Manchester City

dragg SG

Stuart Pearce intends to hand Shaun Wright-Phillips his first pre-season outing this weekend as Chelsea continue to dither over making a formal offer for the Manchester City winger.

At least three times over the last fortnight it has been suggested the Barclays Premiership champions were hours away from luring Wright-Phillips away from Eastlands.

Yet, as City head into their first full week of training and prepare for friendlies at Tranmere and Macclesfield on Friday and Saturday respectively, contact has still to be made.

Pearce is remaining calm about the situation, even though the doubt over Wright-Phillips' long-term future is contributing to a lack of new faces in the City camp.

With his club £62million in debt, Pearce knows he is not in a position to issue a 'put-up or shut-up' ultimatum to the Stamford Bridge outfit, although the longer the situation drags on, the more likely it is Wright-Phillips' price will go up.

What Pearce is struggling with is knowing what transfer budget he is operating to.

If Wright-Phillips stays, the new Blues manager will be forced to trawl the bargain basement. Should the 23-year-old leave, it is estimated Pearce will have around £10million available to pursue bigger name targets such as Robbie Keane and Freddie Kanoute.

Having initially stated he wanted all his transfer dealings done in June, Pearce has been content to remain patient and wait for Chelsea to make their move.

Now though, there are signs he might be about to take the plunge to reinforce a squad that has lost five senior figures during the summer, including Steve McManaman, Paul Bosvelt and Jon Macken.

Pearce has only managed to extend Kiki Musampa's loan spell so far, leaving him with just 21 players with any first-team experience, two of whom - Nedum Onouha and Nicky Weaver - are currently injured, and another three who have never made a Premiership start.

The youngsters will gain some experience over the next few weeks as City follow up their opening friendlies with a trip to Thailand for the FA Premier League Asia Trophy, before returning home to face Stoke, Sheffield Wednesday and Olympiakos ahead of the Premiership clash with West Brom on August 13.

However, Pearce knows he must get more experience into his squad if City are to stand any chance of emulating last term's impressive eighth-place finish.

iveco SG

Manchester City midfielder Antoine Sibierski has been ruled out of the Blues' FA Premier League Asia Trophy campaign with a hamstring injury.
The 30-year-old Frenchman picked up the minor problem following his return for pre-season training and, with his squad already severely stretched, manager Stuart Pearce has opted for a policy of immediate rest rather than risk the injury getting worse.

We have had to pull Antoine out of pre-season training for what I hope will be no longer than two weeks, Pearce told official club website www.mcfc.co.uk.

He has a slight tight hamstring, so our decision to pull him out is more precautionary than anything else.

City face Bolton Wanderers on July 20 in the semi-finals of the prestigious Asia Trophy, which also features Everton and the Thailand national team.

Bolton Wanderers | Everton | Manchester City | Thailand

Both last-four games will be played at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, with the final and third/fourth place play-off scheduled for July 23 at the same venue.

Aside from the Thailand tournament, Sibierski will also miss the trips to Tranmere Rovers and Macclesfield Town on Friday and Saturday respectively.

However, providing everything goes as Pearce hopes, the former Lens player will be available for visits to Stoke City and Sheffield Wednesday on July 30 and 31.

Pearce has yet to decide who will replace Sibierski for the Asia Trophy, although it appears that either Ishmael Miller or Karl Bermingham, both Academy graduates, will get an opportunity.

The man who was death SG

Slyvain distin is likely to leave for aston villa

stellazio SG

swp is linked with chelsea.but i don’t think chelsea need any more wingers.a center mid like essien would be better.

iveco SG

Some earlier reports claimed Chelsea are on the verge of landing him. I wonder how is his future now.

iveco SG

Robbie Fowler has been ruled out of Manchester City's FA Premier League Asia Trophy campaign with a back injury.
Fowler, the only senior striker on Citys books following the departures of Paulo Wanchope, Nicolas Anelka and Jon Macken over the last 12 months, tried to train on Friday in the hope he could appear in the friendly at Tranmere Rovers.

It eventually proved beyond the former England forward and Blues boss Stuart Pearce does not want to risk the fitness of the 30-year-old ahead of the Barclays Premiership opener against West Bromwich Albion on August 13.

Robbie has a slight back niggle, which is causing a touch of stiffness in his hamstrings, said Pearce.

It wouldnt be common-sense to drag him across to Asia on a plane for 14 hours.

City face Bolton Wanderers on July 20 in the semi-finals of the prestigious Asia Trophy, which also features Everton and the Thailand national team.

Bolton Wanderers | Everton | Manchester City | Thailand

Both last-four games will be played at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, with the final and third/fourth place play-off scheduled for July 23 at the same venue.

Fowler has had a scan on the injury and will remain at Citys Carrington training ground for more treatment, with Pearce hoping last seasons top scorer will be available for the friendlies at Stoke and Sheffield Wednesday on July 30 and 31.

It means youngsters Bradley Wright-Phillips and Karl Bermingham, who both featured in the 1-0 defeat at Prenton Park, will get a chance in the Thailand tournament.

Pearce knows his current striking options are limited ahead of the new Barclays Premiership season and admits he is still searching for new faces.

Trialist Yasser Hussein was given a 45-minute run-out at Tranmere, but the City chief has already decided not to take the midfielder to Thailand.

iveco SG

SHAUN Wright-Phillips has revealed that it was his hunger to win trophies which convinced him to join Chelsea.

Wright-Phillips - who was also a transfer target for Arsenal - joins Chelsea on a five-year contract after Manchester City agreed to the 21 million ($61m) offer from the Stamford Bridge outfit.

The pacy 23-year-old - adopted son of former Gunners hero Ian Wright - will compete with Arjen Robben, Damien Duff and Joe Cole for the two wide positions in Jose Mourinho's preferred 4-3-3 formation.

And he admitted his first objective is to earn a regular starting place and win the first silverware of his career.

'Chelsea are a club that are going somewhere and winning things. I just want to win a lot of medals and Chelsea are doing that at the moment and will do for a long time,' he told Chelsea TV.

'I just want to try and get some medals and be a regular part of the team. I want to play well for myself and for the fans, and for the coaching staff.'

The rivalry for places in Chelsea's attack is fierce but as both Robben and Duff are injury-prone, Wright-Phillips is certain to be given opportunities to press his claim for inclusion in England's World Cup squad.

And the former Nottingham Forest trainee insists he is relishing the chance to compete with the likes of Robben and Duff for a place, and believes his versatility could give him an edge.

'When I was growing up, I learned to play a lot of positions because I thought it would help my position naturally and I suppose it has worked. I can play anywhere across the midfield and up front as well.

'I don't mind using a bit of trickery, I don't mind taking a kick and I get straight back up and I like to score as well.

'Competition is fine by me, I never expected to be in anywhere and walk into any team to be honest with you.

COMPETITION

'Competition is healthy and it will help make me a better player.'

Wright-Phillips was City's joint highest scorer last season with 11 goals and his finishing ability will be welcomed by Mourinho who has lacked a prolific marksman and will do so again should Hernan Crespo fail to settle.

Despite Mourinho's claims that English players should form the basis of his squad, Wright-Phillips is the only home-grown talent out of the eight signings made by the Portuguese boss since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The 23-year-old could feature in a Blues shirt as early as next Sunday when the club face AC Milan in the opening match of their pre-season tour to the United States. - Wire Services.

iveco SG

Joey Barton has issued an unreserved apology after being fined eight weeks' wages by Manchester City.
The 22-year-old midfielder has been hit hard in the pocket after being sent home early from the team's trip to Thailand following an incident in the hotel bar.

Barton said: I understand the distress I have caused to everybody concerned and want to apologise for my actions.

I am grateful for the support I have received from the club and my friends and family.

The fine follows an internal disciplinary hearing by the Barclays Premiership club into a charge of gross misconduct.

Bartons punishment includes two weeks' wages carried over from a suspended fine following a previous disciplinary hearing in December last year.

Then he was fined four weeks' salary after poking former team-mate Jamie Tandy in the eye with a lit cigar during the clubs Christmas party.

Barton has now agreed to undertake a programme of rehabilitation in a bid to prevent such incidents arising again.

City spokesman Paul Tyrrell told official club website www.mcfc.co.uk: Joey has expressed his deep and sincere remorse over the incident and is keen to make amends to this club and our fans who expect the highest standard of behaviour from our players.

iveco SG

Richard Dunne will be out of action for three months as a result of his Bangkok altercation with Joey Barton.

X-rays have revealed the Manchester City defender suffered a cracked bone in his foot after an incident with his team-mate in a hotel bar.

Richard has got a slight crack in his foot and we are looking at three months, manager Stuart Pearce told the Manchester Evening News.

It is the worst news Pearce could possibly have had prior to his first full season as City boss, and means he will be forced to seek a new central defensive partner for skipper Sylvain Distin.

With teenager Nedum Onuoha still not fully recovered from a hamstring injury and David Sommeil not having started a Premiership game for over a year, a move into the transfer market cannot be ruled out ahead of the opening-day clash with West Bromwich Albion on August 13.

In total, Dunne will miss Citys first eight league games, with a potential comeback against Arsenal at Highbury on October 22. He will also sit out the remainder of the Republic of Irelands World Cup qualifying programme.

At this moment in time, it is going to be a long-term injury, said Pearce.

Richard is very disappointed because he wants to play. He was in blinding form at the end of last season and he is a big loss but we are just going to have to move on.

Its happened, and we are disappointed, but there is not much we can do about it now.

Barton incurred the wrath of his manager and was sent home early from Thailand as a result of the incident.

The 22-year-old has been ordered to undergo a course in lifestyle coaching before he will be considered for selection again.

It is another problem for Pearce to cope with as he looks to improve on last seasons impressive eighth-place finish.

Pearce has seen Robbie Fowler, Nicky Weaver and Antoine Sibierski enter the treatment room along with Dunne and Onuoha, while Sun Jihai is facing suspension for the opening weeks of the campaign after being sent off at Stoke City on Saturday.

dragg SG

man city 0 – 0 WBA

dragg SG

man city has beaten villa.

The man who was death SG

can u believe how suay villa was in the match????? as early as the team news sorensen injured at last min it wasn't too bad but look at the first goal, and then angel injured only two fit strikers, hughes also out and berger the only one who can turn the match round for villa made a diff then had to be taken off

the third goal, what can i say??

dragg SG

fulham beats city 2-1.

dragg SG

charlton paid the price for being such a big mouth. they are on a losing streak since they beat chelsea.

lost again 2-5 to man city.

dragg SG

robbie fowler scored his first hattrick in 4 years in their 3-1 win over scunthorpe.

dragg SG

man city 1 – 0 wigan, FA cup.

iveco SG

Fowler has since rejoined LFC with effect from 27 January.

dragg SG

extracted from soccernet.

Updated: Jan. 31, 2006
Man City fail in late bid to take back Wright-Phillips

Stuart Pearce has admitted he made a cheeky bid to bring Shaun Wright-Phillips back to Manchester City on loan from Chelsea for the remainder of the campaign.

Wright-Phillips only made the £21million switch to Stamford Bridge in the summer but has failed to nail down a regular spot in Jose Mourinho's side.

The vast majority of his 26 appearances have been as a substitute and his place in Sven-Goran Eriksson's World Cup squad is in severe jeopardy unless the situation changes.

Yet, despite pledging to do all he could to help England's bid for glory in Germany this summer, Mourinho opted to snub Pearce's offer and keep Wright-Phillips in the capital.

Pearce said: 'I enquired about getting Shaun back on loan but they said no, I don't think they want him to go anywhere.'

dragg SG

extracted from soccernet.

Updated: Jan. 31, 2006
Barton unyielding over transfer request

Unrepentant Joey Barton is preparing to face down Manchester City's irate fans at Eastlands after branding the club's £28,000-a-week contract offer 'unacceptable'.

The fiery 23-year-old stunned City by slapping in a transfer request late last night, drawing a furious reaction from Blues supporters just a fortnight after claiming an ambition to one day captain the club.

City boss Stuart Pearce, while understandably annoyed at the actions of a player who has twice come perilously close to being sacked over the past 14 months, attempted to play down the row, which erupted because of the club's refusal to increase their new double-your-money contract offer.

But, rather than accept Pearce's conciliatory tone, Barton has instead fuelled the row, even though, with the transfer deadline closing, he will be forced to spend the rest of the season at Eastlands.

'I have rejected an offer from the club I deem to be unacceptable,' he said.

'If Manchester City had offered the contract I asked for, which I consider not to be an unreasonable amount - just an amount that would have put me in line with the top earners at the club - then I would have had to consider my options.

'As it was, Manchester City did not make that offer. I was told this was the final offer and to take it or leave it. I told them I would leave it - and would like to be placed on the transfer list.'

The comments are astonishing given his fellow Liverpudlian Robbie Fowler was the highest paid player on City's books at £35,000-a-week until his return to Anfield last Friday.

Barton also seems to have badly misjudged the timing of his outburst given the impossibility of him now moving before the end of the season.

Pearce has already warned the midfielder he will not be spared the wrath of the home fans when City take on Newcastle tomorrow night, claiming, with a heavy hint of irony, Barton must have taken that factor into account when he made his decision to go public with his current unrest.

'I see no reason why he should not be in the squad tomorrow,' said Pearce.

'I am sure Joey and his advisor thought about the fans' reaction before they decided to go public with his transfer request.

'We would not have done so, purely because of what it might create.

'We have always said we would make the right decisions for Manchester City, because the club is bigger than any individual.

'If Joey doesn't play against Newcastle, do I leave him out against Everton, Charlton and the games after that?'

When Barton made his demand for a move last night, it was assumed the Huyton-born star had at least the possibility of having somewhere to go.

As it was, the only faint interest on deadline-day came from Middlesbrough, which was quickly rebuffed.

Arsenal remain the most likely option for a player who is desperate to share the same Champions League stage as close friend Steven Gerrard but, although a Barton fan, Arsene Wenger is by no means sure of making a bid even in the summer.

It means an uneasy end to the season for Barton, who, until yesterday, was still feted by City fans despite being fined six weeks' wages for stubbing a cigar out in the eye of team-mate Jamie Tandy on the club's 2004 Christmas party and then being sent home in disgrace from City's pre-season tour of Thailand after becoming involved in a bar-room altercation with a teenage Everton fan.

'Given what has happened in the past, I don't think I would have put a transfer request in if I had been Joey and I have told him that,' said Pearce.

'I am most disappointed for the fans and the chairman because they stuck by him before I became manager.'

However, Barton appears determined to stick it out, insisting a move - whenever it comes - would be best for everyone concerned.

'I would like nothing more than to be successful at Manchester City - but I don't have that option at the moment,' said Barton, whose present contract still has 18 months to run.

'Talks have ceased and I have decided to go on the transfer list so the club can still obtain a sizeable transfer fee for me.

'I feel this is best for all parties instead of leaving on a Bosman at the end of my contract.'

dragg SG

from soccernet

Updated: Feb. 7, 2006
Barton eager to seize second chance

Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton has revealed how visiting the Sporting Chance clinic has benefited his life and helped improve his form on the pitch.

The 23-year-old contract rebel, who has not had an alcoholic drink since being sent home in disgrace from the pre-season tour of Thailand, believes he has changed for the better after undergoing a programme of rehabilitation at the clinic.

Barton admitted he felt apprehensive when he first arrived but now has nothing but praise for the way they helped him.

'My first reaction was that I was not mad and that I could deal with it myself,' said Barton.

'I was expecting to see people in straight jackets and Jack Nicholson to come in like a scene from the film `One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'.

'But when I came away from the place I felt as though I had left a bag full of worries down there. I think that has shown on the pitch this season.'

The midfielder was banished from the Thailand tour after allegedly lashing out in a hotel bar at a 15-year-old Everton fan and then team-mate Richard Dunne when he intervened.

In a remarkably frank interview with BBC radio, Barton said: 'The thing with me was not how much I was drinking but I would get into trouble when I had a drink.

'What I realised was that as a professional player you have to make the most of what you have got and give it 100%.

'For that reason I have not had a drink since being sent home from Thailand. It is not where I want to go with my life.

'I find it beneficial for my career not to do it.

'Of course I have been tempted. It makes your forget your problems. But that would be the easy way.

'You wake up the next day with a massive headache and the same problems.'

Barton intends to resolve his contract dispute this week and insists he is committed to remaining at Eastlands.

He stunned City by handing in a transfer request last week, which was turned down by the Barclays Premiership club.

Barton admits he may have been headstrong but insists his unhappiness at the failure of the contract talks to develop prompted his decision to request a move.

The move brought a backlash from fans but now Barton is set on agreeing a new deal so he can focus on matters on the field.

Barton told Sky Sports News: 'All I know is talks have started or are due to start again very shortly.

'Hopefully the matter can be resolved this week and I can get back to what I do best and that is perform and play football.

'Emotions were running high and a lot of people were disappointed or angry about things that went on.

'In hindsight, maybe I was impetuous, but I handed in a transfer request and the club rejected it so as far as I am concerned it is not my aim to leave the football club in the near future.

'Hopefully we can get this matter resolved before the next game.'