Manchester City News 24/7Writer: Johnny Baguette 
Date:Friday April 17 2009
Time: 8:11PM
UK time is: 04:07:33
Choose your club
Other Sites
Network Navigation
Vital Partners
'If It's Football, It's Vital'
The Manager's Programme Notes For WBA
Comments courtesy of Manchester City Football Club
A warm welcome to everyone today, and especially to the players, staff and fans of West Brom who have made the journey up the M6 today.
I have to begin by reflecting on what was a night to remember last Thursday. The atmosphere at kick-off was just what we wanted, and I am sorry that we could not quite pull off the result that the support our wonderful fans gave us so deserved. It was a huge effort from everybody - on the pitch, behind the scenes at the Club and most importantly in the stands. Not too many people gave us a chance of turning the tie around, but we came very close and we can be very proud of the performance.
Our run in Europe, and nights like the one we had on Thursday, has shown us where we want to go and we want to bring more nights like that to the City of Manchester Stadium. I know that our Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, was thrilled with the atmosphere against Hamburg and was as disappointed as anyone that we did not quite make it into the semi-finals. We met before the game and had a very productive meeting on our plans for the future and where the Club needs to go, our owners have been excited by our run in Europe and will support us in our efforts to give it another go.
A special word must also go to our away support, who have given us such fantastic backing all over the continent since last July. I know they have enjoyed our European odyssey as much as we have and I still cast my mind back to the game in the Faroes, when so many made an awkward trip over to get behind their team. Following us overseas in these difficult economic times has been a big ask, but everyone in and around the playing staff thanks everyone who made such sacrifices over the last nine months.
After our good run at home in the League, last Sunday`s result was a huge disappointment, and I can assure you that the players, my staff and myself all understood how you, the fans, were feeling by full time. We are all working hard to bring the success to Manchester City that you deserve, and results like the defeat to Fulham hit us hard. In fact, coach Eddie Niedzwiecki summed it up perfectly on our web site last week when he said, "when we lose there is no worse feeling for us." Our European exertions caught up with us a little bit last weekend and made qualifying for the Europa League next season via our final position in the table difficult, but if we can string together a good run in the closing stretches of the season we could still pull it off.
West Brom come to us today bottom of the table and fighting for their lives. They still have a chance of staying up and will be looking at today`s game as an opportunity to kick-start a move out of the relegation zone. Tony Mowbray instilled an attacking approach in his side that deservedly won the Championship last season and he deserves a lot of credit for sticking to his guns in the Barclays Premier League. West Brom have won a lot of friends with the way they have gone about things during this campaign, and they have certainly posed problems for everyone they have faced along the way - including us. They battled for their victory over us at the Hawthorns in December, but we have not forgotten the late drama there and this is a chance for us to make amends.
Tony has not been helped by a long-term injury to a graduate of our Academy, Ishmael Miller, who would have loved the chance to go up against his old club today. He made a real impact in West Brom`s title drive last season, but they will pose us threats from several quarters. As we know from the our previous meeting this season, they are an athletic side who can break at speed and hit you hard from deep in their own half, so we will have to be on our mettle today.
Thank you once again for tremendous support, and enjoy today`s game.
JOIN VITAL MANCHESTER CITY:
When the first whistle blows against The Baggies, don't forget to join the Vital MC Community on our popular Live Match Thread in the Forums on match days.
Vital Manchester City and it's Forums are growing fast with over 1,200 Blues now registered with us. There's more to come - Be Here Now and join our worldwide community:
Vital F1 Prediction League - Join now for Monaco
For the very latest Premier League odds
For massive weekly jackpots - Play the Football Pools Online
Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.
Your Comments
The way I see it, it is now clear there is no way that Hughes will be sacked at the end of this season unless City capitulate completely in the league in these last six games. Love him or loathe him, the fact he is here to stay for the forseeable future will have to be accepted by fans, hacks and anybody else connected with City. We're going to have to move on and see where it takes us.
Johnny Baguette
The way I see it, it is now clear there is no way that Hughes will be sacked at the end of this season unless City capitulate completely in the league in these last six games. Love him or loathe him, the fact he is here to stay for the forseeable future will have to be accepted by fans, hacks and anybody else connected with City. We're going to have to move on and see where it takes us.
Johnny Baguette
With the usual City optimism .....onward and upward
Doody
With the usual City optimism .....onward and upward
Doody
I dissagree completely. No one should be blinded by our heroic defeat on thursday. City players only played with their hearts out because khaldoon was present. The remains - city have got worse since last season in every aspect. Hughes has wasted 130 million on midtable safety. He basks in the alex ferguson cliche "he won the league in five years" - mourinho would win the leauge at city in two years in my opinion. Times have changed. Billions can make time move alot quicker, if the right manager is in place. 12points worse of then svens city this time last year and a inability to manage and attract big name players. The two things khaldoon craves... If anyone doesnt think city would make giant leaps under the leadership of rykard, van gaal, mourinho, lippi etc is deluded. ADUG as owners are entitled to appoint their own manager and implement their own plans for city. As a fan, i could respect and understand that. If mark hughes requires another summer to spend ANOTHER 100 million and "build his own team" (hes already built an unsuccesful one) then that is proof that he isnt the right man. How much more millions most he waste till he gets it right??? If tony pullis at stoke was given 130miilion - they would be challenging top 8. Hughes out - rykard in
enzo city
I dissagree completely. No one should be blinded by our heroic defeat on thursday. City players only played with their hearts out because khaldoon was present. The remains - city have got worse since last season in every aspect. Hughes has wasted 130 million on midtable safety. He basks in the alex ferguson cliche "he won the league in five years" - mourinho would win the leauge at city in two years in my opinion. Times have changed. Billions can make time move alot quicker, if the right manager is in place. 12points worse of then svens city this time last year and a inability to manage and attract big name players. The two things khaldoon craves... If anyone doesnt think city would make giant leaps under the leadership of rykard, van gaal, mourinho, lippi etc is deluded. ADUG as owners are entitled to appoint their own manager and implement their own plans for city. As a fan, i could respect and understand that. If mark hughes requires another summer to spend ANOTHER 100 million and "build his own team" (hes already built an unsuccesful one) then that is proof that he isnt the right man. How much more millions most he waste till he gets it right??? If tony pullis at stoke was given 130miilion - they would be challenging top 8. Hughes out - rykard in
enzo city
I see Barcelona are playing like a great team again now that Rijkaard has gone :-) I take it you meant Rijkaard and not rickard?
jackblue
I see Barcelona are playing like a great team again now that Rijkaard has gone :-) I take it you meant Rijkaard and not rickard?
jackblue
The only benefit a big name manager will bring is big name players. That doesnt mean they will achieve anything. Real Madrid are full of superstars but were completely outclassed by Liverpool... who have some incredibly average players- lucas, dossena, kuyt, Babel, Degen, El Zhar etc... The fact is, Benitez has set up a system and it works. Hughes hasnt had time to do anything except patch up a badly woven City side with some solid players- Bellamy, Given, Kompany, Zabaleta, SWP etc. I dont really know a manager who could come in and give us the instant success we want, if there is one then by all means bring him to City. I personally just cant see it.
eighthsin
The only benefit a big name manager will bring is big name players. That doesnt mean they will achieve anything. Real Madrid are full of superstars but were completely outclassed by Liverpool... who have some incredibly average players- lucas, dossena, kuyt, Babel, Degen, El Zhar etc... The fact is, Benitez has set up a system and it works. Hughes hasnt had time to do anything except patch up a badly woven City side with some solid players- Bellamy, Given, Kompany, Zabaleta, SWP etc. I dont really know a manager who could come in and give us the instant success we want, if there is one then by all means bring him to City. I personally just cant see it.
eighthsin
Enzo, totally agree re Hughes record. I think it's appalling and wrote to that effect in this week's Vital City Zen. But it looks to me as if he'll be kept on.
Johnny Baguette
Enzo, totally agree re Hughes record. I think it's appalling and wrote to that effect in this week's Vital City Zen. But it looks to me as if he'll be kept on.
Johnny Baguette
sadly your right JB mate it does indeed look like hughes will be kept on and he better bloody turn this mess around as he has been given the same amount of time as most managers would have had with less money than us.
bluemooner_mcfc
sadly your right JB mate it does indeed look like hughes will be kept on and he better bloody turn this mess around as he has been given the same amount of time as most managers would have had with less money than us.
bluemooner_mcfc
If Rykards record (2 league titles and champions league) isnt good enough for city then il eat my hat. Finishing 8th every saeson with blackburn isnt a good enough for city. Remember chelsea didnt win the league in mourinhos last 2 seasons. No would consider him a poor manager, or he isnt good enough for city or he wouldnt do a better than mark hughes. I dont buy the argument that hughes has struggled with a patched up squad. This is the best city squad in many a years. Hughes had a full preseason and the same amount of time as sven and has still cocked up the season. He did a average job at blackburn, nothing he has achieved there suggests thropies for city in the future. Bellamy, dejong, zab, kompany, bridge and given all perform well now and again... but have these players improved city greatly? Some good indivisual performances but nothing special. Infact city have taken less points since the winter transfer window. Petrov and elano made an dramatic impact instantly. Its common sense - if u want a fast car. U dont buy a sokda. U buy a ferrari (mourinho) porsche (rykard) ashton (liipi) As for the big player debate - ADUG want big players for self promotion, kudos and commercial reasons. City from now on will always be challenging for the best. The more big names u have, the better chance of success ul have. MAN UTD (big name buys) = ferdinand, rooney, tevez, ronaldo, carrick, berbatov. CHELSEA (bnb) = cole,robben, duff, joe cole, crespo, drogba, lampard, ballack. BARCA (bnb) = eto, ronaldinho, henry,deco. MILAN (bnb) = kaka, inzaghi, seedorf, shevencko, nesta. Big names, win big things!!!!!! Everyone is quick to point out real madrids failures - but one of the most successful sides ever was the galacticos- figo, ronaldo, raul, zidane. If liverpool had ronaldo or kaka, they would be top of the league and not second. It seems unlikely hughes will go now. I wish the owners were more pro-active and more ambitious in moving city forward. I fear for city next season under hughes. More millions wasted, more failures.
enzo city
If Rykards record (2 league titles and champions league) isnt good enough for city then il eat my hat. Finishing 8th every saeson with blackburn isnt a good enough for city. Remember chelsea didnt win the league in mourinhos last 2 seasons. No would consider him a poor manager, or he isnt good enough for city or he wouldnt do a better than mark hughes. I dont buy the argument that hughes has struggled with a patched up squad. This is the best city squad in many a years. Hughes had a full preseason and the same amount of time as sven and has still cocked up the season. He did a average job at blackburn, nothing he has achieved there suggests thropies for city in the future. Bellamy, dejong, zab, kompany, bridge and given all perform well now and again... but have these players improved city greatly? Some good indivisual performances but nothing special. Infact city have taken less points since the winter transfer window. Petrov and elano made an dramatic impact instantly. Its common sense - if u want a fast car. U dont buy a sokda. U buy a ferrari (mourinho) porsche (rykard) ashton (liipi) As for the big player debate - ADUG want big players for self promotion, kudos and commercial reasons. City from now on will always be challenging for the best. The more big names u have, the better chance of success ul have. MAN UTD (big name buys) = ferdinand, rooney, tevez, ronaldo, carrick, berbatov. CHELSEA (bnb) = cole,robben, duff, joe cole, crespo, drogba, lampard, ballack. BARCA (bnb) = eto, ronaldinho, henry,deco. MILAN (bnb) = kaka, inzaghi, seedorf, shevencko, nesta. Big names, win big things!!!!!! Everyone is quick to point out real madrids failures - but one of the most successful sides ever was the galacticos- figo, ronaldo, raul, zidane. If liverpool had ronaldo or kaka, they would be top of the league and not second. It seems unlikely hughes will go now. I wish the owners were more pro-active and more ambitious in moving city forward. I fear for city next season under hughes. More millions wasted, more failures.
enzo city
Have Your Say
Recent Articles
VIDEO: Man City Confirm MLS Franchise Expansion (Wednesday May 22 2013)
Blast Off For New York City FC (Tuesday May 21 2013)
The Ped Report City 2-3 Norwich City (Monday May 20 2013)
Stats: Manchester City v Norwich City (Sunday May 19 2013)
The Citizens versus The Canaries (Saturday May 18 2013)
Balotelli: I'm Glad I Left England (Saturday May 18 2013)
VIDEO: Confusion Clouds Pellegrini Future (Thursday May 16 2013)
The Ped Report Reading 0-2 City (Tuesday May 14 2013)
Stats: Reading v Manchester City (Tuesday May 14 2013)
And On That Bombshell (Tuesday May 14 2013)
Archived Articles
Vital Members League (view all)
| 1. | Buzz Lightyear | 496 |
| 2. | Bluedub | 422 |
| 3. | Johnny Baguette | 409 |
| 4. | fifthcolumnblue | 324 |
| 5. | Colin Is The King | 214 |
| 6. | Skoorb | 205 |
| 7. | Spooks | 176 |
| 8. | citizhun | 173 |
| 9. | PhillyBlueMoon | 160 |
| 10. | kennyclementstache | 158 |
League Results (view all)
| Latest Results | ||||
| Man City | 2 | - | 3 | Norwich |
| Reading | 0 | - | 2 | Man City |
| Man City | 1 | - | 0 | WBA |
| Swansea | 0 | - | 0 | Man City |
| Man City | 2 | - | 1 | West Ham |
| Spurs | 3 | - | 1 | Man City |
League Table (view table)
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1. Man Utd | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | +43 | 89 |
| 2. Man City | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | +32 | 78 |
| 3. Chelsea | 38 | 22 | 9 | 7 | +36 | 75 |
| 4. Arsenal | 38 | 21 | 10 | 7 | +35 | 73 |
| 5. Spurs | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | +20 | 72 |
| 6. Everton | 38 | 16 | 15 | 7 | +15 | 63 |
| 7. Liverpool | 38 | 16 | 13 | 9 | +28 | 61 |
Breaking League News
| Liverpool: Begovic To Replace Reina?
» Liverpool : 22/05/2013 20:54:00
|
| Coates thanks friend Pulis
» Stoke : 22/05/2013 18:30:00
|
| Petrov Delighted With Assistant Coach Role
» Aston Villa : 22/05/2013 16:52:00
|
| Boateng Signs Two Year Deal
» Fulham : 22/05/2013 16:50:00
|
| Sullivan Warns Of Complacency!
» West Ham : 22/05/2013 16:49:00
|
| Lukaku Desire
» West Ham : 22/05/2013 16:48:00
|
| Carroll Withdrawal
» West Ham : 22/05/2013 16:47:00
|
Current Site Poll (view all polls)
|
|
4 © - All content copyright Vital Network Ltd, not to be reproduced without explicit permission Copyright Issues
Cookie Policy
At Vital Football, we along with most other modern websites use small files called 'cookies' to create the most secure, effective and functional website possible for our users. Without these files our business model, based on advertising, breaks down and we would be unable to continue to provide the services that you are here to utilise. By continuing to use this website after seeing this message, you consent to our use of cookies on this device unless you have disabled them. For full details please read our Cookie Policy which can be found here. However, if you would like to disable cookies on this device, please view our Cookie Policy which contains an opt-out tool for disabling advertising cookies. Please also visit our information pages on 'How to manage cookies' if you would also like to block all other types of cookies. Please be aware that parts of this site will not function correctly if you disable cookies.