Man City ready for European adventure
Wild boasts and missed chances, followed by pitch invasions, stadium fires and a shock early exit. Manchester City's only previous campaign in the European Cup was short, but it certainly wasn't sweet.
They have had to wait 43 years to put things right but, when City legend Mike Summerbee takes his seat at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday to watch his old side make their Champions League debut, he is certain it will be very different this time.
As you might expect from a club ambassador and a man renowned for his partizan backing of the team he served for a decade, Summerbee is confident Roberto Mancini 's side will shine in their opening Group A game against Napoli and go on to show they belong among the European elite.
"The benchmark is Barcelona," Summerbee told me. "Can we compete? Yes. We were the last English team to win a trophy at the Nou Camp two years ago. I am not saying we are going to win the Champions League, but you never know. We have got a very strong side and lot of teams will be worried about playing us."
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