Sydney Blues Blog

WBA 0 City 0: Never has there been such finesse and nostalgia...

2011-12-30T04:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, you're eyes are not deceiving you — it's a new post on Lesson In Pride, months after apparently giving up on the lucrative career of professional football blogging (and how can you possibly compete with the 'tatical' observations of one Duncan Jenkins?).

It may seem strange that with the many amazing events that City have been involved in over the past six months or so — qualification to the Champions League, winning the FA Cup, leading the top division at Christmas for the first time since 1929, and of course, the small matter of beating the Rags 1-6 at Vermin Towers — it's a turgid, frustrating draw away at the Hawthorns that has finally inspired me to get behind the keyboard. Okay, it's the culmination of a few things, but yes, that 0-0 is the catalyst for this post.

I haven't done mountains of research into this, and I am more than happy to stand corrected — but I'm convinced that fanzines and blogs are more active when the team is doing poorly than doing well.

Whether people can't be bothered to devote a lot of time and effort to something that will be read by a few hundred people (at best), or the ease of use of Twitter (people's attention spans can be maintained over 140 characters more often than over a whole post), or whether blogging is just not the done thing anymore — but it can't be a coincidence that so many quality Manchester City blogs (as well as this one) have fallen by the wayside over the past couple of seasons. A simple scroll down the fan-sites on mcfc.co.uk will show a large percentage that now lie dormant.

Following City these days is a much different proposition than it once was. Not better, certainly not worse, but different. I know It certainly doesn't seem as fun as it once was. I suppose there's more pressure when you're expected to pick up three points every week, not just enough points to stay up for another season.

There's the constant questioning of your support — worse still if you're an overseas supporter with no trace of a Mancunian accent (keeping an old SeasonCard on your person is a good deterrent from accusations of bandwagon support).

There's the unrealistic expectations of some supporters (whether or not they have been supporters prior to 2008 is another question), who believe the sky is falling just because we've dropped points away to West Brom. Christ, in 2005 we would have been celebrating that solitary point well into January...

Conversely, there's the 'York Away' brigade, who debunk any criticism of the team and their performance with "we're in the top four, just think of where we were back in 1998 and be thankful". As generous as Sheikh Mansour is, I don't think he's spent the GDP of South America to languish in the lower divisions playing Huddersfield Town and Carlisle.

It may be difficult to explain, but the result at West Brom was a reassuring one. Typical City™ hadn't reared it's ugly head for a while, but there it was at the Hawthorns. The pangs of nostalgia I felt when we were chasing a decisive, game winning goal (which would of course never eventuate) were uncanny. As good as it is to win matches by four and five goals (and boy is it good), there's a different kind of emotion when searching for the one goal that you know will decide the match, and the anticipation that comes with it.

I'd like to think I fall somewhere in between the Chicken Littles and the Happy Clappers, and it concerns me that there seems to be these two distinct elements of our support. But I think the exact point where I thought "you know what, this isn't what I signed up for" was in the pub at 3am against Norwich, where a chorus of fans in this season's City kit (none of whom I had seen before) started a stomach-curdling chant of "Now you're gonna believe us/we're going to buy the league".

Gaining new supporters, or worse, bandwagon-jumpers is inevitable as we become a more successful football team and a better club. However, if the majority of our support can remain grounded whilst things are going well, yet level-headed and measured when things are not, then City will hopefully never be as plastic and soulless as that mob up the road.

Merry Topofthetablemas, and Happy Blue Year. Sorry for rambling. And here's to posting more often.

Sydney Blues Blog

2011-10-03T16:31:00.001-07:00

Sydney Blues Blog

Can you please do us Aussie fans a quick favour?

2011-05-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, it's time for more VOTING!

Except this time, it's not to get us a free junket to the other side of the world. You'll be doing City fans all around the country a favour.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/premier-league/foxsportscomau-gives-users-the-chance-to-vote-on-which-barclays-premier-league-matches-to-broadcast/story-e6frf4a3-1226056393366

Fox Sports, the Australian broadcaster, only has the rights (and capability) to show five fixtures on the final day. Unless the Bolton v City match is one of the five selected, then we won't have the chance to celebrate the conclusion of a successful season with a live screening of the game.

So click the link, click the game, and you're done.

Ta very much!

City 2 West Ham 1; and a gratuitous Bin Laden reference...

2011-05-03T05:35:00.000-07:00

Manchester City look to have all but secured Champions League qualification (you can read a bit more about that below) after grinding out a 2-1 victory over bottom-placed club West Ham United. And with Manchester United and Tottenham failing to pick up a point between them, a good weekend quickly turned into a great one for City fans. And Arsenal fans too, I suppose. Well, except for one, of course...

Manchester City were always going to be too strong for West Ham considering the difference in league position, and of course the matter of City having spent almost as much money on players in the off season as the US had in Afghanistan etc...

The task was made even tougher for West Ham before the clash, with Scott Parker missing the match ~~to sign a contract with Tottenham~~ with injury. Not even director David Sullivan could be bothered making the trip up to the match, such was his resignation to the outcome. But aside from a calamitous opening fifteen minutes, in which even the goal-shy Nigel de Jong managed to get on the goal sheet (and not from a mistimed slide tackle, amazingly), the Hammers didn't disgrace themselves by any means.

They could have concievably drawn the game too, had Carlton Cold's late effort found the net. It seems quite apt that a player with that name goes around for West Ham. Just like the beer, the Hammers were a lot bigger in the 90's and struggle to remain relevant today. And I'd hardly describe anything they do on the football pitch as "crisp"...

Carlton Cole — definitely a poor man's Becks...

It looks like "that's yer lot" as far as West Ham go for this season. Professional-overseer-of-relegations and Toad-From-Toad-Hall-understudy, Avram Grant, is still of the belief his side can amass 39 points and avoid relegation — if their season followed that same trajectory (seven points in the next three games) they'd be leading the league by 16 points.

Of course, the chances of that happening are about as likely as those of him being around to celebrate when they eventually attain that tally, in September 2012, are about as unlikely as Nigel de Jong ever scor... oh.

The Race For Fourth (Or Third?) — 4 games to go.

2011-05-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

Manchester City moved within touching distance of the all-important Champions League place, courtesy of a 2-1 victory over West Ham. Coupled with Tottenham's recent failures against West Bromich Albion and Chelsea, fourth place is really City's to throw away.

It's at this point where the maths become extremely simple.

Tottenham sit on 55 points, with four matches to play — and two of those are formidable fixtures against City and Liverpool away from home.

The absolute most points they can amass from those fixtures is twelve, which would bring their total to 67. Therefore, with Manchester City currently sitting on 62, and with a vastly superior goal difference to the chasing pack — all it will take is five more points from the next four fixtures for City to be almost mathematically certain (massive goal-difference swing aside) of finishing in the top four.

Even the most pessimistic fan would find it hard to devise a scenario where City could now miss out on qualification. Being as conservative as possible, Manchester City should pick up a minimum of four points from the final four fixtures.

Both Everton and Tottenham have presented many problems for City in the past, so it's difficult to predict wins against either of the two — as long as City don't lose on 10 May against Spurs at Eastlands, then qualifcation is all but assured.

4. Manchester City

Games played: 34
Goal difference: +22
Recent form: 4 wins, and 2 losses. 12 points from the last 18 (4th).
Points: 62

Upcoming Fixtures:

A Everton (7th)

H Tottenham (6th)

FA Cup Final: Stoke City

H Stoke City (10th)

A Bolton (8th)

Predicted points total: 66 (4 more)

5. Liverpool
Games played: 35
Goal difference: +15 (7 worse off than City)
Recent form: 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. 13 points from the last 18 (2nd).
Points: 55 (seven behind City)

Upcoming Fixtures:

A Fulham (9th)

H Tottenham Hotspur (6th)

A Aston Villa (13th)

Predicted points total: 62 (7 more)

6. Tottenham Hotspur
Games played: 34
Goal difference: +7 (15 worse off than City)
Recent form: 1 win, 4 draws, and 1 loss. 7 points from the last 18 (13th).
Points: 55 (seven behind City)

Upcoming Fixtures:

H Blackpool (17th)

A Manchester City (4th)

A Liverpool (5th)

H Birmingham City (15th)

Predicted points total: 63 (8 more)

The M-word Debate: Tin Hat Time

2011-04-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

It's important (and the done thing, reading other blog posts) to preface this post by saying most certainly do not agree with or sing about Munich — especially the 'Runway' song, and I tend not to refer flippantly to the Rags by that particular term either. Of course, calling them Munichs is just about as geographically accurate as calling them Mancs...

But unlike many others, I don't see how the now-infamous song belted out on Monday night at Ewood Park has manage to cause an international incident.

There is a section City support who refer to fans of Manchester United as "Munichs". There are many City supporters who say they would never chant anything unpleasant or inflammatory about Munich but see no issue with using the word itself as shorthand for United and their supporters. On Monday night, there were several thousand of them. If the 1958 disaster is not being mocked, or directly referenced, then is the term in isolation offensive? Certainly distasteful, but no more so than racist/homophobic chants towards opposition players or fans?

Manchester United fans have sung about Hillsborough. They've mocked Marc Vivien Foe. They've mocked the Leeds fans who were stabbed in Turkey. It's not a valid argument to justify any form of offensive chanting, just because they're the ones wot done it too — but there is more than one guilty party in this equation.

Most curiously, I have witnessed (with my own eyes) United fans almost goading City fans into singing about the disaster, by themselves making aeroplane gestures — undoubtedly in the hope that they can claim pantomime outrage when a City fan returns the favour.

Perhaps when United cease using the disaster to their advantage, and City fans cease referring to a Bavarian beer-loving town in an unnecessary wind-up, the chants will stop. And then the perished can finally rest in peace.

Hopefully, that day will be soon. City fans who are against the references to Munich can do their bit and not sing about it. There will be some that do — but ultimately, that's their choice.

I'd prefer if we didn't though. We cop enough unnecessary and unsubstantiated flak in the media as it is — let's not give anyone anymore ammo. Be impeccable.

Manchester Remembers — brought to you by AIG.

Spotted: Sydney Blue at Wembers!

2011-04-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

The inside back of yesterday's Daily Telegraph (the Australian one), featured Fox Sports commentator, Sydney Blues hall-of-famer, and all-round top bloke, Simon Hill, giving his all from the stands at the semi-final of the FA Cup Sponsored By Ian.

Simon will be one of the several Australian Blues making the pilgrimage to London for the final, so if you spot the man at The Roundabout/The Green Man/Wembers (and he's not hard to miss, with him being 6'4" and all), buy him a pint.

Nice one Si!

Bobby Manc: World's Sexiest Athlete?

2011-04-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

No, not Roberto. Although he is fairly dapper. And those flowing locks... *swoon*

Anyway, here is Roberta Mancino, who I'm assuming is either a relative of Roberto, or the alias he uses at 2am on Canal Street...

Mancino is a BASE jumper/sky-diver. And I know what you're thinking. Yes, she's done it in the nude. Wow!

Some fairly NSFW links are below
http://www.mensfitness.com/advice/hot-women/roberta-mancino
http://www.totalprosports.com/2010/11/12/roberta-mancino-named-the-sexiest-female-athlete-pics/

This eez important!

The Race For Fourth (Or Third?) — 6 games to go.

2011-04-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

Whilst many people have talked about the unpredictability of this season, there have been some elements that have been painfully too familiar.

United cantering to another title, despite being written off as "not that good" and "past it" — a mistake people have been making for years — and unfortunately, players such as Bryan Riggs and Paul "I got there as soon as I could" Scholes are still able to have an impact, despite their combined age of 104.

Arsenal playing the best short-pass-tippy-tap-tippy-tap-olé-olé football this side of Barcelona (and Brisbane Roar), but finding ways to throw away points that even Manchester City haven't thought of yet. It's amazing they're still anywhere near the title race, considering they've thrown away a four goal lead at Newcastle, conceded a 102nd minute equaliser against Liverpool, and lead by two goals in both fixtures against Tottenham, only for the games to finish 2-3 and 3-3 respectively.

And as for City... after spending more on new players this year than the entire GDP of Kiribati, we find ourselves in the exact same quagmire that we did last season — a battle for fourth place with Spurs, including a ding-dong winner-takes-all home play-off in the final days of the campaign.

Using a bit of statistical analysis and plain old guesswork, we've tried to predict how the season will turn out.

4. Manchester City

Games played: 32
Goal difference: +20
Recent form: 2 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses. 7 points from the last 18.
Points: 56

Upcoming Fixtures:

A Blackburn (16th)

H West Ham United (19th)

A Everton (7th)

H Tottenham (5th)

FA Cup Final: Stoke City

H Stoke City (13th)

A Bolton (8th)

Predicted points total: 66 (10 more)

Trying to be as realistic/conservative as possible, Manchester City should pick up at least ten points from the final six fixtures.

Winning the next two matches would mean that City would be in the box seat for qualification to the Champions League. However, Blackburn and West Ham are both in danger of relegation — and of course, matches against relegation threatened teams are notoriously tough at this stage of the season. And West Ham have the same results as City over the last six matches (2-1-3 for seven points), so they're not to be taken lightly. Having said that, with the Blues on a high from their recent FA Cup semi final win, these two teams should present little danger for City.

The games against Everton and Tottenham however, may present a problem. Both are teams that we City struggled to beat in recent seasons — we've lost four on the trot at home against both clubs. There is also a short turn-around between the two games to consider (the Everton game is on Saturday, the Spurs game just two clear days later on the Tuesday), which means that Mancini may be forced to rest key players like David Silva and Nigel de Jong ahead of the clash against Tottenham. City may only take one point from these two fixtures — if any.

The game against Stoke, just three days after the FA Cup final against the same opponents is an interesting prospect. Especially when a Manchester City win could inversely help Stoke qualify for the Europa League by virtue of being the Cup runners-up and the winner (City) qualifying for the Champions League.

Conservatively, we've predicted that City will only win one of the last two fixtures — a win against Stoke and a defeat at Bolton (most likely on the back of goals to Daniel Sturridge and Martin Petrov). Even so, City should manage enough points to sneak ahead of Spurs, even with a defeat at the Reebok.

There's still a slight chance that City can even overhaul Arsenal and claim third place. The Gunners have drawn five of the last six games, with the only winning coming against the hapless Blackpool. But ultimately, success in the FA Cup, and reaching the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot should be the main focus for the team and the fans.

And I'm sure we'd all take that if offered.

5. Tottenham Hotspur
Games played: 32
Goal difference: +8 (12 worse off than City)
Recent form: 1 win, 4 draws, and 1 loss. 7 points from the last 18.
Points: 54 (two behind City)

Upcoming Fixtures:

H West Bromich Albion (11th)

A Chelsea (2nd)

H Blackpool (18th)

A Manchester City (4th)

A Liverpool (6th)

H Birmingham City (15th)

Predicted points total: 65 (11 more)
For the second consecutive season, an away match against Manchester City will be key in deciding fourth place — and we know what happened last time. But wins against West Brom, Blackpool, and Birmingham, with draws at City and Liverpool, should see Tottenham fall one point short.

Rags in Sydney — They Do Exist!

2011-04-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

I usually leave the "merciless slagging of opposition supporters" to the tosser at Republik of Mancunia (don't visit the site, it's bad for your health), but I couldn't resist on this occasion. I stumbled upon this on Saturday night... it's a membership form for the Manchester United Supporters Club of NSW.

Until now, it was only rumour that this organisation still existed — considering they can't even get a team together to play in the five-a-side tournaments anymore. After a quick perusal at this membership form, it's no wonder why they're so anonymous.

Now at the Sydney Blues, I know we've always tried to be as inclusive as possible and it's never been about making money. It's about getting as many people in Blue shirts yelling at a television screen as possible, and spreading the word about City in a country infested by Rags.

We offered scarves this season (which went down a treat apparently, considering we ordered thirty and have none left), as a way for fans to spread the word all over the globe. They've been sighted in Manchester a few time since, and even popped up in Ukraine and Greece.

Meanwhile, the Sydney Rags supporters club apparently has the hide to charge $60 a season for a membership card, and er... a t-shirt. And a monthly magazine.

Unfortunately, we don't offer a snazzy membership card, but you do get a lifetime subscription to this fine website. And the pleasure of our company, of course.

Next season, we will most likely have "proper" membership (yes, you can get a card if you like), and that will also entitle us to a place in the queue for tickets, in case we feel like a pilgrimage to Wembers again.

Rest assured, it won't be $60. How obscene.

[Edit by Gav - we weren't going to link to their site, but this is too good to pass up -http://www.manutdnsw.com/gallery/supporters-tournament.html have a look at the final photo of the set. Check out Sydney Blue stalwart, Brendo doing some awesome photbombing!!!]

City 1 Rags 0: We're the famous Sydney Blues and we're going to Wembley!

2011-04-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

Normally, we'd do some kind of post-match postmortem, using big words and ham-fisted analogies to make some sort of judgment or comment about the game.

We won't do with this game for a number of reasons — the most pertinent of which is that I don't actually remember that much about the game. I know Berbatov missed a couple of sitters in the space of a couple of seconds. I think we did actually score a goal (that happened, didn't it?), and I remember Wigan winning away at Blackpool because I had them on my multi. Apart from that, nothing.

The one thing that will always remain with me was the sheer unbridled ecstasy of Yaya Toure's goal. I don't think anyone there has celebrated like that in their lives! I had a half full beer at the time, where that went afterwards is anybody's guess. Rohan probably wore it, most likely.

We've had countless nights at Cheers in the past, and this was probably the biggest yet. I would say most memorable, but again I (and I suspect many others), don't remember that much about it.

So to everyone who joined in with the laughs, the songs ("Can you hear United sing? No, noooo.... shooooooooooooooooooooosh"), and the many renditions of the Poznan, thanks for coming down. I know there were some new faces I've never seen before, I'll try to remember your names next time you're down there and I'm more sober. Especially "Troy Dann" in his bloody big hat.

You're all legends.

More photos from the night are on the Lesson In Pride facebook page, here.

Liverpool 3 City 0: You build me up, just to tear me down...

2011-04-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

You would have thought after all these years of supporting City, we'd have learned by now.

How many tiiiiiiiimes (Sydney Blues in-joke right there) have we thought "maybe, just maybe, this is the end of Typical City™".

All we need to do is beat Middlesbrough and we're in Europe. Bring on the trophies.
We've been taken over by a Thai Prime-Minister, we're set for life. Bring on the trophies.
We're in the top four at Christmas, sign Sven up for life. Bring on the trophies.
We've been taken over by rich Arabs and they've just bought Robinho. Bring on the trophies.
We've just smacked Sunderland, get past Liverpool and we'll smack the Rags in the FA Cup. *This* time, we'll take home a trophy.

We fell for it. Again.

So just when we'd thought the Blues had turned the corner after the 5-0 demolition of Sunderland, Mancini's men put up one of the meekest displays seen this season, as they were beaten ~~like a Southport DJ who refused to play Phil Collins~~ convincingly by three goals to nil.

However, a sight more heart-breaking than any opposition scoreline was that of Carlos Estevez trudging up the tunnel with a hamstring injury that almost certainly will keep him out of the FA Cup semi final on Saturday.

In situations like this, it's important to try and keep a sense of perspective about things, and not over-react. Many of the same City fans that were calling Mancini a tactical genius last week are now calling for his head.

"We did not play for the first 20 minutes, when Liverpool played very well. But tonight I made some mistakes, so it is my fault. The players could do better, but I made mistakes."

"I’m sorry for the fans, because we only started to play after 20 minutes. It’s for me to know what I did."

"Liverpool started quickly, they are strong at home and we conceded a lot of chances to them early. After that we played, but not in the first 20 minutes. With all the other teams having won at the weekend, it was important to win this game but it is important we forget this and prepare for the semi final." said Mancini, conveniently overlooking the fact that we played shit in minutes 21 through 93, as well.

Although it was nice to see him admit that defeat was his fault (although there were not many players who could hold their heads up after that performance either), how about accepting responsibility for the fact we're on track for a lower points tally than last season despite spending over £100 million?

I really don't want to turn this into a slag-the-manager/slag-the-players post. Because that's not what this website, or indeed the Sydney Blues, is about. There's enough people out there tripping over themselves to put shit on the club as it is — and some of them even claim to be City fans. But there is I one burning issue I have with the manager — and it would be interesting to see if I can ask him this in the flesh (without hearing the words "important", "strange", or "this is a football").

How come every crunch game, every must-win game, every game where something big is on the line — we fuck it up? And it can't be chalked off as another occurrence of Typical City™.

I can't think of him winning an absolutely critical game. I know loads that we've lost. Carling Cup semi second leg, Rags at home, Tottenham at home, Everton at home, Rags away, Kiev away and home, Chelsea away, Liverpool away and etc and so forth.

The manager has this weekend to prove us wrong. Save your job Roberto — and more importantly, save our season.

Carlos Tevez Nominated for Player of the Year Award. Rightly so?

2011-04-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

City's talismanic captain Carlos Tevez has been nominated for the prestigious PFA (Professional Footballers' Association) Player of the Year gong. The rest of the players on the shortlist are:

Charlie Adam (Plucky Little Blackpool)
Gareth Bale (Tottenham Globetrotters)
Samir Nasri (Arse)
Scott Parker (West Ham United)
Nemanja Vidic (Rags)

Whilst Tevez's contribution has undoubtedly been instrumental in this season's campaign, I find it hard to agree that he's been the most influential member of our team, let alone the entire Premier League. He has contributed nineteen goals in the league, but is in a bit of a rut recently (by his standards anyway), having just scored twice in the last ten appearances in all competitions.

I also have some questions about other members of the shortlist — namely Charlie Adam — who started the season with a bang (great for those of us smart enough to pick the lad in fantasy football), but it's no coincidence that as Adam has faded over the course of the season, so have Blackpool.

Additionally, the nomination of Gareth Bale (on the back of THREE GOALS IN MILAN!!!11!! LOL TAXI FOR MAICON!!!1!!) proves that the Tottenham Globetrotters circle-jerk is still alive and well, despite Spurs losing by four goals in Madrid this morning. Of course, it would be no great surprise if he did win, considering Bryan Riggs won the award two seasons ago on the back of twelve appearances and one (!) league goal.

So in response, our completely non-partisan and unbiased nominations for the LIP Player of the Year, are as follows:

Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)
Nani (Manchester United)
Kevin Nolan (Newcastle United)
Samir Nasri (Arsenal)
Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham Hotspur)
Javier 'Chickenburrito' Hernandez (Manchester United)
Honourable mention: David Silva (Manchester City)

Have we got it even more wrong? Let us know.

City 5 Sunderland 0: Blood on the dance floor...

2011-04-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

There's something magical about a big Manchester City win. You just can't beat it. On the back of one ninety-minute display of "totale calcio" by City, the dark clouds of an deteriorating 2010-11 season quickly disappeared, to be replaced by a glorious, intense double rainbow.

Last week, fourth looked a million miles away. Now, with that win, plus just about every team in our vicinity failing (draws to Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham, plus defeats to Liverpool and Bolton. Unfortunately the Rags won, but annoyingly, they've been nigh on invincible all season). We have a big chance to make history, and it's time for City fans to keep the faith.

Yes, it may have been a five-nil thriller — but it was only Sunderland. A team that has been in free-fall since selling Darren Bent in January. A team that has not scored in seven hours of football since February 12, and has collected one point in the last twenty-one available. It's not that impressive a result, really.

Not everything is black and white in football — indeed, the scoreline sometimes does not tell the whole story, and can often unfairly flatter or shame a team. In this case, the winning margin was not so much of importance, rather the manner of victory was. We looked dangerous every time we had the ball. It's very difficult to remember the time we dominated a match so convincingly.

You are not alone if you believe that Roberto Mancini and his tactics are too defensive/negative/Italian. There have been occasions this season where he has definitely told players to keep it in the closet, rather than go all out for the win. However, it's a myth that is easily believed by the tabloid junkies — just like the one about the Tottenham Globetrotters being some bastion of good old-fashioned attacking football, despite scoring less goals than all three promoted clubs this season.

Now that the team is back from an international break — and the manager can no longer peddle the tired "we are tired" excuse — we saw a different Manchester City. And it's no surprise that we looked so good in the first match of Adam Johnson's return (scoring nine minutes in was definitely not a bad way to signal it either), plus with Yaya Toure in a slightly deeper role in defensive midfield, and dare I say it, without Gumboots Gaz to slow everything down.

Mancini is now in a bit of a jam. Does he stick with the tactics that have so far led the side to third in the league and the semis of the FA Cup Sponsored By Ian, or does he go with this new cavalier attitude that we saw against Sunderland against the better sides like Liverpool and United? Seven games left in the league (one of which we'll be there in the flesh), and it's already shaping up to be a grand finale. I have butterflies already!

In honour of Mohammed al-Fayed's curious decision to build a statue of Michael Jackson at Craven Cottage, this post is littered with MJJ song titles. How many can you find? Leave the answer in the comments. Shamone!

Could City's "tiredness" and "defensive crisis" been avoided?

2011-03-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

The rather meaningless international break — or 'Interlull' as it's more appropriately called — is usually looked forward to as a chance to recharge the batteries towards the end of a busy campaign (especially in days gone past, where we didn't exactly have a whole host of international stars... we might have sent Paulo Wanchope to a CONCACAF qualifier occasionally).

But with today's City consisting almost entirely of full-team or Under-21 internationals, there is always the possibility of one or two coming back crocked. Last season, it was Robinho and Tevez, now apparently it's Micah Richards and Jerome Boateng.

It's a big blow for Maicon, who is arguably our most improved player from the season before. He'll likely be out of the game for a month, but has even resorted to setting up a Michael Jackson-esque oxygen tent in his house in a bid to speed his recovery.

"It is not what I wanted to hear at all," lamented Richards, in a quote we lifted directly off the Official Site.

"I felt sick when I was told. I knew from experience when I did it that it felt like a bad one but I was hoping for the best."

City's defensive options were weakened further with the news that Jerome Boateng suffered a knee injury ~~breaking into a jog for once~~ training with the German squad.

Coupled with the absence of Pablo Zabaleta (who had returned to Argentina to visit his gravely ill father) and Kolo Toure (who is now the face of Subway's 'six sandwiches with six grams of fat or less' ad campaign in the Ivory Coast), City are down to the bare-bones defensively. It is suggested that Derrick Boyata and the uncapped Reece Wabara will join the squad for the next match against Sunderland.

Exiled-blue Chief Ned Onuoha is currently on loan with the Black Cats, and thus is not allowed to play in the contest.

In football injures are to be expected, and a to a degree, planned for (although drug suspensions and family bereavement certainly aren't), perhaps some questions need to be asked about Roberto Mancini's loan policy.

What would we give to have Onuoha lining up at right back this weekend? Or Bellamy giving us some fresh legs (well, as fresh as those 31-year-old knees could be) in the last twenty minutes when we desperately need a goal? Or Emmanuel Adebayor getting caught offside for the tenth time in the match? Or Wayne Bridge... doing whatever Wayne Bridge does?

There's almost a full team (a total of ten players) plying their trades at other clubs — many of whom at City's expense — who could at least be giving us another option instead of Yaya Toure slogging his guts out for 90 minutes every single match.

It could well be the difference between third and fifth.

Etihad Coming Home: We (well, you) did it!

2011-03-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not have noticed (I'm going to go with the former, considering we've been flogging it like a Flemington favourite for the past six weeks), we were finalists in the Etihad Coming Home competition, in which two fans could win a trip back to Eastlands for a match.

We're still waiting on the final word from the Official Site, but by all accounts (ie. email confirmation), we did it!

We haven't got exact details yet, but the game that we will 'come home' to is the clash against Spurs, which has been rescheduled for 10 May.

We thought we were in a with a chance, considering our visible our campaign has been, but never did we think we could actually win. Especially when last years' winner, David and Steve Salt, accrued over 20% of 8000 votes. How were we ever going to get two-thousand-or-so votes?

Thank you to everyone who voted and campaigned on our behalf, and commiserations to the other entrants — it's just a shame Ol' Sheikhy can't put his hand in his pocket to send them all

over.

Now for the Academy Award-style speech... feel free to leave now...

We'd like to thank:

The fellow members of the Sydney Blues, and especially Brendo The Jet, for without whom there would be no club.
Sydney Blues-in-exile Andeh, Adam, and Bri for getting behind the bid — we need to catch up for a pint of Coopers (if they have it) in Manchester.
Fellow City bloggers Jack from TLDORC and Danny from Bitter and Blue for giving us a shout-out.
Christian and the team from The Football Sack, as well as Lee from Footy Fans Down Under.
The two sexiest men in Australian television, Ricky M and Frank (you're wasted on 513 Ienco...)
Ricardinho and Damo from the Bluemoon forum for letting us campaign there, as well as Dave Mooney from the Bluemoon Podcast for plugging us mercilessly.
Rozzi and the crew from Bluewatch forum — pints will definitely be distributed at Mary D's lads.
Members of the 'Send Blue Roo Home' facebook page, and the various Facebookers and Twittererers who voted or encouraged others to do so.
A very special thanks to Monnie and honourary Sydney Blue, Steve Kinsey, for their campaigning at various pubs and football matches.
Lastly, every person that voted, and especially the loyal readers (all twelve of you) of the Lesson In Pride blog.

And of course, it wouldn't be an acceptance speech without thanking the academy, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and God Bless America!

[VID] Archive footage: Tottenham Globetrotters v West Ham

2011-03-20T23:55:00.000-07:00

LiP has managed to get our hands on some exclusive archived footage, believed to be of one of the most cavalier sides of their era — the Tottenham Globetrotters.

The Globetrotters were said to be a breath of fresh air, at a time where dour, scarf-wearing foreigners were boring the pants off spectators. With Gareth Bale, the bestest left-back come left-midfielder in the world to call on, Tottenham were soon banging in goals for fun with their ultra-attacking, devil-may-care attitude.

Punters at the time simply could not get enough of their revolutionary new style of football, in which a pacy winger would try to land crosses on the head of street-light masquerading as a footballer, who would then knock them down for Rafael van der Vaart.

Enjoy this piece of history!

Etihad Coming Home competition: Voting closes Sunday!

2011-03-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know already (and it's hard to see how, considering we have been absolutely flogging the life out this on Facebook, Twitter, the blog, and various forums), but the Etihad Coming Home competition — in which two City fans from around the world will be flown back to Manchester for the match against Spurs — is closing soon. Like, very soon.

Two of the Sydney Blues regulars, Matt and Gav, are a one-in-eight chance of going back home. But we need your votes to make it happen!

So if you like what we do at Lesson in Pride, please drop us a vote (if you haven't done so already). To do so, click the link below and vote for Matt Coleman.

The Sydney Blues are a proactive organisation — no matter the opposition, or if the kick-off is at daft o'clock, we meet up to cheer the lads on, just as we would if we were at Eastlands. To see an example of this against United last month, watch the following vid (and watch out for flying beer!):

To see the entry that got us into the final eight, and was shown on the big screen against Blackpool, watch this one instead:

As much as we love watching the games and making droll observations from Down Under — it's not the same as watching it in the flesh. So please help us to make a dream a reality!

For more information on how you can send us home, like the cause on Facebook.

City 'til we die,

Matt Coleman (Crouchy).

City 1 Kiev 0: More "Waluigi" than "Super Mario"...

2011-03-18T02:24:00.000-07:00

Manchester City limply exited the Ropey League at the Round of 16 stage — despite winning 1-0 on the night — after failing to overturn the two-goal deficit inflicted from the first leg by Dynamo Chicken Kiev.

It was a valiant effort by those ten players that could be bothered staying on the pitch, dominating the game for long periods despite the numerical shortfall.

For not the first time this season (or even not the first time against Dynamo Kiev), Mario Balotelli has let down the club, and probably more concerning than that, the manager that has defended him so vehemently. He was only on the pitch for 35 minutes, but even it that time managed to miss a gilt-edge chance, and throw his toys out of his pram on a regular basis.

At his wit's end, Mancini has turned to Super Nanny Jo Frost for inspiration, and relegated Balo to the naughty chair before Sunday's game at Stamford Bridge.

"I don't think he'll be in the squad," he mused.

"If Mario thinks, he could be a fantastic player. But this is his problem. When he does stupid things like tonight it's difficult for him, for me and for the team."

Whether City would have worn down Kiev to at least force extra-time we'll never know, but Mancini certainly seemed to think that they were a chance against a team that never looked like scoring an away goal that would have killed the tie.

Defenders of Joey Bartelli (if there are any left) will suggest that his petulance is due to 'his tough up-bringing'/'being racially abused his whole life'/'his homesickness'/'being just a kid'/'not being tucked into bed as a child' or a combination of the lot. But this constant defending and mollycoddling of Balo is part of the problem.

It's probably the same excuses he used, or people used, to explain his attitude when he was six. And twelve. And sixteen. And now at twenty, with the potential and the talent to be absolutely anything, he is still a little boy. An arrogant, petulant, ill-tempered boy who may wear a Blue shirt, but does not play for City.

I'm not sure if he can play for the club again this season, unless he has a complete attitude overhaul. His cards have been marked. Opposition teams are going to goad him into a reaction, and referees are going to penalise him knowing he has a reputation for doing so.

Maybe Baliability would benefit from some time in the reserves, but you'd get the impression he'd just stink up the pitch for the whole 90 minutes.

I try to like him, I really do. I found him quite refreshing at first. I even bought myself a Hatotelli... but it's extremely difficult to defend a player that has such disdain for the club that pays his wages.

Say what you like about Jo's shitness (and believe me, we have) at least you get the impression that he actually tries to not be shit.

Baliability needs the assistance of an adult to complete even the simplest of tasks, such as dressing himself, or going pot-pot.

It's still the wrong way around Mario! Oh forget it...

'Council House' no more: Manchester City to rename stadium

2011-03-16T03:25:00.000-07:00

Manchester City have been granted permission by the Council to sell the naming rights to their (well, the council's) stadium.

The Blues hope that ~~not spunking millions of pounds on footballers like Roque Santa Cruz~~ a sponsorship deal at the City of Manchester Stadium will help the club to become more financially self sufficient as new UEFA financial "fair play" rules kick in next year.

The ruling means that football clubs who want to take part in European competition have to ~~be funded by the Spanish government~~ break even over a three-year rolling period, starting from the 2012-13 season.

The move mirrors that of Premier League rival Arsenal, which sold the 15-year rights of its stadium to Emirates airline for nearly £100m in 2006 — however it is believed that particular deal was heavily front-loaded to pay for the construction of the stadium.

The most ideal candidate for naming rights would be rival Emerati airline and club sponsor Etihad — although calling the ground "Etihad Stadium" would lead to some confusing conversations for Melbourne-based fans.

At any rate, a naming rights sponsor would not only help to balance the books for City, it will also end the clunkiness around the City of Manchester Stadium/COMS/Eastlands debate that still hasn't been decided upon since moving from Maine Road seven seasons ago.

As long as the club doesn't go down the same egotistical path of Wigan's DW Stadium (HRH SM Arena?) or sell the rights to the highest bidder at the expense of a half-decent name like many American stadia (Minute Maid Park, Petco Park, Consolidated Transnational Stadium, Preparation H Arena et al), then I think it's a great idea.

Manchester City to play all home games at Etihad Stadium? Result! Oh...

City 1 Reading 0; Micah's head gives City fans a semi...

2011-03-14T04:56:00.000-07:00

Manchester City set up a mesmerising, tantalising semi-final with Them Lot Down The Road, after edging past Reading in a now customary less-than-inspiring performance.

Lack of depth has been a recent concern for City, however Mancini was able to call on the fit-again Nigel de Jong, and Subbuteo Wright-Phillips for this match — the latter of which showing a glimpses of the form that made him a terrace favourite for many years. It was fitting that the by far the best two players on the pitch were involved for the goal, with Maicon Richards nodding home a David Silva corner to ensure progression.

"It felt amazing," he declared, thankfully managing not to swear unlike last time the defender scored a header from a corner in the FA Cup.

"To come through the youth academy and to get us so far in the competition is an unbelievable feeling. We have United in the semis, which makes it more special. We can't wait."

"It makes it more interesting. If we want to win the competition we have to beat the best." Richards whooped, whilst wearing his favourite sequined fur robe.

Richards wasn't the only one getting all giddy about the prospect, with the club releasing a range of Wembley-inspired merch just minutes after the final whistle. There's nothing that says "small-time" like a piece of cheap commemorative tat to celebrate the fact that we're not quite as shit as we used to be.

It's foam hands this season, next we'll be shouting "DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE!" when the opposition has the ball. An oversized thumbs down from me.

Man City are my favourite soccer ball team. We're number one! USA! USA!

The (over) commercialisation of the game is not something limited to clubs of course. The fact fans of two teams from Manchester (and surrounds) will have to spend an inordinate amount on tickets, as well as an inordinate amount on train/fuel to travel all the way to Wemberleeeeeee for a cup semi-final is ridiculous.

I mean, if we have to travel miles from Manchester to a soulless dump full of cockneys and day-trippers, couldn't they just have held it at Old Trafford? (Insert obvious joke about 'it may as well be a home game for them if it's in London' here).

The semi-final will be played on the weekend of 16/17 April, which is when the match between Manchester City and Tottenham is due to take place.

And in an amazing piece of segue and a disgraceful piece of shameless self-promotion: voting is still open in the Etihad Coming Home competition, where two Lesson In Pride contributors and Sydney Blues regulars, Matt and Gav, have a one-in-eight chance of seeing that aforementioned City/Spurs game live at Eastlands. But we need your votes to make it happen!

So if you like what we do, we'd really like you to vote for us (if you haven't done so already). You've wasted five minutes reading the rest of the post, so please waste another minute of your time clicking the link below and voting for Matt Coleman.

Kiev 2 City 0; Allergies, excuses, and media blackouts...

2011-03-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

Barring an extraordinary turn-around in form in the reverse fixture, Manchester City look likely to crash out of the Ropey League at the Round of 16 after a limp 0-2 loss to Dynamo Chicken Kiev. And by failing to score a vital away goal, the Blues will now need to score at least three in the return leg to progress.

I haven't seen Mancini's post-match interview, but I imagine that it will be along the lines of "we are tired", "we're playing every three days", "it was cold", "the pitch was not good" or some other ham-fisted attempt to justify a flaccid City performance (does Kolo Toure have a pill for that too?) by almost everyone on the pitch — and that includes the referee. UEFA ban coming for LiP methinks!

And not for the first time this season, Mancini is having to defend the performance of Mario "Top Deck" Balotelli, who had to be taken off early in the second half after suffering an allergic reaction to ~~cold weather~~ ~~hard work~~ the grass. He still had plenty of time to pick up a now customary booking, of course.

"He had an allergy, I don't know what, his face was swollen. He wanted to come out for the second half but he had this problem 10 seconds before coming out for the second half. I came out one minute before the players and I didn't see Mario" Roberto explained, without actually explaining anything. Like how he got through the first forty-five minutes just fine.

Mancini opted to start with a midfield three of Zabaleta, Gumboots Gaz, and Yaya Toure...

Speaking of managers speaking, or rather not speaking — earlier this week, Slur Alex Ferguson from That Club Up The Road came under fire for enacting a strict policy of blanking every media outlet possible — whether that be the BBC, Hale Preparatory School's monthly newsletter, or seldom-updated and overly-wordy Manchester City blogs. This blackout even extended to said-club's own television station, leaving a gap in programming that had to be hastily filled by repeats of Bargain Hunt, where two teams scour the lower leagues of Europe to find "value in the transfer market".

As easy as it is to describe Ferguson's bully-boy attitude to the media as "petulant" and "deplorable" (that's because it is), I sometimes wonder whether that would be a better alternative to what Manchester City are doing at the moment.

There's no doubt that City's Official Site is fantastic. There's plenty of fresh content, and most importantly, it doesn't look like a dog's breakfast compared to some other football websites. Watching the kitman going the gurn and doing some bit about the Oscars? Fine. Eating like your favourite Manchester City player? That's okay too. (Or if that doesn't take your fancy, you could always eat like your favourite Manchester City supporter...)

But then on the eve of one of the most important games in the context of this season, the club posts this video on Facebook, showing the team piss-farting about in the hotel before the match — and right in front of the manager too! Maybe if Mario had shown that kind of urgency during the match, the side wouldn't be in the predicament they're in now?

Sure, the friand-eating, square-framed-glasses wearing types that usually work in "Social Media" think this kind of publicity is the greatest thing since bikes came with fixed-gears, but can you imagine this happening at another club? Do you think Ferguson would have stood for that? Is this the kind of thing teams with "winning mentalities" do?

I don't mind the side losing occasionally, but when it seems the team can't be arsed, it winds me up no end. Especially when I then can't be arsed to turn that into 600 or so words of "witty" prose...

#UkraineFact: The national anthem of Ukraine is the Tetris theme Type B.

City 1 Wigan 0; goals on Silva platters, and you can't spell Tourette's without Toure...

2011-03-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

The man with the sexiest feet in world football, Asian Dave Silva, underlined just how important he is to Mancini's City (although to be fair, everything is important to him), scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Wigan that was at the same time, a hell of a lot closer than it should have been, as well as a lucky three points.

No matter that it owed so much to hapless Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi, who produced a howler of Massimo Taibi proportions. But City could easily point to the several other chances they had in the first half to kill the game.

It's important to note that this match was City's forty-fifth of the season, just shy of the 48 last campaign. This means that by the time we play Dynamo Kiev in the Ropey League next week, the players will have played the same amount of fixtures by midway through March as they had through the entirety of last season. Let's just hope that tiredness is not an issue and City don't chicken out of a competition they have a decent chance of winning. Chicken out against Kiev... Chicken Kiev... is this thing on?

With City still in the hunt in three competitions, Mancini is probably lamenting his decision to send a total of ten first-team players out on loan.

"Every other team has 20 or 22 players to choose from and you need that if you are playing every three days," Mancini said. "We only have 15 or 16 at present. When we recover all our players it will not be a problem but since January we have been unlucky with niggling injuries".

This situation is definitely not helped then by Kolo Toure's suspension from the club, for taking what is only described as a "specified substance". What the specified substance is, has not been er, specified. But it is thought that it was a slimming pill belonging to his wife. Not too dissimilar from the "my Mum gave me a fluid tablet to get rid of the double-chin" excuse offered by Shane Warne when he tested positive for a diuretic on the eve of the 2003 ICC World Cup, then.

Joleon Lescott's massive forehead must be pulsating at the thought of getting more game time for City, as Toure could face a ban of up to two years as a result.

Where Kolo sits amongst such "luminaries" as Ben Johnson, Adrian Mutu, Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and a monthly rotation of continental European road cyclists, remains to be seen.

As it turned out, Arsene Wenger leaped to Toure’s defence, offering that the player merely took a diet pill and had done the same at Arsenal, also, due to weight problems. While that’s far more harmless than injecting steroids or choking down pain-killers like you're on the set of Two and a Half Men, it’s still against the rules — even if the offense is somewhat comparable to jay-walking.

Meanwhile, City will face Reading in the FA Cup quarter-final, leaving the side just one win from Wemberleeeeeee. And despite his side having precisely fuck-all to play for, Gerard Houllier has defended the side he put out in the 3-0 loss to City in the last round, saying "I told the boys you don't have to be ashamed of the performance, you've done well". Proving that the man who thought that a 37 year-old Robert Pires could still play Premier League football is a liar, as well as an idiot.

[VID] Sydney Blues v Liverpool

2011-03-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

Here's the highlights and penalty shoot-out from the recent Supporters' Club 5-a-side tournament in Sydney. This is the quarter final between Manchester City and Liverpool.

Don't forget, some of the best players of all time have missed penalties. Ronaldo. Team Beckham. Roberto Baggio. Not all of them from three yards, however...

City 1 Fulham 1; and Hughes on the defensive (irony overload).

2011-02-28T04:22:00.000-08:00

In a result that undoubtedly delighted lazy journalists, United fans (happy anniversary Blues, 35 years and we're still here) and residents of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Mark Hughes FC held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at Eastlands — in doing so picking up Fulham's eighth point in the last four meetings between the clubs at the CoMS.

Of course, we could talk about the match — such as how ineffective we looked without David Silva, how we actually looked more likely to score when a striker (Dzeko) was replaced with a midfielder (Uncle Pat), or how on earth I managed to miss a penalty from three yards yesterday — but people will not shut the fuck up about how good it was for Poor Old Hard Done-By Mark Hughes to get revenge against the three-DM-playing, job-stealing, poster child of negative football Roberto Mancini, as if he was the only manager in the history of football to be replaced before his contract had expired.

Having said that, a 'handshake' between Hughes and Mancini spoke volume of the disdain that they have for each other. Hughes is obviously aggrieved because Roberto took his job, Roberto unhappy that he was stuck with Roque Santa Cruz.

Hughes said of the 'snub': "I always think you should offer your hand in whatever circumstances, no matter how difficult it is.

"I did it and did it with sincerity after my team had been beaten 4-1 at Craven Cottage earlier in this season. I acknowledged his team were better.

"Maybe I misread it but I don't feel Roberto really acknowledged the efforts of my team and what we had done by the manner he offered his hand, by not looking at me."

Mancini rightly countered with the accusation Hughes had done exactly the same thing in November following one of City's best performances of the season.

"In London he did the same," said Mancini. "I know he said something but I couldn't understand what."For you it is may be the best thing in the match, for me, no. It is not important. He should be happy. His team got a draw against us."

Spot the difference?

In fact, Hughes was lucky to receive anything other than a bloody lip after the cheeky way he had a dig at Mancini and the club during the week, then having the hide to defend the job he did at Eastlands. Maybe if he spent more time worrying about defense on the pitch rather than off it, he'd still have a job at City...

"If you look at the City side now, I would suggest some of their main performers, and strongest, are the likes of Vincent Kompany, Nigel de Jong and Carlos Tevez. They've had a huge impact for City." he claimed. Obviously neglecting to mention the fact that Vincent Kompany wasn't a regular starter for Hughes, and has come to the fore this season playing exclusively at centre half. Or the fact that under Hughes, de Jong was a destroyer who passed sideways or backwards, but is now vital link between defence and attack.

He's got some nerve if he's claiming Tevez was his signing. He might have signed while Hughes was manager but that's about it.

If you spend several billion pounds on footballing talent, such as: Jo, Tal Ben Haim, Pablo Zabaleta, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Vincent Kompany, Glauber Berti, Robinho, Wayne Bridge, Nigel de Jong, Shay Given, Craig Bellamy, Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Kolo Toure, Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Joleon Lescott, and Sylvinho (enough players to make an entire match day squad and still leave out Jo) you'd expect one or two of them to be not all that bad, wouldn't you?

And he's doubly cheeky for suggesting that the reason those players he did sign, only underperformed because of the new manager.

"Along the way, some purchases haven't worked for whatever reasons, not really in terms of the ability those players have, but because of circumstances and the thinking of the management team and the coaches. And that happens when there's a change in management."

I'd take City under-performing our way to third place this season any day of the week, than what Hughes dished up under his tenure. Alas it seems that it's not only the managers who can't help but reopen old wounds.

Sydney Blues 5-a-side: Official team photo

2011-02-27T02:08:00.000-08:00

We'll be posting match reports and videos shortly, but here's a look at the worst side to represent Manchester City since Stuart Pearce was manager...

[VID] Manchester Derby in Sydney

2011-02-25T18:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a little taste of how we celebrated/commiserated Derby Day from the other side of the planet. Enjoy!

And of course, if you haven't done so already, please drop us a vote in the Etihad Coming Home competition so we can reprise these scenes at Eastlands!

[VID] Vansan Kompany v Manchester United: Player Performance

2011-02-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the wonderful TheAntMcfc for taking the time to compile this bit of YouTube goodness, showing just about every touch Vincent Kompany made in the recent Manchester derby.

Apart from the unfortunate slip before that goal, Rooney was almost as deep in Kompany's pocket as ~~he was that time with the grandmother~~...

Well done that man.

Six-Yard Shay to Retire?

2011-02-22T16:39:00.000-08:00

Shay Given's City career — if not his football career — is in extreme jeopardy after re-injuring his troublesome shoulder.

Given damaged the joint ~~carrying a bag of balls from the team coach to the training ground~~ during the warm-up for the Ropey League clash against Aris last week. The most pressing concern is that the joint was apparently under no real stress at the time of dislocation.

Given is expected to have a third operation to cure the persistent dislocations, however there is a chance that it would severely limit mobility in the joint, and could mean that Given may have no option but to retire.

As someone who has had frequent shoulder concerns over the years myself, from experience, Shay will have trouble regaining the confidence to have absolute trust in the joint.

But it seems that either City, or Given, or both, knew that there has been trouble for a while.

At the start of the season, Shay was seemingly desperate for a move. Arsenal, Fulham, Newcastle, Celtic, and even Roma were all mooted as potential destinations for the ROI shot-stopper. However, none of these came to fruition, and Given would "fight for his place" until January, and pick up the odd game here or there.

Was this Shay Given's last contribution to the Premier League?

However, once the January window opened, things started to get cold (as they usually do when you leave a window open in winter I suppose). There was a suggestion that Given could drop down to the Championship to get games, but the most likely deal seemed to be an emergency loan to Blackpool (who only have the underwhelming Richard Kingson to choose from), but that didn't transpire either.

In the space of five months, Given has gone from being the hottest property on the transfer market, to a gamble only willing to be taken upon by a relegation-threatened team with one fit keeper. Something just doesn't add up.

Whilst there's no doubt that our current number one (or rather, twenty-five) is the best option we have at this moment in time (and for the next ten years to come), it would be grossly unfair for the career of a talented keeper to end on the back of three Ropey League and a Care-less Cup appearance this season.

Notts County: Just like watching Brazil?

2011-02-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

I think I've definitely seen that kit somewhere before...

Aris 0 City 0; Fresher-in-foil, and pulped programmes...

2011-02-19T04:30:00.000-08:00

Regular readers (or more correctly, people who mistakenly click on our links on NewsNow) may have been ~~disappointed~~ relieved to see that we haven't as yet commented on the big Ropey League blockbuster between Manchester City and Aris, Aris, Who The Fuck Are Aris FC from earlier in the week.

We could argue that LiP has better things to do at 4am Wednesday than watch football. Perhaps sleep, or even, you know, engage in a relationship with a member of the opposite sex. But, you don't become the ~~leading~~ only Australia-based Manchester City blog by being distracted by other such frivolities.

Truth be told, apart the odd chortle at the names of a few opposition players — a practice now customary since Alan turned out for Energy Drink Consortium FC — there was nowt much to write home about.

Ricardo Faty and Darcy Dolce Neto were popular choices in the comedy-name stakes — although if Aris are to progress to the next round, he Asda play better than he did on Wednesday, but there's probably Lidl chance of that happening.

Neto also had the annoying habit of going down way too easily when approached by other men. Which in my personal experience with women of Greek heritage, seems to be a common trait...

Personally, I was a big fan of the rice-cracker enthusiast Sakata, who thankfully for the home fans, comes with his own ready-made, fresher-in-foil, terrace chant.

However, a couple of days after the match itself was long forgotten by those that sat through the 90 minutes of blah, it was revealed that this bit of Photoshop genius somehow made its way into the Official Match Programme:

Doctored photograph of the Manchester City squad, starring such players as Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrohimivic, and Loyal Wayne. Francesco Toldo makes an appearance as Where's Wally/Waldo. [SPOILER] Wally can be found just to the left of Joe Hart and the right of James Milner.

It was apparently not before Garry Cook thumbed through the programme at a pre-match function that the error was discovered, but how Aris managed to cock this up is anyone's guess. Surely an electronic communique in the weeks prior to the match could have confirmed that yes, City do/do not have a first-team squad size that rivals any NFL team. Even typing "Manchester City ομαδικός φωτογραφία" into Google images (that's "Manchester City Team Photo" for those who don't live in the land of the Doner) reveals a few interesting results, not least of which a Three Wolf Moon t-shirt. But alas, no bloated team photo.

Whilst Garry Cook saw the funny side, unfortunately all but a select few copies were destroyed (one can be yours for the bargain-basement price of £182.77 if that's your go). And unfortunately for the fans in attendance, the pulping of the match souvenirs meant that there was one thing less to distract them from the tedium on the pitch...

Sydney Blues: Supporters' Club 5-a-side [Feb 27]

2011-02-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again... thanks to Lee from Footy Fans Down Under, we have another Supporters Club 5-a-side tournament to contest. And we really need to up our game from last time out. With City's fortunes improving on the pitch, it's about time we got our act together and showed everyone else how the boys in blue play football.

Supporter's Club 5-a-side Tournament Details
Date: Sunday 15 August 2010
Time: 10:30am
Location: Harbord Bowling Club, near Manly
Cost: $20 each
Bring: Footy boots (plastic moulded), Manchester City home kit

Whilst it’s 5-A-Side squad numbers can be up to 12, plenty of games will be played so a good idea to get a good squad number, a rolling sub system will operate. We're aiming for at least ten.

The competition venue will be the Harbord Bowling Club on the Northern Beaches, it has bar facilities aswell as food available etc so ideal for teams bringing supporters along, venue for after competition presentation to be confirmed – we have moved from our previous venue due to the demand and this will enable us to use more pitches.

Again we will be using synthetic surfaces so all good from a weather perspective.

Information is also be available at the FFDU website.

If you can confirm you are good to play, please join the Facebook event.

Football ability is not a major requirement, but a sense of humour is. Brendo should be there to serenade us on the ukelele and I can back him up on concerto vuvuzela. Roberto Mancini might even make another appearance...

Eurovision: Lech Poznan 1 Braga 0

2011-02-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

Just a quick around the grounds in other Ropey League news.

Manchester City sister-club and celebration pioneers Lech Poznan are on track to qualify for the last 32 of the competition, thanks to a 1-0 win over SC Braga.

The build up to the match was marred by a UEFA ruling that Poznan was to play the match in a reduced capacity stadium, due to insufficient stewarding amongst other breaches.

Which brings us to this:

To "ensure" that the stadium abided by the new conditions, Poznan ultras wore hi-vis stewards jackets, partly to make sure that everyone in the stadium was "safe", but mostly as a way to stick two fingers up at the powers-that-be.

That's the kind of wit and banter City fans can relate to, especially considering our Invisible-man-singing, banana-waving history.

Hopefully we get to play them again, and hopefully it's at Lansdowne Road. Come on you Poznan!

United 2 City 1; and the Greatest Goal of All-Time Evaarrrrr

2011-02-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

Just over forty eight hours on from the latest installment of the Most-Massive-Manchester-Derby-of-all-time, we're still digesting the ramifications of Wayne Rooney's Bestest-Ever-Derby-Goal-of-all-time. This is assuming of course that "best", is a synomym for "most shinned".

But anyway, much like the Conquistador of Mexico, and the Belgians in the Congo, football supporters have short memories. Sho-wo-wort memories.

Apparently now Loyal Wayne Rooney is "back" after fluking his fifth goal of the season (sixteen less than at the same date last campaign), after months of indifferent form and generally playing like a busted arse (and getting a 100% pay increase to do so) the sycophantic circle-jerking over the White Heskey has returned.

The Daily Mail is going so far as to suggest that it may have been the best goal scored at Old Trafford ever — despite the fact that Rooney was his rubbish, anonymous self for 77 minutes. And the fact it was shinned. And the fact it wasn't even the best goal scored at the Theatre of Tosspots this season...

David Silva shows immense skill and awareness to arse-volley Manchester City's equaliser.

Slur Alex Ferguson was the first to administer a virtual reach-around to Loyal Wayne: "All the talk will be about that winning goal. It was unbelievable. It was reminiscent of Denis Law although I'm not so sure that Denis ever put them in with such ferocity." Speaking of Denis Law goals at Old Trafford...

Even Loyal Wayne couldn't wait to talk up how good the strike was.

"I think it might have been the best goal I've ever scored... it almost certainly rules City out of the title race unless a disaster happens..."

...yo Wayne, I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish but Benjani had one of the best Old-Trafford-unintentional goals of all time...

Unfortunately, Wayne is dead right. That's pretty much curtains for our title campaign. No matter how well we played on the day, no matter how unlucky we were not to get anything — we didn't. And that's what makes this result so hard to take. With so much on the line, so much more than pride to play for, we've come up short against United again.

Despite claims by Summerbee et al that "United should be looking over their shoulder" we're just as far away from them lot as ever.

New section launched: Eat Like A Fan

2011-02-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

On the back of the Official Site launching a new Features section, we too at LiP will be bringing you exclusive access to the day-to-day running of a ~~football~~ supporters club, such as giving you the chance to have the same meals as your favourite Sydney Blues in Eat Like a Fan.

Fox Sports Australia Derby promo — starring us!

2011-02-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

Well, one of us. And I suppose it's not really starring. But the voice you hear in this promo is our very own Huddo putting on his hammiest Mancunian accent (which inexplicably goes a bit Scottish at some point).

Enjoy!

Manchester City v United: Derby Day late-mail

2011-02-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

It's all well and good to be flippant, ironic, or even some occasions funny (well we try) about City — because let's face it, football is just a game, even if Bill Shankly may assert otherwise.

However, this is Derby Day. This is what being a Manchester City fan is all about.

Whilst avoiding the obvious allegations of being "bitter" and "obsessed", as a Blue, this is the first match I look out for when the fixtures are released. Playing United is the biggest game of any season — but especially this one, considering that it now true meaning in the context of both United's and City's season.

For what is football without its rivalries? The tribalism of your teams' colours as congregate for the away game (or black if you're a United fan *wink*), the frisson one experiences with a hint of danger in the air, as you gesture to the other fans as you make your way down ~~Platt Lane~~ George Street on a Saturday afternoon. You know a fight might just kick off at any moment, and you know you're better than them because of who you support, and they are weak scum, because of who they support. It's a Lesson In Pride, if you will.

But as for the day itself, I hate it and hate it in equal measures. The result is amplified: wins are orgasmic, defeats are crushing, while draws just infuriate.

In his Derby preview, Roberto Mancini loves it. The nutter.

"I like to play this game. I like to play at Old Trafford because it is better to win there than at home" commented Mancini.

"Because when you win away in a derby it is more important for our head and our personality."

"It is a derby and an important game — one team top of the table and one team third. Every game is difficult. Nobody thought United would lose against Wolves."

"But this is a football." Wise words indeed.

If fed, will score.

As for the teams, despite our assertions that the would be fit for the match, it really does seem that Rio Ferdinand will be out for this match, with Chris Smalling the underwhelming replacement at centre-half.

Javier "Chicken Tikka" Hernandez is unlikely to be involved as his transatlantic flight after international duty only landed on Friday, although he'll probably come of the bench and pop-up with a 90+6' winner.

Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli is battling to recover from the knee injury that has kept him out, but even if fully-fit, this is not a match I would play him in. Not only because he's first up after a spell, but also I think he would be goaded into doing something daft by United's persistent fouling.

Nigel de Jong will not be fit to play as he struggles to overcome an ankle injury. And this is the most important out — probably bigger than that of Ferdinand for United. For mine, I don't think we keep a clean sheet (and hence, pick up a result) without him.

I'd expect Roberto to pick pretty much the same XI that dismissed West Brom 3-0. Aleks Kolarov in midfield was a revelation last match, and along with Pablo Zabaleta would provide ample defensive cover against The Smooth Criminal on the left side of the pitch.

Carlos Tevez, with his bulldog-like approach, will most likely start up front on his lonesome, to a chorus of boos from the ~~travelling~~ United fans.

If (and it's a big if) we take the game to United early, I reckon we can get a result. Not a Nostradamus-like prediction by any means, but that's about as confident a statement I can make. They won’t sit back and defend.

And that might well help City, who have taken a few teams apart on the break this season. And aside from a few Mark Hughes-esque defensive performances, we've been strong at the back.

But if Don Roberto reverts to his big-game tactic of safety first like he did against Arsenal, then this could be the longest ~~ninety~~ ninety-six minutes of our lives.

Obligatory mention: don't forget to click this link and vote for Matt Coleman (Crouchy) in the Etihad Coming Home competition. Because it's important. But this is a football.

Manchester City v United Preview; and Fergie's mind-games...

2011-02-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

It's often been said that Sir Alex Ferguson (those three words took about two minutes to type, my fingers were repulsed by the thought of pressing those keys) is a master of various dark arts.

Fergium Durationis: the ability to control time, whereby a mere gesture to his watch is enough to add an extra four, five, or even seven minutes of injury time if need be are added to the fourth-officials board — depending on the amount of goals required.

Domicillia Decisionium: the ability to ensure his team get home-town penalty decisions, even when many many miles from ~~Manchester Trafford~~ London.

Lastly, there is the less common It's-a-week-before-Derby-Day-and-fark-me-I-have-no-fit-players spell. In the lead-up to last year's Derby in November, a malevolent mystery virus just happened to sweep through Vermin Towers, infecting Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, and Dimitar Berbatov along the way. Or in the case of Paul Scholes, it was terminal Gingervitis (boom boom).

Of course, all four of those players lined-up for United in the 0-0 draw — a match that would probably still be going if it was next-goal-wins, with or without the aforementioned Fergie Time.

This week's injury doubt is Rio Ferdinand, who sustained a bout of ankle-knack before TheInvincibles lolarious defeat to plucky little Wolves — no doubt getting just the right amount of injured to miss a meaningless England friendly on Wednesday, yet still be fit for Saturday.

"He turned his calf in the warm-up and he'll be out for a couple of weeks, I believe," slurred Ferguson.

With defensive replacements Chris Smalling suffering from being-just-a-little-bit-shite-itis, and Gary Neville out with I'm-too-shite-scared-to-play-in-case-I-feed-the-Tev-enza, Rio will make the most overblown and ill-fated comeback since the last John Farnham tour. And the one before that.

As for the match itself, long-gone are the days of looking forward to the Derby wistfully hoping that likkle ol' City could maybe, just maybe, steal a 1-1 draw before the Rags canter to another trophy. Three points to either side could well determine final league positions, even though we're so from the end of the season even Aleks Kolarov wouldn't have a go from this range.

Of course, it's an important game for Manchester City's players, and the only thing more important to those players than important games is sycophantically telling the world how important they are. Oh, here they are already. That didn't take long.

"Playing against United is always special, but what is important for us is to get focused on the game and try to win and take the three points." said Patrick Vieria, in what we pray is his only Derby contribution.

"We are confident and we have world-class players all the way through the side. We have younger players and older players and it's a good mix here. They are a top team, they have the experience of winning titles. They are looking to do that again and it's up to us to go and put a spanner in the works..." James Milner rambled, in a statement so cliche-ridden and banal we have lost the will to live, or type.

Rio Ferdinand ~~snorting a line~~ takes a tumble before last week's defeat at Wolves. Meanwhile, rubbish blog authors resist obvious references to Duran Duran.

Etihad Coming Home: Voting NOW Open!

2011-02-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

As part of the 'Coming Home' promotion, Etihad Airways, Official Club Sponsor, has been offering fans the chance to fly from any Etihad destination in the world to the City of Manchester Stadium for one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the season – City versus Tottenham in April. There are eight finalists to choose from.

Well, we're one of these finalists.

If you want to read about why we think we should be chosen, view our entry, and read a bit more about the Sydney Blues, click this link to go to the Coming Home mini-site and Send Blue Roo Home.

We'd love it if you could take the time to vote, it would make our season. To do so, simply click this link and follow the prompts.

Much appreciated,

Matt Coleman (aka Crouchy)

Sydney Blues: Derby Day

2011-02-07T00:57:00.000-08:00

You'd have to be living ~~in Josef Fritzl's basement~~ under a rock to not know that this Saturday is not only my birthday, and the third anniversary of Huddo's stay in Australia (if Howard was still in Government he'd have been deported by now, the flamin' galah), but Derby Day.

If you're in Sydney, then of course, come to Cheers Bar where we'll be meeting for the game. I reckon you might have to get there a bit early though, it will definitely be busy. Kick off is 11:45pm local.

We'll be taking some video of the day, which we'll post later on this site and our YouTube channel. So bring your best voice as we play out another tedious 0-0...

Birmingham 2 City 2; this is a football...

2011-02-02T20:11:00.000-08:00

Manchester City stumbled to a 2-2 draw away at Birmingham, which coupled with the previous games against Villa and Wolves, means that City have only picked up four points from the last nine available — all against teams in or near enough to the relegation zone. When you consider the uninspiring efforts against Leicester and Notts County in the FA Cup, Manchester City are in a dire run form, and certainly not that of a side that has/had title ambitions.

And of course, after every poor performance, comes the obligatory 'it's all my fault' interview where Mancini, just predictable as a Carlos Tevez penalty (it's always right down the middle!) will squeeze in at least one mention about football being "a strange".

It's Roberto's way of tucking us in, pulling the blankets up nice and tight so we don't catch our death, before he kisses us on the forehead and tells little LiP that "everything's going to be just fine... you get some sleep now... it's important..."

"I am disappointed with myself because I am the manager, and if we don't play well I blame myself. But we can't concede two goals every game, we must do something (about it) and we must play better."

"We played well for the first 50 minutes and then we forgot to play. I should change something. We must think about improving — we should try to play football again, because in the last few weeks we've forgotten this."

"We didn't play well. Sometimes it's impossible, in January and February the team are tired, but a team like us should be able to defend strongly and win 1-0."

"Football is strange..." (There it is!)

"Three months ago, we were nine points behind Chelsea. But we have to play like a team, play football and not concede goals..."

The problem is we've heard it all before from Roberto, about changing the system, being more positive, and especially about football being strange. I'm all for trying to eke out a tense 1-0, or even putting eleven men behind the ball and drawing 0-0 at tough away games like Arsenal. I don't even mind when we play James Milner and Jo as inverted wingers (okay, maybe not in the case of Jo). But when we're leaking goals for fun we may as well just throw caution into the wind sometimes. It just seems odd when you've spent the GDP of Tonga and Sao Tome and Principe combined (I did the maths) on footballers, you're still letting the opposition dictate the game. Especially opposition like Birmingham.

Of course, the cause wasn't helped by a sickening collision in the first-half between Maicon Richards and Nigel de Jong, with the midfielder requiring stitches to a gash — although it's probably more akin to hammering out a ding in the side of your car. Maicon was knocked unconscious, and had to be stretchered from the pitch. Compared to the last person that took on de Jong, he got off extremely lightly...

In better news, Ratface Gary Neville has retired football at the age of 47, leaving the game to concentrate on his life-long goal of finally growing a proper moustache. Although he'll most likely still be on the bench on the Derby to run up the touchline giving it the big I am, the gormless prick.

Here's a highlight reel showing his best contributions of a stellar nineteen-year career. (I think you know what video is coming next...)

@SultanaofBrunei: My stream is so far behind that Dickov's just equalised and is currently sliding on his knees...

MCFC app now in iTunes store.

2011-02-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

The long-awaited Manchester City iPhone app ("Cityapp") has arrived. A little steep at $5.99 perhaps, but it looks pretty damn cool all the same.

It features video highlights, match commentary, and even a compass to see just how bloody far we are from CoMS (for the record, 10588.7 miles).

Click here to download.

Deadline Day Round-up; City in "not ruining football" shock...

2011-01-31T17:20:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year where every train passenger/airport worker/stadium passer-by suddenly becomes ITK and has an uncanny ability to spot obscure footballers in large crowds, whilst others sit at home bashing their F5 key in a manner not seen since Track and Field. It's Deadline Day!

Whilst the top three teams in United, Arsenal, and City, are quite happy to play the cards they've been dealt, confident in the squads they've been working with all season (the signing of Edin Dzeko, notwithstanding), the teams chasing that final Champions League spot have engaged in some quite extraordinary panic buying.

The deal most talked about was that of Fernando Torres to Chelsea, for the British record fee of £50million. Chelsea may have an ageing forward line, but they are taking a massive risk in signing a player with ordinary form in the last eighteen months and a chequered injury past, for quite silly money (and that's a big call coming from a City fan).

Just in case there wasn't enough proof that the world has gone completely mad, Andy Carroll will join Liverpool for an astounding £35million, hot on the heels of the £23million paid for Uruguay striker and back-up goal keeper, Luis Suarez. Suarez of course, comes fresh from Ajax in the Eredivisie — the same league that gave us gems such as Afonso Alves and Gorgeous George Samaras.

That's more than £1m for every goal Andy Carroll has scored in all competitions in his career. Ever. For that kind of money, if you were a Newcastle supporter, you'd drive him to Anfield yourself — very carefully, mind.

I suppose if you're a Liverpool fan, you could think of it as replacing a somewhat-out-of-form Torres and a rather rubbish Ryan Babel with a brand new pair of strikers for just a little over £2million. But they'll be too busy going back down to Deedpoll, or burning replica kits to realise that maybe, just maybe, this isn't such a bad deal for them after all.

With Torres lowering the average age of the Chelsea squad to approximately 47, that leaves little room for Daniel Sturridge, who will begin his career decline on loan at ~~Barcelona~~ Bolton. You can't help but think it's a little bit of karma from the player who demanded £55,000 a week to stay at City, on the back of just three Premier League starts.

Speaking of careers on the decline, Stephen Ireland will join Newcastle on loan, lasting just 153 days at Aston Villa, failing to impress Gerard Houllier and indeed, most of the Villa faithful.

Ireland made just 12 appearances in all competitions, and completed 90 minutes on just two occasions — the 0-6 loss to Newcastle and the 0-3 loss to Liverpool. You can make of that what you will.

Without Robinho to attract the attention of three defenders while he saunters up the pitch unmarked, Ireland has been found to be just a little bit average. And with a midfield of Barton, Nolan, Tiote and Gutierrez, it may be another spell of bench warming for The Footballer Formerly Known As Superman.

Manchester City were uncharacteristically quiet, with the only deal of note being a rather uninspiring interest in taking Sebastian Larsson on loan from Birmingham. Larsson only had six months left on his current contract, so you'd assume Brum aren't that keen on retaining him. Despite the player's obvious interest in the move, Birmingham apparently rejected the deal, obviously failing to recall our generosity in loaning them a keeper that single-handedly (well double-handedly I suppose when you think about it) carried them to a top-ten finish last season.

Elsewhere, 'Arry Redknapp (the man who gets sexually aroused every time he signs a new player ~~because of the massive brown envelopes stuffed with cash~~) amazingly failed to make a single transfer for Tottenham on Deadline Day — presumably because he'd run out of ex-Portsmouth players to buy. Names such as Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan were bandied about, before making a last-minute play for Blackpool's Charlie Adam. Because if there's one thing that Tottenham need, it's more midfielders...

A staggering £241m was spent during the window, however only £27m of which came from Manchester City's only purchase, Edin Dzeko. Maybe now people will shut the fuck up about City paying too much/ruining the transfer window/killing football/buying the league/causing global warming...

Notts County 1 City 1; and yet-to-be discovered Amazonian tribes...

2011-01-30T23:50:00.000-08:00

Catering staff and the number-crunchers at the City of Manchester Stadium whooped in delight, as Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw at League One's Notts County — a team that should have probably been disposed of at the first time of asking, being 59 places lower in the football league, but *insert obvious reference to The Magic of The FA Cup* etc...

It was Edin Dzeko who scored the equaliser for City, expertly slotting in from six yards from a Maicon Richards cross.

On a pitch scarred by hosting two rugby matches, a U2 concert, and a recreation of the Battle of Passchendaele in the previous week, City struggled to create anything of note. However, a midfield of Jimmy Milner, Gumboots Gaz, and Uncle Pat is generally going to have about same level of creativity as the scriptwriters of Two and a Half Men (This week: Charlie wears a bowling shirt. He runs into an old flame. They sleep together. The dumb fat kid says something dumb. Roll credits. We get it already...)

Unsurprisingly, City looked much better once Jo was replaced by Silva in the second half; although, there are yet-to-be discovered Amazonian tribes that know Asian Dave would be at least "just a slight improvement". With long-term injuries to key players Mario Balotelli and Adam Johnson, uncertainty over the future of Subbeteo Wright-Phillips, Craig Bellamy, and Vladimir Weiss — the lack of a creative outlet apart from Silva or Tevez might present a problem in the coming months.

However, City are still in the hat, and will face Aston Villa at the City of Manchester Stadium should they safely negotiate past County in the replay. Thankfully, Darren "1-0" Bent is cup-tied, and not eligible for the clash.

Elsewhere, Australian Blues were left heart-broken by an extra-time defeat at the hands of Japan in the final of the Asian Cup in everybody's favourite footballing host nation, Qatar. Still, that's one more final of a major international competition than England's reached recently, so every cloud...

Please stand for the national anthem of Japan...

Making it Easy to Hate Manchester United

2011-01-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

I didn't see the FA Cup game last night (sorry, 1am, Monday morning, would've had to go to the pub, it was Notts County FFS), so I can't comment too much on a rather disappointing but ultimately not-catastrophic result for City (Game time and a goal for Dzeko in very English conditions surely a good sign?).

Aside from a Mark Hughes-marshalled Fulham demolishing Tottenham 4-0, the big news for me was that non-league Crawley Town have been drawn away to Manchester United in the fifth round. As the BBC say, it's the first time in 17 years that a non-league team have reached this stage, and to draw Manchester United at Old Trafford must just be dream stuff for them. Have a listen to Crawley Town manager Steve Evans describing the excitement, and indeed the honour he feels to be able to go up against Fergie, also from Glasgow, (whom he describes as) the "greatest manager in my lifetime". I've been a supporter of non-league football for a while (C'mon Hyde!) and I know what a positive difference a game like this (or indeed City's investment in Hyde) can make to the fans, players and long-suffering directors of a non-league football club.

It came as somewhat as a surprise, therefore, to see the following thread started by a friend of mine on good ol' Facebook this morning. Take a look, and let us know what you think.

If there's a positive, then it's that much of the abuse directed at the initial poster (my huffing and puffing notwithstanding) is from other, more rational-thinking Man United fans. Some of whom are even from Manchester.

Good on Crawley, and good on those football fans who maintain a sense of perspective when we watch the game we love.

Emmanuel Adebayor: How to fail upwards...

2011-01-25T13:31:00.000-08:00

Emmanuel Adebayor has gone out on loan, a move that will see him go from Manchester City's bench to Real Madrid's bench until the end of the season.

The striker, once described as "slightly peppery" and "machine washable", has been now been referred to as a "physical marvel" by Real Madrid. The only marvel with Adebayor is how the same player could run the hundred in 10.04 seconds to goad opposition fans, yet took three and a half years to get back into an onside position...

From Arsenal, to Manchester City, and now to Real, Adebayor is inexplicably managing to build a career in failing upwards, collecting massive signing-on bonuses and wage-increases for doing three-fifths of fark all each week. Like the Rob Schneider of the football world, you wonder how on earth he manages to keep earning a decent wage. And not unlike Rob Schneider, after sitting through a 90 minute "performance", you more than just a little ripped off...

Before the Gunners fans lose their shit (McBurnie) — I'm in no way suggesting that moving from Arsenal to City represents an improvement in footballing terms... not yet anyway. But boy-oh-boy was it an improvement to Badbuyor's wallet. Worst of all, he probably feels he has been vindicated for acting like a twat most of his professional career.

The day he leaves the club for good, will be the time to pop open the champers. And a good time will be 'ad-by-all... had by... is this thing on?

Hopefully Andy Gray will be fired from the FIFA series as well, so we no longer have to hear about those fucking headers from 25 yards...

Villa 1 City 0; and things that are predictable.

2011-01-23T16:54:00.000-08:00

Bent scores the winner against City for three separate clubs... he's heating up!

Football is a rather predictable game — despite our inability to select three winners on a Sports Multi every week.

Predictable: Roberto Mancini describing someone/something/somewhere as 'important'.

Predictable: Manchester United racking up another three comfortable points at home against Birmingham/Wigan/Blackburn et al.

Predictable: Professional career-ender Kevin Muscat picking up a red-card for a challenge that was maybe "just a little bit mistimed".

Predictable: any blog post by us not being anywhere near as funny or clever as we think at the time.

Predictable: Opposition fans suddenly regaining internet access to come out woodwork and give it the big I am, falling over themselves gloat that we have "over 100mill worth of strikers and still cant score"...

And so as night follows day, Darren Bent scored another match-winning goal against Manchester City, an occurrence so utterly foreseeable that even we picked it last week.

Thankfully, after already denying City a possible six points this season, that's the last of Darren Bent we'll see for a while... unless the money-grabbing, Twitter-posting, suddenly-value-for-money striker decides that he's got another week of the window left and fancies a move to Stoke.

A slight concern for the Blues (apart from falling further behind in the title race — thanks again McLeish!) is the apparent confusion that playing both Tevez and Dzeko in the same team has brought. Neither player seems entirely comfortable playing on the left of a forward three, something which Mario Balotelli, and dare I say it, even Jo, look more adept at doing.

In their desperation to equalise, City launched wave-after-wave of attack — with Tevez and Johnson determined to dribble around the whole opposition back-eight like something out of a Harlem Globetrotters film. Aston Villa were able to hold on to the slender one-goal advantage, thanks mainly to the frustratingly-dependable Richard Dunne, who will no doubt return to form with a yellow card and an OG next week.

News just keeps getting better for the Villa, with Gary Glitter said to be interested in buying a share of the club, after hearing their attack is Young, Bent, and possibly Keane...

And yes, that joke is so old by now that even Gary Glitter wouldn't invite it back to his hotel...

It's another day for you, you and me in paradise...

Mario Balotelli: brilliant footballer, even better WUM...

2011-01-18T19:00:00.000-08:00

Mario Balotelli has used his latest injury lay-off to WUM just about everyone in world football, with Wayne Rooney, Jose Mourinho, and even the entire Barca team copping a serve.

"Rooney is a very good player but not the best [striker] in Manchester. Our attack of Balotelli-Tevez-Dzeko is the best in the world. We are the strongest. Better even than Barcelona and Real Madrid" scowled Mario — and that's not even mentioning the other attacking talent in the squad, David Silva, Adam Johnson, and Jo Yaya Toure.

The want-away Italian also claimed he is better than Rayne Wooney, but then again, with one goal from open play in twelve league appearances this season, that puts Tabloid Wayne amongst the great goal poachers of our time, alongside such luminaries as Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards. Still, it's one more goal than Jo's managed this season, so every cloud...

"Do United fans insult me? No, they stop me in the street and say: 'Mario, come to us'. But I dream of beating them because I know how much the City fans care. They are wonderful with me. When they sang my name after the hat-trick, I had chills..."

"They're multiplyin'!" he didn't add.

Meanwhile, in breath-taking transfer news, 'Arry "I ain't no wheeler and dealer" Redknapp has wheeled-and-dealed himself another midfielder, with Steven Pienaar the latest to sign for those ultra-attacking, devil-may-care, free-scoring Tottenham Globetrotters. Who despite the presence of the bestest left-back turned left-winger in the world, have still netted six less goals than Boring, Boring City.

"I've had brilliant years at Everton and it will always be a special place in my heart," tweeted Pienaar as he left Goodison Park, just before having his iPhone nicked.

Elsewhere, Darren Bent has joined Aston Villa from Sunderland for the cut-price fee of £18million, just in time to score another late winner against us on Saturday... sorry, £18 million?

Is he really worth one Roque Santa Cruz? Ok, poor example... is he really worth two-thirds of an Edin Dzeko? (Presumably you'd take the two legs. And the head. You could do without the arms...)

Bent is no doubt worth the extra money because can he score the odd goal, but he is also English, and would therefore qualify as a home-grown player under UEFA regulations. This would be important in the unlikely event of Aston Villa ~~avoiding relegation~~ qualifying for the Europa League, also known as "hell freezing over".

The only thing more shocking than a player moving from the top six to a team in a relegation dogfight is the fact that people are still wringing their hands at the thought that players move clubs "just for the money"...

Yaya Toure's 40-yard runs...

2011-01-18T04:05:00.000-08:00

We're a massive fan of them... so much so we've cobbled together this little bit of YouTube goodness. Not bad for a "defensive midfielder", hey? Enjoy!

City 4 VfL Wolverhampton 3; obligatory Dzeko-based pun.

2011-01-16T04:58:00.000-08:00

Moneybags Manchester City regained top spot in the League (albeit having played three games more than United), with a 4-3 victory over plucky little Wolves, who have spent a fraction etc...

It was a performance very atypical of what we have come to expect this season from City — gone was the resolute, you-shall-not-pass defense we've come to expect of the central pairing of Van San Kompany and Kolo Toure, replaced by scuffed clearances, needless penalties, and old-fashioned bricking-it. Although according to the BBC, we should have expected no less; after all "City's Achilles is their defence." That'd be the same defense that has leaked 19 goals at an average of 0.82 a game then? Oh...

"We can improve because although we played good football in the second half, we had some problems at the back and shouldn’t concede three goals at home," Mancini fumed, thankfully focusing on that negative and not losing it amongst the positive of scoring four at the other end — although Edin Dzeko's debut was the best in a number 10 shirt since, um Robinho. If that's a poor game by his standards (hasn't played in a month, doesn't know his teammates, hates the Manchester cold etc), I can't wait to see him in full flight.

We're not usually one to subscribe to the "the refs are all biast [sic] and they hate city!" school of thought, but extra points to Lee Mason for not only being incredibly shit — and playing enough additional time to ensure those who left the stadium early made it home before the final whistle — but also being the first ref to successfully pull of a Cruyff Turn mid-match.

Lucky, flimsy, scintillating, and heart-stopping. And a whole lot more exciting than watching West Ham. Boring, boring City indeed.

Love City, love bespoke Sky Blue suits...

Bridge joins West Ham on loan; sub-editors (and City fans) rejoice.

2011-01-13T00:04:00.000-08:00

Wayne Bridge proves he is as useless with his right hand as he is with his right foot, missing an easy handshake by at least two feet...

Sub-editors across the globe were predictably tripping over themselves to be the first to publish a headline with a gratuitous Simon and Garfunkel pun, as Wayne Bridge joined the troubled West Ham (damn, it's an easy trap to fall into) on loan for the rest of the season.

The 'Ammers will even pay the full whack of Bridge's £90,000 weekly wage, as they desperately try to undo the damage caused by playing Tal Ben Haim in defense all year.

Bridge was Mark Hughes' first true post-takeover signing, joining the club in January 2009 for the typically frugal figure of £11 million.

"I am glad the loan is sorted and I'm ready to play. It will be great to play a part in helping keep West Ham in the Premier League. It would be a big achievement."

"I know a few of the players from England and I know the physio," he continued, without an apparent hint of irony, considering his injury-plagued time at City.

We've spent a lot of money in recent times, but it seems awfully hard to justify £20 million pounds of investment on a player who aside from his early days at Southampton, has robbed a career as an okay left-back and serial bench-warmer. One who you'd suspect would happily go all Winston Bogarde on us and sit back and collect a wage for doing not much at all...

Michael Johnson: Gets knocked down, gets back up again...

2011-01-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Michael Johnson successfully completing a back-pass from the penalty spot against FC Midgetland.

Astonishingly, Michael Johnson has managed to complete an entire interview (and a half of football) without picking up another season-ending injury, playing forty-five minutes in the Elite Squad's 4-0 win over Rochdale.

The 22 ~~stone~~ year-old midfielder has not started a game for the club since a 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light back in September 2008 — lining-up along side world-class talents such as a Tal Ben Haim and Gelson Fernandes.

"It was good to be out there. It has been too long as it has been over a year since my last game."

"I felt good, although a bit rusty at times. Fitness-wise, I am there or thereabouts," he added, before skolling his pint to get one more in before the teams came out for the second half.

What happens next is anybody's guess. The kid has ability, but is he good enough to get us where we're going, even on the off-chance he regains full fitness?

The tub-thumping, Rag-hating, "Adam Johnson should start every game" faction will continue to compare him to the great Colin Bell based on a couple of goals three seasons ago — some have even gone so far as suggest he's adequate cover for David Silva. But with the several gazillion pounds of talent the bench this season, he'll be doing well to make more appearances than Stuart Taylor.

A loan to a team in the 'Lekkie Leagues, such as Preston or Leicester, would be ideal for all parties.

On a not completely unrelated theme, Roque Santa Cruz is going to have to scoot up a bit on the treatment table to make room for Mario Balotelli, who is set to miss yet another month of football with knee-ouch. So that'll be another month of having his picture taken with some tandoori-basted, fake-norked floozy before doing one back to Milan, then.

And people wonder why the kid doesn't smile?

Shallow Jo; and deciding which Premier League club to relegate...

2011-01-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

"Can you believe Thaksin paid 18 million for me... he must have been high, son!"

According to latest reports, everyone's favourite Marlon Wayans (and professional footballer) impersonator, Jo, is said to be the target of five (count 'em!) separate football clubs. Yes, to actually play football for them...

The 23-year-old Jo — full name: For Fuck's Sake Jo — was thought to be on the radar of Greek giants Olympiakos, however this has been denied by his agent.

"There is no option for Jo to go to Greece," said the luckiest Mister-Ten-Percenter in the business, much to the relief of Olympiakos fans worldwide.

"Jo has five offers right now from clubs outside of England but he doesn't want to leave."

"There is no offer from Olympiakos. We have offers from Spain, France and Russia." And from Manchester City fans willing to drive him wherever required, he didn't add.

I can only assume that Bobby Manc is afflicted with a similar condition to that of Jack Black in 'Shallow Hal'. However, rather than becoming smitten with a grossly obese woman — Don Roberto has fallen head over heels for a (alleged) Brazilian (alleged) footballer, who was once deemed surplus to requirements at Everton and Galatasaray. Yes, the same Everton that once paid Lucas Neill a weekly wage.

In other news, City's fifth-choice left back, Wayne Bridge, is apparently set to decide which claret-and-blue clad Premier League club he'd like to relegate — with both West Ham and Aston Villa interested in signing the only man who uses his left foot for both accelerating and braking.

Young Hearts, Be Free Tonight...

2011-01-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

The coincidences surrounding the FA Cup third round match between Leicester and Manchester City were astounding. Even the draw itself — where Noel Gallagher and Kasabian's Serge Pizzorno, drew their own favoured teams, Manchester City and Leicester respectively — was scarcely believable.

Roberto Mancini is the current Manchester City manager. He played four games for Leicester in 2001.

Sven Goran Eriksson is the current Leicester City manager. He is also a former Manchester City boss.

Sven managed Mancini at both Sampdoria and Lazio, later appointing him as assistant coach in 2000.

Leicester striker Darius Vassell is an ex-City player. Paul Dickov has also played for both clubs.

City youngsters Greg Cunningham and Ben Mee have been out on loan to Leicester this season.

Mancini's son, Fillipo, joined Manchester City's youth ranks when Sven was manager.

However, the most significant relationship between the two clubs is the 1969 FA Cup final, with Manchester City running out 1-0 winners.

Thanks to a goal by Neil Young.

Sadly, Neil has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and may not have the chance to see City win another FA Cup — even if the club's 35-year wait for a major trophy comes to an end at Wembley.

Neil Young was a player many years before my time, both as a City fan... and well as anything really. So I feel it would be crass and disingenuous to comment about his contribution to Manchester City apart from the facts — a very respectable 86 goals from 334 appearances as a winger or inside forward is a fine record.

One thing I can comment on though, is the reaction of the fans.

I feel that the phrase "best fans in the land and all the world" is bandied around a little too often by some City supporters. We're certainly not the most abundant. We're definitely not the loudest.

But there are moments where as a Manchester City supporter you genuinely think "would fans of any other club do this?"

Such as the time someone who was yet to meet me in the flesh arranged tickets and travel to an away game.

Or when that same person put me up for the night when I couldn't secure a hotel room.

Or when a 21-year old City fan was so touched by the story of a 75-year-old fellow Blue in Australia, he raised £1100 in donations to fly him from Melbourne.

However, the performance of the away end at the Walkers tonight was truly something else. Even conceding in the first minute couldn't prevent City fans from carrying out their tribute to Neil.

On 24 minutes — the amount of time on the clock when Young fired in the winner in the '69 final — the entire away end turned their backs and did 'the Poznan', and waved red and black scarves above their head. This was topped off by a rousing rendition of "There's only one Neil Young". It was a moving tribute, one that left a knot in the stomach.

And one of those moments where you think "yep, this is what being a City fan is all about".

We have a second chance for qualification now with a replay at Eastlands. Let's win it for Neil.

Etihad Coming Home: THIS time starring the Sydney Blues!

2011-01-09T03:17:00.000-08:00

Regular readers of the blog (all 28 of you) will remember our unsuccessful foray into last year's Etihad Coming Home competition, which offered overseas City fans the opportunity to fly back to Manchester to watch the Derby.

But this year, we've gone one better, and made through to the final ten. Public voting will open next month, and don't worry, we'll definitely let you know when it opens, and we'll hound you for your vote then. In the meantime, check out our entry below, and don't forget to visit us on Facebook (facebook.com/LessonInPride) or Twitter (twitter.com/LessonInPride).

"Being a blue is like nothing else.
There's something intangible. Something you can't describe.
You ride every emotion.
The incredible highs. The wonder goals that have you out of your seat and hugging strangers.
The devastating lows. That almost bring you to tears and ruin your week.
Even from 10000 miles away, we support the club like those that live on City's doorstep.
But it just not the same as being there…which is why Gav and I would like to come home…

The Sydney supporters club started off with very humble beginnings, in fact three years ago it was a couple of blokes having a couple of beers in a random pub in Sydney, pleading with the bar staff to turn one of the TVs on to the City game — even if was the one in the corner with no sound.

Through hard work over many months, and by simply turning out at the same venue each week, we began to increase our following.

Two became three. Three became five, and five became ten. Soon, big matches such as the Derby were attracting upwards of forty fans. Some Australian, some ex-pats, some Mancs on holiday, but all part of the City family. We've even managed to get some 'big name' City fans to come down, such as broadcaster Simon Hill and ex- City 'star' Spencer Prior.

Despite being half a world away, we try to bring a little bit of Eastlands to Sydney. Every goal, every missed chance, every injury-time loss — we feel it too.

The Sydney Blues have been recognised on several occasions by the club. We featured had our story published in the Match Programme, we've been on the Official Site in a story about 'Far Away Blues', and our home pub was named as a 'Heart of the City' — one of just eight international venues to be named a safe-havens where City fans can watch matches with like-minded fans wherever they are in the world.

Watching the match on a pub TV is only half the story. We aim to be a proactive supporters club, and spread the Blue Gospel through anyway we can, whether that be through our blog, Facebook, Twitter, or anyway we possibly can. We've been interviewed by FourFourTwo, and appeared on BBC radio — although whether that happens again is unclear, after expressing my disappointment a little too colourfully after losing to Stoke…

We've both made the pilgrimage to Eastlands on previous occasions, but to Come Home with Etihad would be the fulfillment of a dream that's been discussed and poured over many times at Cheers Bar over the past few years."

Over the coming weeks, we'll post some new videos and reasons why we think we we should Come Home to Manchester. But in the meantime, it's a thrill and an honour to even be considered for the prize. Fingers crossed!

Guess who's back with a brand new track?

2011-01-08T02:18:00.000-08:00

Oh my word, it is really too long since we updated this website. I can only apologise profusely for the heinous disregard shown to the many ~~thousands~~ dozens that used to follow the blog.

Just like many other media outlets, sometimes a change in direction is required. It's probably for the best if we do away with the physical Match Reports. There are several million sites that cover City matches already. If you're after an alternative to the Official Site or the BBC, there are a couple of sites I can recommend.

For match reports, you can't go past David Mooney's 'Blues Reviews' — a blog so simple and no-nonsense it was last seen playing central defense for Stoke.

If you like your blog posts full of superfluous verbosity and a love for David Silva that blurs the lines of hetero- and homo- sexuality, then Jack at 'TLDORC' is well worth your time.

Of course, these two fellas have a few significant advantages over this website. Firstly, they aren't watching from 16 000 kilometres away. And they're not doing it blind drunk at 3am either. So they have a little bit more of an idea of what they're talking about...

It's a busy time for the City at the moment (and the Sydney Blues too, but more on that later), and if we decide we have an opinion on something, we'll cover it in our trademark irreverent style.

Mario Balotelli Out for Six Weeks

2010-09-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Devastating news to come out of the club overnight — rising star Mario Balotelli is to have surgery on his injured knee, and will be out of action for up to six weeks.

Mario hobbled off in the dying moments of the win at FC Timisoara, with what at the time looked to be a rather harmless knock.

In typical "Typical City" fashion, three of our most anticipated new additions to the squad — Jerome Boateng, Aleksandar Kolarov, and Balotelli — have mustered just over an hour of football in all competitions between them. Combined with the fact that Wayne Bridge is still not fit, as well as the perennially crocked Michael Johnson and Roque Santa Cruz, that's a good quarter of the squad unable to play, and it's only three games into the season!

City's 25-man Squad Announced

2010-09-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Roberto Mancini has named his 25-man Premier League squad, and as a result, will have to play with the cards he's been dealt until January.

There are no major surprises or omissions, although Michael Johnson could consider himself lucky to have made the cut, considering his ongoing injury situation.

Whilst it would have been possible for Roberto to nominate a squad that featured big names like Robinho, Craig Bellamy, or Stephen Ireland — it was just not feasible from a man-management point of view.

Unfortunately, the real world is not like FIFA10, where you can buy as many players as you fancy and they don't kick up a stink when they sit on the bench. I know we fell into this trap when we chose our 25-man squad around a month ago.

Overall, it's a strong squad, but I do worry slightly about the amount of creativity in that line-up, and the amount of players that can come on and turn the game on its head.

The full squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers
1 Joe Hart
2 Shay Given
3 Stuart Taylor

Defenders
4 Kolo Toure
5 Vincent Kompany
6 Jerome Boateng
7 Aleksandar Kolarov
8 Micah Richards
9 Pablo Zabaleta
10 Joleon Lescott
11 Wayne Bridge
12 Shaleum Logan
X Dedryck Boyata
X Greg Cunningham

Midfielders
13 Yaya Toure
14 Gareth Barry
15 Nigel De Jong
16 Patrick Vieira
17 James Milner
18 Adam Johnson
19 David Silva
20 Shaun Wright-Phillips
21 Michael Johnson
X Abdisalam Ibrahim

Forwards
22 Carlos Tevez
23 Emmanuel Adebayor
24 Jo
25 Roque Santa Cruz
X Mario Balotelli
X Alex Nimely-Tchumeni

Deadline Day: Robinho Gone (For Good)

2010-08-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

As the 2010 transfer window slams shut (watch your fingers), City have made just a few changes to the squad — which is understandable considering the magnitude of spending already embarked upon by the club this summer.

The major protagonist in transfer deadline day proceedings two years ago to the day, Robinho, has been involved in another last-minute deal — this time signing for AC Milan in a deal thought to be worth around £20million.

The skill of Robinho cannot be questioned — his complete control in the 6-0 win over Portsmouth is one of the best individual performances ever witnessed at Eastlands.

It's ironic that at the time Robinho was playing his best football (August to December 2008), was actually when as a team, we were at our worst. After crashing to a 2-1 defeat at West Brom in late December, City sat 18th in the League. Conversely, when Robinho failed to score for the next few months (and with the assistance of January signings), we made a late charge up the table.

We have seen this all before as City fans. Georgiou Kinkladze was arguably the most skillful player on the ball to have played for Manchester City, however, we were relegated twice with him in the team — but after he was sold, we soon earned successive promotions. Having a big fish in a small pond does not make for a good football team.

Robinho may well thrive at AC Milan, along side fellow Brazilians Ronaldinho and Pato. He'll also be given an age on the ball in Serie A, compared to the Premier League. As long as he doesn't have to play away games, or at night, or in the cold, he'll be a success I'm sure.

His career will always be blighted by the fact he was unable to make it at Real Madrid, or under two separate managers at Manchester City. If he was truly world-class, he would have stuck it out and earned his first team place back — not disappeared to the sunny climes of Santos to play kick-about with his mates.

An amazing footballer, but a coward on and off the pitch.

In other news, occasional footballer and wannabe rapper Felipe "Xzhibit" Caicedo, went out on loan to Spain for the second time in as many seasons, signing for Levante UD (who looking at their club badge, are a merger between Valencia and Barcelona).

Asamoah Gyan, who scored four goals for Ghana in the World Cup (but missed a penalty in the dying seconds against Uruguay), joined Sunderland for £13million. It's a shame he didn't sign for them a week earlier — we might have picked up a point on the weekend if he had!

That old wheeler-and-dealer Arry Redknapp (oh come on Arry, I didn't mean it like that!) got up to his old tricks, and may just have snagged Real Madrid midfielder and World Cup runner-up Rafael Van Der Vaart for the cut-price fee of £8million — despite Bayern Munich close to signing the player for over twice that amount the day before.

For that price, he could have got half a Roque Santa Cruz (I assume you'd want the top half, as the bottom half is knackered), or one homeless Portuguese third-division player, so it's a good bit of business from 'Ol Twitcher if true.

So, no Dzeko, no Torres, and no Luiz, but a successful transfer window nevertheless. If we're there and thereabouts in the League come January, I can see another addition or two to get us over the line.

Carling Cup Third Round Draw

2010-08-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

We've drawn West Bromich Albion away, with the tie to played around the date of 20/21 September. While it doesn't seem too difficult tie on paper, it should not be forgotten that the last time we travelled to the Hawthorns we suffered a 2-1 defeat in December 2008.

The match also falls at an awkward time in the fixture list for us. In the space of nine days, we play Red Bull Salzburg away, followed by Wigan Athletic away, then this Carling Cup match away at West Brom, and finally Chelsea at home. So we'll need to rely on all of our 25-man squad to get us through that period.

The rest of the draw is very interesting indeed. There are five other all Premier League ties, and the fact that either Tottenham or Arsenal will not be in the next round is a definite advantage.

Brentford v Everton
Portsmouth v Leicester City
Stoke City v Fulham
Chelsea v Newcastle United
Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
Millwall v Ipswich Town
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Notts County
Burnley v Bolton Wanderers
Birmingham City v MK Dons
Liverpool v Northampton Town
Scunthorpe United v Manchester United
West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City
Sunderland v West Ham United
Peterborough United v Swansea City
Wigan Athletic v Preston North End

Europa League Fixtures Announced

2010-08-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

The fixtures for the Europa League group stage have been announced, and appear below. They should also be televised on ESPN in Australia, but as always, check local guides.

Red Bull Salzburg v Manchester City
Thursday 16 September 7pm CET/ Friday 17 September 3am

Manchester City v Juventus
Friday 1 October 5am

Manchester City v Lech Poznan
Friday 22 October 6am

Lech Poznan v Manchester City
Friday 5 November 5am

Manchester City v Red Bull Salzburg
Friday 2 December 5am

Juventus v Manchester City
Friday 17 December 5am

There are a couple of things you want in a Europa League draw.

To minimise disruption, you want to be playing teams this side of the Iron Curtain. An away day to Germany or Italy seems a much easier prospect than travelling to some barren, bleak and windswept outpost on the edge of Europe to beat a mob of Ukrainian plumbers or Latvian milkmen.

Secondly, you want the big names. Not big names as in Borussia Monchengladbach, but names with a little bit of history. Teams that most people with a passing interest in football could identify. Unlike the Champions League, where almost every participant is a big club (Rangers and Tottenham being the obvious exceptions), the Europa League throws up some fairly "exotic" fixtures. There will understandably be a larger crowd and a better atmosphere when we host Juventus, than if we were to play say Karpaty Lviv, Levski Sofia, or Bronski Beat.

[UPDATES from Gav - A key attraction of European competition for fans has to be the opportunity to go and watch City play in somewhere more exotic than Grimsby, ideally after imbibing a healthy volume of hard-to-pronounce lager and struggling to decipher a menu resulting in you ordering 'pigs trotter with beetroot' for desert. If this sounds like your version of a European away day, you're in luck.]

Using this criteria, we have a somewhat favourable draw.

Red Bull Salzberg (or FC Salzberg as they're known in this competition) are not to be underestimated. They are the reigning champions of the Austrian Bundesliga, and drop down to Europa League after losing their Champions League qualifier to Hapoel Tel-Aviv. [They also have an artificial pitch to contend with - expect City to have a practice game at Woodley Sports beforehand, as the England squad did before playing on artificial pitches] We have to be careful of their wide play — I've heard they are good down the wings... you know, 'cos it gives you wings... is this thing on?

[Taxi for Crouchy! Salzberg is one of the best places to watch football. It's a great city, top nightlife, and the Red Bull Arena has an atmosphere not to be missed. At night games it more resembles a basketball stadium, with the lights dimmed, searchlights scanning the crowd and pitch, flashing lights and music pumping out, even during breaks in play, from memory! One not to be missed if you can get there - flights are with Jet2 from Leeds or you can fly to Munich from Manchester. Local brew is the fantastich Steigl.]

Juventus, whilst not the powerhouse of European football they once were, will still throw up a stern test. 27-time Serie A champions, and twice European Cup winners, they definitely fall into the category of "big name". Outside of Atletico Madrid (and I guess, City) they are one of the biggest threats in this early stage of the Europa League.

[A hard away fixture to resist for European football-starved City fans. Turin isn't the most attractive city in Italy, but it does have the advantage of being within 40 mins of superb skiing. Given that the fixture is on the 17th December, it makes this away trip much more appealing. No direct flights, but from Luton, or Manchester-Madrid. Beer is likely to be the Peroni/Morretti kind of average stuff.]

Lech Poznan are from Poland and apparently play football. They failed to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League, losing to Sparta Praha. That's about it.

[Another good away trip. If you don't mind unfashionable, dodgy people in shell suits with a completely impenetrable language making even getting directions without getting spotted as an outsider and mugged a difficult task then you can brave the trip to Liverpool (see what I did there?) and then fly to Poznan with Ryanair. In Poznan you'll find a great little city, lots of bars in the old town from what I can remember, and in Żywiec or Okocim some of the best beer you're ever likely to drink anywhere in the world. I didn't get to a game when I was there, but the locals were the kind of crazy-friendly set, and loved their football.]

Whilst we should have no problem advancing to the knockout stages of the tournament, the real test comes when the Champions League rejects drop down into the competition and beat the pants off everybody.

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Stephen Ireland

2010-08-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

Back in May we mused about the curious character that is Stephen Ireland, and what future he had at Manchester City. Well now, not only does Ireland no longer have a future at City, he seems intent on burning every bridge he crossed as well.

As part of the aftermath to his move to Aston Villa as part of the James Milner deal, Stephen Ireland has taken the extraordinary step of slagging off all-and-sundry at Manchester City, from the manager right down to the youth players. He comes across as a little bitter. And a massive tool.

Here's what Ireland had to say:

"I'm not really a highly-self-confident person... But I can honestly say Manchester City have tried to replace me for the last three or four seasons and it's never happened. I can easily say I've got, if not more ability, as much ability as any player they have signed this year."

"Without a shadow of doubt the situation I found myself in will happen a lot at Manchester City with all the high-profile players they have at the club. At Manchester City sitting on the bench I didn't feel part of the team. I was neither happy or sad if we lost."

"The young lads (at Villa) are so polite. At City they're not like that. They're coming in with £10,000 watches on their wrists and walking around as if they have played 200 Premier League games. I can really see myself having a good time here."

Footballers spending lavish amounts of money is nothing new, nor is it something for which to begrudge them. But for a player who is only turning 24 today, to criticise other young players for buying big on bling is the height of hypocrisy. Those in £5million mansions shouldn't throw stones...

However, the most startling comment is the one where he simply didn't care how the team performed, when he was relegated to the bench. That's a slap in the face to every City supporter that got his name on their shirt, or ever belted out "Ireland is Superman". A lot of fans spend a lot of money travelling up and down the country (and around the world) to see City play — and to discover that one player was not really fussed about the result borders on treason.

If Ireland was as good as he claims, he would have used any opportunity he could get to prove the manager wrong. Rather than reflect on his own shortcomings, he has decided to blame the manager. It's a familiar theme with Ireland...

20 August 2010: "Did I talk to him? Not at all. Mancini does not build relationships with players."
12 February 2010: "I was being played out of position... Maybe as a holding midfielder, left wing, right wing. It is not me... But the last six months under Mark Hughes was very frustrating for me."
20 November 2008: "(Hughes) is a proper manager, the kind which I have always wanted to play under and who covers every aspect of preparation and training. I have got more confidence this season and that is because the manager has shown his confidence and trust in me."

Whilst it's easy for Ireland, and those with an anti-Mancini agenda, to criticise the manager for not playing him at the end of last season, it should also be carefully noted that he didn't get too many starts whilst Hughes was still here at the beginning of the campaign.

It's amazing how a player that spent a good eight years in our youth and first team systems can have such negativity about City when he's left (or in Ireland's case, when he was still at the club!). Thankfully, he's Aston Villa's player — and problem — now.

Some of Stephen Ireland's purchases. A pot and a kettle aren't amongst them, presumably.

FC Timisoara v Manchester City Preview

2010-08-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Manchester City kick off their ~~Intercities Fairs Intertoto UEFA Cup Big Vase~~ Europa League campaign 5am tomorrow morning AEST, against Liga I side FC Timisoara from Romania. This match is not available on Fox Sports or ESPN, so you'll have to resort to "other methods" to watch the game.

We dare not treat Timisoara lightly — it was in the same stage of this competition two years ago that we almost suffered an embarrassing elimination at the hands of FC Midytlland. It was only through an injury-time own goal and a penalty shootout that we were able to remain in that season's UEFA Cup.

Let's not forget a couple of days ago in the Champions League, Tottenham were expected to beat Young Boys quite easily (oo-er), but will have to come from behind against Young Boys if they're to progress (ok, that's enough). Point is, we should treat our European opponents with respect.

Last season, Liga I was ranked eighth on the UEFA Coefficient — suggesting that it is a more competitive league in European competition than those in Portugal (9th), Turkey (11th), and Scotland (52nd, just above San Marino).

Roberto Mancini has named a strong squad to fly to Romania — after all, it would be humiliating to exit the competition at this stage, after all the talk of having a big enough squad to fight on four fronts.

Joe Hart will start between the sticks for the second match in a row, which is somewhat surprising. It could be argued there was a case for selecting the Shay Given in our Europa and Domestic Cup campaigns, and keeping Hart for the League. By sticking with Joe, he ensures consistency in defence, but may also bring Given's time at the club to an end.

Aleksandar Kolarov picked up an ankle injury in the first half against Tottenham, and won't be fit, nor will the other new defensive signing, Jerome Boateng. James Milner will also be unable to play, signing too late to be named in the squad.

Joleon Lescott will likely make his first appearance this season at left back. Mario Balotelli, Patrick Vieira and Adam Johnson are likely inclusions to the side that drew at Spurs last Saturday.

Fearless Prediction: FC Timisoara 1 - Manchester City 2.

Meanwhile... Milner and Ireland Swap Agreed

2010-08-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

It's all change at City at the moment — no sooner had Craig Bellamy left the club, the James Milner/Stephen Ireland swap deal (with about £18million chucked in of course), has been agreed and will be completed shortly.

This is the best deal City could have hoped for. Milner is a brilliant signing, an equal mix of versatility, creativity, and trackbackability. He fits perfectly in the right of midfield in Mancini's planned 4-3-3 system. Whilst he doesn't attract a lot of attention, due to the rather unattractive role he fulfils, he does his job very, very well, and he'll improve the team significantly.

As for Ireland, it's a real shame he couldn't replicate the performances of the 2008-09 season. But he wasn't going to be selected in the Premier League 25-man squad — and nor did he deserve to — so it's only fair that he moves to a club that will play him. Much like the transfer of Bellamy, the fact that Ireland promised so much yet ultimately delivered so little makes it a little hard to take. I'm not particularly thrilled in the manner that we've pursued Milner and forced out Ireland either...

The signing of Milner is the one that completes the puzzle for City, but whether this is the end of our summer spending remains to be seen.

Craig Bellamy Loaned to Cardiff

2010-08-17T04:08:00.000-07:00

There's been much speculation over the future of Craig Bellamy last week, and now the club can confirm that he will go on loan to Championship side Cardiff City for the rest of the season.

I guess this move suits everyone, although I would have much preferred a six-month loan. Bellamy gets first-team football in his homeland. Cardiff get an exceptional player, with subsidised wages assumably, to push for promotion. And of course, Roberto Mancini gets his wish and rids his team of a cancer — and sends a strong message to the rest of the squad that loyalty is placed above ability.

It's the correct thing to do, but it's not really a cause for celebration. I'm really disappointed by Bellamy. He could have had real success at City, or even Liverpool before it. His commitment and dedication on the pitch could never be faulted — but I'm afraid his career will be remembered mostly for bad knees and an even worse attitude.

Don't mess with the family...

OFFICIAL: "Super" Mario Balotelli Signs!

2010-08-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

After one of the most protracted transfers since last season's Lescott saga, Mario Balotelli is now officially a Manchester City player.

It's been a tough week for Mancini, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face:

"I think that Mario is one of the best players of his age in Europe, and I very happy to be working with him again. His style of play will suit the Premier League, and because he is still so young there is a big chance for him to improve. He is a strong and exciting player, and City fans will enjoy watching him."

To me, this signing trumps them all. Robinho, Carlos Tevez, David Silva... the lot. A kid, who by the age of 20, has three Serie A titles, a Champions League medal, and the footballing world at his feet. He could very well be our Cristiano Ronaldo, or at the very least, our Wayne Rooney.

Very, very happy days indeed.

Balotelli and his entourage arrive at Eastlands. What Marlon Harewood was doing there, is anyone's guess...

Bellamy's Future in Doubt?

2010-08-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Craig Bellamy has been left out of the 25-man squad to play in the Europa League qualifier against Romanian side FC Timosoara, on 19 and 26 August.

The full squad is as follows: Given, Hart, Taylor, Richards, Boateng, Zabaleta, Kolo Toure, Lescott, Logan, Bridge, Kolarov, Wright-Phillips, Adam Johnson, Yaya Toure, Michael Johnson, Barry, Vieira, Kompany, De Jong, Silva, Adebayor, Robinho, Santa Cruz, Tevez, Jo.

The squad conditions for the Europa League are even more confusing than the Premier League ones. Each team can consist of 25 players - eight of which must be "locally trained". These locally trained players must have spent three years between the age of 15 and 21 at an academy system at and English club.

Out of these eight, a minimum of four must have been trained by Manchester City, which is why outsiders such as Shaleum Logan and Michael Johnson appear in this squad, despite the latter not due to return from injury until December. Also, this squad does not require us to name players under 21, such as Vladimir Weiss or Alex Nimely.

This squad had to be submitted to UEFA by 9 August for the play-off round, and if we successfully advance, we will choose another squad (before 1 September) that will serve as our Europa League squad for the length of the competition.

However, it's highly unlikely that Bellamy would have been a constant feature in our European campaign regardless of his relationship with the manager. With his injury record and dodgy knees, he finds it extremely difficult to play two games in a week at the best of times.

Having said that, if Bellamy wants to remain at the club, he's not going about things the right way. He's been quoted in the media a few times this week, speaking out about how he has no contact with Mancini, and how he might leave the club should he not be selected in the final 25. Retirement's even been suggested.

"I feel strongly that I can offer something at the club. But if I don't get in the 25-man squad, I don't know what I will do. I might finish, full stop, or look at every option I get."

"This game is as ruthless as any. I sort of feel I am not going to be part of it (at Manchester City). I can see it from a distance. I find that very difficult to take because I really enjoy playing for Manchester City. I think I have shown that with my commitment this year."

"I've had a few options. I've turned down Wolfsburg. I don't fancy Germany, it's not somewhere I see myself playing football. I have to see what options I have. I am here to play football."

"With this 25-man ruling, it doesn't matter how well I train or how good my attitude is, I might not be registered to play. So do I go without playing football until January, or do I find myself a club where I can play football?"

"I am committed to stay where I am. I feel I deserve to be part of it, but I don't pick the 25 or the team. I have to wait on their decision."

Rather than knuckling down and proving to the manager just how good a player he is, and making it impossible for him to be left out of the squad — Bellamy all but wants out. And it has the stench of a Redknapp-tap-up all over it...

Does it come as any surprise that a player, who famously fell out with Newcastle, Liverpool, and West Ham, is now on the outer at City? I, like a lot of City fans, thought that Bellamy had realised that this was his last chance to really achieve something in the game, his last real big club.

Once Mark Hughes was moved on however, Craig reverted to type. He was seen to take David Moyes' side in his spat with Roberto Mancini, and perhaps the final straw, that handshake with Harry Redknapp after Tottenham knocked us out of Champions League contention.

And just like the battles between Hughes and Elano — if there's a bust-up between a player and a manager, there is usually only one outcome.

We'll only truly know until the Spurs match on Saturday what the future holds for Bellamy. If he's left out of the starting 17 at White Hart Lane, we may well have seen the last of Bellers in a blue shirt.

Mancini and Bellamy in happier times — can they repair their fractured relationship for the betterment of the team?

Nedum Onuoha Poised To Join Mackems on Loan

2010-08-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

According to reports, Nedum Onuoha will join Sunderland on loan for the 2010-11 season. I think that this is an excellent piece of business for everyone involved.

Nedum will get the consistent Premier League game-time he needs to improve his confidence, which is something that he wouldn't get here, behind the likes of Toure, Lescott, Kompany, Richards, Boateng, and maybe even Boyata at centre-half. But if he goes and shows marked improvement, he can slot back into the 25-man squad, or if not, then he can stay at Sunderland.

It is a little disappointing to see him depart though. Nedum is a life-long fan of City, and currently the longest serving player at the club — he's our Bryan Riggs (spit) or Gary Chuckle (double spit). Although, unlike the forementioned players, he's very smart and articulate, and it's refreshing to see a player interviewed without giving a slew of "errs" and "yerknows"...

But in this case it may have worked against him. His cards were marked after this interview on Soccer AM, where he was less than complimentary to Roberto Mancini.

Regardless, I had included Onuoha as part of our 25-man squad, so this will free up a spot for another player. I have the feeling now that Jo, on the back of a very good pre-season in which he scored almost every time he played, will now force his way into the manager's plans — something that would have been considered impossible a month ago!

All the best Ned, and it'd be great to see you back next season.

FourFourTwo Season Preview... Starring Us!

2010-08-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

As previously posted here, we were asked to provide our thoughts on the season ahead by FourFourTwo magazine. And here's the result! Hopefully it appears in Australian newsagents soon. It looks a good read — even without my input!

Liverpool and Arsenal Matches on Free-To-Air...

2010-08-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

Australian broadcaster OneHD has struck a deal with both Liverpool and Arsenal to show content from the club's television stations — including replayed matches. Which is fantastic news for City fans four times a season, and means you can can a repeat of the City win on usually the Tuesday.

The first of these matches is 10pm Tuesday 24 August, where you can see Manchester City take on the Dippers.

Playing For Keeps – The Great Goalkeeper Conundrum

2010-08-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

Roberto Mancini has a few tough decisions to make over the coming weeks about the composition of the 25 man Premier League squad. But probably his toughest dilemma is managing our goalkeeping situation.

And with reports that Sunderland have officially approached the club about loaning Hart for the season (it's somewhat fitting that they're looking for us to help them out with a goalkeeper crisis, after they were kind enough to let Marton Fulop come to City on emergency loan), it seems this problem is about to come to a head.

The manager already appears to have made his mind up. The fact that the squad list has Shay Given as number 1 and Joe Hart wearing the number 25 shirt probably gives a clear indication of his intentions.

There is no doubt about his Given's ability as a shot-stopper, where he is possibly second only to Pepe Reina at Liverpool. Some of his reflex saves over the years have defied belief. Who could forget his debut against Middlesbrough, where he denied Afonso Alves on four separate occasions? Or his heroics in the home win over Chelsea?

However, Shay has his shortcomings. He's 34, whilst still in good form, is nearing the end of his career (although, Schwarzer is attracting the interests of Arsenal at 37 years of age, and Van Der Sar at Vermin Towers is old even by Rag standards, nearing 40). Also, he has just returned from the dislocated shoulder suffered against Arsenal, and for a keeper, that's a fairly serious injury – both physically and mentally.

The most frustrating thing about Shay's game is his unwillingness to come out for crosses, even those only a couple of yards off his goal line. This led result in us conceding some pretty preventable goals last season, namely the Carling Cup semi and the FA Cup tie against Stoke – which is often followed by his trademark vaudevillian-fall-to-the-ground-in-disbelief routine.

And then you have Hart, who was named by his peers as the best goalkeeper in the league last season, all the while behind a defense he had never played with previously.

There is a possibility that if selected, he could be our first-choice keeper for the next decade, much like Given himself was at Newcastle. And of course, Joe is no stranger to the fight for the number 1 shirt — at the beginning of the 2007-08 season, he was Sven's third choice keeper, with Kasper Schmeichel and Andreas Isaksson the preferred options.

So does Roberto stick with the proven option in Given, or the long-term option in Hart? For me, it's Shay, but only just.

Looking at the long-term, and blooding youngsters used to be a successful policy for City. Many of our academy graduates, such as Micah Richards, Joey Barton, Stephen Ireland, and Michael Johnson, all got an extended run in the first team before they were ready – although it could be argued that they were thrown into the deep end because we simply had nobody else! However, things have changed since the Pearce days, and we can no longer afford this option.

If we are serious about challenging for Champions League qualification, or dare I say, the League, we need to have the best XI on the field, regardless of age. It doesn't matter if that player is 19, like potential signing Mario Balotelli, or 34 like Uncle Pat Vieira. This is precisely why Bryan Riggs and Paul Scholes, at the combined age of 84, are still playing week-in, week-out for the Rags.

Hopefully, there will be no reason to sell or loan either player, with Hart in goals in the Europa League and Cup competitions, and Given to focus on the League. However, Hart has so far indicated that he is not prepared to sit on the bench, and another loan may be the best option for all parties.

Home and Away Kits Available to Order (Australia only)

2010-08-01T00:09:00.000-07:00

This season's home kit is now available to pre-order, and as a result, we will be placing our own order for both the Home and Away kit.

We'd prefer PayPal, as it's just a lot easier to keep track of, but you can drop us a bank transfer if need be. To ensure that they arrive as quickly as possible — hopefully before the first match of the season — we will be placing the order as soon as the home kit is available for general purchase.

Please ensure you know your size, and inform me of it. I can't refund or exchange, I'm sorry.

All orders must be made and paid for by midnight Friday 6 August.

The cost for the kits is listed at £45 for short sleeve, and £50 for long sleeve. Thus, they will be priced at $80 and $90 respectively, inclusive of all postage and handling.

To order a shirt, please head to the Lesson In Pride Shop.

The Sv-end of an Era

2010-07-30T04:06:00.000-07:00

With the announcement that Javier Garrido is to join Lazio — ironically as a replacement for recent signing, Aleksandar Kolarov — the last of the eight players brought in by Sven Goran Eriksson in the 2007-08 pre-season will leave the club.

They were certainly interesting times, as the club narrowly avoided relegation the season before, and had already lost two of our better players in Joey Barton and Sylvain Distin. Before the takeover, the signs of us staying alive as a club, let alone staying in the Premier League, weren't great.

Whilst the magnitude of spending is nowhere near that of today, it was still exciting to see so many players brought into the club, even more so by the fact that most of them were unknown to the Premier League.

Garrido was the sixth player signed that window, joining the club from Real Sociedad for the knock-down fee of £1.5million. He was Sven's first-choice left back for the opening stanza, however he eventually lost his place to Michael Ball on the back of some woeful defending in a 6-0 loss to Chelsea. He scored two goals for the club, both of which came from free kicks — against Liverpool in 2008-09 and against Wolves last season.

It has been suggested that Javier was instrumental in attracting David Silva to the club, and if that is true, he was well worth the transfer fee for that alone!

Despite his limited appearances, he was nothing but a model professional, who never moaned or threw the toys out the pram when on the bench. And when he did get his chance, he took it with both hands.

A good squad player, but with Kolarov, Bridge, Lescott, Barry, and Cunningham, left-back is a place where we have a few options. I genuinely wish Javier all the best for the future.

Sven's Class of 2007
Rolando Bianchi
Sven's first signing, Bianchi joined for £8.8m from Regina. Despite scoring the team's first goal in the season opener at Upton Park, he never really took to the English game. Was loaned out to Lazio in January, and had the indignity of being sent-off five minutes into his debut. Bianchi and his neck scarf was last season playing for Torino in Italy's Serie B.

Gelson Fernandes
Didn't get many games under Sven, and less so under Hughes, where the aging Dietmar Hamann was preferred in defensive midfield. Will forever be known for scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Spain at the 2010 World Cup.

Geovanni
Geo signed as a free-agent, just days after scoring in a preseason friendly for Portsmouth. Best known for the long range effort in the 1-0 win over the Rags. However, there was always a question mark over his commitment in training, and that relegated hm to the fringes of the squad. Subsequently moved to Hull City, where he bagged their first ever Premier League goal.

Martin Petrov
One of the 2007-08 season's best players, Petrov was scintillating down left flank for the Blues. Scored the only goal in City's 1-0 win over Barcelona in a 2008-09 friendly. Between the arrival of Robinho and niggling knee injuries, Petrov struggled to secure constant game time under Mark Hughes. Moved to Bolton on a free transfer this off-season.

Vedran Corluka
Vedran, along with Garrido and Elano, was part of the famous triple-unveiling. Despite his languid style, "Charlie" was quite comfortable on the ball, and was one of the most consistent performers that season. Soon moved to Tottenham in the hours before the Abu Dhabi takeover, not before scoring a key penalty in the UEFA Cup qualifier against FC Midtjylland.

Elano
Set the Premier League alight in the first few months of the season, including that free-kick against Newcastle. However, as the weather blew colder, so did his performances. He was the player who clashed most with Mark Hughes, and as a result, was moved on at the end of the 2008-09 season — despite City having insufficient cover in the playmaker role.

Valeri Bojinov
Was injured just five minutes in to the aforementioned 2007-08 derby, and failed to return that season. Suffered an Achilles injury in warm-up in the 2008-09 seasoon opener at Aston Villa. Accrued less than an hour's game time in the two years he was at the club.

Mark Hughes Unveiled as Fulham Manager

2010-07-29T21:14:00.000-07:00

Our previous manager, Mark Hughes, has been confirmed as the new boss of Fulham. He is also allowed to bring the "Taffia" of assistant coaches, Mark Bowen, Kevin Hitchcock and Eddie Niedzwiecki.

It's a signing that works for both parties — Fulham are a club with a somewhat limited budget, but the potential to grow on the back of some thrifty transfers. This is something that Hughes was noted for in his Blackburn days at least, and in the time before the the takeover (Kompany, Zabaleta, and Wright-Phillips spring to mind. I conveniently left out Tal Ben Haim of course).

However, once he had access to the cash he went mad, overpaying quite ridiculously for players such as Joleon Lescott and Roque Santa Cruz. Which is something we should have all seen coming — here's a quote from an old Telegraph article with Garry Cook from August 2008:

"We told Mark not to come if he thought we didn't need a superstar. Mark wants to challenge himself to manage the best footballers in the world. But Mark is from the old school. He would rather overpay for the player he knows than for the player where he's relying on scouting reports. That's an endearing piece of what Mark is all about. We can't have Roque Santa Cruz, which means Mark's now back in an uncomfortable zone where he will have to bring in someone new."

Anyway, without going over old issues, it will be good to see Hughes back in the Premier League, and hopefully Fulham will "ask more questions" of their opposition, and are more "dynamic" as a result...

Hughes with his first signing at Fulham, Roque Santa Cruz? Please?

38 Into 25 Just Won't Go — Is there room for Johnson and Ireland?

2010-07-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

We’ve already signed Jerome Boateng, David Silva, Yaya Toure, and Aleksandar Kolarov this transfer window, and we could still add a few more — names such as Mario Balotelli, James Milner, Edin Dzeko, and Fernando Torres have all been heavily linked to the club, with at least two of those transfers expected to take place.

However, chances to the rules this season state that no team can assemble a squad of more than 25 players, eight of which must either be English or Welsh, or be "home grown"— that is, they spent three seasons before the age of 21 developing at an English club. Any player under the age of 21 is exempt from being included in the squad.

As it stands currently, we have over 38 players on our books, according to the OS. Admittedly, some of these are youth players, and some will undoubtedly be loaned out to clubs in the Championship or Football Leagues.

Even with this reduction, there are still some big names that are on the cusp of making the squad or not — and some of these players were brought in for big money under Mark Hughes less than 18 months ago. Players like Wayne Bridge and Roque Santa Cruz are no certainties to make the final 25.

Bear in mind though that this 25-man squad is only in force for Premier League fixtures — any player outside of this can be named in an FA Cup or Carling Cup match. There is also a separate 25-man squad for UEFA fixtures, which may or may not include the same players as the Premier League squad.

Some tough decisions need to be made this summer, and the biggest is to cut one, or both, of Ireland and Johnson.

Stevie’s issues have been well-documented, in the media and on this very website. Mancini, and Ireland himself, has to decide whether the real Stephen Ireland is the one that we saw during that 2008-09 season, where he was by some distant our player of the year — or the one that struggled to impart himself on any match last season.

Ireland has always blown hot and cold. He is definitely capable of some sheer brilliance, such as the last-gasp volley against Reading in the 2007-08 season, or a handful of goals in his breakthrough year two seasons ago. However, unless he is played in his exact preferred position of in the hole behind the strikers, he has little to no impact on the game, and has gone missing on many occasions.

But in modern football, players have to be versatile and play different positions if the game suggests. Jerome Boateng may be a right-back or centre-half, but during the World Cup for Germany, he found himself playing left-back, where he was exemplary. Steven Gerrard often plays on the wing for England, when Lampard and Barry play in his usual position in the centre of midfield.

The fact is that Ireland is almost 24 — around the same age as James Milner and David Silva. He’s no longer a kid. On his day, he is as good, or in fact better, than either of those two players. But how often is it "his day"? City are no longer in a position where we can carry a player in the hope that he comes good.

As it stands, Ireland is my 25th player picked — but if we do sign Milner, then I’m afraid it’s time to let go of the Emerald Prince.

Michael Johnson is another City product that has been touted as "the next best thing" for City, even earning comparisons to the great Colin Bell. However, these comparisons were made when he first broke through to the first team in the 2007-08 season. Since then, he has lurched from injury to injury. He won’t be fit until December at the earliest — but even that’s an optimistic prognosis.

Johnson was perhaps a good young player for the places we wanted to go three years ago. But with hardly any first team football in that time, combined with the increase in City’s ambitions, I don’t believe that Johnson does, nor should, have a future at the club.

We all love to see academy products go on to achieve wonderful things but there comes a time when we need to accept that they just aren't going to be good enough to achieve the goals we’re aiming for.

Craig Bellamy has been linked with a move away from the club ever since Hughes was sacked, however I fully expect him to be a City player at the start of the season. Despite his brilliant performances for the club in the last 18 months, it must be remembered that he is still 31 years old, with dodgy knees and a chequered history. I can't see too many clubs paying more than £5 million for his services, nor can I see them picking up his wage bill. So why not keep him? I think he still has plenty to offer the club.

Barring any new signings, this is how I’d expect us to shape up for the upcoming season.

Goalkeepers
Shay Given
Joe Hart
Stuart Taylor

Defenders
Kolo Toure
Joleon Lescott
Jerome Boateng
Aleksandar Kolarov
Vincent Kompany
Pablo Zabaleta
Wayne Bridge/Javier Garrido
Micah Richards
Nedum Onuoha
Dedryck Boyata
Greg Cunningham

Midfielders
Yaya Toure
Gareth Barry
Nigel De Jong
Patrick Vieira
James Milner/Stephen Ireland
Abdisalam Ibrahim

Wingers
Adam Johnson
David Silva
Craig Bellamy
Robinho
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Vladimir Weiss

Strikers
Carlos Tevez
Emmanuel Adebayor
Roque Santa Cruz/Felipe Caicedo/Jo
Mario Balotelli
Alex Nimely-Tchuimeni

This means that there are no positions in the squad for: Javier Garrido, one of Felipe Caicedo, Jo or Roque Santa Cruz, Kelvin Etuhu, Michael Johnson, Stephen Ireland, David Gonzalez, and Shaleum Logan.

Players in grey are under 21, and therefore are exempt from the squad.
Players in blue are "home grown". There must be a minimum of eight in the squad.

Mancini Unveils His Most Recent Purchase, Kolarov...

2010-07-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

Meanwhile, Baconface is spotted outside Vermin Towers with his latest purchases — Karloff and Eristoff...

OFFICIAL: Aleksandar Kolarov signs.

2010-07-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

What was that we said yesterday about deals dragging on? Well City go and make fools of us all, and announce that Aleksandar Kolarov will join the club from Lazio. Tentative details are here.

Roberto Mancini said:

"I first saw Kolarov in his Lazio debut back in 2007... I was impressed by the speed and strength of someone so young. He was composed on the ball had an excellent delivery with his left foot and was technically very able."

"I have watched him a lot since then and so have the Manchester City scouts. His attacking capability is very good. He is fast and can shoot with power and accuracy."

"He also has the ability to play in numerous positions and is very good in midfield. This is an additional benefit to the team. He has a fantastic international career ahead of him. I am looking forward to working with him."

This signing is an extension of our current policy of not just having back-up players, but two quality players fighting for each position. It's a long season ahead with a (hopefully) a lot of games in different competitions, so we need to have a squad strong enough to compete on all fronts. Ideally, players in our Second XI should be able to walk into most other teams in the league.

Well done to all involved!

Rumoured Signings — Kolarov, Balotelli and Milner

2010-07-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

It's been an unusual week for City in the fact that we've expected to secure a number of signings, but for one reason or another, we are yet to officially sign any of them.

In the mean-time, I've been putting off ordering the new City kit with "Balotelli 45" on the back, and I've got a cracking Photoshop starring Aleksandar Kolarov and Alex Ferguson ready to publish... and yet nothing!

So where exactly are we at currently?

Aleksandar Kolarov: £17m from Lazio
Despite being reported as a done deal in most media outlets, including the BBC, this time last week, the deal seems to have hit a bit of a snag. It has been suggested that his agent has been busy with another client, Martin Jol, in securing a possible deal with Fulham. Hopefully now that situation has been resolved, his attention returns to this transfer.

Haven't seen much of the lad play in fairness, I don't remember him having much of an impact in the Serbia v Australia match in the World Cup, although I was mostly focused on another target of ours, Milos Krasnic.

So I'm relying on YouTube for clues — and remember Georgios Samaras looked amazing on YouTube, so take it with a pinch of salt. But he reminds me a little of another Serb who played for Lazio, Sini Mihajlovic.

Kolarov gives us something that we don't currently have, an overlapping winger to give us that extra width in attack. Chelsea have Ashley Cole, the Rags have Patrice Evra, and Liverpool use Glen Johnson in this role. This also allows the central midfielders (for instance, Yaya Toure and Nigel De Jong) to drop back into a defensive four without the ball in a 4-2-3-1.

For periods last season, we seemed to have 6 in defense and 4 up-front, with no-one in central midfield. I imagine the signing of Kolarov will allow Silva or Johnson to play a little more central than they were previously.

Mario Balotelli: £20m+ from Inter Milan
Nothing I could say about the kid could be better summised than what this chap here has written. So take it away Paul:

I watch the Italian football every week, mostly on streams to be honest, but I catch the odd game on TV when I can. I always get the highlights, so take that for what you will.

Anyway, I'd swap anybody in our team for this kid. He has a terrible attitude, mainly because he was racially abused from the year dot over there so now doesn't give a fuck about Inter, and although he plays for Inter though his heart is at AC. The thing that people don't remember though, is that he has never put anybody under any false illusions. In the past, he has said that AC was his boyhood club, and while it was certainly a great honour and respect to be playing for Inter, he will always retain a special place in his heart for AC. This is where everything kicked off and got progressively worse. The Inter fans then pretty much gave him stick every time he put on a shirt, so like most teenagers, he reacted by trolling them and putting on an AC shirt in a press conference.

He's a daft kid, who has a very poor relationship with his current fan base (which to be honest is mainly his fault because he doesn't know when to shut up), he isn't Anelka who gets bored and moves on; different player, different circumstances.

Balo has the potential to be the best Italian striker for decades. If the guy was English, he'd be worth £80m.

Such an exciting player to watch, a really honest kid with a lot of fight inside of him. He refuses to be bullied by anybody though does know when to show respect to people. I can't see him having a single problem once he leaves Inter, and he is definitely the next big thing in football. He wouldn't be our Rooney, he'd be our Ronaldo.

Terrific player, and I'd love to see him here.

Whereas Robinho has spent most of his life being told just how good he is, and is therefore probably less hungry as a result — Balo is the complete opposite. His attitude comes from a desire to prove the haters wrong.

I believe once Balotelli reunites with Mancini, the manager that had so much faith in him — and of course, if we don't sing racist chants towards him every game — he'll be a much happier person, and a much better player than he already is. And he's already the best player in the world for his age.

I've never been more excited about a potential signing than I have with Mario.

James Milner: £20m+ from Aston Villa
We've courted Milner for a number of months, with our interest in the Villa midfielder reported all the way back in May. There appeared to be some negotiation between the clubs before the World Cup, with offers said to be anywhere from 20 to 30 million pounds.

After Milner and his English teammates failed to set the world alight in South Africa, news of this transfer seemed to drop off the radar.

Then amazingly, a day after Roberto Mancini declares his interest in Landon Donovan, a somewhat similar player to Milner, representatives from Villa are tripping over themselves to announce that James Milner is in fact available for sale — and the player himself has indicated his desire for a move away from Villa Park.

So we have an interesting situation on our hands where we have an unsettled player, and a manager who is keen to sell, but only at the "right price" of course. But now we are now the ones in control of this transfer — we have "hand".

I think at the £20 million quoted, Milner would be a top, top signing. He's versatile, filling in at either the right-wing or the centre of midfield, and could even drop back into defense in an emergency.

He's one of those players that does not get a lot of headlines for what he does, and therefore, a lot of people's response is: "Who? Why are we paying so much for him? He's shit". Here's just how shit he was for Aston Villa last year.

37% - James Milner either scored or assisted 19 of Aston Villa's 52 (37%) Premier League goals last season. Fulcrum (courtesy of OptaJoe on Twitter).

So... hopefully we have some concrete news about signings in the next week or so. But maybe not. As we've discovered, it's not like those deals on FIFA10 where you simply throw lots of money at the player and the club and they sign up.

Where The Bloody Hell Are Ya?

2010-07-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

There's a great new little app just launched on the Manchester City site - Be a Part Of It | http://bepartofit.mcfc.co.uk/fans/map

Here you can register and see where your local fans are - seems pretty cool! We'd love to see a few more Aussie faces on there, people keep coming out of the woodwork, and we're always happy to have new members. Jump on, add your details and we'll keep an eye on it.

If anyone is coming out to Australia backpacking, then why not drop us a line while you're in town and watch a City game with us? If there's no games on, we're always available for a few of those little beers they're so keen on out here.

So... Where the Bloody Hell are Ya?

Though it must be said, LessonInPride prefers The Chaser's version. (Not suitable for those offended by four letter words, or Germans!)

New Manchester City Away Kit Pic

2010-07-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

Now available at the Umbro shop here.

First impressions I guess are: "is that it?". It doesn't appear in this photo, but the kit features the same mini scarf on the inside collar as the home kit, which is probably it's best feature.

It's to be worn with navy shorts, and sky blue/navy hooped socks, New South Wales-style.

It's a fantastic looking shirt, but it just doesn't say "City" to me. Won't stop me buying one though.

Here's one thing I will definitely be getting though, and that's the "Mercer" jacket. A classic design, named after one of our heroes from yesteryear.

Of course, as soon as any of these become available, you can order it from the club or even better, through us.

What are your thoughts?

Well, That's One Beer I'll Never Drink Again...

2010-07-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

Singha.

It appears that the Thai beer has done a "reverse-Tevez" and signed for Manchester United in a three-year deal. There is also mention of this on the Rag's OS (click at your own peril).

However, as of this morning, the company still appears as a sponsor on our Official Site (right down the bottom of the page). It will be interesting to see whether Singha will continue their association with City as well — considering there are still plenty of City fans that refuse to deal with Sharp, Vodafone, or AIG.

Anyone who has ever been to the stadium and sampled the lager can hopefully look forward to a new brand this season... thankfully.

EDIT FROM GAV: It should be noted that other authors of this blog who have the slightest idea about marketing will point out that it absolutely makes sense for a brand to sponsor both teams across a rivalry, just to stop such a "boycott" situation occurring. E.g. Rangers and Celtic always have the same shirt sponsor, and there are many other similar cases. By all means don't drink it because you may think it's pish, but that's it. It also should be noted that the original author of this piece does indeed have a phone on Vodafone :)

Nigel De Jong... Finish Him!

2010-07-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

Torres and Garry Cook's Financial Troubles

2010-07-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

Now, usually I'd treat anything that 'Arry Redknapp says as being about accurate as my shooting with a Jabulani.
However, when he claims to know some inside transfer gossip, you should probably listen. (here and here)

"Manchester City could quite easily win the Premier League. If they get the players in now, they've already got the nucleus of a good team," the 63-year-old told Talksport.
"They're in for Torres - and if they end up getting him and one or two others then they can do anything.
"It's going to make it even harder to make the top four again next season, that's for definite."

Torres is a fantastic player, and would be an asset to any side in the world. At the moment, however he is looking like a shadow of his former self - if you believe that he's got the class to come back (as I do) then now might be the perfect time for Liverpool to offload him. It's very unlikely that he'd move to us, let's be honest, but the signing of his compatriot, fellow Spanish bench-warmer David Silva, might just be an incentive. That and Sheikh Mansour getting Khaldoon Al Mubarak to point his money hose in El Niño's general direction and opening the tap.

In addition, his injury in the ~~World Cup Final~~ UFC tag-team match between Las Tarjetas Amarillas and De Gele Kaarte have put a further twist into the tale. Who would sign an injured player? I don't think Roman Abrahmovic is quite so free and easy with his cash these days. It didn't seem to stop us signing RSC...

We at LessonInPride have been unable to confirm or deny sightings of a man matching Garrrrry Cook's description at the Manchester branch of the First Gulf Bank, frantically attempting to cancel a cheque with "at least 15 zero's on it", according to reports...

Nigel De Jong v Shabby Alonso

2010-07-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

Commiserations to Nigel De Jong and the Dutch, going down to Spain 1-0 in the World Cup final. But the midfield hardman sure left his mark on the match (and Alonso's chest no doubt...)

Funnily enough, this is remarkably similar to an incident involving City and Liverpool — Xabi Alonso's club at the time — where Martin Skrtel decided to launch an assault on Jo... however on this occasion the Liverpool defender escaped without punishment. And since that incident, Jo has been unable to play football well (although, he barely able to before-hand...)

MCFC Player Reviews: Benjani

2010-07-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been keeping up with the 2009-10 Player Reviews on the Official Site, you really should. The Adam Johnson one was a great look back, and the Javi Garrido one wasn't bad either.

But I think the quality is starting to drop off... check out this one of the "Offside Smiler", Benjani...

21 Players Who Will Be Joining City This Season (according to the press...)

2010-07-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

Manchester City are a dream subject for journalists at the moment. It seems we're blamed for just about everything wrong in the game. Buying success, ruining the Premier League, England's failure at a major tournament, global warming... you name it.

Alternatively, every newspaper and second-rate blog fills column space by randomly picking a player from Football Manager and suggests that they're nailed-on for a move to City. Sure, we could afford any and every player we want, but the sheer amount is bordering on the ridiculous.

Here's 21 players who may (or most likely, may not) be joining the club by September 1.

Edin Dzeko
Mario Balotelli
James Milner
Fernando Torres
Yoann Gourcuff
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
David Luiz
Maicon
Mesut Ozil
Pedro Leon
Didier Drogba
Lucas Polodski
Aleksander Kolorov
Richard Wright (!)
Mikel Arteta
Kwadwo Asamoah
Gregory van der Wiel
Milos Krasic
Per Mertesacker
Giampaolo Pazzini
Landon Donovan

I have no doubt whatsoever that City will strengthen again before the season kicks off... but I'd rather sit back and let it happen than get all giddy over internet rumour.

Yaya Toure Joins the Blue Revolution

2010-07-02T04:04:00.000-07:00

Announced on the Official Site.

Toure is more of a classical box-to-box midfielder, who is as competent in attack as he is defense — which contrasts nicely with the slightly more defensive traits of De Jong, Barry, and Vieira.

Much like David Silva, he has won trophies and played in long campaigns in which the team has had to fight on both the domestic and European fronts.

Bobby Manc had the unfortunate task of revealing yet another signing: "This is another fantastic signing for Manchester City, and I am very pleased Yaya has joined us, he is a very good player.

"Everyone knows Yaya is a player that we have admired for a long time, and we would like to welcome him to Manchester City. He has played at the top level with Barcelona and I am sure he his experience and ability will be very important for us."

I just hope he fits in quicker than he brother Kolo, who earned the nickname "Toure-ttes" among Sydney fans due to his inconsistent performances at the back...

We're definitely starting to assemble a side that can not only challenge for the top four, but dare I say it, the League as well... happy days.

A Conversation With FourFourTwo

2010-07-01T16:26:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to have James Martin from FourFourTwo.com (isn't that a little bit outdated? Shouldn't they change their name to FourTwoThreeOne?) swing past Lesson In Pride, and he asked us a few questions about what's in store for City in the upcoming season.

Here's what we had to say — and you can have yours too by submitting a comment below. Do you agree with our assessment?

Hopes for the season?
This used to be "I hope we don't get relegated", although that has certainly changed in the last few years... But really for City, this is our best chance in many a year — top four and a domestic cup would be fantastic, and is more than realistic.

Fears for the season?
Losing yet again to United in injury time...

Unsung hero? (A terrace favourite who might not get that much outside recognition but who the fans really value)
Vincent Kompany barely rates a mention outside of Manchester, but he is now an integral part of the team. When he finally got his chance in the side, he proved a much better defender than both big-money transfers Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott, and kept his place in the first team when they returned from injury. He's the first defender I'd pick.

Keep an eye out for... (Emerging youngster, somebody who might finally come good)
Adam Johnson. He has gone from playing in the Championship to just missing out on the World Cup squad in the space of six months. As good on the ball as Robinho, but without the attitude.

Waste of space?
His name popped up there, Robinho — although if he knuckles down and works hard he can still play a role in this club, preferably in a role behind the strikers, rather than on the left wing.

Make a wish... (Something about your owners, who you most want to beat, ticket prices)
I think we've used up all our wishes as City fans recently!

Other fans think our club/team is...
A team full of money-grabbing mercenaries, who probably thought they were going to join Manchester United when they signed. We're "buying success", you see. Because City are the only club to have spent lots of money on a player, ever.

Others fans think our fans are...
Bandwagon-jumpers who bought their first ticket at the same time they bought their shirt with "Robinho" on the back. But it was the fans who pitched in to fly an Australian (Gordon Love) over for a game, and also funded the large "Thank you Sheikh" banner. It's still a family club.

Best away fans at your ground?
Hamburg in the UEFA Cup. But domestically, I liked Portsmouth, even if they did have that bloody drum... After the vuvuzelas in the World Cup, I don't think anyone has a right to complain about the drums and bells again!

Best away ground to visit? (Can be about pies, atmosphere, friendly stewards)
I liked Craven Cottage. A lovely stroll along the Thames takes you into a old-school football ground, and you’re not treated like a leper by the stewards.

Opposition player you secretly admire?
Peter Crouch. Despite his goal knocking us out of the battle for fourth place. A criminally underrated footballer who can win the knock downs and has a decent shot. A better option for England that Heskey was, anyway. (Honourable mention to Aruna Dindane as well...)

Your manager's popularity out of 10?
9. But it would probably be a 7 if he didn’t wear that scarf every game...

Where will you finish?
Runners-up. Behind Chelsea, and ahead of United. You heard it here first.

Can money buy success?
Can you ask that again in twelve months time? Maybe not, but we're going to enjoy trying...

Are you worried that your spending power will see you overtake Chelsea as the most hated team in the land?
No — because it already has! And to be honest, that's much better than just being "poor likkle Citeh" that everyone felt sorry for. But we're here, we're cashed up, and we've got 35 years of catching up to do...

2010-11 Fixtures Released

2010-06-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here are the Manchester City fixtures for the 20010-11 campaign. Please note that the times and dates may be subject to change, mainly due to Europa League, and of course the wishes of Sir Alex Ferguson...

This post is fluid and will be updated throughout the season, so click "Fixtures and Results 2010-11" in the Search by Category box to view the results in one click. Alternatively, select the date to be taken to the relevant match report.

Aug 14 v Tottenham Hotspur away
Aug 23 v Liverpool home
Aug 29 v Sunderland away

Sep 11 v Blackburn home
Sep 19 v Wigan Athletic away
Sep 25 v Chelsea home

Oct 03 v Newcastle United home
Oct 17 v Blackpool away
Oct 24 v Arsenal home
Oct 30 v Wolverhampton away

Nov 06 v West Bromich Albion away
Nov 10 v Manchester United home
Nov 13 v Birmingham City home
Nov 21 v Fulham away
Nov 27 v Stoke City away

Dec 04 v Bolton home
Dec 11 v West Ham United away
Dec 18 v Everton home
Dec 26 v Newcastle United away
Dec 28 v Aston Villa home

Jan 01 v Blackpool home
Jan 04 v Arsenal away
Jan 15 v Wolverhampton home
Jan 22 v Aston Villa away

Feb 01 v Birmingham City away
Feb 05 v West Bromich Albion home
Feb 12 v Manchester United away
Feb 26 v Fulham home

Mar 05 v Wigan Athletic home
Mar 19 v Chelsea away

Apr 02 v Sunderland home
Apr 10 v Liverpool away
Apr 16 v Tottenham Hotspur home
Apr 23 v Blackburn away
Apr 30 v West Ham United home

May 07 v Everton away
May 14 v Stoke City home
May 22 v Bolton away

Daylight Savings Time in NSW begins on 3 October 2010 and ends on 3 April 2011.
Daylight Savings Time in England ends on 31 October 2010 and recommences 27 March 2011.

David Silva is a Manchester City Player...

2010-06-30T04:12:00.000-07:00

Wow.

With most of the world's attention on the World Cup (although not really for the football — mainly dodgy goals and vuvuzelas of course), I wasn't really anticipating new signings. There has been an awful amount of rumour surrounding Yaya Toure, which would have been the more understandable announcement with Cote d'Ivoire knocked out of the tournament.

However, we have signed a player still in the tournament, and with a great opportunity to add "World Cup winner" as well as "Manchester City player" to his resume. Welcome to the club ~~Lionel Messi~~ David Silva.

So much about this signing makes sense. Silva is just 24, and has already played at the highest levels for club and country. He's played in the Champs League with Valencia, and was part of the Spanish side that won Euro 2008. He can play as a winger or attacking midfielder, and gives us that creativity that we were so lacking in the latter half of last season.

He's been a long term target for Chelsea and less believably, Manchester United (yeah, and where would they get the funds to buy him?!)

For mine, this is as significant the acquisitions of Robinho and Tevez. Roberto Mancini said of the signing:

"I think that David Silva is one of the best midfielders in Europe, and I hope he will be a very important (well he would say that, wouldn't he?) player for Manchester City.

"I am so pleased he is coming to us, I think he can make a big, big impact for Manchester City. In signing David, we are showing the World that we are bringing the best players here and that we hope to compete to win the Premier League. When players see what is happening at Manchester City and the ambition they are attracted to what we are building and want to be a part of it.

"I hope he does very well for Spain in the World Cup and then joins us for our pre-season, ready to compete in the Premier League. I am very excited about seeing him playing for Manchester City."

And so are we, Roberto...

Sydney Blues: Supporters' Club 5-a-side Tournament

2010-06-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

It's that time again... thanks to Lee and the team at Footy Fans Down Under, we have another Supporters Club 5-a-side tournament to contest.

The tournament is run biannually, and this will be our third attempt at it. Frankly, our record isn't too flash so far. In the previous two tournaments, we have failed to get out of our group, with a record of 2-2-4 from our eight matches. With City's fortunes improving on the pitch, it's about time we got our act together and showed everyone else how the boys in blue play football.

Supporter's Club 5-a-side Tournament Details
Date: Sunday 15 August 2010
Time: No later than 10:00am
Location: Harbord Bowling Club, near Manly
Cost: $20 each, paid on the day

Bring: Footy boots (plastic moulded), Manchester City home kit

Here's the brief details, but there will be more to come as the event gets closer:

Whilst it’s 5-A-Side squad numbers can be up to 12, plenty of games will be played so a good idea to get a good squad number, a rolling sub system will operate.

The Event will be held on Sunday 15th August and we'd love to see your team there, Clubs are already signing up and it's sure to be a great day.

The competition venue will be the Harbord Bowling Club on the Northern Beaches, it has bar facilities aswell as food available etc so ideal for teams bringing supporters along, venue for after competition presentation to be confirmed – we have moved from our previous venue due to the demand and this will enable us to use more pitches.

Again we will be using synthetic surfaces so all good from a weather perspective.

Look forward to hearing from you soon and of course to registering your team, information will also be available via www.footyfansdownunder.com

Regards,
Lee.

If you can confirm you are good to play, please send an email to lessoninpride@gmail.com saying you are in, and you'll be added to the list.

Football ability is not a major requirement — even I managed to find the back of the net twice last time — but a sense of humour is. Brendo should be there to serenade us on the ukelele and I can back him up on concerto vuvuzela. Roberto Mancini might even make another appearance...

You have plenty of time to think about it, but it really is a top day out.

City's Ever-Changing New Kit

2010-06-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

The main criticism of the new home kit is the simple fact that we have one! It's the fifth new shirt in as many years, and when you include all the changes to away and third kit too (there were nine different kits used in the three seasons before this one), it becomes an expensive exercise at the beginning of each season.

From top-left: This seasons new kit, 2009-10 home kit, 2008-09 home kit, 2007-08 home kit, 2006-07 home kit, 2004-06 home kit...

The last time we used a home kit for consecutive seasons was back in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Isn't this something we used to take the piss out of the Rags for?

Hopefully, Umbro can use common sense and announce that this one will be in for a while. I mean, how many times can you improve on a sky blue and white shirt?

World Cup Update

2010-06-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

Carlos Tevez netted the first (and second) goal by a Manchester City player last night, bagging a brace as Argentina cruised past Mexico 3-1 to reach the final eight.

Jerome Boateng's German side knocked out England in the other round of 16 clash, and in the process ending the World Cup for Gareth Barry, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Joe Hart. Whilst not breathtaking, Boateng had a solid game, playing out of position at left-back. And at just 21, Jerome looks a solid prospect for the future.

Nigel De Jong's Oranje take on Vladi Weiss' Slovakia at Durban tonight. It should be noted that the referee of this clash was the same one that handed out 9 yellow cards in the match between Germany and Serbia... which is not a good sign for the tough-tackling midfielder!

In the other clash, part-time City player Robinho will look to open his World Cup account against Chile. Although, the tournament favorites haven't exactly blown me (or their opponents) away so far, so it would surprise me if Chile gave them a run for their money.

And lastly, Roque Santa Cruz will start his THIRD GAME IN A ROW for Paraguay tomorrow, against the dangerous Japan. That's assuming of course he doesn't pick up a knock getting out of bed...

So even though Australia and England are no longer in the tournament, there is still plenty of good football on show – and a great chance to see our very own on the game's biggest stage.

New Manchester City Home Kit Leaked?

2010-06-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

This is most likely what the boys will be wearing in the 2010-11 Premier League and Europa League campaign. Out of all the mock-ups and fake kits, this appears to be the most genuine, and I'm almost certain this is the real deal.

Whilst similar to last year's kit, there are a few minor changes. The white crew neck is gone, replaced by a blue collar, and the shirt now has white cuffs... but my favourite change is the one that you won't be able to see when you're wearing it — the miniature City scarf at the back of the neck.

I didn't think they were able to improve on last season's kit, but on this occasion, I think Umbro have outdone themselves.

Don't forget, we will be placing an order for the kit when it's released, so if you're in Australia and you want to save a couple of bucks, get in contact.

They Think It's All Over...

2010-06-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

Despite a tumultuous lead up to their final must-win group match – there were rumours of in-fighting, questions asked of the manager, and a mauling in the press back home – the team were able to hold on and secure a one-goal victory over Serbia. (You thought I was talking about the Poms, didn't you?)

Unfortunately for the Sheilaroos, four points was not enough to escape from Group D, as was the case in 2006. The side contains a lot of the names that were part of that amazing World Cup in Germany four years ago, however many of those players are four years older are also past their prime, and for others, their replacements were simply not in the same league. And as for the manager...

Those that criticise Roberto Mancini's "defensive" style of play should consider themselves lucky that they don't support a team managed by Pim Verbeek. Whilst he did well to lead to South Korea to third place in the 2007 Asian Cup – further examination reveals that they hardly set the world alight. Indeed, after scraping through the group stage, the side registered consecutive 0-0 draws in the quarter final, semi final, and third-place playoff, each match going to a penalty shootout. So not only had the Korean defence manage to hold out their opposition for over 6 hours of football – they weren't able to score either.

Australia were the amongst the first teams to secure qualification for South Africa, just behind the Netherlands and on the same date as Japan. However, the style in which they did it left a lot to be desired. Many matches were dour, drab affairs, with the defensively-minded Verbeek exclusively opting to play 4-5-1, even against the minnows of Asian football. Apart from a couple of big defeats over Qatar, that helped to boost the goal difference, the team looked very, very ordinary in attack. But, you only need one goal to win, and that was enough on most occasions – even if the manager earned the name "Verbleak" as a result of his tactical outlook. Flair players or goal scorers such as Nicky Carle and Scott McDonald were left off the plane, and the squad was stacked with midfielders. Australia's 23-man squad contained as many goalkeepers as it did strikers – and even then one of those (Kewell) is generally considered to be a left-winger.

It may have not been the prettiest formation, but it was our best one. Inexplicably before the first match against Germany, Pim reverted to a more attacking 4-4-2, although that was with attacking midfielder Tim Cahill partnering Richard Garcia (yet another midfielder) up front. Lucas Neill and Craig Moore were selected in central defence – both of whom possessed the sheer pace of Didi Hamann in full-flight and the turning circle of the Pasha Bulker. Predictably, the Sheilaroos were torn to shreds, and the cause was not helped by a red to Tim Cahill.

The second match against Ghana was a much more positive affair, as the Aussies returned to a formation in which they were much more familiar with. However, this was short-lived when Harry Kewell was sent-off for handball on the line in the 23rd minute – the second debatable red in as many matches for the Socceroos. Unlike the previous encounter against the Germans, the side were able to rally and hold on for the draw.

This meant that Australia would go in to the final match against Serbia requiring a miracle. They would first have to defeat a Serb side containing such class as Krasnic, Vidic, and Stankovic, and then hope for a result the either way – either a Ghanaian win, or a Germany victory big enough to overcome the massive goal difference.

And by jingo, they almost did it. Late goals to Tim Cahill and the much-maligned Brett Holman, combined with the 1-0 lead Germany had opened at the time, meant that the Socceroos were just two goals either way from qualification with twenty minutes still to play. It was not to be however as Ghana undeservedly qualified on the back of two penalty goals, both of which on the account of handball by the opposition.

It was still one of the best performances I've seen by the National team in quite some time. Despite crashing out early, the boys showed that Aussie spirit that they are known for, and that was so lacking in the clash against Germany. I suppose that's one thing that separates the Australian fans from the English – I find it extremely difficult to understand those people that are not just are nonchalant towards the National team... but to go far as to actively support the opposition! Although if the Socceroos featured such Grade-A wankers as Rooney, Cole, Terry, and Ferdinand, I'd find it difficult too...

In the aftermath, some members of the squad have already announced their desire to continue to Brazil in 2014. Cahill predictably confirmed he'd be there, so did Harry Kewell; although by then his groin would be held together with a bit of chewy...

So thanks to the Sheilaroos for another unforgettable World Cup, and hopefully we can make the Second Round (or better) in Brazil.

World Cup Zombies

2010-06-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the World Cup as much as us here in Sydney?

For those people annoyed that some games are on during the working day, spare a thought for us here on the East Coast of Australia where games have been played at 9.30pm, Midnight and 4.30am (!!).

There has been a surprising amount of buzz around the cup, somewhat dampened by Australia's lacklustre performance against Germany, accompanied by their two most recognisable players (Jesus aside) getting sent off by pretty dubious decisions. A theme of this World Cup I think?

The men in the offices of Sydney seem to be like walking Zombies many nights - staying up to watch their favourite teams. There are many ethnic groups in Sydney too supporting their various teams such as Greece, Portugal, Italy, Korea, Brazil, Argentina, USA, Serbia and New Zealand in particular, so it's not just the Australian games being watched. Everyone seems to keep a keen eye on England too, and whilst most won't admit it, I think they are most people's second team to watch (if not support). There's been a bit of cheer from across the Tasman Sea, with The All Whites performing much better than anyone could've expected. Indeed the Sydney Morning Herald hailed their first game as Australasia 1 - Slovakia 1! Don't expect the Kiwi's to put down the oval ball just yet though.

Anyone within earshot in the last few weeks (essentially in the Greater Sydney area) will have heard me espousing my views on England's tactics, and what is going wrong.

In the event that Fabio Capello (Managerial career highlights include 5 Serie A titles, 2 La Liga, Champions League etc etc) wants to listen to me (Managerial career ~~highlights~~ Owens Park Mixed football title 1999-2000 with Tree Court C) then here's what I'd tell him ahead of tomorrow morning's game (OK - evening if you're in the UK) against Slovenia.

Rooney has to play as a solo striker. It means he stays forward, where he is dangerous. Yes he will have to put some effort in and get knocked around, but he won't be dropping back into the 'hole' in search of the ball. This is good because...
Steven Gerrard must be pushed forward to play behind Rooney. He has the vision and the passing ability to free Rooney, and whoever else is playing down the flanks. I suspect he'll once again have to play on the left, which is a shame as in central midfield he's one of the best in the world, but on the left wing he's probably not even one of the best in England. If he does play on the left, he has to stop coming inside so much, so that he can free up Ca$hley Cole (one of the better England players thus far) to make his runs down the flanks without having defenders double up on him. Gerrard can drop back occasionally, and let Frank Lampard do what he does for Chelsea and...
Shoot! Several times (and not just Emile Heskey) we failed to take shots when presented with the opportunity. I think it's a lack of confidence with the ball. It's very hard to be positive, and to play long passes when the ball is likely to fly off with the merest touch - but they need to at least try. Teams at this level are not going to let you pass it into the net.
Joe Cole. I hate to admit it - but Terry is right. Personally I think Manchester City's own Adam Johnson would've been a great choice for a spot on the wing in a game like this, but we have to go with what we've got.
Don't play Emile Heskey. Really. Don't. He might make chances, but he's got the finishing capacity of "Nasty" Nigel De Jong. I know he's not there to score, but if your one decent chance in a game falls to him, then you're jiggered. Even if this means playing Peter Crouch. (Worth a click, that one!) I think it's more likely that Defoe will start, with Rooney again dropping off, but there we go.
Gareth Barry just needs to take Robert Koren out of the game. He's Slovenia's lifeline, stifle him, you stifle the team and let England play.

Anyway, here's hoping that we get through! I'm also supporting Australia (who have a tiny chance of progressing) and play at 4.30am tomorrow morning. If England don't, work will be unbearable - and I'm not just talking about the sleep deprivation!

Lesson In Pride Turns One!

2010-06-09T02:29:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed a few cosmetic changes to the site, and we will be doing some more over the next few days. This is in celebration of the first anniversary of the blog. I certainly didn't think I could be bothered to keep it going for that long!

The site was originally named "Sydney Blues", and was to be a way for City fans from right around the country to keep up with the news locally. However, as we discovered more and more of our readership was from the United Kingdom, we took on the name "Lesson In Pride" and became a more general City blog, whilst trying to retain that local flavour.

Not only has it been a successful year for Manchester City, it's been a great one for us off the pitch too. We've had mentions on the club site, we've been involved in a couple of successful tournaments, and of course it was a great honour to be presented with the "Heart of the City" award by the club. But probably the highlight has been meeting so many new City fans from home and abroad, some of who has become good mates outside of organised meet-ups.

Hopefully we can continue to grow on the back of the Blues' most successful season in the Premier League — and with the Ashes coming to Sydney in the new year we can probably expect a new wave of ex-pat Mancs as well.

A massive thanks to all of those who read and contribute regularly.

Sydney Blues WC2010 Schedule and Screenings

2010-06-08T05:20:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the World Cup is a little bit more difficult to co-ordinate, for a couple of reasons. The time of the matches makes it difficult; the fact that there will be thousands of people in the CBD doesn't help; and of course, half of us go for England and the other half go for Australia!

So here are the tentative plans for meet-ups in Sydney:

The N-F-I
Match 1: Australia v Germany
Time: Monday 14 June, 4:30am
Venue: Moorebank Hotel/Royal Exhibition Hotel/Lowenbrau/Your bedroom

I've drawn the short-straw and will be stuck at work at the Moorebank Hotel in Sydney's west during the first match (at least I'll be getting paid to watch football I suppose), so you're more than welcome to join me there for beers on the house.

If not, the Royal Exhibition hotel near Central is a good bet, if you want to be filmed by a Channel 10 news crew as you stumble out into the chilly winter air. Or, the Lowenbrau near Circular Quay might be good to wind-up the opposition. It's up to you.

The Live Screening
Match 2: Australia v Ghana
Time: Saturday night 19 June, Midnight
Venue: Sweeney's Hotel, then to Darling Harbour

This is the most viewer-friendly match of the lot, and a must win for the Sheilaroos, so we're going to go where the atmosphere is. Sweeney's is located about a two-minute stroll from Town Hall station and a good opportunity to sink some pre-match schooners before heading down to the Live Site at Darling Harbour.

I'm not sold on the Live Site though — it will no doubt be heavily policed and they'll probably be complete tools about it. So the other option is we can stay in the pub and take advantage of full-strength beer.

The Double Header
Match 3: England v Slovenia, followed by Australia v Serbia
Time: Thursday 24 June. England game at 12am, followed by Australia at 4:30am.
Venue: Cheers Bar

We're going to return to our spiritual home of Cheers for this clash, considering that both nations will be playing on the same night. Both of these matches will be incredibly important in determining just who makes it through to the round of 16, and whether in fact Australia and England will meet in the next round. And besides, it will be a long, long night, and there's less chance of us getting kicked out of Cheers than most other places!

If you have any questions, or suggestions, please let us know on one of the multitude of ways you can contact us!

OFFICAL: Jerome Boateng signs.

2010-06-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Stolen from the Club Twitter. You can read about his signing now on the Official Site.

Welcome to the club Jerome, let's just hope you're more like Kevin-Prince than George. That's the third player in as many seasons we've pinched from our feeder club Hamburg — Vincent Kompany, Nigel De Jong, and now Boateng.

City and the World Cup

2010-06-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

Just in case you were wondering who to support when Australia aren't playing (or after we fail to qualify for the group stages), here's a full list of players representing City, as well as their country, at South Africa. So there will be a reason to watch almost every game at the World Cup, if there was not enough to do so already!

Argentina: Carlos Tevez
Brazil: Robinho
Cote D'Ivoire: Kolo Toure
England: Gareth Barry, Joe Hart, Shaun Wright-Phillips
Holland: Nigel De Jong
Paraguay: Roque Santa Cruz
Slovakia: Vladimir Weiss

In addition, former some former City players are on show in the World Cup, such as Elano (Brazil), David James (England), Nicolas Anelka (France), Georgios Samaras (Greece), Chris Killen (New Zealand), Dickson Etuhu (Nigeria), Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland), and DaMarcus Beasley (United States).

And of course, it's interesting to compare and contrast that with the amount of players we had at the 2006 tournament...

England: David James
United States: Claudio Reyna

During the World Cup, I'll be putting up match reports for Australian games as let's face it, there has been bugger-all news from the club since the end of the season, and no signings to report as yet.

Best of luck in the World Cup to all City players, and of course, the Australian and English national teams, depending on your persuasion.