A bad week, but things aren’t looking down for Manchester City

By: Rob | April 13th, 2009

Its been really easy to have a go at Manchester City this season. The whole being bought out by people richer than God, and are so hopelessly classless with it, coupled with the media, and more experienced members of the establishment (I’m looking at you Silvio Berlusconi), sensing they could get a good few stories out of it, have meant they’ve basically spent the season with a kick-me sticker on their backs.

This week presents the ideal oppurtunity to stick the knife in. The fell to 11th after losing at home to Fulham, a team who have been absolutely awful on their travels this season. That itself followed by a humbling in the UEFA Cup against Hamburg, with the return leg looking very tough on Thursday.

But its not looking that bad.

The reason the loss against Fulham was so surprising, is because of late, City’s home form has been exemplary. Six home wins on the bounce before the loss at the weekend was signalling that they really were turning the City of Manchester stadium into a fortress.

They lost 3-1 in the UEFA Cup, but to a Hamburg side in strong contention of winning the Bundesliga. And if they can recover their home form again on Thursday, they do stand a chance. So maybe we can write off the week as a bit of a freak.

The whole world has been pretty quick to mock City’s move to The Richest Club On Earth, and sure 11th is not where you would expect a club of their backing to be. Having said that, they could only really make one buy at the start of the season – And Robinho has done alright for himself.

The other thing City really have in thier favour is that they have a staggeringly good youth system. I saw their youth team play last year, and they really are full of promise. Assuming they are allowed to slowly break into the first team, tempered with the right signings throughout the rest of the park, and you could be looking at a situation not disimilar to that other team from Manchester in the mid-1990s.

The only key is patience. That’s all City’s new owners need to learn. They can’t keep spouting off to the press about how they’re going to buy Kaká and Ronaldinho and Messi and Henry. Because, not yet they aren’t.

Chelsea were, and continue to be, mocked for thier supposed “buying” of success, but they are now in a position where they can attract top talents – but it took a building process from Ranieri and then Jose Mourinho. If City play their cards right, give it five years, and they geniunely could be contenders. Rush it however, and they’ll remain a laughing stock.

The main trouble they’re going to have, is who they can buy this summer. Its the first summer they can run at and really go for the players that they want. However, without a Champions League spot, or even, in all likelyhood a UEFA Cup/Europa League spot, there is only a certain type of player they might be able to attract.

Mercenaries, and damaged goods. There is a certain type of player who could join City just to get a ridiculous amount of wages. These players will have to have a pretty strong manager to get them to band together and fight up the league. I think Mark Hughes could easily be that manager, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be allowed to stay.

The other type of player is the type that maybe has some kind of problem. They may well get injury hit players like Micheal Owen, which is fine as long as they can keep him on the pitch long enough for it to work.

It might not be glamourous, but what they really need is a centre half. Richard Dunne seems to have gone from one of the best defenders in the league, to a ridiculous shadow of himself. They really need solidity in that back line if they are after the glamour players up front.

All in all, if the owners get it right, City will break the top four over the next few years. If they get it wrong, they’ll stand still. Or worse, turn into Newcastle. As for Newcastle, well as one Manchester singer once sang, That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore.