Manchester City have established themselves in the Premier League since regaining their top-flight status back in May 2002. One of the founder members of the competition, City have been relegated twice from the top tier but regained their place by storming to the Division One title after a hugely entertaining 2001/02 campaign. Charismatic former manager Kevin Keegan moulded a team in his typically attacking style which was capable of competing with the very best in the league. Keegan, who took over from Joe Royle in May 2001 before leaving the club in March 2005 with Stuart Pearce taking charge, was renowned for supplying a forward-thinking brand of football and City scored an outstanding 108 goals in winning the championship by 10 points. Pearce may have adopted a more resolute approach than his predecessor but he has the talent at his disposal to make City a force in the top flight. City are always keen to promote the best players from their respected Academy set-up, while combative young midfielder Joey Barton has the experience of Dietmar Hamann alongside him. And having moved to the state-of-the-art 48,000-capacity City of Manchester Stadium, the future looks bright for the Blues and their loyal legion of supporters.

Formed in 1880, Manchester City used various guises before choosing their current monicker in 1894. An FA Cup victory in 1904 was followed by 30 years of promotion and relegation, before the Blues prospered in the mid-1930s, winning the FA Cup in 1934 and a first league title in 1937, only to be relegated 12 months later. A third FA Cup triumph arrived in 1956 and a decade on, Joe Mercer oversaw a golden era in the history of the club. City earned promotion, clinched the 1968 Division One championship, lifted the FA Cup in 1969 and the European Cup Winners' Cup and League Cup in 1970. But from 1983 to 2002, the club swapped divisions on 10 occasions and life in the Premier League was initially proving hard to sustain. But City stormed to the Division One title under Kevin Keegan and their move from Maine Road to the City of Manchester Stadium signals the club's lofty ambitions.