Richards on his form

"He told me that I was a good player but that if I listened and learned he would turn me into a great player. Those words were really encouraging but I know that it is down to me to work hard.

"I keep saying it but I am still young. There are aspects of the game that only come with experience and I am gaining that all the time whether I am in or out of the side.

"I know I had a dip in form last season but I believe that I have been better this time around and in recent weeks I have done okay. All I am concentrating on at the moment is playing well, winning games and staying in the side when the injured players come back."

>>Micah Richards.

The form Richards has shown under Mancini has been one of the surprises so far for me. Given Fabio Capello clearly doesn't rate him and has shunned him whilst in charge of England, I half expected Mancini to follow suit - particularly given his patchy form over the past season and a half.

However - and maybe a little due to injuries - Richards has featured and played as well as he has done for some time these patch few matches.

Perhaps the fact that Mancini may adopt the 'carrot' approach may pay off with someone like Richards far more than the 'stick' approach Hughes was reportedly known to favour.

Richards linked with United

And if City decide to offload the versatile defender, then United are ready to bid for him.

Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson is a huge admirer of Richards and tried to sign him when he first broke on the scene.

Ferguson is considering his options at right-back with growing concerns about Gary Neville’s fitness and Rafael Da Silva’s ability.

Ferguson believes his strict man-management could control Richards and United are hoping to do business if City will sell to them.

>>mirror.co.uk

So this comes days after Hughes publicly stated Richards was not for sale; and then recalls him to the side.

Even if he was to give up on him and ship him out of the club, would a move to United really be sanctioned?

No prizes for the answer.

Hughes - 'Richards going nowhere'

"Micah's not going anywhere in January or at any time. He's a big part of what we're trying to do here."

"He's still a very young man, and his football experience is great for someone of so few years. People sometimes don't give him enough credit for what he's achieved up to this point in his career.

"But he knows he's nowhere near the finished article. There's a huge amount of potential still to be tapped in to. It's down to me and it's down to my coaches to bring that out of him."

"His physical attributes lend themselves to so many positions on the field of play. We have to make sure that he's training and playing correctly and learning every day. Without a shadow of a doubt, he'll grow and develop as an outstanding player."

>>Mark Hughes on Micah Richards.

Richards linked with Tottenham

An interesting piece in yesterdays Mail, suggesting Tottenham could be set to move for Micah Richards:

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp hopes the chance to resurrect his England career will convince Richards to switch to White Hart Lane.

Tottenham had a £5million bid turned down for Richards three years ago and the player went on to sign a lucrative four-year deal at City.

He became England's youngest-ever defender when he played against Holland at the age of 18 years and 143 days in 2006. But he has not featured under England boss Fabio Capello and is out of favour at City.

He did not even make the bench for last weekend's 2-2 draw against Liverpool and City boss Mark Hughes is expected to let the youngster go in the January transfer window.

I always find it difficult to know what to make of rumours that appear in the press, primarily because I had a short spell writing the transfer rumour page for a news agency. The brief was very much 'avoid it being obvious, but not too ridiculous.'

This one I suppose fits the bill perfectly. Tottenham, a club perenially linked with signing players and Richards, dropped from the side and now out of he squad completely. Rumours also persist of Richard's supposed poor attitude and the coaching staffs displeasure with him.

Is Hughes ready to give up on him though? It won't be the first time Hughes has made a big call in terms of ridding the squad of a player that doesn't fit in with his ethos. Despite his struggles, I don't think there would be any shortage of interest for Richards from sides in the top half of the Premier League.

I'm yet to be wholly convinced Richards is on the way out though. I may be wrong, but it would still be a huge call to give up on a player who does potentially have so much upside.

Richards ready for 'showdown talks'

After being left out of the sixteen for yesterdays draw at Anfield, the Mirror today suggests this could lead to a head to head between Richard and Mark Hughes:

Micah Richards will this week have showdown talks with Manchester City boss Mark Hughes after being axed from the squad to face Liverpool yesterday.

The England defender was stunned to be told he had been left out of the 16 players on duty for the 2-2 draw. And Sunday Mirror Sport has been told by a source close to the 21-year-old that Richards will this week demand assurances from Hughes that he remains part of his plans.

The source said: “Micah expected to be involved at Liverpool and feels that he is being unfairly blamed for some of the team’s defensive problems this season.

It is long rumoured that Richard's attitude has not endeared himself to Hughes and the coaching staff and the return to fitness (and versatility) of Nedum Onouha has likely seen him drop even further down the pecking order.

With reports of Hughes unhappy with the options in this area and looking to strengthen in January, this could see Richards even further away from a recall to the side.

If (as also reported) he is offloaded, it would cap a huge fall from grace for a player who was a couple of years touted as England's hottest prospect and set for a big money move.

Can a good player go bad?

After a very impressive start to the season, the recent three game winless run (although undefeated) has brought one or two frustrations from fans to the fore.

None moreso than the continued form of Micah Richards.

As rapid as his ascent was, coming into the side as a teenager and marking a first team spot as his own before catapulting himself into the international fold, his subsequent decline has been anything but.

After forging a solid looking partnership with Richard Dunne during the early days of Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2007/08, both he and Dunne suffered a dip in form over the remainder of that season. Such was Richards drop off that eventually he was moved back to his original position of right-back during 2008/09 as he struggled to recapture the precocious form of his early days.

Whilst he has shown some promising signs this season, he has yet to truly convince and lost his place in the side to Pablo Zabaleta - not before time in many fans opinion.

Amazingly, there is still talk of him forcing his way into the England reckoning for the 2010 World Cup, but this is at best fanciful thinking. Fabio Capello - who is a shrewd (and very good) judge of a player, clearly does not rate Richards and he hasn't been anywhere near the senior side since the Italian took over from Steve McLaren.

An often remarked view that I get emails about is that Richards has simply 'lost it' - that somehow what propelled him to the heights he reached has deserted him, a lack of mojo and leaving him a redundant shell of the player he once was.

But is this the case? Can a good player simply become bad, or is that too simplistic a viewpoint?

My own thoughts on Richards are that he was never really a 'true' footballer, by that he doesn't have the technique or 'smarts' (concentration, positional awareness) that the top level defenders have.

He possesses amazing physical traits of course (which better suits him to a central role) and a great deal of pace, both of which may well have glossed over his frailties during his career. He is strong in the tackle and capable of bringing the ball out of defence.

Concentration appears to be big issue for him though. There has been more than one goal this season where Richards has been out of position, something you simply cannot afford at this level.

You cannot write a player off of course, and it would be foolish to do so with him - particularly with someone who has the ability and potential Richards has. Lest we forget he is only 21 years of age. But the financial restrictions at the club that helped initially propel him into the starting line up are no longer a constraint, which means that Mark Hughes can afford to be less patient and more ruthless.

Having served his suspension, I expect Pablo Zabaleta to slot back in at right-back and although Richards may replace the injured Toure tomorrow evening (personally I would like to see Vincent Kompany), Richards will likely enough find himself back on the outside looking in, and with a great deal of work required to force himself back into the line-up and to the heights he reached when he first burst onto the scene.

More bad news for Zabaleta

The hamstring injury which ruled him out of Argentina's games during the current international break appears to be serious enough to cast doubt over his participation next Sunday at Wigan:

"He's been with the Argentinian FA who have checked him out, as after the game last Monday he said that he had felt something with the last kick of the game.

"He'd felt a slight strain in the hamstring, but he needed to travel to Argentina to get it verified.

"It's a disappointment for him. Argentina have two crucial games and he wanted to be part of that, but it wasn't to be.

"He's played very well of late and that was flagged to the powers that be in Argentina. It would have been great for him to get the recognition for his good form, but it is unfortunate that he's going to miss out.

"He'll be back today and once we get him scanned hopefully it will not be as bad as feared at the moment, but as it stands you have to say that there is a real doubt that he would be available for our game at the weekend."

If he does miss out, it will be interesting to see the performance of Micah Richards, who will need to put in a big performance to wrestle the position back.

Trio named in England under-21 squad

From the FA.com:

Goalkeepers
Joe Hart (Manchester City), Joe Lewis (Peterborough United), Scott Loach (Watford)

Defenders
Martin Cranie (Portsmouth), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal), Michael Mancienne (Chelsea), Nedum Onuoha (Manchester City), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Andrew Taylor (Middlesbrough), Steven Taylor (Newcastle United), James Tomkins (West Ham United)

Midfielders
Lee Cattermole (Wigan Athletic), Andrew Driver (Hearts), Craig Gardner (Aston Villa), Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough), James Milner (Aston Villa), Fabrice Muamba (Bolton Wanderers), Mark Noble (West Ham United), Jack Rodwell (Everton)

Forwards
Theo Walcott (Arsenal) Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Frazier Campbell (Tottenham Hotspur - on Loan), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)

Hughes and Richards in fall out

Mark Hughes's problems with disruptive players at Manchester City ­resurfaced ­ today when he was involved in a training-ground confrontation with Micah Richards, a player whose attitude and form are increasingly of concern to the club's management.

Richards, who was dropped for the game against West Bromwich Albion last Sunday, is alleged to have disobeyed Hughes when the players were called together for a meeting at the end of their final practice session before tomorrow's game at Everton. Rather than join the huddle, Richards started heading towards the changing rooms and, when he was called back, one witness reported to have heard him swearing.

>>guardian.co.uk

Reports this morning don't overly focus on the fact that the issue between the pair was subsequently resolved, nor whether there was anything earlier which sparked the confrontation.

It remains unclear whether Richards will feature later today at Everton (although Pablo Zabaleta's absence will likely see a recall), but this incident probably sums up what has been a largely frustrating season for Richards - one in which he saw a marked drop off in form, fail to reclaim his England place and now, lose his place in the City side.

Mark Hughes will no odubt be looking to add to certain areas of the squad this summer, and if we do see a slew of quality signings brought to the club, could we see what at one stage would have seemed ludicrous in that Richards becomes surplus to requirements?

The return of Richards

"Micah got the headlines because of the goal, but I thought he played with real determination, getting forward and having a positive effect in the opposition half. He was tiring towards the end because of the amount of energy he has expended in two games during the week.

"Maybe in a few games this season he's lacked a bit of the confidence you would expect, but he's still a young man. We forget sometimes that he's only 20. He's had quite a number of games for somebody so young, but you will have fluctuations in form and that's what has happened to Micah this year.

"There have to be allowances for the fluctuations that all young players have. When they burst onto the scene, they shine brightly, but then there's a point where you need to take them out of the firing line.

"Maybe Micah hasn't had that opportunity because he's such an outstanding player and athlete that it's taken a couple of years for him to have a dip in form and that's a credit to him.

"For a consistent run of many games, he was outstanding but his form this year, along with others, has fluctuated. I haven't been in the position to give him the rest he possibly needs on occasion.

"That's when form is affected, but he's come through it - he's played his way through it and that's important. Now he seems to be coming good again at the business end of the season."

>>Mark Hughes

Inevitably with an international break upon us that the spotlight falls again on Micah Richards after he was overlooked once again by Fabio Capello. Richards himself has been speaking of his ommission from recent squads:

"It does hurt when the England team get together," said Richards. "I played 11 games on the bounce for England and I thought I played well in all those games.

"I was a little unlucky to get an injury at the wrong time and then Wes Brown and Glen Johnson both came in and did a fine job and it has been hard for me to get back in.

"But my confidence is back again. I'm enjoying my football again at right-back and I feel like I'm knocking on the door."

There is no doubt that the move back to the right back position has benefited Richards after really beginning to struggle in the middle, and he is showing some good form of late - although talk of being 'back to his best' is a little overstated. As Mark Hughes stated, it is easy to forget how young Richards is and that dips in form are very much part of the growing pains of a young footballer.

Richards was unfortunate that he was injured when both Wes Brown and Glen Johnson ran into form, but there is an overriding feeling within the game that Fabio Capello simply doesn't rate Richards as being technically good enough at the top level. It is a point open to discussion but there is a definite truth to that view from the games I have seen him play for England. He is a young player though who is still learning the game, and one thing an absence from the England squad will do is sharpen both his attitude and focus, which should benefit ourselves in the process.

Richards arrested

The 20-year-old defender was questioned by police after the alleged assault of a man, thought to be 18, in Hale, Greater Manchester, at around 12.30am on Christmas Eve.

Richards was arrested by appointment at a police station on Wednesday has been bailed until April.

He is the second Manchester City player to be arrested in recent days. Last week the Brazilian star Robinho was arrested over allegations an 18-year-old woman was raped in a nightclub in Leeds.

Yesterday Mark Hughes, the Manchester City manager, said the club would do everything to support Richards, and said he could be involved in Saturday's home game against Middlesbrough.

He said: "We are very supportive of Micah. He went to the police station in a pre-arranged appointment. It is an ongoing situation, we are aware of that and we are supportive of him."

Asked whether the defender was in the right frame of mind to be considered for selection this weekend, he replied: "Absolutely."

>>telegraph.co.uk

Sunday transfer round up - Richards to Arsenal?

Biggest 'story' circulating around today concerns Micah Richards, amidst a reported £7 milion bid from Arsenal. This of course following on from reports at the end of last week linking him with both Wigan and Bolton.

I don't see a situation where Mark Hughes sanctions his departure, and certainly not for a fee of just £7 million. Arseblogger summarily dismisses this link too.

One interesting point worth speculating on though with this story is that it doesn't appear as though Richards and Vincent Kompany have forged the best of relationships, and given the acquisition of Nigel de Jong seems to point to Kompany moving back into defence, could this be something Hughes may factor in?

We were discussed quite extensively on Sky Sports 'Sunday Supplement' this morning, amongst other things discussing Richards. Ian McGarry from The Sun was on the programme and struck as being very 'anti-City'. Remarkably, he suggested that Richards needs to leave the club in order "to get more games". During the programme, he also stated it was well known that Mark Hughes would not be in charge next season and that Robinho was "desperate" to leave the club - so much so that he has come back from Brazil early in order to try and engineer a move.

Make of all that what you will.

UPDATE 17:38 - Sky Sports have an article and video up on their site featuring McGarry's comments:

The Shay Given link has surfaced again today, partly because of reports suggesting David James could move to Newcastle as a replacement for the soon to be departed Given. From what I've read of James, he appears settled on the South Coast so I don't see him moving up to the North-East - especially given Newcastle's current plight.

With just a week to go though before the window shuts for the season, I'd imagine there will be avenues being explored right until the deadline a week tomorrow. Strongest links of course remain Shay Given and Roque Santa Cruz, and I would still be surprised if deals were not concluded.

Although we have two games this week (Newcastle on Wednesday and Stoke on Sunday), expect transfer news to dominate the headlines this week as things heat up before the window shuts at 5pm on February 2nd.

Richards injury more serious than first thought

Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Manchester City manager, has confirmed that Micah Richards will be sidelined for six weeks after surgery on his knee.

The 20-year-old England international had an operation to repair damaged cartilage in his right knee on Wednesday. The absence of the powerfully-built defender is a major blow for City, who are hoping to secure a place in European competition next season. Richards will also miss England's friendly away to France in Paris on March 26.

Eriksson admitted the loss of Richards at the key stage of the season was a major blow.

“It is bad news,” he said. ”He was operated on yesterday in London. I spoke to the medical people before the operation and they thought six weeks and they now think the same. He will probably be away around six weeks.

>> The Times.

Initial reports did state a 'couple of weeks', but today's announcement makes it more likely he will until after Easter, meaning he will miss at least half of the remaining games this season.

With this injury, it probably does seem likely he was carrying a problem over the past few weeks and the club were perhaps hoping to get him through to the end of the season before surgery was the option.

One thing that is perhaps easy to forget is Richards in only 19 years of age and it is unrealistic to expect someone of that age (even with his physical prowess) to be able to complete the rigours of a full Premier League season, and the hope will clearly be that he will be a quick healer and the rest he will have will prove beneficial for him to get back at full capability for the crucial run in.

Richards undergoes knee operation

Manchester City can confirm that Micah Richards has had an operation on damaged cartilage in his right knee.

The injury is a recurrence of the one that prevented him from playing against Sheffield United and Derby County earlier this year.

The 20-year-old travelled to London with club physiotherapist Ally Beattie for surgery today, and he will be out for a matter of weeks.

Club doctor Mark Whitaker said, “The operation has been successful, and Micah will begin a rehabilitation programme at Carrington starting tomorrow. The medical team will monitor his progress over the coming days and weeks.”

>>mcfc.co.uk

Fortunately, it doesn't sound too serious a problem (although it is a recurrence of an old injury), and hopefully Richards will not miss more than a couple of games.

On a brighter note, Michael Johnson came through another reserve game yesterday and I would hope he definitely comes into contention for Saturday's game against Wigan.

Richards signs long term deal

Following on from last week's promise to remain with Manchester City, Micah Richards has today signed a new five and a half year deal with the Club.

The England international will remain with the Blues until at least June 2013 and speaking exclusively to mcfc.co.uk, City Chief Executive Alistair Mackintosh, declared: "It’s absolutely tremendous news for the Football Club as we announce that Micah Richards has signed a new five and a half year deal.

"It’s the longest deal, certainly in my memory, of the Club’s history. The Manager’s delighted, Dr Thaksin’s delighted and I’m personally delighted.

"We’ve worked well with Micah and his father in putting together an appropriate deal. It’s always been my goal to sign our young players up on long term contracts to provide a solid foundation, going forward, as we continue to invest in the team."

Sven-Goran Eriksson has echoed the Chief Executive's sentiments, adding: "This is fantastic news, it shows we are building for the future by securing one of our most talented players on the longest term contract."

>>mcfc.co.uk

Despite the Richards to United/Chelsea/Liverpool..... rumours, did anyone really expect any other outcome than he would sign a new deal with the club?

Bonus points to the club in getting him signed to deal of that length as well.

Portsmouth V Manchester City - Review

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

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

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

Prediction :

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

BBC Review

Man City V Aston Villa

Back to it in the league after an eventful international break, which included Micah Richards first international goal, Elano scoring and been sent off and Stephen Ireland deciding that honesty is never the best policy, for full details of that bizarre story click here.

Sven and Micah have also been named Manager and Player of the month for August.

Man City V Villa

Richard Dunne serves his 1 match suspension, which may even out if John Carew misses out after suffering a groin injury on international duty in mid-week. Geovanni is fit again and Villa add loan signing Curtis Davies to their squad. Im interested in seeing him play as from what I have seen he is a decent if error prone centre half and the 8-10 million valuation seems a tad high to me.

Should be an interesting game, Villa come in off the back of a great result against Chelsea, and despite our defeats the performances away at Arsenal and Blackburn were encouraging.

Prediction

City 2 - Villa 1

Unless we play Darius .................

Round up - and look back.

A couple of items not covered this week include Micah Richards apparently on the verge of signing a new long term contract. He's a busy lad as he has also found time to start a column on the BBC website, perhaps underlining his growing reputation in the game.

In other news Valeri Bojinov has returned to the club after having surgery abroad. He has stated he aims to be back much sooner than the expected 5 months and is aiming for just after Christmas.

Two stories resurfaced firstly Sven spoke on Mark Bresciano, stating he remains a target. The sun then ran a story stating we were looking at taking Juan Riquemele on loan, not sure about that one as good a player as he is, a midfield creator is not our main priority and secondly could he even be signed on loan ?

Finally a belated happy birthday to Malcolm Allison who turned 80 this week, and looking book through youtube i came across this page , i urge all fellow blues to take a peek your bound to find one of your favourite games , and to the author keep up the good work.

Richards close to new deal

Micah Richards has admitted that playing on a weekly basis
has influenced his decision to stay at Manchester City.
The defender has
been linked with a move to one of the Premier League's top four clubs for some
time but he is now set to sign a new deal with City.

-Sky Sports.

Whilst there was speculation linking him to Chelsea when he broke onto the scene, I don't believe there has been any substance to any of the stories suggesting a move away, and whilst he still had a couple of years left on his current deal, it is clear that his progress over the past year or so warrants some improved terms.

In some of the interviews I have seen whilst he has been away on England duty it is clear that he loves being at the club and a major factor is not just the regular football he is getting but that he has progressed into the first team along with several other academy players.

Scaremongering?

MANCHESTER City have no plans to release utility man Sun
Jihai despite media reports to the contrary last weekend.The 29-year-old has not
featured in the Blues' rise to the top of the Premiership after being given
extra time off to recover from the Asia Cup.However, boss Sven-Goran Eriksson
said: "He has not been told he can leave. He is a valuable and very versatile
member of our squad."Jihai added on www.mcfc.co.uk:
"I haven't been told by either the Manager or anyone at the Club that I can
leave."It's been a good start to the season, but hopefully I'll get the
opportunity to show my quality. Of course I am happy to fight for my
place."

-MEN.

I didn't catch this one over the weekend, and I'm not sure where the 'media reports' originated from - perhaps the same sources that are claiming the club are anxious over Micah Richard's contract status, despite him being tied to the club for a further two and a half years.