"It's well documented in official records that the City's original name was 'Snottingham', or 'Home of the Snots', but when the Normans came, they couldn't pronounce the letter 'S', so decreed the town be called 'Nottingham' or the 'Home of the Notts'. It is therefore easy to understand why this change was resisted so fiercely by the people of Scunthorpe."
The late, great, Humphrey Lyttelton in one of his opening monologues for BBC Radio's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, 1999.

I look at the table and I shouldn't complain. I look at the result against a team that beat Chelsea last time out and I shouldn't complain. I look at a gritty rear guard action by 10 men and I shouldn't complain and I look at Petrov getting a run in the side and I shouldn't complain.

And yet.

City win 3-1 and maintain their excellent start to the season with a game in hand over their rivals.

Not a particularly impressive performance by England even if there can be do complaints about the result.

As much as Wayne Rooney prefers to play as a second striker it is readily apparent that Steven Gerrard completely disappears when he is playing on the left wing. If Gerrard is to play for England he must play in the second striker role that he plays at Liverpool.

The Cup is half full: City beat one of the better sides in Europe and were dominant.
The Cup is half empty: City's best chance at silverware in years is gone.

The Cup is half full: Robinho and Elano both started and played well.
The Cup is half empty: Richard Dunne got sent off, again.

It would be very easy to get all upset at Mark Hughes after today's 1-3 home defeat. Easy, but wrong. Because tactically Hughes got it right. Hang on you are saying, how can he have got it right but City lost 1-3. Read on...

For today's game against Fulham

Man City: Given, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Garrido, Etuhu, Zabaleta, Ireland, De Jong, Petrov, Bojinov. Subs: Hart, Robinho, Elano, Fernandes, Evans, Sturridge, McGivern.

Pretty ballsy lineup from Hughes, Robinho and Elano who both start for Brazil let us not forget, are on the bench while Etuhu plays.

Three interesting results for City; home victories against a faltering Aston Villa, and yet another Danish club in the UEFA Cup before the expected loss to Chelsea away.

If you read the papers after the Villa game, City were brilliant. Best half of football by City all year and there should have been a hatful of goals. All good stuff and a great read. Now I'm pleased with this because I get to use one of my old Gran's favourite words. As in complete and utter twaddle!

Friday October 25th 1415 a vastly outnumbered force of Englishmen utterly destroyed the cream of the French nobility at the Battle of Agincourt. The French, frankly, have been pissed about it ever since. How else to explain yet another ludicrous attack on the Premier League, and specifically this time on Manchester City, by Grand Supreme buffoon of UEFA Michel Platini.

The Rambling view from the City perspective

You have to laugh really because it probably isn't good for your health to react in any other way.

Poor old Darius Vassell must wonder how much worse it can get for him. The symbol, through no fault of his own, of Mark Hughes' bizarre team selection and even stranger tactical decision making the former England international comes on for an unfit Robinho and City promptly lose all three points to Tim Cahill and Everton.

Seventeen days to January, repeat after me, seventeen days to January...

Really I'm somewhat at a loss for words. What can I say after a match like this that I haven't said until I'm sick in the face, never mind you the readers.

For whatever reason Hughes will not play the formation that Sven used to great success at the start of last year. I go back to my comment of a few weeks ago. Hughes, based on his record at Blackburn Rovers, can only win when he brings in players that fit his preferred system.