permanent in the close season, reports of the transfer fee varying between £375,000 and £500,000. After an ignominious start to the 1994–95 campaign, when he was sent off in a 3–0 opening day defeat at Arsenal, Rösler formed a productive partnership with Paul Walsh, and scored 22 league and cup goals despite missing several games through injury. In an FA cup match against Notts County he scored four goals, becoming the first Manchester City player to score four in an FA Cup tie since Johnny Hart in 1953. His performances that season meant he was the club's leading goalscorer, and he won the club's Player of the Year award. At the start of the 1995–96 season, Alan Ball became manager and immediately changed the nature of the side. Despite City's obvious strengths down the flanks, the team was adapted to play through the middle of the park. With no supply line from the wings (City's other winger Nicky Summerbee often playing at right-back), and with the loss through injury of Beagrie and the shocking sale of Walsh, Rösler struggled in this season. Many felt that he and fellow striker Niall Quinn were too similar to play in a system that didn't feed strikers effectively and Rösler clearly became unhappy. Much publicised disagreements with the manager culminated in Rösler being dropped from the side, only to be brought on as a sub in the Manchester derby and immediately score a phenomenal goal. Rösler's goal celebrations saw him running to the bench, shouting at Ball and pointing to his name and squad number on the back of his shirt. City were relegated to Division One at the end of the campaign, but Rösler opted to stay with the Blues. Despite another difficult campaign, Rösler again finished top scorer and clearly benefited from the return to a 4–4–1–1 formation. After another spell out with injury, Rösler would eventually leave the Blues in May 1998 on a free transfer following relegation to Division Two. In his four years at City he played 176 games, scoring 64 goals. He was admitted to City's "Hall of Fame" in December 2009. Return to Germany In the summer of 1998, Rösler returned to Germany joining Kaiserslautern, then reigning German champions, for one season. His most remarkable game there was on 9 December 1998 when he came on as a substitute against HJK and scored a second half hat-trick