WBA 0 City 0: Never has there been such finesse and nostalgia...

Yes, you're eyes are not deceiving you — it's a new post on Lesson In Pride, months after apparently giving up on the lucrative career of professional football blogging (and how can you possibly compete with the 'tatical' observations of one Duncan Jenkins?).

It may seem strange that with the many amazing events that City have been involved in over the past six months or so — qualification to the Champions League, winning the FA Cup, leading the top division at Christmas for the first time since 1929, and of course, the small matter of beating the Rags 1-6 at Vermin Towers — it's a turgid, frustrating draw away at the Hawthorns that has finally inspired me to get behind the keyboard. Okay, it's the culmination of a few things, but yes, that 0-0 is the catalyst for this post.

I haven't done mountains of research into this, and I am more than happy to stand corrected — but I'm convinced that fanzines and blogs are more active when the team is doing poorly than doing well.

Whether people can't be bothered to devote a lot of time and effort to something that will be read by a few hundred people (at best), or the ease of use of Twitter (people's attention spans can be maintained over 140 characters more often than over a whole post), or whether blogging is just not the done thing anymore — but it can't be a coincidence that so many quality Manchester City blogs (as well as this one) have fallen by the wayside over the past couple of seasons. A simple scroll down the fan-sites on mcfc.co.uk will show a large percentage that now lie dormant.

Following City these days is a much different proposition than it once was. Not better, certainly not worse, but different. I know It certainly doesn't seem as fun as it once was. I suppose there's more pressure when you're expected to pick up three points every week, not just enough points to stay up for another season.

There's the constant questioning of your support — worse still if you're an overseas supporter with no trace of a Mancunian accent (keeping an old SeasonCard on your person is a good deterrent from accusations of bandwagon support).

There's the unrealistic expectations of some supporters (whether or not they have been supporters prior to 2008 is another question), who believe the sky is falling just because we've dropped points away to West Brom. Christ, in 2005 we would have been celebrating that solitary point well into January...

Conversely, there's the 'York Away' brigade, who debunk any criticism of the team and their performance with "we're in the top four, just think of where we were back in 1998 and be thankful". As generous as Sheikh Mansour is, I don't think he's spent the GDP of South America to languish in the lower divisions playing Huddersfield Town and Carlisle.

It may be difficult to explain, but the result at West Brom was a reassuring one. Typical City™ hadn't reared it's ugly head for a while, but there it was at the Hawthorns. The pangs of nostalgia I felt when we were chasing a decisive, game winning goal (which would of course never eventuate) were uncanny. As good as it is to win matches by four and five goals (and boy is it good), there's a different kind of emotion when searching for the one goal that you know will decide the match, and the anticipation that comes with it.

I'd like to think I fall somewhere in between the Chicken Littles and the Happy Clappers, and it concerns me that there seems to be these two distinct elements of our support. But I think the exact point where I thought "you know what, this isn't what I signed up for" was in the pub at 3am against Norwich, where a chorus of fans in this season's City kit (none of whom I had seen before) started a stomach-curdling chant of "Now you're gonna believe us/we're going to buy the league".

Gaining new supporters, or worse, bandwagon-jumpers is inevitable as we become a more successful football team and a better club. However, if the majority of our support can remain grounded whilst things are going well, yet level-headed and measured when things are not, then City will hopefully never be as plastic and soulless as that mob up the road.

Merry Topofthetablemas, and Happy Blue Year. Sorry for rambling. And here's to posting more often.

The M-word Debate: Tin Hat Time

It's important (and the done thing, reading other blog posts) to preface this post by saying most certainly do not agree with or sing about Munich — especially the 'Runway' song, and I tend not to refer flippantly to the Rags by that particular term either. Of course, calling them Munichs is just about as geographically accurate as calling them Mancs...

But unlike many others, I don't see how the now-infamous song belted out on Monday night at Ewood Park has manage to cause an international incident.

There is a section City support who refer to fans of Manchester United as "Munichs". There are many City supporters who say they would never chant anything unpleasant or inflammatory about Munich but see no issue with using the word itself as shorthand for United and their supporters. On Monday night, there were several thousand of them. If the 1958 disaster is not being mocked, or directly referenced, then is the term in isolation offensive? Certainly distasteful, but no more so than racist/homophobic chants towards opposition players or fans?

Manchester United fans have sung about Hillsborough. They've mocked Marc Vivien Foe. They've mocked the Leeds fans who were stabbed in Turkey. It's not a valid argument to justify any form of offensive chanting, just because they're the ones wot done it too — but there is more than one guilty party in this equation.

Most curiously, I have witnessed (with my own eyes) United fans almost goading City fans into singing about the disaster, by themselves making aeroplane gestures — undoubtedly in the hope that they can claim pantomime outrage when a City fan returns the favour.

Perhaps when United cease using the disaster to their advantage, and City fans cease referring to a Bavarian beer-loving town in an unnecessary wind-up, the chants will stop. And then the perished can finally rest in peace.

Hopefully, that day will be soon. City fans who are against the references to Munich can do their bit and not sing about it. There will be some that do — but ultimately, that's their choice.

I'd prefer if we didn't though. We cop enough unnecessary and unsubstantiated flak in the media as it is — let's not give anyone anymore ammo. Be impeccable.

Manchester Remembers — brought to you by AIG.

Etihad Coming Home: Voting NOW Open!

As part of the 'Coming Home' promotion, Etihad Airways, Official Club Sponsor, has been offering fans the chance to fly from any Etihad destination in the world to the City of Manchester Stadium for one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the season – City versus Tottenham in April. There are eight finalists to choose from.

Well, we're one of these finalists.

If you want to read about why we think we should be chosen, view our entry, and read a bit more about the Sydney Blues, click this link to go to the Coming Home mini-site and Send Blue Roo Home.

We'd love it if you could take the time to vote, it would make our season. To do so, simply click this link and follow the prompts.

Much appreciated,

Matt Coleman (aka Crouchy)

Making it Easy to Hate Manchester United

I didn't see the FA Cup game last night (sorry, 1am, Monday morning, would've had to go to the pub, it was Notts County FFS), so I can't comment too much on a rather disappointing but ultimately not-catastrophic result for City (Game time and a goal for Dzeko in very English conditions surely a good sign?).

Aside from a Mark Hughes-marshalled Fulham demolishing Tottenham 4-0, the big news for me was that non-league Crawley Town have been drawn away to Manchester United in the fifth round. As the BBC say, it's the first time in 17 years that a non-league team have reached this stage, and to draw Manchester United at Old Trafford must just be dream stuff for them. Have a listen to Crawley Town manager Steve Evans describing the excitement, and indeed the honour he feels to be able to go up against Fergie, also from Glasgow, (whom he describes as) the "greatest manager in my lifetime". I've been a supporter of non-league football for a while (C'mon Hyde!) and I know what a positive difference a game like this (or indeed City's investment in Hyde) can make to the fans, players and long-suffering directors of a non-league football club.

It came as somewhat as a surprise, therefore, to see the following thread started by a friend of mine on good ol' Facebook this morning. Take a look, and let us know what you think.

If there's a positive, then it's that much of the abuse directed at the initial poster (my huffing and puffing notwithstanding) is from other, more rational-thinking Man United fans. Some of whom are even from Manchester.

Good on Crawley, and good on those football fans who maintain a sense of perspective when we watch the game we love.

Young Hearts, Be Free Tonight...

The coincidences surrounding the FA Cup third round match between Leicester and Manchester City were astounding. Even the draw itself — where Noel Gallagher and Kasabian's Serge Pizzorno, drew their own favoured teams, Manchester City and Leicester respectively — was scarcely believable.

Roberto Mancini is the current Manchester City manager. He played four games for Leicester in 2001.

Sven Goran Eriksson is the current Leicester City manager. He is also a former Manchester City boss.

Sven managed Mancini at both Sampdoria and Lazio, later appointing him as assistant coach in 2000.

Leicester striker Darius Vassell is an ex-City player. Paul Dickov has also played for both clubs.

City youngsters Greg Cunningham and Ben Mee have been out on loan to Leicester this season.

Mancini's son, Fillipo, joined Manchester City's youth ranks when Sven was manager.

However, the most significant relationship between the two clubs is the 1969 FA Cup final, with Manchester City running out 1-0 winners.

Thanks to a goal by Neil Young.

Sadly, Neil has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and may not have the chance to see City win another FA Cup — even if the club's 35-year wait for a major trophy comes to an end at Wembley.

Neil Young was a player many years before my time, both as a City fan... and well as anything really. So I feel it would be crass and disingenuous to comment about his contribution to Manchester City apart from the facts — a very respectable 86 goals from 334 appearances as a winger or inside forward is a fine record.

One thing I can comment on though, is the reaction of the fans.

I feel that the phrase "best fans in the land and all the world" is bandied around a little too often by some City supporters. We're certainly not the most abundant. We're definitely not the loudest.

But there are moments where as a Manchester City supporter you genuinely think "would fans of any other club do this?"

Such as the time someone who was yet to meet me in the flesh arranged tickets and travel to an away game.

Or when that same person put me up for the night when I couldn't secure a hotel room.

Or when a 21-year old City fan was so touched by the story of a 75-year-old fellow Blue in Australia, he raised £1100 in donations to fly him from Melbourne.

However, the performance of the away end at the Walkers tonight was truly something else. Even conceding in the first minute couldn't prevent City fans from carrying out their tribute to Neil.

On 24 minutes — the amount of time on the clock when Young fired in the winner in the '69 final — the entire away end turned their backs and did 'the Poznan', and waved red and black scarves above their head. This was topped off by a rousing rendition of "There's only one Neil Young". It was a moving tribute, one that left a knot in the stomach.

And one of those moments where you think "yep, this is what being a City fan is all about".

We have a second chance for qualification now with a replay at Eastlands. Let's win it for Neil.

Guess who's back with a brand new track?

Oh my word, it is really too long since we updated this website. I can only apologise profusely for the heinous disregard shown to the many thousands dozens that used to follow the blog.

Just like many other media outlets, sometimes a change in direction is required. It's probably for the best if we do away with the physical Match Reports. There are several million sites that cover City matches already. If you're after an alternative to the Official Site or the BBC, there are a couple of sites I can recommend.

For match reports, you can't go past David Mooney's 'Blues Reviews' — a blog so simple and no-nonsense it was last seen playing central defense for Stoke.

If you like your blog posts full of superfluous verbosity and a love for David Silva that blurs the lines of hetero- and homo- sexuality, then Jack at 'TLDORC' is well worth your time.

Of course, these two fellas have a few significant advantages over this website. Firstly, they aren't watching from 16 000 kilometres away. And they're not doing it blind drunk at 3am either. So they have a little bit more of an idea of what they're talking about...

It's a busy time for the City at the moment (and the Sydney Blues too, but more on that later), and if we decide we have an opinion on something, we'll cover it in our trademark irreverent style.

38 Into 25 Just Won't Go — Is there room for Johnson and Ireland?

We’ve already signed Jerome Boateng, David Silva, Yaya Toure, and Aleksandar Kolarov this transfer window, and we could still add a few more — names such as Mario Balotelli, James Milner, Edin Dzeko, and Fernando Torres have all been heavily linked to the club, with at least two of those transfers expected to take place.

However, chances to the rules this season state that no team can assemble a squad of more than 25 players, eight of which must either be English or Welsh, or be "home grown"— that is, they spent three seasons before the age of 21 developing at an English club. Any player under the age of 21 is exempt from being included in the squad.

As it stands currently, we have over 38 players on our books, according to the OS. Admittedly, some of these are youth players, and some will undoubtedly be loaned out to clubs in the Championship or Football Leagues.

Even with this reduction, there are still some big names that are on the cusp of making the squad or not — and some of these players were brought in for big money under Mark Hughes less than 18 months ago. Players like Wayne Bridge and Roque Santa Cruz are no certainties to make the final 25.

Bear in mind though that this 25-man squad is only in force for Premier League fixtures — any player outside of this can be named in an FA Cup or Carling Cup match. There is also a separate 25-man squad for UEFA fixtures, which may or may not include the same players as the Premier League squad.

Some tough decisions need to be made this summer, and the biggest is to cut one, or both, of Ireland and Johnson.

Stevie’s issues have been well-documented, in the media and on this very website. Mancini, and Ireland himself, has to decide whether the real Stephen Ireland is the one that we saw during that 2008-09 season, where he was by some distant our player of the year — or the one that struggled to impart himself on any match last season.

Ireland has always blown hot and cold. He is definitely capable of some sheer brilliance, such as the last-gasp volley against Reading in the 2007-08 season, or a handful of goals in his breakthrough year two seasons ago. However, unless he is played in his exact preferred position of in the hole behind the strikers, he has little to no impact on the game, and has gone missing on many occasions.

But in modern football, players have to be versatile and play different positions if the game suggests. Jerome Boateng may be a right-back or centre-half, but during the World Cup for Germany, he found himself playing left-back, where he was exemplary. Steven Gerrard often plays on the wing for England, when Lampard and Barry play in his usual position in the centre of midfield.

The fact is that Ireland is almost 24 — around the same age as James Milner and David Silva. He’s no longer a kid. On his day, he is as good, or in fact better, than either of those two players. But how often is it "his day"? City are no longer in a position where we can carry a player in the hope that he comes good.

As it stands, Ireland is my 25th player picked — but if we do sign Milner, then I’m afraid it’s time to let go of the Emerald Prince.

Michael Johnson is another City product that has been touted as "the next best thing" for City, even earning comparisons to the great Colin Bell. However, these comparisons were made when he first broke through to the first team in the 2007-08 season. Since then, he has lurched from injury to injury. He won’t be fit until December at the earliest — but even that’s an optimistic prognosis.

Johnson was perhaps a good young player for the places we wanted to go three years ago. But with hardly any first team football in that time, combined with the increase in City’s ambitions, I don’t believe that Johnson does, nor should, have a future at the club.

We all love to see academy products go on to achieve wonderful things but there comes a time when we need to accept that they just aren't going to be good enough to achieve the goals we’re aiming for.

Craig Bellamy has been linked with a move away from the club ever since Hughes was sacked, however I fully expect him to be a City player at the start of the season. Despite his brilliant performances for the club in the last 18 months, it must be remembered that he is still 31 years old, with dodgy knees and a chequered history. I can't see too many clubs paying more than £5 million for his services, nor can I see them picking up his wage bill. So why not keep him? I think he still has plenty to offer the club.

Barring any new signings, this is how I’d expect us to shape up for the upcoming season.

Goalkeepers
Shay Given
Joe Hart
Stuart Taylor

Defenders
Kolo Toure
Joleon Lescott
Jerome Boateng
Aleksandar Kolarov
Vincent Kompany
Pablo Zabaleta
Wayne Bridge/Javier Garrido
Micah Richards
Nedum Onuoha
Dedryck Boyata
Greg Cunningham

Midfielders
Yaya Toure
Gareth Barry
Nigel De Jong
Patrick Vieira
James Milner/Stephen Ireland
Abdisalam Ibrahim

Wingers
Adam Johnson
David Silva
Craig Bellamy
Robinho
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Vladimir Weiss

Strikers
Carlos Tevez
Emmanuel Adebayor
Roque Santa Cruz/Felipe Caicedo/Jo
Mario Balotelli
Alex Nimely-Tchuimeni

This means that there are no positions in the squad for: Javier Garrido, one of Felipe Caicedo, Jo or Roque Santa Cruz, Kelvin Etuhu, Michael Johnson, Stephen Ireland, David Gonzalez, and Shaleum Logan.

Players in grey are under 21, and therefore are exempt from the squad.
Players in blue are "home grown". There must be a minimum of eight in the squad.

Where The Bloody Hell Are Ya?

There's a great new little app just launched on the Manchester City site - Be a Part Of It | http://bepartofit.mcfc.co.uk/fans/map

Here you can register and see where your local fans are - seems pretty cool! We'd love to see a few more Aussie faces on there, people keep coming out of the woodwork, and we're always happy to have new members.  Jump on, add your details and we'll keep an eye on it.

If anyone is coming out to Australia backpacking, then why not drop us a line while you're in town and watch a City game with us?  If there's no games on, we're always available for a few of those little beers they're so keen on out here.

So... Where the Bloody Hell are Ya?



Though it must be said, LessonInPride prefers The Chaser's version. (Not suitable for those offended by four letter words, or Germans!)

Torres and Garry Cook's Financial Troubles

Now, usually I'd treat anything that 'Arry Redknapp says as being about accurate as my shooting with a Jabulani.
However, when he claims to know some inside transfer gossip, you should probably listen. (here and here)

"Manchester City could quite easily win the Premier League. If they get the players in now, they've already got the nucleus of a good team," the 63-year-old told Talksport.

"They're in for Torres - and if they end up getting him and one or two others then they can do anything.

"It's going to make it even harder to make the top four again next season, that's for definite."

Torres is a fantastic player, and would be an asset to any side in the world. At the moment, however he is looking like a shadow of his former self - if you believe that he's got the class to come back (as I do) then now might be the perfect time for Liverpool to offload him. It's very unlikely that he'd move to us, let's be honest, but the signing of his compatriot, fellow Spanish bench-warmer David Silva, might just be an incentive. That and Sheikh Mansour getting Khaldoon Al Mubarak to point his money hose in El Niño's general direction and opening the tap.

In addition, his injury in the World Cup Final UFC tag-team match between Las Tarjetas Amarillas and De Gele Kaarte have put a further twist into the tale. Who would sign an injured player? I don't think Roman Abrahmovic is quite so free and easy with his cash these days. It didn't seem to stop us signing RSC...

We at LessonInPride have been unable to confirm or deny sightings of a man matching Garrrrry Cook's description at the Manchester branch of the First Gulf Bank, frantically attempting to cancel a cheque with "at least 15 zero's on it", according to reports...

A Conversation With FourFourTwo

We were fortunate enough to have James Martin from FourFourTwo.com (isn't that a little bit outdated? Shouldn't they change their name to FourTwoThreeOne?) swing past Lesson In Pride, and he asked us a few questions about what's in store for City in the upcoming season.

Here's what we had to say — and you can have yours too by submitting a comment below. Do you agree with our assessment?

Hopes for the season?
This used to be "I hope we don't get relegated", although that has certainly changed in the last few years... But really for City, this is our best chance in many a year — top four and a domestic cup would be fantastic, and is more than realistic.

Fears for the season?
Losing yet again to United in injury time...

Unsung hero? (A terrace favourite who might not get that much outside recognition but who the fans really value)
Vincent Kompany barely rates a mention outside of Manchester, but he is now an integral part of the team. When he finally got his chance in the side, he proved a much better defender than both big-money transfers Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott, and kept his place in the first team when they returned from injury. He's the first defender I'd pick.

Keep an eye out for... (Emerging youngster, somebody who might finally come good)
Adam Johnson. He has gone from playing in the Championship to just missing out on the World Cup squad in the space of six months. As good on the ball as Robinho, but without the attitude.

Waste of space?
His name popped up there, Robinho — although if he knuckles down and works hard he can still play a role in this club, preferably in a role behind the strikers, rather than on the left wing.

Make a wish... (Something about your owners, who you most want to beat, ticket prices)
I think we've used up all our wishes as City fans recently!

Other fans think our club/team is...
A team full of money-grabbing mercenaries, who probably thought they were going to join Manchester United when they signed. We're "buying success", you see. Because City are the only club to have spent lots of money on a player, ever.

Others fans think our fans are...
Bandwagon-jumpers who bought their first ticket at the same time they bought their shirt with "Robinho" on the back. But it was the fans who pitched in to fly an Australian (Gordon Love) over for a game, and also funded the large "Thank you Sheikh" banner. It's still a family club.

Best away fans at your ground?
Hamburg in the UEFA Cup. But domestically, I liked Portsmouth, even if they did have that bloody drum... After the vuvuzelas in the World Cup, I don't think anyone has a right to complain about the drums and bells again!

Best away ground to visit? (Can be about pies, atmosphere, friendly stewards)
I liked Craven Cottage. A lovely stroll along the Thames takes you into a old-school football ground, and you’re not treated like a leper by the stewards.

Opposition player you secretly admire?
Peter Crouch. Despite his goal knocking us out of the battle for fourth place. A criminally underrated footballer who can win the knock downs and has a decent shot. A better option for England that Heskey was, anyway. (Honourable mention to Aruna Dindane as well...)

Your manager's popularity out of 10?
9. But it would probably be a 7 if he didn’t wear that scarf every game...

Where will you finish?
Runners-up. Behind Chelsea, and ahead of United. You heard it here first.

Can money buy success?
Can you ask that again in twelve months time? Maybe not, but we're going to enjoy trying...

Are you worried that your spending power will see you overtake Chelsea as the most hated team in the land?
No — because it already has! And to be honest, that's much better than just being "poor likkle Citeh" that everyone felt sorry for. But we're here, we're cashed up, and we've got 35 years of catching up to do...

World Cup Zombies

I hope everyone is enjoying the World Cup as much as us here in Sydney?

For those people annoyed that some games are on during the working day, spare a thought for us here on the East Coast of Australia where games have been played at 9.30pm, Midnight and 4.30am (!!).

There has been a surprising amount of buzz around the cup, somewhat dampened by Australia's lacklustre performance against Germany, accompanied by their two most recognisable players (Jesus aside) getting sent off by pretty dubious decisions. A theme of this World Cup I think?

The men in the offices of Sydney seem to be like walking Zombies many nights - staying up to watch their favourite teams. There are many ethnic groups in Sydney too supporting their various teams such as Greece, Portugal, Italy, Korea, Brazil, Argentina, USA, Serbia and New Zealand in particular, so it's not just the Australian games being watched. Everyone seems to keep a keen eye on England too, and whilst most won't admit it, I think they are most people's second team to watch (if not support). There's been a bit of cheer from across the Tasman Sea, with The All Whites performing much better than anyone could've expected. Indeed the Sydney Morning Herald hailed their first game as Australasia 1 - Slovakia 1! Don't expect the Kiwi's to put down the oval ball just yet though.

Anyone within earshot in the last few weeks (essentially in the Greater Sydney area) will have heard me espousing my views on England's tactics, and what is going wrong.

In the event that Fabio Capello (Managerial career highlights include 5 Serie A titles, 2 La Liga, Champions League etc etc) wants to listen to me (Managerial career highlights Owens Park Mixed football title 1999-2000 with Tree Court C) then here's what I'd tell him ahead of tomorrow morning's game (OK - evening if you're in the UK) against Slovenia.

1. Rooney has to play as a solo striker. It means he stays forward, where he is dangerous. Yes he will have to put some effort in and get knocked around, but he won't be dropping back into the 'hole' in search of the ball. This is good because...
2. Steven Gerrard must be pushed forward to play behind Rooney. He has the vision and the passing ability to free Rooney, and whoever else is playing down the flanks. I suspect he'll once again have to play on the left, which is a shame as in central midfield he's one of the best in the world, but on the left wing he's probably not even one of the best in England. If he does play on the left, he has to stop coming inside so much, so that he can free up Ca$hley Cole (one of the better England players thus far) to make his runs down the flanks without having defenders double up on him. Gerrard can drop back occasionally, and let Frank Lampard do what he does for Chelsea and...
3. Shoot! Several times (and not just Emile Heskey) we failed to take shots when presented with the opportunity. I think it's a lack of confidence with the ball. It's very hard to be positive, and to play long passes when the ball is likely to fly off with the merest touch - but they need to at least try. Teams at this level are not going to let you pass it into the net.
4. Joe Cole. I hate to admit it - but Terry is right. Personally I think Manchester City's own Adam Johnson would've been a great choice for a spot on the wing in a game like this, but we have to go with what we've got.
5. Don't play Emile Heskey. Really. Don't. He might make chances, but he's got the finishing capacity of "Nasty" Nigel De Jong. I know he's not there to score, but if your one decent chance in a game falls to him, then you're jiggered. Even if this means playing Peter Crouch. (Worth a click, that one!) I think it's more likely that Defoe will start, with Rooney again dropping off, but there we go.
6. Gareth Barry just needs to take Robert Koren out of the game. He's Slovenia's lifeline, stifle him, you stifle the team and let England play.

Anyway, here's hoping that we get through! I'm also supporting Australia (who have a tiny chance of progressing) and play at 4.30am tomorrow morning. If England don't, work will be unbearable - and I'm not just talking about the sleep deprivation!

City and the World Cup

Just in case you were wondering who to support when Australia aren't playing (or after we fail to qualify for the group stages), here's a full list of players representing City, as well as their country, at South Africa. So there will be a reason to watch almost every game at the World Cup, if there was not enough to do so already!

Argentina: Carlos Tevez
Brazil: Robinho
Cote D'Ivoire: Kolo Toure
England: Gareth Barry, Joe Hart, Shaun Wright-Phillips
Holland: Nigel De Jong
Paraguay: Roque Santa Cruz
Slovakia: Vladimir Weiss

In addition, former some former City players are on show in the World Cup, such as Elano (Brazil), David James (England), Nicolas Anelka (France), Georgios Samaras (Greece), Chris Killen (New Zealand), Dickson Etuhu (Nigeria), Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland), and DaMarcus Beasley (United States).

And of course, it's interesting to compare and contrast that with the amount of players we had at the 2006 tournament...

England: David James
United States: Claudio Reyna

During the World Cup, I'll be putting up match reports for Australian games as let's face it, there has been bugger-all news from the club since the end of the season, and no signings to report as yet.

Best of luck in the World Cup to all City players, and of course, the Australian and English national teams, depending on your persuasion.

The Curious Case of Stephen Ireland

Rumours have been circulating for weeks, and apparently have been confirmed as truth — Stephen Ireland wants out of Manchester City.

It’s an astounding fall from grace for “Superman”, who this time last year was being hailed as the long-term future of the club after a season in which he was undoubtedly our best player in Blue. However, in the twelve months since, the Emerald Prince’s crown has slipped.

He’s always been a character, has Stevie. And by “character”, I mean “total whack-job”.

There’s been his hair. His aquarium. His taste in cars. His taste in cars again. His Bebo faux-pas. His lack-of-hair this time. His lost iPod. His training regime. His tattoos. And of course, his dead grandmother (or both). What goes on inside that head of Ireland's sometimes is anybody's guess.

In his early playing days, under Pearce especially (but also games under Sven), he looked like a little boy lost. Stuck out on the wing sometimes, but even when in his preferred position in the hole, Ireland failed to deliver, and quickly became a target for the boo-boys — all this despite many players saying that he was the "most skillful player they'd played with". When rumours of a potential move to Sunderland at the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign surfaced, the common feeling amongst fans was “I’ll drive him there myself”.

Then suddenly, Stevie got good.

In a somewhat ordinary season (takeover aside, considering how much money we spent), Ireland provided most of the highlights. The pin-point pass to set up Shaun Wright-Phillips in his re-debut against Sunderland — the team he was all but nailed on to join. His lung-busting runs to set up Felipe Caicedo twice against Hull in a game he dominated single-handedly, as well as similar efforts against Hamburg away and Everton, in both of which he was the beneficiary of Robinho’s trickery.

I’m not sure whether it was the change of system employed by Hughes at the start of last season, or the excessive amount of training he did in the off-season, or the end of that telepathic relationship he had with Robinho, but right from the start, you could tell something was not right.

Sure, he’s had dizzy spells and injuries this season, as well as not being able to play in his preferred position, but that really doesn’t explain just how badly Ireland has played when he has been able to take the field. His effort and stamina — two of the major positives in his game the season before last — were nowhere to be seen as he allowed a man twelve years his senior who had played 80 more minutes in the match to ghost past him and score the winner (yes we are talking about the Ginger Pig in the Derby, sorry to bring it up).

So now, instead of fighting for his place, Stevie has decided to throw in the towel. Maybe a new manager will get the best out of Stevie, but he’s had four different ones so far at City and put in one season of solid performance.

Just like his partner in crime, Robinho, it’s hard to believe that a player can go from such heights to such despairing lows in such a short period of time.

I hope Ireland gets back to playing some decent footy — but I just can’t see it happening in a blue shirt. If at all.

The Emerald Prince being substituted before a rousing reception in the last game of the 2008-09 season v Bolton. Where did it go wrong?

EXCLUSIVE: Danny Tiatto interview

To his detractors, he was a ill-tempered, ill-disciplined, and downright dirty player. To his fans, he was hard-working, committed, and could always be relied upon to give “110%”. You either loved him or you hated him — but whichever it was, didn’t particularly bother Danny Tiatto.

“As far as I'm concerned, Danny Tiatto doesn't exist.” These are the famous words once uttered by Manchester City manager, Kevin Keegan, towards the end of Tiatto’s days at the club. That’s right, these were comments about his own player.

“I can't abide people going on with an attitude like that. Tiatto will be fined the maximum I can. It was stupid and I won't put up with it.” Yep, that’s Keegan again.

“He's not in my plans – he's not an issue.” No that’s not Keegan this time. They’re the words of Queensland Roar coach, Ange Postecoglou, shortly before terminating Danny’s contract with the club.

By his own admission, he’s not the most popular player to have ever played the game. At a time when other home-grown superstars Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell were highlighting the ability of Australian players in the English Premier League, Danny Tiatto was there too. He may not have had the skills of the former, and definitely not the boyish good looks of the latter — but Danny was forging a career of his own.

He made 139 appearances over five seasons for Manchester City, and probably would have been many more if not for the six dismissals he accrued in this period.

He also represented Australia on 23 occasions, but again discipline was an issue, as he was suspended in crucial stages of the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifying campaign in 2002.

Despite, or maybe because of, his attitude, Tiatto was extremely popular with supporters of his own club — if not fans of opposition clubs. He was adjudged Manchester City’s player of the season in 2000-01, and again in 2004-05, this time for Leicester City.

Danny was nice enough to speak to us at Lesson In Pride on the eve of the World Cup, so maybe… just maybe the “hardman” act was just that — an act.

A big thanks to our contacts at the club for passing on his details, and of course, Danny himself for giving up a few minutes to talk with us.

LiP: Firstly Danny, do you still keep an eye on City’s results?

Tia-tia-tiatto: Definitely, yeah. I had a good time there, so I do see how they’re travelling.

Your time at Manchester City was the longest spell at a club during your career. Do you look back at your time with the Blues fondly?

Yeah as I said, I spent five years there — it was an enjoyable time. We got promoted a number of times while I was there, and got relegated and then promoted again, so yeah, a good and enjoyable time.

It would have been interesting, if nothing else.

Definitely, yeah!

What do you think about the changes to the club in the years you’ve left?

Pretty good actually, I wouldn’t mind being there myself at the moment!

Especially with some of the money being thrown around...

Yeah, there’s some decent coin being thrown around... you know the club has always had great potential but just never reached it. But with the new owners, they’re definitely going in the right direction, spending some money and they want to win titles.

The term “hardman” is used a lot to describe you. But you don’t get to play in the Premier League or represent your country without also being incredibly skillful. Are you disappointed that some people choose to neglect this about you?

It doesn’t really bother me too much, I achieved my goals of playing for Australia, and playing for Man City... playing in the Premiership, so being labelled as that doesn’t really bother me at all. I done what I had to do to get myself there, and like I said it didn’t bother me, it was just a label I got just because I got sent off every now and then. I don’t think it hampered my progress in becoming a professional footballer.

Probably the two most popular players at City last season were undoubtedly the hardest-working — Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy. Is that why you gained the following and support that you did?

They’re the boys you want in your team, they get stuck in, they work hard, and every now and then they’re going to get themselves in a bit of trouble, but that’s the fine line you have to walk as a footballer if you want to achieve things.

Rather than those ‘Fancy Dan’ types that run off back home to Brazil in January... but the less said about that the better...

Back to the Carnivale... yeah look you need hard workers and that’s the main thing.

The rise in the popularity of the Premier League in this country in the early 2000s can be attributed to the amount of Aussies playing the League — yourself, Lucas Neill, Kewell, Mark Schwarzer and Mark Viduka — are you happy with the legacy you guys passed on, where people in Australia are more passionate about the game than ever?

Yeah definitely, there’s always been interest, but all the Australian players have not just paved the way for the Australian public to watch the games, but also for other young Australians to come through and perform in the Premier League.

And what about Australia’s chances in the World Cup?

We’ve always got a chance... but we’ll see how we progress. If we win that first game, I think we’re well on our way really.

You’re 36 now... Is there enough life in the legs for one last hurrah in the A-League? There was a lot of talk at one point about you joining the Melbourne Heart?

Definitely not the A-League, I’m a bit all over that sort of stuff, I’m just having a kick-about with my old Melbourne Knights team and just having a bit more fun for the next year or so.

Finally, Kevin Keegan was once quoted as saying "As far as I'm concerned, Danny Tiatto doesn't exist." Can you confirm that you are the real Danny Tiatto and are in fact a real person?

Ha ha, I’m the real Danny Tiatto mate. And yeah, I loved Kevin Keegan as much as he loved me...

2009-10 Season Review

The end of the season has come at the right time I think — both the players and the fans were starting to lose enthusiasm after a rigorous campaign. Sorry for the lack of posts, but I needed a break from the Blues! But have you been under a rock the last nine months? Here's what you may have missed:

The Good
Biggest win: Burnley 1 Manchester City 6
Burnley's defenders were for whatever reason unwilling to mark, tackle, or track the runs of our players. And for some reason they were so far up the pitch! The amount of room afforded to City's attackers was quite frankly embarrassing. And as a result, Burnley found themselves 3-0 down after only six-and-a-half minutes. All season, we have been a team that prefers to counter-attack using the blistering pace of the likes of Bellamy and Tevez, and Burnley played (or rather, didn't play) right into our hands. The sight of fans streaming out after just seven minutes was quite surreal.

Even 5-0 up at half-time, there were still plenty of nerves! When the teams emerged for the second half, it became apparent that there was a fair bit of surface water appearing on the pitch. There was a real change of the game being abandoned, and I daresay if the scoreline had not been as convincing as it was, the match would have been postponed because of the waterlogged surface. But having said that, if it wasn't for the rain, we could have quite conceivably scored 10 without too much effort.

It had all the makings of the most typical Typical City™ moment of all time. 6-0 up in the second half and the game wasn't enjoyable with the fear of the match getting called off! Thankfully the weather held to an extent, even though the simplest ten-yard pass would end up in a puddle. And yet, we still played our typical brand of passing football. If the 1967 clash against Spurs was the "Ballet on Ice", then this match was Swan Lake.

The game petered out in the last quarter, but the three points were more than truly wrapped up and hour before. With Spurs losing at Sunderland, the seemingly impossible-to-overcome goal difference of 9 was now down to just 2. As it stands, City now sit in fourth, on equal games played with Spurs and a slightly easier run home. And hey, call us obsessed, but the Rags lost at home to Chelsea too. I don't think the day could have gone better.

Shock win: Chelsea 2 Manchester City 4
There was only ever going to be one story from this match — the rivalry between Wayne Bridge and England's Bastard John Terry. And it could not have been handled any better by the City left-back, subtly but significantly snubbing the outstretched hand of Terry pre-match. It was a great way to make a statement.

Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Mancini have gone head-to-head many a time in the Serie A, as the managers of rival clubs Inter and AC Milan. Mancini had the measure of Carlo back in Italy, and this continued into his managerial career in England. City were tactically perfect in this match. Content to absorb pressure, City were more than happy to hit Chelsea on the counter. With every successive wave of attack, Chelsea would commit more and more men forward, with up to six men in the box at times. This allowed the blistering pace of Craig Bellamy and later, Shaun Wright-Phillips, to run riot down the flanks.

4-3-3 continues to be our best formation. It's one that we played with moderate success at times under Mark Hughes, and has seen limited airings under Mancini. Despite his fantastic individual quality, we actually look better going forward as a team without Emmanuel Adebayor. So that will be a selection headache for Mancini in the coming weeks when the Togolese striker returns from suspension. Whilst Roberto was previously criticised for playing a very defensive midfield three, the difference in this match was that Gareth Barry was in a slightly more advanced position, where he could feed Bellamy and Johnson on the wings.

All credit to Carlito Tevez for a sensational return in extremely difficult circumstances. The striker only returned to England a day or so before the match after flying to Argentina to be with his family because of complications during the birth of his daughter, Katie. We struggled in the games during his absence, and hopefully his return (and this result in particular) can see City build some momentum in the coming weeks.

Best performance: Manchester City 4 Arsenal 2
Man of the match I gave to Craig Bellamy, in what was his best performance in a Manchester City shirt. His positioning and tracking back was fantastic, and he took a smart chance to give City the lead on 73 minutes. But the play of the match was Bellamy sprinting all the way back to deep into his own half to dispossess Rosicky, then carrying the ball all the way back into the Arsenal box to feed Shaun Wright-Phillips for the goal.

However, it could have just as easily gone to Emmanuel Adebayor, scoring his fourth league goal in as many games. A mesmerising run down the sideline and up the byline, leaving several Arsenal defenders in his wake, really deserved a goal but Wright-Phillips couldn't convert.

Nigel De Jong's first start of the season, and his contribution as always was unheralded, yet significant. A two-man holding midfield of De Jong and Gareth Barry may be the preferred option against the 'better' teams.

Unfortunately, City's performance will be overshadowed by the antics of Adebayor, but this will be covered separately.

Defining moments:

• Snaring Carlos Tevez from the Rags, and the bitterness that followed.
• Carlos Tevez scoring about a million goals between November and the end of the season, and making himself a club hero in the process.
• Beating Barcelona at Nou Camp.
• New recruit Emmanuel Adebayor slotting home from 18 yards just three minutes into the season, when the whole world was waiting for us to fail.
• The unbelievable rise of Adam Johnson from Championship player to first choice winger for the fifth best team in the country.
• Johnno's last-minute strike at Sunderland.
• Marton Fulop's more-than-satisfactory appearances for the club in a time of crisis.
• Adebayor's performance and length-of-the-field celebration in front of the visiting Arse fans.
• Doing the double over Chelsea, and the Rags still unable to win the League!
• PLUS having the pleasure of watching the best side I've ever seen in Blue!

The Bad
Heaviest defeat: Tottenham 3 Manchester City 0
Wow, what a shite game. Not even at the races. Some players, like Sylvinho and Barry, were completely outplayed. Some others, like Adebayor and Robinho, didn't look like they could be arsed.

The disappointing thing is Spurs' game plan was quite obvious to see. Long ball to Crouch, or to Lennon on the right to take on Sylvinho. And if we can see that at 7am in a pub in Sydney, it should have been patently obvious to Hughes and everyone at the ground.

Yet, what was our game plan? I couldn't tell you. Bemusing subs and tactics, by a manager out of ideas and maybe running out of time.

Adding injury to insult, Joleon Lescott is to undergo knee surgery and will be out for up to two months. And with Kolo Toure heading to the African Cup of Nations next month, that £40m central defence that we were so patiently waiting for to gel, is now gone. We would have been better sticking with Onuoha and Richard Dunne.

Shock loss: Hull City 2 Manchester City 1
I think the honeymoon period is well and truly over. Elements of Mancini's team selection were extremely confusing. The out-of-form Stephen Ireland was played on the right wing (or rather, on the right side of central midfield because he surely didn't play as a winger), and again the tired and negative combination of Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry were played in midfield.

Our team is horribly unbalanced. There is no link up between defense and attack. At times, we essentially play a 5-0-5 formation, with no emphasis whatsoever on winning the midfield. Mancini to his credit, has seen this, which is why we were linked with box-to-box midfield type players in the last window, such as Flamini, Gago, and Mariga. We really could have done with one of them today.

When Patrick Vieira replaced Craig Bellamy midway through the second half, I just about wanted to cry. Three defensive midfielders when 2-0 down? Haveagoyamug. The team were very narrow, which is surprising because the only way we usually attack is down the flanks.
The one shining light of the match was the performance of debutant Adam Johnson. He looked to be the only threat, and giving much needed width the team. Great to see a player from the Championship look so at home in the Premiership.

Worst performance: Manchester City 3 Burnley 3
Whilst this wasn't a loss, this was a hard result to take at the time — and it hasn't got much easier when you consider how much we missed out on Champs League by.A match that was essentially a must win after a torrid October, to build some sort of momentum leading into the international break. And for the second home game in succession, we let a match-winning lead slip against very beatable opposition.

After keeping clean sheet after clean sheet in August, our defence are now leaking goals at an alarming rate. Burnley had scored just two goals on the road this season, and put three past the hapless City defense. Positioning was absolutely woeful on occasions, as Burnley attacked sometimes two or three against one.

We didn't look too bad after going 0-2 down, and in the opening stage of the second half we were sublime. But we missed ample opportunities to go two goals ahead, with Tevez inexplicably missing from six yards, and Petrov unable to find Adebayor from the right (?) wing.

With Nigel De Jong in the team we've recently been criticised as too defensive minded. With Stephen Ireland in the team we looked vulnerable through the middle. Tough one for Hughes.

Defining moments:

• The ridiculous seven consecutive draws in October and November.
• Anyone of the three Fergie-time losses to United in the League and the Carling Cup.
• Aaron Lennon making Sylvinho his bitch at White Hart Lane.
• Being doubled in the League by Everton and Tottenham.
• Still having Jo, Benjani, and Felipe Caicedo on our books.
• Shay's dislocated shoulder.
• Tevez picking up an injury on International duty.
• Tevez missing key games over the January period due to a family emergency.
• Adebayor missing seven games through suspension — four of which were from a Stoke player's dive.
• Ade getting shot at!
• John Terry being a twat.
  
• Missing key defenders Lescott, Bridge, and Toure — often all at the same time.
• Kolo Toure being on the whole, rather rubbish.
• Santa Cruz unable to string two minutes, let alone two games together before getting crocked again.
• The indescribable form slump of last years' Player of the Season — Stephen Ireland.
• Michael Johnson's continual battle with supposed injury, his weight, and fellow nightclub patrons.
• Robinho being a mard-arse whenever he stepped out on the pitch.
• Robinho pissing off mid-season to play in the Brazilian league with his mates.
• Yeah... just bloody Robinho basically!

Lastly, a big thanks to those from both here and abroad who have followed us in our first season... we look forward to next year and have some exciting Sydney developments in store!

So... where to from here?

So, we've missed out on the Champions League. Or more correctly, the opportunity to qualify for the Champions League. Disappointing yes, but not a tragedy.

Assuming Roberto Mancini remains manager of the club for the 2010-11 season (and there's no reason he shouldn't be), we have a somewhat solid foundation to build a title-contending football team.

He has already proven to be much more astute in the transfer market than his predecessor. In the January window, he picked up the impressive Adam Johnson and the improving Patrick Vieira for a combined total of £7million.

One advantage of not qualifying for the Champs League as it finally puts this notion of building a "Galacticos mark II" to bed. This off-season would have been about more ridiculous pursuits like John Terry, Samuel Eto'o, Fernando Torres, and of course that old favourite rumour, David Villa. Mancini instead can buy talented young players, rather than superstars. The pursuit of names such Jerome Boateng and McDonald Mariga is a key example of this practise.

And you can guarantee that he won't spunk massive amounts of money on players that were often injury prone, but worse than that, we these were players that weren't being sought after by other clubs! The transfers of Roque Santa Cruz for £18m and Joleon Lescott for £22m are the two that stand out as verging on the obscene. Despite spending all this money, we were left with a terribly unbalanced team, with no creativity or play-maker in the middle of the pitch. Out of all of the mistakes Hughes made, this was probably the daftest.

Still, Sparky was adamant that the target set for him and the club was top six and/or 70 points. The infamous "Trajectory". As it turns out, with one match to go this season, we have fulfilled the first part of the criteria, and will fall just short of the second. On that basis alone, the season should be considered a failure, right?

However, there are some mitigating circumstances that explain why we just fell short of the said target:

• The media on our back whenever we had a shit result
• The media on our back when we fired the manager responsible for those shit results
• The terrible form of last season's Player of the Year
• The terrible form of last season's top goal scorer
• The aforementioned top goal scorer going on holiday in January to play football with his mates in Brazil
• Our best striker picking up an injury on International duty
• Our best striker missing key games over the January period due to a family emergency
• Our second best striker missing seven games through suspension — four of which were from a Stoke player's dive
• Our second best striker... getting shot at!
• Missing key defenders Lescott, Bridge, and Toure — often all at the one time
• The injury to our goal keeper, forcing us to loan Sunderland's third choice stopper (who did quite well in fairness)
• The inability to recall the Premier League's best keeper from loan to cover for said injury
• The six-and-a-half minutes of Fergie Time at Vermin Towers
• Conceding injury time goals on three separate occasions to the Rags

So let's not harp on the initial disappointment and look forward to West Ham. We've had a good run, and I'm already looking forward to next year's campaign. I don't want to get off this ride just yet.

The Race For Fourth — 5 games to go

Another week gone, and with five games to go, I reckon we can finally discount one of the contenders — Liverpool. But there is a MASSIVE weekend of games ahead, with Spurs facing London rivals Chelsea, and of course ourselves facing Norwich City at home.

Whilst we've been scoring goals for fun against the likes of Burnley and Blackburn, results have been going our way for the most part. With the exception of Tottenham's win over Arsenal, we seen Spurs drop points at Sunderland, and losing in extra time in the FA Cup to Portsmouth. Liverpool drew yet again, and Chelsea put a dent in Villa's confidence with a 3-0 win in the Cup semi. And for the "bitter" fans among us, the Rags failed to beat Chelsea and Blackburn in consecutive weeks, and were dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich for good measure. So that was pretty good to watch too...

4. Manchester City
Games played: 33
Goal difference: +28 (+9 on just two weeks ago)
Recent form: 4 wins, 1 loss. 12 points from 15 possible.
Position: Similar
Points: 62

Upcoming fixtures:
H Manchester United (2nd)
A Arsenal (3rd)
H Aston Villa (7th)
H Tottenham Hotspur (5th)
A West Ham United (17th)

Another emphatic victory against Birmingham, and Manchester City have won their last three matches by an aggregate of 14-2. They've won four of the last five games, and over this period Chelsea are the only team in better form with four wins and a draw. Hitting their straps at the exact time they need to be.

Predicted points total: 70 (8 more)
Still on track, but the next two fixtures against the Rags and Arsenal will be crucial. Both teams look a bit shaky as well — United have picked up just one point in the last two matches and it took Arsenal 95 minutes to defeat Wolves last week, before losing to Spurs this morning. But even using the very conservative estimate of one point from these fixtures, City are still very much on track. One win out of the next two games makes the task that much easier.

5. Tottenham Hotspur
Games played: 33 (same as City)
Goal difference: +27 (one less than City)
Recent form: 4 wins, 1 loss. 12 points from 15 possible.
Position: Stronger
Points: 61 (one less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
H Chelsea (1st)
A Manchester United (2nd)
H Bolton (15th)
A Manchester City (4th)
A Burnley (19th)

A good win overnight against Arsenal, one that was not accounted for in the predictions. Two weeks ago however, Spurs had a nine-goal advantage over City — they now sit one goal behind. With the battle expected to go right down to the wire, fourth spot could feasibly come down to goal difference.

Predicted points total: 69 (8 more)
Wins against Bolton and Burnley, and maybe a draw at home to Chelsea and away to City. But that might still not be enough. With Aaron Lennon out for the rest of the season, it might be a bridge too far for Spurs. The penultimate game of the season at Eastlands continues to look more like a Cup final every day.

6. Liverpool
Games played: 34 (one more than City)
Goal difference: +21 (three less than City)
Recent form: 2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss. 8 points from 15 possible.
Position: Gone
Points: 56 (six less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
H West Ham United (17th)
A Burnley (19th)
H Chelsea (1st)
A Hull City (18th)

Season over for Liverpool. Even if they win all of their remaining fixtures (which looks more and more unlikely at this stage), they will still fall well short of the 70-or-so points required for Champions League qualification. And if they weren't playing relegation-fodder at the end of the season, this could have been very embarrassing for Liverpool.

Predicted points total: 65 (9 more)
Wins against the lowly ranked West Ham, Burnley, or Hull don't even look likely at this stage. Europa league — if they're lucky.

7. Aston Villa
Games played: 33 (same as City)
Goal difference: +12 (12 worse off than City)
Recent form: 1 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss. 6 points from 15 possible.
Position: Weaker
Points: 55 (seven less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
A Portsmouth (20th)
A Hull City (18th)
H Birmingham City (9th)
A Manchester City (4th)
A Blackburn Rovers (11th)

A draw against Everton was expected — however Villa are running out of games to make a charge. With the exception of City, they don't play too many difficult teams, but they have a brutal schedule in which four of the final games are away from home. And the home game they do have is the Birmingham derby — and you could hardly see that being a push over.

Predicted points total: 65 (10 more)
Wins at Portsmouth, Hull, and Birmingham, with a draw to Blackburn. The season for Villa will most likely be over by the time they travel to Ewood Park for the final match. Again, a crucial game against City looms in the last week.

The Fearless Prediction
Four teams has become three, and if Villa slip up in the next few weeks, it will be down two. Both City and Tottenham play teams in the top three in the next two weeks — City play United and Arsenal, Spurs play Chelsea and United — so any points gained in these fixtures will be at a premium. It's still in Manchester City's hands at this point, but Tottenham are well-placed if City slip up.

The Race For Fourth — 6 games to go

It's been a week since we last tried to predict who had the advantage in the all-important battle for the final Champions League position. What effect did the weekend's results have on the race for fourth?

4. Manchester City
Games played: 32
Goal difference: +24 (+5 on last week)
Recent form: 3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. 10 points from 15 possible.
Position: Stronger
Points: 59

Upcoming fixtures:
H Birmingham City (9th)
H Manchester United (2nd)
A Arsenal (3rd)
H Aston Villa (7th)
H Tottenham Hotspur (5th)
A West Ham United (17th)

City blew out the cobwebs with an emphatic 6-1 victory away to Burnley — and the score could have quite feasibly reached double-figures if not for the inclement weather. In addition to the five goals City scored in the first half, Johnson and Tevez hit the post, and AJ crossed into the head of a defender with both Adebayor and Tevez unmarked in front of goal. A win at Burnley was expected — although the margin of victory wasn't.

Predicted points total: 70 (11 more)
City picked up the three points they were expected to. They will still need to defeat Birmingham, Villa, and West Ham, and draw against Tottenham, to reach the initial target of 69 points. However, this assumes that City will not gain anything from the matches against Manchester United and Arsenal — but on the weekend both sides showed that they are more vulnerable than their league position suggests. I think on form, at least one point from these matches will be possible.

5. Tottenham Hotspur
Games played: 32 (same as City)
Goal difference: +26 (just two better than City)
Recent form: 4 wins, 1 loss. 12 points from 15 possible.
Position: Weaker
Points: 58 (one less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
H Arsenal (3rd)
H Chelsea (1st)
A Manchester United (2nd)
H Bolton (15th)
A Manchester City (4th)
A Burnley (19th)

What a difference a week makes. Tottenham had a clear advantage last week, sitting above Manchester City in the table and with a goal difference that looked fairly difficult to overcome. However, due to a 3-1 loss at Sunderland, this advantage has all but been eroded. And truth be told, Tottenham were lucky not to lose by more, with Black Cats' striker Darren Bent missing twice from the spot.

Predicted points total: 66 (8 more)
Tottenham were expected to beat Sunderland, so this comes as a setback to Spurs. Victories against Bolton and Burnley should be somewhat elementary — however Spurs still have to play each of the four teams above them on the table, with only two of those matches at home. It's hard to say with any confidence that they'll take many (if any) points from those games. However, I will say that they'll pick up a point at home to Arsenal and away to City, giving them a total of 66.

6. Liverpool
Games played: 33 (one more than City)
Goal difference: +21 (three less than City)
Recent form: 2 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses. 7 points from 15 possible.
Position: Weaker
Points: 55 (four less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
H Fulham (12th)
H West Ham United (17th)
A Burnley (19th)
H Chelsea (2nd)
A Hull City (18th)

As we've mentioned, Liverpool have the kindest draw of all those remaining, and still have play three of the bottom four teams. However, they're quickly running out of games. Even if they do manage to win all of their remaining fixtures — which on current form is extremely unlikely — that's only a maximum total of 15 points, which still may not be enough to overcome the teams around them.

Predicted points total: 68 (13 more)
Wins at Fulham, West Ham, Burnley, and Hull, with a possible draw against Chelsea. But they don't have anything to work with — any less than maximum points in all of their remaining fixtures and it's pretty much season over for the Dippers.

7. Aston Villa
Games played: 32 (same as City)
Goal difference: +12 (12 worse off than City)
Recent form: 2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss. 8 points from 15 possible.
Position: Stronger
Points: 54 (five less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
H Everton (8th)
A Portsmouth (20th)
A Hull City (18th)
H Birmingham City (9th)
A Manchester City (4th)
A Blackburn Rovers (11th)

Villa kept their slim Champions League ambitions alive with a tidy victory at Bolton — and don't have too many difficult games to come. However, only two of their last six games are at home. It could really go either way for Villa — but they may just be too far behind City to make a charge.

Predicted points total: 67 (13 more)
Wins at Portsmouth, Hull, Birmingham, and Blackburn, while drawing at home to Everton. They're in a similar position to Liverpool though in which they have to win just about all of their remaining games. The game against City though will be one of the most crucial of the season.

The Fearless Prediction
The main advantage that Manchester City has over Tottenham and Liverpool is the "flexibility" in their run home. For instance, if City were for some reason to slip up and lose to Birmingham, there would be a great chance to pick up those points elsewhere, like against Manchester United or Spurs at home.

However, if Tottenham were to lose a match they were expected to win, such as that at home to Bolton, to make up those three points they would have to pick up a victory against one of the current top-four because of their incredibly difficult draw. And if Liverpool were to drop points in the same circumstances, because of their easy draw, there is little opportunity to get those points back that they were expected to get. (This makes sense in my head, although I can't explain it...)

And as for Villa, although they've made up some ground on those above them, they're probably a little too far back to make a charge for fourth. An away win over City though, would put them well in the mix.

So with six games to go, Manchester City are in pole position — but not home by any means.

The Race For Fourth — 7 games to go

This has been a quite extraordinary season of football. There's currently a three-way battle for the Premiership, a three-way battle for two relegation places — and of course, a four-way battle for that coveted final Champions League position.

The games keep ticking along, and although we are getting closer to end of the season, we are no closer to determining a clear leader in the race for fourth. It's too close to call. So hopefully a bit of statistical and fixture analysis can ease the nerves a bit and see if fourth is obtainable — or not.

4. Tottenham Hotspur
Games played: 31 (same as City)
Goal difference: +28 (nine better than City)
Recent form: 5 wins. 15 points from 15 possible.
Points: 58 (two more than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
A Sunderland (13th)
H Arsenal (3rd)
H Chelsea (2nd)
A Manchester United (1st)
H Bolton (16th)
A Manchester City (5th)
A Burnley (19th)

Tottenham are currently sitting pretty in fourth position, two points clear of Manchester City. They have not dropped a point in the last five matches — a record shared only with Manchester United, and are currently the second best team in the league on form. They do face a tough, tough run in however. Just three of their final seven games are at home, and two of these are against opposition above them in the table. Having said that, there are a few games against winnable opposition, which gives Tottenham a great opportunity to score the dozen points needed to hit the magical figure of 70.

Predicted points total: 69 (11 more)
Wins at Sunderland, Bolton, and Burnley, whilst gaining draws against Arsenal and Manchester City.

5. Manchester City
Games played: 31
Goal difference: +19
Recent form: 3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. 10 points from 15 possible.
Points: 56 (a club record!)

Upcoming fixtures:
A Burnley (19th)
H Birmingham City (9th)
H Manchester United (1st)
A Arsenal (3rd)
H Aston Villa (7th)
H Tottenham Hotspur (4th)
A West Ham United (17th)

City have both the luxury (and the added pressure I suppose) of being in full control of their destiny. Four of the remaining fixtures are at home, and two of the three away games remaining are against opposition flirting with relegation. But the home matches are crucial — especially against Villa and Spurs, two teams with similar ambitions for the top four as Manchester City. This is City though, so you can't rule out a win over Arsenal away and losing to Birmingham at home...

Predicted points total: 69 (13 more)
City have averaged just about two points per game under Roberto Mancini, and this form should continue. Wins at Burnley, Birmingham, Aston Villa, and West Ham, with a draw against Tottenham a season defining moment for both clubs.

6. Liverpool
Games played: 32 (one more than City)
Goal difference: +21 (two better than City)
Recent form: 3 wins, 2 losses. 9 points from 15 possible.
Points: 54 (two less than City)

Upcoming fixtures:
A Birmingham City (9th)
H Fulham (12th)
H West Ham United (17th)
A Burnley (19th)
H Chelsea (2nd)
A Hull City (18th)

It's a kind draw for Liverpool, who play three of the bottom four teams in the final six matches. However, Liverpool's season has been dogged by inconsistency, and they have lost the most amount of matches of any team in the top eight. In addition, they have League games interspersed with Europa commitments, which will test their somewhat thin squad. But with a run home like that, the Reds must feel that they are still in with a shout.

Predicted points total: 68 (14 more)
Wins at Fulham, West Ham, Burnley, and Hull, with draws against Birmingham and Chelsea. But if they manage to sneak all three points in one of those games, it's definitely advantage Liverpool — despite giving up four points and one game to Spurs at this point of the season.

The importance of the final week
As already mentioned, it's way too close to call a definite winner at this stage seven weeks out. But I think we'll be in the exact same position in the last week of the season!

Burnley (19th) v Tottenham Hotspur (4th)
West Ham United (17th) v Manchester City (5th)
Hull City (18th) v Liverpool (6th)

Even discounting the importance of the City-Tottenham on the previous Wednesday, the final match day will serve a dual purpose — deciding who goes into Europe and who drops down into the Championship, with literally tens of millions of pounds at stake in each match! City could very well relegate West Ham at Upton Park, whilst at the same time qualifying for the Champions League, and this scenario could happen at either Turf Moor or the KC! We will see three of the most nerve-wracking clashes of the season, with fans from all teams keeping a watchful eye on the progress of the other two games.

The Fearless Prediction
Well the calculations say Spurs on current form. But I think City have the best opportunity to pick up points, and thus should still be the slightest of slight favourites... can someone can send the Twitcher's mob another dodgy lasagne?

Where are they now: Danny Tiatto

"As far as I'm concerned, Danny Tiatto doesn't exist." – This was the famous quote by Kevin Keegan as Danny’s city career began to wind down. After wearing the sky blue for over 139 appearances he was known for his hardman-like attitude and ill-discipline. He wasn't a bad player by any means – he won the player of the season award in 2000-01 – but it was his temper he was most noted for, such as the time he lashed out at a water bottle after yet another sending off.

Danny then made the move to Leicester City, winning the player of the year award in 2005 voted by the supporters. After becoming the club captain Danny then made his way back to home soil to play for the Brisbane Roar.

After three seasons playing for Brisbane Roar and scoring twice, Tiatto was fell out with the coach (Danny getting in an argument? Never!) and made the move down to Victoria to play in the state league for the Melbourne Knights. He may still yet make a return to domestic football in Australia with rumours suggesting that he will sign a one year contract with the new Melbourne A-league team Melbourne Heart.

Throughout his career he has shown 110% on the field and refused to change his playing style. He scored 15 times during his 18 years of his senior career and played for the Australian national side 23 times.

He was the player that made me become a Manchester City supporter and helped exposed me to all the wonderful things to do with this club.

So Danny, thank you.
Adam