Newsletter #1035

News this week sees the Mills signing duly completed, a new away kit launched, players back in training and Wor Kev’s thoughts. The rumoured 7th August home friendly remains to be confirmed, but is strongly rumoured to be against Lazio.

We also have opinion on the new signings, TV deal, midfield and our first ticket request.

The friendlies begin this weekend as a reserve City team take on Hyde United at 3pm on Saturday at Ewen Fields.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Winning the Sack Race? Remember earlier this year when things were going badly for the Blues and KK employed the “You lot will get me sacked” gambit on his players? He’s started earlier this term. Speaking of the season ahead, Keegan mused: “I believe we are capable of improving on last season. I will be very disappointed if we don’t – and I will probably be out of a job if we don’t,” he admitted. “Last season was very disappointing and we cannot get away from the fact. You can make all the excuses in the world but it has gone now. We have enough players here to do well.” We don’t know if KK’s following the odds, but Bet365 have installed our Boss as 7/2 favourite to be the first Premiership sacking. Meanwhile, back at the less that upbeat manager’s preview: “I think we have a lot of players here who will benefit from this being their second season,” he said. “I think they will come back charged with energy and determination to show that they are little bit better than what they have shown so far. I think that applies to a lot of other players as well who have been here for longer and underperformed last season. The big challenge now is to get more out of what we have got. We have enough good players here to do very well.” At least he’s not making any rash predictions this time round, thank goodness. “We will not talk about targets this year I just don’t think it is worth it,” remarked the boss. “I think the fans had every right to have had high expectations last season when you look at the players we have and the sort of team we could put out. You only had to look at the players on the bench and those who didn’t even have to get changed some weeks because of sheer numbers. We were in Europe, albeit through the back door and we were in a new stadium. All those things made us all think, and I include myself in that, that we would have a very good season. It might now be coming a year late but we will not be setting any specific targets.”

Roman Holiday: Word has reached MCV Central of a possible home friendly fixture on Sunday, August 7. The opponents are rumoured to be Roman club Lazio, and reports suggest that this has been on Lazio’s website – it has yet to be confirmed officially by City, however. It would be nice to know, bearing in mind that August 7 is less than three weeks away…

A Tale of 52 Vodkas: The case of Royle vs. MCFC continues to rumble on, despite the judgment in JR’s favour last week. The M.E.N. splashed a long and detailed article this week where JR discussed the validity of the reasons given for City’s sacking him back in 2001. One of the main grounds for dismissal was said to be “lifestyle issues both with regard to the players and the coaching staff.” Various bar bills for huge sums were mentioned by the club, allegedly signed off by Royle. One such bill was for New Year’s Eve, 2000, at a hotel in Warwickshire (City played at Coventry the next day). “It was New Year’s Eve, so I remember exactly when I went to bed, which was one or two minutes after the midnight bagpipes, which my assistant Willie Donachie wanted to hear,” says Royle. “There was hardly anyone in the hotel’s cocktail bar and when, a few weeks later, I was asked about these bills I just laughed. It was so ridiculous. When I got the staff, who I had left behind in the bar, in to ask about it they said it was ridiculous, too. No one would have been able to drink that amount. One bill included 52 vodkas and 27 gins!” City apparently queried this bill, and agreed to pay a smaller sum to the hotel. “There is now proof of a huge question mark over much of the bar bill. The evidence of a drink culture is therefore flawed. There was no drink culture when I was at Maine Road. All football club staff have a drink when the players are tucked up in bed ready for the match the next day,” said Royle to the M.E.N.

Sinclair Arrest: Trevor Sinclair has been arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife, it was widely reported yesterday. Police were called to the family home in Lower Withington, Cheshire, in the early hours of Saturday. He was arrested on suspicion of assault and questioned by officers before being given police bail until August 25. It is understood the arrest followed a row between 31-year-old Sinclair and his wife Natalie during a party. A spokesman for Cheshire Constabulary said: “A 31-year-old man was arrested on Saturday July 10 at his home address in Lower Withington on suspicion of assault. He has been interviewed and is currently on police bail.” A club spokesman said it was club policy not to comment on the private lives of players. Sinclair has been released on bail.

Transfer News and Gossip

The Great Mills Sale: KK’s been rummaging around in the transfer bargain bucket again, and it’s the shiny pate of Danny Mills that has caught his eye this week. The twenty-seven year-old full-back, who replaced Gary Neville in England’s World Cup 2002 side, signed for City this week on a five year contract. He joined on a free transfer from Leeds United, who were so keen to shift another high earner from the payroll that they are willing to top up Mills’ wages to the tune of £8,000 per week. “I am obviously delighted to get a player of that quality on what is basically a free transfer and that doesn’t happen very often,” said the Boss fella. “The deal was held up at the Leeds end for a day but I don’t need to go over that ground. Everyone knows that a lot of the players are leaving and the club are in some ways having to subsidise that. They have done it with Mark Viduka, they have done it with two or three other players and they have done it with Danny Mills. That has been the complication. With Jihai Sun being away a lot this season it was imperative that I got some cover for that position. You don’t get any more experienced cover than Danny. He knows the Premiership and has carved a great career for himself and I believe he will toughen us up a little at the back as well. He is a very fit player and I am delighted to have completed the deal. He is a tough tackling right back, but he also likes to get forward and I can see a good link up with him and Shaun Wright-Phillips. I can also see him playing at centre back if I need him, so he gives us that little bit of flexibility. And I believe we certainly need that around the back line.” The full-back commented: “I will come here and play in my usual way. I will give it everything, even though I know I sometimes overstep the mark and get into a bit of trouble. That is me. I am not going to change and hopefully the fans will appreciate that.” He also gave the almost obligatory “big club” speech, “Let’s be honest, City is a huge club with a lot of potential and I know everyone was disappointed with where they finished last year. If you look at the quality of the players here, everyone had expected City to finish higher up the table. Now, with the additions to the squad, we can go on to achieve a higher place next year.” Mills spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough, and after winning the Carling Cup might have expected to stay there. Instead, Boro plumped for former City target Michael Reiziger, but Mills remains upbeat about his time on Teesside. “I am grateful for last season. I learned an awful lot from Steve Harrison who was my main defensive coach at Middlesbrough. I have spoken to him a few times since then and thanked him for what he has done for me. I have learned several things defensively that I can bring to City. I can bring experience as well. I think with Ben Thatcher on the left we can bring some security to the defence and help to tighten it up a bit as we all know that as an attacking force this team is something to be reckoned with.”

Thome-Ward Bound: During the signing of Mills, KK stated that “I’m looking to make one more signing before the start of the season.” The press have once again linked City with Brazilian centre half Emerson Thome. Thome, out of contract at Bolton, is said to have priced himself out of the reckoning for a new deal at the Reebok and any chance he had of returning finally vanished this week. Manager Sam Allardyce, who already had central defender Florent Laville coming back off a long-term injury, supplemented his central defensive strength by signing Radhi Jaidi, the 28-year-old Tunisian international. Allardyce revealed that he never even got round the negotiating table to make an offer to Thome, 32, because of the demands submitted by his representatives.

Ex-Blues’ News

Together Again: Joe Royle has staged a reunion with his midfield general from City. Kevin Horlock has signed a two-year deal with Ipswich Town, joining on a free transfer from West Ham United. Horlock played in Town’s pre-season friendly at Peterborough, and along with second new signing Jason de Vos, made a good impression on JR. “I thought the new players were both terrific. Kevin and Jason did exceptionally well for us in their first game,” said Royle. “The game was all about fitness for us and it was a good exercise.”

Squad News

Skipping On: Sylvain Distin is to stay as City’s captain, KK revealed today. “Sylvain Distin will be captain again this season and I think he will improve after his experience as captain last season,” he said. “It was a tough grounding for him last year. We have talked about it in detail and I still think he is the right person to lead this club. He has all the right qualities and he will have a better campaign this time than last season. By his standards he was not at his best last year. But the one thing he never did was to give up. He kept going and he is still my idea of a captain. His captaincy last season was never an issue with me. Fans have got to understand that he will lead in his own way. But I think he will come on from last season. I believe you will see a big change in Sylvain this season. He has matured a lot and you have to remember he is still quite young and he could be the captain of this club for a long time. He is a phenomenal athlete but he will be the first to say that he didn’t perform, along with a lot of other players, week in week out like he can. But you only have to go back a year to see that he won the Player of the Year award and he won it by a landslide. I don’t think the captaincy was the problem last season, it was the way we played, the results we got and the pressure that all the players felt they were under.”

KK Votes for Thatcher: KK says that Ben Thatcher should solve a few of City’s problems down one side of the pitch. “I see Ben as a left back or on the left hand side of a back three,” he said. “I see him as our answer to the left hand side whether it be left back or left centre back. Primarily he is a left full back and he will not be used as a wing back. If I play with wing backs then I will play Ben Thatcher as a left sided centre back.” So he plays on the left does he Kevin? The Boss Man isn’t worried about Thatcher’s reputation as a (ahem) tough tackler. “If you look at Ben’s record over the last couple of years you will see that he has really started to mature. He is realised that there is more to a game than just being physical and I think he is a very good player. He is a terrific replacement for Michael Tarnat and don’t forget he is a full international for Wales. Ben needs to be in the Premiership because of that and Wales are a team that you wouldn’t be surprised if they qualified for the next World Cup. We got him on board early on which I was delighted about as it is never easy when you don’t have money to spend.”

Lessons Learned: Nicky Weaver has given us his thoughts on the upcoming season. Weaver, who is still recovering after knee surgery, believes that lessons were learned from last season’s disappointing campaign. “We got off to such a good start and after the first season we had back in the Premiership I think everyone just took a top ten finish for granted,” said Nicky. “Then we hit a bad run and we never really seemed to get out of that until the end of the season. But the players will have learned from that and will be a lot mentally stronger and we can improve on last season. Perhaps everyone expected too much and it was almost as if the last two seasons should have been reversed. The first time back in the Premiership we should have finished where we did last year and if we had finished last year where we did the year before I think everyone would have been relatively happy. What we want now to do is to have a good solid season and that will give us something to build on. I am sure there will be changes for this season as there will be at every club. Football is always moving forward and clubs have to keep up with the changes. From what I have seen already I know all the players are up for it and are looking forward to the challenge.”

Pal Joey: Joey Barton sounds like he’s ready to knuckle down and fight for a regular spot in the City side. “From a personal point of view it was disappointing not to be selected for some of the games last season and I found it very frustrating at times,” Barton told Shoot Monthly. “I proved to myself and the others around me what I can do but if the manager doesn’t pick me I can’t do anything about it, it’s out of my hands. It’s down to the manager and the coaching staff to select the players they feel will be most beneficial to the team and their decision is final. It’s all about the team because this club is a lot bigger than any of the players. Football is swings and roundabouts and you have to make sure you’re ready, both in your body and your mind, for when you get your chance. That’s what I’ll be doing next season. Once I get my chance I’ll prove to everyone, as I have done in the past, that I’m good enough to hold down my place in the team and that there’s no-one better than me to play in midfield for Manchester City.”

Nico A Go Go: Nicolas Anelka still has an international future, new France coach Raymond Domenech said on Monday. “Why should I sideline talented players? Nico has the qualities to play for France. He will have to prove in his club games that he deserves selection but yes, he will be eligible,” Domenech told journalists. There were quotes this week suggesting that City’s number 39 is happy to be with City, despite missing the glamour of top European matches. “It’s true I am missing the confrontations with the big European clubs,” he told The Sun. “The Champions’ League really allows you to measure yourself and, as the club needs money, it was worth a go. Never mind, I’m not getting upset about that for I am a happy man. I do feel good at City but the transfer market is in crisis, especially with me having three years left on my contract. That can be a put-off in view of the economic context. But the manager, Kevin Keegan, is trying to make progress, aware the squad is practically unchanged. I was happy to see the whole gang again last Wednesday. What the manager had to say was determined and reassuring.” In a late piece of Nico News, Marseille coach Jose Anigo has dismissed reports that Anelka would be the man to replace Didier Drogba, should the Ivory Coast hitman join Chelsea. “Anelka, in my view, does not interest us,” said Anigo. “We look for a striker but also a target man. Ibrahimovic would be everyone’s dream. If Didier has to leave, this is the kind of player we must sign.”

OPINION: GENERAL THOUGHTS

As usual, a good, well-rounded argument concerning the Sky Sports coverage. I’m afraid I agree with all the comments made and it just seems to be a case of the devil and the deep blue sea. One last question on this though. How is the Sky Sports’ coverage money distributed to the clubs? I think you can see what I’m getting at. Does it depend on the amount of times your matches are shown (which I find unlikely) or is it just a standard amount to each club at the beginning (or during) the season and then additional payments to the clubs involved in ‘important’ matches towards the end of the season? This is just curiosity on my part more than anything else.

Still not sure about the Vuoso deal. It seems that the £2.5 million loss is inaccurate but this seems to be based on other deals (Anelka, Fowler) and the way they were handled rather than any facts regarding the Vuoso deal as an individual case. To be honest I’m past caring (I’m very fickle like that). I hope this deal is the right one for both parties and wish him all the best for the future. Apparently, lessons have been learned from the club after this episode so there are some positives to come out of it.

Regarding the Royle court case, nobody was ever going to come out a winner were they (well except for Royle who got a s**t load of money but you know what I mean)? Like somebody else remarked in the previous issue, it could have been handled much better by both MCFC and Royle and nobody has come out of it with their heads held high. But my gut feeling as I even write this is ‘why didn’t they just give him the p**sing money in the first place?’ I thought that Bernstein was a very shrewd businessman (and still do) but I think this is an example of him (and the rest of them) being plain tight, unreasonable and unfair. After all, Royle had done an awful lot for us but just couldn’t cut it has a Premiership manager, which had been proved before. I’m sure it wasn’t through a lack of trying but there you go.

A couple of editions ago I went into some detail on the state of the present team. Since then Danny Mills has signed (a right-back as everybody expected), which I think is a ‘good’ signing. Not a great one (although my opinion may change over the coming season) but certainly not a bad one. The trouble with Danny Mills is that you only seem to remember him for the bad things (or maybe it is just me). Being absolutely skinned by Henry last season, being partly to blame for the Sweden goal in Japan, getting involved in confrontation where none is necessary etc. But I can’t help thinking that he’s one of those players that you just love to have in your team. 100% effort, winding opponents up. Fantastic. As long as he’s on the pitch a lot more than he’s off it, I think he will be good for us. And not to be unfair to him, there must be something more to his game than sheer aggression. As far as I know McClaren wanted to sign him (although he appears to want to sign everybody!) as did Bruce so it was nice to beat the competition and you can live with the wages (over inflated as they are) as he didn’t cost a penny.

I also went into the midfield and how I thought it had potential to do well this season. This was said knowing we had no money to spend. I thought this would provoke a reaction and subscribers would disagree because of the overall performances last season. What are the feelings on this?

I would honestly expect a midfield containing Wright-Phillips, Barton, Reyna, Bosvelt, McManaman, Sibierski and Sinclair (not all seven at once; that would be an obvious advantage) to compete with ‘most’ of the others in the Premiership. We talk about having a playmaker ever since we lost Berkovic and Benarbia to ‘unlock’ defences, but there is more than one way to skin a cat. We also need to get the ball out to the wide men more for them to supply the crosses and this is where I do believe we fall short. Like England we do lack a good, natural left-sided midfielder.

I know both McManaman and Sinclair have played in that position successfully in the past but neither of them seemed comfortable last season. Maybe that will change. I hope so. Sibierski certainly wasn’t the answer in that position and it was unfair to play him there. Wright-Phillips is getting better and better and his crossing has improved 100% but we used him as an outlet on the right so many times last season it became too predictable and the poor lad looked dead on his feet at times.

If anything, rather than a creative midfielder, I feel we need a box to box midfielder. How many teams in the Premiership can you think of that have a creative midfielder as such? Invariably you lose on defensive duties what you gain in flair going forward. If Joey Barton both realises his potential and drops the big-time Charlie image there is no reason he can’t become a successful box to box man but I am not entirely sure at this point in time. And I also know that Reyna is capable of a lot more than what he shown last season. The one thing Keegan has to do – like it or lump it – is make a consistent midfield selection. He changed it far too many times last season in an attempt to find the best combination. I just hope that he has now made up his mind.

I’m starting to look forward to the new season now and I don’t see any reason to be downbeat with the current squad. There were too many things to mention that went against us last season but I think with a bit of luck we can have a good season this time around (no mention of the top six yet I’m afraid although with City anything is possible; and I mean anything).

OPINION: BACK ‘EM, DON’T KNOCK ‘EM

What’s with this City attitude of knocking our players before they even set foot on the pitch? Think this is a quality signing. We’ve been on Keegan’s back for some of last season’s signings for so long now we’ve begun to think every move he makes in the transfer market is bad. KK has picked up Mills for free and have got Leeds to pay £2 million of his wages! Where’s the bad business in that? We’re not going to pick up world class defenders for nothing. And don’t start about Reizeger, too old, not defensive enough, can’t imagine he’d feel any commitment to City. What you see is what you get with Mills. Too temperamental I’m sure but he’ll tackle where Sun obviously couldn’t and hopefully will add a bit of commitment, which was lacking last season. You never know, if his form picks up he might even take Gary Chuckle’s place in the England line up (well we can dream can’t we).

OPINION: SKY VIEWING I

In response to John Walker’s question of why games don’t get televised at 3pm on a Saturday, I believe it’s not necessarily related to the loss of attendance at that particular televised game, but more the effect it has on lower league and grass roots football. Most football up and down the country is played on a Saturday afternoon.

OPINION: SKY VIEWING II

In reply to John, it is my understanding that the League don’t want 3pm Saturday matches televised as the “big” games would detract from the attendances of other games, not just that one.

OPINION: SKY VIEWING III

In response to John Walker (MCIVTA 1034), he is right when he acknowledges that attendances may be lower if a match is televised, but the matter of compensating the club involved is not the main issue.

It is the clubs in the lower divisions who would lose out in terms of attendance, not the televised club, because a team like, say, Torquay United has a supporter base who are made up first and foremost of supporters of Liverpool, Man Ure etc. If these clubs are on telly at 3pm on a Saturday it is likely that they won’t bother going to watch Torquay.

The Premier League/Sky would have to compensate all Football league clubs; this is why Saturday 3pm kick-offs are not televised.

OPINION: SKY VIEWING IV

I am uncertain as to whether John Walker’s comment regarding the televising of Saturday 3pm kick-offs is ill-considered, or more to spark a further flurry of emails in response. John suggests that Sky compensates the club playing for the lower attendance at the game due to televising – this is no doubt in part the reason for the fee for televising of a game.

John omits to consider the effect a televised game will have on the other 40+ games taking place in the English Leagues alone at that time, let alone the non-league matches that are played. Were Sky to televise Arsenal vs. Manchester United at 3pm on a Saturday, they would have a moral obligation to compensate every team that is playing at the same time for their drop in attendance. Which, needless to say, would be a very significant figure. This is why 3pm Saturday games should not, and will not, be televised. It is an issue of seeing the wood for the trees.

OPINION: ROYLE SAGA

Have to agree with Richard Ellor (MCIVTA 1034) about the Joe Royle saga. It’s easily forgotten what he did for the club and although we were all disappointed to have been relegated three years ago I was surprised and gutted when we sacked him. Relegation should not necessarily mean you end up getting sacked and I can’t help but feel that perhaps JR finds it a bitter pill to swallow when seeing the amount of money KK has had to spend in the last 3 years.

I’m a KK fan but next season is going to be an interesting one all round isn’t it, although I’m glad KK has got past the dreaded 3rd year of his management contract – he must be the first City manager since Joe Mercer to achieve that accolade so perhaps he deserves some kind of award!

REQUEST: FULHAM TICKET

Canadian, long time (50+ years) supporter needs a ticket for Fulham game. International Supporters Association link not much use. Any ideas?

MCIVTA FAQ [v0304.07]

[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?

At the start of the 03/04 season it was actually a mix of two tracks: Starting with “O Verona” (from the film “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet”) leading 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.

Currently we use a selection of different music, which seems to change each game.

[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/.

[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: