CHIEF sports writer Paul Hince looks into his crystal ball to predict what lies in store for City in 2005...
Kevin Keegan receives some devastating news on New Year's Day. The Premiership hierarchy insist that the season must continue until May.
There goes Kev's chance of quitting while he's ahead.
King Kev attends a board meeting on the last day of December and demands funds in readiness for the opening of the January transfer window.
Chairman John Wardle and his fellow directors have a whip-round and come up with '37.28p. Kevin uses his windfall to take his missus to see the panto at the Opera House.
With no other option, Kevin bites the bullet and makes Nicolas Anelka available for transfer.
"Only Big Clubs Need Apply" reads the advert in Soccer Weekly.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and AC Milan all make acceptable bids. Anelka rejects all three.
"I am staying at Eastlands," he explains. "The City fans will be heartbroken if I leave and it's not in my nature to upset people."
Now at desperation point, King Kevin sells Shaun-Wright Phillips to Arsenal for '20m two days before the transfer-window closes.
Kevin arrives for work next day to find a smouldering mountain of rubble where the City of Manchester Stadium used to be.
City ground-share with Altrincham whose tiny ground is perfectly adequate to house the few fans remaining loyal after the Wright- Phillips betrayal.
With no empire left to rule, King Kevin decides to go 12 months ahead of schedule and leaves Stuart Pearce to pick up the pieces, while chief executive Alistair Mackintosh goes looking for a new manager.
What's the voice of the crystal ball telling me now? He's been having me on. He made it all up. He was just trying to get me going. Well, he had me going alright. For a moment I thought Anelka really was staying.
What do you think will happen in 2005? Have your say.
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we need creative players,and goalscorers if there is none on the books then we need to sell some players to finance the spending. ie mcmanaman, reyna,barton, sibierski, anelka, distin, macken we should get B#20m for seven i have mentioned and that would help bring in 3 or 4 decent replacements and leave some cash in the kitty for kevin to waste at a later date>
Paul Hince will actually write something worth reading! OK, maybe not.
Paul Hince should stick to his day job and stop trying to be funny. We all know what Hince thinks of the Blues and which North West team he really admires, but when he makes fun of us it is too much.
Did he get paid for that article?
great comments Paul and its not often I agree with you,however our management will still carry on making us the laughing stocks of football and worse so taking their fans for a ride.Most fans will laugh at the ground sharing comment and a lot will be furious,however there is sometimes a true word spoken in jest,anything adverse is possible at City Im sorry to say. Two seasons ago when we left maine rd for the COMS I really thought our fortunes would change,we witnessed a marvellous first match at the stadium with a great win over Barcelona it looked good.Sadly since Keegan has wasted B#50M plus on either average players or ones that are past it,our team is so disjointed Im sure come April we will be once again in a relegation dogfight.Nothing it seems will make Keegan walk because of the stigma attached to his past and we have to carry that burden. When I first started to follow the blues we had just won the 1956 FA Cup final,Trautmann was out for six months with a broken neck and Roy Paul & Don Revie were in contract disputes,they eventually moved on and the club went on a downward spiral because they became a selling club replacing star men with players of much less ability hence it was another 10 years before we looked like a successful club again and even then after five seasons of pure heaven we saw it all thrown away after Joe Mercer was unjustly worked out,Swales more or less took over the entire club used it as his ego trip and place on the FA executive committee,bled us dry and the rest is history. Today years after we were almost destroyed those dark days are just around the corner unless something is done quickly,I dont know what because the situation is worsening because of the fact certain members of our management are happy with an easy life,Ive got news for them ---you wont get it because I honestly believe most City fans have run out of paitence. My final opinion is do such wonderful and loyal supporters deserve all this?
Paul Hince has a good sense of humour "Happy New Year!"
Is he getting paid to write this drivel??
ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz
I don't usually waste my time reading this joker's work. I'm sorry to state that I did on this occasion. I won't again. He belongs on MUTV.
GOOD GOD! Apart from Ernie you've all obviously had sense of humour bypasses.
Get a life!
CTID!!!!
Were you bullied a lot as a child, Hince?
If not, you should have been.
how come teemo taino the finland international from auxerre isnt at city yet, i thouht that was certain. they better had get him because i can then stop dreaming about a quality left sided player, ie downing, reid, risse
Mr Hince, You really should be ashamed at this drivel !. Try & remember that most MUPlc fans will never see th MuEN anyway so, your pathetic atempt at a joke simply took up space in your poxy tabloid !.