14 goals in his first season isn't a bad return. Maybe City will strengthen him in pre-season so he can cope with the riguors of the league? Maybe they've signed the likes of Tevez, Sant Cruz and Adebayor to play more of the away games than Robinho?

City have plenty of options in midfield and up front. It's the defence they need to worry about, If they can sign two top Centre Halves they'll have a very competitive side.

Well, going off what we're guessing is their first 11, bench would be something like

Onouha
Taylor (GK)
Kompany
Elano
Petrov
SWP
Santa Cruz
Bellamy

I reckon Chelsea won titles with something like

Cudicini (GK)
Bridge
Boulharouz
Parker/Geremi
Duff
Kezman/Crespo
SWP

The third could be signing sooner than you think. According to MARCA, Arbeloa has signed for Franco FC for a paltry 4 million Euros.

Arbeloa is no world beater, but surely we can get more than that for a current Spanish international who plays anywhere across the back four.

Just on the Robinho strenth thing, Robben, Ashley Young, Pires etc weren't strong at all, but have had Premiership success. Young is on the floor plenty. From what I saw of Robinho last year, he just looked bored at times, it looked like there was only one or two folk he fancied exchanging passes with and through the lack of quality in the ranks, teams found it easier to contain him. Perhaps he'll benefit most from the increased attacking options that City will now have.

I've been thinking that, only a year left I know, but you look at say, George McCartney last year, £7m etc.

Seems a bit of a snip.

Any team with Tevez, Adebayor, Robinho, Santa Cruz, Bellamy, SWP, Petrov and Ireland will score lots of goals. That alone will win them alot more than they'll lose.

Thinking about it now we probably do need either Kompany/De Jong to play alongside Barry. And to say out bench is poor is laughable we probably have the best attacking options from the bench in the league. Santa Cruz,Bellamy,Petrov and SWP cant think of 4 better subs than that ( attackwise)

All well and good, but until Manchester City sign the missing piece in the jigsaw, they will just be mere pretenders



£15million and he's yours

I don't think you'll have one set system. Away from home, I imagine you'll play with more protection in midfield, but at home I imagine you'll play two or maybe even three up top.

Lol heard a rumour that fulham are after Dawson actually.

I'd expect to see this:

-----------------------------Shay Given-----------------------------
Wayne Bridge--Vincent Kompany--Kolo Toure--Micah Richards
-------------------Gareth Barry--Stephen Ireland-------------------
Robinho---------------------------------------Shaun Wright-Phillips
---------------Emmanuel Adebayor--Carlos Tevez ---------------

Although it is hard to leave out Nigel de Jong aswell...

Very good.



Have to admit, I can't be d re-replying to everything now, we'll just start going around in circles. Apart from one thing, mate...



I'll say. She's actually a sensible person.

Surely Bridge & Richards.....and Robinho & SWP should be the other way round?

Depends which way you look at it, obviously they are on my Left and your Right...

Fair enough

Good point, forgot he had a year left but you're right it still seems minimal for a versatile defender.

But if you know a player is willing to sit out their contract then I suppose you have to take what you can. Which is why looking at the value of the transfer, Barca have basically given Eto'o to Inter for free to open the door for Ibrahimovic, who had I think 5 years left on his deal, to leave. It seems Eto'o would have waited until the end of next season and signed for Inter anyway, which would have cost Barca a years wages. The deal makes a bit more sense now anyway when I look at it that way, rather than the £80 million hypothetical figure reported in the papers.

We have been had off, but I guess that's what happens when we put ourselves in a position where we can't really demand how much we want, as we basically have to get rid or get nothing.

We'll just have to wait and see about Man City.

I will openly bet with anybody that they wont get a top 6 finish and Mark Hughes wont last the season.

There are good and bad points about all there new signings imo. The only World Class payer they have signed is Carlos Tevez.

SSN reckon City are to come back in with an improved bid for Lescott.

The thing is though we only now have two fit centre halves, including Lescott so unless we can have Onouha or we have someone else lined up he won't go.

I think we're yet to see the best of Robinho. Last year was his first season in a side that were majorly inconsistent, he's a top player but it's hard for him to arrive and become an instant match winner, especially when he's playing on the left wing so he isn't able to influence the game as much, especially when the side hasn't really been built around him like it was at United for Ronaldo.

IMO, Robinho is easily up there with your Ribery's and Messi's in terms of talent, he can do almost anything in the final third with the ball at his feet, he has skill, pace, shooting ability, the lot.

It's hard to find players who don't struggle in those kind of away games, they are generally very hard games unless you score early and they roll over. If Robinho was to turn up away at Stoke, playing alongside the likes of Barry, Ireland, Adebayor and Tevez, it's hard to figure out how a side like Stoke would shut all of those players down. Whereas last year, City were turning up with basically Ireland and Robinho as their main attacking players, they are now a much better team, expect Robinho to get better as those around him improve.

City obviously don't have a world class XI, but then if you look through Chelsea's title winning side, they weren't world class from 1-11 back then. Chelsea built a side that became world class.

Not seen any of City's games, but if I was them I was manager there I would line up in a Barcelona style 4-3-3:



Adebayor

Tevez
Robinho


Ireland
Barry

De Jong


Bridge Lescott Toure Richards

Given


Probably won't look anything like that once the season starts, and the two centre back signings yet to be confirmed. But whoever said they won't make the top 6 you'd be a brave man to lay that. A couple of decent centre backs and they're a definate top 6 side.

Lescott, Rodwell and Yobo?

As has been explained before – the owners have made quite clear that our target for this upcoming season is a European spot. Not the title. Not the top 4. A European spot. We have the squad in place to achieve that. No – it's not a foregone conclusion by a long chalk. After all, we're still City – we can still muck it up (which might be part of the reason some of love this damned insane club).

Chelsea had a special manger, top off my head, how many world class?

Cech
Ferriera
Terry
Carvalho
Del Horno
Makele
Essien
Lampard
Robben
Duff
Drogba

At the time, it's hard to figure our how many of them were established world class players. I'd say the likes of Cech, Carvalho, Essien and Drogba were all signed as borderline, potentially world class players. Whilst I'd say only Makelele was a truly established world class player. The rest of those either became world class, or were never at any point.