Manchester City #1: Blue moon is rising!

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Hughes sets high Man City targets

Manchester City's new manager Mark Hughes has targeted making the club a major force in the Premier League and across Europe. Hughes was unveiled as City boss on Thursday after leaving Blackburn to become Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor. "The ambition of the club is to challenge at the top table - not only in this country but in Europe," said ex-Manchester United striker Hughes. "If we get the right players in right positions it is more than realistic."

Hughes said he left Blackburn in an attempt to achieve his ambitions of being at a club capable of challenging in the higher echelons, and he denied City were a route to a higher profile job for him. "If I'm successful here I don't need any stepping stones," said the 44-year-old. He is expected to bring some of his backroom team with him from Ewood Park and said he believed they can turn City into a force in England and Europe.

"I had a fantastic time at Blackburn," said Hughes. "It was difficult on occasions with the amount of finance available. There was a limit to how far I could take the club and it's a case now that I'm at club that can match my ambitions."

Hughes had been linked with taking over as Chelsea boss but insists that was never an option after talks began with City. "Once Manchester City made their intentions known I was very focused on getting the opportunity to come to the club," he said. "From the time their intention was shown, I had the opportunity to speak to Garry (Cook, executive chairman) and members of the board. And it's been very quick and very clear to me that there is a huge project here that I want to be part of, so it was an easy decision (to leave Blackburn)."

Hughes has briefly spoken to club owner Thaksin Shinawatra and added: "He wished me well. I had a brief conversation with him and he's very excited by his ambition for the club." It was feared there would be an exodus of players from City following the exit of Eriksson and that is a situation Hughes said he would be addressing. The former Wales boss warned his new players that he would be expecting them to show the necessary passion and drive to be a part of his plans.

"I'll back my ability against most managers in the Premier League and I think my management team is one of the best in the Premier League, and I think we can make an impact here," he said. "If I didn't think that I wouldn't have come here. I'm very demanding (with players) on a day-to-day basis and I expect a certain level to be attained. I'm consistent with players, they know exactly how far they can go. Once they understand my philosophy, if they embrace that they will thrive."

Hughes straight-batted any questions about the club's interest in signing Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho and his Brazilian countryman Jo, who is a striker at CSKA Moscow. But Shinawatra told the Daily Mail: "Ronaldinho - you know, he is a great player. Whatever the club in your heart, you would want to see this player in England, wouldn't you? It is not a risk. Sponsors will contribute. It will not damage our wage structure. Garry and Pairoj, my chief advisor, they are taking care of this transfer. I am very excited. I am 59 next birthday, so I am not a man who can wait for many years to see my dreams come true."

He added: "I am hearing good things about his hunger. I have spoken to his brother (and agent). Ronaldinho wants the new challenge, the chance to play his best football again, to return to the days when he was really, really famous. The magic is still in his boots. Let us hope we can bring him."

Executive chairman, Cook, also said the arrival of Jo was close. He said: "We have had a conversation with Mark Hughes about this because we wanted to see what he felt but it would be fair to say we expect to see Jo at Manchester City."

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Jô breekt transferrecord Man City
Geschreven op woensdag, 2 juli om 18:36

Manchester City heeft Jô definitief binnen. Enkele uren nadat de Braziliaanse spits afscheid nam van zijn werkgever CSKA Moskou bevestigde City zojuist de komst van de 21-jarige aanvaller. Jô zal morgen zijn handtekening zetten onder een vierjarig contract. De Zuid-Amerikaan stond al wekenlang in de belangstelling van Manchester City, maar omdat Jô gedeeltelijk eigendom is van een grote investeringsmaatschappij was het lastig om de transfer te kunnen realiseren. Nu zijn alle plooien toch recht gestreken. Manchester City heeft voor morgenavond een persconferentie belegd. De spits zal dan worden voorgesteld aan de pers.

De Engelse middenmoter wilde niet aangeven hoeveel het precies heeft betaald voor Jô; wel maakt City bekend dat de aanvaller de duurste aankoop uit de geschiedenis van de club is. Naar verluidt maken The Citizens 24 miljoen euro over voor de spits die in 77 competitiewedstrijden 44 doelpunten maakte voor CSKA Moskou.

Jô is de eerste aankoop van de kersverse oefenmeester Mark Hughes. De coach reageerde in zijn nopjes op de transfer. "Hij is een groot talent en heeft een mooie toekomst voor zich liggen", aldus Hughes op de website van City. "Het is een grote jongen en ik denk dat iedereen van hem zal gaan genieten."

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Op woensdag 2 juli 2008 19:10 schreef Gordon_Shumway het volgende:
Is ie zo goed dan, die Jo?

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Op woensdag 2 juli 2008 21:04 schreef toma het volgende:
Is dat die knakker die zn haar blauw verft samen met Wagner Love?

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Op woensdag 2 juli 2008 21:04 schreef toma het volgende:
Is dat die knakker die zn haar blauw verft samen met Wagner Love?

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Op woensdag 2 juli 2008 21:13 schreef Blight het volgende:
Dat is de voorzitter, tong. Stinkend rijke Thai.

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Op woensdag 2 juli 2008 22:53 schreef MaxPower het volgende:

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Ik ben anders niet zo blij met de wispelturigheid van Thaksin. Ik snap het ontslag van Sven nog steeds niet. Na 30 jaar zonder prijs kan je niet gelijk in het eerste jaar iets verwachten..

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Manchester City will be unable to call upon the services of new £19million signing Jo in the opening weeks of the new season after he was named in Brazil's squad for the Olympic Games.

The 21-year-old striker joined City last week from CSKA Moscow, but is now likely to miss the first three games of the new Premier League season - against Aston Villa, West ham United and Sunderland. Jo, who found the net 44 times in 77 games for the Russian side, has been joined in the 18-man squad by fellow English-based players Anderson of Manchester United and Liverpool's Lucas Leiva.

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Op woensdag 30 juli 2008 15:02 schreef Blight het volgende:
Morgen de return UEFA Cup. Kan weinig aan misgaan.

Als het een beetje mee zit ben ik er bij met de wedstrijden tegen Sunderland en/of Portsmouth.

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Op woensdag 30 juli 2008 15:26 schreef Blight het volgende:
Premier League programma is al een tijdje bekend ja. Heb het toegevoegd aan de OP.

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Op woensdag 30 juli 2008 15:40 schreef Manu82 het volgende:

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Thanks, Chelsea thuis lijkt me wel wat

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Man City sign Ben Haim from Blues

Ben Haim left Bolton to join Chelsea
Manchester City have completed the signing of centre-back Tal Ben Haim from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee.

The Israeli joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Bolton in June 2007 but has left after failing to establish himself in the first-team set-up.

He has been allowed to leave by new Blues boss Luiz Felipe Scolari and has signed a four-year deal with City.

The 26-year-old's transfer is subject to him gaining a work permit, which should prove a formality.

Ben Haim has made regular appearances for his country, including two matches against England during qualifying for Euro 2008.

He is believed to have cost about £5m and is City's second summer signing after the arrival of Brazilian striker Jo for £18m from CSKA Moscow.

Ben Haim will be hoping for more first-team football at Eastlands after just 13 starts for Chelsea last season.

But, while he was competing with John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Alex at Stamford bridge, he will be battling for a central defensive berth with Richard Dunne and Micah Richards at City.

Hughes had hinted to a defensive signing as he recently said: "With so many games to play this season it is important to get the balance right.

"Last season the team was weakened when Micah Richards and Richard Dunne were not in it. We are trying to address that."

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City await qualifying draw fate 01/08/2008 10:24

Following on from last night's 4-0 aggregate victory over EB/Streymur, the Blues now look set to face more opposition from Scandinavia as the draw for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup takes places from noon today in Nyon.

Looking at the way the draw is set up, City are again seeded, this time in Group 1 of the Northern section and can only face one of five teams. Two from the Danish Superliga, two from the Swedish Allsvenskan and Finland's FC Honka.

Our possible opponents are:

FC Midtjylland (DEN)
FC Nordsjælland (DEN)
Djurgårdens IF FF (SWE)
Kalmar FF (SWE)
FC Honka Espoo (FIN)

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Op vrijdag 1 augustus 2008 13:41 schreef MaxPower het volgende:

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Alleen tegen United is het uitverkocht (afgelopen seizoen trouwens niet eens dacht ik...)

Voor élke andere wedstrijd zijn zat kaarten te koop.

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Op maandag 11 augustus 2008 09:59 schreef Blight het volgende:
Vriendschappelijk gewonnen van AC Milan, 1 - 0. Zegt natuurlijk weinig, maar wel leuk om te zien dat Bojinov de doelpuntenmaker was.

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Op maandag 11 augustus 2008 10:02 schreef Manu82 het volgende:

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Milan had laatst toch ook met grote cijfers verloren van Chelsea?

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Op maandag 11 augustus 2008 10:02 schreef Manu82 het volgende:

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Milan had laatst toch ook met grote cijfers verloren van Chelsea?

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Man City moet beroep doen op jonkies na blessure Vassell

Manchester City moet het tien weken stellen zonder Darius Vassell. Manager Mark Hughes is daardoor genoodzaakt het seizoen te beginnen met de onervaren tieners Daniel Sturridge and Chedwyn Evans.

Vassell heeft een knieblessure opgelopen. 'Hij zal zes weken lang een brace moeten dragen en heeft daarna nog een maand nodig om fit te worden', denkt coach Hughes. 'Dat is erg teleurstellend, want Darius was uitstekend in vorm tijdens de voorbereiding.'

Het wegvallen van Vassell is een extra tegenvaller voor Hughes. Hij kan namelijk al niet beschikken over de aanvallers Jô (Olympische Spelen), Valeri Bojinov en Benjani Mwaruwari (beiden niet fit).

The Citizens spelen donderdag in de tweede voorronde van het UEFA Cup-toernooi tegen FC Midtjylland en zondag in de Premier League tegen Aston Villa. Evans en Sturridge (beiden negentien jaar) vormen waarschijnlijk de aanval.