There have been a number of Manchester City fans coming onto this site recently expressing the opinion that we are obsessed by their club because it has been mentioned in some of our articles. Sorry folks, if you expect any apologies they will not be forthcoming because just like the one which is being raised here, they have always had a Manchester United connection. It’s a two way street so when City manager Signor Mancini publicly comments on the Wayne Rooney incident at Wigan by saying that “For me it was Rooney’s fault and I’m surprised at this. The referee was there. I think that this happens in every country, it’s normal. The big club usually has different treatment. For me it was a red card” he’s perfectly entitled to express an opinion.

Read the full story

It’s a 30 year old film which was panned by many but to me Escape to Victory is one of the greatest football movies of all time. The climax was that memorable strike from King Pele yet this weekend Wayne Rooney scored an almost identical effort lifting the roof off Old Trafford with one of the goals of the season. Henry Winter wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that “One fan declared it the best overhead kick since Pele in ‘Escape to Victory’. Anyone familiar with the movie will love this”.  Apart from the ‘Black Rooney’, the movie also featured such football greats as Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles, Mike Summerbee and a host of  other world stars.

Read the full story

On the 29th of May 1968, Manchester United became the first English team to win the European Cup exactly ten years after an air disaster would have destroyed lesser clubs. Cross town rivals Manchester City had just won the First Division Championship for only the second – and so far the last time in their history, just eighteen days earlier. Does anyone remember that? Of course not, by becoming Champions of Europe United took all the media limelight while City had to be content with nothing more than a domestic title. You almost had to feel sorry for City fans who had waited since 1937 to have a sniff of such success!

Read the full story

An under strength Manchester United stretched it’s unbeaten run to 19 matches this season and 25 since last tasting defeat with a scoreless draw in a disappointing match at Eastlands. It was the first ever derby missed by Ryan Giggs since making his Premier League debut in 1991 – a truly remarkable record. Manchester City would have been the more disappointed with the result as it kept them 3 points behind United rather than draw level as they fully expected to.

Read the full story

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has demanded respect from Sir Alex Ferguson for the progress the Blues have made under him. The United boss continued his sniping ahead of tonight’s derby, accusing City of talking themselves up as a big club without having the trophies to back up their bold rhetoric. And a banner still hangs in the Stretford End at Old Trafford, mocking City’s ongoing failure to win a trophy, the timeline now standing at 34 years, their last silverware being the 1976 League Cup. Read the full story

With Wednesday night’s Manchester derby only days away, the last thing I wish to do is become embroiled in the vehemently denied but very obvious problems which exist at Eastlands. Despite that hesitancy however, a reported quote by Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini in the Italian newspaper Il Secolo XIX cannot help but force one to sit up and take notice.

Read the full story