Bellamy staying

Very good news from Craig Bellamy, in an interview in the Mirror today - he says that he wants to stay at City:

"I want to stay and I am going to stay," Bellamy said. "I am committed to that. I am committed to Man City. I have bought into the idea of where Man City is going to go and I am a huge part of where it is at this stage.

"I have no problem with Mancini. None at all. It's not his problem he's here. What happened to Mark Hughes has got nothing to do with him.

"He put it very well at his press conference when he said he won all those trophies at Inter and still got sacked. That is the game. It's what the game is.

"There is no resentment towards him from me. Every player at the club is exactly the same. If you want to be part of this club, you have got to start playing.

This is just a delight and a relief to read. Like all City fans I love Bellamy, and I was worried that his apparent anger at the dismissal of his mentor would lead him to leave City. The point is, though, that leaving City is something that many players will be quite loath to do now. I'm not saying this is the only reason, but Bellamy does have a well paid contract which lasts until the end of the 2012/13 season. He would probably struggle to get a similar deal elsewhere. When you add the fact that when we buy some decent defenders we'll get better, and that we've got a decent shot at Champions League football within the next few years you can see why staying at City has its attractions.

Bellamy does talk very candidly about the sacking of Hughes:

"I went to see him in his room after we had been told he was fired. I wasn't yelling about what I was going to do or anything. I just wanted to thank him.

"When I got there, I didn't know what to say. What do you say to a man who you highly respect and who has just lost his job?

"He said to me: 'You have been incredible this season. Just carry on. You are on the best stage you could ever have. Carry on playing the way you are. This is the perfect platform for you'.

And about his own injuries:

"Do I think I am going to be here in two or three years lifting trophies? No I don't. I don't think I will be able to sustain the level of play necessary. I think fitness will be a problem. My body has taken a toll.

"I'd love to be here long enough to win a title but I haven't thought too much about it. People thought I would be shipped out when the big signings came in in the summer but I thought of that as an opportunity on the big stage.

As ever with a Bellamy interview, it's honest and interesting. Do read it all.