Away Kit now availabe for pre-order

I'm not sure if the demand is there for another batch, but if enough people are keen, I am willing to place an order for the Away kit as well. I can also order more Home shirts and exchange any problem orders if required.

If not, there will definitely be a bulk order placed for the Limited-Edition Third kit in October.

The black shirt looks pretty damn sweet in any case...

You may have missed...

There's so much going on in the way of transfers, it's nigh on impossbile to keep up. And not all of them are worthy of a dodgy photoshop... Here's a few of the ins and outs:

• Nedum Onuoha signs new long term deal (get the fuck in).
• Felipe Caicedo joins Sporting Lisbon on loan.
• Valeri Bojinov joins Parma on loan.
  
• Elano transferred to Galatasaray.
• Chad Evans transferred to Sheffield United.
• Shaleum Logan joins Tranmere Rovers on loan.

Kolo Toure signs!

Manchester City have shocked world football once again, this time by actually signing a defender. Arsenal centre-half Kolo Toure has officially joined the Blues, for a reported £15million.

Hughes really does seem intent on creating a high quality squad of players, rather than just a best eleven and a few others. And it is amazing to think that last summer's key signings, such as Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta, may not even find a place on the bench, let alone in the starting line-up.

Kolo speaks:

“It is always difficult to leave a place where you have spent the last eight years and had good times but I felt the time was right for a new challenge and I am still at an age, 28, where I feel I am at my peak and will play my best football".

“For me it was time to move but only for the right club and I feel that Manchester City is that club. The ambition here is clear to see and is big. Everyone knows this club is moving and that is really, really important.

“I still want to achieve things and I feel as though I can bring something to City and that is what I will be striving to do. It is not just about quality on the pitch it is about blending as a team and with my experience I think I can help City do just that.”

His comments reflect what other summer signings have said. We are an ambitious club, and a team that's going places. Good times ahead.

A big thanks to the assembled crowd at COMS who were able to secure a picture for us.

Kits Posted

All kits are now travelling to their destination via Express Post.

So hopefully you will all get them tomorrow, if not Friday.

Any problems, let me know as soon as possible.

They're Here!

This morning was very much like Christmas morning, except for the fact Santa came by Australia Post van. Our new kits have arrived!

They are absolutely fantastic. The texture on the inside is what you'd expect from a football shirt, a kind of breathable mesh. But the outside has the feel of a fine cotton t-shirt. The badge is embroidered with the finest detail. It really is brilliant.

So I should be posting these over the next couple of days, so they'll arrive by Thursday at the latest. If there is an issue with sizing, let me know as soon as possible, although everything should be in order.

When the third kit is released in October, we'll do another bulk lot then if everyone is keen. Thanks to all brave enough to trust me with their money...

And Yes to Adebayor!

Emmanuel Adebayor becomes the latest player to join the Blue Revolution, according to the Official Site, for a fee believed to be in the region of £25million.

With Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz already signing this window, for £25m and £18m respectively, that's now over $150million AUD in strikers... and that doesn't include the purchase of Craig Bellamy in the January window. Without European competition this season, the fear is that Hughes might not be able to keep all parties happy. But hey, it's a fantastic situation to have.

It's certainly puts us in a good position to challenge for the Top Four, and Adebayor is adamant that City can do it sooner, rather than later.

"People who think that I have joined City for the money are wrong," he asserted. "If I had made a move for that reason then I would have been playing for Barcelona or Milan last season. They gave me bigger offers than Arsenal did for me to stay."

"I am here because I was impressed by the way the chairman at City spoke to me about the ambition of this club. I want to be part of a club that is aiming to be one of the biggest in the world."

Adebayor, who will join up with his Blues teammates early next week, is adamant that he the Blues can bust into the top four sooner rather than later.

"Why can’t we do that this season," he asked. " have everything we need. Now is better than in two or three years."

For the second time this week, fans made the track to Eastlands to greet another signing. It's not quite the Zapruder films, but as always we have exclusive pictures...

But, Yes to Tevez!

Finally, after weeks of delays, the worst-kept secret in football is out — Carlos Tevez is a Manchester City player.

This is a fantastic deal for the club. Not only does it gives us yet another quality, premiership-proven striker, to accompany Santa Cruz and Robinho, it has massive winding-up-Rags value.

Tevez is apparently stoked to have made the switch:

"I'm very happy and excited to be here and I'd like to thank the fans. I can't wait to start working with my new team-mates.

"Money was not the most important thing about my move. I have a coach who wants me and a good fan-base and environment around me. I'm excited about working with Mark Hughes and building a good relationship with him.

"The coach and the owners of the Club made me understand the reality at Manchester City - it was a very important decision for me to make ... it is a bit of a strange sensation for me to be back again in Manchester.

"The objective is to win the League, that is what we have talked about and I'm here to make my contribution to the cause on a daily basis. I'm here to win things and I make that pledge now to my team-mates and our fans.

"I will give everything to help City become one of the biggest and most important clubs in England - and win some trophies. But it is very important to remember that I am just one more player to add to the strength of the squad, one more player working with the coach and my new team-mates to help us win trophies for City."

He should be a great addition to the team, and City can't be too far away from challenging for the top four (or even better) this season. Again, Sydney Blues managed to get an exclusive picture of Carlos at the stadium, with a few of his biggest fans making the journey from London for the occasion.

Eto'o a no-go.

From the Official Site:

Manchester City has confirmed that it has ended its interest in bringing Samuel Eto'o to the football Club.

Speaking about the matter, club CEO, Garry Cook said, "Samuel Eto'o is undoubtedly a fine footballer but the circumstances surrounding him were such that the deal could not be completed."

"We now feel the time is right to pursue other avenues and we have a clear and strategic transfer plan, which we continue to follow."

A real, real shame that one, but what can you do? At this stage in our development, we're still not quite in the hunt for the real superstars, such as Kaka or Eto'o. All that should change in the near future, but for now, patience is required.

Jo to Everton on loan... again.

There are strong reports from reputable sources, that misfit striker Jo is again heading off to Everton on loan.

The 22-year-old arrived at Eastlands almost a year ago to the day, at a far more tumultuous time in City's history. The club was still reeling from the sacking of Sven and hiring of Hughes, combined with growing uncertainty surrounding Thaksin's finances.

Ever the megalomaniac, Shinawatra was desperate to make a statement in the transfer market, and showed this by a going on a pointless pursuit of Ronaldinho. Not to be deterred, the Doctor went for the next best thing. Jo. For um, £19million. Yes, pounds. It is not known what Thaksin was actually thinking when he stumped up that much coin for an unproven striker, but in fairness, Jo was superb on both Football Manager and YouTube.

However in real-life, he struggled to make his way in the English game, and for a tall man, he severely lacked physical presence. Highlights of his 2008-09 season were a double against Cypriot powerhouse Omonia Nicosia in the UEFA Cup, and the opening goal in the 6-0 demolition of Portsmouth. Although, even Chad Evans and Gelson Fernandes managed goals against Pompey that day...

Whilst not the worst player to ever play for City, he is by far the worst value-for-money. He does have one fan however, and that's David Moyes. At the end of this season, Jo will have spent a total of 18 months at Everton in two separate loan spells. However, if Moyes loves him so much, how about stumping up a bit of cash and taking him off our hands for good? Please?

If the agreement to send Jo back on loan is part of a deal for Joleon Lescott, then fantastic. If not, the decision to lend a rival the services of a striker without benefit to us is even worse than the decision to sign him in the first place.

We're overstocked! Shipping error! Everything must go!

As hinted in the Transfer Rumour Round-up post, the contracts of six players expired on 30 June, without renewal. Looking at the list of newly redundant players, the most notable thing is the difference in quality when comparing the names that are going out, with those supposedly coming in. Here's a quick look at what's in store for City's unwanted six:

Danny Mills
One of the last relics of the Kevin Keegan era, Mills has not played a competitive match for the club since coming on as an 80th minute substitute against Arsenal in August 2006. In circumstances similar to that of Chelsea's Winston Bogarde at , Mills was on a lucrative, long term contract (five years at £30,000) but spent most of this time either loaned out, injured, or commentating for Channel 5. His legacy is a long range screamer against Everton, and a massive wad of cash for doing feck all.

Michael Ball
Ball was signed on the last day of the January 2007 window, and will forever be remembered for driving his studs into the chest of Tranaldo. Also renowned for passing the ball directly to the opposition and taking rubbish penalties in Carling Cup matches. It is believed Michael will retire to devote more time to his Penrith real estate business.


Dietmar Hamann
Signed in curious circumstances from Liverpool via Bolton in the summer of 2006, 33-year-old Hamann's best days were behind him. However, he showed that he still had some life in those old legs — but proving this by fleeing from his wrecked car was not too clever. On the whole, Didi was a handy acquisition, with his best work in defensive midfield in the first half of Sven's 2007-08 season. However, under Mark Hughes his chances were limited, and he did not do himself any favours by refusing to warm-up against Hull and intentionally throwing the ball to an opposition player against Forest. Apparently picked up a season-ending "toe" injury soon after.

Darius Vassell
A striker more known for just running around a bit, rather than actually you know, scoring goals, Deadly Darius looks to have secured a move to Turkish Super Lig side Ankaragucu. In scenes more suited to Tranaldo's arrival at Madrid or Owen's arrival at the Rags, Vass was greeted by a crazed crowd of 3000 armed with flares, drums, and banners. Hands in the air, Vassell is here, indeed.


Glauber Berti
The Lunar landing. The attack on the Twin Towers. Glauber Berti's eight minutes v Bolton. Moments people will be talking about for years to come. Cruelly, Sydney Blues were denied the opportunity to see this historic event first hand, as Foxtel decided instead to broadcast the half-arsed attempts at staving off relegation by Hull and Newcastle.

Signed by Hughes as a reserve left-back, he quickly found himself demoted to perennial bench-warmer as Wayne Bridge, Javier Garrido, Michael Ball, Micah Richards, and even Pablo Zabaleta were preferred to the Brazilian international (a solitary cap in a friendly against Guatemala, no less). However, the most curious aspect of Glauber's situation was the fact that he appeared on the bench on twenty separate occasions, without actually stepping foot on the pitch, prior to this last match cameo. A true City legend, if ever there was one.


Danny Sturridge
The 19-year-old has signed for Chelsea Reserves. That is all that deserves to be said about the matter.

Sydney Blues on the OS

A nice bit of sizzle for the blog, we are featured on the new Manchester City website. Simply click here to go to the Fan Site page, or from the home page, navigate to Fans -> Fan Sites, and there we are.

Every little bit of recognition helps, and there is no higher praise than from the club itself. So a big thank you Chris Nield from Manchester City for setting it up.

Sydney Blues Barbecue and Kickabout

Gav and Adz from the Facebook group have organised a little get-together for next weekend, Sunday 11 July, at Centennial Park.

This is what Gav has to say on the matter:

"Hey guys,

It's been an interesting season, a strange post-season and it's going to be a rollercoaster next season! So, let's get together before Adam goes travelling, and I go to Japan for a few weeks.

So, bring yourself, some beer and some grub for a picnic and BBQ and we'll have a kickabout with some City fans and some friends. Everyone is dead friendly, so don't worry if you know no-one, drop me a line first if you're worried.

Bring some buddies and we can have a bit of a friendly kickabout, and chat. Jumpers for goalposts and all that - if you've got mates from other teams, so much the better and it will be City vs the Rest of The World! You don't have to play if you've got a good excuse!

City 'til we all die. Hopefully not until we've won a cup!"

Please follow the link here for more details. Anyone is welcome to tag along, whether they be Blues or otherwise. I'll also be accepting orders and payment for the new home kit, as first metioned here.

New City Website

As you can see below, there were a few teething problems, and a six hour delay, but the new Official Site has finally gone live.

It really looks the business, and is far easier to navigate than it's predecessor. The video section is amazing, with match highlights and interviews, most of which were previously only available on the paid subscription service on mcfcTV.

There is more to come however, with a brand new match day experience, featuring live text commentary and detailed statistics. If you can't join us for a drink at Cheers, and don't have Foxtel at home, the Official Site will be the place to keep an eye on the match.

Season ticket update...

According to reports, City have sold a remarkable 30,000 Seasoncards (season tickets) for the 2009-10 season.

There are less than 50 seats available in the whole of the South Stand — just half a dozen in 117, 15 in 118, and 28 in 119. As you can see from the diagram below, there are vast areas of the ground that are completely booked. It is likely that the only tickets you will be able to buy in the lead up to matches will be up in the third tier.

For this reason, it is important for any Blues heading over to Manchester to check the earlier blog post here. There is a seat available for any Australian to use (Adz has already booked six games, congratulations sir).

Get in contact and I can sort you out with a spot. After all, it would be heartbreaking to travel all that way only to have to sit in the nosebleeds, or worse, miss out altogether...

UPDATE 05/07: Over the last few days, the insatable demand for season tickets has continued. Since Wednesday, the South Stand has completely sold out. Blocks 127, 210, 221, and 230 are also completely occupied for the 2009-10 season.

It is a clear indication of just how far the club has progressed in just a couple of years. Prior to the 2007-08 season, renewals were at levels not seen since the lower division days. The club had just avoided relegation, and fans had just observed only ten goals in nineteen home games. But with the promise of superstars and trophies on the horizon, suddenly City are the hottest ticket in town.


Note: Light grey means allocation exhausted, blue means very limited availability, and navy means plenty available.