2008–09 Manchester City F.C. season

Manchester City
2008–09 season
Owner	Abu Dhabi United Group
Chairman	Thaksin Shinawatra until the sale of club on 1 September 2008 ; Khaldoon Al Mubarak from 1 September 2008
Manager	Mark Hughes
Stadium	City of Manchester Stadium
Premier League	10th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Second round
UEFA Cup	Quarter-finals
Top goalscorer	League: ; Robinho (14); All: ; Robinho (15)
Highest home attendance	47,331 vs Chelsea ; 13 September 2008
Lowest home attendance	7,334 vs EB Streymur ; 31 July 2008
Average home league attendance	42,900 approx.
	← 2007–08 2009–10 →

The 2008–09 season was Manchester City Football Club's seventh consecutive season playing in the Premier League, the top division of English football, and its twelfth season since the Premier League was first created with Manchester City as one of its original 22 founding member clubs. Overall, it was the team's 117th season playing in a division of English football, the majority of which have been spent in the top-flight.

Changes in ownership

The club started the season under the private ownership of UK Sports Investments Limited (UKSIL), a company controlled by former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but it was announced on the morning of Monday 1 September 2008 (the last day of the summer transfer window) that Abu Dhabi-based Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development Limited (ADUG) had completed a takeover of Manchester City in a deal worth a reported £200 million. This transaction made Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan the new owner of the club, although initially he kept a very low profile and Dr. Sulaiman Al-Fahim, who was the board member of ADUG that had presided over the signing of the deal at the Emirates Palace Hotel, was widely believed to be the new owner and potential chairman of the club. However, before the takeover was finally completed, wealthy backer Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan became more prominent and it was eventually made clear that Al-Fahim would not be joining the board at Manchester City, with Khaldoon Al Mubarak being appointed as the club's new chairman.^[1]

The last-minute takeover of the club on transfer "deadline-day" was further capped, mere minutes before the summer transfer window closed, with the news that the club had beaten Chelsea to the signing of Robinho from Real Madrid for a British record transfer fee of £32.5 million.^[2]

Kits

Supplier: Le Coq Sportif / Sponsor: Thomas Cook

Home

Home alt.

Home alt. 2

Away

Third

Third alt.

Goalkeeper 1

Goalkeeper 2

Goalkeeper alt. 2

Kit information

For this season the shirt sponsor for all of the club's kits continued to be the previous season's sponsor, Thomas Cook, while the team kits were produced by the previous season's supplier, Le Coq Sportif. The home and away kits were unveiled by the club on 27 June 2008, with the new away kit representing a more modern rendition of the club's highly popular red and black striped shirts and black shorts that had first been introduced as a club kit by Malcolm Allison back in 1968 in imitation of A.C. Milan's classic colors.^[3] A striking new "blaze orange"/navy third kit completed the collection of kits, while the team's main home strip shed the previous season's thin white vertical stripes from the shirts and returned to the solid sky blue shirts that are more traditionally associated with the team. As well as all three of the team kits being new this season, the previous season's two-tone green goalkeeper strip was also replaced with two new strips for the goalkeepers. The main goalkeeper strip, intended primarily for use with the home team colours, sported an all gold shirt trimmed with black on the shoulders and sides with matching all black shorts and socks, whilst the second mint-green strip, with the shirts similarly trimmed in black, was introduced to supplement it on both home and away fixtures.

Historical league performance

Prior to this season, the history of Manchester City's performance in the English football league hierarchy since the creation of the Premier League in 1992 is summarised by the following timeline chart – which commences with the last season (1991–92) of the old Football League First Division (from which the Premier League was formed).

Friendly games

Pre-season

9 July 2008	Metalurh Zaporizhya	0–0	Manchester City	Rottach-Egern, Germany
		MCFC report

26 July 2008	Hamburger SV	1–0	Manchester City	Hamburg, Germany
15:30 BST (Away team kit)	Pitroipa 17'	M.E.N. report		Stadium: Hamburg Arena Attendance: 32,737

2 August 2008	Stockport County	2–2	Manchester City	Stockport, England
13:00 BST (Away team kit & GK strip 1)	Mullins 20' Pilkington 65' Thompson 86'	MCFC report	77' Bojinov 90' (pen.) Evans	Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 6,684 Referee: K.G. Evans

6 August 2008	Celtic	1–1	Manchester City	Glasgow, Scotland
19:45 BST (Away team kit)	McGowan 78'	MCFC report	53' Petrov	Stadium: Celtic Park Referee: Craig Thomson

Thomas Cook Trophy

9 August 2008	Manchester City	1–0	Milan	Manchester, England
17:15 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Bojinov 37'	MCFC report		Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 25,181 Referee: Mark Halsey (England)

Competitive games

Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jô, Dietmar Hamann and Robinho (l-r) prior to the match against Chelsea on 13 September in which Robinho made his debut.

Premier League

Position in final standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
8	Tottenham Hotspur	38	14	9	15	45	45	0	51
9	West Ham United	38	14	9	15	42	45	−3	51
10	Manchester City	38	15	5	18	58	50	+8	50
11	Wigan Athletic	38	12	9	17	34	45	−11	45
12	Stoke City	38	12	9	17	38	55	−17	45

Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Results summary


Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
38	15	5	18	58	50	+8	50	13	0	6	40	18	+22	2	5	12	18	32	−14

Last updated: 24 May 2009 (end of season).
Source: Premier League results 2008–09

Points breakdown

Points at home: 39
Points away from home: 11

Points against "Big Four" teams: 4
Points against promoted teams: 10

6 points: Sunderland

4 points: Blackburn Rovers, Hull City, Newcastle United

3 points: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers, Everton, Middlesbrough,

0Portsmouth, Stoke City, West Brom., West Ham United, Wigan Athletic

1 point: 0Fulham, Liverpool

0 points: Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur

Biggest & smallest

Biggest home win: 6–0 vs. Portsmouth, 21 September 2008
Biggest home defeats: 1–3 vs. Chelsea, 13 September 2008 & vs. Fulham, 12 April 2009
Biggest away win: 0–3 vs. Sunderland, 31 August 2008
Biggest away defeats: 4–2 vs. Aston Villa, 17 August 2008
000000002–0 vs. Middlesbrough, 29 October 2008 & vs. Bolton Wanderers, 2 November 2008
000000000& vs. Portsmouth, 14 February 2009 & vs. Arsenal, 4 April 2009
000000000& vs. Manchester United, 10 May 2009
Biggest home attendance: 47,331 vs. Chelsea, 13 September 2008
Smallest home attendance: 36,635 vs. West Ham United, 24 August 2008
Biggest away attendance: 75,464 vs. Manchester United, 10 May 2009
Smallest away attendance: 18,214 vs. Wigan Athletic, 28 September 2008

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H
Result	L	W	W	L	W	L	L	D	W	L	L	L	D	W	L	D	L	L	W	D	W	W	L	W	L	D	L	W	L	W	L	L	W	W	W	L	L	W
Position	18	8	4	7	5	9	11	10	8	8	10	13	12	11	15	14	17	18	15	13	15	12	9	10	9	10	11	8	10	10	10	11	10	9	8	10	10	10

Updated to match(es) played on 24 May 2009 (end of season). Source: worldfootball.net
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Individual match reports

17 August 2008 1	Aston Villa	4–2	Manchester City	Birmingham, England
15:00 BST (Third v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Carew 47' Agbonlahor 69', 74', 76'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	33' Ben Haim 64' (pen.) Elano 89' Ćorluka	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 39,955 Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)

24 August 2008 2	Manchester City	3–0	West Ham United	Manchester, England
16:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Sturridge 65' Elano 70', 76'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	23' Behrami 33' 37' Noble	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 36,635 Referee: Howard Webb (South Yorkshire)

31 August 2008 3	Sunderland	0–3	Manchester City	Sunderland, England
15:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Bardsley 60' Healy 66' Richardson 74' Chimbonda 77'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	31' Richards 33' Kompany 45' Ireland 50', 58' Wright-Phillips	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 39,622 Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside)

13 September 2008 4	Manchester City	1–3	Chelsea	Manchester, England
17:30 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Robinho 13'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	16' Carvalho 45' Mikel 53' Lampard 69' Anelka 77' Terry	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,331 Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

21 September 2008 5	Manchester City	6–0	Portsmouth	Manchester, England
15:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Jô 13' Dunne 20' Robinho 57' Wright-Phillips 68' Evans 78' Fernandes 83'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	90' Diarra	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 40,238 Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)

28 September 2008 6	Wigan Athletic	2–1	Manchester City	Wigan, England
16:00 BST (Away team kit & GK strip 2a)	Valencia 16' 26' Zaki 34' (pen.) Brown 57' Melchiot 72'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	22', 33' Kompany 33' Robinho 70' Richards	Stadium: JJB Stadium Attendance: 18,214 Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)

5 October 2008 7	Manchester City	2–3	Liverpool	Manchester, England
15:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Ireland 19' Garrido 41' Zabaleta 67' Dunne 86'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	55' 73' Torres 90+1' Kuyt 90+5' Arbeloa	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,280 Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)

20 October 2008 8	Newcastle United	2–2	Manchester City	Newcastle upon Tyne, England
20:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Beye 12' Ameobi 44' Dunne 63' (o.g.)	BBC Sport report Guardian report	14' (pen.) Robinho 36' Garrido 45' Kompany 86' Ireland	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 45,908 Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire)

26 October 2008 9	Manchester City	3–0	Stoke City	Manchester, England
15:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Robinho 14', 47', 72' Kompany 88'	BBC Sport report Guardian report		Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 44,624 Referee: Steve Tanner (Somerset)

29 October 2008 10	Middlesbrough	2–0	Manchester City	Middlesbrough, England
20:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Alves 53' (pen.) O'Neil 74', 90+4'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	31' Kompany 44' Ireland 84' Robinho	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 25,731 Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)

2 November 2008 11	Bolton Wanderers	2–0	Manchester City	Bolton, England
16:00 GMT (Away team kit & GK strip 1)	Gardner 77' Jääskeläinen 57' Dunne 88' (o.g.)	BBC Sport report Guardian report	32' Zabaleta	Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 21,095 Referee: Mike Riley (Yorkshire)

9 November 2008 12	Manchester City	1–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Manchester, England
15:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Robinho 16' Fernandes 18' 26' Dunne 83'	BBC Sport report Guardian report Hungarian video	29', 64' Bent 48' 89' Assou-Ekotto 61' King	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 41,893 Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

16 November 2008 13	Hull City	2–2	Manchester City	Kingston upon Hull, England
16:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2b)	Cousin 14' McShane 25' Geovanni 60' Marney 88'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	11' Ben Haim 37', 45', 84' Ireland 83' Wright-Phillips	Stadium: KC Stadium Attendance: 24,902 Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)

22 November 2008 14	Manchester City	3–0	Arsenal	Manchester, England
15:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Ireland 45+1' Robinho 56' Sturridge 90+1' (pen.)	BBC Sport report Guardian report	19' Hoyte 87' Song	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 44,878 Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)

30 November 2008 15	Manchester City	0–1	Manchester United	Manchester, England
13:30 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Ireland 41' Vassell 45'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	21' Rafael 33' Fletcher 42' Rooney 59' 68' Ronaldo 66' Evra 85' Carrick	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,320 Referee: Howard Webb (South Yorkshire)

6 December 2008 16	Fulham	1–1	Manchester City	London, England
12:45 GMT (Away team kit & GK strip 1)	Pantsil 61' Bullard 27', 90'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	6' Benjani 74' Ireland	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 24,012 Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire)

13 December 2008 17	Manchester City	0–1	Everton	Manchester, England
15:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)		BBC Sport report Guardian report	90' Fellaini 90+2' Cahill	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 41,344 Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

21 December 2008 18	West Bromwich Albion	2–1	Manchester City	West Bromwich, England
13:30 GMT (Third v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Robinson 52' Moore 69' Bednář 90+2', 90+2'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	86' Caicedo 89' Dunne	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 25,010 Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside)

26 December 2008 19	Manchester City	5–1	Hull City	Manchester, England
15:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Caicedo 15', 27' Robinho 28', 36' Ireland 82'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	45' Geovanni 72' Zayatte 72' Fagan 75' Mendy 80' Fagan	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 45,196 Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)

28 December 2008 20	Blackburn Rovers	2–2	Manchester City	Blackburn, England
16:15 GMT (Away team kit & GK strip 1)	Kerimoğlu 33' McCarthy 45' Roberts 84' Nelsen 90'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	54' Ireland 88' Sturridge 90+4' Robinho	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 25,200 Referee: Howard Webb (South Yorkshire)

17 January 2009 21	Manchester City	1–0	Wigan Athletic	Manchester, England
15:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Zabaleta 53' Dunne 54' Robinho 70'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	34' Cattermole 41' Bramble 86' Palacios 90' Kirkland	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 41,262 Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)

28 January 2009 22	Manchester City	2–1	Newcastle United	Manchester, England
19:45 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Wright-Phillips 17', 44' Bellamy 77'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	48' S. Taylor 66' Gutiérrez 81' Carroll	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 42,280 Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire)

31 January 2009 23	Stoke City	1–0	Manchester City	Stoke-on-Trent, England
12:45 GMT (Home v3 team kit & GK strip 1)	Delap 37' Beattie 45+5' Wilkinson 89'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	55' Elano	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 27,236 Referee: Martin Atkinson (West Yorkshire)

7 February 2009 24	Manchester City	1–0	Middlesbrough	Manchester, England
12:45 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Bellamy 51'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	80' O'Neil	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 40,558 Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)

14 February 2009 25	Portsmouth	2–0	Manchester City	Portsmouth, England
15:00 GMT (Away team kit & GK strip 1)	Johnson 70' Hreiðarsson 75' 85'	Postponement report BBC Sport report Guardian report	19' De Jong 80' Ireland 85' Bellamy	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,018 Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)

22 February 2009 26	Liverpool	1–1	Manchester City	Liverpool, England
15:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	El Zhar 76' Kuyt 78'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	32' Dunne 51' Bellamy 74' Kompany	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,259 Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)

1 March 2009 27	West Ham United	1–0	Manchester City	London, England
12:30 GMT (Third v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Parker 11' Kováč 44' Collison 70'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	69' Kompany 90' Ireland	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 34,562 Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

4 March 2009 28	Manchester City	2–0	Aston Villa	Manchester, England
19:45 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Elano 24' (pen.) Caicedo 31' Wright-Phillips 89'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	23' Milner 57' Barry	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 40,137 Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside)

15 March 2009 29	Chelsea	1–0	Manchester City	London, England
13:30 GMT (Away team kit & GK strip 2a)	Essien 18'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	29' Elano 75' Evans	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,810 Referee: Mike Riley (Yorkshire)

22 March 2009 30	Manchester City	1–0	Sunderland	Manchester, England
15:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Bojinov 19' Richards 56' Fernandes 87' Wright-Phillips 90+2'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	16' McCartney 19' Ferdinand 19' Bardsley 47' Davenport 75' Leadbitter 79' Reid	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 43,017 Referee: Steve Tanner (Somerset)

4 April 2009 31	Arsenal	2–0	Manchester City	London, England
15:00 BST (Home v2 team kit & GK strip 1)	Adebayor 8' Touré 36' Adebayor 49'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	21' Dunne 45' De Jong 45' Zabaleta	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,097 Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)

12 April 2009 32	Manchester City	1–3	Fulham	Manchester, England
16:10 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Ireland 28'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	24' Konchesky 50' Dempsey 59' Etuhu 83' Dempsey	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 39,841 Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

19 April 2009 33	Manchester City	4–2	West Bromwich Albion	Manchester, England
15:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Robinho 8' Onuoha 21' Elano 56' (pen.) Kompany 74' Sturridge 90+1'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	21' Carson 37', 54' Brunt 66' Morrison	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 40,072 Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire)

25 April 2009 34	Everton	1–2	Manchester City	Liverpool, England
15:00 BST (Away team kit & GK strip 1)	Neville 68' Gosling 90+4'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	35' Robinho 54' Ireland 68' Onuoha 72' Elano 83' Fernandes	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 37,791 Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)

2 May 2009 35	Manchester City	3–1	Blackburn Rovers	Manchester, England
15:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Caicedo 27', 27' Robinho 34' Elano 45+1' (pen.) De Jong 60'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	45' Grella 45' Nelsen 45' Ooijer 66' Andrews	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 43,967 Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

10 May 2009 36	Manchester United	2–0	Manchester City	Manchester, England
13:30 BST (Home v2 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Ronaldo 18' Tevez 45' Fletcher 48'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	33' Ireland	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 75,464 Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside)

16 May 2009 37	Tottenham Hotspur	2–1	Manchester City	London, England
15:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Defoe 29' Keane 86' (pen.)	BBC Sport report Guardian report	43' Zabaleta 65' Bojinov	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 36,000 Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

24 May 2009 38	Manchester City	1–0	Bolton Wanderers	Manchester, England
16:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Caicedo 8'	BBC Sport report Guardian report		Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,202 Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)

UEFA Cup

Qualifying phase

First qualifying round

17 July 2008 First leg	EB Streymur	0–2	Manchester City	Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
19:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)		BBC Sport report M.E.N. report YouTube video	9' Petrov 28' Hamann 47' Johnson	Stadium: Tórsvøllur Attendance: 5,400 Referee: Nicole Petignat (Switzerland)

31 July 2008 Second leg	Manchester City	2–0 (4–0 agg.)	EB Streymur	Barnsley, England
20:00 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Fernandes 36' Petrov 48' Vassell 90'	BBC Sport report M.E.N. report YouTube video YouTube video	43' Niclassen	Stadium: Oakwell Stadium^[a] Attendance: 7,334 Referee: Augustus Constantin (Romania)

Second qualifying round

14 August 2008 First leg	Manchester City	0–1	Midtjylland	Manchester, England
19:45 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Ćorluka 36' Ben Haim 69'	BBC Sport report Guardian report YouTube video	15' Olsen 36' Florescu 57' Reid 88' Heinze	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 27,200 Referee: Babak Rafati (Germany)

28 August 2008 Second leg	Midtjylland	0–1 (a.e.t.) (1–1 agg.) (2–4 p)	Manchester City	Herning, Denmark
16:25 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Poulsen 94'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	52' Elano 76' Richards 89' (o.g.) Califf	Stadium: MCH Arena Attendance: 9,552 Referee: Robert Malek (Poland)
	Penalties
	Reid Poulsen Borring Afriyie		Evans Petrov Johnson Hamann Ćorluka

First round

18 September 2008 First leg	Omonia	1–2	Manchester City	Nicosia, Cyprus
18:00 BST (Home v2 team kit & GK strip 1)	Kaseke 23' Duro 43', 49'	BBC Sport report Guardian report YouTube video	24' Garrido 59', 72' Jô 67' Robinho	Stadium: Neo GSP Stadium Attendance: 15,907 Referee: Paolo Dondarini (Italy)

2 October 2008 Second leg	Manchester City	2–1 (4–2 agg.)	Omonia	Manchester, England
19:45 BST (Home v2 team kit & GK strip 1)	Elano 48' Wright-Phillips 55' Ben Haim 88'	BBC Sport report Guardian report YouTube video	78' Alabi	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 25,304 Referee: Saïd Ennjimi (France)

Group phase

6 November 2008 1	Manchester City	3–2	Twente	Manchester, England
19:45 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Wright-Phillips 2' Zabaleta 29' Robinho 57' Benjani 62'	BBC Sport report Guardian report YouTube video	17', 40' Elia 65' Wielaert	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 21,247 Referee: Nikolay Ivanov (Russia)

27 November 2008 2	Schalke 04	0–2	Manchester City	Gelsenkirchen, Germany
18:00 GMT (Third v2 team kit & GK strip 1)		BBC Sport report Guardian report	32' Benjani 58' Richards 64', 66' Ireland	Stadium: Arena AufSchalke Attendance: 54,142 Referee: Alexandru Tudor (Romania)

3 December 2008 3	Manchester City	0–0	Paris Saint-Germain	Manchester, England
19:45 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)		BBC Sport report Guardian report	28' Kežman	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 25,626 Referee: Bruno Paixão (Portugal)

18 December 2008 4	Racing Santander	3–1	Manchester City	Santander, Spain
19:45 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Marcano 11' Serrano 12', 30' Pereira 20' Navas 48' Valera 54'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	18' Ben Haim 28' Hamann 49' Elano 70' Zabaleta 81' Kompany 90' Caicedo	Stadium: Estadio El Sardinero Attendance: 18,360 Referee: Serge Gumienny (Belgium)

Group A standings	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Manchester City	4	2	1	1	6	5	+1	7
Twente	4	2	0	2	5	8	−3	6
Paris Saint-Germain	4	1	2	1	7	5	+2	5
Racing Santander	4	1	2	1	6	5	+1	5
Schalke 04	4	1	1	2	5	6	−1	4

Group A results	MC	PSG	RdS	S04	FCT
Manchester City	–	0–0	–	–	3–2
Paris Saint-Germain	–	–	2–2	–	4–0
Racing Santander	3–1	–	–	1–1	–
Schalke 04	0–2	3–1	–	–	–
FC Twente	–	–	1–0	2–1	–

Final phase

Round of 32

19 February 2009 First leg	Copenhagen	2–2	Manchester City	Copenhagen, Denmark
19:05 GMT (Home v2 team kit & GK strip 1)	Almeida 56' Vingaard 90+1'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	29' Onuoha 43' Bellamy 61' Ireland 83' Richards	Stadium: Parken Stadium Attendance: 30,159 Referee: Pavel Kralovec (Czech Republic)

26 February 2009 Second leg	Manchester City	2–1 (4–3 agg.)	Copenhagen	Manchester, England
19:45 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 2a)	Bellamy 73', 80'	BBC Sport report Guardian report YouTube video	36' Kristensen 62' Wendt 90+3' Vingaard	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 26,018 Referee: Selçuk Dereli (Turkey)

Round of 16

12 March 2009 First leg	Manchester City	2–0	Aalborg BK	Manchester, England
19:45 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Caicedo 8' Wright-Phillips 30' Elano 72'	BBC Sport report Guardian report YouTube video YouTube video	71' Enevoldsen	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 24,502 Referee: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg)

19 March 2009 Second leg	Aalborg BK	2–0 (a.e.t.) (2–2 agg.) (3–4 p)	Manchester City	Aalborg, Denmark
20:00 GMT (Home v2 team kit & GK strip 1)	Risgård 61' Beauchamp 68' Shelton 85' Jakobsen 90' (pen.)	BBC Sport report Guardian report YouTube video YouTube video	53' Kompany 83' Wright-Phillips	Stadium: Energi Nord Arena Attendance: 10,734 Referee: Stéphane Lannoy (France)
	Penalties
	Jakobsen Johansson Augustinussen Nomvethe Shelton		Evans Elano Wright-Phillips Dunne

Quarter-final

9 April 2009 First leg	Hamburger SV	3–1	Manchester City	Hamburg, Germany
19:45 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Mathijsen 9' Trochowski 40', 64' (pen.) Pitroipa 69' Guerrero 79'	BBC Sport report Guardian report YouTube video	1' Ireland 57' Bellamy 59' Given	Stadium: Hamburg Arena Attendance: 50,500 Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Portugal)

16 April 2009 Second leg	Manchester City	2–1 (3–4 agg.)	Hamburger SV	Manchester, England
19:45 BST (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Dunne 14' 75' Elano 17' (pen.) Kompany 47' Caicedo 50'	BBC Sport report Guardian report MCFC video	12' Guerrero	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,009 Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy)

^ An alternative venue was required due to the time required for the City of Manchester Stadium pitch to recover from that summer's events.^[4]

League Cup

Second round

24 September 2008	Brighton and Hove Albion	2–2 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p)	Manchester City	Brighton, England
19:45 BST (Away team kit & GK strip 2a)	Murray 89' Anyinsah 95' Livermore 101' El-Abd 102'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	64' Fernandes 108' Ireland	Stadium: Withdean Stadium Attendance: 8,729 Referee: Andy D'Urso (Essex)
	Penalties
	Livermore Elphick Murray Virgo Richards		Evans Elano Kompany Ball

FA Cup

Third round

3 January 2009	Manchester City	0–3	Nottingham Forest	Manchester, England
15:00 GMT (Home v1 team kit & GK strip 1)	Dunne 63'	BBC Sport report Guardian report	38' Tyson 42' Earnshaw 75' Garner	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 31,869 Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)

Playing statistics

Starting XI

No.	Pos.	Name	MS
1	GK	Joe Hart	33
5	RB	Pablo Zabaleta	42
2	CB	Micah Richards	50
22	CB	Richard Dunne	47
25	LB	Wayne Bridge	22
8	RM	Shaun Wright-Phillips	37
7	CM	Stephen Ireland	50
33	CM	Vincent Kompany	45
11	LM	Elano	42
10	CF	Robinho	41
28	CF	Daniel Sturridge	26

Source: Squad stats and Start formations.
Only competitive matches.
Using the most used start formation.
Ordered by position on pitch (from back right to front left).

Last updated: 21 August 2011
Source: Appearance and Starting Formations.
Only competitive matches.
Using the most used Starting Formation.
Sorted by position on pitch (from back right to front left).

Appearances (Apps.) numbers are for appearances in competitive games only
Apps. numbers denote: "Total no. of games played (No. of games played as a substitute)"
Red card numbers denote: "No. of second yellow cards / No. of straight red cards"
Yellow and red cards for the 2 domestic cups only accounted for in the TOTALS columns
*** indicates 3-match ban for violent conduct towards Rory Delap in PL game against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on 31 January 2009

No.	Pos.	Player	Premier League				UEFA Cup				FA Cup	League Cup		TOTALS All Competitions
No.	Pos.	Player	Apps.				Apps.				Apps.	Apps.		Apps.
1	GK	Joe Hart	230(0)				090(0)				010(0)			330(0)
2	DF	Micah Richards	340(1)	1	2		150(0)		3		010(0)			500(1)	1	5
3	DF	Michael Ball	080(0)				040(1)				010(0)	010(0)		140(1)
4	DF	Nedum Onuoha	230(3)	1	1		070(0)	1						300(3)	2	1
Sold	DF	Vedran Ćorluka	030(0)	1			030(0)		1					060(0)	1	1
5	DF	Pablo Zabaleta	290(3)	1	3	-/1	110(0)		2		010(0)	010(0)		420(3)	1	5	-/1
6	MF	Michael Johnson	030(0)				040(0)		1			010(0)		080(0)		1
7	MF	Stephen Ireland	350(1)	9	8		140(1)	3	1			010(0)	1	500(2)	13	9
8	MF	Shaun Wright-Phillips	270(0)	5	3		090(0)	3	1		010(0)			370(0)	8	4	***
9	FW	Valeri Bojinov	080(6)	1	1		010(1)							090(7)	1	1
10	FW	Robinho	310(1)	14	3		100(0)	1	1					410(1)	15	4
11	MF	Elano	280(7)	6	3		120(3)	2	3		010(0)	010(1)		42 (11)	8	6
12	FW	Darius Vassell	080(2)		1		060(0)	1			010(1)			150(3)	1	1
14	FW	Jô	090(3)	1			070(1)	2			010(1)	010(0)		180(5)	3
15	DF	Javier Garrido	130(2)	1	1		080(2)		1					210(4)	1	2
16	GK	Kasper Schmeichel	010(1)				010(0)					010(0)		030(1)
17	MF	Martin Petrov	090(5)				050(1)	2						140(6)	2
19	MF	Gelson Fernandes	17 (14)	1	3	1/-	080(4)		1		010(0)	010(0)	1	27 (18)	2	4	1/-
20	FW	Felipe Caicedo	170(7)	5	2		060(3)	3			010(0)	010(1)		25 (11)	8	2
21	MF	Dietmar Hamann	090(4)				080(5)	1	1		010(1)			18 (10)	1	1
22	DF	Richard Dunne (c)	310(0)	1	4	-/2	140(0)		1	1/-	010(0)	010(0)		470(0)	1	6	1/2
24	FW	Ched Evans	16 (13)	1	1		080(6)					010(1)		25 (20)	1	1
25	DF	Wayne Bridge	160(0)				060(0)							220(0)
26	DF	Tal Ben Haim	090(1)		2		050(0)		3			010(0)		150(1)		5
27	FW	Benjani	080(1)	1			040(3)	2						120(4)	3
28	FW	Daniel Sturridge	160(13)	4			080(3)				010(0)	010(0)		26 (16)	4
29	MF	Kelvin Etuhu	040(2)				030(3)							070(5)
30	DF	Shaleum Logan	010(0)											010(0)
33	MF	Vincent Kompany	340(0)	1	8		090(1)		3		010(0)	010(0)		450(1)	1	11
34	MF	Nigel de Jong	160(0)		3									160(0)		3
36	DF	Gláuber	010(1)											010(1)
37	GK	Shay Given	150(0)				060(0)		1					210(0)		1
39	FW	Craig Bellamy	080(1)	3	1		030(0)	2	2					110(1)	5	3
40	MF	Vladimír Weiss	010(1)											010(1)
TOTALS				58	50	1/3		23	26	1/-			2		83	77	2/3
TOTALS

Information current as of 24 May 2009 (end of season)

Last updated: 28 January 2011.
Source: (for players and positions) Season 2008–09 First Team Squad 00(for squad numbers) Season 2008–09 Squad Numbers 00(for actual stats.) All match Reports in Competitive games section above

Goal scorers

All competitions

Scorer	Goals
Robinho	15
Stephen Ireland	13
Felipe Caicedo	8
Elano
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Craig Bellamy	5
Daniel Sturridge	4
Benjani	3
Jô	3
Gélson Fernandes	2
Nedum Onuoha
Martin Petrov
Valeri Bojinov	1
Vedran Ćorluka
Richard Dunne
Ched Evans
Javier Garrido
Dietmar Hamann
Vincent Kompany
Micah Richards
Darius Vassell
Pablo Zabaleta

Premier League

Scorer	Goals
Robinho	14
Stephen Ireland	9
Elano	6
Felipe Caicedo	5
Shaun Wright-Phillips	5
Daniel Sturridge	4
Craig Bellamy	3
Benjani	1
Valeri Bojinov
Vedran Ćorluka
Richard Dunne
Ched Evans
Gélson Fernandes
Javier Garrido
Jô
Vincent Kompany
Nedum Onuoha
Micah Richards
Pablo Zabaleta

UEFA Cup

Scorer	Goals
Felipe Caicedo	3
Stephen Ireland
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Craig Bellamy	2
Benjani
Elano
Jô
Martin Petrov
Dietmar Hamann	1
Nedum Onuoha
Robinho
Darius Vassell

League Cup and FA Cup

Scorer	Goals
Gélson Fernandes	1
Stephen Ireland	1

Information current as of 24 May 2009 (end of season)

Awards

Thomas Cook Player of the Month awards

Awarded to the player in each category that receives the most votes in a poll conducted each month on the MCFC OWS

Month	First Team	Reserve Team	Academy
August^[5]	Stephen Ireland	Adam Clayton	Andrew Tutte
September^[6]	Shaun Wright-Phillips	Clayton McDonald	Alex Tchuimeni-Nimely
October^[6]	Robinho	Clayton McDonald	Dedryck Boyata
November^[7]	Stephen Ireland	Donal McDermott	Andrew Tutte
December^[7]	Vincent Kompany	Paul Marshall	not announced
January^[8]	Pablo Zabaleta	Ryan McGivern
February^[8]	Craig Bellamy	David Ball
March^[9]^[10]	Nedum Onuoha	Ben Mee	Dedryck Boyata
April^[9]	Elano	Vladimír Weiss	Greg Cunningham
May^[9]	Nedum Onuoha	Vladimír Weiss	Kieran Trippier

Official Supporters Club awards

Player	Season 2008–09 awards^[11]
Stephen Ireland	Player of the Year
Daniel Sturridge	Young Player of the Year

Transfers and loans

Transfers in

First team

Date	Pos.	Player	From club	Transfer fee
2 July 2008	FW	Jô	CSKA Moscow	£18M^[12]^[13]
30 July 2008	DF	Tal Ben Haim	Chelsea	£5M^[14]^[15]
21 August 2008	DF	Vincent Kompany	Hamburger SV	£6M^[16]^[17]
28 August 2008	MF	Shaun Wright-Phillips	Chelsea	£8.5M^[18]^[19]^[20]
31 August 2008	DF	Pablo Zabaleta	Espanyol	£6.45M^[21]^[22]
31 August 2008	DF	Gláuber	1. FC Nürnberg	Undisc.^[21]^[23]
1 September 2008	FW	Robinho	Real Madrid	£32.5M^[24]^[25]
3 January 2009	DF	Wayne Bridge	Chelsea	£10M^[26]^[27]
19 January 2009	FW	Craig Bellamy	West Ham United	£14M^[28]^[29]
21 January 2009	MF	Nigel de Jong	Hamburger SV	£16M^[30]^[31]
1 February 2009	GK	Shay Given	Newcastle United	£5.9M^[32]^[33]^[34]

Reserves & Academy

Date	Pos.	Player	From club	Transfer fee
Sep. 2008	FW	Marcello Trotta	Napoli	£750,000 [x]
12 October 2008	DF	Oliver Nicholas	Arsenal	Free^[35]
20 October 2008	MF	Alex Pla	UD Cornellà	Undisc.^[36]
20 October 2008	MF	Jorge Guinovart	UD Cornellà	Undisc.^[36]
17 February 2009	DF	Jérémy Hélan	Rennes	Undisc.^[37]
25 February 2009	GK	Gunnar Nielsen	Blackburn Rovers	Free^[38]

[x] 0=0 ^{[citation needed]}

Transfers out

First team

Exit Date	Pos.	Player	To club	Transfer fee
2 July 2008	GK	Andreas Isaksson	PSV	Undisc.^[39]^[40]
2 July 2008	DF	Sun Jihai	Sheffield United	Free^[41]^[42]
4 July 2008	MF	Geovanni	Hull City	Free^[41]^[43]
14 July 2008	FW	Georgios Samaras	Celtic	Undisc.^[44]^[45]
30 July 2008	FW	Bernardo Corradi	Reggina	Free^[46]^[47]
7 August 2008	FW	Paul Dickov	Leicester City	Free^[41]^[48]
23 August 2008	FW	Rolando Bianchi	Torino	Undisc.^[49]^[50]
1 September 2008	DF	Vedran Ćorluka	Tottenham Hotspur	£8.5M^[51]^[52]
2 September 2008	FW	Émile Mpenza	Plymouth Argyle	Released^[41]^[53]

Reserves & Academy

Exit Date	Pos.	Player	To club	Transfer fee
1 July 2008	DF	Garry Breen	Hereford United	Free^[41]^[54]
1 July 2008	DF	Michael Daly	Released^[41]
1 July 2008	GK	Andrea Giombetti	Released^[41]
1 July 2008	MF	Ashley Grimes	Millwall	Free^[41]^[55]
1 July 2008	FW	Christian Mouritsen	Released^[41]
30 July 2008	DF	Matthew Mills	Doncaster Rovers	£300,000^[56]^[57]
16 October 2008	FW	Teerasil Dangda	Released^[58]
16 October 2008	DF	Kiatprawut Saiwaeo	Released^[58]
16 October 2008	DF	Suree Sukha	Released^[58]
2 January 2009	DF	Sam Williamson	Wrexham	Free^[59]^[60]

Loans in

First team

Start date	End date	Pos.	Player	From club

Reserves & Academy

Start date	End date	Pos.	Player	From club

Loans out

First team

Start date	End date	Pos.	Player	To club
1 February 2009	31 May 2009	DF	Tal Ben Haim	Sunderland^[61]^[62]
2 February 2009	31 May 2009	FW	Jô	Everton^[63]^[64]

Reserves & Academy

Start date	End date	Pos.	Player	To club
15 August 2008	14 September 2008	DF	Clayton McDonald	Macclesfield Town^[65]
29 August 2008	3 January 2009	MF	Karl Moore	Millwall^[66]
1 September 2008	1 October 2008	DF	Javan Vidal	Grimsby Town^[67]
11 September 2008	10 October 2008	MF	Donal McDermott	Milton Keynes Dons^[68]
23 October 2008	31 December 2008	DF	Ryan McGivern	Morecambe^[69]
31 October 2008	31 December 2008	MF	Angelos Tsiaklis	Wrexham^[70]^[71]
27 September 2008	2 January 2009	DF	Sam Williamson	Wrexham^[72]
16 January 2009	31 May. 2009	DF	Javan Vidal	Aberdeen^[73]^[74]
29 January 2009	28 February 2009	MF	Paul Marshall	Blackpool^[75]
3 February 2009	23 March 2009	MF	Clayton McDonald	Chesterfield^[76]
6 March 2009	31 May 2009	MF	Paul Marshall	Port Vale^[77]
26 March 2009	31 May 2009	GK	Gunnar Nielsen	Wrexham^[78]
17 April 2009	31 May 2009	GK	Richard Martin	Burton Albion^[79]

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[5] An alternative venue was required due to the time required for the City of Manchester Stadium pitch to recover from that summer's events.^[4]

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