Newsletter #1078

Another lacklustre performance, coupled with questionable substitutions, saw us lose to Spurs on Saturday and slip down a further two places in the table. KK assures us that the players and himself are as disappointed as the fans. A little hard to believe when they earn in a week what a fan earns in a year and have no real passion about our Club.

Tonight we have match views from the game and across the Pond, thoughts on what we should be doing next, and questions for change.

We are away to Bolton on Saturday, and we also face them in next Tuesday’s Senior Cup Tie at Mini-CoMS. Our winning reserve side are also in action tomorrow night vs. Blackburn at Morecambe, and check MCIVTA 1077 for Lance’s invitation.

MATCH VIEW I: MCFC 0 SPURS 1

Having been a season ticket holder until this season I was getting withdrawal symptoms (watching either Bristol City or Rovers or even Backwell United is no substitute) so I persuaded my mate that we should each buy a City Card and see if we could get seats for the Spurs game (neither of us could make the Villa match). No problem apparently. Now, last season we’d been on Level 1 in the Colin Bell stand so we decided it’d be good if we could go up a level to see what that’s like. Not available but Level 3 was or the corner of Level 1. Level 3 it was. I can tell you that Row X is pretty high up for we height phobics. Reminded me of the time I went to watch a rugby match in Durban, South Africa with my late father just before he died – I nearly had a heart attack when I saw how high up we were. Once settled though, we had a chance to watch the teams warming up; trying to recognise all the players was interesting – they do look different from such a height; but I could recall Michael Brown’s running style. Remember the days of Div. 2?

Then to the game. The first thing to say is that from such a height one can see the pattern of play so well. What became obvious was that some players were not picking up on the runs of their comrades. The biggest culprit was Sibierski, who, virtually every time he got the ball, would turn inside and miss the runs that Jordan was making – no wonder Jordan was shattered at the end of the game. I was also disappointed with both Jon Macken and SWP in this regard. The player who suffered most was Fowler. Now I have to say that I’ve been a keen advocate for Macken but on Saturday he was slow and ponderous – not only that but he was also predictable in that he kept on passing backwards. We showed hardly any momentum; whenever Bosvelt had the ball in a forward position the game seemed to stop while he decided what to do; and there seemed to be a reluctance to shoot. It was the old failing of trying to walk the ball in to the net. Worst of all we were utterly predictable. The fans around me were yelling for Keegan to make changes long before he did. And there was complete surprise when he took off Fowler. Everyone thought that Sibierski should have been withdrawn. I can only recall a few threats on the Spurs goal – one was from Barton which Robinson saved easily; a header from Sibierski was well wide – from a superb cross from Jordan – and Robinson managed to hold on to a shot from Fowler in the second half. Otherwise Robbie Keane should have had a hat trick and Michael Brown was lucky not be booked for continually fouling SWP who worryingly had another anonymous game. By the time BWP and Anelka came on the game was lost. As is traditional in McVittee I’ll give my marks on the players:

James 5. Looked indecisive at times and that goal went in on the near post. Good goalkeepers save those.
Mills 6. Some good tackles and runs up the wings but he becomes hesitant when near goal. Final ball needs to be better.
Dunne 5. Some good stops but his distribution left something to be desired.
Distin 6. Almost got a 7 but started to make silly errors like the one that allowed Brown to put it on a plate for Keane. Did show some enthusiasm and leadership, though.
Jordan 7. Good tackles and some good off the ball runs but sometimes his ball skills let him down – keep your eye on the ball Stephen.
SWP 6. Gone off the boil in the last few games. I know he had 2 men on him but he seems to have lost his fight. Had a few great runs off the ball but nobody saw them. His crossing was poor, especially in the first half.
Barton 5. Had a quiet game – some of his passing was badly judged. Never really dominated Carrick (a very good player in my book) or Brown.
Bosvelt 7. Ran his legs off. Right at the end he was still helping Jordan. Just a little slow in releasing the ball – tends to choose the square ball too often.
Sibierski 2. This chap was appalling. Can he kick with his left foot? Perish the thought, but he’s worse than Sinclair and McManaman! He should not be playing left midfield against Bolton.
Macken 4. Really disappointing. I like Jon -he reminds me of a young Mark Hughes – but he must do more than just give 5 yard passes – many of which are backwards. Too slow when put through by Fowler.
Fowler 8. My man of the match. He really tried hard. Put some nice balls through and took up some good positions but never spotted by a lacklustre slow-witted midfield.
Subs:
BWP. No rating – hardly got the ball.
Anelka. No rating – didn’t see him do anything – he’ll have to cross the ball better if he wants to go to Barcelona – unless it’s just on a package holiday.
Keegan 3. Poor reading of tactics. Late subs and the wrong ones.

Worrying statement in the programme when KK says there are no more new players coming through from the Academy. Does this mean we will be losing Lee Croft whom I understand is doing really well at Oldham? What do others think of Jordan playing left midfield when Thatcher returns from injury?

MATCH VIEW II: MCFC 0 SPURS 1

Normal service is now resumed after our brief flirtation with a winning streak. Today’s turn on centre stage was the incompetent City side that couldn’t string two passes together, lacking in confidence and null and void in the creativity department. I was unsurprised to see Anelka left on the bench, mainly because Fowler/Macken have showed a lot of promise in recent weeks and to drop either would be rather unfair, but also Anelka’s recent comments may have put paid to any thoughts of KK reintroducing the star player at the earliest opportunity, which has happened in the past (personally I think most of the talented players outside the “top 4” in the Premier league would have similar views to Anelka, certainly Gerrard has; I just think Anelka’s comments were ill-timed).

For the first 20-25 minutes City looked to be purposeful and created a lot of opportunities. Within the first 2 minutes we looked to have a good claim for a penalty when a neat turn by Fowler laid the ball into Macken’s path who looked to get impeded by Ledley King (it was one of those you’ve seen them given and also turned away, but suspect it was too early in the game for such a controversial decision from a very lenient Dermot Gallagher). City continued to have the lion’s share of possession but couldn’t really create anything (SWP had a couple of good crosses and a couple of horrendous ones, Barton also tested Robinson with a long range effort). Barton/Bosvelt were clearly winning the midfield battle but suddenly we turned off and just simply lost our drive and confidence. It wasn’t due to any tactical change from either side; the only thing I could put it down to was nervousness creeping in. Spurs carved out 2-3 really good chances, which they should have put away despite City’s domination of possession. Rohan Ricketts dancing through Mills and Bosvelt but shooting wide and Keane bursting onto a route one ball, which he you’ve seen him pack away (especially against City) on numerous times. It was at this point in what had been a reasonable performance the team probably deserved or needed a rousing support to help them to push on and regain confidence, but CoMS was a morgue; apart from the South stand trying to get the support going there was nothing. Half-time came, 0-0, City probably edged the control but Spurs definitely had the clearer chances.

The second half restarted with the same pattern as the last 20 minutes of the first half, City with lots of possession but no idea how to break Spurs down and Spurs looking very dangerous on the break. It was on the break that the Spurs goal game, Brown playing a long pass to Kanoute, who raced into the corner of the 18 yard box being tracked by Dunne and let go a stunning left foot shoot that arrowed into James’ near post top corner, a really nice finish. From that point on you could see there was no way back because we simply didn’t look like scoring. Spurs should have made it 2 when Brown broke again and Keane contrived to miss an open goal from 4 yards. With 20 minutes to go KK decided to shake things up – how? By replacing Fowler/Macken with Anelka/BWP. Come on KK, the forwards here were not the problem! The dire service from the midfield and unwillingness of the team to pass forward or run off the ball was. Sibierski was having a hellish game, he was truly awful; when the first substitution was made Sibby “knew” he was coming off, he turned and started to make his way off, only to his surprise to see Fowler/Macken to leave – such decisions beggar belief and you truly have to wonder what goes on in the head of KK sometimes; if we can see it so plainly then why can’t KK (the crowd booed when this substitution was made, in my view at the Sibby decision, however phone-ins later misconstrued this as criticism towards Anelka)? KK even said himself recently that playing Anelka wide with Fowler/Macken was an option; this was his perfect chance to experiment because not much else was successful and we needed to score!

The game fizzled out with City pushing forward in desperation but as you probably have guessed, Anelka/BWP had very few chances because the service to them was so poor. Yet another bitterly disappointing home game, another game where KK is unable to even attempt to change the course of the game and another game we all get anxious and frustrated as we all begin once again to look down at what’s happening beneath us.

Player Ratings:
James: 6/10 No chance with superb Kanoute strike but dealt with everything else in his usual efficient way.
Mills: 4/10 Poor again, too many times out of position.
Dunne: 6/10 Excelled in the air, exposed for the Kanoute goal for pace but was effectively in the right back position vacating the hole left by Mills.
Distin: 7/10 Superb performance, commanding in the air and assured passing, excellent clearance off the line from Keane, which was worth a goal – my man of the match.
Jordan: 5/10 First poor performance, passing was off today and was caught napping on a couple of occasions. Can’t play well every game.
Sibierski: 3/10 Awful performance for Sibby, missed a great chance with an open header, passed to a dark blue shirt on too many occasions, caught in possession too many times and slowed up play when the ball came to him. As with Jordan this was an off-day for Sibby as he’s done a reasonable job filling in on the left of midfield when it’s not his natural position. KK should have realised he was having a off day and subbed or changed the system. Everyone else realised this (even Sibby)!
Bosvelt: 7/10 Dominated the first half but as the game wore on he had less and less influence.
Barton: 6/10 Very similar to Bosvelt, full of energy and running, noticeably curbed his “vision” passing after the Boro game. I just wish Joey would only try to make 3-4 telling passes in a game. He seems to try it with every ball (Boro) or not at all (today).
SWP: 6/10 Poor by his standards – crossing was off and rarely got past his markers – however, criticism should be levelled at the referee who would not take action against the cynical fouls from Spurs every time SWP beat a Spurs player.
Fowler: 6/10 What he did was good, excellent running off the ball but very little service.
Macken: 6/10 Held ball up well but as with Fowler, service was poor.
Subs:
BWP: No real chance to get into the game, unfair to score.
Anelka: Had that disinterested look in him but based on what I was watching I probably did too.

MATCH VIEW ‘TV’ I: MCFC 0 SPURS 1

We’ve had most of the recent games on TV here: United, Portsmouth, Villa, Boro and that shambles this morning against Spurs.

When the undefeated run was going on, I refrained from joining in with praise, reminding myself that earlier in the season I said I would never again admit to us having turned the corner. Sadly, with the last two performances, I think I was correct to withhold judgement. We do not seem to be making progress in terms of winning games we should. I gave up calculating points total if we did win the home games we should win.

I won’t provide judgement on the players; I can’t see the point really as these are the players we have and until something changes we have to make do. I can see a reason for letting Anelka go but worry about Kevin’s judgement in bringing in replacements. Someone wrote last week that Shaun’s price tag should be very, very high – if he goes let’s make sure we benefit. I agree though, I hope he stays.

I know we all have our views on the kind of player we would like to see come to City in January – finances permitting. I would put a plea in for a midfield player who can create, who possesses some guile and imagination and who can complement those already there. In the last two games we have struggled to move the ball forward at speed; surely it has dawned on everyone by now that hitting long balls to two forwards who are trying but who are short of pace is not going to work. So a forward looking, crafty midfield player please Santa. I don’t want much do I?

On the plus side, at least we are getting a look at some of the younger players and while they may not all be quite ready for this level there is hope that we may have found 3-4 young players who, over the next year, may be more regular in the side. I always like to think that City will maintain this element of a local club, bringing players through. I know it is daft thinking in the modern world of football but what the heck.

I was looking at the fixture list before the Boro game and thought there was a chance of 10 points from the next five games. Once again I seem to have fallen for the promise of success. Why cannot I be content with who we are?

Once again, as another calendar year ends, best wishes to all on this wonderful newsletter and especially thanks to Heidi and everyone who works so hard to send us news twice a week. What would we do without it? Yes, I know, live quiet, stress free, productive lives! But that would be no fun.

MATCH VIEW ‘TV’ II: MCFC 0 SPURS 1

Another game that was frustrating and disappointing to watch. The lack of creativity from midfield was clear throughout the game.

City players kept passing the ball back and forth with short passes, as if to tell their team mates “you have a go, I don’t know what to do with the ball”; it was pathetic to say the least. No City players running into open positions to accept a pass, and when they did the passing was bad, hitting the ball too slow or off target.

The game was at a slow pace that Spurs wanted, and City did not know how to raise the tempo. We lack a creative midfield player, as with the players we have right now our only hope is that Claudio Reyna comes back 100% fit, at least he can be creative from midfield. Maybe Claudio has not shown much in a City shirt because of his injuries, but I do know he has that talent.

Our other option is Macca, another player who has shown his talent in the past, but not in a City shirt. If he can come back 100% fit he still has to show us why City brought him in. Shaun Wright-Phillips had an off day; last week he was well marked out of the game, today SWP did not attempt many of his usual exciting runs, but he still is a fantastic player. Cannot blame him, that’s for sure.

Playing at home, City should have attacked the Spurs goal again and again, instead playing some of the worst negative football that I have seen for some time. The goal from Spurs was a cracker from Kanuote that gave Spurs a deserved win, and Spurs came closer to getting a 2nd goal than City were to getting a first.

It’s a strange old game; the same players that beat Villa and Pompey with so much passion could not produce that same passion today. Bringing on Nico Anelka and Bradley Wright-Phillips as subs 20 minutes from time had no impact on the game whatsoever.

I think we all need to forget this game in a hurry; both players and supporters. Sorry if I have been so negative, but that’s what this game was.

Here’s to doing better next week, when Bolton will be looking out for revenge from last season, Sam Allardyce seeing today’s performance will be rubbing his hands.

Come on you Blues!

OPINION: STEWARDING PROBLEMS CITY vs. SPURS GAME

On Saturday I was in the section next to the away supporters (Key103 stand). This section is one where supporters continually stand up throughout the game and nothing much has ever been done to stop it in the past.

If the Club was not happy about this standing behaviour then surely it should have been stopped at the beginning of last season instead of allowing it to become the “norm” for so long. Informing fans continually that it is not acceptable to the club to stand would have been a much better way to reinforce this club policy. I have only moved to this part of the ground this season. I, like most others in this section, have to stand up during games as everyone in front is standing and this has been going on since the start of the season, although I actually do prefer to stand.

Unfortunately on Saturday the stewards and police decided to become suddenly heavy handed about the standing issue. They entered the stand en masse. They were arresting a bloke just in front of me for apparently assaulting a police officer, which was not the case as far as I could see. He was arguing about standing, which on reflection I’m sure he now regrets. The situation was becoming very tense and the action/attitude of the stewards/police and fans was becoming aggressive and confrontational. I think that this was completely unnecessary and bad timing just before Christmas. Arrests and treating fans like this is not nice to see. I tried to ask the officer next to me why they were being so heavy handed/intimidating and I complained that there was no need to be like this. Fans were just watching the game and causing no trouble. Without so much as a blink he shoved my arm up my back and arrested me for breach of the peace! The stewards then said I was to lose my season card in a gleeful manner and requested the officers remove my card from me. I was never given the opportunity to explain or appeal. I did refuse to give up my card though but the steward took my details and I assume they will cancel it on their computer system.

I feel a bit hard done to as I have an unblemished record as a supporter both home and away. I am a regular season card holder and have supported MCFC for over 30 years. I have attended games with no problem ever until this heavy-handed policing/stewarding. I was charged with nothing by the police in the end and simply released after suffering the humiliation of being thrown out halfway through a game,: DNA samples, fingerprinting, photograph taken and finally I was dumped on the street outside Collyhurst Ppolice station 6.45pm.

I have had a painful arm since this incident where the police officer was twisting and holding my arm. I am really not sure why he felt the need to be so aggressive and physical after I showed no physical threat to him. At the time I was livid about my treatment and complained constantly about what they were doing to me, only to be completely ignored and have sarcastic remarks made to me by police officers of varying ranks. I was surrounded by approximately ten officers. Waste of resources? Over zealous? I felt like I was a criminal and was completely humiliated. I wasn’t fighting, drunk, smoking, throwing anything or swearing, simply watching the game. I had no conversations with stewards either prior to the officer grabbing me. I have never been treated like this in my life and never expected to be at Manchester City.

I think that it would be extremely harsh to have my season card taken from me in this case. I did nothing wrong and was simply arrested by an over zealous police officer for questioning their tactics.

As you can imagine I am desperate to keep hold of my season card and don’t feel I should be punished for doing nothing wrong to the club.

I have no idea what the club will do next? I refused to give the steward my season card on the day and told him I felt I had done nothing wrong and was innocent.

I am going to write to the Chairman but would like to speak to the club about the issues. Questions I would ask: Is this likely to happen again? Can the standing issue be dealt with in a more understanding, calm way (Letters to supporters, tannoy announcements and perhaps constant friendly reinforcement game by game by stewards until it is adhered to)? The way it is done now clearly does not work and merely incites people. They only stand up again minutes later after the stewards are gone anyway. Surely criminalizing/banning fans is not the answer. Even better would be an area designated for standing only, and then everyone is happy. I think this would also improve the atmosphere at the ground, as it is normally the standing section that does most of the singing to get behind the team.

What can I do? Anyone got any suggestions? Buy a Sky card? It’s not funny really but it’s Christmas and I am trying to think positive. Will the club take my card?

I rang the Club this morning (13th Dec.) to sort this out but no one would talk to me and the ground safety officer, Peter Fletcher, does not take calls apparently.

OPINION: WHAT NEXT?

Just not good enough. What are we now, a feeder club for all those egos? It was the last straw on Saturday. We have been putting up with this for 18 months now. The hungry potential of our youngsters has been papering over the cracks of our failing expensive pros. We still have no midfield after shelling out big bucks to compete and expect a better return. My patience has worn thin with KK. I would still give him until Christmas to turn things round, but after that more of the same as last year is just not good enough. There have been signs that we are two players short of a good team. However, confidence has again dipped and our performances continue to frustrate to the point of pain. I have been, and remain, behind the team, but we need to stop marking time and get our fingers out. I don’t think we can do this as the reality dawns that KK is definitely going. I am afraid, much as I like KK, his position is becoming untenable. The players we have are not up to the job, and the motivation of higher glories has become a myth as the man leading it is set to disappear. If we have no change by the turn of the year, KK should move upstairs and let Pearce take the reigns until the end of the season to see how we and he do.

I now have had time to digest and wait for any defence of Nico’s comments coming through. As it has not happened, I assume those words are his true feelings. If this is the case, put him on Ebay on 1st January. No one is bigger than the club and if he does want Champions’ League with City, he can choose to stay and fight. If not, take the easy route. As good as Nico is, we are City, super City from Maine Roa. Not some backwater where the superstar and the manager can dictate when and where they are going to show their best efforts. We are not in this league to make up the numbers. It’s all or nothing to ‘carry on the glory of the City’. I know KK will give his all, but I am starting to feel it’s not going to be enough unless he would sign on for longer, or at least say he is!

As for midfield, it has relied on JB and SWP, when they should have heard Willo Flood knocking on the door. To their credit they have been phenomenal. Bosvelt and Sibbo are just not good enough at this level, and what we have waiting in the surgery is far from the mark. Matty Holland at £500,000 as predicted by many Blues, has proved there are players to be had who do not need all that time to produce crutch. Alternatively, they actually add an extra dimension to the team. Next tip to be snapped up, Sebastien Mila from Groclin Dyskobolia, left-sided creative young Polish international, still only 23.

The winds of change are blowing. Let’s handle it properly and sort out what is increasingly becoming unacceptable. Give Pearce the reins and give us our future back with certainty, stability and a breath of fresh air.

Whatever you do, Stay Blue!

OPINION: VULTURES HOVERING

Today in the newspaper I read Andy Townsend’s view that Chelsea should sign Shaun W-P and yesterday that Souness was eyeing up Richard Dunne. Leeds were trying to poach Bradley W-P, Nico Anelka is on his way to a more successful club etc.

Personally I am fed up with the assertion by other clubs and persons in the media that ‘bigger’, ‘richer’, ‘more successful’ clubs can simply pick up their cheque books, ring up the club and take our best players. I believe we need the board to make greater efforts to re-present the message that we are a massive club with huge active support, a great Academy and with continuing ambition.

It seems almost ridiculous to me that we are allowing this attitude from others, even taking into account our financial difficulties. In fact if we continue this way we will not attract the investment we clearly need. We are not struggling in League Two of the Championship, we in mid-table in arguably the most competitive league in the world. We are the only Premiership club to have beaten the great spenders Chelsea, we only lost narrowly to Arsenal and drew with the Reds and of course beaten others.

The board of the club, through our PR people, should go on a media offensive, clearly stating our position on players, our ambition etc. and if they do not believe they can do that they should go elsewhere.

OPINION: CHRISTMAS WISH LIST

I have a few wishes for City this Christmas, and I hope they all come true!

1. Give me a box-to-box player like Colin Bell, let him be young and lethim go on to terrify the other teams in the Premiership with his stamina,speed and goals. Let him be Joey Barton if possible.
2. Give me a defender with Blue blood in his veins. May it be Steve Jordanand let Mike Doyle be the form that he is cut from. Let him hate United andlet him tackle them from morning to night so they have fear in their eyeswhen they approach the Eastlands.
3. Give me a goalkeeper that can stabilize the defence like PeterSchmeichel. Let him be a tower on the pitch like Joe Corrigan and FrankSwift. Let him be willing to stick his neck out for the team like BertTrautmann, and let him make saves that are spoken of longer than Gordon Banks.
4. Give me a winger with the creativity of Buzzer Summerbee, and thestrength of David White. Let him be Shaun Wright-Phillips, and let himpaint the City blue with his magic. Let him create and score many goals forCity and England and let him go on to play in blue for many years.
5. Give me a captain with the integrity and respect of Tony Book. Let himset an example for his team mates both on and off the pitch. Let him beexperienced and feared by his opponents. Let him be Stuart Pearce reincarnated.
6. Give me a striker with the abilities of Neil Young. Let him be blessedwith the fortune to create as many chances as he puts away. Let him have aBlue soul, and let him be loved by the fans for it.
7. Give me a manager like Joe Mercer, a grandfather figure to the team thatkeeps the board at bay, and gives the team the time to settle. Let himunderstand the way of things and let him know how to excel in this business.
8. Give me a coach that understands how to motivate the players. Let it beStuart Pearce if possible, and let him create excitement with his ideas andnew ways of doing things. Let him gain the respect of the players and letthem be willing to bleed for him.

But most importantly: Give me a team that has the taste for honour and will never surrender. Let them cry their hearts out every time they lose and let them jump in joy when they win. Let them share their excitement with the fans and let them be loved by it.

I wish for nothing more.

OPINION: TIME FOR PEARCE?

Stuart Pearce wants to be the manager to take over from Kevin Keegan at the end of next season.

I feel that the John Wardle and the board of directors should let Stuart Pearce know of their decision on this matter. Stuart Pearce is on a six months at a time contract, which means that if a suitable club came along he could be gone.

It would only be fair to Stuart Pearce and the club to make such a decision and let Stuart know that if he is picked so he can better prepare himself working alongside KK now.

Some might say that Stuart has not got the experience of managing a club, although he did a player manager’s job for a short period at Nottingham Forest. I say that he knows all the players, including all the young stars that are about to emerge into the first team, so that would be a definite plus.

If Stuart has had anything to do with our defence playing better this season, then I say let him be the next in line for the manager’s job. Stuart Pearce wants the job, and is already working with the present manager KK to have a smooth transition when the time for KK to depart comes. And of course it would stop Stuart from applying for another job; he would know that he has one, as the future manager of City.

If it’s left to the last minute, who knows who City might get as their next manager; let’s be prepared (maybe it’s the boy scout in me) – “Be Prepared”.

REQUEST: TORINO BLUES’ LINK

Hi to everybody!

I am just trying to promote the new Italian branch: it’s called “The Blue Pride”. I’m also waiting to organize my first trip at the CoMS in spring.

I need a great help from all of you: is there anyone who took part in a Toro Club of England? Here in Torino there are a lot of my friends, who are supporters of the Granata squad (now unluckily relegated in Serie B). They told me about an international supporters’ club of Toro and Man City. Ten years ago some Italian young people usually went from Torino to the old Maine Road to support the Blues. And a lot of Mancunian friends of them replied going to the Comunale stadium to look for the TORO matches.

Unfortunately we lose all the contacts with them: is there anyone of you which knows their names and addresses?

Thank you and, of course… Forza magico City!

RESULTS

12 December 2004

Aston Villa           1 - 2  Birmingham City       41,329
Arsenal               2 - 2  Chelsea               38,153

11 December 2004

Everton               1 - 0  Liverpool             40,552
Crystal Palace        0 - 0  Blackburn Rovers      22,010
Manchester City       0 - 1  Tottenham Hotspur     45,805
Newcastle United      1 - 1  Portsmouth            51,480
Norwich City          3 - 2  Bolton Wanderers      23,549
Southampton           2 - 2  Middlesbrough         29,018
West Bromwich Albion  0 - 1  Charlton Athletic     24,697

League table to 12 December 2004 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Chelsea         17  6  2  0 15  3  6  2  1 18  5 12  4  1  33   8  25  40
 2 Everton         17  6  1  2 11  9  5  2  1 10  5 11  3  3  21  14   7  36
 3 Arsenal         17  5  4  0 25 11  5  1  2 19 11 10  5  2  44  22  22  35
 4 Manchester Utd  16  5  3  0 12  3  3  3  2 10  7  8  6  2  22  10  12  30
 5 Middlesbrough   17  4  3  1 13  9  4  2  3 16 13  8  5  4  29  22   7  29
 6 Aston Villa     17  5  3  1 15  6  1  4  3  7 13  6  7  4  22  19   3  25
 7 Liverpool       16  6  0  1 15  5  1  3  5  9 13  7  3  6  24  18   6  24
 8 Charlton Ath.   17  4  2  2 12  8  3  1  5  7 19  7  3  7  19  27  -8  24
 9 Bolton Wndrs    17  4  2  2 12  8  2  3  4 14 17  6  5  6  26  25   1  23
10 Portsmouth      16  5  1  2 15 11  1  3  4  7 12  6  4  6  22  23  -1  22
11 Tottenham H.    17  2  2  4 11 12  4  2  3  5  5  6  4  7  16  17  -1  22
12 Newcastle Utd   17  3  3  3 16 16  2  3  3 12 16  5  6  6  28  32  -4  21
13 Manchester City 17  3  3  3 10  6  2  2  4 11 12  5  5  7  21  18   3  20
14 Birmingham City 17  1  4  3  5  7  2  4  3  9 12  3  8  6  14  19  -5  17
15 Fulham          16  3  0  5  8 15  2  2  4 10 12  5  2  9  18  27  -9  17
16 Norwich City    17  2  4  3 12 15  0  5  3  5 13  2  9  6  17  28 -11  15
17 Crystal Palace  17  2  2  5  8 11  1  3  4  9 13  3  5  9  17  24  -7  14
18 Blackburn R.    17  1  5  2 10 14  1  3  5  6 16  2  8  7  16  30 -14  14
19 Southampton     17  2  5  2 13 13  0  2  6  4 13  2  7  8  17  26  -9  13
20 West Brom A.    17  1  4  4  7 14  0  3  5  8 18  1  7  9  15  32 -17  10

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: