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Not a bad little article for a journo. Gave us a 7/10 rating as a success for the season overall. Red Scouse got 3/10 btw.

Manager:
Roberto Mancini – Five months into the job at Eastlands, Mancini deserves, and will get, more time to mould the team into his image. The Italian has made improvements since succeeding Mark Hughes in December by ironing out defensive flaws and improving the mentality, but there is still work to do in convincing some of players to sign up to his ethos.

Best player:
Carlos Tévez – Where would City be without Tévez had he not swapped Old Trafford for Eastlands last summer? Twenty-nine goals in his first season at the club underlines his impact, but too many of his team-mates have failed to match his output. Some doubt over whether Tévez will be happy to settle for the Europa League next season, so Manchester City must address that quickly.

Worst player:
Robinho –- It would be easy to single out the injury-prone Roque Santa Cruz or the likes of Stephen Ireland, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Micah Richards, who have all flattered to deceive this season. But Robinho has been a disaster at Eastlands – an expensive one, too – so his January loan to Santos only emphasised the magnitude of his failure to succeed. If he never comes back, City will not miss him.

Moment of the season:
Losing to Spurs in the ‘Champions League play-off’ game defined City’s campaign because the top four was the ambition of the club’s owners and the players failed to deliver. But City reached their first major semi-final since 1981 before crashing out of the Carling Cup to Manchester United, so progress has been made. League wins against Chelsea and Arsenal worthy of note too.

Big issue:
Money – City have plenty of it and they will spend, spend, spend this summer in a bid to recruit the players required to take them into the Champions League. But despite Mancini’s talk of the City ‘project’ being enough to tempt the best players, will it really? Will the world’s best really give up the Champions League to play for Manchester City? At that end of the market, players put trophies and glory before money.

Verdict:
City are clearly getting there and, with more new signings, they will get closer next season. Was it realistic to expect a top four finish this season? Perhaps, but City are building from a weaker base than Chelsea under Abramovich, so progress will be slower. This campaign has been a success, despite the ultimate failure to qualify for the Champions League. 7/10

just heard that city will move for darren bent .The italian is really gettin things over his head and its anyone's guess that our summer transfers will be a big mess.

bluecreed wrote:just heard that city will move for darren bent .The italian is really gettin things over his head and its anyone's guess that our summer transfers will be a big mess.

Hardly Gospel is it? Please dont fall for the old 'slagging off the manager' routine when some lazy drunken hack makes up a link!

john@staustell wrote:

bluecreed wrote:just heard that city will move for darren bent .The italian is really gettin things over his head and its anyone's guess that our summer transfers will be a big mess.

Hardly Gospel is it? Please dont fall for the old 'slagging off the manager' routine when some lazy drunken hack makes up a link!

Haha, spot on john. Bobby signing Bent.. made me chuckle that.

bluecreed wrote:just heard that city will move for darren bent .The italian is really gettin things over his head and its anyone's guess that our summer transfers will be a big mess.

Would be good signing. Apart from one poor season in Tottenham where he was used as sub mainly, he has always been on great goal scoring form.

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:

bluecreed wrote:just heard that city will move for darren bent .The italian is really gettin things over his head and its anyone's guess that our summer transfers will be a big mess.

Would be good signing. Apart from one poor season in Tottenham where he was used as sub mainly, he has always been on great goal scoring form.

Comon disco, i mean he's a good goalscorer but we've gotta aim a little higher than bent if we are gonna make an impact in the league, the cups and europe!

Verdict:
City are clearly getting there and, with more new signings, they will get closer next season. Was it realistic to expect a top four finish this season? Perhaps, but City are building from a weaker base than Chelsea under Abramovich, so progress will be slower. This campaign has been a success, despite the ultimate failure to qualify for the Champions League.

Have to agree with this - despite being really really really pissed off (in fact, threw my laptop across the room when crouch le freak scored) am overall quite pleased, have always thought it would take a couple of seasons but fuck, how much did I want CL football going into that yids game.

Blue Blood wrote:

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:

bluecreed wrote:just heard that city will move for darren bent .The italian is really gettin things over his head and its anyone's guess that our summer transfers will be a big mess.

Would be good signing. Apart from one poor season in Tottenham where he was used as sub mainly, he has always been on great goal scoring form.

Comon disco, i mean he's a good goalscorer but we've gotta aim a little higher than bent if we are gonna make an impact in the league, the cups and europe!

I would definitely prefer Dzeko or Benzema or someone like that but if we fail to get them and have to look at next group of players, honestly I don't think Bent would be bad option. He is not better than Tevez or Adebayor but after those two the quality of our strikers take a HUGE nose dive and Bent is miles better than someone like RSC who was our third option. Or Jo or Benjani (gone now luckily) or Caicedo or Bojinov (fully fit Bojinov is very very good player by the way but he STILL seems to be struggling with fitness).

bluecreed wrote:just heard that city will move for darren bent .The italian is really gettin things over his head and its anyone's guess that our summer transfers will be a big mess.

The transfers are not just down to Mancini. Marwood, Rigg and Mancini have to agree on the targets before any move is made. Its a consequence of the Hughes era and RSC purchases. Collective responsibility and all that.

To be honest I think it is a good thing that more than one person has a say on transfers now, simply because it will (hopefully) prevent shit transfers like RSC ... I still do not believe that he even had a medical.

The problem I see with the Darren Bent rumour is the price tag ... he is nowhere near worth 20m... but he would certainly be better for us than RSC imho.

BobKowalski wrote:

bluecreed wrote:just heard that city will move for darren bent .The italian is really gettin things over his head and its anyone's guess that our summer transfers will be a big mess.

The transfers are not just down to Mancini. Marwood, Rigg and Mancini have to agree on the targets before any move is made. Its a consequence of the Hughes era and RSC purchases. Collective responsibility and all that.

A much better way of doing things imo. Letting Hughes loose with the purse strings was dangerous, i mean how we payed 18million for Rocky i don't know and i actually like him as a player.

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:

bluecreed wrote:just heard that city will move for darren bent .The italian is really gettin things over his head and its anyone's guess that our summer transfers will be a big mess.

Would be good signing. Apart from one poor season in Tottenham where he was used as sub mainly, he has always been on great goal scoring form.

He's one the of most natural Goalscorers in the Premiership - but I'd be underwhelmed by his arrival when we've got Tevez and Adebayor on the books.

I can't see Bent starting regularly and that was his problem with Spurs.

btajim wrote:

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:

bluecreed wrote:just heard that city will move for darren bent .The italian is really gettin things over his head and its anyone's guess that our summer transfers will be a big mess.

Would be good signing. Apart from one poor season in Tottenham where he was used as sub mainly, he has always been on great goal scoring form.

He's one the of most natural Goalscorers in the Premiership - but I'd be underwhelmed by his arrival when we've got Tevez and Adebayor on the books.

I can't see Bent starting regularly and that was his problem with Spurs.

He still managed to score regularily for Tottenham. We aren't going to go through season of most likely over 50, possibly over 60, games with two strikers.

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:He still managed to score regularily for Tottenham. We aren't going to go through season of most likely over 50, possibly over 60, games with two strikers.

Are we not? I was hoping for the same XI throughout the season. Even if they break their leg etc.

Someone able to replace Santa Cruz will be welcome. Someone better than Bent. He's no Champions League Striker.

btajim wrote:

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:He still managed to score regularily for Tottenham. We aren't going to go through season of most likely over 50, possibly over 60, games with two strikers.

Are we not? I was hoping for the same XI throughout the season. Even if they break their leg etc.

Someone able to replace Santa Cruz will be welcome. Someone better than Bent. He's no Champions League Striker.

As said above, I'm kind of hoping we'd be able to attract someone who could replace Adebayor in our best XI (I quite like Ade and his goal scoring skills but there's room for improvement there) AND perhaps a fourth striker who could be Bent. Or Darren Bent.

Usually scores roughly 1 in 2 with any club he plays at, and he outscored Tevez in the league this season, I wouldn't be too disappointed if he signed for city

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:As said above, I'm kind of hoping we'd be able to attract someone who could replace Adebayor in our best XI (I quite like Ade and his goal scoring skills but there's room for improvement there) AND perhaps a fourth striker who could be Bent. Or Darren Bent.

Adebayor might have a classic season in 10/11. He's had his suspensions and problems with Togo - but I'm confident that he'll take the pressure off Tevez with 20+ next season if everything goes well.

Let's talk about Torres instead of Bent.