Is anyone else starting to get a little nervous for the Man City "project"?

I was thrilled by the way the team were playing for the first two months of the season. � They were incisive, dashing, and had a swagger about them that said "we can do this". � As sure as one swallow doesn't make a summer, a handful of early victories doesn't define a season.

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Even as a neutral I couldn't fail but be taken in by the Premier League Manchester derby on Sunday. As both City and United gave everything in a match that will no doubt be ‘Sky Classic' before you know it.
Even the build up was entertaining, with Sparky becoming ever more vocal about his nouveau riche teams chances. Click to continue reading...

"All Craig has done is go over there and tell the guy to get off the pitch," said Mark Hughes. "Craig wasn't privy to how much time was left to enable us to get back into the game. The guy made an aggressive move towards him and Craig wanted to get him off the pitch. Craig just put a defensive hand out to push him away.

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Morning Insiders. Eldo71s' off to the Champions League match today for Arsenalinsider so your stuck with me again to bring you todays new round up and it's all about one person Adebayor. Comment invited below as always.

The Sun - Wenger won't let Manu off hook
ARSENE WENGER just could not get Emmanuel Adebayor out of his mind.

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Harry & Sparky look to complete player exchange before today's transfer deadline.

Sky Sports sources understand Manchester City are in talks with Tottenham regarding a deal for David Bentley. (Sky Sports)

Manchester City & Tottenham To Swap Martin Petrov & David Bentley

Spurs are eager to draft in a left-winger following the recent injury to their star playmaker, Luka Modric, and have jumped at the chance to offload Bentley in the process.

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With the signing of Joleon Lescott yesterday for for £24million, Manchester City have now spent £216.5m in transfer fees in the last 12 months.

Mark Hughes' incredible spree on 13 new players, plus Stuart Taylor and Sylvinho on frees, has rocked English soccer and newspaper reports say that City's Arab owners have pledged even more if boss Sparky can identify anyone else he wants before the deadline, plus another £100m in January!

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As if the internet wasn't a big enough platform to talk shit on, over the weekend I was invited on to Radio2's Totally Football to hang out and talk more shit with resident football guru Sparky. Among doing so, I'd also wanted to use the opportunity to learn more about ... Click to continue reading...

Emmanuel Adebayor, who desperately tried to get a move to Manchester United at the last minute before settling to sign for our blue neighbours, reckons he will be playing for the top team in Manchester by the end of the season.

"The goal is not to be bigger than Manchester United, but to be bigger than everybody," he said.

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OK, just a friendly -� it was the annual Joan Gamper Trophy -� but still a great result for City's morale. Looking at the line-ups/subs [@ Goal], you can see just how seriously Pep Guardiola and Sparky Hughes treated it: FC...

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And so the wait at last comes to an end. With all due respect to the enjoyable diversions provided by the Confederations Cup and the Gold Cup, we can now finally get down to some serious business. The potential for this campaign has me more excited than I've been in several years, simply because of the myriad questions that will be answered come May, 2010. Click to continue reading...

Sparky's Rovers teams earned a reputation for no-nonsense football and midfielder Dunn, 29, reckons the City chief should be given a taste of his own medicine. Click to continue reading...

Former Manchester United striker, Mark Hughes, or "Munich bastard" to his fans, has come across all cocky in the press. Dear dear, it seems all the money, fame and back-page stories have gone to his head.

Apparently Hughes doesn't have to speak in the press to raise his profile, like Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benitez, because he's used to be centre of attention thanks to his playing career.

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"I'm trying not to rise to it," said Hughes. "Sometimes we have to respond because people make comments but we don't try to cultivate these situations. He got a little upset about our poster campaign although to call it a campaign is wrong because there was only one. It was just a bit of fun between the two sets of supporters and I think it was taken in that manner.

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The season is fast approaching, and with preseason friendlies now fully underway squads are getting ready for the 2009/10 Premier League season. Last season saw Aston Villa comfortable in fourth place for much of the season before stuttering over the finish line, but Martin O'Neill's side lead a long list of clubs hoping to crack into the four coveted Champions League spots this season.

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'City don't even come into the equation. They are a small club with a small mentality. All they can talk about is us'
Sparky and Fergie back in the day... Click to continue reading...

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Fire and Timbers Join Forces for Saturday's match.
When is a Chicago Fire Fan not a Chicago Fire Fan? When they're a Portland Timbers fan jonesin' for a road trip up the I-5.
Bags are being packed. People are getting onto planes and into cars, to descend: on Seattle In what is likely to be ACES09's crowning achievement of the summer they hope to have a "big away day in the belly of the beast". Click to continue reading...

I'll start by saying I'm not Emmanuel Adebayor's biggest fan. He's arrogant and while very talented at times, is lazy and inconsistent in equal measures. That said, I think he's made the right move leaving Arsenal for Manchester City. I know the majority of fans think it's just about the money but I don't believe that to be the case.

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Manchester City are spending more money on players than Elton John does on flowers and most people I know are immediately assuming that a top four finish on the cards for them at the expense of Arsenal.
It makes me laugh. Of course if Manchester City keep spending at the rate they are then they will eventually challenge for a place in the top four. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool fans, it's time to be honest – Xabi Alonso is all but on his way to Real Madrid. You didn't want it to happen, he (initially) didn't want it to happen, and perhaps even Rafael Benitez didn't want it to happen, despite his previous attempts to sell off his fellow Spaniard.
Considering that the boy from the Basque Country has just come off a season in which he displayed the sort of composure, consistency and class that even Steven Gerrard never could in a central playmaking role, it would be sheer madness to even consider selling him. Click to continue reading...

Latest on the JT situation: Man City boss Mark Hughes has gone public in his pursuit of Mr Chelsea, by saying that the player would benefit from a 'change of scenery' (not to mention a massive pay rise). Sparky...

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Hot, fresh pics of Tevez at Eastlands this afternoon. He and Sparky make a lovely couple... Click on the image to launch the gallery:...

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How many times have you heard Sky Sports News say those words?
Just exactly who are Sky Sports News' sources? Heinz, HP and Tesco Value are my guesses.
The latest coming from SSN's 'sauces' is that Adebayor is in advanced talks with Manchester City. If they do manage to prise Adebayor away from us then fuck knows what formation they will play next season. Click to continue reading...

Subject to a medical, Carlos Tevez is a Manchester City player, where he will keep the 32 shirt. It goes without saying we'll miss the five Premiership goals he contributed last season.

"Carlos is an international player of the highest class who possesses all the attributes that will help drive this club forward," said Hughes.

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Mark Hughes loves to talk about his sideboard It has been so long since Manchester City won any silverware that the club seemingly no longer has a trophy cabinet, let alone a trophy room. That is if manager Mark Hughes' comments are anything to go by. Sparky appears to be obsessed with picking up a trophy to [. Click to continue reading...

Yesterday afternoon I was here drinking a pint of this.
After a while my lover and I got chatting to a man at a nearby table.
Turns out he is a season ticket holder for Manchester City.
All was going well. We talked about the new owners, the money the club has to spend, Sparky's Spark (or rather lack of), Gareth Barry, Robhino, Eastlands and of course how the ManUre have no fans living in Manchester. Click to continue reading...

After what seems like a millennium, West Ham finally got shot of Icelandick Chairman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson who will go back home with his tail between his legs with 70million (he was hoping for double that last year). 70 million doesn't sound much for a club, especially when you consider that is the figure being bandied about by Real Madrid for The Portuguese Winker.

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The title race is over folks Nice one Sparky, your boys could have tried a bit harder than that. I guess that sums up the thoughts of Rafa Benitez today. His Liverpool side keep on winning, but can't get any...

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New Ipswich manager Roy Keane is one of a number of managers who were playing under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1994. Steve Bruce, Mark Hughes and Paul Ince have all transferred the skills they learned under Fergie but, in typical fashion, Keane insisted that none of them could yet be classed as ‘good' managers. Click to continue reading...

Roy Keane has turned on Mark Hughes and Steve Bruce today, claiming they are not successful managers because they haven't won anything. Whilst both have had disappointing spells in their career, it's hard to argue with what Bruce has achieved with Wigan and Hughes achieved with Blackburn. They haven't had a trophy to their name but between them they've had high league finishes and long runs in cup competitions, all without much to spend!

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Un "numerito" de proporciones se mandó Cuauhtémoc Blanco el fin de semana pasado.
El delantero mexicano - que no jugó en todo el encuentro ante el NY Red Bulls- no encontró nada mejor que sorprender por la espalda a la mascota del Chicago Fire ("Sparky") y fingir un ataque sexual.
Ante la mirada atónita de sus compañeros y de la gente en el estadio del Chicago Fire, Blanco sencillamente mostró toda su falta de educación en un gesto que desde mi punto de vista e independiente de cualquier cosa, es profundamente vulgar y poco adecuado para un personaje público de su naturaleza. Click to continue reading...

The Daily Mail today reports that Robinho was swanning off to Brazil whilst his new Man City teammates were getting shamed by Brighton in the Carling Cup... The Mail reckons Sparky Hughes gave his big-money signing special dispensation to leave, saying: Sportsmail understands that Robinho, 23, had been given permission by manager Mark . Click to continue reading...

We don't need no Premiership.
We don't need no Champion's League.
We've got - the Johnstone Paint Trophy competition!
This will be the first time we have ever had the opportunity to compete as it is only open to Leagues One and Two.
And of course, as we know, this is the first time EVER we have been outside the top two tiers. Click to continue reading...

I know it's only two games into the Premiership season but you can't help speculating who will be the first manager to get the big El Bow.
Alan Cubishley has to be a hot favorite. The Hammers poor start, coupled with an indifferent season last year are likely to be making him feel very insecure, whatever he says. Click to continue reading...

Manchester City are trying to land Brazilian World Cup-winner Ronaldo.City executive chairman Garry Cook revealed last week he was looking to sign a superstar.And contact has been made with the former Barcelona and Real Madrid hitman, who is now a free agent after being released by AC Milan in the summer. Click to continue reading...