Dear Sven

IGNORE the sniping and the lampooning that has accompanied your return to English football, for there is no doubt that Blues fans broadly and warmly welcome your arrival.

They are excited by your plans to bring household names to the club, by your determination to drive it back into the top tier of the Premiership and your realistic approach of not promising too much too soon.

Your decision to acquire a house in Manchester has gone down well too and it would have been a big mistake not to relocate to a city that is as vibrant as any in the country and growing rapidly.

I know you have a lot on your plate at the moment but I would urge you above all else to engage with City fans as much as possible. Meet and greet as many as you can, do not shut yourself off behind the fences at Carrington.

If you do so you will find that there is a huge amount of goodwill awaiting you.

I know from speaking to you on other occasions before you became manager that you have always been struck by the passion and sincerity of City fans and amazed by their numbers and loyalty given the club’s lack of trophies over the past 30 years.

You would do well to tap into that energy and desire and you will find that City fans whilst always having an innate scepticism that is born of having to endure so many broken promises and false dawns down the years, are as fair a bunch of fans as you could wish to work for and with.

There will be a few, and only a few, who will want you and Dr Thaksin to fail just so that they can say ‘I told you so’ but the overwhelming majority are right behind you and wish you nothing but success.

The fact that season ticket sales have soared since you took over should tell you that there is a great excitement and optimism in the Blue half of Manchester that the club might at last have the resources and manager to challenge the other team in town.

You will find that City fans do not take too kindly to their neighbours dominating the English game and if you were to fall out with or annoy Fergie now and again it certainly wouldn’t count against you in the popularity stakes.

Winning the derby in the first week of the season would make you and your new players instant heroes.

Fans at City have a good idea what to expect from you. They watched closely during your tenure as England manager, a stint that had its ups and downs but in terms of results was not as bad as the harshest critics have suggested.

Blues supporters, who couldn’t really care less about your colourful private life so long as the team is playing well, know you are not going to emulate your predecessor by spending most of your time during matches in the technical area cajoling and shouting.

They have seen already from your press conference announcing your arrival that you have the necessary professionalism, passion and commitment to the job. In fact, my friends from the Swedish press who have followed you since the successful days at Lazio tell me they have never seen you so animated and excited by a challenge.

Apart from the boost to your bank balance, your year off must have done you a power of good.

In terms of expectations for this season you should know that City followers are clever and astute enough not to expect a top four or even top six finish in the Premiership.

They have waited 30 years for success and another season will not make that much difference so long as you build them a side of which they can be proud.

The key word there is ‘proud’ because the fans’ pride has taken a battering over the years and last season’s failure to score at home in the league from January 1 until the curtain came down was the last straw.

Supporters have noted with interest that you are already singing the praises of the Academy and that your great friend Tord Grip will build new bridges to Platt Lane.

That is what the fans want to hear for whilst they will welcome with open arms expensive, international purchases they also set great store by bringing through ‘their own’.

They like nothing more than seeing what you called ‘home grown’ players coming through the ranks and you must try and continue that trend whilst spending the £50m that Dr Thaksin has promised.

Other managers in the recent past have promised much, spent a great deal and delivered nothing more than shattered dreams. The fans of Manchester City don’t deserve to be let down so publicly again.

Bring some attacking pace and entertainment to the side and you will be on the way to a lasting love affair with a great club.

You have already said that you simply wish to be judged on results during your time here and I can assure you that you will be.

Kind regards

Chris Bailey