Newsletter #404

A small issue but with news of some transfers (one definite out, several frees and one potential in). The pre-season friendlies have now been announced, and as we’re now officially minnows, we have a few at home and even some big boys are coming to play!

Other than that, things are mostly focused on the World Cup, with the British tabloids working themselves into a frenzy over Gazza’s non inclusion in the squad of 22; rather buggered up Sainsbury’s World Cup coin/medal collection as well. If anyone cares to do a Why Blue, now would be as good a time as any.

NEWS – PRE-SEASON FIXTURES

Pre-season games confirmed:

Sat 18 July     City v Sunderland (Ian Brightwell test.)        Home    3pm
Thurs 23        City v Shef Wed                                 Home    7.45pm
Mon 27          Scarborough v City                              Away    7.30pm
Thurs 30        City v Cardiff                                  Home    7.45pm
Sat/Sun 1/2 Aug Preston tournament with PNE/Barnsley/Tranmere   Away    TBC

Phew, get those sun hats and phrase books out. An early chance to prove ourselves against top notch FA Carling Premiership opposition and a weekend in Preston. Can life get any better?

NEWS SNIPPETS

City’s Northern Ireland U21 left-sided midfielder Brian McGlinchey has joined Port Vale on a free transfer.

Jim Whitley made his début for Northern Ireland on Wednesday night against Spain in Santander. It wasn’t a happy occasion though as the Irish lost 4-1, their goal being scored by former City defender Gerry Taggart. Jim’s brother Jeff also made an appearance as a substitute.

Ian Brightwell has been released by City but says he’ll leave on good terms: “There is no animosity between Joe Royle and myself. I accepted the club had to make reductions in the wage bill after dropping down into the Second Division. I would have liked to have stayed on at City but now I have got to move on with my life. I have had some great years at City but there is still a lot of football left in me.”

Better news for Brightwell is that he has been granted a Maine Road testimonial game against Sunderland which will take place on Saturday 18th July, 3pm kick-off. The pre-season fixture list so far looks like this:

Saturday 18th July  3:00pm : City vs. Sunderland (Maine Road)
                             Ian Brightwell Testimonial
Thursday 23rd July  7:45pm : City vs. Sheffield Wednesday (Maine Road)
Monday   27th July  7:30pm : Scarborough vs. City (McCain Stadium)
                             Ray McHale Testimonial
Thursday 30th July  7:45pm : City vs. Cardiff City (Maine Road)

City are taking part in a 4-team tournament on the weekend of 1st/2nd August at Deepdale, Preston. The other teams involved are Preston, Tranmere and Barnsley. City play Preston at 1:30pm on Saturday 1st, with Preston playing Barnsley later that day. On the 2nd August, the losers of the previous day’s games play each other at 1:30pm and the two winners play each other in the final at 4:00pm.

City’s reserves have the following pre-season fixtures so far:

Thursday, July 16th   : away to Droylsden
Wednesday, July 22nd  : away to Bamber Bridge
Saturday, July 25th   : away to Congleton
Wednesday, July 29th  : away to Lancaster
Monday, August 3rd    : away to Altrincham
Wednesday, August 5th : away to Radcliffe Borough

The opening day of the season will be 8th August; fixtures are due to be announced in the week commencing 15th June.

City have made Paul Beesley, John Foster and Rae Ingram available on free transfers. Beesley, who had loan spells at Port Vale and West Brom last season, is being linked with a move to Blackpool. Chris Greenacre, who had a loan spell with the Seasiders, has now returned to Maine Road, as has Barry Conlon who was at Plymouth. Scott Hiley has also been reported to be available on a free transfer but I’m not sure if that’s true or not. Neil Heaney, a Wembley winner with Charlton Athletic, is likely to make a permanent move to the Addicks for quite a lot less than City paid for him.

City are still being linked with a move for Australian winger Danny Tiatto, available on a free transfer from Swiss outfit SC Baden. Ironically, Tiatto played a trial game for City last pre-season, at Macclesfield, where City welcomed the then newcomers to the Football League! Tiatto was substituted after 70 minutes after failing to impress Frank Clark, though I personally thought he looked quite useful.

Finally, some of you may have noticed that City’s official web site has been offline for the last few weeks; the club are changing their Internet Service Provider and the new site is due to be launched at the end of June.

SKY BLUE SHIRTS

Vince (Docherty) rightly notes in response to my whinge about the new Laser Blue shirt that our mid-70s, last successful, team also wore a darker shade of blue than the sky blue I extolled. Agreed. Can’t deny it. But … the great team of the end of the ’60s, start of the ’70s wore sky blue.

Of course, it is what, or rather, who, is inside the shirt that matters, but what is it about a football club that attracts its supporters (London Rags/Ulan Bator Rags etc. excluded)? It’s a sense of belonging, a sense of tradition, a link to a community – whether the supporter is in exile or not. I mourn the Kippax, I mourn the Sky Blue shirts, I mourn the old Club badge … Superbia in Proelio (or whatever) … B*****ks to that.

MYSTIC PRINTER

Re: The mysterious inside out shirts in the contribution titled “I HAD A DREAM”. I have just remembered something which I found equally spooky…

A workmate of mine, and a City regular, finished his contract a couple of weeks ago at the place where I work in Birmingham. As a goodbye ‘present’, I printed a T-shirt for him with all his collegues’ faces pasted onto the players of a City team photograph.

The strange thing is, when I printed it out I noted that the printer had mysteriously and poignantly had dropped the first ‘r’ from the team sponsor’s name. How did it know?

MOSS ROSE – SLOPE NO MORE!

Regarding Grounds for Worry. MCIVTA 402. The Estate Road terrace at the Moss Rose, Macclesfield was once a very shallow slope, about three years ago before it was done up. Now it has a perfectly steep slope and wideish steps more than adequate so that only the shortest City fans will need periscopes. Just thought I’d clear up the Guardian’s hopelessly out of date information.

WORLD CUP 98

Folks,

As the World Cup (Coupe De Monde) draws ever nearer to the big kick off (and hopefully I mean just the football), I hope you armchair fans will spare a thought for us poor unfortunates who have managed to get a ticket for the ‘greatest show on earth’!

You’ll be sat there in your comfy chairs, with a few tinnies, with papers and videos at the ready, dealing with endless commentary, chat, replay, etc. In the meantime, we’ll have had to endure ticket frustrations (followed by waves of relief when they arrived) journeys to the game, security measures, blazing sun (in unroofed grounds, e.g. Stade Velodrome, Marseille) to watch a now Gazzaless England, take on their opponents. So folks just spare a thought for the likes of me and others who’ll be in France for the World Cup!

Tee-hee I’ve got an England vs. Tunisia ticket. Any other Internet Blues out there going, maybe see you in Marseille!

Just for the record, my ticket was acquired through the England Travel Club (nee Members Club) at a cost of 28 quid plus 4 pound admin. fee. The ‘official’ one day flight cost 310 quid, plus 10 quid insurance, then I’d have to fork out for travel costs to Luton from Manchester, so I was looking at approx 350 quid in total for a one-day journey. After looking around I’m now going on a 10 day (7 night) coach holiday to Northern Spain (Calella/Llorett) for 120 quid, three day car hire will cost 50 quid, an overnight stop is 40 quid, with petrol and tolls hopefully the complete journey will work out cheaper then the ‘day trip’. Plus I’ll get a few days’ holiday into the bargain.

Anybody else out there getting to the World Cup, what sort of prices did you have to fork out?

So maybe I’ll see some of you in Marseille for the game or even Calella/Llorett for the rest of the holiday?

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

What is the difference between the England teams that drew 0-0 with Saudi, beat Morocco, and lost to Belgium?

There were no United players in the team that won.

I rest my case.

EX CITY PLAYER IN WC98!

Former City players in the World Cup… Fitzroy Simpson, Jamaica.

Anagram,
Manchester City : Chemistry at NEC

OPINION – DIVISION 2

Now that we are in Division 2, we must not look down and make fun of the teams we play – remember we are at the same level until we prove otherwise – which should be soon I am sure. Some of the teams we will play will be giving all they can give against City, it will be to them like a Cup Final to play against City. Whilst playing these other clubs we might find some good talent out there to help City in the future. Until next season let’s get behind England for the World Cup,

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