Newsletter #1675

News from Alex tonight on the recent games, happenings and progress behind the scenes and international Blues.

We’ve continued opinion on the de Jong tackle, media treatment, squad rotation, old time Blues and the usual requests.

Next McV will be out early on Wednesday evening.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

For the Fans: City released the first of their annual prospectuses this week as the board promised more communication between club and fans. Owner Sheikh Mansour sent a letter with this first prospectus and within it claimed that he and his staff remained committed to the objectives they set out two years ago and made clear that: “the challenge I set my Board and Executive Leadership Team is to develop City so that it is one of the most successful clubs both on and off the pitch, but to do so without losing any of the characteristics that make it so special.” Mansour is evidently keen to hold on to all that makes the Manchester club so unique whilst also hoping to build City into a global giant of the sporting world. In his letter he speaks of the club as: “a business, as a member of the community and of course as a great sporting institution” and it is in these fields that the mega rich Prince hopes to build a lasting legacy at Eastlands. The official prospectus, as well as the full version of Mansour’s letter can be found on the official mcfc.co.uk site.

No Surprises: The release of this prospectus came only days after it was revealed that City had made a record loss of £121.3 million this financial year. Though it would have come to no shock to a club who spent more than £100 million on players this season, various sections of the media seemed to be surprised by the statistics and again criticized the ambitious Citizens. Executive Chairman Garry Cook moved swiftly to explain that such figures were to be expected at this time in the club’s development and City’s long term aims were more than sufficient to make up for this year’s substantial losses: “It is safe to say that player acquisitions on the scale we have seen in recent transfer windows will no longer be required in the years ahead now that we have such a deep and competitive squad. In 2009-10, we narrowly fell short of our goals on the pitch, but still achieved nine club records including our best-ever result in the Premier League.”

Title Contenders: Second in the league with wins over Liverpool and Chelsea under their belt, City have fast become a surprise contender in this season’s title race. As Liverpool find themselves struggling down the other end of the table and as Manchester United and Arsenal battle to find some consistent form, City’s fight to reach the league’s summit is only blocked by an in-form Chelsea. Following City’s 1-0 win over Champions Chelsea last week, Blues’ skipper John Terry revealed that he felt City were more than capable of challenging for honours this season, but only if they could perform at their best on a consistent basis: “The way that City played against us, they are definitely title contenders. They have certainly got the players to do so and any big side going there is going to find it difficult because they always raise their game. It’s against the smaller sides that they have found it difficult. Saturday’s defeat was one of those things for us. I’ve seen quite a bit of City and they have not looked great, if I’m honest. But they were excellent against us; it was their best game of the season. They are going to get encouragement from that, from beating the in-form side in the league.”

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien went even further than his captain and claimed that City are now his club’s closest title rivals. In a move that will undoubtedly rile many fans just outside the city, the Ghanaian said that with the talent that Mancini has at his disposal, an assault on the title should come sooner rather than later for the mega-rich club: “Manchester City are our closest challengers right now. You can see they made good signings and they will be up for it. We will see what happens. I don’t know if they will have the stamina but they have the players to go out and do the job. Maybe we have an advantage because we know what it takes to win the league but every season is different. We have to keep going.”

Mancini’s Goal: In order to begin challenging for the title any time soon, City chief Roberto Mancini understands that his side will have to increase the club’s goal tally. Despite only conceding three league goals this season, City goal difference stands at a mere +6, whilst Chelsea is an impressive +21. The club’s defensive frailties last season cost them dearly and with those now tidied up, Mancini will be hoping to ensure that their attacking abilities don’t create the same problems this term. City’s lack of goals hasn’t been helped by injuries to star strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Mario Balotelli and Mancini believes that upon their return to full fitness, City’s front line will be a completely different proposition: “We have worked very well in the defensive phase, now we must improve on the offensive side so we score more than one goal a game. But I believe we only have this problem because all our strikers are injured. When Emmanuel Adebayor recovers 100% fitness and Mario Balotelli is back, I am confident we can change this situation.”

Emmanuel Adebayor returned to the starting line-up for last week’s 1-1 draw with Juventus and though the Togolese striker never quite got into his stride, his manager believes once ‘Manu’ scores one, the floodgates will open: “I wouldn’t say it was a frustrating night for him. The main thing he was available after 20 days out. I am happy with his performance, but what I would like is for Emmanuel to score a goal. We need him to score goals. This is what we are working for.”

Squad News

Team Spirit: Mega-money transfers aside, the one other major change at City this season has been the change of captaincy. Under the management of former boss Mark Hughes, Ivorian centre back Kolo Toure had been trusted with the armband, something that continued during Mancini’s first six months at the club. Although the former Arsenal defender never failed in his duties and brought relative success to the club, City’s Italian manager felt the need to replace Toure with last season’s top goal-scorer Carlos Tevez. Many believed that the change would cause ructions in the camp but Toure has dismissed such speculation and revealed the talks that were held between him and his manager: “The manager had a chat with me and told me what he intended to do; that he felt being captain would help Carlos and team. It did not upset me at all. I understood exactly why the manager did what he did. At first when he told me I thought ‘what have I done wrong, have I not done the job well?’ but once he had explained his reasons to me I was fine. He said he wanted to get Carlos more involved in the team and he has done. He wanted to give Carlos more responsibility because he is a great player.”

Kolo actually feels that the boss’ decision has benefited both players and has made it clear that the ‘team’ is much more important than one individual: “It has worked very well for me and it has worked very well for Carlos. The most important thing is always the team and I will do anything to make it better. Football is not an individual sport it is all about the team, the spirit within that team, the winning mentality within that team and so it doesn’t matter to me who the captain is. I will give my best all the time whether or not I am wearing the armband. I am very proud to be a Manchester City player.”

Blues are in Good Kompany: Vincent Kompany will undoubtedly be one of the favourites for September’s Player of the Month award after another fantastic run of form for the Blues and the Belgian centre back admitted this week that he felt he was making good progress at the club. Ever since his £6 million move from Hamburg, Vincent Kompany has been a consistently outstanding performer for The Citizens but the defender has no plans to rest on his laurels. With money in the pot and ambitions higher than any other club in the world, Kompany knows that City could replace him at any moment and so he must continue to perform to his own impeccable standards in order to remain a part of the most exciting period in the club’s history: “I am progressing – that is all it is. I think I have performed ever since I have been at City. I always think you can only be as good as your last game, so I have to do equally as well in my next match, or even better if possible. That is the attitude I have. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. The team is getting better, and I am getting older and have more experience. I am willing to learn. I will expect more from myself the more games that I play. That is always my attitude.”

No Rest for the City: After three games in a week, Mancini gave his players two days off in order to recoup for the rest of the campaign. City centre back Joleon Lescott however, has pledged to use his time off working hard in the gym. Lescott, who cost £25 million back in the summer of 2009, has been hit a run of injuries since his move from Everton and the 27-year-old is now keen to retain his fitness levels and establish himself in the City XI. Lescott is focusing on hitting the gym in order to combat his recent injuries but he also expects that many of his team-mates will be using their own spare time to make sure they are in peak physical condition should the manager come calling: “I’ve had injuries in the past and I know what my body needs, so I try to go to the gym as often as I can. But with the schedule as it has been for us, it’s hard to get there as often as I would like. So the next few days is a perfect opportunity for me to get in there, starting today – even if it is a day off. I’m not the only one, I’m sure there are other players just as keen as I am to prevent an injury. There’s a lot been said about footballers’ lifestyles, and we do enjoy it! But we are also dedicated and professional – we know how hard we have to work to maintain our fitness levels.”

AJ Being Put Through the Mill: Former City right back Danny Mills has criticized current boss Roberto Mancini for not giving Adam Johnson the chance to shine this season. ‘Johnno’, whose form since January has seem him turn from Championship winger to England squad regular, has found himself on the bench for most of this season’s fixtures and Mills believes this is a waste of talent. With Mancini preferring a 4-3-3 formation, Mills wonders whether Johnson fits into his manager’s system and feels that the winger should truly consider his future if the Blues continue to isolate the young prospect: “Johnson is the only person in English football at the moment who is a true winger, a dribbler. My only worry is he is not a Mancini-type player. I am not sure Mancini likes him because he will take the odd risk, he will give the ball away. I think he may struggle to get a regular start, which would be a massive shame.”

The Rumour Mill

Paving the Way: City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has again tried to set up a move to Italy this week, Juventus the object of his desires this time round. AC Milan and city rivals Inter have both expressed an interest in the former Togo captain over recent months and ‘Manu’ has made no secret of his intentions of leaving CoMS if he does not become a first team regular under Mancini. Prior to the sides’ Europa League battle last week, Ade’ stated: “I’d like to play in Italy and I can see myself in black and white stripes. I talked it over with Patrick Vieira, who holds excellent memories of the season he spent in Turin. Italian football focuses a lot on technique and I like it. I had already been in talks for a move to Juve during Fabio Capello’s time at the club, but nothing ever came of it. I am going through a delicate moment in my career and something has to change. I am not annoyed with (Roberto) Mancini and we have an honest rapport, but we can’t go on like this indefinitely. Therefore, if Juve want me…”

Any sale of Adebayor could leave City open to bid for another striker. Wolfsburg’s Edin Dzeko and Atletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero have both been linked this week whilst rumours of a possible bid for Fernando Torres will certainly begin to circulate if Liverpool can’t recover form their dismal start to the season.

Bell’s Hell: Controversial striker Craig Bellamy caused a stir this week when he suggested that Manchester United had been interested in capturing his signature during the summer. Upon being told that he would not be a part of City’s 25 man squad this season, Bellamy was linked with a number of clubs including Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, before eventually moving to boyhood side Cardiff City. In an interview about his move to Cardiff, Bellamy wouldn’t name United as the side who courted him but did claim: “Someone else came in which would have caused a few stirs. If I had said I wanted to go there my life in Manchester would have been really tough. I ain’t gonna say anything but it would have been tough. It would have been a miracle had it come off.”

Post-Match Reaction

City Held by ‘Old Lady’: It might not have been the footballing master class that optimists had hoped for when one of Europe’s giants visited Eastlands last Thursday, but two strokes of brilliance left both sets of fans happy to take away a point. Vincenzo Iaquinta’s 25 yard strike put the Italians in front after only 11 minutes but it was City who pressed hardest after that. Emmanuel Adebayor looked out of sorts and every time the Blues fed it up towards him, the striker failed to make any impact. The Blues did draw level though. With nine minutes left of the first half, Yaya Toure played an incisive through ball that beat three Juventus defenders and fed Adam Johnson to equalize. The second half continued in disappointing fashion and though the Blues were arguably the better side, Alessandro Del Piero almost won it for Juve’ in the dying moments with a free kick that crashed against the bar. Roberto Mancini admitted that his side could have played better but explained that they’ve done enough so far to set themselves up for qualification: “I think the draw was fair. In the second half we were not as good as we could have been near goal, but Juventus had a lot of players back in defence. We can do better than that first 20 minutes, but after that I thought we played some good football. Sometimes we must move the ball quicker than we do. Every game is different but you must have the same attitude, the same concentration on the pitch as we had against Chelsea. I am confident. For me it is a difficult group, with Poznan a good team and Juventus a good team – so it will not be easy, but I think we can go through.”

Scrappy Points Win Titles: If you believe the old adage then City are going to win the title in style this season, because there has been no scrappier win than City’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle last weekend. A flurry of uncharacteristic mistakes and an apprehensive display from City’s back line almost allowed Newcastle to take a point from Eastlands. Instead, Adam Johnson acted as City’s saviour for a second time in three days. With twenty minutes left on the clock, Mancini replaced Gareth Barry with the Blues’ in form winger and AJ did the rest. Running down the wing before cutting in and shooting past the stranded Tim Krul, this goal was all of ‘Johnno’s’ making and the calls for him to start only got louder after he was named Man of the Match. Manager Mancini had to rush home to Italy for personal reasons and so assistant boss Brian Kidd gave the post-match interview: “If you want to be in contention to win the Premier League you’ve got to be able to play, fight and dig results out and win ugly and I think we saw bits of all those qualities today. All credit to Newcastle who I thought were terrific today. We weren’t really at the races in the first half, but the players all knew that and their response after the break was terrific. I think three games in a week took their toll somewhat, but top teams have to cope with that and occasionally you will get performances that look a little lacklustre, but the best teams respond and dig results out, which is what we did today.”

Kidd also paid tribute to his boss’ tactical nous: “I think the boss deserves great credit today because he changed things around a few times and then brings on Adam, who comes up with the winner. We went for it and despite things not going our way, we weren’t prepared to settle for a draw and it paid off, so happy days!”

Centre-back Kolo Toure was chuffed to have gained the full points on offer and felt that Newcastle went about the fixture in exactly the right way against a team who had played Juventus only three days before: “Newcastle put up a hard fight and were tough opponents. It was difficult after Thursday because we had only two days to recover and work. We started the game slowly and we were not pleased with that. Then we conceded a sloppy goal. The right things were said at half time, the manager had the right words and we worked harder in the second half and we are really happy that we got the three points. If we work hard then we can maintain that challenge. The great thing for us is that we are still a new team and there is still a lot of improvement to come this season – I am sure of that. So to be second at this stage is a really good thing.”

International Blues

Right Back in the Frame: 20-year-old Kieran Trippier earned his first call-up to the England under 21 squad as Stuart Pearce sough to replace the injured Micah Richards. Trippier, who has spent the beginning of this season on loan at Championship side Barnsley, is now in contention to play in the international fixture against Romania whilst Micah Richards has returned home in a bid to return to full fitness.

Joe Must Work to ‘Keep His Place: Five City players made Capello’s latest England squad to face Montenegro next week with Hart, Lescott, Barry, SWP and Johnson all impressing the Italian coach enough to earn a call-up. Going off current form, the safest bet of all these players would be goalkeeper Joe Hart and England legend Peter Shilton believes Hart can be England’s number one for years to come – if he reaches his very best whenever he’s called upon: “He’s looked confident, he’s looked strong, he’s looked sharp. He looks as though he shouts as well, you just feel as though he’s in charge. Now is the time that we’ve got to see what he’s made of and the only way to do that is to be consistent and solid and make the saves when you have to. He’s done exceptionally well. He’s come from probably being a reserve at Manchester City to England’s first-choice ‘keeper in 18 months. He’s got the chance to be there for a long time, it’s still early days. You couldn’t really ask any more of him, he’s shown a lot of confidence, a lot of belief.”

Leaping to Nigel’s Defence: “It was a wild and unnecessary offence. He went in much too hard. But I have a problem with the way Nigel needlessly looks to push the limit. I am going to speak to him.” Those were the words of Netherlands national boss Bert Van Marwijk following Nigel de Jong’s strong, but fair tackle on Newcastle’s Hatem Ben Arfa last weekend. During the opening stages of the match, de Jong sent in a typically fully committed, if not untidy challenge against the French winger before winning the ball and unfortunately breaking the on-loan star’s leg. Referee Martin Atkinson saw nothing wrong with the challenge, the assistant referee, under whose nose the whole incident occurred, saw nothing wrong with the challenge and even Newcastle manager Chris Hughton felt the challenge had “no malice” and yet despite all this the Dutch manager has taken the unprecedented step of dropping a player for an incident at club level. De Jong has been sent back to Manchester and will miss out on The Netherlands’ Euro 2012 qualification fixtures against Moldova and Sweden.

Roberto Mancini refused to be drawn into a debate about the challenge and instead offered his unwavering support to his midfielder dynamo: “As his Club Manager I wish to say that whilst he is naturally competitive, Nigel is first and foremost a great player as well as being honest and loyal and I support him wholeheartedly. I also want to take this opportunity to wish Ben Arfa, who I rate very highly, a speedy recovery and I hope to see him back in action soon.”

Zab’s Déjà Vu: Argentine right back Pablo Zabaleta will again miss out on the chance to establish himself in his national side after injury robbed him of the chance to prove himself for a third time. Zab’ has suffered the same hamstring injury that he suffered at exactly the same time last season and though the versatile defender is majorly disappointed to be withdrawing from an international squad yet again, he was philosophical about his predicament. “The injury is exactly the same as one I picked up last year. It’s my right hamstring that I originally strained at Aston Villa six games into the season, so lightning really has struck twice – it’s very strange. It’s hard because I’ve not had to pull out of two or three squads for Argentina and it makes it all the more hard for me to establish myself in the national team. I had a really good chance of playing too, but that’s how things sometimes go in football – maybe I ran over a black cat or something!”

OPINION: KEEPING CONUNDRUM

I agree with Andy Armstrong: Mancini should initiate a goalkeeping tandem system with Joe Hart and Shay Given.

If Hart gets the goalkeeping assignment against Juventus, then Given should have been in goal against Newcastle.

In North America, ice hockey teams continually switch goalies to keep both players happy. If Mancini has decided that Joe Hart is his No.1 goalie then he should be straight with Given and let him go. It’s ridiculous for Mancini to insist that both players are important to the team when he continues to favour Hart.

Let’s just hope that nothing happens to Hart this season. Given will be gone in January.

OPINION: OLD TIME BLUES

I have just been over to the UK for five weeks and caught up with my beloved team, took in the Europa cup match with the Romanians along with the Wigan and Chelsea games. What an improvement in the pre match experience with the café and Summerbee bar opening along with the music and big screens. Good to see that the club are paying attention to the whole experience rather than just the match.

I would like to report that on my visit both my dad and I were invited down to Platt Lane Academy by Fred Eyre. What a facility it is and seeing all those young men who want to make it in the game. they are given every chance by being provided with a superb environment to progress their skills.

We met and had lunch with Glyn Pardoe, Steve Fleet, John Williamson and Fred. What a great set of blokes they were; they showed as much interest in us as we them. In particular Glyn Pardoe, a true City legend who made his début at 15 years of age and was a one club man. We passed away two hours as if it was two minutes sharing stories. What a great bloke Fred is too, having taken time out for us and enabling us to have this experience.

Was a little disappointed by the West Brom result but cannot argue with 2nd in the league; how long ago was it that we were last in front of United, long may it continue!

OPINION: TRAINING REGIME

Is the twice a day training putting a strain on some players? According to some media Tevez is not happy and is threatening to quit the game because he is tired? We do not want that to happen.

The team are doing very well reaching second place in the league. Players have had to be moved around in their positions because of injuries, and Roberto has had to play more of a defensive games, playing Tevez on his own up front. When Mario is fit the system will change and we should see more attacking football; trouble is that reports say Mario will not be fit until mid-December. Adebayor has got to apply himself more when he gets the opportunity to play; in his last appearance he did look better.

The team should be fit, have good morale and spirit about them, play with great team work. Will Roberto be able to maintain this if there is some dissent in the dressing room due to training? By the same token, Roberto has to maintain discipline with his methods; is there a fine line to change training methods? The players have got to be sharp at all times, just as in the Chelsea game.

With no league games having been played, it seems like the media have gone to war against Nigel de Jong, and suddenly after a long wait Newcastle want an inquiry into the accidental injury to their player. De Jong is a very good player who never shuns away from a tackle; I hope he never changes his style of play. Of course no one wants to see injuries but from time to time it’s going to happen for it’s a contact sport.

Come on you Blues!

OPINION: PHIL’S WORLD

Time to batten down the hatches, take a leaf out of old “bacon face”‘s book and create a siege mentality. Three cannonballs to the starboard side:

1. Husband of the year, consummate pacifist andall round good egg, Stan Collymore, wants a 5month ban for Nigel de Jong’s tackle
2. Catalan giants Barcelona are going to raidCity in the January window to take Tevez to playalongside Messi at the Nou Camp
3. City’s finances will fall foul of UEFA’s rulesand we will be banned from all European competitions from 2013

Which of these do we need to concern ourselves with?

The Talksport stuff will drift away in the breeze but since it’s a slow news week (international break)… I just wish they would talk about Liverpool’s demise instead but there are too many ex-Liverpool pundits to ensure only positive things are said about the bindippers: Jamie Carragher (Sky), Phil Thompson (Sky), Graham Souness (Sky) , Alan Hanson (BBC), Mark Lawrenson (BBC), Kevin Keegan (Ch5) then all the Liverpool fans (Colin Murray R5 and the adorable Alan Green R5). So rather than talk extensively on Liverpool’s situation they will much prefer to concentrate on NdJ.

Tevez will stay; you don’t sell a captain mid-season so there will be a PFO price slapped on him: £150 million and he’s yours. Way out of Barça’s reach as they still have a €80 million hole in their accounts.

So the first two will I am sure disappear in time, just like the cat in the wheelie bin episode.

But for the third I need some help.

I’m no accountant but apparently irrespective of the fact that we have paid in full (cash) for the signings e.g. £30 million for Tevez, this has to be amortised over his contract so instead of this appearing as a cost before the financial rules apply in 2013, what happens is that this £30 million is spread over the 5 years deal so appears as a £6 million cost per year, so if we are only allowed a £39 million loss then we fall foul of the rules of accounting.

So despite being debt-free we will fall foul of Platini’s plans; can anyone refute/clarify this as the media are beginning to make noises over this one. I am sure we will have done our homework but mistakes happen and I am sure the legal beagle who put together the Joe Hart loan deal last season will have had his (or her) butt kicked over the omission of a clause that allowed us to recall him in case of injury.

Just like Mary’s neighbour’s cat I’m in the dark on this one…

OPINION: PERSPECTIVES

I feel I have to explain something to James (MCIVTA 1674: Own Worst Enemy)… and that is, to lump many thousands of people together into a single group and label it “fans” is rather naïve. To then nag and moan at “fans” as though he is separate to this single entity he has invented in his own mind, as though he is an observer from another planet, is quite condescending. To suggest that this singular thing “fans” get what they deserve… well, he must believe in a brand of Buddhism where Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea fans have never done anything wrong, and therefore are attributed the successes they deserve by an unknown, godly presence.

I suggest James goes to a match at another ground, or move out of the area he currently sits in, to get a different and more happy perspective.

OPINION: COLLYWOBBLES

I find it highly amusing in the wake of NdJ’s challenge on Hatem Ben Arfa to read that Stan Collymore refers to tackles such as Nigel’s as ‘anti football’. This coming from a man who’s domestic violence record could see him be considered ‘anti relationship’.

OPINION: NORMAN WISDOM I

I can assure Graham Lister that he didn’t imagine Norman Wisdom taking a penalty at Maine Road. I can’t remember which game but it was at half time and the referee for that penalty was Salford’s own the late, great Neil Midgley.

OPINION: NORMAN WISDOM II

I can’t remember the opponents that day but I do remember it was the Peter Reid era, because he looked just like him when he came out of the tunnel. He possibly even got a chorus of ‘Reidy Reidy give us a wave’ from the Kippax.

OPINION: NORMAN WISDOM III

In response to Gre Lister’s piece in MCIVTA 1674, I do remember Norman Wisdom coming onto the Maine Road pitch at half time in the late 80s (Mel Machin era if I remember rightly) and running around like a two year old. He must have been a septuagenarian even then! RIP Norman Wisdom, comedy legend.

REQUEST: IMAGINING

Thought I’d celebrate John Lennon’s 70th by co-writing a song:

Imagine

Imagine no United
It’s easy if you try
Yankee carpet baggers
Fingers in the pie
Imagine all the interest
Piling up each day

Imagine Man United
It isn’t hard to do
Playing Stockport County
In Division Two
Imagine all the millions
Who’ll have slipped away

You may say that I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one
City are the future
United? Just dream on

Imagine no footballers
I wonder if you can
Who on earth will join you
When you’re down the pan?
Imagine Scholes and Neville
On their Zimmer frames

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But my dreams will make you sick
Dreamed I watched The Rags
In the Evo-Stik

Lyrics copyright: e.whalley 2010

REQUEST: POINTS OF BLUE

I’ve sent draft minutes to the Club. It usually takes about a week for approval.

Thanks to all those who came on Wednesday. I hope you found it informative and worthwhile.

REQUEST: SIERRA LEONE VIEWS

The video of the mini coach and football kit donated by Man City fans worldwide to Man City fans in Sierra Leone will be shown on City’s website from this coming Saturday, 9th October.

There are seven 5 minute video clips that will be shown over seven days and there will also be exclusive material on City’s Official Facebook page throughout the week promoting the videos.

Below is how the series will be run over the seven days and I hope you all enjoy it.

Sat 9 Oct
City in Sierra Leone I
Introducing the story of the project. How it all started with Tony and Armani, the idea of getting a bus and the Club getting on board.

Sun 10 Oct
City in Sierra Leone 2
From Belgium to Freetown – via Ardwick: Shipping the bus to Africa.

Mon 11 Oct
City in Sierra Leone 3
The guys arrive in Freetown and visit a Man City Sierra Leone training session.

Tues 12 Oct
City in Sierra Leone 4
Things take a turn for the worse. The guys try to find out what’s going on at the shipping office and the port – and ask for help when appearing on a Freetown radio show.

Wed 13 Oct
City in Sierra Leone 5
Man City Sierra Leone take on their local rivals – a team in red.

Thurs 14 Oct
City in Sierra Leone 6
A visit to Armani’s house – and watching Premier League Freetown-style for City versus Sunderland.

Fri 15 Oct
City in Sierra Leone 7
A last trip to the port to see if the boat and the bus has finally arrived…

Don’t forget to read the blog at http://www.sierraleonemcfc.blogspot.com/ and if you want to, you can make a donation while you’re there.

RESULTS

League table to 10 October 2010 inclusive

                              HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Chelsea          7  4  0  0 14  0  2  0  1  9  2  6  0  1  23   2  21  18
 2 Manchester City  7  3  1  0  7  2  1  1  1  2  1  4  2  1   9   3   6  14
 3 Manchester Utd   7  3  0  0  9  2  0  4  0  7  7  3  4  0  16   9   7  13
 4 Arsenal          7  2  0  1 12  4  1  2  1  4  5  3  2  2  16   9   7  11
 5 Tottenham H.     7  2  1  1  5  3  1  1  1  3  3  3  2  2   8   6   2  11
 6 West Brom A.     7  2  2  0  6  3  1  0  2  3  9  3  2  2   9  12  -3  11
 7 Stoke City       7  2  1  1  5  4  1  0  2  3  5  3  1  3   8   9  -1  10
 8 Aston Villa      7  2  1  0  5  1  1  0  3  4 11  3  1  3   9  12  -3  10
 9 Blackpool        7  0  1  1  3  4  3  0  2  8 11  3  1  3  11  15  -4  10
10 Fulham           7  1  2  0  4  3  0  4  0  4  4  1  6  0   8   7   1   9
11 Sunderland       7  1  3  0  4  3  0  2  1  3  4  1  5  1   7   7   0   8
12 Bolton Wndrs     7  0  3  0  4  4  1  2  1  6  7  1  5  1  10  11  -1   8
13 Blackburn R.     7  1  1  1  3  3  1  1  2  4  5  2  2  3   7   8  -1   8
14 Wigan Athletic   7  1  1  3  3 13  1  1  0  1  0  2  2  3   4  13  -9   8
15 Newcastle Utd    7  1  0  2  7  4  1  1  2  3  6  2  1  4  10  10   0   7
16 Birmingham City  7  1  2  1  2  3  0  2  1  5  7  1  4  2   7  10  -3   7
17 Everton          7  0  2  1  4  5  1  1  2  2  2  1  3  3   6   7  -1   6
18 Liverpool        7  1  2  1  5  5  0  1  2  2  6  1  3  3   7  11  -4   6
19 Wolves           7  1  1  1  4  4  0  1  3  3  8  1  2  4   7  12  -5   5
20 West Ham United  7  1  1  2  4  7  0  1  2  1  7  1  2  4   5  14  -9   5

MCIVTA FAQ [v1011.01]

[1] MCIVTA Addresses

Articles (Heidi Pickup)          : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org
News/rumour (Alex Rowen)         : news@mcivta.city-fan.org
Subscriptions (Madeleine Hawkins): subscriptions@mcivta.city-fan.org
Technical problems (Paul)        : paul@city-fan.org
FAQ (David Warburton)            : faq@mcivta.city-fan.org

[2] What are MCIVTA’s publishing deadlines?

Deadlines for issues are nominally 6pm, Monday and Thursday evenings by email. Unfortunately we cannot accept email attachments.

[3] MCIVTA Back Issues and Manchester City Supporters’ home page

http://www.mcivta.com/ is the unofficial Manchester City Supporters’ home page. Created in 1994, it is the longest running of the Manchester City related web sites. Back issues of MCIVTA are also hosted on the site. You can also follow on www.twitter.com/mcivta to get the latest updates.

[4] What is the club’s official web site?

The official club web site can be found at http://www.mcfc.co.uk/ and the official club Twitter page at www.twitter.com/mcfc. The club also has a facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/mcfcofficial

[5] What supporters’ clubs are there?

The Official Supporters’ Club and the Centenary Supporters’ Association have merged to become the Manchester City Supporters’ Club (http://www.mcfcsupportersclub.com/). The club also recognise the Manchester City Disabled Supporters’ Association (http://www.mcdsa.co.uk/).

[6] Where can I find out about Points of Blue?

The committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. Points of Blue appears on the club website under the “Fans” heading (http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Fans).

[7] What match day broadcasts are available on the web?

Live match commentary can be found on the club website. The Radio Manchester pre- and post-match phone-in is available on the web at http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/manchester/hi/tv_and_radio/.

[8] Where can I find out if City are live on satellite TV?

http://www.satfootball.com/pl.html provides a listing of Premier League games being shown on UK domestic and foreign satellite channels. Useful sites for North American viewers are http://msn.foxsports.com/, http://www.soccertv.com/.

[9] Do we have a Usenet newsgroup?

Yes we do: uk.sport.football.clubs.man-city is our home on usenet. If you are not familiar with usenet, a basic explanation is available here: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci213262,00.html

[10] Do any squad members have their own web pages?

There are a number available and direct links can be found at http://www.mcivta.com/players/

[11] Where can I find match statistics?

Statistics for the current season are available from the club site, but for a more in-depth analysis try http://www.mcfcstats.com/.

DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in MCIVTA are entirely those of the subscribersand there is no intention to represent these opinions as being thoseof Manchester City Football Club, nor of any of the companies anduniversities by whom the subscribers are employed. It is not inany way whatsoever connected to the club or any other relatedorganisation and is simply a group of supporters using this mediumas a means of disseminating news and exchanging opinions.

Heidi Pickup, editor@mcivta.city-fan.org

Editor: