The 28-year-old, who took around £10m out of Mark Hughes' transfer window war chest and added nearly half that amount to the annual wage bill, signed a four-and-a-half-year deal on Saturday.
He then sat and watched an abject display by his new team-mates as they crashed out of the FA Cup to Nottingham Forest.
But it didn't dim his enthusiasm for the task ahead starting at Portsmouth next weekend.
"I'd like to think I'm coming into my prime and I've got a good engine so I'll be looking forward to showing that on the pitch," said the man who made 87 appearances for Chelsea but spent a large chunk of his time as understudy to Ashley Cole.
"I'm just excited to be here at City and when I spoke to the manager yesterday he told me of the exciting times ahead at the club.
"I'm looking forward to putting the shirt on regularly and getting out there to show everyone what I can do.
"Obviously I've played with Mark Hughes when he was at Southampton and I know him quite well. When I spoke to him everything he said was positive and that's good to hear. He was positive about me as well and that's nice. it gives me confidence so hopefully I'll be showing that on the pitch.
Exciting
"I'm very impressed with the vision of the club and where it wants to go. Obviously it's going to take time but we're going to progress and keep doing so until we achieve big things. As I said, I believe that it is an exciting time to be at City.
"I haven't played that much, so I'm aiming to play on a regular basis, get my fitness up to scratch and hopefully help the team climb the table and achieve big things."
As well as boss Hughes, Bridge will be reunited with England team-mate Shaun Wright-Phillips and the two have chatted at length about the defender's move north.
"I've spoken to Shaun and he's already got some houses lined up for me to look at," said Bridge. "It's just good to be at a place where there are people I know. That makes things that much easier.
"There are some quality players here and I'm looking forward to playing alongside them. There's a lot of talk of bringing more players in so I'm looking forward to that, too."
And he hopes that playing week in and week out will enable him to add to the 32 England caps he has already won and get him on the plane to South Africa for the next World Cup.
"I'd like to think the move will help my international chances but obviously, and most importantly, I want to show the fans here and everyone around that I can do well at City first."
How much impact do you think Bridge will have? Have your say.
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as i said yesterday our 5th column who continually undermine the club is US the fans. look at spurs who i would say are similar to us in lots of ways. martin jol takes them to fifth place twice and is deemed not good enough for a club (like us) who think they are bigger than they are. so sack the good manager and bring in someone with a good reputation. i have no doubt ramos was good but the dressing room decided to underperform cos the petty pampered spoilt little oiks didnt like him. professional they were not as they couldnt be ar5ed to do what they were paid for. ramos gets sacked and teh same players suddenly pull their finger out and win a few games. all attributed to the skills of redknapp which any fool can see is tosh. a better manager than ramos ? doubt it yet the fickle fans and owners thought so. here we are a few weeks later and spurs are below us in the league and the saviour (HR) has a relegation fight on his hands (lost at wba in a worse fashion than us youll note). im not saying im happy with whats going on at city but good god we aint playing bury (and couldnt beat them)on a friday night like we were 10 yrs ago are we ? those wanting hughes out plainly just dont like him...it has nothing to do with his ability. those on here saying we should play kids / reserves instead of vassell and fernandez know naff all about football. its not that easy...im not sure theyd do any worse but other teams dont do it and for one reason...they are usually in the reserves for a reason. parker (no world beater) in for fernandez is ok isnt it ? kompany can move back short term for dunne (who can go) and VK would eb a better teacher for richards assuming he still has the appetite. VK is captain material...get it sorted. we have lost key players (have spurs ? no) in petrov, johnson and bojinov who would no doubt be in the team. i despair i really do at the negativity of the so called best fans in the world - thats rubbish as we all know.
We now have a back four containing two excellent fullbacks, who will give their all week in week out. If the Scott Parker rumours are true, he’ll take over VK’s role in midfield, allowing us to slot him into the back four too. And if we manage to snatch Touré or Upson, I think we have the makings of a very dependable back line: Bridge – Touré – Kompany – Zabaleta. Don’t know about you, but I like the look of that a lot.
Bridge had better make a big impact for the money he’s pocketing, but my hopes for this transfer window are now almost as focussed on who goes as who stays. I genuinely hate picking on players, but it’s abundantly clear now that we have a few in the squad who will never be a success and barely want to be. So it has to be goodbye and obrigado to Elano and the lamentable Jo for starters. It’s economic madness, but I’d be tempted to give them both free transfers. Hamann is clearly not interested any more. Ball has given up. And Richards needs to either stand up and be counted or go for a long spell in the reserves to get his head right. I think Dunne is going through a crisis of confidence and can pick up again, while Fernandes needs to mature a bit and understand his role a lot better. All in all, a few heads need to roll, and the sooner we get Elano and Jo shipped off to pastures new the better. Apologies everybody for being so uncharacteristically negative, but we are carrying a number of players with highly questionable characters to say the least.
One final point: Michael Johnson news anybody?
Welcome to the club Wayne, and good luck keeping Vassell out of the left back clot.
Welcome Wayne...NEXT! Forward with Hughes. Take out the trash!
Glad to have him on board, although I think a one legged blind man could probably play better than Ball! Welcome to City!
On another note, Tribal Football is suggesting that Inter are prepared to offer us Adriano in a straight loan swap for Jo.
Hope Mourinho doesn't bleed to death when Hughes bites his hand off!!!
A good signing, hopefully with more to follow very quickly. Would love to see him and Petrov dominating down the left hand side, big shame we're gonna have to wait so long for that.
I have come on here since early October, stating that i think ... and still do think that Leslie should go. I am though willing to listen to argument, having done so this is my opinion.
The problem that currently besets City can be encapsulated in one player at City. Micah Richards, he burst into the limelight 3yrs ago now. He was a strapping 17yr old, 6' tall 80kilos. He had pace to burn and a determination to be part of the team.
We as success starved fans took him into our hearts. He quickly flourished, becoming an established member of the 1st team. Further success followed with a call up to the England squad...
Fast forward to Jan 08, the shame and ignomy of the Hotel incident with a now departed team mate. Media exposure, talk of 15-20mill transfer deals to Utd, Arsenal & Chelsea. A new contract is offered, talk was of 50k per week .. so much i will say it twice, he was offered 2.5mill per yr.
Micah & friends were to be found out and about in Mcr's glitzy bars and clubs. He set up his own web site, clothing company, his own site stated that he was the best ..... yep thats right.
My concerns were hightend in relation to Micah back in October 08, when in interveiw he stated how tired he and some of the players were as a result of expecatations placed on them by the HUGE amount of games they were playing. I wrote strongly berating him for this.
So my point is as so many others have stated, how do you motivate a 20yr old who has signed a 5yr contract that guarentees him a salary of 12.5mill over the next 5yrs?.
So to my point, in all fairness to Leslie how does he alter the mentality and stench that exists throughout the majority of the currrent squad?.
Does this problem exist at other clubs ....? of course it does. Fergie still has problems now, however his man management skills are second to none. How many players have ever come out against him ?.
So we look at Leslie, he has clearly identified who he wants in and who he wants out. Thinking back and reading between the lines, Leslie inferred that the purchaces he would make would be well researched not just on their ability but also on their ability to adjust and fit in. I just hope and pray that Bridge, Parker, Cruz, Toure, Given, Defoe & any other are well researched. Maybe thats why we are not snatching Bayerns hands of at their 10mill asking price for Podolski, who has an international record second to none and is still only 23..?.
Onwards & upwards Citizens
Where's Trumann Gone?
"good luck keeping Vassell out of the left back clot"
Ha ha, nice one!!!
mr bump, badlands
Well said.
Phil Neal's Laxative, In a Stephen Ireland wonderland
5/01/2009 at 09:24
Zabaleta is proving to be a very,very average full back (against Hull, Blackburn and now Forest he has been pants) and Bridge is an average full back.
Bridge,indeed anyone must be better than Ball.
I wonder how Garrido feels being constantly overlooked by Hughes.
Simos left leg,what a fate,"touch me not" Petrov playing in front of him.
Phil Neals Laxitive.
You are not being negative, just realistic. I would go further and say that Fernandez should have no future.
mr bump, badlands (9:14), well said, mate. I'm feeling all teary following that call to arms - or injection of common sense, however, you want to put it.
It's going to cost us another £300m-400m to get where we're going so better to turf out the wasters quick as possible!
+1 for mr bump, badlands. It's time us fans did our bit and shouted for the team, we all need a lift right now.
Agree with most comments on here and we do need stability and that's why I'll give Hughes time and see who he brings into the team and if we progress. A lot of fans are being blinded by the fact Hughes is an ex Red and will always be on his case. Would like to see Given, Toure, Parker, Bellamy and RSC but would like to see us after Jimmy Bullard, Nicky Hunt and Arshavin.
Team soon Given, Richards (RB), Kompany, Toure, Bridge, SWP, Parker, Ireland, Petrov, Robinho, RSC.
Team for Saturday then I would push Zabaleta into RM and Richards to RB, Dunne and hopefully Toure in CB.
Upson, Given, toure, Parker, Downing, Walcott and, any striker as well please.
Mr Bridge ... you can hardly change your mind now can you !!
Wheres Andy Morrison - he could do a job for us
We need someone in midfield who will bite your ankles
Peter Reid said that Glenn Hoddle would not have been the player he was for England if he hadnt played in other words he was the jack russell taking the knocks
Forget the flair now boys we already have it spades SWP,Robinho,Stephen Ireland - I dont include Elano we need to get rid of him hes just a bad influence
We need the basics and that means defence and midfield
George Graham built a solid defence and worked from there with Arsenal as has Arsene Wenger
Jose Mourinho spent millions on his Chelsea defence and worked from there
Unfortunately so did the lot in Trafford so there you go
Give MH a chance - let him mould a team in his manner - Im sure thats why we got him in the first place
However the players with the jerseys should take a long hard look at themselves this morning - maybe they should be knocking on Stephen Irelands door for some advice about self management
CTID
£10M or £12M whatever I think CITY have paid too much £7M perhaps maybe less but £100K a week that is ridiculous moreso than Dunnes £50K a week and that was absurd considering his performances and abysmal leadership.In Bridges case he has to show something really special and I question whether he can in the short term having had very few games in the last few months at Chelsea let alone last season also.As previously posted I think this present period ranks alongside previous all time lows in the top flight and I can go back to the late fifties.We are and not a single CITY fan can deny it --THE LAUGHING STOCK OF FOOTBALL --yesterday after United went 3-0 up at Southampton their fans started singing songs ridiculing us Peter Drury the ITV commentator pointed it out and was amused, the cameras zoomed in on FErguson and Phelan on the Utd bench they were laughing their heads off listening to their fans mocking CITY and their fans,we are simply being humiliated,walked all over and laughed at and no one seems to give a damn none of our players do thats plainly obvious after yesterday but the writing on the wall has been in evidence for some time now but the club and our players have just been making excuses and making vows and pledges they never deliver. I just dont know the answers to it there is so much wrong now and in my opinion Hughes has put us back another three seasons maybe longer even £100M or more might not resolve this horrible scenario....I feared this months ago wrote about certain aspects recieved criticism for it but I remained adamant UNFORTUNATELY I wasn't proved wrong and that actually hurts me no way do I gain satisfaction of being spot on with my comments -but there we are I'll always be a BLUE......
Saw the broadcast of Bridge at the Forest game after he'd signed.
He was beaming from ear to ear, Looked like he'd just won the lottery, effectively he probably has!
Is this not the main reason he has signed?
Ted Knott, thanks (but no thanks) for the update on the rags game yesterday. I never watch them nor do they interest me, except when they play City.
As for players earnings or transfersums, I don't care how much we pay a player of another club as long as we have 11 players in there who perform and gets us results.
Welcome Wayne Bridge. Hope you came for the right resaons and are able to make us fans proud on you wearing the blue shirt.
Dave Evans Zuerich, I like Garrido (and Im not a great fan of Ball). But I like to think Garrido doesn't sulk for being overlooked, instead preparing to make sure Bridge will never ever play rightback. That is the right spirit. We have enough players sulking and worrying about their future ... the ones I hope we get rid of asap unless they do a "Stevie Ireland" (mind you, I always rated Ireland).
Ted Knott,
Well done for giving yourself a pat on the back...fast forward 5 years and let me know if you're still as pleased with yourself - can't say for sure but i sincerely doubt it. Give the whole thing some time.
5Th Colomn Blue, though Adriano is undoubtably a far better CF than Jo we would be just swapping one disruptive influence for a much bigger one. This lads had serious problems for a couple of years now and I personally would give this one a wide berth.
Eric, Dutch,, 33 years and still here
5/01/2009 at 14:09
I hope you are right about Garrido. Of course, any true professional will want to come back and prove he can do the job. I just wonder what he thinks because he had not been playing badly and then Hughes swaps Ball into the LB position. I am sure Hughes would have explained it to Garrido ( well I would hope so, otherwise that would be pretty poor).
Then again, Garrido is young, well paid and doing what he loves to do, play football. He was made the scapegoat against Chelsea last season ,when he clearly was not to blame ( it was a collective failing not just one person) and he came back and improved.
He's even scored a goal this season and his crossing and passing is far superior, as is his positional play, technique and tackling, than Ball. So too his marking and heading , oops , that's pretty much everything isn't it. Why is Hughes persisting with Ball, even though he has been awful for ages ?
Could it be that he wanted it to be known that he has a problem at left back and that Garrido is also not his prefered lb either ?
Just watch Bridge get skinned over the next few weeks, it will happen.