Manchester City

[JacknDanny]

We need to get back to winning ways people, we've got some awful games coming up next month.

Too right. Hopefully Bojinov should be back soon as well. He's back in training apparently.

Just been reading a report saying that it doesnt look as though he will be back this season

Re Biancchi, I think he is a very good player. You cannot score the number of goals he did last year, without being very good.

However he is a typical example of someone who just could not adapt to the English game. The food, the weather, the lifestyle, totally different to Italy.

if you saw his body language the last couple of games, he looked a forlorn figure, totally frustrated.

[totlanh]

We need to get back to winning ways people, we've got some awful games coming up next month.

Too right. Hopefully Bojinov should be back soon as well. He's back in training apparently.

Just been reading a report saying that it doesnt look as though he will be back this season

Re Biancchi, I think he is a very good player. You cannot score the number of goals he did last year, without being very good.

However he is a typical example of someone who just could not adapt to the English game. The food, the weather, the lifestyle, totally different to Italy.

if you saw his body language the last couple of games, he looked a forlorn figure, totally frustrated.

I think City have been struggling to find any sort of form for the last few games and i am bemused by Elano,i mean he is just not in the fuc_king game at the moment.I agree with Jack that without MJ playing he just dosen,t appear to get the room.I am becoming slightly pesemistic again in relation to City,s fortunes and the lack of activity in the transfer market and particuarly the persistant rumours that Frankie boy is suprised how expensive it is to run a football club i just hjope he is not becoming disalluisoned to the point of cutting his losses.............

[mrbojangles]

Yep, i know what you mean boys. Especially with a few crucial games coming up.

We are definately missing Johnson. Elano has been out of sorts, but the good thing is, that we know what he is capable of. So he'll be back to form.

Cheer up, we've never had it so good. CTID

[mrbojangles]

From the city web site:-

Hungry Bojinov to be eased back in

As Valeri Bojinov made his return to full training this week, Hans Backe has urged patience amongst those that might expect to see the Bulgarian striker in action sooner rather than later.

"He will take time," said Backe. "He had his first session on Wednesday and I believe I am a little bit pessimistic, but I think with that kind of injury he will be fully fit in the summer.

"If we are lucky, perhaps it could go quicker, but with that kind of injury I know it takes some months to be back."

When he does make his return to the squad though, Backe is in no doubt his presence will give the Blues a huge lift: "He will be a big boost," stated the former FC Copenhagen manager.

"He is so hungry and you can see in each session he’s done in the gym, training with the reserves one or two times and the first time back with us, because he’s so lively. It was a shame for his injury but he will be a big boost for us."

As well as the potential for goals, the 21-year-old will also provide his Manager with options, as Hans pointed out: "He’s played wide right, wide left in a 4-3-3 in Italy. He’s also played as the main striker and second striker, so we could use him in three or four different positions."

Another benefit to the squad ahead of this weekend's FA Cup tie is the return of Emile Mpenza. The Belgian striker has trained this week and could feature at Bramall Lane according to Backe.

"Mpenza trained on Wednesday and he is fully fit. If he can train all this week he will be in contention."

But it will be a while yet before Michael Johnson returns from his abdominal injury as Hans outlined: "With Michael I am not really sure, but he is getting better and better, so hopefully in a couple of weeks he will be back.

"The Derby match might be a little bit early for him I think. He’s been away now for around five weeks and he has exactly the same injury as Craig Bellamy and he was away for eight weeks. I would say a couple of weeks and hopefully he can train with us."

[mrbojangles]

A couple of snippets from the papers.

The Times

"Manchester City offload Rolando Bianchi and turn attention to Diego Milito"

Manchester City said farewell to Rolando Bianchi yesterday as Sven-Göran Eriksson, the manager, trained his sights on a new striker. While Bianchi joined Lazio on loan only six months after signing for City, Eriksson is thought to be ready to test the resolve of Real Zaragoza to keep Diego Milito, their highly rated Argentina striker, before the transfer window closes a week today.

Eriksson has identified Milito as one of his leading targets, but although there remains a chance of the City manager lodging a formal bid for the player in the coming days, Zaragoza’s reluctance to lose their captain and talisman in mid-season is likely to dictate that the Barclays Premier League club wait until the summer before making a move.

Contact has been made between representatives of the clubs and Zaragoza are thought to have indicated a willingness to allow Milito to leave once the Spanish season has finished in May, albeit for the right price. That is likely to represent a stumbling block, with Zaragoza valuing Milito at about £18 million, while the fact that the Spanish club have just appointed Javier Irureta as coach, after Ander Garitano resigned on Tuesday citing personal reasons, could also prove to be a complicating factor.

Milito is thought to have a buyout clause of about £22 million in his contract, but Eriksson has made it clear that he will not be forced to pay too high a price and even armed with funds from Thaksin Shinawatra, the City owner, the Swede is unlikely to be prepared to pay so much for a player who turns 29 in June.

Milito’s intentions are unclear, although his high wage demands could also hamper the deal; he earns about £2.2 million a year after tax.

Nonetheless, the Argentinian, who briefly attracted interest from Rafael BenÍtez last summer when it appeared as though the Liverpool manager might not be given the money to sign Fernando Torres, ticks the right boxes as Eriksson looks to strengthen an attack that has mustered only four goals in the past six matches. Milito is widely considered to be the best out-and-out striker in Spain after Ruud van Nistelrooy, of Real Madrid, and Samuel Eto’o, of Barcelona.

Fast, powerful and with a keen eye for goal he has scored 51 league goals in 93 appearances since joining Zaragoza from Genoa in 2005 and finished as the Primera Liga’s second top scorer behind Van Nistelrooy last season with 23 goals. Milito is also widely regarded as one of the best headers of the ball in Europe.

Milito’s attitude and workrate also count strongly in his favour and in many ways he is not dissimilar to Roque Santa Cruz, the Blackburn Rovers forward whom Eriksson tried to sign this month, even if his goals ratio is much better than that of the Paraguayan.

Eriksson has other targets as well and with the clock ticking, may have little alternative but to sign a striker on loan, possibly with a view to a permanent move, to plug the gap, but Milito has the hallmarks of the world-class forward that Bianchi did not possess.

City paid Reggina £8.8 million for Bianchi last summer, but even though the former Italy Under21 striker struggled to make his mark in the Premier League, the club will recoup most of that cash when the player signs a four-year deal with Lazio at the end of the season.

“I want to thank the City fans from the bottom of my heart,” Bianchi, who scored five goals in 24 appearances, half of which came from the substitutes’ bench, said. “They have welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like one of them. I will take in my heart their passion and their attachment to the team.”

City are keen to offload other players, with Georgios Samaras, Andreas Isaksson, Ousmane Dabo, Paul Dickov, Danny Mills and Matthew Mills seemingly surplus to requirements. Together, those six players account for about £5 million of the annual wage bill and could fetch £5 million in transfer fees.

Daily Telegraph

"Man City make approach for Diego Milito"

Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has targeted Real Zaragoza striker Diego Milito after failing to sign Lukas Podolski from Bayern Munich.

Having loaned out Rolando Bianchi to Lazio just six months after signing the Italian forward, Eriksson finds himself short of firepower up front and is determined to sign Milito before the transfer window closes a week today.

Zaragoza value Milito at £18 million and will demand every penny if they are to allow the Argentinian striker to leave mid-way through their season.

One major stumbling block to the deal is the fact the Spanish club have recently appointed a new coach.

Ander Garitano resigned on Tuesday citing personal reasons and has been replaced by Javier Irureta, who will be loath to lose his most prolific striker.

Milito is widely considered the third-best out-and-out forward in Spain behind Ruud van Nistelrooy and Samuel Eto'o, and has scored 51 league goals in 93 games since joining from Genoa in 2005.

Should Eriksson ultimately prove unsuccessful in his bid to lure Milito to Eastlands he will turn his attentions to Sevilla's Fabiano.

The 27-year-old Brazilian striker is valued at £9m, and said: "I've had an offer which is higher than £8m for me and a good offer for far more wages."

[chavy]

If Bianchi signs permanently after his loan period, how much of a loss, if any, will City be taking ?? Has there been any reported fee?

Yesterday we sold Scott Dobie back to Carlisle for what was described as a "minimal fee". I can imagine our lot letting him go for that as well. Bought him for 500K sold him for a few grand. Same Marlon King. Bought him for a Million, sold him for 500K now Watford sell him for 5 mill.

I wondered if City were falling into the same trap ???

[mrbojangles]

If Bianchi signs permanently after his loan period, how much of a loss, if any, will City be taking ?? Has there been any reported fee?

In my post above the Times say:-

"City paid Reggina £8.8 million for Bianchi last summer, but even though the former Italy Under21 striker struggled to make his mark in the Premier League, the club will recoup most of that cash when the player signs a four-year deal with Lazio at the end of the season."

So hopefully a break even at the best Chavy.

[JacknDanny]

We need to get back to winning ways people, we've got some awful games coming up next month.

Too right. Hopefully Bojinov should be back soon as well. He's back in training apparently.

Just been reading a report saying that it doesnt look as though he will be back this season

Re Biancchi, I think he is a very good player. You cannot score the number of goals he did last year, without being very good.

However he is a typical example of someone who just could not adapt to the English game. The food, the weather, the lifestyle, totally different to Italy.

if you saw his body language the last couple of games, he looked a forlorn figure, totally frustrated.

I think City have been struggling to find any sort of form for the last few games and i am bemused by Elano,i mean he is just not in the fuc_king game at the moment.I agree with Jack that without MJ playing he just dosen,t appear to get the room.I am becoming slightly pesemistic again in relation to City,s fortunes and the lack of activity in the transfer market and particuarly the persistant rumours that Frankie boy is suprised how expensive it is to run a football club i just hjope he is not becoming disalluisoned to the point of cutting his losses.............

I get the impression that Elano is not fully recovered from his injury.

He is obviously an exceptional player, but has been naff recently. Its not the weather, he played in far colder weather last year, he is definately got the pace and vision for the Premiership, so I agree with MrBoj, he will come around, hopefully

[JacknDanny]

I will let MrBoJ put the sh!tty match report up.

What I will say is that City were absolute SH!TE.

We really missed Richards.

Hart... Potentially great, should have burst those balloons

Onuha.....Out of position, should have played full back, at fault for 2nd goal, had a bad game.

Dunne....ok one of the few players we have who is genuine.

Corluka... seems to be caught out of position too often for my liking. I am not convinced

Ball... At fault for first goal. Bad game, beaten too often on the wing.

Elano... I wish they would get him fit. Couple of good efforts in 1st half. Didnt play 2nd half, which is probably as well as I think he would have got red carded having lost the plot with his battle with Speed

Petrov...Lazy %$#**&^%. Give me SWP any day

Hamann.. Looked his age, partly to blame for 2nd goal

Gelson... Not premiership quality

Vassell.. Not premiership quality

Mpenza.. Definately not premiership quality.

The only bright spark was when the young kid Sturridge came on. Great goal and some nice touches.

But anyway, City back to normal, flattering to deceive, then playing sh!te and leaving their fans totally p!ssed off. Great opportunity lost. Thanks lads

By the way Bianchhi lasted 5 minutes for Lazio. Came on as a 2nd half sub, got booked within 1 minute and got sent off 3 minutes later

[mrbojangles]

I will let MrBoJ put the sh!tty match report up.

Nah, can't be ar5ed

What I will say is that City were absolute SH!TE.

Yep

By the way Bianchhi lasted 5 minutes for Lazio. Came on as a 2nd half sub, got booked within 1 minute and got sent off 3 minutes later

[Bredbury Blue]

MY COMMENTS IN CAPS.

We really missed Richards. WE MISSED HIM BUT THAT WASN'T WHAT WE WERE LACKING, IT WAS FIGHT!

Hart... Potentially great, should have burst those balloons HAVING A GOOD RUN, CAN'T FAULT HIM APART FROM HIS KICKING (AND FAILING TO GET RID OF BALLOONS - APPARENTLY SGE ASKED THE 4TH OFFICIAL TO GET THE REF TO STOP THE GAME ON 2 OCCASIONS TO GET RID OF THE BALLOONS).

Onuha.....Out of position, should have played full back, at fault for 2nd goal, had a bad game. ACTUALLY I DIDN'T THINK HE WAS THAT BAD.

Dunne....ok one of the few players we have who is genuine. THOUGHT DUNNEY WAS WORSE THAN NEDUM - HIS FORM IS UP AND DOWN AT THE MOMENT, HE LIKES BACK TO THE WALLS DEFENDING, HATES PLAYING AGAINST BIG MEN THOUGH (JOHN CAREW, JASON ROBERTS TO NAME A FEW).

Corluka... seems to be caught out of position too often for my liking. I am not convinced TALENTED WITH THE BALL BUT NEEDS TO LEARN TO RELEASE IT QUICKER. PLAYS FOR THE FOUL WAY TOO MUCH.

Ball... At fault for first goal - CAN'T REALLY BLAME HIM FOR THAT. Bad game, beaten too often on the wing. SORRY, I DIDN'T THINK HE WAS THAT BAD. WORKED HARD, LET DOWN BADLY BY PETROV

Elano... I wish they would get him fit. Couple of good efforts in 1st half. Didnt play 2nd half, which is probably as well as I think he would have got red carded having lost the plot with his battle with Speed LOST THE PLOT WHICH IS A SHAME AS HE WENT CLOSE A FEW TIMES, LOOKING LIKE HE'S BEEN FOUND OUT BY EVERY TEAM WE PLAY NOW

Petrov...Lazy %$#**&^%. Give me SWP any day TERRIBLE! IS HE THE SOFTEST PLAYER YOU'VE EVER SEEN IN YOUR LIFE! WHAT ANNOYS ME MOST IS HE IS OUR BECKHAM, SGE JUST WON'T SUB HIM WHEN HE'S OFF HIS GAME. ON HIS DAY GREAT, BUT SHOULD HAVE GONE OFF EARLY. GARRIDO WAS INJURED / SICK BUT HE LOOKS LIKE HE CAN DO A JOB THERE WHEN REQUIRED.

Hamann.. Looked his age, partly to blame for 2nd goal TOTALLY TO BLAME FOR THE GOAL, BALL WATCHING. BUT LETS FACE IT, HE NEEDS A DECENT PARTNER.

Gelson... Not premiership quality I DON'T THINK HE'S GOING TO MAKE IT WITH HIS ANNOYING BOUNCY STYLE - HE'S JUST A RUNNER NO MORE.

Vassell.. Not premiership quality SORRY BUT I LIKE VASS. HE'S NOT A STAR BUT EVERY TEAM NEEDS A FEW TRYERS. HE DIDN'T HIDE. UNTIL WE GET DECENT REPLACEMENTS HE'S IN FOR ME.

Mpenza.. Definately not premiership quality. SHOULD HAVE GONE OF AFTER 30 MINUTES OR SO, TOO MUCH TOO SOON FOR HIM

The only bright spark was when the young kid Sturridge came on. Great goal and some nice touches. LOOKS GOOD DOESN'T HE. I'D LOVE TO SEE HIM AND ETUHE BREAKING THROUGH OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.

But anyway, City back to normal, flattering to deceive, then playing sh!te and leaving their fans totally p!ssed off. Great opportunity lost. Thanks lads WE'VE BEEN POOR FOR WEEKS NOW AND SERIOUSLY NEED A WIN AGAINST DERBY BEFORE WE PLAY ARSE AND MANURE AND EVERTON AGAIN.

SPOILT MY WEEKEND THAT'S FOR SURE!!!!

[mrbojangles]

WE'VE BEEN POOR FOR WEEKS NOW AND SERIOUSLY NEED A WIN AGAINST DERBY BEFORE WE PLAY ARSE AND MANURE AND EVERTON AGAIN.

SPOILT MY WEEKEND THAT'S FOR SURE!!!!

Yep i agree and it spoilt mine too

As for the players. Personally, i think it was a bad day at the oriface for quite a few of them. To me Petrov looks as if he is getting p1ssed off and frustrated with the lack of support from the others. Mpenza just can't cut it and i too quite like Darius but he needs to start bagging some goals.

[mrbojangles]

I will let MrBoJ put the sh!tty match report up.

Nah, can't be ar5ed

I'm in a bit of a better mood now. Can't keep us blues down for long.

From the BBC:-

Balloons not to blame - Eriksson

Manchester City keeper Joe Hart struggled to cope with the balloons

Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is refusing to blame balloons bobbling on the pitch for his side's 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Sheffield United.

Luton Shelton's opener for United came after Michael Ball failed to clear the ball as it rolled through the balloons.

"I've never seen a goal like that before," said Eriksson. "The ball changed direction and the balloons played a one-two with Michael Ball.

"But we should not blame the balloons as we should have done better."

Eriksson remained in good spirits about the incident but revealed he had repeatedly asked the fourth official to have the balloons, brought by City's away fans, removed.

"We asked the fourth official to tell the referee (Alan Wiley) to stop the game and take away the balloons or kill them," said Eriksson.

"But the referee told our goalkeeper Joe Hart to do it during the game which is not fair. You can't ask a player to clear the pitch when the ball is live."

Sheffield United manager Bryan Robson admitted the balloons definitely worked in his side's favour.

He said: "Normally, goalkeepers like to clear the area but fortunately for us he didn't and that helped us score our first goal."

Robson, who was under intense pressure following last weekend's derby defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, was pleased that his side had luck on their side.

"It was about time we had a bit of fortune," said Robson, who has won the FA Cup three times as Manchester United captain.

"We did ride our luck at certain times but our counter-attack play was very good.

"We have been missing far too many chances but today they went in for us. We owed our fans a big performance and we produced that."

Eriksson conceded that his players lacked the fighting spirit to claw back the game after falling two goals behind.

"We were not up to the battle," said the former England manager. "We lost too many balls and they made life difficult for us.

"If you are not prepared to play good football you have to battle especially in the FA Cup and against a lower league club; and we didn't handle that very well."

[totlanh]

I think City were lamentably bad.I really fear the wheels are coming off this season.Thank goodness we had a good start to the season thats all i can say.Champions league football dont make me laugh......

I see Samaras may be of to Rangers,pity,there was something about him i really liked and i STILL believe given an extended run he may have come good,but boy are we in need of a striker.The latest rumour is we are close to signing Love from Brazil IMHO not what we need.We need a PROVEN premiership striker,doubt we will get one though

The Doom Merchant

[JacknDanny]

I see Samaras may be of to Rangers,pity,there was something about him i really liked

His hair?

[mrbojangles]

From the BBC:-

Iraqi Akram refused work permit

Iraq midfielder Nashat Akram's move to Manchester City looks to be over he was refused a work permit.

Akram had signed a two-and-a-half-year contract earlier in January but it appears that he cannot travel to the UK because of immigration rules.

They stipulate that his national side must be in the top 70 of the FIFA rankings, which Iraq are not.

"I have huge sympathy for Nashat," admitted Manchester City's Swedish manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

"He's a very good footballer with an excellent international pedigree," he added.

"Nashat has now returned to the Middle East and we'll keep in touch."

Manchester City have already lost an appeal against the Home Office decision, but hope remained after the Iraqi government took up Akram's cause.

Akram, born in Hilla, currently plays for Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates.

He has been the subject of speculation over a move to the Premier League since he played a key role in helping Iraq win last year's Asian Cup.

But the national team has been unable to move up in the rankings because it has been impossible to play any home matches because of fears of violence.

The team have not played a home game in nearly 20 years.

[chavy]

From the BBC:-

Iraqi Akram refused work permit

The team have not played a home game in nearly 20 years.

20 years !!

I'm glad SGE didn't get into the ballon debate too much......I think I would have to comment on the similar incident a few years ago when Fergie said the reason they got hammered at Southampton was because the grey kit they had with the lines on it suddenly made all the Man U players invisible to each other so couldn't find their passes

[totlanh]

Derby1-City1,Wheels coming off or what!

[chavy]

Derby1-City1,Wheels coming off or what!

No I don't think so.....Derby's juggernaut ride to destination championship is still on full ahead with no stops

[mrbojangles]

From the BBC:-

Iraqi Akram refused work permit

The team have not played a home game in nearly 20 years.

20 years !!

Would you play at home in Iraq

I'm glad SGE didn't get into the ballon debate too much......I think I would have to comment on the similar incident a few years ago when Fergie said the reason they got hammered at Southampton was because the grey kit they had with the lines on it suddenly made all the Man U players invisible to each other so couldn't find their passes

The good thing about Sven (and he's always been that way) is that he never moans on about things, he just gets on with it. Some people mistake that for having a lack passion, i just think it shows he's in control of himself.

Yeah, i remember the "grey" kit, they changed it at half time didn't they?

[mrbojangles]

Derby1-City1,Wheels coming off or what!

You doom and gloom merchant

[totlanh]

Im a City fan Mr Bo of course im a gloom merchant!Anyhow,my friend,what do u think about this nonscense with regards to the signing of Benjani?Personally,i think he if we do get him would be a good acquistion,howewver,9M Is perhaps too much

[mrbojangles]

Fortunately i'm your little cheery angel sitting on your shoulder Tot

Yeah, total farce with Benjani. I like him but as for the money, to be honest i don't really know who is worth what nowadays. I suppose if he scores goals and gets us into europe he'll have been worth it.

[JacknDanny]

Fortunately i'm your little cheery angel sitting on your shoulder Tot

Yeah, total farce with Benjani. I like him but as for the money, to be honest i don't really know who is worth what nowadays. I suppose if he scores goals and gets us into europe he'll have been worth it.

I think for that money I would have preferred Defoe.

As for the 'fiasco' <deleted>?

Should never have happened, somebody needs a rocket up their jacksy. Whatever, we need someone up front desperately.

Ooops , nancy boy Petrov just gifted Ars with a goal......its going to be a long afternoon/evening

[totlanh]

Fortunately i'm your little cheery angel sitting on your shoulder Tot

Yeah, total farce with Benjani. I like him but as for the money, to be honest i don't really know who is worth what nowadays. I suppose if he scores goals and gets us into europe he'll have been worth it.

I think for that money I would have preferred Defoe.

As for the 'fiasco' <deleted>?

Should never have happened, somebody needs a rocket up their jacksy. Whatever, we need someone up front desperately.

Ooops , nancy boy Petrov just gifted Ars with a goal......its going to be a long afternoon/evening

City once again were totally <deleted> reminissent of the garbage we had to endure last season.Am i the only one getting that sinking feeling??!Seriously though we need something to change.Elano,Petrov both look totally disinterested and indeed Elano is becoming increasingly petulant his booking today was ample evidence of this.Cant say im particuarly looking forward to playing the scum i think we could be tanked big time.\

Your resident doom and gloom merchant reporting

[mrbojangles]

Arsenal are good, aren't they

[JacknDanny]

Arsenal are good, aren't they

Class above everybody else

But City didnt help their cause.

@#### Petrov gave the ball away SO many times at critical times. Elano was a ghost. Ball was totally exposed. The only one who had good game was the goalscorer Fernandes. The first corner we got was when Geovanni came on as sub

I just wonder if the premiership has found out our 2 star imports. They have just not been at the races recently

[mrbojangles]

Don't despair guys. I'd sooner be where we are now, than where we was this time last season.

[totlanh]

Arsenal are good, aren't they

Class above everybody else

But City didnt help their cause.

@#### Petrov gave the ball away SO many times at critical times. Elano was a ghost. Ball was totally exposed. The only one who had good game was the goalscorer Fernandes. The first corner we got was when Geovanni came on as sub

I just wonder if the premiership has found out our 2 star imports. They have just not been at the races recently

Agree Jack

[mrbojangles]

From sky sports:-

Benjani ties up City move

Premier League give striker's deal thumbs-up

Sky Sports News understands Benjani has completed his move to Manchester City from Portsmouth.

The Zimbabwe striker has been left in limbo after a switch to the City of Manchester Stadium failed to go through on transfer deadline day.

Portsmouth had agreed to sell their top scorer to City after sealing a deal to bring in Jermain Defoe from Tottenham Hotspur.

However, Benjani's move did not appear to be concluded before the closure of the transfer window, prompting an investigation from the Premier League.

Officials have been looking into the paperwork and it now seems the green light has been given for the deal to be ratified.

City boss Sven Goran Eriksson admitted on Monday that he expected the issue to be resolved by Tuesday at the latest.

Sources now suggest City have tied up the loose ends which prevented Benjani from securing his move last week.