End of season awards! *With Videos*

The season is over and it is now time to reflect on the good points from the season gone by, it is time for the wevegotrobinho awards.

Player of the year/most improved player: Stephen Ireland.
There was nobody in our team who came close to being as good as Stephen Ireland this year, picking him as player of the year/most improved player was easy peasy. He has weighed in with multiple goals and assists this season which have seen him recognised as one of the premier leagues best midfielders. Congratulations Stephen Ireland all that hard work you put in paid off and you have given City fans some wonderful memories this past season, long may it continue.

Young Player of the year: Nedum Onuoha.
At the start of the season I doubt that anybody would have thought Nedum would turn out to be our defensive saviour. I feel if Nedum didn't step in and install his calming influence into our defence, well lets just say our season would have been even worse. I personally see Nedum Onuoha as a future captain of City and potentially England. I hope he continues his progression next season and along with Ireland continues to be a fine representative of our youth system, who needs billionaires to buy superstars?

Best signing of the season: Zabaleta/Robinho.
Now I know what some people will think, I can't have two right? Well I really could not choose one and not the other, in fact there were other players that could be considered hard done by not to get this award. Zabaleta, I chose Zabaleta because to me he is the perfect example of a professional, he has never gave a half hearted performance whilst playing in a City shirt. He is a superb footballer and has shown that by playing in various different positions this season, I think there is much more to come from this player who has turned out to be an absolute bargain. Robinho, when Robinho arrived at City I was in shock for days, he was my favourite player to watch anywhere in the world and then all of a sudden he is in City shirt. I have to say although he had a somewhat inconsistent season I haven't been disappointed with him, he has scored 14 league goals from the wing and also displayed some unbelievable skills and this was only his first season! I am sure we have not yet seen the best of him yet and I think next season we will see more of the magical Robinho's talent.

Best game of the season: Man City 6 - 0 Portsmouth.
It was easy to pick this game because beating another premier league team by six goals is special enough, but on top of that it was the way we beat them. City really turned it on in this game and it was wonderful to watch.
The goals against Portsmouth can be seen from 3:22 onwards in the video.


Goal of the season: Robinho vs Arsenal.
There were other good goals in contention for goal of the season, but ultimately I think Robinho's against Arsenal was the best. This goal has class written all over it, the break away was fabulous and then to top it off our very own superstar Robinho finished it like there was no goalkeeper standing in his way, Pure genius!
Robinho's wonderful goal is from 0:30 onwards in the video.


Best individual performance: Robinho vs Stoke.
There was other good individual performances this season, one that stands out was the way Shaun Wright-Phillips played against Arsenal when we beat them 3 - 0 at home. Also there was obviously a load of Stephen Ireland performances I could have gone with, the reason Robinho gets it is because of his superb hat trick along with the way he played against Stoke, he ripped them apart that day and he earned his hat trick.
Robinho's hat trick can be seen from 1:39 in the video.


Highlight of the season: Signing Robinho.
I don't think anybody can argue with this choice, signing a world class superstar is definitely a huge highlight for City fans. Robinho at times has had an indifferent season for us but I also think people were expecting to much from him at times. I think his goals and assists speak for themselves and when you put his bad performances next to his good ones, overall I think he has been a success. Just to be able to sing his name has been hugely satisfying but then when he treats you to his flicks and tricks there is nobody better to watch. I do feel he can still improve and when he does we will benefit even more.
Robinho's best bits.


Readers of the season: Wevegotrobinho readers.
When I started my blog I was worried about it not being that great, I am just a normal lad who loves City and didn't know if my blog would be worth people reading. I have to say that due to my fabulous readers I have thoroughly enjoyed doing this blog and any nerves I had about how good my blog could be have now gone. My blog is about trying to gather a variation of opinions off all City fans and not just about having my say, I seem to have the best readers around for commenting and having their say on many of the subjects I write about and it makes it really rewarding for me to get that feedback. So once again a huge thank you to my readers, I really do appreciate you taking time out of your day to read my blog. Bring on next season!!!

Can Ireland signing a new deal attract players?

Today our player of the year Stephen Ireland has signed a new five year contract, great news!

It is obviously a welcome boost to hear that Ireland has signed a new deal but I am thinking ahead and wondering if Ireland signing can attract new players. He was fabulous this year and now has a reputation of being one of the best midfielders in the league, surely his fellow professionals have took note of his form and will want to play along side such a good player?

Here's what Stephen had to say on signing his new contract...........

"It was something that I've been worrying about for a few months but now it's done I can enjoy the summer.

"I never had any doubts about staying. Regardless, I was going to be here, and hopefully for the remainder of my career. I don't see why not. I really want to become a hero here, to hopefully achieve things.

"I'm settled here - I love the club, I love the fans, and I don't see what's going to make me leave this club.

"These are very exciting times. It's going to be interesting just to see what the line-up will be at the start of next season and how far we can push on. Hopefully we can compete for the title and get back into Europe."

"I've always trusted my ability, but it's only this season I've come out of my shell. I worked hard last summer to try and reach the targets I set myself. I reached some, the others are something to aim at next season.

"But I never take my place for granted. I don't think I ever would, I don't like to take my foot off the gas."

Hughes had this to say about Ireland signing..................

“Stephen’s new contract is great news for everyone concerned. He was outstanding all last season and is now one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. He thoroughly deserves all the praise that has gone his way after the hard work that he undertook last summer, and I know that he is already aiming to do even better for us next season and beyond”.

Man City 1 - 0 Bolton Wanderers (Caicedo 8')

The season is finally over, we finished it off by beating Bolton. There are parts of me that are sad that the season is over and parts that are relieved, time to look to next season from now on.

Before the game today City announced that Etihad airline will indeed be our new sponsor, a three year sponsorship deal has been agreed.

To the game, City won the game today through an early goal scored by Felipe Caicedo, there was some lovely link up play before Caicedo put the ball in the net from close range.

We played alright today and should have scored more goals but one nil is as good as five nil as long as you win I suppose. We were treated to a few tricks and flicks today and it was good to watch, of course Robinho was the leader of the gang in that respect.

Because there wasn't really anything on the line today there isn't really anything more to analyse about the way we played, I do however want to mention a couple of players.

ONUOHA: Now several times I have talked about Nedum Onuoha of late but I just can't help it, he is playing so well. His potential has always been evident but after being blighted with injury there was a worry he could have faded away, I am glad to say he hasn't. He is the type of player that you want at your club and truthfully I would consider him as a captain now or in the future. I hope he gets an England call up because he deserves it.

CAICEDO: In Caicedo we have a player that a lot of City fans do not like and the question is why do so many City fans dislike him? I know at least one reason, I know he frustrates fans because he doesn't use all that upper body strength of his. The thing is if your not that type of player your not that type of player and it is that simple. Whatever the other reasons are for disliking him just can't be good reasons because when you sum it up, he is a young lad who has been scoring goals for us this season when he has got his chance in the team. I would like to see him stay and develop further.

GLAUBER BERTI: He got to play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So the final home game of what has been a turbulent season, I know that I for one will be lost without being able to watch City playing at a weekend, suppose we will have an interesting transfer window to look forward to though.

Man City vs Bolton Wanderers - Sun 24Th May 16:00pm

Its here, the end of a frustrating season comes to an end and that familiar feeling of looking forward to the next one starts to creep in.

People would say that there is nothing to play for tomorrow but I hope the players have a different opinion, I am hoping that they will do their very best to send us all home happy and even with a bit of optimism of what might be next season.

I really want us to smash Bolton tomorrow and I think it is more than possible that we will. Bolton are not a good team and with only pride to play for I fancy City to be more expressive and hammer them.

Lets make some noise tomorrow and show our players that they are appreciated by us. I know they have let us down at times this season but lets give them something to remember what they are coming back to after their holidays, which is a club with passion, hope and loyalty that they should find themselves lucky to play for!

Nothing more to say really apart from come on City give us something to smile about!!!!!!!!!

City team news:
We are sweating on the fitness of our Brazilian superstar Robinho, he is struggling with a groin injury, I hope he passes his fitness test so we get to see him before the season finishes. Shaun Wright-Phillips and Craig Bellamy both miss out with knee injuries.

Bolton team news:
Andy O'Brien returns from illness but may only feature on the bench. Ricardo Gardner is out with a hamstring problem.

Possible Man City line up: Given, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge, De Jong, Kompany, Elano, Ireland, Robinho, Caicedo.

Possible Bolton line up: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Shittu, Samuel, K Davies, Muamba, Cohen, McCann, Taylor, Elmander.

My prediction: Man City 5 - 1 Bolton Wanderers.

Worth a bet: City win 5 - 0 or 5 - 1 and, or 5 - 1 with a De Jong goal.

Unsurprisingly Thomas Cook are gone!

Today City have confirmed that Thomas Cook will no longer sponsor the club.

Commercial Officer Steve Sayer said.............

“Over the past six seasons Manchester City and Thomas Cook have enjoyed a great partnership during what has been an incredible period for the Club.

"Thomas Cook joined the 'City partners' family as main sponsor in 2003 when the club moved to the City of Manchester Stadium.

"Since then more than 60,000 fans have booked their holiday or travelled with Thomas Cook through the City Travel Club scheme, a real success story for the partnership.

"As our official travel partner, Thomas Cook’s meticulous planning and preparation for our UEFA Cup campaign this season provided a great experience for supporters and players alike.

"The club would like to thank Thomas Cook for their support and look forward to working together in the future.”

Group chief executive of Thomas Cook, Manny Fontenla-Novoa, said............

"We’ve enjoyed a fantastic and long running partnership with Manchester City. In particular we’d like to thank the fans for the support they have shown Thomas Cook and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them and the club on a number of initiatives currently in development.

"In the meantime to show our thanks, we'll continue to let fans receive the discount that they've had from the Thomas Cook Holiday Club."

Thomas Cook have served City well over the years and it is a shame that they will no longer be our sponsor. Thomas Cook have done a lot for City and City fans over the years and the way they will continue to let us get discounted holidays sums up how good they have been for our club.

The new sponsor is yet to be confirmed but it is expected to be Etihad Airways which is an airline based in Abu Dhabi.

Our player of the year Stephen Ireland!!!!!!!!!!!

Stephen Ireland has been named player of the year by the Official Supporters Club.

This is the most unsurprising outcome for player of the year, it was always going to be awarded to Stephen Ireland. He has shown real dedication this season and his class has shone through. He has been that good that had we signed Kaka he would not have been able to take our very own Superman's place. This award is thoroughly deserved due to the work that Stephen put in to be at the peak of his game, long may it continue.

This goal sums him up.................

Impressive stuff from the chairman!

Today has seen our chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak talk about how a top six finish is required next season, he has also talked about the fans, the academy and the vision for the club.

He seems to be right on the ball and know exactly what the club needs to improve, it is refreshing when you hear the men in charge talk such sense. I was impressed with what he has said and it fills me optimism that with these people in charge we will be successful, have a read for yourself.....

On the subject of the fans and our importance Khaldoon Al Mubarak said......

"The fans are the heart and soul of this club - we have some great fans, that's one of the gems at this club and one of the things that I have found most satisfying.

"They have stuck with the club through hard times and good times. There have been hard times this year and I appreciated their support. It will be rewarded in the years to come.

"I'll never forget the Hamburg game, that was an incredible showing by our fans. We gave our hearts out to the players that night. It leaves a hunger to go back. We want that again, and I think we'll get it."

"I always knew this was going to be a difficult season, there were no illusions in my mind. It was even more difficult than I had anticipated, but I never thought it was going to be a walk in the park.

"There were high expectations but the reality is that this was a club that was eighth in the table. I'm proud because it was very clear in my mind what needed to be done, and we've done it.

"We said we would have a first season of learning and building on and off the field, and that is what we have done. We said we would build a club for the future, and we have done that.

"We said we would build and invest in the management side of the company, and we have done that, and we said we would stick with the manager, and we have done that too.

"We also said we were going to bring in as much quality as we could on the playing side in January, and we did that with Shay Given, Wayne Bridge, Nigel de Jong and Craig Bellamy."

On the subject of where the club needs to be Khaldoon Al Mubarak said......

"I think a reasonable target next season is the top six.

"I think people see me as a reasonable and realistic man, and I think given what we have done this year and the ambitions we have this summer, a top-six finish next year should be a reasonable and achievable target.

"There will be money for new players this off-season. The areas in which the team needs us to invest are clear. We need more depth and to fill the weaker areas within the squad and plans are already advanced.

"I have been talking to Garry and Mark for weeks now. We are pretty clear on what we want, and I am clear on what Mark has identified as the areas that need to be supported, and we will step up.

"We all know we are not going to splash money around, because that model, that formula, doesn't work. You're not going to buy 22 new players and then the next year you win the Premier League.

"It needs to be done sustainably, with quality management, quality infra-structure and a quality manager by the pitch. That's what we are doing. The players will come, and the results will come."

"We will not forget the Academy. It is key to our discussions. We have to be able to create that nice balance between a quality, strong first team with depth but at the same time retain the ability to bring in young, talented individuals.

"We have all seen what they (Ireland and Onuoha) have done since getting in the side. They have had fantastic seasons and there are more within the Academy. We need a good platform to bring the young lads into the team.

"Garry has done a wonderful job bringing in some incredible talent that will help take us forward. We have grown a lot as a team, and Mark has grown too. The foundations are in place for a very strong second season."

Surely what he has had to say fills us blues with hope?, I know it has given me a sense of relief, it is clear our club is in good hands.

Hughes stays, what do we think?

Today our chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has said that Mark Hughes will still be in charge of the club next season.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak said............

"I have been surprised at all the speculation because I have always been consistent with everyone on the subject of the manager," asserted Al Mubarak.''

"Every time I have spoken I have said that we have the highest confidence in Mark and I would like to re-iterate that now. Mark will be our manager next season; nothing has changed.''

"It has been a difficult season with all the rumours written about Mark's future and the number of players that we have been linked with. There has been incredible and unnecessary pressure put on Mark from outside the club - especially from the media but I recognise it comes with the game.''

"From my perspective, I think we have come a long way and I am very much looking to a big finish to the season next week against Bolton.''

"When you consider how things have gone since January I think we have accomplished things and now we can start focusing on next season.''

"For once this club can have a pre-season. This is a club that has had 10 managers in 15 years and changes of ownership it is hard to believe we have ever had a real pre-season.''

"So this time we will have that and we will do so with a year's experiences behind us and that will make us stronger. I think next year is going to be better than this one. The club has a lot more stability."

It is certain that there is going to be a lot of unhappy City fans once they hear what our chairman has had to say, I am not one of them.

In a lot of ways this season has been a total failure but I also think that there has been a lot of positives. The club as a whole is going through a huge transformation from the playing staff to the mentality of the club, a lot is changing and for it all to happen at once must be challenging.

Expectation has certainly taken over at our club and I think that some of us have been getting carried away. Sure it has been a frustrating season, we got knocked out of our domestic cups by lower league teams but then we got to the quarter final of a European competition, what can you say we are City!

So overall we have seen two very different sides from our managers team this season but I think that the good side slightly out weighs when we have been poor. To try and do what City have this season and build a club more or less from scratch must be hard on everyone.

I would like to see Hughes get another season because I believe we need the stability, I also think that he can be the man to take us forward, most of the players also seem to think so. Don't get me wrong though if we start off next season badly then I expect he will be sacked before Christmas.

What do you think?

Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 1 Man City (Defoe 29', Bojinov 65', Keane pen 86')

No fight, no desire, no conviction and no Europa league next season, our destiny was in our own hands and we have let it slip through our fingers.

We started off slow today and were punished after 29 minutes, Jermaine Defoe directing the ball home for the home team. We came out much stronger in the second half and Bojinov deservedly pulled us level with a superbly taken goal. In my view the game was stolen from us when the referee awarded Spurs a penalty that never was, Robbie Keane stepped up to slot the ball home.

As I said we started off slow today and were rightly losing when going into the break, I said that we need more fight in our game and we didn't get any. In the second half we played much better and deserved our goal but we still had no bite in our play. I was really glad to see Hughes make the double substitution of Bojinov and Benjani today, it has took him until the second to last game of the season to make this kind of change, he should have been doing it all season because it payed off.

This was really frustrating to watch today if we would have played better in the first half then the game was ours for the taking, we made Spurs look a lot better than they are. I don't know why we didn't go out on the pitch motivated for 9o minutes of hard work, but we didn't and now our dreams of more European football are gone.

There isn't much else to say it was quite straight forward, we lost another away game because we play in a totally opposite way to the way we play at home. If we are to improve away from home next season then we have some big changes to make, away from home we look scared to attack teams and almost choose to play in a negative manner. It's unexplainable really and I bet if you ask Hughes then he wouldn't have an answer as to why we play so bad away from home.

As you can probably tell I am quite disappointed not just with our performance but with some of the dubious officiating. This draining season is coming to an end now, so lets just look forward to the last home game of the season and hope that City send us away with something to smile about during the off season.

City news is slow, have a look at this!

There hasn't been any news links about City added to news now for hours, I thought I would give City fans something to have a look at. This is one of my favourite City videos from YouTube ever, I have lost count of the the amount of times I have watched it, hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Man City - Sat 16Th May 15:00 pm

Another away game, can't they just let us play all our games at home? Seriously though we have a huge challenge ahead of us when we arrive at White Hart Lane, we can not afford to lose if we want 7Th spot.

PALACIOS: Before I start with the preview, Wilson Palacios will miss the game against us, although from a football point of view it is good for City due to how much of a good player he is, it was due to a tradegy that he misses the game. Wilson is back home with his family because his brother was murdered. I send my best wishes and also on behalf of all City fans out to Wilson and his family during this tough time, I hope he fully recovers from this terrible tradegy and is back at his best next season for Spurs.

Tomorrows game has the making of a really good game of football, I feel that City and Spurs are at a similar standard. We can both be inconsistent and then the flip side is we can both be great to watch. The revival at Spurs has seen them into 8Th place in the league and one point above City, they will prove a tough test for us in a game that is a must win for both teams.

I am quite nervous about this game, it is a really important game and although it pains me to say, normally we mess up at the times when we really can't afford to. As always I am not worried about our quality and would have our squad over Tottenham's, the thing is having that quality is no good when you don't have an ounce of fight in you. We only really have Zabaleta who gives us that fight within our team, De Jong also has it in his game but not consistently. I just feel that we don't unsettle teams well enough, we need to start getting in the oppositions faces more and the odd kick now and again wouldn't hurt.

The player that I think can win the game for us tomorrow is our main man, Stephen Ireland. He was quite well marshalled last weekend but I don't think Spurs will be able to have the same effect on him. Ireland has been responsible for a lot of our good performances this season and I am hoping that there is room on his shoulders to carry us through the last two games of the season. I think if he is on form tomorrow then we can win, opposition midfielders can simply not handle his midfield runs, his passing ability or his work rate, I think he also surprises a lot of people because he can tackle as well.

City team news:
Robinho (groin) is out, Bellamy is still out with a knee injury. Sturridge doesn't look to have got over his hip injury, Benjani has been back in training but isn't expected to feature in the squad. Wright-Phillips may return to the squad after being out with a knee injury.

Tottenham team news:
Benoit Assou-Ekotto could make a comeback after being out with a foot injury, Jamie O'Hara misses out having just had an operation on his knee and Darren Bent and Michael Dawson are still out injured. Aaron Lennon is struggling with a groin problem and as stated Wilson Palacios will miss the game.

Possible Man City line up: Given, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge, De Jong, Kompany, Elano, Ireland, Petrov, Caicedo.

Possible Tottenham line up: Gomes, Corluka, Woodgate, King, Assou-Ekotto, Jenas, Huddlestone, Zokora, Modric, Keane, Defoe.

My prediction: Tottenham 1 - 2 Man City.

Worth a bet: Petrov scores in a 2 -1 City win.

So many rumours, who would the fans sign?

There are so many rumours and false claims about who City are signing within the press it is starting to become annoying. It got me thinking and I realised that the only people not having a say on who they would like to see play for City is arguably the most important people, us the fans.

We have been linked with every player on the planet most recently we have been linked with Spanish legend Raul, there is a strong belief that Tevez could be on his way to Eastlands and the Ronaldinho link has even resurfaced. A lot of City fans will like the idea of signing these kind of players but who exactly would you like us to sign?

Players I would like to sign are......




In case you don't know who all these guys are..... from left to right. Mario Gómez (striker), Yaya Touré (midfielder), Lorik Cana (midfielder), Luís Fabiano (striker), Taye Taiwo (defender).

The reasons that I have chosen these five players is that firstly they are all extremely good players who I think can take us to the next level and secondly I think that we could pull off the signings of all five players. Granted it would take a little bit of wheeling and dealing to get a couple of these players into the club, overall though I think it would be possible to get all of them.

Feel free to have your opinion on my choices and also please do tell me who you would like to sign.

Are these our new kits?

These our the latest pictures of our supposed shirts for next season. This is the first full set of 'leaked' shirts that I am aware of and I really like all of them, I would not be disappointed with any of them. I really hope that these are not fakes because they are all smart, but until the club actually release official word we will just not know for sure.

What do you think of them?

Man Utd 2 - 0 Man City (Ronaldo 18', Tevez 45')

Beaten away from home again, a bit different this time though we were playing Man Utd at Old Trafford after all.

City started off brightly today and we were comfortable for the first 20 minutes or so, though we were knocked out of our stride a bit when Utd scored. Utd were awarded a free kick after Stephen Ireland made a good tackle on Berbatov, for me never a foul, Ronaldo stepped up to take it the the ball deflecting off De Jong and into the net. City were still not playing badly as such but Utd still managed to score a second goal, Tevez with an individual effort doubled Utd's lead.

It isn't hard to dissect our performance today, we played ok today and at least didn't disgrace ourselves, we did however let ourselves down when it came to doing the basics. We gave the ball away far to much and were not picking up the loose balls, when we went forward we posed no threat and continuously over played the ball when we just needed someone to go direct instead of knocking it around.

When you play a team as good as Man Utd it is hard to find to much fault because of how good your opponents are, there was one thing though I was particularly unhappy about today. I didn't think we got anywhere close to the passion level we should have reached, there was no conviction in our play, I expect blood sweat and tears when you put on that shirt in a game that is so important to the people that pay your wages. If the truth is known then we shown Utd to much respect and were not nasty enough, people do things different ways but I think that you have to kick teams like Utd all over the pitch to help stop them.

I was also disappointed with certain players and the manager today, Elano was disgraceful and Hughes should have replaced him at half time as he wasn't effecting the game what so ever. The Brazilian International as he refers to himself was dreadful in every department, his passing was particularly bad and I think that if Wright-Phillips is fit for the next game then Elano only has himself to blame if he is dropped.

There was two players that really stood out for us today and they were Richard Dunne and Nedum Onuoha, they were both fantastic and were the only two in my opinion that did wear our shirt with pride today. Dunney and Nedum were immense today and when you think about it kept Utd very quiet, they were both playing with passion and pride today. Their tackling, tracking back, positioning and even passing were all excellent today, their performance just reminded you that Dunney will never let you down when you need him as always and that Nedum is a true City lad who will be our Mr reliant for many years to come.

I hope that there isn't to many distraught City fans tonight, Utd are just better than us it is that simple, I mean it can't be bad when you can take Ronaldo off and bring Rooney on. It is exactly what we must aspire to, keep faith because our time will come again very soon you can bank on that.

To finish off I am not a bad loser so I just want to say that I hope the Man Utd fans are having safe journeys home to London and Ireland.

Man Utd vs Man City - Sun 10Th May 13:30 pm

Another away game in our quest for 7Th place, we are in good form and go to Old Trafford believing that we can get a result.

When it comes around to derby day a lot of people say that it is strange that I don't seem to hate Utd much even though I am a massive blue. The truth is that I don't have a care in the world about what United are up to and never have, to me they are just another team and the day I do start to care if they are winning or losing trophies that's when I will be worried, there is only one team I am interested in and that is Manchester City.

So its derby day but for me that is not the most important thing, I don't care about beating United because it is United but because we need three points to help us move up to 7Th place.

Nearly everyone has already got us down as beaten and there is a good possibility that will be the case but I think we deserve more respect than that, if the Man Utd players are in the same mindset and already think its a win in the bag, then they might get a shock.

We should have a lot of confidence at the moment and even more confidence in the fact that it is possible for us to win at Old Trafford, something we proved with our heroic win last season. Obviously United are a great side and to beat them at home twice in a row is a hell of a hard task, but achievable. City will really want to make it five wins in a row, get a win against our rivals and take those three points so we can push for Europe, so I don't think anyone can afford to take us lightly.

In the build up to the Everton game I said that we will need to work hard to beat them and I think the same goes for this game. We have to unsettle United, be on top of them at every possible moment and give them a dig or two. Basics will also be very important tomorrow, we must not give the ball away because against United that is suicide, we must also be the first to every loose ball and win every 50/50, if we do these things then I think we are half way to a result. The other half will need to come from our attacking ability and individual talent, we can score goals against any team in this league when we get our attacking right so tomorrow the likes of Robinho, Ireland and Elano will be more than important to us.

I am hoping Elano in particular is in good form tomorrow because when he plays well our team can score goals, as well as hoping he is in good form I am expecting him to be, he has had a good run in the side now and there isn't a better time for him to hit his peak than tomorrow.

Now although we do need our attackers in form I personally think that our most important players for the game against Man Utd could be De Jong and Kompany, the job they do is so important to our team. They don't hit the headlines as much as the likes of Ireland and Robinho but that's because the job they do is done so discreetly. They will be very important if we are to shut down United's main threat their midfield, if we stop their creators then we stop Man Utd. De Jong is also handy to have around when you need someone to give the opposition a dig, I am also hoping Zabaleta will play because he can dish it out a bit too.

Whatever the result tomorrow we can't lose really, if we win of course we will be ecstatic but if we lose at least we will be losing City fans and being a City fan and not a rag fan from the swamp is the main thing.

City team news:
Wright-Phillips is still struggling with a knee injury and will face a late fitness test. Sturridge (hip) is expected to miss out and Bellamy is definitely out with a knee injury. Zabaleta should return to the team after being out with a hamstring injury. Benjani has joined in on some training this week but isn't expected to make the squad.

Man United team news:
Gary Neville returns to the team after being out with a foot injury, Wes Brown hasn't had the same luck, his foot injury is keeping him on the sideline. Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes are all pushing for a start after only making the bench in midweek.

Possible Man City line up: Given, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge, De Jong, Kompany, Elano, Ireland, Robinho, Caicedo.

Possible Man Utd line up: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Fletcher, Scholes, Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov.

My Prediction: Man Utd 1 - 3 Man City.

Worth a bet: Ireland or Elano score the first goal in a City win.

What do we think about the Raul link?

Now I don't normally write about player rumours until there seems to be some truth in them, but Raul is a special player.

One of the leading news sources in Spain Marca, who are said to have close ties with Real Madrid have said that City have made an offer to Raul. It is being said that a £35 million pound deal spread over a four year period is on the table for the 31 year old and it is also being said that Robinho has recommended the signing of Raul to our owner.

Now to answer a question left by one of my readers Peter Gregson, what do I think? Well personally I am a really really big fan of Raul and have been for some time, so to see him in a blue shirt would be amazing. But when I go past the excitement of the possibility of him signing and look at the big picture these figures don't add up, for a start a four year contract for a man who is only 31 and already slowing down is ridiculous and then to pay him £35 million over those four years is just unrealistic.

If we did pay him massive money and give him a long contract everyone would have a field day, it just wouldn't make sense. I also wonder and always have whether Raul could cut it in the Premier League, I think his style of play would suggest not.

All in all I would love to have him at City, just not on the terms that have been reported. I think he would bring that experience we need and could be a good signing for that alone, as well as that even though I don't think he will score goals in the Premier League he just can not be written off in that department, he was after all born to score goals.

So to throw that question back at Peter and the rest of my readers, what do you think?

Message for my readers

Firstly I would like to apologise to the readers of my blog, I have had a very busy personal life lately and as a result I haven't been able to post as many articles on my blog. Normal service will resume very shortly.

Secondly to all the readers who have told me that they struggle with the colours when reading my blog, I haven't been ignoring the problem. I really can't come to a solution by simply changing the colours, it is hard to find colours that will look smart and that are practical, I have been exploring other solutions though.

I thought that I might have been able to find something on the Internet that I could put on so that readers could change the colour to what suits them, as yet I have not been able to find anything. I then asked my friend who is a web designer for advice, he is currently trying to see if he can make me a code to add to my blog so that the reader can change the colour themselves, fingers crossed.

Man City 3 - 1 Blackburn Rovers (Caicedo 27' Robinho 34' Elano 45'(pen), Andrews 66')

I knew we would win today, we weren't amazing but luckily for us Blackburn were a very poor side, either way another important three points for us.

We started slow today and Blackburn had a lot of the ball in the opening minutes of the game and surprisingly to me they were knocking it around quite well. Once we settled a little the game became more even, City were not at their best and were probably edging being the better of two poor teams. City went ahead through a close range Felipe Caicedo goal, Robinho then added a second with a nicely placed finish and our third was scored by Elano from the penalty spot after Gael Givet was penalised for hand ball. Blackburn also scored from the penalty spot. Diouf had the initial penalty saved, unfortunately after some great goalkeeping from Shay Given, Keith Andrews managed to put the loose ball in the back of the net.

I was a bit disappointed with our performance today particularly the first half showing, we could of really battered a very poor team but our players did not take the chance and strolled through the first half. The second half was better, we stretched them at the back more and looked a little more like our usual attacking self. There isn't really anymore detail to go into about the performance today, we weren't terrible but at the same time we didn't play anywhere close to our ability levels and will not get away with playing like that against better teams. There is a straight forward conclusion, we need to be much better than we were today in our remaining games if we are to grab 7Th place.

I did pick out some positives in relation to certain players performances from today's game. Firstly the job that Kompany and De Jong did today was really good, they go about what they do in a very quiet but very effective manner. I don't think people who aren't City fans realise how good these two guys are when you talk about them, the way they quietly go around the pitch picking pockets and disrupting the oppositions play is class, Hughes certainly made two fantastic signings when he brought them in. The other player I was really impressed with today was Wayne Bridge, his defending seemed to have improved by 200% over night. He was intercepting, tackling, his positioning was a hell of a lot better and his forward runs were excellent. I have been a big critic of his but for good reason, I hope he continues to play as well as he did today because it will be a welcome boost to our charge for 7Th.

To round up, we didn't play our best, we took three points and the race for 7Th is still on. They say its the sign of a good team to win when playing badly, hopefully the bad performance is behind us and we will be at our very best next week.

Man City vs Blackburn Rovers - Sat 2nd May 15:00 pm

Blackburn next and considering our form at the moment particularly our home form, this should be a home win. Blackburn are fighting for their lives though and will not give us an easy game.

After our wonderful win and performance at Everton, this game is a must win. If we do win this game it will really set us up for our last ditch attempt at finishing 7Th, it will also give the team even more confidence ahead of a certain away match.

I was really happy with our win at Everton, most importantly we came away with three points but the players application also seemed spot on. I am sure that if we play in the same way on Saturday then Blackburn are in for a beating and maybe even a hammering.

Without tempting fate I feel really confident about this game and I am not that nervous. I think the win against Everton has given me most of that confidence, for a change in an away game we saw City go and run the game and dictate play, we even kept our shape!

I am definitely expecting an easy victory tomorrow, the only thing I think we have to worry about is Christopher Samba playing up front because we dont really deal with aerial threats to well. At the same time though I expect the ball to be in their half for the majority of the game so Samba shouldn't be a problem.

City team news:
Bellamy (knee), Zabaleta (hamstring), Sturridge (hip) and Wright-Phillips (ankle) all miss out with injury. Micah Richards should be fit after coming off injured against Everton. After good performances for the reserves Bojinov and Petrov are expected to be in the squad.

Blackburn Rovers team news:
David Dunn (Achilles), Roque Santa Cruz (knee) and Jason Roberts (fractured metatarsal) will all be missing for the away team.

Possible Man City line up: Given, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge, De Jong, Kompany, Elano, Ireland, Robinho, Caicedo.

Possible Blackburn Rovers line up: Robinson, Ooijer, Nelsen, Givet, Warnock, Diouf, Grella, Tugay, Pedersen, Samba, McCarthy.

My prediction: Man City 4 - 0 Blackburn Rovers

Worth a bet: Caicedo, Robinho and Ireland all score in a
4 - 0 City win, a 3 - 0 score line to back up the 4 - 0 might be worth having.