It Is Very Surprising That Manchester City Have Signed the Likes of Benarbia, Reid and Vieira
Having been consigned from the Premier League in 2000-01, the Blues had a turbulent start to the 2001-02 Division One campaign. Form was up and down and new manager Kevin Keegan's persistence was wearing thin; in fact, he said that after a large early-season defeat to West Brom some players "proved they did not worth" the clean slate they'd been given.To address the problems, he snapped up Ali Benarbia from Paris Saint-Germain. The supporters did not know what to expect from the little Algerian, but inside 20 minutes of his first appearance he had pretty much sealed his status as a cult leading man. His touch, vision, and skill was near-perfect and the only disadvantage was his age, signing as he did at 33 years old.
Howard Kendall purchased Peter Reid from QPR, but it wasn't a long time after the midfielder had joined the Blues that the manager departed for Everton. Reid was given the task as player-manager and created some exciting and, sometimes, enchanting sports. Mostly, he was a success at Maine Road, but he faced problems behind the scenes as the early-to-mid-90s problems began.
The appointment of John Maddock as general manager spelled doom for the gaffer, whose 1993-94 season lasted just four games.The Blues had dipped in Reid's final season -- dropping to ninth in the group from two strong 5th placed finishes -- but he was never given the time or support to develop on what he had achieved, meaning there was a feeling the Blues had missed the chance to be a powerhouse in English soccer.He did, however, become the last City manager to finish above Manchester United before Roberto Mancini won the title in 2011-12.
In early January 2010, Mancini made his first signing after substituting Mark Hughes as City manager. The Blues' season had been close to deteriorating, following a run of seven draws that had left the club slipping away from its goal of Champions League football and, in spite of having cash to invest, the Italian introduced someone he understood he could believe in.
Patrick Vieira mightn't have had an immediate impact, but his experience was vital in the 2010-11 season when he won his fifth FA Cup -- helping City overcome Stoke in the final. He had also netted twice in a replay with Notts County in the fourth round of the cup and, when asked to ensure games needed tensing and results required securing, he came off the bench to add height, experience and calmness to the defence.Still at City, he's working with the youth groups and is passing on everything he mastered in the game. He might well prove to be one of the greatest deals the team has ever had.
Howard Kendall purchased Peter Reid from QPR, but it wasn't a long time after the midfielder had joined the Blues that the manager departed for Everton. Reid was given the task as player-manager and created some exciting and, sometimes, enchanting sports. Mostly, he was a success at Maine Road, but he faced problems behind the scenes as the early-to-mid-90s problems began.
The appointment of John Maddock as general manager spelled doom for the gaffer, whose 1993-94 season lasted just four games.The Blues had dipped in Reid's final season -- dropping to ninth in the group from two strong 5th placed finishes -- but he was never given the time or support to develop on what he had achieved, meaning there was a feeling the Blues had missed the chance to be a powerhouse in English soccer.He did, however, become the last City manager to finish above Manchester United before Roberto Mancini won the title in 2011-12.
In early January 2010, Mancini made his first signing after substituting Mark Hughes as City manager. The Blues' season had been close to deteriorating, following a run of seven draws that had left the club slipping away from its goal of Champions League football and, in spite of having cash to invest, the Italian introduced someone he understood he could believe in.
Patrick Vieira mightn't have had an immediate impact, but his experience was vital in the 2010-11 season when he won his fifth FA Cup -- helping City overcome Stoke in the final. He had also netted twice in a replay with Notts County in the fourth round of the cup and, when asked to ensure games needed tensing and results required securing, he came off the bench to add height, experience and calmness to the defence.Still at City, he's working with the youth groups and is passing on everything he mastered in the game. He might well prove to be one of the greatest deals the team has ever had.