Forever Blue with Ian Cheeseman

In this week's column, Manchester City aficionado, Ian Cheeseman looks back on City's victory at Wolves in their opening Premier League fixture on Monday night. He also details his three wishes for the season ahead.

City returned to Premier League action, after their short break since losing to Lyon in the Champions League, with a comfortable win at Wolves, who beat them home and away last season. I can’t deny that I was a little underwhelmed by the performance although I think there’s more than one reason I felt that way.

City had Nathan Ake making his debut alongside the almost forgotten man John Stones. The England International hardly figured last season and appears to be the odd man out once Laporte is available again and the expected new central defender is signed before the transfer deadline on October 5^th. During the first half at Molineux Stones and Ake effortlessly glided around like swans on the local pond. To be honest though there were no Wolves attacks to stop.

During the second half Stones once again looked panicky and out of position when Wolves started to press and might even have pulled back the two goals they’d conceded. City fans shouldn’t be fooled by the convincing looking scoreline of 3-1 against a team that beat them home and away last season.

Kevin De Bruyne was the games dominant performer with the welcome return of Fernandinho to his midfield role also key. City had a number of high profile absentees due to injury and Covid19 so that needs to be factored into a win that was statistically impressive.

The reason I felt a little underwhelmed, despite the win, was probably partly due to my own personal circumstances. Less than a week ago my Dad passed away in a care home after a long battle with dementia. It’s been heartbreaking to see my hero’s decline, no doubt accelerated by the isolation of Covid19, and so I’ve been deflated and didn’t have my usual enthusiasm for the game. I didn’t produce my normal match day Youtube vlog.

There was the usual battle for the remote at home. I wanted the natural sound of the empty stadium, my wife and son insisted on the artificial crowd noise. I got out voted. The most amusing part of that experience was then a shot hit the side-netting and the person hitting the FIFA sound effects thought it had gone in and pressed the goal celebration button.

Football in empty stadiums remains joyless for me. I was inside the DW Stadium at Wigan at the weekend for the visit of Gillingham. I much prefer being there. At least you can look where you want on the pitch rather that where the camera points. The players never stopped shouting but it was still soulless. As I watched the Wolves v City game I kept wondering if the game would have ended the same had there been a crowd inside the stadium. It’s hard to know, but I feel certain that one of key ingredients of professional football is missing during these strange times; tension. Crowds create passion, anger and momentum.

I think the current circumstances of games in empty stadiums help City in away games again the opposition who see themselves as underdogs. I expect City to be challengers for the title again this season but I have three wishes.

1. City to sign at least three experienced players with quality, a centre back, left back and striker.
2. For this pandemic to be over as soon as possible to fans can return to games
3. The pain of losing my Dad to go away.

I hope to be back presenting “Sports Talk” on Tameside Radio this week from 7pm after a week off due for obvious reasons.