So, Fulop it is then.

Always last here with the news at Lesson In Pride (I've been busy alright!), it was confirmed several days ago that Hungarian shot-stopper Martin Fulop has joined City on a temporary basis, and will presumably be between the sticks for the final three matches of the campaign.

According to reports, Martin was not our first choice, which is wholly understandable considering he's currently third-choice at Sunderland. City were originally looking at bringing in David James from Portsmouth or Joe Hart from Birmingham, before the interference from the FA.

With Champions League qualification on the line, it's not unreasonable to suggest that City would have be prepared to compensate the teams quite well. The lack of a suitable goalkeeper could easily be the difference between finishing fourth or fifth – and the millions of pounds that the lucrative competition would bring to the club. What sacrifice would be worthwhile? £1 million? £2 million? Even £5 million would be change under the couch cushions if it meant Champs League next season.

It's hard not to imagine any opposition team – outside of our direct competitors of course – refusing the idea of a quick buck. James from Portsmouth was an obvious one – with Pompey barely able to fill up the team bus, let alone assemble a decent squad, a few million would have been invaluable down Pompey way.

I'd also suggest that Birmingham would have been fairly keen to allow Hart to come back early – with adequate compensation of course. Alex McLeish as been bleating on all season about how good Hart has been, and it would be a travesty if we took him back at the end of the season and stuck him on the bench again. Well, a simple "if we can get Joe back for the rest of the season, we'll lend you him again next year" would have kept both parties well and truly happy.

But the FA, in all their infinite wisdom, would only veto the deal if we signed a player "from another league or was not currently first-choice". So we're allowed a loan, but only if he is deemed a little bit shit? You mean we can't even have our own player back?

So we've ended up with Martin Fulop, a man with more loans than the Commonwealth Bank. He's been out at Chesterfield, Coventry, Sunderland, Leicester, and Stoke, before arriving at City for a short spell. It's safe to say he'll be better than young Gunnar Nielsen, and our usual backup, Stuart Taylor, but he doesn't inspire me with a whole lot of confidence – especially with fourth on the line.

I don't even think he was third preference for us – if Thomas Sorensen had not picked up an injury for Stoke on the weekend, we would have probably tried to bring in the highly-rated Asmir Begovic.

Alas, we can count ourselves fortunate that the FA afforded us any concession I suppose. But hopefully the club have learned from this, in making sure we have adequate back-up next season. Sorry Alex, but we might just hold on to Joe this time.

Derby Day Songbook

Click here to download. There'll be copies a plenty at Cheers.

Final word: Let's stuff them. Come on you Blues!

Manchester Derby Preview

The Overview
Derby Day. Not too long ago, in the days when the highest we could expect to finish was mid-table, the Home Derby was the only game we could look forward to, on the slim chance that we could have something to get one up over the Rags as they cantered their way to another piece of silverware. But, it's no longer just a game for bragging rights — it now actually has meaning in the context of a season.

The Rags previously claimed that they only cared when they played their "rivals" Liverpool (then Leeds, then Arsenal, and now Chelsea... it changes every season). It's time that they took Liccle Ol' Citeh a bit more seriously.

Norwich are in less-than-impressive form, are relying on veterans Van Der Sar, Bryan Riggs, Gary Chuckle, and Scholes, all of whom are well over 30, and they are also possibly missing their most important player Rayne Wooney with an ankle injury. So everything should point to a comfortable City win, right?

However, I don't think I can ever be confident going into any match against United — it's something that's bred into City fans from a young age. They are hurting after the last two weeks, and they know this is one of their last opportunities to stay in the hunt for the League.

Expect the rhetoric to come out in the lead up: Nigel De Jong will come out with his typical piece about how much this means to the team, Roberto Mancini will have a press-conference mentioning the word "important" seventy-five times, and some Rag player (more often than not, Scholes) will talk us down. The war of words have begun. The battle on the pitch is to follow.

The Form
Manchester City at home: 11-4-1
• Have lost only one game at home this season, to Everton.
• Second best form in the league after Chelsea.

Manchester United away: 9-3-5
• Gained only one point in the last six.
• Four points off first place with four matches remaining — a loss here could severely ruin their season.

Recent meetings:
• City haven't won a Derby in the League since the 2-1 (on their Special Day) at Vermin Towers in February 2008. United have won three League Derbies in a row.
• United have won both Derbies in injury time at Old Scaffold this season.

The Betting
Manchester City $2.60 Draw $3.20 Manchester United $2.40
City are as close to favourites as I've ever seen. I don't know how I feel about this to be honest. I don't believe it, personally.

Australian Fans: Where to Watch It
Sydney fans will be able to watch it at Cheers Bar, of course.

We will finally be unveiling the coveted 'Heart of the City' plaque to all and sundry. We'll have members there from as early as 5:30pm, to get on the beers early and making sure we have a decent spot, and to decorate both the home and away ends. I've got some top ideas planned.

If you are new to the cause, we will have a few song sheets so you can join in on the action. Kick off is at 9:45pm. We've never, ever, had a game so early on a Saturday night before, so it gives us a great opportunity to get a big crowd in.

We'll be taking plenty of photos and video of the night, so we can cut something together for both the official site, and for this one. I'm getting giddy already.

If you've never been before, there will be no better game to make your debut. But if you don't have any voice left by full-time, you haven't been trying hard enough. We want to out-number and out-sing those basterds in the pub, as well as out-play them on the pitch.

If you live elsewhere in this fine country, check the Facebook link for details on where to meet with fellow Blues. Melbourne fans will be meeting at Charles Dickens, Perth fans at Kangaroo Arms, and Brisbane Blues will be at the Pig and Whistle.

The Fearless Prediction
I dare not tempt fate with trying to guess the result.
But I predict it will be a cracker.

The Race For Fourth — 5 games to go

Another week gone, and with five games to go, I reckon we can finally discount one of the contenders — Liverpool. But there is a MASSIVE weekend of games ahead, with Spurs facing London rivals Chelsea, and of course ourselves facing Norwich City at home.

Whilst we've been scoring goals for fun against the likes of Burnley and Blackburn, results have been going our way for the most part. With the exception of Tottenham's win over Arsenal, we seen Spurs drop points at Sunderland, and losing in extra time in the FA Cup to Portsmouth. Liverpool drew yet again, and Chelsea put a dent in Villa's confidence with a 3-0 win in the Cup semi. And for the "bitter" fans among us, the Rags failed to beat Chelsea and Blackburn in consecutive weeks, and were dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich for good measure. So that was pretty good to watch too...

4. Manchester City
Games played: 33
Goal difference: +28 (+9 on just two weeks ago)
Recent form: 4 wins, 1 loss. 12 points from 15 possible.
Position: Similar
Points: 62

Upcoming fixtures:
H Manchester United (2nd)
A Arsenal (3rd)
H Aston Villa (7th)
H Tottenham Hotspur (5th)
A West Ham United (17th)

Another emphatic victory against Birmingham, and Manchester City have won their last three matches by an aggregate of 14-2. They've won four of the last five games, and over this period Chelsea are the only team in better form with four wins and a draw. Hitting their straps at the exact time they need to be.

Predicted points total: 70 (8 more)
Still on track, but the next two fixtures against the Rags and Arsenal will be crucial. Both teams look a bit shaky as well — United have picked up just one point in the last two matches and it took Arsenal 95 minutes to defeat Wolves last week, before losing to Spurs this morning. But even using the very conservative estimate of one point from these fixtures, City are still very much on track. One win out of the next two games makes the task that much easier.

5. Tottenham Hotspur
Games played: 33 (same as City)
Goal difference: +27 (one less than City)
Recent form: 4 wins, 1 loss. 12 points from 15 possible.
Position: Stronger
Points: 61 (one less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
H Chelsea (1st)
A Manchester United (2nd)
H Bolton (15th)
A Manchester City (4th)
A Burnley (19th)

A good win overnight against Arsenal, one that was not accounted for in the predictions. Two weeks ago however, Spurs had a nine-goal advantage over City — they now sit one goal behind. With the battle expected to go right down to the wire, fourth spot could feasibly come down to goal difference.

Predicted points total: 69 (8 more)
Wins against Bolton and Burnley, and maybe a draw at home to Chelsea and away to City. But that might still not be enough. With Aaron Lennon out for the rest of the season, it might be a bridge too far for Spurs. The penultimate game of the season at Eastlands continues to look more like a Cup final every day.

6. Liverpool
Games played: 34 (one more than City)
Goal difference: +21 (three less than City)
Recent form: 2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss. 8 points from 15 possible.
Position: Gone
Points: 56 (six less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
H West Ham United (17th)
A Burnley (19th)
H Chelsea (1st)
A Hull City (18th)

Season over for Liverpool. Even if they win all of their remaining fixtures (which looks more and more unlikely at this stage), they will still fall well short of the 70-or-so points required for Champions League qualification. And if they weren't playing relegation-fodder at the end of the season, this could have been very embarrassing for Liverpool.

Predicted points total: 65 (9 more)
Wins against the lowly ranked West Ham, Burnley, or Hull don't even look likely at this stage. Europa league — if they're lucky.

7. Aston Villa
Games played: 33 (same as City)
Goal difference: +12 (12 worse off than City)
Recent form: 1 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss. 6 points from 15 possible.
Position: Weaker
Points: 55 (seven less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
A Portsmouth (20th)
A Hull City (18th)
H Birmingham City (9th)
A Manchester City (4th)
A Blackburn Rovers (11th)

A draw against Everton was expected — however Villa are running out of games to make a charge. With the exception of City, they don't play too many difficult teams, but they have a brutal schedule in which four of the final games are away from home. And the home game they do have is the Birmingham derby — and you could hardly see that being a push over.

Predicted points total: 65 (10 more)
Wins at Portsmouth, Hull, and Birmingham, with a draw to Blackburn. The season for Villa will most likely be over by the time they travel to Ewood Park for the final match. Again, a crucial game against City looms in the last week.

The Fearless Prediction
Four teams has become three, and if Villa slip up in the next few weeks, it will be down two. Both City and Tottenham play teams in the top three in the next two weeks — City play United and Arsenal, Spurs play Chelsea and United — so any points gained in these fixtures will be at a premium. It's still in Manchester City's hands at this point, but Tottenham are well-placed if City slip up.

The Race For Fourth — 6 games to go

It's been a week since we last tried to predict who had the advantage in the all-important battle for the final Champions League position. What effect did the weekend's results have on the race for fourth?

4. Manchester City
Games played: 32
Goal difference: +24 (+5 on last week)
Recent form: 3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. 10 points from 15 possible.
Position: Stronger
Points: 59

Upcoming fixtures:
H Birmingham City (9th)
H Manchester United (2nd)
A Arsenal (3rd)
H Aston Villa (7th)
H Tottenham Hotspur (5th)
A West Ham United (17th)

City blew out the cobwebs with an emphatic 6-1 victory away to Burnley — and the score could have quite feasibly reached double-figures if not for the inclement weather. In addition to the five goals City scored in the first half, Johnson and Tevez hit the post, and AJ crossed into the head of a defender with both Adebayor and Tevez unmarked in front of goal. A win at Burnley was expected — although the margin of victory wasn't.

Predicted points total: 70 (11 more)
City picked up the three points they were expected to. They will still need to defeat Birmingham, Villa, and West Ham, and draw against Tottenham, to reach the initial target of 69 points. However, this assumes that City will not gain anything from the matches against Manchester United and Arsenal — but on the weekend both sides showed that they are more vulnerable than their league position suggests. I think on form, at least one point from these matches will be possible.

5. Tottenham Hotspur
Games played: 32 (same as City)
Goal difference: +26 (just two better than City)
Recent form: 4 wins, 1 loss. 12 points from 15 possible.
Position: Weaker
Points: 58 (one less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
H Arsenal (3rd)
H Chelsea (1st)
A Manchester United (2nd)
H Bolton (15th)
A Manchester City (4th)
A Burnley (19th)

What a difference a week makes. Tottenham had a clear advantage last week, sitting above Manchester City in the table and with a goal difference that looked fairly difficult to overcome. However, due to a 3-1 loss at Sunderland, this advantage has all but been eroded. And truth be told, Tottenham were lucky not to lose by more, with Black Cats' striker Darren Bent missing twice from the spot.

Predicted points total: 66 (8 more)
Tottenham were expected to beat Sunderland, so this comes as a setback to Spurs. Victories against Bolton and Burnley should be somewhat elementary — however Spurs still have to play each of the four teams above them on the table, with only two of those matches at home. It's hard to say with any confidence that they'll take many (if any) points from those games. However, I will say that they'll pick up a point at home to Arsenal and away to City, giving them a total of 66.

6. Liverpool
Games played: 33 (one more than City)
Goal difference: +21 (three less than City)
Recent form: 2 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses. 7 points from 15 possible.
Position: Weaker
Points: 55 (four less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
H Fulham (12th)
H West Ham United (17th)
A Burnley (19th)
H Chelsea (2nd)
A Hull City (18th)

As we've mentioned, Liverpool have the kindest draw of all those remaining, and still have play three of the bottom four teams. However, they're quickly running out of games. Even if they do manage to win all of their remaining fixtures — which on current form is extremely unlikely — that's only a maximum total of 15 points, which still may not be enough to overcome the teams around them.

Predicted points total: 68 (13 more)
Wins at Fulham, West Ham, Burnley, and Hull, with a possible draw against Chelsea. But they don't have anything to work with — any less than maximum points in all of their remaining fixtures and it's pretty much season over for the Dippers.

7. Aston Villa
Games played: 32 (same as City)
Goal difference: +12 (12 worse off than City)
Recent form: 2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss. 8 points from 15 possible.
Position: Stronger
Points: 54 (five less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
H Everton (8th)
A Portsmouth (20th)
A Hull City (18th)
H Birmingham City (9th)
A Manchester City (4th)
A Blackburn Rovers (11th)

Villa kept their slim Champions League ambitions alive with a tidy victory at Bolton — and don't have too many difficult games to come. However, only two of their last six games are at home. It could really go either way for Villa — but they may just be too far behind City to make a charge.

Predicted points total: 67 (13 more)
Wins at Portsmouth, Hull, Birmingham, and Blackburn, while drawing at home to Everton. They're in a similar position to Liverpool though in which they have to win just about all of their remaining games. The game against City though will be one of the most crucial of the season.

The Fearless Prediction
The main advantage that Manchester City has over Tottenham and Liverpool is the "flexibility" in their run home. For instance, if City were for some reason to slip up and lose to Birmingham, there would be a great chance to pick up those points elsewhere, like against Manchester United or Spurs at home.

However, if Tottenham were to lose a match they were expected to win, such as that at home to Bolton, to make up those three points they would have to pick up a victory against one of the current top-four because of their incredibly difficult draw. And if Liverpool were to drop points in the same circumstances, because of their easy draw, there is little opportunity to get those points back that they were expected to get. (This makes sense in my head, although I can't explain it...)

And as for Villa, although they've made up some ground on those above them, they're probably a little too far back to make a charge for fourth. An away win over City though, would put them well in the mix.

So with six games to go, Manchester City are in pole position — but not home by any means.

Everyone's "Coming Home" for Derby Day!

The previously discussed Etihad 'Coming Home' competition has closed, and the winners are David and Steve Salt from Toronto, Canada. You can read a bit more about his win here, and read his original entry here.

It's a little bit ironic I guess that the Salt boys won — we submitted our entry for the Sydney Blues in the lead-up to the Liverpool home match, only to be devastated to find out that David's entry was selected ahead of us! And let's be honest, it's a fantastic story, with plenty of colour. It's well worth the read.

They ran a great facebook campaign, without resorting to spamming message boards and the City facebook like some other entries. They're deserving winners and we wish them both all the best.

In other Derby news, the amazing Ste (Ticket for Schalke) has been running a campaign on Manchester City forum 'Bluemoon' to get 75-year-old finalist Gordon Love over for the match.

The young lad has scraped together about £1100 in donations from the Bluemoon site and a facebook group to shout Gordon a flight from Melbourne to Manchester, but he could do with a bit more. If you want to help out, you can use the Donate button on the bottom right of this blog, and 100% of donations will be forwarded on to the fund.

It's people like Ste who make City great — who go out of their way to help fellow Blues. That's why, despite our new-found riches, we're still the real family club (sod Everton).

In addition to the Salts and Gordon, there will now be a total of three Sydney Blues at the match! Gav (the somewhat portly gentleman featured in our 'Coming Home' video) deciding that he too would like to go to the Derby — so he booked a flight on Thursday and is currently on his way to Abu Dhabi.

The lucky sod also managed to talk his way into an upgrade to business class, solely based on the fact he was wearing a City kit with 'Etihad' emblazoned on it at the time! So he joins fellow Cheers Bar regulars Andeh and Adz at the match in two weeks time. At this rate, there will be more Blues from Cheers Bar than in the actual bar come kick-off!

Speaking of which, don't forget the Derby is in two weeks time, kicking off at the delicious time of 9:45pm in Sydney. So there's no excuse — if you've never been to Cheers for a match, this is a fantastic opportunity to get involved. There'll be more info posted about this in the coming days.