Very sorry for the delay, I knew I'd forgotten to do something this morning!
Blues cash boost: City closing on Bayern
Manchester City will become one of the five top clubs in terms of worldwide revenue and are closing on German giants Bayern Munich.
Manchester is about to become ‘the epicentre of football’, with City poised to join United as one of the top five money-making clubs on the planet.
That’s the bold claim of the Blues’ chief operating officer Tom Glick, who predicted the Blues – who last year broke into the global top 10 in terms of income for the first time – will experience another huge revenue increase.
Glick has been the mastermind behind a series of commercial deals struck by City across the world, and which last year helped them to increase revenue by a whopping 51 per cent, to become the seventh highest-earning club in the world.
The last available figures show City earned £242m, just behind Arsenal (£246m), Chelsea (£274m) and Bayern Munich (£313m), while United (£336m) are tucked in behind the Spanish big two of Barcelona (£410m) and Real Madrid (£435m).
But Glick feels the Blues will soon be challenging Bayern, and are closing on United.
“Next year Manchester will have two of the top five clubs in terms of worldwide revenues, we’re catching up with Bayern Munich,” said Glick.
City are forging ahead with plans to increase the stadium capacity from 48,000 to 61,000, and are building a new training facility and youth academy close to the ground.
“We are very excited about the direction of the club,” said Glick.
But he also said City were at pains to retain their close relationship with their supporters, adding: “We have to be affordable for our fans, that is why we have invested heavily in all aspects of the matchday experience, from the concourse to the new and unique Chairman’s Club.”
Making City a self-sufficient, profit-making enterprise was always part of Sheikh Mansour’s plan when he took over the club five years ago, and Glick paid tribute to the owner, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano for their vision.
“We are fortunate to have amazing owners who challenge us, and to have a visionary chief executive,” he said.
Glick added that tours of the USA, South Africa, Finland and the Far East have all been part of the strategy.
He said: “Over the summer we played nine games in four continents and we were astounded by the number of fans and interest in our club.”
Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis gets game as he nears comeback
MANCHESTER CITY defender Martin Demichelis is on the road to recovery after being named in the starting line-up for the elite development's squad game against Rochdale tonight.
Martin Demichelis will play for City tonight in an elite development squad game [GETTY]
The 32-year-old joined from Atletico Madrid in a £4.2m deal earlier this season but was ruled out for six weeks with a knee injury in November.
England international midfielder Jack Rodwell has also been named in the team.
Demichelis had previously played under City boss Manuel Pellegrini at Malaga and River Plate.
City take on West Ham at the weekend.
Students stop traffic in Newcastle with Toure chant
Traffic in Newcastle city centre was stopped bizarrely in the early hours of Wednesday morning as students singing about Manchester City player Yaya Toure and his brother and ex-Blue Kolo blocked the streets.
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It's not the Etihad, it's not Mary Ds - it's not even Manchester.
But Collingwood Street, in Newcastle city centre, was bizarrely turned Blue for ten, traffic-stopping minutes in the early hours of Wednesday morning thanks to a City terrace anthem.
We still think the one in Sligo a couple of weeks back was better, but this isn’t a bad effort to be fair.
At some point in the last year or so, a simple yet brilliantly effective chant about Kolo and Yaya Toure seems to have been adopted as the student anthem of choice amongst students in Ireland and the UK on nights out.
Despite the fact that the Toures don’t actually play for the same club anymore and the fact that the vast majority of those singing it probably don’t remember 2 Unlimited’s ‘No Limits,’ the song from which it takes its inspiration, it is still regularly sung by mass gatherings of students on nights out, as was the case in Newcastle earlier this week.
Still the best version by a mile ...
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City architects release new images of what the Etihad could look like after expansion to 61,000
Manchester City have released more information on how they plan to extend the Etihad Stadium's capacity from 48,000 to 61,500.
Architects have removed the stadium's roof to show how they plan to add two new tiers to the 11-year-old ground in an ambitious plan.
City fans won't be exposed to the elements though, the architects have taken the roof off in their drawings to show exactly how the extra tiers will be added. If the plans go ahead, it will be firmly on top of the stadium to protect supporters from Manchester's elements.
The latest drawings went on display near CIty Square on the Etihad campus but club chiefs await consultation before applying for planning permission for the expansion next month.
The club have planned four meetings with local residents, where they can raise any concerns. The 2012 Premier League champions say they have plans in place to deal with higher volume of traffic and litter.
City will also adhere to their club policy that 85 per cent of materials used in the building work will be locally sourced, with no fewer than 60 per cent of those employed on the project coming from the surrounding communities, according to the Manchester Evening News.
City earlier revealed their ambitious plans to expand the capacity of the Etihad Stadium to 61,500.
Both ends of the stadium, owned by Manchester council, would be lifted to accommodate an extra tier and 13,500 seats.
The scheme would make the Etihad the third-largest venue in domestic football in Britain and City plan to apply for planning permission next month.
City are offering their 36,000 season card holders the opportunity to buy up to four more season cards.
Members of the club's Blue scheme will also be invited to apply.
Officials will then gauge levels of interest before deciding to extend one or both ends of the stadium, which was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games although permission will be sought for both.
A source quoted by the Manchester Evening News said: 'It has to be commercially viable.'
A glossy leaflet to be sent to fans reads: 'Opportunities like this only happen once in a blue moon.'
It added: 'As the team grows, our fanbase grows and our home has to grow.'
Season card holders will also be offered the chance to move from their existing seats
Manchester City defender Micah Richards a target for Roma, say Italian press
The 24-year-old defender, who has been unable to dislodge Pablo Zabaleta in the City side, has been linked with a switch to the Italian capital
Italian job: Could Richards be tempted by Serie A?
Micah Richards is reportedly a target for Roma.
Italian paper Corriere dello Sportclaims Roma coach Rudi Garcia is interested in the England international.
Richards, 24, has returned to action after an injury-plagued 15 months, but has been unable to dislodge Pablo Zabaleta from City's right-back berth.
He is also yet to agree new terms with the Blues, despite the club opening talks in the summer. This has alerted Garcia, who feels City could be persuaded to let Richards go.
Roma could face competition from Newcastle, with Alan Pardew also interested in Richards
On BT Sport today
Today on BT Sport, Manchester City defender Micah Richards speaks exclusively about his future
[spoiler]Wesley Sneijder's Wife
[/spoiler]Eliaquim Mangala, the 22-year-old £40m-rated Porto defender who has been linked with Chelsea and Manchester City in the summer has hired Jorge Mendes - the same agent used by Jose Mourinho. Daily Mirror
Tottenham are set to offer 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder Paulinho a contract extension to fend off interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid. Daily Star
Spurs are considering a £15m January move for out-of-favour Paris St-Germain forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, 28. Metro
Galatasaray manager Roberto Mancini is ready to offer £13m for Manchester United's Portuguese winger Nani, 26, in January. Daily Express
Meanwhile, Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, 29, has been encouraged to leave the Turkish club for Chelsea by Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal. Daily Star
Radamel Falcao, who signed for Monaco for a reported £50m in May, has refused to rule out a move to Real Madrid. The 27-year-old Colombia international striker has thanked Real president Florentino Perez for his interest. Independent
Former Tottenham defender Pascal Chimbonda, who was an unused substitute in the World Cup final in 2006, is training with League One Carlisle. The 34-year-old had previously been playing with non-League Market Drayton after leaving Doncaster. Daily Star
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas says there might be a number of sales in the January transfer window but midfielders Clement Grenier, 22, and Maxime Gonalons, 24, will not be amongst them. Le Monde
Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola is surprised by the speed with which his squad have adapted to his demands since taking charge at the Allianz Arena in June. Bayern Magazin
Manchester United's 18-year-old winger Adnan Januzaj will choose England as his international team if the Football Association can overcome the obstacle of the five-year residency rule. DSSC
England's dream draw would pit them in a World Cup group alongside Switzerland who have secured seeding at the tournament after comfortably winning Group E. Independent
England boss Roy Hodgson will consult with his cricketing counterpart Andy Flower to find out the best way to stave off boredom among his squad during the month-long World Cup. Warren Gatland, who led the British and Irish Lions in Australia this summer, can also expect a call. Times
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is a contender for the vacant Sheffield United manager's post after David Weir's sacking earlier this month. Daily Mirror
Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa, 24, says he needs to play more after claiming his lack of club games made him feel out of shape for international duty with Japan. Daily Telegraph
West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison and Manchester United winger Wilfried Zaha, both 20, have resolved their differences after clashing during England's under-21 win over Lithuania. Guardian
Argentine winger Erik Lamela, 21, says he fears for his World Cup place unless he plays more for new club Tottenham. Metro
