We Have To Drop The Knee Jerk Reactions...

It is worth remembering that when the draw was made for our Champions League group Napoli were seeded 4th, the powers that be at UEFA had deemed they were one of the weakest 8 teams in the competition.  Villareal who currently sit bottom in the group with 0 points were seeded 2nd, this was never going to be an ordinary group, and although the term 'group of death' is sometimes thrown about unnecessarily, it was definitely appropriate in our case.


We currently sit on 7 points with one game to play with Napoli one point ahead in 2nd.  The simple facts are this, if we beat Bayern Munich in their final game, and they fail to beat Villareal in Spain we will qualify, that however seems to be somewhat of a pipe dream.  The way Napoli attack, and considering the lifeless fight the Spanish team put up against us, it is more or less impossible to imagine anything other than a victory for the Italian team meaning whatever we manage against Bayern is inconsequential.  

Victory over Munich would leave us on 10 points, and should Napoli get the win they need we would finish in 3rd and become the first team in the history of the competition to fail to escape the group stage with that points hall.  When we began this process Roberto Mancini himself stated that 10 points was our aim and that it would be enough to see us progress.  That underlines that our European campaign has been in no way a disaster, we can stand back and say that to only take a point at home to Napoli was disappointing, and that our performance in Munich was poor, but should we get victory in our final game I think we can be fairly satisfied with our work overall.


There were a few things wrong last night, I don't think Mancini got it right in the full back region again and he also left his substitutions until too late in the day but ultimately we were beaten by a team who played better than we did, the Italians were superb.

We have not been as dreadful in the Champions League as the reaction from some fans would have you believe, and in fact my biggest frustration last night and this morning was because of the negativity from the clubs supporters as opposed to the actual result.  I would never criticise City fans, they have been loyal through thick and thin, but the knee jerk reactions from some last night was not good to see.  I wrote at the start of the season about the importance of keeping our feet on the ground, but that is hard to do when you are enjoying the high quality of football we have been playing this season, but it remains extremely important.


We do not have a divine right to win every game, we used to criticise Manchester United fans for possessing that attitude and now we are demonstrating it ourselves.  In the last 10 years we have come a long way, the changes have been exciting and thrilling, and this is just the start, but let's not forget where we are coming from.  So we are probably out of the Champions League at the first hurdle, is it such a big deal? Of course it isn't.

If you just take our league form into account, the expectation level amongst some supporters is too high, I have seen comments such as "Oh well, out of the Champions League, but now we will go and batter Liverpool", now, we might beat Liverpool comfortably, but I highly doubt it, and I would take a point.  Some may call it negativity, I choose to call it realism.  We have been superb this term, but there is going to be bumps in the road, there will be a rocky spell, there is a chance we won't win the league, after-all it is only November, will I mind if we finish 2nd? Maybe for a short time, but it won't last, we will have finished as runners up in the Premier League, if you were offered that at the start of the season you would have taken it happily!


Some City fans expect us to win the league now, they say the only acceptable end to the season after crashing out of the Champions League is to win the domestic title.  I cannot understand that mindset, I admire the confidence and positivity, but I also worry that our explosive start to the season has created waves of false confidence to spread amongst our supporters.  If we lose to Liverpool on Sunday, will people be saying we've blown it and that we are having a poor season, will the few numpties calling for Mancini to go pipe up again?  I hope not, but I suspect there will be a whole new wave of knee jerk over the top reactions.

To use the old adage, Rome wasn't built in a day, we are making great progress, and playing some fantastic football, would finishing second and not winning a trophy be the worst thing?  It obviously wouldn't, lets not get greedy and expect it all to fall into place right away, lets just enjoy the ride, we know where we are going and there is no hurry to get there!

Zabs and AJ Sign on For A Few More Years

In recent weeks the press machine has been in over drive linking Adam Johnson with more clubs than ever, quite what these rumours were based on remains somewhat of a mystery, especially when you consider that it now appears that during that period negotiations were well under way over a new contract.


When Johnson got the hook 25mins into the Champions League game with Villareal pundits all over the country attempted to conjure a crisis, the insubordination of Carlos Tevez had lit the touch paper and according to the papers the end was nigh at City, Johnson being removed was supposed to be the next stage of a spiral into turmoil.  Team spirit was questioned and once again as supporters we had to read the same old rubbish about being a collection of talented individuals as opposed to a team.  I think the celebrations that ensued after the 93rd minute winner against Villareal coupled with the scenes of delight and team celebration in the derby put those rumours to bed.

Johnson we were told though still remained an outcast, he was left out of the squad for the derby, and he supposedly refused to board the bus after the Wolves league cup game (a ridiculous claim that literally seemed to be based on nothing), one day he was going to Liverpool, then Chelsea, he was unhappy and on the way out despite Roberto Mancini stating on numerous occasions he was going nowhere, the end for Johnson at City was coming....except it wasn't, it was just another example of the media picking up on nothing, or dare I say, trying to destabilise the ship?

Confirmation has come today that the England wideman has signed a new 4 year deal that will see him remain at the club until 2016.  I am particularly pleased with this news, I sort of fall in the middle ground with Johnson, there seem to be some supporters who think he is brilliant and some that think he will amount to nothing.  I personally think he has all the potential to be one of the best wingers in Europe, if not the world, but he has to apply himself more.  Mancini knows all about that particular position and if Johnson is prepared to listen to his manager and learn from him I think he can make the most of his ability. If however he is not prepared to take on board that advice and work on the defensive side of his game I can see him wasting the talent that he has.

It may not be as high profile, but the news that Pablo Zabaleta has extended his contract is something that I am just as pleased about.  It is strange that a player who only appears in every third game could be so loved by the City faithful, but Zabs is just one of those players.  As supporters we love someone that always gives everything they have to the cause, and the sentiment is encapsulated by the Argentine, he isn't the most technically gifted player but he never stops fighting.  His versatility is also a massive asset and to have him tied down until 2015 is fantastic.  It may seem strange but he is now one of our longest serving players, and I genuinely believe he could become a legend if he continues as he currently is.

It is good to see that contracts are now being sorted out, I still fear for the future of Nigel De Jong, if nothing is tied up by the end of the season I suspect he will be shown the door.  The suggestion is that he rejected our last offer and there has been no movement since, he is hardly looking content with life, and you do wonder if he may have shot himself in the foot by choosing Kia Joorabchian to represent him.

Sunday Rumour Mill & Internationals Roundup

Well its an international break, yawn, so not a massive amount going on to be honest, England somehow beat Spain yesterday without touching the ball more than about 12 times, is this incisiveness or just luck? I personally can't make up my mind on that one.  Of note to City supporters were solid performances from Joe Hart, James Milner and Gareth Barry when he came on, but perhaps most pleasingly was a superb game from Joleon Lescott who other than one mistake, read the game perfectly and managed the Spanish attacks very well, he has clearly learnt a huge amount under the tutelage of Roberto Mancini.  David Silva played the first half and was replaced at half time, he was reasonably assured without being overly breath taking, to be honest I was just pleased to see him withdrawn as to not risk injury.

Away from England, Sergio Aguero suffered a recurrence of the injury he first had against Blackburn, it doesn't look like being too serious and he is now unlikely to feature for Argentina at all on this break, hopefully he will return to Manchester soon.  Edin Dzeko didn't have the best time with Bosnia only drawing 0-0 at home to Portugal, they play the reverse leg on Tuesday night and I can't see them getting much. Things weren't much better for Aleksandar Kolarov who saw red when he was playing for Serbia, Stefan Savic also had an unenjoyable evening as Montenegro lost 2-0 to the Czech Republic in their World Cup qualifier it really was a mixed bag for the City boys.  

One of the real bright sparks though was Super Mario hitting his first goal for Italy in their 2-0 victory over Poland, it was a bit of a stunner and can be seen here.

Away from international football and onto more important matters there are a few City stories doing the rounds today, I suppose it would be best to get Carlos Tevez out of the way first.  As we all know he has fled back to Argentina to see his family, a strange notion since his advisers claimed his family were settled happily in England about 10 days ago, but oh well!  It is The People covering this one today so I suggest you take all of this with a pretty large dollop of salt.  They reckon that the Argentine will remain in his home land and risk being sued rather than return to Manchester.  I am fast losing interest in this story, the sooner he is out of the club the better, the paper reckon that Inter Milan are readying a £30million bid in January, my fingers are crossed, good riddance Carlos!

Whilst Tevez is hardly a forgotten man (hopefully he soon will be) Nedum Onuoha certainly is.  I have never been entirely sure what Bobby as got against Neds but he clearly doesn't rate him, the only thing I can come up with is his attack on the manager on Soccer AM last year...an Italian never forgets.  Whilst I don't think Onuoha is good enough for a team at the top of the table, I think he has enough to be a member of the squad.  It does sadden me slightly that his career at City never came to anything, he is a true blue, but the writing has been on the wall for a while.  According to the Manchester Evening News, QPR and West Brom are queuing up to resurrect his career with both sides linked to £3.5million moves.  It would appear a near certainty he will be on his way soon and I wish him all the best and hope he can find that form and ability he demonstrated early in his career.

Finally today we are dealing with reports of a player coming in, and an exciting one too.  The Metro are covering the clubs chase for German international Marco Reus.  The player has been in prolific scoring form in Germany for his club Borussia Monchengladbach and this has lead to a call up to the national side. He has scored 8 times in 10 appearances so far this season and there is thought to be keen interest in the player from Arsenal as well as City.  Mike Rigg, the clubs technical director spoke to German newspaper Bild saying:

"I know Marco, because I like him a lot...He is one of the most talented players you have in Germany and we have watched him very often.".

The Metro claim that Arsene Wenger has already been in contact with the players club after being tipped off by Jens Lehmann.  It is believed that because of a clause in the players contract he could be available next Summer for £15million, it has also been suggested that should Monchengladbach show willing to sell Bayern Munich will enter the race for his signature as well.  There is no certainty in this story, but he is a top prospect and just the sort of player that we should be linked with.

Don't Waste The International Break, Do Something Good!

It may perhaps seem strange to be writing this story during a weekend of Premier League action, but it is something that I feel pretty passionate about and I am urging you all to think ahead.

If you weren't already aware, next weekend is an international break, I am sorry to pass on that news to you, when I realised a few days ago I admit to uttering a couple of expletives, I cannot stand the breaks for national teams to play.  As an Englishman I acknowledge that I should have more interest in the England team, and during tournaments I do get involved, but like most football fans my attitude is very much club before country.

This particular break is worse than ever though, qualification for the European Championships is over so England will only be involved in a couple of friendlies, there are however play off games happening that might provide some entertainment.  So what can the 'thinking' football fan do next weekend for their fix?  Well personally I will be spending my Saturday afternoon at Bower Fold, the home of Stalybridge Celtic for a Conference North fixture between 'the Badgers' and Histon.

Clearly, first and foremost I am a Manchester City fan, and I have been since birth.  I was born and raised in the City, and moved to Stockport when I was a teenager, I began to watch the Hatters when City were away from home and that is something I have continued to do to the present day.  While Roberto Mancini and his team are down in London this Saturday afternoon to play QPR, I will be watching County taking on Hayes & Yeading as they try to turn around their ailing season.

During most international weekends there is still football being played in League 1 and below, right through the non-league system.  It is a fantastic time for football fans to go and support a smaller team, a club that are in desperate need of support and the money from a boosted crowd.  The upcoming break however see's League 1, 2, and the conference all given the weekend off as well, but the conference North and South are still in full swing and on Saturday 12th November I urge as many of you as possible to go and support one of these ailing clubs.

A common misconception is that the football being played further down the pyramid is of poorer quality and to be honest that couldn't be further from the truth, clearly the players are not as highly skilled but they are just as if not more passionate and it is easy to get swept along with the whole occasion.  Financially though things couldn't be more different, there is no oil money here, there is no Asian consortium considering an offer for Bath City or AFC Telford, clubs cut their cloths accordingly and people passing through the turnstiles are their life and soul.

The stumbling block to this whole idea is the money involved for the supporter, I do sometimes find it aggravating that a ticket to see Stockport County could set me back £20, it may be cheaper than the Premier League but it still seems strangely expensive.  I do sometimes wonder if it would make more economic sense to just charge £10 and pack these stadiums out, it would provide a better atmosphere and would perhaps persuade supporters to return next time their team is away from home.  I suppose the £20 tickets are a clear demonstration of how hard it is to make ends meet further down the football ladder.

I would like to end on somewhat of a plea though, if you can afford it, why not take yourself off to a game wherever it may be next Saturday, I genuinely believe you will be pleasantly surprised.  Whether it is League 1, or the Conference South there is still great football out there to be enjoyed even when the Premier League has shut up shop for a weekend of international football.  I am not one of these people that claim league 2 is where you find 'real' football, but I will always stand up for it and say if you love the game it shouldn't matter overly what level you are watching, the enjoyment will still be there for you, so get out there and support one of these cash strapped clubs when you get the opportunity!

When Will The Media Realise Adam Johnson Is Not Ignored By Roberto Mancini?

It is clearly the done thing to knock Manchester City, it is impossible for some sections of the press to be entirely positive about the club.  Whilst things on the pitch are going pretty well at the moment, various people feel the need to find some dirt and they aren't shy in flinging it.


City crushed Wolves last night 5-2, defensively we were a bit shambolic at times but as an attacking unit things were pretty impressive, the personel may have been different but the offensive fluidity demonstrated on numerous occasions so far this season was still present.  Man of the match for me was Adam Johnson, a player that can thrill and frustrate in equal measure, last night he was good, I would go as far as to say very good, but rather than focus on this the Sky commentators and pitchline reporter felt the need to find drama and negativity, and to be honest I am getting pretty sick of it.

Johnson is a very good footballer, but he is not as great as the media make him out to be, he is certainly worthy of a place in the squad and he has a massive part to play, but this attitude that he is undroppable I do not understand.  I am a fan of the player perhaps a bigger fan than other fans of the club, but I can still recognise his weaknesses as can Roberto Mancini, pundits in the press however can not.  Commentators, football writers, former players and managers are wowed by his tricky feet, his excellent passing, his precision shooting, but they ignore his occasional lack of willingness to track back or the fact that sometimes he can be a touch too selfish, or that sometimes he overcomplicates situations as opposed to taking the simpler option.

Clearly in this day of modern football, not all players will be running the length of the pitch to attack and then defend, and some players do struggle tackling, but that isn't to say players can't try to improve that side of their game.  That is something that Roberto Mancini is trying to instill in the player, and for me there has definitely been improvements in that side of his game over the last 12 months, the player is working hard to learn but that is being ignored.


If you were to believe what you read in the papers however, you would be lead to believe that Johnson is not rated by Mancini and that the player is heading for the exit, this despite the Italian saying in numerous interviews that AJ is going nowhere and that he personally believes the winger has the potential to be one of the best players in the world in that position.  The general attitude coming from the media is that Johnson is ignored and underused, but the statistics tell an entirely different story.

This season Johnson has started 10 games in all competitions, hardly a bit part player, and last term he appeared in 43 games across all of the teams competitions, these are not the sort of figures being racked up by a player who is supposedly ignored by the manager.


The 24 year old is still learning about the game and he is still developing and this will continue to happen, many have compared him with Joe Cole at Chelsea who played far more games for the Stamford Bridge club than people realised.  Many said he was ignored by the hierarchy at the and that he should move on, he eventually did move, it didn't exactly pan out for him did it....


Johnson is at the right club, with the right manager, he is an important part of the team and will play a massive part this season, maybe someday soon journalists and football reporters will actually do some research and notice how often he appears for the club.

A Few Thoughts On The Derby...

Some days it is really not hard to write about this wonderful football club, and today is one of those days.  This really is more of a collection of my thoughts in the aftermath of yesterdays tormenting of Manchester United, many things have gone through my mind in the last 24 hours and I have tried my best here to collect them together.


1) The Power Hasn't Shifted....Yet.

Call it what you want 'Six In The City', the 'Demolition Derby' or one of the many other puns doing the rounds but the real significance of the game is that City are now proving their point.  The power has not shifted, we will have to win the league a couple of times before we can claim to be the totally dominant team in Manchester/Salford but we can now stand proudly alongside that lot from Stretford, the 'noisy neighbours' are going to the next level.

For quite a while now, journalists, supporters and players have all spoken about Manchester City and said that having all this money is one thing, but they have to prove themselves to be real contenders and with the destruction of United yesterday we did just that, we all felt we should be have been taken seriously before this weekend but now more than ever the team has proved they are going somewhere, and that is great to see.


2) We Are Now A Team Not A Group Of Individuals

A common criticism of the club in the past has been that City have been merely a group of individuals and there have been questions about how much the players 'want it'.  I hold my hands up and say that at times over the past couple of years that attitude has been totally understandable, there have been some players that pulled on the City shirt with their mind on the money, not on the team or 'project'.  I think those claims can now surely be put to bed, the idea that there is no team spirit in the camp is now quite frankly laughable.  The celebrations at the end of the last minute victory over Villareal were fine evidence of just that, and the win yesterday has further underlined it, the collection of hugely talented players is becoming a team.


3) Nothing Is Won In October

As soon as the final whistle blew yesterday, Sky announced that City were now favourites for the Premier League title, a similar sentiment was portrayed by Alan Hansen on MOTD claiming it was our title to lose, apparently Collymore on TalkSport said the same thing...it's all a load of rubbish, we are in October.  Our form has been superb, played 9, won 8, drawn 1.  Five points clear of United, and 6 points ahead of Chelsea, there are no complaints from me, and we will be there or there abouts come May, but to claim the title race is over is farcical.  We must hold our hands up and say that before yesterday we had enjoyed a lovely run of fixtures, we past the derby test with flying colours but there are more challenges to come and nothing has been decided just yet so lets not get ahead of ourselves.  In many ways we need to ignore the pressure coming from outside and just focus on winning games of football, lets not worry about the title for a few months yet!


4) Just Who Is Our Best Striker?

A little bit of a stat attack for your, Edin Dzeko has hit 8 goals in 7 games, Kun Aguero has netted 9 in 8, and Super Mario has notched up 5 in 5.  All 3 are in absolutely devastating form, but if we just had to pick one, who would it be?  Going into the season Balotelli was probably 4th choice, but now he appears undroppable, the problem is so do Aguero and Dzeko.  The Italian linked up with the Argentine brilliantly at times yesterday, and Dzeko proved that although he may be a slightly erratic finisher at times he definitely knows where the back of the net is, in all honesty I still think Aguero looks the most prolific, but it is a very difficult quandary to ponder, one this is certain though, who needs Carlos Tevez?


5) How Good Is James Milner?

A lot of City fans feel the need to have a boo boy, someone to make a scapegoat for disappointing results and for long spells last season that man was James Milner.  At times I got sick of being one of the dissenting voices, insisting he was a top player.  He is starting to prove that now, and it may have been some time coming, but it has certainly been worth it.  He has managed to demonstrate not only his immense defensive skills, he has also shown his supreme work rate as well as some fantastic work in the final third.  It was not worth forgetting that he kept Nigel De Jong out of the team yesterday and that is no mean feat.  If he continues with this great form it is going to result in some real selection issues for Bob.

This Could Be Our Most Important Signing Of The Year

Just over 12 months ago on the 13th November 2010 the final whistle ended a 0-0 draw between City and Birmingham, boo's rung out around the stadium and to be frank the atmosphere was vile.  Many supporters were aiming their frustration squarely at manager Roberto Mancini.  It was the second home 0-0 draw that week (the first coming in one of the worst Manchester derbies ever) and the team were looking goal shy.  It was expected that the game against Birmingham would be a home banker and we all hoped the Italian would take the reigns off and let City play, that wasn't to be.

It was another incredibly cautious display, the aim to manufacture a tight 1-0 win.  The moment Mancini NEARLY lost the ground was when in the 83rd minute he decided to replace leading scorer Tevez with Gareth Barry, it was a nonsensical decision to be honest and left many scratching their heads and many others showing their anger towards the manager.


On Saturday, Alex McLeish was back at Eastlands, again hoping to stifle Mancini and his team, this time it didn't work.  A lot has changed since that day, the anger aimed at the manager has well and truly dissipated and even his harshest critic on that day must surely now remain silent.  The 4-1 demolition of Villa put City on top of the Premier League table, played 8, won 7, drawn 1, it is a fantastic record.  On top of that he guided us to a 3rd place finish last year improving on expectation by one place and of course he delivered silverware, Mancini is doing a brilliant job.

He has spoken previously about wanting total control of the club and whilst that may not be entirely possible in this modern day where finances play such a big part, the backing he has received from the board over the Tevez saga suggests that his plea's are being listened too, and that can only be of benefit to us all.

It is for that reason that I was particularly pleased to see the Sunday Mirror claiming that talks were about to begin over a contract extension for the Italian, he needs to be tied down.  He is quoted as saying:

“I don’t want to leave, I’m very happy here. If the club want me to stay, then that’s good…In England, managers have more power regarding the team and everything else about the club….I’m not saying I can have the power of someone like (Sir Alex) Ferguson but if a manager stays at a club for five or six years it is natural that he has more power.”

The backing he has received in recent weeks from the supporters demonstrates what a massive shift in feeling there has been.  Not all supporters got on his back that day against Birmingham, but there was perceived to be pressure on his shoulders and it currently looks as if he has survived and come through it all incredibly well.  For me personally I hope this extension can be wrapped up as soon as possible because I genuinely don't believe there is anyone better for the job, so lets sing it one more time....."Mancini Wooooah....Mancini Wooooaaahh.......".