KEVIN Keegan is demanding Manchester City break the habit of a lifetime by making the most of a major opportunity.
Keegan may have long since abandoned any hope of changing the contradictory nature of a club which managed to collect four points off Chelsea this season, yet manage just a single draw from two matches with West Brom.
But, as the former England coach approaches the final 15 months of his managerial career, he wants to leave the Blues supporters with something to remember him by.
He accepts it will not be the Premiership title, nor, this season at least, a domestic trophy.
What would be tangible reward for the effort Keegan has put in is a place in the UEFA Cup earned through league position rather than the Fair Play award which got them into the competition last term.
Victory over Bolton in the north-west derby would drag City to within three places and three points of a top-six spot and just a point behind tonight's opponents - enough to claim a European place in the not unthinkable scenario of Arsenal facing Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
"The measure of what I have brought to this football club is difficult to gauge," he said.
"I can't even tell myself sometimes because just when we think we are going to push on, we have gone backwards. Just when we think it is tricky, we have gone forwards.
"It has been a strange experience for me at this football club, even if the fans have had that sort of excitement for a long time.
"But the one thing I would like to think I have brought to the club is stability. We are in the Premiership, we are going to be in another year, which is four altogether, and now the aim is to get a UEFA Cup place.
"If you look at our fixtures to the end of the season, we play all the teams around us.
"So, not only can we do ourselves a big favour by getting a result against Bolton, we actually bring them within a point as well."
City will attempt to complete their second successive double over Sam Allardyce's men without seven senior squad men, including suspended duo Joey Barton and Stephen Jordan, plus their talismanic England international Shaun Wright-Phillips.
After finally recovering from a long-standing groin problem, Claudio Reyna could make his first start for five months in place of Barton, although Steve McManaman is another option. Irish Under-21 international Willo Flood should get another chance to shine in Wright-Phillips' absence after impressing during a run in the side earlier this season.
It is in defence where the biggest reshuffle will occur. With neither Jordan, nor Ben Thatcher available, Keegan does not have a recognised left-back.
So, rather than carry through his threat to ask assistant manager Stuart Pearce to come out of retirement, Keegan will ask Danny Mills to occupy the left-sided berth and bring David Sommeil in for his first Premiership start for well over a year.
Manchester City (probable): James, Sommeil, Dunne, Distin, Mills, Flood, McManaman, Bosvelt, Musampa, Sibierski, Fowler.
Bolton Wanderers (probable): Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Ben Haim, N'Gotty, Candela, Hierro, Okocha, Speed, Stelios, Davies, Gardner.
City v Bolton - The stats
Latest form
City: W L D D L W
Bolton: W W D W L
Head to head
December 18 2004 - Bolton 0 City 1
February 21 2004 - Bolton 1 City 3
October 18 2003 - City 6 Bolton 2
Top scorers
City: S Wright-Phillips 10, Fowler 8, Sibierski 5
Bolton: Davies 9, Pedersen 9, Diouf 6, Okocha 5
Referee
Mike Riley (West Yorkshire) - Controversy seems to follow this official around.
Danger men
Robbie Fowler: Back to his best with a double against Norwich last week.
Kevin Davies: Big battering ram of a centre forward is sure to test City's defence.
Prediction: City 1 Bolton 1
How do you think the game will go? Have your say.
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I would prefer to see a fit Reyna (but has to be 100% fit) in the team instead of McManaman, and how about Lee Croft?.
Come on you BLUES!
City will start off bright passing it on the floor and nick a goal through Fowler then Bolton will resort to the 'launch it into the City box from anywhere' tactics that they tried at the Reebok and half the COMS crowd have to seek help from the St Johns for neck injuries sustained whilst looking for the ball in the air! 1-0 City.
kk, please, please, please can you play some of our very talented. i sit in the rovers night after night moaning to racquel about how bad the likes of mcminnimum are and she's getting quite sick of it. we have some really tallented young players at the club (reserve team always finish near top, u19 and u17 academy sides are the best in the country certainly the north anyway) so why can't you please play some of these players. To anyone who comes on and points out how many youngsters kk has brought through, the only one is actually joey barton. joe royle brought sweep in and kk carried it on. flood, onuoha, jordan and beep have been restricted to a couple of first team starts between them, that does not constitute giving youngsters a chance. finally my team to play the MASSIVE (apparently) bolton would be, James, sommeil?, dunne, distin, mills, flood, croft, bozzy, musampa, beep, fowler. CTID
Sommeil? Reyna? Are things really that bad? Evidently so... 0-2
Shikes !! A 3am kick off here in Bangkok ! Who can say what will happen ? I don't know what Reyna can bring to the side after such a long absence, a clumsy mistake that will give Bolton their only goal of the game maybe; Macca should be a good influence overall because he'll bring experience and that does a lot for confidence in young players (stop knocking the man. It's not his fault he's had a lot of injury this year ! Some of you are real cretins on this site). I will bet Macca doesn't make any mistakes and he'll always link well with Robbie, a few goals could come from their play. The left looks solid enough with Distin on the inside of Millsy - that's a tough wall to get through and Musampa seems to be happy playing deep with the midfield. The right side will be the weak side with Sommeil coming in and we have little reinforcements there to chase back and cover. No SWP is a big hole to fill. The midfield looks dodgy too. If Flood plays he has his work cut out, so too does Sibs 'roaming' all over the show tonight by the looks of it. However I notice B'ton now have no Pedersen or Diouf (their top scorers) on hand to help their cause either. So I predict YET ANOTHER CITY WIN. 3-1. Any 'City fan' who predicts we lose should WALK ! BIG TIME ! Any City fans in bangkok tonight, see you down the Sukhumvit Road. You know where ! Sorted !
We'll beat them 4-1.
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Complete Fantasy- i think he actually belives the rubbish he mutters. We will never in a million years finish in the top ten this season - let alone the top 6- we have to concentrate on not finishing 15th..... its a real possibility considering KK has decimated the squad.... Bolton H 1-0 DEFEAT, Tottenham A 3-1 DEFEAT, Charlton A 1-1 DRAW, Liverpool H 0-1 DEFEAT, Fulham A 1-0 WIN, Birmingham H 2-1 WIN, Blackburn A 2-1 DEFEAT, Portsmouth H 0-0 DRAW, Villa A 2-0 DEFEAT, MBoro H 2-0 WIN. With that in mind - a 13th place finishing position shouldn't be too bad!
O'Neill. No. He's a has been. Alardyce. No. Too Bolton-cast-off-ish and no new game plan. Besides he's contracted to 2010 with Bolton. We don't want our new manager trailing a shadow of disloyalty behind him. For the same reasons O'Neill is a No ! Koeman would be a risk that could well pay off. he will be unpredictable in his approach and will breed new confidence and attract good players. BUT. I DON'T THINK SO ... I'D STAY IN EUROPE IF I WAS HIM. MANCHESTER AS A CITY IS A DUMP ! AND THE WEATHER IS AWFUL ! (Sorry Curly, I make the exception of that little pub on Walmer Road, Rusholme you are so fond of..The Albert is it ? So you're not really in the Rovers every night are you ?)Who said Dowie can't manage a top side and bring top success ? He's the most likely man the board will choose and he's well up to the task. Or Pearce. Why has Pearce got to first prove he can be successful somewhere else before City appoint him manager ? Durrr ! If he does it somewhere else then City will not get a look in ! Who else...? Pleeeeszzzzzzzzze NO No NO NO No NO RAGS !!! Strachan is past sell by date/throw away by date, he's an irratating Jim Watt soundalike and he is A RAGGGG !!!!! GET IT !!! I'd rather we get Neil Kinnock and he's Welsh and a total loser, but at least he's not a RAGG !! Are Laurel and Hardy still alive ?
Well there's not a lot of 'good ole' City optimism about on these pages these days....very depressing reading lads. If you set your sights a little lower, you won't be disappointed! With our team for tonight, it does in fact look a little bleak I must say, however, I have a sneaky feeling City will nick all 3 points tonight, against the odds. Right best sign offf now thee tab..lets ar takin.. ef c t.....