ManchesterOnline

Ali back in blue

PLAYMAKER Ali Benarbia secured legendary status during a brief spell at Maine Road and now City fans will be purring at the chance to see him in action again.

Boj on the fringe

CITY'S six million pound man is still in need of some rebuilding. Valeri Bojinov is struggling to make up lost ground on his team-mates as the battle for forward places rages at Eastlands.

Hands off Johnson!

MARK Hughes has warned Premier League rivals off trying to prise Michael Johnson away from Eastlands.

Hughes challenges young duo

MARK Hughes has challenged young duo Daniel Sturridge and Ched Evans to force their way into his first-team plans for the start of the Premier League season.

Hughes puts trust in Dunne

RICHARD Dunne will skipper the Blues for the third season in succession.

Forward thinking for Hughes

CONCERNED City chief Mark Hughes has admitted that losing Benjani to injury for the start of the season has led him to have a second look at his striking options.

City wait for Santa

CITY boss Mark Hughes may be forced to rethink his top transfer targets after Benjani suffered a bad thigh injury in training.

Blues eye Argentine duo

CITY are ready to beef up their squad with prime Argentinian talent.

Hart was destined to be No 1

JOE Hart could have been opening the batting for England or teeing off in The Open.

Blues line up transfer targets

CITY'S Carrington training ground has this summer undergone a major revamp both in terms of physical changes and its ambience and now it is time for Mark Hughes to put his stamp on the transfer policy.

Blues boys on target

CITY youngsters Ben Mee and Danny Sturridge scored second-half goals but couldn't prevent England crashing out of the European Under-19s Championships.

City linked to Dindane

CITY are being linked with Ivory Coast international striker Aruna Dindane.

Etuhu's reserve pointer

KELVIN Etuhu stepped up his push for a first team place by proving his fitness in the reserves' 1-1 draw at Southport.

Academy approaching cash milestone

CITY'S Academy will soon celebrate the production of £100m worth of talent at their Platt Lane headquarters.

Evans on the up

BLUES starlet Ched Evans could be one of the main beneficiaries of Mark Hughes' failed bid to land Ronaldinho this summer, with the Wales international set to be given the chance to step up to the Premier League.

Hamann: I'll prove myself

VETERAN midfielder Dietmar Hamann insists he still has plenty to offer Manchester City this season after playing a key role in getting their European campaign off to the perfect start.

Boss Hughes hails Jo

MARK Hughes hailed City's record £18m signing Jo as the Blues strolled to a 2-0 UEFA Cup victory in the Faroe Islands.

Nicole's date with City

IT may have been the most prestigious men's game Nicole Petignat has ever been appointed to but, for Europe's most successful female referee, it was also the easiest - between two totally mismatched teams.

Blues bigger than Bleus

CITY proved themselves a bigger draw than France in the Faroe Islands last night.

EB Streymur 0 City 2

GOALS from Martin Petrov and Dietmar Hamann secured a UEFA Cup victory in Mark Hughes' first game in charge.

EB Streymur 0 City 2: Player ratings

FIND out how we rated the Blues for their performance in the 2-0 win over EB Streymur.

Dunne's Euro vow

MANCHESTER City skipper Richard Dunne has vowed that his side will deliver a good European run in the coming season.

City fans invade Faroes

CITY fans have been a noisy, but peaceful side-show to the biggest club match in the history of the Faroe Islands.

Reid deal Thai'd up

FORMER Manchester City manager Peter Reid is set to take over as coach of the Thailand national team.

Bianchi's second chance

ROLANDO Bianchi is set for a second stab at establishing himself at City.

Jo joins City fray

RECORD signing Jo is poised to make his first start for City in the Faroe Islands tonight but some of the club's other big guns may stay under wraps.

Hughes: no complacency

CITY may be priced up at a prohibitive 1-20 to win tonight's UEFA Cup qualifier in the Faroe Islands but their new manager is taking nothing for granted.

Ron: I always wanted Milan

RONALDINHO has said he “always wanted Milan” after rejecting the chance to join City.

Bojinov ready to stand and deliver!

AS one striker said goodbye to City on Tuesday another was pledging to stay and fight for his place.

Ronaldinho snubs Blues

MANCHESTER City’s summer-long pursuit of Ronaldinho ended in defeat when it emerged the Brazilian is to snub the Blues in favour of AC Milan.

Hughes reacts to Ronaldinho news

MARK Hughes has reacted calmly to City missing out on Ronaldinho, but is keeping the identity of his other transfer targets a secret for now.

Comment: Ron miss a Blues boost

CITY fans should be happy that Ronaldinho has joined AC Milan.

City's Crying Fan sends out an SOS

LEIGHTON Gobbett found fame when he entered City folklore as the "Crying Fan."

Blues set for Jo show

WITH Jo set to make his City debut in the Faroe Islands on Thursday, Sam Williams takes at look at what Blues fans can expect from the big striker from Brazil.

Jo set for City bow

BRAZILIAN striker Jo is expected to make his Manchester City debut in the first leg of the club's UEFA Cup first qualifying round tie in the Faroe Islands.

Samaras signs for Celtic

CELTIC have signed City striker Georgios Samaras on a three-year deal.

No huffing or puffin for City

CITY are almost unbackable to win their Uefa Cup first qualifying round tie with minnows EB/Streymur but they are facing a side with a proud home record.

Hughes looks for squad depth

MARK Hughes has confirmed there will be more new arrivals at City over the coming weeks - but he has stayed well clear of mentioning the 'R' word.

Faroe Island guide

EVEN City's resourceful fans have found EB/Streymur one of the more difficult assignments on their recent itinerary. Read on for Chris Bailey's guide to a land of Vikings and grass roofs.

Milan close on Ronaldinho

CITY could be losing out in the race to sign Ronaldinho, with AC Milan closing in on a deal for the Brazilian playmaker.

City hold out Ronaldinho hope

CITY are prepared to give Ronaldinho all the time he needs to take up the lucrative offer to join them, with Barca president Joan Laporta hinting that the Blues are favourites to land the Brazilian's signature.

City to ward off Johnson suitors

MICHAEL Johnson is closing in on a new deal at City that will ward off bids from rival Premier League sides.

Hughes to bank on his reserves

VLADIMIR Weiss and Ben Mee are the first two Youth Cup winning youngsters to be given their chance to stake a first-team claim under new boss Mark Hughes.

Faz: Give Hughes time

OUSTED first-team coach Derek Fazackerley has called upon the Blues to seek managerial continuity rather than a quick fix.

Dickov considering options

RELEASED City striker Paul Dickov is contemplating three separate offers as he makes his next career move. Meanwhile, there have been more backroom additions at City.

Elano and Co could miss Euro bow

CITY are ready to begin their latest Euro adventure minus some of their star names.

Why Wardle felt it was time to go

JOHN Wardle retreats to the Lake District tonight where he'll no doubt be messing about in boats . . . but also pondering whether it was right to sell the majority shareholding of his beloved Blues to Thaksin Shinawatra.

Fixture amendments

THE Manchester derby at Eastlands has been put back a day and will now be played on Sunday November 30 - one of a number of amendments to the fixture list.

End of an era at City

JOHN Wardle has resigned from City's board and has told the M.E.N. he plans to take a complete break from football.

Wardle leaves a gap

John Wardle's departure from the club should rank as an extremely sad day for all those who have, like him, the Blues in their heart. The millionaire Bury businessman, who built an empire from nothing, should be writ large in the club's history as a hero.

Strike duo linked with Italy return

REGGINA are keen to sign City outcast Bernardo Corradi, according to the striker's agent Moreno Roggi. Meanwhile, Rolando Bianchi is reportedly close to sealing a move to Torino, and Blues boss Mark Hughes is thought to be weighing up a move for Tal Ben Haim.

Bowen eyes leaner Blues

CITY will be the fittest team in the Premier League according to assistant boss Mark Bowen.

Sturridge picks up knock

DANIEL Sturridge is an early injury victim of the Blues' Bavarian pre-season training camp.

Hughes searching for foreign steel

CITY boss Mark Hughes has ordered his foreign legion to step up their game this season.

13 City fans sought

THE 13 Manchester City fans that police want to speak to over trouble at the Blues final game of the season are pictured here. Cleveland Police has charged seven fans following the original appeal but still want to speak to 13 of the group about the trouble.

Milan ponder Ronaldinho swoop

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani insists the Italians will sign only one of Emmanuel Adebayor and Ronaldinho - which could be a boost to City's hopes of signing the Brazilian star.

Thaksin trial under way

MANCHESTER City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has gone on trial in Thailand accused of corruption, knowing he faces 13 years in jail if he is found guilty.

Jo call-up a blow for Blues

CITY will be denied the services of new striker Jo for the start of the new Premier League season.

King Richard to reign for years

RICHARD Dunne has been handed the chance to become a City legend - and write his name in the record books.

City counting cost of strikers

CITY are facing a financial crunch on £16m-worth of recent signings as they look to ship out Rolando Bianchi, Bernardo Corradi and Georgios Samaras.

Comment: Make your mind up Ronaldinho

ONE of the benefits for a journalist working through the entire football season without a break is that a chunk of holiday entitlement comes along in the summer.

Hughes eyes Bentley and Friedel

CITY boss Mark Hughes is being tipped to bring Brad Friedel and David Bentley from his old club Blackburn.