Newsletter #1476

Late substitution here at MCIVTA Towers with Heidi having to withdraw from tonight’s edition and me popping into the Editor’s chair to bring it to you all. Heidi should be back for the next one so keep the contributions coming to the usual address.

Tonight we have Alex’s news summary, plenty of opinion on the squad and our captain in particular, plus a few requests. Enjoy.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Former Owner Found Guilty: Former owner and now Honourary President Thaksin Shinawatra has been found guilty of corruption in his homeland. The Thai Supreme Court sentenced Thaksin to two years in prison after he supposedly used his political influence to buy his wife lucrative land at a cut-down price. His wife, who had already been sentenced for three years for a different offence, was acquitted of these corruption charges. Thaksin is living in the UK in exile claiming that the current Thai regime is using their political power to create bias against the previous regime (run by Thaksin). Despite the conviction, it is unlikely Shinawatra will ever face a prison term due to the lack of an extradition treaty between Thailand and the UK. Therefore the City hero will remain Blue for some time to come.

Not-so-Consistent City: Despite billions of pounds worth of investment and a transfer that broke the previous British record, City don’t quite have what it takes at the moment to compete with the top four. Shaky away form and giving away leads at home aren’t the marks of Champions’ League contenders and this is something that Hughes intends to put right as soon as possible: “We’re not there yet. On our day we can give anyone a game because of the attacking and technical ability that we have in the side, but if we are going to be considered a challenge to the top four clubs then we have to win on a consistent basis. We have not got that capacity at this moment in time, but we’re working on that in as much as we need to put a run of wins on the trot together. We have not been able to do that but I think we are building in the right way.”

A Question of Head over Hart: Sparky, an experienced Welsh international himself, understands just how it feels to be called up for international duty and has by no means questioned Joe Hart’s decision to join up with the England senior squad for the trip to Belarus after his participation in the under 21s campaign. However, he is slightly unsure as to why Mr. Capello chose to take Hart with him despite leaving him from the first eleven and substitutes’ bench for the game itself: “We were not going to stand in the way of players progressing their international careers. What value it was to Joe just to go out there and watch the game is open to debate. There was a lot of travelling and not a great deal of purpose from Joe’s point of view. But he is in Capello’s thoughts, and we have to be pleased about that.”

Big Joe a Big Fan: Having taken the time out last week to compliment City No.1 ‘keeper Joe Hart, City legend Joe Corrigan has gone on to further compliment the young English born goalie but also has added some words of encouragement for City No.2 Kasper Schmeichel. On Hart’s England ambitions Corrigan stated: “He was very imposing and he looked the part, even as a teenager. I really hope he achieves what I think he can achieve, and he is going to be in direct competition with Scott Carson, who I work with at West Brom. I think they could have a rivalry like the one I had with Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence, competition is always a good thing.” Of a possible breakthrough into the team for the Danish under 21 ‘keeper, Corrigan claimed: “He has to keep performing when he’s asked to. He’ll be getting great advice of the Kevin Hitchcock and from his father as well, he’s just got to be patient because one day the chance may come and he’ll have to take it with both hands.”

Didi’s Realism Check: City’s most senior member of the squad, Didi Hamaan, has called for realism from the fans as talks of the Champions’ League have been dampened due to a poor run of form. Hamaan believes that it is time City got their house in order and that though he sees a bright future for the richest club in the world, this season will be a mere building block in the final outcome: “My expectations are not that high because I know what we have got and what we haven’t got. People have got carried away with looking at the players we have got and there still is a long way to go yet. If you look the top four or five teams and then look at us at the moment then there is still a bigger gap than people think. Obviously, if people want to dream that we are going to win the League and win the Champions’ League in the next one or two years, then let them think that because it is an exciting time for the fans, but we have got to keep our feet on the floor.”

Squad News a.k.a. Injury List

Benjani’s Bid for Fitness: Zimbabwean Striker Benjani has stated that though recovery is slow, he is making steady progress in his bid for a return to the hustle and bustle of first team football. The former Pompey man hasn’t played any part of this season due to a serious thigh injury that he sustained in pre-season and though he admits that missing out on first team football is frustrating, he is fully committed to regaining full fitness before he even tries to enter the Premier League scene again: “When I got injured I didn’t think it was going to take so long, but as time went on and the physios got to work on me, I realised that it was a very, very bad injury. I need to be careful; I tore a thigh muscle so it’s a difficult one. We’re being cautious because if I come back too soon and break down, I’ll be out for a long time.”

Petrov’s Plans put on Hold: Having seemed likely to return in only a couple of weeks, any plans to have Petrov on the same football pitch as SWP has been put on the back burner as the Bulgarian damaged his ligaments on international duty. The left winger has spent most of the season on the sidelines yet it had appeared that he would soon return to the City fold. However, Hughes believes that the injury Petrov sustained last Wednesday will keep him out for a much longer time: “The news is that it’s not his anterior cruciate ligament this time, he’s got a tear in his meniscus that will need to be repaired. Although it’s good news about the anterior cruciate ligament it’s still a bad injury and he will probably be out for three or four months.”

Defensive Crisis: With Zab’ suspended for a further two games because of his needless red card against Liverpool, the last thing City needed was to lose another seasoned professional from their back line. But of course, luck as it is, Micah Richards walked from St James’ on crutches last night giving way to fears that he had fractured his ankle. It turns out that Micah has simply strained some ligaments rather than sustained any type of break but he looks set to miss the Stoke game. Of all games you want Richards playing it wouldn’t hurt to have the most athletic player in the world playing against those long throws of Rory Delap. It is assumed that Nedum Onouha and Tal Ben Haim will come in to replace Zabaleta and Richards respectively and it will be interesting to see how they cope with the irritating specialist abilities of Stoke City: “We’ll be up against opposition that are going to throw balls into our box and challenge for everything. We need to be able to stand up to that and I demand a reaction.” (Hughes)

Richards Desperate for Return: No this isn’t a continuation of the story about Micah’s injury but the Academy graduate’s hopes and dreams that he will return to the England squad sooner rather than later. Most, if not all, of us Blues have questioned why exactly Wes Brown has been anywhere near the England squad in place of Micah when Brown hasn’t even been starting for his club. Micah, who has been capped eleven times, didn’t once look out of place on the international scene and even got himself on the score sheet but Mr. Capello has completely overlooked the country’s brightest young star: “I’d played eleven games, been constantly hyped in the media and I thought I had a good chance of keeping my place. Then I got an injury and ever since then I don’t know why it is, but I can’t get back in. I do believe I should be in the squad.” That’s not arrogance, it’s self confidence and with his ability he should be self-confident.

No Longer Thai-d to the Club: Following the takeover of the club by Arab billionaires and Thaksin Shinawatra’s reduced influence in the club, the Thai trio that City signed at the beginning of last season have now been released. Suree Sukha, Teerasil Dangda and Kiatprawut Saiwaew who were reportedly signed to ease Shinawatra’s political position in his homeland made no inroads into the first eleven and have subsequently been released.

Transfer News and Gossip

Owen On His Way: Michael Owen looks set to sign for the Blues in January as City look for an out and out goal scorer. The 28-year-old is desperate to regain his England place having been dropped by Mr. Capello and the only way for Owen to do this is to leave his nightmare at the Toon and go and score goals for another club. Cue a move to CoMS. Michael, we need goals. A source close to Owen explained: “Michael needs to kick start his career and win back his England place. The Newcastle move never really worked out.”

Diamond Guiza: Spaniard Daniel Guiza, who was on the end of a 5-2 thrashing at home to Arsenal this week when playing in the Champions’ League for Turkish Champions Fenerbache, is rumoured to be subject to a bid from Sparky this January. The striker, who moved to Turkey this year because his international manager Luis Aragones took over as first team coach, has failed to settle and may look to make a splash in the Premier League next season. City did reportedly make a £15 million bid for the European Golden Boot Runner Up last summer and his desire to leave Fenerbache may bode well for the Blues. Guiza has recently gone some way to rubbish rumours linking him with the Blues though.

Wigan’s Wonderman Targeted: Egyptian club Zamalek are boosting the asking price on Amir Zaki’s tag having seen their prize asset become the Premier League’s top scorer. Zaki, who is currently undergoing a one year loan with Wigan Athletic has seven goals to his name and has recently become the target of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs. Now City have joined in the fun and are prepared to outbid any of their rivals, which include Wigan who are desperately trying to complete the permanent transfer of Zaki before any other club can make their move.

Mandana’s the Man: With Kasper looking for a move away from CoMS in search of first team football, Sparky is after a goalkeeper who will put pressure on Hart to perform week in week out. Twenty three year old, French number one, Steve Mandana is Hughes’ main target and £8 million seems a small price to pay given the recent influx of cash at the club.

Castillo’s Escape Cancelled: Neri Castillo is no longer on his way out of the club after his proposed move to Guadalajara fell through. It has looked as if the Mexican striker’s City ordeal was about to end with a move back to his homeland but the move needed to be completed by Monday and Castillo’s agent explains why the deal fell through: “There was no time to register him with the Conmebol. We couldn’t do it in such a hurry. There was good will from Guadalajara, Shakhtar and Manchester City but we couldn’t do it.” The striker will now see out his one year contract with City before moving back to parent club Shakhtar Donetsk.

Inter Move Impossible: Elano has written off any chance of signing for Italian Champions Inter Milan due to his love for Manchester City Football Club. Elano who has been recently re-united with former Santos team mate Robinho and fellow compatriot Jo has looked more settled than ever at the club and seems to be enjoying his football again even if he has not quite reached the devastating heights that he reached early last season. His focus is solely on City and being a part of the revolution going on at CoMS: “I haven’t spoken with anyone about a possible approach. Nevertheless, that kind of announcement values players for their involvement, but right now my head is at Manchester City. We have a lot of work to do to be part of the top teams of the table.”

Post-Match Reaction

Newcastle: Only against City could a player score his first Premier League goal in two years! But yes, Shola Ameobi scored the most bizarre, poorly defended equalizer to cancel out the Robinho penalty (and it was a penalty, I’m saying that as a qualified ref myself), which also left Newcastle down to ten men. Yet the worst thing that could have possibly happened to City on Monday night was for them to have a player sent off because all of a sudden 50,000 Geordies got behind their underachieving side – a feat that maybe Spurs fans may want to attempt. City went behind to an own goal, yes Dunne again, but a last 4 minute goal from Stevie Ireland brightened up a result that was completely unrepresentative of the game itself. City were poor and Newcastle fought hard, in the way that we should have done against Liverpool having lost Zab’. Hughes gave his assessment: “They were running and chasing everything down but we should be better than that. We needed to show a little bit of craft and guile in the final third and we didn’t really move them around enough. Once they got two banks of four we found it difficult to break them down. In fairness we got a point out of a game that looked like it was going to go away from us, but it should have been an easy three points for us here.”

Ex Blues’ News

Sommeil Calls it a Day: A sad note to go out on this week as former City centre back David Sommeil has been forced to retire from professional football for health reasons. The Frenchman, who suffered a training ground heart attack last month and struggled to stay alive in intensive care, has been told he will never pass a medical again and as such will not be eligible to sign a professional contract. The man himself said: “I am sad to leave football, but I am very happy to be around my children and enjoy their company. I had a good career. It is a sad day today, but I thank god I am still alive.” I’d like to take the time to thank David for his efforts whilst he was a member of MCFC and wish him well for his future.

MATCH VIEW: NUFC 2 MCFC 2

Well… getting up at 5am at my new home in Singapore to watch the game I recorded that kicked off at 3am was a strange feeling. Normally I snooze for half an hour on a work day but I was so excited to watch the game I was up like a rat up a drain pipe. And no matter how many recent setbacks (Liverpool and Wigan) since I’ve been out here (only 3 weeks in to a 2 year stint), City have that mysterious way of making you want more.

Our 2nd half performance against Newcastle reminded me of our 2nd half performance versus Liverpool, only this time we had the 1 man advantage. There is definitely something missing from this group of players; whether it is belief, application or attitude I’m not sure, maybe a bit of all 3. We have a very young team so a couple of experienced signings in January would help I’m sure. Newcastle were lucky with their 2 goals but they deserved them for their work ethic and we were lucky with the penalty. It wasn’t a penalty but the referee doesn’t have replays and besides I’m never going to turn down a penalty and it balances is up the one we conceded against Wigan.

I don’t like singling players out but I wanted to make my feelings public to the MCIVTA community. Having seen our new No. 10 in the flesh three times this season and on TV several times my observations are these: He is not worth £32 million (not his fault granted), he lacks a yard of pace, he doesn’t look fit but that’s not helped by his 3 South American trips, he needs to join a gym and work on his upper body strength, stop shooting from 40 yards (25 yards is ok though) and you are not a defensive central midfielder as you thought you were versus Newcastle (but I suppose Hughes did put you there). I am delighted we have signed Robinho but maybe I have been taken along by the hype; watching YouTube footage on transfer deadline night has not helped… he looks a different player on those highlights. He is a luxury and it was more evident last night with his lack of tracking back but I can accept that if he does his best work further up the field. Step overs stood still in our own half are not gong to win matches. Maybe I am being too harsh on the little fella? Let me know if I am, please! If this is the start of our revolution then the next £32 million pounds we spend I hope it is not an over inflated price tag but now we are the richest club in the world I’m sure it will be. Before you type a response, I know Robinho scored a penalty and set up Ireland’s equalizer but they were 2 positives in several recent average displays. Remember he is the most expensive player in English football (I know not his fault!).

I’m trying not to be too harsh and I hope he improves and doesn’t fizzle out like our first Brazilian import did last season. Before I close, my final thought: Is it a coincidence that the Brazilian national team is gong through their worst spell of results in recent years? After all they have 3 City players in their first 11. I’m not criticising the players’ ability but the inconsistency of City seems to have filtered through to Brazil.

MATCH VIEW: NUFC 2 MCFC 2

Just digested the outcome of the Newcastle game and a few observations…

Yet again, another game where we were out muscled and out fought and this time by 10 men! We really are a ‘lightweight’ side with the likes of Robinho, Ireland, SWP, Elano et al; god knows what Stoke will do to us next week (and Bolton the week after)!

Also, the tactical nous or indeed the lack of it was shown by Mr Hughes yet again! Half time, the opposition down to 10 men so no changes made. His only tactic appears to be to bring on Ched Evans with 10 minutes to go and lump him forward. Truly a tactical genius, not! I have said it before and I will say it again… if Sven was in charge and we were getting these results there would be hell to play! I genuinely don’t think Mr Hughes is up to the mark (no pun intended).

It is clear that sides have quickly sussed that we can (very) easily be pushed around and we certainly don’t like a little of the ‘rough stuff’. We need to beef up the midfield and start to give as good as we get. Yes, when we play football it is quick, slick, and very, very skilful. However, again it was Sven who gave us that ability in the first half of last season.

Top 4 you are having a laugh! Top 6 no way! We are an average top 10 side just like we were last season with Sven. No progress has been made and it is visible.

MATCH VIEW: NUFC 2 MCFC 2

I write this in my hotel in Gateshead following my first away game since the early nineties and a 2-2 result at St James’s Park ended up being a good result considering we’ve got a thick, gormless b*****d at centre half.

Leading 1-0 and cruising to half time, and the domination in the first half should have seen a bigger lead, and what does Captain Fantastic do? Wellies the ball against our own defender, it bounces off another, and it’s 1-1. You couldn’t make it up.

I’m sat in the main stand at the Newcastle end in the middle of the home supporters and unable to stand up and vent my feelings. Oh well, we’ll do better in the second half.

The ball comes in from a corner and what happens next? Yes, thicko slots it into the roof of our own net from 10 yards unchallenged.

When oh when will anyone take notice and get rid of this useless donkey?

Our Brazilian contingent might have well stayed at home tonight but good performances from Kompany, Ireland, Gariddo going forward, Ben Haim (best defender on the books) and a brilliant display from SWeeP saw a first class first half and, although the Toon came back in the second half, we should have put the game to bed.

We need defenders. Much better without Elano.

OPINION: CAPTAIN CALAMITY

I have had it with Dunne, I have had a pop at him previously for his erratic defending and swinging a leg at loose balls in the box but tonight he excelled himself.

First he performs the above manic swing at a loose ball when he has all the time in the world to control it first, resulting in it cannoning off a team mate to Ameobi who mis-hits it into the net; he needs to show more composure instead of blind panic.

Then as if that is not bad enough he scores a screamer into his own goal. I watched him before that as a high ball came to him outside the box, not a Newcastle player within 20 yards of him as he watches the ball drop and instead of taking it on the chest or controlling it with his foot he heads it aimlessly forward straight to a Newcastle player. Why?

We seriously need a couple of quality centre backs. Collicini was superb and did a fantastic job for them. We are the first team in the top flight to reach 20 goals scored but we leak too many at the back; the Liverpool game was a classic example and tonight against 10 men for 75 minutes (and Dunne) we were poor at the back and short of ideas going forward, even Robinho seemed bereft of ideas and started shooting from long range (ok he did score from 30 yards for Brazil but that was speculative rather than tonight where I think he was getting frustrated).

Cannot understand why Sparky did not bring one of the 2 young lads on sooner and take off Jo who did nothing again, it’s time he cooled his heels on the bench and Danny Sturridge started a game. Jo is proving to be not much better than Samaras at the moment; being Brazilian does not guarantee you an automatic first team place as Elano has found out eventually.

The left back position has been often mentioned as our weak point but I think Garrido or Ball are not that bad but we need a rock in the centre and Dunne is not it, I cringe whenever he is put under pressure or a ball bounces loose in the box.

I know there are a few Dunne supporters on here that think he gets a raw deal and he has been a good servant for the club and I agree he was good when we were where we were at that time but we have moved on and he is not good enough for where we want to be.

OPINION: PENALTY?

An interesting debate on Setanta after tonight’s match and the ‘disputed’ penalty.

Although replays do show that Beye clearly got a touch to the ball before bringing Robinho down, according to Graham Poll, this is not relevant. In fouling Robinho, even after having slightly deflected the trajectory of the ball, a goal-scoring opportunity was still denied, so it was a penalty, and as last man, it was also a sending-off.

So the defence of ‘but he played the ball’ is not a valid one, unless, presumably, it is played in such a way as to put it so far out of the reach of the attacking player as to make it unlikely that it could be regained. Just as I was beginning to understand the offside rule. Ah well…

OPINION: TICKETING FIASCO

Some things just don’t change at MCFC. I booked four tickets for the Chelsea game. Lo and behold one of the cards wasn’t activated, so the steward would not let my wife in. We were 30 minutes early. We had the access cards issued by the ticket office and the receipts issued by the ticket office. He directed us to a young girl with some sort of machine who was trying to help loads of other people. After being in the queue about 20 minutes she said she couldn’t help us and we had to go to the ticket office. There were about 200 other City fans with similar problems in front of us.

We were in that queue about 40 minutes and were issued with another ticket. We went back to the entrance and lo and behold that ticket wouldn’t activate either. The steward told us to go back to the ticket office but fortunately a supervisor saw what was going on and just a few minutes before half time we were reunited with my son and his girlfriend.

What an utter shambles. I wrote to the ticket office and got a patronising reply. I wrote to the Head Honcho Garry Cooke and didn’t get a reply. I wrote to the Chief Executive (think that is his title) and didn’t get a reply.

So forget all the bull how they want to look after the fans. I just wanted to know why common sense couldn’t be the order of the day? After all it wasn’t our fault the card they issued wouldn’t activate. Obviously they don’t give a monkey’s.

[Plus ça change, Don – Ed]

OPINION: BUYS

I subscribed to Setanta but find that you can’t watch anything live, the picture is very poor. Is it my satellite dish or is Setanta rubbish? Talking of rubbish, how long before Dunne gets his marching orders? It just goes to show how bad we have been over the past few years when he is the supporters’ favourite.

Jo looks as good as Samaras, just as well we did not spend our last £20 million on him.

I know it takes time but we must do better or the pressure of the press will get to us. Why do most of our opponents chase down every ball and we seem not to be bothered?

OPINION: PATIENCE

Our failure to beat a struggling Newcastle, especially when we were 1-0 up against ten men, was very disappointing. We didn’t pass the ball well enough or sharply enough and Newcastle were able to close us down and get in our faces. Too often our passing was sloppy and we didn’t impose ourselves on them, having taken the lead. Mark Hughes wasn’t happy even when we were 1-0 up just before the break but who was? We seemed to lack the ruthlessness that we displayed against Portsmouth, and we dropped our intensity once we had scored the opener. As disappointing as it was, I like the fact that Hughes was clearly not happy about it, and given his track record, it suggest that he will get an improvement out of his players. He does have high standards and this sloppy performance was clearly nowhere near good enough: it was a definite case of two points dropped. Not that we should be too down hearted, because it is important to remember that we are the start of an exciting new era. On the plus side, Shaun Wright-Phillips again looked the part, always looking to create for City and despite what any blinkered media critics might say, Robinho was involved in both our goals – the 2nd being the result of an intelligent, incisive pass from the Brazilian. Stephen Ireland has been one of our most impressive performers this season and I am delighted for him that he scored that late equaliser.

Newcastle’s goals were fortunate to say the least: the first being luckily deflected into their generally non-scoring striker Ameobi (typical City to allow him to score); though Richard Dunne got into a proper muddle for their second. Dunney has not been the same player since he moved to left sided centre back – he is tackling on his left more than he is used to, and finds the ball on his left foot more. If a constructive criticism can be made, maybe he should practise kicking with his left foot instead of trying to kick with his favoured right every time. That way, he would feel more confident with it rather than score own goals like the one at Newcastle (when he slashed at it with his right)! Dunne is out of form, that’s for sure, and unlucky, and he is getting a lot of criticism, but don’t slaughter him. Support him.

Javier Garrido would also benefit from some extra work on the training ground to improve his defending. He needs some coaching in marking, as he was caught ball watching in the build up to Ameobi’s goal and could have done more to put him off or get a block in. Part of a full back’s job is to cover his centre half and he needs to work on that too. Mark Bowen was a very good left back for Norwich and Wales and I am sure that his expertise is being put to good use on the training ground and is of great benefit to young players like Garrido in particular.

Whilst everyone is entitled to an opinion, I despair at the impatient, childish reaction of some so-called City supporters, some of whom are quite ridiculously already calling for Hughes’ head on certain forums, and more of whom are overly critical of certain players. It’s a kind of spoiled ‘I want, I want, I want’, mentality. I take solace in the fact that these immature reactions are from a tiny minority, and I am glad that these people are not running our club.

Building a club takes time, and the path to success can be rocky and meandering. Ask any Chelsea fan – they just didn’t suddenly become a force as soon as Abramovich clicked his fingers. They were built over a period of time, and time is what needs to be given to Hughes, who is an excellent young manager. Yes, Newcastle was a poor result, but we need to be patient here. Hughes has high standards and will address the problems we have. It’s clear already that we need an energetic box-to-box midfielder who can give us a physical edge. We also need a top class left back who can give us the required defensive solidity and possibly a left footed centre half. Time has to be given to what is a young squad – it should not be forgotten that we have several young players from abroad who are settling into the English football and way of life. We must show patience with our players, and enjoy what we have now.

REQUEST: WHERE ARE THEY?

I was hoping to track down a fellow Blue who lives in Sussex (or Surrey, I forget the precise details) who I met at the K-West Hotel in Shepherd’s Bush after the Oasis gig last Thursday. If memory serves, and there is every possibility that it is rebelling, the chap in question organised some kind of supporters’ club for Blues marooned in the South East. The one thing I do remember with any clarity was that we both subscribed to this fine newsletter, and that he knew the company I worked for – Osney Media…

I said I’d pop a line to MCIVTA, so here goes nothing!

Thanks for the help and keep up the great work!

REQUEST: HONG KONG BLUES

Is there a City community in Hong Kong? I am about to move out there for a couple of years and would love to meet up with fellow Blues to share City’s glory years over a few beers.

Any Blues out there please get in touch.

REQUEST: UK BLUES VIEWING

I just noticed FAQ (8) about ‘TV listings on satellite TV’. British McV readers might like also this link: http://www.livesportontv.com/sportindex.php?id=1 which lists all TV listings for the following fortnight.

REQUEST: TRAVEL FROM WALES

Could Mark Thomas (somewhere in Wales) who wanted to know if there were any pooled supporters’ travel arrangements available for home matches drop me a line <dafydd.roberts(at)wales.gsi.gov.uk> and let me know precisely where he’s based? The e-mail address posted in MCIVTA 1475 will not accept my original replies.

RESULTS

20 October 2008

Newcastle United      2 - 2  Manchester City       45,908

League table to 22 October 2008 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Chelsea          8  2  2  0  8  2  4  0  0 11  1  6  2  0  19   3  16  20
 2 Liverpool        8  3  1  0  7  4  3  1  0  6  2  6  2  0  13   6   7  20
 3 Hull City        8  2  1  1  5  8  3  1  0  6  3  5  2  1  11  11   0  17
 4 Arsenal          8  3  0  1  8  3  2  1  1  8  3  5  1  2  16   6  10  16
 5 Manchester Utd   7  2  1  0  7  1  2  1  1  5  3  4  2  1  12   4   8  14
 6 Aston Villa      8  2  2  0  6  3  2  0  2  6  7  4  2  2  12  10   2  14
 7 Portsmouth       8  3  0  1  6  3  1  1  2  3 10  4  1  3   9  13  -4  13
 8 West Ham United  8  3  0  1 10  6  1  0  3  4  8  4  0  4  14  14   0  12
 9 Blackburn R.     8  1  1  2  2  7  2  1  1  6  7  3  2  3   8  14  -6  11
10 Manchester City  8  2  0  2 12  6  1  1  2  8  8  3  1  4  20  14   6  10
11 West Brom A.     8  2  0  2  6  6  1  1  2  1  5  3  1  4   7  11  -4  10
12 Sunderland       8  1  1  2  3  5  1  2  1  4  4  2  3  3   7   9  -2   9
13 Middlesbrough    8  2  0  2  4  8  1  0  3  3  6  3  0  5   7  14  -7   9
14 Wigan Athletic   8  1  1  2  3  4  1  1  2  8  5  2  2  4  11   9   2   8
15 Bolton Wndrs     8  1  2  1  4  4  1  0  3  4  6  2  2  4   8  10  -2   8
16 Everton          8  0  1  3  4 10  2  1  1  8  8  2  2  4  12  18  -6   8
17 Fulham           7  2  1  1  4  3  0  0  3  1  4  2  1  4   5   7  -2   7
18 Stoke City       8  2  0  2  7  8  0  1  3  3  7  2  1  5  10  15  -5   7
19 Newcastle Utd    8  1  1  2  5  6  0  2  2  4  9  1  3  4   9  15  -6   6
20 Tottenham H.     8  0  1  3  2  5  0  1  3  3  7  0  2  6   5  12  -7   2

MCIVTA FAQ [v0708.01]

[1] MCIVTA Addresses

Articles (Heidi Pickup)          : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org
News/rumour (Alex Rowen)         : 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.mcivta.com/ 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 Points of Blue (formerly the Fans’ Committee)?

The committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. Points of Blue appears 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] 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/.

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.

Paul Howarth, editor@mcivta.city-fan.org

Editor: