Dein erstes Forum » general manager Ben Cherington

Theres no place like home. Its been over a decade since Manchester City made the move from Maine Road to the City of Manchester Stadium. Much has changed over the years. A new home. New ownership, purchasing the best players money can buy. And heightened expectations. Results have generally followed, particularly at home. The new Etihad may lack the character of the old Wembley of the North, but the confines in east Manchester suit City just fine. The team has made their home an absolute fortress. An exclamation mark was put on their top home form in a 6-0 demolition of Tottenham Sunday. Youll struggle to find a more complete performance than that of Manuel Pellegrinis men against a worthy Premier League foe. Four more goals were put past Viktoria Plzen in Wednesdays Champions League action. Progression from the Group Stage had already been achieved. And while not at their best, its a trademark of top teams to win at home despite inferior form. Mission accomplished. Without two of their top players (Kompany/Silva), City has shown no dip in home form. Results on their travels are a different story. Losses at Cardiff City, Aston Villa, and Sunderland raise questions. But its the convincing, completely one-sided home wins, especially against Spurs and Manchester United that stand out most, giving reason to believe a team sitting eighth in the Premier League table just a week ago should be considered favourites to win the league. Manchester City has 73 points in their last 29 Premier League home matches (W23, 4D, 2L), including a perfect record this season (6-0-0. 26 goals for, 2 against), the best stretch of home form among all league competition. The only true home embarrassment came at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League. But its the Premier League form that bodes well. Before Sunday, Spurs had conceded just one goal away from White Hart Lane but City moved through the team with ease. Citys prowess at home has been good, but this years edition looks to have taken the advantage to another level. The preferred attacking, more liberal style of Pellegrini plays to the teams strengths – athletic, two-way players in the middle of the park surrounded by fluid, creative players able to rotate and find space in advanced positions. The approach differs to that of his predecessor, Roberto Mancini. The Italian tactician was more conservative and calculated. When the away form under Mancini dipped (City had the fifth best away record a season ago), it was clear a change had to be made. Pellegrini still must solve the riddle as to how best structure his side for away competition. The team simply doesnt have reliable players in the back four that will lead to superior away form. So taking care of business at home is paramount. Home records are the most important indicator as to who will finish as champion. The team with the best home record has won the league every season dating back to 2001-02. Arsenal was champion that season with a 12-4-3 home record. Second-place Liverpool were better (12W-5D-2L) and seventh place West Ham had an identical home record. It is unlikely City will address their issues along the backline in the January transfer window. Instead, it is more likely Pellegrini will look for a goalkeeper, either to challenge or replace the unreliable Joe Hart. Asmir Begovic of Stoke City has been the top goalkeeper in the Premier League and an approach for the player would be worthwhile. Begovic has more than two years left to run on his contract but is a particularly valuable asset for a team like City as hes still able to play in the Champions League. Stoke seemingly has their goalkeeper of the future in Jack Butland. The 20-year was sent out on loan to Barnsley until the end of the year, and is six years younger than Begovic. Butland has the talent. Whether Mark Hughes feels comfortable enough with Butland will boil down to how far above the relegation zone Stoke sits come January, combined with the price willing to be paid for his current goalkeeper. In the meantime, theres much to like about the City attack. Sergio Aguero has been my Player of the Year, thus far. As a recess striker, Aguero is given free rein to play off the high striker and get involved numerous ways. The Argentine has 16 goals in all competitions thus far, 10 in the Premier League to go along with four assists. Ten of his 16 goals have also come at the Etihad. His finishing in front of goal remains lethal, exhibiting the ability to score in a number of ways. When the attack is played through Aguero dropping deeper, then allowing him to find space on the return ball inside the 18, his knack for finding space has made the player virtually unmarkable. Staying healthy was an issue last campaign and his role was ever changing. This season, he is the undoubted key player in the City attack. Agueros goal that won City the league at the Etihad in May 2012 will be remembered as one for the ages. If he can sustain his current form, especially at home, City and Aguero could be in for a season for the ages. Other Musings - If Aguero has been the leagues top player, Manchester Uniteds Wayne Rooney has to be a close second. Absolutely everything positive at United goes through number 10. Nine of Uniteds last 11 goals have gone directly through Rooney (2G, 7A). The quality in service has been outstanding, combined with a work rate second to none. Sir Alex Ferguson claimed Rooneys dip in form, and subsequent benching a season ago, stemmed from a lack of fitness. New manager David Moyes credits Rooneys success to rediscovering his hunger. "Thats a big part of what he is... a lot of people said that might have been missing from his game last season – well its certainly not missing now," said Moyes. "He has got the hunger and the desire back and hes committed for everything. Id rather have a Wayne Rooney that way than any other way." Complacency happens. Perhaps the time away to reflect, watching from the stands, has revitalized Rooney. Credit the player, the new manager, and also give credit to the old one, sending a wake-up call to a player in need of one. - Good for the Football Association to repeal Wes Browns three-match suspension after being sent off in a 2-0 Sunderland loss at Stoke. Brown was sent off based upon Sunderlands unruly reputation more than anything else. The Black Cats defender won the ball cleanly, although his foot did end up high after the sliding challenge. Sunderland has four red cards on the season, the most in the Premier League. Two ugly challenges against Hull City leading to sending offs havent won Sunderland any favours. And the continued dirty play of Lee Cattermole doesnt help matters. Manager Gus Poyet needs best to try to change this negative repute. It cost him a potential result at the Britannia. Sunderland isnt good enough to survive with a thug reputation tied to them. - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claims his Chelsea side were tired after a 1-0 Champions League loss to FC Basel. If the teams tired, why isnt Juan Mata playing? Is he not good enough? And how about a look at David Luiz? Two English centre backs continue to regularly start over a player set to start for Brazil at the World Cup. Mourinhos squad selection is often times puzzling. He has a squad full of top talent. Use it. - Arsenal defeated Southampton 2-0 at the Emirates last weekend. The score-line flatters the victor. An Artur Boruc all-time gaffe put the visitors behind early. The true TSN Turning Point: Adam Lallana substituted off in the 54th minute. After dictating the pace of the game, it all came unraveled after Lallana was taken off for Dani Osvaldo. Can Southampton play with two strikers? The two deep-lying midfielders (Wanyama/Schneiderlin) leave too much space between the central midfielders and the attack duo. Both Osvaldo and Lambert typically play high roles. The team moves with so much more fluidity with Lallana and Jay Rodriguez getting into advanced positions in support. Perhaps this is a case where the Osvaldo/Lambert potential partnership should be put on hold for the best of the team. The Saints are in tough again this weekend at Chelsea. Twitter - @WheelerTSNE-mail - gareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Vans Shoes Clearance Outlet . So they rushed to re-sign the first baseman who general manager Ben Cherington described Friday as "a unique player." The World Series champions finalized a $32 million, two-year agreement Thursday with the slugging former catcher who turned into a surprisingly good defender. Vans Shoes Australia Sale .com) - Ben Lovejoy tallied a goal and an assist as the Anaheim Ducks cruised into the All-Star break with a 6-3 victory against the Calgary Flames. http://www.cheapaustraliavans.com/ .That means, of course, that John Wall beat the Spurs for the first time ever — within weeks of his first wins in head-to-head games against nemeses Chris Paul and Derrick Rose. Vans Shoes Wholesale Australia .com) - Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending May 11. Cheap Vans Shoes Australia . As if the individual strands of grey hair or the increasing amount of joint pain werent reminders enough, the impending end of Jeters career is a slap-in-the-face indicator of a generations fleeting youth.WASHINGTON -- Trevor Ariza scored 26 points, Bradley Beal added 22, and the Washington Wizards took an early lead and never lost it Wednesday night, shooting 54 per cent in a 104-91 win over the Utah Jazz. John Wall had 14 points and 10 assists, and Marcin Gortat had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Wizards, who have won seven of eight. This one was noteworthy if only for substantial contributions from recent additions Drew Gooden and Andre Miller, two thirty-somethings who teamed up for a run that padded the lead in the first half. Alec Burks scored 19 points, and Trey Burke added 14 to lead the Jazz, who have dropped the first four games of their six-game road trip. Their 7-24 road record is the worst in the Western Conference. The Wizards led by as many as 15 in both the second and third quarters, but they never could put the Jazz away. Diante Garretts 3-pointer cut the deficit to five early in the fourth, and it wasnt until Ariza made it 96-85 with a 3-pointer with 4:11 to play that the Wizards could start to feel somewhat comfortable. Thirty-year-old Gooden and 37-year-old Miller made their marks early in the second quarter. Gooden, playing his fourth game of a 10-day contract after sitting idle since last summer, scored his first points of the season by rolling ooff eight quick points.dddddddddddd Three of the four baskets came on assists from Miller, who was acquired in a trade deadline deal two weeks ago from the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets shipped Miller after he had been excused from the team since his argument with the coach during a game on New Years Day. Gooden finished with 12 points, his first double-digit game since April 21, 2012. Miller finished with six assists, his most since Dec. 23. In addition, the quiet Verizon Center crowd got to see some buzzer-beaters. Jeremy Evans banked in a 21-footer to wrap up the first quarter after each team committed a turnover in the final two seconds. Wall ended the first half with a fast-break reverse slam after poking the ball away from Burke. Evans struck again at the end of the third quarter with a baseline jumper with one-tenth of a second on the clock. The Wizards improved to 4-1 since Nene was sidelined with a knee injury. Ariza and Gortat have noticeably stepped up in the Brazilian big mans absence. Ariza was 4 for 6 from 3-point range Wednesday and is 26 for 40 over his past six games. Notes: Wizards F Kevin Seraphin missed his fifth consecutive game with a sore right knee, while F Martell Webster sat out his second straight with a sore back. ... Gortat grabbed his 3,000th career rebound. ' ' '