Sven-Goran Eriksson has appealed to Manchester City's supporters to give Georgios Samaras a second chance as the Greek striker attempts to show that he does not deserve his reputation as one of the English Premier League's more expensive flops.
Samaras's name became synonymous with failure last season, when City failed to score a league goal at home from New Year's Day onwards and finished with only 10 goals in 19 games at their own stadium, the lowest scoring statistics recorded by a top-flight side.
Signed for £9 million from Heerenveen in January 2006, Samaras has managed only eight league goals in 50 appearances and the 22-year-old became the fans' scapegoat, regularly being barracked during Stuart Pearce's last few months in charge.
His career at City seemed over when Eriksson took charge of the team, but the former England manager has been impressed by Samaras's attitude in training over the past few weeks.
Samaras has duly been restored to the squad for tonight's League Cup tie at home to Norwich City and Eriksson wants the fans to get behind him.
"I have heard about what happened last season," said Eriksson, "but I hope our fans will see him now as one of our important players.
"It's very hard to play well if you are playing at home and the public don't like you. Away from home, it is normal to be booed but, at home, that never normally happens. Georgios is still our player and he has been working very hard.
"He's mentally very strong and his attitude seems to be, 'that stupid Swede, he won't play me'. He wants to show me that I am wrong and it is good to have players like that because sometimes a player's head can go down when they are not in the team.
"He's a good player and if he gets back in the side it will be because he deserves it. It's a mistake to think he has no future with us."
Samaras nearly left the club for Middlesbrough before the transfer deadline in August, but Valeri Bojinov has since suffered a serious knee injury and Eriksson admitted yesterday that Rolando Bianchi, the €13-million recruit from Reggina, had struggled to adapt to the faster pace of the English game.
"It's not homesickness," said the Swede. "I think he's happy here, but it's difficult for a striker coming into a different culture. The pace of the game is quicker than in any other European league and it will take time for him to get used to that."
Bianchi will be restored to the team to lead the forward line tonight, and Joe Hart will replace Kasper Schmeichel in goal, but Eriksson still intends to field a strong side, believing the League Cup is City's best hope of qualifying for European football.
