CITY IN PALACE COUP

After the Clarets less than glorious march North its time for the Blues to head South to take on Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup 2nd Round. A straighforward enough tie you would think. But then this is City and my guess is that all the billions of quid won't have got rid of our ability to fling ourself onto the nearest banana skin. My prediction anyway? 3-0 to the Blues.

Preview here

SPANKING THE MONKEY HANGERS...MMM>>WELL NOT QUITE

Hartlepool 1 v. Burnley 2 (AET)

Having breezed past Man Utd and Everton the Clarets decided, in a parody of City, to make heavy weather of a trip to Hartlepool. After going a goal down they eventually won 2-1 after extra time. I think both the Metropolitan Police and Lancashire Constabulary are hoping to avoid a Bunley/West Ham tie in the next round, though after last nights result a tie against Blackburn is now also on the cards. Tin hats everyone!!

Hartlepool match report here

SPANKING THE MONKEY HANGERS

Burnley travel north to Victoria Park tonight for a 2nd Round Carling Cup tie against Hartlepool United. The last time the Clarets met the Monkey Hangers was in 2006 , ironically in the League Cup as well. A 1-0 home defeat for the Clarets in Round 1 is a sharp reminder of the not too glorious recent past. A good Cup run would be good. The first step on another Clarets Wembley invasion?

NOU CAMP 2

Seems like Sparky did a bit more in the Nou Camp in Barcelona last week that met the eye. City announced today the signing of out of contract left back Sylvinho who played in last seasons European Champions League final against United. Thats the spirit Sparky. Now you are getting the hang of this Blue/Red thing!!

Full story here

NOU MOON - BARCELONA v. CITY 19TH AUGUST 2009

Barcelona 0 v. City 1

Taking time out from the exciting Premier League schedule City popped over to Barcelona to do what United failed to do and give the Catalans a good hiding, and in their own back yard as well.

An amazing 94,123 fans turned up for what was for Barca a pre-season friendly. Martin Petrov gave Sparky a reminder of his class as he scored the only goal of the night.

Quite a big contingent of Blues there by all accounts.

Match report at this link Barcelona v. City

LESCOTT DEAL AGREED

Ok. I know I said this blog is not a news service but I just happened to be on the City website 10 minutes ago and at 8.03 pm a post announced that subject to a medical Lescott was now in effect a City player. Good player , no doubt.

Bit of doubt about the way this has been gone about I think. City need to be careful not to look too much like big money, billy big biscuits every time we fancy a player. hard though in the modern world of mad football deals. Especially when you are big money billy big biscuits.

Link to breaking news here

OH! WHAT A NIGHT - BURNLEY 1 - MANCHESTER UNITED 0

No time just now to put up a full post and anyway this blog isn't a news service. Will put full report on the night up soon along with pics and video.

For now full match report at this link Burnley 1- Manchester United 0

Enjoy Robbie Blakes goal for Burnley here

WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND

Burnley have completed the signing of Andre Bikey from Reading for an undisclosed fee. Fuller details by clicking link (Andre Bikey Move)

The last time I saw this guy was when he was throwing one at Turf moor on 9th May 09 in the first leg play off semi-final. He really lost the plot and took his shirt off and threw it on the ground before being ushered down the tunnel by slightly less mad Reading teeam officials.

Fuller details of that impressive display of self-control here

And another example of his impressive anger management skills here from a game for Cameroon against Ghana in February 2008 when he clattered over a medic who was tending to his team mate.

This looks like future fireworks.

BITS AND BOBS

As promised this blog will also have some bits and bobs of trivia and memorabilia and such stuff.

These are photos of three important match tickets from last season.

This is a ticket from the Stoke match at Eastlands in October '08. The keen eyed amongst you will notice it is a ticket for the directors box. Well actually I was in the Chairman's lounge thanks to a kind man who has influence over this sort of thing at the club. I was treated very well and City won 3-0 and Robhino scored a hat-trick!!

Next is one from the Coca-Cola Championship Play-Off Semi Final first leg at Turf Moor on 9th May 2009. Burnley won 1-0 and the dream was alive!

This next one is the big one. The Play-Off Final at Wembley on 25th May. What a day. I will post pics from the day in due course. And a couple of videos which which prove that there can be atmosphere at Wembley Stadium if you get the right fans in. For now just savour the memories from this picture. First trip to new Wembley as well.

OPENING DAY- 15TH AUGUST 2009

STOKE 2 - BURNLEY 0

BLACKBURN ROVERS 0 - MANCHESTER CITY 2

Well, the opening day of the season has been and gone.

I think the Burnley and City results were probably fairly predictable. Didn't see either game but made do with MOTD highlights.

Match report from official club website here Stoke City 2 v Burnley 0

Burnley worked hard, as they always do, missed Caldwell and were probably unlucky to be beaten by 2 goals. Its gonna be a long season. I was at my dads when the game was on. No real suprise when Stoke scored but a real sense of dissapointment when they got the second. I think this season is all about expectation. I don't think any Burnley fans really expect it to be anything other than a massive struggle against relegation. They just hope against hope that there will be some good news along the way. And so do I.

Nice match report from Alastair Campbell who makes an interesting if not entirely convincing case as to why Burnley are not in the bottom 3. Alastair Campbell's Turf Moor Diaries

City were put to the test by Blackburn who never let City settle and were probably a bit unlucky not to get something out of the game. However City found two great finishes and won a match which in previous seasons they would easily have lost. The performance was good and Mark Hughes falling over at the end when he went to shake Allardyce's hand was a corker. It actually looks like Allardyce has found some kind of martial arts move which can throw a man just by shaking his hand. You can see Sparky's breakdance routine here. Sparky's Fall

Full match report here Blackburn Rovers 0 v Manchester City 2

THE SOLUTION

The dilemma explained in the first post on this blog called The backstory only has one solution. I will have to follow both teams for the season as closely as I can. I have had a suggestion from one reader that when City play Burnley I could support City in one half and Burnley in the other.

I think that might be going a bit far but its still an idea.

I think in reality my two teams are going to have two different seasons while still being in the same division. Burnley I reckon are going to find the Premier League "challenging" , which is a euphemism for relegation battle. City on the other hand have a real prospect of making a move to the next level and knocking on the door of the top four.

Of course this could be completely wrong. Burnley could find mid-table comfort and City's billions could be the kiss of death.

Anyway, time will tell.

So, this blog will try and follow the fortunes of the two clubs. from my point of view.

Will try to get to live games where I can and post reports and pictures.

Will add tittle tattle, gossip, speculation and news where I can.

Might also throw in some old memorabilia and memories and stories from my 40 odd years of supporting these two teams.

THE BACK STORY

This blog is essentially about me and football.Sorry about the "me" bit that but it's probably best to get that out of the way early doors (or "early doorssh") as Ruud Gullit once famously said on a MOTD post match interview. His daft Dutch accent is almost as convincing as Steve Maclarens. Anyway I digress. That will probably be another feature of this blog.

Lets cut to the quick. In footballing terms my wife and my mistress have just met at a party and have decided to be pals. Let me explain. Ok let me explain after I explain to my wife (which I do have one of) that the bit about wife/mistress was a metaphor and that the mistress (which I don't have one of) referred to previously is therefore metaphorical.

On the 8th April 1969 I went to my first match at Turf Moor to watch Burnley get beaten 2-1 by Everton. It was a night match and I sat with my dad in a wooden stand which is where the Bob Lord Stand is now. For approximately the next 9 years , from the age of 9 to 18 I watched Burnley home and away in good times and bad.

When I was 18 I came to Manchester as a student. Well I didn't actually come here as a student I became a student after I enrolled at Manchester university. I came to Manchester as a lad from a small northern industrial town (Nelson) who supported Burnley and liked beer and had never seen a green pepper. More of the green pepper thing later maybe. I liked football and I supported Burnley. I didn't hold out much prospect of seeing much of Burnley. As a student there wasn't much chance of getting to many Burnley games as travel back in 1978 (even the 35 miles to Burnley) was something of a mission, and expensive.

I hatched a plan to fuel my football lust. I would watch out for Burnley's results, follow them in the papers and on the telly and generally talk about them on the phone with family and friends. In order to satisfy the lust for live football I would go and watch one of the Manchester teams. I couldn't possibly contemplate watching Manchester United, as every non- Manchester United fan will understand.

So, on the 6th December 1978 I went to my first game at Manchester City. It was a UEFA cup night match and City won 3-0 against AC Milan beating them 5-2 on aggregate. It's pretty much been an anti climax since then!!

As the years went by and life moved on, and so did I, to a house a quarter of a mile away from Maine Road, the attachment to City grew and the bonds with Burnley weakened but were never severed, quite.

I went to Maine Road, and occasionally to away games, as often as time and money allowed. This varied over the years but my attachment to City grew stronger with each season and as I passed the point at which I'd lived in Manchester longer than I'd lived anywhere else I began to feel like a Blue. My eldest daughter was a Blue and some of my fondest memories of her is going to Maine Road with her and my mate Chris. We would hand her over the turnstile (sorry City, but she was only 2) and she would sit on Chris's or my knee. For a good number of years my daughter held an enviable record. She had never seen City lose at Maine Road. Admittedley she didn't go that often but her presence was re-assuring when she did.

Some great memories and hardly any success (Division 2 play- off final victory anyone?). You could say that I supported City through thin and thin.

All this went on evolving happily for 30 years or so with only a few minor collisions. There have actually been 7 meetings of the two teams in all competitions in the last 33 years. 2 of these were in Division 1 and 2 in Division 2 when City were doing their promotion/relegation pogoing in the lates 90's early 00's. I largely ignored this as a minor discomfort that would surely given City's record, soon pass. I once avoided one such meeting by staying in bed until the match was over!!

Then in the summer of 2008 a new regime at Eastlands...new money...new manager...new players. What would the future hold. My adopted team were about to step up a gear.

And then....on Monday 25th May 2009...disaster...joyous disaster...the Championship Play- Off at Wembley. Burnley FC versus Sheffield United FC for a place in the Barclays Premier League. Football Valhalla, the home of the football gods.

What to do now? My boyhood team in with the gods. My adopted team, my mistress, in the same divine division.

This was different. The previous minor collisions didn't involve my dad and my cousins and my nephew and my brother-in-law almost shaking with excitement at the thought of watching Ronaldo (spoilt that dream didn't you United - thanks), and Gerrard and Torres and Rooney and Lampard and , and, oh god...Robhino. And watching them at Turf Moor. Every week. For a whole year at least. I couldn't help sharing the excitement. Days and nights down the Turf that my dad thought he might never see again and my nephew had never seen at all.

I kissed my dad at Wembley, that barmy, balmy spring Monday and he kissed me back.

This was different. The allegiance stakes had been raised.

What to do?

...more soon...