Newsletter #403

First of all, many thanks to both John and Jeremy for helping out over the last 3 weeks; my sanity has been maintained whilst juggling work commitments, best man duties in Cornwall and a birthday bash for 30 x 5-year-olds!

Apologies if some of these articles are old/redundant; I’ve just pasted in those articles which have been sent to me over the last 3 weeks and which have not appeared in MCIVTA – I hope!

We need some more Why Blues and now (close season) is as good a time as any to send them in. Also, if anyone fancies doing a book review or video review, please let me know. I’d also like to try and stimulate some discussion on articles for MCIVTA: does anyone have any ideas for features etc, which they may be willing to solicit/submit? Again let me know, I want to think about these now (i.e., summer) rather than when things hot up as the season opens.

Ashley

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NEWS – NEW AWAY STRIP

I popped into the Arndale City Shop on Friday and asked about the new away kit. It`s out on 24/7/98 and will be a blue/yellow number!

Gary Sowerby (blumoon@clara.net)

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WORLDNET 98 – THE DRAW

Managers, players and supporters alike, here’s the draw (in full) for the WorldNet98 tournament to be held in Reading over the weekend 17/18/19 July.

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This evening, after the Royal Rumble, the draw for the group stages of WorldNet 98 was made. There are eight groups containing one first seeded team, one second seeded team and either 2 or 3 non-seeded teams. 37 teams went into the draw, so currently groups A, B and C have only four teams and the other groups have five. It is expected that a full complement of 40 teams will eventually take part. New teams will be allocated to groups, A, B and C in reverse order as payment is received.

Group A

• Celtic (1st seed)
• Swindon (2nd seed)
• Notts County
• Wolves

Group B

• Leeds (1st seed)
• Middlesbrough (2nd seed)
• Sheff Wed
• Coventry

Group C

• Watford (1st seed)
• Colchester (2nd seed)
• Ipswich
• Arsenal

Group D

• Forest (1st seed)
• WBA (2nd seed)
• Gillingham
• Man U
• Newcastle

Group E

• Spurs (1st seed)
• Reading (2nd seed)
• Liverpool
• Crewe
• Leicester

Group F

• Birmingham (1st seed)
• AEK Athens (2nd seed)
• Motherwell
• Glasgow Rangers
• West Ham

Group G

• QPR (1st seed)
• Southampton (2nd seed)
• Stockport
• Derby
• Portsmouth

Group H

• Bradford (1st seed)
• Huddersfield (2nd seed)
• Man City
• Villa
• Chelsea

Martin Ford (mford@fs1.li.umist.ac.uk)

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I HAD A DREAM!

I laughed aloud at Euan Bayliss’ quote from his mum about how the worse they get the more she wants to go and see them. Are there any psychology experts out there? It would be interesting to read some kind of diagnosis about what it actually is that we suffer from.

And while on the subject of psychology I might as well share with you a dream I had last night. I was teaching my pre-intermediate class the finer points of the present perfect when suddenly I noticed that they were all wearing City shirts. Some of them were inside-out (you never know, these details could be crucial) and I couldn’t help noticing the holes in the dri’weave fabric, or whatever it’s called. Also, the word ‘Brother’ was missing from the shirts. What can it all mean? Answers on a virtual postcard etc.

The things we think about in the close season, eh?

Here in Brazil, for anyone still awake, things are just World Cup barmy. At traffic lights kids sell flags with this clever gadget to hang it out of your car window. Every shop is decked out in yellow and green. So are most houses for that matter. TV is full of weird football ads: Denilson plays tennis with his feet against Brazilian tennis ace Gustavo Kuerten, Ronaldo is dressed up as a bunny rabbit to advertise milk, Zagallo was endorsing something recently but that’s been taken off the air since he’s Brazil’s second most unpopular man at the moment (behind the President, of course). It’s just going to be one hell of a mental party. I just pray they don’t go out in the first round, weight of expectation and all that. Mind you they are playing Scotland…

How many ex-City players are involved in the World Cup? I can only think of Colin Hendry but I’m sure there’s more.

Blue in Brazil, Daniel Marcus (dancity@hotmail.com)

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QUINN’S MONEY

The money Quinn talks about was the loyalty money he was due if he completed the required term in his contact. This would have cost City £1 million. Quinn wanted this as well as the transfer, plus signing on fee elsewhere. City also got rid of Coton and Curle who were also owed about the same. Don’t forget these players took us down and would have got around £3 million between them for playing like donkeys. Also, Coton has hasn’t played much because of his thigh injury.

John Kenny (m00k4i00@mcmail.com)

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WHEN CITY WENT DOWN – WORST POSSIBLE PLACE TO BE!

Where was I when City went down? Has anyone got a more sorrowful tale than this…?

Due to a distinct lack of forward planning on the black day in question I found myself in the football wilderness that is Dorset. I was stuck in Sherbourne, the nearest team of any note being Yeovil Town who we’ll probably be playing in the FA Cup this year.

Anyway, Sherbourne is not a big place and after traipsing around in a foul mood I discovered that there were only four pubs in the town with Satellite TV. The first one was showing the Boro’, the second one was showing the Boro’, the third one had live rugby sevens from somewhere. As I walked mournfully up the street towards the final pub I knew it was going to be one of those days. when I walked in the TV was switched off as they were featuring live Dixieland Jazz at lunchtime.

So I had to endure the last game of the season listening to the ramblings of Jan Molby. Was he in any way ever connected even remotely with Stoke or Man City?

I still haven’t seen the goals as my dad had got a new video and he recorded ITV by mistake. I guess Man City has started to affect every aspect of my life slowly but surely sending me into a whirlpool of paranoia and blind optimism. Is MCIVTA just electronic group therapy I wonder?

On another note, I’m getting a bit sick of of the Rags releasing all these terrible records like the Calypso. I know City must have made some terrible records of their own. If anyone has any details of any such recordings I was wondering if they could email me with as much info as possible, Artist, Title, Label, Catalogue number or even vague memories and years would be good as I’m planning to break into the BBC gram library in the dead of night and see what I can find.

Jim Sim (jim.simmons@bbc.co.uk)

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LIFE IN HOTTER CLIMES

A mate of mine picked up a hitch-hiker tourist the other day walking along the West Bay Rd, Grand Cayman. He only did so because he had a City Kappa top on. Probably the only safe place in the world where one is not likely to receive any ridicule, sympathy, pathos, p*** take, scorn, contempt or derision.

Taking pity on the Blues Traveller he enquired about his open display of laser attire. CTID was the hitcher’s response and my mate then admitted to his own masonic allegiance to City and the story of all the ex-pat Blues that subscribe to the McVittee Ezine that provide this long distance self help group therapy.

Turned out the hitch hiker was a bit of a statto and he said: “Did you know that City have either lost a game while the scores were level or drawn a game while City were one goal ahead in the last 10 minutes of the game on 15 occasions this year “ Can anyone confirm or refute this statto/fact? Sounds almost true judging by the reports.

There was an international footy game in town last wee: Cayman Islands 1 Bermuda 0.

Sean Goater was in town but did not play; quite how the local media did not sweep up a frenzied paparazzi style approach to this staggering event beggars belief.

Thanks to McVittee this year, keep up the good work.

CTID, Phil Lines (Phil.Lines@cay.cwplc.com)

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CITY SHIRTS

I have just read Jeremy Poynton’s editorial re: City shirts. My (admittedly cloudly ) memory and indeed photograhs I have seen of City winning the League Cup were of us in shirts of a blue closer to the current Kappa ‘Laser Blue’ one than the extremely pale blue (at times so wishy-washy you couldn’t call it ‘Sky’) we have sported for the previous eight seasons or so.

Can anyone verify this?

Vince Docherty (pacpress@asiaonline.net)

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OPINION – ENGLAND PERFORMANCES

So – what do all us Blues think of the disgraceful England performances of recent times then? Watching them poncing about with their 3-at-the back and no-one up front routine reminds me of watching a certain team in blue shirts (except that we’ve just got rid of our Michael Owen…).

So how about a few submissions of England starting line ups (from Glenn’s dodgy 20-odd or the real stars sat at home on their arses).

As for my twopenneth, I’ll go for…

Seaman

Neville*
Adams
Keown
Le Saux

Parlour
Ince*
Le Tissier
Huckerby

Shearer
Owen

* For the life of me, I cannot think of a decent right back anywhere and for Ince you could substitute any other central midfield clogger.

The only other scum I would even consider would be Cole for his pace. (remember when they thought they were going to have 7 in) And as for Blondie…

Perhaps the multitalented Ged Brannan might get a late call up?

David Johnson (D.Johnson@mmu.ac.uk)

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OPINION – SEX IN THE KIPPAX

Re: the message from jcoopel (?), the MCIVTA member who wrote from Boston last week. In 1977, he said, the sight of two people having sex in the Kippax Stand forged his relationship with City. Not that I’m against sex or anything but when two football fans become so diverted, it doesn’t say much about the football does it? Perhaps the amorous couple were planted there by City management so the fans could at least see someone score that afternoon?

Chris Cobb – Canada (cobsun@intranet.ca.icl.co.uk)

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QUESTIONS – CORRECTED

After receiving MCIVTA 402, I noticed two of the questions were typed incorrectly. These were No.’s 1 and 7. All the questions are given again below (including the correct ones for 1 and 7).

The questions are as follows:-

1. Who played in World Cup 94 and also played against City in Europe?
2. Which 4 ex-City players now manage Division 1 clubs?
3. Who was the first player to wear the No.12 shirt for City?
4. Who had a goal disallowed in the ’76 League Cup Final?
5. Who scored in both the ’69 and ’81 cup runs?
6. Which player played against Spurs at Wembley for 2 different teams, one being City?
7. Name the 5 players (in order of the move) that led to the goal against Bradford when City gained promotion?
8. Who was the last player to leave City and gain a Championship medal with another club?
9. And who before him?
10. Which two players have played in 5 cup finals for City?

Answers to follow shortly.

Steve Welch (c/o srfoy@fs1.scg.man.ac.uk)

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BLUE HUMOUR

How Hot Is It In Hell – A True Story

A thermodynamics professor had written a take home exam for his graduate students. It had one question: “Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Support your answer with a proof.”

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle’s Law (gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, a die hard City fan, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So, we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let’s look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all people and all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.

Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle’s Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities.

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it? If we accept the fact that City are not going to win anything before Hell freezes over and take into account the fact that the attendance figures at Maine Road get better the poorer they play then #2 is correct and us poor souls that go to Maine Road are all dead and really in Hell. At least it feels that way.

Hell is exothermic (who cares?). The student got the only A and season ticket to Hell. Sorry, Maine Road.

P.S. Where was I when we went down?

Sat on the coffee table in the lounge room and watched teletext for 2 hours. How depressed can one get?

Ron Smith (ron.smith@teleinstrument.se)

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BRIGHTON – HELP

Dear football supporters,

Brighton & Hove Albion are playing their ‘home’ games 75 miles away in Gillingham, Kent. The Club has submitted an application to Brighton & Hove Council to temporarily play their home games at Withdean Stadium, Brighton, Sussex. The successful outcome of this application is crucial to the future of the Club.

‘Home’ match attendances have been approximately 2500, compared to 7000-8000 toward the end of last season. The distance and cost of travelling is proving a major obstacle for fans to attend games.

A campaign to ‘Bring Home the Albion’ has been highlighting the desire and need to bring the Club back to Brighton.

You can lend your support of this application by completing the petition. The petition can be located at the following web site: Seagulls – The View From The Net
<URL: http://www.domtech.co.uk/Seagulls/>

Brighton fans thank you sincerely for your support.

Neil Bergin ‘Seagulls – The View From The Net’ web site developer (neil.bergin@domtech.co.uk)

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MORE ANAGRAMS

I have been the recipient of plenty of free pints from sympathetic friends over the last few weeks. However, they seem to be drying up now. I have had no grief from anyone except a mate who is a Pompey supporter. Here are a few anagrams I picked up from http://www.genius2000.com/anagram.html

Anagrams for Manchester City

Ratty, chic semen.
Tiny, erect chasm.
Cretins ace myth.
The cynic master.
Myth aces cretin.
Yes match cretin.
Chancy termites.
Nice try matches.
Cast in the mercy.
Thy manic secret.
The cynic stream.
Nice myths crate.
Try antic scheme.

And for Nationwide Division Two…

Deviation idiots win now.
Now invade so win it idiot.
Via oddities on win to win.
Initiatives win now do do.
Inane idiots wow in divot.
O! win so win deviant idiot.

John Wilson (John.Wilson@btinternet.com)

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REQUEST – WASHINGTON AND WORLD CUP TICKETS

1. Wanted – two tickets for the first two England World Cup games. If youhave any other tickets in the period of 13-23 let me know.
2. is there anybody from Washington DC out there? I have been offered asummer job out there and would like some information on what the scene islike out there. I would also like to here from people out there (USA) whocould possibly pass on any contacts of companies who may wish to offer a UKgraduate (computer studies – all being well) an internship. Thanks.

Paul Thompson (paul.r.thompson@virgin.net)

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WWW MANCHESTER CITY SUPPORTERS’ HOME PAGE:
http://www.uit.no/mancity/

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MCIVTA ADDRESSES:
Contributions: Ashley – mcivta@tollbar.u-net.com
Subscriptions & Club Questions: Steve – sbolton@buxtonrd.u-net.com
Technical Problems: Paul – paul@city-fan.org

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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.

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Ashley Birch, mcivta@tollbar.u-net.com

Editor: