BOSSES at Manchester City have turned to feng shui in a bid for glory.

Magic crystals have been buried under the pitch and symbols placed at various points at the Blues' Eastlands home ahead of the new season.

Several have been dug under the centre circle and more will be buried under the corner flags in an attempt to `energise players' and `create harmony'.

More will be embedded into concrete posts in the walkways leading to the £90m stadium.

And the club's shop is selling buddhas and three-legged money toads as they crank up their bid for success on the pitch.

Reports have claimed the new methods are down to the Blues' billionaire Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra.

But chief executive Garry Cook said that the move came after an innocent chat between himself and one of the club's overseas bosses.

He said: "We were talking about feng shui and I thought it would be great to bring it to Manchester City.

Energy and prosperity

"It promotes positive energy and prosperity and is a fantastic philosophy. On that basis we placed a few strategic symbols at points around the ground and let's hope it brings us some good fortune."

Mr Cook added: "It's just like a Catholic putting a crucifix on the wall. When I worked at Nike in America we embraced all races, cultures and religions and it's a good thing to do."

Many long-suffering Blues fans will not be surprised by the attempts to banish the bad luck that has plagued the club.

Rumour had it that their old Maine Road ground in Moss Side was cursed. Some say it was built on an old travellers' site - a rumour that grew when the club struggled on the pitch.

Former player, author and radio pundit Fred Eyre, welcomed the news. He said: "The old groundsman at Maine Road, Stan Gibson, reckoned there was a horse and cart buried under Maine Road.

"This kind of thing has been talked about for years - only now it's got an Oriental twist."

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