Football’s old adage that managers should stick to football and not comment on the boardroom may be outdated but sometimes could save the odd boss from issuing statements that are wide of the mark.

Ahead of today’s trip to the Stadium of Light Black Cats chief Steve Bruce has been pontificating on the commitment of our owners.

“We are very fortunate here with what the owner has done,” he told Clive Hetherington in the Star on Sunday talking about the conversion of loans into shares by owner Elliott Short. “He has proved he’s not just here for the short-term.

“What if the Arabs one day pull out of City who have not had the muscle of Manchester United in the past?

“I think for our club the owner has given us better security.”

What Steve? Better than turning all loans into equity and signing a long-term agreement with the local council to develop land in East Manchester?

 More homework required methinks. You could try memorising this from mcfc.co.uk!

“Manchester City also confirmed that subsequent to the end of the financial year, it has restructured its Balance Sheet with owner Sheikh Mansour converting all of his existing £304.9m shareholder loans made to the Club into equity. Sheikh Mansour has also purchased further shares to a value of £89.6m as a measure of his long term commitment to the Club.”

The rest of the day’s news surrounds the usual transfer speculation ahead of the window opening again in the summer.

In no particular order of significance or ridicule here is what’s foretold for the Blues:

Simon Mullock in the Sunday Mirror reckons that Liverpool will be interested in signing Stephen Ireland claiming the player has suffered a ‘wretched dip in form’.

Coming the other way could, according to an assortment of scribes, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.

In the Star on Sunday, this time via Paul Hetherington, Gerrard will apprantly be a target for Real Madrid this summer but ‘even a hint that Gerrard could be prised away from Anfield would see the Spanish giants face fierce competition from the Premier League’s richest club – Manchester City’

The News of the World’s Chris Bascombe and the Mail on Sunday’s Joe Bernstein both mention the Blues in connection with a move instead for Fernando Torres.

‘There is an enduring fear it’s too late to keep him (Torres) amid interest from Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona,’ writes Bascombe.

‘The only consolation if he goes is the hope that the £80million he raises will be ploughed back into the squad rather than used to pay off more debt’

Finally, according to the Star and The People we are preparing a GBP50m raid on Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago and striker Gonzalo Higuain both names that have been attached to City before while the Observer reckons that more likely on their way to the City of Manchester Stadium are Benfica's free kick specialist Oscar Cardozo and Sampdoria youngster Andrea Poli.