I was sceptical of his appointment, disappointed even.

However, he has done much better than I expected. Not just in terms of results but seeing his commitment to the academy and younger players has been excellent. Most short term appointments wouldn't even bother.

I have long since called for a director of football at city but in the absence of a DoF, an experienced guy like MM helps areas of the club that a younger manager can't.

My squash partner, an Irish guy, told me that I was wrong to compare MM to Warnock. Despite MM's rough time at Ipswich, he isn't a Warnock and I think we are already seeing that.

I guess I am a bit more realistic about the way we play. We are never going to start playing like Barcelona overnight, we don't have the personnel and the players we do have who can play have been in a terrible system for years and will take some time to evolve the squad and style.

MM has found a way of getting results, playing to our strengths, slightly evolving the way we play and increasing the emphasis on the young players.

So you're right. You have to give credit where credit is due.