The Highs and Lows of Sven-Goran Eriksson's Manchester City Stay

The 2007/08 season may have ended in somewhat underwhelming fashion for Manchester City, but it remains one of the most memorable in recent times for the club’s fans.

After the turgid nature of Stuart Pearce’s time in charge, the football played under Sven-Goran Eriksson was reinvigorating, a return to a more open, attacking style, with slick passing and pace in wide areas.

The previous season under Pearce remains a low point for many of the club’s fans. City scored just 10 league goals at home. They lacked cohesion and were very difficult to watch. It was anti-football and the supporters were understandably fed up.

Eriksson was brought in after Thaksin Shinawatra had taken over the club and immediately set about bringing in a number of foreign players who would revolutionise the team’s style. Exotic, largely unknown names arrived and set pulses racing. There was a feel-good factor inside the City of Manchester stadium once more.

Shinawatra, ultimately, proved to be a dreadful owner who left at the end of the season with the club in serious financial difficulty, but for much of the year he and Eriksson spent leading the club, it was exciting and interesting for the first time in a long time at City.

Elano, Martin Petrov, Verdran Corluka, Geovanni, Gelson Fernandes, Rolando Bianchi, Valeri Bojinov and Javier Garrido all arrived at a cost of around £30 million and excitement levels were ratcheted up significantly. They were hardly world-beaters, but it was a step up in terms of quality from the kind of players City had been signing under Pearce.

On the anniversary of Ericsson's appointment, here's a look back at some of the highs and lows of the 2007/08 season.

High: Opening-Day Win at West Ham

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Arriving at Upton Park in August 2007, the travelling City fans had no idea what to expect. City’s lineup contained five new signings, most of whom were relative unknowns to English fans.

What ensued was a wonderful display from a new-look City side wearing a beautiful white shirt, accompanied by a carnival atmosphere in the away end. City passed the ball superbly and thoroughly deserved their win.

Bianchi and Geovanni scored, Nedum Onuoha produced moments Cafu would have been proud of and City had themselves a perfect start. 

After the awful football played by Pearce, this was special. The optimism amongst the City supporters was palpable.

High: Emergence of Michael Johnson

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There were many impressive players amongst City new batch of recruits, but none offered quite as much in 2007/08 as Michael Johnson, a classy midfielder and graduate from the club's academy. 

Johnson emerged as a star in the making, with a string of impressive displays seeing his stock rise considerably. He appeared to have everything: superb passing ability, vision, goals and a box-to-box engine. 

His career took a downward trajectory not long after, but he was excellent throughout this campaign.

High: City Beat Newcastle to Go 4th

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City’s convincing 2-0 win at St James’ Park in early January saw them move into fourth, a result that appeared to suggest Eriksson’s impact was anything but a flash in the pan.

After five years spent languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League after their promotion in 2002, City were finally looking like they could have an impact at the other end of the table. They had shown superb early-season form and optimism was rising. 

Elano and Fernandes scored the goals, and City were sitting pretty.

High: City Complete Double over Manchester United

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Having beaten Manchester United 1-0 at the Etihad in their third match of the season, City went into the return fixture at Old Trafford in February knowing a win would seal their first league double over their rivals since the 1969/70 season. 

It was the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, and both teams played in specially designed shirts bereft of sponsorship to mark the occasion. United, it appeared, were somewhat overawed and failed to really get a foothold in the match, as City triumphed 2-1. 

Darius Vassell put them ahead before Benjani added another, writing himself and Eriksson into City folklore in the process.

A late consolation from Michael Carrick gave United hope, but City held firm. 

Low: Injury to Valeri Bojinov

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One of the most significant pieces of transfer business City completed in the summer Eriksson arrived was the signing of Valeri Bojinov from Fiorentina for more than £5 million. 

He was set to be the spearhead of the City attack—a player with a physical presence and an ability to score goals.

However, a knee ligament injury suffered in August saw him play just three times all season. It turned out to be a huge dent in City's aspirations.

Low: Turbulence Under Thaksin

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With City starved of success and in dire need of investment, the arrival of Thaksin Shinawatra as the club's new owner was greeted with glee. 

However, the City fans' positivity proved to be misplaced. 

Shinawatra faced corruption charges back in his native Thailand and had £800 million of his assets frozen, meaning he could no longer sustain investment into the club, leading to significant borrowing to keep the club afloat. Arrest warrants were issued when he left the club in the summer of 2008. 

Shinawatra's comical leadership unsettled City and derailed the progress they had made immediately after his arrival, and he must take a huge portion of blame for his team's late-season collapse. 

Low: A Run of Poor Results Saw City Slide Down the Table

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City failed to capitalise on their impressive first half of the season, with a run of poor results, particularly in the final two months, halting their progress. 

They lost five of their last seven league games and slid down the table, with Eriksson seemingly incapable of making the necessary changes to the shape of his side to turn things around. 

Eriksson had many great qualities. He was a likeable man whom players appeared to respect, but the final weeks of the season highlighted some of his tactical deficiencies as his position became increasingly uncertain.

Low: Embarrassing Final-Day Defeat to Middlesbrough

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As farewells go, Eriksson’s Manchester City goodbye was about as crushing as you will see. An embarrassing 8-1 defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough was a sad way for his tenure to come to a close.

Afonso Alves, a player who will always be remembered as one of the biggest flops in Premier League history having scored just 10 goals in 42 league games after a £15 million transfer, scored three on a day to forget for City.

Richard Dunne was sent off for City after just 15 minutes and it was downhill from there. 

The City fans held banners with “Save Our Sven” emblazoned on them in a rather misguided attempt to sway Shinawatra’s decision to let him go, which had become public knowledge for some time before the game.

The leaking of the sacking prior to the match was indicative of Shinawatra's poor leadership.

The season may have petered out badly, with City finishing ninth, but there were some glorious highs and it remains a campaign the fans remember with fondness.