Manchester City

[jjp]

found this on a bbc website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7307908.stm

Ironic Bred and Mr Bo that it was a utd fan who choose the name and heres me thinking no Utd come from Manchester eh,

i thought these names would have been better though,

bitter street,

32nd street,

Bertie Boulevard,

Neverever Close,

2nd division Street,

manchester is blue street,

1 fok hall road,

Massive Street.

Relegation Close

[mrbojangles]

Very droll jjp

I suppose "How to do the double over united way" would be a tad too long for a street name

[Bredbury Blue]

found this on a bbc website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7307908.stm

Ironic Bred and Mr Bo that it was a utd fan who choose the name and heres me thinking no Utd come from Manchester eh,

i thought these names would have been better though,

bitter street,

32nd street,

Bertie Boulevard,

Neverever Close,

2nd division Street,

manchester is blue street,

1 fok hall road,

Massive Street.

Relegation Close

Good to see United fans DO have a sense of humour...now can we move on back to talking about things of interest to us City fans (i wish these Reds would stay on their own page).

[mrtoad]

Good to see United fans DO have a sense of humour...now can we move on back to talking about things of interest to us City fans (i wish these Reds would stay on their own page).

We like to pop on over from time to time.

[Bredbury Blue]

Read on the excellent MAN CITY INFO VIA THE ALPS "McVittee!"

"the road itself Maine Road, was named in memory of the Manchester Regiment of volunteers which went to fight in the American civil war for the North. They were based in the State of Maine. The land owner at the time raised this army and when his family later built on Moss Side [it was of course farm land back in 1800's ] they named the new street in honour of this regiment. The City ground of course took its name from the road it was built beside." Now you know!

[mrbojangles]

From the BBC:-

Bolton 0-0 Man City

Bolton ended their five-game Premier League losing streak but stayed in the relegation zone after being held at home by Manchester City.

Gretar Steinsson headed against the post as Bolton started brightly.

City responded with a Stephen Ireland shot that Ricardo Gardner headed off the line but Bolton were dominant.

Only a superb clearance by Joey O'Brien denied City substitute Felipe Caicedo but the home side almost won it when Kevin Davies' header was hacked clear.

Either side could have ended up with all three points but, given their current plight, Bolton will look back on the game with most regret.

But, for all their long spells of pressure, Gary Megson's side ultimately lacked the spark they needed to break City down.

Wanderers did have their moments, however, notably with a flurry of chances in the opening minutes.

El Hadji Diouf tested Joe Hart with a rasping shot and, soon after, he sent in a wicked low cross that just eluded Matthew Taylor and Danny Guthrie and was cleared by Vedran Corluka.

From the ensuing corner, which was taken by Senegal star Diouf, Steinsson was first to the ball and sent his header crashing against the post.

But City survived the early storm and threatened themselves when Petrov's corner was cleared as far as Ireland, who fired in a rasping shot that was headed off the line by Gardner.

Bolton continued to push forward after the break but they were struggling to turn their possession into chances.

And it was City who had the next golden opportunity when Benjani ran clear but he dithered on the ball and, although Elano eventually got a shot away, the opening was wasted.

Only in the final half-hour did the game truly open up and several chances went begging at both ends.

Steinsson's header was blocked by the impressive Richard Dunne before a last-ditch tackle by Elano denied Davies.

Another Steinsson effort was deflected clear and Hart produced a fine save to keep out Diouf's shot from a tight angle.

City were threatening too and Elano's drilled 30-yard shot was pushed away by Ali Ab Habsi before O'Brien's heroic block kept out Caicedo's goalbound effort.

Bolton could still have had the final word when Davies rose to head towards the bottom corner but Petrov was in the right place to clear and ensure his side earned a point.

Bolton's Ricardo Gardner will have an X-ray on a rib injury after being carried off on a stretcher late in the first half. The Jamaica midfielder landed awkwardly under a challenge from Darius Vassell.

Bolton boss Gary Megson:

"We have drawn a game we maybe should have won but not through a lack of effort.

"We gave their goalkeeper a lot to do and we certainly could not have tried any harder.

"We had a lot of efforts on goal so there is a lot to be positive about but at this stage of the season it is all about getting the three points."

Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson:

"Bolton are fighting for their lives. You have to cope with the way they play and defensively we did okay.

"Richard Dunne was extremely important to us in dealing with the amount of long balls and crosses they put in.

"We dealt with them well but we hit too many long balls ourselves and in the future we have to play more football."

[mrbojangles]

From skysports:-

Richards return delayed

Defender still three weeks away from first-team return

Micah Richards is still hoping to be back in contention for Manchester City before the end of the season.

The England international underwent knee surgery in February and was originally expected to be sidelined for six weeks.

However, his rehabilitation has fallen slightly behind schedule and he is still some way off making a return to the first-team fold.

Sven-Goran Eriksson remains confident that the defender will be back in action before the current campaign draws to a close, but concedes that plans for him to be involved at the beginning of April have now been shelved.

"I spoke to him and the physios and he's two or three weeks away," said the Swede.

"Hopefully, he will play some of the last games but he looks very good and everything is right."

[mrbojangles]

Birmingham Vs Man City preview from skysports:-

Birmingham will be looking to ease their relegation fears as they take on a Manchester City side still in contention for Europe.

Birmingham had appeared to be climbing to safety a few weeks ago but defeats to Portsmouth and Reading and a home draw with Newcastle have put them back into trouble.

They are now just one point above Bolton and could find themselves back in the bottom three if they do not beat Manchester City.

Martin Taylor could return to the side for the first time since his infamous tackle on Eduardo da Silva after completing a three-match suspension.

He is likely to slot in at centre-back in place of Liam Ridgewell, who begins his own two-game ban after collecting a tenth yellow card of the season.

James McFadden is closing in on a quick return to action following knee surgery but will not be considered until the next game against Wigan at the earliest.

Olivier Kapo could feature following a hamstring problem, while Mauro Zarate will be hoping to keep his place after netting his first goal for the club against Reading.

Manchester City have fallen away in the race for fifth place but they will still be aiming for sixth and a possible Intertoto Cup spot in the summer.

Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Blackburn are Man City's main threats and the battle looks set to go down to the wire.

Man City were held to a goalless draw by struggling Bolton last week and Sven Goran Eriksson could decide to make changes.

Elano and Felipe Caicedo both came on as substitutes against The Trotters and may be promoted to the starting line-up, while Emile Mpenza is also in contention after turning down the chance to drop down to the Championship on loan.

Eriksson will welcome Dietmar Hamann back from suspension and young midfielder Michael Johnson should also be fit despite having a chest infection this week.

Micah Richards and Michael Ball both remain sidelined with knee injuries.

[chavy]

I think your season can get back on track today MrBJ....Birmingham are going from bad to worse so Svens men should nick all 3 points......& Rochdae to turn over Brentford as well

[mrbojangles]

Cheers chavy, i do hope your right on both counts

[JacknDanny]

Well we got beat, but I think there were a lot of positives to be taken from this game........

1) Saved a fortune on cleaning this week, as the kit man will not need to clean anyones kit

2)Sun Jihai will never be considered again for the first team.

3) Steven Ireland will never be chosen before Michael Johnson again

4)Realisation of what a great player Micah Richards is.

5)All City fans can relax again...yet another season which ends in mediocrity, nothing to get excited about, no false sense of achievment here.

6)We can play sh!te with or without Petrov playing

7)All the City players got p!ssed wet through, whilst I was enjoying my Black Soda in the comfort of my home

[mrbojangles]

Un-be-fekkin-lievable

I have no further comment to make

[Bredbury Blue]

Well we got beat, but I think there were a lot of positives to be taken from this game........

1) Saved a fortune on cleaning this week, as the kit man will not need to clean anyones kit

2)Sun Jihai will never be considered again for the first team.

3) Steven Ireland will never be chosen before Michael Johnson again

4)Realisation of what a great player Micah Richards is.

5)All City fans can relax again...yet another season which ends in mediocrity, nothing to get excited about, no false sense of achievment here.

6)We can play sh!te with or without Petrov playing

7)All the City players got p!ssed wet through, whilst I was enjoying my Black Soda in the comfort of my home

I don't have a problem with any of your comments as we were so poor, except the one about Sun Jihai. I am not a great fan of Sun but he is a useful utility player to have around, but i thought yesterday while he wasn't great - nobody had a decent game - he was one of the better of a very poor bunch of players. On some web reports i've read he was our best player; i'd put him behind Elano - who looked interested for the first time in months - and ahead of Hamann.

Woeful again! for me, for 60 minutes, it was our worst performance of the season, and then we nearly got an undeserved 'get-out-of-jail-card' until that shocking penalty decision on Sun - if anything he was fouled but the ref should have not blown for anything.

I also couldn't understand why they didn't bring Elano in and move Ireland out rightside - what, are we pretending Ireland is a better bet than Elano these days?; i don't think so.

The players were very poor, but SGE - as in my games this season - needs to take a good look at his tactics and substitutions; he isn't helping.

Hate to think what might happen next week!

[Bredbury Blue]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle3177405.ece

Caught in time

Manchester City win the League Cup, 1976

Manchester City defender Dave Watson did not get much sleep during the week leading up to the League Cup final against Newcastle United. He had a slipped disc and found it more comfortable napping on the floor instead of a bed when manager Tony Book took the team to the Champneys health spa in Tring for four days to prepare for the match. He got a game.

Helen Turner, a flower seller from Manchester, spent £1.50 for a ticket to the standing enclosure in Wembley’s East Stand to watch her team. Tracey Book, the manager’s 10-year-old daughter, brought a teddy bear to the ground as a good-luck mascot. All three had a memorable day.

The Blues were without injured Colin Bell in midfield and defender Glyn Pardoe. Watson, however, played a starring role in the heart of the City defence as they held firm against Newcastle’s early pressure.

City were all about attack. “We were the type of side that played to win,” says Tony Book. “We didn’t worry about how our opponents played or what they did. It was how we played. We had always been an attack-minded side when I was a player so I didn’t change that as manager.”

City were awarded a free kick in the 11th minute. Asa Hartford crossed the ball to Mike Doyle, the captain, at the far post. His header across the penalty area was half-cleared by the Newcastle defence. The 19-year-old Peter Barnes pounced to hit the ball left-footed on the half volley into the goal for a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes before half-time, Alan Gowling toe-poked the ball into the Manchester net for the equaliser. Then, in the first minute of the second half, City attacked down the right and Alan Oakes swept the ball to Willie Donachie on the left. He crossed to the far post where Tommy Booth headed the ball towards the penalty area. Out of the blue, Dennis Tueart executed a spectacular overhead kick that bounced into the far corner of the Newcastle goal to secure a 2-1 victory.

Watson collided with Gowling during the match and TV cameras showed his head injury being stitched up in the dressing room afterwards. He was happy. Turner, the flower seller, joined the players on their lap of honour. She was happy. And the Books still have the teddy bear, and the suit worn for the cup final picture shoot. Tony Book had become the first player and manager to win the League Cup.

1 Tony Book A bricklayer who was playing amateur football at 29, Book was plucked from obscurity. A calm, swift defender and team captain, he won the league, FA Cup, League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup. He then became coach and manager at the club. Recently he had a heart bypass operation. He says: “It felt like I had played a game against Norman Hunter and Billy Bremner.” He lives in Manchester and hopes to be scouting again.

2 Joe Corrigan He let the ball through his legs in his Manchester City debut but went on to become one of the club’s great goalkeepers, playing in 604 games. He was goalkeeping coach at City, Leeds, Celtic and Liverpool and is now at West Bromwich Albion.

3 Colin Barrett A defender, Barrett won the League Cup with Nottingham Forest in 1979 and also helped them win the European Cup. He made snooker tables, ran a pub in Southwell and is now a painter and decorator in the Nottinghamshire village.

4 Peter Barnes The winger enjoyed a double celebration that weekend: a goal in the final and being named PFA Young Player of the Year. He won 22 England caps and played for nearly a dozen different clubs. He works for a company that supplied turf pitches for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

5 Keith MacRae A Glasgow-born goalkeeper signed from Motherwell, he was a part-time journalist chester Evening News during his playing career. Believed to have moved to America but has lost touch with the club.

6 Willie Donachie A Glasgow-born full-back who won 35 Scotland caps, Donachie made 436 appearances for the Blues. He went into coaching and management but was dismissed as boss of Millwall last October.

7 Dave Watson A £275,000 cheque brought the England defender from Sunderland to Manchester in the summer of 1975 and he proved his value. With 65 England caps, he runs a football marketing company in Nottingham.

8 Colin Bell Bought from Bury for £45,000 in March 1966, he was City’s heartbeat, a powerful runner and brilliant finisher. He won 48 England caps. Bell ran his own restaurant and was youth development officer at City. Still involved in his family’s dry cleaning business, he is a match-day host.

9 Asa Hartford A hole in the heart did not stop him playing 323 games in midfield. He also wore the Scotland jersey 50 times. The scorer of a League Cup final winner for Norwich, he was reserve-team coach at City and is now assistant manager at Macclesfield.

10 Dennis Tueart The Newcastle-born England winger was well-versed in overhead kicks. He scored with one earlier in the season against Norwich; one of 109 goals he managed in seven seasons. Capped six times for England, he had a travel agency in Cheadle and runs a sports hospitality company.

11 Ged Keegan The 20-year-old right-back was enjoying his most successful season at Maine Road, which included a place at Wembley. He later moved to Oldham. He spent 20 years in assurance and now works for a car-park- ing company at Manchester Airport.

12 Joe Royle After scoring more than 100 goals for Everton, he joined City in 1974 and scored in every round of the cup except the final. A strong centre-forward, he had success as a manager for the blue clubs in Liverpool and Manchester. He left Ipswich Town in mid2006.

13 Glyn Pardoe Left-back who made his debut at 15 and is the club’s youngest-ever player. Played in virtually every position. He works in security in Cheshire and summarises on radio.

14 Paul Power A left-sided player who had 445 matches before moving to Everton where he won the First Division in 1987. He has a law degree and coaches at the City academy.

15 Tommy Booth A central defender, Booth spent 13 seasons at Maine Road. He was manager at Preston, had a sports trophy business and was a television engineer. Based in Oldham, he delivers kitchen doors.

16 Kenny Clements A right-back, he made his debut as a 20-year-old and played for Oldham. Formerly a commercial manager at Hyde United, he is a driving instructor in Oldham.

17 Alan Oakes He spent 17 seasons at City after joining in 1959. Oakes made a record 669 appearances before becoming player-manager at Chester and coach at Port Vale. Now retired.

18 Roy Bailey The Manchester City physiotherapist for more than 25 years, he now works for Manchester City hero Francis Lee.

19 Mike Doyle The last City captain to lift a major trophy, he spent 14 seasons at Maine Road and won five England caps. He worked in insurance and was a sales manager for Slazenger. Now retired.

[JacknDanny]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle3177405.ece

Caught in time

Manchester City win the League Cup, 1976

Manchester City defender Dave Watson did not get much sleep during the week leading up to the League Cup final against Newcastle United. He had a slipped disc and found it more comfortable napping on the floor instead of a bed when manager Tony Book took the team to the Champneys health spa in Tring for four days to prepare for the match. He got a game.

Helen Turner, a flower seller from Manchester, spent £1.50 for a ticket to the standing enclosure in Wembley’s East Stand to watch her team. Tracey Book, the manager’s 10-year-old daughter, brought a teddy bear to the ground as a good-luck mascot. All three had a memorable day.

The Blues were without injured Colin Bell in midfield and defender Glyn Pardoe. Watson, however, played a starring role in the heart of the City defence as they held firm against Newcastle’s early pressure.

City were all about attack. “We were the type of side that played to win,” says Tony Book. “We didn’t worry about how our opponents played or what they did. It was how we played. We had always been an attack-minded side when I was a player so I didn’t change that as manager.”

City were awarded a free kick in the 11th minute. Asa Hartford crossed the ball to Mike Doyle, the captain, at the far post. His header across the penalty area was half-cleared by the Newcastle defence. The 19-year-old Peter Barnes pounced to hit the ball left-footed on the half volley into the goal for a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes before half-time, Alan Gowling toe-poked the ball into the Manchester net for the equaliser. Then, in the first minute of the second half, City attacked down the right and Alan Oakes swept the ball to Willie Donachie on the left. He crossed to the far post where Tommy Booth headed the ball towards the penalty area. Out of the blue, Dennis Tueart executed a spectacular overhead kick that bounced into the far corner of the Newcastle goal to secure a 2-1 victory.

Watson collided with Gowling during the match and TV cameras showed his head injury being stitched up in the dressing room afterwards. He was happy. Turner, the flower seller, joined the players on their lap of honour. She was happy. And the Books still have the teddy bear, and the suit worn for the cup final picture shoot. Tony Book had become the first player and manager to win the League Cup.

1 Tony Book A bricklayer who was playing amateur football at 29, Book was plucked from obscurity. A calm, swift defender and team captain, he won the league, FA Cup, League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup. He then became coach and manager at the club. Recently he had a heart bypass operation. He says: “It felt like I had played a game against Norman Hunter and Billy Bremner.” He lives in Manchester and hopes to be scouting again.

2 Joe Corrigan He let the ball through his legs in his Manchester City debut but went on to become one of the club’s great goalkeepers, playing in 604 games. He was goalkeeping coach at City, Leeds, Celtic and Liverpool and is now at West Bromwich Albion.

3 Colin Barrett A defender, Barrett won the League Cup with Nottingham Forest in 1979 and also helped them win the European Cup. He made snooker tables, ran a pub in Southwell and is now a painter and decorator in the Nottinghamshire village.

4 Peter Barnes The winger enjoyed a double celebration that weekend: a goal in the final and being named PFA Young Player of the Year. He won 22 England caps and played for nearly a dozen different clubs. He works for a company that supplied turf pitches for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

5 Keith MacRae A Glasgow-born goalkeeper signed from Motherwell, he was a part-time journalist chester Evening News during his playing career. Believed to have moved to America but has lost touch with the club.

6 Willie Donachie A Glasgow-born full-back who won 35 Scotland caps, Donachie made 436 appearances for the Blues. He went into coaching and management but was dismissed as boss of Millwall last October.

7 Dave Watson A £275,000 cheque brought the England defender from Sunderland to Manchester in the summer of 1975 and he proved his value. With 65 England caps, he runs a football marketing company in Nottingham.

8 Colin Bell Bought from Bury for £45,000 in March 1966, he was City’s heartbeat, a powerful runner and brilliant finisher. He won 48 England caps. Bell ran his own restaurant and was youth development officer at City. Still involved in his family’s dry cleaning business, he is a match-day host.

9 Asa Hartford A hole in the heart did not stop him playing 323 games in midfield. He also wore the Scotland jersey 50 times. The scorer of a League Cup final winner for Norwich, he was reserve-team coach at City and is now assistant manager at Macclesfield.

10 Dennis Tueart The Newcastle-born England winger was well-versed in overhead kicks. He scored with one earlier in the season against Norwich; one of 109 goals he managed in seven seasons. Capped six times for England, he had a travel agency in Cheadle and runs a sports hospitality company.

11 Ged Keegan The 20-year-old right-back was enjoying his most successful season at Maine Road, which included a place at Wembley. He later moved to Oldham. He spent 20 years in assurance and now works for a car-park- ing company at Manchester Airport.

12 Joe Royle After scoring more than 100 goals for Everton, he joined City in 1974 and scored in every round of the cup except the final. A strong centre-forward, he had success as a manager for the blue clubs in Liverpool and Manchester. He left Ipswich Town in mid2006.

13 Glyn Pardoe Left-back who made his debut at 15 and is the club’s youngest-ever player. Played in virtually every position. He works in security in Cheshire and summarises on radio.

14 Paul Power A left-sided player who had 445 matches before moving to Everton where he won the First Division in 1987. He has a law degree and coaches at the City academy.

15 Tommy Booth A central defender, Booth spent 13 seasons at Maine Road. He was manager at Preston, had a sports trophy business and was a television engineer. Based in Oldham, he delivers kitchen doors.

16 Kenny Clements A right-back, he made his debut as a 20-year-old and played for Oldham. Formerly a commercial manager at Hyde United, he is a driving instructor in Oldham.

17 Alan Oakes He spent 17 seasons at City after joining in 1959. Oakes made a record 669 appearances before becoming player-manager at Chester and coach at Port Vale. Now retired.

18 Roy Bailey The Manchester City physiotherapist for more than 25 years, he now works for Manchester City hero Francis Lee.

19 Mike Doyle The last City captain to lift a major trophy, he spent 14 seasons at Maine Road and won five England caps. He worked in insurance and was a sales manager for Slazenger. Now retired.

WOW, a blast from the better past.

I met both Dave Watson and Peter Barnes, socially, many times.

Both great guys. DW was actually a lot smaller in real life. I used to think he was a giant but in actual reality was smaller than me. He was around 5' 11.

Isee Mick Doyle has gone up in the world. Last I knew he had a car lot in Ashton

[Bredbury Blue]

I find this article very disturbing...hope it's not a case of "here we go again on the managerial merry-go-round"

"Sven Goran Eriksson faces a battle to convince Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra he is the right man to lead the club into the future.

Despite spending in excess of £50million since taking over in the summer, a slump has seen City slide towards mid-table in the Barclays Premier League, missing out on a UEFA Cup place.

Best of friends: Eriksson and Thaksin in September

Sportsmail understands Thaksin has serious doubts that Eriksson can provide the success which the former Thai Prime Minister craves.

While there is no immediate threat to Eriksson's position, it is understood Thaksin will monitor what happens at City closely between now and the end of the season and then make a decision.

So the remaining six games of the season, which begin at home to Chelsea on Saturday, are critical for the former England coach.

Chairman and manager have enjoyed a healthy relationship since Thaksin bought City for £80m and appointed the 60-year-old manager last summer.

But City's poor form this year has planted doubts in Thaksin's mind, and he is not sure if he trusts Eriksson to spend another lump of the Thai's personal fortune wisely.

Despite recording a League double over Manchester United this season, City have won just three of their last 15 Premier League games and were dire when losing at Birmingham on Saturday.

It is understood Thaksin has been shocked by City's decline and is also concerned about what he sees as poor entertainment from the team, his coach's 'inconsistent' selections and an inability to sell out the 45,000-capacity City of Manchester Stadium regularly.

However, the Swede is the club's most popular manager for years — both inside and outside the club — and most football judges think he will need three or four years to turn City into the force in Europe that Thaksin wants them to be. Just last Thursday, Eriksson said: "This is a long-term project, longer than two or three years, but that's fine."

Senior figures inside City feel they have the right man in Eriksson and that the foundations for progress are in place. They also feel that an average home gate of around 40,000 compares favourably to others outside the top four.

But what is counting against Eriksson — and indeed anyone who works under Thaksin — is the owner's impatience. The impetus behind Thaksin's purchase of City has always been his desire to raise his popularity and profile back in Thailand, where he was deposed as Prime Minister in September 2006.

Thaksin has returned to Asia to fight corruption charges levelled against him and feels the tide of popularity has turned back in his favour. But he sees the success of his football club as crucial to his long-term standing at home and, therefore, feels progress must come quickly.

Having seen Eriksson's team set such high standards early on during a run of form that saw them in the top five for many weeks, Thaksin, a man with no deep knowledge of football, cannot understand how his team have fallen away.

Executives at City will back Eriksson and counsel Thaksin away from making any rash decisions. Nevertheless, Thaksin's word is law at City and his misgivings about his manager are increasingly grave."

[mrbojangles]

I hope thats just paper talk Bred. Although i too am dissapointed with our recent performance, we HAVE to give the manager time to build a good team. Most successful managers have been on the brink of the sack at some time but this would be way too soon.

[mrtoad]

I hope thats just paper talk Bred. Although i too am dissapointed with our recent performance, we HAVE to give the manager time to build a good team. Most successful managers have been on the brink of the sack at some time but this would be way too soon.

Yes, I read that article or a similar one in the Daily Mail today. What a load of bull in my opinion, but then it would be no suprise to see Thaksin jettison the manager, as he is not renowned for being a patient man. You may even end up with a Thai manager, as the National one has just resigned.

Seriously, they should be pleased with the vast improvements made, and look to build on it next year.However, we all know that common sense is not something that many football chairmen are blessed with.

[mrbojangles]

You may even end up with a Thai manager

We had thousands of Thai managers on saturday Toady.

We where all shouting "Khrap" for most of the game

[Kan Win]

and Mansfield Town could be re-named " Mansfield Down"

Kan knot Win

[Plus]

What if Thaksin doesn't give Swen the money in summer? What are the chances of breaking top four's hold on Champions League then?

Will Ericsson stay if he can't take Man City into Europe? He can try winning the UEFA Cup first (and that would be in his third season), but anything short of that will be a a bad spot on his resume: "I've lost in UEFA Cup semifinals - Who hasn't? Even some CSKA Moscow won the cup once".

Wouldn't it be wise of him to cut his losses early, blame everything on Thaksin, and hope some other English club picks him up? There's Newcastle - lots of money, no results, or Spurs, or even Liverpool, potentially.

I mean, can they implement Thaksin's plan without spending tons of money? Two-three years is a short time to build a top class team from scraps and show results.

[JacknDanny]

What if Thaksin doesn't give Swen the money in summer? What are the chances of breaking top four's hold on Champions League then?

Will Ericsson stay if he can't take Man City into Europe? He can try winning the UEFA Cup first (and that would be in his third season), but anything short of that will be a a bad spot on his resume: "I've lost in UEFA Cup semifinals - Who hasn't? Even some CSKA Moscow won the cup once".

Wouldn't it be wise of him to cut his losses early, blame everything on Thaksin, and hope some other English club picks him up? There's Newcastle - lots of money, no results, or Spurs, or even Liverpool, potentially.

I mean, can they implement Thaksin's plan without spending tons of money? Two-three years is a short time to build a top class team from scraps and show results.

The answer to your last question is a resounding NO.

The answer to your 1st question, I believe, is that without the money, Erikkson will leave and go to Chelsea.

Everything else is subject to the money being made available, which I think will be, although you can never know .

[steveromagnino]

What if Thaksin doesn't give Swen the money in summer? What are the chances of breaking top four's hold on Champions League then?

Will Ericsson stay if he can't take Man City into Europe? He can try winning the UEFA Cup first (and that would be in his third season), but anything short of that will be a a bad spot on his resume: "I've lost in UEFA Cup semifinals - Who hasn't? Even some CSKA Moscow won the cup once".

Wouldn't it be wise of him to cut his losses early, blame everything on Thaksin, and hope some other English club picks him up? There's Newcastle - lots of money, no results, or Spurs, or even Liverpool, potentially.

I mean, can they implement Thaksin's plan without spending tons of money? Two-three years is a short time to build a top class team from scraps and show results.

Taksin at least iMHO was looking to earn a quick top 6/7 finish, perhaps net a minor trophy, get into the UEFA and then sell out while also riding some popularity back home.

I think he surely is wise enough to understand that he is not even close to having enough cash or time to get top 4, especially against perenially inconsistent Spurs and teams like them with similar budgets. Any claims to the contrary were probably based on misplaced early season optimism or bravado to get fans on his side.

Looking at it from the owner's view.....

If not Sven then who? I am not an expert on footie to the same degree as sailing but I do know that getting rid of one person is only worthwhile with a significantly better replacement in the wings. Since the problem is budgetary more than anything else; well arguably heart as well compared to a team like Everton, but City I can admit showed great heart in the first 1/2 of the season; changing management is not going to magically increase the budget for better talent.

Additionally, Taksin is a great believer in research and surely any research of city fans would tell him they want to show up with a decent manager called Sven at the moment/??!

I see him sticking at it another year with the same mgt, and if things go badly early next season, then we might see a firing. But doesn't that cost money? Isn't Sven on a contract?

Looking at it from the manager's view.....

If this guy isn't going to front up with more cash, can he really keep going...probably. BUt he better pull finger and get the respect of the players to keep them playing all season next year, they have proven they could step up, they just haven't seemed to be able to stay there. UEFA would be a minimum surely?

Not sure whether he was expecting much more; all respect to Man City fans, but with the track record and a fairly average budget, surely he must have known what he was getting into?

If one of the big teams would take him, he would probably go on that basis. Not sure any would though?

[mrtoad]

What a painful and tedious game to watch. City had a few chances but generally poor and Chelsea were just efficient. If I had paid good money to go and watch that, I'd be pretty pissed off.

[markg]

What a painful and tedious game to watch. City had a few chances but generally poor and Chelsea were just efficient. If I had paid good money to go and watch that, I'd be pretty pissed off.

That's a bit harsh. I thought city played much better than Chelski in the first half. Shame about the early OG, but city seemed to get on with it. Petrov worked very hard i thought, though had little support.

The second half, i'll agree, was very mediocre for both teams, though again for me, Petrov was the only one who seemed to want to earn his salary.

A few worrying comments this past week about Thaksin. He isnt known for his patience, and i've questioned his motives from the start. Time will tell but i still think letting him in was a bad move.

Anyway, here's what Yahoo sports said;

Manchester City 0-2 Chelsea

Sven-Goran Eriksson: "We have taken a step forward today because we played some good football against Chelsea. While we made a slow start and conceded an early goal, we then created more chances than them in the first half. I am less depressed now than I was last week."

Losing 0-2 at home made him less depressed? He looked like a man with a lot on his mind to me.

The Onuoha injury looked like a nothing challenge. What happened to him? He looked in a bad way on the stretcher.

[JacknDanny]

What a painful and tedious game to watch. City had a few chances but generally poor and Chelsea were just efficient. If I had paid good money to go and watch that, I'd be pretty pissed off.

You know toady, I am sorry to say, but for the first time this season, I didnt watch the game. After the past few weeks I couldnt stand any more. I watched the Newcastle game instead

Having read the reports, it appears the performance was a lot better, but that is not saying a lot having seen recent performances

[mrtoad]

What a painful and tedious game to watch. City had a few chances but generally poor and Chelsea were just efficient. If I had paid good money to go and watch that, I'd be pretty pissed off.

You know toady, I am sorry to say, but for the first time this season, I didnt watch the game. After the past few weeks I couldnt stand any more. I watched the Newcastle game instead

Having read the reports, it appears the performance was a lot better, but that is not saying a lot having seen recent performances

Mate, it was a pretty mediocre game, City had a couple of bright spells, and Chelsea were their usual efficient self. For me not easy on the eye, but obviuosly better performance than in recent weeks, going on what you and MrBoj have said. Hope that the young defenders injury isn't too serious.

[chavy]

It must be worrying for all City supporters that when the odd chance came along it didn't look like they had anyone who could put it away. Benjani, imo, looked lost for alot of the game & seemed to lose the track of the ball very easily. If he's got money to spen I think he needs to look for a proven goal scorer for an asault on the league next season. However, I don't think it's all doom & gloom (you could be back in L1 ) the young talent seems very promising. Thing is when somebody like Richards that's out for any length of time is sorely missed.

[mrbojangles]

It must be worrying for all City supporters that when the odd chance came along it didn't look like they had anyone who could put it away. Benjani, imo, looked lost for alot of the game & seemed to lose the track of the ball very easily.

100% correct chavy. For some reason we seem to be lacking in making chances and when we do, i don't feel confident that someone can put it in the back of the net. To be honest, i think it was an even stevens game against Chelsea, the difference is, the chance they got they put away. The own goal was something totally unusual for Dunney.

Thing is when somebody like Richards that's out for any length of time is sorely missed.

Absolutely.

[Bredbury Blue]

When was the last time we had a proven 20 goals-a-season goalscorer. Andy Cole briefly, and apart from him you have to go back to, Nic Anelka. So yes it is an irratation that we can't find somebody who can score and we have to put up with goalscoring midfielders to carry the burden: Barton, and now Elano and Petrov.

It doesn't take a genius to see it, and indeed the wife spotted it; why do we always have to go a goal down before we start? Doesn't help.

I tend to agree with SGE on this one, that we were alot better - but i don't think we had it in our armoury to beat that Chelsea side. You have to say though that when it came to chances, they had the rub of the green with both goals, whereas not once did the ball run kindly in to one of our players path's.

Shame about Nedum, up to the point of his injury he was really enjoying his "sprinter's" battle with Anelka. Nobody bar Hart (again) had a great game but everybody had a go.

With the first substitution we lost the shame, the balance and the impetus, and it got worse from there on in - Vassell offered nothing; without hindsight, Ireland should have gone for Vassell with Elano moving inside: playing Elano out of the middle is a waste of time; play him in the middle of not at all!

We need a win from somewhere to "get the show on the road again"; Sunderland maybe?