Newsletter #1087

A superb first 25 minutes saw one of the finest opening City displays at CoMS as we went on to beat Palace 3-1. We have a match report tonight thanks to Rich.

We also have plenty of opinion on the Anelka and Keegan sagas, Keegan coming out with more or less the same comments Anelka allegedly made about bigger clubs in relation to SWP. Pot kettle and black springs to mind 😉

Thatcher is the first move in the current transfer window, as he returns to London and Fulham. There is still no confirmation on the much rumoured Anelka to Turkey, or Distin to Newcastle moves.

The reserve team are in action tomorrow night at the City Ground as we face Nottingham Forest, and the youth team take on Brighton at MiniCoMS on Wednesday in the FA Youth Cup.

Last but not least, we have news tonight of a competition we will be running over the next few weeks. This is open to all you subscribers, read on and we hope you enjoy it.

EXCLUSIVE MCIVTA COMPETITION – PART I

We are pleased to bring you, in conjunction with Legendsfc.com, the first of a MCIVTA Supporters Quiz which will run through MCIVTA and our website http://www.uit.no/mancity/ over the next few weeks.

Legendsfc.com produce limited edition prints of iconic footballing moments and have very kindly donated two stunning pictures for MCIVTA readers to win: one of Paul Dickov and one of Bert Trautmann. These (along with numerous other sporting images) can be viewed and purchased from their website http://www.legendsfc.com/. Each picture is in black and white, and is A2 sized (594mm x 420mm) high quality gloss.

The first competition is to win the Dickov picture, which is that unforgettable image of him celebrating the injury time equalizer during the 1999 Division 2 Play-off final.

To win the picture you will have to answer 6 questions, three presented in this issue of MCIVTA and three in the next issue (1088).

To submit your answers and view the competition rules please go to the MCFC Supporters’ Homepage at: http://www.uit.no/mancity/ and follow the instructions to register. Answers to the above questions must be submitted before Thursday 20th at 12:00 GMT.

QUESTION 1:
Who had the squad number 28 before Uwe Rösler?

QUESTION 2:
Which extra-terrestrial place did City coach Malcolm Allison predict that Manchester City would be the first club to play at?

QUESTION 3:
What Horace Barnes did first, Marc Vivien Foe was the last to do. The two players were divided by almost a century, still they hold a record that will connect them forever, which?

MATCH REPORT: MCFC 3 CRYSTAL PALACE 1

Another relegation-threatened side to visit CoMS so I half expected a poor City performance today; that always seems to be the case anyway. From the start you could sense the City players were up for this game to hopefully right the wrongs of the FA Cup performance last week. For the first 30 minutes City absolutely battered Crystal Palace. If the score had been 4-0, I don’t think Palace would have argued. City were playing excellently, Dunne/Distin were commanding in the air and were the foundation for a lot of the City moves, Thatcher/Mills were given license to get down the wings and managed to get forward an awful lot in the first half. Barton/Bosvelt/Sibby were first to every ball and linked excellently with Fowler/Macken.

City seemed to be opening up Palace very easily with lovely, crisp passing between the midfielders and forwards, SWP was put through after one such move but screwed his shot wide. Only moments later the same move found SWP in the same position and this time SWP buried his shot 1-0 past the ‘keeper. Before we had time to sit down, Fowler was put away down the right, he turned the defender and curled a lovely shot to make it 2-0. At this point your really thought we were on for a cricket score. SWP, Fowler, Macken, Sibby, and Mills all went close with speculative efforts, and City were in complete control. To be fair Palace were very poor and offered very little in the first half. Johnson did look very sharp though, going close on a break down the left and winning a free-kick with his pace in the final minutes of the first half. The resulting free-kick was curled in well from Routledge and met Powell at the far post who glanced the ball past James (who had no chance with the goal). 2-1 and you could feel the crowd and players alike getting nervous.

The second half Palace saw strengthen considerably, the 50-50 balls were no longer being won by the midfield and Palace were really mixing it in the tackles. This, coupled with the nervousness of the crowd and the players lead the game to become quite scrappy, however Palace’s best chances were coming from delivery from set-pieces from Routledge. Still, James did not have a save to make. As Palace started to search for the equaliser, KK subbed Macken with BWP. I have berated KK for his tactical awareness in the past but this was quite a good move as BWP’s pace gave cause for concern for Palace and although BWP was not 100% effective, the change certainly stunted Palace. The final goal came from yet more excellent work from Fowler, which allowed him to get to the by-line and cut a pass to SWP who side footed into an empty net. We could all now go home happy.

Player ratings:
James 6/10 – Nothing to do all game, spooned a ball in the second half that should have been easy fodder but other than that, a spectator.
Thatcher 6/10 – Good defensively, bossed Routledge well, got forward well.
Dunne 7/10 – Immense performance, kept Johnson very quiet.
Distin 7/10 – As per Dunne, seemed to get forward well and excellent distribution.
Mills 6/10 – Lots of opportunity to get forward, which he did well, caught out of position on a couple of occasions.
Sibierski 6/10 – I thought he played well first half, added urgency in the first half and showed some nice touches (although some people were saying he was awful – so will be interested to read other people’s views).
Barton 7/10 – Excellent first half, played a lot deeper than normal but broke up play, provided drive and played some lovely passes (especially the one for SWP’s first goal).
Bosvelt 6/10 – Completely marshalled midfield in first half, got outplayed a bit in the second.
SWP 8/10 – Excellent performance, took both goals well and could have easily have had a hat-trick.
Fowler 9/10 – Shaded SWP for MotM, Robbie was utter class today, work-rate immense, touch was sublime and took goal well. Never mind the Fowler of old this is the new Fowler!
Macken 5/10 – Very poor, started well holding the ball up and linking well with Fowler but lost confidence and looked flat-footed at times. Can’t help but think the time is ticking for Macken (maybe a six week fitness regime may do the world of good).
Subs:
McManaman 4/10 – Very little contributed, lightweight in midfield.
BWP 5/10 – Busy, and pace concerned Palace at a time when they starting to get a foothold and search for an equaliser.
Onouha – No Score, came on in last minute to allow a deserved ovation for Fowler.

All in all, 3-1 was a fair result. Eight points out of 12 is not a bad haul and we are in a much better position than the same time last year when we really couldn’t see where the next points were coming from. Listening to GMR on the way home, KK confirmed that Thatcher is leaving to go to Fulham because of personal reasons, the rumour was an Anelka deal had been done with Fenerbache for £8.5 million, calendar conspiracy theorists take note, Anelka’s name was missing off the Ladbrokes betting – you could argue his name was dropped through “injury” but Reyna’s name still featured on the list (if Beattie is worth £6 million, surely this is way under-valued?).

I’ll be sorry to see both players go, but I don’t think either will prove to be a complete disaster. Thatcher has been okay but certainly Jordan will fill the gap and probably do a better job. Anelka’s goals and class will be sorely missed but I can’t help but think the side will now have to be more creative rather than look for Anelka every time. I, for one, certainly won’t miss the constant speculation on Anelka’s future and mis-interpretation of Anelka stories in L’Equipe. I think the bigger problem is strength in depth as both leaving will leave us light in coverage so surely KK will have to get someone in to cater for any further injuries.

Two wins at home on the trot, we are in danger of having a home fortress!

OPINION: RAMBLING THOUGHTS I

Just felt the need to chuck in my two penneth. Not too many good points for those of you who skip a few, just need to ramble…

1) Keep All Our Best
I am right with Rob Hyslop (MCIVTA 1086) on the £200,000 a week saving by cutting the deadwood and keeping our best – refer to my article ages ago on not selling the family silver, e.g. Stephen Elliott, but coppering up the shrapnel. We need to keep our best players, that is anyone who has been speculatively linked and especially Nico, Distin, SWP etc.

By virtue of the regular singing of their names, I believe the majority of away supporters enjoy a good rapport with Anelka, Keegan, Distin as well as the other more popular members of our club. This suggests to me that the people who watch the team home and away know what’s what.

We are having a tough time of it at the moment and Oldham was as disastrous a performance as Groclin; let’s hope it does not have the same hangover. I have to admit that if Kev stepped away at this point we could thank him for a job well done. However, looking forward, our ability to replace any of the names linked is limited, we’d be as well just to have an internal shuffle. We currently have managerial stability thanks to Joe Royle and Kev pushing us on to be a permanent Premiership outfit. As per Richard Lord (MCIVTA 1086), Pearce might enjoy a good few months until the end of the season, once we have hit 36 points, with Kev upstairs for his final 18 months to see out his top 6 objective with dignity. If we are going to go external my preference would be to give Fabio Cappello his stab at the Premiership.

2) The Board
I think our board does lack creativity and foresight. Bernstein clearly was right in his policies and we would have done well to keep him. However, that is the past. Our situation now, in my opinion, requires a bit more ‘reckless’ spending on two players, just because the first gamble/strategy has not worked. In my dreams we would swap Sommeil, Negouai and Sibbo for DvB; buy in Malbranque and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie for £6 million out of the £10 million we save in wages on the obvious wasters. Just tap the bank up for a bit more of an overdraft to see us into Europe this season.

We missed out on two very good international players on the cheap, Sebastien Mila (young [23], gifted, international left sided midfielder) and Grzegorz Raziak (proven international goal scorer on loan at Derby) who we saw first hand twice last term and have both since moved on. So now we need to be creative and cough up some cash. With two or three of the above additions we would have a team at least equal, and probably better than Liverpool, Newcastle and Everton to attempt our top 6 push. Do not sell any of ours stars, especially to our competitors, and look to build on what should be a phenomenal next three seasons, given our talent. We should be aiming to match SWP’s ambition and make sure he sees out his career and ambition as a Blue. I don’t subscribe to the defeatists that he has to go somewhere else, let’s get him and his mates supported with two or three excellent players to our already respectable nucleus.

As an aside, £1 million a season for a proper scoreboard would be money well spent.

3) Booing
Agree with the consensus that it is not right or productive to boo any City player, even the traffic cop. However, from my position in Colin Bell lower, I thought the booing of Anelka was misconstrued. I thought the initial boo started for bringing Fowler (?) off, before it rallied into a booing of Anelka from some of the 12,000 theatre goers we have amassed since our move from Maine Road. As Nico warmed up, he received a less than usual ripple of applause in front of us and from the old North Standers, but applause nonetheless. We should now make every effort to get behind him tomorrow and stop believing the press until something definite happens.

4) Bring Back the Goat
We need a fillip right now and I can see a lot of sense in having the Goat around, if only for the development of BWP. Even if he never played he would be good to have around to embody what City is all about. Commitment to the cause, top bloke and a good sub/reserve player to have around just in case. This is not contrary to the deadwood argument as he has Blue blood and is part of the family silver. It might even turn out to be shrewd marketing, ‘Return of the Goat’ anyone? He is available right now on loan and would be good until at least the end of the season.

5) Prediction
In the next five games we have Palace, Baggies, Newcastle, Chelsea and United. Anybody want to bet we take more points off the last three than the first two?

Whatever you do, Stay Blue!

OPINION: RAMBLING THOUGHTS II

I have noticed a rash of letters recently that are sensible, reasoned and circumspect. Is this a New Year’s Resolution for McV or just a temporary aberration? It’s been a while since I last contributed, but felt that I should add my voice to the weight of opinion of Richard Williams et al.

Keegan

I’m a fan of continuity. Part of our problem has been a readiness to change, and I certainly don’t want to go back to the farce that was a few before Big Joe. Keegan hasn’t been that bad, and as noted in the last issue, he is well on target for delivering his 6th in the league after 5 years.

He is often credited with being a great motivator, a claim I would dispute. We always seem to be up for the big games and not against the lesser teams. This is only natural, and surely a great motivator would step in to keep the team up when they need it most. Our inability to string together more than two wine (more than one usually is difficult enough) again points to our “great motivator” allowing complacency to set in.

His buying record is pretty poor, but the scouting staff and the chairmen have to shoulder some responsibility for this as well. My biggest frustration is his reluctance / inability to change the pattern and flow of a game mid-stream, but his tactical awareness was questionable long before we got him.

On the positive side, I like the kind of football Keegan likes the team to play, and I really enjoy his enthusiasm for the game. He has added some kudos to the club; would we ever have landed Nic under Frank Clark or Big Joe? Some of his signings have been wonderful and his stewardship of Dunne, Sweep, Joey, Jordan et al has been exemplary. Also, importantly, Keegan recognises his failings and is able to compensate by hiring others to cover his shortcomings. A Keegan team that can defend, come on down Stuart Pearce.

Overall I would like Keegan to see out his contract, and it is too early to announce a successor as this would just lead to confusion as to whose team it was. For continuity I would prefer someone at the club, although Asa Hartford rather than Stuart Pearce, rather than an outsider, and this time next year is plenty of time to announce any appointments.

Anelka

I cannot believe that so many are calling for Nic to be sold while singingthe praises of Robbie Fowler. One swallow does not make a summer, and hisrecent upturn in form and commitment cannot make up for Robbie’sperformances over the last two years. Anelka is by far by better strikerand much more professional. All Anelka needs is a quick-thinking playmakerto play through the killer balls. Barton and Bosvelt are great in midfieldas a defensive team, but neither could be likened to Ali or Eyal. I quitelike Sibierski in the attacking midfield rôle, much better here than on theleft, but even he is hardly ideal. I wonder could we get a year or two outof Scholes? Not fussed on Juninho, if we went to Celtic I’d rather havePetrov.

Anelka really should work on his one on ones as well.

As for a partner for Nic, I can’t help but remember with fondness the time when the Goat was up there. We really need a big man who loiters in the box who is brave bordering on stupid. Someone who can avail of quality crosses put in by Sweep and whoever we get to mirror him on the left. I can’t really offer many suggestions for this rôle (Hartson? Even dare I say Heskey?). God love John Macken, he tries hard, but he’s just not good enough, David Healy was always the better striker at Preston.

The Troublesome Left

There are many players I would love to see us shot of, McMoneyman, Fowler,Sinclair, Reyna, even Bosvelt. We can keep Thatcher as cover for Jordanand maybe look toward Alan Thompson or Harry Kewell for the left midfieldas long as we could tie their laces to the touchline to stop them cuttinginfield. There’s always Stuart Downing although he’d be far too dear andhe has a habit of running into defenders looking for a free rather thantrying to go past them.

Looks like this rant is a bit of a long one, but it has been a while for me. Keep the faith – the glass is half full, not half empty.

OPINION: RAMBLING THOUGHTS III

From Miles Webber’s last contribution:

“Gordon Strachan as Manager, Anelka sulking away in Turkey, a new striker, playmaker and defender, our spiralling debt under control, McManaman gone, Dunne made Captain and David Bernstein back as Chairman.”

Where do we sign up for this?

At first sight this may seem a bit harsh. However, I do have reasons:

1. Strachan seems to have made a good job of his last managerial job atSouthampton (see what a mess they are in now with roughly the same players)and he is available now. Personally, I rate him as the best of the known“possibles” to replace Keegan. It may be that a suitable coach isavailable abroad but I’m not convinced that the board has the contacts orvision to find and appoint him. Hence, I think that some form of deal tobring Strachan on board and ease Keegan into a rôle such as director offootball would be good. We need a sensible succession plan and willStrachan really still be around in 12 months’ time? For those people who aresuggesting O’Neill as the next manager – get real.
2. I have no issue with Nicolas Anelka. However, if there is any truthbehind the rumour that he has not allowed the club doctor to examine hisbad back then this is unforgivable. If you are professional, you don’t pickand choose when you fancy playing. While Anelka has played well at times,he definitely has his strengths and weaknesses. His strengths include verygood close control, a powerful shot, good pace and an eye for goal. Hisweaknesses include his distribution (remember that “pass” to SWP againstLeicester away last season to name but one), the way he slows the game downwhen the ball reaches him, his lack of passing (he seems mostly to passbackwards and sideways) and his abysmal record of being caught offside(whenever I’ve seen stats and league tables of offsides he has been nearthe top). My point here is that he seems to have pretty much stood still asa player since he arrived. If you look at players like SWP, Dunne andBarton they have come on a great deal over the past two years but Anelka(like many others) hasn’t. He is not one of the world’s great players whowill set the Champions’ League on fire. I think the lack of potentialsuitors who have come a-calling despite the obvious unrest around him showsthis. If he wants to be a Champions’ League player he should be improvinghis all round game but this is something that he and the management teambetween them seem incapable of doing. Compare his progress with that ofHenry. Both went to the French national academy and both were imported byWenger. Anelka (or his advisors) though that he was a bigger player thanArsenal and so he went to Madrid. Henry came to Arsenal, learned and hasbecome a great player. Nicolas left and has stood still since then. Untilhe realises this, his potential will remain unfulfilled and he willcontinue to get frustrated with his fellow players as they are “not on hiswavelength” (funny, nobody talks about the other players not being on thesame wavelength as SWP).
3. Regardless of their levels of skill, McManaman, Reyna, Negouai andSinclair have all spent far too much time on the treatment table and assuch have just acted as a drain on resources for the past 18 months. Wehave persevered with Robbie Fowler and he has finally come good. This isgreat, but it took 18 months and we can’t afford to give half a dozenplayers the same leeway.
4. Distin is a good lad but too quiet for the captain of the greatunpredictables.
5. Bernstein was right on the Fowler deal and right to feel unhappy aboutthe manager’s transfer dealings in a plummeting market. I think he was asteadying influence and, unlike the chairmen either side of him, he was nota self-made man but a professional manager. I think that this brings adifferent perspective – one that helps when you are the steward of anentity that essentially belongs to other people (i.e. when viewed over thelonger term the club essentially belongs to the fans as they stick aroundwhile players, managers and board members come and go).

We have plugged the leaks in the boat but we should not sit round congratulating ourselves at still being afloat, otherwise the next heavy swell will start us sinking again. I’ll go now before I start talking about seagulls and trawlers…

P.S. Can someone please teach Danny Mills to mark his player before we concede another silly goal and David James volleys the ball up Mills’ backside rather than into the crowd.

OPINION: $KY $PORTS FIXTURES

After much foraging and calling in of favours, I managed to get a promise of a ticket, via a corporate season ticket. Job done. On to the BA website. Get good prices for two flights to Manchester ’cause it’s booked early. Job done. Me and the other half (let’s call her Dawn, ’cause that’s her name). Me going to the match, her going shopping with the girls in the family. Nice weekend.

One problem. The match I chose this weekend for was City vs. Bolton. Check with BA, the tickets are non-transferable.

I am now left with the prospect of losing the tickets completely, or coming up to Manchester with the prospect of going shopping. Where? The Trafford Centre.

Do I ditch the cost of the tickets, fly up and go shopping or just hang myself? Discuss.

OPINION: ADULTS ONLY SAY GMP

Prior to the Crystal Palace match, my son and I went to the pub as usual. The landlady informed me that I would not be allowed to bring my son in anymore as all the pubs around Eastlands had been issued with a letter informing them that unless they had a “Children’s certificate” they were not allowed to admit under 14’s. The letter was from Greater Manchester Police. It seems that to get a “Children’s certificate”, the pub would need a separate room and toilets for children, the room must be away from the bar. Now having visited many of Manchester’s hostelries over the years I cannot think of many that have such facilities.

It seems this law has been around for a long time but it has been ignored. Why? Because it is a bad law that deserves to be ignored. In an age when more and more families are attending football grounds, the police decide it’s time to put them off by throwing them out of the pubs. I would suggest that whichever genius has come up with this half baked plan is just trying to make a name for themselves. I do not know how we can put a stop to this madness but I would like to know if the club, whom I have already emailed, or the supporters’ branches can put any pressure on GMP to ease off.

No pub in the area can afford to provide these facilities and at a time when Manchester is trying to attract tourists into the city, some idiot comes up with an idea of how to make Manchester less family friendly.

If anyone has any ideas as to who is responsible for the police action and how it can be stopped could they let me know? I would also suggest that GMP concentrates on keeping the hooligans out of football grounds and the pubs. Here is a suggestion how you could achieve this: encourage families into the pubs and football grounds; after all, only an idiot would cause trouble whilst there are children around.

OPINION: KEEGAN (AND MARC) I

Isn’t it amazing that the likes of Marc Starbuck write in slagging off Keegan following our poor performance against Oldham? Sorry Marc but I must have missed your article praising Keegan and the players for a fantastic result at Highbury and the fact that City are 9th in the league with one of the meanest defences in the Premiership.

OPINION: KEEGAN (AND MARC) II

Marc Starbuck, 9th in the 3 horse race that is the Premier League, not been beaten by more than one goal all season, great young players coming through – what’s the matter with you?

We are inconsistent, show me a team that ain’t. Sometimes we can’t beat teams who are fighting for their Premiership survival, we’re not on our own. So not all Keegan’s signings have been inspired, every manager buys players that for one reason or another don’t work out. Keegan has improved things each year that he has been at City including last year when I thought on many occasions we didn’t get the rub of the green. It takes time to build a solid team and when Keegan does leave, the club will be in a much stronger position than when he started.

If all these people who did so much moaning would only put things into perspective and use some of all that negative energy into making a bit of noise on matchday then maybe the crowd might even have the effect of lifting the team now and then – just a thought!

OPINION: KEEGAN (AND MARC) III

I have to agree with Marc Starbuck’s comments. Keegan has a third of this season to go, and with any luck we can pick up wins from our next two games (there I go jinxing us again). I am aware of the fact that I said ‘with luck’, because I am still working of ‘let’s get 45 points and be safe – anything else is a bonus’.

As pessimistic as this is, we are not a great side yet. Yes, I did curse Dunne for his festively spirited gift to the Baggies, but it’s not that long ago that we struggled to get anything from them, even in the season that we were promoted from the First Division! This is actually a sign of the progress that have made, that we now expect to win, and win easily.

I do believe that we could be even stronger but for the reconstruction that our midfield has had to go through. We lost Etuhu to Preston because of a greedy agent, and with bereavement etc. aside, we could be in a considerably better state than we are.

So we have gone through yet another squad reconstruction, and a lot earlier than anyone could predict, but I would like to see a little stability that will allow our promising youth players to come through, not throw them in too early, and lose them. After all, how long was SWeeP in and out of the squad before claiming the right wing as his own (from full-back!), not only at City, but possibly at international level?

Let’s not get carried away and be as bad as the Rags, nobody deserves to be higher than they are, and we could save a lot of money, and achieve greater success with a little patience.

OPINION: KEEGAN (AND MARC) IV

In the last issue we had a “not sure about Keegan as he’s demob happy” and a “downright rant” from someone pretending they own a large coffee chain.

I’ll set my stall out early – I really like Keegan, when he came to City I was so happy, he was followed by some names that I could never, ever have believed would come to City (you all know who they are – some worked, some didn’t).

My views are simple:

1. We have never been in such a good position since Peter Reid, when wefinished 5th and Trafford Town were 6th. I know which team plays thebetter and more entertaining football.
2. There is no better manager who would show an interest in coming toCity, or none I can think of – if anyone suggests Sam “I watch Americanfootball for ideas” Allardyce I will punch them.
3. Anelka is a twit, I’ve always loved him, but he’s a twit. We shouldkeep him and everyone else, as really we’re doing quite well. Everyonesays “oooh Alan Curbishley is dead good” – but aren’t we about level withthem – and I even remember thrashing them this season – I think I was evensat near Marc “Keegan out” Starbuck that day and he nearly smiled. Sostick with it – remember, we’d have won the FA Cup this year if Oldhamhadn’t beaten us…

P.S. about Anelka – I think Keegan has pulled a masterstroke there – M. Anelka: “I want a big club as I am better than everyone in the world”. Mr Keegan “OK you are for sale, hmm, it seems only Fenerbache and TNS are interested – you can choose…”

OPINION: ANELKA

The debate raging amongst City fans over the projected fate of Nicolas Anelka is irrelevant. Quite simply, if Anelka wants to play for City and earn his sizeable wage packet… all the power to him. But if he doesn’t want to play for City, show him the door as soon as possible.

As a world class scorer, Anelka is expected to score goals. And as long as he’s making an effort and being productive I can’t think of any reason City supporters would not be cheering him on. But if he’s obviously going through the motions, not making an effort and claiming injuries – time to go! Complacency is not an option for anyone wearing a City shirt.

In Toronto, Canada, we’ve just gone through the same problem with basketball star Vince Carter. One of the league’s top players and paid accordingly, but would not put in the effort for Toronto, got traded to New Jersey and now admits he forced the trade by not trying! It’s pretty straightforward. Few other clubs are interested in paying the going rate so Anelka should earn his keep, get back in the line-up and contribute. Then maybe his detractors would get off his back.

REQUEST: NEWCASTLE BLUES

I live in Newcastle upon Tyne and am a season ticket holder, and would like to know if there are any supporters’ club branches in this area, or other Blues gathering for televised matches etc.

REQUEST: LLEYN AND CAMBRIAN BLUES

The newly founded Lleyn and Cambrian Coast CSA have a meeting scheduled for 7.45pm on Wednesday 19th January at the Conservative Club, Pwllheli.

CSA members and non-members alike are cordially invited to meet and exchange views with Andy Hinchcliffe. Admission is free and refreshments will be available.

Please contact me by email or Paul Shaw on 07967 356893 for more details.

REQUEST: MAN CITY RINGTONE I

I have been trying to get a Man City Ringtone (Blue Moon) for my Nokia 6310.

A friend I see very occasionally has one on his Mobile (monophonic), unfortunately he was sent it and does not know which site it came from, and is the one I am looking for.

Any suggestions would be gratefully accepted.

REQUEST: MAN CITY RINGTONE II

I’m looking for a polyphonic ringtone of Blue Moon. Does anyone know if it’s possible to get different arrangements than the standard one? I’d like the slower version by the Mavericks if possible.

Thanks for your help.

RESULTS

15 January 2005

Liverpool             0 - 1  Manchester United     44,183
Aston Villa           3 - 0  Norwich City          38,172
Charlton Athletic     3 - 1  Birmingham City       26,111
Manchester City       3 - 1  Crystal Palace        44,010
Newcastle United      2 - 1  Southampton           51,266
Portsmouth            0 - 1  Blackburn Rovers      19,904
Tottenham Hotspur     0 - 2  Chelsea               36,105

League table to 16 January 2005 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Chelsea         23  9  2  0 22  3  9  2  1 23  5 18  4  1  45   8  37  58
 2 Arsenal         22  6  5  0 28 12  8  1  2 24 12 14  6  2  52  24  28  48
 3 Manchester Utd  23  7  4  0 19  5  6  4  2 15  8 13  8  2  34  13  21  47
 4 Everton         22  8  1  2 15 11  5  3  3 12 12 13  4  5  27  23   4  43
 5 Liverpool       23  8  1  3 20  9  3  3  5 16 14 11  4  8  36  23  13  37
 6 Middlesbrough   22  6  3  2 18 11  4  2  5 16 17 10  5  7  34  28   6  35
 7 Charlton Ath.   23  7  2  3 20 13  3  2  6  7 20 10  4  9  27  33  -6  34
 8 Tottenham H.    23  4  3  5 22 18  5  3  3  7  5  9  6  8  29  23   6  33
 9 Manchester City 23  5  4  3 16  9  3  3  5 14 15  8  7  8  30  24   6  31
10 Aston Villa     23  7  3  2 19  7  1  4  6  7 19  8  7  8  26  26   0  31
11 Newcastle Utd   23  5  3  4 20 19  2  5  4 15 21  7  8  8  35  40  -5  29
12 Bolton Wndrs    22  4  3  4 13 11  3  3  5 16 20  7  6  9  29  31  -2  27
13 Portsmouth      23  5  2  5 16 16  2  4  5 10 15  7  6 10  26  31  -5  27
14 Birmingham City 23  3  4  4 12  9  3  4  5 14 19  6  8  9  26  28  -2  26
15 Blackburn R.    23  2  7  2 13 16  3  3  6  8 17  5 10  8  21  33 -12  25
16 Fulham          22  4  1  6 14 20  2  3  6 14 19  6  4 12  28  39 -11  22
17 Crystal Palace  23  3  2  6 10 12  1  4  7 14 25  4  6 13  24  37 -13  18
18 Norwich City    23  2  4  5 13 19  0  6  6  6 23  2 10 11  19  42 -23  16
19 Southampton     23  2  7  2 16 16  0  2 10  7 23  2  9 12  23  39 -16  15
20 West Brom A.    22  1  5  5  7 19  0  5  6 10 24  1 10 11  17  43 -26  13

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: