TLDORC November Awards

At first glance it was not as good a month as it ought to have been. We're being held to very high standards this season and a return of three draws, two wins and a loss isn't as good as it should have been. Certainly nine points from a possible fifteen in the Premier League feels probably two points shy from what we should have achieved. But nevertheless I emerge from November with a stronger sense of the unity and coherence of the side than I did before. We did throw away points, in failing to beat Birmingham City at home and in discarding that lead at Stoke. But the performances at the Hawthorns and at Craven Cottage were two of the best I've ever witnessed as a City fan. (I appreciate that going to the games we win in any given month will always skew my analysis). To win twice on the road with that level of discipline, control and invention is a serious achievement. Add to that a second half performance at Stoke that was as good as any and of course the solidity of the draw with Manchester United and things feel like they're starting to come together. There's still concerns, of course: we don't score enough goals. Fourth is still going to be a battle. But I think we're moving in the right direction.

Lech Poznań (a) 1-3 (thoughts)

West Bromwich Albion (a) 2-0 (thoughts, ratings, reax)

Manchester United (h) 0-0 (thoughts, ratings)

Birmingham City (h) 0-0 (thoughts)

Fulham (a) 4-1 (thoughts, ratings)

Stoke City (a) 1-1 (thoughts, ratings)

Player of the Month

Very even, this month. There was no obvious stand out performer, but rather a number of consistent and successful performers in a range of positions. Pablo Zabaleta played his best football for some time before getting a ban for accumulated yellows, Nigel de Jong reminded everyone just how important he is in those tough away games while David Silva continued to play a level football that few sets of supporters are lucky enough to witness. His passing against West Brom remains the best artistic performance in any medium. I know he'd be many people's choice for Player of November and with very good reason. He's a football genius. But I'm not going to give it to him this month. Instead it can only be Vincent Kompany, again. I suppose the difference is that while Silva's performances are linked to those of the team (he plays well, we play well), Kompany is always excellent, whether the other ten players are or not. After making an uncharacteristic mistake in October (conceding that penalty against Arsenal), he was back to his faultless best in November. I could list everything he does well but I've done it so many times you'd all just switch off. You know why I love him, and you love him too, for the same reasons.

Performance of the Month

I'd love to give this to Mario Balotelli against West Brom but the real answer is David Silva against West Brom. He's a better passer than Ali Benarbia.

Goal of the Month

Micah Richards against Stoke, I think. Though Yaya Touré against Fulham did not go unappreciated.

'I started earning my medals three years ago'

Vincent Kompany, Player of the Season-elect (why not), has been talking about his good so far this season. And he's characteristically modest and thoughtful:

"I am progressing - that is all it is. I think I have performed ever since I have been at City.

"I always think you can only be as good as your last game, so I have to do equally as well in my next match, or even better if possible. That is the attitude I have. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

"The team is getting better, and I am getting older and have more experience. I am willing to learn.

"I started earning my medals three years ago - I started performing three years ago, and I am still working. The hard work is what is showing now."

He's certainly right that he's been earning medals for three years. The fact that he was signed before the takeover but is one of the first names on the team-sheet now is a shining achievement in itself. Of the other players we signed that summer, Pablo Zabaleta and Shaun Wright-Phillips are on the fringes, Jô is somehow still in the set up and Robinho and Tal ben Haim are long gone.

(It's worth praising Mark Hughes here for spending £6million on a talented but injury-prone 22 year old. Had Stuart Pearce not signed Joe Hart for £600,000 it would be the single best piece of business by City over the last five years.)

Kolo Touré, who looks back to his best alongside Kompany, had this to say:

“We are happy with what we are doing and happy with the way we are defending as a team. There are still some mistakes we can avoid but Vincent Kompany and myself feel comfortable in the way we are gelling as a partnership.

“Vincent is a very intelligent footballer who is great to play alongside. We all know the importance of having a sound defence and the whole team is playing its part in that regard.”

VK wins again

It's tucked away underneath the Newcastle stuff but Vincent Kompany won September Player of the Month. Read here.

TLDORC September Awards

Another successful month, building on the foundation of August. It started just as the last month ended, with a dreadful, point-costing defensive mistake. Joe Hart came out for a long ball, missed it and Nikola Kalinić scored. But from that point on we were - excluding the West Brom game that Roberto Mancini wrote off - defensively excellent, conceding only once more to Vincenzo Iaquinta from distance. We took seven points from a possible nine in the league, including a win over Chelsea that felt like a definitive moment, and four from a possible six in the Europa League. The one disappointment - the surrender at the Hawthorns - was in retrospect smart strategy from Mancini, saving our key players for the Chelsea game four days later.

Blackburn Rovers (h) 1-1 (thoughts, ratings, reax)
Red Bull Salzburg (a) 2-0 (thoughts, ratings, reax)
Wigan Athletic (a) 2-0 (thoughts, ratings, reax)
West Bromwich Albion (a) 1-2 (thoughts, reax)
Chelsea (h) 1-0 (thoughts, ratings, reax)
Juventus (h) 1-1 (thoughts, ratings)

Player of the Month

This might have gone to Carlos Tévez, who scored two and sent up the other two of our four Premier League goals in September. It is increasingly notable and worrying just how dependent our attacking play is on him. But I'm not going to go with Tévez this time. As good as he's been he hasn't been perfect. Whereas Vincent Kompany has been.

He nearly won it in August, too. Were it not for Joe Hart's performance at White Hart Lane he would have done. Because this season Kompany has just been imperious. I've always been a big fan but with the arrivals of Kolo Touré, Joleon Lescott and now Jérôme Boateng I had worried if he would find a place in the side. But it has been made quite obvious this year what some of us had suspected ever since his arrival two summers ago - that Kompany is the most talented defender at the club, and has all the gifts required to be one of the best in the Premier League.

If you were to construct a dream Premier League centre-back in a laboratory, how different would it be from Kompany? Would he be much quicker, or stronger? More dominant in the air? Would he read the game more astutely? Would he be calmer with the ball at his feet? Would he attack the ball from set-pieces with more venom? Would he be any more articulate off the pitch, or fluent in more languages? (I suppose if Kompany spoke Spanish he would be able to speak to all eleven that started against Chelsea.) I do think he's near-perfect.

In September he had his best ever month in a City shirt. He was only on the pitch for two of the four goals we conceded, and was powerless to prevent either of them. He didn't make a single mis-step, was always correctly positioned and successful in every tackle, leap, block and pass he attempted. The zenith, not just of the month but of his 85 game City career was in the defeat of Chelsea, when he silenced Didier Drogba - as he did at Stamford Bridge in February - as we stifled the rampant champions, who created no chances from open play. Every single step and jump was judged right that day. And so he becomes the first player to win a TLDORC Player of the Month in three different seasons.

Individual Performance of the Month

It should by rights be Kompany against Chelsea but I've said enough about that now so I'll give it to David Silva in Salzburg instead. Not just for his first goal for City, but a range of touches, movements and passes that are going to delight throughout the season.

Goal of the Month

Jô's strike on the turn against West Brom was a quality finish but it has to be Tévez against Chelsea (four in three for us against them now). He got the ball on the half-way line, drove at the defence - as Silva lured John Terry away - and drove the ball into the far bottom corner.

Goal of the Month

TLDORC May awards

It made a nice change having something to play for in May. Having kept in the race all season we had three games - two at home against our rivals - to win fourth place and bring in the next major phase of the ADUG project. It started well with a good 3-1 win over Aston Villa, when an early concession was overhauled by two minutes of Magic Johnson just before half time. This set up the definitive match with Spurs, our biggest game since Gillingham. But the game exposed what all observers had known all season: that Spurs are a better team, more coherent and fluent than we are yet. We had enough of the ball but created nothing, 0-0 would not have been enough and Peter Crouch's header sealed their place in next year's Champions League. A disappointment and a set-back but not a shock as such. And the news that it would not effect Roberto Mancini's continued management was a relief to hear. This rendered our final game at the Boleyn Ground devoid of any meaning, and after a good first half it drifted into a very comfortable 1-1; our last competitive game for fourteen weeks.

Aston Villa (h) 3-1 (thoughts, ratings, reax, more reax)

Tottenham Hotspur (h) 0-1 (thoughts, ratings, reax)

West Ham United (a) 1-1 (thoughts, ratings)

Player of the Month

I can't keep just denying it from him. Vincent Kompany has been one of our best and most consistent players since coming into the team in November, frequently running his teammates close for this award. I've been close to awarding him for months, but he keeps getting muscled out - in a way that never happens on the football pitch. Not this time. Kompany had another excellent month in May. He was his competent, confident, comfortable self; shaming his experienced partner and captain Kolo Touré with his calm head and leadership skills. If he put one foot wrong in May it was losing Peter Crouch for his first half header against the post in our challenge-ender at Eastlands. Maybe he could have been closer to Crouch for the goal. But I think he's been close to flawless this month. Better than Touré or Joleon Lescott have been at any point this year.

Performance of the month

Adam Johnson for his game-changing spell against Villa. Had we gone into half-time 1-0 down we might have lost, and never had the thrill of a sundown shoot-out with Spurs four days later. But for two sparks of audacity: one run at Steven Warnock and induced penalty, one careful wait and pass to Manu Adebayor set up two goals. We went into half time ahead and won the game.

Goal of the month

I love watching Shaun Wright-Phillips run. It's to do with his size, his low centre of gravity, the way he almost leans back and swings through lateral movements off either foot. We haven't seen it enough under Mancini, so it was a thrill to see him do it so well in his cameo against Villa. Craig Bellamy's finish was good too.

Players back Mancini

Well, two of them have - former Hughes loyalists Nigel de Jong and Vincent Kompany have defended Mancini after Wednesday's evening's unpleasantness:

"Everyone at this club is passionate and wants to bring success so there will be times when emotion takes over," said Kompany.

"The boss showed how much he cares and I don't see a problem with what he did.

"We were losing and he wanted to get the ball back in play - that was all there was to it. I think too much has been made of it already."

Nigel de Jong, as usual, agreed with his former HSV teammate:

"It was a very emotional game, you could see that at the end with the gaffer," he said.

"Everybody knows I am not the easiest player in these kind of games.

"You have to set a tone - you are 1-0 behind and if the referee continues making disappointing decisions you know it is going to be an emotional game."

It seems that not all Hughes loyalists were singing from exactly the same hymn-sheet though.

More from VK

Our most intelligent and articulate player has claimed that our team spirit is better than we have been given credit for:

“We have proved this season that we have the mental strength, by always coming back stronger from defeats and setbacks,” he said.

And he added his own plot twist to those mentioned, with the departure on loan of Britain’s most expensive footballer Robinho, and added: “All these things have made the group that strong that even if we never get the credit for it we deserve, we will go and do everything we can to finish in that fourth spot.”

And then:

“Time will help us, but at the moment we are becoming stronger as individuals and as a team because of this situation. We will be strong until the end now. It’s never been easy because money has always been a subject when our name gets mentioned.

“Good, positive results were always put in the dark by money talk, and negative results were exposed even more.

“But we have proved we are mentally strong just by being where we are now despite everything that has been happening.”

It's certainly true that no one really talks about the City team spirit. The media narrative this season has run along traditional lines: 'soap opera club' most of the time, 'crisis club' some of the time, 'rollercoaster ride' all of the time. And this is with some justification - there was the transformative and unprecedented spending spree in the summer, a traumatic change of manager in mid-season, the departure of our record signing, three of the most dramatic Manchester derbies in modern history and then a barrage of personal controversies surrounding many of the first team squad.

But despite all that we are still in the race for fourth, and arguably the most likely candidates to take it. And even if our maintenance of that position is somewhat due to the lack of ruthlesness from Spurs, Villa and Liverpool, the fact is that we haven't folded after the double blow of the managerial change and the League Cup semi-final exit. Which suggests that there might be something in Kompany's claims.

VK: 'I like responsibilities and pressure'

There was a fascinating interview with Vincent Kompany in the Sunday Times yesterday. He spoke to Jonathan Northcroft with as much insight and honesty as he always does.

On Mancini and his own role in the side:

“I’ve said I’m happiest in midfield but I’m just as good in both positions and wherever I play my objectives don’t change, I’ll try and be the best,” Kompany says. “England was always where I’d make my career. I love everything about the game here. I’m happy I can get into my challenges without always being carded.

“Tactically, Mancini is a mastermind and makes it very clear he likes his team to be disciplined and build from the back. That suits me. The thing about my positions, midfield or defence, is if the team concedes you’re accountable and that’s perfect. I like responsibilities and pressure.”

And on team spirit after a tumultuous season:

“We’ve gone through managerial changes, a lot of negative press, faced teams who don’t normally pay attention to City and now want to beat us. We’ve had stories, like Ade in Angola [Emmanuel Adebayor caught in an ambush of the Togo team], Robbie [Robinho], who was a good player and left us, the situation of Wayne [Bridge] . . .

"For us, if it was a problem for a particular player, we did like we’d do for anyone in the group, supported him, got him back in the team and made it easy for him to perform. Wayne did that brilliantly. There’s a good spirit because it’s kind of been us against the world and there’s a connection with our fans because of that."

It's all worth reading. It's very clear that Kompany is a man of real intelligence and depth, as well as being an excellent player. I've written before on how much I want to see Nigel de Jong made captain, but I'd be just as happy with this other former Hamburg player. I particularly liked this from Northcroft:

Not all City transfers are huge. Kompany arrived from Hamburg for only £6m when Mansour’s takeover was a few days from completion in 2008. That is less than Liverpool paid for Andrea Dossena, Villa for Curtis Davies and Tottenham for Alan Hutton.

The irony is that England’s most lavish buyers may have bought the bargain of recent years. Kompany looked good — sensible, mobile, competitive, technical — when used by Mark Hughes in central midfield. He looks world-beating, potentially, now Roberto Mancini has moved him to centre-half.

No Kolo

One of the best things about yesterday was the sight of the two best centre backs at the club - Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany - playing together in the heart of our defence. Aside from Kompany nearly conceding a penalty to Yossi Benayoun, they were very solid against an admittedly witless Liverpool side.

I'm afraid to say that we're a better team without our club captain Kolo Touré in the side. Not only does Vincent Kompany improve on Touré's defensive capabilities, but Shay Given improves on his captaincy.

I'd like to see this arrangement survive for the rest of the season. (I am sure that in the summer we will spend big on a new centre back, regardless of who the manager is.) But I imagine that at least one of Lescott or Kompany will suffer an injury recurrence. And then there is Kompany's versatility - he could well lose his place in defence by getting moved into midfield.

But they've got Ricardo Fuller and Mamady Sidibé to contend with in mid-week, which isn't the worst preparation in the world for Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka on Saturday. I may have to revise my opinion after those games.

VK out for two weeks

Bad news from the Portsmouth game.

It's a shame for us and a shame for him. For the past six weeks he has been better than any centre-back has been at City this season. But presumably Kolo Touré and Joleon Lescott will be reunited from next week onwards and Kompany will have to win his place back all over again.

Predictable pre-derby chat

City fans know how big tomorrow's game is. We don't need the players to tell us. What we do need is the players to play well. But like any day before a derby you can't move but for a City player telling us just how much this means to them. First Micah Richards:

“It doesn’t get any bigger than United in the cup,” declared the defender. “I have played in quite a few derby matches now but you never quite get used to the atmosphere and the intensity and Tuesday’s game will probably go up another notch in that respect...

Whatever eleven they put out we know they will desperately want to beat us and I can assure all our fans that we will be feeling exactly the same. It is certainly extra special to win a derby.

“This club has not won a knockout trophy for a long time – as people keep tending to remind us – it is time we put that right. I want to be part of team that creates a bit of history and so do all the other lads here."

Then Vincent Kompany:

"We are definitely as excited as the fans, but one thing they can do for us is make the place a Blue hell tomorrow - if they do that, we will take care of the rest," said Kompany.

"The Everton fans were great on Saturday, and pushed their team forward, so if our fans can do the same against United - which I am sure they will - we will be a stronger team.

"We will be super-motivated for this game, and it has all the ingredients for us to have a very good first leg...

"One thing I can guarantee is that the players are hungry and ready, and we just want to go out and play well.

And then, of course, Nigel de Jong:

"But it is a semi-final and they are playing a derby against their biggest rivals, and we'll only see what he's thinking when we see who's on the pitch on the day.

"It's a semi-final, one of the biggest games for City in a few years, so we have to do our best to reach the final whoever it is we play against.

"People still talk about what happened at Old Trafford in the League, but that game is in the past, we don't want to keep looking back. This is a new game. We want to look to the future."

Look, I'm pleased that the players are motivated for this game. And don't get me wrong, Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong are two of my favourites. But before every single derby they come out with this sort of thing. Between the two of them they've put in four derby performances - Kompany in the dismal loss at CoMS last season, both in the 2-0 loss at OT last may, and de Jong in the 4-3. And I'm afraid to say that they're 0 for 4. At least Micah Richards has actually played well in a derby once before, even if it was in August 2007.

VK: 'I'm a believer'

Another Hughes loyalist comes out in clear support of the new regime:

"In the short period that we've been able to work with him [Mancini], I think the most important thing is that he's been able to put over his ideas to the team quite quickly.

"Most times, a new coach will need acertain period to adapt, but it has seemed to go well. We seem to beplaying the way that he wants, and we've tuned into his football philosophy.

"It's not an emphasis on defence. I believe that he pays a lot of attention to details, and he makes it clear what he wants. Everybody on that pitch knows exactly what he has to do.

"We do a lot of drills and work on tactical situations every day. There's a lot of emphasis on tactics and intelligent football, before power and pace.

"He's got his own approach to the job, but drills are quite usual with a lot of Continental teams, though maybe it's something new for some of the English players.

"You have to use your brain, it's not just about enjoying your football. It demands concentration as well. I enjoy it because I'm a big supporter of the tactical approach. I'm a believer."

Kompany makes an important point - the changes that Mancini has made do not just mean 'being more defensive', but actually 'being better at defending' too.

Kolo's second best friend....

We all know that Kolo Touré's best friend at City is Emmanuel Adebayor, for obvious reasons. But who is the man that he will be calling up from Angola to hear about City's progress in January?

“It is a difficult situation, having to leave your club when we are doing so well,” said Kolo. “We are proud to represent our countries, but we will miss several important City matches while we are away and that’s hard for us and the club.

“Of course, I’ll follow our results over the internet – I’ll be checking what’s happening back at the club on a daily basis and I’ll be phoning the manager and Vincent Kompany, too. I’ll know exactly what’s going on and how we’re doing.”

Kompany, hailing from the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium, is the only member of the squad whose first language is French that is not competing in Angola. Such are the bonds of the Francophone community.

Zabba on the EPL

He loves it:

"Every week is exciting in England - the stadiums are always full and even when you play away there is a great atmosphere because of we have so many of our fans there to watch us.

"It's different to what I was used to, but I love it. I can see why players want to play over here."

With his aggression and willingness to put the boot in he's well suited to playing over here. I think one area where Mark Hughes' astuteness has been underrated is that those players he has brought from abroad - Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong, have all settled into the rhythms and practices of the Premier League very quickly. Contrast this with Eriksson's buys - Rolando Bianchi, Javi Garrido, Geovanni, some would even say Vedran Ćorluka and Elano - who often looked as if they lacked the physical strength and warrior spirit required to succeed in England.

Of course, it's worth pointing out that Eriksson largely had to buy from abroad due to financial constraints, and that both managers' recruitment policies existed to service different styles of play. But the point still stands: Hughes' imports don't even look like imports any more.

VK wants back in

One of my favourite players is keen to get back into the side:

"I finally got 90 minutes to run around and make some tackles and I really enjoyed it. I made a lot of good, strong challenges, which is a big part of my game.

"That was the important thing for me, recovering the ball and keeping possession for the team - I had a lot of positive moments and I think I reached a decent level of performance."

"I'm looking forward to pushing for a first-team starting place. The competition doesn't bother me. I'm just as much competition to the others. I hope to be in there in the near future."

I can't see him getting in the midfield for a while. But why not at centre back? Joleon Lescott hasn't exactly set the world on fire (although he is improving), and there's always the option of shifting Lescott wide and dropping Bridge. If a berth did emerge at centre back I'd probably rather have Kompany there than Nedum Onuoha, although it is a close call.

VK and MJ play for reserves

Our two talented young midfielders on the fringe of the first team played ninety minutes for the reserves last night. Speaking of talented young players, Benjani also played.

Kompany signs new deal

Very good news from the club today: Vincent Kompany has signed a new five year deal, committing him to City until 2014. Mark Hughes said of his second signing at City (I don't count that £19million monstrosity as one of Sparky's):

"Vincent is a model professional who has proved his worth time and time again in a variety of positions. He adapted very quickly to the Premier League and is a great asset to the team."

“He has been desperate to get back into action and in fact we have had to hold him back a little since his operation in the summer such was his desire to return to action.

“But that is the kind of lad that he is. He is still only 23-years-old but is so mature in his outlook; that is why I made him captain last season on occasions. He wants to improve, he is ambitious and he is desperate for success. He was one of our most reliable performers last season and it is great that we have been able to secure his services for the next five years. It is another sign of our commitment to young talent. Vincent is a big part of our future.”

This is great news: I love Kompany. He was one of our best players last season until his toe injury spoilt the second half of his season. I think that if he'd been fit to return to the Nordbank Arena we would not have lost 3-1 and could well have reached the semi-final. Not that it matters anymore.

It's also good news in the sense that he is willing to stay and fight for his place in the side. With Barcelona sniffing about (Yaya and Keita have African Nations Cup in January, leaving them with just three central midfielders) he could easily have left the club in a strop as Martin Petrov tried to do on deadline day. It is certainly going to be difficult given the quality of our squad. But with his ability to play centre back or holding midfield, and to do both with real ability and grace he should get a few games this season. He is one of the many players - like Roque Santa Cruz, Nedum Onuoha, Sylvinho, Martin Petrov, even Robinho - who, if we were in Europe, would start enough games this season to satisfy them. (Check out how many players at United started more than ten games in all competitions last year.) The key for Hughes is to convince them to sit tight this year, not expect to play every week, in the understanding that they will all have greater roles next season. In this case he's clearly succeeded.

VK on his way back

More good news:

Hughes said: "Vincent had his first training session with the group yesterday, and he was the star man.

"So he must have been doing a lot of technical work while he was away. We were pulling his leg about the quality of his play. But joking apart, it's a credit to him as a professional.

"We've watched him while he has been training with the physios, and they have done a great job with him. He looks strong, he looks fit and he's raring to go...

The manager said: "Vincent is similar to Michael Johnson in terms of where he's at. He needs matches to get him up to speed, but he looks in great fettle."

Like many quality players, Vincent Kompany will not come straight into the side. But his versatility plays in his favour. With Nedum Onuoha injured, he is our principal back-up centre-back. And, with Pablo Zabaleta currently in position of the right back slot, he must be the principal back-up destructive midfielder. So he's only one injury - whether it be to Kolo Touré, Joleon Lescott or Nigel de Jong - away from the side. And then there's the possibility that Hughes will want both Kompany and de Jong and Barry in midfield - Anfield on November 21 perhaps. So it shouldn't be too long before we see him again.

VK ready to fight for place

The returning Vincent Kompany has said that he is willing to fight for his place in the team and is enthusiastic about his future at MCFC:

“I want to become one of the main players in a very big team that wins trophies. City is heading in that direction. It is a very big challenge but it is something that I expect to achieve in my career or it would feel like a failure.

“I have to be patient when I come back but everyone has to be patient. Usually it happens in football that one player comes in and other goes out whether that is through injury or fatigue. The game changes so quickly that there is always something happening down the line to give you a chance.

“The spirit and camaraderie is amazing because we have been under so much pressure and criticism for whatever reason. It has helped us become closer as a group and we are going to get better as a team."

This is good to hear. It is difficult to see how he gets straight back into the side when fit. He needs an injury to either of the first choice centre halves - and even then he is competing with Nedum Onuoha, or an injury to Nigel de Jong - and even then for a match where Hughes plays 4-3-3 rather than 4-2-4. But it's a long season and injuries do happen so he should get a few games.

There are a few players - Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Petrov, Roque Santa Cruz, Nedum Onuoha and Vladi Weiss in particular - who may not start too many games this season. But next year, presuming that we are in Europe, we will have enough football for a fairer distribution of starting berths. Look at how much Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United use squad players. The versatility of Kompany and Zabaleta further plays into their hands. Hughes' task is just to keep these players happy for the remainder of this season, with the promise of more games in 2010/11.

Injury update

The three long-term absentees: Roque Santa Cruz, Michael Johnson and Vincent Kompany - are all looking better, according to the manager:

"Carlos got 90 minutes under his belt without a reaction, so we're pleased about that. In the next 10 days we should get Roque Santa Cruz and Michael Johnson back, fit & well,

"Roque won't be featuring against Fulham, but the likelihood is that he will play a part in the next game if we can get him involved.

"Michael Johnson is shaping up really well, and Vinnie Kompany is way ahead of his schedule so he is going to be an option for us very soon."

Bad news, though, for Nedum Onuoha:

"Unfortunately Nedum is injured at the moment," the boss confirmed. "He's pulled a thigh during the reserves game last week, he played around 55 minutes but felt a bit of discomfort. There is a tear in there and he will be out for three or four weeks."