Thursday Gossip

Thu 06 Oct 2011, 8:40AM
Posted by Tim Oscroft

It’s hard to comprehend, but it is nearly six years since Micah Richards made his City debut, as a late substitute in our last ever visit to Highbury, and his “veteran” status is a cornerstone to an excellent interview he gives in today’s Guardian.



From that day he’s gone from strength to strength (although he should have scored an equaliser – I was there! – Ed.) even if his small tally of England caps remains a mystery.

But in a wide-ranging chat with Paul Hayward, Micah reflects on how far both he and the club have come in that time. The whole piece is recommended, but here’s a quick taster:

“Mostly quiet in his time at City, Richards now seems keen to be heard – not to agitate for an England place (he is much too sharp for that) but to assert himself as a senior figure. "When Mancini took over it was a hard place to be because with all the money the owners brought in you didn't know whether you were going to be part of his plans," he says. "He's improved my game a lot. He always tells me: 'If you're 100% you can be the best.' When a manager's telling you that, you believe him. He had all the money to spend and could have gone out and bought a right-back but he has me and Pablo Zabaleta – we share it out. He's stuck with me."”

The long wait for an international fixture this week means that players are put before the press to fill the gap, and James Milner is the next to front up, giving an interesting assessment of the notion that players are tired by too much football these days to The Sun:

“Milner does not take any comfort from the fact he could be one of the freshest players in the England squad going to next year's European Championships if he continues to play second fiddle to David Silva at City.

He said: "Hopefully I will have played a lot of games by the end of the season. If you're playing every game, doing well and winning trophies then you don't feel tired. When you're winning you don't notice the fatigue.

"But then you lose one game and suddenly you feel as tired as you've ever been. On the other hand, if you're not playing so much you might be fresher."

Away from the internationals, the Star reports that Owen Hargreaves is in the mix for the Aston Villa game: “It will be the first time the midfielder has been involved in a league game since making his shock move from Manchester United.

“Mancini organised a private game for Hargreaves last month to help build up his match fitness. The former England man then marked his City debut with a goal in the Carling Cup win over Birmingham.

“Starsport understands Mancini has organised two more private games for Hargreaves, who has not completed a full competitive match since 2008.”

Micah has come on in leaps since mancini took over, he and Gael down the wings have been fantastic most of the time.

I'd like to see Owen and Nige doing the hunting in pack thing for us in midfield, once Owen id 100% he will be a potent destructive force and holding midfielder, who has an eye for a goal if need be, I'd love it if he came on to score the winner in the next derby... after M.Owen, and Rooney's sucker punch winners in recent years, it's time for City to return the favour!