Wigan preview

For me, this one has banana skin written all over it.

As much as anything, our away form has been far from hot so far this season (although we have had some difficult trips), but we go into tomorrow's game without the talisman Elano, and coming up against a side who are playing under a new manager for the first time - and not to mention at a ground where we have hardly covered ourselves in glory.

It will be a big test without Elano. Clearly, he has added something special to the team this year and has been flying once he fully settled into the side and pace of the Premiership. There are a couple of options available to Sven, but hopefully he will opt for Stephen Ireland (who he has been praising all week) in the 'hole' with Giovanni coming in on the right.

Last years visit to the JJB was probably our most inept performance of the season, and at the time really cranked up the pressure on Stuart Pearce - arguably something which he never got rid of all season.

Times change though and Sven will undoubtedly have the side well prepared and drilled for this game, although it may be a little difficult to be fully ready for this game bearing in mind it is their first game under the stewardship of Steve Bruce so scouting missions may be slightly skewed.

A win will of course put us second (albeit it perhaps for 48 hours), and keep up the pressure on the sides below us (both those from the 'big four' and teams like Villa, Portsmouth and Blackburn). A win is perhaps something I don't feel we will quite achieve.

For me, a 1-1 draw would represent a good return from tomorrow.

1969 FA Cup Final

The link courtesy of The Fiver , some YouTube footage of the evenings celebrations following the 1-0 win.

OleOle

Over at OleOle, my latest piece takes a look at the Premiership managerial merry go-round.

Fantasy football leaderboard - week 13

A couple of changes in the top five, but despite a big week from ali rainsbury, Joseph Mmillar's Hose's Blumers still have a commanding lead at the top.

The full leaderboard is here, but the top five is as follows:

Hose's Blumers (Joseph Millar) week 81, total 1983
Sven's Blue (ali_rainsbury) 160, 1603
I've had my fill, my share of losing... (clarkywarky) 114, 1531
Wacko Jackos under 11s (WYGEV) 175, 1489
Big Tackle (AusCam) 70, 1482

Identity crisis?

The visual identity for the 2008 UEFA Cup final at the
City of Manchester Stadium will be unveiled at a special ceremony in the English
city on 6 December.
The final of the UEFA Cup has, in recent years, been
given a personality of its own via a complete design concept developed
especially for the event.
The initial idea that inspired the creation of a new
identity for each final was to develop a specific design featuring the UEFA Cup
and add a distinctive flavour of the host city.
The objective is to help promote the final and enhance
the prestige of one of the Europe's biggest sporting occasions.

-uefa.com

A 'distinctive flavour of the host city' - any suggestions?

Generosity or a PR stunt?

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Manchester City's billionaire Thai
owner Thaksin Shinawatra will pay for his country's national team squad to train
with his club to help their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Thaksin, the
coup-ousted former Thai prime minister, will bring the entire Thai squad to
Manchester for 11 days next month and will foot the lion's share of the bill,
Thailand's soccer president said on Tuesday.

"If we want to go to the
World Cup, this is what we have to do," Worawi Makudi told
Reuters.
"Manchester City are keen to help us, they signed some of our
players and they are happy to pay for our preparation."
Thailand, who have
never reached the World Cup finals, have been drawn with Japan, Oman and Bahrain
in the third round of Asian qualifiers.
Thaksin's critics say his $164
million takeover and his club's sudden interest in Thai players -- three of
which they recently signed -- are attempts to maintain a high profile in
soccer-mad Thailand with a view to returning to office.
The exiled tycoon
insists he has quit politics, although a party run by his supporters is expected
to win next month's general election, although not with an outright
majority.

-reuters.com

Perhaps a coincidence, but the Good Doctor has certainly been active with a series of goodwill gestures with the elections in Thailand now imminent.

Whilst not standing for office directly, maintaining a high (and popular) profile will undoubtedly help the party run by his supporters if they are playing the 'Thaksin card' during campaigning. And with charges still hanging over him, it will surely do no harm if the current regime in Thailand are removed from office.

I think Thaksin has certainly been impressive in how he has gone about things with the club since taking over, and accusations of human rights violations have not gone further than some mud slinging from various groups no doubt seizing a bit of publicity for themselves.

I do believe he has a genuine long term interest in the club, and it isn't a short term or get rich quick scheme for him, but there are valid concerns regarding how we may be used in any political manouevering. What I think would make for an interesting time of things, and perhaps concerning, is if the Thaksin's supporters do indeed gain control of the country.

I admit it doesn't sit easy with me the fact that Thaksin may well be utilising our start to the season and increased profile to further either his or his supporters political aspirations. Upto this point, there hasn't been anything concrete which has backed by the naysayers claims but we are definitely beginning to see an increase in Thaksin's profile back in his homeland.

City 2 Reading 1

The 100% home record looked as though it would end on Saturday until Stephen Ireland's late strike, which saw us close the gap on United and also keep the distance between ourselves and those teams looking to break into the top four.

The fantastic winning goal - and timing of it appeared to even get Sven carried away after the game, with him reported as saying “It’s better to have high expectations than low ones,” he said. “It’s important that we - the players, the coaches – keep our feet on the ground. But the fans - why not dream and be happy?”, although his end of season prediction is still under wraps until the turn of the new year.

It is now the best start to a home campaign in club history, and it is fair to say that not all eight games have seen swashbuckling football in which opponents have been carved open and cast aside, but wins are wins, and by and large we are still picking up the plaudits for our style of play - Steve Coppell reflected on the irony that for all our nice play, it was a long ball that ultimately created the goal.

Digging out results has not been City's forte too often over a sustained period of time, but once again when the chips were (slightly) down (injuries, lack of fitness for key players) we still manage to come away with a win and all three points.

Despite the predictions of many, the bubble is yet to burst, and if anything keeps on getting stronger.

Reading preview

It is certainly a measure of our progress this season that we have had to cast one eye on the returning international players this week before Saturday's team can be decided upon.

Again, the role of Elano will be carefully considered following his latest trip clocking up the air miles, and the likes of Dunne, Richards, Corluka, Petrov and Isaksson have all been involved in Euro qualifiers - some with a greater degree of success than others.

All should be fit though and it is likely Elano will start, with him giving what he can before the DVT kicks in from the flight from Peru. Isaksson is expected to be between the posts in a somewhat surprising move given Hart's performance at Portsmouth but apart from that the only real decision appears to be up front, with The Exile missing altogether with an ankle injury which leaves a straight choice between Vassell and the Rodeo Bull. Roll on the January window and the return to fitness of Bojinov.

So what about Reading? It's fair to see we struggled against them last season as they surprised pretty much everyone with an impressive debut campaign. As expected this time around though, they have not found things as easy and are currently around the lower reaches of the table - although a relegation battle should be easily avoided.

It is a crucial period coming up for us over the next six weeks with no more breaks, and a series of league and cup games which could well shape the second half of the season.

I don't expect too many problems to navigate tomorrow and fully expect another three points in the bag come 5pm, with a 2-0 victory being my prediction.

England - what next?

Watching last nights game almost makes me chuckle when I think back to the criticism Sven-Goran Eriksson received during his time in charge of England.

I can't profess to be an avid watcher of England matches, but ironic that the main charge levelled at Eriksson was his strict adherence to the 4-4-2 and reluctance to change approach. Watching last night made me think that at least Eriksson had a structure in place, and had an organised approach.

The England side last night might as well have turned up at 7.30pm, exchanged a few handshakes and hellos and trotted straight onto the pitch was their ineptness. All of the preparation and planning for a game, only to have a game plan which involved kicking it to Peter Crouch's head on a regular basis - with no supporting players around him. As well as Crouch might play, he seems to reduce team mates play ten fold - a sure warning for Sven not to dip into the coffers to bring him to the club in January.

The golden generation? It is beginning to look like Sven over-achieved more than anything with this crop of players. At least we will be spared the vaccuous WAG's, tournament diaries and plastic flags this summer.

It is right of course that McLaren was sacked. In truth he shouldn't have been appointed in the first place. At international level you do not need a coach as such. Given the nature of international football, you cannot coach a player to improve them as you can at club level (something with frustrated Sven I'm sure). The time you have with them is too infrequent and crucially, too short.

What you need is an organiser, someone who can put in place a defined structure and way of playing and ensure that the group of players at their disposal can fit into this structure and understand their roles and responsibilities.

For me, this has to be a foreign appointment. Forget all the tub-thumping from the press in regards to 'it has to be an English appointment'. Arguably, McLaren was the best English option out there at the time and it has clearly failed.

There are no other English managers out there who would offer anything different. Curbishley? Allardyce? Redknapp? Coppell? The problem for me is that they are too immersed into Premiership life, and the day to day necessities that brings.

What is interesting is that in recent times there has been success enjoyed by former top international players who have jumped straight into international posts. Marco Van Basten, Slaven Billic and even Mark Hughes saw their first jobs on the international stage. There is an argument that you could almost bypass any candidate who has been involved in the club management given the different nature of the roles.

Playing devils advocate slightly, you could then make a case for Alan Shearer to be considered for the position. He has played (succesfully) at the highest level for club and country and is still in touch enough with the game to translate into being a success.

If you do go for an experienced foreign choice though, then the usual candidates are all thrown into the ring. Mourinho, Hiddink, Scolari, Lippi, O'Neill and Capello all immediately spring to mind.

Mourinho will not want the job as he will either take the Portugal job next summer or one of the top European club positions. Hiddink appears committed to Russia whilst Scolari has spurned the chance already.

Capello has staked his claim already by declaring his interest, and would be an excellent choice having enjoyed success wherever he has been - but appears to butt heads with both players and management along the way. O'Neill is seemingly the bookies favourite, but was overlooked once and may feel once bitten, twice shy.

What is clear though is that the decision has to be the correct one. It cannot be a 'safe' choice or one to appease the press, public or paymasters. International management is increasingly becoming a short-term affair with most appointments not lasting beyond four years (or two tournaments).

That would rule out dismissing someone because of age reasons alone, which is my choice for the job (should he want it of course) would be Marcello Lippi. A guy who is respected amongst all players, has achieved virtually everything in his career boasting an unrivalled CV. He has worked with talented players and got the best out of these players in every job he has been in. The one aspect may be if he wants to get back into club management after winning the World Cup, but if he is sounded out and available the he should be the first choice.

Evans joins Norwich on loan

Norwich are set to sign Manchester City striker Ched Evans on loan until January.

The Canaries are putting the finishing touches to the deal, which would see the 18-year-old stay at Carrow Road until New Year's Day.

The Wales Under 21 international, who has made just one senior appearance for City, is expected to become Glenn Roeder's fourth signing later this week.

He is hoping his time with Norwich will help him break into Sven Goran Eriksson's side on his return to Eastlands.

"It's a good opportunity to play in the Championship and play a good level of football," Evans told Norwich's official website.

"It's a great challenge. I've been looking at the games and there haven't been many goals, so I'm looking forward to coming, hopefully scoring some goals and getting them off the bottom.

"If I can go out on loan and do well then hopefully I can break into Man City's first team.

"If I do well at Norwich it gives me every chance."

-Sky Sports.

For the most part, Evans was not on the radar much the past couple of seasons as the more high profile pair of Etuhu and Sturridge took the plaudits and headlines.

However, for those that have seen him say he has the key attribute of just being able to score goals - and he has certainly come to prominence this season both at club level with Eriksson in particular singling him out for praise, and also international level where he is scoring goals for fun with the Welsh under-21 side.

Another good move by the club and he joins the growing band of youngsters on loan getting a taste of first team action at a good standard.

Barton pleads not guilty

Barton appeared for a brief hearing at Minshull Street
Crown Court in Manchester to set a trial date where he will face charges of
assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Barton, dressed in jeans, trainers
and a dark blue shirt, spoke only to confirm his name and enter his not guilty
plea.
He is accused of attacking then team-mate Ousmane Dabo during a
training ground bust-up on May 1 this year while both were playing for
Manchester City.
Richard Varden, prosecuting, said the earliest date a trial
could be held was June 30 next year.
He added: "I realise it seems a long
way away although it's a straightforward allegation, there is an additional
factor in that the defendant is a Premiership footballer."

-teamtalk.com

Whilst footballers have landed themselves in court on numerous occasions in the past, I don't believe there has ever been an instance where a footballer who is a defendant potentially faces the prospect of former colleagues (who are still playing in the same league) in the witness box testifying against him.

For that reason in particular (if indeed it does happen as despite what they think of Barton, I don't think they would relish being dragged into court over this) this is something that I think is going to generate a lot of media interest when it does come to trial.

Better late than never

Manchester City have added three more clubs to their global alliance, taking the number of formal partnerships the Blues have formed to six.

After announcing partnership deals with South Africa's Thanda Royal Zulu, Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shen Hua and FC Moscow earlier this week, renowned Swiss outfit Grasshoppers are among the latest batch of clubs to agree to work with City.

Well-supported A-League side Perth Glory, plus Chonburi, a Thai representative in keeping with the nationality of City owner Thaksin Shinawatra have also joined the throng.

The clubs will share expertise by working together in areas including coaching exchanges and youth tournaments, plus coaching and player analysis techniques and improving player rehabilitation.

Ties between City and its partner clubs will also be strengthened through improved commercial and marketing opportunities and initiatives.

foxsports.com

It certainly has been a busy old week for the clubs, with the tie-ups with six global sides, a new beer partner and various media link-up's in the Far East.

Whatever your thoughts regarding Thaksin Shinawatra's political life or any current motivations as regards the impending elections in Thailand, you cannot deny that from a business perspective he has been a very clever and shrewd operator.

And so it seems that is a trend that is continuing here at City. First and foremost, Shinawatra will look to make money from the investment into the club and by these club and media links, this is an attempt to move into previously untapped markets in terms of a commercial angle.

Shinawtara also knows that success on the pitch is the primary key to making money off it, and not only do the announcements this week help from a media and commercial money making angle, but the club link-up's are also designed to help on the pitch.

One thing with these moves though is how late we are getting into the market in comparison with other Premier League clubs. Those clubs at the upper end of the table (and by virtue succesful clubs) have had link-ups of this nature of several seasons now and are beginning to reap the benefits already.

Which, for me, begs the question as to why these avenues weren't explored previously by the old regime in charge at the club. Events over the past few months have proved what can be done in a short space of time, but it seems that the previous board/owners were not interested in this type of activity - merely hoping for wealthy Arab billionaires or Norwegian shipping magnates to fall into their laps. I accept the takeover speculation at the end of last season precluded much activity, but there have been two or three seasons prior to that where inroads could have been made.

Of course, the announcements of the past week will not guarantee success on or off the pitch, but in the modern business climate that football (and most prevalently the Premier League) operates in, they are a part of the fabric and something that it was important that we became involved in.

We may be playing catch up with teams we are chasing in this regard, but better late than never.

Miller earns under-21 call up

Ishmael Miller will be seeing some familiar faces after being called up to the England Under 21 squad.

The powerful striker has been in a rich vein of form since starting a season-long loan spell at West Brom in August, bagging nine goals for Tony Mowbray's side.

He now links up with Stuart Pearce after the former City boss was hit by a number of injuries to his original selection.

The 20-year-old will meet up with City team mates Joe Hart and Nedum Onuoha as Pearce fine-tunes preparations for the Euro 2009 qualifiers against Bulgaria, in Milton Keynes on Friday, and Portugal in Agueda next Tuesday.

-mcfc.co.uk

A good reward for Miller's fine form this season for the Baggies and it will be interesting to see how he fares when stepping up to this level, as he has surprised me (and many others no doubt) with how he has performed this season.

Interestingly though, it is Stuart Pearce who has of course named him in the squad - so expect a two minute cameo or an appearance on the left wing...

City expand into China, and how far beyond?

Manchester City have signed a new three-year deal with China’s leading internet and mobile rights provider.

City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is in Shanghai today to sign the agreement with Premier Goals which sees the launch of the Blues Chinese language website. The deal also includes a mobile communications agreement covering SMS, MMS and WAP services.

Chinese fans will be able to catch up with exclusive weekly written blogs from Sven and Chinese national star Jihai Sun.

The deal is valued in six figures annually and will offer video content on the Chinese website. The site is geo-blocked to ensure that only fans in China can view the video.

Premier Goals is the leading provider of localised web and mobile rights in China to football clubs and football federations. The company enjoys a strategic partnership with sohu.com, one of the major Chinese web portals with 40 million unique users per day. Sohu is the hosting partner of the 2008 Beijing Olympics site.

There are currently 162m internet users in China and by 2010 it is estimated that there will be more than 250m. The country currently has 480m mobile phone users – a number growing annually by 60m.

Manchester City have announced a strategic partnership with Chinese computer gaming company The 9 Group

The9 Group focusses on developing massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG's). Part-owned by EA Sports, The9 is a major player in China's huge computer gaming market, and they have the licence to market EA's 'FIFA Online' game in China. The9 also hold a 50% stake in MSN China.

City Chairman Dr Thaksin Shinawatra has said: "This strategic partnership with The9 will be very important for the future of the football club.

"The9 is a market leader in China’s vast and growing computer gaming market and through their affiliation with EA Sports have the exclusive rights to market the 'FIFA Online' football game in China. We believe that our partnership will help Manchester City become a major brand in the virtual world."

The9 Group CEO, Mr. Jun Zhu says: "I am delighted to enter into a partnership with Manchester City. City is a club clearly making great progress and we wish to explore new commercial opportunities with The Blues."

The Blues have agreed a deal to take three Chinese stars on trial from newly announced partner club Shanghai Shen Hua.

Twenty-one-year-old striker, Gao Lin, will be joined at the Carrington Training Centre by 19-year-old goalkeeper, Wang Da Lei and 22-year-old midfielder, Mao Jianqing.

Shen Hua head coach, Wu Jinqui, said of the trio: “All three players are young, fresh and talented.

“They have a great attitude to their football and are being given a wonderful opportunity to impress at Manchester City.”

-mcfc.co.uk

Since the new owners took control of the club, global expansion and promoting the club on a wider scale has definitely been high on the agenda - with the pre-season tour to Sweden, the Thai trialists and also now the establishing academies and club tie-ups around the world being initiatives seen so far.

The past few seasons have seen the Premier League expand on an unprecedented scale, with TV deals both in the UK and (perhaps more importantly) on a global scale reach record levels.

Wih vast outlays being made to purchase clubs, both Dr Thaksin and his band of foreign owners are obviously looking to seek new avenues and markets to recoup that outlay, and indeed turn it into a profit, with the two big markets of course being the USA and Far East.

The Far East is somewhere we have a natural progression towards, of course with the ownership of the club and also Sun Jihai's presence in the side - and China in particular is a market which could be extremely lucrative going forwards.

Indeed, to illustrate this, the NBA saw an audience of over 200 million viewers in China this week for an NBA game which featured two Chinese players - Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, when the Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks met last Friday.

To take this a step further, this season has seen the NBA, NFL and NHL stage regular season games - not meaningless friendlies or exhibitions, here in London as all leagues seek to grow their worldwide audience, and of course generate even more dollars into their (and the owners) coffers.

And given the way ownership of Premier League clubs has fallen into foreign ownership the past couple of seasons, could the Premier League follow suit and stage an actual league game overseas - with the USA the most likely destination both in terms of logistics and to grow a market?

Look around at pre-season tours these days and most clubs are making forays into the foreign markets - staging exhibitions and playing in tournaments across the USA and Far East. I believe the Far East has a natural market for the Premier League already, which leaves the USA as an untapped market, with real potential to grow. Mock David Beckham all you like, but the impact he has had in terms of generating interest in football has been phenomenal and it is in the USA I expect a Premier League game to be staged within five years.

I certainly believe that this could something negotiated (or demanded) during the next round of TV talks, and I expect that initially a Community Shield game could be played overseas - as a precursur to the 'real thing' a season or so later and then even seeing every side play overseas over a particular time span.

Logistically, it could be easily staged during a week where there are no Cup or Champions League commitments - allowing for plenty of preparation and recovery time. I don't doubt it would be an unpopular move amongst fans of he clubs involved, having to lose a home game from the fixture list but where money talks, high profile leagues (and clubs) will generally follow.

I am surprised that this suggestion hasn't been talked up on a bigger scale throughout the wider mainstream media, but it is something I am absolutely convinced that will occur - and sooner rather than later.

It may not be popular amongst the 'ordinary' fan, but when was the last time their opinion counted for anything?

Feature on City in The Independent

However frequently that sheer gut instinct for what is going to happen next cuts a coruscating passage through the vagaries of life, and in this case football, it is probably fair to say that Manchester City, so resilient and measured in everything they did when holding the Pompey who tore big Sam Allardyce's Newcastle to pieces a week earlier, are running somewhat ahead of expectations.

The need for such an admission is quite pressing here because, as some rather mocking, if not sneering, e-mails have reminded me, I had them down for relegation.

Independent.co.uk

The article was penned by James Lawton (incidentally one of the better writers around) and was no doubt in response to the slamming he has received for initially tipping us for relegation, and dismissing the impact Eriksson and the signings he brought to the club would have.

Lawson - surprisingly for a writer of his quality, I feel fell into the trap of trying to equate Eriksson's time in the England job with how he would fare in charg at City - something that pretty much every writer was guilty of and their surprise in the opening weeks of the season was something to witness.

To credit Lawson though, he does hold his hands up, providing some valid points in the contrasts of managing a club and national side:

How could anyone – OK, if you insist, how could I – get it so wrong?

Two basic reasons. One was to forget that running a club, something Eriksson did with conspicuous success over many years in his native Sweden, Portugal and Italy, and a national team present two quite separate challenges. The other was to imagine that the old Eriksson who presented the scudetto to Lazio as his parting gift before taking up the England job, had become a burned-out case, softened by his forgiving bosses at the Football Association and lulled into the belief that he could ride any storm, however haplessly he had provoked it, and still finish up counting his fortune.

Whilst Eriksson (and the team of course) have received many plaudits this season, there haven't been many in the media who have held their hands up and admitted they were wrong in the pre-season predictions or assumptions as to how he, and the club would perform.

Credit Lawson at least for that, and the article in full is definitely worth a read.

Portsmouth 0 City 0

I was away in Rome for a few days until Sunday and only managed to catch the second half of this game but from what I saw (and subsequent) reports it looked to be a decent game between two useful sides who were creative and had something about them going forward, but primarily were concerned that the opposition could hurt them and sought to avoid defeat.

In the post match interviews, both sets of management talked about the need to keep things 'compact' - Portsmouth to nulify Elano and Petrov, and ourselves to keep it tighter at the back and put more pressure on their defence.

Perhaps that was a reason why Vassell was preferred up front to Mpenza, leaving Bianchi once again fixed firmly onto the bench whilst Richards came back into the side and young Fernandes replaced Johnson alongside Didi Hamman.

It looked overall to be job well done, and I wrote in The Observer it was important to pick up a point away at home to a side in the group of sides challenging us for a European spot - and a third clean sheet was another bonus after the Chelsea game, particularly coming against a side who have been free flowing in scoring goals at home.

Joe Hart took most of the plaudits and for me he looks to be firming his grip on the number 1 jersey with each performance, whilst the defence was as solid as we have come to expect. Fernandes slotted in well in place of Johnson, but as gainly as Vassell plays, for me he doesn't have the confidence needed for a striker.

Look at most top strikers and they want to score, believe they will score and have the utmost of confidence, wheras Vassell almost looks afraid to miss - explaining why he didn't attack the ball from Petrov and ended up making a hash of what should have been a goal and perhaps all three points.

Still, a point is a good return from a difficult place to go to and somewhere we have not fared well in the past and again keeps us in the Champions League positions with a pair of games (Reading at home and Wigan away) after the international break that are very winnable.

Portsmouth V Manchester City - Review

3rd versus 6th in the premiership in a game that up until a couple of years ago could have quite easily been 3rd and 6 th bottom of the championship.

Both teams have wealthy backers of course these days and with that comes a demand for success which both are achieving at the moment. A win for city and a win for Blackburn could see us briefly go top ! whilst a win for Portsmouth could see them snatch the third place we currently hold.

On the injury front , Micah should return with Michael Johnson out for around 2/3 weeks.
Personally if Nedum Onohua is fit I would like to see him going into right back, Corluka into the middle and Micah pushed into the centre of midfield where he played most of his youth football. I just think his athleticism alongside Hamman's know how would give us a lot more presence in midfield, which is something we have lacked recently.

Prediction :

There has never been a goal less draw at Fratton Park between the two teams, and both sides have a 100% record when scoring first so it could be first goal wins !! Portsmouth have the superior firepower and are at home so ith should make for a good open game. Im going for a city defeat im afraid 2-1 to Harrys twitchers.

BBC Review

City 1 Sunderland 0

It is often said that it is a sign of a good time when they can pull out wins when they are not playing well, and if that adage is true it is certainly a good trait to have.

Yes, we didn't play well - but realistically we didn't have to. Sunderland are not a strong side, lacking the qualities that many pundits thought they would possess when tipping them for a top half finish. Despite maintaining the 100% home record, we didn't really click for the most part - something that has been a trait in recent games.

Perhaps that is being a touch harsh though as three points is three points after all, and good sides are often as good as they need to be. Despite last night being a dull encounter, it was livened up by a well taken goal, even if the celebration was suspect (something Ireland quite rightly won't face any censure over).

Defensively we were sound, the loss of Richards not noticeable in the middle as Corluka more than ably deputised, although Sun Jihai hardly put pressure on Sven to give him a run in the side. We did struggle in midfield with neither Elano or Petrov having the most productive game and it could be that Michael Johnson's impending operation provides a break for him as he has played a lot of football this season (including internationals) at a high level for someone his age.

Vassell was a willing worker on the left and his cross for the goal made Sven's decision to put him on the left (with Petrov moved to the right hand side in the second half) look a sound one - or perhaps lending weight to the 'lucky Sven' tag!

Bianchi got a warm reception when he replaced Mpenza, but never quite got into the game and reports do still persist he will move back to Italy in January.

Another three points then - and a new record to boot, and it really is our home record which has carried us to where we are this season given our sketchy form on our travels. With Portsmouth up next weekend at Fratton Park, this will definitely be a big test against one of our realistic challengers this season - and a game we need to be looking to get something from.

Reports:

IT IS 105 years since City last won their opening seven home games of the season and that year they won the title! They are not going to repeat that feat this season - especially on this kind of patchy form - but at least showed they have not suffered terminal damage from their off-day at Chelsea. -MEN.

Sunderland slumped to their fifth away defeat of the season tonight, going down 1-0 to Manchester City at Eastlands. -Sunderland Echo.

When Sven-Goran Eriksson was asked to analyse Manchester City's 6-0 humbling by Chelsea, a rather over-emotive radio reporter told him that the "eyes of the world" would be watching the club's response against Sunderland.
Until Stephen Ireland drove home a wonderfully timed volley that would take Manchester City into third place in the table, the eyes of the world would have been heavy-lidded. -Telegraph.

Jackett named Millwall boss

Manchester City reserve team manager Kenny Jackett has left the club to become manager of Division One Millwall.

The former Watford defender, who joined City in March this year, was given permission to talk to the Lions following the recent departure of Willie Donachie from the New Den.

Kenny has previously managed at Watford and Swansea, who he took into Division One via the play-offs in 2005.

As Blues reserve team manager, Kenny won the Manchester Senior Cup in 2007, his young side sweeping rivals Manchester United aside 3-1 at Old Trafford.

Sven-Goran Eriksson has paid tribute to Kenny, saying: "We wish him good luck, I’m sorry that we have lost him because he has been doing a great job since I came to the club.

"He’s worked particularly well with the youngsters, and also helped us out with the first team when Hans was away. He goes with our best wishes and we wish him good luck for the future."

-mcfc.co.uk

Jackett of course was brought in by Stuart Pearce to fill a gap created by Frankie Bunn's departure, and probably proved a useful link for Eriksson when he arrived at the club - particularly so when Hans Backe left the club.

Was it the lure of being the main man and getting back into management that prompted the decision, or did he feel that perhaps his role was not what it was when Pearce was at the club. After all, Eriksson has brought both Backe and Tord Grip to the club - not to mention Derek Fazackerley still retaining a role.

With the youngsters that have, and are coming through to the first team though, it is a role that has some importance at the club and it will be a key decision that Eriksson makes in deciding who he brings in, or puts into the position to replace Jackett.

Sunderland prediction

We go into the game aiming for a magnificent seven victories at home to start the season. I do expect us to win this game, but perhaps not without a struggle or two along the way.

No doubt Roy Keane will receive a warm welcome, and despite the plaudits he has received from the press this season, his Sunderland side have struggled for the large part - hovering around the lower reaches of the table.

Keane has spent a large amount of cash in preparing for this season - largely on unproven players, but one I will give him credit for is Kenwyne Jones - who I was very sceptical of when he spent more than £5million to bring him to the club, but has impressed over the last month in particular.

As for ourselves, Onouha will step in for the injured Richards - with Corluka moving into the centre, and Petrov may well be ruled out again.

We have stuttered at times during the past couple of games, although still picking up wins and I don't think this one will be a classic - but we will be good enough to keep the home streak going with another 1-0 win.

Carling Cup holders Chelsea were given a home tie against Liverpool in the quarter-final draw on Saturday.

The two sides last met in the competition in the 2005 final when Chelsea won 3-2 in extra-time.

West Ham meet Everton, Manchester City play Spurs and Blackburn host Arsenal in the other ties, which will all be played in December.

Chelsea, who have won the Carling Cup twice in the last three years, beat Arsenal 2-1 in last season's final.

Over the last three years Liverpool have twice beaten Chelsea in Champions League semi-finals as well as winning a FA Cup semi-final against the London team.

Carling Cup quarter-final draw:
West Ham v Everton
Man City v Spurs
Chelsea v Liverpool
Blackburn v Arsenal

-BBC Sport.

Looking at the teams left in the competition, there wasn't a team you would look at and think it would be an easy tie. So, it was imperative therefore we got a home tie and it is a winnable game.

The tie isn't for another six weeks yet, so by then we should have a clearer idea of how Spurs are taking shape under Juande Ramos.

Bolton 0 City 1

It may not have been pretty, and slightly fortuitous shall we say withe penalty decision but there two key aspects following the defeat at Chelsea - to get over the hammering as soon as possible and to get through a tricky looking tie.

Well, job done on both counts as we avoid a 'mini crisis' of sorts which the press I'm sure would have called it had we been knocked out last night. An added bonus to last night was the news that Micah Richards should be sidelined for days as opposed to weeks.

As he stated, Sven gave Saturday's side the chance to put things right - with only Isaksson and Ball the changes from the Chelsea game, although the ommission of Bianchi continues to defy logic - perhaps there is something more deep rooted involved than we know?

Moving on in the competition, there don't appear too many easy ties as despite its critics, the Carling Cup quarter-finals feature an all Premiership line-up - when did the FA Cup last boast this? It makes the necessity of a home tie all the more prevalent come Saturday's draw.

Reports:

WHEN a child falls off a bike the sage advice is always to get back on it as quickly as possible - even if you do need a helping hand from a friendly linesman! -MEN.

With England's final European qualifier 20 days away, it is another worry the nation could do without. Micah Richards was injured in this Carling Cup fourth-round tie that was decided by Elano's penalty for Manchester City seven minutes from time at the Reebok Stadium last night. -Independent.

Manchester City returned to winning ways last night with a controversial victory over Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium, but their delight at reaching the quarter-finals of the League Cup for the first time in seven years was tempered by an injury to Micah Richards that could have far-reaching repercussions for club and country. -The Times.

Micah Richards will undergo a scan on his right knee today after being carried off on a stretcher with suspected ligament damage during Manchester City's controversial Carling Cup victory at the Reebok. -Telegraph.

In-form Brazilian Elano scored from the penalty spot for Manchester City with just five minutes left on the clock as Bolton Wanderers where sent out of the Carling Cup in Gary Megson's second game in charge. -Walking down the Manny Road.

Carling Cup odds:

CARLING CUP ODDS...Chelsea are 7/2 favourites to win the Carling Cup with William Hill after sneaking past Leicester. Hills make Arsenal and Liverpool 4/1 joint second favourites and also offer 8/1 Spurs; 9/1 Man City; 10/1Blackburn; 14 Everton, 14 West Ham.

-William Hill press release.

City sign Alves?

According to several Dutch media outlets, Manchester City
owner and chairman Thaksin Shinawatra traveled to Amsterdam on Wednesday to meet
with Heerenveen representatives with a view to signing Afonso Alves.
The
Frisian side, visiting the capital in preparation for meeting Ajax in the Dutch
Cup, were receptive to hearing an offer for the 26 year old Brazilian
striker.
Things have seemingly gone according to plan for the former Thai
prime minister. Speculation has it that he's struck a 20 million euro agreement
with Heerenveen for a move during the winter transfer window.
Sven-Goran
Eriksson, who opted for Alves in the first place, was also said to have flown to
Amsterdam this morning to discuss terms with the player.

-Goal.com