Image by Getty Images via Daylife In what seems to be becoming a habit, Manchester City drew their fourth successive Premier League match with a goalless encounter with Birmingham City. The hosts played some hard working football an created many chances, the best of them all being the penalty shot from James McFadden early in [.

Gabriele Marcotti: Mancini brings temper and talent
"Betrayed" Hughes to get nice pay-out
Oliver Kay: Ruthless Arab owners still among best of lot
Lost confidence after seven straight draws
Richard Williams: Mancini brings winning habit

United went into last night's Champions League tie with CSKA Moscow needing just a point to ensure qualification to the knockout phase of the competition, it should have been a formality - in theory at least anyway - but it wasn't. United have made a habit of doing it the hard way and last night's performance was no different, after going 3-1 down it eventually finished up 3-3 on what was a night

I don't make it a habit of watching England games but I'm tempted to try and catch today's friendly with Brazil. Not to actually see England play, you see, but rather in the hope that Lucas Leiva gets a game in the Brazilian midfield.
It speaks volumes about his game this season that Lucas is no longer being constantly pilloried by the fans (well, at least the majority of them) and, without wanting to replace Alonso, he has made a good job of filling in the Spaniard's old role.

2011 Asian Cup Qualifier - 18/11/09 @ Rajamangala, Bangkok
0 Thailand vs Singapore 1
I didn't have any intention of commenting on this match, but there isn't much in the way of news coming from PAT Stadium, so what the hell!
The game was a total reversal of the 3-1 victory for the Thais in Singapore last Saturday.

So how are you all after the international break? Miss watching our team lose and play horribly? Yeah me too. Luckily however this weekend we're playing some neighbors who are in much the same habit, managed by dear old Big Sam (maybe that was too many adjectives for one guy?). Blackburn are on a run of ten straight losses in away games, however they haven't lost at the Reebok

since 2001 (though really statistics like that don't mean that much).

Post match comments from Stephen Ireland:

"Looking back at the end of the season we'll probably see it as a good point but we feel a bit robbed," Ireland said.
"We played well, we went ahead but conceded too early. It was very unfortunate but it could have been worse."
As for City's recent habit of drawing too many games, Ireland added: "It's unfortunate we've drawn those games but I think last year we were losing them, so I think it is a positive and it's onwards and upwards or us now.

I opened up my preview for this match with the following paragraph:

Back in action at the Stadium of Light tomorrow, for what I expect to be a very tricky match. Seriously–this match scares the hell out of me. For one thing, it's a road match against a top half side with a very good home record–those matches are always tough, no matter what.

Yesterdays result made me sick in more ways than one. Not only were we battered more than a sausage down my local chippy but I had to drink a pint of lager from a Chelsea dog bowl! I don't have a habit of drinking Carling Extra Cold this way. Its a challenge a pal and I set-up last season before Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

So once again we wake up to a bit of a PR disaster this morning as we learn that the plug has been pulled on signing the youngster dubbed Little Kaka. Im gutted about this.
Much has been made of the young Serb Ljajic. Never before has a youngster had such a build up to joining a club, but that is the way it sort of works at United.

After leaving Manchester United at the end of the 1997 season, Eric Cantona moved to Barcelona with his family. This of course meant when he was in the same city as our lads when they lifted their first European Cup since the Busby era.

In Andy Mitten's brilliant book, Glory Glory!, Cantona reveals he wishes he had been able to join in.

FC Barcelona booked their place in the finals of 2009 World Club Cup by beating CONCAAF Champions Atlante 3-1. Barca went down a goal down as early in the fifth minute but strikes from busquest, Messi and Pedro helped Barca to a more than comfortable win. We will now meet South American Champions Estudiantes in the final.

I said yesterday that it hadn't really felt like boxing day. In all truth, despite getting lots of free stuff, it hadn't really felt like xmas. Perhaps that had more to do with the fact that I've hardly been out of the house for the last two months due to my mad cow disease and had not been able to immerse myself in the xmas spirit.

Nottingham Forest 2 Coventry City 0 Apologies for the tardy report it's becoming a bit of a habit, isn't it? Unplanned drunken antics and a day full of errands now places are open have made this my first opportunity to try to put into a words a game that in truth [...] Read [...]

• Fearless Roberto Mancini brings cool head to the City chaos | Kevin McCarra | Football | guardian.co.uk

  tags: City

• Reaction to the media reaction on Mark Hughes departure « Blue Days

  tags: City

• Daily Express | Columnists :: Roberto Mancini: Can he deliver success for Man City

  tags: City

• Manchester City's deal for Roberto Mancini in the pipeline for close to a year - Telegraph

  tags: City

• Without a Dream in Our Hearts: Bipolarity leads to the demise of Hughes

  tags: City

• New Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini brings winning habit | Football | guardian.