I did predict that it would be tight and tipped us to go through on away goals, but didn't imagine it would be as nail biting as that.
Stuck in the office, I was in the hands of the BBC live text commentary and it didn't make for pretty reading (as don't most of the subsequent match reports) but managed to find a TV and catch the penalty shoot-out - which was certainly a nervy affair.
So often when a penalty is missed, the very next one is saved and it was a crucial stop by Hart (albeit it a generous height for him) and we never looked back as we sealed our place in the first round proper.
Hopes that we would build on the West Ham performance were not quite realised though and despite the signing of Wright-Phillips, there is still plenty for Mark Hughes to get to grips with as it has to be said over the two legs our opponents (who realistically we should have cruised past) can count themselves unfortunate to say the least.
Still, we are in tomorrows draw and we will see who that brings, although unless someone can correct me, we are not seeded so may well land a tricky tie to navigate to get through to the group stages of the competition.
Reaction
"It's a bit of a lottery with penalties but we're delighted we've overcome this hurdle.
Hughes added: "You're always relieved. There are no easy games; it's a cliche but in Europe there aren't. Look at the events of last night with Liverpool.
"We showed character. I saw qualities and values that I liked tonight."
CITY goalkeeper Joe Hart was the hero as they fortuitously progressed to the UEFA Cup first round with a penalty shoot-out victory over FC Midtjylland. >>MEN.
Manchester City can look forward the Uefa Cup first round draw in Monaco after they survived European elimination courtesy of goalkeeper Joe Hart’s penalty-saving heroics and an 89th minute own goal from FC Midtjylland’s unfortunate Danny Califf. >>telegraph.co.uk.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart was Manchester City FC's hero as his two penalty shoot-out saves earned the English Premier League club a place in Friday's UEFA Cup first round draw at the expense of FC Midtjylland. >>uefa.com.
Manchester City have made it to the Uefa Cup - but only by the slenderest of margins after a huge stroke of luck in Denmark. >>guardian.co.uk.
Manchester City came through a penalty shoot-out as they scraped into the first round of the Uefa Cup, thanks to fine performance from Joe Hart, the England Under-21 goalkeeper. >>times online.
"Obviously I'm delighted to come back to City and I just can't wait to get started again."
>>Shaun Wright-Phillips.
"I've always admired him and he's certainly been a target of mine since I came to the football club, to actually secure the deal and bring Shaun back home is a fantastic coup for us and I'm sure the supporters will be just as excited as we are to have him back at Manchester City."
>>Mark Hughes.
I did have certain reservations about bring Wright-Phillips back, but on the whole welcomed the move, and I have to say there was a definite buzz and feelgood factor from Blues this afternoon when the news filtered through.
From the poll I ran here on the blog, some 83% of you were positive about re-signing him as well.
There are aspects that I previously mentioned that hopefully will be answered by Wright-Phillips once he gets back in the line up and hopefully hits form, but there is no denying that his arrival gives us another dimension going forward and with him Petrov and Elano as attacking midfielders provides us with an enviable midfield trio.
Hopefully he will get his verve back and show the desire that can propel him back to the top of his game and the heights that he climbed before.
At £9 million, it is certainly a good move and a minimal risk in terms of outlay for a player who lest we forget is still only 26 years old and still theoretically to hit his peak.
And ironically enough, his first home back as a City player? Chelsea on September 13th.
Given that most of us will likely be at work tomorrow when the game is on, I'll leave this thread open for any updates, news or comments throughout the game.
Buoyed by the confidence on the victory over West Ham, I'm sure most fans would be anticipating a succesful path into the next round but perhaps it is worth bearing in mind that a degree of over confidence was responsible in part for our downfall in the first leg.
Our opponents are clearly not the side that they were first perceived to be when the draw was made, but it is a game we should go on and win - especially with a couple of league games in between to fine tune team chemistry.
We have to be careful of not falling between two stools though in being too gung-ho in trying to overcome the goal deficit, yet not being too cautious in trying to not fall further behind, but a positive approach (as seen on Sunday against West Ham) is definitely the best policy.
With Elano pushed further forward just behind the lone striker, I feel this provides a far more creative formation and reports suggest Jo could come straight back into the team which will could be a bonus. Despite his concussion, the club website suggests Micah Richards could be fit, and if so, it could make for an interesting decision with Richard Dunne being available once again.
I do think we will go through tomorrow, but the ghosts of Groclin past still lurk ominously and it would be a real shame to end our UEFA Cup campaign at this premature stage. It may be a tricky game, but I tip us to go through - although it may take extra-time or away goals to do so.
Manchester City have made an official bid in the region of £10m to bring Shaun Wright-Phillips back from Chelsea. The winger has become Mark Hughes' top priority for the final week of a transfer window in which City, for all their financial issues, could conceivably finish as the highest spenders in the Premier League.
Seemingly every lead up to a transfer deadline contains all sorts of speculation regarding Shaun Wright-Phillips, and it appears to be no different this time around with under a week remaining until the window closes until January.
I've not seen it reported anywhere else apart from the Guardian link that we have made an official bid, but The Guardian has been accurate with the Jo and Ben Haim moves over the summer so I'd be inclined to lend some weight to it, with other reports suggesting a battle between ourselves, Everton and Portsmouth.
The vast majority of Blues would no doubt be delighted to welcome him back, and whilst it would appear to be a great move (both in terms of quality and the need for a right-sided player) and one which I certainly think is worth at least a loan deal for a season (although Chelsea are reportedly preferring a permanent switch) there are some concerns over this.
It is fair to say that since leaving City his career has stalled (if not been derailed) as he struggled to gain the confidence and favour of Jose Mourinho (with it reported he was a Kenyon buy, not a Mourinho one). He appeared to have difficulty fitting into Mourinho's system and when he was called upon, did not play with the verve and confidence he showed at City.
When he was with us, he was a fantastic talent and a real lone shining light in what was in the end a struggling team that relied so much on him. He certainly hasn't progressed in any way at Chelsea and you do wonder if we did get the best out of him and that at £24 million it represented fantastic business for us.
He doesn't appear to be disillusioned with life at Chelsea, at no time complaing over his (lack of) playing time or wanting to move to resurrect a career that you would expect a player who had become so marginalised to do.
Even his (never shy of an opinion) dad has said on a number of occasions that he needs to get out of Stamford Bridge, and looking at the England set up, the fact that David Beckham is still in the side is indication enough to say Wright-Phillips could have had another 2o or so caps under his belt by now rather than looking some way off the international game.
With reports that he does not favour a move back to Manchester, how committed and how motivated would he be to join us given that he has seemed to be satisfied on the fringes at Chelsea rather than beating a path into the first team or elsewhere? Is there still that desire inside of him or has his appetite been sated by a few seasons of ignominy as an outcast at Stamford Bridge?
With Mark Hughes building a team to move forward, should we really looking to the past?
It's perhaps hard to sum up Castillo's time at the club as it can't really be argued that it was a spell that was littered with underachievement - more frustration as he never really got going in a City shirt.
Somewhat of a surprise when Sven brought him in last January (with him part funding the move don't forget), but he suffered a broken collarbone so early on after joining us and didn't get much of a look in, let along a prolonged spell once he returned to fitness.
Truth be told, he did look far too slight to cut it in the Premier League and it was always difficult to tell exactly his position or where he would fit into the side, and once Mark Hughes took over you felt that Castillo would not be his type of player and he would ultimately move on.
Whilst the squad does appear light in certain areas, one thing the club has done well since the end of last season is clear the dead wood in the ranks, something which willdefinitely benefit the younger members of the squad as they should be afforded a greater opportunity over the coming season.
While there may be all sorts of uncertainty swirling around Eastlands just now, it looks as if Mark Hughes has come up trumps again in the transfer market.
The Club has tonight confirmed that Rolando Bianchi has left Manchester City to join Torino on a five-year deal.
The Italian striker was Sven-Goran Eriksson's first signing last summer and despite scoring the Blues' first goal of the season at Upton Park last August, by January he had fallen out of favour and went back to Serie A to join Lazio on loan until the end of the season.
The official Torino website this evening reported: "Torino are pleased to announce they have permanently signed the footballer Rolando Bianchi from Manchester City.
"The striker has signed a five-year contract.
"Tonight, a few minutes before the start of Torino versus Brescia, Rolando will greet the Granata fans together with president Urbano Cairo.
"The official presentation to the press will happen during next week."
And so officially ends a City career that started off with so much promise.
Bianchi arrived much-hyped as Sven's first signing on the back of a succesful Serie A season for Reggina and enjoyed a goal scoring debut at West Ham, but appeared to fall foul of Sven early in the season and was jettisoned for the most part with Mpenza often trusted as the lone man in the 4-5-1 formation.
A loan spell at Lazio was set to result in a permanent move during the summer but his option was not picked up and he returned to the club after a far more stellar six months at The Stadio Olimpico.
Although he featured in a couple of pre-season games, he departs a well trodden path of players who have arrived in the Premier League from Serie A with much fanfare, only to exit without success - with strikers in particular prone to struggles.
Perhaps Bianchi was too young when he arrived at the club, or perhaps the strong season he had prior to joining us was not an indication of his true talent but I'm sure most fans will feel a degree of frustration that his City career panned out in such a manner, and he now has plenty to prove as he tries to pick up his career at the Granata.
The bonus with the deal of course is that it is a permanent move, and the fee (unconfirmed, but believed to be around £5 million) and saving on wages can no doubt be put to good use over the next week as Mark Hughes seeks to make further additions to the squad ahead of the transfer deadline - with the reports linking Thiago Neves growing ever stronger.
With our very own fugitive (with his good lady wife and accompanying cheering squad) in attendance alongside the weekends headline maker, we picked a good time indeed to hit some form and hopefully kick start our stuttering season.
Admittedly, West Ham were poor with Alan Curbishley correctly stating the Hammers got what they deserved, but Mark Hughes was quick to heap praise after picking up our first points of the season.
Despite being (deservedly) reduced to ten men for over half of the game following Mark Noble's dismissal, we were worthy of the victory as a far pacier, committed and side was on display who possessed a greater attacking intent than shown on previous outings this season.
Team wise, I thought Hughes got it spot on with Ball back in for Garrido, but more importantly Ireland back in the starting line-up to provide a greater deal of creativity and link-up play than Etuhu on the right hand side, complementing the ever growing talent of Petrov on the left.
Vincent Kompany was the other change of course, making his debut in place of Gelson and it was an accomplished performance from a player who admitted he wasn't sure of his all of his team mates names. In the holding role, he looks to provide strong defensive cover (and slotted in well alongside Ben Haim following Richard's injury) and despite Gelson's obvious potential, Kompany looks more mature and assured player at this stage.
Sturridge's goal was a smart finish indeed, and he really does look to have fantastic left foot and possesses a real natural eye for goal.
Elano's brace was also a boost and for me there is a world of difference in the player we see in the role he was deployed in against West Ham than out on the right hand side. Although Jo will be back available for the game against FC Midtjylland, I would hope that Hughes does not change the formation and allows Elano to continue behind the striker.
There was disappointment for the side as Micah Richards suffered a nasty clash of heads with Tal Ben Haim, rendering him unconscious on the pitch for several minutes. Despite not yet being ruled out, after suffering a concession it is extremely doubtful that he will be able to make the UEFA tie this Thursday.
It is in good heart that we will now travel to Denmark, with yesterday's performance giving our confidence a much needed boost and creating upwards of 20 chances shows that a one goal deficit will be by no means insurmountable.
Suddenly Manchester City's horizons look several shades brighter after three goals in quick succession midway through the second half provided an answer to suggestions that the club are in meltdown. >>independent.co.uk
It is not often that you can sit through an entire Premier League match and see one side incapable of managing a shot until the fourth minute of stoppage time. Mark Hughes will certainly be grateful to have come up against such obliging opponents as this rudderless West Ham side on the day Manchester City banished a few more of their early-season problems and Thaksin Shinawatra decided it was safe to show his face again. >>guardian.co.uk
These have been turbulent times at City, on and off the pitch, but two goals from Elano and one from Daniel Sturridge secured the three points that will lift the mood at the club and leave somebody else feeling the pressure of having to find their first points of the season. >>telegraph.co.uk
Dark clouds have gathered over Eastlands of late, but, as an uplifting afternoon came to an end yesterday, Thaksin Shinawatra began to relax in the directors’ box and Mark Hughes found himself serenaded by the Manchester City supporters who once despised him. >>times online
Thaksin Shinawatra entertained Mark Hughes for dinner last week – and the Manchester City boss reciprocated yesterday by serving up a Sunday treat for his troubled owner. >>daily express
On this form City can improve on last season's ninth place while West Ham will need to get injured players fit and show far more appetite in their work and the courage to play far more ambitiously. >>david pleat
We received a boost this week with the signing of Vincent Kompany, although his clearance hasn't arrived in time for him to line-up tomorrow, and are the reports of our financial meltdown a thing of the past with us now being linked with Thierry Henry.
It doesn't help ahead of tomorrow though with Bojinov joining Benjani and Darius Vassell on the sidelines and Olympic bronze winning Jo not available until next week. Richard Dunne completes his suspension ahead of what is going to be a crucial week for us with two tricky league games and the UEFA return in Denmark sandwiched in between.
Said Mark Hughes ahead of tomorrow:
"West Ham got off to a good start last weekend and we are expecting an open enough game. From my point of view, I am looking for us to be nice and solid defensively with that platform and understanding that allows us to go on the front-foot and dictate to the opposition."
All very positive and upbeat, but how much that will reflect reality given that confidence levels may not be too high and with a potentially restless crowd in attendance.
West Ham hope to have striker Dean Ashton (calf) and midfielder Scott Parker (thigh) fit for the game. Defender Anton Ferdinand - still involved in a 'will he, won't he' move to Sunderland remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, as does Wales forward Craig Bellamy.
Kieron Dyer (broken leg), Jonathan Spector (hip), George McCartney (virus), Danny Gabbidon (stomach), James Tompkins (leg) and James Collins (knee) are still out.
The Hammers cleared the decks to a degree over the summer and look a stronger proposition than they did this time last year (when we dispatched them on opening day).
We played out a couple of tight games at Eastlands over the course of a few days in January and I don't see any reason for tomorrow to pan out any differently with goals not likely to be in abundance.
We of course go in with concerns in all departments, although I expect the defence to bounce back from last weeks disappointment.
Unless Rolando Bianchi receives a call from purgatory (and he has been named in the squad), it will necessitate an inexperienced strike force which will likely see Hughes again adopt the a 4-4-1-1 line-up to allow Elano a more advanced role in support.
I'm sure both sides will be happy to come away with a point from the game, and feel that a 1-1 draw is the likeliest outcome from match-up.
"Is he a nice guy? Yes. Is he a great guy to play golf with? Yes. Has he got the finances to run a club? Yes. I really care about those three things. I need a left-back who can win tackles, get the crosses in and Jo can bang them in. Whether he’s guilty of something over there, I can’t worry too much about."
Quite a revealing interview with Henry Winter in The Telegraph which covers a range of topics - from what Thaksin is really like, long term plans for the club (and its financing), the pursuit of Ronaldinho and some very, very interesting thoughts on the future of the Premier League.
(Unsurprisingly) it provides a defence of Thaksin and gives a glimpse into his relationship with Mark Hughes - something which will hardly dampen the rumours with regards to transfer disharmony over the past couple of weeks:
"I’m not treating them like a commodity but in the two transfer windows everybody is for sale,”We told Mark not to come if he thought we didn’t need a superstar. Mark wants to challenge himself to manage the best footballers in the world.
But Mark is from the old school. He would rather overpay for the player he knows than for the player where he’s relying on scouting reports. That’s an endearing piece of what Mark is all about."
"There is a president with ambition, players with ambition, coaches with ambition, a manager with ambition and that helped me to make this decision.
"I just had a good feeling with everybody I was talking to inside the club. I felt some kind of dynamic.
"When you feel that there are dynamic people, and who have knowledge about football and stuff like this, you know you are in a good environment to improve."
>>Vincent Kompany.
From what little I've seen of Kompany, he has always impressed.
He appears to be a young, ambitious player - exactly the kind we should be looking to bring in to the club and I have no doubt that Mark Hughes will be looking to deploy him in midfield rather than defence.
Hughes himself was clearly enamoured, and delighted to bring him to the club:
"Vincent is one of the outstanding talents in Europe. He understands the ambition of the club. He understands where we want to take the club.
"We want to be a young, vibrant team with energy and technical ability. He comes into the category of the kind of young player we are trying to attract."
Manchester City have agreed a fee to sign Belgium international defender Vincent Kompany from Hamburg, according to the German club. The 22-year-old defender, who has played 23 times for his country began his career at Belgian club Anderlecht.
>>press association.
Despite my reticence about bringing in defensive reinforcements when the Silvestre story emerged, if we do land Kompany, I would be far happier.
No official word yet from ourselves, but I'll update later as and when an announcement is made.
UPDATE:
The story is beginning to be reported quite widely now, with the MEN suggesting Mark Hughes has him lined up for a role as the 'holding midfielder', whilst this Tottenham site is hopeful that it will mean the Corluka deal is to be resurrected.
UPDATE:
Official confirmation from the club has arrived this morning, and they are hopeful to get clearance for him in time to make his debut at home to West Ham this Sunday.
When the story was first reported this morning, the 'solidarity payment' wasn't mentioned, with the angle very much along the lines of City failing to meet a payment in respect of his transfer fee, rather than a dispute over the terms of it.
I wasn't familiar with regard the solidarity payment, but there is a very wordy document on FIFA.com which appears to cover a previous test case.
Interestingly though, this document from sports law firm James Chapman & co. suggests that a claim for a solidarity payment must be made within 30 days of the transfer being completed.
The FA website has perhaps the clearest explanation and contains the following reference to this payment:
If a Professional moves during the course of a contract, 5% of any compensation, with the exception of Training Compensation, paid to his Former Club shall be deducted from the total amount of this compensation and distributed by the New Club as a solidarity contribution to the club(s) involved in his training and education over the years. This solidarity contribution will reflect the number of years (calculated pro rata if less than one year) he was registered with the relevant club(s) between the Seasons of his 12th and 23rd birthdays, as follows:
– Season of 12th birthday: 5% (i.e. 0.25% of total compensation) – Season of 13th birthday: 5% (i.e. 0.25% of total compensation) – Season of 14th birthday: 5% (i.e. 0.25% of total compensation) – Season of 15th birthday: 5% (i.e. 0.25% of total compensation) – Season of 16th birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation) – Season of 17th birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation) – Season of 18th birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation) – Season of 19th birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation) – Season of 20th birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation)
On the face of it, it refers to the payment being 'distributed by the new club', meaning we would be on the hook for it.
Where City may be arguing this though, is if under the terms of the deal to bring Elano to the club, it was taken that part of the transfer fee would be used to cover the solidarity payment.
As there has been no comment from the club so far regarding the claim it is difficult therefore to confirm who is in the right over this matter, with perhaps not much light set to be shed on it given FIFA's comment today:
"As the relevant procedure will be started in due course, we cannot provide further comments for the time being."
It will be interesting to see how this one plays out once FIFA's investigation is complete, and if anyone has anything further on as to who is likely responsible for the payment, feel free to add a comment.
The eleventh hour intervention by Wenger is sure to enrage City manager Mark Hughes who believed the deal to be a formality after the player had agreed in principle a move across the city. Wenger, who is keen to add cover at left back for Gael Clichy and values Silvestre's Premier League experience, apparently made his intentions known to the player whilst he was at the City of Manchester Stadium, with Silvestre abandoning the medical to head straight to London to discuss terms.
Quite why we would be chasing Silvestre (let alone any left-back), given that defensive additions are hardly a priority at present is a complete mystery to me.
With just over ten days before the transfer window shuts, both the midfield and attacking areas (even more so given Bojinov's injury) are still pressing concerns which have not been addressed and to add a player who is at best a bit part at United is puzzling.
Both Ball and Garrido are solid ( albeit lacking in areas) and with Ben Haim also able to fill in there if required, adding Silvestre does not upgrade the position in any way and if this is an indication of the moves 'in the pipeline' that Hughes referred to at the weekend, then the closing of the transfer window perhaps cannot come quickly enough.
“I thought we were well in the game, and when we got back on level terms I felt that we were in the ascendency and that we were going to go on from that.
“Unfortunately we invited pressure on ourselves, made poor decisions in key areas and were not able to recover. All the hard work evaporated in those eight minutes, and the game went away from us.”
Inevitable I suppose that when the press vultures were circling around Villa Park yesterday, any defeat we suffered was going to be pounced upon, and it was no surprise that the majority of the match reports were concentrating on our 'crisis' given that a 4-2 scoreline implies a sound thrashing.
I don't think it is as black and white as that though (and most of the fan opinion I've seen online backs that up) as I think Hughes summed it up perfectly in his comments, and at 1-1, we really could have gone onto to win the game, or at the very least eke out a valuable point.
Worth noting as well is that Villa look a useful side (probably the 'best of the rest' outside the top four), and Martin O'Neill (along with their foreign owner) has done an excellent in building a decent looking side, who have the stability and consistency on and off the pitch that we can only crave at present.
It was not to be though, with a combination of slack defensive play and some impressive attacking play from Villa did for us in the end to inflict a result that could have implications as far as confidence levels go.
When going through a spell of bad fortune, things really do have a habit of kicking you in the teeth, so goodness knows what Mark Hughes's reaction was when Valeri Bojinov was carried off during the pre-game warm up with a snapped achilees that is expected to sideline him for upto 6 months.
It was pleasing though that Hughes opted for a 4-4-1-1 with Elano pushed inside to spark more creativity and it was such a shame Bojinov suffered his injury, as game as Ched Evans was, it is a big ask for a player of his limited age and experience to carry. Interesting to see Garrido preferred to Ball, and also Etuhu over Ireland once again on the right - with Hughes clearly enamoured with the pace that he brings to the side.
Hughes mentioned the 'ten minutes of madness', but the signs were there previous to that spell where Agbonlahor exploded as there was indecision in the defence on crosses and too much was space was afforded to the likes of Young and Barry, and it does have to be a concern that our once strong defensive record has imploded in recent Premier League matches stretching to the tail end of last season, and how we sorely need the Richards-Dunne axis to get back together and playing at the level of the first half of last season.
There was encouragement though for me in certain parts of our play, but largely overshadowed by the end result and such a shame for Bojinov as fate has struck cruelly once again, just when he returned to full fitness and looked to be an important part of our side. It now of course leaves Sturridge and Evans to shoulder a big responsibility for the immediate future, unless we can somehow prise Santa Cruz away from Blackburn or summon back Bianchi from whichever outpost he has been despatched to.
Crisis is an often over used word and I certainly won't be applying it at this ridiculously early stage to the season, but coming up against another side (West Ham) who are likely to be around us come the end of the season, a win would so welcome to try and banish some of the negativity that is around - particularly with the important UEFA tie at FC Midtjylland also on the horizon.
Oh, and one final thing. Ditch the dreadful orange shirts.
Reports
Gabriel Agbonlahor delivered the perfect response to his omission from the England squad, a hat-trick in eight minutes ensuring a score line that reflected the disparity in the atmospheres surrounding Aston Villa and Manchester City over the summer. >>telegraph.co.uk
It was the kind of finishing Mark Hughes would normally admire but this was not the day for the Manchester City manager to stand back and applaud. >>guardian.co.uk
Humbled in the Uefa Cup by Midtjylland on Thursday while Villa were winning in Iceland, City revived memories of their 8-1 final-day mauling at Middlesbrough last season with a second-half catalogue of defensive aberrations. >>independent.co.uk
We didn't play that badly. Villa certainly should have been one or two up by half time, and Richards did well to hold them off until the 47th minute. But between Carew's goal and Agbonlahor's first we were really good. >>the lonely death of roy carroll.
In the aftermath of Thursday's UEFA Cup defeat, Mark Hughes was calling for patience, staying it will 'take time' to get things right, an admission that is slightly concerning as we head into our opening Premier League fixture which marks a tough opening for us.
Plenty of doom surrounds the club of course at present, with confidence around the club no doubt fragile but first day of the season is a day where hope and expectation is always in abundance.
I think it will be an interesting barometer tomorrow, as both sides look evenly matched (although Villa look undoubtedly far more stable at present) in terms of quality and I don't believe we will be too far apart from each other come the end of the season.
Villa have had a good pre-season (faring better in their UEFA Cup game this week) and it appears that Gareth Barry is likely to remain at the club, which is a definite plus for them and Martin O'Neill has made some good additions over the past year to the squad which now has a very youthful feel to it, and you sense Villa are a side on the rise.
We do have a good record at Villa Park over the years, and I think it will be a game that starts of with a cagey approach as both sides feel each other out.
Team wise, we are of course missing captain Richard Dunne so I expect Michael Ball to come in at left back with Tal Ben Haim moving inside to partner Micah Richards.
What I would hope is that Valeri Bojinov is deemed fit enough to start, and whilst the 4-5-1 is not universally loved, given the problems we have in attack (and the need to involve Elano far more effectively) I would play Bojinov in a lone striker role - something he undoubtedly has the quality to do) with Sturridge dropping to the bench where I think he would currently add more value coming on as an impact player.
This would also allow us to beef up the midfield, which would hopefully see a return to form for Michael Johnson and ease the pressure on Martin Petrov - who was one of the rare bright lights on Thursday.
If we came away with all three points tomorrow it would be considered a surprise, but Mark Hughes will demand a reaction from the side and I think it is something we get and I predict us to come away with a point from a 1-1 draw.
A week which saw turmoil engulf the club off the field got a whole lot worse on Thursday evening as our bid to try and create some positive headlines was blown apart as we fell to a disastrous 1-0 defeat to leave our UEFA Cup hopes hanging by a thread.
As this fixture drew closer, it did become apparant that our opponents would provide a stronger test than first thought when the draw was initially made but we appeared to get cold to a certain extent by a side who had the drive, pace, creativity and desire it was plain to see that we lacked - something that Mark Hughes gave them credit for following the game.
Plaudits aside, it was a game that we really should not have been beaten in and the real worry on the eve of the Premier League campaign is the manner of the defeat in that Petrov aside we looked bereft of attacking ideas and intent.
Hughes sprung a suprise in attack by partnering Daniel Sturridge with Felipe Caceido - a player who had seen limited action in pre-season, and despite his full fitness still being in question I would have liked to have seen Bojinov have started the game, and it maybe that Hughes expected to get through without having to risk him ahead of the Villa game?
Ben Haim at left back also looked a bad move as it appeared to be a move simply to fit him into the side and make an easy decision rather than leave out one of Corluka, Dunne or Richards.
The 4-5-1 was derided at times last season, with Sven receiving a lot of criticism over his adherence to the formation, but with the 4-4-2 adopted by Hughes we have seen so far, we look light in the centre of midfield as neither Hamman, Gelson or (the disappointing) Johnson seemingly able to get a grip of the game.
The 4-4-2 of course means the deployment of Elano on the right, a move which I do not subscribe to and one which I don't believe benefits us in any way. Petrov aside, we had no creativity on Thursday, and it needs Elano to be moved into a more central position in the second leg as we will have to go with a more positive approach.
Of course we are in a great deal of trouble in this tie and our hopes of a sustained run in the competition are in doubt, but a one goal lead is not insurmountable by any means and the hope is that with another two weeks of work (with a pair of Premier League games) under our belts, we can turn in a far greater performance to overturn the deficit and make up for the disappointment of Thursday night.
Reports
Mark Hughes will always remember his first 90 minutes at Eastlands as Manchester City's manager. It was the one where his team was booed off; the one where he tore down the tunnel at half-time to read the riot act to a team that was being outplayed by a club nobody in Manchester could spell, let alone had heard of. >>telegraph.co.uk
Whoever said that off-field troubles do not transmit to football players should have been at Eastlands last night as Manchester City were humbled by a group of unknowns from Denmark. >>mail online.
Hughes will surely not have anticipated hearing his team being barracked by their own fans 20 minutes into their first game inside their own ground. Visibly angry, he could be seen shaking his head in disgust, shocked by his players' efforts, and will certainly be looking for a drastic improvement, to say the least, when City travel to Denmark's Jutland peninsula for the return leg on August 28. >>guardian.co.uk
BRITISH forces have not always fared well in Jutland, as Admiral Sir John Jellicoe found out to his cost in the famous naval battle there 92-years ago.
That bad form will have to change in two weeks’ time if City’s Euro adventure is not to come to an abrupt halt in northern Denmark. >>men.co.uk
A welcome relief given the events of the past week to actually be able to focus on matters on the pitch as opposed to dealing with problems off it.
Whilst the backdrop to this game has of course been well documented, I'm sure Mark Hughes is looking for the side to banish all thoughts of a distraction and effectively win the tie tomorrow evening and has been bullish in his comments to the press in the build up.
Despite Darius Vassell joining the injury list, we hope to welcome back Martin Petrov back from injury and Vedran Corluka (back from White Hart Lane?) to the squad from the side that defeated Milan last Saturday.
It remains to be seen who Hughes will opt for in attack, or even if we will persevere with the 4-4-2 given the injuries in attack but both Daniel Sturridge and Ched Evans have proved themselves capable so far, whilst Valeri Bojinov has impressed whenever I have seen him.
Elsewhere, the interesting decision will come in defence, where Hughes will have to choose two from Corluka, Dunne, Ben Haim and Richards, whilst I expect Ball to get the nod over Garrido at left back.
The midfield is not overly blessed and clearly does need reinforcing, so I don't expect any surprises when the starting line up is announced.
First impressions when the draw was made were that we should easily progress, but FC Midtjylland have started their domestic campaign impressively, currently topping the Danish league, and they despatched Bangor City 10-1 in the first qualifying round and the Danes will be hoping to capitalise on the turmoil surrounding the club at present and they look to have goals in them.
Still, we should be expected to progress comfortably from the tie and we have progressed steadily through pre-season where we can really hit the ground running as the season really gets under way from tomorrow evening.
An early goal would be nice to settle the nerves that will undoubtedly be around, but whilst we may have to patient I expect us to come away with a 2-0 victory.
If we headed into the 2007/08 season with a large degree of uncertainty around the club following the arrival of a new owner, manager and squad, then the eve of the 2008/09 season is surrounded by scenes of chaos.
An owner on the run, reported problems with the finances and players being sold behind the managers back are all things that have been encountered over the past week, with reported armageddon just around the corner.
It wasn't expected to be this way though given that in comparison to last summer, the club was looking as stable and in as strong a position as most of us can surely remember.
The furore over the sacking of Sven had subsided, and despite some protest the overwhelming majority of support was behind Mark Hughes, who had done a steady job so far in assembling and shaping his backroom team, getting to grips with the squad and slowly changing some of the culture aspects that he was not impressed with from the previous regime.
Jo arrived for £18 million, there was a (serious, if we are led to be believed) bid for Ronaldinho, Tal Ben Haim cam in from Chelsea and Hughes was looking to add one or two more pieces ahead of the Premier League kick off.
Much of that is now up in the air which is a tremendous shame as despite our rivals perhaps spending more than ourselves, I feel we are in a great position to be able to kick on and improve upon last season's largely impressive showing.
The arrival of Mark Hughes followed the appointment of Garry Cook to the club. Cook came in with a strong reputation in the business world on the back of his career at Nike, and it is clear he is expected to really take the club forward off the pitch (particularly to the world wide market).
His appointment of course saw the departure of Alastair Mackintosh - a move which I'm sure too many didn't lament, but also saw John Wardle step down from the board, a move which is tinged with regret given the depth of his feeling for the club.
I've been impressed with Hughes so far. He has had a fairly understated approach as he gets to grips with the club (particularly the size) following his arrival from Blackburn. Like Sven, he appears impressed with the talent at his disposal, and has talked up the Academy prospects in glowing terms. He has brought in his own trusted backroom staff in Mark Bowen, Eddie Niedzwecki and Kevin Hitchcock and where Sven perhaps fell down in certain areas, Hughes appears more canny and is far more familiar with the inner workings of the Premier League.
Despite the off field issues that we are currently facing (and things could conceivably get a whole lot worse in the near future), what we can be positive about is the current state of the squad which is undoubtedly in a far healthier position than this time a year ago.
Hughes has culled some of the deadwood (none of which will be missed) and the two additions (Jo and Tal Ben Haim) will undoubtedly improve the squad, but equally positive is the extra year that the likes of Hart, Onouha, Richards, Johnson, Ireland, Sturridge and Evans have under their belts.
Whilst we are perhaps a veteran keeper light following the departure of Andreas Isaksson, Joe Hart has truly emerged as the undisputed number 1 during 2007/08 - a season in which he became the heir apparant to David James in the England squad and impressed all observers and has a long future ahead of him. Kaspar Schmeichel is an able deputy, but his desire for first team football may force a move sooner rather than later so Hughes will undoubtedly be casting an eye around for a futher back up keeper to bring in.
Defence has been our strong point (and saving grace on many occasions) over the past few seasons, and with the addition of Tal Ben Haim we are in an even stronger position, given that Richard Dunne has penned a new contract and Vedran Corluka (unless there is another twist) is to remain at the club.
Ben Haim looked impressive against Milan on Saturday, and I think that despite the success of the Richards-Dunne axis last season, he will partner Dunne sooner rather than later - although given how frail we appeared last season when Dunne and Richards were out, additional cover was vital.
The problem left back spot has not been addressed as yet however, and neither Ball or Garrido are an ideal long term answer. Ball, primarily a defensive player, does not offer much in the way of going forward whilst Garrido is the complete opposite in that positionally he is poor defensively but I would be tempted to begin the season with him for the way he could potentially link with Petrov on the left hand side, although I do expect Hughes to 'play safe' and opt for the more steady presence of Ball.
The midfield area does currently throw up a number of condundrums, and is an area I'm certain Hughes is desperate to reinforce - both centrally and on the right hand side. Centrally, we have the trio of Hamman, Gelson and Johnson who I'm sure will rotate with each other early on but (as like most sides) we do lack a genuine dominant midfielder - think Michael Essien or Patrick Vieira in his prime, and the danger is without one of these, we can get overrun against sides who possess genuine quality, pace and power in that area.
On the left hand side we are well set with Martin Petrov likely to be the fulcrum for much of our attacking forarys, and he really will be a threat for opposing sides this season. A concern is with his potential workload given the number of competitions we are involved in, and Hughes will have to be careful not to burn him out too early on in the campaign.
There are plenty of candidates for the right hand side, but all still leave plenty of questions unanswered, and this is an area Hughes will also continue to look at. Elano has featured most prominently during pre-season, and will be an effective player wherever he features, but he does appear marginalised when out on the right and does operate most effeciently when tucked in behind the striker(s), but this would appeat to go against how Hughes is looking to line the side up.
Ditto to a degree for Stephen Ireland, who showed impressive flashes last season and undoubtedly progressed, but arguably turned in his best displays when deputising for Elano in that more advanced position. Like Corluka, speculation has raged with regards to his future, and I feel it would be a shame to cut ties with him at this stage of his career with so much potential ahead.
Youngsters Kelvin Etuhu and Vladimir Weiss are expected to show progress throughout this season and should get some exposure to the first team set up.
Remember a time when there was a dearth of quality strikers at the club? Now, the exact opposite is the case. Even allowing for the departures of Corradi, Dickov, Mpenza and Samaras, we are still well served with both quality and potential in the ranks.
The return of Bojinov has been a real boost this summer and he has probably played himself into a starting position with his displays. Vassell - despite his limitations in terms of goals, is a worker and has shown an ability to link well with Bojinov so far. Benjani showed glimpses following his signing from Portsmouth in the January transfer window and will feature regularly.
With Jo's absence at the Olympics, this has allowed Daniel Sturridge and Ched Evans to gain more exposure, with Hughes clearly impressed both players (perhaps moreso Sturridge) earmarked for that impact role from the bench.
The one concern could be early on, with Jo absent and Vassell possibly missing through injury and if Hughes does not want to throw Evans and/or Sturridge in so early, it may mean a reprieve for Rolando Bianchi who appears very much on the fringes, with all parties perhaps hoping for a suitable bid from a Serie A side to put an end to a move that has not panned out as hoped.
The season of course has commenced already from a competitive standpoint, with progress made so far in the UEFA Cup qualifiers, which augmented with the friendlies, has provided us with a good test during pre-season.
Should we progress as hoped to the group stages of the UEFA Cup, it will of course mean a large number of games this season and we do have to guard against struggling to juggle everything as many sides have struggled to do in previous seasons.
Our rivals for that top six finish have all added well this season, although it has been interesting that most sides have also been forced to sell to allow some of these moves to be made. The top four for me is out of reach (for now at least) and it will be the useful teams filling those positions, and I see Everton, Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Tottenham as being our chief rivals for the forthcoming campaign.
As we head into the season, on the pitch things are looking positive with what I believe to be our best squad for some time, supported by a proven manager who is clearly ambitious and will demand success. The worry of course is that over the past week off the field incidents have hit the headlines, even going so far as to suggest impending financial meltdown - which might not be too fanciful a suggestion.
An owner with an outstanding arrest warrant is at best an embarrasment and severe distraction, and at worst a precursor to all sorts of instability for the club's present and future. All Thaksin has confirmed so far is that he has no intention of selling the club, but now he in self imposed exile, will he realistically have a choice with his frozen assets well out of reach? And how will this affect the futures of both Mark Hughes and Garry Cook, both of whom gave up a significant amount to join the club?
So much of course now appears up in the air and it a case of heading into the unknown until the dust settles a little, but despite finally looking like we could be on the cusp of a degree of relative normality, the Manchester City soap opera clearly shows no sign of abating and the next nine months or so could see the club experience events that could leave even the most hardened observer shaking their head.
My predictions
Premier League - 8th FA Cup - 5th round Carling Cup - Quarter finals UEFA Cup - Last sixteen Player of the season - Martin Petrov Top goalscorer - Valeri Bojinov
BANGKOK: Thailand's ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is facing numerous corruption and power abuse charges here, is seeking political asylum in Britain.
In a statement issued to the government-owned NBT television channel, Thaksin said he was leaving for London where he has a home because Thailand's justice system was not being fair to him and "practised double standards."
Thaksin, who was ousted by the military in a coup on Sept 19 2006 after five years in office, also said that his life was in danger, adding that he had to use a bulletproof car while travelling in the country.
The policeman-turned-telecommunication billionaire was supposed to testify at the Supreme Court on Monday in connection with a 772mil-baht (about RM76mil) land purchase at Rachadaphisek Road here six years ago.
And current events at the club get even more bizarre.
Not a surprise that he wound up in London given the reports late last night that he failed to catch his flight back from China to Thailand to ensure he could testify in court this morning, and effectively Thaksin (and his wife who has already been found guilty of course) is now on the run given that an arrest warrant has been issued.
"What happened to me and my family and my close relations resulted from efforts to get rid of me from politics," Mr Thaksin said in the hand-written statement.
"These are my political enemies. They don't care about the rule of law, facts or internationally recognised due process."
There was no mention in the statement that he would seek asylum here in the UK, but it would certainly be an interesting move if he did apply for asylum - one which I'm sure the Government hopes is not forthcoming.
Not being familiar with the Thai political and judiciary set up, I don't know if Thaksin and his wife can be tried in abstentia. Even if he isn't, what the Premier League will make of the whole situation from the perspective of him being a 'fit and proper' person will also be worth keeping an eye on, given that they now have an owner of one of the clubs under their umbrella who could be classed as a fugitive.
A headache that I'm certain they could do without, but one I'm sure that they have to address and my view is that despite being back in the UK in close proximity of the club, Thaksin is unlikely to adopt a high profile or appear to have much of an active interest in the day to day running of the club as he tries to decide upon his next move, given that it appears his opponents will not be content to adopt the 'out of sight, out of mind' view I'm sure he is hoping for.
Manchester City Football Club has put an end to the speculation regarding the future of right back Vedran Corluka. The popular Croatian had originally been linked with a move to Tottenham, but decided to stay with City after a heart-to-heart with manager Mark Hughes. A delighted Mark Hughes said, "I am a huge admirer of Vedran. He is a top class player with a bright future ahead of him and I am delighted that he continues to be a part of our plans at Manchester City. "It is a real boost for everyone at the Club. Vedran is a great lad and I am really looking forward to working with him over the coming seasons." The player, along with the rest of the first team will report for training tomorrow as the manager and squad prepare for the Thursday night’s game against FC Midtjylland in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.
A real positive given the negative news that has circled in recent days and a big about turn from what was expected given reports over the last couple of days.
As the statement has only just been released from the club, it will certainly be interesting to see what emerges in the next day or so with regards to the whole Corluka saga, and hopefully more clarification as regards the current financial position at the club.
After it seemed that the Corluka stories had died down and he would perhaps remain a City player, rumours gathered apace yesterday (Saturday) morning as some newspaper reports suggested that the move to Tottenham would be completed prior to the season starting, and more fuel was added to the fire when it was reported that he did not feature in the team photograph, and was then left out the side for the final pre-season game against Milan.
It does seem inevitable that Corluka is on his way, and it is disappointing news given the impressive season he had last campaign and at 22 years of age, has plenty of upside ahead of him. However, the current financial situation at the club does appear such that at the very least we need to trim the wage bill and by a strange quirk, we have to sell Corluka in order to actually finish paying for him.
Given the quality we have in defence - and this season it appears that Ben Haim is set to partner Dunne in the centre with Richards at right back, Corluka to a degree does become expendable and if we have to sell then better it be a player such as that than an enforced sale such as Richards, Petrov or Elano which would the side far more.
Having said that, it is a sad state that we find ourself in if finances are such that we are being forced into sanctioning a couple of sales to balance the books, and is something that the press are beginning to prick their ears up about as they sniff around for a headline or two.
Another player who could be on his way is Stephen Ireland. Rumours linking him to Sunderland again surfaced this weekend - partly like the Corluka scenario where it is a player who could be expendable but perhaps also because Mark Hughes does not see him fitting into the side, and he was again left out of the side yesterday (with TV later indicating he was initially told to stay away from the game).
Ireland for me is an undoubted talent - despite all his quirks and slightly odd behaviour, and whilst his progress has been somewhat steady, I do believe that given his still young age he has plenty ahead of him and whilst £5 million may well be a decent return, further ahead we could look back on a sale with a great deal of regret.
One player who appears to be staying though (for now at least) is Rolando Bianchi. The club turned down a bid from Torino which would see him move to Turin on loan with a £2 million option at the end of the season. Rumours now link him with a potential move to Genoa as it seems inevitable that he will not be with his this season and I think the only reason a move has not gone through so far is that we are trying to recoup as much of our initial outlay back for him.
An interesting week all in all then as instead of new arrivals coming into the club with season just around the corner, we are having to face the prospect of players heading out of the exit door. Not an ideal start, and with the political and financial problems for our owner ever increasing, it is with a sense of aprehension that we head towards the season with.
The first piece of silverware of the season stated the PR announcer as we headed out the ground yesterday. Optimistic perhaps, but this is the time of year where that is one thing that all clubs do possess.
It is always difficult to take much from pre-season games, but yesterday was a nice performance to round off the pre-season campaign.
Milan it has to be said were clearly a couple of weeks behind ourselves in terms of progression but had enough quality throughout a reasonably full-strength side to prove to be a good test for us.
I thought we were sharper, looked livelier and more incisive going forward, but Milan's quality in possession and ball retention was evident to see.
Tal Ben Haim started the game partnering Richards in defence, perhaps with one eye on Richard Dunne's suspension for the opening couple of games and he looks a good player for me. He possesses good size, is comfortable on the ball and looks to the read the game well. If Corluka does (at it looks likely) move on, I see Richards moving to the right with Ben Haim partnering Dunne to give us a potentially better partnership.
Elano once again started on the right and had plenty of time and space, and was impressive in his distribution but I can't help thinking that Hughes (like Eriksson) does not quite know what to do with him and I feel that on the right, we miss out on his playmaking ability, but moving him centrally would mean operating with a 4-5-1, which of course causes problems in itself.
With the UEFA games, we have had a decent pre-season campaign and the progression we have had is evident to see, building up well as we now head towards the Premier League opener next weekend in good shape.
A pity then that most of the attention and focus unfortunately seems to be on the off field issues that are swirling around.
