Newsletter #963

Apologies for the delay – due to virus problems.

Tonight we have match report and views on the QPR game as City progressed to the 4th round thanks to goals from SWP (2) and Macken (1).

We have John’s preview of the Southampton game and Rob’s monthly Premiership stats together with a mid term season review, opinions and the usual requests.

Finally, Don’s news summary with a round-up of all the week’s happenings. Don is now off for a well earned break and Sarah Longshaw has kindly agreed to step in for the next two weeks so keep any snippets coming to the <news(at)mcivta.city-fan.org> address.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Hands Off Our Kev! In an attempt to reassure me (OK, not just me perhaps!) after last week’s “KK to Liverpool” stories, Dennis Tueart has made it clear that the club would resist any attempt by the Red Scousers to take our Boss Man. Tueart said: “The chairman John Wardle, myself and the board would sit down with Kevin and say, ‘Let’s talk it through’. Kevin Keegan is his own man, he makes his own mind up about things but I’m sure he’d talk to John Wardle first. But when he came here he said this is a sleeping giant with lots of potential. He’s made a good start but there’s still a lot to be done.” DT feels that City could be on the verge of great achievements: “I think we’ve got our best chance of landing a big trophy since ’76. In my time as a player we won the League Cup, finished second in the League to Liverpool and averaged over 42,000 at Maine Road. There were 10 internationals in the team. But people watching us now can’t believe the quality of players Kevin has brought in. There’s Anelka, Fowler and McManaman – and Wright-Phillips is playing out of his skin. It’s that element of hunger, that desire to keep pushing on that marks Kevin,” he said. “He just never sits still. He has this intensity to be successful. I remember him as an England teammate under Don Revie and he and Mike Channon were a great double act. They were our leaders in the dressing-room and it’s the same now. He has this fantastic spirit – he’s always optimistic and looking for the challenge. He’s already achieved a lot here, but he doesn’t believe in resting on laurels. He has a great personality. Before he was working for us I went to his house to see him and he was away at B&Q getting some wood to build a little stage upstairs in his loft. A few weeks ago I called on him and he was throwing hay bales around, cleaning out his stables – on his day off! There’s a link, maybe, in that his father was a miner and mine worked in the shipyard. I remember the previous chairman David Bernstein congratulating him on a good run after four or five games without defeat. But Kevin said, ‘That’s not a good run – 10 or 12 games is a good run’.”

Blues in Ding Dong With Bell: You may remember that we reported a few months ago on the fears that City’s Internet poll to name the new West Stand had been hijacked by opposing fans, anxious to give “the stand name a phallic inference” (as one newspaper tactfully put it). If the club had hoped that the matter would be quietly forgotten about, then they were wrong. The winning name choice was said to be for Colin Bell, and this week, the King’s son Jon, wrote to the John Wardle complaining about how the club had handled the matter. Mr Bell Jr. apparently states that the family were told he had “convincingly won”, only to learn seven months later that the stand would “definitely not” be named after him. “As a family, proud of our father’s achievements, we simply cannot understand City’s rationale for apparently failing to comply with the fans’ vote. If there was no intention to name the stand after Colin Bell, then his name should have been excluded from the list.” John Wardle has agreed to meet Colin Bell in an attempt to assuage the City legend’s concerns. It seems a shame that such negative publicity has been allowed to happen, although latest reports suggest a compromise may have been worked out. The proposal is that a stadium approach could be named after the great man – which begs the question, why didn’t City suggest this in the first place?

Groclin K.O. Switch: The M.E.N. reports that City’s UEFA Cup-tie with Groclin will kick-off at 4.15pm local time, 3.15pm GMT on Thursday 27 November. This is to avoid the possibility of evening snow and frost stopping the playing of the match. The newspaper also surmises that the game may be shown on terrestrial TV in the UK, with Channel 5 apparently the favourites to broadcast. A 3.15 kick off eh? I can feel one of my off-work “migraines” coming on already…

Transfer News and Gossip

Anelka and Who? How does a forward line of Nic Anelka and Patrick Kluivert sound (if you said “Nah, my dream forward line is Gerry Creaney and Gareth Taylor”, deduct five points)? Kluivert was in England last week, and appeared as a summariser on Sky Sports. The Dutch star is enduring a miserable time at Barcelona, and is being jeered by his own fans on a regular basis. So, Kluivert is on his way to England, apparently. Newcastle have been linked with the striker for months now, but other contenders are said to be Arsenal, Chelsea and MCFC (thanks to Colin Bateman for that rumour). Last week’s Observer had a feature on Kluivert’s travails and it contained the following insight into the man: “Newcastle, while openly keen, are not favoured by a man whose hunger to play top-level football is matched by his appetite for cosmopolitan fleshpots.”

Time for a New Hutchinson? Skysports.com report that City are showing an interest in young defensive midfielder Atiba Hutchison, according to the player’s agent. Agent Barry MacLean said: “I’ve spoken to Kevin Keegan about Atiba and he has some interest in him. However, I can’t see it being any more than talk, though I hope I can get him a couple of days there to train with them. The problem will be getting a work permit for him and Canada are ranked 77th in the world rankings: that’s outside the top 70.” The Canadian Under-20 international has spent a year at Swedish side Osters IF. “Atiba made a huge impression in Scandinavia this season and there is a lot of interest in him there,” MacLean added. The player himself is realistic: “It would be fun if it happens but it is not what I am thinking about right now,” Hutchinson to Sportbladet: “I have one year left on my contract with Osters but I am hoping to reach an agreement which allows me to play in the Allsvenskan next year.”

Rumours That Won’t Go Away: Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot has again been linked with a move to the COMS. The press seem to think that the Roman Empire have been offering the Dutch international full back Mario Melchiot to interested clubs. These are said to include City, while a return to Ajax could be on with the Dutch club struggling to convince Hatem Trabelsi to commit to a new deal. Meanwhile old boy Michael Brown is in prolonged contract talks with Sheffield United, prompting speculation that the 26 year-old is angling for a move to a Premiership club. City of course are mentioned as a possible destination, along with Everton and Leeds United. Blades’ Boss Neil Warnock is still hopeful of securing Brown’s future, however: “Michael knows we want him to stay and I don’t see any reason why he cannot maintain his high standards over the next three or four years. I will be speaking to him after the Reading game because we finally have a blank week. The contract situation is in his hands, we have made him an offer and he is thinking about it,” he said. Another story given a repeat performance this week – Gerard Wiekens is on his way to Burnley on loan, according to the Sunday People. This is in spite of KK’s eloquent praise of the Dutch stalwart last week (thanks to “Nurse Brenda” for that item).

Reactions and Comments

A Fright, A Battle and A Scrap: Having conceded eight goals in two league matches against Chelsea last season, Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge almost felt like a moral victory to some City fans. Following the game on the radio, it sounded like City competed well, especially in the last 20 minutes once Paulo Wanchope was introduced into the proceedings. Almost predictably ITV’s “The Premiership” failed to mention any of City’s good work, preferring instead to concentrate on Chelsea’s midfield formation. Equally predictably, the Sunday papers chose another easy target. Chelsea’s goal came from the shins of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, after David Seaman had tried to palm away a cross from Adrian Mutu. To my untrained eye, Seamo did well to get a hand to it, as Mutu’s cross was a pearler, bending viciously away from the City ‘keeper. Here’s a small sample of Sunday’s coverage, courtesy of the People: “FOOTBALL: THEY THINK IT’S ALL OVER… IT IS NOW FOR CREAKY OLD SEAMAN! – Kevin Keegan won’t accept it, David Seaman is too proud to admit it… but it’s about time they faced up to it. It’s becoming a familiar story, but Seaman’s blunderful season went from bad to worse at Stamford Bridge yesterday.” The theme continued in the broadsheets, so not surprisingly our Beloved Leader was a little touchy when asked about Seaman’s performance. He snapped: “It looks like you want to give David more criticism – but I’m not going to help you. He’s been terrific for us and was very, very good in goal today. It was poor defending by David Sommeil to let Mutu get to the byline, and his cross just hit Hasselbaink.” Later on, when in calmer mode, KK said of the game: “We definitely deserved something out of the game. We gave them a fright, a battle and a scrap – which is something we failed to do last year when we lost 5-0 here. We limited Chelsea to three shots, and I feel sorry for our players because of the effort they showed. But we’ll do well if we play like that every week. It is very disappointing when you put that effort in and show that resilience and get nothing out of the game, but football can do that to you,” he added. “The one thing I have assured the lads is that if they do that every week we will finish pretty high up this table. The fans can, unlike last year, hold their heads high. They know that their team has given everything. I think the Chelsea manager will say the same thing as we gave them a real good game on their own patch. Last year we came here and lay down; this time we have showed a lot of resilience and a lot of character. The sad thing is that we have nothing to show for our effort. It is a cruel game, but we will have our day. They will look at how well we played, got behind the ball and opened them up at times. In the end we were laying siege but we just couldn’t find a way through.”

Kev Luvs Robbie: OK:Following last week’s sterner tone towards Robbie Fowler, KK returned tohis more usual encouraging style for the Liverpool Landlord. Having seenFowler denied a goal by an excellent save by Carlo Cudicini, Keeganopined: “I thought Robbie held the ball up well, didn’t give it away and Idon’t think you can fault him with the one chance he had, which was aterrific header. You have to credit the goalkeeper with a terrific save. Ithink he was excellent and I think if you ask most of the people at thegame they will say Robbie played well. All strikers need goals, but hecouldn’t have done anything more than he did with the chance he had. Youcouldn’t say he missed that chance. He made the run, the cross came in andit was a bullet of a header, which the ‘keeper saved. He hit the post and ofcourse he could do with a goal but if he plays like that every week he’llget goals. He worked very hard, he held it up well and he defended well forus, which was important for us because of the way Chelsea played.”

Ranieri Tribute: Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri sounded impressed by the improved City performance. He said: “Man City played very well. It was not easy to play against them, but after taking only one point from the last two games, we needed the three points. We work like a team, but sometimes we lose the plot. This time we played well under pressure, the team was solid and we did not lose the plot. We’re focused on our players linking together. It’s not important to be top now, but it’s important to continue the way we’re going. I’m pleased with our performance. We didn’t play as well as we did against Lazio – but it was a good result. It’s not easy to recharge your batteries after the Champions’ League, so I changed some players. I wanted to stimulate my players because I thought they needed my support. We’re focused on our players linking together. Sometimes we lose the plot – but we didn’t today. We worked hard and were solid under pressure. It’s not important to be top now – but it’s important to continue the way we’re going.”

Wright Wronged: The headlines after the Carling Cup tie at Queen’s Park Rangers three days later were dominated by an alleged altercation between Ian Wright and a QPR supporter. The incident began when the former Arsenal striker celebrated the first goal of Shaun Wright Phillips. As Wright said later: “Their guy started having a word about Shaun and it got racial.” QPR manager Ian Holloway was not aware of the incident until afterwards but was also shocked by what happened. He said: “Every crowd has some absolute nuggets and what happened was absolutely disgusting. I hope the fan’s banned for life.” A second supporter was arrested later in the match when a steward was racially abused. And, on a night that leaves QPR facing the prospect of a Football Association investigation, a bottle was thrown at Michael Tarnat as he prepared to take a corner. Rangers’ chief executive David Davies said: “I can confirm there were a series of exchanges between Ian Wright and a spectator. He was being racist directly at Ian. I asked Ian to move away as a precautionary measure so it didn’t escalate. Our security company removed the individual concerned from his seat and Ian and a series of witnesses gave statements to the police at half-time. The individual was formally arrested and taken away from the ground. It’s now in the hands of the Police and we’ll see what comes from it.” KK was also forthright in his condemnation. “Unfortunately there was an incident in the stand, which you don’t want to see at football matches,” he stated. “You can’t blame Ian for celebrating his lad’s goal, but what was said to him was totally out or order. The so called fan got ejected and it is something that we are all trying to stop in football. There was absolutely no need for it.” A Scotland Yard spokesman later confirmed: “A man in his 40s was arrested in connection with an allegation of racial abuse.” He was bailed to appear for questioning on 25 November.

Doubles All Round! And so to the football. Shaun Wright-Phillips bagged a brace for the second time in three matches to put City into the fourth round of the Carling Cup with a 3-0 win. Richard Edghill played for QPR, and according to Our Kid who was there, Edgy got a good reception from City fans. The first goal came in odd fashion in the 22nd minute when Joey Barton put SWP in on goal but he stopped because he believed he was offside. However, QPR’s Kevin McLeod and Sun Jihai were upfield from a tackle moments earlier and McLeod appeared to still be on the pitch, thereby playing Wright-Phillips onside. He realised, raced goalwards and smacked an angled drive into the far corner of the net. His second, in the 77th minute, was a carbon copy finish. Substitute Jon Macken added a third 60 seconds later. QPR’s boss Ian Holloway was not impressed with the refereeing – “Their player was on the floor and he booted McLeod after he’d cleared it. McLeod was lying there injured and the linesman was right there so it should have been our free-kick. That’s a fact as I’ve just looked at it on a TV replay.” But Keegan countered: “Their lad was injured but he wasn’t off the pitch – he was on it by a yard. The crowd didn’t understand what happened but there’s no controversy because their lad was still on the pitch.” Of the game, KK sounded content. “We battled and scrapped and that is what we had to do. We were more like a Second Division side last night in terms of our attitude. We did what we had to do,” he said. “We stuck at it and were determined. It was a great atmosphere and though it wasn’t a vintage performance it was a very professional job. We kept a clean sheet and looked fairly solid at the back – though I think QPR were unlucky to lose 3-0. There were not many occasions when we strung three or four passes together it just wasn’t that sort of contest. It made for an exciting game and I suppose it was a classic cup-tie. Full marks to Ian Holloway. He has his side playing well and with a great spirit and if they do not get out of the Second Division I will be very surprised.” Richard Dunne and Jon Macken came in for special praise. “Jon has waited a long time and I was delighted for him. Nicolas was not getting a lot of joy, and it is not often that you can say that, so I took him off. The goal will do Jon good,” said Keegan. “He has had a real struggle with injuries, nothing else. He can hold it up well and can play with these players but he needs a run of training so that he can get himself up to match speed. When he does that he will be a handful for anyone. I thought Dunnie was our best player tonight along with Shaun Wright Phillips. Our spirit and heads did not drop throughout and now we are in the last sixteen – that was the nature of the exercise. You cannot say we have done it in style but we are through and this competition and FA Cup remain our two best chances to win something.” City’s double goalscorer was in ebullient mood after the game. “I am on Nicolas Anelka’s case!” joked SweeP, who is now City’s second top scorer. “It was great to get the goals but more important that we got through the tie and into the next round. All the lads have set their sights on not just doing well but on having a great crack at winning the Carling Cup. All we need now is a bit of luck with the draw. I have a three match suspension from the Premiership starting on Saturday so hopefully the goals will make sure the gaffer doesn’t forget me. It just happened to go right for me last night but I had a funny feeling that it would.” In the fourth round, City will face Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, either on Tuesday December 2 or Wednesday December 3.

Squad News

Duo’s Injury Woes: Nicky Weaver has suffered a recurrence of his knee injury and will not be available for selection for some weeks. The injury is a particular blow because the 24-year-old was pencilled in to play in the Carling Cup tie at QPR this week. “Nicky Weaver will not be available for at least the next two weeks and possibly a bit beyond that,” explained Kevin Keegan. “He finished a training session recently and then came in the next morning and had a pain in the knee. It is a problem that we are going to have to live with as far as Nicky is concerned, but we will know more in a couple of weeks. It is always a concern when someone has had an injury, come through it and it then flares up again. The problem is in the same knee and we know what it is. He could play for six months and nothing happen. Then he could walk down the street and something could happen. That is basically what he and the club have got to live with. We have not planned a trip back to America for him. We are still at the stage where, for two weeks, he needs to settle down and then we will have a look at it. It is not great news and is a set back for him. He is worked so hard to get back and at this stage we are still hopeful that in two or three weeks’ time he will improve and he can get back in training again. If it doesn’t improve he will go back to America but that is long term and I don’t want to alarm anyone at this stage.” Before setting off on this week’s tour of West London, KK revealed that Eyal Berkovic was also unavailable due to an injury. “Eyal picked up an injury when he came in last Monday,” said the Boss. “He was back in training on Thursday but has missed the sessions before that. I will let him stay and train with the other lads who are not travelling. He can do a bit more training and get ready for the two games coming up next week.” Berkovic duly played as a late substitute on Tuesday at Loftus Road.

Barton: Joey Barton is in the first team picture again, and he’s pleased to be back. KK rested Joey for the games against Lokeren, Spurs and Wolves, but the Scouser has started the last three matches. “It was great to get back in because I was absolutely desperate to play,” said Barton. “I know the manager wants to rest people every now and again to make sure everyone is at their optimum level of fitness. He hasn’t really had to speak to me about leaving me out. He knows how disappointed I was but I know he’ll give me a chance again. It’s the experienced professionals in the dressing room who have been telling me to keep my head up. Robbie and Macca have been good, but so have others like Paul Bosvelt, Michael Tarnat and Trevor Sinclair. They tell me that everything will be all right. They also tell me to keep my feet on the ground when things are going well. I’ve done nothing in the game yet, I’m just a kid making my way forward. I just want to take things steadily and enjoy myself every time I go out on the pitch. The only way I will get anywhere is by taking things a step at a time.” Barton admits that he is ready show a more adventurous side to his game. “There is a fine balance between doing too much and knowing when to try and play the killer pass,” he says. “That just all comes with experience and I’m still just trying to get myself established. But in pre-season, I made a lot of goals and I think the manager knows there is a lot more to my game than just tackling. If he wants me to play no-risk football, I can do it. If he wants me to do more, I can do that as well.”

MATCH REPORT: QPR 0 MCFC 3

Carling Cup 3rd Round

Went to the game and amended my match report courtesy of Carlton TV who broadcast brief highlights.

City lined up 4-4-2:

Seaman in goal. Tarnat, Distin, Dunne and Sun making the back 4. Sinclair, Bosvelt, Barton & SWP in midfield. Fowler & Anelka were up front. I didn’t recognise many of the QPR team with the exception of Kevin Gallen and, of course, Richard Edghill. Other players of note were Day (GK) and Bircham who both sported blue parrot type hairstyles.

QPR kicked off towards the Loftus Road end. City fans were seated in the upper (and maybe lower) tier of the opposite School End. Looked like a near capacity crowd.

The game featured 3 ex-players. Sinclair & Seaman who plied their trade at Loftus Road received different receptions. Big cheers for Sinclair and loud boos and Judas chants for Seaman. QPR featured Richard Edghill at RB who was cheered by City fans when his name was announced.

City bossed most of the 1st half, restricting QPR to few chances, but wasteful themselves when in front of goal. Anelka being the most culpable, fluffing a one on one with the ‘keeper and putting another chance in the side netting.

SWP scored on 22 minutes when the Rangers’ defence pushed up for offside except McLeod, after a challenge from Sun, was a good 10 yards behind play, but was on the field of play and not limping. The onside SWP duly latched onto the through ball and shot low and hard from just inside the corner of the 18 yard box to the ‘keeper’s right; 1-0 City and Ian Wright who was sat in the Directors’ Box went mad and celebrated. McLeod then feigned injury and looked like he was claiming that he was in fact off the pitch when SWP was put through. Ian Wright then got involved in an incident with a QPR fan who was later arrested for an making an alleged racist remark.

City should have scored a 2nd minutes later when Day spilled a Sinclair screamer to Fowler. Unfortunately the ball came at Fowler too quickly and he could only direct his shot wide of the mark. QPR’s best chance came just before half time when Ainsworth hit one from long range, which beat Seaman but went over the crossbar.

Second half City kicked off and didn’t really attack for the following 20 minutes, invitingQPR pressure. Although Rangers had the lion’s share of possession, they didn’t look like scoring, with Seaman commanding the box well. Bircham was booked for a foul on Barton and this was followed by Bosvelt receiving a caution for a late challenge. City won a corner, which was taken by Tarnat, but as he addressed the ball one of the Rangers contingent appeared to throw something on the pitch. Macken came on for an Anonymous (in the 2nd half Anelka).

Bircham had a glorious chance to equalise when put through, but failed to convert when he really should have scored. Then against the run of 2nd half play City made it 2-0 on 77 minutes when Fowler passed to Barton who put in SWP to score a similar goal to his first, though he was a bit closer. Two minutes later Sun took a Kinkladzesque stroll through the QPR defence and laid on a gorgeous through ball to Macken who controlled and stroked the ball in for 3-0. SWP was unfortunate not to have scored his 1st senior hat-trick as his rifled shot clipped the angle of the upright with Day well beaten.

Two minutes from time KK brought off Fowler & Sinclair for Sibierski & Berkovic. Both made some good touches, but there wasn’t really much time for them to impress. There was still time for one more incident when Ainsworth sprung the offside trap and found himself through on Seaman. Seaman spread himself well and saved with his knee to preserve his clean sheet, which would have pleased him given the rough reception he received from his ex-home fans.

City deserved their win, but 3-0 was hard on QPR. It was Premiership vs. 2nd Division and it showed. QPR tired as they had been chasing the game for so long and conceded further. SWP had 3 chances and scored 2 and was my MoTM, closely followed by Barton and maybe Sun.

Hopefully we can draw Reading & Shaun Goater at home for Round 4.

MATCH VIEW: QPR 0 MCFC 3

Not really a match report, but thanks to modern technology I was able to tune my Sky Digital in to watch the Granada TV highlights on Tuesday. Having listened to radio commentary I have to agree with KK that it was a ‘professional’ rather than polished performance. QPR must have had about 70% of the possession in the second half, albeit without really troubling Seaman. What concerned me was how easily we seemed to give away the ball.

Back to the highlights. Good finishing from Sweep. The radio commentator was spot on when he said Sweep actually stopped and looked at the ref because he thought he was offside, and then turned and ran clear to finish well, inside the post when given the go ahead. His second was similar except for the offside bit. He certainly seems to have found his shooting boots. Now onto the enigma that is John Macken. He took his goal really well. After receiving the ball his first touch took him clear of the central defender, whereupon he duly slotted it past the advancing ‘keeper without breaking stride. I don’t know what his goals per minutes played ratio is, but it must be pretty impressive. If he stays fit he could easily prove himself to be the second striker option. One thing he does, apart from apparently scoring goals at will, is hold the ball up extremely well. He could yet prove to be £5 million well spent.

MATCH PREVIEW: SOUTHAMPTON vs. MCFC

Our record at Southampton does not make particularly pleasant reading. We have lost on exactly half of our visits; the remaining games have been split equally between draws and victories. We have fared well in the Premier League, though, as last season’s reverse was our first since its inception. There has only been one scoreless game in this fixture.

CITY AWAY TO SAINTS 1910-2002

Premier League:   W 3 D 2 L 1;  F 7  A 5
Old Division One: W 2 D 5 L 11; F 16 A 32
Old Division Two: W 3 D 2 L 3;  F 9  A 10
League Total:     W 8 D 9 L 15; F 32 A 47
FA Cup:           W 1 D 0 L 0;  F 5  A 0
League Cup:       W 0 D 0 L 3;  F 4  A 10
Grand Total:      W 9 D 9 L 18; F 41 A 57
The Dell:         W 9 D 9 L 17; F 41 A 55
St Mary's:        W 0 D 0 L 1;  F 0  A 2

First Meeting:  5/2/1910        Southampton 0 City 5    15,695
Latest Meeting: 5/10/2002       Southampton 2 City 0    31,009

Last Win:             23/10/2000        Southampton 0 City 2    15,056
Last Draw:             31/1/1996        Southampton 1 City 1    15,172
Last Defeat:           5/10/2002        Southampton 2 City 0    31,009
Last Clean Sheet:     23/10/2000        Southampton 0 City 2    15,056
Last Failure To Score: 5/10/2002        Southampton 2 City 0    31,009

Biggest Victory:        5/2/1910        Southampton 0 City 5    15,695
Heaviest Defeat:        24/11/1982      Southampton 4 City 0    13,298
Most Goals In A Game:   21/9/1999       Southampton 4 City 3    10,960
Fewest Goals In A Game: 8/4/1970        Southampton 0 City 0    24,384
Highest Scoring Draw:   4/2/1995        Southampton 2 City 2    14,902

Highest Attendance:     5/10/2002       Southampton 2 City 0    31,009
Lowest Attendance:      25/4/1927       Southampton 1 City 1    8,000

OPINION: PREMIERSHIP STATS

A quarter of the way through the season, so are we improving on last year? Modestly, according to the Premiership Rankings:

Pos     Team                    Pts     ChPts   Last
1       Manchester United       81      -2       1
2       Arsenal                 77      -1       2
3       Chelsea                 73       6       4
4       Newcastle United        69       0       3
5       Birmingham              61      13      13
6       Southampton             59       7       8
7       Everton                 56      -3       7
8       Liverpool               55      -9       5
9       Manchester City         53       2       9
10      Fulham                  52       4      14
11      Blackburn Rovers        49     -11       6
12      Charlton Athletic       48      -1      12
13      Middlesboro             47      -2      11
14      Leeds United            44      -3      15
15      Tottenham Hotspur       44      -6      10
16      Aston Villa             42      -3      16
17      Portsmouth              42       0      18
18      Bolton Wanderers        40      -4      17
19      Wolves                  26       7      20
20      Leicester City          22      -4      19

How it works: Points (Pts) are calculated from last season’s totals by replacing 2002/3 results with the same results for 2003/4. Promoted sides take the results of the respective relegated sides: Portsmouth (champions) take West Ham’s (18th), Leicester (2nd) take West Brom’s (19th), and Wolves, Sunderland’s (20th). The ChPts (change points) column shows how the points total compares with last season. The Last column indicates last season’s finishing spot.

City are just a couple of points up against the same opposition last season, remaining in ninth spot (though our goal difference is much better). The top 5 remain unchanged from the start of the month, with Birmingham getting even better – they have added 13 points (out of their 19) compared with the same games last year. Newcastle have clawed back all of the lost points from the start of the season. The big losers this month are Blackburn, tumbling down 11 points. A big thank you to Fulham, but they aren’t doing that much better than last season yet, so let’s see how things progress. Finally, remind me not to write off a lowly team we are about to play next time – Wolves won that game and have climbed off the bottom, gaining 7 new points in the process. No mention of Leicester then.

So, a steady start with plenty of goals, and we’re in Europe. Happy.

OPINION: HALF TERM VIEW FROM DOWN UNDER

It’s extremely risky making comment on City, made all the more tricky when viewing games via the TV in Australia. However, I make the following comments.

No doubt about it, KK has assembled perhaps the most talented squad ever to play for City and with the fantastic new stadium and results to date we’re flying high in comparison to our recent past. But… in the few games that I’ve watched this year we’ve dropped points that should have been there for the taking (i.e. Arsenal / Tottenham / Chelsea) and I’m a tad disappointed that we’re not sitting 4th spot at least.

I can’t believe I’ve just typed that comment as my mind drifts back about 5 years to mid-table in the Old 3rd Division and discussions with my dad that “I wonder if we’ll do a Wolves and drop into the 4th Division?”

Anyhow back to 2003, I’ve had the pleasure and pain of watching the Blackburn, Villa, Tottenham, Arsenal & Chelsea games live on TV and I find that the City’s biggest problem continues to be achieving a level of “consistency”.

KK has assembled a team of great entertainers who, if things are going well, are a match for any team (not only in the Premiership). However, if things are a bit tight, we struggle to make headway and grind out a result. The back four seem to constantly hoof the ball up the park (Sun & Tarnat in particular), to no-one in particular and cough the ball up too easily. Sommeil & Distin live by their wits; however, with Seaman behind them I can understand why they may be jittery!

On the other hand City against Villa/Tottenham & Bolton have played some of the best attacking football you’re likely to see.

I’m not sure what drugs some of you were on for the Chelsea game; yes City defended well and the performance was 1,000% better than last year but to be honest Chelsea dominated the game for long periods with City struggling to get a hold of the ball, only to give it straight back. Chelsea for all their possession didn’t cause too many problems although I don’t think their players have clicked as yet. This was a game that we definitely deserved a point in but the facts are we got nowt and we gave away a gimmee goal!

A few observations:

1. KK – without doubt the best manager we’ve had since Adam was a lad- City are playing their best football for 30 years – the pressure is onnow to take this team to the next level. He has failed to do this withNewcastle etc. – can he become a “great manager” and take the team to thenext level?
2. Seaman – has to go – until KK replaces him with a decent ‘keeper wewill continue to leak soft goals and struggle to make the top 6 let alonethe top 4 (where this team should be!).
3. Sun – needs to be put under pressure for his place – an erratictackler at the best and extremely poor distribution (he is great to watchgoing forward though).
4. Tarnat – Shooooooooot! What a shot – his distribution hasfallen off though.
5. Distin/Sommeil – “The Dodgy Brothers” – they always look like they’regoing to make a gaffe at some stage during the match – we won’t generate toomany clean sheets whilst these two are together but if we keep puttingthe ball in the net at the other end, it won’t be as terminal as againstChelsea / Arsenal where a top notch pair would have shut up shop.
6. Reyna – Not creative enough for me / no bite in the tackle – whatare his strengths?
7. Macca – have to say I’m delighted with his attitude and effort – acomplete surprise and I’m happy to eat humble pie on this one!
8. Berkovic – forget about his c**p attitude – the guy is the mostcreative player we have – KK just play him!
9. Barton – Would play every game for me.
10. Sweep – if only the boy can learn to be more composed in front ofgoals and less clumsy in the tackle – he is maturing like a fine wine though.
11. Sibierski – a good squad player at best.
12. Fowler/Wanchope – struggling at the moment but their attitudeseems good – a bit of luck and the goals will flow.
13. Anelka – sheer class but he frustrates the c**p out of me. Forall his talent the guy underachieves in my book – he is a long way off beingone of the best in the world until he can learn to finish better – when wasthe last time he scored from a one vs. one (he seems to get at least one ofthese each game)?
14. Macken – £5 million for what? Forget his injury problems – this guycould turn out to be the biggest dud since Steve Daley and “Bad Buy” – Ihope he proves me wrong.
15. Tiatto – time to move on Danny – great workrate, short on talent.
16. Weaver – Sorry Nicky but your time has been and gone.
17. The Fans – top class – let’s not be sad b*****ds though – forgetabout the Man Utd chants and concentrate on the Blues.

All in all, we’re on the verge of something big provided KK can keep his composure and make a couple of tweaks here and there!

OPINION: MAY THE (STRIKE)FORCE BE WITH US I

I am not sure why there is so much negativity towards Robbie Fowler yet if we look at the performances of Nicolas Anelka then I don’t believe he warrants the praise that he receives.

Anelka has scored 5 goals from open play this season (1 more than Shaun WP who’s finishing and goal scoring record is usually very poor). The rest of his goals have come from penalties. Look back at the goals he has scored and I believe every one of them would have been prevented by decent ‘keeping as at the time the finger has been pointed at a goalkeeping error. The teams he has scored against (TNS, Charlton, Blackburn, Villa, Lokeren and Bolton) are not exactly the better teams in the division or UEFA Cup. He has failed to score against any of the better teams, he also could not score from open play in 2 legs against Lokeren despite playing for 90 minutes in each leg. For someone who is frequently described as world class then I would say this is a very poor return. Anelka is repeatedly offside (more than any other player in the Premiership) and is not interested in scoring anything other that goals he creates himself, frequently play breaks down or momentum is lost when Anelka receives the ball and decides to showboat.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Anelka is a wonderful talent but his goal scoring should be far better than it is so far this season.

Also, we have won every game that Fowler has started.

OPINION : MAY THE (STRIKE)FORCE BE WITH US II

Shaun Wright-Phillips has been on form and a driving force, more so in the last three games that he has played in, having scored four goals in three games.

In the game against QPR he showed our strikers how to do it by scoring two great goals, the other goal coming from Jon Macken. He has been unfortunate to have had so many injuries in the last 18 months; let’s hope that he can stay fit, and show us all that he can still be a City striker.

Fowler missed a sitter and he needs that goal so bad, he was desperately unlucky against Chelski. I feel once he gets it, then the frustrations will be gone and we shall see the Fowler that we all know can play.

We shall miss SWP now that he starts his 3 match ban, but with the midfield players at City let’s hope that we can win our games until he returns. It would be nice to see City in the League Cup Final, it’s only 4 games away. I think that this is a trophy City will really try to win, so as to put some silverware on the table; we City fans are tired of drinking out of paper cups!

Come on you Blues!

REQUEST: NEW YORK VIEWING

I’m going to be in New York for the Groclin home and Leicester game with 8 other City fans and was wondering if there was a chance of seeing the games on TV?

REQUEST: SOTON TICKET AVAILABLE

Spare ticket available at face value in City end for Southampton game. Call 07789 435999 or email.

REQUEST: SOTON TICKET AVAILABLE

I’ve got a spare for Saturday. I’ll be heading down there by train from London. If interested please call me on 07971 972285 or email.

REQUEST: SOTON TICKET AVAILABLE

I have one ticket to the Southampton game, face value (£28.00), in the City end.

Any takers, e-mail me at the addresses below.

REQUEST: LEICESTER TICKET AVAILABLE

I have one ticket spare for the Leicester game. Contact me on the email address shown below.

REQUEST: LEICESTER TICKETS

Hi there, I am a Blue flying into UK on 2 weeks business from Perth OZ on 1 November having spent the last 10 months exiled here watching c**p football! I would dearly love to get 1 ticket for the Soton match and 2 for my first visit to the fantastic COMS vs. Leicester. If anyone can help then there’s a free souvenir boomerang in it for you honest!

REQUEST: NOV/DEC TICKETS

My name is Simon and I am asking for help off any of the Blue brethren out there. I am going to New York to live and work and before I go would like to take my Godson to watch City. Has anybody out there got 3 tickets for any home match in Nov or early Dec. I would much appreciate any help you can give.

REQUEST: GROCLIN AWAY

Please can anybody help me? I am after ticket / tickets for the Poland away leg. I’ve booked flights and accomodation, and am desperate for a ticket, please.

RESULTS

League table to 29 October 2003 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Arsenal         10  4  1  0 10  5  3  2  0  9  3  7  3  0  19   8  11  24
 2 Chelsea         10  4  1  0 10  5  3  1  1 10  4  7  2  1  20   9  11  23
 3 Manchester Utd  10  3  1  1  9  3  4  0  1  9  3  7  1  2  18   6  12  22
 4 Birmingham City 10  2  3  0  5  2  3  1  1  4  3  5  4  1   9   5   4  19
 5 Fulham          10  2  2  1  9  7  3  1  1 11  6  5  3  2  20  13   7  18
 6 Southampton     10  3  1  1  5  1  1  3  1  5  4  4  4  2  10   5   5  16
 7 Manchester City 10  2  2  1 12  6  2  1  2  8  6  4  3  3  20  12   8  15
 8 Newcastle Utd   10  2  1  2  5  3  2  2  1 10  9  4  3  3  15  12   3  15
 9 Charlton Ath.   10  1  2  2  6 10  3  1  1  8  3  4  3  3  14  13   1  15
10 Liverpool       10  2  1  2  7  6  2  1  2  8  5  4  2  4  15  11   4  14
11 Portsmouth      10  3  0  2  9  5  0  3  2  2  7  3  3  4  11  12  -1  12
12 Tottenham H.    10  2  1  2  6  7  1  2  2  4  6  3  3  4  10  13  -3  12
13 Everton         10  2  2  1  9  6  0  2  3  3  8  2  4  4  12  14  -2  10
14 Aston Villa     10  2  3  0  6  3  0  1  4  2  9  2  4  4   8  12  -4  10
15 Wolves          10  2  1  2  5 12  0  2  3  2  9  2  3  5   7  21 -14   9
16 Blackburn R.    10  1  0  4  8 10  1  2  2  7  9  2  2  6  15  19  -4   8
17 Middlesbrough   10  1  0  4  4 10  1  2  2  3  5  2  2  6   7  15  -8   8
18 Bolton Wndrs    10  1  3  1  5  4  0  2  3  3 15  1  5  4   8  19 -11   8
19 Leeds United    10  1  2  2  4  6  1  0  4  5 15  2  2  6   9  21 -12   8
20 Leicester City  10  1  2  2  8  8  0  0  5  6 13  1  2  7  14  21  -7   5

MCIVTA FAQ [v0304.06]

[0] MCIVTA Addresses

 Articles (Heidi Pickup)          : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org

 News/rumour (Don Barrie)         : 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

[1] What are MCIVTA’s publishing deadlines?

Deadlines for issues are nominally 6pm, Monday and Thursday evenings.

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

http://www.uit.no/mancity/ 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.

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

The official club web site can be found at http://www.mcfc.co.uk/

[4] What supporters’ clubs are there?

Manchester City FC recognises three supporters’ clubs: The “Official Supporters Club” (http://www.mancity.net/osc/); the “Centenary Supporters’ Association” (http://www.reddishblues.com/CSAWebsite/CSA.htm) and “The International Supporters’ Club” (http://www.mcfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=111845&Title=International+Supporters+Club&lid=Membership).

[5] Where can I find out about the fans’ committee?

The Fans’ Committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. It has its own website, http://www.mcfc-fans.com/ containing info about forthcoming meetings as well as minutes from previous gatherings.

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

The GMR pre and post match phone-in is available on the web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/gmr/sport_intro.shtml.

Live match commentaries and archives of games, reports and interviews can be found at http://www.mcfctv.com/, whilst an alternate live commentary service, hosted by Yahoo, is located at http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/foot/englandprem/cal/index.html.

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

http://www.satfootball.com/pl.html provides a listing of Premiership games being shown on UK domestic and foreign satellite channels. Useful sites for North American viewers are http://canadatvsoccer.tripod.com/Fixtures.htm, http://www.foxsportsworld.com/named/FSW/Index/Soccer, and http://www.soccertv.com/.

http://www.foxsportsworld.com/content/view?contentId=1288602 also provides a guide to pubs in the USA showing football.

[8] What’s the music the teams run out to?

It’s actually a mix of two tracks. It starts with “O Verona” (from the motion picture “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet”) and leads in to “Barber’s Adagio for Strings (Ferry Corsten remix)” by William Orbit. The first part is available on the movie soundtrack (volume 2) and the second is included on a variety of CDs such as Kiss House Nation 2000, Galaxy Hit Mix, Cream Live, Ibiza Chill and Dance Nation 4.

[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.uit.no/mancity/players/

[11] Can I buy shares in the club?

Yes you can: Shares in Manchester City PLC are traded on OFEX. The latest prices can be on found the OFEX web site http://www.ofex.com/ (registration required) or in the business section of the Manchester Evening News.

[12] 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/ or http://www.citystat.net/.

[13] Acknowledgements

Thanks go to Damian Quinn, Stephen Webb, Roger Haigh, Martin Price, and Adrian Howarth for the Satellite TV info.

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: