YOU'RE A MENTALIST

"There have been a lot of false dawns at this club in the past and people
wonder what will happen if you don't do what you say you will."

"Here they talk about Bell, Summerbee and Lee. But that was a long time ago.
We have players here now who can be talked about in the same way. But the
talking has to stop and we have to be successful."

Speaking about Fowler:

"At the end of the medical report the specialist said it is high risk because he
hasn't played 90 minutes for Leeds. I knew that and it doesn't worry me. He
has missed almost two years of his career and hasn't got the miles on the
clock that he should have for someone of 27."

Meanwhile, City have blamed the spiralling wage bill for a £5.4m half-year
loss.

Over £40m has been spent on new players in the last year to ensure
promotion and now premiership survival.

City chairman David Bernstein said the club had done an "excellent job" on all
other fronts, with commercial, merchandising and sponsorship revenues all
increasing.

But thanks to a £5.7m charge related to new player signings, the Blues
reported a loss on ordinary activities of £5.4m, against £5.3m last year.

Mr Bernstein said the imbalance between income and expenditure would only
be improved when the club moved to the new City of Manchester stadium in
the summer, when annual turnover is expected to soar to £60m.

He said: "The club is making progress on all fronts. In an industry perceived
as weak, Manchester City is emerging as one of the stronger players with
resources in place and the desire to back our manager."

"As I have constantly said, we have to achieve a difficult balancing act.

"I am committed to ensuring a proper balance is maintained. Our policy of
investing in quality players has resulted in a considerable increase in
expenditure. It will only be when we achieve increased income levels next
season in our new stadium that we should achieve a more acceptable
balance."

"We need to succeed on the pitch to justify the investment we have made," he
stated.

"We are looking forward to moving ahead and winning matches and getting
this club where its should be, in the top six of the Premier League."

And Mike Summerbee joins in on the act:

"Robbie could be the final piece in the jigsaw. I remember the side we had all
those years ago - then we signed Francis Lee, which really was the icing on
the cake. That's the sort of effect I believe Robbie could have. People still talk
of the days when we had such a great team. But I have been waiting for years
for someone to push us into the cupboard, because it means they have
something else to talk about! They can rave about the likes of Robbie, Nicolas
Anelka, Eyal Berkovic and Peter Schmeichel. It's certainly the most exciting
time I can remember as a fan. There is a real buzz about the place."