Manchester City Still Building

The high from the double over Manchester United has suddenly become despair for the followers of the only club in Manchester. 

A loss at home to Everton and a draw at home to Wigan has set back the Euro hopes for City fans a bit. What City fans must realize is that this is still a project and a work in progress. One must remember that Rome was not built in a day.  It takes time and resources to build a powerhouse club. 

The support is finally there to undertake the project. The money, manager, and most of all the supporters are there. City fans have great things to look forward to in the future, so do not despair just yet. 

If one wants to know just how far we have come, we must look back on what life was like last season. 

Last March, City were in disarray. Fighting relegation, unable to score, restless supporters, things looked horrid for City and a return to the Championship didn't look out of the question. 

Fortunately, City survived, Stuart Pearce was sacked and after an intense summer at Eastlands, Thaksin Shinawatra took control and Sven-Goran Eriksson became the manager. 

My how it seems like only yesterday we were cursing Darius Vassell for his penalty miss in the Derby. Now he has taken on legendary status for scoring in the Derby at the swamp. An ultimate redemption tale if you ask me, but that's for another article.

Manchester City's quest for greatness has taken big steps this season; the victories over United and the contention for a European spot have given fans a glimpse of what the future may bring. 

The players brought in so far have also helped to revitalize the club. Players like Martin Petrov, Benjani, Elano, and Vedran Corluka have blended well with the likes of young and developing stars Michael Johnson, Micah Richards, Joe Hart, and Stephen Ireland. 

The most important thing for City right now is to secure the signature of Richard Dunne. He is the glue that keeps the players together.

Going into the summer, there will be areas to address for City. Depth at midfielder and striker have been concerns all season for City. Benjani should be able to help in the striker position, but help is desperately needed at midfield. Hamann is aging, Ireland can be spastic at times, and Johnson can be injury prone. 

The academy is continuing to develop elite talent but transfer market deals will be required to put City over the top. We all know Sven will be watching endless DVDs of players and his scouts are constantly combing the world in search of the next City legend.

As for this season, all is not lost.  If the Blues can muster up some wins, they have a shot at Europe, but the true excitement has to be what we see for the future. 

Manchester City are still a very young club, keeping them together is the most important thing to do.