Replacing Tevez With A Big Name Would Be A Big Mistake

Back sometime in the middle of the interminably long Summer football break I wrote a piece about players who could replace Carlos Tevez when it looked as if he was on the way out, I felt that of all the options the standout candidate was Sergio Aguero.  Fast forward a couple of months and Aguero is a City player, as is Tevez...just.


I am pretty certain that the signing of Kun from Atletico Madrid was as a replacement for Tevez and when he stayed it looked as if we had a wealth of riches in the attacking department, so much so, the man who shared the golden boot last season with Dimitar Berbatov has barely featured for us.  It would appear that everything came to a head on Tuesday night and his refusal to play was most likely based on his frustration over a lack of game time.


We are therefore back exactly where we were all those months ago, except one thing is different, we are talking about replacing Tevez....again.  It could be debated at great length whether Aguero would have been signed had it not been for the outcry from Tevez, but the general consensus seems to be that was the case, I therefore find it a little strange that we are now scratching our heads and talking about bringing in a replacement.

I suppose it is a fair comment that strikers are relatively thin on the ground, we have Dzeko, Balotelli and Sergio Aguero, but with our wealth of attacking midfield talent and the fact that we generally play one striker with three players behind I think 3 could be enough to see us through comfortably.  The fact that Tevez has barely been used surely demonstrates this fact.  It does appear however that Mancini is keen to bring in a new striker and unsurprisingly the papers have linked us with numerous options.

It could perhaps be lazy journalism, but I am hardly surprised that we have been linked with Arsenal forward Robin Van Persie, he is running down his contract and supposedly has no real interest in renewing it, but at 28, and with his injury record I am hardly full of enthusiasm for that possible signing.  There has been talk of a mega money move for Neymar the Brazilian prodigal genius but again questions about his temperament worry me, and then there was probably the most attractive prospect Edinson Cavani, who is currently tearing it up for Napoli.

None of the prospects are particularly awful, although I do have grave misgivings about Neymar, but I still remain uncertain about the necessity to bring in another striker.  Part of the problem with Tevez was his unwillingness to play second (or fourth) fiddle to other players and quite frankly that makes me question whether we do really need another big name forward.  The depth would be useful, 3 strikers is maybe 1 light but another big name? For me there is a better option.

I would rather see us go for a young kid capable of scoring, or a proven goal scorer playing at a lower level who would be happy to gain experience and play a bit part.  One newspaper in France have linked us and other clubs with a move for young French wonderkid M'Baye Niang.  The 16 year old is currently playing for Caen in Ligue 1 and is expected to be a really top player, that would be the sort of option I would prefer to see us pursuing.  It wouldn't even have to be someone playing in the top flight, not a glamorous choice but Nicky Maynard has scored plenty of goals in the Championship and has been watched by many top flight clubs, he would I am unsure love the opportunity at a big club like City but would also be more than willing to play a smaller part initially, Wilfried Zaha is another youngster in the Championship that has been linked with some top clubs, Barcelona no less.

The bottom line is that I feel we already replaced Tevez this Summer and bringing in a top player now will only cause problems in the attacking ranks since not all of them can play.  I would much prefer us to go for a youngster or someone like Maynard in the Championship, someone who would be a good player but would also be prepared to wait for his chance.

Rumour Mill: Sunday Round Up

It seems that you can't keep City off the back pages, sadly today it is still just one story that those on Fleet Street are focussing on, that is the situation with want-away irritant Carlos Tevez.  Yesterday may have brought a thumping good victory and an exceptional performance from everyones favourite bad boy Mario Balotelli but there is still only one story in town.


I was hoping to have some different topics to bring together, but sadly they are relatively thin on the ground, you can normally count on the Sunday papers for some ridiculous rumours but there is really not a lot going on, so if you are sick of reading about Carlos Tevez, I suggest you move along after the first story.

Let's start with the only non-Tevez story then, and it is back to an old favourite, the future of Adam Johnson.  Despite Roberto Mancini making it abundantly clear in preseason that the young winger is going nowhere, there are still murmurings about his future at the club, and it seems to be Liverpool that he is constantly linked with.  To be fair this story does come from CaughtOffside.com so any shreds of credibility die right there but it's still worth having a (quick) look at.  As far as I know, the website in question is essentially a blogging site for people who are 'in the know' and they really do churn out some rubbish.  The moment this story loses all credibility comes when the writer claims that Johnson has been left out in the cold by Mancini, ignoring the fact that he has been injured for a few weeks and returned to the starting 11 as soon as he was deemed fit enough, quality research right there.  For what its worth, the website report that Liverpool would be prepared to pay around £18million for the England international, it wouldn't be bad money because AJ isn't as good as the media hype machine would lead you to believe, but we won't sell him to Liverpool in January and nor should we.

Right, OK, Tevez then, where to begin?  First up is a story from the Sunday Mirror who are reporting that he will be on the way in January with PSG and Inter Milan the most likely destinations.  There is nothing particularly interesting in that but there is also a transfer fee mentioned, quite where it comes from is unclear, plucked out of the sky I would suggest, but that doesn't mean it isn't hard to agree with.  They are reporting that the bids coming from Italy and/or France would be around £25million, someway short of the £40million that the club was holding out for this Summer.  I think really we would be foolish to expect any more than that, and I also think they are the most likely destinations as well, throw Malaga into the ring and they may not be far off.  The players temperament has ensured we will make a loss on the player but to be honest I just want rid by this point.

In the same newspaper everyone's favourite imbecile has also been talking about City, Joey Barton has branded the club that gave him more opportunities than many would and gave him the career he has today a 'soap opera', sorry Joey, are those grapes a bit too sour for you?  He goes on to claim that the Tevez situation was 'only a matter of time', just like it is 'only a matter of time' before you smack a teenager again Joey?

To continue on Tevez it is perhaps strange to see the Daily Star on Sunday so firmly behind City.  They reveal that the club have stopped the Argentine flying back to his home country this weekend as they prepare for a high level meeting on Monday.  They go on to debunk any myths that the City squad might side with Tevez, and in particular Pablo Zabaleta, they claim these rumours are untrue and nothing more than a smear campaign being put about by certain people in the media as well as the players camp.  Encouragingly they also state that the clubs owners are believed to be firmly behind the manager and disgusted with the actions of the players, lets hope that is the case.

Last by by no means least is Micah Richards who has given an interview to The People stating quite simply that Tevez was in the wrong.  It has become plain to see this week that some sections of the media have struck up some sort of agenda against Mancini and been claiming that the players weren't supporting him, well these quotes from Richards certainly begin to prove that to be the fabrication that it quite clearly is.  The same paper also reckon that Tevez will infact be suspended for 6 weeks and fined upto £1.5million, hearsay, but lets hope its true!


Hopefully next Sunday we will have something other than Tevez, but I expect this one to run on a little bit yet, anyway enjoy your Sunday Roasts and don't forget to check back in the week for more.

Will The Tevez Saga Galvanise Us or Tear Us Apart?

Is there really anything left to say about the little ponce?  As we all know Carlos Tevez refused to pull on the blue shirt last night something that we would all do for nothing, and would love to do for, oh say, £200k a week.


My biggest fear with the whole situation though is the effect it could have on Roberto Mancini, and how it could affect his position as manager.  Bobby told the press in no uncertain terms that the Argentine striker would never play for Manchester City again on his watch, it was a big statement and one that as fans I expect we would all go along with, what about the financial implications though?

I am no economics whizz-kid, in fact I would go as far as to say I am clueless on the topic, but I am not sure realistically what the club can do.  If money was no object, he would be put in the reserves for the length of his contract and just left there to rot, but with the impending FFP rules that sadly is not an option.  The player may claim otherwise, but I don't believe that we have treated him badly, we bent over backwards for him this Summer and made attempts to move him on, we even signed a replacement in Sergio Aguero, but there was simply no realistic buyers.


I think the chances of this changing in January are slim to none, especially given last nights pathetic display of childishness.  My biggest fear is that Mancini may be forced to accept this mornings pathetic apology from the player, he may claim it was a mistake, and a misunderstanding, and that his mental state wasn't right, but does anyone believe that tosh?  He makes the point that on the pitch he always gives his all, and I wouldn't debate this, but getting him onto the field now appears to be a challenge, so what does that matter?

If the Italian is forced to welcome Tevez back into the first team squad, I can see him walking.  He has spoken of wanting total control before, but in the modern game that is difficult.  With FFP, decisions have to be made by CEO's, owners and Irene the tea lady.  I do think the manager should have the last word, and I agree Tevez should be alienated, but how well that will go down with the money men I am unsure.


The best solution to me would seem to be convinced the player to buy himself out of his contract, that would allow the club to move on and receive a substantial sum of money from the player, Mancini would get his wish, and Tevez would no longer be an issue, going back to my limited knowledge of football clubs I am unsure as to how this could or even if it would work.

On the more positive side of things, if a deal is agreed and the board are seen to be backing the manager it could turn into a real plus, the events of last night could galvanise the team and bring them together.  Obviously it could go the other way and the squad could tear itself apart, but with the positive attitude that MOST players seem to be exhibiting a definitive stance from the board to back the manager could really help City in the long run, and lets be honest, that is what we all want.


Forza Mancini, lets get behind him, the club and everyone that is pulling in the right direction, the blue moon will continue to rise, hopefully without Tevez.

Rumour Mill: Sunday Round Up

Sundays are about more than just roast dinners, a normally pretty tame game on Sky and falling asleep in front of La Liga at about half 9, it is also the one day of the week that the 'other' newspapers and the Sunday editions get their chance to shine and I suppose because more papers are sold on a Sunday we get the best rumours, or should that be the most ridiculous rumours.

I thought to keep on top of things, it might be an interesting idea to round up some of the City related ones each Sunday from now on just to see if any of them come to anything, so without further hesitation, so lets get on with it.

First up is something from goal.com (OK, so i'll be grabbing nonsense from around the web as well) who have got some quotes from everyone's favourite melting candle 'Arry Redknapp.  The Spurs manager is no stranger to discussing his transfer targets brazenly and when it comes to our very own Emmanuel Adebayor he is no different, the soon to be England manager spoke about the Togolese striker after his sides demolition of Wigan yesterday:

"Yes, if he keeps going like he's going. I'd love to keep him around, he's been excellent so far so let's hope he keeps it up.

"I don't know [if it will be possible]. We don't pay his wages and I think that would be the problem. God knows what he earns, I don't even know what we pay towards his wages, only the chairman would know that. I bet he's not cheap.".

I think most City fans would like to see Adebayor out of the club, and now that we have moved on I don't think many blues would mind him going to the Lane.  The problems remains however that the striker is a 6 month player, whether 'Arry will be so keen towards the end of the season remains to be seen.  On top of that do any of us believe he will be willing to cut his wage demands?  I certainly don't...

The Mail (Fail) On Sunday have gone pretty City heavy today, in fact the rest of the transfer rumours come from that very publication, and I would suggest and also hope there is nothing in any of them.  They kick off by claiming that we will be returning to our feeder club at the end of the season and move for Dutch striker Robin Van Persie, who managed to reach 100 goals for Arsenal yesterday.  The thrust of the article seems to be that with the Dutchman seemingly stalling on a new contract, his club could soon be in the same position they were in with Samir Nasri.  I would put very little credence into this one personally, the Mail are hoping for lightning to strike twice with them aiming to get the exclusive.  Nasri left to win things, and that is reasonable, but Van Persie appears to be Mr Arsenal at the moment and with them finally spending some money I highly doubt Wenger will allow his contract to run down.

Quite what it is that Ross Barkley has done to result in the media extolling him as the saviour of global football I am unsure, I must have missed something but everyone keeps telling me that he is in fact the new messiah and will make Lionel Messi look like Barry Conlon.  Obviously the tv and newspapers would never get over excited about a young player (Dean Marney, Danny Rose, Mark Noble to name just 3) and make them out to be something they quite patently aren't, who would suggest such a thing?  I am not claiming Barkley to be a bad player, I just don't know what this fuss is based on, anyway to get back on topic, the Mail reckon we are readying a £30million for the 17 year old, yes MORE than we paid for David Silva.  The youngster is highly thought of at Everton and has apparently played well for England at youth level and Bob Cass of the Mail claims we are locked in a 3 way tussle for the midfielder with Chelsea and Manchester United stating that the dire financial situation at Goodison will ensure that Moyes and co have to sell... I won't hold my breath on this one.

The final nugget of transfer gold revolves around the future of another South American wonder kid, yes, thats right, the overly cocky and generally irritating Brazilian striker Neymar is being linked with City again!  As anyone who has read my rants on here before will be fully aware I am not the biggest fan of the 19 year old.  I always defended Robinho and said that all in all his career in Manchester was not the huge let down that some people would have you believe, he scored plenty of goals and entertained and thrilled in equal measure.  Neymar on the other hand just doesn't appeal to me at all, I simply don't see him cutting it in England and if the histrionics of Robinho annoyed you, Neymar will take it to a whole other level.  The deal that the Mail claim is in the offing is for about £50million and will equal the figure that Madrid are prepared to offer.  The paper reckon that he is a player that Mancini has personally told the clubs hierarchy that he wants believing him to be the best young talents in the world, not sure I buy into that personally, he doesn't strike me as a 'Mancini player' in any way shape or form, and for that money I am sure we could get someone who won't be moaning about the English weather and going on strike within 18 months.

Finally for a none transfer story, possibly the least reliable paper in existence, The People, are suggesting that our future CEO will be none other than City legend Niall Quinn after his success at Sunderland.  As much as I would love that to happen I am not sure how realistic it is, he may have worked closely with Marwood before, but I can't help but feel our owners might be looking for more of a businessman as opposed too a football man to fill that role.  Even if they did fancy Quinn, whether he has sufficient reputation I am unsure, he may be a big name in the British game, but how good he will be at selling City to a young Kid from Costa Rica, Chile or Kenya I am unsure.

That pretty much wraps up the Sunday papers, there may be a few other things bouncing about, but I think those are the most interesting ones.  I don't see any of them coming to anything, but what the hell do I know?!?!

This City Has Been Has Totally Fallen Out Of Love With The Game

Wednesday night at Eastlands was not the most exciting night of my footballing life, it was cold, wet, windy and the football on the pitch didn't exactly create excitement and hysteria in the watching fans.  The League Cup is suffering somewhat of a crisis, and in recent years it has morphed into the title that 'does a job' the one that 'you'll accept', it isn't really high up on anyones list of priorities until the select clubs get towards the business end of the competition.  Even defending holders Birmingham had little to no interest in the tournament, they have far bigger fish to fry and the distraction of the League Cup is an unwanted one.


City on the other hand have a squad capable of challenging for all major honours and I am sure that as the rounds progress stronger squads will be put out each time, amongst the mixture of quality, kids and the downright average was a defender who was signed for £10million not so long ago but now finds himself not just out of the picture but out of the whole art gallery!

Wayne Bridge though is making no effort to get his career back on track, one of many awful signings made by Mark Hughes, Bridge arrived in January 2009 and signed a 4 and a half year deal on a reported £90,000 a week.  It was clearly a great offer and at that time City were throwing money around like confetti.  He never sparkled however and struggled to hold down a place after the 2009-2010 season and barely featured last season, ultimately being loaned out to West Ham for the second half of the term.


All Summer there has been numerous options for the player to move on, and yet the 30 year old has remained.  There was speculation about a move to Newcastle as a replacement for the outgoing Jose Enrique, there was the possibility of moves to QPR and Stoke but none of these rumours seemed to be anything more than heresay.  To be quite honest I don't even know if he is good enough for the Premier League any more, his game has deteriorated hugely over the last 3 or 4 years and he did nothing against Birmingham on Wednesday night to demonstrate otherwise, he was pretty much entirely ineffective for the majority of the game.

He could have a future in football though if he wanted one, clearly he would still be more than adequate for a strong Championship team aiming for promotion, he could have made his move to West Ham permanent but again this didn't come off.  The inference coming from Eastlands is that the player has lost his motivation for the game pretty much entirely.  Spurs defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto in a very refreshing display of honesty, described football as a 'job' a couple of years ago, and fair play to him for being open about his thoughts, it would appear Bridge views the game in the same fashion, but without that honesty.

If he had been willing to be flexible he could have found a new club long ago, but it appears that he now has other priorities in his life.  Winston Bogarde famously remained professional and continued to draw a wage from Chelsea even after numerous attempts from the club to move him along, he stated that no other club would offer him what he was receiving at Stamford Bridge, so why should he move?  Clearly players like this aren't playing for the love they are playing to earn money, and I have no problem with that if the players in question were honest about their mind set.


Bridge is happily ensconsed in leafy Alderley Edge with some pop starlet, they supposedly live happily and other than a few hours training each day he has no other responsibilities.  He hasn't been named in the City 25 man squad for the Premier League so he knows that his Saturdays will be free for him to spend as he see's fit.  No football loving professional would be happy in this situation but for Bridge it seems perfect.  He could have moved on, he could be playing football week in and week out, but he would prefer to spend his time doing other things and still be paid for it.

The concept makes sense to me in many ways, why would you leave a highly paid job to do the same thing for less somewhere else, but this isn't a man who is short of money, he has earnt enough over his career to last him a life time, by this point it makes no difference whether he is earning his 90k a week at city or 20k a week at Leicester.  Bridge in my eyes can no longer claim to be a 'professional footballer', he may do what is expected of him so he can continue to be paid, but his desire and love for the game died long ago.

League Cup 3rd Round: City V Birmingham Report

It is fair to say that the League Cup is hardly the most inspiring of competitions, maligned by many and ridiculed by some there is a definite argument that the competition is in desperate need of a shake up, and in truth last nights game was little more than a training exercise with City never needing to get out of 2nd gear let alone find 4th or 5th.


5 years ago City would have fielded one of their strongest teams and entered the competition a round earlier, it was something that we took seriously but we have come so far that last night the team fielded was a real mish mash of the good (Tevez, Balotelli & Zabba), the bad (Bridge) and the ugly (OK, who am I to judge?!).  On paper it could have been a mouth watering tie as it pitted the 2 domestic cup winners against each other, Birmingham were victorious in the League Cup last year beating Arsenal in the final but since then their fortunes have slipped and surprise relegation has dumped them back in the Championship, and the defense of their title never really got going if the truth be told.


City of course won the FA Cup and it has left us all with a taste for more success and no matter what we think of it, this is a competition that is definitely there for us to win and therefore I hope we treat it seriously as we progress.  Understandably it was a weakened team last night, and they got the job done with relative ease but if we are drawn against more challenging opposition next time out I would like to see us field a stronger side and really go for it.

The home team controlled the game throughout and youngster Abdul Razak and debutant Owen Hargreaves marshaled the defense well sitting in front of a back line that contained a returning Kolo Toure, Stefan Savic, as well as misfits Wayne Bridge and Nedum Onuoha.  Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli functioned to a reasonable level upfront, supported by Zabaleta and Kolarov providing width.  


Hargreaves was fiery and hard working on his debut and he seemed to be well up for the challenge, he managed to play 60 minutes he kept things simple and tackled cleanly and well.  The most important challenge on the night for the player was coming through unscathed, anything on top of that would have been a bonus, the cherry on top however was the stunning goal he scored that gave City the lead.  He picked up the ball outside the box and swept a stunning strike into the back of the net just out of reach of Colin Doyle in the Birmingham net.  It was a sign of what the former England international is capable of, and when he was substituted on the hour mark to a standing ovation things were looking good, a few more run outs as a substitute and Hargreaves could really begin to offer something.

There was not much of note other than that really, City extended their lead through a well taken goal by Mario Balotelli who swept home a pull back from Kolarov, of course there was no celebration, it was efficient and the job was done.  The game descended into a period of keep ball, and other than a goal line clearance from captain for the night Toure after debutant keeper Pantilimon made a hash of a cross there was no real threat from the visitors.  Tevez went close in the second half but the Birmingham keeper pulled off a good save in a one on one position, the Argentine also went close with a free kick late on that narrowly skipped past the post.

It was a competent and comfortable performance from City played out in front of a slightly disappointing 25,000, but the important thing is that we are into the next round and whatever that might be bring, now onto the numbers:


Costel Pantilimon: 6 - Mixed debut for the giant keeper, really struggled with crosses which is odd considering his height, he did make a couple of smart saves though and his distribution wasn't too bad, whether he is adequate backup for Hart however is unclear.


Nedum Onuoha: 6 - After being frozen out for a long time it was a solid return for the defender.  He was deployed at right back and he assisted the attacking unit well, often overlapping Zabaleta.  His pace was always a threat and he was rarely threatened defensively to be honest.


Kolo Toure: 7 - A strong return from the Ivorian, he lead well and worked incredibly hard.  He was dominant in the air and made some good lung bursting runs through the middle as well.  Offered a solid steadying hand to debutant Savic too.


Stefan Savic: 7 - Showed why the club think he has immense potential, he showed confidence above his years, passed the ball well out of defense, his positioning was good and he also showed good pace to get across the ground, an impressive first start.


Wayne Bridge: 5 - To be honest he did nothing to push himself back into first team reckoning, he tried and toiled but he didn't really have anything to show for it.  Some passes went astray and the attacking side of his game is as poor as ever.


Abdul Razak: 8 - Great debut and one of the best youngsters i've seen at City for a while.  Not ready for the big games yet, but gets a high rating for his potential.  He did exactly what was expect with no fuss or errors, broke up play and moved the ball well, very impressive.


Owen Hargreaves: 7


Pablo Zabaleta: 6 - Played a much more advanced role than normal and didn't really do anything wrong, but didn't really do anything too special either.  Very neat and tidy and was always available to take the ball, never lacks enthusiasm and commitment but creativity isn't his game.


Aleksandar Kolarov: 6 - Set up Balotelli for his goal and as with Zabs he was always willing, but again he isn't exactly a wing wizard but he did show endeavour and his work rate has definitely improved since the start of his City career.


Carlos Tevez: 6 - Full of energy and buzzed about the pitch as we all expect him to do, but there was very little final product, nothing really came off and he tended to lose the ball on occasion.  He looked short of confidence with the one chance he did have hitting a tame one on one right at the keeper.


Mario Balotelli: 7 - Some nice touches and flicks and he did just about enough to get the 7.  If it wasn't for his goal he probably would have rated the same as Tevez, he showed more effort than I thought he might, be he really needs to work on a goal celebration.


Substitutes


James Milner: 6 - Replaced Hargreaves and did a perfectly adequate job in the City engine room.


Karim Rekik: 6 - The 16 year old Dutchman made his debut and looks assured.


Luca Scapuzzi: 5 - No real time to mark, barely had a touch of the ball.

As I have said it was a very straight forward victory but for me the most impressive display came from the young Ivorian Abdul Razak.  Until he got cramp late on he gave it everything he had and was wanting to impress, he did exactly what the holding role required of him, he won the ball, closed players down and moved the ball tidily and efficiently when he had it.  There is great potential there and I think more first team substitute appearances will follow.

New Development Plans Reveal Long Term Interest

Ever since Manchester City were taken over by the Abu Dhabi Royal Family there has been a lazy argument claiming that they have no interest in the club, the City or even football.  Anyone willing to do a little bit of research however would have learnt that there was nothing in those arguments whatsoever, and the announcement coming from the club today will go a long way to putting that silly argument to bed.

The club are hoping to create the best training facilities in the world for their first team, but also the best youth training facilities as well.  The remit of the development however goes further than just the game, one of the cornerstones of the plans is to aid the redevelopment and rejuvenation of one of the most deprived areas of Manchester, the needs and the thoughts of the local people are extremely high on the list of priorities.

As anyone interested in the game is aware, City have always been highly successful in youth development, but they have exhausted their current set up, and with these plans they will be able to go onto the next level and make the club the most attractive prospect in world football for young players from both Britain and further afield.  As well as a 7,000 capacity stadium (which will also be available to local community groups) there will be a state of the art education centre and accommodation for upto 40 players.  11 full sized youth training pitches (which again can be used by the community)as well as a half sized pitch, a specialist sports rehabilitation and injury centre, and all round facilities capable of the training of 400 young players.  As we are all well aware the future of football clubs isn't big spending to secure the best players in the world, the ideal model is a club nurturing the best youngsters who will eventually fill the first team and it is that process that sets the scene for this development.

The first team currently train at Carrington next door to Manchester United, but that site is no longer suitable for a club with the ambitions of City, the facilities are good but could be improved and these needs will all be catered for on the new site.  The ability to train in house will obviously be preferable for the players and it would make the match day experience for the first team squad much easier.

The focus however is on so much more than football, and whilst this is a football site I think it is important to not forget about the bigger picture, the club will be creating 160 construction jobs and 90 permanent jobs, 80% of which will be earmarked for local people, that is as well as a new 6th form college that will be part of the newly formed Etihad campus.  Local infrastructure will be greatly improved with the construction of 2 new metrolink stations and the environmental impact is clearly wonderful with this old brownfield site being totally transformed.  What is currently an eye sore is going to become one of the best facilities of its kind in the world.  The planting of tree's and hedging will ensure the site improves the aesthetics of the local area and this thinking is partly responsible for the huge positive feedback that the club has received.

People who raised question marks over the figure that Etihad have put into the club have clearly lost sight of the bigger picture, the sponsorship deal covers not just the stadium but also this forward thinking and impressive development centre.  There are clearly not just benefits here for the club but also the community that live around the site, anyone still questioning the mindset of our owners will now have to find something else to moan about because the notion of them getting bored and walking away at this point seems totally laughable.  The full scale ideas and thoughts behind the scheme can be seen here, hopefully any doubters can now be put in their place, Sheikh Mansour losing interest after a couple of years? Do me a favour...