Start the open top bus, hang bunting from the lamp posts, United are back and so is Alan Shearer!

Quite where we've come back from is uncertain (although I did see a signpost clearly indicating the depths of mediocrity on the way back from the Charlton game), and certainly uncle Alan hasn't been anywhere at all, but of course his lack of movement was half the problem in the first place...

As is normally the case in these matters, the truth lies somewhere between the hyperbole and nonsense spouted and written down by a multiplicity of news sources. While "Match of the Day" for once gave us something of a fair edit and didn't inflict Tony Gubba on us, anyone who only watched those highlights will have gone away with a falsely inflated sense of our capabilities.

From my own jaundiced viewpoint, while there were many improvements in the Maine Road performance compared with the two Orient games and the Charlton defeat, the decidedly dour expression worn by Robson at the final whistle gave a true reflection of the victory. A better side than Joe Royle's mob would have almost certainly claimed the win.

A neutral at the game would no doubt have been underwhelmed by the quality of large sections of the game from both sides, and found plenty of points to ponder. Why for instance Manchester City didn't start with Kennedy, who caused us problems after the break with his crossing ability from the left (but fortunately not with his rotten shooting skills from the other flank.) 

Also, the uninitiated would have queried the reluctance of Given to play short balls to his defence and instead launch long clearances down the field, despite having a leg injury. This one may be down to a certain lack of trust in our constantly changing defensive lineup, but the frustration of seeing the ball come straight back towards goal must surely prompt a rethink at some stage ? Perhaps he thought Cort was playing....

Despite protestations from callers to phoneins that Shearer was back to his best, in truth he wasn't. A good cross from the once-trusty boot of Solano presented him with a chance that even Maric might have bundled over the line, and he did well to get his head to a first half chance that Tommy Wright blocked. 

However, he received precious little service other than that, and his linkup play with Daniel Cordone after the first couple of minutes was almost non-existent. There again, the Argentinean seemed to be playing in a different match to that of all his colleagues....

Happily, Dyer showed stirrings of regaining the sort of knack of making forward runs that brought him goals of the calibre of the one notched at Everton in March, but a fingertip stop from Wright, a terrible decision from the referee and an injury all prevented him from making more of an impression.

The injury jinx also claimed Griffin, who required treatment after clashing with Horlock as the City player stretched to hook a cross in from the left, and didn't emerge after the interval. Yet again the England U21 hoodoo has claimed it's victim - anyone would think Howard Wilkinson named the lad in his squad then started shoving pins into a doll wearing a black and white number 12 shirt...

In time to come, the most significant act of the game for Newcastle may prove not to have been Shearer's goal, but rather the second half appearance of central defender Steve Caldwell, who played tremendously well. His admirable tackling and blocking as well as one or two smart balls out of defence belied his lack of experience at this level, and unlike the other young debutants from the reserves this season, he played a vital role in securing the victory, rather than a brief cameo appearance when the game was almost over.

It would be criminal not to mention at this stage the galvanising effect that Lua Lua had on proceedings when he joined the fray, stirring up both crowd and team and generally looking a class above anything else on view. 

The Tino Asprilla comparison is obvious but not altogether accurate, as he seems to have not only the confidence and ability to control the ball and beat opponents through trickery, but also some awareness of the rest of his team that our Colombian friend didn't often exhibit. When he's warmed up and attuned to playing with Solano, Dyer et all, we could have something very exciting on our hands.  

A valuable three points then, from a game that City never looked like scoring in, and we could eventually have ended up putting three or four past them. Without hitting anything approaching consistency in team lineup or our general play, we're comfortably away from the bottom of the table, which begs the question of how far up the league a settled side and consistent performances from our "stars" could take us. 

Certainly this Premiership is shaping up to be the most even since it's inception, with virtually everyone capable of beating everyone else. Except Derby.

No coincidence that Robert Lee's presence in our midfield coincided with an improved performance. However, the return to fitness of Bassedas will hopefully provide Bobby with some much-needed backup to anchor the team. Lee is still a vital part of our formation, and he cannot be expected to play every minute of every game. With the best will in the World, I'd rather play with ten men than hand his shirt over to the likes of McClen and "disco" Des Hamilton. 

PS: One thing that was accurately highlighted by the TV coverage of the game was the sheer graft of Gallacher, who made a vital clearance off his own line in the first period and popped up all over the pitch thereafter.   

PPS: Zero marks to Man City for their locked door policy at the final whistle, which was supposed to have been outlawed by changes in legislation. The net effect was simply to allow the Mancunian idiots extra time to position themselves in nearby streets, and a serious outbreak of trouble then ensued (allegedly pre-planned with the Newcastle loons). 

As usual, the local plod were elsewhere and turned up with horses, dogs and riot gear when things had calmed down. Of course none of this actually happened, as it was never reported in the media....another piece of Premiership spin doctoring no doubt. 

Proof though that even in this age of corporate comfort and fancy marketing ideas, the possibility of being involved in serious disorder still lurks around every corner and those old street skills of alertness and awareness are still vital. 

It's not just the house prices in Moss Side that are stuck in the 1970's....