I just had to go and see them for myself. And eight days after I was moved to wax lyrical on Sportingo about my renewed love affair with Manchester City, I did just that.

Anyone who read my previous article will recall that I had a romantic relationship with Georgi Kinkladze’s magic back in the 90s - then lost interest as City’s fortunes faded, along with their style and flair..

Part of the reason I became a lapsed fan was because I lost touch with the friend who used to take me to Maine Road. But that is history - the big thing now is that, like every other City fan, I’ve now found a new hero in Brazilian maestro Elano.

'I should have realised that when City are awarded a free-kick anywhere within 30 yards of goal it’s odds-on that Elano is going to burst the net'


I was so turned on by the £8m midfielder's televised performance in the 3-1 win over Newcastle (and the brilliance of his teammates, of course) that I actually got myself a ticket to see them play Middlesbrough on Sunday. And it was worth every minute of the hour and a bit it took me to get out of the car park after the game.

This time Elano scored not one spectacular goal, but two (he only sends them by special delivery). City were already 1-0 up when he struck with a 25-yard right-footer that I swear went exactly where he intended as it sailed past the diving Mark Schwarzer.

Boro's Chris Riggott had turned the first goal past his own keeper from an early City corner, though I only discovered that off TV as my seat was at the other end - seemingly 200 yards away from the action.

For my sins, I was high up above the right-hand corner flag with a crowd of friendly City rowdies alongside the Middlesbrough fans. Well, it wasn’t so much ‘all’ the Boro fans because I doubt there were even 500 of them - shepherded by a handful of policemen and stewards to keep the rival factions apart.

Certainly their sparse numbers were not lost on the City faithful around me who refused to sit down and continually chanted: ‘You’re the worst support in the land’ or words to that effect. But at least the officials and police had a quiet day as the constant baiting was generally good humoured .

Admittedly, one podgy Boro fan did seem intent on taking on the entire Eastlands crowd singlehandedly. He stood there gesticulating and yelling abuse at the City fans who, strangely enough, seemed to know his name as they kept repeating it. He looked  English but must have been Oriental because the crowd knew him as ’’U Fat Bahs Tud’’.

To be honest, the game wasn’t a patch on the Newcastle one with City seemingly going through the motions and Boro having very little firepower up front. It was just my luck that when City scored their third - Elano’s second - it was at my end and I didn’t even see it. I admit it was my own fault. I should have realised that when City are awarded a free-kick anywhere within 30 yards of goal it’s odds-on that Elano is going to burst the net.

Anyway, I foolishly decided to dash out to the loo as Emile Mpenza, the fouled player, picked himself up…and literally got caught with my pants down as the deafening whoop of the crowd signalled another Elano special and a 3-0 City lead. The choruses of ''Elan-Elan-Elan-o'' were in full cry when I got back to my seat, and I couldn't forgive myself for not waiting to see that curling 20-yard free-kick.

Boro did get one back in the dying moments, but the game was well dead by that stage. It died for me when Elano went off to a deafening roar from the crowd and a hug from Sven-Goran Eriksson, to be placed by fellow samba king Geovanni.

It really is just like watching Brazil at Eastlands these days…even if it does come in flashes. Or flashes in the pan for some of us.

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