After yesterday’s plethora of poison pens in the nation’s press, we kick off today with Martin Samuel’s balanced overview of City’s summer spending in the Daily Mail.

Samuel, one of the country’s leading writers, pinpoints that sanctions due to be imposed in a couple of years’ time by UEFA have, perhaps, meant that the Blues have had to accelerate team strengthening and dismisses quotes of ‘kamikaze spending’.

“City may not be getting the greatest value for money right now,” writes Samuel. “But if there is an element of Supermarket Sweep about their behaviour, that is because Michel Platini’s legislation makes it now or never for big spenders.”

Samuel goes on to suggest there is measured thinking behind the recent transfer activity rather than a frivolous attitude of ‘we’re spending simply because we can’. If only other writers took time to consider the bigger picture rather than gaze at one snapshot.

Tony Cascarino offers his opinion in The Times this morning, yet, disappointingly, he already has made his mind up on the new-look Blues it seems.

Claiming tonight’s game with Liverpool will give a real indication of what both teams can expect to achieve this season – yes, just two games in – Cascarino writes: “In the case of City, I think it’ll suggest they’ll be lucky to finish in the top six. The more I see of them, the less I like them.”

Finally, to illustrate how some journalists will do anything to shoehorn a City quote in, check out the League 1 round-up in The Sun and seek out the report on Walsall and Plymouth. There, released midfielder Paul Marshall is quoted as saying he “got out at right time” and that City are “a totally different club these days.”

See? It’s always worth reading the match reports, however totally unconnected they seem (are) to the Blues! Everyone has an opinion...