Manchester City

[mrbojangles]

Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce is hoping Dietmar Hamann can ease his team's injury worries by making a return for this weekend's clash against his former club Liverpool.

Pearce's men travel to Anfield on Saturday with a number of players expected to miss the game, including Trevor Sinclair and DaMarcus Beasley.

But Pearce believes the 33-year-old ex-Germany international, who has been out with a hamstring problem since his side's 4-0 defeat to Wigan in October, will be ready to face his former team-mates.

"He has been back in training since last Thursday and looks very good," Pearce told the official Manchester City website.

"He's looked after himself while he's been out and it's a case of getting some fitness for him and the more days the better."

Meanwhile, long-term hamstring victim Sun Jihai is set to head to Germany in search of a solution.

The 29-year-old China international's injury has not healed as fast as the club hoped and Pearce wants a specialist in Munich to look into the issue.

"Every time Sun tried to come back, something happened which set him back a bit more," he said.

"At the moment he is having a course of injections in Germany which we are hoping will solve the problem.

"There have been so many false dawns we don't want to put a timescale on his recovery, we just hope it works."

[mrbojangles]

Stuart Pearce admits he was delighted with Italian striker Bernardo Corradi's return in Saturday's Premiership win over Fulham.

After 12 matches without a goal following his summer move from Valencia, Corradi finally answered some of his critics with a first half double in the 3-1 win - a result which pushes City up to 12th in the table.

The Manchester City boss was always confident Corradi would come good and believes players moving to the Premiership from foreign shores are not given enough time to complete the settling-in process.

"There is an arrogance with the British way that `the rest of the world fits in with us' and whenever the rest of the world come to our shores they've got to fit in straight away," Pearce told the club's website.

"It doesn't always work like that on a cultural or a football basis.

"Let's be honest, how many English players do you see playing abroad? Historically, how many have gone abroad and not made it? That is something you've got to look at."

Pearce said had to convince Corradi to leave Italy a second time after his year in Spain backfired.

"From my point of view, if I have a bad day at the office, it is very comforting to go home and see my wife and family who don't judge me for being a football manager or a football player," he continued.

"It is nice to go back to reality in this mad world that we call football.

"But Bernardo is over here, he has no wife at home. Football is his life.

"If his family come over to help and give support - brilliant - but things like that do get lost at times."

Corradi is expected to keep his place for Saturday's trip to Liverpool as City look to build on successive home wins by ending their miserable run of away results which has seen them pick up just a single point from six outings.

"A few Italians players have come to England and been good, other's haven't. It would give him great pleasure to be one of the better ones," added Pearce.

[JacknDanny]

It has been reported that Shaun Wright Phillips may be going to West Ham for 10 million quid.

My question is do you think City should put a bid in for him?

If they can get funds available, I think it is a good business deal, having sold him for twice that amount!!

It was more to do with his agent, that he left in the first place, he loves City, the only reason his form has dipped is that he isnt playing regularly. What do you guys think?

[mrbojangles]

It has been reported that Shaun Wright Phillips may be going to West Ham for 10 million quid.

My question is do you think City should put a bid in for him?

If they can get funds available, I think it is a good business deal, having sold him for twice that amount!!

It was more to do with his agent, that he left in the first place, he loves City, the only reason his form has dipped is that he isnt playing regularly. What do you guys think?

I say, get him at ANY cost. He's the sort of player we need at the moment and we'd have made a packet out of the deal

[mrbojangles]

City make the short journey down the M62 today Stuart Pearce fully expecting a tough contest.

"At any one given time, Liverpool can hurt you," said the Manager.

"That showed in the PSV game, it had gone very stale when all of a sudden there was a move involving four players which cut PSV in half, and the first goal came from it. It just reiterated that if you don't concentrate against Liverpool for 90 minutes, you'll be in trouble, simple as that."

Having watched the Reds first hand on Wednesday evening, the Blues boss went on to pick out the main threats his side need to combat in the search for a vital away win.

He added: "They have a lot of quality. Kuyt is a very good player who I have liked for a while before he joined Liverpool. Gerrard's a world class performer, so couple that with their other players it means that they will be a good outfit whoever they will have available.

"They can lose a winger but then Luis Garcia, Spanish international, can come on or they can bring on Zenden, a Dutch international. Bellamy or Fowler can come on, everyone's an international in the squad and that's the mark of playing the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.

"We know they'll be strong, you try to do your homework as best you can from a preparation point of view. We have watched them enough times, we know what they are about and seeing them play PSV was an ideal last look at them for me ahead of Saturday."

Leon Collins

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/default.sps?pagegid=...p;newsid=381992

[mrbojangles]

For those who don't know too much about the city players. I thought i would post a profile of the players. I'll try and do one every day

Nicky Weaver

Squad no: 12

Date of birth: 02/03/1979

Place of Birth: Sheffield

Position: Goalkeeper

Height (ft): 6.04

Weight (st): 14.12

International Caps: 0

International Goals: 0

The imposing figure of Nicky Weaver arrived at Maine Road towards the end of the 95/96 season to strengthen the club's goalkeeping staff.

He came from Mansfield Town though he had made very few appearances for the reserve side. The young keeper had joined Mansfield on trainee forms and his prowess had came to the notice of Alex Stepney who realised he would be a worthwhile City investment.

A Wembley hero and will forever be remembered for his run around the stadium on the final whistle in the famous Play-Off Final win over Gillingham.

Injuries have blighted much of Nicky's City career but even after all his setbacks 'Weavs' remained a valued member of Stuart Pearce's squad and after missing most of the 2005 pre-season, some solid performances for the reserves reminded everyone of his capabilities.

Nicky returned to his hometown of Sheffield in November 2005, joining Sheffield Wednesday on a six-week loan deal, acting as cover for the injured David Lucas and playing 14 times.

His comeback was completed when he started a Premier League match for City for the first time since April 2001 at Chelsea on the opening day of the 2006-07 season. He followed that up with some outstanding performances in the early part of the season, delighting the City fans and giving them the chance to chant his name after too long a break.

[mrbojangles]

Kasper Schmeichel

Squad no: 19

Date of birth: 05/11/1986

Place of Birth: Denmark

Position: Goalkeeper

Height (ft): 6.01

Weight (st): 14.04

International Caps: 0

International Goals: 0

Signed his first professional contract with the Blues at the start of November 2004 when he turned eighteen.

Kasper continued to push for a first team squad place under Stuart Pearce and after some steady pre-season action Schmeichel flourished in the reserve team.

Enjoyed a short but productive loan spell at Darlington in January 2006, returning to City after only conceding one goal in four games.

Loaned out once more for a month with Bury in late February 2006 some fine performances at Gigg Lane kept Kasper with Bury until the end of the season.

After a good pre-season with City, Chris Casper at Bury came calling once more and in August 2006 the young keeper rejoined the Shakers on loan for three months.

[mrbojangles]

Andreas Isaksson

Squad no: 1

Date of birth: 03/10/1981

Place of Birth: Smygehamn, Sweden

Position: Goalkeeper

Height (ft): 6.06

International Caps: 42

Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, who joined City in August 2006 from French side Rennes, comes with a glowing reputation.

The 6'6½" stopper was signed by Juventus as an 18-year-old after making just 10 appearances for Trelleborg but returned to his homeland two years later when first team chances at the 'Old Lady' proved difficult to come by.

His move from Juve to Djurgården proved to be a productive one, as they went on to claim consecutive Swedish league titles in 2002 and 2003 with Isaksson making a name for himself as a great shot-stopper with an imposing physical presence.

After establishing himself as his national side's number one keeper, Andreas moved to Rennes in July 2004 having had a good European Championships.

He continued to pick up good reviews, and after impressing for Sweden at the 2006 World Cup he moved to City just before the start of the Premiership season.

At the start of his City career, Andreas was blighted by injuries and after apparently overcoming an ankle problem, he then injured his right knee after a training ground accident.

[mrbojangles]

Last of the Goalkeepers

Joe Hart

Squad no: 25

Date of birth: 19/04/1987

Place of Birth: Shrewsbury

Position: Goalkeeper

Height (ft): 6.05

Weight (st): 14.05

Joe Hart signed for Manchester City in May 2006 from Shrewsbury Town in a deal which could rise to £1.5million.

His professional career with the Shrews began in the 2003-04 season, when he played a handful of games before eventually becoming first choice keeper in the 2005/06 campaign.

Joe has been capped at Under 19 level for England and a string of impressive showings during the the 2005/06 season caught the eye before securing a move to the City of Manchester Stadium.

Hart has impressed the Carrington staff since his transfer and with Andreas Isaksson injured he featured on the bench during the early stages of his fledgling Premiership career.

Joe made his first team debut on October 14th, 2006, against Sheffield United after Nicky Weaver pulled out injured.

[mrbojangles]

Liverpool v Manchester City

Saturday November 25, 2006, 3.00pm

Anfield - Att: 44,061

Teams

Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Agger, Garcia (Pennant 59), Gerrard, Zenden, Riise, Crouch (Fowler 65), Kuyt (Bellamy 89).

Unused subs: Dudek, Paletta.

City: Weaver, Onuoha (Samaras 74)Dunne, Distin, Thatcher, Trabelsi (Ireland 85), Richards, Barton, Reyna, Vassell, Corradi,

Unused subs: Hart, Hamann, Dickov

Goals: 1-0 (Gerrard 67)

Bookings:

Liverpool: Garcia (39), Carragher (64)

City: Thatcher (44)

Referee: R Styles

Summary: City were holding an unimpressive Liverpool side until the hosts latched onto a City mistake near their own area. Steven Gerrard drove an unstoppable shot beyond Weaver to give the Reds the points. A reshuffled City, with Micah Richards in midfield, had held Liverpool prior to that and came close near the end when Samaras & Reyna forced saves from Reina.

Team news: Nedum Onuoha made his first start of the season, coming in for Georgios Samaras. The change in personnel saw a reshuffle, with Micah Richards stepping into midfield, a position very familiar to him from youth level football and a couple of times for the first team last season.

For the hosts, Hyypia, Garcia and Zenden replaced Alonso, Gonzalez and Pennant from the team that beat PSV in midweek.

The Match

City had the best of the opening exchanges, but it was Liverpool who had the first good chance on six minutes. Dunne's defensive header fell to Kuyt, who nodded it to Crouch. The England striker steadied himself just inside the box, but his shot looped a long way over Weaver's bar.

Gerrard latched onto a ball from Dunne 12 minutes later and rifled in a shot from outside the area, but the ball was wide of Weaver's left post with the keeper in the right place to save had it been on target.

The home crowd came to life on 21 minutes, but not for action on the pitch - Didi Hamann earned a huge ovation from his old fans when warming up down the touchline towards the Kop.

Micah Richards, playing in midfield, found himself in an attacking position on 24 minutes and passed to Corradi. The Italian pulled his shot well wide of the post, and with the benefit of hindsight Barton or Vassell may have been the better option.

The chance of the game so far fell to Garcia on 32 minutes, with a long crossfield ball going over Onuoha and into the path of the Liverpool player. The Spaniard was inside the area with only Weaver in front of him, but he pulled his shot into the side netting to Weaver's right.

Garcia picked up the game's first booking on 39 minutes for a foul on Onuoha, but tested Weaver two minutes later although the shot lacked power and the score stayed level.

Half time Liverpool 0-0 City

City absorbed the pressure again after the break, with the home fans beginning to get onto the backs of their side. Garcia was replaced by Pennant just before the hour.

But City had their best chance just seconds later. Vassell and Richards menaced the Liverpool defence, and Corradi shot when the ball fell to him but it went just wide of Reina's right post.

City were incensed shortly afterwards when Finnan tripped Barton just outside the box, but the referee waved away the protests for a free kick.

However a spell of City pressure was broken when Liverpool took the lead on 67 minutes. Barton's pass to Distin was intercepted by Kuyt, who passed to Steven Gerrard . The England midfielder moved towards the area and drilled his shot past Weaver's left hand into the bottom corner of the net.

The wind was in the home side's sails now, and Hyypia drove a low, bouncing shot straight at Weaver with 74 minutes gone.

Samaras, on for Onuoha, forced Reina to palm a shot from outside the area behind on 84 minutes, and from the corner Claudio Reyna's volley went straight at the home keeper.

That was the final meaningful chance of the match, and City could count themselves unlucky not to leave Merseyside with something to show from the match against a disappointing Liverpool.

Edited November 26, 2006 by mrbojangles

[mrbojangles]

Defenders

Sylvain Distin

Squad no: 15

Date of birth: 16/12/1977

Place of Birth: Bagnolet, France

Position: Defender

Height (ft): 6.03

Weight (st): 14.06

International Caps: 0

International Goals: 0

The former Paris St. Germain defender had already had a taste of the Premiership on-loan at Newcastle before deciding to join City in May 2002.

He had been in City's sights for some time and when promotion was assured the Blues made a move with the Club's director, Dennis Tueart revealing that City had been interested in the Frenchman for some time.

"We looked closely at bringing Sylvain to Maine Road before he went to Newcastle before Christmas but at that stage we were in the First Division and he was understandably looking for a Premiership deal."

The Frenchman's early performances in the Premiership campaign won praise but in the defeat at Wigan in the Worthington Cup he pulled a hamstring forcing him out of the Manchester derby.

Distin scored his first goal for the club against Bolton Wanderers in City's 6-2 win in October 2003 and later that season scored a crucial goal at the start of the second half as City trailed Spurs 3-0 in the FA Cup fourth round replay. The French defender headed home Michael Tarnat's free kick to give the Blues the platform to go on and record their historic win.

After overcoming injury early in the 2005/06 season, Distin has been one of the main reasons for City's success under Stuart Pearce, with a series of commanding performances that led to many calls for him to be called up to the French national squad.

Sylvain became the only first team player during the season to win the Thomas Cook Player of the Month award twice, scooping the prize in both October 2005 and January 2006.

[mrbojangles]

Richard Dunne

Squad no: 22

Date of birth: 21/09/1979

Place of Birth: Dublin, Ireland

Position: Defender

Height (ft): 6.02

Weight (st): 15.08

International Caps: 31

International Goals: 4

Richard Dunne was given his first professional contract at Everton by Joe Royle and the City boss didn't think twice about bringing him to Maine Road when he heard he was available.

He had a four-year spell in the first team at Goodison Park, and along the way made 81 appearances since he was handed his senior debut as a teenager in the FA Cup third round match against Swindon in season 1996-97 by Royle.

Signed for City in October 2000 for £3m.

Has formed an impressive partnership with Sylvain Distin in the heart of City's defence, and settled into a regular pick for the Republic of Ireland. Does not score many, but when he does they are usually memorable, his left-footed strike against Charlton in February 2006 being a perfect example.

Won Thomas Cook Player of the Month for March 2006 after showing 'fine leadership qualities' according to Manager Stuart Pearce.

A second goal of the season came for Dunne in the ill-fated 2-1 home defeat against Fulham in April 2006 but the blow was cushioned with the news that the Irishman won the Official Supporters Clubs' Player of the Year award for the second year running.

Richard's superb form was rewarded at the start of the 2006/07 season when Stuart Pearce handed him the captain's armband.

[mrbojangles]

Ben Thugsher

Squad no: 3

Date of birth: 30/11/1974

Place of Birth: Swindon

Position: Defender

Height (ft): 5.10

Weight (st): 12.04

International Caps: 7

International Goals: 0

The defender joined City in 2004 for a nominal fee from Leicester with Kevin Keegan quick to exploit a clause in the player's contract that allowed him to move in the event of the Foxes being relegated.

He was the target for several other clubs but admitted that once the concrete offer came from City he could not say no.

A graduate from the FA Centre of Excellence, the Swindon-born defender started his career with Millwall making his debut in August 1993.

He first came to the public's attention during the Lions FA Cup runs of the early 1990's and he was touted as a target for the top clubs.

He has won seven international caps for Wales, switching international allegiances after representing England at U21 level.

A proposed move to Fulham broke down after he requested a return to the south of England for family reasons.

The 2005/06 season was a steady one for Ben despite a couple of injuries, but he started the 2006/07 season as the man in possession of the left-back berth until the much documented Pedro Mendes incident, which earned Ben a lengthy ban and hefty Club fine.

[mrbojangles]

Danny Mills

Squad no: 18

Date of birth: 18/05/1977

Place of Birth: Norwich

Position: Defender

Height (ft): 5.11

Weight (st): 13.0

International Caps: 19

International Goals: 0

Danny Mills arrived at City on a free transfer from Leeds United at the start of pre-season for the 2004/05 season having agreed an early release from his contract with the Yorkshire outfit.

The transfer ended City's search for a right-back which had been a top priority. The 27-year-old defender, who played for England at Youth and U21 level, has 19 full England caps was handed a five-year deal on signing for the Blues.

He started his career as a trainee with Norwich where he played as a centre-half. But he was handed his debut for the Canaries at right-back by the then manager, Martin O'Neil at the start of the 1995/06 season.

Two seasons later he moved to the capital and Charlton Athletic after falling out of favour at Norwich and helped the Addicks gain Premiership status. But when they were relegated after just one season in the top flight Mills moved to Leeds United in a £4.5m switch in the summer of 1999.

He was in and out of the side as a centre-half before switching to right-back again and played a crucial role in helping Leeds reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.Mills went on a season long loan to Middlesbrough after then Leeds manager, Peter Reid refused to give him any guarantees of his place in the Leeds side.

He played for Boro in their two wins over City that season and won a Carling Cup medal with the Teesside club as they beat Bolton 2-1 in Cardiff.

After a making his debut for England in a friendly international against Mexico in 2001 he booked his place in the England side for the World Cup Finals in 2002 and was on the pitch for every minute of England's campaign.

Blighted by an injury to his shin he missed most of the Blues pre-season friendlies but shook off the injury in time to make his debut in the opening game of the 2004/05 season against Fulham.

His run of starts in the City side came to an end in March 2005 when new Manager, Stuart Pearce opted for Nedum Onuoha at right-back. Danny Mills had to be happy with a place on the bench and subsequently played a game for the reserves.

He came back fighting at the start of the 2005/06 season and regained his right-back berth. A fine start to the season was capped by one of the finest goals ever seen at the City of Manchester Stadium when Mills unleashed a rocket into the top-corner in the 2-0 win over Everton.

A combination of Micah Richards' emergence and injuries saw Danny struggle to make the side towards the end of the season and as the 2006/07 season opened, the former England man could only find a place on the bench.

So after being out of the City side, September 2006 brought about a two month loan move to Championship side, Hull City.

[mrbojangles]

Hatem Trabelsi

Squad no: 27

Date of birth: 25/01/1977

Place of Birth: Ariana, Tunisia

Position: Defender

International Caps: 59

Hatem Trabelsi became Stuart Pearce’s sixth signing of summer 2006, joining City after leaving Ajax Amsterdam as a free agent.

Trabelsi arrived at the Blues with a whole host of international and European experience having played in three World Cup campaigns as well as clocking up numerous Champions League appearances during his five years with the Dutch giants.

On signing the attacking full-back Pearce said: “The fact that he’s played at the highest level in Europe – the Champions League – regularly, been to three World Cups with his country, captains his country so it’s a good CV.

“I’ve watched him play for Ajax over the last three years and been very impressed with him. He’ll be an attacking option for us. He gets forward well and he’s decent with the ball at his feet and he’s got a lot of energy.”

A point he proved coming on against Reading where he made his debut in the 1-0 reverse at the Madejski Stadium. An impressive full debut was underway against Blackburn before an unfortunate groin injury cut that short, but Hatem finally made his home debut in the 0-0 draw with Sheffield United in October.

[mrbojangles]

Nedum Onuoha reflects on Anfield display

Nedum Onuoha has bemoaned the against-the-run of play nature of Steven Gerrard’s goal on Saturday that condemned City to defeat at Anfield.

The 20-year-old defender, who started his first match for City since last January’s derby win, played a full role in a solid defensive effort that earned plaudits if not points.

Nedum says: “If you were to ask any of the players, and that includes the home team, about when they scored they would say that we were on top in the game at the time.

“Liverpool had had to do a lot of defending before that, so it was a horrible, horrible time to concede a goal.”

Stuart Pearce has immediately turned the spotlight onto this Wednesday’s trip to Villa Park and is urging the players to build on the positive aspects of the performance at Anfield.

“We’ve got to go and get something,” he says. “I told the players that it’s no good feeling sorry for themselves, they know to a man that they did reasonably well on Saturday, man on man. But, we gave the ball to the wrong man, he punished us dearly for it and we have to learn from it.”

[mrbojangles]

And here is the above fella

Nedum Onuoha

Squad no: 16

Date of birth: 12/11/1986

Place of Birth: Warri, Nigeria

Position: Defender

Height (ft): 6.00

Weight (st): 14.13

International Caps: 0

International Goals: 0

The former Academy player signed his first professional contract with the Blues in November 2004 when he turned eighteen. The deal came just weeks after he made his full debut in the 2-1 Carling Cup defeat at the hands of Arsenal.

Made his first start in the top flight in the win over Portsmouth in November playing at right-back in place of the suspended Danny Mills.

He captained the City youth side to their 3rd round FA Cup win over West Brom and was in action again against the Midlands outfit this time in the Premiership when he deputised for the injured Stephen Jordan who was forced out of the game at the end of the first half.

Earned an international call up to the England U-20s for their friendly against Russia at the Valley and scored in the opening five minutes of the game.

Made his first start ahead of Danny Mills in City's defeat at Spurs at the end of March and was again handed the role in the draw at the Valley, playing in every game after Stuart Pearce took over from Kevin Keegan in a caretaker capacity

Suffered an end of season injury with a tear to his hamstring that meant he missed out on the England U-19 championships and City's pre-season programme including the tour of Asia.

Onuoha was called into Peter Taylor's first two England Under-21 squad's of the 2005/06 season, making his debut as a substitute against Poland before starting against France at left-back. Was with the first team squad for most matches until an unfortunate training ground injury put paid to his season in late January, meaning that his last appearance of the year was the 3-1 win over United on January 14.

After regaining his fitness at the very end of the season, Nedum's return to training for the 2006/06 pre-season period was marred by his sustaining a calf strain that prevented him from playing in any warm-up matches until the game at home to FC Porto. Further frustration came for Nedum when he picked up a hamstring injury in the week before the opening game of the season at Chelsea, which sidelined him until mid-October

[mrbojangles]

Stephen Jordan

Squad no: 4

Date of birth: 06/03/1982

Place of Birth: Warrington

Position: Defender

Height (ft): 6.01

Weight (st): 14.00

International Caps: 0

International Goals: 0

Stephen Jordan was drafted into the first team squad in March 2003 and made his debut in the defeat at Bolton as a second half substitute. It was his only appearance of the season.

It was a year before he was called on when he once again came on as a second half substitute for the Blues in their 3-1 win over Bolton Wanderers.

The left sided defender was also a second half substitute on the final day of the season as City thrashed Everton 5-1.

He signed a one year deal at the start of the 2004/05 season with the hope that the defender would make a breakthrough into the first team.

The left sided defender made his full Premiership debut in the draw against Norwich after regular full-back Ben Thatcher was sidelined by an ankle injury at the start of November and followed that up with an appearance in the derby at Old Trafford.

He made a crucial goal-line clearance in the opening minutes of the match that ended in a scoreless draw.

Played ten succussive games for the Blues at left back until an ankle injury sidelined him after picking up the injury in a tackle with Andy Johnson in the draw with West Brom.

Ended a successful first season in the first team squad by agreeing a new two year deal.

The 2005/06 season continued to see Jordan making his presence felt around the first team squad starting the first three games of the campaign.

But after 24 appearances, his season ended in the 24th minute of the FA Cup game against West Ham in March due to an ankle injury.

Fought back to fitness in the close season, returning to Carrington for regular physio sessions after the squad had dispersed for the summer, and he will be looking to make the left-back berth his own in 2006/07

[ThaiPauly]

Great result at Villa last night lads,an AWAY WIN no less

[totlanh]

Get in there City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SUPERB result last night and the first time this season i have actually been encouraged by what i have seen and certainly more of a hint of optimism has entered my thinking!!!Every department of the team performed admirably last night and Distin was outstanding,but all players deserve the plaudits!!!Its so nice to be able to write nice things this morning as im sure you all think im a whinning shit!!!!3 more points against Watford and confidence will be high going into the Derby game!!!!

[mrbojangles]

Great result at Villa last night lads,an AWAY WIN no less

Cheers TP, i had to pinch myself

Get in there City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SUPERB result last night and the first time this season i have actually been encouraged by what i have seen and certainly more of a hint of optimism has entered my thinking!!!Every department of the team performed admirably last night and Distin was outstanding,but all players deserve the plaudits!!!Its so nice to be able to write nice things this morning as im sure you all think im a whinning shit!!!!3 more points against Watford and confidence will be high going into the Derby game!!!!

Absolutely Totlanh. I'm not being negative here but city do this to us alot. Have a great game then go and play <deleted> against a sh1t team. Let's hope not this time

[mrbojangles]

As a side note.

Happy birthday to Ben Thatcher born on the 30th Nov 1975. Let's hope he has grown up a bit eh

[mrbojangles]

Stuart Pearce has spoken of his delight as Manchester City finally scored an away win as they beat Aston Villa 3-1 at Villa Park.

Goals from Darius Vassell, Joey Barton and Sylvain Distin were enough to see off Martin O'Neill's men, who had been unbeaten at home this season.

City had been unable to claim a win on their travels this year, but the victory ended that run in style, and Pearce believes it was their best performance of the season.

"I thought we were magnificent - probably the best football we've played," he told Sky Sports.

"Collectively, shutting down the opposition we have done extremely well, passing the ball we have done extremely well.

"Certainly in the first-half, we caused them problems all over the pitch.

"We were disappointed that we conceded a goal in our dressing room, but to be honest, on the run of play, we thoroughly deserved to win the game and probably got our just rewards for some decent performances on the road where we've not drawn any points.

"If you play like that, you win games. There was a hard-nosed professionalism about everything we were trying to achieve tonight."

He was also quick to heap praise on opposing manager Martin O'Neill.

"We were playing against a team on their own pitch that have got a great home record and have only lost one match in the Premier League this year.

"He (O'Neill) has got Villa going in the right direction. The likes of (Gabriel) Agbonlahor and (Stilian) Petrov have caused problems all over the Premier League this year.

"But we dealt with them pretty well and I think, man for man, they were sensational."

Asked about Vassell, whose opening goal and dangerous runs in the first-half were a huge boost to City's efforts, he was more than happy to pay tribute.

"He's a colossus, to be fair.

"We were disappointed when we lost him for the early part of the season because of injury.

"Now, he's coming back to full fitness and I'm asking him to fill in on the left-hand side of midfield for me, which isn't his best position, but there's not one moment he turns round to me and says, 'I don't want to do that'."

He reserved his biggest compliments, though, for Distin, whose goal was a sensational effort that began when he took the ball from just outside his own area.

"His defensive work all night was fantastic, his athleticism was there for all to see from the goal, and I think he thoroughly deserved to get some more credit up the other end of the pitch for the defensive work he's done.

"Not just today, but the other night at Anfield as well."

[totlanh]

Great result at Villa last night lads,an AWAY WIN no less

Cheers TP, i had to pinch myself

Get in there City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SUPERB result last night and the first time this season i have actually been encouraged by what i have seen and certainly more of a hint of optimism has entered my thinking!!!Every department of the team performed admirably last night and Distin was outstanding,but all players deserve the plaudits!!!Its so nice to be able to write nice things this morning as im sure you all think im a whinning shit!!!!3 more points against Watford and confidence will be high going into the Derby game!!!!

Absolutely Totlanh. I'm not being negative here but city do this to us alot. Have a great game then go and play <deleted> against a sh1t team. Let's hope not this time

Mr Bo,

I was going to say the same thing,but decided against it,but now that you,ve brought it up....One would think our home game against Watfords would be the IDEAL game to get our first back to back win this season,but you know as well as i do we probably would be better playing bloomin Chelsea as well this game is perfect for City to go and balls it all up and relegate us back into doom and gloom

[mrbojangles]

One would think our home game against Watfords would be the IDEAL game to get our first back to back win this season,but you know as well as i do we probably would be better playing bloomin Chelsea as well this game is perfect for City to go and balls it all up and relegate us back into doom and gloom

Yep, that's what i'm cautious about. But this time will be different eh

[mrbojangles]

A sublime goal from Sylvain Distin sealed a great victory for Manchester City over Aston Villa at Villa Park to end their dreadful run of away form.

Prior to Wednesday's contest, Stuart Pearce's side had lost 14 of the their last 16 away games and were without a win on the road this season.

But Distin's goal from a move that began when he picked the ball up inside his own half was enough to confirm a 3-1 victory after ex-Villa man Darius Vassell and Joey Barton had given City the lead.

Gavin McCann had scored to make it 2-1 with 25 minutes remaining, but Villa were unable to maintain their unbeaten home record after a distinctly poor showing.

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Sky Sports Match ReportAston Villa 1 - 3 Manchester City

Barclays Premiership | Wed, 29 Nov 2006 19:45

Match Report Rate the players (?) Distin wonder goal seals win

By Robin Hackett - Created on 29 Nov 06

A sublime goal from Sylvain Distin sealed a great victory for Manchester City over Aston Villa at Villa Park to end their dreadful run of away form.

Prior to Wednesday's contest, Stuart Pearce's side had lost 14 of the their last 16 away games and were without a win on the road this season.

But Distin's goal from a move that began when he picked the ball up inside his own half was enough to confirm a 3-1 victory after ex-Villa man Darius Vassell and Joey Barton had given City the lead.

Gavin McCann had scored to make it 2-1 with 25 minutes remaining, but Villa were unable to maintain their unbeaten home record after a distinctly poor showing.

City started much the brighter of the two teams, utilising their pace down the flanks as their three-pronged attack of Darius Vassell, Bernardo Corradi and Georgios Samaras looked to stretch Villa's defence.

Villa, in turn, looked unusually languid, and a tame long-range effort from Stilian Petrov after 11 minutes represented their best early attempt.

Vassell in particular looked sharp for the visitors, causing frequent problems down the left-hand side and coming close to opening the scoring with a decent curling effort after 15 minutes, which Stuart Taylor palmed away nicely.

Their passing, too, looked the more incisive as they intelligently shifted the ball around with some nice one-touch moves.

And City were able to make that pressure count after 18 minutes when Vassell ably smashed the ball past Taylor from close range following a Hatem Trabelsi cross that was helped on by Corradi.

In the aftermath, Martin O'Neill's men still failed to find any spark, and Vassell nearly added a second on 22 minutes with a fierce header, again from Trabelsi's cross.

After 32 minutes, they did make it 2-0 through Barton when he found the net with a near-post drive after a clever through-ball from Distin allowed Samaras to knock the ball back to him inside the area.

Although Villa could have done better defensively, it was no more than City deserved for their fine efforts against an uninspired team.

It was not until one minute before the break that the home team threatened at all, when a stunning 25-yard free-kick from Petrov struck the underside of the bar and bounced off the line before City could clear.

After the restart, Villa looked to have improved slightly as Juan Pablo Angel and later Petrov had chances, but the first was off-target and second caused few problems for Nicky Weaver.

And it was again City who created the clearest opportunity just before the hour mark as Samaras played in Corradi to test Taylor from close range.

And when Vassell looked likely to claim his second on the rebound, the stand-in keeper again reacted well.

But, despite looking unable to get beyond the visitors' defence, Villa did find a way back into the match with another spectacular strike, this time from McCann, who drilled in after 66 minutes from a similar distance to Petrov's first-half effort.

It was tough on City in some ways, but the quality of both efforts was indisputable and deserved to be rewarded.

Villa were able to find some form after the strike, too, and Gareth Barry tried to curl an effort beyond Weaver, who saved well.

But, with just 15 minutes remaining, centre-back Distin punished them with what should go down as a candidate for goal of the season when he took the ball from the edge of his own area, played a one-two with Samaras, and knocked the ball beyond Liam Ridgewell before placing it beyond the helpless Taylor.

With the score at 3-1, Villa failed to find any kind of response and Manchester City were able to halt their dreadful run of results on the road.

[Bredbury Blue]

For some unknown reason ESPN Star weren't showing any of the midweek’s games this week – bloody typical luck of a City fan, eh! Saw the goals only on ESPN - great last goal by Distin.

See Trabelsi is City's player of the month - think i'm right that he's on a paid for play deal, sign up SP, quick, the man is a footballer.

Edited December 1, 2006 by Bredbury Blue

[mrbojangles]

Sorry about my last post above. Cut and pasted and din't check

See Trabelsi is City's player of the month - think i'm right that he's on a paid for play deal, sign up SP, quick, the man is a footballer.

Agreed Bred, the lad looks good.

Haven't seen you about for a while?

[Cromarty]

We were threatening this for a while. I know it is all about results at the end of the day but at least we were playing well away (Wigan game the exeption). The only thing I see though is mid table mediocrity. However, if a certain SWP returns we ould push for Europe this year!

Anyone know a link for Distins goal or if the goals will be repeated on UBC? I missed the review last night and I'm desperate to see it.

[mrbojangles]

Hi Cromarty,

Welcome to the thread, for the only Team in Manchester Back off Redrus