The sun is out which means it's the end of another season for City in the Premier League. I've done a bit of a season review in my King of the Kippax column so I won't go over it again, but our final league positioning was 10th place, three points outside the places for Europe. It's a place down on last season but we did enjoy a UEFA Cup run that resulted in a exit at the quarter-final stage at the hands of Martin Jol's Hamburg side.
The final home game against Bolton Wanderers was played in an almost tropical heat at Eastlands. The 1-0 victory, with a goal from Felipe Caicedo, meant that City ended their season on a high, albeit disappointing not to finish in Europe. We will see during summer what bearing this has on our ability to attract the calibre of players required to push for a higher position next season. It was also great to see Glauber Berti make his first and final first team appearance for City, with Mark Hughes appreciating the novelty value that Berti has amongst the City fans.
It's fantastic news that Stephen Ireland has signed a new deal at the club. The five year deal is rumoured to be worth around £60,000 a week and the Player of the Year is certainly worthy of the new contract. Contract rebel Danny Sturridge would do well to take a leaf out of Ireland's book and work hard on fulfilling his potential before making ludicrous salary demands. It looks like Sturridge will be leaving City in the summer after the club fail to agree figures on a new contract. Don't get me wrong, he is a huge prospect and we have seen glimpses of what he is capable of. But the apparent figures that he has been demanding are preposterous and unwarranted at this stage of his career. Prove yourself first Danny...
The results of my final poll of the season are in. I asked which City player should be voted Player of the Year and the results aren't a surprise. In fourth place was versatile Argentinian player Pablo Zabaleta. Joint second place went to Brazilian samba star Robinho and the bright English defender Nedum Onuoha with 3% each. But the winner...with an overwhelming 90% of the vote was the hugely influential midfielder Stephen Ireland. Congratulations!
I know how boring the summer months are without football, especially as there are no big football tournaments this year. But keep an eye out for City youngers Micah Richards, Onuoha and Joe Hart who are featuring in England's under-21 games this month. I will keep my blog updated with everything City-related so look out for more exclusive interviews, news, anecdotes and views from your favourite Football Pundette!
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