Last Season:  Finished 9th in the Premier League - 55pts
Manager - Mark Hughes

INS:
ST Jo - 36m US
CB Tal Ben Haim - Undisclosed

OUTS:
ST Giorgios Samaras
ST Paul Dickov
MF Geovanni
ST Emile Mpenza
GK Andreas Isasksson
DF Sun Jihai
ST Ashley Grimes

Possibles:
ST Vagner Love - CSKA Moscow
ST Lukas Podolski - Bayern Munich
ST Roque Santa Cruz - Blackburn
ST Obafemi Martins - Newcastle
MF Lassana Diarra - Portsmouth
MF Andrei Arshavin - Zenit St.Petersburg
FW Craig Bellamy - West Ham

What's Left in the Kitty - 60m US roughly

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Aston Villa (A)
Aug 23 West Ham (H)
Aug 30 Sunderland (A)
Sep 13 Chelsea (H)
Sep 20 Portsmouth (H)
Sep 27 Wigan (A)
Oct 4 Liverpool (H)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Joe Hart
RB Vedrun Corluka
CB Tal Ben Haim/Micah Richards
CB Richard Dunne
LB Michael Ball
RMF Stephen Ireland
CMF Elano/Michael Johnson
CMF Dietmar Hamann
LMF Martin Petrov
FW Jo
FW Valeri Bojinov/Darius Vassell

How They'll Stack Up:
With Sven now gone to Mexico, Mark Hughes has come in and promised to make City into a world class outfit.  Hughes with a distinct vision for City and has gone about adding what he feels are the right players in the right places - just two so far - while cutting the wage bill.  They did their best to chase down Ronaldinho but one had the sense Hughes wasn't that put off they didn't get him.  He likes this team and with some good youngsters expected to continue to progress this season, it is an exciting time for City fans.  The only thing is, they started gang-busters last term and ended up wetting the bed down the stretch - culminating in an 8-1 blitzkrieg at the hands of a Middlesbrough side with one of the league's worst attacks.  Hughes is said to still be searching for a CMF and a winger - but I like this team as it is.  I also like Hughes to get them up and keep them there pushing for a spot in the top 6.  There's no reason they shouldn't have 9pts when they hit Chelsea in September.  That will be the first true measuring stick for them.

Coming Up Friday - Portsmouth