Comment
While the noise has died down a little, Miguel Delaney of The Independent has written that an increasing number of club executives want Manchester City investigated further, although the same article acknowledges that many are not yet calling for it.
He also suggests that the threat of further investigations could be used as leverage to persuade City to accept sanctions.
Let's put the brakes on for a moment. There seems to be an assumption running through these discussions that City will automatically lose the appeal, as though the verdict has already been written. No ifs, no buts, no possibility that the original decision could be overturned or modified.
But before anyone starts talking about fresh investigations, there is a rather obvious question that needs answering: investigated for what exactly?
The Premier League cannot simply launch investigation after investigation because some clubs dislike an outcome. There has to be a basis for it. There has to be evidence. There has to be a rule that is alleged to have been breached. "We don't like the result" is not a legitimate ground for opening a new case.
As for the suggestion that the prospect of further investigations could be used to encourage City to accept sanctions, that is an even more troubling idea. Due process is supposed to involve examining evidence, applying rules and reaching a decision on the merits of the case. Using the threat of endless scrutiny to pressure a club into accepting punishment sounds less like fair governance and more like an attempt to bully one party into submission.
Whatever view people take of Manchester City, that should concern everyone. A regulatory system cannot be based on the principle that a club remains under investigation until it produces the answer that others want to hear. At some point, due process has to mean exactly that.

The Game
City's league campaign takes the Blues to the aptly named City Ground this week, where Nottingham Forest await. Forest currently find themselves looking over their shoulder towards the wrong end of the Premier League table, with just one league win to their name so far. Mind you, it's a little early to be reserving seats on the Championship coach for next May. Stranger things have happened.
The Blues arrive having suffered back-to-back league defeats, and the spotlight is beginning to shine rather uncomfortably on the defence. Opponents seem to have developed an alarming knack for finding gaps at the back, and unfortunately they're proving rather efficient at exploiting them. On paper, being joint fifth for the league's best defensive record sounds perfectly respectable. Watching some of the goals we've conceded tells a rather different story.
At the other end, our Viking remains the man carrying much of the goalscoring burden. Haaland can hardly be expected to do everything himself, although at times he appears determined to give it a go. A little more support from the cast around him would not go amiss.
Antoine Semenyo remains the only injury concern and is not expected back until after the international break. Meanwhile, Maresca continues his search for the perfect starting eleven, with rotation rarely far from his thoughts. Finding the right blend is difficult enough without adding the complication of playing footballers in positions that appear to have surprised even the footballers themselves.
So can City finally record their first league win of November?
The midweek victory in Leipzig was something of a mixed bag. The Germans had not lost at home all year, yet City still managed to score three times on their own patch. That is undoubtedly a positive. The less encouraging aspect was that the performance once again highlighted a team that still looks capable of making life unnecessarily difficult for itself.
Scoring three away from home should be enough to win most matches. The problem is that there is little point filling the opposition's net if we're determined to leave the back door swinging open at the other end. Defending, after all, remains an important part of the game, however unfashionable it may seem at times.
Forest will certainly fancy their chances, particularly given City's recent defensive generosity. But if the Blues take control, cut out the mistakes and show a little more discipline at the back, there is no reason why they cannot return home with all three points.
And one final request: no more gifts for the opposition. Christmas is still several weeks away.

Match Officials
Referee: Sam Barrott
Assistants: Adam Nunn, Tim Wood
Fourth official: Adam Herczeg
VAR: Paul F. Tierney
Assistant VAR: Richard West