rumblings from the terraces though towards the end of last season. The meltdown over the last third did much to contribute to this but an air of apathy was evident as fans became fully aware that we have probably shed the 'rollercoaster' tag and we have become in some ways one of the Premiership 'also rans' - a side who at best will be challenging for a top eight spot and a decent cup run. This resulted in crowds falling to around the 40,000 mark on occasion and it may take a good start for attendances to pick up again.

I think also it is a big season for Pearce. From being touted as a favourite for the England job his stock fell and it will be a big test of his character and more importantly his coaching and motivational ability. I have read in some circles that a bad run upto Christmas could put his job in danger but I view that as far too premature and would be a major step backwards from the club if that were to happen.

Pearce has made some backroom changes since last season and perhaps the important one will see Steve Wigley assume more of a role at first team level, after a season with the reserves and Academy - experience that will surely prove vital with the crop of youngsters coming through.

Personnel wise, I don't think you can argue with what Pearce has achieved over the summer and if anything has brought in players who undoubtedly make the squad a lot stronger than it was this time last year.

The initial disappointment at losing James has given way to a little realism and the arrival of Isaksson looks to be a plus, with Pearce also doing well in not annointing him the outright number 1 - which should keep him on his toes. Hatem Trabelsi is a proven international and performer at the top level and will be a key component in the attacking game. This may also allow either/both of Onouha and Richards to move into the centre if Distin does leave.
Midfield was a concern last season with both a lack of depth of quality so the arrival of Dabo and particularly Hamman should address this, although the left hand side is still a concern heading into the season. Up front, Pearce now has plenty of options and bringing in Dickov and Corradi sees a different style of forward than we had on the books.

Of the departures, I again think Pearce has done well. As I've said before, to recoup £1.5 million for Croft, Wright-Phillips and Flood is good business and none were expected to make an impact this season if they had remained. The sale of James was an enforced one, but he recouped a sizeable fee for a player of that age and has more than addressed the issue of a replacement. In addition he has also cleared the decks to some extent with both fringe and younger players departing the club to free up salary to be spent elsewhere.

Squad wise, as I've mentioned I think we are in far better shape than twelve months ago. In goal, we are as stocked as at any time in recent memory with an experienced international with his best years ahead as the probable number 1, with a fit again Nicky Weaver pushing him hard. In the system are also two bright prospects in Kaspar Schmeichel and Joe Hart, with Schmeichel expected to see some action elsewhere throughout the season.

Defensively, for this season a lot depends on Sylvain Distin. Whilst Nedum Onuoha and Micah Richards are going to be dominant players in the future, it may be too early for them to assume the responsibility of a full season in the centre and may place too much pressure on Richard Dunne - who I think will shine in the captains role. Danny Mills, Stephen Jordan or Ben Thatcher could fill in but it would be a case of muddling through rather than filling Distin's position with any conviction. It may still be that Distin stays and we will then have a full season from a player who I think has been outstanding during his time at the club and who will leave a big hole if he does depart. At full back, on the right we are well stocked with Hatem Trabelsi looking a good signing, with Mills and Sun Jihai as experienced back-up with Richards and Onouha also capable of playing there. On the left, it is not quite as stocked with Thatcher and Jordan battling it out - with Jordan expected to have the edge.

We did not ship a lot of goals last season and it was rare that we suffered more than a one-goal defeat, but there is still the propensity to lose stupid goals. Early in the season there is also the worry of trying to 'knit' the unit (as well as a 'keeper) together.

Midfield was the problem area for much of last season, particularly the second half when Joey Barton's transfer demand saw him lose focus. Hopefully now a new deal is signed he will kick on and show the form he is surely capable of. With the arrivals of Didi Hamman and Ousmane Dabo, this should give Barton licence to advance more (something Pearce has been keen on during pre-season) and support the attack. Dabo is a solid signing, whilst Hamman will add the quality that he has shown at Liverpool the past few seasons. Holdovers from last year who will compete are Stephen Ireland and Claudio Reyna. Reyna may not have too much time left at City and has proved too injury prone and will not be an automatic first choice. Ireland has potential and looked good in flashes but needs to show more consistency when he does get a chance.

Out wide are problem areas for me. Last season saw a fully fit Trevor Sinclair display his best form for the club but when he struggling with injury looks half the player, and we don't have any genuine cover to compete. The left is the big problem. Both last seasons loan players - Kiki Musampa and Albert Riera are no more, which leaves a big hole. Georgios Samaras, Ishmael Miller and Antoine Sibierski appear to be the contenders but none are genuine players for that position and it is a case of square pegs in round holes.

Pearce is running out of time to fill that position, but overall the midfield does look stronger in quality and depth than last season and will hopefully see us dominate games against lesser sides.
In attack, it is a case of perm any two from five. Pearce added former player Paul Dickov and Bernardo Corradi to the squad over the summer and gives himself yet more options. Corradi - somewhat a poor mans Luca Toni, is a strong player who should relish the physical nature of the Premiership, whilst Dickov maybe more an impact player, brought on from the bench. Andrew Cole is edging back to full fitness and his presence was badly missed last season, particularly by Darius Vassell who had struck up a good partnership but without Cole and suffering from hernia problems struggled late on. Georgios Samaras was brought in at the Janaury window for a sizeable fee and in patches showed quality and added goals, and he will look to kick on this season.

With the options Pearce has up front, it maybe tempting to play a 4-3-3 at times - with Samaras and Vassell in wider positions, augmenting Cole or Corradi from wide. This could be a bold move, but may risk pushing them too far out of the game yet if it gels could be an explosive system to play - mainly at home.

At least it does now give Pearce options and depth to cover the inevitable injuries, but a worry could be the lack of a 'genuine' goal scorer amongst them. In the reserves, both Kelvin Etuhu and Daniel Sturridge will look to develop and may even get a chance at some stage this season.

Last season promised much, but ultimately delivered little in end reward. There is a chance to kick on this season and with the additions made to the squad much is expected. Fans are yet again hopeful, and indeed expectant of a good season but this has been tempered with a bigger dose of realism than in past campaigns when hype and expectation were far more easily generatd (particularly under Kevin Keegan).

It will be a big test, but the noises coming from the squad are positive and I feel that this squad can equip themselves with the majority in the Premiership, but ultimately feel that in typical-City style, we could be our own worst enemy.

View From The Away End

Excellent Newcastle United blog 'Black & White & Read All Over' ran another installment of their 'View From The Away End' feature today, namely focusing on how their season will pan out.

Check out the piece here, which contains a contribution from yours truly.

2006-07 Premiership preview

It's time to get the crystal ball out and take a look at how the Premiership will look come May of next year and the Premiership season has all played out.

One thing that I did notice in putting this together is how wide open and much of a much the Premiership appears to be this season once you get past the top five sides. On the one hand it is encouraging to think we have a shot at a European place, but alternatively it means sides can easily get dragged into a relegation dogfight.

The majority of you out there so far seem to think mid table mediocrity is the ultimate destination for City this season, and I am in agreement and have not deviated from my preview in The Observer, putting us in ninth position.

How accurate will I be? Check out how I fared last year.


1. Chelsea
I think the primary focus for the defending Champions this season will be the Champions League so they may take their eye slightly of the ball, but I think the additions they have brought in should help keep them at the top and retain the title.

2. Liverpool
Rafael Benitez took a further step forward last season in the development of the side and has again added wisely over the summer, adding both depth and quality. I think they will push Chelsea close and be well ahead of the rest of the challengers.

3. Arsenal
Lost their Premiership focus last season during their European campaign and suffered at times from injuries. Leaving Highbury may affect them more than expected in terms of home form but still have enough quality to end up in the top four.

4. Manchester United
With van Nistelrooy gone where will the goals come from? Defensively they should remain tight though and the midfield can't be any worse than last season. Should still have enough for Champions League qualification but will be pushed close.

5. Tottenham
I think the loss of Carrick could be costly and newcomers Berbatov and Zakora are untested in the Premiership. Martin Jol is a shrewd coach though and they have quality in addition to some good youngsters. Will be ready if any of the 'big four' struggle.

6. Everton
In recent years they have yo-yo'd in the Premiership, going from good season to bad. This time round they are due a good season and I take a fit James Beattie and Andy Johnson to strike up a good partnership.

7. Newcastle
It was surprising to look back at last years table and see them ending in seventh position. They have been thwarted in their attempts to add striking depth but I like the pick up of Damien Duff. It could go wrong if Roeder loses some of his 'caretaker effect'.

8. West Ham
Had an impressive return to the top flight and capped it with an appearance in the FA Cup final. Have built on last season and added some depth to the sqaud over the summer. The loss of Dean Ashton could be big though.

9. Manchester City
I've detected an air of pessimism returning this week as the season draws near. A lot of question marks still and maybe too many new players to bed in but undoubtedly we are stronger than last season and Pearce will be keen to avoid another run like the end of last season.

10. Blackburn
How big a loss will Bellamy be? They have added Jason Roberts to replace him but Bellamy will be sorely missed. They will still be tough and resilient and pick up wins when not expected. I fancy them for a good cup run though.

11. Middlesbrough
New boss Gareth Southgate has struggled to bring in new faces since taking over (Distin's move still up in the air as I write this) and has seen a couple of decent players in Quedrue and Hasselbaink depart. I'm not convinced Southgate will be a success on the bench either.

12. Aston Villa
Optimism abounds with Martin O'Neill arriving and Randy Lerner buying the club. It will be a big test for O'Neill with a side lacking quality and not forgetting he has been away from the Premiership for some years now.

13. Portsmouth
Harry Redknapp has been trying to throw the cash around over the summer but has not really added any elite players - although David James, Sol Campbell and Glen Johnson are clearly upgrades. Won't have a great season but it will be entertaining.

14. Bolton
Big Sam has been thwarted in his attempts to strengthen and build on the past few seasons. Was rumoured to have been desperate to land the England job and will his motivation still be as strong this season. May have reached their peak.

15. Wigan
Surprised pretty much everyone last season with a fantastic start which comfortably ensured Premiership safety. Plenty of faces both in and out over the summer and have added fairly well but Roberts' goals and Bullard's creativity will be badly missed this season.

16. Charlton
I'm not convinced of the additions that new manager Iain Dowie has brought in and they look lightweight to me . Some of Dowie's lustre went after Palace's relegation and I expect a struggle for them this season, although they should have enough to avoid serious trouble.

17. Fulham
Struggled for big periods last season and were woeful on their travels until they came across you know who. Added well in Bullard and Quedrue but I don't think they have enough up front to avoid being dragged into the dogfight.

18. Reading
Stormed their way through the Championship last season and have some youngsters who built up some good reputations. Have not added quality or experience though to help them through and I think they will go down - but only just.

19. Sheffield United
Neil Warnock finally got the Blades back in the top flight last season and appears to have spent the summer adding to his tally of forwards - not to mention David Sommeil. Will lack the overall quality to stay up but will showcase some of their top prospects.

20. Watford
Appear to have a no nonesense manager who impressed last season in taking them up. Another promoted side who have been unable to attract top players into the club and I feel they will go the way they have done in their previous foray into the Premiership.

Reserves start with a win

The reserve side opened their season last night with a 2-0 over the Wrexham counterparts. Full match report at mcfcreserves&academy and mcfc.co.uk.

Distin move not cut and dried?

Despite the club (reluctantly?) accepting a £4.5 million bid for Sylvain Distin yesterday, perhaps a move may not be as inevitable as most reports are suggesting.

Whilst the club certainly had no choice but to accept the offer - one which I believe would represent a good return for a player entering the final year of his contract (and showing no immediate hurry in putting pen to paper), Stuart Pearce has previously stated he would be happy to let Distin run down his contract and remain at the club and reiterated that again today, adding he would not be pushing Distin towards the door:

"At this stage, for financial reasons, I have to offer Sylvain the chance to look elsewhere, but it would not surprise me if he said he wanted to stay, if he sits down with me and says he wants to stay, I would be delighted and I will keep on at him all year to sign a contract extension."

Looking at the facts as they are, we have only received (despite Portsmouth's interest) one firm offer - from Middlesbrough. Much like I wrote after Portsmouth's interest broke I don't necessarily regard Middlesbrough as a step up from the position he is in at City.

Say Distin did move. He would be moving to a club expected to finish mid-table, not playing in European competition, off the France radar, playing under an untested manager and on a contract which surely cannot be a vast raise on the reported £40k on offer from City.

With just a year remaining on his City contract, would he not consider it more beneficial to play out the last year of his deal and next summer re-establish his options where he is more likely to have a greater choice of clubs interested in him, primarily those in European competition and he could land a more substantial contract as he would be moving on a free.

This also then gives him the option of seeing how things progress at City - a club he is settled at, and if he likes the direction Pearce and the club are heading then I cannot imagine City won't have an offer on the table at that point.

Maybe it is more in hope than anything else, and no doubt I'm likely to be proved wrong, but I'm not entirely convinced Distin will choose to move to the Riverside after all.

Richards makes international debut

Micah Richards made his debut for the England under-21 side last night in the 2-2 draw against Moldova, but teammate Nedum Onouha did not feature and add to his cap tally. Match report...

Rumoured target signs for Charlton

Rumoured transfer target Andy Reid has left Tottenham in a £3 million move today - but instead of landing at City or Sunderland - who were also believed to be interested in him, has signed for Charlton instead.

Whilst we are clearly lacking on the left hand side of midfield, I wasn't entirely convinced that Reid was the answer as he has suffered fitness and form problems at Tottenham and according to my source at Forest lacked the motivation to really make it except for when Paul Hart was in charge.

With limited funds at his disposal (Distin sale or not) Pearce has to get it right with who he signs and in general has been measured in his dealings and I doubt whether Pearce himself was keen on bringing Reid to the club.

The burning question

As a new feature for this season I'm going to post up a question each week which will allow readers to cast their votes.

First up, as we head towards the opening kick off is where will City finish this season:

Where will City finish this season?
	Champions League
	Top 8
	Mid-table mediocrity
	Relegation battlers
	Going down
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Blue Blood - The Mike Doyle Story competition winner

Thanks to all of those who emailed in regarding the Mike Doyle book which I had to give away, and I can announce the winner is Ollie Claffey from Ontario, Canada.

Apologies that I didn't have more to give away but the book can also be purchased here.

Pearce brings in Isaksson to replace James

I didn't get a chance to post up yesterday due to difficulty in accessing the site so apologies that this is a little late.

After some protracted negotiations following the sale of David James, the club confirmed that Swedish international Andreas Isaksson has been signed from Rennes as the new number 1 'keeper, beating off interest from Charlton (another one that slipped through their grasp after Robert Green went to West Ham instead leaving them to sign Scott Carson on loan from Liverpool).



Stuart Pearce commented:

"I've been at the club for five years and I know that Peter Bonetti had looked at him. We looked at him before we signed Peter Schmeichel and David Seaman, and we had scouting reports on him from three or four years ago.
"I think if we had left it for another week we may not have got him, and getting good goalkeepers with experience is very, very difficult to do.....things looked a bit rocky when David asked to go, but all of a sudden we have another young lad in and we might be better off than when David was here. Andreas has years in front of him, as do our other keepers."

Another interesting point Pearce made was that despite only being twenty-four, with over forty international caps behind him plus club experience Isaksson has the experience of a goalkeeper more advanced in years and we are definitely well stocked with 'keepers at the club.

All of this must dash hopes that Nicky Weaver had of re-establishing himself as first choice following James' departure and with Joe Hart and Kaspar Schmeichel behind him it appears as though Weaver is merely providing back-up until one of those two is considered ready enough to step up and challenge.

The Observer season preview

Click on the link to view the City season preview I did which appeared in todays Observer and I'll be posting quite a lot up this week about the forthcoming season.

Defeat in final pre-season game

After three successive triumphs in the annual Thomas Cook Challenge season curtain raiser, we fell to a 1-0 defeat to Porto yesterday in what was considered to be a largely uninspiring performance played out in front of 20,000 spectators.

From the reports of the game I don't think Pearce would have found too many answers to the questions he still has to answer heading into the season and although it was only a pre-season game with some players missing from the line-up it would have been nice to head into the Chelsea game with a win and couple of goals behind us.

Match reports:
MEN
mcfc.co.uk
Vital Football
BBC Sport

A not so warm welcome for David James

Has signing David James sparked a goalkeeping controversy at Portsmouth? Seems so judging by the reaction to his signing by Dean Kiely - himself only signed last season and who played a key role in staving off relegation.

Kiely was quoted as saying:

"It will be a bit of a travesty on the back of what I did last year if some sort of Hollywood-type showbiz keeper with a massive ego came in and played just because he is a big name."

A Jens Lehmann-Oliver Kahn situation in the making?

Injuries beginning to pile up

The MEN reports today on a growing injury list before the final pre-season game against Porto later this afternoon, and more importantly ahead of the Premiership opener against Chelsea next Sunday.

Those currently affected are Richard Dunne (hamstring), Trevor Sinclair (cheek), Andrew Cole (knee), Stephen Ireland, Micah Richards (hip) and Sun Jihai (hamstring).

If those players are ruled out of today's game then it will at least give Stuart Pearce a chance to view a couple of alternatives before the Chelsea to see if anyone can force themselves into contention as in all likelihood Pearce will know most of his opening line-up with just the left side of midfield still wide open, but with the goalkeeper, full back and striking positions still open to debate.

On the subject of the new season, my City season preview will be appearing in tomorrow's edition of The Observer, whilst I be posting a few different things up next week as we countdown to the opening kick off.

Mixed England news for former Blues

In Steve McLaren's first squad announcement since taking over as manager there was a welcome return to the squad for Shaun Wright-Phillips, yet David James England career appears to be over soon after his City one was as he saw Chris Kirkland and Ben Foster preferred to him in the squad, almost certainly signalling the end of his international career.

Personally, it is a justified move in recalling Wright-Phillips who I thought was unlucky to not be taken ahead of Aaron Lennon, and nothing I saw in the World Cup persuaded me otherwise.

Good news for both Nedum Onouha and Micah Richards who were named in the under-21 squad earlier this week.

Trabelsi signs

In some more positive news, the club also announced tonight that Hatem Trabelsi has passed a medical and signed an initial one yar contract, with an option for a further two year extension pending him being granted a work permit.

According to Stuart Pearce:

“The fact that he’s played at the highest level in Europe – the Champions League – regularly, been to three World Cups with his country, captains his country so it’s a good CV.
I’ve watched him play for Ajax over the last three years and been very impressed with him. He’s an attacking full-back we’re just waiting on that work permit now.”

Pearce has stated over the summer that he is looking for his full-backs to get forward and be far more involved in the attacking part of the game so Trabelsi clearly looks to fit the bill. His arrival must also mean the end of Danny Mills career at the club, and raise question marks over the involvement of Sun Jihai as both players are further pushed down the pecking order.

James fee agreed with Portsmouth

After earlier confirming that David James had a transfer request accepted - but stating Portsmouh would have to meet the clubs valuation, mcfc.co.uk have stated that a fee has been agreed with Portsmouth and James is travelling south to agree terms and will surely be unveiled sometime tomorrow.

From the clubs perspective it is a sound 'business deal'. Effectively recouping your outlay on a 36 year old after two and a half seasons (admittedly excellent) service is not something that is achieved in most situations.

It is far from ideal timing but realistically the club had no choice but to grant the transfer request given the circumstances. If James was adamant that he wanted to move south for personal/family reasons and the club rejected the request, they would be left with an unhappy player for the final year of his contract and would surely see him leave for nothing next summer.
One area in which the club seem to blessed with prospects is between the sticks, and with Nicky Weaver apparantly ready to resurrect his career we have some depth in that position. However, we don't appear to have an undisputed 'number 1' which is why is seems certain Pearce will bring in Andreas Isaakson from Rennes - with the safety net of Weaver, Hart and Schmeichel if he doesn't pan out.

From James' perspective the deal also makes sense. At his age, a move to a side challenging for the title or Champions League is no longer a possibility and although Steve McLaren has yet to announce his first England squad his chance of reclaiming the starting position has also all but gone.

Whilst I have no doubt that we would extend his contract at the end of the season (assuming he didn't have a Seaman-esque season) but I doubt the three year deal reportedly on offer from Portsmouth would have been on the table from ourselves. I don't believe money would have been the issue as he was reputed to be one of the top earners at the club.

My feeling is that at the stage of his career James is now in, he is probably looking for a longer deal to take him upto retirement and at a club closer to his family (I believe that his children still live in the south) so it is perhaps understandable that he was looking for this move as there was no guarantee a similar offer would be on the table from anyone this time next year.

It will undoubtedly be a loss to the club as he performed superbly during his time with us, and for all the 'calamity' tag he came with has made less than a handful of erros that I can recall but from both the club and James' perspectives it is a move that ultimately makes sense.

Blue Blood - The Mike Doyle Story competition

To coincide with the release of 'Blue Blood - The Mike Doyle Story', I have a copy of the book to give away courtesy of publishers The Bluecoat Press.

The byline for the book reads:

"From the glorious past to the present day, Blue Blood - The Mike Doyle Story is the most explosive autobiography of one of Manchester City's most famous sons. From his humble beginnings on the Maine Road groundstaff, the halcyon days under Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison right up to the last days of his career at Rochdale, Doyle reveals all about his days as one of England's most respected footballers.
But it is perhaps his days since hanging his boots up that will shock the reader most as Doyle lifts the lid on an amazing rollercoaster ride from the edge of oblivion to succesful businessman. A story for all Manchester City supporters and for anyone with a love of football, Blue Blood is a story that will grip the reader from start to finish".

Drop an email to me before the end of the week to bitterandblue@hotmail.co.uk to give yourself a chance of winning it and I'll pick a winner at random and announce it next Monday.

Alternatively, you can order the book by clicking on this link.

Rumour, rumour and more rumour

Nothing concrete to really report on the transfer front still but there is plenty circulating around as teams look to gear up for the new season little over ten days away, and the press try to keep up with the excitement by devoting more and more column inches as the season edges ever closer.

On the way in?

Reports this morning suggested we were making an eleventh hour bid to snatch Sol Campbell from under the noses of Portsmouth - ironically as a possible replacement for Sylvain Distin, although by lunchtime these stories seemed to have died down and Sky Sports are now confirming that the Campbell move to Portsmouth has now been completed.

I don't know how much weight there was to this story but my guess if anything would be the club making an enquiry at most, as Campbell's reputed salary of £60k per week would certainly not have been sanctioned by the board.

One story continuing to stick around is the talks surrounding the possible arrival of Hatem Trabelsi from Ajax, who is available on a free transfer with Pearce himself confirming "he's available, I think he's a good player and we're speaking to him and his representatives. That's where we are at the moment. He's not signed yet for the club so we are hoping that might progress in the next couple of days."

Trabelsi is an impressive player who has been courted by the likes of Arsenal and Inter over recent seasons and would complement both Onouha and Richards who appear to be in pole position for the right full-back position at the moment.

On the way out?

No update on the Distin or James stories to Portsmouth today, but some reports seem to be keen on the angle that Redknapp wants to link Distin with Campbell as his new defensive pairing - although he has also been linked with Ryan Nelsen of Blackburn.

One piece on James I came across was from Paul Hince in the MEN in which he advocated selling James as Nicky Weaver is on par, if not better as a goalkeeper than James and backed him to go onto challenge for an England spot. Personally I think that is a big ask for a guy who has barely played over the past few seasons and only Premiership experience was the disastrous relegation season under Joe Royle. If James does indeed leave then I'd expect Pearce to bring in a new goalkeeper to at least challenge Weaver, but more likely as the starter.

Big news today though and one which I imagine will see rejoicing from the vast majority of supporters is the possibility of Antoine Sibierski's departure. Reports suggest David Moyes is a 'big admirer' of Sibierski and having fallen some way down the pecking order at the club may well be allowed to leave on a free transfer, with Sibierski's agent Willie McKay (he seems a busy guy eh?) stating "I have spoken to David Moyes and he is a great admirier of Antoine. "He is hoping something can be done to bring Antoine to Goodison".

Is that the sound of fingers being crossed I can hear?

Carnival of football

Click on the following link to go to the latest football blog carnival hosted by the guys over at A funny old game, which this week features yours truly.

James a goner?

From being mere speculation about Portsmouth being interested in another player, the club confirmed today that Portsmouth have made an enquiry for David James. Stuart Pearce though, only confirming that 'Portsmouth have been in touch and that's all I have to say'.

With Joe Hart getting the nod for todays defeat against Kashima Antlers (and with Nicky Weaver playing in the opening game), it is perhaps growing in likelihood that James could be departing.

Another interesting angle to this was a story that Swedish Andreas Isaakson has said he has reached agreement with Charlton over a transfer - but is 'waiting for Manchester City', as signing him would certainly not be 'one for the future' like that of Joe Hart and I cannot imagine him coming to back-up James.

Could Pearce decide that an offer of £2million plus for a goalkeeper who has two or three years left maximum at the top level be too good to turn down? Surely the only basis for the decision would be that of a financial nature as if it was solely down to footballing reasons then Portsmouth's enquiry would have been dismissed as James has not let the club down in any way, being perhaps the most consistent performer since his arrival and helping erase the memory of the disastrous signing of David Seaman.

Defeat in final tour game

The second and final game of the China tour ended in disappointment with a 4-3 defeat to Japanese side Kashima Antlers earlier this morning.

Falling behind afer just ten minutes, we never led during the match and were only on level terms once due to Antoine Sibierski's equaliser.

Blame seems to lie at the hands of the defence with Stuart Pearce commenting:

"It was poor defensively," I think for the youngster in goal it was great and he'll come on leaps and bounds because of evenings like tonight. But I don't think he had a great deal of cover in front of him, to be fair."

It was interesting that Joe Hart started in goal today with Pearce explaining that he wanted to give him some experience, but with news that Portsmouth have made an official approach for David James it seems there may have been more to the decision than that.

Joey Barton and Georgios Samaras scored the other goals for us to continue their pre-season scoring run.

Match reports:

teamtalk.com
Sky Sports

Victory in opening tour game

City won the opening game of the Chinese tour with a 1-0 victory over Shanghai Shenhua thanks to a goal from Georgios Samaras, which also saw Ben Thatcher sent off.

The line-up had more of a resemblance of a likely first-team line up but concerning was that Pearce tried Georgios Samaras on the left hand side of midfield in what is still a problem area for us and one that will hopefully be addressed over the next couple of weeks before the season starts.

Another area still with a lack of depth is at centre-back should Distin depart as Stephen Jordan was used there alongside Richard Dunne yesterday, which of course meant Ben Thatcher got the start at left back.

City face Kashmira Antlers of Japan in their next game on Sunday morning 11.15 am (UK time).

Match reports:
mcfc.co.uk
chinaview.cn

Coming back to haunt you

With the recent sale of three of the younger members of the squad - Willo Flood, Lee Croft and Bradley Wright-Phillips, I had commented that I believed that the sale of all three was justified and that they had reached their potential and as far as they could go at the club.

One possibility crossed my mind though and that is whether or not any of the three were likely to make the move back into the Premiership at some point and prove Stuart Pearce's decision to be incorrect.

Personally, I believe of the three Wright-Phillips perhaps has the best chance given that he has had the least opportunity to prove himself at the club with only a handful of brief substitute appearances to his name wheras Flood and Croft have had decent opportunities and gone as far as they could. However, I cannot really envisage a repeat of a Paul Warhurst or Earl Barrett where a player let go for very little makes a succesful return to the top flight.

But what of other players who we have let go in recent times? Have decisions in selling and releasing players proved costly? Going back as far as when we last returned to the Premiership, I've put together the what I think is strongest team of players who we have let go to see if the decision has been vindicated:

Kevin Stuhr-Ellegaard
David Sommeil
Mikkel Bischoff
Daniel van Buyten
Danny Tiatto
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Lee Croft
Paul Bosvelt
Kiki Musampa
Nicolas Anelka
Robbie Fowler

From the list of players let go, I would argue that van Buyten, Wright-Phillips and Anelka are the only players who could strengthen the current line up. Van Buyten was only a loan signing so the club may not have had too much power to prevent him leaving when Hamburg came calling, whilst to a large degree the sales of Wright-Phillips and Anelka were largely forced upon the club for one reason or another.

It could also be argued that the sales of Wright-Phillips and Anelka have hardly come back to haunt the club - although they have undoubtedly been missed, with Wright-Phillips struggling in his debut season at Chelsea and Anelka falling off the radar out in Turkey (and now appearing on the 'soon to arrive at Portsmouth' list).

I think it is fairly conclusive then that the decisions to release the players the club has done have by and large been the correct ones and there aren't many (if indeed any) regrets to be had. It is also fair to say that Stuart Pearce has - since his time in charge, cleared a lot of the 'dead wood' from the squad and that the current squad looks to be the strongest in terms of quality (if not necessarily in depth) that we have had since we got back to the Premiership.

Dunne targets European qualification

New captain Richard Dunne has targeted European qualification from this season:

"Hopefully I will be captain of a successful team. Maybe we can start picking up and qualifying for Europe. That would be a good start.
It's going to be tough again. We have signed a few good players and I feel this year we have got a stronger squad than last year.
We petered out towards the end of last season and, hopefully, with a stronger squad we can carry it on a bit longer this year."

It is admirable that Dunne is showing this ambition, and I think he will make a more effective captain than Distin (although he Distin did improve on his first season in the role to be fair), but I feel that Europe is perhaps stretching ambition a little too far for this season.

Although the pessimism of the end of last season has diminished somewhat with the addition of players over the summer - in particular in the problem midfield area, I can't realistically see qualification being achieved this season.

Bearing in mind the top five spots in the Premiership seem to be locked up, it only leaves one or two league places maximum up for grabs which whilst we are certainly in competition with other sides for, we haven't generally shown the consistency in recent times required to nail one of the places.

Countering this though, I'm sure that the meltdown at the end of last season won't be repeated, and a top ten finish (at least) should be expected. Also, the value of a strong start shouldn't be underestimated and looking at what the likes of Bolton and Wigan have achieved in the past couple of seasons shows that a good start can provide the momentum and confidence needed to make a sustained challenge at the very least.

Distin heading for the exit?

FURTHER UPDATE: According to Stuart Pearce, Distin is going nowhere and he is hopeful that he will still put pen to paper on a new deal:

"He's a Manchester City player and he will be on our tour, so I was quite surprised to turn on the TV and see over my corn flakes Sylvain was supposed to be talking to Middlesbrough".

Maybe stories of his departure were premature after all. We shall see...

UPDATE: Early reports today suggest he is travelling to Middlesbrough for talks ahead of a possible move to the North-East. Will post more later if the move goes ahead...

There has been more weight to the possibility of Sylvain Distin leaving the club in the not to distant future, with one source suggesting he will sign for Portsmouth in the next couple of days.

It will be both a surprise and a disappointment if indeed it is true, as the reason for stalling on a new deal was always thought to be the fact that Distin wanted to make sure that the club was heading in the right direction both in the table and calibre of players brought in - something that is acceptable to a player who has the talent to be playing both at European and international level, and previous rumours suggested Lyon, Liverpool or even Newcastle was a likely destination if he did depart.

Portsmouth - having managed to stave off relegation thanks to a late season escape, seem to be linked to every available player this summer and 'Arry Redknapp appears to have bundles of cash burning a hole in his pocket.

A move to Fratton Park though would seriously question Distin's ambition though and suggest that the pay packet on offer is the driving force behind any move. Whilst they clearly have money to spend, they haven't yet attracted quality players over the summer and it is not unfair or disrepectful to suggest it would hardly be a move upwards in terms of club stature.

Would a £4 million move (as the fee has been suggested) be good business? With only a year left on his contract it would be a good fee for someone who could walk out on a free this time next year, but it will leave a big hole at the back with only Nedum Onouha and Micah Richards (despite their clear potential) obvious candidates to partner Richard Dunne.

Distin for me would be hard to replace and has been probably our most consistent performer the past couple of seasons. It must therefore be tempting despite any bids to keep hold of him for this season to keep a player of his quality at the club and still have a year left in order to agree any future deal with Distin.

Another departure, but not Distin

Another one of the clubs younger players departed for pastures new today with Willo Flood making a £200,000 move to Championship side Cardiff.

Flood follows Bradley Wright-Phillips and Lee Croft out of the door since the end of the season and in some ways is a disappointment in that three home grown players are no longer part of the set up.

I do however agree with the decision to release all three players as they have probably progressed past the 'promising' stage and should all have been commanding first team spots by now.

Tellingly, the fact that no Premiership sides (or even sides at the top of the Championship) have bid for them probably bears this out and I think it is good business by the club to rake in around £1.5 million in total for the three players, money which has certainly been put to good use with the recruits Pearce has made this off season.