ManCity51

when you say "Muscat" do you mean that nasty little shit who used to play for Millwall? if it's the same Kevin Muscat (thought he was a hard man, but was actually just a dirty, cowardly player) then I really have a reason to hate the victards cos that guy just wants fucking with a frosty mop.

If the owners operate like they do with us (City) then they'll play their cards very close to their chest. You don't get the big grandiose statements of who you're going to buy, usually the first anybody, including the press knows about players joining is when the deal's done. They just quietly go about their business, and I'm guessing if a list of targets isn't already in place, it's being drawn up. It can be a pain in the arse waiting for news, but on the plus side, when a signing's revealed, it's a bit like Christmas. I can still remember when our neighbours, United signed Phil Jones from Blackburn it was kind of annoying for a few weeks, then we announced a press conference, and Sergio Aguero's stood there holding his new City shirt.

You'll probably hear the word "holistic" bandied about at some point. Essentially, the idea is for the club to be seen as one entity-from the under 10's to the first team. Each of our teams, from the kids to the first team is being coached to play the same style of football, so eventually it should be like a conveyor belt, you just progress through the ranks over time. The first team coach Manuel Pelegrini was asked to sum up the ethos for how the team plays, he gave a very simple answer "win the ball, keep the ball, score many goals". He's been true to his word. We're just over half way through the season & so far we've scored 108 league & cup goals. That's why I don't think you'll be treated as a "Mini Man City", it just wouldn't work over two continents, they seem to want each club to be a complete self contained unit, going from academy right through to first team, and I think it'll be awesome for the Australian game to have a facility churning out players year after year. Sure, we'll share ideas, facilities & best practise, it'd be stupid not to. MHFC will now have access to the most advanced coaching and sports science complex in the world, as well as a global scouting network, and over the coming years I imagine they'll want to build a facility along the same lines in Melbourne. I was talking to some mates at the match today about the Heart deal, and we don't see you as a Man City Light, or a feeder club or a franchise of us, everyone I've spoken to here sees you as "the brothers from down under"-a separate club but an equal part of the family, the difference in scale is purely down to the game being established for longer over here. As of now, Heart have got a shitload more fans over here

Fuck me.... If we get anything near that it would be unbelievable. trust me, y(our) owners don't fuck about. Not long after they bought us, they announced they were building a new academy, and the intention was for it to be the most advanced in the world. Naturally, having been lied to and shat on by numerous previous owners & chairmen our reaction was "bullshit, we've heard all this before" Next thing we know, they've signed a deal with the local council to invest close to £1 billion in the local area. They looked at Barcelona's La Masia complex that had produced the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi and looked at how they could improve on it. All contractors bidding for work on the academy had to agree to employ a minimum of 70% of the workforce from the local community, and when it's run, at least 70% of the workforce running it day to day will be locals. If you're worried about your history & identity, all I can say is they've really taken our history to heart, and built the club on those foundations. The spiral access ramps to the stadium bear the names of all the season ticket holders, and inside the stadium are murals bearing people's memories of their first match at City, some from the fifties, some from youngsters who started going just a few seasons ago. In a sheltered corner outside the stadium is the garden of remembrance, where fans can scatter the ashes of loved ones, my dad's ashes are there. It has the keystones from the entrance to the pub where the team was first formed in 1880, and a mosaic from the stadium we played in for 80 years. At the entrance is a sign bearing the quotation "I think of Heaven as a garden where I shall find again those dear ones who have made my world." They seem to believe that the biggest part of the history of the club is the fans, and while they have their sights set firmly on the future, they make sure to remember our past.

I'm sure someone's already posted this, but for those of you wondering about the new owner's approach to youth, here's our new academy. It opens in July, I pass it every day on my way to work and believe me, the video doesn't do justice to the sheer scale of it. Your players will have access to it in the off season, and it wouldn't surprise me if Soriano & Beguiristain aren't already drawing up plans for an academy in Melbourne.

I bought a pie at the Arsenal match, half of it was cold. To be fair, they replaced it & apologised, that's about it for negatives, can't really think of any others. Oh, in case nobody's mentioned it, the food & drink situation at the stadium is light years ahead of what it used to be. They hire celebrity chefs like Marco Pierre White & jamie Oliver to come up with the menu. You can get a decent curry these days, and in the "City Square" fan area outside the ground and in the family stand they've installed an array of video consoles so you can play FIFA14 while you're waiting for kick off, or, as in most cases, drop the kids off while you go for a pint at one of the bars.

Another Bluenose here to say welcome to the family, and to try & give you an idea of what you're in for. I've been watching City since around 1973/4, and for the most part, it's been fucking hard, having to watch players who were, to be frank, shite. All the while watching United win trophy after trophy, playing quality football, while I'm watching players who look like they've wandered in off the street, stolen a kit & blagged their way onto the pitch. The first thing our new owners did was buy Robinho, basically as a way of saying "we don't mess around, we mean business" that kind of got everyone's attention. Next thing they did was to ask our opinion; so be warned, you'll be getting questionaires to fill in (there's usually a draw for free tickets if you complete them) For the first time in 40 years, the club's owners actually gave a shit about my opinion, I still get surveys from time to time, asking me what I think they do well, what I'd like them to do better, any suggestions etc. I work with fans of various clubs, and none of them seem to be consulted to the level we are; the club genuinely seem to value "bringing the fans with them" on the big decisions. They haven't always got things right, and when they haven't they've publicly said "yeah sorry, we were wrong on that one, we'll do it better next time", another refreshing change. I live about a kilometre from the stadium, and I can tell you, the transformation in the local area is at least equal to the one on the pitch. The area was one of the most deprived in Manchester: the old steel mill & coal mine that had closed down years ago, and the derelict chemical factories are a distant memory, being replaced by "The Campus" an academy for our youth setup with around 14 pitches and a 7,000 seat stadium. A new community centre, homework club & college. The local school kids also get to use the all-weather pitches. All this off-the-field stuff tends to get ignored by the media & other fans who like to focus on transfer fees & salaries. I guess I'm trying to say you're in for a hell of a ride both on and off the pitch (Sheikh Mansour, he loves his all-out attacking football ), enjoy it, and hopefully we'll get to play each other at some point. One thing I am confident about; within a couple of years you'll be giving Victory the kind of going over we've been giving to United in recent seasons, and all the whining about how unfair it is just adds to the enjoyment .