Mancini - 'No problem with Bellamy'

A pleasing aspect of Mancini's post match interview was him denying there being any problem with Craig Bellamy:

“Bellamy is my friend,” said Mancini. “There is no problem. I spoke with him two days ago. He understood when I told him he wasn’t starting.

“We have two games in three days and I need all the players at 100%. Today we played Robinho. It is possible we will play Craig at Wolves on Monday.”

Inevitably, Bellamy - being a Hughes 'loyalist' is one of the aspects the media have focused on in the wake of his sacking, with some suggestions being that he was set to hand in a transfer request as a consequence.

All of that was no doubt overblown, and although Bellamy would understandably be disappointed and upset with Hughes's departure, Hughes was not the only reason he came to the club, namely that we offered him a last shot at a trophy and Champions League football. Regardless of how he is feeling, as a professional, he will not lose sight of that and will he realistically get a better opportunity elsewhere?

I'm sure Bellamy will be back, most likely on Monday, as with Wright-Phillips still struggling with injury, Petrov will certainly continue on the right hand side. With his injury history, there is no way Bellamy can feature in every one of the games over the ten day festive period and I'm sure Mancini looked at Stoke as the most likely one that he can afford him to sit out.

Bellamy the leader

There were no punch-ups and no fists flying in Manchester City's dressing room last week. Just good old-fashioned verbals.

Typically, it was a vintage performance by Craig Bellamy, bawling out his team-mates after they tossed away a win. In the line of fire was City's back four - Pablo Zabaleta, Kolo Toure, Joleon Lescott and Wayne Bridge - following their draw with Burnley.

He pointed the finger at all of them during an explosive dressing-room inquest, accusing them of lacking concentration in the final minutes.

>>notw.co.uk

I'm not usually a huge fan of stories that Neil Ashton has written about us, but he makes a very valid observation in this piece regarding the leadership in the side. Despite the huge sums invested which has brought an infusion of quality into the squad there doesn't appear to be a real stand out leader capable of galvanising the side; a focal point of the side such as a Gerrard or a Terry.

Perhaps this is evidenced by how difficult it was to select a candidate as captain to replace Richard Dunne. Kolo Toure, Nigel de Jong, Shay Given, Vincent Kompany, Stephen Ireland and Gareth Barry all appeared to be credible candidates before Toure was named as the permanent captain by Mark Hughes.

Early days into his tenure as skipper of course, but whilst Toure has fitted easily into the side since his move and no doubt has the respect of the squad his demeanour doesn't suggest he is a natural leader, something Ashton notes:

Toure is softly-spoken, the quiet type who is always willing to offer advice but rarely shows an aggressive side to his character. That is precisely what City are crying out for, a player who commands respect and can rally the troops to the cause when times are tough.

Bellamy is just the type, a Mr Motivator who is not afraid to remind Manchester City's players of their objectives. He was doing that in the dressing room last weekend, jogging a few memories after their fifth successive draw in the Premier League.

There were many who scoffed when Bellamy was brought in, and predicted he would be a divisive figure in the dressing room as opposed to one with leadership qualities, a rabble rouser rather than a player with the respect of his peers.

It is no secret Hughes is a big fan of Bellamy, and stuck his neck out somewhat when he brought him to the club given the reputation that he carries around with him.

His name didn't garner any mention when the captaincy debate was in full flow (primarily I guess because he by no means thought of as a regular starter) but given his level of play and how he has conducted himself this season the idea of Bellamy as captain may not be as far fetched as it would one time have been.

No FA charge for Bellamy

The FA today announced that referee Martin Atkinson confirmed that he would not have sent Bellamy off had he seen the incident with the fan at the time.

This means Bellamy is free for selection for tomorrow’s Carling Cup tie at home to Fulham and Monday evening’s Premier League fixture at home to West Ham United.

Bellamy will be contacted by The FA and warned as to his future conduct.

>>mcfc.co.uk

The more I think about this decision, the more I am surprised by it.

Perhaps in the aftermath of the derby, the incident was lost a little in the emotion and how the game finished. There would surely have been a greater focus had the game fizzled out to a 0-0 draw.

There was likely to be an amount of provocation from the guy who got onto the pitch and we don't know precisely what happened or was said leading up to it. In addition, the emotions of a dramatic end to the match would have been racing around.

The cold facts though are that Bellamy struck a fan in the face. That cannot be right any which way you look at it. The club were always going to defend Bellamy, and rightly or wrongly, no club would take a moral stance by handing out their own punishment when the prospect of no action by the FA was a possibility.

It does set a dangerous precedent though in relation to future incidents.

By definition, the FA are also deeming this to be a less serious transgression than the conduct of Emmanuel Adebayor following his goal against Arsenal. Take the two incidents in isolation and you cannot say Adebayor's was a more serious, dangerous and 'improper' offence.

You'd hope not, but maybe the furore over the injury time at the end of the game helped sway the decision?

Bellamy set for talks

Sky Sports sources understands West Ham have given Craig Bellamy permission to speak to Manchester City.

Bellamy's future at Upton Park has been the subject of intense speculation over the last few days after West Ham rejected bids from City and Tottenham for the Welsh striker.

The former Liverpool and Newcastle star had asked the club to allow him to talk to City and Spurs after turning down the offer of a new deal at Upton Park.

>>Sky Sports.

Credit to Sky Sports, who have generally been ahead of the game in breaking transfer news so far this January.

The possibility of us signing Bellamy was firmly back on the agenda this morning after plenty of false dawns over the past couple of weeks.

It is safe to say his West Ham career is over following his refusal to play this weekend (and he got a rough ride from fans during todays victory over Fulham), and although it appeared initially that he would be headed for Tottenham it would be a big surprise if he was not unveiled over the next couple of days, particularly given Harry Redknapp's pessimistic comments after todays draw against Portsmouth.

UPDATE: A couple of stories today firming up last nights Sky Sports story.

BBC Sport report a fee of £12 million (with £10 million up front) agreed, with Mark Bowen speaking highly of our impending signing:

"Of course we're interested in Craig Bellamy, he is a player we very much admire and we are hopeful we can bring him to Manchester City.

"We've known Craig for many years, and had him at Blackburn Rovers, and we know what he brings to any team he plays for.

"It does make me smile as I think he is one of those players who you either love or hate. But fans of teams that he has played for love him and know what he gave for their team."

Whilst The Mail has a report (and picture) from Bellamy's meeting with Paul Aldridge.

Bellamy concern over career

"I know there are not four or five years ahead of me, not with the injuries I've had," revealed Bellamy. "Maybe I've got one or two years at the most. It will be all over before I know it, so I'm just enjoying it."

>>Craig Bellamy

I remember when he signed for us, Bellamy spoke of it being a 'last chance' of sorts for him which could well explain the attitude and form he has shown since arriving. Whatever the reputation that preceeded him, he was renowned for someone who is very demanding of his fellow team mates and that has carried over to his time with us so far.

I don't think Bellamy will know an exact timescale of his remaining career, yet as he says his history does not suggest a career into his late thirties. That said though, motivation has never appeared to be an issue with him and I'm sure that whatever steps are required will be taken in order to prolong his career as long as physically possible.

Just what is it with Craig Bellamy?

I'm sure that this ilicited many a response already - most of which I imagine are not positive.

Putting 'character issues' aside for one moment (and there have been plenty) which have seen him bounce around from over the past ten years, but what is it that Bellamy has that has made a number of top managers shell out approximately £30 million for him during his career?

Mark Hughes was particularly effusive today following his signing, saying:

"I am delighted to be working with Craig once more.

"He is an outstanding player who provides us with qualities that we are slightly lacking.

"He has blistering pace, has bags of of enthusiasm and has a superb attitude to training. He will be a great addition to the squad."

All of this is no doubt true, given that it is coming from a manager who probably knows him best and there is no doubt that our current style of play will afford him the chance to score plenty of goals, and it is his pace that I imagine Hughes will be most looking to utilise when he gets him in the line-up.

A cursory look at his record suggests he will return a decent goals to game ratio at the very least:

Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1996–2000 2000–2001 2001–2005 2005 2005–2006 2006–2007 2007–2009 2009–	Norwich City Coventry City Newcastle United → Celtic (loan) Blackburn Rovers Liverpool West Ham United Manchester City	84 (32) 34 0(6) 93 (28) 12 0(7) 27 (13) 27 0(7) 24 0(7) 00 0(0)

It is a decent enough record given that he has tended to play on the fringes of a strike partnership with him being most productive under Hughes at Blackburn.

Bellamy himself appears to be happy with the move (although there are echoes of previous statements I have seen from him):

"They (Hughes and his coaching team) know me better than anybody-else in the football game, and they are people I completely trust in.

"They have progressed me massively, and I owe them a lot. The added bonus is that it's Manchester City and the way it is going at the moment with possibly one or two more players coming in over the top of me.

"I'm fortunate that this opportunity has come along, and I am grateful. I feel I am at my peak and I hope over the next few years to perform really well here."

I still find it difficult to see quite how he fits into our formation - something I will follow with interest, as I don't believe he has ever had much success as a lone striker and surely we would benefit far greater from a striker with a real presence to lead the line.

Bellamy does have qualities, his record proves that. However it is his less than stellar qualities - which overshadow certain positives and tend to precursor anything that he does and it will no doubt take a great deal of work (and goals of course) for him to overcome the cloud that follows him around.

More on Bellamy:

• tldorc
• guardian.co.uk
  

Hughes praise for Bellamy

Praise for the player likely to have the responsibility of leading the line tomorrow:

"Craig has been one of our stand-out performers. He's a great outlet for us - he shows huge endeavour and a fantastic ability to drive with the ball and take the fight to the other end of the field when you are under pressure.

"That quality is invaluable, certainly away from home where you are more likely to be under sustained pressure. There has to be an outlet there to relieve the pressure so you can change the momentum of the game. Craig has done that in a number of games this year."

Many predicted Bellamy would likely be ushered aside this summer when further reinforcements were added in the attacking department, but Bellamy has shown himself to be a key figure in the line-up so far during 2009/10.

It is also fair to say there wasn't a whole lot of love for Bellamy when he was signed in the January transfer window, yet he has far exceeded expectations and shown the qualities that Hughes espoused and you can see from his performances exactly why he is such a favourite of his.

Third Bellamy bid rejected

West Ham have rejected a third bid from Manchester City for striker Craig Bellamy, BBC Sport understands.

On Monday West Ham turned down an improved £9m offer for the 29-year-old Welshman with the new bid again higher.

City are keen to bring both Bellamy and team-mate Scott Parker to Eastlands but have so far failed to land either.

>>BBC Sport.

At what point do you draw a line under this and move on?

It seems that they really do not want to sell, or we are going to have to go in with an offer that so in excess of his true value that they cannot turn it down.

Either way, a decision needs to be made before this borders on the farcical.

• Previous Bellamy transfer posts.
  

In the clear over Bellamy

CITY will not lose Craig Bellamy for Saturday's Premier League opener after they defused a potential row with the Welsh FA.

The Blues failed to notify Wales that the striker - skipper of his national team - had suffered a reaction to a long-standing knee injury during the friendly match with Celtic at the weekend.

The problem meant he was unfit to travel with the rest of the national squad for Wednesday's friendly with Montenegro, but Wales were not informed.

Wales boss John Toshack was said to be privately seething at the error, and the country's FA could have caused City a problem by reporting them to Fifa.

Under the world governing body's regulations, Bellamy (left) could have been forced to sit out a five-day suspension from Wednesday - which would have been the date of his release from international duty - and City could have been fined.

>>MEN.

Good to see the MEN doing a little digging on this 'story' whilst some of the nationals were quick to wade in with the 'Bellamy storm' angle.

That's not to say the club are faultless though, and whilst it may have been a simple error on the clubs part, you do wish they would have been professional enough to ensure something like this doesn't occur.

After all, it wouldn't be too difficult would it?

"Hello, is that the FAW?"

"Yes."

"Ok, it's Manchester City here. Just to let you know Craig can't make it this week. His knee is a bit knacked".

"Ok, thanks for letting us know."

Easy.

Bid for Hammers pair?

West Ham United have rejected a £15m bid from Manchester City to sign both Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker. The Premier League club insist that neither player is for sale and have also moved to hold talks with Matthew Upson's representatives to spell out their intention to hold on to the England international who is also attracting intense interest with the transfer window set to open.

>>independent.co.uk

How reliable the story is we don't know, but the name of Bellamy is not a surprise given the speculation that has surrounded him. As one of the comments in the Blackburn thread mentioned, he was also left out of yesterdays victory over Stoke (after returning to goalscoring form the day before). UPDATE - He didn't play due to suspension.

I really don't see how Bellamy improves our line up. If Hughes continues with the 4-2-3-1 line-up I just don't see where he fits in. He cannot operate as a lone striker, but perhaps Hughes is looking at playing him in a wider role?

Something else to bear in mind is the return of Bojinov. Hopefully injury free, playing in a similar role to that of Bellamy, he is a far better option.

Parker is an interesting one. We do need to upgrade that defensive midfield area and Parker is a useful player. He gets the job done and appears to have rebuilt his career somewhat after spells at Chelsea and Newcastle. If we cannot grab Marcos Senna, then he may well be a useful pick up.

Bellamy set to arrive after all?

The Welsh international striker walked out on his club on Friday when they refused him permission to talk to Tottenham, who were also prepared to pay the asking price. He said he would never play for West Ham again. Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, said that he undestood Bellamy wanted to play for him and that Daniel Levy, the chairman at White Hart Lane, was negotiating his transfer. Last night, however, West Ham insisted that they would not do business with their principal London rivals and agreed terms with City.

>>times online.

It seems that although Bellamy stormed out of the club on Friday after being told he wouldn't get his move to Tottenham, there is little chance West Ham will relent and grant him a transfer to White Hart Lane.

Not surprising given they have lost a number of players to Tottenham previously, and this of course could play into our hands as it leaves West Ham with a player who no longer has a working relationship with them with ourselves as the only option available as a way out.

Talk in todays press suggests a bid of £14 million will secure the move. Far too much for my liking, but again, relative in terms of the resources we have available.

As mentioned time and again here, he could offer certain qualities, but - added to the impending return of Bojinov - I fail to see exactly where Bellamy fits in to our line up and formation and far better to concentrate on out and out goalscorer.

Trio of bids rejected

Blackburn have rejected a bid in excess of £12m from Manchester City for striker Roque Santa Cruz.

City manager Mark Hughes said he is still keen to sign the 27-year-old Paraguay international, who signed a new contract at Rovers in August.

"We made a bid in the region of £12m in the summer and it (the new bid) is significantly higher than that."

>>bbc sport.

Blackburn also confirmed this on their site, and in addition it seems that our double bid for Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy was rejected by West Ham:

"It's documented that we made an enquiry about Bellamy as well (as Parker). We made a double bid and that was rejected - we haven't gone back to the table but we may well do."

It's probably not a huge surprise initial bids for these players have been turned down, given that clubs will surely be trying to squeeze as much out of us as possible given our financial position. I have no doubt that should Hughes want these players badly enough, then he will go back with an improved bid (as he confirmed in respect of Santa Cruz).

What is a little concerning though is these transfers are now being played out in public. There was plenty of concern at the lack of impact being made in the transfer market this January, so is it the case that Hughes has issued this statement as a way of quelling the growing frustration?

Either way, it is not good practice to conduct transfers in such a way and they inevitably do become drawn out affairs which indicate it could be towards the latter part of the window that deals are concluded.

Far better to keep all negotiations and progress behind closed doors and only confirm transfers as and when they have been completed.

Previous posts:

• Roque Santa Cruz
• Scott Parker
• Craig Bellamy

Bellamy on Hughes

'Everything seems to make sense to me on the pitch at the moment,' he said. 'Everything just seems to be going the way I want it to.

'I'm with familiar faces, people I would trust with my life and when you are comfortable like that, you would give everything for them. The rest just comes off the back of that.

'I've been with Mark Hughes since I was 16. If anyone knows me as a player, it's him. He doesn't do anything special for me before a game. I just know where I am. Sir Bobby Robson did the same for me. He looked to get the best out of each individual. Some managers don't do that. Others do.

'It's not that I feel especially appreciated at Manchester City. I just know where I am. The manager pulled me in at the start of the season and straightaway said, "I'd back you against anyone. I know what you are like. If you are fit, I'd put my money on you, so just go out there and get your place".

At that moment, I knew I was part of it. It didn't matter who came into the club. I'm feeling confident and comfortable. I can really give it a go. Being with outstanding players inspires you to a level, too. It's been a pretty rewarding period after the hard work I've had to get to this stage, with the injuries I've had.'

>>mail online.

Bellamy's form this season has been nothing short of sensational, with it clear his confidence is at his peak. Seemingly, he is a very demanding player in terms of the standards he expects from a club and his team-mates and knowing Hughes from various stages of his career feels comfortable with him and bought into the vision Hughes had for the club.

His signing was not a universally popular one, and most commentators expected his stay to be a short one and that he would be jettisoned as soon as Hughes had an opportunity to splash serious money.

What has been proven is that not only does Bellamy warrant his place in the side at present, he clearly looks to be an integral part of the future of the club - which could see some of his more illustrious team-mates moving on instead.

Parker and Santa Cruz set to arrive

A couple of reports have emerged this evening suggesting that in the early part of this week we should tie up a further two deals, with Roque Santa Cruz and Scott Parker arriving at the club.

Sky Sports suggests Parker will arrive for a fee of £12 million:

Sky Sports has learnt that Parker has already engaged with City officials over personal terms and will substantially improve his current deal of £70,000 per week should the move be pushed through.

Whilst Roque Santa Cruz will arrive for £18 million plus the out of favour Tal Ben Haim, according to The Guardian, which also suggests rumoured interest in Kolo Toure, Craig Bellamy, Shay Given and Jermain Defoe - but we are unlikely to land all our reported targets:

City are also willing to swell the bank accounts of a number of other players, notably Craig Bellamy of West Ham, Jermain Defoe of Portsmouth, Arsenal's Kolo Touré and the Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given. There are, however, complications in each case. City are not entirely confident West Ham will agree to sell them two of their best players at once, so that might rule out Bellamy. If so, that would prompt City to accelerate their interest in Defoe even though it is known he would rather rejoin Tottenham Hotspur. Portsmouth want a fee of around £20m, which would be no problem to City but has created difficulties for Spurs.

After the debacle of Saturday's exit when Hughes was critical of elements of the squad, it was likely that interest in any targets would be swiftly followed up. It is interesting that Ben Haim's name was included in the report of the Santa Cruz signing - particularly as it stated that he was not brought to the club on the say so of Hughes.

Given the form of both Dunne and Richards this season, there has been a great opportunity for him to have won one of the positions at the back, yet when he has figured he has looked equally ill at ease.

One thing it does suggest though is that by sanctioning further deals it seems clear that Hughes is going nowhere and appears very much to have the support of those in charge for the long term.

Second Bellamy bid rejected

WEST Ham have turned down an improved Manchester City bid for striker Craig Bellamy.

The Hammers are believed to have spurned a £9million deal for the Wales international, after refusing the Blues' initial bid last week - when they also would not entertain an attempt to sign midfielder Scott Parker.

Hammers' chief exexcutive Scott Duxbury has reaffirmed that the club does not have to sell its best players, and backed his words by turning down City's latest attempt to reinforce their squad ahead of the January 31 transfer deadline.

>>MEN.

The bid was believed to be £9 million, and we now see ourselves faced with the same dilemna as we do for Roque Santa Cruz.

West Ham offloaded some fringe players at the back end of last week, presumably in a bid to avoid having to sell the likes of Bellamy and Scott Parker.

It is a difficult decision we now face with certain negotiations. What looks apparant is that clubs are attempting to continue negotiations as far down the transfer window as possible, in the hope that we will be forced to pay way over the odds.

What is clear to me though is that in some respects, we are dealing from a position of strength given that there appears to be no other clubs with a genuine interest in either player. With that in mind, are we best standing firm as if the clubs do want (need) to sell they themselves will run out of time if they want to complete a deal by the end of January?

Bellamy blow

CITY striker Craig Bellamy is set for at least three weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury sustained against West Ham.

Welsh international striker Bellamy, who has been in a rich vein of scoring form since his January move to Eastlands, has suffered a new knee injury - not a recurrence of an old problem - but is having more scans.

>>MEN.

A definite blow given the very impressive start he has made to his City career.

With Robinho likely ruled out for the Villa game it does leave us very light up front. Despite his return on Sunday though, you hope that sense prevails and that Valeri Bojinov is not rushed back into the starting line up ahead of schedule.

Bellamy and Weiss hit by swine flu

Manchester City have become the latest Premier League club to have been affected by the swine flu outbreak.

Craig Bellamy and Vladimir Weiss are understood to have been affected by the illness, while several members of staff have also reported flu-like symptoms. Weiss, the highly rated 20-year-old Slovakia winger, was the first to contract the H1N1 virus last week and was ordered to remain at home for Saturday's Premier League victory over Chelsea. City have subsequently confirmed that Bellamy has reported similar symptoms.

>>timesonline.

January window recap

A relief in some respects now that the January window has been and gone.

During the month (and leading up to it I guess) we were very much the hot topic in the media, with plenty of negativity (jealousy?) surrounding us and our attempts at reinforcing the side. So much has been written and speculated that trying to keep up with everything going on was a tough task.

We arrived at the opening of the window in a state of flux, criticism of Hughes from fans and media alike growing and were soon dumped out of the FA Cup with a dismal performance at home to Nottingham Forest.

Despite some bumps along the way, what is clear is that we are in a far stronger position as bid adieu to January than we were at the beginning of 2009. The quartet who have been signed are of a similar disposition - solid internationals, experience at the top level but still with good years ahead of them.

In addition to the new arrivals, we also have three of our long term injured players in Michael Johnson, Valeri Bojinov and Martin Petrov on the way back, players we have clearly missed over the first half of the season and should provide a real strength in depth to the squad.

Who arrived?

Wayne Bridge, Nigel de Jong, Craig Bellamy and Shay Given arrived during January, and all four strengthen not only the squad, but the first choice eleven. Bridge, although culpable for two goals so far, is a better option than Javier Garrido, and most definitely an upgrade on Michael Ball. Nigel de Jong's impact will be two fold. Both as an impressive holding/defensive midfielder in his own right, but also in allowing Vincent Kompany to drop back and improve the central defensive area.

I wasn't overly enthused with the prospect of Bellamy the footballer arriving (let alone Bellamy the person), wondering how he would fit into the line-up, but having seen him in two games so far he does offer something different than the other forwards we have on the books. My misgivings about Shay Given have been well documented, but he is a good goalkeeper. Quite how good he is, and how much of an upgrade over Joe Hart he will be is something I will be keen to see, but if Hughes was intent on bringing in a 'keeper then unless we were going to splash £100 million on Gigi Buffon then Given is clearly the best option that we had.

Who didn't arrive?

Two big names - Kaka and Roque Santa Cruz, both of which ended frustratingly. The pursuit of Kaka was well documented with some of what was written about our attempt to sign him bordered on the disgraceful.

Perhaps we did make our approach for him too early in our 'project', but when you have an opportunity to sign arguably the best player in the world you cannot pass that up. Yes, it was always going to be a long shot, but one that was surely worth exploring.

Today's Roque Santa Cruz news was a microcosm of the whole pursuit of the player. The signing being off, then on, before falling through at the last. The reported fee of £25 million was way in excess of what his value is, but we are not operating in a normal market. We do need the player, and without an alternative being brought in run the risk of lacking the presence Hughes so desperately wants over the course of the season.

Seeing some of the deals that have been concluded, you do wonder though why both ourselves and Santa Cruz (given his desire to sign for us) weren't more forceful in pushing the signing through.

If Hughes is still keen on landing Santa Cruz in the summer though, Sam Allardyce and Blackburn could rue turning down the reported £20 million as I don't see them getting an offer anywhere near that figure in the future.

Without question though, this is now very much Hughes's side. The team is now made up of players he has either brought to the club or his type of player. His future is still unsettled though as the season so far has been a disappointment overall.

Heading into February, we are sat in mid-table and despite the talk of relegation for me that is not an issue. Looking up, we are five points off 7th position at present with FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Cup in a couple of weeks time.

The owners have shown a patient approach so far since taking over the club, and the January signings do point to being Hughes's ones as opposed to the marquee signings believed to be favoured by ownership.

Clearly questions remain at this point, and Hughes has a job on his hands to win over the many doubters amongst the fan base, and with no off-field distraction now the window has closed, focus will firmly be on what happens on the pitch.

Putting a positive spin on our current position though we do have an opportunity to ensure that the 2008/09 season ends up being a relatively succesful one.

For Hughes's long term future prospects, it may need to be.

City 2 FC Copenhagen 1

[guardian.co.uk report, telegraph.co.uk report, MEN report]

An impressive victory for me. Despite the overall lack of quality from our opponents, I thought we showed the patience and savvy required to ensure progression was achieved and it provided further evidence of the recent good progress being made.

Whilst the scoreline was at 0-0 there was always the threat of being caught cold, but in the first half we controlled the game well, dominated possession and created a number of chances that on another day could have seen us go in at half time with a two or three goal lead.

One criticism from the first half was the over reliance on long diagonal balls to both Bellamy and Robinho - thankfully rained in during the second half, where there was far more quick, short passing moves that provided some wonderful football as we pressed for the goal that would settle nerves.

Robinho was guilty of a couple of bad misses before Craig Bellamy eased us into the next round with a well timed brace, capping what was a fantastic performance from him. Full of industry and enterprise, he has also added goals (one thing I was sceptical of when he signed) and he truly has looked a fantastic addition to the side.

Putting aside reports of spats with Robinho, I thought the front pair linked together well, with Robinho perhaps too wide on occasion, but their attacking presence aligned with Ireland and Wright-Phillips was there to see. It is worth noting Robinho's contribution, marrying both 'graft' and the quality touches and decisions which were a joy to see.

Defensively I thought we were sound and stuck to our task well. The concentration levels were there (injury time excepted) and I was impressed with Shay Given's command of the back four. Like Bellamy, an impressive addition.

Through to the last sixteen now - something not achieved for some time - and whilst Aalborg will be a step up in quality from the Danish opponents we have faced this season, there is a definite sense that some momentum is building in our season which will auger well as we bid to to win the competition.

City 2 - 1 United

I thought at the half-way stage of the tie that both sides would be still be in with a great chance of progressing through at Old Trafford next week.

And so it proved in an engaging contest that given the two-legged format lacked a little of the urgency and bite normally associated with Derby contests. At times we were good, at other points were very bad yet if Roberto Mancini can continue of habit of finding wins in this vein he may well have a job for some time.

It was a victory that didn't appear likely in the early stages as a poor opening . It was as if Roberto Mancini had delivered his team talk in Italian such was the unsettled and confused performance as the side appeared completely befuddled by their instructions. Mancini was looking to deny United space, playing Zabaleta and Wright-Phillips almost as auxillary full-backs, whilst de Jong and Barry rarely ventured forward. The idea was to sit back and deny United and at times we were awfully deep which isolated Tevez and Bellamy. This meant possession was difficult to retain and we found it difficult to create.

The danger of going a goal behind was that such was our ineffectiveness (how many passes went astray?) we ran the risk of falling futher behind. However, slowly but surely we asserted ourselves in the tie as the side looked to get to grips with the counter-attacking instructions. Switching Bellamy to the left from his starting central position also opened up our play and we began to create.

There was no real obvious chances carved by either side, but on the stroke of half-time we were handed an opportunity when Bellamy had his shirt pulled in a replay of Micah Richards's infringement on Saturday. Once the protests had disseminated, Carlos Tevez stepped up and converted with aplomb.

It was interesting to watch Mancini from my vantage point today (3rd tier of the Colin Bell Stand). Always on the move, full of pent up energy as he barked out instructions. The number of changes to the formation he made was telling, some minor adjustments, some more obvious. The end result though was that most worked and perhaps he just might be "blessed with fortune" after all.

The decision to move Wright-Phillips in the second half to a more central position saw us get a grip of the game in the second half and after a good spell of pressure took the lead. An intelligent header from Zabaleta lead to good work from Kompany who hooked the ball across for Tevez to score his second.

We had chances to add to our lead, Wright-Phillips particularly being unlucky with Van der Sar making a smart save and United, for all their possession, were unable to create opportunities. Wayne Rooney was looking more frustrated and for those who don't think they miss Cristiano Ronaldo, think again.

Mancini added defensive reinforcements to try and protect the lead, but United were not finished. The final fifteen minutes saw some frantic, and at times desperate, defending as United sensed an equaliser. Shay Given proved his value with two or three smart blocks, Vincent Kompany was immovable in the centre of defence and the final whistle brought an outpouring of relief as the tension mounted.

If it were not for United's late spell of pressure when they finally created chances we would have been good value for the win. As it was, it was an even contest over the course of the game, but importantly we hold the lead and whilst it is only a solitary goal the significance of it at the moment feels far greater.