Newsletter #1326

Reaction and news from Don tonight to the derby game, the latest on the fall out and yet another player (Abdoun, who has made such an impression) moaning about the foreign divide. The Blues’ reserves won the Senior Cup this week, so all is not doom and gloom.

We have a match report from the Senior Cup, plenty of opinion on the way forward, April review and a look back, together with the usual requests.

Final game of the season this weekend away to our old nemesis Spurs.

Editorial Notice

I am taking a break for a fortnight, and Mads has kindly agreed to step in as editor once again. Please keep your articles coming to the usual address of: <editor(at)mcivta.city-fan.org>

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Doing a Runner: Joey Barton is reported to have left the country following the spat with team-mate Ousmane Dabo that has led to him being suspended by the club for the rest of the season. The Professional Footballers’ Association has been trying to contact the controversial midfielder but it is believed Barton is at a golfing resort on the Algarve. “We have been trying to help but Joey is out of the country,” said Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the PFA. “Of course we are disappointed when things like this happen, especially with all the work on anger management we have done with Joey and the help we have tried to give him. But it is an ongoing process. Some things take longer than others to sort out and we will continue to offer Joey our full support. Both these players are members and we will do what we can to help both of them.” Dabo is said to be considering taking legal proceedings against Barton, and the incident has been reported to the Police. SP will not be trying to talk the French midfielder of out of any such action. Pearce told The Guardian: “I’m not going to try and talk him out of it. Any individual person, whether they work for this football club or not, has a right to do whatever they want and I wouldn’t dream of trying to talk anybody out of anything. The bottom line is that, if Ousmane and his solicitors think it is a police matter, it is not for me to say to the player ‘don’t do that.’ He has every right to address things as he sees fit. The law states, if you are called as a witness and you were there, you have to come forward. You can’t turn around and say ‘no I wasn’t there’ or ‘no, I didn’t see anything’. Legally you have to come forward.”

Shown the Door? Barton’s agent Willie McKay (or non-agent, according to Joey earlier in the season) says that City will sell the player for £5.5m. McKay said: “I have spoken to City’s chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, and he told me they want the price that is in Joey’s contract. If City get the £5.5 million they will be happy and Joey will be sold.” So where will the ‘troubled’ number 8 be plying his trade next season? Everton were understood to be prepared to match the figure in January before Barton agreed to stay at Eastlands. Boss David Moyes is expected to rekindle his interest, with newly-promoted Sunderland also in the hunt. And at least two continental clubs are in the hunt for Barton – one headline I never thought I’d see was “AC Milan in for Barton”, but there it was – The Daily Mail says Barton has alerted Italian clubs that he will be available in the summer. French World Cup winner Marcel Desailly, now a scout for AC Milan, is among those who have asked to be kept informed about the situation. Meanwhile, Hibs striker Chris Killen reckons his former City teammate should consider moving to Celtic with news that Gordon Strachan is ready to bid for Barton’s services. “Joey could do a fantastic job for Celtic if he decided to try his luck in the SPL. That’s why I believe Gordon Strachan would not be taking a risk signing him. Put it this way, I remember playing in the City youth team and thinking Joey was the sort of player you’d want in your team making two-footed challenges against the opposition rather than making them against you. Joey Barton could certainly fill that Neil Lennon rôle in the midfield no problem for Celtic. The Champions’ League is definitely something that would appeal to Joey and unless he gets a move to a big Premiership side or to a top European club he might not get that opportunity.”

Revealed: The Other Casualty: Just a final snippet on the whole Barton/ Dabo fiasco for this week – the Mail on Sunday says Ousmane Dabo was not the only casualty of the now infamous assault. Paul Dickov went between the pair to try to intervene and, according to one of the many bystanders, caught a stray right-hander for his trouble.

Taking the Michael: Continuing our violence theme – what is it about blond haired City left-backs this season? Following his derby day fracas with C. Ronaldo, Michael Ball has admitted an FA violent conduct charge. He’s also apologised to his stamped-upon opponent. He said: “I deeply regret what I did and have accepted the FA’s charge without hesitation. I have also sent a personal apology to Cristiano. My action should not be seen on a football pitch and I know we have a responsibility at Premier League level to set a good example to the whole football community. I am proud of my disciplinary record and have never been sent off in my professional career.” Ball has been banned for three matches and is set to miss the last game of the season and the first two of the next campaign.

Twin Piques: City’s dressing room is split in two with foreign and English players pulling in opposite directions – so claims Djamel Abdoun. The on loan midfielder told the Sun: “Manchester City is a great club but the problem is they have foreign players on one side and English ones on the other. If the two halves manage to bond together City can finish in the top six but that good mentality does not exist. In the dressing room the foreign players sit on one bench and the English players sit on the other side. It is time for City’s people to realize football is a team sport and stop telling the papers the foreign players are to blame for their position. The clash between Dabo and Barton symbolizes the two factions at the club.”

Senior Service: Enough of the misery already – good news! City have won the Manchester Senior Cup, beating the Reds 3-1 at OT. City took the lead on 4 minutes thanks to a Danny Sturridge penalty (wouldn’t it be great to see him play at Tottenham on Sunday?). Our opponents equalised on 69 minutes, but the lead was restored a few minutes later when Marc Laird’s glancing header found the net. And a last minute strike by Paul Marshall secured the trophy. “It was a very good performance by our young players,” said coach Kenny Jackett. “We got off to a terrific start with Daniel Sturridge’s penalty and our start set the tone for the game. I felt the boys enjoyed the occasion and the challenge that was there for them. Marc caught the eye with his passing and scored the crucial second goal for us. There were two young sides on show and I was quite impressed with the standard of the game. We had to put up with quite a lot of Manchester United pressure at the start of the second half, but I’m pleased to say we came through it very well and added two further goals near the end, which won us the game.” Team: Hart, Logan, Williamson, D’Laryea, M.Mills, Laird, Obeng (Clayton 65), Sturridge, Grimes (D.Ball 79), Miller (Moore 46), Marshall. Unused subs: Breen, Mentel.

Transfer News and Gossip

Freddy’s Not Ready: Southend United striker Freddy Eastwood has refused to rule out staying at Roots Hall in next season’s League One. A target for City, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth, Eastwood told his club’s website: “If I don’t get a move in the summer I’ve still got a contract at Southend and I’ll still be a Southend player.”

Simply Not Red: Why do we always get these stories just before the derby? According to Friday’s Daily Mirror, Sir Redface wanted to sign Micah Richards in the summer, and the paper claimed that Micah was “aware and excited” by the Reds’ interest. Fergie has targeted the City right-back as Gary Neville’s long-term successor, according to the Daily Mirror. The 18-year-old was nominated for this year’s PFA Young Player of the Year award and Ferguson is ready to move swiftly to deny Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham getting there before him, apparently.

When the Boateng Comes In: And now for a few quick snippets. City want Real Betis’ Brazilian striker Robert de Pinho Souza, 26, who has an EU passport and has scored 14 goals in 36 games. Mexican side Tigres have had a £6 million bid turned down recently, so City would have to top that. The Daily Mail brings word of a four way struggle between Spurs, Newcastle, Charlton, and City for Hertha Berlin’s midfielder Kevin Boateng. Meanwhile, Sevilla striker Kepo Blanco, who is on loan at West Ham, claims that Portsmouth, Aston Villa, City and Newcastle have offered him the chance to play for them next season. City are long time admirers of the player, and were said to have tracked him before he signed for the Hammers [thanks Matt Thomas].

Reactions and Comments

Record Breakers! At least half of the nightmare scenario was avoided – a few weeks ago, the horrifying thought was that City could be relegated and them from Trafford crowned Champions on the same day. City are already safe, but that’s about as good as it got. U****d were all but Champions following the derby clash at the COMS on Saturday. Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 34th minute after he was fouled by Michael Ball. City wasted their best chance when goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar saved Darius Vassell’s penalty 11 minutes from time after Wes Brown fouled Ball. It was a busy afternoon for Ball, who began the game stamping on Ronaldo’s midriff, an act which earned him much condemnation on the day and an FA charge on the Monday (see above). But guess what folks, City are record breakers! The Blues have ended the home programme of League matches by scoring only 10 goals – the lowest number scored at home in the English top flight since League soccer began in 1888. The previous record was shared by Woolwich Arsenal, who scored 11 in 19 matches in 1912-13 and Sunderland, who also scored 11 in 19 matches in 2002-03. “I think any time you lose, it’s a down note – added to that it’s a derby match,” SP told Sky Sports. “We had every opportunity to get an equaliser and maybe push on from there, but we missed it. Sometimes in this game things contrive against you, and if you don’t take your opportunities when they are put in front of you, like last week against Aston Villa, when we missed a penalty to go 1-1 or 1-0 up, we’d have gone on and won that game. It was the same again today. We would definitely have got something out of the game and maybe gone on to win it, I don’t know.” Pearce also explained his decision to leave Emile Mpenza as a lone striker until bringing Paul Dickov on for the closing 20 minutes. He added: “I listened to the boys in the studio before the game and, obviously, they are not privy to the knowledge of my squad that I am. We quite often come out and chase the game, and there has looked more chance of us conceding than actually scoring – that’s the reason. We stayed in this game, against arguably the champions after this result, right until the last minute, albeit we missed a penalty that’s cost us. We’ve missed 2 penalties in the last 2 games, which have cost us dearly,” said Pearce. “They are great opportunities to score goals, and you’ve got to take them – and United did. Vass stepped up on the day, and credit to him for wanting to take it. If he misses it, people say ‘Why Vass?’ If he scores, it is a masterstroke, he was the one that wanted to step up and take it so we can’t criticise him for that.”

Wrong Sort of Pitch: And what of the triumphant opposing manager? He said: “What you saw today was human courage. Coming back from Wednesday night, having to come through all that travel, the lack of rest – the players have shown fantastic courage. We’re happy with 1-0 I think. Just towards the end there was the penalty kick for City which I’m not sure was or not but apart from that we were on top. We’ve not seen the real Manchester United – there was tiredness there, the pace wasn’t there but derby games can be like that. The pitch was also very lively, which didn’t suit us.” Ferguson was unhappy with that Michael Ball challenge on Ronaldo in the opening seconds of the game. “He was absolutely fantastic after he got a bad challenge in the first minute of the game. Rob Styles got into a position but he’s left a lot of things go. But he (Ronaldo) has been fantastic all season, the boy.” It’s apparent that SP is developing that well known medical condition Manager’s Blindness (or Wengerus Isawnothingus as it’s known) “People have mentioned the tackle to me and are not particularly happy with what happened. But I have not seen that,” insisted SP. “Certain things happen in games and people pick up on them. I will review the incident on video and will make any decision from there. I am sure the authorities will do whatever they do. We often leave decision to referees and officials above them. It will be down to them.” And he’s even learning to have a dig at opposing players as well. He said: “Ronaldo is an excellent player with very quick feet. He is very talented. But he went down very cheaply in our box and was looking for a penalty after the one that had been awarded.”

Johnson Paints a Picture: Because of Mr. Barton’s misdemeanours, Michael Johnson got to play in his first derby, and the lad sounds like he found it educational. “Playing against the likes of Carrick and Scholes, they are some of the best in the business, and having come off the pitch I think I’m a better player for having played against them. I’ve learned a lot from coming up against them. Next season is going to be a big one for me, I need to stamp my authority to try to get a regular place in the team.” And what did he make of the atmosphere? “It was great, the fans were amazing and the atmosphere was electric, I’ve never heard anything like it. It’s different when you are sitting in the stands, you really hear how it is out on the pitch, but all in all I thought the fans were terrific. It was disappointing, we could have upset them but it wasn’t to be so we’ll just look forward to the next game. It’s all about taking your chances when you get them, but I think we were unlucky. You don’t need to show anyone too much respect, if you do you’re asking to get beaten, but the game plan was to try to get in amongst them and upset them. I think we were unlucky in the end not to get a point.”

Squad News

Berning His Bridges: The press are in agreement – Bernardo Corradi will be on his way out of the club. They reached this conclusion after SP made the following comments: “Bernardo cost Valencia £7 million from Lazio,” Pearce told the club website. “He has got 13 international caps, is 6ft 3in and 29 years of age. All those statistics add up and a CV of one goal every three games, at a price which the club would afford, made it a sound choice. But ultimately of course I have to take responsibility. Any signing is a gamble, and this is a tough league to play in and make your name in.” Corradi hasn’t started a game since the débâcle at Blackburn in the FA Cup, and his season’s goal tally stands at three.

Emile’s Real Deal, Ball’s Ups for Signing: Corradi’s replacement in the team, Emile Mpenza, has signed on a one year deal, with the option of three further years thereafter. “We’ve been talking to Emile over the last few weeks,” said SP this week. “We’re pleased he’s committed himself to this football club. I’ve been very impressed with him as a man and as a player; the fans have also taken to him very quickly with his endeavour and his eye for a goal. The more time he spends in English football, the better he’ll get and it’s nice to get some contract work done. He’s got a good CV, he’s scored everywhere he’s played and the deal is a no-brainer on his performances since he came here.” And Michael Ball is confident he will soon be signing a long-term contract at the club. The full-back joined City in January from PSV Eindhoven on a deal through to the end of the season. “My agent has spoken to the club and, hopefully, it will be sorted soon,” Ball says. “City took a chance bringing me back and I’m enjoying it in the Premiership.” As long as the club give the deal its stamp of approval…

Catching Kas: Kasper Schmeichel hopes to return to Falkirk on loan next season. He told the Daily Record: “I have been told to report to Eastlands for pre-season training and I do not have a clue what is happening. I love it at Falkirk, it has been a good club for me to develop. It is a very professional set-up but it is really up to Manchester City to decide what happens next. I would not have a problem coming back to Falkirk and I am reluctant to give up playing regular first-team football after having had a taste of it. I am still young and by no means experienced or mature enough to be playing regularly in the English Premiership.”

Down the Sinc: Trevor Sinclair will be given a free transfer at the end of the season. Trevor said: “After sitting down to discuss my situation this week with the Manager, we have agreed that I will not be staying at City once the season ends and I will be looking for a new challenge in my football career. I have enjoyed my time at City enormously and have fulfilled my boyhood dream of playing for the Club I have always supported. I’d like to thank all the staff and fans and wish them all the best for next season. I have not played as much as I would have liked recently and I am excited by the thought of a new challenge, which will give me the opportunity to play more regularly as I feel I can continue to play in the Premier League for at least another couple of years, if not longer.” He’s had an injury-hit time at the COMS – since joining City in July 2003 from West Ham, he’s played 79 games and scored 6 goals. Two of those were in wins against the Dark Side, so thanks a lot, Trev!

MATCH REPORT: MUFC RESERVES 1 MCFC RESERVES 3 (MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP FINAL)

I attended the above game last night, thought I’d do a bit of a review.

I almost didn’t get in as I objected to myself and a friends seventeen year old daughter both being ‘frisked’ by stewards who then informed me I wouldn’t be getting into the stadium then. ‘It’s a b****y reserve game’ I protested as he searched me.

A poorly attended game (attendance given as just over 800) kicked off and City took a very early lead with a penalty taken (and scored, take note Messrs Barton and Vassell) with aplomb by Daniel Sturridge.

City had much the better run of the first half, though no further goals were forthcoming. Ishmael Miller did not return for the second half after taking a knock at the end the first half. City continued to dominate, but as the game wore on the Reds came back stronger and Joe Hart was forced into a fine save. Unfortunately, a few minutes later, Hart could do nothing to prevent the equaliser that sent the small group of young ASBO bound looking Reds supporters sat near to us into raptures.

Their joy at singing “you’re not singing anymore” did not last long when City immediately broke free on the right and a glorious cross was met with even more glorious header by Marc Laird and City were 2-1 up. The schoolboy choir to our left sat down quietly.

The final minutes (complete with the laughable, but nervy 4 minutes time added on – well, we are at OT aren’t we!) saw even more pressure put on the Blues – though with only one minute left of ‘Fergie Time’, the ball broke out of the Blues’ box and all of a sudden there were three Blues pounding on towards the Reds’ goal with only one Red chasing and lagging behind in fourth place! The cool Paul Marshall ran the whole of the Reds’ half with the ball before slotting home the ball and running towards the jubilant Blues’ fans in the ‘away corner’. By the time we had finished cheering, the Reds had gone home, presumably with homework to finish before the morning.

Matthew Mills lifted the Cup and then celebrated with team mates in front of the appreciative City fans. We then headed on to the Bishops Blaze pub for a celebratory pint or three!

OPINION: APRIL ROUND-UP

April began with two home draws and a victory at Craven Cottage that ensured the Blues’ safety. A spirited display against Liverpool earned the side a point and the performance signalled Pearce’s ambition for a top ten finish. Player of the month I would have to award to Academy graduate Michael Johnson. His fine play, distinct improvement of late and hard-working attitude has seen him challenge Dunne and Distin for the best displays.

Devoted captain Richard Dunne deservedly won the Official Supporters’ Club City Player of the Season award for an unprecedented third consecutive time. His top class defending has kept City safe from the drop this year and his partnership with Sylvain Distin has been exemplary to all young centre backs wanting to improve their game.

Dunne himself told the City website: “Coming from people who pay to watch us play every week makes it even more special. It’s good to know that they acknowledge that I do put 100% in every week and try my best each time.” Well Richard, we do recognise your superb commitment and startling talent so congratulations, you deserve it.

Micah Richards won Young Player of the Year after a season that saw him move from promising Academy talent to England débutant and had the bookies tipping him to replace Gary Neville as England right back in the next couple of years. Micah thanked the fans for his award and promised that he would push for the senior award next year. So, memo to the top four: Keep your hands off, Micah’s a Citizen.

April concluded with what the lads will only consider as five points dropped. Watford took two points from City at Vicarage Road and for the first time that I can remember Aston Villa came to Manchester and took all three points. Without a home league goal since New Year’s Day, fans will be praying for a strike force reform next year and takeover rumours could suggest an influx in transfer budget too. Unfortunately in Manchester it doesn’t rain but it pours and Joey Barton once again made national headlines for the wrong reasons, causing the club to suspend him for the season and leave fans wondering whether he will wear the sacred sky blue shirt again.

Everyone is enjoying the season finale and it will come to a close in May. A relegation battle continues (which luckily we are not included in) and the push for Europe proceeds. City will undoubtedly finish in the bottom half of the table and fans will want a major improvement next year as a club this size should always be pushing for Europe. A new strike force and a couple of wingers should be enough to make City a European chasing side again but who will take the step to do this?

OPINION: POST DERBY

Having got back to work (London) to deal with the inevitable barrage of Cockney Red banter, I got to read MCIVTA (no chance at home – kids etc.).

Most amazing was the general positivity about the performance. I know our sights are set pathetically low and our expectations even lower but still…

I don’t recall ever seeing a less passionate performance. They were there for the taking and we just couldn’t be bothered. Ball looked like he cared and knew what it meant (well he’s done an Old Firm and Liverpool); no excuse for his attack on Trixibelle but aside from that he looked like he was trying. I am still truly disgusted in how we rolled over and made it easy for them.

I’ve been supportive of Pearce and Barton up to this point. I can’t carry on with SP anymore, no commitment, no tactics, actually not very much at all. Sorry but you’ve had your chance, time to move on. Joey. Third strike and you’re out; sad because he is (Dunne excepted) the only decent and committed player we have.

It’s a big summer for Wardle and the board, we are once again a joke and we need a new manager and at least four decent signings.

Do I feel better now? Not really, in fact the more that I write the worse it feels. At least in Division 2 we had some fun!

Lastly. If Dave Wallace from KOTK reads this, please don’t go on Radio Five again before a derby and make us more of a laughing stock. Hate them we all do, but to call them despicable with so little thought behind it was possibly the best team talk Taggart could have asked for.

OPINION: THE WAY FORWARD? I

Dave Clinton’s piece in MCIVTA 1325 reminds us of nothing other that everybody is entitled to an opinion, no matter how ridiculous it is.

Dave asserts that “Joey is a Blue”. I don’t see how anyone can think Barton has even the slightest loyalty to City after the way he conducted his contract “negotiations” and secured the escape clause in said contract.

I agree with Dave when he says that Joey has “problems”. I don’t, however, share his optimism regarding the possibility of transforming this thug into a decent human being. Despite the fact that Barton is still only in his mid-20s, he’s still managed to pack three lifetimes’ worth of disciplinary/criminal offences (usually violent) into his relatively short career. I’m sure most of you remember these, but I list them for Dave’s benefit as he seems to have forgotten the true nature of the man he is so intent on defending. Briefly:

• Stubbing a cigar out in a youth player’s eye
• Fighting with a child while on tour in Thailand
• The Goodison @rse-baring
• Alleged assault and abuse of female steward at Villa Park, September 2006
• Arrested for criminal damage/criminal assault in Liverpool in March this year

And now, the piece de resistance, assaulting one of his own team-mates to such an extent that he requires hospital treatment. It doesn’t look like the expensively procured anger management treatment had much effect then. I read that Dabo has put the matter in the hands of the police, and I congratulate him for this. No doubt the club would have tried to cover it up. I realise it’s highly unlikely, but I wholeheartedly hope Barton gets porridge for this latest transgression.

Joey Barton is scum. His disciplinary record and various charge sheets say that far more eloquently than I ever could. I sincerely hope that I never see him in a Manchester City shirt again.

OPINION: THE WAY FORWARD? II

I have to agree with the comments of Dave Walker, MCIVTA 1325.

His first sentence though alludes to 38 years of what amounts to inadequacy, frustration and failure by the governors at City. Why then should it be any different in the future?

When he started following them (was it in 1969?) he saw the best. Alas, for the last thirty years we’ve had, as they say, the rest. Nil carborundum desperandum.

OPINION: SPLIT DRESSING ROOM?

The MuEN in its own special a**e-licking way has published a few quotes attributed to Djamel Abdoun, criticising Joey Barton and his attack on Dabo.

The original article is at http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=38660 and the MuEN scribe has selected bits from it, which will meet the Club censor’s guidelines for news reports.

In this article Abdoun comments on the divisions in the dressing room. No surprises, it’s the home grown players in one camp and Johnny Foreigner in the other. Yet another black mark (am I allowed to say that in these PC days?) against SP.

Poor signings, no tactical ability, no goals and no harmony in the dressing room – that’s four strikes and it’s normally three strikes and out. Thanks Stuart, you started well but it’s all been downhill faster that it was with Peter Reid when Kendall went back to Everton. Please take Fazackerly and Wigley with you.

OPINION: THOSE WERE THE DAYS, MY FRIEND

Ernie Barrow, God bless your memories but the 30 yard shot by ‘Nellie’ was quite a bit nearer, but just as sweet as you described. Please see script below.

“Three minutes later Manchester scored. Summerbee survived tackles from Nish and Woollett by the dead-ball line on the right and sent a low, firm pass back to Young, who shot high into the net past Shilton from near the penalty-spot. Leicester continued to look dangerous in attack after the break, but the equalizer wouldn’t come.”

OPINION: LOOK BACK IN ANGER

Reflections?

1. Stuart Pearce, good defender, not very creative, missed penalties. See City’s season 2006-2007.
2. Psycho. See Thatcher, Barton, Ball.
3. Best song for him? “Go Now” (the Moody Blues).

OPINION: SHOW ME THE MONEY

I hope Pete Jepson (MCIVTA 1325) means “an exciting team”. We have an exiting team already!

REQUEST: SPURS TICKET AVAILABLE

Your one last chance to cheer the Blues on this season or alternatively to hurl abuse at the over paid, underachieving bunch of ####s.

I have a spare ticket in the City end versus Spurs. Can meet outside ground before game.

Contact Chris on 07789 435999 or email.

REQUEST: PREMIERSHIP SURVEY

As promised, MCFCSTATS have now created an on-line Premiership survey, which can be found at http://www.mcfcstats.co.uk/survey/. Please note that this is not a survey about Manchester City, but the Premiership, TV and the matchday experience in general. Many of the questions have been created as a result of the findings from the initial MCIVTA survey, so it will be very interesting to see if the supporters of other clubs feel the same way as City fans.

Can I therefore ask two favours? Firstly that every MCIVTA subscriber takes a few minutes to complete the survey over the next few days, and secondly that you paste the section after the dotted line below onto an email and send to all family, friends and colleagues who watch Premiership football, no matter which team they support? There is a free MCFCSTATS hooded sweatshirt to be won for anybody leaving an email address. Please note that email addresses need not be left, but in any case will not be circulated to any third party.

Finally, if you are involved with any football website or subscribe to any football blog sites, please spread the request to complete the survey as far and as wide as possible. The important thing is to create awareness of the survey as quickly as possible, as it will carry more weight if we maximise the number of people completing it.

Thanks in advance for any publicity you can give to this. We will publish the results in due course.

REQUEST: BLUES VIEWING IN BRAZIL

I am Brazilian and last year I was in England and now I am a supporter of Manchester City. My friend from UK give for my daughters a MC uniform! I would like to know how is possible to watch the MC games here in Brazil or listen the games by radio or Internet.

I would like also to send pictures of my baby daughter in City uniform directly for the MC site, but I didn’t find the email address… could you help me?

REQUEST: NEW WEBSITE

mcfcstats.com are pleased to announce the launch of our very own “blog”, which can be found at http://blog.mcfcstats.com/

It is early days but already there are several topics, and I have posted a couple of pieces giving my opinion about why the club must strive to keep Sylvain Distin and the high profile indiscipline at the club. Take a look, and feel free to share your own views with the world! It would be appreciated if you subscribed to the blog so that you are kept up to date on any new stories and stats.

In the coming weeks and months we will add the weirder stats that materialise after each game. Last weekend’s derby match has been posted and is an example of what you will see in future. For instance, I bet you didn’t realise (or care) that the weekend defeat was the 1800th in 5173 matches in our history, or that the eighth consecutive home league game without scoring i.s. double the previous worst of 4 (you’ll have to visit the blog to see which year that was!). In fact I can only find two runs of three games without scoring, and this one of four in our entire history. All the rest were a maximum of two.

The good thing about blog.mcfcstats.com is that is more “interactive” than the website, even though the website is still updated after each match, and still contains 1,000 pages of all the essential stats you need. The benefit to us is that you will be able to add any stats to the blog that we miss, rather than having to email us.

The last bit of news for now is that Ash and I are totally revamping the MCFCSTATS website over the coming months in order to make it even more accessible. Like climbing Everest or trekking to the North Pole, it will be a major challenge for both of us, but we’ll keep you updated as we progress.

Thanks to everybody for continuing to visit the stats website, and we look forward to reading your comments on the new blog.

RESULTS

9 May 2007

Chelsea               0 - 0  Manchester United     41,794

7 May 2007

Charlton Athletic     0 - 2  Tottenham Hotspur     26,339

6 May 2007

Arsenal               1 - 1  Chelsea               60,102

League table to 09 May 2007 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD  Pts
 1 Manchester Utd  37 15  2  1 46 11 13  3  3 37 15 28  5  4  83  26  57  89
 2 Chelsea         37 12  6  0 36 10 12  4  3 27 13 24 10  3  63  23  40  82
 3 Liverpool       37 14  3  1 37  5  6  4  9 18 20 20  7 10  55  25  30  67
 4 Arsenal         37 12  6  1 43 16  7  4  7 20 19 19 10  8  63  35  28  67
 5 Everton         37 11  4  4 33 17  4  8  6 18 18 15 12 10  51  35  16  57
 6 Tottenham H.    36 11  2  4 31 20  5  6  8 23 32 16  8 12  54  52   2  56
 7 Bolton Wndrs    37  9  4  5 24 18  7  3  9 21 32 16  7 14  45  50  -5  55
 8 Reading         37 11  2  6 29 20  5  4  9 20 24 16  6 15  49  44   5  54
 9 Portsmouth      37 11  4  3 28 15  3  7  9 17 27 14 11 12  45  42   3  53
10 Blackburn R.    36  9  2  7 28 22  6  3  9 20 28 15  5 16  48  50  -2  50
11 Aston Villa     37  7  8  4 20 14  4  8  6 21 25 11 16 10  41  39   2  49
12 Middlesbrough   37  9  3  6 28 23  2  7 10 13 25 11 10 16  41  48  -7  43
13 Newcastle Utd   37  7  7  5 23 20  4  2 12 14 26 11  9 17  37  46  -9  42
14 Manchester City 37  5  6  8 10 16  6  3  9 18 26 11  9 17  28  42 -14  42
15 Fulham          37  7  7  5 18 18  1  8  9 19 39  8 15 14  37  57 -20  39
16 Sheff. United   37  7  6  5 23 19  3  2 14  8 34 10  8 19  31  53 -22  38
17 West Ham United 37  8  2  9 24 26  3  3 12 10 33 11  5 21  34  59 -25  38
18 Wigan Athletic  37  5  4 10 18 30  4  4 10 17 28  9  8 20  35  58 -23  35
19 Charlton Ath.   37  7  5  7 19 20  1  4 13 13 38  8  9 20  32  58 -26  33
20 Watford         37  3  8  7 18 24  2  4 13 10 34  5 12 20  28  58 -30  27

MCIVTA FAQ [v0607.01]

[1] MCIVTA Addresses

Articles (Madeleine Hawkins)     : 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.mcfcosc.com/); the “Centenary Supporters’ Association” (http://www.reddishblues.com/CSAWebsite/CSA.htm) and “The International Supporters’ Club”.

[6] Where can I find out about the fans’ committee?

The Fans’ Committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. The Fans’ Committee has been relaunched as “Points of Blue”. It has appeared on the club website as a minor entry under “Fans Zone”.

[7] What match day broadcasts are available on the web?

The Radio Manchester (née GMR) pre and post match phone-in is available on the web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/sport/manchester_city/index.shtml.

Live match commentaries and archives of games, reports and interviews can be found at http://mcfc.videoloungetv.com/do/preLogin?clubSiteCode=MCFC&CMP=AFC-003.

[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://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer, http://www.soccertv.com/, and http://www.livesoccertv.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 Plus Markets Group web site http://www.plusmarketsgroup.com/ 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] I hear there is a TV programme specifically about City?

InsideMCFC is broadcasted by ChannelM. It is available on the SkyDigital (ch.203) and NTL (ch.26) platforms as well as being transmittedtraditionally within the Manchester area (ch.39). In addition, theprogramme is available to watch via the web. More details and schedule:http://www.channelm.co.uk/features/city.html

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: