GOALFLASHES AND MAJOR INCIDENTS (all times GMT)
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606: DEBATE
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To get involved use 606 or text us your views & comments on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide). (Not all contributions can be used)
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By Jonathan Stevenson
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1344: It's a remarkably subdued start from Man City thus far, they just haven't got going at all. Next update a City goal, then...
From Tony in Warrington, via text to 81111: "Re SPOTY - the spud-faced genius will be a shoo-in if his current form continues up to and throughout the World Cup. Not impossible, either."
1341: Pompey play a corner to Jamie O'Hara and he's inside the City area at an angle on the left - he smashes in a left-foot shot that Shay Given saves low down. The visitors are by far the better team so far.
1339: Here's Danny the Stat, to give him his former appellation once more: "Re: 1335 - Just in case there weren't enough bad omens for Pompey there, our friends at Infostrada Sports tell us that Portsmouth have never won a Premier League match in Manchester, losing 10 and drawing two of 12 away matches against City and United - including defeats in each of the last five."
1337: Nearly a shock opening for the hosts. A cross from the Pompey right is fumbled by the usually reliable Shay Given and it falls for John Utaka six yards out, only for the alleged £80,000-a-week striker, leaning back, to slice his shot horribly over.
1335: It's all bad news I'm afraid, Pompey fans. Portsmouth have not won in their last 15 league visits to Manchester City, dating back to August 1963. Oh, and City are unbeaten in their last 13 home league matches. Uh-oh.
1333: Under way in the hors d'œuvre of the day.
From TheTomTyke on 606:
"I'm looking forward to the days when every Premier League club is owned by a rich Arab, then they can move to Dubai and we can have the Championship (which is actually interesting) as our flagship league."
1329: The teams are out at Eastlands, we're moments away from kick-off as Manchester City prepare to take on Portsmouth.
1325: I see that
Sports Personality of the Year is still up for grabs, then.
Anyone fancy a cheeky little punt on Wayne Rooney?
Eight years after he scooped the YSPOTY gong,
can the on-fire United striker reap the big one? A hat-trick at the Emirates might help his cause.
Portsmouth boss Avram Grant: "To be honest it's been difficult from the first day since I was here. But the issue is not me, it's a city with a team and it means everything to them and that's the issue. The team has progressed recently and we wanted to continue, but again... problems. I'm very disappointed to lose Younes Kaboul to Spurs. We needed him."
From mildale07 on Twitter:
"City should just give £200million-ish to Pompey, they won't miss it, they'd just waste it anyway."
1315: Manchester City have Emmanuel Adebayor back to start a game for Roberto Mancini for the first time. Depleted Portsmouth - only able to name six substitutes in their last match against West Ham - are at least able to name a full bench of seven thanks to the the loan signing of Quincy Owusu-Abeyie.
From Mark, Enfield, via text to 81111: "Thanks for that Stevo. I really wanted all of our horrid problems summed up in the very first post... I'm going back to bed."
1310: Also in the (football) news today:
Man Utd say Wayne Rooney is not for sale at any price (though presumably £80m might tempt them);
everyone's favourite new person to hate John Terry will keep the Chelsea captaincy despite recent revelations about his private life; and
Emmanuel Adebayor wants Confederation of African Football boss Issa Hayatou to quit for the sickening decision to throw Togo out of the next two Africa Cup of Nations.
1307: You will get in touch, won't you? Be a love and text to 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide),
Tweet me up on, er, Twitter
and
crash the party on 606.
Ah go on.
1303: Man City v Portsmouth line-ups:
Man City: Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Garrido, De Jong, Ireland, Barry, Petrov, Tevez, Adebayor.
Subs: Taylor, Onuoha, Wright-Phillips, Sylvinho, Bellamy, Boyata, Ibrahim.
Portsmouth: James, Vanden Borre, Ben-Haim, Wilson, Hreidarsson, Mullins, Basinas, O'Hara, Webber, Utaka, Boateng.
Subs: Ashdown, Piquionne, Finnan, Hughes, Owusu-Abeyie, Ritchie, Sowah.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
Man City: Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Garrido, De Jong, Ireland, Barry, Petrov, Tevez, Adebayor.
Subs: Taylor, Onuoha, Wright-Phillips, Sylvinho, Bellamy, Boyata, Ibrahim.
Portsmouth: James, Vanden Borre, Ben-Haim, Wilson, Hreidarsson, Mullins, Basinas, O'Hara, Webber, Utaka, Boateng.
Subs: Ashdown, Piquionne, Finnan, Hughes, Owusu-Abeyie, Ritchie, Sowah.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
1257: Oh there's a late game in the Premier League too today, you know.
Arsenal and Manchester United meet at the Emirates
in a showdown of immense proportions. After
Chelsea's win at Burnley on Saturday,
defeat for either side could irreparably damage their title aspirations.
1254: Our first game today has been dubbed by Danny the Stat as 'the off-the-field polar opposites derby'. He's not wrong. It's
Manchester City v Portsmouth
and the chasm that exists between the two is Brobdingnagian (it was the biggest word I could find).
1250: Tell me: When you're
cut adrift at the bottom of the league,
you
can't pay your players,
you're
being sued by a former star,
you're
not allowed to sign anyone for any money,
you've
had to sell your best player
and
your other half-decent ones are being linked with moves away,
you
can barely keep your website running,
you're
facing a winding-up order from HM Revenue & Customs at the High Court
and
even the Prime Minister's wading in,
where's the last place on earth you want to go? Probably the richest club on the planet.
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