...And the blues go marching on!

When I am wrong I will say that I am wrong and hold my hands up. Now I cannot get my hands up as high as Costel Pantilimon but I will try. In my preview comments I said that I thought Mancini may stick with Hart in goal, with this taking us into the semi finals if we could secure a win. I went on to say that Pantilimon hadn't impressed me in the previous League Cup games, and to be fair that is still true. But oh my word what a game the young man had last night! It will certainly make Mancini and us City supporters smile to know that we really do have such talent in reserve should anything happen to Hart.

Sheikh Mansour's men travel to the Emirates. We may bring Silva

After little over 48 hours from securing a great point at Anfield on Sunday, Mancinis men travel down saff! The Quarter Finals of the Carling Cup against Arsenal represent City's first real chance of a cup this season. 

We'll hold you with less players and we'll score your goal too! We're City, we score when we want!

Manchester City have travelled to Anfield on many occasions and as I mentioned in my preview of the game City have very rarely left without anything other than a loss. In fact I believe pre war is where you have to go back to before you see we were totally dominant. That said, you also have to go back a long way in order to find the depth of class in all areas of the pitch that we now currently boast. 

Gods' Speed

I think all football fans agree that when it comes to their particular club they will support them and no other. No matter what adversity they face, you will stay with them no matter what. Very rarely would you find a Manchester City fan agree with one that supports Manchester United. The same with Liverpool and Everton, Newcastle and Sunderland or whichever rivalry you care to choose.

Happy Birthday Mancini, you sexy beast of a man!

Mancini! Whooah!

Mancini! Whooah!

He came from Italy 

To manage Man City!

Mancini! Whooah!

Mancini! Whooah!

Some people have likened the Country of Italy to a lady's leg in high heels. If this is the case then on the 27th November 1964 our savior was born right, slap bang on her sexy calf muscle, in Lesi. 

Mancini played for four clubs over a twenty year period but spent the majority of his career at Sampdoria, where David Platt also played for two years during Mancinis time. During his playing career he picked up the Serie A title with two different teams, Lazio and Sampdoria. He also won the Coppa Italia six times with the same two, Supercoppa Italiana twice and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup twice, again once with each two. He also picked up the UEFA Super Cup once with Lazio while picking up a World Cup bronze medal in a game won by Italy while playing England. The English goalscorer that game? David Platt!

As a manager, pre Manchester City, he has been just as successful. Serie A winner three consecutive times while boss of Inter. Four time Coppa Italia winner, once each with Lazio and Fiorentina and twice at Inter with the Supercoppa Italia also picked up twice while at Inter.

Sunday the Italian celebrates his birthday while in charge of his 72nd league game at the helm at City.

Over that period he has masterminded 43 wins (that is a 60% win ratio) with a goal difference of plus 80! He has already pushed City up to a top three finish for the first time in City's Premiership history and first time in the top flight since Tony Book was in charge, the season after we won our last trophy. Speaking of which he delivered us success in the FA Cup which was the first cup success of any sort since 1976 and the first in that particular competition since 1969. 

The Italian has been breaking records all through his tenure so far and you feel that he has only just begun. He has experience in Europe and that has lifted City from qualifying for the Europa via fair play to qualifying for the Champions League via league position and no play offs! It has been a sharp learning curve for City and this Champions League campaign reflects that. Despite this he still has an overall 53% win record in Europe with City. Last seasons Europa League was the furthest we had got in European competition for decades.

I spoke about Roberto masterminding the FA Cup victory last season but what is not mentioned is the fact we are now in the Quarter Final of the Carling Cup for the second time in his time here. Just for record, currently Mancinis win percentage stands at almost 65% in domestic cups. 

All told, Mancini has been in charge for 105 competitive Manchester City games and has won exactly 60% of them, while losing and drawing 20% a piece. Despite being criticised as a defensive minded coach City have currently scored over 200 goals in all competitions and only conceded 93. That is a difference of 110 goals, average almost two goals a game and conceding just under a goal a game. With these stats combined with the progression we see at City (top of the League expected rather than eighth hoped for, FA Cup wins and Champions League games) the future may be bright, and it is certain to be Blue!

Happy Birthday Roberto Mancini !!!

Written By PA Cityboy (www.facebook.com/pacityboy) 

Calm down, calm down. Mancini in scouse douse

The midweek game will have to be put to the back of minds on Sunday as Manchester City try to continue their record breaking start to the Premier League season with a trip to one of their least successful grounds.

HISTORY

City have played Liverpool in the League 150 times in their history and have lost 50% of the ties. In fact we have only won 38 times although the most recent fixture between the two teams in which City won was last season, under Mancini. However that was at our own place and the return fixture resulted in a 3-0 Liverpool win. The last time City won at Anfield in a League game was all the way back on May 3rd 2003. Ex Liverpool player, Nicolas Anelka scored twice for City that day, once from the penalty spot which made our last two winning games against Liverpool seeing us score from the spot. Be excited if we get a penalty on Sunday!

There have been many losses to Liverpool over the years and they always seem to score multiple of goals against us while conceding few if any. We lost 3-0 last season and in Sept 2002 and also in March 1991. City fans will also remember the 6-0 hammering in our relegation season of 1995/96. That particular game came in October of that season but in the last game we played Liverpool again and despite going down to them we clawed back to get a 2-2 draw. Despite that great result we were still relegated, but only on goal difference. 

Other than that there really isn't much statistically that we can get positives from as winning at Liverpool has not been our normal result over the past few decades. However there has been nothing normal about this season from City in the League so far either. Beating Everton, hammering Villa, Spurs and United have not been normal.   

Other big losses against Liverpool have been 4-0 in 1974, twice in 1978 and again in 1983 and a 5-0 in 1983. But it hasn't always been negative results for City. In start of the 1974 season we beat them 2-0 at Maine Road but in both 1981 and in 1952 we travelled to Anfield and secured the win, 3-1 and 2-1 respectively. 

For City fans to see when their team totally dominated Liverpool you would have to look back before the Second World War. In the year 1937 we beat Liverpool 5-0 at their place before a 5-1 win at Maine Road. Two years before that we enjoyed a 2-0 win there before a 6-0 win at our house.  

The good news for City is that win, lose or draw we will still be top of the league and with Manchester United playing Newcastle some points will be dropped from teams close behind us. The other current top four side Tottenham face a difficult trip to West Brom. 

TEAM NEWS

Liverpool will again be without Steven Gerrard for the visit of City, who also come off a difficult visit to Stamford Bridge last weekend. The Merseysiders themselves have been stuttering this season with wins against Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton contrasting with draws against newly promoted Swansea and Norwich and a 4-0 defeat against Spurs! With no game midweek they will have had the chance to be rested but will also have one eye possibly on Tuesdays Cup game against Chelsea which could see them have their best chance for silverware this season. 

Manchester City by contrast have been secure in their Premiership performances, winning all but one, which was a draw away to Fulham. Expect Clichy and Richards to return to the backline for City as Mancini will be eager to continue their attacking League play. Like Liverpool though they may have one eye on the Quarter Final cup tie only 48 hours later but Mancini has a squad he can rotate and so that should play into City's favour. 

Written By: PA Cityboy (www.facebook.com/pacityboy)

Happy Thanksgiving, City may have offloaded turkey!

It has been a while since we have spoken about the Rebel without a cause, Carlos 'I'm a celebrity get me out of here' Tevez. I know you were all wondering what happened to the Argentinian after he was evicted from the big brother house. Well after missing training and deciding to take an impromptu holiday in Argentina I though the guys career was over. I mean who would want to pay this guys wages and have him disrupt the team as he does? The answer, the same team that took Robinho!

Reports broke on the American Thanksgiving holiday that the Italian side were in talks with Tevez advisors, Kia Joorabchian. If that isn't something to be thankful for then I don't know what is. I could make a comment about turkeys but that may be taking it to far, the guy was a hero at Manchester last season. 

The Rossoneri will probably be willing to pay a fee of around 25 million for the Argentine, which is significantly less than the 40 million tag he had in the summer. Although with Robinho, Pato, Ibramovic, Inzaghi and Cassano already fighting for first team football I am unsure as to whether he will not just be warming their bench. What's that? Take Pato in exchange? We could do that, unless you see anyone else you like in their squad? 

Whatever the outcome it seems that I was wrong and Tevez still may be able to collect interest from other big teams and with Italy being so much closer to Argentina I am sure his life will suddenly be filled with rainbows and unicorns! 

The majority of City fans will just be glad to see the back of him at this point with his off field antics and disruption to the team (in regards press conference questions revolve around the guy rather than how well the team is doing). It now seems that his building of cult status with the City faithful has been somewhat diluted if not totally contaminated by the last two months. City need to offload this dead weight and January can not come quick enough providing this is to happen.

Written By: PA Cityboy (www.facebook.com/pacityboy)  

Stabbings? Yes But We Won't Tolerate Big Money!

When you use a search engine on the world wide web and type in 'soccer hooligans' unsurprisingly the sites that instantly pop up are the ones dealing with the British aspect, referring to hooliganism as 'The English Disease'. But is it solely an English problem? Events in Napoli last night and on other European nights would beg to differ. 

Whata Mistake To Maka!

For the fifth time Manchester City stepped out onto a pitch to the now unmistakable Champions League theme tune. This was to be their last foray onto away soil during the group stage and a win for the away team would secure progression into the knockout stages. However, Napoli haven't lost a home European game since 1994 and for City to come away from Italy with anything would be good.

In the early stages of the game City looked composed and were playing well. DeJong as expected was playing deep and collecting the ball from his back four in order to initiate forward play and with just seven minutes Mario Balotelli bobbled an effort just wide as their keeper stayed rooted to the spot. That was to be the best chance for City in the early exchanges and then in the seventeenth minute the hosts went ahead through a slight Cavani touch. As a corner drifted in Cavani and Yaya Toure both seemed to get slight touches to deflect the ball past first Kolarov and the Hart. City defended the corner with no men on the post and certainly had Kolarov been then certainly this goal could most certainly have been avoided.

City, to their credit, were soon back up and running though and if the positioning of Kolarov for the first goal was in question then it was the shocking defending from Aronica at the other end that levelled the tie. Dzeko crosses the ball into the area and with no City attacker near it should be simple but rushing to clear the ball he places it right at the feet of Silva who fires a shot. De Sanctis could only parry the shot straight into the path of Balotelli and he is not going to miss those sorts of chances.

Half time arrived with the teams level through two defensive mistakes and at this point City would certainly have been the happier of the two sides. Edson Cavani, scorer of the first half goal and the first games goal would prove to have one last say though. Only four minutes into the second half he opened his body well to hit a Dossena cutback first time. It truly was a classy finish but for City it was to be the final nail in the coffin for this game at least.

With less than ten minute left Aguero came on for Dzeko before Cavani left for Pandev. A minute later Adam Johnson came on for Zabaletta as City chased the tie. With time running low on the clock they almost got it, a through ball from Yaya Toure saw Balotelli muscle out Cannavaro and hit it first time. Unfortunately for Balotelli and City, it was straight at De Sanctis.

The referee called time on the game and the result saw Napoli leapfrog their opposition and left Manchester Citys progression in the competition out of their hands with a must win game at home to Bayern in to weeks while hoping Villarreal get their first points in the other game.

Written By: Pa Cityboy (www.facebook.com/pacityboy)

The Might Look-like Soccer (MLS) Season Finale!

The Major League Soccer season came to a close on Sunday night in the showpiece of the season, the MLS Final between the LA Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo. With talk before the kickoff of this potentially being David Beckhams last game in the MLS and the high profile stars in the Galaxy side of Donovan and Keane it was easy to forget that there was another team playing.

When blue moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's amore.

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool, That's Man City!. When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, Champions League! When you walk in a dream but you know you're not Dreaming Mancini! Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli That's Man City!

City Marches On

Manchester City returned to Premiership action Saturday after having the last couple of weeks off thanks to the International breaks. Although for City the word 'break' really isn't correct as City stars jet off across the World for games with their individual countries.

Roberto Mancini left Dzeko, Johnson and Barry on the bench along with David Silva, electing instead to start Nasri and DeJong in the midfield. Aguero and Balotelli were selected to start upfront as Mancini continues to really ask questions of the opposition defense whether home or away.

Barcode Battlers

Manchester City return to Premiership action on Saturday with the visit of the Premierships other undefeated team, Newcastle United. A win for City will put them eight points clear of second place Manchester United who play newly promoted Swansea in the later game.

Statistically Newcastle have the edge with Saturdays game being our 151st League encounter with the Geordie nation. Of those games we have only won 51, with Newcastle winning 64 and of course the remaining endeding in draws. That said, recent history is all on our side. Our last defeat, at home to Newcastle came on September 30th 2000, when Joe Royle was still at the helm.

Alan Oakes

It was the 14th of November 1959 and Manchester City played Chelsea in a Division One both struggled in back then. No surprise that it was a draw, 1-1 but the match is also saw the introduction of Mr Dependable, Alan Oakes.
Cousin of another City legend he may well be but Alan became a City legend in his own right and was unfortunate not to have made the England side on a regular basis. However there was a certain Mr Moore at West Ham and, well I don't have to tell you how the history went.
Oakes started that game in 1959 barely past his seventeenth birthday and would stay at City that length again. He left City in 1976 with his final appearence coming as substitute in a derby game at Old Trafford, which we would lose 2-0. However during the years from his debut to that game Alan would break records with City, becoming top in appearances and netting himself six winners medals which also put him at the top of that particular league with regards City.
Oakes was the engine of pretty much every side he played in and had a wonderful left peg. By the time the lad was 23 he had already appeared almost 250 times for City and had a Second Division Champions medal to boot.
In the Championship side of 1967/68 he only missed the solitary game, a 5-1 win against Fulham. This was actually at the point at which City first topped the table that season. City ended up beating Newcastle on the last day of the season to claim the title that year and set City and Oakes on to more silverware. The next season they followed the League win up with an FA Cup win and a year on from that was the European and League Cup double.
With close to seven hundred appearances for City and 34 goals Alan Oakes bowed out for the final time at the end of the 1975/76 season. He scored his last league goal for City in a 3-0 win against West Ham before a week later scoring a goal in the 4-0 League Cup Semi Final win against Middlesbrough and eventually picking up one final medal with City before departing and eventually becoming Player-Manager at Chester. Class endures and while at Chester he went on to turn out for the Seals over 200 times and took them to the FA Cup fifth round twice in a four year period. He would only be there for a short time, six years in fact, before firing him due to poor League form. oakes went on to Port vale and even played at age 41 due to their team being depleted.
Everyone who met and knew Alan loved him. Don Revie and Bill Shankly were admirers of him as were people outside the sport. A true athlete who kept himself to himself and didn't get into shouting matches with the officials like todays lads probably helped.
Written By: PA Cityboy (www.facebook.com/pacityboy)

Homophobia, the accepted prejudice!

We are about to enter the 20th season of the Premiership next season and it has been 120 years since City, then as Ardwick, first played in the Alliance League and yet we still today deal with racism in football. Thankfully attitudes have changed somewhat over the years and the recent incidents under investigation from the FA were met with condemnation or at least a frank and honest discussion. Minorities have been part of the English game pretty much since the beginning and yet are still not fully accepted.

From Red Star To Blue Moon

In July 2010 Manchester City signed Aleks Kolarov from Lazio for a deal around the 16million pound mark. Advertised as the 'Serbian Roberto Carlos' he is very handy at scoring spectacular goals and a very powerful shot as City fans have been witness too over the last fifteen months. All this and yet he may never have ever became a blue having been linked with a move to Carlos' old team, Real Madrid.

Going Loco Down In Buenos Aires!

Like a child who is not getting equal attention Carlos Tevez has once again thrown his toys out of the pram. After City had amended their punishment of Tevez for the failure to warm up for the Champions League game in Munich, and Tevez hadn't contested it people were thinking that the Tevez may silently play out. Oh how we were wrong.

FIFA, The FA and the Poppy Debate.

So with the Premiership on International break for this week I was wondering exactly what I could write about this week. Then, as I was listening to the radio I was struck with a subject, the controversy between FIFA and England's FA and whether a poppy should be worn for this Saturdays friendly, against Spain.
First we should start with the history of the poppy and it was chosen as a symbol and inspired the World War 1 poem 'In Flanders Field' and refers to the numerous poppies that grew on the soldiers graves in Flanders. At a conference in 1920 at the National American Legion made it their official symbol and an attendee, Anna Guerin, was inspired to introduce it in her homeland, France. The next year they were being sold in London and that's where it began for us.

24 years ago, City were doing this high scoring malarky!

So you think that Manchester City have had some high scoring games in the start to this Premiership season. Managed by Italian, Roberto Mancini it certainly is breathing fresh life into what was essentially a two or three horse race each season. However under Geordie Mel Machin we also struck fear into the opposition with high scoring games, well a couple at least. None will be more familiar to most City fans than the Division 2 encounter, at Maine Road, with Huddersfield Town, who would eventually be relegated at seasons end.

Happy Birthday Garry Flitcroft!

Before we had Jimmy Grimble we had Garry Flitcroft. At the age of 12 years old Garry re-enacted the scene from the movie before that scene had ever been written! The scene where the United scout come up to Jimmy and tells him he wants to offer him a trial at United and Jimmy says thanks but he's had a better offer. The scout looks at Grimble and says 'What could be better than United?' to which Jimmy replies 'City!'. I like to think that in 1984 that was EXACTLY how it happened when Flitcroft turned down United for City.

City Smash In Grab In London

From Villarreal to QPR and any ideas that City had that this would be easy would quickly be shot down. Mancini elected to make changes from the midweek contest and taking the suspended Kompanys captain armband for the game was Micah Richards. 

City Aiming Slam Dunk By Shooting Hoops!

So it is straight from sunny Spain to London as City resume their Premier League campaign at Loftus Road, home of Queens Park Rangers. It has been 15 years since QPR have played at the top level of English football and in that last season, when obviously they were relegated, City themselves also joined 'The Hoops' that year in the drop along with Bolton.

City up to second in Champions League

Manchester City travelled to Spain with a lot resting on their shoulders. City had not performed as well as we know they can while on European duty and their performances from League to Champions League have been like night and day. First came the draw in the opening game to Napoli followed by the defeat in Munich. Two weeks ago saw City get away with a win at the death of the game to keep their qualification aspirations alive. Sure Villarreal had a number of key players having to withdraw due to injury but still no English side had won against Villarreal in their own stadium and so it certainly wasn't going to be an easy game.

Good Enough, Old Enough But Not Kept Long Enough!!

The 1980's were not the best years to be a City fan. After the FA Cup Final loss in 1981 we struggled in the top flight and the seasons we didn't struggle was because we were in the second tier!

Would The (Villar)Real Man City Please Stand Up!

What a difference a fortnight makes! Since Manchester City last played Villarreal at the Etihad Stadium we have played three games, won them all and scored fourteen goals! (That's an average of just under five goals a game). We beat a tough Wolves side in the League and progressed against the same team in the League Cup. I forget who the other game was against, some small club with an aging Manager based outside Manchester I think.

Gillinghams Forgotten Hero!

Today doesn't just see the birthday of Paul Dickov but also that of Kevin Horlock. The statistics they share are amazing. Both were born on the same day in 1972, both made their debuts for City in the same season and both scored goals in the Playoff Final against Gillingham!

Scorer of 'THAT' goal celebrates 39th Birthday

Yesterday I spoke about the silent hero of Manchester Citys revival in the late 1990's and early 2000's, Andy Morrison. Today we look back on a City legend (well, the first time he played in sky blue) who celebrates his 39th birthday today.