Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge set to complete surprise move to Brighton today

Wayne Bridge is poised to complete his surprise move from Manchester City to Brighton later today.

Heading south: Wayne Bridge will swap Premier League champions Manchester City's bench for a first team spot with Championship 

The former England and Chelsea defender has agreed to join Gus Poyet's Championship team in a loan deal that will run until the end of the season.

Bridge, 31, was a £10 million signing by Mark Hughes in January 2009 and once regarded as a genuine threat to Ashley Cole as England's first choice left-back.

But he fell out of favour at Manchester City spectacularly when Roberto Mancini replaced Hughes and has been loaned out to West Ham and Sunderland in the last two seasons.

Now Poyet, the Brighton manager, is set to complete an audacious swoop by taking Bridge to the Amex Stadium.

City are believed to have agreed paying a substantial amount of his £100,000 a week wages to push the deal through.

The qualities of England's No1 goalkeeper Joe Hart

AGILITY

The most fundamental quality of any goalkeeper is their athleticism and shot-stopping ability. When the manager of your biggest rivals, Sir Alex Ferguson, starts waxing lyrical about you, unprompted, during interviews with DJ Spoony you know you’ve got something about you.

“If you look at the England goalkeeper situation for the last 20 years, I would think he’s easily the best,” said Ferguson. “I could have bought Joe Hart for £100,000. We all make mistakes.”

CONCENTRATION LEVELS

Goalkeeping for a successful team is a more specialist occupation, demanding high concentration levels during prolonged periods of inactivity. Often, keepers at struggling clubs shine most because they have so much to do so get more chance to look better than they are.

Hart was exceptional last season because he made crucial saves that proved the difference in City winning the title.

“This season is why they’re talking about Joe as the world’s best,” his team mate Gareth Barry said after a crucial last-minute save in a 1-0 win at Aston Villa. “Every game he’s making one or two great saves; he’s going to be England’s No1 for a long time.”

PRESENCE

There are those goalkeepers whose mere presence can intimidate strikers into fluffing their lines in front of goal. Manchester United Peter Schmeichel’s stature was such he seemed to cover the entire goal area when faced with a one-on-one situation. The similarities with Hart have been noted by his Old Trafford rivals. The City admits relying on his reflexes, relishing personal duels with attacks.

“Hart makes good reaction saves and great blocks,” said former United keeper Edwin van der Saar. “That’s a little bit the Peter Schmeichel way and that’s one of his strong points.”

MATURITY

Despite only being 25, Hart is mature enough to have warranted demands for him to be named England captain. He has displayed his leadership qualities on several occasions during Manchester City’s title surge.

While his manager wrote off City’s title chances at one stage, Hart issued the rallying cries. “There is no point in us turning up for games if the title race is over,” he said when City trailed by eight points. “We’ve still got to believe, we’ve still got to fight for every single point available.”

Roberto Mancini says Manchester City have played best football

Manager Roberto Mancini says he trusts his Manchester City side to finish the job and be crowned champions on Sunday.

But even if they fail, the Italian insists his side have played the best football in the league this season.

Mancini's men are ahead of Manchester United on goal difference and will win the Premier League title by equalling their neighbours' result.

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“If we win, it's better to stay far from Mario (Balotelli) because it'll be very dangerous!”

Roberto Mancini

"I trust them 100 per cent," said the Blues boss. "They know they have everything in their hands."

He added: "They've worked very hard and fought for every game, for one year, and in this championship that is very hard.

"I think in the end the team that wins deserves to win, always.

"We have played the better football, 100%, even if we don't win, we played the better football."

City lead heading into the final day despite slipping eight points behind neighbours United following defeat at Arsenal on 8 April.

Mancini's side meet QPR at the Etihad while United must travel to Sunderland.

"I think that, at that moment, it was good for us because it took off all the pressure," said Mancini, who believes City would be worthy winners having led for most of the season and scored the most goals.

"Like all teams, it is impossible to play well every game for one year. We had one month where we had a problem - we didn't play well, we conceded easy goals, we didn't score. This is normal, I think.

"But we always believed, also when we were eight points behind.

"Against United and Newcastle we played really well, as a strong team mentally, and I think we should do the same on Sunday."

Ferguson and QPR boss Mark Hughes have described Mancini's tactics as negative, with Ferguson claiming City played with an Italian mentality by switching to a five-man midfield during their crucial derby victory on 30 April
."I agree with him," joked Mancini, who later said the same about Hughes. "I'm Italian, I can't change my mentality, and he's Scottish."

But he added of Ferguson: "I think he's the best manager in the world."

And should Mancini beat the legendary United boss to the title, he will be staying well clear of controversial striker Mario Balotelli.

"If we win, it's better to stay far from Mario because it'll be very dangerous!" he quipped.

Man City boss Roberto Mancini reacts to Sir Alex Ferguson jibe

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini hit back at Sir Alex Ferguson after the Scot accused him of trying to influence officials during Manchester United's 1-0 derby defeat at Etihad Stadium.

The pair clashed and were kept apart by City coach David Platt and fourth official Mike Jones late on in the win that put Mancini's side back on top of the Premier League on goal difference with two games left.

Title run-inSunde

Ferguson reacted angrily to City substitute Nigel de Jong's challenge on Danny Welbeck - but found an equally robust response from Mancini, who met his counterpart head on and gestured in his direction.

United boss Ferguson said: "He [Mancini] refereed the game right the way through. He was haranguing the officials. He can't complain about referees any more."

Mancini cool? 

Mancini delivered a heavily sarcastic response as he said: "And him? He doesn't talk with the referees or fourth officials - never. I spoke with the fourth official and then Ferguson told me some kind words. I don't know why.

"I answered him but I can understand because at this moment the passion was high."

City captain Vincent Kompany was delighted to score the winner but insisted that the title has not been decided yet.

The Belgium international defender said: "We are absolutely buzzing. We've been waiting for this moment. But it is far from over.

"To give our fans two wins over Manchester United is great but now we need to finish it off.

"I remember someone texting me and saying I would score the winning goal and I thought he was a lunatic."

Manchester City tell Roberto Mancini he must change before they offer him a new deal

Manchester City are expected to offer Roberto Mancini a new contract at the end of the season but they are seeking assurances from him that he has taken on some of the club’s concern about his management style.

Left field: Manchester City hierarchy have questioned manager Roberto Mancini's management style 

The Italian’s current deal has a year to run and the City hierarchy are expected to review the situation at their quarterly board meeting at the end of the campaign.

The club are happy that the first team have shown clear signs of progress and want to give him a new deal irrespective of whether they win the title but they feel there is a need for the manager to refine his abrasive man management approach, to be more discreet about any issues he has with the club and to work with the club on ensuring transfer policy falls into line with the demands of Financial Fair Play.

There has been speculation that City would look to a new manager such as Jose Mourinho this summer but there is no appetite in the hierarchy to create an unstable situation at the club at a time when progress is clearly being made.

Mancini, whose side are two points behind Manchester United in the title race with four games to go, has given every indication that he is prepared to sign a new deal.

“I am confident that I will continue to do this job next year,” he said. “I don’t think we have any problems because I think we have done a good job.”

Manchester City fans start campaign for Roberto Mancini

Manchester City supporters have started a campaign to show their support for manager Roberto Mancini.

The fans have set up a "Respect Roberto Mancini" petition and organised a campaign on Twitter urging the club to retain him as manager even if City fail to win the Premier League title.

Mancini has seen his side's challenge falter and they are now five points behind leaders Manchester United.

There has been speculation linking Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho with his job. Mchester City's 6-1 victory over arch-rivals Manchester United in October put them five points clear at the top of the league and they remained there until March, when a run of just one win in five matches saw their title hopes fade.

Mancini's City record

• Games played: 137
• Won: 81
• Lost: 30
• Drawn: 26

Mancini, who has one year remaining on his contract, has endured a difficult year after high-profile arguments with strikers Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli.

However, despite increasing speculation about Mancini's future, a group of Manchester City fans believe the Italian, who ended the club's 35-year wait for a trophy with last year's FA Cup triumph, is still the right man for the job.

"I'd be devastated if he left and a lot of City fans would be," said mcfcforum.com part-owner Andy Savage, whose website has helped with the campaign.

"At the moment he's not committing his future, so the campaign is to show our support. We'd love him to stay and the majority of fans want him to stay. He knows the fabric of the club and gets on really well with the fans."

The petition to keep the 47-year-old former Inter Milan boss has so far had more than 1,000 signatures.

"The campaign is to show support for what he's done as he has not been getting enough respect. We'd like him to at least see out the remainder of his contract, but ideally get a new one," added Savage.

However, Savage insists the fans' campaign is about showing their support, rather than criticising owner Sheikh Mansour, who brought in Mancini after sacking Mark Hughes in December 2009.

"It is not about criticising the owners or putting pressure on them," he said.

"Over the past few months, journalists have been having a go at Mancini and put pressure on him by saying his job is not safe. But the last thing we need is to be chopping and changing our manager.

"I can't see the owners doing it to be honest. They've brought him in, he's their man and I genuinely feel they've got a great relationship."

Man City's Mario Balotelli avoids ban for Alex Song tackle

Manchester City's Mario Balotelli has escaped the prospect of an additional six-game ban for his tackle on Alex Song in the 1-0 defeat at Arsenal.

Referee Martin Atkinson took no action in the match, but reported the incident had been seen, ruling out retrospective Football Association action.

Balotelli was sent off after picking up yellow cards for two unrelated fouls.

He could have faced extra three-game bans for violent conduct and what would have been a fourth dismissal of season.

Balotelli's Manchester City reds

• 7 November 2010: Sent off in his fourth game for the club, after scoring both goals in the 2-0 win over West Brom
• 17 March 2011: Sent off after 36 minutes of the 1-0 win over Dynamo Kiev
• 27 November 2011: Sent off in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool after picking up two yellow cards in 18 minutes
• 25 January 2012: Banned for four games after being charged with violent conduct for a stamp on Spurs midfielder Scott Parker
• 8 April: Receives the fourth red card of his City career against Arsenal

In addition to his dismissal at Emirates Stadium, Balotelli has previously been sent off in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool in November and was retrospectively charged with violent conduct after he appeared to stamp on Scott Parker in the win over Tottenham in January.

The FA insists that, while it could reevaluate the incident involving Parker, it would not take a second look at Balotelli's challenge on Saturday.

"Retrospective action was introduced for off-the-ball incidents where there was no contest for possession and could not be deemed to be re-refereeing an incident," it said.

"In agreement with Fifa, this is how 'not seen' incidents are dealt with retrospectively in England. It is a policy that is agreed with all football stakeholders."

The striker's existing three-game ban begins against West Brom on Wednesday
.