Allardyce steps down

Breaking news from BBC sport:

Sam Allardyce has resigned as manager of Bolton with
immediate effect.
Allardyce has been linked with the manager's role at
Manchester City and refused to attend the press conference after Saturday's 2-2
with Chelsea.
He said: "This has been one of the hardest decisions I've ever
made but it's time for a new exciting era for Bolton under different
leadership."
Chairman Phil Gartside added: "I have reluctantly accepted the
decision. His reasons are private, we respect that."

Allardyce rumours causing problems

Of course, all of this may simply be the result of a number of journos putting two and two together, but the early morning rumours that Sam Allardyce was to quit his position at Bolton at the end of the season certainly sparked a chain of events that left a lot of people none too happy.

As well as quitting Bolton, the story was that Allardyce had some sort of principle agreement in place to take over at City in the summer, and had been given the nod by Ray Ranson that the job if/when his takeover was completed.

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside, who undertandably was irked as that it appears as though his highly successful manager was set to move onto pastures new - and to a club he has previously described as not being bigger than Bolton. This has apparantly led to Gartside making a complaint with the current City board over Ranson's actions. The current City board are believed to be unhappy that there name is being dragged into all of this.

Stuart Pearce meanwhile came out fighting in his post match interview, stating that he was the best man for the job and the board were right behind him and he was looking to build further in the summer. Interestingly, in addition he believed that there were 'seven or eight' managers who would go before him.

This could lead to problems for Ray Ranson. It is believed that his bid and plans for the club do not meet with unanimous approval at board level (who seemingly favour one of the American consortiums), and this potential negative press may not endear him to those doubters. Whilst not publicly commenting, stories appeared yesterday which suggested Ranson had not contacted Allardyce regarding the managers post.

On the back of all of this - adding a further twist, there were reports yesterday that the former-Thai PM, Thaksin Shinawatra was set to make a £108 million bid for the club after all, having previously suggesting stories linking him to the club were 'rumours'.

Interestingly, one man who has remained quiet on all of this is Allardyce himself. He did not speak to the press following Bolton's 2-2 draw at Chelsea. If he indeed has told Bolton he will leave at the end of the season then there will certainly be a number of sides interested in his services.

After establishing Bolton in the Premiership and now having them consistently challenge for the European places perhaps he feels he cannot take the side any further, and is ready to take step up in terms of the job challenge and also the potential involved at another club.

I believe we could be the front-runners, although even a quick look at the Premiership table suggests the likes of Newcastle, perhaps even Tottenham as well would be interested.

I remember back to a couple of seasons ago when the first Allardyce rumours surfaced, I was against the idea of Allardyce being in charge - dismissing him as a 'long ball merchant', but for what he has achieved the past couple of seasons shows he is one of the top managers around and crucially, he is able to get the best out of the players he has and can implement a sound game plan. I also believe that as time has progressed and he has brought more quality into Bolton, he has refined their approach a little and they are less reliant on the direct approach.

Whilst it may be all speculation at this point, it does seem there is some substance at least to this story. For me, if Allardyce is available, then regardless of who the ownership group is we should pull out all the stops to get him.

City 0 Villa 2

Time to call Record Breakers as City move into the last home game of the season needing two goals to strip Sunderland of there unwanted record of lowest home scores in the Premier League, the last home game of course against the Sky Sports Reds who should just need a point to secure (not mathematically) the two horse race (think it used to be called the title)

The reason we are looking at this record was on show in all its glory at Eastlands as a determined but limited Villa side created 3 decent chances and took two , we created two good chances and took none.

Both Johnson and Beasley were missing from previous weeks, which prompted Pearce to replace them with Ireland and Samaras. Mpenza also returned from injury. So both sides started with 3 recognised forwards Vassell, Mpenza and Samaras for city. Agbonlahor, Carew and Young for Villa. A free flowing attacking game of football to follow ? Didn't quite pan out that way with both teams effectively playing a 4-5-1 rather than 4-3-3, the pace from both wings along with the heading ability of Carew in the middle giving villa the edge in what was a pretty lacklustre end of season game . Meanwhile our 6ft 4in target man was on the right of midfield, Mpenza struggled on his own in the middle and despite an OK start Vassell faded against his normal rabbits.

And so Villa take the points we don't really move anywhere and its Manu next at home for their title party !!

Earlier in the day reports circulated the Sam Allardyce had announced he would quit Bolton and would be moving to city as part of the Ray Ranson consortium. Given that Ransons bid has been (disgracefully) blackballed by the club surely Big Fat Sam would have the men in white coats coming round as he explains why quit Bolton for a 'maybe' .

A thumping 5-0 against the rags would cheer me up a bit though !! Here come the men in white coats for me.......

Barton escapes punishment

From the MEN:

JOEY Barton will not face internal club discipline for
his impassioned outburst at Watford last weekend.The England international will,
however, be called in for a chat with boss Stuart Pearce to explain his
views......But the manager indicated he would stop short of slapping a fine
on the player.
"You will have to ask Joey about his emotions and the
words he used. He had plenty to say for himself after the game so he is probably
the best one to talk to," was the manager's guarded response to his feelings on
the subject. Let us hope what he had to say came from a care for the club. "He
doesn't face internal discipline but I will speak to him in respect of my
thoughts about what he said. The reason I cannot go into detail in respect of
what Joey said is that there is so much of it I would be here all
day!"

More in the mix?

Not long after Ray Ranson was reportedly ready to make a second bid to purchase the club, stories began to emerge that a new American investor was on the scene.

Andrew over at purelymancity does a fantastic job of analysing those currently in the frame to take control at the club, and his research suggests that one of the American bids is likely favoured by the board.

Interestingly, on the back of this weeks events, John Wardle announced plans for a summer spending spree, whilst Stuart Pearce - mindful of earlier comments, announced he was in the dark as regards the takeover.

When was the deadline for season ticket renewals incidentally?

A tough line of questioning

I doubt it was Paxman who was putting the questions to Michael Johnson in this interview.

Alan Ball 1945-2007

Former Manchester City manager Alan Ball died last night of a heart attack. Ball's reign at Maine Road is folklore now as is his 'I won the world cup' speech. As a man of the match performance in that world cup game he proved, he was a great player, great player dont always make great managers.

BBC Link

City refuse to be held to Ranson

All aboard the Manchester City rollercoaster once again, less than 24hrs after it was first announced that Ray Ranson had made a bid the club have announced it has been rejected in the following statement below . Its the second curt statement to be issued by the club in two days !

Manchester City PLC("Manchester City" or the "Company") The
Board of Manchester City notes the announcement made by Ray Ranson on 24 April
2007 regarding his possible interest in making an offer for the Company. The
Board can confirm that it received, and responded promptly to, a highly
conditional indicative proposal from Ray Ranson and his advisers on 12 March
2007.
Ray Ranson’s indicative proposals to date have contained a number of
material conditions that the Board does not believe can be fulfilled and this
has been communicated to Ray Ranson’s advisers.
However, the Board granted
Ray Ranson, his financial partners and their advisers access to confidential
information and allowed Ray Ranson to carry out due diligence on the
Company.
For the avoidance of doubt, since 12 March 2007, contrary to media
speculation, neither the purported “£90 million bid” nor further proposals of
any sort have been received by the Company or its advisers from Ray
Ranson.
The Board will continue to consider all indicative proposals and
offers from potential offerors including Ray Ranson and, as announced on 24
April 2007, continues in preliminary discussions with interested parties. These
discussions may or may not lead to an offer being made for the Company.

Ranson confirms approach

Amidst the stories linking him to a bid to take control over the club, Ray Ranson has confirmed he has made an 'indicative proposal' to the board, releasing the following statement:

“Ray Ranson can confirm that he is interested in buying
the club and has, over the past couple of months, made indicative proposals to
the club concerning a possible offer,” the statement read.“Ray is yet to receive
a positive response from the board to these indicative proposals and is
currently considering making a further proposal to the board of the club.“Ray
recognises that the club is heavily indebted and his business plan is not
dependent on leveraging the club further.Operational plan “Together, Ray and his
partners have developed an operational plan for the club that is aimed at taking
the club forward to the next level of its development, both on and off the
field.”

In response, the club have remained non-commital - also releasing a statement to the Stock Exchange (which may have earned Stuart Pearce a ticking off):

The Board of Manchester City notes certain recent press
articles attributing comments to Manager, Stuart Pearce regarding the
possibility of an offer being made for the Company. Further to the Company’s
announcements on 7 December 2006 and 21 February 2007, the Board of Manchester
City confirms that it remains in preliminary discussions with third parties that
may or may not lead to an offer being made for the Company. There is no
additional information to be disclosed by the Board at this stage but a further
announcement will be made in due course, as appropriate.

In addition to the latest news, there was an interesting piece on Ranson in the Telegraph recently, which was more general rather than City related, but gave a good indication of how he sees the set up of a football club and where he sees the future of football (and its finance) heading.

Ranson launches bid

From BBC Sport:

Former Manchester City full-back Ray Ranson has made a £90m
offer to buy the club, reports BBC Radio Manchester.
Ranson, who has
previously tried to buy Aston Villa, made the offer on Monday.
The offer
covers the club's shares, loans of about £24m to major shareholders John Wardle
and David Makin and debts to other creditors.
Ranson, who also played for
Birmingham, Newcastle and Reading, is also said to be prepared to provide a
transfer kitty of around £20m for new players.
Reports in Thailand on Monday
claimed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who failed in a bid for
Liverpool in 2004, was interested in buying City with partners from China and
the Middle East.
But it appears Ranson has made a firm offer for the club,
who have been the subject of takeover rumours.

What with the stories surfacing yesterday of the potential bid from the former Thai PM, it seems that the takeover is definitely back on the agenda.

I always felt that once Premiership survival was secured, then any potential takeover bid would likely be firmed up and so it seems to be the case. On the face of it (from reports at least) it appears that the Ranson bid would seem acceptable to all involved, given that it clears all the debts and loans to Wardle and Makin, whilst still allowing a sizeable amount as a transfer kitty.

Reports suggest City will react over the next 48 hours so stay tuned on this one.

Sinclair hoping for new deal

Trevor Sinclair has again been re-iterating his desire to earn a new contract at the club as time runs out on his present deal.

Joining Sinclair as a pending free-agent is Hatem Trabelsi and Stephen Jordan and for me it is hard to see that either of the trio deserve to be kept on or nor do I think that the club will offer them new deals.

Sinclair has been surpassed by youngsters such as Michael Johnson and Stephen Ireland, whilst Trabelsi looked promising before his injury problems and Jihai-Sun has since come in and looked as good as Trabelsi has done in the right-hand side position. Meanwhile, Stephen Jordan has seemingly regressed both as a player and in the pecking order, first losing his place to Ben Thatcher following his return from suspension and then with the arrival of Michael Ball.

It is still unsure what the turnover of playing personnel will be this summer, but we need to take steps forward with the squad, and re-signing any of the above trio will not achieve that objective.

Be careful what you buy

Perhaps the former Thai PM needs to check exactly what he will getting for his money if this story is anything to go by.

City to Thai up takeover ?

After all the recent speculation and stories regarding the proposed takeover the club, a new investor has been linked the former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The main reports appear to be emanating from newspapers in the East with a figure of 92.2GBP million mentioned. Not sure what they are basing the figures on ! I can only guess that this is for a full takeover of the club.


Sky Sports News :
The plot thickens

Barton creates headlines again

Joey Barton's interview yesterday has dominated most of the post-game talk following the Watford game with most of the press and papers picking up the story today - some with more of a sensationalist angle than others.

He certainly doesn't pull any punches about a number of topics, ranging from investment, transfers, players and coaching and whilst it is refreshing to see such honesty from a footballer in today's game, you wonder what the dressing room reaction to it is likely to be?

A full audio transcript of his interview with BBC Manchester is over at mancityfans.net.

Seasoncard renewal date extended

I see that the club have announced that the date for renewing seasoncards has been extended after 'consultations with supporters', with those having not renewed so far now having until April 27th to do so.

The announcement also came with a message from Stuart Pearce:

"Stick with us, the Club’s going in the right direction. We
have had a couple of tight seasons, we have had to steady the ship, but the
Club’s on a better footing than it was two years ago.
"When you look through
the squad and see the average age, look at some of the young players that have
flourished and there’s a nucleus that’s pushing the squad forward.
"Have a
good long overview of everything that’s happened and make a decision from there.
I want our fans to stay Blue and stick with us."

The issue of renewals has been one of the most talked about areas the past few months since the original renewal date began to come around (at a time when we were faced with the possibility of relegation) and many stories have surfaced of people who know long standing fans who have this time decided not to renew. This week the Supporters Trust also posted about the lack of announcement from the club about the number of renewals so far, and a lot of fans now feel that the benefits of having a season ticket are no longer what they once were - particularly in terms of savings and guaranteeing a ticket, in addition to the quality of football on offer.

The announcement from the club is (whilst a positive move I guess) is clearly a sign that rumours of a lower than usual renewal rate so far do have some substance to them.

Watford 1 City 1

A frustrating result which produced a scoreline that suited neither side as we lost the chance to take three points to hoist us further up the table, whilst Watford failed to gain the win they needed to keep their faint/unrealistic hopes of avoiding the drop.

Both Stuart Pearce and Joey Barton were frustrated at the performance with Pearce unhappy we threw away the lead, whilst Barton was also critical prior to the game of the overall performance of the squad this season.

Now the spectre of relegation has passed (although not mathematically) it seems that we may now see an end of season to performances - something which will be a dangerous mindset to get into considering the importance that could be placed on the derby in a couple of weeks time.

We really shouldn't have lost the lead after being gifted the opening goal courtesy of a howler from Ben Foster - although Darius Vassell only just squeezed it inside the post, but for all their obvious lack of quality this season they have been a plucky side and generally battled hard from the games I have seen and earned their point when Priskin equalised midway through the second-half.

Reports:
The Mail
Observer
Telegraph
Independent

Distin set for further talks?

From Sky Sports:

Manchester City have scheduled another meeting to discuss
Sylvain Distin's future, with manager Stuart Pearce underlining that tying the
defender to a new deal remains a priority.
The French star has so far
refused to put his name to a contract extension at Eastlands and, with his
current deal expiring at the end of the season, the issue of his future has
become a long-running saga for City.
Distin has called on the club to
demonstrate that their ambitions match his own, and Pearce will attempt to do
just that when he sits down with the former Paris Saint Germain stopper in
the coming days.
"It certainly won't peter out as far as we're concerned.
The club, Sylvain and his agent have a meeting in place next week," Pearce told
the club's official website.
"We're very pro-active at the moment in respect
to all the players we want to re-sign and obviously the ones outside this
football club that we'd like to bring in.
"We're hopeful, as I have been all
the time.
"I think if you ask me if the boy's heart is in this football club
I would say definitely yes. It's a great starting point for any manager and
player.
"Priorities are Sylvain Distin, there's no doubt about that, and any
other players that are out of contract that we deem need to stay at this
club."

As I have said time and again, if we are to make only one signing throughout the whole summer, then it has to be Distin. His partnership with Dunne is one of the most solid and consistent in the Premiership, and despite the development of Richards and Onouha, it would be a terrible loss if Distin were not wearing the Blue shirt next season.

Richards out for the season?

Micah Richards - who has missed the past couple of games due to injury, has been removed from the England squad from their encounter with Estonia in June and it must be certain that his offseason operation to solve his calf problems will now be brought forward to ensure his recovery is made as soon as possible before the start of next seasons campaign.

Now that we have all but secured Premiership safety - and with the timely return of Nedum Onouha from injury, there can be no reason to stave off the operation in the hope he could be back for the last couple of games and it is encouraging that Stuart Pearce has decided to force this issue and put the interests of the club (and ultimately the player) for first.

Urbis Exhibition

Hat tip to the guys over at the Supporters Trust for the link to this, but it seems today was the opening day of an exhibition at Urbis entitled 'City Til I Die', which is billed as 'an exhibition by fans, of fans of Manchester City Football Club, shows the extremes to which supporters will go to demonstrate their love for their club....using over 200 photographs from generations of loyal fans that have flooded in from all corners of the world'

It runs until August 31st for those who fancy checking it out.

Arsenal 3 City 1

I was away from the action totally last night so didn't even have chance to catch the radio commentary from the game.

By accounts from people who caught the game, once we got back into it at 1-1 we held our own and perhaps looked the better side. Ultimately though - and perhaps no surprise given Arsenal's record at The Emirates this season, they came back into the game and ultimately ran out winners.

Reaction:

"We set about Arsenal with a game plan and carried it out to
the nth degree, we were a bit ragged for five minutes after they scored but once
we equalised I felt comfortable."We had as many efforts on goal as they did,
even though they kept the ball nicely.Fidgety "In the second half, the crowd
became fidgety and I couldn't see them scoring before a wonder strike from
Fabregas."It is an example of how we have come on that the players were so
disappointed at losing because they felt they were in with a great chance at
half-time."I couldn't fault our effort or application."

-Stuart Pearce.

"I have always felt that as a professional football
player you have deal with that - as a manager as well - when people are coming
here, they pay good money, they can get their frustration out. If sometimes
their frustration is with the team or a bad pass I completely understand that.
It’s down to us to transport them to a different world, when sometimes you
cannot do that they are not happy but you have to deal with that."

-Arsene Wenger.

Reports:
MEN
Independent
Guardian
Arseblog
Gunnerblog

Inter-Toto opportunity ruled out

Stuart Pearce appeared to rule out the possibility of sneaking into European competition via the Inter-toto route, saying:

"We just felt as though it (Intertoto Cup) was not
beneficial for us to do that, we wanted to qualify by right, but we haven't and
have decided not to do that."

A recent poster on this site suggested that it would be a good thing to enter with the final being at our own stadium next season, and with the possibility of summer investment, we may even stand a chance of progressing in the tournament.

Thinking back, I have written about this in the past before here and here and was against participation in the tournament. I think on the whole I still am, but part of me does now think 'what the hell' and why not enter it. The concern has always been the impact on the league campaign due to the extra number of games, but judging by this seasons standards would it have made any difference?

Goal shy City set for record low

Manchester City are on course to score the fewest goals at
home in the English top flight since league soccer began in 1888 after a
goalless draw with Liverpool on Saturday.
Stuart Pearce's side have scored
only 10 goals in 17 league matches at the City of Manchester Stadium and have
only two home matches to play against Aston Villa on April 28 and Manchester
United on May 5.
Those 17 games have produced five wins, six draws and six
defeats, with City 12th in the standings.

The current worst home scoring record is shared by Woolwich
Arsenal, who scored 11 home league goals in 19 matches in 1912-13 and
Sunderland, who also scored 11 in 19 in 2002-03 - both were relegated.

reuters.co.uk

This something that Andrew at PurelyManCity touched upon also in his Liverpool review - calculating that it has currently cost around £50 per goal this season, and it is a figure that is way, way too low and is one that is the primary reason for our struggles this season, and perhaps also holding us back from breaking into the top half of the table and behind.

Richard nominated in PFA awards

Micah Richards has been shortlisted for the PFA Young Player of the Award, to be named at the ceremony this coming Sunday.

Whilst the main award looks to be a straight fight between Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba, the young player category could be far more open. Where Richards could do well is if the voting goes to a newcomer rather than a more established player (Fabregas or Rooney) or someone who may likely win the main award (Ronaldo).

From mcfc.co.uk:

Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards has
been nominated as one of the six candidates for the Professional Footballers’
Association Young Player of the Year award.
The 18-year-old is the youngest
of the nominees and will battle it out with Kevin Doyle of Reading, Arsenal’s
Cesc Fabregas, Aaron Lennon of Spurs, and United'd Cristiano Ronaldo & Wayne
Rooney.
The PFA’s Chief Executive Gordon Taylor said of Micah: “He is a giant
of a lad and I was delighted to see him called up to the England squad, and even
more thrilled that he took it on his broad, young shoulders and coped so well
with his elevation to the international stage.”
A City spokesman said today:
“It is a great honour for the Club to have one of our players nominated for this
award and it has again shown that the hard work done at our Academy has paid
off.”

City 0 - Liverpool 0

Just under 46000 at Eastlands, bathed in glorious sunshine, to watch City continue there recent good form saw a decent performance against a Liverpool side who despite their good form appeared to have their minds on the upcoming Champions League.

Liverpool started a tad more brightly and had the best of the first twenty minutes gradually setting the game to there pace which also suited the heat. Pennant went close and should have given Liverpool the lead as he gave Michael Ball a bit of a first half roasting.

For City Mpenza was again impressive and for a guy under 6ft certainly wins a lot of headers and competes for everyone. The centre halves again looked imperious. De Marcus Beasley also had ,in my opinion, by far and away his best game for the club.

The problem for city as the second half wore on was again the lack of any real clear cut chances been created , Beasley rattled the bar with an excellent shot and two good penalty appeals were turned down by Uriah Rennie. Playing 4-5-1 at home shows that Pearce doesn't believe we have enough to beat teams even at home, two ways of looking at this one is that he is a realist and would prefer to set up for a draw and see if we can snatch the first goal a position from which we invariably go onto win , secondly that he has no ambition and is pretty clueless when it comes to the attacking side of the game.
I think the second opinion is slightly harsh , but, at this stage of the season we are all but safe it may have been worth having a go at a Liverpool team with bigger fish to fry. Particularly given our recent home form on which Pearce will inevitably judged.

The game also marked the 18th anniversary of the tragic events at Hillsborough which led to the death of 96 Liverpool fans. Even as a 13yr old I remember watching those events unfold.
Liverpool fans unveiled a couple of banners, one which had something to do with Celtic fans ? Not sure why !

Just one final point if you are going to call for 'justice for the 96' and unveil banners to underline the point , make sure somebody stood ten yards behind you don't unveil a flag proclaiming 'Italian bizzies are Scousers' . It makes you look like hypocritical at the best, attention seeking idiots who dishonour there own dead at worst.

Distin - 'Show me some ambition'

As we head to the final stages of the season, now that our Premiership status is all but secured attention will now begin to turn towards potential offseason moves.

Stuart Pearce has indicated that new deals (quite rightly so) will be offered to current short-term signings Michael Ball and Emile Mpenza - hopefully this will fend off any potential suitors for the pair, and the future of Sylvain Distin will again come under the microscope.

I don't think there can be any argument that the club should pull out all the stops to ensure that Distin is re-signed on at least a minimum three year deal. Distin has once again been outstanding alongside Richard Dunne, and their partnership is amongst the best pairing in the league and testament to this is our excellent defensive record (given our league position) this season.

Distin has long claimed that money isn't the issue, and an interview surfaced with Sky Sports where he hasn't ruled out the possibility of re-signing with the club:

"I am 29 and I have ambitions, I don't want to be
fighting against relegation every season".
"I want to enjoy my football and
I need the club to invest in players and try to push forward.
"I have had
the opportunity to move away every season. If money was my top priority I would
have been at another club by now.
"It is not about how much you spend on
players - Newcastle have spent a lot of money on players and they don't succeed
any more than us.
"It is about the quality of the players and how long the
players stay at the club. That is important.
"In five years here I have seen
a lot of good players coming and going. Maybe that also means something.
"I
could speak to the manager about players but what is he going to say? We are
going to get Ronaldinho?
"Actions speak louder than words. We shall just see
what is going to happen."
Distin has also sought to underline his commitment
to the club despite the ongoing uncertainty regarding his future.
"I have a
strong feeling for Manchester City. Apart from Richard Dunne and Nicky Weaver,
no-one currently here has played the same amount of games as I
have."

It does appear that nothing will be decided before the end of the season and this one could drag on into the summer - perhaps even after his contract expires and he becomes a 'free agent'. One factor that I have always thought in our favour is it doesn't appear to be solely a money issue, and a lot could come down to which clubs make him an offer.

Last summer he turned down both Middlesbrough and Portsmouth, believing they weren't either a big enough club or could offer the ambition at City. This season Fulham have been linked with him, but again this would surely be a sideways move (at best).

My gut feeling is that Distin will end up re-signing with the club, however I am realistic enough to know that if a Champions League side comes calling, then Distin will more than likely be packing his bags and heading out of Manchester.

Supporters Trust logo unveiled

With a bit of a tweak on the original design, the Supporters Trust have unveiled their new logo, as follows:

You can catch the latest developments with the Trust over at their homepage.

Ireland signs four-year deal

"I don't have to worry about my immediate future, I've
got a long contract now and it'll set me up for a few years to progress myself
and become a fixture in the side."
"You see Bradley (Wright-Phillips), Willo (Flood) and
Crofty (Lee Croft) getting sold last year, so I could have been in that boat.
I'm glad that I've been kept on."
"I'm happy here and hope to stay for as
long as possible," added the player who has featured 23 times for Stuart
Pearce's side this season.
"It's a good time for me to get my new contract,
I've been here a few years and now I'm looking ahead to the next
few."

- Ireland.com

For me Ireland has had his best and most consistent season to date. He is less in and out of games as he has appeared to be in the past and has fit well into all the formations Pearce has adopted this season.

He looks to be stronger, more composed and more settled in the side and with also playing on the international stage, can only help his progress.

A good move and locks another part of the young side up for the foreseeable future.

City condemn another manager to the scrapheap

In the wake of our 3-1 victory over Fulham on Easter Monday, the Craven Cottage side have sacked manager Chris Coleman, appointing current Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez on a caretaker basis until the end of the season.

The dismissal after a City defeat follows those of Graeme Souness and Mick McCarthy after similar defeats put paid to their reigns at Newcastle and Sunderland.

Fulham are currently in the midst of a shocking run, and find themselves in danger of being sucked into the bottom three so must be hoping that this appointment will provide the jolt to the side to pick up the necessary points to safeguard their Premiership status.

Looking at their squad, whilst not a top six side by any means they do have some talent in there but yet again have struggled and I have picked them to finish around the relegation zone for the past two seasons now. It is perhaps not a surprise that ultimately Coleman has paid the price for their under achievement.

I've got more on the Coleman sacking over at Fox Sports.

Looking forward

From Sky Sports:

"In the summer, there may be a takeover and they might
say they need a new man at the helm," Pearce told the Manchester Evening
News.
"It is physically impossible to feel secure as a football manager but I
don't see the rest of the season as an audition for my own job.
"I know my
job, what is coming through the academy system and what areas we need to
strengthen.
"I have a list of targets to give to the chief executive. I will
tell him that's what I want and that he has to deliver it for me if he
can".

As I mentioned in the Fulham review, it is amazing what a few positive results can do - and all talk of Pearce being shown the P45 has pretty much evaporated.

Has the recent spell just papered over the cracks, or is their genuine signs of optimism for a long-term Pearce regime?

Spotted...

Paul Walsh and Brian Horton in The Royal Oak, Didsbury following the Charlton game discussing the 'merits' of Gio Kinkladze.





Update:


As promised, here are a couple of pictures from the evening. The names have been withheld to protect the guilty...

Relegation watch

UPDATE with the Easter weekend games:

With an interesting set of results, and a couple of teams idle on Monday (West Ham and Sheffield United), you really do have to think the final two relegation spots will come from five teams (West Ham, Sheffield United, Charlton, Wigan and Fulham).

Charlton hauled themselves out of the bottom three over the weekend whilst Wigan picked up another couple of points.

Biggest winners? Ourselves of course - who'd have thought we'd have hit the forty point mark at Easter? Most were nervous we'd get there by the end of the season...


Although I think 38 points should be enough to ensure safety, I don't think anything will be cut and dried until the 40 point target is hit.

Below is the bottom eight with the number of games remaining (GR), current points total (PTS) and target points to hit the 40 mark (TARGET).

GR PTS TARGET
City 6 40 achieved April 9th
Boro 5 39 1
Villa 5 39 1
Fulham 5 35 5
Wigan 5 34 6
Charlton 5 32 8
Sheff Utd 6 31 9
West Ham 6 29 11
Watford 5 23 17* no longer possible

Fulham 1 City 3

A great win yesterday against a potential rival for the drop should see us all but safe from the spectre of relegation this season.

It was looking like a crucial set of fixtures a little while ago over the Easter period, and we have come away with an important four points - and hit the 40 point mark ahead of some more difficult fixtures on the horizon.

It was to be then Chris Coleman's turn to face the 'Pearce treatment' both from his own fans and the press afterwards as we went out into a two goal lead at half-time through Joey Barton and DeMarcus Beasley, before Darius Vassell ended his goal drought with a third midway through the second half. Carlos Bocanegra hauled Fulham back into it for a final flurry but we held on and to take both the points and our first victory at Craven Cottage since 1967.

It was also a little ironic that we should put three past Fulham, only a couple of hours after Watford had put us as the bottom of the goals scored table in the Premiership after hitting four past Portsmouth - surely we can now end our barren spell at home?

Stuart Pearce brushed off the importance of the forty point mark, instead concentrating on getting into the top half of the table and looking for some cash to be able to kick on next season. It is amazing how a little run of undefeated games can turn around fortunes - with a lot of fans and media alike fearing a definite relegation battle, and talk of Pearce's departure has all but disappeared now.

Although things are certainly looking rosier than this time a month ago, I would hope that when any season review is undertaken by the board the majority of the season is still not washed away in favour of highlighting the final quarter of the season - as tends to happen, and can invariably just paper over the cracks that are all too important.

Reaction:

“They have embraced any system we have asked of them, when
you are not winning it’s easy for players to say they don’t know the system.
They have not done that once, we have had a modicum of success with all
formations and that’s credit to the players.
“You’ve got to have the faith of
the players, and a work ethic in the dressing room and they have never lost
that. Even when the results were not as I wanted and especially what they
wanted, they encompassed that work ethic and had a good spirit about
them.”

-Stuart Pearce.

Reports:

Sky Sports
Telegraph
Independent
toofif.com

Over at Fox Sports and OleOle

You can check out my latest contributions over at Fox Sports and OleOle! from this past week.

Craven Cottage Awaits...

Current Relegation Odds (William Hill, through April 7 matches):

Watford: 1/500
West Ham: 4/9
Sheffield United: 4/6
Charlton: 10/11
Wigan: 5/2
Fulham: 9/1
City: 25/1

Chris Coleman has stated he feels Fulham need two more wins to be safe. Cookie felt that his side played much better at Goodison than the 4-1 Good Friday result indicated. While the Cottagers have been shocking away from home, their Craven Cottage record is respectable (6-6-4, +1 Goal Differential). I for one am nervous about this fixture, as Fulham will be the much more desperate side...they haven't won since February 3, and have to consider themselves firmly part of the relegation battle at this point.

Good news for City supporters in the US: the Fulham match will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel. Bad news: Monday is a workday for most Americans, consequently the match is at an inconvenient window of time for us (10:00 AM Eastern/7:00 AM Pacific).

City 0 Charlton 0

I didn't expect a draw from this encounter, but if it was going to end with honours even it was certainly odds on that the scoreline would be 0-0.

It wasn't a particularly nervy relegation encounter - with both sides afraid of the loss, but it struck that there was a lack of conviction when it mattered which highlights a little why both sides are where they are in the table.

We started very brightly, forcing a succession of corners in the opening minutes before Charlton had settled, but as has been constant all season we don't look remotely threatening from set pieces - and it even led to Barton being jettisoned in favour of Michael Ball yesterday.

First half we were much the stronger side, with the loose 4-3-3 formation working well - we looked quite fluid when going forward, and the key players were interchangeable. Particularly impressive I thought was Stephen Ireland who worked closely with Emile Mpenza and created one or two half chances. Charlton were ineffectual during this period and too often for them, the threat of Darren Bent wasn't utilised well enough.

The second half, I thought we were not as sharp or committed as in the first half, and too often (particularly the midfield trio) chose the wrong option or seemed to panic and lose possession when a little patience would have been better served. Both Ball and Onouha were not in the game as much from an attacking perspective.

We did have a couple of scares ourselves as Charlton played with a little more adventure - hoping to catch us on the counter, although Dunne and Distin were again excellent. And they should have scored when Zheng was played through by Bent for a one on one with Isaksson. Although the pass was slightly behind him, a needless first touch allowed Onouha to get back and make the interception.

Depending on results elsewhere today, a point probably suited both sides then and despite stretching our scoreless home record even further, we now move to Fulham on Monday where a win will see us hit the 40 point mark - and maybe see us looking towards the top half of the table over the finak handful of games.

Reaction:

"We had the lion's share of possession for the first 75
minutes but you have to learn lessons in this game, Reading came here last month
and, in a very similar kind of game, scored two late goals and went away with
the points.
"We have learned a little bit from that, so, while we couldn't
win the game, we made sure we didn't lose it.
"While our first priority is to
stay in this league, with the matches we have left we are looking to finish as
high as we possibly can.
"We know it is not going to be easy, but there are a
lot of teams in a compact group and you are better off finishing top of the
compact group than at the bottom."

-Stuart Pearce.

"I feel a few teams around us will be starting to feel a bit
nervous now.
"I know there are matches to be played tomorrow (Saturday) and
the fans of those clubs will be apprehensive about their teams and that can
spread to the pitch.
"Everyone associated with Charlton Athletic will see the
work we have put in which has given us this opportunity.
"Regardless of
results tomorrow, our destiny is in our own hands because we still have
Sheffield United to play at home.
"I don't think we could have asked for any
more than that two months ago."

-Alan Pardew.
Reports:

With two Chinese players on the pitch yesterday, espnstar.com had a reporter cover their every move and provided a minute by minute breakdown of all the action.
Soccer365
The Times
Addicks Diary

Charlton preview

Whilst the game doesn't quite have the importance placed upon it that it may have done a couple of weeks ago, it is still nonetheless going to be a big game this afternoon come the end of season standings.

Whilst before both of our respective back to back wins, it was arguably a 'us or them' scenario in terms of relegation, but now, seeing other teams drawn into the relegation battle it perhaps affords Charlton a little extra leeway in terms of being able to gamble on going all out for the win, knowing that a loss would not necessarily be the end of the world as other teams would still be within reach at the bottom - although making us effectively safe from the drop.

Our home has not been too hot of late - but perhaps a lot of that was to do with the pressure of the situation and discontent of the fans, both of which have subsided a little thanks to the wins at Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

Team news is (from BBC Sport):

Manchester City midfielder Dietmar Hamann is doubtful (ankle) and so Ousmane Dabo could step in.
England defender Micah Richards is also likely to be sidelined again with an ankle problem but Stephen Ireland should recover from a virus in time.
Charlton defender Ben Thatcher is set to return from a knee injury.
That would see Hermann Hreidarsson revert to a central role alongside Souleymane Diawara, with Talal El Karkouri most likely to make way.

Man City (from): Isaksson, Onuoha, Dunne, Distin, Ball, Jihai, Barton, Hamann, Ireland, Johnson, Dabo, Vassell, Mpenza, Trabelsi, Samaras, Weaver, Corradi, Sinclair, Miller.

Charlton (from): Carson, Young, Diawara, Hreidarsson, Thatcher, Rommedahl, Holland, Song, Thomas, Zheng Zhi, D Bent, Randolph, Hasselbaink, Bougherra, El Karkouri, M Bent, Ambrose, Faye.

We should hopefully see a more confident approach and intent from City today, although it will not be easy as Charlton now scent a real opportunity to avoid the drop and will be looking at this game very much as a winnable one.

I really do think it could go either way, and we have gone twenty three games without a score draw. There will be goals, and I take us to edge it - just.

Prediction:
City 2 Charlton 1

The correct league table?

Via Soccer Shout, I came across this site which has been set up to produce the 'real' league table - basically righting the wrongs and injustices made by referees over the course the season to adjust match results, which in turn provide a more accurate set of standings.

Before we all moan about how hard done to we are from the likes of Poll and Riley, they have us coming in at seventeeth place - four lower than we actually reside.

The table can be found here, whilst their list of corrections can be found here.

Any two from eight

It really is tight at the bottom end of the table at the moment, mainly in part to back to back wins from ourselves, Charlton and West Ham which has now meant there are just seven points between the Newcastle in eleventh and Charlton in eighteenth as all teams in the bottom half have now been dragged into the relegation battle:

* Aston Villa's 1-1 draw last night at home to Everton is not included in the table.

It is a strange situation in that having won two games on the road, points wise we are now better off in terms of safety, but have managed to drag half a dozen sides into it.

It is conceivable that after this weekends games both Charlton and West Ham could be out of the bottom three and it is often that the Easter period - whilst not deciding matters, does go a long way in shaping the final outcome.

Assuming that Watford are dead and buried (the plucky display against Chelsea probably summed up their season perfectly), then it is two from eight heading into the Easter fixtures - although this should see some sides do themselves a big favour and being all but safe come this time next week..

Looking at the fixtures, it suddenly becomes even more of a nervous times for teams and what is striking is the number of games that are to be contested between sides in the bottom half with what could be a massive game on the final day of the season between Wigan and Sheffield United.

They also do illustrate that despite the good work in recent games by Charlton and West Ham, the do (West Ham in particular) have the toughest of the run-ins, whilst if Wigan and Sheffield United do drop out of the league then they have only themselves to blame.

Remaing fixtures:

Newcastle - Sheffield United, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Chelsea, Reading, Watford.
Middlesbrough - Watford, Aston Villa, Liverpool, United, Tottenham, Wigan, Fulham.
City - Charlton, Fulham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Watford, Aston Villa, United, Tottenham.
Fulham - Everton, City, Reading, Blackburn, Arsenal, Liverpool, Arsenal.
Aston Villa - Blackburn, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, City, Sheffield United, Bolton.
Wigan - Bolton, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Liverpool, West Ham, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United.
Sheffield United - Newcastle, West Ham, United, Charlton, Watford, Aston Villa, Wigan.
Charlton - City, Reading, Everton, Sheffield United, Blackburn, Tottenham, Liverpool.
West Ham - Arsenal, Sheffield United, Chelsea, Everton, Wigan, Bolton, United.

Mpenza looking long-term

From mcfc.co.uk:

“....It’s nice because I have started the last three
games for City and scored in the last two, but now it’s possible for the team to
start looking up the table and that’s the most important thing. It’s always nice
to score but I really enjoyed today’s goal because we have moved up the table
again.
“I think it’s possible for us to go even further up the table, maybe
into the top 10. If we can win the next game that’s where we should be looking,
that’s the right position for this team. It’s getting better for us after each
game at the moment.”
“I’ve enjoyed being at City since I arrived and I think
it’s going well for me. I’m just going to keep working hard, but I like it here
and if I get some more goals then maybe we can talk when the season is finished.
“I’ve been to London and Birmingham in the past, but Manchester has
everything and I think it’s a great vibrant city – it suits me down to the
ground.”

Newcastle 0 City 1

Back to back away wins and all of a sudden we are beginning to banish memories of so long without an away to distant memory, and seeing a reversal of our home form being the factor that is ensuring our Premiership safety.

Two tricky looking away games in the North-East have yielded a six-point haul (where we would have probably settled with a point from each) and given the results of Charlton (and to a lesser extent West Ham) it is just as well, as for all intents and purposes points wise we are no better off than we were this time two weeks ago.

What the past two games have done though, is not only brought other teams (Villa, Fulham and Middlesbrough) into the equation, but seen us put a distance between ourselves and Sheffield United and Wigan.

By all accounts it was a rather drab encounter yesterday, with my suggestion in the preview that we would keep it tight and try a nick a winner coming true - something which clearly irked Glenn Roeder, as did Stuart Pearce's post-match comments that there are now eight teams in the relegation 'race'.

It was good to see Mpenza score another goal - and at this rate he could end up as the seasons leading scorer. Hopefully as he gets fitter towards the end of the season this will continue, and Pearce will see fit to offer a longer term deal. Also pleasing was the return of Nedum Omouha and the inclusion once again of Michael Johnson who looks to have a definite role in the side.

We can breathe a little easier given the events of the past two weeks now, but critically the Easter period is well renowned for helping shape and decide some of the key events of the season.

We do have some tricky games coming up between now and the end of the season, so the possibility of reaching 40 points by next Monday is a nice prospect and whilst the forthcoming Charlton game in particular doesn't hold quite the importance it may once have done, it is still a key game, but one in which we have afforded ourselves a little cushion in.

Reaction:

"It's going to be very tight until the end of the
season.....any three teams from eight can still get relegated and Newcastle are
among those eight. If you ask Glenn (Roeder) he would probably say that us
beating Newcastle was a fair result and I couldn't disagree with him. There's
still pressure on to win next week but that's the beauty of the job. That's what
makes winning so special".

-Stuart Pearce.

"It was a terrific victory, we worked really hard for
it. We went into the game with a plan, and we’re happy that we came out on the
right side of the result.
Every game now is really important, everybody
knows that and after this win there’s another couple of clubs who are looking
over their shoulders.
“The win shows our resilience in being able to graft
two really tough victories away from home, and also to have those wins
sandwiched in the middle by the international break."

-Joey Barton.


Reports:

Telegraph
Times
Observer
King of the Kippax