My Eyes Have Seen the Glory - Manchester City 2011-2012 by Fonthill Media

+R R @ Ä§O @ , D '0=R A5B7<9GH9F 7=HM &$%%!&$%&

.Z &ZFT )BWF 4FFO UIF (MPSZ JT B NBUDI CZ NBUDI CMPX CZ CMPX TVQFSCMZ JMMVTUSBUFE BDDPVOU PG UIF NPTU NFNPSBCMF TFBTPO PG &OHMJTI 1SFNJFSTIJQ GPPUCBMM JO SFDFOU ZFBST 5IF XPSME IBT MPPLFE PO BT .BODIFTUFS $JUZ IBT NBUVSFE BOE TUSFOHUIFOFE VOEFS UIF JOTQJSBUJPOBM MFBEFSTIJQ PG 3PCFSUP .BODJOJ UIJT JT UIF TUPSZ PG UIFJS USJVNQIBOU TUSVHHMF H\Y W\U]faUb YldYWhYX h\Y ZUbg YldYWhYX/ AUbW]b] \Ug XY`]jYfYX"

Ñ&#x2013;Ò¥Ò¦ÏÒ®Ò®

XXX GPOUIJMMNFEJB DPN

$POOFDU XJUI VT XXX GBDFCPPL DPN GPOUIJMMNFEJB XXX UXJUUFS DPN GPOUIJMMNFEJB

5B8F9K K5@8CB

7JDUPSZ JO UIF 1SFNJFSTIJQ JT UP CF DIFSJTIFE .Z &ZFT )BWF 4FFO UIF (MPSZ JT UIF CPPL FWFSZ .BODIFTUFS $JUZ GBO IBT CFFO XBJUJOH UP SFBE 3FBE JU CBTL JO UIF HMPSZ PG MPOH BXBJUFE USJVNQI BOE DFMFCSBUF UIF CJSUI PG B OFX FSB JO UIF 1SFNJFSTIJQ o .BODIFTUFS $JUZ T FSB

ZDU JDPHV "/% 5)&*3 )*4503: " & Ī+ Ī $6(-

MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY MANCHESTER CITY 2011-2012

MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY

MANCHESTER CITY 2011-2012

ANDREW WALDON

Front cover image: EPA European Pressphoto Agency b.v. / Alamy

First published 2012 Fonthill Media Limited www.fonthillmedia.com enquiries@fonthillmedia.com

Copyright ÂŠ Andrew Waldon, 2012 The right of Andrew Waldon to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN 978 1 78155 076 2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Typeset in 10pt on 13pt Celeste. Typesetting by Fonthill Media Limited Printed and bound in England.

CONTENTS Acknowledgements Introduction Who’s Who The Manager Management Support Team MCFC Squad 2011/12 Team Photograph Season Review 2011/12 Analysis – Premiership Analysis – Other Games Statistics

6 7 9 10 11 14 20 21 24 100 106

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks must go to many people, especially Fonthill Media for producing this publication in record time. The BBC websites and Manchester City’s official site were consulted for match quotes and statistics. Many thanks to EPA European Pressphoto Agency b.v. / Alamy and Corbis for images. Other statistics and images are from the author’s own private collection. Finally, special thanks to the players of Manchester City and to Roberto Mancini. ‘He came from Italy, to manage Man City, Mancini’ Andrew Waldon May 2012

INTRODUCTION In 1968, Bell, Lee and Summerbee’s dreams came true. Fast forward forty-four years. For some, hopes evaporate long before the halfway mark is reached, for others there is a tense, exciting build up that promises everything, but because of one ill-timed result, fails to deliver. But for the exclusive few, the class of 2011-12 – Aguero, Silva, Yaya Touré et al – there are trophies, medals and all the prestige that comes with being a City legend. It has been a season of magnificent highs – the 6-1 trouncing of Manchester United, named by Sir Alex Ferguson as ‘the worst result in my history’ – and depressing lows – the infamous Carlos Tévez saga – but there has always been drama, passion and world class football. Nothing, however, will surpass the feelings of despair and elation on 13 May 2012, when at home against Queens Park Rangers in the final day of Premiership games, the title was lost and then won in an unforgettable five minutes of added time. It is a day that will be stored in the hearts of Manchester City fans. There will be no stopping them now. Manchester City’s dream has been fulfilled, a dream that many never thought they would see. MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY.

MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB PLC Etihad Stadium, Etihad Campus, Manchester M11 3FF Telephone: 0161 444 1894 E-Mail:mcfc@mcfc.co.uk

Chairman: Khaldoon Al Mubarak Chief Executive Officer: John Macbeath (Interim) Board of Directors: Martin Edelman, Mohamed Mazrouei, Simon Pearce Leadership Team: Ian Cafferky, Vicky Gloss, Sarah Lynch, Brian Marwood, Jonathan Stamp, Graham Wallace Honorary Presidents: Eric Alexander, Si Howard Bernstein, Tony Book, Raymond Donn, Ian Niven MBE, Keith Pinner, Tudor Thomas Life Presidents: Bernard Halford, Sidney Rose Club Ambassador: Mike Summerbee Club Secretary: Rebecca Baker Team Manager: Roberto Mancini Assistant Manager: Brian Kidd Coaches: Fausto Salsano, David Platt, Attilio Lombardo Fitness Coach: Ivan Carminati Goal Keeping Coach: Massimo Battaro EDS Manager: Andy Welsh Academy Manager: Mark Allen Club Doctor: Dr Phillip Batty

THE MANAGER ROBERTO MANCINI

D.O.B.: 27.11.64 Place of birth: Jesi, Ancona, Italy Joined City: December 2009

Roberto Mancini succeeded Mark Hughes as City manager on 19 December 2009 and guided the Blues to their best ever Premier League finish of third, ensuring a place in the Champions League. The Italian’s previous job had been coach of Inter Milan, where he enjoyed enormous success. Mancini won three consecutive Serie A titles and two Italian Cups, and won almost 62 per cent of his 226 games at the helm. Mancini’s playing career was no less glittering and spanned twenty years at the top. A striker by profession, he made more than 700 domestic and European appearances, scoring 206 goals along the way for Bologna, Sampdoria and Lazio. His final matches as a player were in a Leicester City shirt at the age of 36. He earned thirty-six senior caps for his country to add to the twentysix gained at under-21 level. He won two Serie A titles and six Italian Cup winners medals, as well as a pair of Uefa Cup winners’ medals. Mancini’s first steps in management came at Fiorentina and Lazio before he moved on to Internazionale.

MANAGEMENT SUPPORT TEAM Brain Kidd – Assistant Manager

D.O.B.: 29.05.49 Place of birth: Collyhurst Joined City: December 2009

Brian Kidd is one of a select band of former players who are admired throughout Manchester’s footballing circles. He joined Manchester City as assistant manager in December 2009. Having won the European Cup with United, Brian later moved to Maine Road and racked up 128 appearances, including over fifty goals, with the Blues from 1976-79. His career also took in stints at Everton, Arsenal and Bolton, and ended in the United States, before he turned his attention to coaching, where his techniques have been highly praised and have brought success at many levels. Brian spent a decade at Old Trafford as youth team boss and assistant manager before moving to Leeds, then Sheffield United, and then in 2008-09, to Portsmouth, where alongside Paul Hart he managed to keep the South Coast side in the Premier League. Kidd, who was born in Collyhurst and always maintained his family home in the Manchester area, was also England coach under former City chief, Sven-Goran Eriksson.

David Platt – First Team Coach David Platt became an England hero and Serie A star despite the disappointment of being shown the door by his first club as a youngster. Platt went to Old Trafford after leaving school in 1982, only to be given a free transfer in a cost-cutting move in January 1985, joining Fourth Division club, Crewe. In 1988 he signed for Graham Taylor’s Aston Villa and in his first season at Villa Park he helped the club achieve promotion to the First Division. He was PFA Player of the Year as Villa finished runners-up in 1989-90.Then came a love affair with Italy. Platt had spells with Bari, who he joined in 1991, Juventus, where he won the 1993 UEFA Cup, and Sven Goran Eriksson’s Sampdoria, where he won the Coppa Italia in 1994. He returned to England with Arsenal in 1995, winning the Double in 1995. After leaving Arsenal in 1998, he returned to Sampdoria briefly as manager. He took charge of Nottingham Forest before becoming England Under-21 manager in July 2001.

D.O.B.: 06.10.66 Place of birth: Oldham Joined City: January 2010

Attilio Lombardo – First Team Coach Attilio Lombardo joined City with a wealth of experience following his glittering playing career in Italy. Lombardo was born in Western Italy and began his football career in 1983 at Pergocrema, a Serie C2 side. He enjoyed a spell at Serie B team Cremonese, before heading to Serie A with Sampdoria in 1989. Lombardo excelled at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, winning an array of domestic trophies, including the Coppa Italia, Cup Winners’ Cup and Supercoppa Italiana. It was during his stay at Sampdoria that Lombardo played with Roberto Mancini. In 1995 the right winger moved to Juventus. Despite encountering injury problems, Lombardo continued his winning streak, adding the UEFA Champions League, Intercontinental Cup and European Super Cup to his list of accolades. In 1997 he came to England to play for Crystal Palace. When Steve Coppell stepped down from the Eagles’ managerial post, Lombardo and Tomas Brolin became caretaker player-managers. By 1999, Lombardo was back in Serie A playing for Sven Goran Eriksson’s Lazio. He was soon back to winning ways with what was arguably his most impressive haul: Cup Winners’ Cup, Serie A, Supercoppa Italiana, Coppa Italia and the European Super Cup. During his career he gained nineteen caps for his country. On the coaching front he spent five years at Sampdoria.

D.O.B.: 06.01.66 Place of birth: Santa Maria, La Fossa, Italy Joined City: July 2010

Fausto Salsano – Coach

D.O.B.: 19.02.62 Place of birth: Cava de Tirreni, Italy Joined City: December 2009

Fausto’s playing career spanned more than twenty years, beginning in 1979 and ending in 2000. He spent most of his career at Sampdoria, where he played for four years under Sven-Goran Eriksson and first met Roberto Mancini. He left for the last time in 1998, but had also had spells at Empoli, Parma and Roma. As an attacking midfielder he won five Coppa Italia’s with Sampdoria between 1985 and 1994, as well as a European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1990. He added to his domestic cup haul with Roma in 1991, collecting another Coppa Italia. He became player-coach at Imperia in 2000, followed by a brief spell at Catania as number two to his former team mate, Pietro Vierchowod. Fausto joined up with another previous colleague, Mancini, at Fiorentina in 2002. He rejoined his countryman at Inter Milan two years later, and for the next four years he contributed to one of the most successful periods in the club’s history, winning two Coppa Italia’s and three Serie A titles.

Ivan Carminati – Fitness Coach

D.O.B.: 13.09.54 Place of birth: Vitiorio Veneto, Italy Joined City: December 2009

Fitness coach Ivan Carminati arrived at City with the highest pedigree, having coached at some of Italy’s biggest clubs and also the England national team during Sven Goran Eriksson’s reign. He was fitness coach to Roberto Mancini during his playing days at Lazio between 1997 and 2000, and then teamed up with the future City boss again when he became manager of Lazio between 2002 and 2004.The pair then continued their working relationship at Inter, with Ivan initially maintaining his role with England before making the switch to the San Siro permanent in 2006. When Mancini arrived at the City of Manchester Stadium, there was only one man he wanted as his fitness coach; Carminati soon travelled to Manchester to resume his role under the Blues’ boss. Known to be a harsh but fair taskmaster, Carminati settled in quickly at City and has proved a popular and effective member of the coaching staff.

Massimo Battara – Goalkeeping Coach After retiring in 1998, Massimo became a goalkeeping coach, following in the footsteps of his father, who set up a FIFA recognised academy for the men between the posts. It was Battara senior who first served Mancini as goalkeeping coach, when the current City boss was on his first managerial assignment at Fiorentina in 2001. When the call went out again three years later at Inter Milan, it was Battara junior who answered. The pair first became acquainted as young players at Bologna in the early ’80s, and teamed up several years later at Sampdoria. Massimo was an important figure during Mancini’s treble of Italian league titles between 2005 and 2008.

D.O.B.: 13.09.54 Place of birth: Vitiorio Veneto, Italy Joined City: December 2009

MANCHESTER CIT Y SQUAD 2011/12

Micah Richards

Vincent Kompany

Squad Number 2 Defender D.O.B.: 24.06.88 Place of birth: Birmingham 2011/12 stats: 31 (6) app., 1 goal

Squad Number 4 Defender D.O.B.: 10.04.86 Place of birth: Ukkle, Belgium 2011/12 stats: 42 app., 3 goals

Pablo Zabaleta

Joleon Lescott

Squad Number 5 Defender D.O.B.: 16.01.85 Place of birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina 2011/12 stats: 26 (5) app., 1 goal

Squad Number 6 Defender D.O.B.: 16.08.82 Place of birth: Birmingham 2011/12 stats: 40 (2) app., 3 goals

James Milner

David Pizarro

Squad Number 7 Midfield D.O.B.: 04.01.86 Place of birth: Leeds 2011/12 stats: 23 (14) app., 3 goals

Squad Number 8 Midfield D.O.B.: 11.09.79 Place of birth: Valparaiso, Chile 2011/12 stats: 2 (5) app., 1 goal

Edin Dzeko

Adam Johnson

Squad Number 10 Forward D.O.B.: 17.03.86 Place of birth: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2011/12 stats: 26 (14) app., 19 goals

Squad Number 11 Midfield D.O.B.: 14.07.87 Place of birth: Sunderland 2011/12 stats: 16 (22) app., 7 goals

MANCHESTER CIT Y SQUAD 2011/12

Stuart Taylor

Aleksandar Kolarov

Squad Number 12 Goal Keeper D.O.B.: 28.11.80 Place of birth: Romford 2011/12 stats: 0 app.

Squad Number 13 Defender D.O.B.: 10.11.85 Place of birth: Belgrade, Serbia 2011/12 stats: 20 (7) app., 4 goals

Stefan Savic Squad Number 15 Defender D.O.B.: 08.01.91 Place of birth: Mojkovac, Montenegro 2011/12 stats: 13 (7) app., 1 goal

Sergio Aguero Squad Number 16 Forward D.O.B.: 02.06.88 Place of birth: Quilma, Argentina 2011/12 stats: 39 (9) app., 30 goals

Gareth Barry

Samir Nasri

Squad Number 18 Midfield D.O.B.: 23.02.81 Place of birth: Hastings 2011/12 stats: 39 (5) app., 1 goal

Squad Number 19 Midfield D.O.B.: 26.06.87 Place of birth: Marseille, France 2011/12 stats: 37 (8) app., 6 goals

Owen Hargreaves

David Silva

Squad Number 20 Midfield D.O.B.: 20.01.81 Place of birth: Calgary, Canada 2011/12 stats: 2 (2) app., 1 goal

Squad Number 21 Midfield D.O.B.: 08.01.86 Place of birth: Arguineguin, Spain 2011/12 stats: 46 (3) app., 8 goals

MANCHESTER CIT Y SQUAD 2011/12

Gael Clichy

Joe Hart

Squad Number 22 Defender D.O.B.: 26.07.85 Place of birth: Toulouse, France 2011/12 stats: 35 (2) app., 1 goal

Squad Number 25 Goalkeeper D.O.B.: 19.04.87 Place of birth: Shrewsbury 2011/12 stats: 51 app.

Kolo TourĂŠ

Costel Pantilimon

Squad Number 28 Defender D.O.B.: 19.03.81 Place of birth: Bouake, Ivory Coast 2011/12 stats: 14 (6) app.

Squad Number 30 Goalkeeper D.O.B.: 01.02.87 Place of birth: Bacau, Romania 2011/12 stats: 4 app.

Carlos TĂŠvez

Nigel De Jong

Squad Number 32 Forward D.O.B.: 05.02.84 Place of birth: Cuidadela, Argentina 2011/12 stats: 8 (7) app., 4 goals

Squad Number 34 Midfield D.O.B.: 30.11.84 Place of birth: Amsterdam, Netherlands 2011/12 stats: 23 (13) app., 1 goal

Yaya TourĂŠ

Mario Balotelli

Squad Number 42 Midfield D.O.B.: 13.05.83 Place of birth: Bouake, Ivory Coast 2011/12 stats: 41 (1) app., 9 goals

Squad Number 45 Forward D.O.B.: 12.08.90 Place of birth: Palermo, Italy 2011/12 stats: 21 (11) app., 17 goals

Denis Suarez 36, (1 sub.) Abdul Razak 62, 2 (2) app.

Karim Rekik 44, (2 sub.) Luca Scapuzzi 49, 1 (1) app, 1 goal

SEASON REVIEW 2011/12 When I was asked to write a review of the 2011/12 season I tried to jot down words that described it; I still haven’t found those words. We started as if we meant business, brushing aside any challengers that stood in our way. The one game that stood out early on was the 5-1 victory against Spurs down at White Hart Line. Having been roughly level with them over the last few seasons, many City fans expected the trip to London to be tough. However, Manchester City, and particularly Edin Dzeko, thought otherwise. Dzeko scored four and Sergio Aguero got the other; City had made their mark. To dismantle Tottenham in front of their home fans was an amazing achievement, but more shock and excitement was soon to follow. The ‘Manchester Derby’ of 23 October 2011 is a match that will be forever emblazoned into the memories of fans from both teams. Unbeaten in the league so far, and only suffering one defeat away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on 27 September, Manchester United hosted City in a highly anticipated derby that would give an early indication as to where the Premier League trophy would end up. I remember the game like no other. I had two tickets to Old Trafford but was asked to work and had to sell them. Nervous as hell, I told everybody not to inform me of the score or of anything about the match. I made it home from work around an hour into the game and switched my phone on to find I had three missed calls from a friend of mine, a Liverpool fan. After four more missed calls I finally picked up the phone. ‘Johnny Evans has been sent off,’ he said, ‘you’re winning, mate!’ My reply was simple. ‘This is United we’re talking about. The score won’t stay like this, especially as they’re at home.’ I put the phone down after telling him not to let me know anything else. But my phone kept ringing, and I just kept answering. ‘3-1, you’re winning 3-1! United have just scored.’ This was after 80 minutes and I just couldn’t handle it. ‘Typical City,’ I thought. My phone went again, I didn’t answer. I thought United must have scored again; 3-1 up and we had messed it up. A few more missed calls and I finally answered my phone again. ‘Mate, guess what?’ said my friend, ‘It’s 5-1, you’re dominating them!’ I couldn’t believe it. Then another call, ‘Ooooh Eddiiiiinnn Dzeeekoooo!’ was all he said. I sprinted into the living room and turned on the TV. There it was, in big letters, ‘Manchester United 1 Manchester City 6’. I was shocked. We had inflicted one of the heaviest defeats ever suffered by United at Old Trafford. It was like men against boys, the movement was superb the players were fantastic and the result was phenomenal. Best of all, we had just opened up a 5-point gap at the top of the table. Brilliant! It wasn’t until December that City were finally beaten in the Premier League. On 12 December at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, Mario Balotelli gave us an early lead after rounding Petr Cech just two minutes into the game. But a goal from Meireles on 34 minutes and a late Frank Lampard penalty condemned City to their first Premier League defeat of the season. The defeat was followed up by victories over Arsenal and Stoke at the Etihad stadium, and a goalless draw at the Hawthorns against West Brom. The first game of 2012 saw City travel up to the North East to play Sunderland on New Year’s Day. It was not a good start to the year; City came away with their second defeat in the league courtesy of a last gasp Ji Dong-Won goal. Vincent Kompany and Yaya Touré were unavailable for the best part of January and City won only three out of eight league and cup games throughout January, ending the month knocked out of the FA Cup by United and the Carling Cup by Liverpool. However, with the return of Kompany and Touré, City rediscovered their form in February, winning all five of their games, including an impressive 6-1 aggregate win over Portuguese and Europa League champions Porto in the Europa League.

March fast approached, and with it, the business end of the season. A loss to Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium allowed Manchester United to reclaim top spot. I remember being heartbroken after the Swansea game; having led the Premier League for the majority of the year, I couldn’t believe we had let it slip, but the worst was still to come. Successive draws away to Stoke, which included a fantastic goal from Stoke’s Peter Crouch, and then a shock home draw to Sunderland, which saw City claw back from 3-1 down with goals from Mario Balotelli and Alexander Kolarov, put the title further out of reach. On 8 April, City travelled down to Arsenal needing a victory to keep their title dreams alive. A late Mikel Arteta strike cost us the game; I was gutted. Eight points adrift of United, there seemed to be no way back into the race. But as often happens in the Premiership, things soon changed dramatically. In the car park before the West Brom home game on 11 April, my dad found a penny on the floor and handed it to me saying it was lucky. I laughed it off, but kept the penny in my pocket anyway. The media were debating whether City would just fade away and allow United to claim a twentieth Premier League title; the answer on 11 April was an emphatic ‘No!’ City hit West Brom for four with Aguero and Tevéz, who had returned from exile, running the show, before Silva finished off the rout with a lovely fourth, clipping the ball over the keeper from an angle. News filtered through the ground shortly after that Wigan had pulled off a huge shock and beaten United for the first time ever, winning 1-0 at the DW stadium. Was the comeback really on? Did my lucky penny really work? City’s next game was a tricky away fixture at Norwich, but the Blues did not disappoint. They produced a footballing masterclass, running Nowich ragged with a 6-1 scoreline. Was it my lucky penny striking again? I don’t know, but what was for sure was the determination shown by our players and the wisdom of Roberto Mancini’s words when he insisted that the title race was over and that he just wanted a strong finish to take into next season, taking the pressure off his players. With Roberto Mancini at the helm and Vincent Kompany as a captain, City were always in steady hands, even when we had our so-called ‘wobble’. The next game against bottom-of-thetable Wolves was going to be difficult, especially as anything other than a Wolves win would see them relegated. The home side battled hard and tried to give their fans one last moment of glory, but our hunger to close the season in style overpowered them. We came away the victors at 2-0 thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri. We had narrowed the gap at the top to just 3 points, having been written off only a few weeks before. The next match, the ‘Manchester Derby’, would change everything. The match was billed as the biggest game in the Premier League’s history, with an estimated 700 million people all over the world watching. Vincent Kompany powered home a header just before half time and the crowd went wild, but what really struck me was the sheer emotion shown by Kompany as he ran away to celebrate; many players have worn the Blue of Manchester, but for me, Vincent Kompany is one of the finest. His was the only goal scored in the match. With two games to go, City were two victories away from the title, our first title in fortyfour years. We were in a fantastic position, with only Newcastle and QPR standing in our way. The away trip to Newcastle would define our season; the last time we won the league in 1968 we won it at Newcastle, so this was always going to be a special day. I was so nervous that my dad practically had to force me to go to St James’ Park. We arrived at the ground after the long coach journey. My legs were jelly and as I climbed the stairs of the stadium, I became more nervous with each step. Newcastle were chasing an elusive Champion’s League spot and promised to be strong opponents, but as the game started and we took a hold of it, it was clear that this was to be our day; the Blue Moon was rising. Mancini made an inspired substitution, bringing Nigel De Jong on into the centre of the pitch and pushing Yaya Touré forward; Touré soon scored a cracking goal from about 25 yards out, side footing a curling shot low past Tim Krul’s left hand and into the bottom corner of the net. The fans went nuts. We were so close, but to be sure we really needed another.

As Newcastle pushed forward, the ball broke with Aguero who played it to Nigel De Jong and then onto Gael Clichy on the wide left of the box. Yaya Touré stormed into the box, collected the ball and slammed it past Krul, sealing the victory. After the match, with one game away from the title, Roberto Mancini finally admitted we were possible favourites, having ruled us out for most of the previous month. His mantra had always been ‘One more week, one more game’, and now that was all we needed; this was it. All this time I had my lucky penny on me, I was starting to believe it was indeed lucky. As the last game of the season approached, my nerves were shot. My heart told me we would win, but my head said something different; I just had that feeling that we would pull a ‘typical City’ ... and we nearly did. The ground was buzzing and fans without tickets filled the streets and pubs around the stadium; we were all there to see history being made. The nerves were clear to see but we took the lead just before half time as Pablo Zabaleta scored his first goal of the season, and what an important goal it was. The second half had begun in the same vein as the first; City attacking with QPR sitting back, looking for the draw and the point that would save them from relegation. Forty-seven minutes had gone and Djibril Cisse took advantage of some slack defending to lash the ball beyond Joe Hart and into the net. The City faithful were stunned. The game wore on and Joey Barton, former City player and QPR captain got himself sent off for lashing out at Tévez, kicking Aguero and attempting to head-butt Kompany in a mad few moments. Advantage City; 11 vs 10 for nearly half an hour. But it was far from simple. As City piled forward we left ourselves exposed at the back; Armand Traore picked up the ball and crossed it to the unmarked Jamie Mackie who headed it home from close range. Unbelievable. Had we really just thrown the league away? We started to look as if we were out of ideas; we pressed and pressed, searching for the opening. Mancini threw on Dzeko and Balotelli to partner Aguero up front, and it paid off. All was dead and buried until Dzeko popped up to convert from David Silva’s corner in the 91st minute. Was the comeback on again? The players ran back to the centre spot. The solemn mood in the ground picked up as people dared to hope, but the clock was ticking down. Only a minute and a half left, if that. The ball came to Aguero 30 yards out; he passed it into the edge of the box; it came to Balotelli who nudged it to his side as Aguero came barging through, skipped past the challenge of the QPR defender and shot. The whole ground held their breath. It seemed to take an eternity. The ball hit the back of the net and the stadium erupted. Phenomenal! QPR restarted, but seconds later the whistle was blown. Fans flooded onto the pitch; we had just witnessed the greatest end to the greatest season in Premier League history. Manchester City were champions of England after forty-four years of hurt. Roberto Mancini, usually calm and collective, was running around like a lunatic; there wasn’t a dry eye in sight. This was our year. Together, we are champions. Daniel Waldon May 2012

ZDU JDPHV "/% 5)&*3 )*4503: " & Ī+ Ī $6(-

+R R @ Ä§O @ , D '0=R A5B7<9GH9F 7=HM &$%%!&$%&

Ñ&#x2013;Ò¥Ò¦ÏÒ®Ò®

XXX GPOUIJMMNFEJB DPN

$POOFDU XJUI VT XXX GBDFCPPL DPN GPOUIJMMNFEJB XXX UXJUUFS DPN GPOUIJMMNFEJB

5B8F9K K5@8CB