Newsletter #1045

Newsman Don has certainly been kept busy this week as City man of the week, Shaun Wright Phillips, made his England début and ensured it was a memorable one by scoring the winning goal. The other player attracting much media attention is of course Anelka amid stories continuing to circulate from Monaco about their desire to take him on loan, which City have rebuked. It remains to be seen whether a bid for Anelka will come in from the French club.

Other news tonight on potential targets and departures, opinion on formation, ticketing and the usual requests.

NEWS SUMMARY

It’s Shaunie’s Show

Rejoice! Rejoice! What a week it’s been for Shaun Wright-Phillips. It might not get better than this folks, so let’s enjoy it while we can. Those rumours about Spurs and Liverpool melted away as the club happily announced that SWP had signed a new four year deal with the Blues. Reports suggest that his wages have gone up to £30,000 per week, which still sounds a bargain to me. Shaun commented: “I didn’t really want to go. There was speculation in the papers but the negotiations went the way I wanted them to go and I am really happy I am here for another four years. You expect a lot of speculation at a big club like this and it has been happening with other players as well. I am happy that the contract has been signed and now I am going to get my head down and concentrate on doing well for City.” He added: “I have been here seven seasons and when it comes to the tenth I will be getting a testimonial before I am twenty-nine! I am just really happy playing for Manchester City and I am going to keep it that way. I came through the ranks and I love the club and there is no reason to part from here. I am delighted and I hope that the fans are smiling over the news. They are happy that I am here and I am happy to be playing in front of them.” You could forgive KK for being typically loquacious. “The fans can look forward to seeing him for the next four years at least. I don’t think there was ever any danger of Shaun going from here but when you have a player of his quality and he has come through your ranks people will look at him. He is the sort of player everybody would like. He is going to go to the top and he can do that with Manchester City. There is certainly a sense of relief for me that the deal has been finalised, but I didn’t think he was going to leave. I think this is the right club for Shaun and I don’t think this was the right time for him to go anywhere. He can learn the things he has to learn here. He is a player who works hard, he has a big heart and he wants to get better, which he is doing. Nothing can stop Shaun Wright-Phillips becoming one of the great players. I’ve worked with him for three years and he was a very good player when I joined the club – now, he’s a great player. I’m not scared to say this, I’ll put my name on him, not only to play for England but to hold down a regular place and be a real star in the future. You can’t find a weakness with this kid. He wants to learn, he behaves properly, he’s got unbelievable balance and a terrific attitude. The biggest thing he’s got is courage. You don’t always get all those things in one player. He’s got an excellent contract now and he deserves every penny he earns. I’m pleased about that. You don’t want cheap labour, you don’t want kids thinking they’re not going to be rewarded properly.”

It’s Up To You To Heed The Call Up: And the news just got better and better on Saturday, as Mystic Kev’s prediction was proved to be true. SWP was named in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England squad for the friendly with the Ukraine, as was team mate David James. Shaun certainly sounded like he was relishing the prospect of representing his country. “To me there are no friendlies, I just want to play the way I am and give 110% in every game that I play,” he told the club’s website. Keegan had his crystal ball out again, foreseeing a rôle for Shaunie in the England set up. “There is no player like Shaun in England, and I believe he will go on to become an international regular and star for England in the future,” he said. “He can play up and down the right, and that will allow David Beckham to play in a more central rôle. Shaun can play that rôle, and it will be a real boost for England to have him there.”

Ukraine Gain: And so it came to pass. After an hour of the Ukraine game, Eriksson brought on our own jet-heeled winger (copyright M.E.N.), with David Beckham moved into centre midfield to accommodate Shaun. And on 72 minutes, what did the little pixie do? Only score on his début, that’s what! It was a classic strike for Wright-Phillips, who fired a low shot into the goal after a fine seventy yard run with the ball seemingly tied to his foot. “It’s absolutely everything I’ve always wanted – to become a footballer and play for England, so to get a goal on my début tops it off,” Wright-Phillips said. “My confidence is due to the players I’ve been training with the last two days. It’s down to the people around me. It’s great to make people happy – my family, my friends and myself – that’s all I want to do. Hopefully I’ll get picked for the World Cup qualifiers in September and I’ll take each step as it comes after that.” England captain David Beckham later praised the goal scoring débutant: “He has been doing it week-in week-out for City. He deserves his chance and it’s great for him to score today – especially in front of his dad.”

General News

Blues in Green: Shaun Wright Phillips wasn’t the only Blue on international duty this week. Jon Macken earned himself a late call up to the Republic of Ireland squad for their friendly against Bulgaria next Wednesday. Although he had previously played for England at U20 level, a change of FIFA rules means that Macken was free to play for Ireland, by dint of his grandparents. “It is an amazing honour for me and my family and I look forward to justifying my selection if given a chance in the game,” said the striker on hearing the news. “I have always had a desire to play for the country of my family background and nationality but until now have never been given the opportunity. The change of rule has been beneficial to me and it is fair to players like myself who were not selected for the country of their nationality at underage level. I’m looking forward to joining up with what is a fantastic squad and over the next two years will be doing my utmost to establish my place in the team for the World Cup qualifiers.” And manager Brain Kerr was pleased to have him on board. “He’s got a good goalscoring record, he’s got a fair bit of experience, he’s playing in the top league in England and he was very keen to become available for us. I’m delighted that we have another attacking option,” said Kerr. “It is well known that we sometimes lack in the front positions and from speaking to Jonathan, I knew he was desperate to play for us.” Jon duly made his début Wednesday evening, in 1-1 draw with Bulgaria at Lansdowne Road, as a sixty fourth minute substitute. He could not hide his delight after making his bow. “I’m over the moon with my début and playing in front of my home crowd was fantastic. I’m just looking for more of it now and hopefully it will happen in the next few weeks. The lads have been fantastic and made me feel more than welcome. It’s been a long time coming and it was just nice to be out there.” added Macken. On the previous evening, Ireland’s under-21s beat Bulgaria 3-2 in dramatic style when a last-minute goal from City’s Paddy McCarthy sealed the victory after Bulgaria equalised through an 81st minute Rangelov penalty.

A Blue in Red: Meanwhile, somewhere across the Baltic, Ben Thatcher was turning out for Wales in a friendly against Latvia. Thatcher played the whole game in Riga, which saw a 2-0 triumph for the visitors.

Appeal Against the Royle Flush: The M.E.N. reports that City have been given permission by the High Court to appeal against last month’s decision to award Joe Royle almost £500,000 in compensation. City’s communications boss, Paul Tyrrell, said: “We are pleased the judge agrees with us that this is an appropriate matter for appeal. We look forward to presenting our case in the autumn.” Royle commented: “I am not surprised. I remain confident that, having already won the case, the decision will be confirmed.”

Reserves Off: City’s Reserves have been unable to make their début at the Mini-COMS as planned. A huge electrical storm waterlogged the pitch just hours before kick off last night, causing the game with Newcastle United to be postponed. A City spokesman said: “The pitch was unplayable, with standing water across much of the surface. It is very unfortunate that we had one of the worst thunderstorms in recent memory, especially so close to kick off.”

Transfer News and Gossip

Follow That Camel! City are believed to be weighing up a move for Bordeaux midfielder Camel Meriem. As you may remember, Keegan was asking for a left sided midfielder, then a goalkeeper, then a striker. If you believe these reports, then a midfield playmaker is also on the agenda. Our Leader is thought to be a big admirer of the skilful midfielder. Meriem impressed a number of suitors last season after an impressive campaign on loan at Marseille. It’s unclear if City have a realistic chance, as Bordeaux want £6 million. Much more in City’s price range (and KK’s preferred age range) is the Brazilian Juninho, who is available on a free transfer from Middlesbrough. City are interested, says the Sunday Mirror, although other journals say the tiny midfielder is off to Glasgow Celtic. In other news, the News of the World claims that Joey Barton could be on his way to Anfield as a replacement for Danny Murphy, who has just been sold to Charlton.

Monte Carlo or Bust? Monaco are still aiming to tempt City in to parting with Nicolas Anelka, apparently. The French outfit recently admitted they are keen to bring Anelka back to Ligue 1 and want to strike a deal with City. Club President Michel Pastor is aiming to arrange a loan deal with a view to buying Le Elk. Pastor is aiming to grab either Anelka or Barcelona attacker Javier Saviola. “We are preparing,” Pastor told Le Parisien. “We can sign Saviola or Anelka. We will see with Manchester City.” Rumours in France suggest that Monaco are willing to fork out between £1.5 million and £3 million to loan Anelka for the entire season. Pastor went on to claim that Monaco and City are in talks over Anelka’s future- this backs up rumours circulating in Manchester this week. Next, Monaco’s Sporting director Henri Biancheri ruled out a loan move for Saviola unless the Nou Camp club pay most of the Argentina international’s wages. “We are studying the option to take Saviola but there are also other players like Nicolas Anelka,” he said. “We cannot pay Saviola’s full wage because as everyone knows Monaco has serious economic problems. Last season Fernando Morientes was loaned to us practically free because Real Madrid paid his salary.” Biancheri told The Guardian yesterday: “Aneleka is the absolute priority for Didier Deschamps, for me and for the club. We believe it’s Nicolas’ wish to come to Monaco but the problem is that we can only organise a loan and Manchester City would want a permanent transfer. But Nicolas wants to play in a team that will be challenging for the title and he will have a chance of being in the France national team.”

Rustu Remembered: KK is reportedly ready to make a loan move for Barcelona goalkeeper Rustu Recber. The Turkish custodian has failed to live up to his reputation since arriving at Camp Nou and has fallen down the pecking order at the Catalan giants. However, City face competition for Rustu’s signature from the player’s homeland. Turkish giants Fenerbahce are also keen on landing the experienced shot-stopper and could be ready to mount a rival bid. My, how times change. Now as you know, I never bear a grudge, but… it only seems like yesterday that Rustu was looking down his nose at City – it was March 2002, to be precise. Here’s a reminder from MCIVTA 895. “Rustic Rustu: You can rest assured that Rustu Recber will not be joining City in the summer. Fenerbahce’s Turkish World Cup goalkeeper is out of contract soon, and is attracting much interest from clubs in Europe, including our own dear Blues, who were said to have watched him play recently. When told of City’s interest, Rustu said ‘If the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Barcelona or Milan did not make an offer for me, I would not play for second class clubs like a Manchester City.’ Congratulations go to Rustu, who wins this week’s Stefan Effenberg award for tact and diplomacy. Why, with humility like that, Rustu seems tailor-made to have Vodafone across his chest next season. [Thanks to ‘Riley73’ for that nugget].”

What a Choice for Wattereus: Should KK not be wowed by the charms of the lovely Rustu, then he could be looking in the Dutch league for a deputy to David James. It was reported on Monday that City were in talks to sign PSV Eindhoven ‘keeper Ronald Waterreus. According to the Guardian, negotiations were on-going last night. The 33-year-old, who has been at PSV for eleven seasons, is said to be available on a free transfer. But a statement on the PSV website denied that Waterreus was Manchester-bound. “Waterreus refuses to confirm rumours that have been published in various newspapers about the interest from Manchester City. He says that he not been in touch with the Premier League club yet.”

Has KK Been Talking to a Has-Been? A couple of UK tabloids announced this week that KK was ready to snap up Marcel Desailly. The French veteran is still looking for a club after being released by Chelsea. He nearly signed for a club in Qatar recently, but that deal fell through. Desailly, 36 next month, wants to stay in the Premiership and said recently: “I still want to play. I feel powerful and am convinced I can give service to certain clubs.” Sky Sports’ website reports that Desailly is heading back to Italy – the former AC Milan man is wanted by Juventus. He’s yours, take him!

Not Yet In Sinc: The press down Wolverhampton way were a-buzzing with speculation this week that an “England star” was about to join Wolves. Turns out they were talking about our own dear Trevor Sinclair, who was apparently on for a permanent move to Molineux. Illness and injury have hit Trevor’s preparations for the new season, and has played for only 90 minutes in City’s warm up games. It was next suggested that a loan move might be on the cards for the former England man. The speculation died down a bit when KK suggested that Sinclair was still an important squad member, although his fitness was cause for concern. “Trevor needs another 60 or 70 minutes under his belt,” commented the Boss Man. “He is a naturally fit person but needs that base of match sharpness before he is able to step back into the Premiership. It will be good to have him back because Trevor is an important member of the squad. He covers us left side, right side and in the centre and could even play up front” (Thanks to Wallace Poulter for this item).

Ex-Blues’ News

Ex-Squaddie Made Captain: There are two nuggets from Oxford United concerning former players this week. Thanks to Matt Thomas for emailing the following: “According to that inestimable organ of news, The Daily Star, David Oldfield (36) has been named Oxford coach after admitting his playing career is over.” In researching this news (see, Reader, I do act like a proper Newsman sometimes!), I came across the news on the BBC sports website that Lee Bradbury has been named as Oxford’s new captain. Bradbury who joined Oxford from Portsmouth in the summer, said: “I’ve captained sides in the past and enjoy the rôle. It’s a great honour to captain the side here and hopefully we can achieve things.”

Raring to Go: What has happened to Danny Tiatto’s Leicester City career, I hear you ask. The answer is – not a lot, because Tiatto has had to serve a three match ban for getting sent off for City’s Reserves last season. “I have got over my three-match ban and I am ready to be involved against Watford,” declared left-back Tiatto. “I am really looking forward to getting involved with the side and hopefully we will be able to register our first home win of the season. We have just got to concentrate on getting a good result against them.”

Reactions and Comments

Right Foot Robbie: The season’s opener against Fulham saw Robbie Fowler (yes, Robbie Fowler) scored City’s first goal of the Premiership this season with a perfectly executed over the shoulder hook. And with his right boot to boot. “It was a great finish with his right foot; Robbie is a two-footed player for me. His left foot is his main one but in training with his right foot he can finish well also,” said Robbie’s greatest fan. “It’s just instinct, he really just guided it in with his right foot, it was almost a cross between a lob and a side-foot. I think Van der Sar went full length but he couldn’t get it, it was a terrific finish.” But after being run ragged in the first half, Fulham struck back when Collins John netted an effort deflected off Danny Mills, and the visitors finished the stronger. Mills did not update us on his family sprints this week, but expressed his frustration at the result. “I’m slightly disappointed really,” said Mills. “I thought we played well in the first half and controlled the game. Some of the quality was missing but the work rate was very good, the attitude was terrific and we had no complaints. We tailed off a bit in the second half and let them get back into the game. The gaffer’s brought in myself and Ben Thatcher and obviously we are looking to tighten things up at the back. We let a goal in and we’ll have a look at that, and what we will do on a weekly basis.” Mills worked well with star winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, and believes that his team-mate has the ability to go far. “It’s not difficult to play with good players,” added Mills. “Shaun is an outstanding talent and he’s got all the potential in the world. Hopefully he will go on and fulfil that potential.”

Half Good: Apart from his praise of Fowler, KK expressed his frustration at the oh-so familiar pattern to a home game. “We were outstanding in the first half and totally dominated the game,” he said. “But we were never going to be able to produce another 45 minutes like that in the heat and Fulham were always going to have a good spell. They did and although their goal was a bit fortunate, they will probably feel they deserved a point. We, in the end, were first feeling unlucky after the first half and then probably a little relieved that we got the point because we could easily have lost. The thing that was missing was someone to put the ball in the back of the net,” he added. “We didn’t get the second goal that you need to finish teams off. On a hot day like this, it would have been a killer for them. I love racing and it was a bit like watching one of your horses finish down the field when you know it is capable of doing much better.” Fulham boss Chris Coleman said: “We were very poor in that first half, we didn’t ask them any questions in attack, we were second to everything in midfield and shaky at the back. All in all I was just pleased to get them off at the break only one down, we were lucky it wasn’t more. But we were tremendous in the second half, we changed our shape a bit and went at them. We got the equaliser and then could easily have won it. I had a few words, a rant really, at the break because we cannot allow ourselves to start games like that. Every game in the Premiership is tough and if we want to be better than last season, we know we cannot do things like we did in the first half and expect to get points.”

Little ‘Un Praises Extra Man: The runs down the right wing of Shaun Wright Phillips were a feature of City’s good play on Saturday. He said afterwards that: “The lads were very, very disappointed because we thought we could have taken the three points from the game. Last season there was a stage where if someone came back we would normally have lost, but we held on to what he had and came away with a point, which is a plus at the moment. The atmosphere was like an extra man, and it helped us at the bad times as well as the good. As long as they stay behind us the confidence of the players will always be up.”

Squad News

Deal Dunne for Richard? KK is hoping defender Richard Dunne can build on last season’s impressive form and earn himself a contract extension. The Republic of Ireland international has two years left on his current deal, but Keegan is willing to reward the 24-year-old if he keeps improving. “I think Dunnie had a decent season last year considering how it started for him,” Keegan said. “He can look back on with quite a bit of satisfaction from a personal point of view, if not from a club point of view. He came through a lot and managed to sort himself out and he managed to put in some very, very good performances. Now he has got to build on that. Dunnie knows that if he is doing well up to Christmas, we will look at his contract.”

Eager Weaver: Nicky Weaver claims he is making good progress but will not risk a setback by rushing through his rehabilitation programme. “My knee seems fine now,” he said. “If I had a normal job, I would be able to go about it with no problem at all, but I haven’t so I have got to keep working. I want nothing more than to get back out with the lads but I know I’ve got to wait. I can’t come back until I am 100% ready and if I try to do it sooner, there would be a chance of doing more damage.” Weaver has the support of the club’s new goalkeeping coach Tim Flowers. He said: “He’s got a long haul injury and it will be more mental than physical for him. He is a young man and he wants to be out there diving around. It’s hard for him to accept that he can’t have that at the minute. But hopefully he has had all his bad luck. He is a very talented boy and he’s got a great personality and sense of humour. It’s been stop-start for him, but as long as he doesn’t rush himself, then around Christmas time, he’ll be back. His career was going in the right direction, but with the setbacks he has had, perhaps it has made him a stronger person. I think he has learned a lot and he has mellowed. Sometimes it takes a few kicks in the teeth to realise that.”

Sound Defence: Before leaving for Latvia, Ben Thatcher told the Evening News how City were working on improving the defensive duties of the team. “We aim to be a team to be reckoned with this season and if we can push for a European place that would be fantastic,” he said. “I have seen enough quality on the training ground on a day-to-day basis to know that we can live with anyone. But to do that we have to gel properly and get the defensive side right. Going forward is not a problem, I am sure the goals will always be there; it is just a matter of whether we can shore up at the back and erase silly mistakes. What we really have to do is make sure teams have to work hard for any goals they score against us. Against Fulham we had a 20-minute spell after we had scored when, if we could have added another, I think we would have won the game comfortably. The goal we gave away wasn’t a good one but I thought we defended quite well on the whole. Danny Mills did well to get through the 90 minutes after missing some of the pre-season through injury and I was really impressed with Richard Dunne’s contribution. He has looked fantastic in pre-season. Derek Fazackerley and Stuart Pearce have done a lot of work with the back four in training and if we keep listening to them I am sure we have the basis of a decent defence. Dunnie is a big lad who can really shift and who wins his headers, I have been really impressed with him. Danny will be better for the game too and with Sylvain’s great athleticism I am sure we can go on and improve from the start and become a solid unit.”

OPINION: CUSTOMER SERVICE

This is my first post to MCIVTA; I am not a writer, more a reader so it has to be something that I feel really passionately about for me to write.

44,026? Does anyone on this list ever remember City not selling out the first game of the season?

I work most Saturdays these days so I only manage to get to the midweek or Sunday games of which there were quite a few more last season. Lucky for me I managed to get this Saturday off work and I only found out on Thursday so I decided to phone the ticket office after seeing on the City website that the game was not sold out. I could not believe my luck; two days before the season and it’s not sold out, better than last year when I had to buy a corporate seat as that was all that were left (my own fault last year for not being organized).

So I phoned up on my lunch break at work, gave my Citycard number and was told that it was last year’s card and it needs renewing for me to buy a ticket no probs. I said can I do that now? They said No you are too late now for us to send it out for the Fulham game, so I said can I pay now and pick up the new card on Saturday before the game? No, no cards on the day of the game. I asked how can I get a ticket for the game then and was told I had to come to the ground so I asked will I be able to get one on Saturday to which they replied there will be no ticket sales on matchday. I said this is crazy I went to Portugal in the summer and found it easier to get tickets and you are telling me that the game will not sell out and you can’t sell me a ticket, the answer again was no!

From experience I decided to phone up on the Saturday morning to see if they were selling tickets as I found out last year that they do actually sell tickets on the day, I don’t think they like the queues they said yes when I asked if I would get one at 2pm they said oh yeah it won’t sell out. I got to the ground, lovely sunny day, queued for about 10 minutes, paid to renew my membership and get tickets easy (I had a few problems getting in the ground but was helped by a really good steward so I won’t moan about that).

We were 4,000 (Stockport average attendance) short of capacity at £25 a seat (£100,000); that would have probably paid for the youth team for a few months especially for a club with debts.

Seems mad unless every seat they sell over Maine Road capacity the council gets the money, which was a rumour last year and if the council do get the money it might help to pay for the Metrolink to go past the ground so what is the problem?

Come on City, get your act together and give us part time fans some customer service; if you don’t you’ll struggle to sell tickets for those cold Tuesday night League Cup games.

OPINION: CORNERS

In response to Ernie Barrow’s question about why Anelka is taking the corners, I’d like to offer a possible reason. I felt last season that he was a bit of a fish out of water on corners – he was neither an attacking nor a covering option for us. Basically, he’s s**te in the air, so he’s not likely to get on the end of many corners.

I think it makes sense to leave covering duties to our existing midfield rather than sacrifice one of them to take a corner, especially as Dunney-monster and/or Sylvia come up for these set pieces, leaving a gap at the back. This season it looks to me that we’re set up sensibly – a decent kicker taking the corners (who can also work a bit of trickery on short corners if needs be), good headers like Sibierski/Dunne in the box, and our normal midfield to cover.

OPINION: LEFT SIDE

As with England, City have got a left sided problem. Sibierski is certainly not the answer and it is unfair for Keegan to keep playing him there. My solution would be to play Anelka on the left with Shauny on the right with a combination of Fowler/Macken/Sibierski and Wanchope up front. We would have pace on both flanks and I don’t think Anelka would score many less goals from this position. we also would not lose defensively as Sibby doesn’t tackle either! Anyone agree (no point looking in the reserves as we have no left sided player there either)?

OPINION: ATMOSPHERE GENERATION

We just don’t know how to do things right do we? Atmosphere at Eastlands at a premium, star player signs a new contract the night before, and we announce it after the match; do City not know a golden PR opportunity when they see it?

As to the match, same City, different year. Why oh why do we not go for the throat when we are so far ahead on points? 1-0 up after less than 30 minutes, that was the time to throw everything at them and kill the game; even if they get a break and equalise we still have lots of time to get a winner. I am so sick of walking out of Eastlands and thinking “opportunity lost”.

Ranting already, and it’s only the first game!

OPINION: OF HUMAN BONDAGE

Dear Kev,

Just a few lines to congratulate you on your innovative idea on bonding sessions, it’s always a good idea to build team spirit amongst the players, and I’m sure that come the end of the season they will all be better for it.

Therefore, I was wondering if you would allow me to share my ideas with you, all in the interests of making Manchester City great again, and bringing joy to the masses.

How about taking the lads to watch a boxing match, and get them to learn about the noble art, i.e. when your opponent is on the ropes, finish him off.

We have fast hands in Anelka and SWP, a lethal jab in Fowler, a powerful frame in Dunnie, aggression in Mills and Barton, a good reach in James, what we are lacking is greater movement going forward, and a creative flair in the midriff. Because we lack a playmaker, Distin has to move our fighting machine closer to our target; it was obvious on Saturday that too many long balls were used, in order of getting SWP and Anelka away, but it’s also obvious Robbie can’t keep up.

Fowler proved he can score great goals, he just needs shorter running space, so it is vital that Distin adds vocal skills to his game, in order to get the best out of the team, at this moment in time. We are still weak on the left side, and until we become a better balanced side, we have less chances of hurting our opponents, so it really is important to have correct leadership from central defence.

OPINION; SPONSORSHIP

I see that Chelsea and the referees are sponsored by the same company: Fly Emirates. Is this not a conflict of interest? It’s good that the referees have a sponsorship, but should it not be a different one?

Don’t want to make a big fuss, sure don’t want the refs coming after us.

REQUEST: EVERTON TICKETS

Am going to be up in Manchester on 11th September & have just phoned City to try and buy two tickets for the Everton game. They have told me that as I’m not a Citycard holder or a season ticket holder I can’t buy them until the weekend before (if there’s any left) and I have to go in person to the ticket office – I live in Bedfordshire!

I wonder if any of the other subscribers have a more practical idea?

REQUEST: WASHINGTON DC BLUES

Now the new season has started, and City are once again on TV this side of the pond, any Blues in the Washington DC area, please get in touch. We have our website online at: http://www.freewebs.com/khhorrocks/

RESULTS

League table to 17 August 2004 inclusive

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

MCIVTA FAQ [v0405.01]

[1] 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

[2] What are MCIVTA’s publishing deadlines?

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

[3] 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.

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

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

[5] 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).

[6] 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.

[7] 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/.

[8] 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/.

[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] Where can I find a list of City-related websites?

Try Wookie’s Lair: http://www.wookieslair.com/modules.php?name=Web_Links

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: