MANCHESTER CITY are close to completing a new kit deal worth £40million.
The mega money tie-up with sportswear giants Puma will cover the next four years.
It is largely incentive-based on the Eastlands side reaching the Champions League and is an indication of City’s marketing potential under new owner Sheikh Mansour.
The current deal with Le Coq Sportif is up at the end of the season but City want the new sponsors tied up by Christmas.
Club Executive Chairman Garry Cook is already exploring new areas to promote City’s brand and persuade Puma it is the right deal.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Middlesbrough 2 City 0
"It is that consistency we are looking for and we're trying to get back-to-back wins but we are finding it a little bit difficult on our travels at the moment.
"We need to back up good performances at home with resolute performances away from home and at times we are leaving ourselves a little bit too exposed."
We are certainly fast becoming a Jekyll and Hyde team, excellent at home but stuttering away from home and it is a little concerning that Hughes does not seem to have identified the specific reasons for our poor away form.
Whilst we have comfortably beaten sides at home that we were expected to (Portsmouth, West Ham and Stoke), away from home has seen us slip up recently at Wigan and Middlesbrough - where a point should have been the minimum return.
Hughes did try a revamp to the back line last night, bringing in Nedum Onouha at right-back with Micah Richards moving across to the left, with Hughes explaining thus:
“We needed to be a little bit more solid defensively. I think away from home at times we’ve left ourselves a little bit exposed.
“I was looking for a bit more solidity at the back that I think he provided. We looked okay but at other times we looked like a team that hasn’t really had a settled back four all year.
“That’s something that’s been a problem for us, so we’re trying to get the right balance of the guys back there that will enable us to have a defensive platform to be able to bring in the attack minded players they have in front of them.”
Whilst I get the move to take out a less defensive minded player in Garrido, I fail to see that Richards playing there is a move that will shore up the defence in any way. Far preferable would have been Ben Haim moving there with either Onouha or Richards partnering Dunne. I think it is clear that a left-back will be firmly on Hughes's shopping list come January.
Elsewhere, it seems that Shaun Wright-Phillips may be dragged in front of the FA for his reaction to Gareth Southgate (picture here) after he 'won' a free-kick during the game.
Whilst we were unfortunate with the penalty decision and a couple of smart saves from Ross Turnbull, what is of concern is our record when falling behind. Three league games (Aston Villa, Wigan and now Middlesbrough) that we have failed to take even a point from - something that I imagine Hughes will also seek to address in the next couple of months.
Reports
To dismiss Manchester City as inconsistent would be a damaging slur. No other club so routinely bemuses their supporters, who must occasionally crave the humdrum reassurance of a goalless draw, while a habit of losing on Teesside in traumatic circumstances has now been established. The scoreline and the personnel may have changed, but the result remains the same. >>timesonline.
ON the Riverside Stadium turf where Juninho’s every trick was once worshipped, Manchester City’s very own little Brazilian was stifled while compatriot Afonso Alves emerged as Middlesbrough’s match-winner.>>northern echo.
CITY'S rampant inconsistency reared its head again at the Riverside - though they were hardly helped by the officials. >>MEN.
England international Shaun Wright-Phillips was at the centre of controversy after being involved in an angry touchline exchange with Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate.>>telegraph.co.uk
Manchester City's last trip to Middlesbrough ended in ignominy. This resulted in acrimony. After the 8-1 demolition that brought an end to Sven-Goran Eriksson's reign, last night's 2-0 defeat was notable for Mark Hughes' criticism of referee Lee Mason and Shaun Wright-Phillips' two-fingered reaction to the words of the Gareth Southgate on the touchline. >>guardian.co.uk
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Middlesbrough open thread
Open thread for the Middlesbrough game for anyone to post comments, news or updates.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Set for a record number of goals?
A far cry from the days when we were worried about a lack of goals, this season has seen us hit 23 goals through the first nine games at an average of 2.56 per game.
At this pace, we are on course for 97 league goals this season - which would tie United's 1999/2000 tally, which was the only time the 90 goal mark has been hit.
What is even more telling with our tally so far is that we are certain to smash our own previous best of 55 back in 2003/04 - the only time we have passed the 50 mark, and lest we forget that back in 2006/07 we only tallied 29 in the whole season.
Can this pace continue? You would think not, but given the array of attacking talent at our disposal and the confidence the attacking players are playing with then it may not be such a reach.
And if Mark Hughes can remedy the defensive frailties a little it should ensure that we are challenging right up there for the UEFA positions - if not higher.
The days best City links 10/28/2008
vote it up!Monday, October 27, 2008
City 3 Stoke 0
A not entirely unexpected outcome and certainly a welcome win and three points after a recent sticky patch in the league.
Robinho of course garnered most of the headlines (and now has set himself a target of 30 goals this season), but a big winner from yesterday was surely Danny Sturridge, who profited from resh from the injury to Ched Evans to really stake a claim for a starting spot as the games come thick and fast over the coming weeks.
A positive for me also was a couple of smart saves from Joe Hart - fresh from penning a new deal, and at crucial times when the game was arguably still in the balance. A welcome return to form amidst some talk of his position.
With games coming up this week against Middlesbrough and Bolton - although both away - the win provides us with a great platform and opportunity to take a maximum return points wise which should put us right back in the mix with the top six.
Reports
At £32.5m, with a weekly salary of £160,000, Robinho might have to pull up a few more trees before anyone at Manchester City can think of him as a bargain but if these things actually matter to the club's new owners there can be no argument that their showpiece signing has thus far been value for money. >>guardian.co.uk.
On the day that the clocks went back to mark the end of British summer time, Robinho scored his first hat-trick in English football to dispel any doubts that he has the stomach to be Manchester City's man for all seasons. >>telegraph.co.uk.
Tony Pulis, the Stoke City manager, could argue that this is what £34.2 million buys you, but Manchester City’s first win in the Barclays Premier League for five weeks was down to much more than a first hat-trick in English football for Robinho. >>times online.
Stoke's fans attained official status as the Premier League's noisiest at the weekend but they were pushing their luck when, in their own choice words, they asked Robinho who he thought he was. The Brazilian's hat-trick, taking his league tally to six in eight games, answered that question. A more appropriate inquiry would have involved the whereabouts of Tony Pulis' defenders on the occasion of each goal. >>independent.co.uk,
ROBINHO produced a Brazilliant match-winning performance as City put Stoke to the sword. The £32.5m-man hit a hat-trick to send Blues fans wild at Eastlands, while Stoke were given a harsh lesson about the realities of life in the Premier League. >>MEN.
Hughes said some weeks ago that the beauty of great players is that they make the right decisions when in possession; they will happily play a short pass if it is the correct thing to do.
Stoke were beaten by a far superior side this afternoon. For the £32.4 million they paid for Brazilian wonder Robinho, Manchester City have a player who can destroy sides. And with the former Real Madrid man on one side and Shaun Wright Phillips on the other Stoke were given a torrid time by the pace and skill of the Blues' two wide men. >>whydeliliah.co.uk.
Robinho-ed. No other word for it. Stoke City failed to build on their fine victory over Tottenham Hotspur last week and were unpicked by the British record transfer player, who was in dazzling form against the Potters. >>the oatcake.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
City to secure new kit and shirt deals?
It really wouldn't be a surprise to see us switch to a bigger name - and more lucrative deal of course with the le coq sportif deal expiring at the end of the season (and maybe why le coq sportif got three kits into the market this season as a sort of 'pay off'), but I thought Nike would have been the more logical fit given the links to Garry Cook and the Brazilian's we now have in the ranks.
I also imagine that we will be securing a bigger deal for shirt sponsor as well, given that the Thomas Cook deal also runs out this season and Cook has been critical of British sports merchandising before, labelling it '10 years behind the US'.
This article from The Independent in August suggests the deal with Thomas Cook is only for £1 million a season, and there have been stories ever since Thaksin took over that we would be lining up a big sponsorship deal, and with the increased profile you would imagine we should be able to dwarf the current figure.
One of the principal reasons Garry Cook was brought into the club by Thaksin was his reputation as a real 'brand' guy with Nike, and it does seem that one of his remits was to secure far better and more lucrative tie-ups with regards to the kit.
Ambitions of the top four on the pitch then, and the next six months should begin to see the first steps under the regime to match those sides off it as well.
Stoke prediction
Our first meeting with Stoke for a while then following their long spell out of the top flight, and there have been a few articles in the press recalling the dark days of the relegation game just over ten years ago, not to mention the two games the following seasons that were real turning points for us that year - particularly the home game around Christmas time.
A lot has changed of course since those days, and it should make for an interesting fixture tomorrow as Stoke will be full of confidence given their victory over Tottenham last Sunday - which ended a five match winless streak.
Our home form has been good, although we have had the two reversals against Chelsea and Liverpool, but we have looked threatening in attack and always looked like scoring goals. Monday's draw at Newcastle does mean that we are now winless in four though.
Plenty has been made of the 'Rory Delap effect' for Stoke, and it will be a challenge for our defence, with Hughes also sweating on the fitness of Micah Richards, as Stoke will undoubtedly bring a physical game plan.
I don't envisage many changes team wise for us, as it is clear as to what Hughes favoured side is, and I do think he may sacrifice Elano once again for either Hamman or Gelson. You do also wonder ifJo may be on a short leash at the moment given his lack of goals.
A win is really a must for us tomorrow given our return so far, and I can't see any other result apart from a home win, with a 2-0 win also bringing a much needed clean sheet.
The days best City links 10/25/2008
vote it up!Friday, October 24, 2008
The days best City links 10/24/2008
vote it up!Thursday, October 23, 2008
UEFA Cup matchday 1
This evening saw the first round of games in our UEFA Cup group, and as we were on our 'night off', it would have enabled Mark Hughes and his staff to get some scouting in on our future opponents.
Perhaps a surprise in Holland as Twente defeated Racing 1-0, a turn up given that most expected Twente to struggle in this group.
It went with form in Germany though as Schalke were victorious over PSG by a 3-1 margin to confirm their status as group favourites and most likely the team to beat, but the way results have gone, it does give us a good opportunity to set ourselves up if we can take all three points from our first game in the competition at home to Twente on November 6th.
The days best City links 10/23/2008
Referee Rob Styles axed from Premier League programme after penalty blunder: Football - Telegraph
Rob Styles 'refuses to overturn Beye red card' - ChronicleLive
mancityfans.net » Blog Archive » Football’s Dirty Secrets Revisited: The view from Burns Towers
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Petrov out 3-4 months
Manchester City winger Martin Petrov is set to be out
of action until February because of a knee ligament problem.
City boss Mark
Hughes said: "It not his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) this time, he's got a
tear in his meniscus that will need to be repaired.
"Although it's good news
about the ACL it's still a bad injury and he will be out for three or four
months."
>>bbc sport.
Pleasing news in some respects as the fear was that Petrov could miss virtually the whole season through the injury, and if the timescales are correct then hopefully he will be back at a time when our season is gearing up for a big finish.
What is worrying though is with these types of injury, although a player can get 'match fit', it does take far longer for them to return to the level they were at prior to getting hurt - something that will be exacerbated given the type of player Petrov is, and the position he plays in.
The days best City links 10/22/2008
Bulgarians fight back over Petrov - Premier League, Football - The Independent
Bangkok Post | Sports news | Thai trio went on a road to nowhere
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Thaksin found guilty
Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was today sentenced to two years' imprisonment in absentia over a corrupt land deal.
In a ruling that made him the first Thai politician to be convicted of corruption committed while prime minister, Thaksin was found to have violated conflict of interest rules in helping his wife buy land from a state agency at a reduced price.
The conviction was the first against Thaksin since he was ousted by a military coup in 2006, despite a raft of other corruption charges against him.
Whilst it won't affect Thaksin's immediate status given he has no plans to return to Thailand anytime soon, there could be ramifications further down the line given the report suggest that his extradition is likely to be sought.
Thaksin was cleared of a more serious charge of abuse of power to obtain the land at a bargain price, and dismissed the guilty charge, saying "I had long anticipated it would turn out this way."
The issue of extradition was the main worry I had when he was still owner of the club, and whilst he does have approximately a 10% stake in the club still, the effect is nowhere near on the scale it would have been had he been at the helm.
Still, I don't see how the UK government deny the request given Thailand is no longer under military regime, a decision Thaksin will surely challenge, leading to a lengthy (and expensive) legal process.
UPDATE: The Express suggests Thaksin will sell his remaining 10% holding in the club following the verdict.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Newcastle 2 City 2 - player ratings
Hart - Faultless for both goals, and had little else to do apart from pick the ball out of the net. 6
Richards - Looked good at right back, and preferable there than Ben Haim. Offers much going forward, but distribution could be better. 6
Dunne - A growing sense of disquiet over Dunne appears to be growing and it was a bad error for the goal. Not overly tested throughtout the night though. 5
Ben Haim - Steady if unspectacular. Does not look a long term answer in this position. 6
Garrido - Caught badly of out of position once but linked forward well. 6
Hamann - Neat and compact with a high passing percentage. Did his job well. 6
Kompany - Another solid performance and perhaps his best attacking display. 7
Ireland - Man of the match for me, and really offering a goal threat. Looks to have found his true position. 8
Wright-Phillips - Lively down the right hand side, but shooting could have been better. 6
Robinho - Commentators were critical but won (and scored) the penalty and provided the ball for Ireland's goal. Continued to work hard. 7
Jo - An off night for me. Failed to link with the midfield as well as he could have done and our spread of goals in the team is covering his own failings. 5
Subs:
Onuoha - Good to see him back, but looked rusty and caught a couple of times. 5
Evans - Created an impression and put himself about but no real chances. 6
Newcastle 2 City 2
"We're disappointed. We were in complete control early on and in a funny way the thing that went against us was the sending off. They're fighting for their lives and they got a lucky break with both goals.For me, it was almost a throwback to watching City games of years gone by last night, where we looked set to completely throw away a game that was as there for the taking as you could hope for."So they got the rub of the green with that but in fairness we've got to do better than that. We didn't do a great deal in that second half when we needed to press the opposition. They were running and chasing everything down but we should be better than that.
"We needed to show a little bit of craft and guile in the final third and we didn't really move them around enough. Once they got two banks of four we found it difficult to break them down. In fairness we got a point out of a game that looked like it was going to go away from us, but it should have been an easy three points for us here."
Echoing Hughes's comments, Didi Hamman lamented the inability to keep possession, and this was symptamatic of a second half that I had to keep reminding myself our opponents were playing with ten men.
It was all looking good in the first half hour, with a 1-0 lead through Robinho's penalty - which subsequently saw Beye sent off. Newcastle are set to appeal the red card decision, but for me it was both a penalty, and therefore a sending off.
Yes, Beye got a touch on the ball, but what has been missed is he went through Robinho to get there and impeded Robinho's advance on goal so it was clear cut, despite the Setanta 'experts' view at half time.
What has been overlooked as well is we could (should?) have had a penalty when Richards was being obstructed by Coloccini as he went through on goal, but perhaps because he is a defender, he stayed on his feet and managed to get his shot away, which was saved by Given.
Richards was looking positive in the first half, with his runs down the right hand side far more productive than would have been offered by Ben Haim, so the decision to split the Richards-Dunne partnership was a good one. Unfortunately, Richards was forced off with injury, which saw the return of Nedum Onouha - who looked rusty indeed.
And so we headed towards the break, with a 1-0 lead that disappointingly wasn't more, against a side low on confidence, low on ideas and appearing to lack the wherewithal to mount a comeback.
Perhaps inevitable then it was going to a goal of the comedic proportions we saw to get Newcastle back on level terms.
A City clearance rebounded off Damian Duff, off the knee of Ben Haim straight into the path of Shola Ameobi - who almost managed to fluff his chance, slicing the ball but still managing to beat Joe Hart.
The goal sparked both the team, and given they were playing with ten men, more importantly the crowd.
The most disappointing aspect for me in the second half was how little pace and urgency we played with, allowing Newcastle far too much time and space as opposed to using our own pace and attacking purpose to overwhelm them.
Damian Duff looked particularly inventive for the home side, but with set pieces going to be a big threat, it was from one of these that we managed to fall behind. And we were the architects of our downfall, with Richard Dunne smashing home his own goal of the season contender to add to his litanty of errors, and weight to a small band of critical opinion which is beginning to gather.
Hughes threw on youngsters Evans and Sturridge in a bid to add weight to the attack - in the absence of any real presence from Jo, and I was surprised Elano was not introduced long before they were to try and create something.
The equaliser came from a moment of class, when Robinho threaded a neat pass to Stephen Ireland who poked past Given - moments after being denied by a great save - to rescue a point.
The press have gone with the line of 'unlucky Newcastle', but despite their battling approach, we were value for the point, but again it is more points dropped and more goals conceded (we are now the league's worst defence - to go with the best attack).
We now have five games (Stoke, Middlesbrough, Bolton, Spurs and Hull) where we do need to put a run together, and develop some real consistency in our play - with the defence becoming a worry.
The talent is undoubtedly there in our squad, but Hughes does not seem to have fully got to grips with the squad or approach so far.
Plenty to ponder then as we approach a potentially defining set of fixtures.
Monday, October 20, 2008
The days best City links 10/20/2008
vote it up!Sunday, October 19, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The days best City links 10/18/2008
vote it up!Friday, October 17, 2008
Petrov faces lengthy lay off
Manchester City winger Martin Petrov will be out for a significant amount of time after suffering a knee injury in Bulgaria's 0-0 midweek World Cup qualifying draw with Georgia, City boss Mark Hughes said. "He has ligament damage, we're hopeful that the news will be positive but at this time the initial scans don't look very good so there is a real concern that he could be out for a significant time.">>reuters.
Hughes was particular irked that Petrov was selected after seeing only limited action in the past couples for us after a long spell out, and to lose a player of his calibre is a big blow for us.
Interestingly, Petrov was one of the topics covered in last night's web chat (8.04), in respect to how exactly he does come back into the side when the current formation is featuring a more central trio (Robinho, Ireland and Wright-Phillips) behind the striker as opposed to out and out wide men.
No confirmation so far as to the length of time he will be out, but you'd imagine we are talking months as opposed to weeks, something that will likely force Hughes into the transfer market come January for reinforcements in that area given we are not overly blessed with ready replacements, and have a busy schedule coming up.
UPDATE: The Times is reporting he could be out for approximately six months, which would pretty much rule him out for the season. The piece also carries Hughes critical comments about international managers 'compromising' players fitness.
The days best City links 10/17/2008
News - Heart attack brings Sommeil career to end - Soccerway
Manchester City FC - Latest News Story
International round up from mcfc.co.uk.
Robinho set for quick return - Premier League, Football - The Independent
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Bitter and Blue live chat
Join myself and Jack from the excellent City blog The Lonesome Death of Roy Carroll, this Thursday (16th) at 8pm for a one hour live chat.
Feel free to submit questions, post comments or simply drop by.
Live chat reminder
Just a quick reminder of the live chat here on Bitter and Blue with myself and Jack from City blog The Lonesome Death of Roy Carroll, this evening between 8-9pm.
Feel free to stop by.
The days best City links 10/16/2008
vote it up!Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A reason behind the transfer rumours
>>Guillem Balague.These individuals have in their possession a document bearing an official Manchester City football club letterhead and they are insisting that they have the authority to act on behalf of the club. However, as David Villa's agent, Jose Luis Tamargo, discovered when he met with these individuals, this document is dated the 4th September 2008 - and therefore predates the exchange of ownership at the club that took place in mid-September.
Consequently, Tamargo has been in contact with Manchester City and been informed that these people have absolutely no legal authority to act on behalf of the premiership club or the new owners at Eastlands.
In fact, many of the transfer rumours that have emerged in recent days are a direct consequence of these individuals attempting to broker deals - without actually representing the club, or its owners, in any capacity.
Over the last couple of weeks, individuals bearing this document, have approached the family of Kaka as well as Lionel Messi's father. However, on both occasions, contact with Manchester City football club has revealed that the club itself has sanctioned no such approaches.
Balague has reported a fair amount on his website since the takeover, predominantly in response to the reports linking us to Spanish or La Liga players and of course comes on the back of yesterday's comments from Roque Santa Cruz.
In today's climate within football, there are no doubt a plethora of agents, player representatives and so forth hawking players and clubs about - in most cases working solely in their own interests, but this story is specifically stating they purpoting to representative the club. Not the first time of course that a story of this nature has surfaced and Rafael Honigstein reported that a list was being circulated around Europe's top agents in the wake of the takeover and January window.
What makes me uncomfortable here though is the presence of Thaksin, with the story stating it is his cronies who are clearly acting without the authority of the current ownership/board, and you do wonder exactly what their motives are.
How this leaves us when it comes to 'above board' negotiations come January is unknown, but I can't imagine it creates a favourable impression on the key players and agents which could cost us further down the line.
Since initial comments in the wake of the takeover, the tone from all concerned at the club has been far more conservative, almost to the point of being underwhelming, yet incidents like this will simply fuel the wilder rumours that are being bandied around - something that I imagine will hardly recede as there is now one eye on the January window.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Santa Cruz keen on City move
"Manchester City is a team that has financial support and is getting prepared to win the title," said Santa Cruz. "I am very happy at Blackburn but I like the idea of playing for a team that will be fighting for such important objectives. I will keep on doing what I do at Blackburn but if the coach of Manchester City is interested in me I would like to join Robinho in that team. He is a wonderful player and I would like to play next to him.">>guardian.co.uk
Hardly a tacit admission from Santa Cruz (expect a 'out of context' or 'lost in translation' announcement anytime soon) and he couldn't have posted a clearer 'come and get me' message.
Hughes clearly knows the player well and it was believed we had a bid turned down for him in August, but I do wonder if, with the financial clout we now have behind us, if Santa Cruz is the right player for us.
On the one hand, his record in the Premier League is good and he should definitely bring goals in our line-up, but to counter this, the end of his time at Bayern was not good and he was more or less run out of Munich with not many sides seemingly willing to take a chance on him.
One area we won't be short of potential candidates is in attack - and we will certainly add quality in this area. Santa Cruz certainly won't be the last name linked with us, but I would say that he may be the most likely to arrive in January.
UPDATE: And here comes the denial.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Bowen interviews Hughes
MB And now we are lucky we have an even bigger pool to choose from.
MH This club is going to change a lot, starting by the look of it. We are having a major refurbishing in the training ground, a new gym that will be a significant amount of money. The new owners want information, they want to be told what is needed and then they will give you the resources to do it. You put the arguments forward and they will back you very quickly – you don’t have to wait for decisions or committees or board-rooms. They just make decisions and the switch is flicked.
Part of a really interesting piece by Guillem Ballague, featuring a conversation between Mark Bowen and Mark Hughes, which does provide a nice glimpse into how Hughes and his staff operate behind the scenes.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Schalke 04 fixture
Hey Danny,
I’m a Blue who has lived in Cologne for the last 2 years.
My girlfriend is manageress of one of the largest pubs over here (certainly the largest Irish pub) and after having a word with her (and knowing that a large amount of blues will be staying in Cologne as it is 1 hour on the train from Gelsenkirchen) she has agreed to keep the pub open to at least between 3am & 5am (depending on how many people are interested).
What I would like is for you to post this on your site and – I know tickets haven’t gone on sale yet – for people who are interested in meeting up with the rest of the Blue masses to email me to show their interest (my email address is calvinfrancis1975@hotmail.com ).
What I will then do is to email everyone back once the tickets have actually gone on sale, to find out who is deffo coming.
I'd imagine that Schalke would be the more popular of the two away fixtures we have in the group stages, so for any of you making the trip over feel free to get in touch with Calvin at the above email address or alternatively contact myself.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Tough line from the Premier League
"You could argue that one of the reasons that Mr Shinawatra has decided that it might be right to to sell is that it might be at some point he may fail our fit and proper persons test."
>>Richard Scudamore.
I've heard of stretching the truth, but surely this is something else?
UEFA Cup draw analysis
Concensus has been that the draw we've been handed is a tough one, but whilst we have a couple of tricky fixtures in there, it is perhaps an easier group than some of the other English sides (certainly Aston Villa) have been handed.
Jack believes that 5 points should be enough to go through, but I would think Mark Hughes would be aiming at six points as a minimum, and probably seven to ensure a smooth progression.
I posted previously that the home games would be crucial, and I firmly believe that 2 wins is a must from the fixtures against Twente and PSG, both sides who are mid-table this season in their respective leagues.
The real big game is the trip to Schalke - a recent perennial Champions League side, who unfortunately came up against Atletico Madrid in the qualifiers. If we took a point from this game it would be a bonus - particularly coming as it does between home fixtures against Arsenal and United.
The final game - at Racing Santander could be a crucial one, although the hope is that we have done enough to secure qualification already, as despite not being a 'big side', they had a good campaign during 2007/08 and were not far off qualifying for the Champions League, and a trip there on the final day needing something to go through will not be an easy prospect.
Whilst we have the undoubted talent to go through - and it will be important to do so to get to the knock-out stages after the January window, the concern could be our lack of European experience as looking at the squad there is not a whole lot there.
The pace of games are slower than the Premier League, and we have seen so far (from lesser sides) that we do have to be patient and bide our time (particularly at home) against sides who will come with a game plan and set their stall out.
Having sounded that note of caution, I am taking us to go through in second place on seven points, along with PSG and group winners Schalke.
Full fixtures:
- Nov 6th - Twente Enschede (h)
- Nov 27th - Schalke 04 (a)
- Dec 3rd - PSG (h)
- Dec 18th - Racing Santander (a)
Monday, October 06, 2008
The January transfer window
"In the November break, there will be a chance to go over and put our plans and needs to the Abu Dhabi group. We hope we will be able to spend in January."We will get better, but we are still a te"In the November break, there will be a chance to go over and put our plans and needs to the Abu Dhabi group. We hope we will be able to spend in January.
"What we need to have is that consistent level of performance and that resoluteness to be able to see games out and take something positive from every game we play. At the moment we are struggling on that point, but we are a young team in terms of experience and development."
I'd imagine that once we head towards December, then we are going to begin to feature prominently in the transfer rumour pages.
The Telegraph article links us with moves with Roque Santa-Cruz and Torsten Frings, and I can see the benefit of adding both players to the current squad.
What I think we have to be careful of though is making sure that we only bring in the right players for the squad to improve us. Traditionally, the January transfer window does not signal big name signings. Invariably, the best players (which we we should be looking at) play at the top clubs, who are heavily involved in domestic and European campaigns at that time, and are reluctant to sell.
I know that we do have the ability to blow any team out of the water in terms of our finances, but I don't see the likes of Gerrard, Ronaldo, Torres et al arriving at the club at the point in time.
The danger we then have is that we run the risk of signing what I'd class as 'second tier' players - and imbalancing the squad, for the sake of placating owners, fans and management by adding players simply for the sake of it.
He won't be thanked for it, but one virtue Hughes needs to show in the next couple of months is a degree of patience.
City 2 Liverpool 3 - player ratings
Hart - Not particularly tested, but could have been stronger on Torres's second goal. 6.
Zabaleta - Solid enough. Perhaps unlucky with the sending off as it was more deserving of a yellow. 6.
Garrido - Great strike for the free-kick, but beaten far too often. 6.
Dunne - An impressive display. Threw his body on the line. 7.
Richards - A strong performance, but allowed Torres to escape for Liverpool's second. 7.
Kompany - Neat and tidy once again. 7.
Elano - Played some excellent balls, but struggled as Liverpool gained the asecndancy. 6.
Ireland - Good first half, but like many was not involved enough after the break. 7.
Wright-Phillips - Some good movement and effective runs, but wasteful in possession too often. 6.
Robinho - Bright and bubbly, but a bruising afternoon and did not receive enough protection. 7.
Jo - Held the ball up well, but not enough play where it really mattered. 6.
Subs:
Gelson - Out of position and over whelmed late on. 5.
Evans - A willing runner but little effect. 6.
Petrov - Not really in the game. 6.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
City 2 Liverpool 3
“The disappointing thing was that we had talked about that at half time, and to allow them back so early was a disappointment. We were still very much in it at 2-1, but the sending-off changed the game from our point of view. The extra man was always going to make it difficult, we had to hang in but we could not keep them out.”>>Mark Hughes.Perhaps the most disappointing aspect for me, was having gone in at the break 2-0 up, was how quickly we managed to cede the momentum to Liverpool - a side that had a poor first half and looked well out of the game at that stage.
Inevitably Liverpool were going to come out after the break and attack us, but we appeared to invite this all too easily and far too often.
All three goals in the second half were disappointing ones to concede - particularly the second goal from a corner where Torres was criminally allowed a free run at the ball, and Hart really should have made a stronger challenge.
Of course, at 2-1 the talking point of the game occurred with many fans on the way out bemoaning that once again we got the short straw from the officials for the second week in a row.
My first thought of the sending off (with a view from the South Stand) was that it wasn't a sending off offence, but I immediately feared the worst once a free-kick was given. Having since watched it on MOTD, I think it is a lot clearer as to why he was sent off.
There is no doubt in my mind that Zabaleta's intention was to go solely for the ball, but his challenge was one that (mainly due to overstretching) ended up being a two-footed one which made contact with the man.
Whilst this decision was the one that grabbed the headlines, it overshadowed a poor performance overall from the referee, whose decisions at times bordered on the farcical, with Robinho continually failing to get decisions, and for me, illustrates once again the types of decisions that the big four do get - with referees seemingly fearing giving decisions against those sides.
I did think that Benitez got his tactics spot on in the second half, and did help change the game, with Gerrard seeming to play a lot deeper which allowed him more of an influence on the game.
All three goals were as result of play initially coming from the flanks, particularly down the right-hand side following Zabelleta's dismissal - where Gerrard seemed more intent on pulling wide to support Rieira and Dossena.
For me, Hughes made a mistake in bringing on Gelson in that position and I would have personally preferred to see Ben Haim introduced to play there - or even move Micah Richards across there from the centre.
Where I felt Hughes missed a step was at 2-1, not introducing Didi Hamman alongside Vincent Kompany to replace Elano - whose presence when we are under pressure is not best suited in a deeper role.
As well as Liverpool did play in the second half - and I do think they are genuine title contenders this season, whatever level you are playing at, you should not be losing a 2-0 lead from the position that we put ourselves in.
We have now had two games against the top four - supposed sides that we be alongside. With two defeats (both at home), what it does do is illustrate that we are some way off the top four at present and to get there will not be a quick fix.
Reports
All work and no play makes for a dull team, but too much unrestrained enjoyment and not enough graft can lead to rank underachievement, so, despite opening this campaign with fewer points than they did last season - nine after seven games compared to 13 under Sven-Goran Eriksson - there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about this current City crop. >>MEN.
Some days in football are just golden. For Liverpool, this was one of those rare occasions when everything came together and an admiring audience was left to wonder whether they might, after all, have the wit and gumption to sustain an authentic Premier League challenge rather than just flit around the edges. >>guardian.co.uk
Sometimes, just sometimes, it is all about the game. A serious-looking injury, a red card and a backdrop of financial intrigue might often be enough to reduce the football to a side issue these days, but as the dust settled on an extraordinary afternoon at the City of Manchester Stadium yesterday, it felt fatuous to focus on anything other than an irresistible Liverpool comeback. >>times online.
Dirk Kuyt struck his first league goal for 11 months deep in stoppage time to claim three points which should have been Manchester City’s as the home side paid the ultimate price for failing to conclude their business after making all the running. >>telegraph.co.uk
Saturday, October 04, 2008
UEFA Cup draw
One team from each pot will be allocated to each of the eight groups during the draw, which will take place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon from 12.00CET on Tuesday. The 40 participants will form eight groups of five, with each side playing two home and two away matches. Clubs from the same national association will not be drawn in the same group.
>>uefa.com
We have been placed in Pot 3 (details of all groups here) for the group stages of the competition which takes place on five matchdays between 23 Oct - 18 Dec 2008, which as Jack pointed out is set to lead to some fixture congestion in November.
Despite being derided in the past, this years competition looks to be the strongest for some time with a number of strong teams through to the group stages (not to mention already knocked out) that wouldn't look out of place in this season's Champions League.
Pot 1 looks particularly strong, whilst it is a boost that we are placed in pot 3 - rather than pot 4 like Aston Villa or Portsmouth. There doesn't look to much difference between pot 2 or 3, but then is a drop off to the last two pots.
I'm not sure of how the fixtures will pan out in terms of away and home games, but given that the top three progress I would say that the fixtures we have at home will be of paramount importance in terms of qualifying.
The breakdown of the pot seedings is as follows:
Pot 1
Liverpool preview
A big game ahead this weekend as we seek to take the confidence from Thursday's UEFA victory into the Premier League and banish last weeks defeat at Wigan.
Liverpool is never an easy fixture and even moreso given their impressive start to the season. On their travels they are yet to concede on their travels and are right up with the leading pack (with Mark Hughes labelling them as genuine title contenders), conversely whilst we have hit 15 goals in our last 5 home games.
Rafa Benitez has also seen a good start in the Champions League and appears less prone to the rotation policy that has been so criticised in previous seasons - something that probably cost them, particularly at the beginning of the Premier League campaigns.
It should result in a good battle between our attack minded midfield and Liverpool's tight defence, whilst our defence needs to be on top form against Fernando Torres - who, as I blogged over at Football Rants, is the real difference maker for this Liverpool side and their title ambitions.
Our defence does concern me at times though and the Dunne-Richards partnership is struggling to regain the form shown at the beginning of last season, and the in-form Spaniard (not to mention Robbie Keane) will provide a stiff test.
Vincent Kompany will have a big job on his hands with Steven Gerrard and I do wonder if Mark Hughes may be tempted to draft in Gelson or Didi Hamman to provide additional support. I still don't see room for Martin Petrov and think he will have to be content on the bench.
I don't see many goals in this game and historically one goal has usually settled matters in the contest, and although it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case once again, I'm going for a 1-1 draw.
Friday, October 03, 2008
The hunt for Mpenza
The story began, recalls Sturrock, in the Belgian city of Mechelen. It was the late 1990s and Sturrock was the manager of Dundee United. He was over in Belgium on a scouting trip and blown away by two brothers playing for the away team.>>bbc sport.
Fast forward to the summer of 2008 and Mpenza had just left Man City after a largely disappointing 16 months. He occasionally impressed but failed to make a regular first-team spot his own. The striker felt he had a point to prove and was keen to stay in England, only nobody was biting and this time it was Sturrock who got the call.
A nice post from Paul Fletcher on the ever improving BBC Sport site, and an interesting look at a lengthy pursuit for Paul Sturrock that finally paid off, with Mpenza seemingly set for a big role at Plymouth this season.
Given the current situation, it is easy to forget that for the most part of the first half of last season, Mpenza was given the responsibility of leading the front line on his own - and performed admirably enough.
The importance of Mpenza's goals when he first arrived at the club under Stuart Pearce shouldn't be underestimated either given our flirtation with the relegation area that season.
Good to see Mpenza land somewhere after being released this summer.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
City 2 AC Omonia 1, City win 4-2 on aggregate
"I felt it was important for the development of the team that we progressed into the group stages and we have done that."Now we have a number of games in this competition to look forward to.
"I think we can reach the latter stages so let's hope for a decent draw and see what we can do."
It was a night when the overall result was always going to be more important than the performance, and so it proved.
A largely forgettable first-half was only kept alive by the vociferous band of AC Omonia supporters as we struggled to create or really get anything going, whilst our opponents were surprisingly lacklustre themselves, appearing far keener on falling further behind as opposed to pressing for an early goal.
We pressed well at times and there was some nice movement in the opposition half - sparked mainly by Wright-Phillips who was once again excellent, but a lack of end product did for us time and time again as it ended goalless at the end of a frustrating first-half.
The game needed a goal heading into the second half and we didn't have to wait long as a bright piece of play resulted in Robinho squaring a nice ball for the previously disappointing Elano to hit home from the edge of the area.
The goal brought us to life as we then had one foot in the group stages, and a twenty minute spell saw some wonderful play going forward - often sparked by Ireland, who combined some wonderful touches and vision with some tireless running, and it was no surprise that a second goal was added as Shaun Wright-Phillips took advantage of a fortuitous bounce to make it 2-0 and put the game beyond doubt.
A trio of substitutions saw Hamman, Evans and the returning Petrov (who looked lively) brought into action and our attacking dominance continued, although this did result in some carelessness at the back which allowed AC Omonia to create a handful of opportunities but it was a set piece that gave them a glimmer of hope as Ben Haim lost his man to leave Hart with no chance from a close range header.
One or two nervous moments followed - namely some poor handling from Hart, but it would have taken a collapse of immense proportions to throw this game away and ultimately we safely progressed through.
As Hughes says, it was an important win and the objective when we first travelled to EB/Streymur was to achieve qualification to the group stages, so it is a case of job done.
There will undoubtedly be far sterner tests ahead though pending the outcome of tomorrow's draw.
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