Sparky Weighs Up City's Steady Progress

So far so good. Two league wins under the er, money belt (copyright 99% of hacks) and the only top flight side yet to concede a goal. Mark Hughes reckons we're ready to kick on...

Ironically enough, after a big up front offload that saw off those 1-1-8 gags drearily doing the rounds, City are starting to look top heavy with defenders.

Planet Blue's eyes are currently focused on Captain Richard Dunne who's wretched last season has many reckoning his days in Sky Blue are numbered.

That aside, with the capture of England centre half Joleon Lescott, The Blues undeniably have the top quality backbone to give 'The Big Four (Bore)' sides a game.

Sparky certainly thinks so if his latest official site interview is anything to go by:

'We are very comfortable with what we've been able to do. I outlined my plans to the board in December 2008, told them the players and the quality of players that we needed...We were often up against teams who had greater experience when we compared them, and we knew that was a factor last year when we didn't see games out. We had to address that.'

'Along with the experience we needed players with a winning mentality, we wanted to bring players with character and strength of mind, who were used to being around a winning culture. I think every one of the players who has come in has a different mentality to the ones who have left the Club. That makes the group demanding of me and more demanding of themselves.'

Hughes' signings have been in the main pretty shrewd. He now has a domestic focused season to bed them all in. All you have to do is look back to the side that started last season in a 4-2 reverse at Villa and compare it to the one that opened this campaign with a 2-0 win at Blackburn.

In truth, the changes are seismic.

It's proof enough that Sparky's ambitious aim to mix international stars with Premier League experience with MCFC Academy graduates now has a platform from which to build upon.

With 26 players offloaded by various means since last Christmas, can the City gaffer make it all click?

Two more wins at Palace and Pompey and we'll be set up to have a crack at The Gooners and The rags.

What's your view on Sparky's dealings over the last 12 months? Give us a shout both here and in the Vital MC forums...

17-08-2008 Villa 4 City 2:

Hart, Corluka, Richards, Ben-Haim, Garrido, Etuhu, Fernandes (Ireland,81), Johnson, Petrov, Elano, Evans(Sturridge,81)

Subs not used: Schmeichel, Ball, Onuoha, Caicedo, Hamann.

15-08-2009 Blackburn 0 City 2

Given, Richards, Dunne, Toure, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Barry, Robinho (Tevez,69), Adebayor, Bellamy

Subs not used: Taylor, Onuoha, Zabaleta, Petrov, de Jong.

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