The Blues have been forced to seek a temporary `home' venue for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round next month because the Eastlands pitch will still be recovering from summer boxing and concerts.

Initially, the Blues targeted Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium but then switched their sights to Preston North End's Deepdale home.

But it appears that the Lancashire Constabulary had some misgivings leaving City to leap back across the Pennines for a ground.

It now appears that Barnsley's Oakwell will be that ground venue where they have enjoyed mixed fortunes.

The last time City visited Barnsley, under Kevin Keegan, they won 3-0 with a team that contained former boss Stuart Pearce The only survivor in the Blues' side from that game back on October 31, 2001 is skipper Richard Dunne whose future is still up in the air but closer to being resolved.

His representative met boss Mark Hughes on Friday and talks are said to have `gone well'. There is now expected to be another chat between the agent and executive chairman Garry Cook which could take place within the next 24 hours.

Four times fans' player of the season Dunne is out of contract at the end of next season and the Blues have already had bids from Pompey and Spurs for the Republic of Ireland defender who understandably wants his last long-term contract to put him in the same kind of pay bracket as some of his less productive or much less experienced team-mates.

And Hughes will make the 29-year-old's future the No1 on his list of priorities.

"There are a number of issues surrounding the current playing squad that need to be resolved and it is one of my priorities," declared the manager who has been in a series of meetings with club officials in order to find how much money there will be to spend and tell them who he wants to keep and who he wants to let go.

"Players who want to stay here will stay here. I am confident about that."

Hughes will spend the next couple of weeks flitting between his office and the studios of ITV in London where he is scheduled to be amongst the pundits for Euro 2008.

His long-time friend and assistant boss Mark Bowen doesn't expect that the manager will be using the championships as a scouting mission for - like other top managers - the new City chief is wary of making snap decisions.

"The scouting side of things is an on-going process and Mark is wary of judging players in major championships," he said.

"There are not many unknown quantities in this year's Euro 2008 Championships though I suppose there could be the odd surprise.

"I am sure Mark will use the next week or so assessing what we need to strengthen the squad at City. We are in Europe of course and that means a longer and more intensive campaign.

"The depth of the squad will be called into question and we have to be prepared to be fighting on four fronts rather than three. It is something that we have experience of with Blackburn and hopefully that will be a benefit.

"We have got to look at the balance of the squad. There are certain areas that we need to look at but there are some good players who achieved here last season.

"There is certainly the basis of a strong squad that will enable us to challenge for the places we want to go."

That squad is likely to be without both Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson and Greek striker Georgios Samaras who have both used the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland to stress their lack of desire to return to City in pre-season.

"The appointment of Hughes makes no difference," said Isaksson. "I want to leave City."

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