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Thank you everyone for your loyalty throughout the last few years as I kept plugging away with articles on our beloved Manchester City. I am now the Editor of another site (www.bluemoonovermanchester.com) and these duties will keep me busy. If anyone wishes to submit articles to the site then friend me on facebook, www.facebook.com/pacityboy. 

Hodgson Pack Baggies, get the point.

Roberto Mancini and Manchester City travelled to the Hawthorns to take on West Brom on Boxing Day knowing that a win against a difficult side would ensure top spot through to the New Year. 

Baggies preview

Roberto Mancini and Manchester City travel to the Hawthorns on Boxing Day to take on a tricky West Bromwich Albion side. On Boxing day matches West Brom have lost all of the previous five in the Premier League, that along with their overall performance in the League this season so far, two wins from the past seven and you really can, again, only see one outcome. The visitors came out of the blocks like greased lightning and haven’t slowed down in the League yet! Scoring 50 goals in the first 16 top flight matches was only bested almost half a century ago and have only failed to score in one of their Premier League games so far. 

City hold impromptu training session during game

Like Cliff Richard, Shakin Stevens and Mr Blobby, Bobby Manc now joins the list of Christmas number ones with an awesome display of dominance at the Etihad yesterday. Undefeated for all of the calender year of 2011 Manchester City knew that a draw or win against a plucky Stoke side would ensure that record stay intact and also secure the top spot for Christmas. That said, it is only Christmas and the teams in Premiership history that have led at Christmas and gone on to win the whole thing stands at only eight from nineteen season. United have managed it four times, Chelsea three and Blackburn back in the 1994/95 season also did it. The Blackburn season is interesting as United were exactly two points behind the leaders on 41 points going into the Christmas and although they had played two more games back then (as the Premiership consisted of 22 teams) it is similar to the current points tally between first and second this time around.

Do Manchester City need Stoke City in order to win something?

After gunning down the Gunners on Sunday City will now look to smash up the potters as Stoke are welcomed to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. A win or draw for City will see the Manchester Club go the whole of 2011 without losing at home, something that is certainly different from the start of the Sven era when City hadn’t scored at home for a long period of time! How times have changed.

United keep seat warm as City return to the top

All eyes were on the Etihad Stadium Sunday to see not only how City would react to their first League defeat on Monday against Chelsea, but with United winning a few hours earlier, how they would react to playing catchup.

City look to disarm Gunners

If you'd have asked a City fan at the beginning of the season that they wouldn't get their first league defeat until December I think that few wouldn't have ripped your arm off at that point for that kind of deal. Now the important thing for City when Arsenal come to Manchester on Sunday is that it is important to get back to winning ways. 

Buzzers Birthday - 'we'll come here and we'll take them apart one day'

On this day in 1942 a City legend was born in Preston. Mike Summerbee was the son of George and nephew of Gordon who all played professionally, albeit at lower league clubs. Mikes father George played at Preston but really in truth only completed a handful of first team games. Sadly George died at the young age of 40 in 1955 and would never see Mike reach the heights with City that he did. 

Chelsea Pensioner scores from the spot, City still top.....and better!

So Manchester City returned from London empty handed this time and all around the Footballing world cheers for Chelsea rang out. It wasn't that long ago that it would have been Chelsea that title challengers would be wishing fail but such is magnitude of the ascendancy of the noisy neighbours that has seen this dramatic turnaround in such a short space of time. 

Mancini Is Boas Constrictor?

Monday Roberto Mancini and Manchester City travel back to London to play the other multi millionaires Chelsea FC. Formed in 1905, a good twenty five years after the blues, the first League meeting between these two was almost exactly one hundred and four years ago to the day. 

December 7th 1907 was held at Stamford Bridge, just like Mondays game, and ended in a 2-2 draw. With Chelsea on the high of Champions League qualification and Manchester City looking to retake the reigns of the Premiership title race it may very well be that kind of scoreline once again. That day our goals were scored by Buchanan and Jones and we finished that season third in the top flight and Chelsea secured 13th place. 

Bell says Mancini could pass Mercer as City top boss

Former Manchester City player and always legend Colin Bell believes that current City boss, Roberto Mancini has the potential to emulate his boss while at City, Joe Mercer.

Colin Bell, now 65, was talking a day before Manchester City's elimination from the Champions League but even with that happening the progress made under Mancini has been phenomenal.

Adieu Champions League, bonjour Europa!

Manchester City went into their last Group game in the Champions League knowing that if they didn't win against Bayern they would exit the competition with a whimper. In the run up to the game all the media were focused on were the exit of the Manchester millionaires before even a ball was kicked. Now, progression was not guaranteed with a win at the Etihad stadium and with Mancunian eyes half on Manchester and half on Spain the game kicked off.

I'd be lyin' if Bayern were pushovers. But City will sit pretty if Villarreal happily down Napoli.

'We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight on the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender'. Winston Churchill gave this most famous of speeches before England had a previous almighty battle with the Germans. That was on the fouth June 1940 and on the 7th December 2011 Roberto Mancini will have to deliver a similarly rousing call to arms as Manchester City face Bayern Munich in a game which will partly determine which European competition they will partake in next year.

Farewell Socrates (1954 - 2011)

February 1954, in the Capital and largest City of the state of Para, Brazil, the world welcomed a footballing legend. On December 4th 2011, in Brazil’s largest City, Sao Paulo we said goodbye.

Socrates was a great midfielder, great with through passes. His ability to read the game as well as his physical strength all led him to being one of the best players to grace the field. His career ranged for 30 years and through that time he played mostly in Brasil for Botafogo, Flamengo, Santos and Corinthians but also came to Europe with a brief spell at Fiorentina and he even made it to West Yorkshire, where he appeared one time for Garforth Town back in 2004.

Norfolk And Good!

Manchester City continued their march in the Premier League with a 5-1 decimation of the lads from Norfolk.

Going in we knew it was going to be a tough game as Norwich would look to keep bodies behind the ball and break when they could. Early on it was clear that one City would attack all day and the other City was content to stay in their own penalty area all day.

Can Mancini Stop Canaries Pooping On Our Blue Moon??

Well lads, today Manchester City welcome those boys from Norfolk to our ground as we resume Premiership football after the midweek Carling Cup victory. City boss, Roberto Mancini rested several key players for that game and those along with Balotelli and Barry should be back after serving their suspensions midweek.