You gave me joy at last, Erikkson tells his players

Tonight, 40,000 long-suffering supporters will converge on Eastlands hoping to salute the new City boss for restoring their faith in a team that has dented their dreams for many moons.

Scroll down to read more:

Remarkably, if Eriksson's new-look City can follow up their opening-day win at West Ham by scoring against promoted Derby, it will be their first Premier League goal at home since New Year's Day.

But the City fans' 13-and-a-halfhour wait to celebrate pales in comparison to their manager's patience. Relieved Eriksson's victory at Upton Park on Saturday was his first since England midfielder David Beckham scored a World Cup second-round winner against Ecuador in Germany 15 months ago.

Eriksson admitted: "I thanked the players because it was a long time ago, the Ecuador game, and I'd almost forgotten the feeling of winning football games. That feeling is extraordinary, to win is the best."

Another small milestone then for Eriksson's rehabilitation in Manchester, where the Swede appears more comfortable and happier than at any time since the pressures of the last World Cup.

Manchester has embraced him. Still torn between a smart £1.4million city centre apartment or a more discreet Cheshire spread, he is an approachable figure in the finest restaurants and smartest bars.

Having shown that his quickfire summer recruitment policy was anything but haphazard, he was yesterday able to shrug off the pressure for success at City with a disarming smile and a joke.

Only 10 home goals in the league last season under Stuart Pearce, none since a 2-1 win over Everton on New Year's Day?

"Yeah, I heard about that... let's hope that we score before Christmas! I hope so. If you are a fan, or a player, or a manager, of course that is too long. But that's history. We are thinking about tomorrow. Of course we hope to play good football and score goals.

"There's no guarantee. Look at what happened to Manchester United on Sunday. The ball didn't want to go in for 90 minutes. But the team that we have, on paper, should score goals and I'm sure we will.

"I look forward to the game. I heard that over 40,000 tickets were sold. If they are optimistic, that's good because I'm like them, I'm always an optimist. I'll fit in here but it (West Ham) was just one game.

"We must keep our feet on the ground and not think we are among the best yet. Hopefully, we will be one day. We'll try for Europe in the future. But one game at a time. Derby will not make life easy, I'm sure."

City fans are already looking beyond tonight to the derby match that really matters to them, United's visit to Eastlands on Sunday, but Eriksson refused point-blank even to mention the game. Too shrewd to get carried away by one decent performance, Eriksson knows Rome was not built in a day.

Nor for that matter was Lazio, where he needed three years to fashion a Serie A title-winning team.

He said: "Now people expect us to go out and win easily, which is totally wrong. I hope we will win, but it will not be easy.

"You have to be realistic in the Premiership. It's difficult. Look at the top four this weekend. But when you win, life is so much easier and I'm a very happy man for many reasons."

Eriksson declined to comment on the warrant issued in Thailand for the arrest of new owner Thaksin Shinawatra, who faces a 12-year sentence if convicted of corruption but who will not return to Bangkok.

However, Eriksson did sympathise with injured old boy Wayne Rooney: "You (England) don't have two Rooneys, only one.

"I'm sorry for him and Steve McClaren, of course. England have very important games. That's really bad luck."