Newsletter #810

Last night’s game on the other side of town sees Arsenal crowned PL champs and the Blue half of Manchester able to proclaim CITY: the only champions to come from Manchester.

Tonight sees Don’s news round-up with continuing speculation on impending arrivals and confirmation of pre-season games, opinions on the Red/Blue divide, end-of-season ‘do’ and a few requests. We also have news from Wimbledon campaigning for support against their potential move to Milton Keynes.

In the interests of fair trade and competition several people have pointed out alternate sites to obtain the end of season DVD and video, which are also included 🙂

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

World Cup Call-Ups: City’s four World Cup stars have been confirmed this week. Niclas Jensen was named this week in Denmark’s squad for this summer’s tournament. My son’s Pannini sticker album tells me that Denmark are in Group A, and will face Uruguay, Senegal and France. Next to get the call up was Richard Dunne, who on Tuesday was named in the Republic of Ireland’s twenty three for the summer (according to the sticker album, the Dunnie Monster still plays for Everton, by the way). The third World Cup call up of the week came when Lucien Mettomo was named in Cameroon’s squad. Paulo Wanchope has been called up by Costa Rica, even though he has not played since February when he injured his knee. “The knee feels good, it is going well, I am very happy and so is the physio,” reported Wanchope. “I have been doing strength work and it has been very hard for the last couple of weeks but there is no doubt about me going to the World Cup. I am very positive about that.” Pages 26-27 of the album reveals that Costa Rica are in the same Group as China, Turkey and Brazil, games to be played in Korea.

Withdrawn Shaun: Shaun Wright-Phillips has withdrawn from the England Under-20 squad for the Toulon tournament. He wants to rest a troublesome back injury, and is disappointed to miss out. “It is always an honour to pull on an England shirt no matter what age group and I was delighted to be named in the squad for France,” declared Shaun. “I have enjoyed a fantastic season at Maine Road and now I will just have to wait and see what happens.” On the club website, KK thought that it’s a good idea for the boy to have a summer rest. “He was selected for the U21s last match but had to come home early,” he explained. “The physio has looked at him and he has had a stiff back. (KK JOKE WARNING) I don’t think it is growing pains with Shaun though you never know! He has played a lot of football and as we all know has done very well. He probably needs a break more than most other players. He has taken everything in his stride but I just think it would be silly for him to continue.”

No Irish Tour: City will no longer be in Ireland for pre-season friendlies, due to be played 26-28 July. It seems that there’s a domestic cup competition running that week, so suitable opponents cannot be found. The summer matches are now as follows:

Tues 30th July          Preston North End, Deepdale     7.45pm
Wed 31st July           Bury, Gigg Lane                 7.45pm
Sat 3rd Aug             Hamburg, AOL Arena              6.00pm
Mon 5th Aug             Rochdale, Spotland              7.45pm
Tues 6th Aug            Tranmere Rovers, Prenton Park   7.45pm

Under-17 News: England’s Under-17’s had an excellent UEFA tournament in Denmark, helped in no small measure by two City players. With England already secure in top spot in their group, Lee Croft was rested, but Dorryl Profitt did start the game, a 0-0 draw with Denmark. Croft did start the Quarter Final match with Yugoslavia. The only goal of the game came from Everton’s Wayne Rooney. The tournament ended for England in the semi-finals when they were beaten 3-0 by Switzerland. Croft was in the starting line up with striker Proffit on the bench.

Transfer News and Gossip

Competition for Clint: There have been strong indications again this week that City are still in the frame for USA striker Clint Mathis. The New York/New Jersey Metrostars player is thought to be the hottest property in the States at the moment, so is also attracting interest from Bayern Munich, Tottenham and Perugia. Indeed, one report claimed that Mathis’ agent was in Bavaria, negotiating a deal with the Munich giants.

Higginbotham Chase: If the Sunday Mirror is to be believed, City will shortly be adding to their contingent of ex-Reds. Derby’s defender Danny Higginbotham has been targeted by both KK and Glenn Hoddle of Spurs. The former Manure player is expected to cost between £4 and £5 million, and is seen as the ideal replacement for the retired Stuart Pearce. Other newspapers have also suggested KK will bid for Higginbotham’s defensive partner Chris Riggott. The squad swapping speculation between Maine Road and Pride Park was given another boost, as it was suggested that Steve Howey might be heading for the East Midlands club. Whether KK wants to lose his stalwart defender remains to be seen.

Defender on Way Out? Paul Ritchie’s return to Bolton Wanderers is supposed to be back on. Ritchie, who spent time on loan at Bolton two seasons ago while a Hearts player, was the subject of a failed bid from Wanderers’ boss Sam Allardyce on transfer deadline day. If Ritchie does leave, the fee is expected to be in the region of £1 million.

The Net Widens: The search for new players grows apace. KK is understood this week to have taken on a new European chief scout to help him and Arthur Cox scour the continent. The Boss hopes to land a couple of players before the World Cup. “We know every player now who is possibly available on a Bosman or otherwise who will be playing in the World Cup,” said Keegan. “There are a lot of different lists to look at. I would like to do two more deals before the World Cup at least, but it is not imperative. If we come back next pre-season and we have only Peter Schmeichel come in, then it wouldn’t be a disaster as long as we know we have people on the way and that there is acceptance that we do need to strengthen. To put any time limit on deals is very difficult because it is not an exact science.” Domestic targets include midfielder Mattie Holland and defender Titus Bramble from Ipswich Town who, barring a statistical miracle, will be relegated from the Premiership this weekend.

Dunfield Goes Further Afield: It’s been reported that Terry Dunfield has gone on trial with Danish side FC Midtjylland after the completion of the City reserves’ season. FC Midtjylland played in this season’s UEFA Cup, beating Irish side Glentoran prior to being knocked out by Sporting Lisbon. The Canadian international made his first-team début in the final Premiership game of last season against Chelsea, but has not featured since.

Jeff Wigan Bound? Wigan Athletic’s manager Paul Jewell has reportedly made an enquiry about Jeff Whitley. The Northern Ireland international has been told that he has no future at City, and is likely to be allowed to move for a nominal fee. Sheffield United may also bid for Jeff. Whitley has so far played 111 times for City, scoring 8 times.

Distin Interest: I’ll leave you to decide whether this is player’s agent-talk or not. Thursday’s press reports suggest that City and Blackburn Rovers are monitoring Sylvain Distin’s on-off move from Paris Saint Germain to Newcastle United. Distin has spent much of the season on loan on Tyneside, but Newcastle do not wish to pay the £3.8 million demanded by PSG to make the move permanent. The papers speculate that Distin is the ideal replacement for Psycho, while Blackburn may have to find an alternative to Stig Inge Bjornebye, whose career is in doubt after fracturing an eye socket in training.

Ex-Blues’ News

Kinky Departure: Déjà vu at Derby County, where once again Gio Kinkladze has failed to bring his considerable talent to the aid of a struggling club. Rams boss John Gregory could have been speaking from a Joe Royle phrasebook when he said that “It has not worked. We can’t get Kinkladze to run around enough and for all his skill he is not damaging the opposition when he is in possession.” Gregory also revealed that Gio had gone home to consider his future, and would not feature in Derby’s final league game on Saturday. The Georgian had been quoted as saying that, although he was happy with the manager and the club, he felt that Nationwide football would damage his career prospects. His representative, Daniel Izza, denied any such claim had been made by his client.

Uwe Tribute: Uwe Rösler is obviously hoping to impress his former employers at Maine Road. The former hero of the Kippax has said that he “really, really loves the club”, and that he is a big fan of Boss Man Kev. “He was my hero and he is now working for my favourite club. I’m sure he will buy the right players. I am sure he will get Manchester City in a position to challenge for Europe in one or two years.” Uwe is currently back in Germany with Unterhaching after unsuccessful spells with Southampton and West Brom, and would love to work again with City in some capacity. “I have a dream to work for Manchester City one day. Sometimes dreams come true.”

Reactions and Comments

Bold Barnes: Another ex-Blue has been making optimistic noises about next season. This time it’s Peter Barnes, who graced the Blue shirt in two spells in the 70’s and 80’s. “I think they are better prepared for things this time around compared to when they came up a couple of years ago,” said Barnes. “Kevin won’t just want to be making do with coming up and staying in mid-table. He’ll want to be up there challenging for trophies and I’m sure he’ll be able to attract one or two quality players. Bolton, Blackburn and Fulham have all done well this year and I’m sure that will have given Kevin heart for what he is planning to do next season. They all showed that they had what it takes to mix it with the bigger sides. These are exciting times coming to Maine Road and I’m sure the First Division Championship will provide a springboard to success.”

Squad Shake-Up: Kevin Keegan has revealed some of the squad restructuring he is planning for next season. His first act is to reduce the number of players who have first team squad numbers. This means that youngsters such as Stephen Paisley, Glenn Whelan, Tyrone Mears, Stephen Jordan, Patrick McCarthy, Chris Killen, Gary Browne, Brian Murphy, Terry Dunfield and Chris Shuker will not be allocated squad numbers. “People make the mistake of thinking we have a big squad by looking at the back of the programme and seeing the numbers. That is because a number of the youngsters have been included with squad numbers, but that will not happen next season,” explained KK. “For instance Niclas Jensen’s number next season will be number three taking over Richard Edghill’s old number. At the moment I do not have a big squad for the Premiership campaign.” The boss has tied Shuker, Killen and Mears, all of whom have had a taste of first team football in the First Division, to one-year contracts. One gets the feeling that these players need to prove themselves this year. Keegan said “We are going to have a strong reserve side here next season. In fact, it will not really be a reserve side but more an extension of the first team. The kids here know that. They have got to try and break through this season. That is why we gave most of them 12-month deals, because we know what is coming here and that they are going to have to prove themselves quickly. If they cannot get in or around the first team then it is up to me to sit down with them and get them the very best we can out of it.”

Canny Kev: If I were Shaun Goater, Gerard Wiekens or Paul Ritchie, I wouldn’t be too sure of my future at Maine Road after comments made by the Boss Man this week. Under headlines such as “Keegan to Keep His Squad” and “No Clear Out”, Keegan’s words actually gave little comfort to some of Joe Royle’s veterans. “I don’t have to sell anybody but it is a fact that I will get offers for plenty of the players at this football club,” admitted the manager. “What I don’t want to do is send a message out of here that we have to sell anybody because we haven’t but there will be a natural interest now and the valuation of the players has gone up because of the kind of season we have just had. Likewise the perception of the players changes with other teams saying `well maybe he hasn’t played every game for them but look how well they have done’. Players like Shaun Goater, Gerard Wiekens, Paul Ritchie will no doubt interest other clubs. When those offers come in then the first person I have to talk to is the player so that we both of us can work out what the way ahead is. That is the way I work with all of them. And of course we may get bids for players whom we do not expect to get bids for. They might be bids which will be tempting to take as, for instance, we might have a youngster coming along in that position.”

Squad News

Keeping the ‘Keepers: KK has made it clear that his first choice goalkeeper will be Peter Schmeichel, but the Danish legend has no contractual right to his place, as he was supposed to have had at Villa. “Peter will start off as first choice but like everybody at every club if he gets injured and someone does well he might have to wait to get back in,” intoned Keegan. “I would never guarantee any player a starting position in my team for the simple reason that it would be wrong and not fair to the other players. You can guess that if Peter is fit then he is going to play for the season he is here, but if the others do get a chance then it is up to them.” Having stated categorically that “I don’t rotate squads – I have never had one to rotate”, KK confirmed that he might rotate his goalkeepers. “There will be cup games when it might be better for me to tell Peter to go home for a week and have a rest while I play Nick Weaver or Carlo Nash. I have to look after both Nick and Carlo because they have done very well by us over the season I have been at the club. Having said that, I have to do what my heart and brain tell me what is right for this club and I think what we have done is exactly right in our situation.” As far as KK is concerened, Nash and Weaver still have a future at the club. “If I had signed Peter for four years and he was at his absolute peak it would have been a different story and our two senior ‘keepers would have known that it was the end for them here, but I haven’t done that,” he added. “That shows you what I think of them and it is up to them over the next 12 months. They are going to have to fight their place in the pecking order.”

Alfie’s Eager: Since Roy Keane decided to stamp on his knee thirteen months ago, Alfie Haaland has been through a lot. He has undergone three operations, has lost the captaincy, has managed only four substitute appearances for KK, and has slipped a long way down the defenders’ pecking order in the squad. Haaland is determined to prove his worth to Mr. Keegan in the new season, and feels that his injury problems are over. “Essentially I am starting from scratch with the manager because I have not played for him before,” asserted Alfie. “I am looking forward to it. It has been a great year for the club this year and I want to be part of a successful team. [In the Premiership] I probably played too long with this injury because it was affecting me in the end. So as long as I can be fit again, match fit, I think I could do a job in a few places for him. I would play anywhere but I feel I could do a better job in certain positions like centre half. I like playing in a three, but I have also played centre half in a four while I also like playing in a defensive midfield rôle. For the first time in a year my knee is absolutely clear of fluid and feeling 100 per cent,” confirmed Haaland. “I still do not feel as though Manchester City and their fans have seen the best of me, even in the season which I was captain. Obviously I want to play for Manchester City in the Premiership, that’s where I want to be. I have three years left on my contract and my aim now is to force my way into the manager’s thinking. I will not be able to do that until the pre-season, so I want to be fit and ready to go when that arrives. Hopefully I will get the chance to show my true form and, when that chance comes, take it.”

All Quiet on the Psycho Front: There has still been no official announcement over the future of Stuart Pearce. Although City officials continue to hope that he will stay, Pearce has been linked with two other clubs this week. Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp quickly denied making a move for Pearce, whom he once signed for West Ham United. “I have heard nothing and don’t expect to hear anything,”” Redknapp said. “No-one rates Stuart more highly than me but he has retired and that is the end of it.” Next club in line is supposed to be Brighton & Hove Albion, who have just been promoted to the First Division. Albion have lost their manager Peter Taylor, so are on the look out for a replacement. City meanwhile are still publicly hoping Psycho learns his managerial trade with City. Deputy chairman John Wardle said: “You cannot have a more dedicated professional than Stuart Pearce. First-class leadership is vital in whatever profession you are in. He gives 110 per cent. He has had a little experience in management at Nottingham Forrest and has done some coaching and scouting in the season he has been with us. If he stays, and I sincerely hope he does, he will pick up fantastic experience in the Premiership as we set out to become a top-10 club next season and in Europe in our first season in the new stadium at Eastlands. It is a very exciting time for this club,” Wardle added. “We are not some kind of Mickey Mouse outfit, we are a Premiership club now and my personal view is that there is room for another coach. Players get taken away individually to learn and whom better to learn from than Stuart Pearce?”

OPINION: A ‘SEEN THE LIGHT’ ELEVEN

The Schmeichel signing led to the obvious attempt to compile an ex-ManUre City team. Key criterion is to have played for the Scum before seeing the light (Blue). Eleven is not a problem but we are light at the back hence my 3-5-2. KK would be proud.

Higginbotham would be a good addition Kevin.

Schmeichel
Gidman
Hill
Eric Westwood (thanks 'The Pride Of Manchester')
Bodak
McIlroy
Barnes
Meredith
Cooke
Law
Kidd
Subs; Macken, Goater, Ward

OPINION: BITTER BLUES OR RAGING REDS?

Bitter? Naw, just very happy.

But, whilst I have some sympathy with the suffering at work expressed in this week’s MCIVTA… if you think you suffer from Rags, try living in their heartland in the South East like I do.

When I grew up in Manchester in the late 60’s and 70’s we used to beat ’em for fun and collect silverware as a matter of course, but the Scum followers were still totally objectionable. So let’s not have any bleeding heart views about ignoring them.

Of course celebrate our success first, but let’s not miss any opportunities to irritate the prawn sandwich munchers from Stretford, Croydon, Enfield, Watford, Singapore; if we beat ’em I’ll just love it, just love it me…

OPINION: KILLEN INT’L DUTY

City player Chris Killen has been selected in New Zealand’s 32 man squad for the Oceania Nations Cup in Auckland, New Zealand between July 5 and 14. The winner of the competition will represent Oceania at the next Confederations Cup.

OPINION: CITY SELL OUT?

I’d be interested to know if anyone else has been invited to what has been billed as “the Manchester City End of Season Party” on Wednesday 29th May at Maine Road. At the risk of doing the job for the sales team:

“The Kippax Stand will host the promotion party of the year; don’t miss out on this night to remember. Come along, join in the fun and celebrate City’s return to the Premiership. Tickets are limited, so contact us now to avoid disappointment.

• Themed party
• Fantastic atmosphere
• Disco and entertainment
• Plenty of surprises and fun
• Four course meal
• Reception and drinks

And all this for the bargain price of £55 plus VAT!“

Personally, I’m against all this corporate crap and most people I know would have settled gladly for an open top bus, a tour round town and a cold buffet at the Town Hall (for the team that is, not us).

I’ve clearly been labouring under the illusion that the end of season promotion party came after the Barnsley game or was it the Portsmouth game (take your pick), but given the post-Portsmouth game shambles when many of us in the Kippax couldn’t even see the trophy for Nationwide’s corporate cardboard and half-cocked arch never mind the balloon-filled football which blocked the view I think the club owe it to their fans to put on a public show for all the fans, not just for the usual suspects who think sixty-odd quid for a bowl of soup and a cob, chicken in a basket and a quick photo op with King Kev represents good value for money.

Like I said, though, I’d be interested to hear what other City fans think

REQUEST: THAMES VALLEY BLUES VISIT

On Monday 13th May at 7:30 Chris Bird will be visiting the Thames Valley branch of the Official Supporters’ Club, to answer your questions. So if you are in the south and have a burning issue you’d like to bring up with Chris please come along, members and non-members are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held at our usual (recently new) venue The Morning Star pub in Cholsey, Oxfordshire, which is run by a Blue. There will be food available if you want to come straight from work.

Entrance is £5 to cover the cost of the food; any profit will go to the branch. There will be a raffle etc.

For further details contact me directly or see the Thames Valley unofficial website at http://www.thamesmcfc.co.uk/ for details of how to find us. Cholsey is about 10 miles SE of Oxford, and similar NW of Reading.

REQUEST: DERBYSHIRE BLUES

I would like to know if there are any readers from the Belper, Derbyshire area? Joint travel to matches etc.

REQUEST: KEEGAN’S CITY CD

I wondered if you could advise your subscribers that I have produced an hour long CD/Cassette looking back at Kevin Keegan’s first year at City called “Keegan’s City”. It features a full interview with Ali Benarbia (a rarity!) and lots of snippets of KK and players throughout the crucial parts of the campaign, right from KK’s arrival to his views while on the pitch at the Portsmouth game. There are also snippets from Ricky Hatton and Noel Gallagher and of course lots of my “over-the-top” commentary on the brilliant goals throughout a brilliant season.

The first 1000 CD’s have been supported by JD Sports, which means all the money from sales will go to Francis House Children’s Hospice, which is another good reason to buy the product!

They will be on sale at the City Superstore (hopefully by the end of the week!) and one or two other local outlets, and I will have some with me at the open weekend at Maine Road on 18th and 19th May. I have been told that the CD is likely to be priced at £9.99 or cassette at £7.99.

REQUEST: END OF SEASON VIDEO /DVD

The end of season video/DVD can be pre-ordered from Choices Direct (http://www.choicesdirect.co.uk/) for £11.99 (video, released 13th May) or £15.99 (DVD, released 27th May). Choices Direct have free postage worldwide so these prices undercut Amazon, SportOnline and Blackstar quite a bit.

To be fair to all I thought it important to point out that the end of season Video and DVD can be found online at places other than Amazon and Sportonline. As I have no connection with any Internet companies I thought you might like to know of a price lookup that works for me.

For DVDs I find http://www.dvdpricecheck.co.uk/ quite useful; the best price I found was £14.99 delivered at Play247. I don’t know a decent one for VHS but it’s best to shop around e.g. Blackstar has it at 10% off as a pre-order so the total price inc. delivery is £13.69.

So for all Blues out there I guess I should say thank you to Sean Willis for the kind offer but.

Any McV readers who would prefer the DVD version of the season highlights should have a look at:

http://www.play.com/Play247.asp?page=title&r=R2&title=102963

Here the price is £14.99 including delivery.

P.S.: The Official SV Hamburg website says we are replacing Arsenal as one of their pre-season opponents.

REQUEST: SUPPORT FOR WIMBLEDON

This email is from the Wimbledon Independent Supporters’ Association (WISA).

We are contacting supporters’ groups round the country ahead of the FA Commission on the proposed move of Wimbledon to Milton Keynes. Needless to say, the vast majority of Wimbledon fans oppose the proposed move and we hope you do too.

Below you will find the text of a letter from Kris Stewart, Chair of WISA, which is being sent to the Chairmen of all Football League Clubs, stating WISA’s position. We would ask that you read it and make your own views known to the FA at the address below by close of play on Monday 13th May. Also, I would be grateful if you could copy any messages of support to me.

Thank you and regards
Mike Brock (WISA) (mikedons1961@yahoo.co.uk)
WISA Website: http://www.wisa.org.uk

7 May 2002
Dear Sir

On 2 August 2001, the majority shareholders at Wimbledon Football Club (WFC) announced their plans to re-locate the club to Milton Keynes. Ever since, they have been in a state of civil war with the club’s supporters and players, with the Football League (FL) and with the football world as a whole. Next week, a Football Association (FA) commission will rule once again on WFC’s application. This matter has implications for football from the highest level down to the grass roots.

WFC’s majority shareholders bought into the club on the back of Sam Hammam’s idea to re-locate the club to Dublin. When Dublin was blocked by UEFA and by the Football Association of Ireland, attention turned to Milton Keynes. The move was kept quiet through Egil Olsen’s reign as manager (as the Norwegian owners did not wish for their national icon to be caught in the cross-fire), but was re-awoken in late 2000.

It is the view of Wimbledon Independent Supporters’ Association (WISA) that the proposed move to Milton Keynes is little more than a property deal for the majority shareholders, a move designed to recoup some of the £28m they paid to invest in a club whose value is now nowhere near that figure. The owners would benefit in Milton Keynes from a share in the ownership of a multi-purpose stadium and from the income streams from other developments on the site. Indeed, in January 2002, current Chairman Charles Koppel was quoted as saying that Milton Keynes was “a platform, a foundation to justify the investment”. Yet there is no evidence that the owners have any interest in the long-term footballing future of the club. WISA believes that Mr Koppel’s strategy to secure Milton Keynes is based around pleading poverty, a plea that would not hold water if the club got promoted to the Premier League. WISA believes that this theory is supported by the fact that Mr Koppel tried, this season, to sell or loan at least seven first team players to WFC’s direct promotion rivals. Furthermore, manager Terry Burton, a member of the WFC staff for 14 years, was sacked within 24 hours of speaking out in favour of a return to Merton. The majority shareholders, some of the richest men in Europe, do not wish to spend any money on WFC until they get their way. The FL have now blocked the move four times, and in January an FA arbitration panel did not approve the move.

Perhaps the FL and the FA both recognise the wider implications for football. WFC’s move to Milton Keynes would set a precedent for the franchising of football, with clubs being bought and sold to whichever town can provide the highest bidder. But the collapse of ITV Digital has shown that there is no longer a market for the floating supporter, who might or might not turn on his TV or turn up at the turnstile. Football must recognise that it should rely ever more on the supporter paying on the turnstile, the supporter who has remained most loyal to his club and to his sport. It is only genuine football support like this which will hold the fabric of the national game together. Ironically, even Bjorn Rune Gjelsten, who along with Kjell Inge Rokke originally bought 80% of WFC Ltd – understands this: in a meeting with supporters on January 24 2001, Gjelsten stated that Milton Keynes “might as well be Oslo” and that if the club did move there “something has gone seriously wrong”.

Thus, even a proponent of the plan recognises the serious, negative consequences for WFC and for the game itself. On the positive side, the London Borough of Merton, WFC’s traditional home – remains a realistic and achievable option for WFC. WFC’s original site at Plough Lane remains viable. WISA commissioned an independent architect’s plan of a 20,800-seat stadium on Plough Lane. This was and remains the only study of Plough Lane undertaken by any party. WISA also commissioned an independent survey of local residents, which concluded that the 20,800-seat stadium on Plough Lane would attract up to 18,000 local residents to home games. Most importantly, Plough Lane has the full and public support of Merton Council (with the Council leadership re-elected in the recent local council elections), and has attracted the interest of several potential investors. The FL is in the process of overseeing a feasibility study of the Plough Lane site, to be conducted jointly by WFC and Merton Council.

Merton works for Wimbledon Football Club. Milton Keynes does not work for football as a whole. WISA asks you to write to the Football Association as soon as possible to make clear to the commission your views on this matter. Please contact or write to:

Adam Crozier, Chief Executive
The Football Association
25 Soho Square
London W1D 4FA
e-mail: info@thefa.com
phone: 020 7262 4542
fax: 020 7745 4546

WISA asks for all letters to be submitted to the FA by close of play on Monday 13th May.

Yours sincerely

Kris Stewart
Chair, Wimbledon Independent Supporters’ Association

AND FINALLY… BLUE HUMOUR REVISITED

Thieves have broken into the Maine Road Trophy Room.

Police are looking for a big silver cup with blue and white ribbons on it.

Oh and a blue carpet.

AND THERE’S MORE

Watching last night’s game at the Swamp was joyous indeed. It inspired me to write a poem based on Ozimandias by the wondrous wordsmith PBS.

OzyManYoodias
By Percy Bysshe Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: “There are four vast and soulless
Stands in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half-drunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear –
‘My name is Sir Alex Ferguson, king of kings:
Look on my works, yous f***ing idiots, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

MCIVTA FAQ [v0203.01]

[0] How do I contact MCIVTA?

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[1] What are MCIVTA’s publishing 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] What is the club’s official web site?

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

[4] What supporters’ clubs are there?

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] Where can I find out about the 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] Where can I find information about our new stadium?

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

[7] What match day broadcasts are available on the web?

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] Are City’s goals available on the net?

http://www.citygoals.com/ has available for download, usually within 24-48 hours of a game being played, all the goals from City’s matches.

[9] What’s the music the teams run out to?

The music we ran out to at Maine Road during the 01/02 season was “Nightmare” by Brainbug and is available on the Positiva label.

[10] When will the end-of-season video be available?

According to Blackstar (http://www.blackstar.co.uk/), the end of season video is due to be released on 13th May 2002 in both VHS and DVD formats.

[11] 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.

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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: