Newsletter #1048

A 4-0 drubbing of Charlton (match report tonight thanks to Mike) sees us shoot up to 10th place two weeks into the season. With the second managerial casualty being Sir Bobby Robson, Kevin must be breathing a sigh of relief.

We have continued opinion on Wanchope’s departure, the season ahead, requests and humour.

A two week break now until our next game; meanwhile SWeeP has been named in the England squad despite suffering a minor injury on Saturday.

MATCH REPORT: MCFC 4 CAFC 0

This was not a game I was looking forward to – Charlton always seem well-organized and we get frustrated. The rumours of departing stars and small crowds had left a sour taste in the mouth, and even though we managed to escape York’s Saturday lunchtime traffic mayhem relatively quickly, only the Radio 5 news of Dickov’s goal against ManUre brought cheer. My wife always sleeps on the way to the game and I get the opportunity to make a mental prediction. Be positive! 2-1 home win!

On arrival it was evident that the crowd was smaller. Again, others will write longer descriptions of the action, so I shall be brief. City were great! Not at the start, they and the crowd and KK were nervous. But we settled down and I noticed quickly how very hard the players were working, especially closing the opposition down in their own half, hassling and harrying them into making mistakes. We sit in Row U in the top tier of the Colin Bell stand, which gives the spectator a very good picture of the shape of the game and the tactics. I was impressed by how hard we tried to maintain shape when we lost the ball and how hard the opposition found the pressure.

The goals were all in their own way fantastic. Anelka’s brace each stamped with awesome class – a friend of mine who has the pleasant task of watching Arsenal every week still maintains that he and those who sit around him regard Nic as every bit as talented as the world-class Henry. We are blessed to have this player and must make every effort to keep him. SWP’s strike was truly stunning and to see it on TV from behind him underlined the quality of the strike. And Sinclair’s goal was emblematic of the sheer industry of City’s display. He himself was not the same player, surely, that wandered lonely against Lazio… is KK on the cloning bandwagon?!

Mills and SWP look to be forging a good attacking relationship, Barton was good in midfield. I like Bosvelt’s experience and calm but Barton’s energy and more attacking outlook are more suited to home games where we need to break sides down; he showed quality of touch. Thatcher worked hard, James looks utter quality in goal at present, Fowler gave a masterclass in forward play, dummies, flicks and first time balls. He did, however, blast one over from close range, as did Tricky Trev in the second half.

Booing rippled round the stand when Barton was replaced; this annoyed me – do people not realize that it is a squad game these days? Yes, he had a good game, but KK (finally!) wanted to play Macca in the middle and the switch with Joey made more sense than with Reyna, who played a good organisational rôle, quietly efficient, in front of the back four. GMR on the way home I had to switch off as two idiots said he was rubbish! He was not at the forefront of this display, but like a Neil McNab he provided determination and linkage.

Four-nil, four-nil, I kept exclaiming to ‘she who must be obeyed’ on the M62 in the evening sunshine. She didn’t hear. She was asleep.

OPINION: ONWARDS AND UPWARDS? I

Three games and 1 point. Strikers that miss easy chances. This is the Premiership and it’s easy to fall behind the pack. My mate at work who is also a Blue has told me not to worry as the 3 promoted teams are all worse than City. Hope I’m wrong and he is correct.

I really have my doubts about KK; how can anyone believe that Distin is a footballer never mind a captain? Although he did run the fast boy down at Anfield; maybe he is a runner.

OPINION: ONWARDS AND UPWARDS? II

It is a disappointing start to the season! One point from 3 games, sale of Wanchope and all the rumours about Anelka. The defence may look better but we still can’t string a team together to perform. Why do they insist big money needs to be spent? You only have to look at the purchases that Birmingham have made in the off season to see you don’t need Chelski’s millions to make a difference.

I fear for the season. The transfer deadline is Tuesday, which gives us maybe one more game with Anelka and we can only hope he doesn’t leave. If he does then I think we will get relegated. I’m not a doomsayer by nature nor one to call for a manager’s head but I would give KK until Christmas. If he hasn’t gelled the team together by then and they are not in at least mid-table then perhaps a change is necessary. Come on and do us proud, you can do it! Look at Barcelona and Lazio pre season games! If we can beat them, albeit in a friendly, why can’t we beat Fulham or Birmingham?

OPINION: ONWARDS AND UPWARDS? III

Where to start? The only two positive things about the whole last season were;

1. The embryonic fusion with Wanchope and Anelka up front starting to clickand now KK is selling Bambi?
2. The Empire State Building – Danny van Buyten – making a three back-lineworth mentioning: and KK didn’t buy him!

What has happened with:
Reyna: absolute dominator on midfield with Sunderland – now?
Sinclair: had a working rate of four in the dying minutes with the Hammers before joining City – now?
Sibierski: God bless, but play him further up front. If he had scored with 10% of his chances City would have been top 5!
Bosvelt: how many chances will he get? If he had connected on 10% of his passes City would have a 25% higher ball-possession rate!
Distin: my God, he is a left wing back. Tore things apart at NUFC with his runs along the line (even so in City in the beginning, remember?). I’d say he’d qualify for finals in the Olympic 100m competition.
Anelka taking corners: phew.

Glad to see the SWeeP/Sun axis again, the only positive thing vs. Brum!

OPINION: WANCHOPE

I’m not sure what others think, but I was disappointed to see Paulo leave City last week. Disappointed for a couple of reasons. Firstly as I thought he was a quality striker, who after long-term injury, had real potential to forge a decent partnership with Anelka this season. Secondly, I thought the fee was very low, for a relatively young, proven international, despite his injury track record. It is always hard to see what the driver is on these deals, but I was hoping that Paulo would repay the faith and money that City had invested in him during the difficult last couple of years with a truly great couple of seasons of consistent goal-scoring.

I’m no statto, but I’d be interested to see what value City got out of him in terms of games played and goals scored versus his original transfer fee, his wages and his medical costs.

At the end of the day, it’s a shame to lose him – I remember seeing his goal against Preston a few season back (we won 3-2, with Macken scoring a great goal for his old side – he looked like a different player then) – a real rasping shot from the edge of the area into the roof of the net – I’m not sure that I could see Fowler or Macken being able to do the same.

OPINION: WINNERS AND CHOPS

Just what Kevin Keegan ordered, I know this is still early in the season, but it should give Kevin Keegan and the players the confidence needed for future games. I also hope that it will stop all the moaning from some supporters, and get them behind the manager and players; lift them up, not tear them down, if you want better.

Looks like Mido has changed his mind about leaving Marseille; a month ago City could have got him but John Wardle, Dennis Tueart and company would not act until KK unloaded some expense such as Wanchope. For the time Wanchope had at City, he spent more time injured than playing; City will not miss him. It looks like it’s all too late for Mido, but KK has others in mind before Tues. deadline.

I still feel as I did at the start of this season that the same players from last season will have a much better season.

[Hardly Wanchope’s fault he was injured, and we certainly will miss the extra option and his goal scoring ability – Ed]

OPINION: ANTHEM FOR A DOOMED CITY?

Doomed we are, doomed you say
Without a clue from day to day
Caught offside just chewing hay
Robbie he seems a mile away

Kev they say has lost the plot
The players show such little thought
If it wasn’t for the bad luck we’d have no luck at all
Our club it seems heads for a fall

You can call it strange, you can call it odd
They use to call our Robbie god
But the boy’s p**s poor without a doubt
It’s time we rolled the strikers out

To huff and puff and whinge and moan
Or check your horses on the phone
To dribble on and leave the ball
Oh how the mighty at City fall

With spirit low and blood pressure high
With my last breath City I’ll cry
No passion, pride or common sense
Not to mention our defence

When a season’s hope turns to despair
And Kevin’s team have lost their flair
One point in three, they think it’s not that bad
Well my fellow masochists, we’ve been had

REQUEST: WARRINGTON BLUES

The next meeting of the Warrington branch of the Manchester City Supporters’ Club takes place on Thursday 2nd September at the King and Queen in Padgate. Special guest will be ex-City captain and manager Tony Book. All Blues welcome. For info contact Nick on 01925 221739.

BLUE HUMOUR

After a match at the Swamp a United fan is unfortunately involved in a nasty car crash on the M6 and is trapped and bleeding. Fortunately the paramedics soon arrive on site.

Medic: “It’s OK, I’m a paramedic and I’m going to ask you some questions.”

Fan: “OK”

Medic: “What’s your name?”

Fan: “Dave.”

Medic: “OK Dave, is this your car?”

Dave: “Yes.”

Medic: “Where are you bleeding from?”

Dave: “London, mate.”

RESULTS

30 August 2004

Manchester United     0 - 0  Everton               67,803
Portsmouth            4 - 3  Fulham                19,728

29 August 2004

Bolton Wanderers      1 - 0  Liverpool             27,880

28 August 2004

Blackburn Rovers      1 - 1  Manchester United     26,155
Aston Villa           4 - 2  Newcastle United      36,305
Chelsea               2 - 0  Southampton           40,864
Everton               2 - 1  West Bromwich Albion  34,510
Manchester City       4 - 0  Charlton Athletic     43,593
Middlesbrough         2 - 1  Crystal Palace        31,560
Tottenham Hotspur     1 - 0  Birmingham City       35,290
Norwich City          1 - 4  Arsenal               23,944

League table to 30 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          4  2  0  0  8  3  2  0  0  8  2  4  0  0  16   5  11  12
 2 Chelsea          4  2  0  0  3  0  2  0  0  3  0  4  0  0   6   0   6  12
 3 Bolton Wndrs     4  2  0  0  5  1  1  0  1  2  3  3  0  1   7   4   3   9
 4 Tottenham H.     4  1  1  0  2  1  1  1  0  2  1  2  2  0   4   2   2   8
 5 Middlesbrough    4  1  1  0  4  3  1  0  1  5  5  2  1  1   9   8   1   7
 6 Aston Villa      4  2  0  0  6  2  0  1  1  1  4  2  1  1   7   6   1   7
 7 Everton          4  1  0  1  3  5  1  1  0  3  1  2  1  1   6   6   0   7
 8 Charlton Ath.    4  2  0  0  5  1  0  0  2  1  8  2  0  2   6   9  -3   6
 9 Manchester Utd   4  1  1  0  2  1  0  1  1  1  2  1  2  1   3   3   0   5
10 Manchester City  4  1  1  0  5  1  0  0  2  1  3  1  1  2   6   4   2   4
11 Fulham           3  1  0  1  2  2  0  1  0  1  1  1  1  1   3   3   0   4
12 Liverpool        3  1  0  0  2  1  0  1  1  1  2  1  1  1   3   3   0   4
13 Birmingham City  4  1  0  1  1  1  0  1  1  1  2  1  1  2   2   3  -1   4
14 West Brom A.     4  0  2  0  2  2  0  1  1  2  3  0  3  1   4   5  -1   3
15 Southampton      4  1  0  1  4  4  0  0  2  0  4  1  0  3   4   8  -4   3
16 Newcastle Utd    4  0  1  1  2  3  0  1  1  4  6  0  2  2   6   9  -3   2
17 Norwich City     4  0  1  1  2  5  0  1  1  3  4  0  2  2   5   9  -4   2
18 Blackburn R.     4  0  2  0  2  2  0  0  2  2  6  0  2  2   4   8  -4   2
19 Portsmouth       2  0  1  0  1  1  0  0  1  1  2  0  1  1   2   3  -1   1
20 Crystal Palace   4  0  0  2  1  5  0  1  1  2  3  0  1  3   3   8  -5   1

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: