Robinho was influential in Brazil's 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland. How it pains me, an Irish Man City fan, to see Robinho, a man who couldn't score a goal to save his life at City, score one and set up another against Ireland. He's been having a go at Mancini in the press, so unless the Italian is gone by the time Robinho's loan spell at Santos runs out, I can't imagine him playing another game at City. I wonder if his return to form will yield bigger money for the Blues than would have been possible before he was let go on loan?
In yesterday's Irish Times, Andrew Fifield lamented the relative dearth of quality films about football. And he's right: when compared to Field of Dreams, The Full Nine Yards, even Friday Night Lights, football can't really compete with traditional American sports. The Firm, Green Street, Bend It Like Beckham, each one worse than the next. The Damned United, he argues, is just about the only decent film about football. And still, he's right.
Only he forgot one, an all-time classic in my household. There's Only One Jimmy Grimble has everything you want in a family film: high farce, Manchester City, adversity overcome, dreams realised and Robert Carlyle. And, more than most films about football, it feels rather authentic. If you haven't seen it already, you should.
Man City let their fans sit biting their nails for the the lion's share of the game, scoring early once again and, instead of putting the game to bed, let it stay up late to jump around near the good china. Being a City fan this season might be more enjoyable, but it certainly doesn't look like it will be more relaxing than before.
City 1 - 0 Wolves
True, I say this as a City fan. But I say it with a level, impartial head. I think we've wasted a lot of our money this summer, buying Class B players at Class A prices. But at only £12 million, Barry is a Class A player for a Class B price. Pittance, really, when you consider we spent almost £20 million on Brazilian flop Jo, whose name spelt backwards seems to almost make OG.
Gareth Barry has consistently proved himself to be one of the best five midfielders in the Premiership, and will provide the leadership that City, I had feared, would sorely lack. An absolute certainty for any Fantasy Football Leagues this season, that's for sure.
While we're on the subject, why not join the Fantasy League over at Football Corner, and be in with a chance of winning a prize.
The only problem with that, as I see it, is that City have spent the summer looking to sign some big money defenders, and they just don't seem to be able to find any of them available. So, if Everton got rid of Lescott, how do the fans imagine they would find it easier to find another big money defender?
That said, I think that at this stage, with the player now having requested a transfer, Everton have little option but to let the star centre-back go.
I still hate that bias cheating Manchester-based w****r of a referee Halsey, who cheated us out of our victory. What really rubbs insult into injury was he was elected to the Premier League the next season and is still stitching teams up today!Gillingham face Shrewsbury today in the League 2 play-off final. It's only the second time I've seen Gillingham play ball. The first time was in another play-off, the 1999 Division 2 final against my team, Man City. Not yet a teenager, I flew over to London with my Dad. We had no tickets, but expected to find a scalp outside Wembley with ease. No such luck. In contrast to today's final, where empty seats stare down at the action, the Division 2 play-off final was a sell-out, and I ended up watching the match in an empty restaurant in central London.
Two-nil down with all of one minute left to play, Joe Royle's City got one back. It looked like a consolation goal until the fourth official held up his board which signalled 5 minutes injury time. Needless to say, we got another one back, and won the penalty shoot-out. Nicky Weaver went nuts. The drizzle cleared. The day, which for a while had looked like being the worst of my life, had quickly transformed into the best of my life. It was the beginning of the end of City's spell in the lower leagues.
Referee Mark Halsey was later seen boozing with the victorious City fans. True blue!
Mark Hughes has always had the faint air of a tinker about him, hasn't he? Take a look at him there, and then remember what they called him: Sparky. I mean, for God's sake. He's been given a good scrub since, of course, but if you were ever to end up at a party back in his house, you wouldn't be completely shocked if every room in the place reeked of old dog shit, or at the very least, old dog food. Well, the City manager has been true to those suspected roots this week, wingeing about the flak he gets from the press.
His club, the richest in the world, currently languish in mid-table. With a trip to White Hart Lane, one of the Premiership's most formible grounds this season, a European position looks unlikely for the club which has managed just 11 points on the road this season. On the face of it, most would probably argue that the media's criticism is justly delivered.
In fairness to Hughes though, it's not as if he's been able to exploit the club's great and newfound fortune. An attempt made to land Kaka in the last tranfer window failed and, apart for the signing of Robinho at the start of the season, the club has been unable to lure any more superstars to the City of Manchester Stadium. Hughes manages the richest squad in the world, but has an only slightly above average squad to choose from.
But this is the whole point, I feel: his inability to exploit the club's wealth. Hughes is more than qualified to manage mid-table squads and finish mid-table. But with money in the bank, City fans (myself included) expect that the team will move beyond that next season. As the last transfer window showed, Hughes hasn't got the renown which will be needed next season to bring big names to a relatively small club.
To attract big name players, we need a big name manager.
