Forget the UK Top 40 or the Billboard US Hot 100 – here are the chants our fans have been singing in the first few weeks of the season. Some are slow burners and being aired for the first time, whereas there are a few old favourites echoing around the Etihad and elsewhere…. 

Aymeric Laporte
Very much the new chant on the block but gathering popularity, our Spanish defender has finally got his own song – and his early season form suggests it his inspiring him, too. Basically, it’s the opening bars of Ini Kamoze’s 1994 hit ‘Here Comes the Hotstepper’ and it goes…

“Nah, na-na-na-nah,
Na-na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na,
Aymeric Laporte! Aymeric Laporte!”

It was a UK hit back in ’94, reaching No.4, selling ,more than 600,000 copies, but was also a worldwide hit for the Jamaican rapper.

Gabriel Jesus
This has been knocking around for a few years now and has been heard again this season, given the Brazilian’s brilliant start to the season.

There are no lyrics to adapt as such, as it is based on the opening chords of Lord Creator’s 1970 hit ‘Kingston Town’ – covered and made hugely popular by UB40 in 1989, with the Birmingham reggae stars reaching No.4 in the UK.

We’ve no real words to reprint for this one, just the fans replicating the very opening tune and aiding ‘Gabriel Jesus’ at the end.

It’s surprising Depeche Mode’s ‘Personal Jesus’ has never been adapted, but there is time…

Ederson
As is sometimes the case, not all the words of songs we here on the terraces (if we want to be old school) are printable!

However, most of the City fans’ serenade of Ederson is fine, so we’ll stick to that bit!

Derived from the seminal Oasis classic ‘She’s Electric’ from the (What’s the Story?) Morning Glory’ album, it’s a gem of a chant, with one expletive that is complimentary and is meant to add how much esteem our No.1 is held in.

The words have been slightly changed for obvious reasons…

It starts…

“He’s Brazilian,

He only cost £30 million,

We think he’s chuffing brilliant,

It’s Ed-er-son!”

We’re not sure how much Eddy understands of the lyrics, but we’ll endeavour to find out…

Jack Grealish
It’s fair to say we haven’t got anything original for Jack yet, but the City fans wanted him to know he was very welcome and already a crowd favourite.

Based on Judy Garland’s 1944 ‘Skip To My Lou’ song from the movie ‘Meet Me In St Louis’ – we kid you not – it’s a chant that’s been knocking around grounds for many years.

The lyrics? Well, they’re not that hard to learn!

“Super, Super Jack,
Super, super Jack,
Super, super Jack,
Super Jacky Grealish!”

It’s not bad, but we await something a bit more bespoke for our new No.10.

Kevin De Bruyne
One of the chants most often heard at the Etihad is the Kevin De Bruyne tribute.

Our Belgian genius has missed the first two home games through injury, but when he’s back, you will most definitely hear our own version of The White Stripes classic ‘7 Nation Army’.

The actual words are not replaced, just the killer riff that makes the song and to that tune, our fans sing…

“Oh, Kevin De Bruyne!
Oh, Kevin De Bruyne!
Oh, Kevin De Bruyne!
Oh, Kevin De Bruyne!”

It usually gets at least four choruses and it’s simplicity is its brilliance.

Bernardo
Ask any City fan if they have watched ‘Mama Mia!’ and some will say yes, most will say no – or at least won’t admit as much.

Same with Swedish super group ABBA – few will deny knowing their songs, but not many will say they own their greatest hits.

Yet Bernardo’s song is pure ABBA… based on the Swedish band's 1979 UK No.3 smash, ‘Voulez-Vous’.

Bernardo is something of a crowd favourite for most City fans and his song reflects the joy he brings to City’s play…

“Bernardo (Silva!), 

Running down the wing (Silva!), 

Makes the blue boys sing (Silva!), 

We’re all going to Madrid…”

Hard to beat!

City’s impressive start to the season has been reflected in a number of our players’ performances in this season’s Fantasy Premier League game. George Kelsey takes a look at some of the interesting statistics behind our standout performers, and looks to provide a bit of inspiration for your prospective FPL side in the weeks to come…

'Ayming' high!
With three successive clean sheets under his belt, Aymeric Laporte has become one of the highest points earners in Fantasy League so far this campaign.

The Spaniard has played the full 90 minutes in each of those victories over Norwich, Arsenal and Leicester, even finding the back of the net against Norwich in our first home game of the campaign to take his Gameweek Two tally to an impressive 14 points.

With six and five-point hauls following that victory against the Canaries, Laporte’s average of 8.3 points per match is better by just six other Premier League players so far in FPL.

And that feat is made all the more impressive when considering that those statistics also take into account Cristiano Ronaldo and Odsonne Edouard’s debuts on Saturday 11 September, with their respective braces seeing them go top of the pile despite playing just one match so far.

Torres in demand
Like his fellow Spaniard Laporte, Ferran Torres has started the 2021-22 campaign in fine form, currently sitting top of the City scoring charts.

The 21-year-old has operated from a central position so far this season, and put in a particularly eye-catching display in our 5-0 win over Arsenal.

Torres’ two goals and one assist earned him an astonishing 18 points, as well as the King of Gameweek Three title.

In response to that performance, more than one million FPL players rushed to get the Spaniard into their team ahead of City’s trip to Leicester, with Cristiano Ronaldo the only player to be transferred in more than him.

Dynamic duo
Our strong start to the new Premier League season is exemplified by two members of the squad currently making up the 11-man Kings of the Season squad.

Comprised of the highest-earning players in each position, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Dias have both made the cut so far having each registered 26 points across the first month of the campaign.

The Portuguese pair sit alongside Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold as the highest-earning defenders so far in FPL.

Gift of the Gab
Another City player to boast some impressive FPL returns is Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus, who has picked up a hugely impressive six bonus points so far this season.

The Bonus Points System takes into account a range of statistics supplied by Opta to create a performance score for every player, with the top three earning bonus points.

Jesus earned the maximum three points for his displays against Norwich and Arsenal respectively, with only West Ham’s Michail Antonio and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold boasting a larger overall score so far.

Jack the lad
It’s safe to say that Jack Grealish has hit the ground running since making the switch from Aston Villa, already establishing himself as an important part of Pep Guardiola’s attacking set-up.

That fact is reinforced by our new No.10’s high-scoring ICT Index, which combines a players’ influence on a particular game, how many chances he creates for his teammates and how likely they are to score.

Grabbing one goal and one assist so far this season, Grealish’s score of 43.7 in this category is bettered only by Liverpool trio Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah as well as Michail Antonio.

Of those three aspects, it’s the England midfielder’s creativity which has earned the most points, with only Alexander-Arnold producing more goal-scoring opportunities this season than the 26-year-old according to the measurement.

As 16^th birthday celebrations go, Elite Development Squad winger Oscar Bobb’s was certainly one of the more unique in nature...

A milestone often considered as a rite of passage into adulthood, that description would certainly fit the bill for the teenager when he signed for Manchester City on 12 June 2019.

As with most youngsters enjoying their sweet sixteenth, Oscar was beginning a new chapter of his life with the world, quite literally, firmly at his feet after making the switch from boyhood club Valerenga in his native Norway.

Bobb didn’t take long to acclimatise for our Under-18s under the watchful eye of Gareth Taylor, with his directness and searing pace on the pitch matched only by his desire to continually improve off it. 

However, adapting to the demands of a new life in a different country, especially at such a nascent stage in his career, presented challenges along the way.

None more so than when the world was brought to a standstill by the Coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

Bobb’s debut season at the City Football Academy, both collectively and individually, had been slowly building to a crescendo, with the then 16-year-old claiming four goals and two assists as City cruised to the top of the Under-18s Premier League.

He started in our Premier League Cup final victory in March 2020 but had to settle with a points-per-game title triumph in the league, with the Premier League’s Academy Games Programme abandoned that May.

With the onset of the pandemic Bobb, like everyone else around the world, had to adapt to ‘the new normal’ and believes a lot of our youngsters’ success once football resumed was born from that close bond forged between teammates.

“We stick together always. Even in the tough moments we are always together as a team and I think we all want each other to do well,” he reflected after our recent Premier League 2 Manchester derby win.

“During COVID I have missed my family a lot. But at the same time, we have to play football. We are here to work and enjoy our life. Some people have had it very tough. Yes, it’s been difficult but it’s all relative.

“Before we were going to our family every day and now it’s football 24/7. We are very excited about the rest of the season.”

The winger’s rise continued in the 2020-21 campaign, as he became a key figure in Carlos Vicens’ defending champions in the Under-18s Premier League.

Combining his sharp touch, breath-taking turn of pace and eye for goal, Bobb continued to go from strength to strength, chipping in with ten strikes and two assists as we retained the title.

The Norwegian capped off a truly memorable campaign by adding City’s third in a 3-1 win over Fulham in the Under-18s Premier League national final, winning back possession before a neat one-two and finish on the stroke of half-time.

Progressing to Brian Barry-Murphy’s Elite Development Squad (EDS) this summer after a handful of previous Premier League 2 and EFL Cup appearances, the 18-year-old’s early performances indicate that he’ll be at home at this higher level.

The likes of City starlet James McAtee have taken rightful plaudits for a phenomenal start to the new campaign, exemplified by successive PL2 hat-tricks, but Bobb has diligently gone about his business on the flank, supplying the ammunition to ensure our forwards can fire on all cylinders.

While he’s yet to find the net for our EDS, Bobb has already matched his assist tally from last season to perfectly demonstrate the rapidly evolving maturity in his game.

With this in mind, the winger is hugely thankful to teammates and staff for helping to aid that development.

“Playing in PL2 will help me a lot. It helps me know when to use my speed when to use my body.

“Obviously, you get situations where you have less time than you would at Under-18 level so it’s a great learning experience and it will help me improve.

“We’re playing together and everyone is enjoying it. I feel fresh and confident and I want to keep working hard.”

A prolonged pre-season rest for several of Pep Guardiola’s men following this summer’s European Championships and Copa America meant several of our starlets were given their first tastes of senior football as we prepared for the new campaign.

Two of those to take that opportunity with both hands were McAtee and Sam Edozie, with the latter even earning his first senior start for the Club in the Community Shield final against Leicester City.

At just 18, Bobb is yet to be given a first team bow, but the pathway into Pep Guardiola’s squad remains a realistic ambition for the Norwegian and his teammates, as demonstrated by McAtee and Edozie.

Beyond that, however, the winger is delighted to see his fellow youngsters progress into the senior fold on a more regular basis, with their success providing him with extra motivation to make the step himself.

“Seeing Macca (McAtee) and Sam (develop, play in pre-season) is great to see,” he reflected.

“We’ve known these guys for years and they are some of the best guys I’ve ever played with.

“I’m very happy for them and it’s an inspiration to all of us.”

John Edwards explores the roles and responsibilities of City’s backroom staff and how they contribute to our teams’ success...

Manchester City women’s first team are blessed in the goalkeeping department. 

In Karen Bardsley and Ellie Roebuck we have two of the finest keepers to have graced the FA Women’s Super League, whilst French international Karima Taieb has proved a more than capable deputy when called upon. 

Working with some of the best talent the game has to offer is the dream for any coach and at City, Chris Williams is the man tasked with leading the goalkeeper’s union.

A former player himself, the 39-year-old came through the academy system at Port Vale and Everton before turning professional with Bolton Wanderers where his was career cut short by a knee injury.

After spending some years away from the game, he began his coaching journey at Rochdale, working with first team and academy goalkeepers, before joining City’s youth set-up eight years ago.

Initially involved in the boys' academy, he was quickly brought into the women’s first team fold by Nick Cushing and has been a key figure ever since.

Cushing and current manager Gareth Taylor have both worked with tightknit backroom teams, which means Williams’ responsibilities stretch far beyond goalkeeping.

“Although my job is goalkeeper coaching, I am still involved with the outfield players and have an input with the technical staff as well,” Williams tells City Magazine.

“It is becoming more common now for the goalkeeper coach to be more involved in decision making and outfield players and it is only going to continue in that way because the role of the goalkeeper has become so crucial it would be crazy to work in isolation.

“On a matchday I’m involved in the tactical operation. If I see anything on the pitch, I’ll feed it into the gaffer and I’ll have the earpiece on to be in contact with the performance analyst

“I also sort the set-pieces. I put them together and work with different units. I take the lead on the defensive side and Alan Mahon does the attacking, but we have discussions on both fronts.

“It would be a lot to expect a head coach to deliver in possession and out of possession drills and then have to come up with set plays and all the templates that go alongside it.

“Mahon was an attacking player and I was a goalkeeper, so I look at things like the defensive structure and he does the same from an attacking side.

“The opposition’s attacking set plays directly affect the goalkeeper because they will either in swing it or out swing it, which will affect your position and you then have to be able to impact the outfield players to make sure you can operate in your space. 

“Having played in the position, I understand the roles and responsibilities in set-plays, so that’s one of the strengths I bring to the coaching team.”

For all his multi-skilled coaching, Williams’ priority is the goalkeepers.

He is responsible for ensuring they are suitably prepared for matchday, with tailored sessions which help Bardsley, Roebuck and Taieb get ready to perform at the weekend.

This is done through a mix of drills, some of which are to reinforce basic skills and other, more advanced exercises, which can relate directly to the approach of an upcoming opponent.

“I prepare the goalkeepers technically, tactically, mentally and physically to ensure they are ready for whatever is needed in the game,” he explains.

“It might be that you’ve got a team that like to put crosses in early, so I would prepare them for the types of crosses they are going to be facing, or they might play wingers who cut in and shoot early, so I would prepare them to be ready for that.

“A lot of it is dependent on the session. I could have 30 minutes of work to do with them before they are required to join the rest of the group to go through team shape. 

“If I am working with two or three, I might have to do additional work on the side with the third one who is not involved in the tactical drill. 

“If the manager is doing something that will benefit the goalkeeper who is going to start then they may do half an hour with me and then go over with the team whilst I work with the number two. 

“If it’s something that is non-beneficial, I’ll send one of the younger players over. 

“We have to have a real discussion between the coaching staff to decide how long I’ve got and who goes over to the tactical practice, or whatever the outfield players are doing. 

“I have to manage that connection between the goalkeepers and the outfield players as well, because you don’t want the old school method where the goalkeepers were just over in the corner until they’re wanted to face a load of shots.”

In coaching teams up and down the country, it is common for the manager to canvas the opinion of their staff before making a decision.

Taylor is no different. 

The former City striker has struck a good relationship with Williams and Mahon, who were in place prior to his arrival and, given the specialised nature of goalkeeping, he has empowered the former when it comes to selection.

“He gives me full authority on who plays,” Williams adds. “It was exactly the same with Nick Cushing previously. 

“Gareth and Nick have been totally transparent and said I will decide who plays. They may question it, but we’ll always come to an agreement. 

“I am fully aware that if Gareth wanted to pick the goalkeeper, then that is how it would be and it wouldn’t be an issue, but to have that level of trust from the manager is massive.”

BBC 6 Music DJ Marc Riley continues to track down the great and the good in his Mixed Grill series...

Our willing participant in this month's ‘grilling’ is someone I’ve known since he was a little ‘un. I knew Stirling Sievey through his dad who was an old mate of  mine. His name - Chris Sievey. Some of you may recognise that name as belonging to the man who fronted the 70’s and 80’s Manchester band The Freshies. He went onto further fame with his bizarre and brilliant creation Frank Sidebottom. What some of you may not know is that Chris went onto be the first ‘Moonchester’! What many more of you perhaps won’t know is that  once Chris decided to move on from bringing the MCFC mascot to life - he handed down the role to one of his sons. 

That would be Stirling.

He’s a lifelong Blue and is happy to  share some of his memories with you.

Over to you.. Stirling Sievey.

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY  OF GOING TO A FOOTBALL MATCH?
My dad taking me to my first game. City v Oxford United in January 1987, I've still got the scarf he bought me that day.

WHAT IS THE  MOST PECULIAR  OR MEMORABLE THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU AT A MATCH?
In the late 80's early 90's, my dad used to take me into Piccadilly Radio so that he could record his Radio Timperley show, then we'd get the bus to Maine Road. It was kind of a peculiar pre-match ritual.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME AND PREVENT ONE MATCH FROM BEING PLAYED -WHAT MATCH WOULD THAT BE  - AND WHY?
Maybe the Liverpool game in May 1996, that saw us relegated, whilst we were wasting our own time in the corner...

WHICH TEAM ARE YOUR  LEAST FAVOURITE OPPONENTS - AND WHY?
Obviously United, growing up as one of a handful of City fans in school, while United went on to dominate and we were going down the divisions was hard, good character building though, and worked out well in the end.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST FAVOURITE MAN  CITY TERRACE SONG  OR CHANT - AND WHY?
Loved Niall Quinn's Disco Pants, just because it made no sense really, and summed up the terrace humour of the time. And probably the Balotelli song more recently.

WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE CITY GOAL YOU HAVE WITNESSED?(“Agueroooooooooooo…”  aside…)
Dickov is probably the most obvious answer, it was also the only time I got to visit Wembley with both my dad and brother.

HAVE YOU EVER MET  ONE  OF YOUR MAN  CITY HEROES… IF SO - WHO…AND HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE!
Me and a few friends bumped into Kompany, Stones, Walker, Bernardo Silva and Delph, in the pub after West Brom had beaten to United, to win us the league in 2018, everyone had had a few, and it's fair to say it was a great experience.

IF YOU COULD INVITE ANY MAN CITY  PLAYER - PRESENT  OR  PAST - TO YOURS FOR TEA AND BISCUITS  - WHO  WOULD IT BE  - AND WHY?
Mario Balotelli, think it could turn out to be eventful.

HAVE YOU EVER SHED A TEAR - OF JOY  - OR  PAIN -  AT A  CITY MATCH?
Shed a few tears of joy when we won the FA Cup in 2011, as it was the first time we had won a trophy in my lifetime, and that hadn't looked likely a few years earlier.

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT  MAINE ROAD?
The atmosphere on the old Kippax stand, it was never quite the same when the new stand was built.

DURING YOUR TIME AS MOONCHESTER WHAT WAS THE  MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT FOR YOU?
There was a match against Stoke where they evacuated the North Stand onto the pitch after a fire alarm had gone off, and I was stuck in the middle of a few thousand fans, some trying to pull the head off. And also a game against Wolves, who brought their mascot, I was near the away end and both sets of fans were egging us on to have a fight. I'd seen the size of the guy in the suit when we were getting changed before, so opted to go elsewhere, he was on the TV a week later beating up Swansea's swan mascot, so think I made the right choice!

WHO DO YOU THINK WOULD WIN IN AN  ARM  WRESTLING  MATCH…  YAYA TOURE - OR KYLE WALKER?
I'd have to go with Yaya, think...

IF YOU COULD  PICK ONE CURRENT CITY  PLAYER TO BE ON YOUR  PUB QUIZ TEAM - WHO WOULD  IT  BE - AND WHY?
I'll go for Fernandinho, just for his experience, and I'm sure he wouldn't stand for any cheating for the other teams.