Sven-Goran Eriksson checks out of suite life - Football News - Telegraph
Thaksin Shinawatra not fit to run Man City - Football News - Telegraph
Scolari is City target as Eriksson prepares for an early exit | Football | The Guardian
All points Eastlands: Who will replace Sven? - Football News - Telegraph
Football: Eriksson heading for the City exit, admits agent | Football | guardian.co.uk
What started out as a report late last night quickly escalated this morning into a huge story covered by all the media outlets out there, and an even led to a request for yours truly to be interviewed on Independent Radio News.
It was a strange morning as there were as many reports about Sven staying as there were about his imminent departure, but most of those gave way to an almost unanimous line with Sven's days being numbered, plenty of 'obituary' pieces being penned and Sven's name being carved alongside those who have previously fallen.
The situation even led to as diverse a pair of backings as from the League Managers Association and Noel Gallagher, who likened it to a 'morbid dream' and as the dust settles on the day, all at the club are trying to preach a 'business as usual' approach ahead of the final two games.
The players have been vociferously backing their manager, with Nedum Onouha the latest to do so and fan protests believed to be being mobilised ahead of the the final two (away) games of the season - conveniently the story has broken following our last home game.
Whilst there was a groundswell of opinion that was against the appointment of Sven, this I believe was (wrongly) based upon his time in charge of England, and I was one of the fans who championed his appointment.
True to this, my view is that his departure from the club would be nothing short of a disaster.
Despite our stutter over the second half of the season - which has led Sven to be a victim of his own success in some respects, he has exceeded those expectations from when he first arrived last summer.
Faced with losing arguably our two best players from last season in Dunne and Distin, he quickly assembled a side on a budget around the amount that Liverpool spent on Fernando Torres alone - with one eye most definitely on the future with the majority of his purchases. Some of the signings have been hit and miss, but overall Sven has got it right and the squad looks in a healthy position as it currently stands.
Whilst the football has been restrictive at times due to the 4-5-1 formation consistently deployed, it has been an upgrade on previous seasons and there have been undoubted highlights in our performances but most crucially for me has been his handling of the Academy.
We all know how blessed we our at present with the quality that has been coming through, but the way that the players have been assimilated into the line-up and the focus and attention they have is testament to his abilities to develop this kind of talent.
It is not surprising therefore that at all levels of the club - apart from those that ultimately count of course, are said to devasted that he looks like leaving, and you do wonder what effect this could have on the futures of those players.
Talk of a three-year plan no appears mute, with Sven having fulfilled the first stage of the requirement and it appeared that this season was a platform on which to build a rosy future and I suspect Sven will be as disappointed as any to leave a squad of players who appear to have so much potential ahead of them.
I did begin to worry that once Thaksin had cleared his return to Thailand, he appeared to look for a more active, 'hands on' role at the club and so it appears to be. Already, there have been Thaksin appointments in key positions and it has been conveyed to me that both Paul Tyrrell and Alastair Mackintosh could be on their way out of the club in the summer.
Is this a case of Thaksin flexing his muscles, and trying to assert his power over the club and sees Sven (and his popularity) as a problem? Possibly, and it certainly fits the traits of a dictator.
Is it too late for Sven? Not quite yet, and the hope is that Thaksin will see the error of dismissing Sven - and a glimmer of hope at this stage is that Thaksin has publicly confirmed nothing stronger than his 'all areas over the club will be reviewed' statement, but Sven's position appears untenable now and I cannot see a situation where Sven would want to carry on when clearly the power that be at the (yes, power not powers) no longer wants him there.
It's not quite as simple as 'I told you so' that the Thaksin-sceptics may well trot out, but the position we are in now, the phrase 'If you dance with the devil' certainly rings true.
Sky Sports News are reporting that Sven is 'on the brink' of leaving the club following a 'frank discussion' with Thaksin over the weekend.
The club stated that Sven will be taking training tomorrow, but Sky are leading with the story.
More to come no doubt.
City v Fulham: Player ratings - Manchester City - Football - Sport - Manchester Evening News
MCFC 2 Fulham 3 - How many times have we said “typical City”? : MCFCstats blog
Fulham get kiss of life from Diomansy Kamara - Football News - Telegraph
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
Michael Ball says that the blame for the defeat to Fulham 'lies with the players'.
Kamara brings Fulham back from the brink | Football | guardian.co.uk
Backpass Magazine - dedicated to football in the 60s, 70s & 80s
Featuring a 3 page article and interview with Colin Bell.
The phrase 'typical City' has not been uttered too often (if at all) this season, such is the manner of progress that has been made of late but contriving to throw away a 2-0 half time lead against a side with one foot in the Championship bore the hallmarks of the days of old.
Perhaps it was not too surprising given a defence that lined up as Elano-Corluka-Ball-Sun Jihai, but each of the goals we allowed was as a result of either poor defensive positioning or a seeming lack of commitment in the challenge.
All a far cry of course to the first half when we carved Fulham apart and were well worth our lead, despite Joe Hart making a couple of smart saves to enhance his growing reputation. Both the goals we scored were excellent, with Ireland's a fine individual finish and Benjani scoring the type of goal many think he is not capable of - sliding home from Vassell's good work and Elano's precision pass.
To allow Fulham back in at the stage was terrible, and as Sven alluded to in the post match interview a sign of how far we have to go by (correctly) stating a 'big, big side' would not have lost the game, meaning that a side with real conviction and a desire to get into the European positions and challenge for titles would have not have surrendered the lead.
The biggest concern was perhaps the way in which we lost the game, with the side seemingly switching off in the second half and allowing Fulham to get back into the game with desire and spirit we did not show, with Sven also saying:"We lost a game we should have won. We controlled most of it, and we thought it was done. If you don't defend, you lose the ball and you give them chances. They fought until the end, but we stopped fighting. We can't blame anyone but ourselves for losing a game like this."
Inevitably, the defeat (with a watching Thaksin looking on) has re-ignited the Sven out theories, and now Thaksin is back at the club he needs to quash these immediately and announce his commitment to his original plan, and Sven himself.
After all, although there are two games left to play this season is all but done and dusted.
Two wins on the bounce and a nice, late surge to hopefully end the season on a high note following the second half slump.
Currently sat in eighth position, depending on results elsewhere we have an opportunity to go level with Aston Villa in sixth place but realistically we have to win out to guarantee that Inter Toto position, as whilst it is clear Portsmouth have more than one eye on the FA Cup final, Villa's final three games are winnable (although Everton this weekend will be tricky).
Team wise, defensively we are still struggling with a late decision expected on Richard Dunne, which prompted Shaleum Logan to be recalled from a loan spell at Stockport but elsewhere we are relatively 100% with key players returning to form.
As for Fulham, it is looking extremely grim and anything other than a win could see them relegated this weekend. The introduction of Roy Hodgson to replace Lawrie Sanchez hasn't paid the dividends it was hoped and a shocking run of form away from home has been their achilees heel.
Although Brian McBride and Jimmy Bullard are back in the line-up, their absence has been felt this season and their comeback has been too late in the day and their overall squad depth is light on quality with too many players not at Premier League level.
Prediction? Not a good day for Fulham as a 2-0 defeat sends them on the brink of relegation.
Still tight at the top with just three weeks remaining and not much seperated the top three last weekend. The full table is here, but the top three is as follows:
Hose's Blumer (Joseph Millar) week 120 total 4706
Big Tackle (Aus Cam) week 122 total 4649
I've had my fill; my share of losing (clarky_warky) week 117 total 4525
Sky Sports | Football | Premier League | Manchester City | Dunne boost for City
Richard Dunne expected to be fit for this weekends clash with Fulham.
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
Report from the reserves final game of the season.
Manchester City win relieves pressure on Sven - Football News - Telegraph
Football: I'm not worried about losing my job, says Eriksson | News | guardian.co.uk Football
City rediscover their slicker side | Match Reports | guardian.co.uk Football
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
Sven's reaction to yesterday's win.
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
The latest Academy graduate.
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
Pictures from the Portsmouth game.
Thaksin Shinawatra last week insisted that Manchester City need more midfielders but today his club strengthened its strikeforce by agreeing a £20m deal for Brazilian forward Jô, guardian.co.uk understands.
>>guardian.co.uk
No official word from the club as yet on this, but it has begun to be reported around most of the major media outlets and would seem to suggest talk of Sven departing in the summer can be banished once and for all.
He has been linked with us previously (along with most strikers around the world) but again fits the bill of most recent purchases by being a young talent with plenty of upside.
Whilst some strikers - Dickov, Samaras and Mpenza will be on the way out come the end of the season we will still be left with plenty of talent in attack and given Benjani's impressive performance yesterday, could point to us playing with two up front come the start of next season.
The Blog: From disarray to the Double: the fall and rise of City's youth policy
Thaksin fails to back Eriksson as City's slump causes him concern | News | guardian.co.uk Football
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Interviews with key figures from the youth team success
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
More on the youth team success
Much has been made this week of Thaksin's comments this week regarding his displeasure of the performances and results over the second half of the season.
Whilst the tone has mellowed slightly in the press - from Sven facing the axe to now 'not being backed' it is all a little worrying.
The second half of the season has of course been largely disappointing in comparison to how we were at the turn of the year, but Thaksin would be wise to step back and consider just what has been achieved this season since Sven came in - namely turning around a relegation threatened side into one challenging for Europe. Sven has now though had a year under his belt to get to the know the club and the league, and with the right additions over the summer we should be in a position to progress and kick on further.
Sven has brushed aside the reports this week, and a key factor could be that leading figures around the club appear to be advising Thaksin (correctly) to continue the path that has been taken and that replacing Sven would be a mistake.
A large part of this (and some of the things we have seen previously) is perhaps down to Thaksin's naivety in the world of football, and whilst it is a business, it is a very unique one and you simply cannot turn round the fortunes of something overnight.
Dismissing Sven at this stage would be catastrophic given our current position, and a move that would set us back almost to last summer before Thaksin and Sven arrived. It is also a move I don't expect to happen, but Thaksin appears to be priming himself for a more hands on and active role in the day to day running of the club.
Something that will keep all concerned firmly on their toes.
A well deserved win in the second leg last night, and overall one which I thought was a fairly comfortable one once we had got back in the game after Chelsea's early opener.
A decent crowd in attendance - despite the shambles of trying to get in (queued for 15 mins after kick off for a ticket and they then preceeded to let everyone in for nothing) and it was a good atmosphere, one which the players certainly responded to.
We looked for the more creative side, and the front four were extremely fluid and interchangeable with their pace and movement causing the Chelsea defence and midfield continual problems. Valdimir Weiss went into the game with most of the hype surrounding him and he looks a very good prospect indeed. Playing on the left hand side mainly (his 'off wing'), he appears to have good feet, an ability to beat a man and great delivery with a look of Robert Pires about him. His free-kick was a great strike and he was a constant danger.
Skipper Ben Mee looked assured at the back whilst David Ball looks to have a good eye for goal and a selfish streak up front - easy to see why he has scored so many this season.
Another touted player - Kieran Trippier, didn't have a great deal to do to showcase his touted ability and was on the end of a shocking challenge which saw him carried off, but thankfully returned to collect his medal.
What was a great touch was the way the whole team embraced the Academy management team when the third goal went in - a real sign that the team has really grown up together over the years and this was a fitting culmination of the work that has been put in.
Obviously we have an enviable record of late in terms of developing Academy players into the first team players, and hopefully this production line should see a few more progressing through.
Kasper Schmeichel ready to quit Eastlands | Premier League - Times Online
MINUTE DETAIL: MANCHESTER CITY YOUTH 3 CHELSEA YOUTH 1 | Chelsea | News | Latest News
Red card adds to misery for Chelsea in final loss | Premier League - Times Online
City bewildered as Thaksin Shinawatra doubts Sven-Goran Eriksson | Manchester City - Times Online
Comment: Thaksin must trust Sven - Manchester City - Football - Sport - Manchester Evening News
YOUTH CUP: A WONDERFUL PLATFORM | Chelsea | News | Latest News
Fair Play blow for City - Manchester City - Football - Sport - Manchester Evening News
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
Interview with Jim Cassell
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
Focus on the youth team squad
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
Reserve team match report
Eriksson targets playmaker Diego | News | guardian.co.uk Football
The unpredictable world of Stephen Ireland could take
another twist after it emerged that the most complex Irish footballer since Roy
Keane is giving strong consideration to retiring from international football at
the age of 21.
Giovanni Trapattoni, the incoming Republic manager, intends
to visit the player to try to talk him into changing his mind. Sven-Goran
Eriksson, his Manchester City manager, has also made strenuous efforts, but the
player is said to be underwhelmed by his inclusion in Trapattoni's provisional
40-man squad for a training camp in Portugal next month.
>>The Observer.
Often a poor run of results or form is ended by something rather fortunate, and in the end yesterday we had not one, but two slices of luck to get us back to winning ways.
By concensus a rather drab game was brought to life in the final fifteen minutes with three goals that swa us come away with maximum points to hopefully ignite a late season run of form to overcome Aston Villa for the Inter-Toto position.
Firstly, substitute Daniel Sturridge won a penalty after appearing to foul himself which Elano duly converted only for Dean Whitehead to volley home unmarked minutes later. However, another substitute - Darius Vassell, ran onto an Elano through ball only to mis-kick completely, yet the ball managed to trickle past a helpless Craig Gordon to seal the points.
It was perhaps just as well that Vassell's goal did earn us the points (although his 'sharp-shooter' celebration was a touch misplaced) as Sunday's headlines were focusing on the reports that Thaksin is potentially considering firing Sven at the end of the season - or at the very least given a warning that recent results have not been what is expected.
Given that the attempts to prise Ronaldinho away from Milan's clutches seemed to be led by Thaksin and not Sven, it could well be that with his legal troubles in his homeland eased, Thaksin may be set to take a prominent hands on role in the running of the club - including transfer policy. Given his admitted lack of football knowledge, this could be a not too palatable prospect, and one which those who had at least a scepticism when he took over would not relish.
The win though at least gives us some heart heading into the final handful of games as we look to take a hold of seventh position to earn our highest Premier League finish, highest points total and European qualification.
The Gazetta dello Sport are reporting (English translated version) that Milan have reached agreement 'in principle' with Barcelona to sign Ronaldinho.
It quotes his brother/agent as confirming a contract has been agreed until 2012 to pay him 8 million Euros per year.
More on this no doubt over the weekend.
It is a measure of recent contrasting fortunes of the two sides that should Sunderland defeat us this weekend, there will be just ten points between us, an amazing figure given until recently we were eyeing Europe (via the conventional route at least) whilst Sunderland were mired deep in relegation trouble.
I have no doubt Sunderland will fancy their chances given the recent flourish in their fortunes where they finally banished their away day blues, whilst we are sliding fast and Nedum Onouha became the latest injury problem to beset us.
It has been a strange past week or so for the club (including the Ronaldinho speculation), and you get the impression that things are just drifting aimlessly as we head towards the season with us heading nowhere fast - even our route into Europe doesn't depend on results on the pitch, but there are still a handful of games remaining and the aim has to be to finish as high as possible.
At the very least the players must be thinking ahead to next season, and almost auditioning for that campaign given the increasing likelihood of players arriving during the summer. Whilst there have been one or two murmurings from Sven, he is not the type to bang his fists on the table but he needs to light a fire under the side to get them out of the funk they are currently in.
Whilst struggling for the most part of the season - largely down to some dreadful form on their travels, when it matters Sunderland have pulled themselves together to launch themelves clear of the drop and having achieved the magical safety figure of 36 points could free themselves of the worries of relegation and end the campaign in style.
Given the resources available (and spent) by Roy Keane this season in achieving safety, it is a measure of just how big the gulf is between the Championship and Premier League, but with another spending spree in the summer anticipated, and with one eye on who may be coming up this season, Sunderland can justifiably feel confident of an extended stay in the top flight.
Team wise Sunderland boss Roy Keane will again be without midfielders Dwight Yorke and Dickson Etuhu. Yorke missed last weekend's 3-1 win at Fulham with a knee problem while Etuhu has been out for several weeks with a similar injury.
Nedum Onuoha is out for the rest of the season, leaving Man City short of options in the centre of defence. Vedran Curluka is likely to partner Richard Dunne in the middle, with Sun Jihai slotting in at right-back.
Not likely to be too exciting a contest I don't imagine, and a 1-1 is the most likely outcome.
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
Liverpool fixture moved.
The Blog: Tabloid Tales: how Micah got 'Screwed'
Excellent article once again from Andrew over at purelymancity. This time looking at the tabloids and their 'relationship' with Micah Richards.
Manchester City to play Hong Kong exhibition Premier League - Times Online
End of season fixture announced.
Valeri Bojinov returned to action after his long injury lay-off in the reserves' 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on Thursday night.>>mcfc.co.ukThe Reds went 2-0 up thanks to a first-half brace from Jordy Brouwer, but Bojinov, a 69th minute substitute, went very close just seconds after coming on and then played a big part in City's goal 12 minutes from the end.
Sky Sports | Football | Premier League | Manchester City | Samba in the City
Guillem Balague muses on the very real possibility that Ronaldinho could join the club this summer.
A relatively low scoring week for the top 3 in week 32, which lets Joseph Millar maintain his lead at the top.
The full table is here, but the top three looks as follows:
Hose's Blumers (Joseph Millar) week 72 total 4377
Big Tackle (AusCam) week 63 total 4298
I've had my fill; my share of losing (clarky_warky) week 55 total 4228
Regardless of the possibility of signing Ronaldinho, the very fact we are linked with him would get the pulses going and that it would be unanimously thought of as a great coup.
Not so it appears.
In today's MEN, Chris Bailey sets out his case for eschewing the possibility of signing the Brazillian - under the headline 'Sidestep the superstars', and implored the club to concentrate and focus on youth instead.
All very noble sentiment indeed, except the article from Bailey is littered with statements and arguments that don't wash, and I am still stunned that anyone who supports (or linked with) the club could seriously make a case for not signing him.
Paraphrasing the article, Bailey asserts that he doesn't want the club to become a home for faded superstars and that the progression of youth is the way to go.
I feel though it is worth challenging some of the points he has raised (Bailey's in italics, my response in standard font):
Far better to build a side than bring in a Ronaldinho, David Beckham or Luis Figo who are past their practical best on the pitch, even if they do shift plenty of units of memorabilia and replica kit in the Far East.
I agree entirely with not bringing in a mid-30's agre range player who is clearly past it, but Ronaldinho would not be that type of player and it is a lazy argument to bring up the cliched 'Far East market' but Ronaldinho is not far removed from being voted World Player of the Year.
Signing such a player would also wreck the wage structure and that invariably leads to more problems, for there is hardly likely to be a harmonious dressing room if one of the members is changing on a pedestal, emblazoned with a label proclaiming him a prince amongst paupers.
There is clearly a wage differential between the squad at the moment, with the likes of Petrov, Corluka and Elano likely earning significantly more than the majority of the squad. Has this affected team morale and unity? Thought not.
And how many games do fans think you would get out of a Galactico? Take Ronaldinho as an example. He has averaged a little more than 20 outings per season, not much good when the league is over 38 games and you fancy a tilt at a cup competition or two. Surely it is far better to budget for a Lukas Podolski, Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch, Theo Walcott or Aaron Lennon and a holding midfielder of some class than an ageing superstar who sells shirts in the super stores of Asia?
Ronaldinho has suffered from injury problems this season but he has been a workhorse at Barcelona and he can hardly be labelled a 'fancy dan' who picks and chooses his games. The next argument is simply ridiculous - Bayern have said Podolski is part of their plans for next season, Walcott is clearly headed in the right direction at Arsenal and Keane is captain at Tottenham, a club who sold Jermaine Defoe in January. Are any of that trio likely to be available?
The Galacticos route so beloved of Real Madrid in recent years didn't really work in terms of cups and titles and, significantly, they are domestically performing much better now, without them. Closer to home, Newcastle's desire to spend hugely on big names has left them without a trophy for longer than City. In any case, Blues followers must surely have had enough during the Keegan era of older players who had built their reputations elsewhere being brought in for one last pay-day.
To lump Ronaldinho alongside Paul Bosvelt, Robbie Fowler and worst of all, Steve McManaman is ludicrous. We are not talking here of a player who is sniffing around for one last play-day but a world class player who could potentially have a huge impact on the side.
The best way forward for City is surely from the roots up. Keep pumping money into a wonderful Academy that produces genuine talent for club and country and augment that with judicious purchases from home and abroad each summer and there is a recipe for success.
I agree with developing the Academy but Bailey himself admits this mix needs to be added to with outside purchases and it is clear that at the moment the squad is some way off challenging for a Champions League berth, let alone the UEFA Cup.
So, let Ronaldinho play out his days in the sun in Italy. It is not lack of ambition it is commonsense and the creation of something more long lasting.
Play out his days in the sun? He is 28 years old and considered one of the best players in the world. Why on earth would this move not be considered commonsense and the creation of something more long lasting.
I have also read comparison with Gio Kinkladze and the problems we had fitting him into the team ethic, but we now had a side that can compete, not one that was filled with the likes of Ged Brannan and Neil Heaney.
One man does not make a team, but one man can make a team better and that is what we would get with Ronaldino in the line up. I find it staggering that anyone can actually consider a move for him to be a bad one and there is not a convincing argument that can be made to suggest that if a move for him was viable then it should be turned down in the interests of being better for their club.
tribalfootball.com - Ex-Man City keeper charged with blackmail
tags: Manchester City, Football
A bizarre story.
uefa.com - UEFA Cup - News & Features - News Specific
tags: Manchester City
Further information on the Fair Play qualification
Zoo Magazine - The League Of Injustice || Boro, Darlington, Hartlepool news, reviews and comment
tags: Manchester City
Jeff Winter's 'refereeing correction' to the game against Birmingham
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
tags: Manchester City
Reserves draw against Blackpool.
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
tags: Manchester City
Youth team captain Ben Mee on the forthcoming second leg.
Sven Goran Eriksson has admitted that Ronaldinho would be
>>Sky Sports.
welcomed at Manchester City with open arms.
City are believed to be keen on
bringing the unsettled Barcelona forward to the Premier League at the end of
season and have joined a host of other clubs in the race for the Brazilian's
signature.
The story was first reported in The Daily Mail on Saturday, but it was hardly a convincing piece given the piece ended by saying it was extremely unlikely any deal would go through given his wage demands.
The press have been all over the stroy today though, with Sven (unsurprisingly) giving a thumbs-up for the move.
How much credence is in the story is not really known of course, but the fact that Ronaldinho's brother/agent was a VIP guest at the club at the weekend is encouraging at the very least and Thaksin has spoken previously of a 'marquee' signing to fill the stadium and really put us on the map.
I still have my doubts regarding the true nature of this story, and it does strike as a nice piece of PR for Thaksin to show us being linked with a player of this stature - particularly given recent grumblings about our slide down the table, whilst Ronaldinho and his team would not be too displeased for stories linking ourselves and very wealthy owner ready to offer bucketloads of cash for his signature.
It is the latter which I still think as the most likely explanation, given there has been 'previous' regarding this from Ronaldinho (notably when he flirted with United to hike up an offer from Barcelona) and it appears to be a move to sting the Milan clubs into action, and I still believe AC Milan as the likely destination in the summer.
If he did sign for us then what a coup it would be though.
Reports of his demise are clearly premature, as although he has struggled for form and fitness this season he is undoubtedly amongst the top talents in the world still - although his star is fading slightly with a host of younger pups (Messi, Kaka, Ronaldo, Pato) nipping at his heels.
I remember seeing Ronaldinho play for Barcelona against us in a pre-season friendly which marked the opening of the new stadium and he was streets ahead of any other player on the pitch.
I would be staggered if I saw him play at that stadium again, this time in a City shirt, but you never know and if we did pull the signing off, then what a buzz we would have going into next season.
Nedum Onuoha suffered a dislocated shoulder during Manchester City's 2-0 defeat against Chelsea on Saturday. It's also feared the defender brok his wrist after falling badly in the 58th minute but manager Seven-Goran Eriksson does not know the extent of his injuries yet. Eriksson said: "I do not know how bad his shoulder is. He is in hospital, having X-rays. "Nedum also has a problem with his wrist. We are just hoping it is not broken." It looks as though Onouha is done for the season, given reports that he has dislocated his shoulder at the very least, and may well have suffered further damage to his wrist when he fell on Saturday.
UPDATE:
Yet again the final whistle draws a close to another largely frustrating afternoon.
High hopes for a second half were had given the way we had performed in the first half, but an early flourish gave way to a second goal which all but killed the game off.
Unfortunately, once again when it mattered we didn't quite have the final touch or necessary bit of quality to 'kill' teams, whereas Chelsea's second goal from Kalou was a perfect example of why they are challenging for the title and we are wilting way, on the outside looking in as despite being under pressure they can turn things around in an instant.
Positives for ourselves were the excellent performance from Joe Hart, and good work from Martin Petrov but Elano was once again ineffective and on the fringes, whilst the game as a whole could well be overshadowed by what looks to be a nasty injury to Nedum Onouha - an innocuous fall but was carried off clearly in a great deal of pain.
Results elsewhere sees us remain in ninth position and it is difficult to see us climbing higher up the table on current form, which means the InterToto option is slipping out of our grasp.
Frustrating once again then, and despite the patches of quality and attacking purpose we showed during the game, it was unfortunately another reminder that despite the overall success of the season, we are still a long, long way off where we want to be.
A disastrous start with Richard Dunne's own goal after just five minutes, which to my mind should have been cleared with his right foot as using his left resulted in a crisp finish past stranded Joe Hart.
It looked following this that the next goal would be imminent as Chelsea attacked with purpose and numbers - Anelka in particular looking bright, with Onouha making two smart last ditch tackles.
Still, we have come back well into the game and have perhaps had the better of the game without looking quite as threatening as Chelsea in the final third.
Benjani has looked lively and purposeful but lacks that final touch of quality, but Petrov has had three good long range efforts - one well saved by Cudicini, and Ireland has also gone close.
Plenty of positives to take into the second half then as we look to take something from this game, and at the very least score our first goal against Chelsea in open play for some seven years.
Chelsea lead at half-time then, but it hasn't quite been as comfortable as Didier Drogba appears to be sat here in the stands.
Whilst Chelsea will be battling and scrapping to keep their title hopes alive, battling and scrapping will be exactly what we need to avoid doing to give our best hopes of European qualification a boost given that an absence of names in the referee's notebook will be equally as important as points gained.
Slightly tongue in cheek of course given that the elusive sixth position is still up for grabs despite our best efforts since the turn of the year but with Portsmouth absent from Premier League duty to fly the flag for the top flight in the FA Cup we have a chance to close the gap somewhat.
It will be difficult of course. Chelsea are not a side we have fared well against in recent times and of memories of the 6-0 reverse at Stamford Bridge have not quite faded from memory. A less free flowing and attacking Chlesea is what I expect tomorrow though and should they go home with a comfortable 1-0 win ahead of Tuesday's crucial Champions League tie at home to Fenerbahce, I'm sure they would be more than pleased.
Crucially for ourselves, Petrov and Johnson should slot straight into the side that fared so poorly at Birmingham last week, and our less than threatening strike force should at least take heart from the fact that Colin Kazim-Richards managed to get on the scoresheet in midweek against Chelsea.
Sven put the squad through a video nasty this week (no, not the one with Paul Jewell) and the players needed a kick up the arse the way things have drifted in recent weeks so a reaction of some sort should be expected.
Cech and Lampard may well return for the visitors, whilst a late decision will determine whether Anelka gets booed from the pitch or warming up from the bench. A less than steady home defence should see Drogba fancy his chances of notching a goal.
It is difficult to put a case forward for us taking the points tomorrow, but it could be our day especially if Chelsea are not 100% focused - but given they are still in the hunt for the title they should be professional enough.
There should be improvement from last weekends game, but I cannot see it being enough as I'd take the visitors to head back down to London with a predictable 1-0 victory, leaving home fans hoping for some comfort in the Grand National result.
Opposition previews:
Chelseafc.com, The Shed End, Chelsea Blog, Chelsea Pies, cfuk.net.
A good result from the youth team last night to gain a 1-1 draw at Chelsea in the first leg at Stamford Bridge, leaving them in a good position for the return in two weeks time - although they will be disappointed to have let a lead slip.
A decent crowd of over 11,000 saw the game last night taking advantage of the free entry and the club would be hoping for a decent attendance in the return game given the lack of TV coverage for the game, and in particular the attention the Academy has had over the past eighteen months or so.
Lost amongst the Abramovich millions has been the effort Chelsea have put in the past few years in trying to develop their own Academy and become more 'self-sufficient' and by reaching this stage of the competition proves a degree of vindication for that claim.
Reports from the game:
The Guardian, MEN, BlueView, MCFC official site, Chelsea official site.
MINUTE DETAIL: CHELSEA YOUTH 1 MANCHESTER CITY YOUTH 1 | Chelsea | News | Latest News
tags: Chelsea, City, Manchester
Unfortunately didn't get a chance to ctach the game on TV earlier this evening.\n\nSets it up nicely for the second leg in a couple of weeks time where the club are hoping to get a bumper crowd in.
Europe still top target - Manchester City - Football - Sport - Manchester Evening News
tags: City, Manchester
How slow is news around the club at the moment when all that is being trotted out (mainly in the MEN) is the 'chase' for Europe.
tags: City, Manchester
There have been a couple of mischeivous articles about Dunne departing the club (particularly linked with Newcastle).\n\nI doubt there is any substance in any of them though.
ESS: Bojinov issues return warning
tags: City, Manchester
Valeri Bojinov not expected to feature until next season.
The Blog: Revealed: how City fans have been messed around the most
tags: City, Manchester
purely man city article on the number of games moved for TV this season.
Sky Sports | Football | Premier League | Manchester City | Sven expects keeper exit
tags: City, Manchester
Sven-Goran Eriksson expects one of either Andreas Isaksson or Kasper Schmeichel to depart this summer.
The man from down under posted a huge weekly score of 147 to edge into second place, but an equally excellent week from Joseph Millar sees him maintain a semi-comfortable lead at the top of the fantasy league standings.
Despite yours truly posting an impressive 202 points to sit in fourth place, it is the top three who are still the only realistic winners and the current race for the title is as follows:
1. Hose's Blumers (Joseph Millar) Week 156 Total 4305
2. Big Tackle (AusCam) Week 147 Total 4235
3. I've had my fill; my share of losing (clarky_warky) Week 69 Total 4173
As usual, click here for the full table or go via the link on the right hand navigation bar.
