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E.ON Great Saves No.1: Bert Trautmann
FA Cup final, May 5, 1956
Goals from Joe Hayes, Bobby Johnstone and Jack Dyson saw Manchester City get their hands on the famous trophy for a third time. But it was the remarkable heroics of former Prisoner of War Bert Trautmann for which this FA Cup final will forever be remembered

Manchester City
Joe Hayes (3)
Bobby Johnstone (62)
Jack Dyson (64)

Birmingham
Noel Kinsey (15)

Wembley, Referee: Alf Bond, Fulham, Att: 100,000

Manchester City were leading 3-1 with 73 minutes on the clock, when Birmingham forward Peter Murphy outpaced his marker and looked certain to set up a grandstand finale. But Bert Trautmann had other ideas, as the City stopper came tearing out of his goal and dived bravely at the feet of Murphy to win the ball. Trautmann suffered a sickening blow to the neck from the right knee of Murphy in the process, knocking him unconscious. Several minutes of treatment ensued before Trautmann unsteadily returned to his feet and insisted on playing out the remainder of the match. Trautmann, clearly suffering from the clash, then proceeded to thwart Birmingham on a number of occasions, with his crowning glory a typically brave dive at the feet of Murphy which ensured the match remained 3-1. The stop was made all the more impressive when, three days later, Trautmann discovered he had played out the game with a broken neck.

Key Figures
Bert Trautmann
After serving as a German paratrooper during the Second World War, Trautmann was captured by the British and sent to a Prisoner of War camp at Ashton in Makerfield, near Wigan. It was there Trautmann honed his football skills in camp matches, first as an outfield player, before an injury saw him try his hand at goalkeeping. Trautmann proved a natural between the sticks and joined local team St Helens once the war ended, where he impressed so much that First Division Manchester City handed him a contract in 1949. Despite fierce opposition to the signing of an ex-POW, Trautmann soon became a fans' favourite and his heroics in the FA Cup final cemented his status as a City legend.

Peter Murphy
The forward had netted five times in Birmingham's run to the final, but could find no way past an inspired Trautmann at Wembley. Bearing down on goal with 17 minutes left, Murphy seemed certain to drag his team back into the match but didn't bargain on Trautmann diving head-first at his feet to prevent him from pulling the trigger. Despite Trautmann suffering immense pain for the remainder of the game, Murphy was again thwarted late on by the incredibly brave City stopper.

Did You Know...?
When Trautmann joined Manchester City in October 1949, more than 20,000 people attended a demonstration to express anger over the club’s decision to sign the former AXIS paratrooper. Fifteen years later Trautmann was handed a testimonial by City, where a crowd in excess of 47,000 paid tribute to him.

Trautmann was the first German to play in an FA Cup final when he appeared for Manchester City against Newcastle in 1955. A year later he became the first German to win the competition and, in 1956, was also the first goalkeeper – and foreigner - to win the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year award. In 2004 he was appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for promoting Anglo-German understanding through football.

What Happened Next
A few months after the final, tragedy struck for Trautmann when his first-born son John was killed in a car crash at the age of five. Trautmann was also forced to spend a lengthy period out of the game due to his neck injury, missing most of the 1956-57 season. He eventually managed to regain full fitness, however, and remained at Maine Road until 1964 - making 545 appearances for the club over 15 years.

This season E.ON is celebrating Great Saves - great energy saves at home and great goalkeeping saves on the pitch. To win an exciting range of football prizes, with everything from signed football and shirts to a set of four family tickets at the FA Cup final go to eongreatsaves
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive ... 71729.html

Cup king Roberto Mancini is targeting Wembley glory to add to his 10 Coppa Italias.
Mancini virtually owns Italy’s equivalent of the FA Cup, having won it six times as player with Sampdoria and Lazio between 1985 – when Graeme Souness was his team-mate - and 2000. He maintained his Midas touch as a manager and lifted it again with Fiorentina in 2001 and Lazio in 2004. His success with Lazio was the first of three consecutive triumphs as he went on to win it again in 2005 and 2006 with Inter Milan.
The Manchester City boss knows all about the tradition and history of the FA Cup and is desperate to get his hands on the famous old trophy. “I won the Coppa Italia six times as a player and four times as a manager with three different clubs and it would be great to think I could do that at City too,” said the Italian. “In Italy the cup is perhaps not taken so seriously until teams reach the semi final stages, but here it is different. “We are excited by the FA Cup. I know that in England it is a very important competition.” Mancini refuses to downgrade today’s third-round tie at Middlesbrough to concentrate on Wednesday’s huge Carling Cup semi against Manchester United.“We want to do well and to do that we must win at Middlesbrough,” he said.“I have told the players that they should not be thinking about the semi final either.“We must have full attention on the FA Cup and then prepare for the next game as soon as the final whistle goes.”



GORDON STRACHAN reckons taking on Manchester City today will be like using a water pistol in a machine-gun battle.
The Scot's Middlesbrough strugglers are down to the bare bones and have just one fit striker - Marcus Bent - to take on Roberto Mancini's City slickers. Things are so bad they have had to draft 16-year-old Luke Williams into the squad.

Boro are struggling badly all over the park and taking on the super-rich Eastlands outfit is not what former Manchester United star Strachan needs right now. The Boro boss reckons the massive investment in the blue half of Manchester has been good for football. He said: "Certain clubs have had money for ages while the other clubs have had to operate beneath them with lesser players. "But now Man City and Chelsea have the money, they are able to buy players and compete. "You have to deal with it. It's like when I came up against Manchester United and it was 'Me versus Alex Ferguson'. It's a bit unfair that, like earlier in the season it was Tony Mowbray versus Arsene Wenger. "It's like he has a machine gun and you have a water pistol. Deal with it, it can happen." Strachan, who is hoping to make Celtic's Barry Robson his first signing of the transfer window next week, fears City could hit Boro where it hurts. He added: "They are flying. I came back from the Barnsley game the other weekend thinking we had done well but still got beat but then you watch the telly and think, 'Yeah, this will be interesting'. "Then you turn it off after an hour because you know how they are going to play. "They have fantastic wide players, midfield is solid, I don't know how much it cost to put their defence together. And you ask, 'Where are the weaknesses?' "Well then you have a problem. You just have to get the best out of your players and see what happens on the day. "You have to try and put the best performance on so it sets you up well for the second half of the season and the new year. I am looking to rectify what has been a bad year for Middlesbrough and we must make 2010 a good year."

Mancini admits he has been blown away by Carlos Tevez during his first two weeks at City. The Argentine has scored three in two matches for the new boss to make it eight goals in December. Mancini said: "I do not like to pick out individuals because we have been collectively very good in the two games we have won against Stoke and Wolves - but Carlos Tevez has been outstanding. "He is a world-class striker who has shown that he is in top form. "He is playing with a smile on his face and eight goals in the month of December is an incredible effort. "Confidence is a great thing with players and especially when it comes to goalscoring." Mancini was a top international striker himself, so has particularly enjoyed working with Tevez. He added "Carlos' team ethic is fantastic and he has a good understanding with the players around him. "His movement and pace worries defenders and he is clever too. "He has scored 12 times already for the City since he came to the club and that is an impressive ratio."

TOTTENHAM are poised to make a £12 million January swoop for Manchester City’s Micah Richards.
England defender Richards’ place in the City team under Roberto Mancini could be under threat this month, with the new manager set to reshape his team with big-money moves for several players. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has been an admirer of Richards for some time and is ready to make a bid for a player whose career seems to have stalled after a meteoric start.

City, meanwhile, have sounded out Sol Campbell as a possible solution to their ongoing defensive crisis – especially if Spurs’ offer for Richards is too tempting to ignore. City are ready to press the button on a £25m joint swoop for West Ham’s Matthew Upson and Borussia Dortmund’s Neven Subotic. But they are understood to have approached Campbell to see if he would be interested in a short-term deal if they fail to land one or both of those players. City are desperate for defensive reinforcements with Joleon Lescott sidelined for another month with a knee ligament injury, Kolo Toure now away at the African Nations Cup and Nedum On uoha also injured. Campbell, who became available to play again when the transfer window opened yesterday after breaking his contract with Notts County earlier this season, would be keen to resurrect his career at City, even if it was only to the end of the season. Ironically, City’s neighbours United also approached Campbell last month when they were in the grip of a defensive injury crisis but dropped their interest when they discovered he could not play immediately because of contractual red tape.

TRANSFER BOLLOX
Real Madrid are preparing a £60m move for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, who is their top summer transfer target, and will pursue him in the same way they chased Cristiano Ronaldo last season. Daily Star

Liverpool are set to sign Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy next week and also hope to bring in his Real Madrid team-mate Rafael van der Vaart on loan until the end of the season.The Sun

As well as Van Nistelrooy, Reds boss Rafael Benitez is poised to bring in Atletico Madrid winger Maxi Rodrigez on loan - but he will have to offload striker Andriy Voronin first to free up space on the club's wage bill and hopes to sell him to CSKA Moscow or Dynamo Moscow in a £1.5m deal.Daily Telegraph

Voronin is set to join German side Hertha Berlin, who he played for on loan last season, in a permanent £2.5m deal. The Sun

Birmingham are close to wrapping up a £2.5m deal for Sporting Gijon midfielder Michel and are set to make a £3.5m bid to sign midfielder Craig Gardner from Aston Villa. Daily Mirror

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has ruled out making another bid for Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh. The Sun

Wenger is confident of beating Tottenham and Everton to sign Chamakh when he becomes a free agent in the summer after being told there is no chance of buying the Moroccan in January - but the Gunners boss is also considering buying another striker this month and is interested in Wolfsburg's Edin Dzeko and Toulouse's Andre-Pierre Gignac. Daily Mirror

Hull City boss Phil Brown hopes to agree a loan deal with Manchester City striker Felipe Caicedo, who is currently on loan at Sporting Lisbon. The Sun

Cash-strapped Portsmouth's hopes of raising money by selling players in the January transfer window have been hit by a lack of interest in their players. Daily Telegraph

Portsmouth's hopes of selling former Tottenham midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng to Blackburn for £4m could be scuppered by a Fifa rule preventing players from playing for more than two clubs in the same season.The Times

Burnley boss Owen Coyle fears Portsmouth's financial crisis could ruin his hopes of keeping on-loan Pompey striker David Nugent at Turf Moor.Daily Mirror

Tottenham will recall midfielder Jamie O'Hara when his loan spell ends at Portsmouth this month and send him on loan to another Premier League club.Daily Mail

Birmingham have made an offer of more than £3m for Peterborough striker Aaron McLean, who has been watched by scouts from a host of other Premier League sides.The Sun

Tottenham have agreed a deal to sign Brazilian international midfielder Sandro from Internacional but may have to wait until the summer for him to arrive at White Hart Lane. The Times

Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan looks like being priced out of a move for Celtic striker Scott McDonald after being told the Australian international would cost him £3.5m. Daily Mirror

Celtic are interested in Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy, who would be allowed to leave Ewood Park for £2.5m.Daily Mail

Sheffield United have turned down Newcastle's £1m bid for centre-back Matt Kilgallon.The Sun

Crystal Palace must sell teenage winger Victor Moses this month to ease their financial problems and will accept £3m for the 19-year-old - who is being trailed by Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal, Birmingham, Wigan, Everton and West Brom. Daily Mail

WAG OF THE DAY

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OTHER BOLLOX
Burnley boss Owen Coyle, who ruled himself out of the running for the vacant Bolton job earlier this week, is set to make a dramatic U-turn and will leave the Clarets to take charge at the Reebok Stadium.The Sun

Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock is desperate to get the Bolton job, and Wanderers will turn to the former Sheffield United boss if they fail to land Coyle. Daily Express

Sacked Preston boss Alan Irvine is on the shortlist to become Sheffield Wednesday's next manager, along with former Bolton manager Gary Megson. The Sun

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill insists winger Ashley Young is not a diver. Daily Mirror

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will rest most of his first team in Sunday's FA Cup tie against West Ham, and says "winning the League is more important". The Sun

When we've got no defenders fit - why the fuck would we sell one to Spuds - Clowns!

Walsall set to reap benefits of Manchester City youth system
CHRIS Hutchings believes Walsall will reap the benefit of Manchester City’s acclaimed youth system after completing the signing of Clayton McDonald. The young central defender has signed an 18-month deal with the Saddlers following his release by the Premiership club. His ability and temperament were well-known to Hutchings from three months on loan to Walsall earlier in the season and the manager saw enough during that time to want to bring the 21-year-old back on a more permanent basis. Liverpool-born McDonald, son of former Walsall striker Rod, learned his trade through the youth system at City and captained their reserve team before seeing his path to the first-team blocked by a glut of big-money signings. “We are delighted to have secured Clayton’s services on a permanent basis,” Hutchings said. “He settled into the club extremely well during his loan spell here and is an emerging player of undoubted talent and ability. “He has been given an excellent grounding in the game at Manchester City and we will reap the benefits as he continues his development here at Walsall. This is a good signing for the club.” McDonald started eight games during his loan spell with the Saddlers to add to initial first-team experience he garnered during previous loan spells from City to Macclesfield and Chesterfield. He is eligible for the home game against Charlton today and is sure to be involved in the next six weeks with the Saddlers’ already congested fixture list thickened up further by rearranged games.

Big spending Manchester City have made a move to shore up their defence with Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic.

City boss Roberto Mancini wants two new centre halves in January to as Kolo Toure is away on African Nations Cup duty and Joleon Lescott is out for more than a month after knee surgery. The City hierarchy have targeted 21-year-old Serbian stopper Subotic even though Dortmund have insisted he is not for sale in January, despite interest from City, Juventus and Real Madrid. Subotic signed a new long-term contract with Dortmund last summer but City’s wealth mean they may be able to test the German club’s resolve. They also fancy West Ham’s Matt Upson but Tottenham are favourites to land the England defender ahead of City as Spurs boss Harry Redknapp prepares to wheel and deal in January. Tottenham are also interested in City’s England defender Micah Richards but he may not be allowed to leave Eastlands with the club already facing a defensive injury crisis. City are also considering a move for former England defender Sol Campbell who is a free agent after quitting Notts County.
But the chances of City signing 35-year-old Campbell depend on other deals and whether they can get the likes of Subotic and Upson. Struggling Hull are desperate to sign Campbell while Newcastle have struggled to put together a package to lure him to St James’s Park.

Inter are ready to cash in on Maicon and use the €39 million profit his sale would generate to spend on Arsenal sensation Cesc Fabregas. According to Tuttosport, the Nerazzurri right-back is wanted by Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini and the report claims City are ready to meet the €45 million asking price for the Brazilian - who arrived at the San Siro from Monaco four seasons for €6 m - meaning Inter would have a substantial cash injection that will go straight into funding a move for Fabregas. It's no secret that Inter president Massimo Moratti is keen on bringing in a top quality midfielder. It is said Fabregas would allow the Nerazzurri the chance to make the huge step up in quality and deliver the Champions League - a trophy Moratti has been craving for for decades.However, Arsenal want more than just a mega cash offer. The Gunners have been long-time admirers of Mario Balotelli.
A cash deal plus Balotelli is what they are looking for in order to allow the Spanish star freedom to join Inter. But, Moratti has always stressed that the Italian is not for sale under any circumstances.Barcelona have also been on the trail of Fabregas, who on numerous occasions has pledged his loyalty to the Gunners.

QUIZ question - which City player has a Premier League winner's medal but hasn't played a minute in the top flight for nearly two years?
The same player has been an ever-present in the Blues squad this season, but again without spending a moment on the pitch.
The answer is goalkeeper Stuart Taylor, who has made a career out of being an understudy to some of the world's top keepers - by accident rather than design. It looks like the life of Riley, from the outside. Taylor does his work on the training pitch all week, and then has to sit on the bench on a Saturday and watch his pal Shay Given turning in superlative performance after superlative performance.
But the truth is that Taylor, beneath the hats, gloves and thermal suit, is a bag of nerves. "I find it more nerve-racking sitting on the bench than I do actually being out there playing because at any time something can happen and you always have to be ready," said the 6ft 5in 29-year-old. "If you start the game, in your head you know exactly what you have to do, and focus on it. On the bench, about 99 per cent of the time you don't go on, but that one per cent can happen at any time, and you have to be ready."

Taylor can't remember the last time he played, although that may be because he has blotted it from his memory - his most recent first-team outing was on loan for Cardiff at Preston in April, when the Bluebirds were blitzed 6-0. His last Premier League appearance was nearly two years ago, for Aston Villa in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool. But Taylor did not set out to make a career out of being No 2. He just had the bad fortune - or good luck, depending on which way you look at it - to end up working with some of the best keepers the Premier League has seen. He began his career as deputy to David Seaman and then Jens Lehmann at Arsenal, went on to be stand-in for Thomas Sorensen and Brad Friedel at Villa, and is now behind Given in the City pecking order. "It's not your intention when you start out," said Taylor, who arrived at City almost unnoticed in a summer of high-profile signings.
"I was at Arsenal at first, behind David Seaman, who was at the top of his game and, in my eyes, one of the best goalies in the world. "He was getting towards the back-end of his career, so he was at a point where he was picking up injuries quite a lot. So that time was quite good for me because I was younger and getting the chance to play quite a lot of games. "I was getting at least 10 games a season so for me at the time it was very good. I was getting games and learning from the best in the business." That was when he picked up the coveted Premier League medal, playing 10 games in the 2001-02 season. "But then Jens Lehmann came in, I was still No 2 and I got an injury to my shoulder which put me out for a season, so they brought in Manuel Almunia," he continued. football, and there's not a l"When I got fit the manager told me I wouldn't be getting my place back, so it was obviously time to move on. "I went to Aston Villa, because they told me I would get chances to play. That didn't materialise, so it wasn't really the idea to go there and sit on the bench, but to get the chance to play and then go from there. "It didn't work out, and I got stuck on the bench. Then a new manager came in and brought in Brad Friedel, and again I was stuck on the bench. Then they brought in another American lad, Brad Guzan, and I was No 3 - and then got the chance to come to City.
"I knew I was coming here as No 2, but it was nice to be part of a big club where something good was going to happen.
"So I took my chance. This is the only time I have made the decision to come to a place where I knew I would be No 2. "A lot of people might look at my career and think I have been happy sitting around, but that's not the way it was meant to be.

"But that's ot I can do about it now. Now I'm just happy to be with a club which will be involved in doing big things." Mark Hughes brought Taylor in so he could allow Joe Hart to go on loan to Birmingham and gain valuable Premier League experience.
That move has proved a spectacular success. Rather then vegetate on the bench, Hart has become one of the league's top performers between the sticks and is even being considered for Fabio Capello's World Cup squad in the summer. That means 33-year-old Given has a natural successor when his powers begin to wane. And Taylor is happy, for the first time in his career, to be an able deputy. "At any time you can get injured, and it's no good just switching off," he said. "The moment you switch off is the moment you come unstuck. "I could come in and do nothing in training, just take it easy. But then you will gradually start to slip away, and you can bet that would be the weekend something happens to Shay, and you have to be ready. "That is the way you end up making yourself look stupid. "There are probably plenty of No 2's who do approach it like that, thinking they are not going to play, but I've never been like that.

"I have always been someone who believes something can happen at any time. "I came on quite a lot for Arsenal when Seaman was getting older, I came on a couple of times for Thomas Sorensen, and Scott Carson got sent off once against United - and I came on and saved a Wayne Rooney penalty! "As a sub goalie you have to be prepared. It doesn't happen often, but you have to be prepared. "That's the job of a No 2 goalkeeper. It's not ideal, but it's the decision I have made." Goalkeeper is a strange exception to the rule about competition for places. Managers who want outfield players battling each other for places also tend to want an established pecking order when it comes to their stoppers. That is something of which Taylor has fallen foul, although he doesn't see it that way. "There is only one spot," he says. "If you are a midfielder there are four, maybe five, positions you can play. "You have to be a good goalkeeper in the Premier League, but there are elite keepers, and when a manager has one you can understand him wanting to play that keeper in every game, because he will save you so many points a season. "There are clubs that have two goalkeepers of similar standard, and managers can think like that, but normally you have a No 1 and a No 2." City are lucky to have one of those "elite" keepers and Taylor has no hesitation in placing Given up there with the best. "Seaman was a fantastic keeper, very consistent, someone who never seemed to make amazing saves but just made everything look so comfortable," he said. "Friedel is a great all-round keeper, an unbelievable performer in the Premier League since day one - and a fantastic man. "Shay is slightly smaller than the average keeper, but covers his goal fantastically and sometimes has no right to make the saves he does. "His kicking is possibly one of his biggest strengths. as well. It's something people don't always see in him, but he can pick people out, hit a volley into someone's chest or pick out a play er on the run. I started off working with David Seaman, John Lukic and Bob Wilson, moved on to Friedel and Sorensen, and now I am here working with Shay. It's been a pleasure."

Thats a class WAG. Anything else interesting in your bollox Chinners?