Newsletter #905

Don’s news round-up contains the fallout from Saturday’s defeat by Bolton and player/management reactions, also news on the reserve draw this week, injuries and speculation on transfer moves.

We also have opinion, the usual requests and an idea for a theme for the close season for you to consider – we’ll be running the responses in early June so plenty of time to get those thinking caps on.

Boro are the visitors this weekend as KK and the squad strive to regain their winning ways.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Draw for the Reserves: Tuesday night saw the Reserves draw 3-3 with Leeds United at Ewen Fields. Matias Vuoso, Shaun Goater and Jon Macken were the scorers. The Blues had to come from behind on three occasions to force the draw. City: Ellegaard, Jihai Sun, Paisley, Bischoff, Howey (Warrender 85), Jordan, Vuoso, Benarbia, Macken, Goater, Shuker Subs: Murphy, Gilder, Browne, Orr.

Train Travel Travails: City fans planning to travel by train to the Tottenham game should be aware of potential hold ups. A section of the West Coast Main Line, between Hemel Hempstead and Milton Keynes, is going to be closed over the Easter weekend. For full details, check out the club website.

Imp Trip: Lincoln City have announced that City will play a summer friendly at Sincil Bank. The game will take place on Tuesday July 29th 2003, kick-off 7.45pm. Talk of a game began nearly a year ago, when the Imps were in administration. Tentative proposals for an Autumnal 2002 date were dropped when it became clear that City would be sending an under-strength team. This new date has yet to be confirmed by City.

Transfer News and Gossip

Macca Move? It had to happen eventually. Robbie Fowler’s best mate, Steve McManaman, has been linked with a summer move to City. McManaman has been a peripheral figure in Real Madrid’s first team since Luis Figo joined two years ago, and it is thought that the 31-year-old Scouser may be ready for a return to England. Arsenal have supposedly made an enquiry, while Chelsea, Everton and Leeds as well as City, have been keeping an eye on the winger’s situation with Real.

Brown Eyes Return: Speaking of reunions, stand by for the return of one M. Brown esq. to MCFC. One of the Sunday tabloids believes that ex-Blue Michael Brown could be returning to the club for £4 million from Sheffield United. Brownie has been in the form of his life at Brammall Lane this season, and was said to be interesting Chelsea recently. The Hartlepool-born midfielder played a prominent part in City’s sojourn in Division Two, but Joe Royle sold him to Sheffield United in 2000 for £400,000.

Hanging Out for Hangeland: There was a new name bandied about in Speculation Alley this week. Reports suggest that scouts from both City and Leeds are showing an interest in Norwegian international Brede Hangeland. Hangeland plays in midfield for his club Viking, but in central defence for his country.

Ex-Blues’ News

Twin Terrors Strike: From the file marked “City Reject Strikers in the Goals” – Lee Peacock scored one of Bristol City’s goals in their 2-0 victory over Carlisle United in Sunday’s LDV Trophy Final at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Elsewhere, Division One’s bottom club Sheffield Wednesday enjoyed a rare victory, in a 4-2 triumph over Wimbledon at Hillsborough. The Owls’ fourth goal was scored by none other than Lee “Badbuy” Bradbury, who has just completed a month’s loan with the Yorkshire club. He is expected to return to Portsmouth this week.

Working in a Whitley Wonderland: or the Stadium of Light, at least! Jeff Whitley’s efforts to gain a contract with Sunderland are going well, it seems. Jeff has played a number of reserve games for the Black Cats, but manager Mick McCarthy is unable to play him in the Premiership because of League regulations. Whitley said this week: “I’ve been encouraged by what Mick McCarthy has said about me and the fact that he wants me to carry on training here and playing for the reserves. I’m keen to stay. It will be a bit of a change from Manchester City because I spent so many years at Maine Road. I was there from the age of 10 and I have great memories of my time there but I am looking to the future now. I know Sunderland look like they might be in Division One next season but that won’t make any difference as far as I am concerned, I still want to join because this is a massive club and I’d be silly to turn an offer down.” [McCarthy was at our reserve game this week, expect more to follow given his announcement all the squad are “for sale” – Ed]

Reactions and Comments

Putrid Service at the Reebok: Despite making a bright start to the game, City once again subsided to an end of season defeat, this time to Bolton Wanderers. KK was none too pleased by what he saw. “I think the turning point of the match was when Nicolas Anelka missed his chance. If you go a goal up then the opposition get restless and it would have given us confidence. Goals turn matches. Everyone will look at different turning points in a game. I thought the penalty decision was a harsh one. I think the referee, and I have told him so, found it very difficult to give us anything in the game. We look like a team of individuals and some are doing better than others,” said Keegan after the 2-0 defeat at The Reebok Stadium. “The whole idea of a team is that a group of people work together for a common cause, at the moment we haven’t quite got that. It is up to me to put that right. The buck stops with the manager. Teams playing like my team have played the last two games get managers the sack. It was disappointing to lose like this. I would like to see us being more professional and showing better effort. I had a meeting yesterday with the players and we got a few points across. But at the end of the day you always carry the can as a manager – that’s the rule.” Keegan refused to blame Anelka and Fowler for the lack of goal chances – “As a former striker myself, you thrive on service and rely on other people,” he said. “The service to them after the first 20-25 minutes was putrid. I will look at trying to change things because it is important we see this season through and start getting points again. I spent 40 minutes with the players explaining how important these last seven matches are,” he said. “There is still 20% of this season left and I don’t want it just to fizzle out. If we get another 12 or 14 points we will probably finish eighth, which has to be the target now.” Following an encouraging début from Joey Barton, Keegan suggested that other young hopefuls may be tried. “The youngsters will get their chance and Bischoff is probably the next in line. He is really pushing for a run now and I don’t think I can turn round and deny him that chance. There is nothing to lose by giving the young lads a go and this could be a big chance for them,” concluded KK.

Happy Sam: Not surprisingly, opposing manager Sam Allardyce was in upbeat mood. “These are great days for us,” he said. “Even though we’re still in danger. We’ve proved over the last couple of weeks that we can win football matches in an entertaining fashion and that’s fantastic for everybody connected with the club.” Allardyce paid tribute to Jay-Jay Okocha, who despite missing an early penalty turned in a match-winning performance. “I must I have been the only one watching him in the stand who was nervous,” said the Bolton boss. “What I liked about his performance was his ability to take extra responsibility after missing the penalty. He showed all his quality when we needed it the most and I thought we played with a lot of confidence throughout the team. I think two wins will do us now,” he said. “That would take us to 41 points and no team has been relegated on that mark. It was a massive win for us – a third successive victory and a third successive clean sheet. We are now enjoying our best ever run since returning to the Premiership and it has come at such a vital time.”

Delight for Débutant: “The one plus for me in the Bolton game was that Joey Barton made his début. He did us proud,” remarked Kevin Keegan. “We did not expect him to be the match winner we expected him to stand up in the middle and be counted and he did that.” The player himself sounded like he had a good time. “I thoroughly enjoyed it and I don’t think I did too badly but I am sure I could do better if the team was playing well as a whole,” he declared. “The manager wanted me to do a pure and simple holding job and that is what I tried to do but there is more to my game. I just love playing football. I wasn’t overawed in any way. You know if you are going to play in the Premiership then you are going to play against, and with, world-class players. If you want to be the best you can be then you have just got to get on with the fact. I don’t feel I was out of my depth and I feel I will grow with the experience. Obviously I am as upset as anyone because the team lost and that is what matters most.”

Fowler Promises to do Better: Robbie Fowler made a peripheral contribution to Saturday’s match, having no efforts on goal in his 69 minutes on the pitch. “The manager had a right pop at us on Saturday after we lost to Bolton and he had every reason. Apart from Joey Barton hardly anyone fired on all cylinders – me included,” conceded the striker. “It is a little bit depressing at the minute – not least for the fans who have been so supportive – because we have had a couple of terrible results. Bar the first ten minutes at the Reebok we were poor. We started off lively but they controlled the game and were worthy winners. I have only had one victory since I arrived at City and that is something I am desperate to put right between now and the end of the season. It has not been the greatest of starts but I see the players in training and I know there are some very, very talented lads at this club. They are talented enough to do well in the Premiership.”

Squad News

Strikers – Sort it Out! We can only guess at the less than mellifluous tones used by the Dear Leader in the dressing room after Saturday’s capitulation to Bolton, although we can guess from the comments appearing in the tabloids today [Thursday]. Most of the headlines were variations on “Kev Blasts Striker Flops”, but when you read the quotes attributed to the great man, it sounded more like general musings on the current failings of the team. KK clearly hopes for a positive reaction to his observations against the Boro at the weekend, as he said “All strikers need goals and Robbie needs them too. But the biggest concern I have got is that I have got two great individual players who are masters of their trade, but there is work to be done with them. I think you would expect that after seven games. I said all along that I think we will get the benefit of what is happening this year, next season. But we want some benefits this year. They have scored two goals between them while they have been together. That is not enough for the ability and they quality which the two players have. The service up to the strikers in the game against Bolton, apart for the first twenty five minutes, was pretty average stuff. Even Pele at his best in his heyday and he would not have made too much of it. We have to encourage our strikers more with better service.”

Diplomacy Lessons: So City are riding on the crest of a slump, the Boss is muttering his concerns in public, how should the players respond? David Sommeil must have decided to tell it like it is. He said: “We can’t seem able to win a game any more. Kevin asked us to finish the season strongly but his message can’t have got through. We are conceding goals, we remain impotent in attack, and there is no basis to our play. I get the impression that the fire has gone out at the heart of our squad. It’s bizarre, as we had discussed matters before the Bolton game. We tried to set everything out to find out what was not working but in the end it did not have the desired effect. Bolton won because they needed the points but for our part we did not play to win. Although we did not make any flagrant individual mistakes, we went missing as a team. We must bounce back. We can’t let ourselves coast until the end of the season – it is not healthy for the club, the manager or the fans. This is a mental problem. Even though we can’t hope for anything more from our six remaining games, we must not think we are already on holiday. It is vital for us to end the campaign on a high note. I don’t want to start next season knowing we finished this one with a string of defeats – that is the best way to encourage self-doubt. Things are difficult for me at the moment as I don’t yet speak English well. I try to make my point with a few words or gestures but it is not easy for me to play the rôle of a leader in my position.” Some reports suggest that Sommeil might face disciplinary action by the club for his comments. Sylvain Distin on the other hand, sounds like he’s given a more measured response. “Like the fans we are getting irritated,” stressed the twenty-five-year-old. “I understand that it is not a good feeling for the fans but it is also really hard for us the players. You can’t be at the top or your form every day. Sometimes you have a bad time and at the moment we are having a bad time. I know we have to find a solution and quickly. We can’t win anything now but there are still six games left and we know for the players and the fans we have to have a good finish. It is not a question of bonuses, it is pride which is at stake. I am a proud person and I do not like to lose and I don’t want to lose. When I win a game or when I lose my first thought is not about my bonus but my pride. We worked really hard at the start of the season and if we don’t try and do something now we will lose a lot of what we set out to achieve. We have chatted about trying to find a solution as to what has gone wrong. This week there has been a greater intensity in training. We have been training really hard and aim to do that against Middlesbrough. It will be nice to get back to Maine Road, that will be good for us and we know we will have to keep fighting.”

Realistic Ali: City currently have two Algerians on the books, but if this week’s reports are to be believed, they could both be off the payroll by June. Club captain Ali Benarbia has made only sporadic appearances this season after a sensational contribution to last year’s First Division Championship winning team. Of his performances this term, Ali commented that “I had a good start to the season but then I didn’t get into a good rhythm and after that I have tried to be ready whenever the team needed me. We have six games to go and after that the manager can start to think about what he wants to do for next year. I haven’t been able to reproduce the heights I did last year but it’s different when you don’t get into the rhythm of playing every game and instead you play one and have two off, then play another couple of games and then wait three weeks. I have already shown people what I can do. If the manager and the team need me I am ready to play.” He thinks that the team needs a more positive attitude for the remaining games of this season. “Maybe at the start of games we work very hard but as soon as we conceded a goal you start to think ‘it’s the end of the season’,” reflected the City skipper. “The heads go down and you think it’s finished. We shouldn’t wait until we score before we feel good and we shouldn’t stop when we concede one. We need to show something, not just for the fans but for ourselves and the club. We can still have a good season and finish in the top 10.” Benarbia is unsure where his own future lies, however. “I never think about next season, once it has finished I will think about it. People talk about this player and that one but I can’t. If a player is in all the games like Nicolas Anelka he can think about next season, for someone like me it is totally different. I am not surprised about playing so few games because I have been playing a long time. I work hard in training to be part of the squad or in the team. I am not surprised that I play sometimes and not others because I know football is like that.” Meanwhile Ali’s fellow countryman Djamel Belmadi faces an anxious wait to discover whether KK will make his move from Marseilles a permanent one. Belmadi, a friend and former team mate of Nicolas Anelka with whom he has been lodging while in England, has started just two games in more than three months and City have seemed in no rush to make a positive move to sign him on a permanent basis.

Season Over for Duo: Neither Danny Tiatto nor Lucien Mettomo will be fit to play for the first team again this season. As briefly reported last week, Tiatto has suffered a recurrence of his stomach injury which has kept the Australian out of first team action since the home game with Aston Villa on December 26, “Danny will visit a specialist in London on Friday and it is looking very unlikely that he will play again this season,” explained Kevin Keegan. “It is nothing major but we just need to find out what is causing this. He has worked hard and got himself back ready to train with us. He went in with the physio the day before he was due to join in the squad session but did not get through it. There is obviously something there that he is not happy with so we will find out more when he returns from London. It looks doubtful that he will be fit again this season.” Meanwhile, defender Lucien Mettomo has been ruled out for the rest of the season and will soon undergo a hernia operation. The twenty-five-year-old has made six appearances for the Blues this season, but has not featured in the squad since City were beaten by Liverpool in the FA Cup in January. One player who is back in contention for selection for Middlesbrough’s visit is Marc Vivien Foe. The Cameroon midfielder was absent from the 2-0 defeat at Bolton – only the second game he has missed since arriving from Lyon on loan at the start of the season. Foe was given special permission to remain in France at the weekend to be at the bedside of his pregnant wife.

Carlo Won’t Go: Carlo Nash has claimed that he is more than happy to stay at City, and fight for his place in the first team. The 29-year-old thinks that some of his remarks, made on his personal website, have been misinterpreted and has moved swiftly to set the record straight. He said: “The truth is that I’d love to stay at Manchester City not just for now, but indefinitely, because I love the club. All I’ve ever asked for is that the fight for the number one jersey be a fair one. If it is, then I’ll be very happy to stay and fight for that coveted starting place that all footballers want. I enjoy battling for a place in the team and as long as the decisions are made on a fair basis, you won’t hear me complaining. There is no disgrace at being an understudy to an all-time great like Peter and he shows no signs of deteriorating. If he did stay here for another year it would not alter my thinking, I still want to battle for my place. I don’t know where my future lies, that is up to Kevin Keegan and how he feels about the situation. At the moment I just want to keep my head down, train well, work hard, improve the best I can and see where that takes me. I feel like I have done a decent job when I have come in this season and if I am given a fair crack of the whip I feel I can continue to do a good job for City.” Peter Schmeichel has given an indication that he wants to pursue a career in management, once he hangs up his gloves. “I have had pressure on me as a player all of my career and I don’t think I can just give that up if I stop playing,” said the Great Dane. “I need the pressure that management brings and I really want to be a manager when I stop playing. I have worked with the probably the best manager of the lot in Sir Alex Ferguson but I wanted the chance to work with Kevin Keegan because he is such a motivator and he comes a very close second to Sir Alex. I wanted to experience different style before becoming a manager, and I have done that now.”

Je Ne Regrette Rien: Nicolas Anelka made it clear that he is happy to stay with the Blues, despite the team’s tepid finish to the season [and despite his recent encounter with my brother Neil in a London street but that as they say, is another story – News Ed] “We have a good side, great support and a fantastic new stadium to look forward to next season,” Anelka said. “Everything is going really well for me and I like living in Manchester. I feel very settled here. It’s a lot quieter than Madrid or Paris but I can walk to the shops if I want to, just like everybody else. I prefer things like that, with no attention. In Madrid and Paris there was a lot of attention outside of the football whereas here I just play for City and then that’s it. My private life is private, which is the way it should be all the time. On the pitch we have had our disappointments, particularly against Chelsea and Arsenal. They are good sides but we were perhaps beaten too easily. But I am happy. I have tried to do my best. It is my job to score goals and I try to do it in every game.” Anelka knows that there is more work to do if his partnership with Robbie Fowler is to flourish. “I think Robbie still needs a few more games under his belt to rediscover his sharpness but we are practising a lot in training to try and form an understanding,” Anelka said.

Sky Blue Eyal: There has been some speculation this week that Blackburn Rovers are interested in signing Eyal Berkovic, but the Israeli star has made it clear that he wants to spend the rest of his playing career with City. Eyal’s contract still has two years to run, and he hopes for an extension after that. City are reported to have made only a “guarded” response so far, bearing in mind that the future of other players has to be decided. In the short term, Eyal has supposedly shaken off the troublesome injury which has plagued him since January, as KK explains: “Eyal went to see the specialist in London on Monday. He trained this morning and I think we are on top of the problem now. Sometimes it is a case of putting the players mind at ease. Players love to be a hundred per cent and sadly that doesn’t always happen. So we took Eyal back to London and I think what the specialist told him was spot on. He has a course of treatment to follow but he pointed out that there is no reason why he shouldn’t train and play and I think that has put his mind at ease. His training today was better than it has been for several weeks because of that. We need a fit Eyal Berkovic playing. I don’t care how much ability you have, and Eyal has buckets of it, you still need to be fit to produce it. For one reason or another Eyal has not been fully fit over the past four or five weeks and even playing on Saturday was a bit of a gamble as he had not done the base work. But I think we will get the benefit of that this week.” Berkovic said: “I feel as though I have had the best year of my career this season at City. I have enjoyed my football and I am determined to end the season on a high note.”

OPINION: FORECASTS, CRYSTAL BALLS AND CONUNDRUMS

So what’s going to happen next season? Will KK be a goner by Christmas, following Fowler out of the door and be written off as a big spender who bought badly and couldn’t make it in the big league?

Will his utter density at understanding the defensive dynamic of a top flight team lead to City playing in the basement next season? For fun we are asking everyone to send in predictions, positive or negative, for next season: Two or three paragraphs about any aspect of the team – players, comings and goings, wins, losses, relegation, the championship (The what?: Ed), the new ground, backroom turmoil, anything. Things you’ll be talking about in the pub and on the beach just before the start of next season.

Send in yours over the next few weeks and we’ll run them in MCIVTA during June.

OPINION: BRING ON JOEY AND MATT (FRIENDS?)

I think that a lot of City fans are wanting to see Matias Vuoso play in the first team, after Ckty spending so much money on him, what was the purpose? If he proves he’s just not up to it, at least City fans get to see him, and not just in the reserves.

Again this is the time to give some players a chance, young Joey Barton, proved this last Sat. now he deserves another go, next time he plays I bet he will be a bit more relaxed, and play even better.

If we lose a game it’s easier to take the defeat, if the team goes down fighting, and not playing as if it’s all they have to do is show up.

Come on you Blues (Show us some effort, we know you can do it!)!

OPINION: PUZZLE SOLVING I

“Non City puzzler for you… Middlesbrough, Fulham and Birmingham are different to the other Prem clubs with regards to their corner flags. What is different and why?”

With regards to the corner flags being different at certain clubs, I seem to remember that winning the F.A. Cup entitles you to use special shaped flags rather than regulation ones, I think it allows you to use triangular rather than square.

I have tried a google search to confirm this to no avail, so that leads me to believe that it could be tradition rather than rules, however searches do confirm that the three quoted teams have indeed never won the FA Cup.

OPINION: PUZZLE SOLVING II

Chris Murphy asked the question in MCIVTA 904, why Boro, Fulham and the Brummies have different corner flags to the rest of the Premier League. I’m guessing that this is due to the fact that they have never won the FA Cup. Anybody that’s seen the brilliant film ‘Twin Town’ will tell you “teams that have won the FA Cup have triangular corner flags, while all the others have ******* squares”.

OPINION: PUZZLE SOLVING III

In response to the question about corner flags – my explanation for this would be that if you have won the FA Cup you have the option to have triangle shaped corner flags – if you have not been fortunate enough to taste glory than your stuck with square shaped flags (as Boro, Fulham & Brum).

OPINION: HARD CORE ELEVEN

(Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse edition)

No-one likes us, we don’t care – I’ve tried to compile the scariest City side. Here goes:

In Goal:
Tony Coton: Not for anything on the pitch, but for scaring the s**t out of City fans in a Manx pub after the “Friendly” with Celtic. Absolutely bladdered in a corner with a bottle of whiskey. Even Quinny wouldn’t go near him.
Rudolf: Would you really want to tangle with him?

Full backs:
Stuart Pearce: The original Nightmare… no-one comes close.
Struggling for another. I thought it was going to be Frontzeck after his début match but sadly, he played again and dispelled any thoughts in that direction. He looked like Homer and played like him as well. So I would have to go for… either Neil Poynton or Bobby McDonald. Terry Phelan – was terry short for Terrier? Little yappy jack Russell I’ll bet.

Central defence:
Micky Doyle: 100% Blue. On record as saying he would rather quit football than play for United.
Andy Morrison: the words outhouse and brick instantly spring to mind.

Midfield – so many candidates, and on this rock I will build my team. Step forward:
Gerry Gow: cometh the hour… cometh the animal. One of the nastiest players ever in a City shirt.
Steve Mcmahon: past it when he arrived but still a hard case.
Danny Tiatto: what can you say that’s not already been said in a disciplinary hearing?
Asa Hartford: Single-handedly turned a Goodison crowd during a “nothing” match into a menagerie of neanderthals baying for his blood. So enraged were they that they actually chanted two songs that night. Also involved in an off- the- pitch “encounter” that left Gentile (an Italian sub-human of the 70’s) with severe head injuries.

Strikers:
Mike Summerbee: They broke the mould when they made this one… in fact they must have reversed the process, seeing as how his son turned out.
Dennis Tueart: Another with a penchant for the “Wigan Kiss”.
Paul Dickov: Just think what he might have been like if he was taller… scary. 100% each time and every time.
Rodney Marsh: For all of his silky skills. A right little b*****d at times.
Paul Stewart: The Times report once reported “Stewart spent the first 30 minutes trying to get his retaliation in, first”

4-3-1-2 formation

Coton Morrison Doyle Poynton Pearce Hartford Gow Tiatto Summerbee Dickov Lee

Well, there you have it. They may not be the best ever City team but in a lot of fans’ eyes they will come very close. Can you see what quality they all possess? Fans’ favourites every one of them. Not because they are tough or dirty or hard men, it’s because no-one could question their loyalty or commitment. And the biggest crime is that only one present day player gets in to the team with only one on the subs’ bench (and he’s an ex-Red). Shaun would be there on merit in the loyalty stakes but couldn’t justify his inclusion without the “scary” factor.

Changing the subject totally, does anyone know who compiled the “City legends” listing on the official website? Would anybody like to don their best ambassadorial hat and explain the case for Tony Vaughan’s inclusion?

OPINION: THE PROPHET

Interesting to read the quote from Mark Hodkinson’s book, brought to our attention by Dave Kilroy. It’s not the first time in recent weeks that I’ve heard or read quotes from Mark’s book. We knew it really. We just didn’t want to believe it. I have yet to meet a City fan who isn’t gutted at the departure of David Bernstein. The current issue of King of the Kippax is packed with comments on the subject, and Colin Nicholl’s piece, which gives the appearance of being a totally bonkers fantasy is, as usual, remarkably nearer to reality than the club would ever admit.

Also with reference to Stephen Webb’s request for participants in a charity mini tournament, may I use McV to admit that the KOTK website is presently ‘under reconstruction’, in that no-one has the time to give it the attention it deserves. Hopefully this will be rectified in the close season. Furthermore, we do have a qualified referee amongst our scribes, and I could be nifty with a wet sponge – but as for producing a football team… hmmmpphhh!

Finally, best Blue wishes to Noel Bayley on his ‘retirement’. Despite what outsiders might think, we go back a long way, and Dave and I have some happy, amusing memories of the early fanzine years with Noel and his mates – they’re the memories we’ll keep. Who knows what will happen to the fanzines when we move to Eastlands, but we hope to continue nevertheless. So, whilst the current issue of KOTK (No 112) is the penultimate one of the season – and the next one will be the Maine Road special bumper issue – it isn’t quite the ‘end of the road’ for us (life and debt permitting!).

Many thanks to all who write, read and buy it.

REQUEST: CHORLTON BLUES

Chorlton Blues’ next meeting takes place on Tuesday 15th April at South West Manchester Cricket Club. Our guest for the evening is City legend Francis Lee. We are also expecting Mike Summerbee to be attending. Events kick off at 8.00pm and include a raffle and free buffet. Members and non-members welcome. Please note we expect the event to be busy so it is advisable to turn up early if you require a seat.

For further details contact me at the address below.

REQUEST: DENTON BLUES

The next meeting of D&G Blues is on Monday 14 April, 8.30pm at Denton Conservative Club.

Our special guest for the evening is the one and only Jimmy Wagg of GMR.

REQUEST: A55 / ABERGELE BLUES

Can anyone let me know if they travel down the A55 past Abergele going to Maine Road and back and if they fancy a fellow City fan to contribute to petrol costs. I am stuck in Abergele for the last 4 games of the season. Please let me know.

REQUEST: LOUGHBOROUGH BLUES

Are there any Blues in the Loughborough area who fancy some home games next season?

REQUEST: LIVERPOOL TICKET

I am after one ticket for the Liverpool vs. Man City game on 3rd May. If anyone is interested in selling, please give me a ring on 0780 1702040.

REQUEST: TICKET OFFICE INFO

Can you clear something up for me please?

Like everyone else I want to get a ticket for the Southampton game. However I have heard that all the tickets are gone.

Call me stupid (well actually please don’t) but how is this possible when they haven’t even gone on sale?

I intended to get one with my Citycard and the Ticketline have told me to phone back next week telling me that I have more than enough loyalty points – what is going on?

Not surprising we can’t play football when we can’t even sell tickets properly is it!

Hope you can shed some light on what is becoming a dark season.

BLUE HUMOUR

A family of United supporters head out shopping one Saturday in Manchester before Christmas. While in a sport shop, the son picks up a Manchester City shirt and says to his sister, “I’ve decided I’m going to be a Manchester City supporter and I’d like this shirt for Christmas!” The sister is outraged at this, promptly whacks him round the head and says, “Go talk to your mother.”

Off goes the little lad, with Manchester City shirt in hand and finds his mother. “Mum” “Yes, son?” “I’ve decided I’m going to be a Manchester City supporter and I’d like this shirt for Christmas.” The mother is outraged at this, promptly whacks him round the head and says, “Go talk to your father.”

Off he goes with the Manchester City shirt in hand and finds his father. “Dad.” “Yes, son?” “I’ve decided I’m going to be a Manchester City supporter and I would like this shirt for Christmas.” The father is outraged at this, promptly whacks his son round the head and says, “No son of mine is ever going to be seen in THAT!”

About half an hour later, they are all back in the car heading home. The father turns to the son and says, “Son, I hope you’ve learned an important lesson today?” The son turns to his father and says, “Yes, Father, I have”. Father says, “Good son, and what is it?”

The son replies “I’ve only been a Manchester City supporter for an hour and I already hate you Man U b@st@rds!”

BLUE HUMOUR

It has been reported that Sir Alex Ferguson has a hamstring injury.

It was caused after kicking boots around the dressing room after the defeat by Real Madrid. But sources point out he should be back in time to manage next game.

RESULTS

7 April 2003

Fulham                0 - 4  Blackburn Rovers      14,017

6 April 2003

Everton               2 - 1  Newcastle United      40,031

5 April 2003

Bolton Wanderers      2 - 0  Manchester City       26,949
Manchester United     4 - 0  Liverpool             67,639
Aston Villa           1 - 1  Arsenal               42,602
Charlton Athletic     1 - 6  Leeds United          26,274
Middlesbrough         3 - 0  West Bromwich Albion  30,187
Southampton           1 - 1  West Ham United       31,941
Sunderland            1 - 2  Chelsea               40,011
Tottenham Hotspur     2 - 1  Birmingham City       36,058

League table to 09 April 2003 inclusive.

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Arsenal         32 14  1  1 37 14  6  6  4 30 20 20  7  5  67  34  33  67
 2 Manchester Utd  32 14  2  1 35 10  6  5  4 20 17 20  7  5  55  27  28  67
 3 Newcastle Utd   32 14  1  1 32 10  5  3  8 23 27 19  4  9  55  37  18  61
 4 Chelsea         32  9  4  2 33 12  7  5  5 26 20 16  9  7  59  32  27  57
 5 Everton         32 10  5  1 24 14  5  3  8 17 23 15  8  9  41  37   4  53
 6 Liverpool       32  7  8  1 25 13  7  2  7 22 22 14 10  8  47  35  12  52
 7 Blackburn R.    32  8  5  3 22 14  5  5  6 20 23 13 10  9  42  37   5  49
 8 Tottenham H.    32  9  4  3 30 21  4  3  9 15 24 13  7 12  45  45   0  46
 9 Charlton Ath.   32  7  3  6 24 26  6  4  6 17 19 13  7 12  41  45  -4  46
10 Middlesbrough   32  9  7  1 31 18  3  2 10 11 17 12  9 11  42  35   7  45
11 Southampton     32  8  7  2 22 14  3  5  7 13 19 11 12  9  35  33   2  45
12 Manchester City 32  8  1  6 25 24  4  4  9 15 27 12  5 15  40  51 -11  41
13 Fulham          32  9  3  5 22 17  1  5  9 13 27 10  8 14  35  44  -9  38
14 Leeds United    32  5  2  8 16 20  6  2  9 28 26 11  4 17  44  46  -2  37
15 Aston Villa     32  9  2  6 22 13  1  5  9 12 25 10  7 15  34  38  -4  37
16 Bolton Wndrs    32  5  7  4 22 21  3  4  9 14 26  8 11 13  36  47 -11  35
17 Birmingham City 32  5  4  6 15 19  4  4  9 14 25  9  8 15  29  44 -15  35
18 West Ham United 32  3  6  7 17 22  4  4  8 18 32  7 10 15  35  54 -19  31
19 West Brom A.    32  3  4  8 12 21  2  2 13  9 29  5  6 21  21  50 -29  21
20 Sunderland      32  3  2 11 10 24  1  5 10 10 28  4  7 21  20  52 -32  19

MCIVTA FAQ [v0203.10]

[0] MCIVTA Addresses

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

 News/rumour (Don Barrie)         : news@mcivta.city-fan.org

 Subscriptions (Madeleine Hawkins): subscriptions@mcivta.city-fan.org

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

 FAQ (David Warburton)            : faq@mcivta.city-fan.org

[1] What are MCIVTA’s publishing deadlines?

Deadlines for issues are nominally 6pm, 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 www.mcfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=111916&Title=Introduction&lid=New+Stadium

[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.

[8] Where can I find out if City are live on satellite TV?

http://www.satfootball.com/pl.html provides a listing of Premiership games being shown on UK domestic and foreign satellite channels. A good site for North American viewers is http://canadatvsoccer.tripod.com/Fixtures.htm.

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

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

[10] Do we have a Usenet newsgroup?

Yes we do: uk.sport.football.clubs.man-city is our home on usenet. If you are not familiar with usenet, a basic explanation is available here: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci213262,00.html

[11] Do any squad members have their own web pages?

There are a number available and direct links can be found at http://www.uit.no/mancity/players/

[12] Acknowledgements

Thanks go to John Arnold for providing the match day music information, to Ian Bell for pointing out the alternate live match commentary service and to Damian Quinn, Stephen Webb and Roger Haigh for the Satellite TV info.

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: