Newsletter #497

Automatic promotion finally eludes us, due to another Walsall win. City themselves threw away a 2-goal lead, mostly due to complacency, but in no small measure to yet another horrendous refereeing decision. However, despite this, we are now officially guaranteed a play-off place! Jeremy has kindly done us a match report from behind enemy lines. Other than that, this bank holiday issue is quite thin; however, I’d like to take this opportunity to once again thank Geoff Donkin for standing in and doing his usual excellent job with the news summary.

Lastly, the recent discussion on all things Man Utd, and in particular the wisdom – or otherwise – of hating them, appears to be dragging on beyond its useful shelf life. Specifically, and not for the first time, it is beginning to degenerate into a spat between two individuals who hold diametrically opposed views. I’d normally suggest that any discussion – when it gets to this stage – is continued outside the confines of this newsletter. Nevertheless, I’ve decided to include a reply from one person, as it isn’t possible for him to reply to the assertions of the other by personal email. However, that done, I do have a responsibility to maintain the quality of MCIVTA and keep it interesting for the vast majority, therefore, I’ve set Thursday’s issue as a deadline for submissions on this issue, as it’s detracting from much more important things!

MATCH REPORT – ‘LIVE’ – THE VIEW FROM BEHIND ENEMY LINES!

BRISTOL ROVERS vs. MANCHESTER CITY, Saturday 2nd May 1999

First, can I express my thanks to Chris Williams (Chris – I hope I have your surname right – if not, you will know who you are), for ringing me up Saturday morning with an offer of a ticket for the game against Bristol Rovers.

I managed to get a ticket to the game against the Gas from a Gashead friend. Those who know me know that we have lived in Bristol for some 16 years, occasionally getting up to see City and the Mcivta main men, and catching them in the South West when possible. In that time, I have also taken up with the other club in Bristol to feed my (probably terminal) addiction to the game. One of the things that struck me when I became acquainted with Bristol football is how vehement the dislike of each club for the other. Given the recent debates in Mcivta pro and for United hating as a lifetime hobby, you should know that the levels of local distaste are just as strong here. Oh, and as aside on that matter, i.e. United – to hate or not to hate. I have no quarrel with the individual United supporter of the type of Leo Fewtrell – no quarrel at all. The club, the institution of United I do, however, dislike intensely. The reason is simple. They are intensely dislikeable. There – that’s out of the way, so now we can get back to yesterday in Bristol.

Got to the ground – Hmm. No descriptions suffice. It was owned by Bristol Rugby club until they went belly-up early this season, having just sold a half-share in the land to Bristol Rovers with a proviso that if either party in the deal went broke, the other could buy their share for £10,000. And it came to pass, that about a month after this deal, the Rugby Club went under. Rovers, having been lodgers at Ashton Gate, Twerton Park (Bath City’s ground) and the Rugby ground, had their own place for the first time in 50 years. Promptly, they changed the name from the Memorial Ground to the Memorial Stadium, a rather odd name as it only has 3 sides, 2 crappy stands, and no covered terracing. But, there you go, what’s in a name?

So, we arrive at the ground at 5.30 p.m, in with my mate Rudi who forgave me my other side of the City tendencies for the day, and treated me as a Man City fan. Where we were seemed to be a pen for day-release cases from the local psychiatric hospital, and had the rather otherworldly air of a football match of the 1950s. I feared I was trapped in a timewarp.

On come the boys. No surprises in the line-up, and the game was off. We spent the whole game coming to terms with playing on a rugby ground – the pitch is very short, very narrow (most of the passes to Cooke ended up in the stands), and because rugby pitches have that big patch behind the goals for their chaps to do bellyflops on, most of the many long balls forward ended up as goal kicks.

In fact, I forgave us this policy of banging it up to Shaun, as – on account of playing on a Subbuteo table, the midfield was more congested than a TB ward. Goater got about as much abuse as I gather he gets at Maine Road, having been, as the Gasheads so charmingly term, a “s**thead”, i.e. a Bristol City player. So I was doubly glad that he opened the scoring against them. Cooke’s free-kick was sublime, and would have had Barry Davies in ecstasy had he been commentating, but he wasn’t, so he wasn’t. So to speak. Me – I’m a big Goater fan. Yes, he’s crap, but then 2nd Division players – as you may have noticed this season, are crap. It is remotely possible that it is possible to prove that players play in the 2nd Division because they are crap. Whaddya reckon? Whatever, big Shauny gets the goals and that is all that matters, right? (that for the hard of hearing [and thinking}).

So – 2-0 up at half-time, few scares. This hardly surprising, as the oppo consisted of one potential footballer in Jason Roberts, and a bunch of OAP crocks and clueless youngsters. Given this, we pottered around for 35 minutes in the second half, got gradually sloppier, left Weaver to make a couple of fine saves and then left him completely stranded for Roberts to score. A few minutes later, the ref. got bored, and having already booked Morrison for getting knocked over, awarded a penalty against Vaughan for getting out of the way of a cross but permitting the ball to brush against his shoulder. And then booked him for doing so. So that was it, 2-2, and you would have thought that Rovers had won the runners-up cup in Barcelona – this, of course compounded with the other half of the City going down.

A low-key performance all-in-all. Cooke had a quiet game, with no space for him to roam. Goater caused the Rovers defence lots of trouble, and – apart from tussles with Roberts – the defence, until the last 10 minutes – did their job. I’m pleased to say that Edghill had the best game I’ve seen him have in ages, Michael Brown seems at last to have tempered his mad streak and was a constant thorn in Rovers side, and the Gasheads behind me, having slagged off Morrison for the first half hour for his gut, spend half time saying how much they wished they had a player like him.

A weird experience for me. I have done it before, for that dreadful League Cup game some years back when the Gas were in Bath. I’m sure most of you have done the away end thing many a time, but there is a somewhat surreal air in being in with the oppo when –

1. You support the away side.
2. You also support their local rivals.

You should try it some time.

NEWS SUMMARY

A very subdued weekend for news in the wake of Walsall’s success in clinching 2nd spot behind Fulham, so we go into the final league game playing for 3rd place and home advantage in the second leg of the play-offs. I say advantage, but given that we’re unbeaten away from home this year perhaps we ought to play both legs away? Perhaps this bodes well if we get to Wembley? Blue View was rife with debate over the weekend about preferred opponents, but Joe warns “This club has a history of putting itself too far forward too early and we now have two semi-finals to deal with”. David Bernstein also sounding a warning about the need to keep “our feet on the ground and stay focused on the very difficult task we have got.” Suffice to say, if we don’t raise our game compared to the last two outings, we can probably forget Wembley and ‘look forward’ to another season in Division 2… so come on City!

Bristol Rovers

A Jekyll and Hyde performance in our second pay-per-view experience saw us take a 2-0 lead, deservedly it would seem on the first half performance, through a scrambled Shaun Goater goal and another Cookie free-kick. We coasted a bit in the second and then got caught napping with 2 goals in the last 7 minutes from the Roberts and Cureton partnership that have amassed 47 goals between them; imagine where we’d be if we’d had that sort of potency up front! Here’s hoping we’ve got the bad patch out of the system and we go out of the ‘official’ season on a high against York to set us up for the main event.

Joe has once again made known his feelings on the standard of refereeing in Division 2 in the aftermath of Saturday’s game. JR said after the match: “I will be very careful what I say about the referee. I can take responsibility for the eleven players out there, but not for the referee. It is frightening what I see in this division. The best thing to say about the referee was that he was consistent!” He was sufficiently concerned about the course of events against Rovers that he substituted Ged Wiekens after he’d been booked to avoid our being deprived of Ged in the play-offs in the event of a second booking.

Andy Morrison picked up his fourteenth booking of the season, and another chat with the FA Disciplinary Committee, apparently for having a player run into him! “Andy Morrison was told he was booked for a late tackle when in fact a player ran into him. He was the victim of the two worst tackles of the match and yet all the other player got, was a talking to.” It seems that he could well miss the first leg of the play-off unless the FA accept the argument that he was innocent, and the club are considering an appeal using video evidence of the incident.

Dutch Double?

The PFA might have not felt Ged Wiekens warranted a place in the Division 2 Select XI but justice of sorts in his being chosen as Sky Sports 2nd Division Player of the Year award this week. Chris Kamara also included Edgy in his Division 2 select team so make of that what you will. Ged seems a strong candidate to clinch City’s own Player of the Year honour.

Reserve News

Following last Tuesday’s 3-2 win against Tranmere, City’s reserves are in eighth place in the Pontin’s First Division table, too far behind the top two of Oldham and Middlesbrough, but clear of the relegation places. They have two away games next week – they face Burnley at Turf Moor next Tuesday evening, kick-off 7.15pm, and then travel to Grimsby next Thursday, kick-off 7.00pm.

More Transfer Rumour

TeamTalk reckon they’ve picked up stories about a possible bid for Cambridge’s 20-year old striker Trevor Benjamin for the princely sum of £50,000, with Lee Crooks allegedly on his way to them in exchange. Described as “Frank Bruno in football boots”, Benjamin is 6’3″ tall and is physically very strong, but his scoring record at Third Division level is nothing to write home about – 5 league goals in 37 appearances prior to this season, and only eight league goals this term out of the 76 scored by Cambridge up to last Tuesday when they secured promotion to Division Two. Let’s hope this is silly season stuff 🙂

…and that’s a good place to sign off. Peter Brophy should be back at the news desk for the next issue, so for now it’s good-bye from me.

OPINION – PLAY-OFF PAY-PER-VIEW

It’s all very well Bernard Halford telling us that he has “suggested to Sky that the away leg of the playoffs is shown pay per view”, as if he is doing some kind of great service for City fans (News Summary, Friday’s MCIVTA). But if he was really thinking of the fans, surely he should be encouraging Sky to show it as part of their regular football coverage, to reward City supporters for the two games this season they will have already paid out for by that time? I don’t object to pay per view as a rule as now that I am living abroad, I would benefit greatly from being able to see City ‘live’ more regularly, and if the only way for Sky to show more of City is by pay per view then I will be prepared to bear that whilst I cannot get to games.

If I was living in the UK I think I would feel differently. However, where I object is when it seems to be only one team being targeted for pay per view treatment, i.e. us, where other teams are being shown regularly for free. How many other teams’ supporters will have had to pay Sky three extra amounts this year to see their team? Come on Bernard, really try to reward the fans this season by lobbying Sky to show the game for free! Or if you want to reward the rally loyal who go to games, perhaps they could have the game for free if they send in a ticket stub from the home leg?

OPINION – MUNICH SONGS I

Okay so I suppose that there will be a glut of opinion to the Paul Whittaker “I sang Munich songs” article, but I thought I’d add my tenpenn’th anyway.

I don’t sing Munich songs, but I can understand why people do. I don’t think people sing them because they are in some way glad that people died. They sing them because like it or not, the Rags have been one of the dominant football forces in the 90’s – even if they didn’t win a lot of silverware – and because any blue would KILL for even a sliver of the success that they have had. Envy. Therefore in comparison to killing, singing a song about Munich is nothing (according to some).

As Paul pointed out, the “Diana jokes” around a year ago (and probably more rife now) made people wince and say “oooohh you are terrible”, but at the same time with a half-hidden smile on their faces. It is as though saying that exonerated them from finding it funny. People do that. They take the p*ss out of almost any situation (I know this especially being a Northerner) and though I don’t completely condone it, but I can’t say that I am a saint in this one either. Especially when you have the almighty peer-pressure of The Kippax around you.

Yes, I do hate the Rags and their Evil Empire. Yet that’s more to do with Edwards and BSkyB than Taggart & Co. On the other hand I admire what they have achieved on the field, especially in this season. Yes I would have loved for the Arse to have whooped them. The Rags’ last-minute goal broke the hearts of not only the Arsenal fans, but a lot of Blues too.

Their European campaign is a little different. I relax my hatred for them and hope they do well in Europe, until such a time as we get there (it WILL happen). Until then, they, and all the others, are the ‘Little England’ and I wish them all well. Their comeback against Juve is nothing short of heroic (it really PAINS me to say that) but to be 2-0 down in Italy and to walk away victors is something which we can only dream about. Lets get real, we didn’t do that against Wycombe!

We ought to brace ourselves for the unthinkable; their ‘treble’ is very much on. At least we can have our day at Wembley. It may not be so grand and it may not be surrounded by all the hype and media. But it will be ours.

OPINION – UNITED HATRED

I certainly would not like to bring down the tone of MCIVTA which is a service that I care for a great deal, but I hope I’ll be forgiven for a (final) response to Noel’s comments, though if he wishes to e-mail me directly I’d be happy to carry on the correspondence. I certainly can sympathise with City fans over the press coverage given to United and the over the top journalism. However, Noel particularly understands the point of going over the top; it sells newspapers, magazines and yes, even fanzines.

I have been exiled a long time, but I do remember Liverpool and Everton fans going to Wembley in mixed groups by coach and car and that was not media crap. It was fact. I have been to Liverpool-Everton games at both grounds and seen some mindless violence which was much more the result of drink and a pre-disposition to violence rather than a question of where you came from. I lived in Wythenshawe for almost 30 years and worked in pubs and clubs on the door, and the almost weekly violence and fighting were with people from within the same area and social strata which somewhat negates Noel’s claim that it’s all about where you’re from. In the late 60s and throughout the 70s I went to most of City’s home games, many of their away matches and most of the European games. All my City pals knew I was a United fan but none had much of a problem with it, even during the derby fixtures and I certainly had no problem with their support of the Blues.

Please don’t misunderstand me; football would not be the great game it is if there was not fanatical support for one’s own team and an equal desire for the defeat of the opposition. It’s the taking it that step further after the game has finished and the result is in the book that is wrong. It’s the “hatred” thing that shouldn’t be tagged to football support. Hatred should be directed at tyranny, injustice and the kind of prejudice that kills innocent people, and not at someone with a different accent that wears a different coloured shirt than your own. Noel is certainly entitled to his views and I agree with many of the points he has raised in the past on soccer and where it’s going. What bothers me is that impressionable kids see his type of anti-Red fundamentalism and think that this is the norm and perpetrate the myth to the extremes.

Noel, keep the pressure on the mindless Munich chanters which has as much to do with football support as an Iranian cleric in a brothel, and accept there are a deal of decent people supporting United, City and maybe even Leeds!

OPINION – A REPLY TO MR BAYLEY

As Mr. Bayley named me directly in his latest round of bile I feel I have the right to respond.

Firstly he asked “I wonder if Peter will be watching the big United games on a big screen in The Throstle’s Nest? Don’t bother answering that one Peter as I couldn’t really care less what you Rags do to keep yourselves amused.”

Asking rhetorical questions has long been Mr. Bayley’s style for it attempts to deny one the right to a response. I however, do respond. I have been watching Manchester United since 1954, which is, in fact, just about the same length of time that I have been watching Manchester City. I have been in attendance (i.e. [and for Mr. Bayley’s benefit] I have actually been at the match) at every major Manchester United match since 1963. I cannot claim that I have never missed a match for that is not the truth, but I reckon I have seen well over twelve hundred first team matches in my time as a spectator. Those matches include Madrid in ’68, Rotterdam in ’91 and dozens of other European and Wembley trips. If Mr. Bayley would like to ‘put his money where his mouth is’ I’d be delighted to dig out my match tickets. How about it Mr. Bayley – what shall we say £100, £500, £1,000 – you name it.

He then continues with the well worn (out) line “But isn’t it funny how they all appear, lemming-like, whenever they are on the verge of glory”

The facts are that Manchester United have been the best supported team since football resumed in 1946. Of the fifty-odd seasons since that date Manchester United have been top of the averages thirty-two times and second six. That adds to up the best record of any club (including the all conquering Liverpool). So this ‘appear, lemming-like, whenever they are on the verge of glory’ is just plain nonsense. Of course, you must remember that, for as long as he’s been writing his crap, he has never let the truth get in the way of his ‘facts’.

The point he doesn’t make, but could do if he had a more balanced approach, is that it is far easier to support a successful team. Having said that, and just to contradict myself, Manchester United were the best supported team in both 1972/73 and 1973/74 (as well as the year after – the year in the Second Division). But that does not detract from the fact that supporters who go during the lean years have to be admired. Anybody who knows me will attest to the fact that I consider the supporters of Manchester City to be at the top. But, well, they are Manchester people, aren’t they!

Unlike Mr. Bayley (assuming, as he states, that he is a (relatively) johnny-come-lately) I remember the 1950’s. In those days (and even into the early 60’s too) travelling to away matches (at least for my family who hadn’t got much brass) was limited to the fairly local games. When this is considered, the ‘out-of-town’, ‘glory-seeking’ statements are just plain stupid. It’s as simple as that.

Continuing… “from the tram station at the bottom of Warwick Road (which had to be renamed a few years ago because, yes, too many Rags were getting off the tram at the wrong stop!).”

This is just plain nonsense and if Mr. Bayley can actually offer proof of this statement then I will buy a laser blue shirt. He will claim, of course, that he meant this to be a joke; he always does when somebody challenges something which he tries to slip in as fact.

Droning on “For most of us, I suspect, being a Blue automatically brings with it a loathing of the Rags. Certainly, that’s the impression I’ve had at Maine Road these last twenty-odd years.”

I am a Manchester man. Most of my friends are Manchester people. Those of them who chose to follow the Blues rather than the Reds have the same balanced view that I have. That is, as Manchester folk, they would like to see Manchester United being successful if Manchester City can’t be – at any moment in time. In both 1969 and 1970 I went to Wembley (without a ticket on the second occasion) to cheer the Blues to victory. I was proud as anything in 1968 when Manchester was totally dominant. For me that was one of the best years of my life.

Plainly I would always wish for my team to beat all others (particularly in derby matches!), but that does not prevent me in taking a pleasure from seeing Manchester City do well too. I cried when City were relegated last season and that is unusual for me. I can cry when we win, but never when we lose. Somehow, though, I was really sad that day; more sad than for a very long time. My wife, who came in at the end of the match (I was watching this one on the television) could not understand my (seemingly extreme) reaction. But I love Manchester City, as my grandad did. I went with him in the 50’s and early 60’s (he died in 1966) and he would have been sad too. He loved both teams. He could talk about Roger Byrne and Roy Paul (his particular hero), of Tommy Taylor and Bobby Johnstone; he could talk without any trace of jealousy – he loved them all, for they represented Manchester, a city he loved and one I love too.

And as for the “last twenty-odd years” statement? Well surely Mr. Bayley has been watching Manchester City for longer than that? He speaks with such authority about all things Blue – that must have been a mis-typing. Surely.

Onwards “If I’m wrong then correct me, but I very much doubt it. That’s not bitterness”

The fanzine, Red Issue, has a cartoon entitled Bertie Magoo, Bitter Blue. This article is based upon people like Mr. Bayley. He is so bitter I find it sad. He is the sort of person who would sooner see, would take greater pleasure from, Manchester United losing than Manchester City winning. That is the ultimate sadness and something I have never been able to understand. If he was not bitter he would not waste so much space, both here and in his fanzine, on things Red. He is totally preoccupied with Manchester United. What a shame.

And downwards “But don’t, for one minute, think that Rags are any better than us and they don’t give City a second thought, because they do.”

I give Manchester City more than a ‘second thought’. I give them a great deal of my attention. They are my second team and I go as often as I can to Maine Road – a ground I have been going to for forty-five years not twenty-odd years.

The pits “It’s funny isn’t it, but I’m told they’ve even been singing songs to us and about us in their recent big games. You know the ones I mean, the greatest Cup game ever at a below capacity Villa Park and that other one in Italy somewhere. Can’t quite remember where it was now, not having a big screen in my local!”

I didn’t hear these songs – and I was there. But once again we can’t contradict Mr. Bayley can we? I mean I’m sure that he knows far more about Manchester United than I do. I’m just a lemming-like, glory-seeker, who knows nothing. Isn’t that right Mr Bayley?

Oh, and by the way, why has Mr. Bayley stopped putting his e-mail address at the bottom of his bile, er… I mean mailings? Doesn’t he want people to write to him anymore? He’ll get lonely you know.

Best wishes to all true Blues, but not to the ‘Bitters’. Here’s to promotion (however it is achieved) and then onwards to the Premiership, the place where Manchester City ought to be.

Some of you out there will be questioning the wisdom of including a ‘refutal’ of this nature in MCIVTA, as one might legitimately expect them to take place via personal exchange of mail between two individuals. However, as Noel specifically named Peter – and Peter has no way of replying outside this newsletter – I feel it only correct to publish this article. However, please be aware that I’m setting Thursday’s issue as a deadline for the ‘Munich’ and ‘Man Utd’ discussions (see introduction).

OFFER – KOREAN PROGRAMMES!

Korea vs. Manchester City, played at Pusan on 1st June 1976. Two programmes and one match ticket for sale.

More details on request.

WHY BLUE? I

Well. My father worked abroad a lot while I was a child and we moved from country to country a lot, depending on where his company wanted him. I was sent back to England in the autumn of 1975 to attend boarding school. It was a pretty miserable time. One thing was the winters. I had spent most of my time in Africa & Asia, so cold winter days were a real shock! In February 1976, a friend of my father who had returned to the UK came and visited me and arranged to take me to a football match the following Saturday. I had no idea about the importance of the game, Manchester City vs. Newcastle Utd.

The following Saturday I was picked up and we drove up to Wembley. Bill spoke with great passion about his beloved Manchester City and the players Hartford, Tueart, Barnes, Booth,Corrigan etc. I knew that I was going to see something really special. I can’t remember much of the game, Tueart’s goal a fading memory but I still have the scarf, rosette and programme that Bill brought for me onthat day.

Whenever City played in London, Bill took me to the games and I was converted. It was not until I had left school that I finally got to Maine Road and followed City to Wembley in 1981 and repaid Bill by taking him. I won’t dwell on that day or the replay but since those days I have spent most weekends trying to obtain City’s results, phone calls home to get news info, planning visits home so that I could get a minimum of two games in, relying on parents and friends to send match reports and any news of the City to me. Every time I see or speak to Bill (we still go to the matches together when we can) he will apologise for inflicting his love of City on me, but hey my shoulders are broad. Since my return to this country, I have had the fortune to see City play on a regular basis and I know we will be in Division One next season.

WHY BLUE? II

I am a long-suffering Blues’ supporter living in exile in Toronto, Canada. Even though I’ve lived in Canada since 1968, I’ve continued to follow City through thick and thin. I remember being taken to Maine Road by my dad in 1956 when he was supposed to be babysitting, but instead took me to see City beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-1. As a kid I grew up worshipping Bert Trautmann and spent many an afternoon marvelling at his talents from the Platt Lane stands. I was thrilled when they won the league title, FA cup and Cup Winners’ Cup and I have been saddened by their inglorious decline. But still, once a Blues supporter, forever a Blues supporter, even though I get ribbed unmercilessly by my United friends who can’t understand why I stick by them.

RESULTS

Second Division Results, Saturday, May 1 1999

Bristol Rovers            2-2  Manchester City        8,033
Roberts (83)                   Goater (27)
Cureton (pen 88)               Cooke (42)
Gillingham                4-0  Stoke City             8,289
Taylor (30, 45)
Butters (33)
Smith (69)
Luton Town                1-2  Macclesfield Town      5,738
Doherty (88)                   Sorvel (26)
                               Davies (36)
Preston North End         1-1  Notts County          11,862
Macken (48)                    Rapley (90)
Reading                   2-0  Millwall               7,943
Parkinson (22)
Gray (29)
Walsall                   3-1  Oldham Athletic        9,184
Wrack (22)                     Duxbury (56)
Marsh (34)
Eyjolfsson (76)
Wrexham                   0-2  Wigan Athletic         4,172
                               Barlow (4)
                               Haworth (82)
Wycombe Wanderers         2-2  Blackpool              5,286
Devine (1)                     Ormerod (15)
Carroll (16)                   Clarkson (61)
York City                 0-1  Bournemouth            3,503
                               Hayter (46)
Burnley                   1-0  Fulham                13,086
Jepson (81)

Second Division Table, up to and including Saturday, May 1 1999 (5:03pm)

                              HOME            AWAY
                         P  W  D  L  F  A   W  D  L  F  A   Pts   GS
Fulham                  43 18  3  1 47 12  12  4  5 27 17    97   74
Walsall                 44 13  6  3 35 21  13  2  7 26 22    86   61
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Preston North End       45 12  6  5 46 23  10  7  5 32 24    79   78
MANCHESTER CITY         44 12  6  4 34 14   9  9  4 29 17    78   63
Gillingham              45 15  5  3 45 17   6  9  7 29 27    77   74
Bournemouth             45 14  6  2 37 11   7  6 10 26 30    75   63
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Wigan Athletic          43 13  4  4 41 16   8  5  9 30 29    72   71
Stoke City              44  9  4  9 30 32  11  2  9 27 30    66   57
Chesterfield            44 14  4  4 34 16   3  8 11 11 25    63   45
Millwall                45  9  8  5 33 23   8  3 12 19 35    62   52
Reading                 45 10  6  7 29 26   6  7  9 25 35    61   54
Luton Town              45 10  4  9 25 26   5  6 11 25 34    55   50
Notts County            44  8  5  8 28 25   6  6 11 23 34    53   51
Blackpool               45  6  8  8 22 23   7  6 10 20 30    53   42
Bristol Rovers          44  8  8  6 33 26   4  8 10 26 25    52   59
Colchester United       45  9  7  7 25 30   3  9 10 26 38    52   51
Wrexham                 44  8  6  9 21 28   5  7  9 22 33    52   43
York City               45  6  8  9 28 33   7  3 12 28 43    50   56
Burnley                 43  7  7  8 22 33   5  7  9 29 38    50   51
Northampton Town        44  4 11  7 24 29   6  5 11 17 26    46   41
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Wycombe Wanderers       44  7  5 10 29 25   4  7 11 20 32    45   49
Oldham Athletic         44  6  4 11 23 31   6  5 12 22 35    45   45
Lincoln City            44  8  4  9 26 26   4  3 16 15 47    43   41
Macclesfield Town       44  7  4 11 21 26   4  5 13 18 32    42   39

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

MCIVTA ADDRESSES:
Contributions: Ashley – mcivta@tollbar.u-net.com
News & Rumours: Peter – brophy_peter@hotmail.com
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Technical Problems: Paul – paul@city-fan.org

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.

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

Editor: