It's always nice to be linked with the big boys and always nice to be gazed at from afar and be admired for your football.

People made out I was very, very greedy and was asking for an extortionate amount of money. That was never the case. I asked to be put in line with the top earners at the club and I was not offered that option. I value myself a lot higher than what the club offered me. I think my performances on the pitch have proved that.

I wanted to be put in line with the top earners at the football club. I've left it in City's hands, they know my situation - I've made it very clear where I stand. I was told by the chief executive that it was the final offer so I've had no other option. There are no negotiations, so as far as I am concerned my future lies elsewhere.

It was a good performance but it was only a draw. We've got to beat them to give us the bragging rights for this season.

Small boys were a mystery to Sylvie. The satisfaction they gained from throwing sticks or stones for hours on end, the obsessive collection of inanimate objects, the brutal destruction of the fragile world around them, all seemed at odds with the men they were supposed to become.

All wars are boyish, and are fought by boys