Archive for September 2012

City v QPR (League) 13 May [2v3]

All week I had been looking forward to this match, I’d have to admit to thinking that we had won the league the week previous with our results at United (home) and Newcastle (Away).

My wife and I had been discussing the possibility as dressing as banana 1 and banana 2 for the match to add to the party atmosphere. I don’t think either of us envisaged the day ahead we were going to have.

We went to our normal seats but we couldn’t sit together, our season tickets were 2 blocks apart in East Stand Level 3 (303 and 305), so I kissed my wife and moved to my seat on the half way line.

This was the first time I had sat on this seat and said to the guy next to me, I hope this isn’t an unlucky seat.

The first half started as expected with City dominating possession and looking likely to score, you could feel the nerves around the stadium with everyone praying for a goal. After 20 minutes news came through that United had scored and that upped the tension to another level.

Zabaleta scored on the 39th minute with a bizarre goal, the enjoyment and release from all the fans was clear to see. The fans started to sing louder and we all began to believe that if we could get another that would be job done.

Then the unthinkable happened when QPR scored and then scored again after mistakes from Lescott and a goal on the counter attack. I felt tears welling up when they got the 2nd, all my hopes and dreams had been crushed. I said to myself typical bloody City always stealing defeat from the jaws of victory!

The stands began to empty and I jumped up and ran across to the seat beside Kim. Fortunately the seat behind her was available and she consoled me.

As the time progressed you could see that most had begun to believe that we had bottled it and the rags were going to win the title. We kept on having chances but couldn’t make the break through. No matter how hard we cheered and willed the players on we couldn’t get the goal which would give us a small chance of a draw being enough if United were to slip up at the Stadium of light.

I remember thinking about how I had cheered for Shuanny and Nedum when they were wearing light blue and hoping they would do us a favour, but that couldn’t happen as QPR had to win to avoid relegation. Sweep is one of my favourite players and I was asking myself how he would feel breaking the heart of the thousands who had worshiped him!

I prayed harder and harder as the time ticket away, it’s now injury time and I have lost all hope. I have never seen so many grown men in tears at one time. After all it is only football!

Balotelli came close with a powerful header which looked like with all the will in the world it would hit the back of the net. Then another corner and it”s in the back of the net a determined Dzeko smashes in a header to give us a glimmer of hope in injury time. Aguero grabs the ball and then runs to the halfway line to restart the match. QPR try to waste time and refuse to kick off then eventually the ball is back in play!

The whole crowd screaming Come on City and urging us forward, then the ball breaks to Balotelli on the edge of the box and he makes his first assist of the season to Aguerrooooooooooo.

The crowd erupts, I check the linesman and his flag is down, we have done it, City are CHAMPIONS!!

We watch the celebrations, I blast Hey Jude at the top of my lungs and then run to the clubshop to get Champions 12 on the back of my shirt.

This is how it feels to be City!! Bloody great

Storm the pitch

Preparing for the celebrations

Getting the trophy

Title celebration

Paul Merson

Last 10 minutes

Best Man City and Man United fan reactions to Aguero’s title winning

Champions 12 Shirt

Newcastle v City (League) 06 May [0v2 win]

 

City v Man U (League) 30 April [1v0 win]

Kompany header seals the day

City held their nerve and completed the double over United to re-take top spot in Premier League.

Now if Roberto Mancini’s men match United in the last two games the likelihood is that they will be crowned champions for the first time in 44 years.

The points and possibly the destination of the title were decided, fittingly, by Vincent Kompany’s towering first half header.

Depending on where you do your reading this coruscating episode of neighbours was watched by between 300 and 600million sets of eyes and worth between £200 and £500million.

The mother of all derbies, the demolition derby, titanic, epic, landscape-changing, momentous, tumultuous, gripping, huge, colossal were just some of the scores of adjectives used to describe the game in the wall-to-wall build-up.

So did it live up to the hype? How could any match live up to such lofty expectations? But right now City fans don’t care.

All the ingredients were there. There was some serious retro anger and enmity in the stands, the noise levels exceeded all decent limits set by the local authority and a galaxy of stars strutted the verdant green stage as if they owned it.

But by and large neither side found the fluency, touch and killer instinct that hard earned City the best home record in the Premier League and United the best away record.

In front of the game’s great and good, the Etihad Stadium rocked like it has never done before. This was English tribalism at its most raw. Every blue and red sinew was strained in a bid to deliver the victory that the rival factions packed into the stands demanded.

Football purity was not on the invitee list to this most local of parties beamed to a global audience that may well have been bemused and amused in equal measure by the bile and the ditties echoing around the stadium and duelling for attention.

Neither manager sprang any real surprises with their starting elevens. Roberto Mancini stuck to the side that won at Wolves so resisting the temptation to bring back his blond bombshell Mario Balotelli. Instead the Italian striker who began the six-goal avalanche at Old Trafford back in October was on the bench.

Alex Ferguson, who knew a draw would be to his side’s advantage in the race for the crown, took a cautious approach. He left most of his attacking arsenal on the bench asking Wayne Rooney to carry the goal threat.

His plan worked a treat in the opening 44 minutes with United content to block avenues and sit back inviting the home side to find a way through if they could.

In truth despite the best efforts of the fans, the impressive Samir Nasri and two chances fired wide by Kun Aguero, watched by his father-in-law Diego Maradona , it was tepid stuff. Tepid, that is, until Kompany rose like the colossus he is to head home from David Silva’s right flank corner.

The second half was always going to be more open and the goal brought an improvement in City’s confidence levels and passing. United brought on Danny Welbeck and the whole game had a dollop more purpose and poise.

DeGea kicked away a Yaya Toure effort as the intensity grew. The Blues looked at their best – and the Reds at their most vulnerable – when they ran at the visitors from deep.

But Carlos Tevez ran out of steam which necessitated a change of formation with Nigel De Jong deployed to stifle United’s sudden attack intent and Toure pushed up to support Aguero.

The last ten minutes were open and angry. The managers had a less than edifying spat on the touchline but still City pressed for the second clinching goal and Toure went close with a shot from the edge of the box that skimmed the post.

Now everyone has to forget this win and concentrate on Newcastle because nothing less than two wins is likely to be good enough. No more twists please!

Wolves v City (League) 22 April [0v2 win]

A good result away from home and good news with the result from  O/T you should have heard the cheer when we found out the final score!

We did the business versus Wolves, should have had a hatful and obviously felt a bit sorry for them being relegated. Just got to win the last three games and keep ahead on goal difference to clinch it!

Goals from Nasri and Aguero were enough to put them to the sword

Norwich v City (League) 14 April [1v6 win]

Simply wow, what a performance, the one touch passing was simply amazing, what a dream come true!

I remember my wife saying they can’t rule that out after Tevez thumped a curling bending dipping wonder strike from about 30 yards.

A Carlos Tevez hat-trick ruthlessly despatched Norwich for their second 6-1 away win this season (where was the other one)

Aguero scored twice as Norwich were swept aside for the second time this season having already lost 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium

In the process the Blues moved to within two points of United at the Barclays Premier League summit.

One of the most impressive perfromances I have seen.

City v West Brom (League) 11 April [4v0 win]