MAN CITY INFO VIA THE ALPS "McVittee!" #282

DATE Thursday 20th March 1997

Another draw (match report) and our hopes of promotion must surely be over, bar a miracle. Dalian Atkinson played for City's reserves on Wednesday evening and scored a goal, but is reported to be well short of match fitness. We've news of another football internet tournament, and a Why Blue, but other than that all is quiet at the moment.

GUEST MCIVTA EDITOR

My wife is due to give birth to our second (nine to go 8-)) on April the 9th. I'm sure that many of you can appreciate what this means for 'downtime at home in front of the computer'! Basically, I'm going to have my work cut out at home and will have no time for MCIVTA for a short while. It's become a MCIVTA tradition to have a guest editor in my absence so, we need someone to take over as editor for 2 weeks from this date (4 issues), but with the caveat that it might be sooner - or later - and could be at quite short notice! The job is fairly straightforward, requiring a standard email program which can be used to paste incoming articles into a template (provided). The newsletter is then mailed to a machine which then forwards it to all on the subscription list.

If you can step into the breech then please let me know as soon as possible so that the permissions can be set up. It's good fun and is certain to qualify you for 'good samaritan of the year', especially if City fans are the only ones voting 8-)).

MATCH REPORT 'LIVE'

TRANMERE ROVERS vs. MANCHESTER CITY, Tuesday 18th March 1997

I have seen a vision of the future and I don't like what I saw. This was like a preparation game for when we have to play without Gio Kinkladze, for although the mercurial Georgian was in the team, he was constantly bypassed as the ball flew over his head straight from the back to Uwe Rösler, our lone striker. It was sadly reminiscent of the last days of the Peter Reid era, except we didn't even have Niall Quinn to aim for. I just hope that these tactics were adopted because of the conditions (rain, a less than perfect playing surface and a swirling wind) rather than being general sign of things to come.

Around 40% of the crowd of 12,019 were Blues, housed in a fine, nearly new stand at one end of the ground which towered over the other stands. Needless to say, this was the biggest attendance of the season so far at Prenton Park. Unfortunately, the match wasn't exactly a classic. City, with captain Kit Symons back after suspension, started off with a formation like this:

                Wright
Brannan  Brightwell  Symons  Ingram
Summerbee  Lomas  McGoldrick  Horlock
              Kinkladze
                Rösler

For the first 15 minutes or so we were a shambles as we tried to get to grips with the 'direct' tactics whilst Tranmere at least tried to play a bit of football. Nevertheless, City were solid at the back and Tranmere only had 2 goal attempts that were on target in the whole game, though there were a few near misses in the last 25 minutes. When City got themselves together, the Blues (wearing the same black shorts and socks as at Barnsley) virtually camped in the Tranmere half but could still only muster a few half-chances. The hard-working Rösler saw a header from Ged Brannan's cross go narrowly wide and also a volley from a tight angle blocked by Nixon. Towards the end of the half a 20-yard effort at the end of a jinking run from man of the match Nicky Summerbee just went past the post. That was about it as far as excitement went in the first half.

City went close in the first minutes of the second half when Horlock just failed to get on the end of a Rösler cross as City carried on where they left off from the first half. Rösler came close to scoring himself a few minutes later when he got to a Lomas cross just before Nixon but headed over the bar. The resulting collision with Nixon left Rösler motionless on the ground for some time before he got some treatment. Fortunately he was fit to carry on. With just over 25 minutes to go, Heaney came on in place of Ingram as City switched to three at the back in an attempt to improve the service to Rösler. Within a minute we were a goal down. Paul Cook received the ball wide on the Tranmere right with no City player within 20 yards of him. He had time to measure a perfect cross for Gary Jones, who dutifully glanced the ball wide of Wright to open the scoring.

This significantly changed the complexion of the game, as Tranmere visibly grew in confidence and began stroking the ball around and probing for more goals. However, it didn't stop them time-wasting at every available opportunity either. It was almost one-way traffic towards our goal and a number of shots flashed narrowly wide or over. Wright made a good save, diving low to his right to save the home side's only other on-target effort. In the 70th minute, Kinkladze made a good run into the heart of the Tranmere penalty area and was shoulder-charged off the ball by Dave Higgins, who injured himself in the process. Gio fell in a heap and there was a massive shout of "penalty" from the Blues behind the goal but referee Eddie Wolstenholme waved play on. I was probably the only one at our end that agreed with him, as I felt Kinkladze was looking for the penalty and made a meal of the challenge. Having said that, I've seen Kinkladze himself booked for a similar challenge earlier this season at Reading.

Tranmere continued to dominate and substitute John Aldridge came close to breaking Jimmy Greaves' all-time goalscoring record but hit his effort wide of the post. I still can't believe he missed. City didn't look like getting a goal and quite a lot of Blues left in disgust in the last 10 minutes. Then, almost out of nothing and with 4 minutes left, we equalised. Brightwell played yet another of his hit-and-hope balls forward down the right flank and for once a City player, Lomas in this case, was able to keep the ball. Lomas cut inside and found Brannan, who slipped an excellent ball into the path of Summerbee. Buzzer whacked a shot goalwards but it appeared to be covered by Nixon and O'Brien. However, the ball cannoned off O'Brien, past Nixon and into the net, much to our delight. A similar move nearly led to a winner but in truth a draw was all either side deserved from this game.

Overall, I felt this performance was not much different from the one at Grimsby (we defended better this time). Strangely, it got a very different reaction from Frank Clark. On Saturday he was very annoyed with the team but this time he thought it was a good game considering the conditions. This was not the sort of performance or tactics I (and judging from the reactions of those around me, most other Blues) want to see from a City team. What has happened to the passing side we had last month? I want it back please. Preferably by Saturday.

MATCH REVIEW - CITY vs. SOMEWHERE PAST THE CHEMICAL WORKS!

As there seems to have been one or two digs at the great Stuart 'It's a Knockout' Hall, I thought I'd pay tribute to his wonderful poetic reviews by attempting one myself.

I have chosen Haiku, a form of Japanese poetry, using 5 lines with 1,3,5,3,1 syllables respectively:

Cold
Windswept Night
Away at Tranmere
Fluked a Point
Shite

Probably not quite up to what the great SH would say (something like: 'Magnificent armies swathed in blue surging relentlessly onwards with the equaliser as their golden chalice') but you try writing poetry after spending a couple of hours in Tranmere.

NEWS - ATKINSON CLEARED TO PLAY

Dalian Atkinson has joined City at least until the end of the season. He plays in the reserves at York City on Wednesday night and will be considered for a first team place for Saturday's home game against Stoke City.

There is conflicting news regarding Nigel Clough. According to most reports he's returning to Maine Road, GMR claims that Forest have offered two young players plus some money for him.

NEWS - ATKINSON AND CLOUGH

Dalian Atkinson scored the only goal of the game as City's reserves won 1-0 at York on Wednesday night and is likely to be on the bench for Saturday's game against Stoke at Maine Road. In an interview after the game, he said that he intended to get his head down and try to rekindle his career with the "good bunch of lads" at Maine Road. He said that the game was played differently in Turkey so he would have to re-learn the faster English game, but he'd be OK when he got his legs going. After the exertion of the game at York he felt as though he was 50, but expected to be fully match fit after 4 or 5 games. He wants the fans to be patient with him during this period.

Atkinson hadn't played a competitive game for the last 12 months during his dispute with Fenerbache, but said that City had been good to him, sorting out a hotel etc. and he'd been training hard for the last 2 months. He's been offered a contract but both he and the club will decide about a long-term arrangement at the end of the season. In my view he sounded enthusiastic but lacking in confidence, rather like when Alan Kernagahn returned to the first team squad after loan spells away from Maine Road.

Finally, on the subject of players returning from loan spells, Frank Clark said he was surprised about not being able to come to an agreement with Nottingham forest about Nigel Clough. However, he added, his experience will be a valuable asset to the club and he couldn't understand why Clough had had an unhappy time at City.

EURONET 97

This letter has just been posted to the Leeds e-mail list, and is making the rounds of the other footy lists at the moment. I don't know if anyone's interested...

In 1996 football discussion e-mail list members came together in the spirit of Euro 96 with a knock-out football tournament in the pretty city of Nottingham. The tournament, sponsored by Harlequin, was won by a rather astonished Middlesbrough List team led by Dave "Robbo" Roberts. The competition received national press and radio coverage and featured a sponsored head shave for Children in Need.

Euronet 96 was organised by Dave "Voice of Football" Walmsley and members of the Leeds List (who were also semi-finalists in the competition) and this year they've decided to do it again but over two days (provisionally the 28/29th June). The venue will be Bradford, home of Chris Kamara's Bradford City and some of the finest beer, curry and dark satanic mills in the cosmos.

With the event taking place over a weekend we are negotiating for accommodation at Bradford University in what should be very reasonably priced halls of residence. There will also be a social event on the Saturday night with the usual bar and some kind of appropriate entertainment.

Day one will see up to 32 teams compete in four groups of eight with the intention of sending each group winner and each runner-up into Sunday and the Quarter Finals.

Sunday will be a knockout series - 1st Round, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and the glorious Final. The eventual winners will take the Harlequin Trophy and both teams of finalists will receive medals.

The games are played by teams of eleven. One team per list. All players must be bonafide members of their club's e-mail list. Each match is played for 15 minutes each way with a five minute break at half time. Teams can be mixed: male and female - Notts County led in this department last year.

Normal FA rules apply with slight modification to cover timing, offside etc. Although a competitive event, the emphasis is on a fun weekend. Sponsorship is being confirmed, this should mean that the cost of playing will be down to individuals providing their own transport, beer money and food.

To enter your list team contact me, Betty Boocock via email at: wolfstone@zetnet.co.uk - it is on a first come first served basis with preference being given to the glorious 16 who played last year.

On acceptance you will be given full details of the event and information regarding the venue and accommodation.

Yours in the beautiful game

Betty

The teams showing an interest so far are from Bradford, Celtic, Southampton, Pompey, Scum, and QPR. Leeds are also knocking one together.

If anyone's interested, mail me, and I'll keep a list of names together.

RADIO 5 NOT YET LIVE!

A colleague of mine sent me this; he also sent a copy to the SWFC mailing list. I have since emailed the BBC. I am forwarding it to him in the hope that more pressure can be brought to bear.

"I sent this to sport@bbc.co.uk Would you do something similar? I'm trying to get expats all over the world to pressure the BBC to get this matter sorted. How about putting a message on the MCFC mailing list asking people to write?"

"I am just writing to ask if Radio 5 can be put onto the net so people all over the world could listen in to 5 live during football matches. If not, why not? Are there any plans to put any BBC radio stations on the net? BBC world service is virtually unlistenable most of the time in the late afternoon/evening here in Dubai and I can't listen to it any more - it's too frustrating. I know from discussion groups that this is a common complaint around the world. Come on BBC, it surely can't cost much to sort this out!"

OPINION - MOONCHESTER

I recently brought my two young daughters to Maine Road for the Swindon game. What a disappointment for the girls when they saw the (I use the term loosely) mascot.

Most clubs have something remotely cuddly: Leicester have a fox, Derby a ram, United have a little devil and Barnsley have a dog, Tyke, that bares the operator's bottom to visiting fans (well City fans anyway).

Which idiot came up with the idea of having a mascot called 'Moonchester'? Just what is it? Does it in any way relate to the club (besides the fact it's sky blue - no)? Did Franny go out on a bender and dream about it, or what?

Get a life City and choose something that appeals to young kids - if you're going to choose anything at all!

In light of Stuart Hall's summaries, may I suggest a pantomime dame - especially apt as Les Dawson was a life long follower of the club. Alternativly a 'Gentle Giant' would do in memory of all the great goalkeepers the club has had over the years.

REQUEST - LIFT FROM LANCASTER

I am a student up in Lancaster wondering if any kind soul in this area would be willing to give me a lift to home/away games and share petrol costs. It's mainly the Liverpool/Everton set that reside up here (and inevitably a few "I've supported them all my life, honest" Rags, so travelling to a few home games towards the end of this season would be a big bonus, as the train fare on a Saturday is ridiculous. Keep up the good work on the 'zine everyone...

WHY BLUE?

Why should someone from the wilds of Essex be Blue? Its quite easy really; I was beaten into it. I was 8 at the time and was interested in football, but with Colchester being the nearest professional team within a 40-mile radius and my dad not being interested in football my interest was TV based.

Then it happened. A friend at school was a Leeds fan. City had just beaten Leeds so when I saw him I chanted "City! City!" and he gave me a bloody nose. Typical Leeds fan. Well, after that I stayed a City fan just to annoy my friend. That was 1967. I can't even remember my friend's name any more but City are still where it's at in English football.

I've been living in Germany now for 11 years and go to watch Borussia Dortmund on a regular basis which is why I decided to write this. Next month Dortmund play the Rags in the Champions' League Semi-Final. It will be oh so sweet if Dortmund can give them a real stuffing. I'm working on teaching the South Terrace Blue Moon just to let the Rags know where our sympathies lie ;-)

BLUE HUMOUR

This is an old one but I don't think I've seen it in MCIVTA before...

Two boys are playing football in the park when one of them is attacked by a rottweiler. Thinking quickly, his friend rips a plank of wood from a fence, forces it into the dog's collar and twists it, breaking the dog's neck. All the while, a newspaper reporter who was taking a stroll through the park is watching. He rushes over, introduces himself and takes out his pad and pencil to start his story for the next edition. He writes, "Manchester City fan saves friend from vicious animal." The boy interrupts: "But I'm not a City fan." The reporter starts again: "Manchester United fan saves friend from horrific attack." The boy interrupts again: "I'm not a United fan either." The reporter asks: "Who do you support, then?" "Liverpool," replies the boy. So the reporter starts again: "Scouse bastard kills family pet"

RESULTS

Full-time scores and scorers for Tuesday, March 18 1997

BOLTON WANDERERS        4-2    PORT VALE                 14,150
Frandsen (9)                   Bogie (3)
Glover (og 38)                 Talbot (50)
Fairclough (81)
Blake (83)

IPSWICH TOWN            3-1    SHEFFIELD UNITED          10,374
Gregory (1, 11, 37)            Fjortoft (21)

OLDHAM ATHLETIC         1-1    CHARLTON ATHLETIC          4,969
Barlow (65)                    O'Connell (89)

OXFORD UNITED           3-2    GRIMSBY TOWN               6,421
Ford (62)                      Mendonca (31, 80)
Gilchrist (66)
Aldridge (90)

STOKE CITY              1-0    WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS   15,683
Forsyth (47)

TRANMERE ROVERS         1-1    MANCHESTER CITY           12,019
Jones (64)                     O'Brien (og 86)

Up to and including Tuesday, March 18 1997

Team                  Played   Won Drawn Lost  For  Against   Points
Bolton Wanderers        39     23   12    4     85    48        81
Wolverhampton Wanderers 38     19    8   11     54    39        65
------------------------------------------------------------------
Barnsley                36     17   12    7     60    43        63
Sheffield United        38     17   10   11     65    46        61
Ipswich Town            38     15   13   10     54    46        58
Crystal Palace          36     15   11   10     67    38        56
------------------------------------------------------------------
Norwich City            38     15   10   13     55    58        55
Port Vale               39     13   15   11     48    47        54
Stoke City              37     15    9   13     44    46        54
Portsmouth              36     15    8   13     45    40        53
Swindon Town            38     15    7   16     51    54        52
Tranmere Rovers         37     14   10   13     50    48        52
Queens Park Rangers     38     13   11   14     48    50        50
Oxford United           38     14    7   17     52    53        49
West Bromwich Albion    38     11   14   13     60    62        47
Reading                 36     12   11   13     47    52        47
MANCHESTER CITY         37     13    8   16     46    49        47
Charlton Athletic       37     13    8   16     44    53        47
Birmingham City         36     12   10   14     41    44        46
Huddersfield Town       38     11   11   16     42    55        44
Grimsby Town            37      8   11   18     50    70        35
------------------------------------------------------------------
Oldham Athletic         36      8   11   17     38    49        35
Bradford City           37      8   11   18     38    60        35
Southend United         38      7   12   19     35    69        33