hopes to earn a long-term contract. Welcome to the N

The story of the remarkable transformation of Manchester City since 2008 is told in a new Sky Sports Originals documentary by the three players whove been there since the beginning. Following the news that Pep Guardiola is set to start his new job at the Etihad Stadium on July 1, City Slickers takes a look at the remarkable journey the club has been on in the past eight years since the Abu Dhabi United Group took over.Vincent Kompany, Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta are the three longest serving players at the club and spoke in depth about their experiences. I was here first, then Vinny [Kompany] came charging through the door and about two weeks later Zaba [Zabaleta] came, says Hart, who was signed for £600,000 from Shrewsbury Town.I was told they were both central midfielders! Ive seen Zaba age, thats how long weve been together. Zabaleta, Kompany and Hart are the three longest serving players at the club Zabaleta turned down Juventus to come to City in 2008 for £6.5m: It was so strange to go into the dressing room and I couldnt speak a word of English.Kompany was recruited from Bundesliga side Hamburg for £6.7m and straight away he felt the club was going places.He said: Before I signed I got told something big is about to happen and straight away you saw that those guys mean business.Since 2008, owner Sheikh Mansour and his associates have overseen £1billion transformation of the club, building a state of the art football academy and a team full of star names. Pablo Zabaleta speaks to Geoff Shreeves Everyones got their own story, no-ones just turned up for Manchester City, getting paid bundles of money, being bought for bundles of money just by being them, says Hart.Weve all had to go our own different routes, our own little scraps and perform in the right situations. Aguero: I get big-game nerves Sergio Aguero admits he suffers from nerves in the build-up to big games With their financial strength, City found they could compete in the transfer market - but bringing in so many new faces had its difficulties.In my first game I was asking, literally, Michael Johnsons name in the warm up before the game. I just didnt know the names. In the beginning it was about getting the names in and then slowly you could start building a real team, says Kompany.Its been a whole lot of fun looking forward to going in the next day to meet a new super talent, adds Hart.When we do sign players, I think theyre signing players not just because theyre fantastic players. Were signing peoples personalities, people who want to win, people who want to play for their community, play for their club, and thats where were trying to go. Joe Hart in City Slickers In recent years, City have experienced success on the field, notably winning the Premier League in dramatic fashion in 2012 and again two years later. Off the field the club has grown as well, most recently with the completion of a state-of-the-art training facility with the words of owner Sheikh Mansour stencilled on the walls: We are building a structure for the future not just a team of all-stars.Kompany believes City are leading the way for other clubs: The impact weve had on the local community has probably been bigger than any other club in the world and thats something to be proud of. Barnes and Goater Q&A We quiz Liverpool and Man City legends John Barnes and Shaun Goater on the Capital One Cup final. I mean you cant get past the fact that people are going to have opinions about amounts being spent but the reality is that a lot of money has been spent wisely as well.Ill be disappointed if at the end of my career Ive only got two titles to my name. In my head I just want to win everything. Thats what Ive set out to do in football.This journeys been incredible with City but it just has to carry on. We are part of making sure that this club is something that lasts for a long time.City Slickers is on Sky Sports 1 this Sunday February 28, after the Capital One Cup Final, and available On Demand now. Also See: City can win Champions League Man Citys best boss? Cheap Rangers Jerseys Authentic . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Cheap Rangers Jerseys . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. http://www.cheapnewyorkrangersjerseys.com/ . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Cheap Adidas Rangers Jerseys .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. WASHINGTON -- As his Washington Redskins enter a critical stretch in their pursuit of a playoff berth, coach Jay Gruden made clear how he feels about a schedule that takes his team to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day right after a Sunday night game.I dont think its really fair, no, Gruden said Monday on a conference call with reporters, but we have to deal with it. We knew this was coming. ... The biggest thing is you worry about the health of your football team. This is a physical football game we played last night, and were at the point in the year where guys are a little bit beat up.Thanks to winning six of their past eight games, the Redskins (6-3-1) are off to their best beginning to a season in two decades. Still, they know that what theyve done so far to erase an 0-2 start wont mean much if they dont keep winning, starting Thursday at the NFC East-leading Cowboys (9-1).Any time you can win, its always a plus, but we know that we still got bigger fish to fry, so winning right now is crucial, said Jamison Crowder, who caught three passes from Kirk Cousins for 102 yards, including a TD that went for 44 in Washingtons 42-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.You know, we have to keep winning, so its big to get this one, Crowder said. Now were looking forward to Dallas.Not since 1996 had the Redskins lost only three of their initial 10 games, but they followed that 7-3 start by losing four of their last six to end up 9-7 and third in the division, out of the playoffs.To avoid that sort of a collapse this time, Washington needs to first get through a three-game road swing that includes trips to Arizona on Dec. 44, and Philadelphia on Dec.dddddddddddd 11.After getting a chance for treatment and rest Monday, Redskins players will hold two walkthroughs instead of full-fledged practices on Tuesday, and another walkthrough before flying to Texas on Wednesday.Were feeling good, but at the same time its a short week, and were playing one of the best teams in the NFL on Thursday, said Cousins, who threw for 375 yards, three TDs and zero interceptions against Green Bay, another strong performance as he hopes to earn a long-term contract. Welcome to the NFL. They dont get any easier from here.With Cousins finally getting a chance to be the starting quarterback after biding his time behind Robert Griffin III, the Redskins won the NFC East a year ago. Now they take on the first-place Cowboys, who have won nine in a row behind a pair of rookie sensations, quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.And while Gruden said he can take some solace from knowing the short turnaround comes against a familiar foe, he added: The bad thing is we know how good they are.After all, Dallas current winning streak began in Week 2, when it came back to win 27-23 at Washington.For us to keep pace in the division and have a chance at the division title, Gruden said, weve got to play our best game Thursday.---AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '