Newsletter #763

A perhaps unexpected result on Saturday saw us lose on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline at Portsmouth. Little surprise that our ex Mr Bradbury was on target though. Keegan has given the team a slating and singled out one or two players in particular for their performances.

Tonight’s issue contains some excellent live match reports, Ken’s diary, plenty of opinion from badges and Goats to wine, including the reasons for the change of badge, performance tables, statistics and a couple of requests.

CITY DIARY: 19-25 NOVEMBER

19 November:
Bert Trautmann made his début on this day in 1949, at Bolton, where City lost 3-0. Barrie Betts scored in the 6-3 defeat at Chelsea on 1960. Colin Bell’s goal was the winner against Everton in 1966. And Paul Moulden got the only goal of the game at Bournemouth in 1988.

20 November:
Wyn Davies and Francis Lee scored in the 2-0 away win at West Ham in 1971. City won 3-1 at Blackpool in 1954, with two from Billy McAdams. Dennis Tueart’s goal beat West Brom 1-0 in 1976. Niall Quinn’s did the same at Leicester in 1994.

21 November:
City drew 4-4 at Burton Swifts in 1891, with a hat-trick from someone called Bogie. Mike Sheron, Niall Quinn and Keith Curle scored to beat Coventry 3-2 in 1992. Swansea City came to Maine Road for the first time since “Town” was upgraded, and were beaten 4-0 with two each from Tueart and Reeves. In 1964 City went to Plymouth and lost 3-2. Neil Young was in the team, Alan Ogley in goal, and the Plymouth team included Tony Book. A penalty was given against City, which a Plymouth man took by running up to the ball and rolling it sideways and a little to the front for another forward to dash up and blast it into the net past a surprised City goalkeeper. The cheeky move had been rehearsed in training and it had the Plymouth coach who dreamed it up punching the air in typically exuberant fashion – Malcolm Allison, of course.

22 November:
Apart from being the day on which JFK was assassinated in Dallas with three shots from Lee Harvey Oswald, it’s also the anniversary of Billy McAdams’ three shots into the net at home to Newcastle (City won 4-3) in 1959, a 5-2 defeat of Glossop in 1902 (three from Gillespie), and Tony Vaughan’s last-minute winner at home to Bradford (1-0) in 1997.

23 November:
A hundred years ago today City lost 5-0 at Sheffield Utd. They swept West Brom aside 5-1 in 1968, goals from Young (2), Bell (2) and Mike Doyle. In 1978 City were playing A.C. Milan in the San Siro stadium on this date, in the first leg of a UEFA cup match that had been scheduled for the day before and postponed because of fog. Brian Kidd and Paul Power, after a long solo run the length of the pitch, put City 2-0 up and then Milan got two back near the end.

24 November:
Fifty years ago today City lost 3-2 at home to Newcastle. It was City 5 Portsmouth 1 in 1956 (Joe Hayes got 2, Paddy Fagan, Bobby Johnstone & Roy Clarke the others). Liverpool 2 City 2 at Anfield in 1990, Quinn and Ward scoring.

25 November:
One R.W. Haddington scored in the 3-2 defeat by Southampton in 1950, his fourth goal in his first four games, though he only played in seven matches altogether. Neil Young made his début on this day, at home to Aston Villa in 1961, and he scored in the 4-2 win over Burnley in 1967 along with Mike Summerbee and Tony Coleman, who got two. And on this day in 1946 Mike Doyle was born.

MATCH REPORT I: PORTSMOUTH 2 MCFC 1

Hadn’t been to Fratton Park before and am not now keen to repeat the experience. Depressing walk from the station, narrow pavements, away end the furthest part of the ground, stewards sending people to the wrong turnstile only to be sent back again, no roof, no facilities, not even any signs showing which row was what so everybody had to sort out their own seating. At least it wasn’t raining and wasn’t too cold.

City made the two enforced changes, with Horlock in for the absent Tiatto and new signing Negouai in for the suspended Berkovic. A lightweight looking bench with Shuker and Mike joining Granville, Wiekens and Nash. A nervy and untidy first quarter of an hour revealed (a) that we were going to be in trouble down our left hand side with Harper regularly outpacing Pearce and Horlock offering only token support and (b) that the aptly named Mr Alcock was going to be one of those referees who sees every instance of physical contact as a foul committed by the away side. Dunne was even penalised for heading the ball away (true, he collided with the forward on the way down, but some time after the ball had gone). The only goalmouth action was a Portsmouth free kick that flew across goal between Weaver and the defence, with nobody getting a touch.

Gradually City began to take control, Benarbia linking up well with Wright-Phillips and Negouia showing some promising touches and winning useful tackles. A cross from SWP found Goater arriving at the same time as a defender and the ball span away. Then Benarbia put Huckerby through; Darren beat the ‘keeper to the ball and flicked it past him but also past the post. A few minutes later SWP put Benarbia clear down the right wing, the ball was pulled back to Dunne and Huckerby, arriving at the near post, headed home off the far post. His reaction suggested he doesn’t expect to score many with his head.

Goater was now struggling, having fallen awkwardly in trying to control the ball (a Portsmouth player fell over him while he was on the ground – free kick to Portsmouth of course). City had a great chance to increase their lead when the Portsmouth defence was caught in possession and it was three attackers against one defender. As soon as the pass was played, however, the flag went up against either SWP or Huckerby – sadly, Huckerby’s shot was carefully placed in the corner for the only time that afternoon. Somebody shot over from point-blank range following a corner (Howey according to one report); and just before half-time the Goat was fed from a free kick, ten yards out with only the ‘keeper to beat. Sadly the Goat was no longer there, having succumbed to his sore hoof and been replaced by Mike; and all we got from the Mike was feedback (there may be a proper joke there somewhere but I can’t be bothered to work it out). Anyway, he shot straight at Kawagachi.

With Bradbury back in the Portsmouth team it was obvious we needed a second goal as he was bound to score at some stage; and sure enough, ten minutes into the second half a cross from the right found him unmarked at the far post. We should have regained the lead immediately; Portsmouth lost concentration, Mike was put clear on the right of the area but dragged his shot past the far post. Huckerby made a diagonal run past the entire Portsmouth defence but shot straight at the ‘keeper. Mr Alcock brought trouble upon himself by refusing to stop play while a City player lay injured for two or three minutes; with Portsmouth refusing to put the ball out of play an incensed Huckerby launched a two footed tackle and argued fiercely with the referee while being booked for it. So badly had he lost his cool that he looked almost certain to get a red, but after a while he simmered down again. Mr Alcock then started waving cards around at every opportunity, mostly for dissent – Ali B got one even thought the free kick went City’s way for once (will FIFA bring in a rule moving the kick back ten yards in these circumstances?).

City now lost their way and their passing game went to pieces. Player after player tried to do it all by themselves (except Horlock who didn’t seem to want the ball at all). Richard Dunne came closest to success, beating several defenders with a storming run before setting up Huckerby – straight at the ‘keeper again. Portsmouth were now passing the ball better than we were and it was no real surprise when another cross from the right found Crouch unmarked to score a simple header. He almost repeated the trick a few minutes later, this time hitting the bar.

SWP managed a remarkable run into the area, falling over three times, getting up three times with the ball still glued to his feet; his eventual cross was headed narrowly past his own post by a Portsmouth defender. The last chance came in injury time; Negouai knocked a free kick down for Huckerby to turn and shoot on the edge of the six-yard box; the ‘keeper turned it round the post.

So a frustrating and annoying afternoon but one or two bright spots. Negouai looks useful though he and Mettomo both showed lapses of concentration every now and again, giving the ball away unnecessarily. SWP had a great game and looks to be getting on Ali B’s wavelength. At last we have a team that keeps trying to play football; no more aimless hoofs out of defence except as a real last resort (and surprisingly the most accomplished ball-playing defender looks to be Richard Dunne – composed under pressure and good distribution). Unbright spots: Pearce really is getting slow; even though his football brain is still working his legs won’t get him there. Can we afford to carry him for his experience and captaincy? Horlock seems content to be anonymous; he’s better than that if he wants to be but the writing is on the wall with the midfielders we now have in the squad. Mike looked out of his depth; I don’t think KK did him any favours throwing him into this one.

MATCH REPORT II: PORTSMOUTH 2 MCFC 1

Living amongst lardy-@rsed, shandy drinking southerners has few advantages but one is that the drive from Putney to Fratton Park with a hangover is only one and a half hours. Correction. The drive to Portsmouth is only one and a half hours; getting anywhere near the ground is a different kettle of fish. I would imagine the one horse finds the pontoon bridge into town no bother the rest of the week but I digress.

Once in, it becomes obvious that the waves of money currently washing around the game haven’t lapped the shores of Portsmouth. The Milton Road end is shabby at best, down right lethal at worst. Good pies though, so at least Redknapp has his eyes on the prize.

First game this season, and looking forward to seeing Ali in the flesh, Pearce for the first time ever, SWP and the Goat. First half was pretty much a walk in the park. Pearce terrifying, Mettomo and Howey looked solid and Dunne and SWP linked up nicely going forward and both tracked back well. This was quite refreshing to see. How many video clips have you got from the last few seasons where one of our centre halves is dragged out to the wings to cover the space vacated by the midfield and/or defenders who seem to have answered a call from Lord Raglan and joined the Charge of the Light Blue Brigade somewhere up the park?

Indeed, it was the right wing that produced the goal, with a great cross from Dunne met by Darren Maul (what is going on with his haircut?). Negouai looks a strong, capable footballer, although I cannot see him and Etuhu in the same side which is a shame as Etuhu looks promising, at least on the telly. Time will tell I guess. Benarbia is a class act, his first half topped by a nice lift of the ball over the head of a Pompey proletarian daring to have the temerity to want the ball. He released some great balls into the corners for SWP and Huckerby, although I do sometimes think, SWP makes bad passes into good ones as he is so quick. Horlock should be sold for any money we can get, he is a waste of rations now I’m afraid. Second to everything in midfield. Indeed, his second touch was nearly always a tackle! He will always be Super Kev, who scored that goal at Wembley, but he isn’t good enough. Come home soon Tiatto, and in one piece.

Finally, the Gentleman Goat, had a combative 40 minutes before coming off with his groin done in. Hopes to be fit for Saturday apparently. His replacement’s game, and indeed career, might have been so different if he had scored with pretty much his first touch. Mike was well through and hit the shot hard, but straight at the ‘keeper. That was the end of his and our game and seemed to be a worrying affliction which was patently contagious to the other striker.

Second half we vanished. Didn’t want to know. They turned up the heat and all of a sudden we couldn’t mark primary school sums let alone a freak of a striker. Inevitably “Bad buy” scored, but he was unmarked at the far post, so it would have been rude not to. Good header but thought Weaves might have got there. Couldn’t really see from our end. They got the bit between their teeth and hustled, and now all our midfield were second to everything with the possible exception of SWP. Another break from the right after Ali lost the ball on the edge of their box(!), but Horlock and Pearce were outdone and a good cross was met by the Mekon and it was 2-1. Our passing became too intricate, they hurried us into making simple mistakes, we got frustrated, they won. Mr Huckerby can’t possibly miss any more chances this year, so I will be easy on him. The biggest worry was the lack of threat from anyone else. I didn’t keep a check but apart from him, I think only Mike had a feeble shot, which the ‘keeper dealt with easily.

In summary then:

Highs:
SWP’s attacking first half, tackling second half, capped by his wonderful despatch of their left winger into the trench dug down one side of the ground (strangely, the trench seemed to be full of people – perhaps it was Portsmouth Rotary Club’s Somme Appreciation Society?). The Pompey Bugler who played as badly as we did in the 2nd half, all match. Also on a musical front, was there a band of Hare Krishnas going all game too? Dunne’s overlapping and tackling 1st half, probably at fault for Crouch’s winner but he had 2 to mark! Negouai – Another “Arthur Cox’s Orange Pippin” by the looks. Let’s hope he gets a run and settles in. Will be amusing to see him at Stockport in February but we’ll see.

Downs:
The result. The lack of striker cover and our reticence to shoot from midfield. Weaver’s handling. Horlock getting a game instead of anyone I can think of.

Finally, special mention for the non-playing staff including Terry Cooke and Etuhu I think, who came and watched the 2nd half from our end, chatted to fans and Etuhu even shared his Jaffa cakes with a young lad. More than can be said for those who finished the match without so much as a wave to the away support, most of whom had a lot further to go home than me.

Keep being the best fans in the world as I can no longer go to City games as I have yet to see us win away in/near London since 1993 (sorry Tone). It’s probably best for me just to watch on the telly.

Ratings:
Nicky Weaver 6
Richard Dunne 8
Lucien Mettomo 6
Stuart Pearce 7
Shaun Wright-Phillips 8
Ali Benarbia 7
Christian Negouai 7
Kevin Horlock 2
Steve Howey 7
Darren Huckerby 7
Shaun Goater
Leon Mike 5

Are you standing? No I’m C’TID.

MATCH REPORT III: PORTSMOUTH 2 MCFC 1

This was disappointing. We had enough ability to win this one hands down. Every time we played football we looked dangerous and made chances. The problem was that too many of our players weren’t up for the battle, especially in the second half. Pompey wanted to win and got their just desserts in the end. What’s more, the City lethargy extended to the away end where 3,000 or so of us couldn’t manage one decent song in the entire match.

My recollection of the first half was that Pompey had slightly more of the possession but didn’t really look like scoring. We had one scare early doors when a whipped cross went straight through Coco but fortunately missed everyone else as well. Newguy looks like Patrick Viera and showed some good touches. The defence looked fairly solid, I thought. A bit of a surprise when a whipped cross was glanced in off the post by Huckers for 1-0. Still, half time arrived and all looked well, if a little subdued.

I queued up for 15 minutes before finally reaching the one poxy hatch only to find they’d run out of pies. I should have known it was going to be one of those days.

Sure enough, 2nd half started and the Goat went off with an injury. The ref took an eternity to book 3 (?) City players one after t’other, which only served to incense the team (especially Huckers) even more. From then on it was a poor show. Newguy disappeared, Ali B wimped out of every 50/50 and it was left to Pearce to punt it long from left back. Inevitably Badbuy scored, then the Pompey second was another straightforward cross from deep and what looked like a free header. Still we had the odd chance (run from Huckers, shot past the post from Mike) but overall we didn’t look like we could be arsed.

Ratings:

Coco – 6 Kicking ok, a couple of flaps, nothing major, no difficult saves to make.
Pearce – 8 One of the few with fire in his belly, put the fear of God into their winger, who finished up diving out of the way on one occasion.
Mettomo – 6 Looked good up our end in the first half. Couldn’t really see what he was up to in the second half.
Howey – 6 Same as Mettomo.
Dunne – 6 Same as Mettomo.
Horlock – 2 Was he playing? Did he come out for the second half? He looked overweight to me.
Ali B – 4 He was largely ineffectual and wimped out of every 50/50.
Newguy – 5 Looked good in the first half, disappeared after the break. Could have potential if KK gets him to get stuck in for 90 minutes.
SWP – 8 Played like a terrier and kept trying till the end. Knew when to pass and when to run. Couldn’t quite produce the killer ball or shot but generated some much needed forward momentum.
Goat – 5 No real chance to contribute before he went off.
Huckers – 6 At least he had a go, one goal, one mazy run and shot. Lost his head in the second half.
Mike – 3 Tried hard but looked like a pub footballer who’d won a prize to play one half of Division 1 football.

In short, give us some honest endeavour. We’ve got skill but that counts for nought if we don’t get stuck in and play football for 90 minutes.

MATCH VIEW: PORTSMOUTH 2 MCFC 1

This is my first time contributing anything and I will keep it brief.

During the second half, some of the refereeing decisions were appalling. We were sat in the second row, directly behind the goal and saw a Pompey player kick the ball out more than once and a goal kick given! Also Huckerby had his shirt held so tight that there was no way he could move, when he would have been on the end of a good cross! Nothing was done about it! The sooner there are shirts made of Velcro, the better!

Howey’s booking was a farce as none of the Pompey players would kick it out of play, when he was clearly injured; they even tried a shot on goal!

OPINION: GOAT’S GENEROSITY?

I am a season ticket holder in block M of the North Stand. My seat gives me a great view of the North Stand goal, although a poor one of the Platt Lane Stand. During the recent 4-1 victory against Gillingham, the score was 2-0 when SWP got clear in the box and had a cross/shot that narrowly missed. We were all willing SWP to open his senior account and he was obviously disappointed when it came to nothing. From where I was sat it appeared that The Goat could have put this cross/shot in, but myself and others thought that he left it thinking that it was going in and that SWP would finally score. The Goat certainly never flung himself at the ball as I would have expected from a prolific goal poacher. If the Goat did leave it on purpose I think it would sum up the selfless contribution that he brings to the team at the front and back and to the development of others (as we can all see that as soon as SWP scores the floodgates will open).

Did anyone else get a good view of this? Does anyone have this incident on video tape?

Also does anyone know what the record number of goals scored by an individual at City in one season without taking penalties? The Goat must have a chance of breaking it this season.

OPINION: THE BADGES I

I reckon the old round badge was good in its time, and respect the opinion that any logo should represent the city, location, and tradition of the club. But having left this logo in the past, let’s not dig it up again. Let’s move forward not backwards.

The new logo is not great but looks much better on the leisure gear / shirts etc. Whatever the traditionalists think, merchandising is vital for City’s progression and if it takes some flashy chicken with a broken neck then they are going to go for it. How about if everyone sends in their new, improved designs to the club in ‘true blue’ Peter fashion?

By the way Declan, I still have the completed set of foil badges that was mentioned last time. It proves that even when you pass 40, you never throw anything away. Now where is my red/black shirt, now that looked good. What badge has that got – Doh!

OPINION: THE BADGES II

This may be of some interest. Here is a copy of the official explanation issued by the club at the time of the badge / strip change:

‘Manchester City Football Club would like to announce that they have commissioned a new crest to replace the round badge that has only existed since 1974.’

‘The new club crest is based on elements from the original “Arms of the City of Manchester”, the crest which is still used by Manchester City PLC today and worn on the team shirt for all Wembley occasions. It retains the original shield set against an eagle taken from the Badge of the City of Manchester, dating from 1957, also originally found on the City of Manchester Crest, on the ribbon flowing from the knight’s helmet. Below the shield is the new club motto “Superbia In Proelio”, a Latin phrase translating to “Pride in Battle”. The three stars above the eagle constitute a design element that relate a more continental feel to the design.’

‘Manchester City see this as a progressive, forward looking move, to take the club into the next millennium. In previous years an unsatisfactory situation had developed at Manchester City regarding the licensing out of the round badge on an ad hoc basis, which has lead to a number of problems with counterfeit goods. This we felt was leading to a devaluing of the Manchester City brand, and consequently its badge in both the modern market and in football.’

‘Re-alignment of the Club’s branding with the new crest, which still has much in common with the original ethos of the traditional crest, was the only way of safeguarding the Club brand on the modern market and bringing the Club up to date with its own image in an increasingly modern world.’

‘We have already made massive strides in only a very short time in addressing the commercial problems of the past. The Kippax Stand, Merchandise Department and excellent Corporate Entertainment facilities are all symptomatic of a fresh outlook at Manchester City. The launch of a new crest is seen as a continuation of our forward looking regime.’

‘Moving on and forward is also how this club see the new deal that we have struck with the UK Division of Italian sportswear giants, Kappa, to manufacture and produce the team kit and replica leisurewear for the next three years, the terms of which are to remain confidential.’

‘In tandem with the launch of the new crest, Manchester City see the new deal with Kappa as a positive and exciting step forward. After some 60 years with our previous sponsor, the club felt that a new brand and new relationships were needed to take Manchester City into the next century and beyond. The time was right to lead the club into the new millennium, with a fresh outlook matched only by new and real aspirations for success both on and off the pitch.’

‘Kappa represent not only the highest quality technical performance wear available for the modern athlete, but they are also one of the most fashion aware brands in the modern market. In the area of soccer, Kappa are well established as a sportswear manufacturer with a tradition grounded in sporting excellence. They currently are manufacturing sponsors of European soccer giants, Juventus, Barcelona and Red Star Belgrade. The fact that Kappa are at the forefront of the high quality sports fashion market was also an important consideration for Manchester City, as one of the first football clubs to pioneer a fashion conscious merchandise division.’

‘Manchester City, a football club now firmly on the move themselves, believe that this new deal represents a major coup for both the City and the game. We fully expect to forge a dynamic and forward looking partnership to take both parties into the new millennium.’

‘The dynamic new ethos at the club is no more in evidence than in the striking new kit design featuring the new club crest. The new colour of the home shirt, laser blue, has more in common with the City strips of the Bell, Lee and Summerbee era than the more recent pale blue. More modern and up to date but still reflecting past glory, the club see this as another major step forward, while retaining the utmost respect for the past.’

OPINION: THE BADGES III

Having read all the debate on the badge over recent editions I decided to dig through my past additions of the City Magazine and find out about the chicken and here’s what I came up with:

The Golden Eagle (chicken) – First used in a city of Manchester crest issued 20th December 1957.

The Shield – A feature of the original city of Manchester coat of arms.

The Ship – Signifies the Manchester ship canal and Manchester’s trade with the rest of the world (surely more appropriate for the TWGCtm). Incorporated into the two round logos used by City between 1965 and 1997.

The three stars – An added design element that provides a more ‘continental’ feel to the design. Honestly.

The Latin phrase – This was decided on by the club. ‘Superbia in proelio’ means simply ‘pride in battle’; obviously the players didn’t read this in its first year in use.

Most of the above was printed in the City Magazine July 1997.

OPINION: CITY BADGES IV

I would suggest that people contact the club directly with a few words on the idea of returning to the old badge, or at least to have a new one, without the chicken and the stars, but with the red rose on the crest.

If you are interested, please contact me and I will pass on the names of the suggested contacts.

Let’s all have a try.

OPINION: CITY BADGES V

Just joining in the City badge debate, I think City should rid itself of the stretched turkey and the MacDonald merit gold stars for the original city of Manchester crest that we wore in days when we won most of our trophies and was and still is the correct and only pride of Manchester.

OPINION: INTERNATIONAL LINE-UP

I am saddened that KK has to introduce another foreign national to the City line up. Especially when we have an English under-23 goalkeeper and Nash, it’s a waste. I believe the money should be spent developing local talent or has all the British talent migrated?

It’s a case of win regardless just like “Trafford United”; it is no longer the proud Manchester team in the English football league. I would like to think the British line up would have more heart. However, no matter who people consider winners, personally I would rather be a Second Division British team than a “Heinz 57” varieties wearing the sky blue.

I suppose it’s too much to expect a return to the FA rules of the 50’s and forget the FIFA stuff too.

Saddened living in the past true Blue.

OPINION: THE GEIST INDEX

Yes the Geist jinx strikes yet another leader as Wolves fall from last week’s top spot. Preston are top again followed by, amazingly, City who lost a point for the defeat at Portsmouth (a game they were expected to get a draw). I say amazingly because while City were giving back that point, Wolves and Coventry decided to give away multiple points each with poor home performances.

At the foot of the table congratulations to Rotherham who have moved from being stuck at second bottom and are one good result away from moving out of the relegation zone…

Projected Final Positions results through Sunday November 18. The number in parentheses is their current league position.

01 Preston (07)
02 Manchester City (09)
03 Wolverhampton (02)
04 Burnley (01)
05 Coventry (08)
06 West Brom (04)
07 Norwich (05)
08 Birmingham (12)
09 Bradford (11)
10 Portsmouth (10)
11 Millwall (06)
12 Wimbledon (14)
13 Crystal Palace (03)
14 Nottingham Forest (15)
15 Watford (13)
16 Sheffield Utd (16)
17 Gillingham (20)
18 Crewe (18)
19 Grimsby (19)
20 Sheffield Wednesday (22)
21 Barnsley (23)
22 Rotherham (17)
23 Walsall (21)
24 Stockport (24)

OPINION: BLUE WINE

Ref. MCIVTA 762, my Dutch in-laws located a bottle, during the summer, of the very same plonk found by Gary Dickson. This in the neighbourhood of Nerja. What caught their eyes was the striking, hand-painted, round City emblem. The wine was carefully hand-carried back to Holland and installed in an illuminated cabinet. I’ll admit to standing the bottle in a prominent place in the living room, because although it may be Spanish common or garden plonk the thing has assumed an air of great beauty bearing a hand painted version of our beloved badge.

I have two further bottles of drink that, for years, I’ve been at a loss as to know what to do with them. For several years I’ve been owner of a bottle of Glasgow Rangers red wine, probably from their vineyards around Stirling. The other, sinister one this, a bottle of Stretford genuine scotch whisky, this one, no doubt, originating from their distillery in Salford. Both these items bear evidence of mass production in having printed labels.

The Rangers wine I’ve kept as a sort of ‘collector’s item’ that having no affiliations you’re never sure what you’re going to do with it. As far as the other thing goes, I find it an embarrassment having the filthy thing in the house, and I’ve always been suspicious of the motives of the giver. As an avid (I admit my bias and bigotry in this respect) City supporter all my true friends, and family of course, are City or, at worse, neutrals. I never have visitors whom I hate enough, to give them a tot or more of this undoubted venom.

To get back to Gary’s wine, in the off-licence in Nerja, my in-laws admitted seeing many more English soccer crests, and this of course for benefit of the many English tourists that annually gather along Spain’s sunny shores.

Blue Moon over Holland (blue, by the way, is the Dutch word for the state of being p!ssed).

OPINION: BLUE WINE

Gary Dickson: almost as importantly, did you buy the wine and how did it taste?

I think it’s a great marketing opportunity – certainly Everton have already got into the act. What’s more, we’ve already figured out what wine to put our badges on, eagle or no eagle (and on that score, yes, I prefer the old badge too). Almost two years ago, I had an email exchange with Ernie Whalley on a similar topic. As both of us were almost as nutty about wine as we are about Man City, we soon got around to what wine Man City would be if Man City were a wine. I suggested Coulee des Serrant, a supposed top five French white wine property that hadn’t in the modern era performed to expectation; but Ernie got us completely sorted. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind my quoting him, so this is what Ernie came up with:

“City is Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte. I remember enjoying this wine greatly in the late ’60s, early 70’s. Impressive quality, an element of surprise, always redolent of its terroir, better regarded in its own region than overseas, a hint of greatness and considerable promise for the future. It even had a rich, flashy neighbour up the road (Haut Brion) that was not immune to season-to-season deterioration in style and quality. In the 80’s and 90’s SHL took a turn for the worse, suffering from a succession of inept managers coupled with firstly, unwise and later, under investment. Latterly making something of a comeback under a new management team but some way to go if it is to be taken seriously.”

Only trouble, I guess, is: SHL does mostly red wine!

OPINION: BLUE NOTES

If there are any musicians – like myself – who read this this lovely bi-weekly, you may be pleased to find that Fender – makers of quality Acoustic/Electric Guitars, Basses and other stuff – have just released instruments in the wonderful colour of ‘Moon Blue’ as outlined in their current catalogue.

Impressive as this is, I doubt a guitar bought sporting this new ‘coat’ will make yer playing any better. B*m notes, dodgy basslines, bad timing and the tendency to blame one of the other players in yer band on making mistakes will all be part and parcel of owning and loving your new expensive axe!

Mind you never did Gallagher any harm, though I think he sprayed a number ’44’ on the back of his!

OPINION: OZ PLATES

Just to let you know here in Western Australia my registration plates are MCFC and here in Rockingham we are a large band of Blue supporters. We have a few Rags around but they only show their colours when they win.

Still missing the boys playing at Maine Road.

REQUEST: MEXICAN BLUES

Some years ago, when exiled in Estonia, I discovered MCIVTA and managed to find several Blues in Northern Europe.

I’m now across the globe in Mexico City and wondered whether there were any Blues out this way, places where Nationwide football is shown, etc.

REQUEST: PUB VIEWING

A while back a website / list of pubs who have ITV Sports was printed. Could the supplier of this please let me know where to find this list again? I believe that it was starting to be cross-referenced with Blue landlords as well.

RESULTS

Recent results from 15 November 2001 to 18 November 2001 inclusive.

18 November 2001

Wolverhampton Wndrs   0 - 0  Sheffield Wednesday   19,947
Gillingham            0 - 0  Watford                8,733

17 November 2001

Portsmouth            2 - 1  Manchester City       19,103
Barnsley              1 - 1  Wimbledon             11,088
Bradford City         2 - 0  Walsall               14,251
Coventry City         0 - 2  Burnley               16,849
Crystal Palace        4 - 1  Crewe Alexandra       21,802
Grimsby Town          2 - 2  Millwall               5,037
Nottingham Forest     1 - 1  Preston North End     21,020
Rotherham United      2 - 1  West Bromwich Albion   8,509
Sheffield United      4 - 0  Birmingham City       15,686

15 November 2001

Stockport County      2 - 1  Norwich City           6,551

League table to 18 November 2001 inclusive.

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  GD Pts
 1 Burnley         20  6  3  1 24 15  5  1  4 15 13 11  4  5 39 28  11  37
 2 Wolves          18  4  3  2 10  6  6  2  1 18  8 10  5  3 28 14  14  35
 3 Crystal Palace  17  8  0  2 28  9  3  1  3 13 14 11  1  5 41 23  18  34
 4 West Brom A.    19  5  1  3 10  5  5  1  4 13 13 10  2  7 23 18   5  32
 5 Norwich City    19  7  1  1 15  6  3  1  6 10 18 10  2  7 25 24   1  32
 6 Millwall        18  6  1  1 19  9  3  3  4 13 12  9  4  5 32 21  11  31
 7 Preston N.E.    19  5  3  1 21  7  3  4  3 11 16  8  7  4 32 23   9  31
 8 Coventry City   18  4  2  3 11  9  5  2  2 11  7  9  4  5 22 16   6  31
 9 Manchester City 18  6  2  1 24  9  3  1  5 19 19  9  3  6 43 28  15  30
10 Portsmouth      19  5  1  3 15 11  3  5  2 15 13  8  6  5 30 24   6  30
11 Bradford City   19  6  1  3 27 20  2  3  4 11 16  8  4  7 38 36   2  28
12 Birmingham City 19  5  1  3 18  9  2  4  4 11 19  7  5  7 29 28   1  26
13 Watford         19  5  3  2 21 13  2  1  6  9 13  7  4  8 30 26   4  25
14 Wimbledon       19  3  4  2 15 12  3  3  4 18 18  6  7  6 33 30   3  25
15 Nottm Forest    19  5  4  1 13  7  1  3  5  6 11  6  7  6 19 18   1  25
16 Sheff. United   20  4  3  3 15 12  1  5  4  5 12  5  8  7 20 24  -4  23
17 Rotherham Utd.  20  3  5  2 14 15  2  2  6 11 17  5  7  8 25 32  -7  22
18 Crewe Alex.     19  4  4  2  8 10  1  2  6  9 19  5  6  8 17 29 -12  21
19 Grimsby Town    20  3  3  4 10 14  2  2  6 11 24  5  5 10 21 38 -17  20
20 Gillingham      18  4  2  3 17 10  1  2  6  7 18  5  4  9 24 28  -4  19
21 Walsall         19  4  3  3 12 11  1  1  7  8 19  5  4 10 20 30 -10  19
22 Sheff. Wed.     20  2  4  4 12 17  2  3  5  7 15  4  7  9 19 32 -13  19
23 Barnsley        19  3  4  3 14 18  0  2  7  7 23  3  6 10 21 41 -20  15
24 Stockport C.    19  1  1  7  7 18  1  5  4 14 23  2  6 11 21 41 -20  12

MCIVTA FAQ [v1.5]

[0] MCIVTA Addresses

 Articles (Heidi Pickup)        : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org

 News/rumour (Michael Leafield) : mplctid@aol.com

 Subscriptions (Geoff Donkin)   : subscriptions@mcivta.city-fan.org

 Technical problems (Paul)      : paul@city-fan.org

Comments concerning this FAQ should be sent to David Warburton using the address: mcivtafaq@warburton.org

[1] MCIVTA Deadlines

Deadlines for issues are nominally Monday and Thursday evenings.

[2] MCIVTA Back Issues and Manchester City Supporters’ home page

http://www.uit.no/mancity/ 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.

[3] Club Web Site

The official club web site can be found at http://www.mcfc.co.uk/

[4] Supporters’ Clubs

Manchester City FC recognises three supporters’ clubs: The “Official Supporters Club” (http://www.mancity.net/osc/index.html); the “Centenary Supporters’ Association” (http://www.callnetuk.com/home/sef/) and “The International Supporters’ Club” (http://www.mcfc.co.uk/extra/fanzone/isc.asp)

[5] Fans’ Committee

The Fans’ Committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. It has its own website, http://www.mcfc-fans.com/ containing info about forthcoming meetings as well as minutes from previous gatherings.

[6] City of Manchester Stadium Progress/Web Cam

The latest information regarding the progress of our new home can be found at http://www.commonwealthgames.com/

[7] Match Day Broadcasts

Live match commentaries and archives of games, reports and interviews can be found here: http://www.mcfc.co.uk/comment.asp. An alternate live commentary service, hosted by Yahoo, is located at: http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/foot/audio/live/schedule/index.html. GMR Saturday Sport is also available live online between 1-3pm, and 4.45-6pm at http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/sport/index.shtml

[8] 01/02 Season Match Day Theme Tune

The music the teams run out to at Maine Road this season is “Nightmare”, by Brainbug, and is available on the Positiva label.

[9] Acknowledgements

Thanks go to John Arnold for providing the information regarding match day music and to Ian Bell for pointing out the alternate live match commentary service.

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.

Heidi Pickup, heidi@mcivta.freeserve.co.uk

Editor: