The club
What heaven sounds like
"Well it's not over till the final whistle and City here looking for an opening ... it's Dickov again! Can you believe it? Denied once by his best man but this time Dickov comes out on top and, from 2-0 down, Manchester City have drawn level!..."
v Gillingham, 94th minute of the Second Division play-off final, 1999
Then and now
1880: Club formed by St Mark's Church in south-east Manchester. 2008: Ecumenical matters to the fore as club sack manager in wake of most successful season in yonks ("Jesus Christ, typical City").
The credit cruncher
Thaksin Shinawatra has many billions of the Thai people's hard-earned in his sky-blue rocket. That's more than enough money to seduce then spurn Sven-Goran Eriksson and rattle Ronaldinho into the arms of Milan.
Their prospects
Seeing the first thing Mark Hughes and Mark Bowen did was pack City off to a boot camp in Germany, it's clear fitness is first on the agenda. If their time at Blackburn is anything to go by - and it is - City will play hard and fast for results, and worry about aesthetics later. But they'll come.
Mission for Doctor Who
How City could do with Billy Meredith, who led the club to glory in the early 1900s and was the most glamorous star in the land. They might want to bundle him back into the Tardis before he can jump ship to United and help them to a sackload of league titles like he did last time, mind.
See the ground on Google Earth
Search "City of Manchester Stadium", all glinting and silver in Sportcity. Search "Maine Road" to see terracedstreetville.
The players
International game
Italy, Zimbabwe, Bulgaria, Croatia, Switzerland, Spain and Land Of Uncle Tom Cobleigh And Kitchen Sink are represented - but perhaps the two most important players, Jo and Elano, are Brazilian.
Fab enough for Fabio
Fab loves Joe Hart and a video of him dancing in his trolleys became a Youtube pheneomenon. Fabio only wears knee socks and would have been pleased to know Hart had a pair stuffed down the front of his pants..
Breaking through
Much is expected of Welsh striker Chedwyn "Feed the Ched and he will score" Evans, 19, who is described as "excellent" by Hughes.
City's got talent
Footballers? Herd mentality? Never. Micah Richards also fancies himself as a dancer and can be seen on the net busting some badly choreographed moves with his brother. They must be wearing each other's shoes.
Who'll give 110%
Didi Hamann has recently developed the air of a man who has decided he's got at least one last hurrah left in him.
Who'll give 1,000%
You've got to love Stephen Ireland: goalscoring midfielder, pink Range Rover, serial grandparent killer, all-round entertainer. In July he became a born-again baldie after ditching the weave.
Story of the summer
Hamann "whooped in delight" at the Manchester premiere of circus adventure Afrika! Afrika! ... Micah Richards is dating Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan. "It's thought they met at a party," reported Now! Tch, a party. These celebrities!
The manager
Mark Hughes
Here are your best bits
The Welsh nearly made it to Euro 2004, while Blackburn reached three domestic semi-finals under his yoke.
His tactics board says
"Pack the side with 'enthusiastic' tacklers, I love the sound of stud on bone. Hit them on the break down the flanks."
His Post-It notes say
"Tell Ireland to stop pimping his head" ... "Tell Dunga not to drag my boys down with his losers" ... "Find out who keeps covering Kasper's locker with pictures of Julian Lennon."
New face
Jo
CSKA Moscow, £18m
Short name, tall striker. The 21-year-old's speed, touch and finishing made him deadly in Russia. Sadly for Hughes, he appears to get on with Brazil's coach Dunga again so should miss plenty of matches to represent the globetrotting selecao.
Last season
Points per game
v top four 0.88
v the rest 1.63
FA Cup 4th round
Carling Cup Quarter-finals
League discipline Y51 R4
Top scorer Elano 8
Fair play league 6th
In this dog-eat-dog league they're...
Hong Kong Phooey
A manager known for instilling a combination of technique and a strong fighting spirit with a little knowhow from the far east all adds up to one unassuming but potentially powerful combination. Noted for the interesting storylines that have kept people amused for years.
