Newsletter #966

After re-reading John’s match preview, the indication of a struggle was there. As we succumbed to a 0-3 defeat with a team that saw numerous changes but no passion or will, most of us are left at a loss as to what happened. Tonight we have views on the game, and that against Groclin last Thursday.

The usual requests, opinion on various team members, and Keegan left with a lot of sorting out to do before our next game in two weeks’ time.

MATCH VIEW I: MCFC 0 LEICESTER CITY 3

Well, for the first time in ages I managed to use my season ticket and get up to watch City vs. Leicester. Was this the team that beat Soton? Have to say I was surprised to see Berkovic on the team sheet – don’t get me wrong, I’ve been advocating his return for some time. Given the rave reviews that Fowler has recently had I was amazed that he was on the bench; I could understand Seaman being rested for the 3rd game in 8 days and was pleasantly surprised to see Nick Weaver in the warm up. I’d seen some articles suggesting he needed another operation on his knee.

Well, the game was absolutely dire. When are City going to beat sides like Leicester? One doesn’t mind losing to better teams but this side had little or nothing to offer. They were gifted 2 goals – the first and third. Frankly I couldn’t see if it was a penalty. I know we should have had a penalty in the first half when a defender had his arm around Wanchope’s neck. Berkovic and McManaman got under each other’s feet so were ineffective in midfield while the defence looked pretty awful to me. Why should Distin have trouble against Dickov (a player of very limited ability)? Wanchope and Anelka never really got into the game. Wow did we miss SWP? Yes! I didn’t hear who the Man of the Match was – but I would have awarded it to Sun Jihai who at least tried. As for the rest – what a disappointment. We never exposed Howey’s lack of pace while I don’t think Seaman will be having many sleepless nights about being replaced. I hope other contributors found more to be optimistic about – after all Leicester had won no matches away from home today while Wolves had not scored at home until we played there – what are we, the charitable team for lost causes? Can’t be bothered to do player ratings.

MATCH VIEW II: MCFC 0 LEICESTER CITY 3

After a particularly bad reaction to giving blood, I was in two minds as to whether to go yesterday – now I wish I hadn’t bothered as the team certainly didn’t seem to! Firstly – I feel sorry for Ellegaard – what a way to make your début and to be fair, he didn’t do much wrong; he didn’t stand a chance with any of the goals and apart from not picking the ball up when he could (and he never kicked it into danger) he was ok. Joey Barton too, seemed to be waging battle on his own in midfield – a surprise then when Bosvelt was brought on to replace and not support him; Sun and Tarnat were lost without their respective wide players – but the rest of them? It was a disgrace!

Admittedly KK has put his hand up and said he didn’t pick the best formation (so why not change it at half time) – but where was the passion? Where was the pride? It was interesting listening to the GMR phone-in afterwards when Glynn Pardoe was talking about what it had meant to him to wear a City shirt. Reports suggested that Eyal was desperate to get back on the pitch – he didn’t show it. He and McManaman got in each others’ way – and there’s my biggest disappointment – Macca in the last two games. I would have handed Macken a chance, after all, by the time Fowler got on there was nothing to lose and Macken certainly seems to want to play.

I don’t know how much truth there is in the stories about McManaman and Fowler’s off-the-pitch activities, but I for one am disappointed. Especially when he came offering advice on and off the pitch to the younger players, claiming he knows how to deal with the press… I think not!

The atmosphere too was subdued (though not initially), Dickov and Howey both got a good welcome from the City fans, but of course we’re not going to cheer someone who has run us ragged. It might have been great when he was wearing sky blue, but yesterday Dickov was at his most irritating best – a thorn in Distin’s side and he got the reaction and the penalty – ‘nough said. The team gave up after the first goal – most of the fans gave up after the third…

The worst thing about it all is that you know they can all do so much better. We heard a couple of Leicester fans on 606 saying that they thought their team were ‘awesome’. Sadly for them, the truth is that they were workmanlike, committed and professional (including ‘professional’ timewasting even when 3-0 up) whereas City were truly awful by our recent standards. If we had played like we did in the 2nd half against Villa or the first half against Arsenal then Leicester would be vying with Leeds for the bottom slot – despite their defence-in-depth tactics.

On the positive side, at least KK admits he got it wrong – at least Richard Dunne admitted the team were sorry… So – we have a great new stadium where you can’t buy chips after half-time(!), a squad with some great names (looks good on paper – but by yesterday’s evidence can’t be bothered on the pitch); we have yet another ‘international break’ on the back of a defeat, but we’ll probably still go to St James’ and win. Then once again the sky will be blue and the optimism return!

On a lighter note – a big thank you to all those players who turn up at Junior Blues meetings. This season we have had Antoine Sibierski and David Sommeil (at September’s beach party) and Michael Tarnat (at the recent Hallowe’en bash). All these players were fantastic – joining in with the games and in spite of all being different nationalities they all answered questions from the young fans. It is great for the kids to see these players as real people who are willing to have fun… Michael Tarnat was especially popular with Adam (who has just started playing left back for his U9s team). Thanks guys – and to Ian, Liz, Moonbeam & Moonchester and everyone else who works behind the scenes with the Junior Blues.

MATCH VIEW III: MCFC 0 LEICESTER CITY 3

I think this was one of those games which reminds you what it really means to be a Manchester City fan – namely that there is no such thing as three easy points. We have a wonderful ability to play up to, or down to, the level of the opposition.

My question is – why no Danny Tiatto? We knew that Leicester would work hard, be physical and rely on teamwork to win through – so why did KK decide to use this game to throw on an untested combination of McManaman and Berkovic, as well as Sibierski? This was not made for such a game. I haven’t seen the match statistics but would guess that we made no more than 3 even half-decent chances on goal, despite all the passing around and possession.

I don’t think any great blame can be placed on Kevin Ellegaard’s shoulders – after all he was apparently thrown in at the last minute. Yes, he did look like the proverbial rabbit caught in the headlights, but I don’t think the ten men in front of him helped much at all. The question is – why wasn’t Weaver in goal? If the best that Weaver can manage is to be on the bench to a 20 year old rookie, then I wonder what exactly is wrong with him – could it be that his career is coming to an end? In any case, we’re going to have to get another ‘keeper when the January transfer window opens. Ellegaard has clearly got a lot to learn before he can feature in the first team; hopefully yesterday will have been a learning experience for him rather than a humiliating one and I at least applaud Kevin Keegan for refusing to blame him for what went on.

MATCH REPORT – MCFC 1 GROCLIN 1

I can’t work out whether we’re any good or not. I’ve seen three games live this season – TNS, Lokeren and Bolton – during which nine different City players have contributed 14 goals. Yet I’ve only seen half an hour – after Bolton had fallen to bits – during which we looked at all committed or convincing. We’re fifth in the Premiership, playing in the best stadium in England, with a squad-load of internationals, and yet I have a strange yearning for the days of Dickov and Morrison, when less talented players performed as if they gave a damn.

Tonight we were matched against Groclin Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski, a team kitted in the nasty teal green that Robbie used to wear for Liverpool, and sporting a set of surnames that only a mother could pronounce. City were Seaman, Sun, Distin, Dunne, Tarnat, Wright-Phillips, Reyna, Barton, McManaman, Fowler and Anelka. If the current squad is the strongest for 25 years, and this line-up is as close as we get to Keegan’s strongest team, then tonight’s performance should have been the most impressive in living memory.

The key question – once we knew that both Fowler and Anelka were playing – was which Robbie we would get. I have long believed that the original Robbie Fowler is locked in a basement in Toxteth, while we have been sold a lookalike who combines the predatory skills of Lee Bradbury with the self-discipline and diet of Homer Simpson. Indeed, judging by the hideous face in the centrefold of the programme, he’s not even much cop as a lookalike. However, reports from Chelsea and Southampton suggested that the original Fowler had been liberated and was back to his best. So which would we see?

The answer was that for 25 minutes we got the real Robbie Fowler, at the heart of a team who deserved to be playing in Europe. Right from the off, we were exciting, fast, inventive, playing slick triangles that made Groclin look like what they are – a bunch of unknowns assembled on the profits of car seat manufacture. And all of the incisive, visionary balls were coming from Fowler. Within six minutes, he put in Anelka – not for the first time – who arrived milliseconds ahead of the Groclin ‘keeper to chip the opener. It was obvious from the way that we were playing that this would be the start of a landslide.

As it would have been, if our finishing had been on a par with our creativity, or had even matched the standard of the village veterans among whom I play. Let’s not blame Anelka, who only fluffed two of his three one-on-ones; but Reyna’s miss, after a neat sidestep had left the entire defence lying on the ground in front of him, was of Rosenthal proportions. Next week’s training should involve an exercise called “put the ball on the six yard line and kick it into an empty net”. The feeling among the players was clearly that with so many chances, one would go in soon; among the fans, it was more fear that we’d started equally well against Lokeren, squandered as many chances, and ended up realising that – unlike us – these unknown clubs with funny names had got into Europe by winning games, not just by being nice.

The turning point came on 28 minutes when McManaman squirmed to the byline and pulled back to Fowler eight yards out. The ball richocheted off Robbie’s foot at an oblique angle and missed by about five yards. Whenever I’m responsible for such an appalling miss, it reminds me that I’m not a footballer but an aged klutz of no discernible talent, and this “shot” seems to have had the same effect on Fowler. Homer Bradbury returned with a vengeance and stayed for the rest of the match. This needn’t have mattered given the hours of Fowler-carrying practice that the team has had over the past months, but today McManaman, Barton and SWP were off-form as well, while Tarnat couldn’t find his range and was hitting every pass with twice the force it needed. Our best player was Seaman, whose form and athleticism were spectacular, dropping like an eagle to smother a close range header from Grzgorz Rasiak (see what I mean about their mothers? You try calling him in for his tea). Dunne too was impressive – apart from his pinpoint tackling, he’s developing a neat line in showboat turns (which is good as long as they work).

Bosvelt came on for Reyna – presumably injured – the referee blew for half-time, THE MUSIC STARTED ON THE PA SYSTEM. NOW I DON’T MIND MUSIC IN THE BUILD UP – “RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW” STILL SENDS A TINGLE DOWN MY SPINE – BUT WHY DO WE HAVE TO BE DEAFENED ALL THROUGH THE INTERVAL? I HAVE SEVERAL OLD FRIENDS WHO I ONLY REALLY GET TO TALK TO AT MATCHES BUT, UP IN THE TOP TIER WITH A 10,000 WATT DIRECTIONAL SPEAKER POINTED STRAIGHT AT ME, THE ONLY THING I CAN HEAR IS MY TEETH RATTLING. DO THEY THINK WE MIGHT GET BORED AND GO HOME IF WE HAVE TO SUFFER EACH OTHER’S COMPANY? OR THAT THERE WOULDN’T BE ANY “ATMOSPHERE” WITHOUT THIS RACKET? OR THAT WE MIGHT START TO CRITICISE THE PLAYERS? FOR ****S SAKE TURN THE ****** THING DOWN OR RIGHT OFF WOULD BE Oh that’s better they’re coming out again.

The second half proceeded with the grim inevitability that we were going to concede at least one away goal and possibly two. Fortunately we managed to keep something of an atmosphere going, mainly because the Poles’ oompah band knew all the same tunes that we did, so we were able to sing along to Polish versions of “you fat *******”, “when the Saints” and “you’re not singing any more”. I love the new stadium but 32,000 feels a lot emptier and lonelier than it did at Maine Road. Tiatto and Wanchope were warming up – good, they’ll be able to bring a bit more aggression and unpredictability than our famous Scousers. Tiatto duly came on for McManaman, Distin brought a man down just outside the box, and no-one was surprised when Mila curled a scorcher over the wall into the top corner.

Distin’s behaviour after the goal was reminiscent of the dog in the night-time – he did nothing, other than walk back looking a bit dejected. My humble opinion is that a captain is all that stands between this team and brilliance. It’s inconceivable that Psycho or Vinnie or – let’s admit it – the ghastly Keano would have allowed the team to collectively deflate in the way that they had. Anelka had, by now, completely vanished. Danny ran like mad but was easily shepherded out of danger. Wanchope replaced Fowler and missed. SWP missed. Groclin started suffering a succession of life-threatening injuries, but luckily our touchline has Lourdes-like healing properties and as soon as they’d been carried across it, all trace of harm was wiped away. We had a final chance with a free-kick on the edge of the box; Tiatto and SWP dived clear as Tarnat’s rocket passed between them, but the ‘keeper saved with his feet and the danger was averted.

So, 1-1 and a more difficult away proposition than in Belgium. Somehow I can’t see this bunch giving their best on a Polish cabbage-field in an icy November. Best run about a bit, Robbie – I’d hate you to freeze solid.

MATCH VIEW (LIVE): MCFC 1 GROCLIN 1

I don’t get to go and see City very many times during the season because I’m a poor tax dodging student and just can’t afford to travel up from Birmingham every week, but when I got the chance to go and see City in the UEFA Cup I couldn’t turn the chance down! It was my friend’s birthday and we’d been looking forward to going for weeks, and after a good victory and performance away at Southampton we were both predicting a runaway scoreline against the minnows from Poland!

I recently bought a City Matchcard (£1.50), which now you have to have to be able to buy tickets for any City match. However, due to the postal strikes I never received this in the post. I phoned City and they told me to go to the Ticket Office before the match. I arrived at the ground a lot later than I wanted due to the fantastic train service in this country! I got to the ticket office at 7:30 expecting a small que but thought there’d be no trouble getting my matchcard and getting into the ground before kick-off. How wrong I was! I eventually got served at 7:45 only to be given only one ticket for me and my friend which we realised after we’d walked away and opened the envelope they’d given us. We had to go back, queue up again, explained the situation and were then given another ticket. By this time we could hear the whistle for kick-off being blown. We ran to the other side of the stadium where we were allocated to go in only to find that the ticket I received had not been allocated. I explained my situation to about 5 stewards but none of them seemed to know what I had to do. So I ran all the way back to the ticket office, and told them what had happened. Instead of activating my matchcard they had to print me out another ticket! By this time I had missed our goal and probably our best chances of the entire match. I was not the only person to be having problems with our new system at COMS. Many people had the same problem of having no activation on their matchcard, or their tickets not working at the gates. I don’t know whether this was due to the postal strikes or what but surely there must be a way of checking the tickets at the gates? I ran round the entire stadium twice, which was more effort than some of our players were doing on the pitch!

When I got to my seat, we were winning, not playing well, but winning and I thought as long as we win I don’t mind! But things just weren’t going my way that evening! Here’s my overview or our players:

Seaman: Didn’t have much to do really. At 39 you’d have thought he’d have learned to kick properly by now! He had no chance with the free kick. Made a very good save in the first half. 6/7

Sun: Seemed to be the only player willing to run at the opposition with the intention of shooting. Crosses were erratic and can’t shoot with his left foot. Had a fairly good game though. 6

Dunne: Looked a bit lost at times, good in the air though. Think he needs a few games to get some sort of partnership going with Distin. 5

Distin: What has happened to him? I thought he was brilliant in our first season but now I don’t have as much confidence in him. I always feel like we’ll concede with our defence like it is. 5

Tarnat: Final balls/ crosses were appalling. Unlucky with his free kicks. 6

SWP: Had an off day. He made some good attacking runs down the line only to let himself down with his delivery. 5

McManaman: Was supposed to be playing out wide left but don’t remember seeing him out there, which meant we were 1 dimensional going down the right every time. We became too predictable. Did show some signs of class though with some clever runs. Did well to set Fowler up with a sitter. 5

Barton: Thought he had a shocker. If he’s going to be the next Gerrard then his distribution needs to improve a lot. Think it was just an off day though. 5

Bosvelt: Having Barton on as one ball winner did we really need another one on when Reyna went off?! I’m presuming this is what Bosvelt is because he did nothing going forward. 5

Anelka: Took his goal well (when I saw it on TV). I just think he was let down by poor service from the midfield. Had nothing to feed off! 6

Fowler: Was unlucky with his deflection off the Tarnat free kick. The old Fowler would have buried the sitter he missed. I don’t know what’s wrong with man! I really want him to get back to his best. 4.

Tiatto: Didn’t have much time to do much. Was trying to run at the opposition but seems to lack match practice. 5

Wanchope: Had a half chance but you never know what you’re going to get with this bloke. Get Macken back in the team! 5

A very disappointing match. Thought we lacked desire, but maybe it was just an off day for City.

However, my nightmare did not finish there. I got back to Manchester Piccadilly at 11pm only to find the next train back to Brum was 5:20am from Crewe?! The only thing for me to do in this situation was laugh and think it could be worse, I could be a Leeds fan!

MATCH VIEW (TV): MCFC 1 GROCLIN 1

For half an hour City looked as though they would overwhelm Groclin, who really looked out of their depth at that stage. Reyna, Anelka (2) and Fowler managed to miss chances that you would normally expect Premiership strikers to score. Anelka, perhaps by accident, also managed to chip a Fowler through ball over the ‘keeper and into the net for what looked like the start of an avalanche. Then Groclin realised that they were not out of sight and perhaps they could get something after all. And so it turned out, a dubious free kick given by the otherwise very good Greek referee, was skilfully curled over the wall giving Seaman little chance. Wanchope came on to add his name to the “I can’t believe he’s missed that” brigade. Anelka’s sole contribution in the second half was a delightful through ball for SWeeP. The game ended in a succession of Groclin players being carried off on stretchers to rise like Lazarus moments later.

It’s difficult to criticise the players after this game; Tarnat apart, none of them had a bad game but collectively they should have done better. Sun Jihai was effective both in defence and going forward and Richard Dunne looked sound, David Seaman made a couple of good saves and apart from a couple of dodgy kicks was OK. Anelka faded in the second half (good but not, I think, the best blue ever!).

So typical City, good result one week, poor the next – depending which version turns up in Poland we may or may not be in the draw for the next round.

MATCH VIEW (TV): MCFC 1 GROCLIN 1

Manchester City opened this game with some brisk one touch passing that kept breaking up the Groclin defence. Reyna beat a man and set himself up for a golden opportunity only to shoot over the bar. But a couple of minutes later Fowler put Anelka through with a great ball that beat the offside trap, Anelka scored a brilliant goal shooting over the approaching goalkeeper. Tarnat took a free kick that was going wide, Fowler was quick to react only to see his effort go past the post by a whisker.

After 24 minutes Reyna went off with a hamstring injury, to be replaced by Bosvelt. I felt City were playing better football against Groclin by passing the ball around on the ground; it appeared that City changed their tactics after Reyna went off, crossing the ball a lot from the wings, but the Groclin defence must have loved this for they were winning nearly every ball in the air.

Groclin were very fast on the break and came close a couple of times, it was two brilliant saves from Seaman that kept them at bay.

At they start of the second half City looked as if they had slowed down, and Groclin took up the pace. In the 65th minute from a free kick on the edge of the penalty area Mila scored a great goal that left Seaman with no chance to save. The chances City missed could hurt us in three weeks’ time; there was brilliance at times from City and there were frustrating efforts at other times.

To me the Man of the Match has to go to Mila of Groclin. Wrighty played his heart out for City but he too must have felt frustrated after this game. Barton battled for every ball and had a good game. Anelka, apart for his goal, did not look at his best. But will give City man of the match to Seaman for his two brilliant saves.

It’s not over, but this leaves City with an uphill battle on their hands; the few Groclin fans at the City of Manchester Stadium brought their own band, which made a lot of noise; at home it will be louder! Get those lozenges out City fans, we are going to need you to sing “Blue Moon” as you never have before in Poland.

I shall as always “keep the faith”, but we need to score at least once to have any chance after Groclin’s away goal; they are a force to be reckoned with, but City can still win this!

OPINION: FAILURE TO PREPARE

You know tonight’s game would have not been so frustrating if not for the fact that I sent this to a couple of e-mail addresses on the Manchester City website on the 19th of October.

To the attention of City Coaching Staff
To whom it may concern:

Anyone thinking that City’s upcoming UEFA tie against Groclin Grodzisk will be a cakewalk might be in for a bit of a shock. While certainly all things being equal (although they never are), City has much the superior talent, there are enough talented individuals on the Groclin Grodzisk team to produce an upset.

The most bizarre thing about Groclin Grodzisk’s defeat of Hertha Berlin is not that the Poles won, but rather they did not concede a goal. While anchored by a quality young ‘keeper, 26 year old Mariusz Liberda, the understudy on the National team to Liverpool’s Jerzy Dudek, the Poles have somewhat of a keegan-esque reputation, great in attack, rather shaky in defence. This philosophy, combined with discipline and an unusual fearlessness away from home could make them a handful at the ‘Blue Bayou’ (City of Manchester Stadium).

Not sure where the information came about them having four internationals. Sebastian Mila, Radoslaw Sobolewski, Marcin Zajac, Andrzej Niedzielan, Grzegorz Rasiak and Liberda have all been capped for their national team. Niedzielan and Rasiak are the ones to watch up front. Niedzielan, who recently scored twice against Hungary, was a target of Borussia Mönchengladbach in a previous off season and depending on City’s relationship with the German club it is possible some additional information could be gleamed there.

Tomasz Wieszczycki is the playmaker in midfield, while Mila has been known to take a free kick or two. Not sure of the preferred formation that Slovakian coach Duszan Radolsky prefers to run. Sobolewski seems to operate as both a midfielder and a defender, which leads me to believe he might act as a wing back. Certainly he’s considered a midfielder by the national team. Jan Wos is known as a winger from his days at Ruch Chorzw.

This is generally a young team, Mila is 21, Sobolewski 26, Zajac 28, Niedzielan 24, Liberda 26 Etc. Defensively they are a little older although Croatian defender Ivica Krizanec adds some 23 year old toughness.

Groclin Grodzisk are an up and coming team. They have designs on the Champions’ League in the next few years and have a Chairman with some money to back his ambition. Unlike a lot of Polish clubs they have been buyers rather than sellers although whether that will change once the Poles join the EC and their players become fair game to EC clubs remains to be seen.

Tread warily.

OPINION: REALITY CHECK I

Just arrived back from the Leicester game; not happy. I currently earn around £180.00 per week and in the last four days have spent £42.00 on tickets to watch City draw 1:1 with a bunch of Poles that we should have been vastly superior to and lose 3:0 to joint bottom Leicester, at home.

I am, however, an optimist and a realist. I could not be happier with the way things are going at city at the moment. Great manager, good squad, big ground. I was at stoke 6 years ago when we were relegated from the 1st division and I was at Wembley for the play-off final so I recognise how far we have come since then. But today’s performance was the worst I have seen for a long, long time. No attempts on goal to speak of, no control of the game, and weak at the back. When I saw that Berkovic was playing I thought we could be in for a real treat as I believe he is one of our most creative players but even he couldn’t inspire an inept team to create even one opportunity worth shouting about.

I realise that even the best teams have bad days, e.g. Man U 1:3 Fulham etc., but it is rare that the joint bottom club goes away and romps home to a 3:0 victory with ease.

I know for a fact that things won’t seem as bad tomorrow morning but at the moment they couldn’t be worse. I couldn’t tell you what the problem was today, but let’s face it, It was diabolical. At least they had some chicken balti pies left at half time otherwise it would have been a wasted afternoon.

The above was written by my son, who has only been going to City for about 13 years.

I have been going for 50 years or so and I am utterly appalled by today’s “performance”.

No fight, no skill to talk about, nothing to get the crowd going – in fact just nothing.

Thank God for McV where you can get things off your chest.

Thank God we have not got to go for another 3 weeks. I am totally p**sed off with the events of the day. I could go through the team and ask what each individual was worth but I cannot be a**ed. Back to work tomorrow. I know that my boss will want to know if I am not justifying my few quid a week.

I would love to be a fly on the wall at Carrington to hear if any realism is thrown at the “stars” who really let us down today.

I don’t think that we are being too hard on them. Do you?

OPINION: REALITY CHECK II

As a kid I had a dream; well several in fact. City winning a trophy (but that was as realistic as the dream of sh**ging Susanna Hoffs, so we’ll forget that), and the other was to one day see my team play top European opposition in a competitive game. You know who I mean, the likes of Real Madrid, Milan, Inter, Juve, Barça, Bayern, Dortmund, Ajax, etc.

This is why I feel so utterly p**sed off today, because after 24 years that dream finally looked as if it may come true. Yes, we were gifted the UEFA Cup slot, but still we were in it nevertheless. Now it looks like those dreams will be cruelly smashed by the Polish equivalent of Macclesfield. Who’s to say how long it may be before we get such a chance again!

The sad thing about it was that Groclin deserved their draw. They were spirited, committed, and stuck to their task superbly. They knew how to stop us play, and it was all too easy for them to do so.

Why can KK not see that in such games, when we know we are struggling to unlock the opposition, that Eyal Berkovic is the man? It beggars belief it really does, because I know of not one City fan who hasn’t noticed it.

The only shining lights on a very disappointing night were the performances of Distin and Dunne, who now look set to be the regular two for some time, and deservedly so.

All in all we’ve left ourselves a mountain to climb. Dreams are on the line here boys, don’t ruin them!

OPINION: REALITY CHECK III

Manchester City 0 Leicester City 3

May we now boo?

OPINION: TEAM LEADER

The team will continue to suffer until a captain is found who has the ability to communicate with his team mates, and that captain is not Distin, he does not have the qualities to lead from the back, and that is where we need a true leader.

I hope K.K. realises before the season turns into a waste of honest potential.

OPINION: STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

After yesterday’s aggravatingly woeful display and resulting loss:

Newcastle
Middlesbrough
Everton
Manchester United

are our next League opponents – and shall all be excellent indications as to who is prepared to do what for Manchester City!

The transfer window will be upon us in less than a couple of months. Let those players who are prepared to really play for Manchester City prove their worth to the Club, and, to the fans. Equally, let those players who don’t give a damn simply get out their passports, pack their bags and book a flight home!

It is a pity the players do not obviously share the pride and passion for the club that is displayed by the fans. KK and his staff need to get a firm grip on the situation – now – and sort things out, once and for all: recognize the problems and deal effectively, with them. If not, then, it will surely just continue to be: “Same Old City!”

You’re being paid to do a job, Kevin: Come on (No more “Mr Nice Guy!”)!

OPINION: LAY OFF MACKEN

Why do people tar Jon Macken with the same brush as Lee Bradbury? Surely this isn’t a fair comparison to make as Macken hasn’t really played any games due to his sheer bad luck with injury. Nobody can make a fair assessment on him until he has been given the chance to have a run of games in the side.

Yes we paid £5 million for him and at the moment that is an expensive price tag for somebody who has spent most of the time on the sidelines but let’s get him fit and see what he can do before we judge his ability.

OPINION: BIG TIME BLUES I

Was looking for bodyguard info on the net (don’t ask why) and came across this site. Look at the quality of their clients! Prince, Madonna and… er… who’s that other guy?

http://www.bodyguard-protection.com/close.html

Also – re Graham Mills (MCIVTA 965) who wants to get rid of Anelka because he didn’t go clay pigeon shooting “I would like to see him ply his trade with a different club, under a different manager, in front of different fans” – are you on druggzz?! Sir Nico has Dead Shot Keens boots at the moment and should be indulged and ego stroked as much as possible so he doesn’t sulk off to some other CL hopefuls – he’s not bigger than the club but he’s getting close.

OPINION: BIG TIME BLUES II

Graham Mills’s extraordinary diatribe about Anelka seems misplaced, especially as, in the big scale of things, I’d have thought not feeling the need for team-building by using guns (not everybody’s idea of a good time) was a minor offence compared to larging it (irrespective of whether the pictures told “the truth”) in a night club. If Anelka had played at Southampton, we’d not have known anything was amiss, so the bit about keeping disciplinary matters “in house” is a bit rich.

OPINION: TICKETING WOES

I have read many, many times of the problems that people have had with the ticket office, struggling to get through etc. Maybe I should have paid more attention. My sister, a season ticket holder, couldn’t go to the Groclin match (lives in York and has a new baby), but I asked if I could go instead. On Wednesday night she phoned the ticket office and was told that her normal seat was gone (fair enough) but there were thousands of tickets left and if I turned up on the night I would be able to get in.

When I turned up for the match, what happened? UEFA regulations say they can’t sell tickets for the match after 4.00 on UEFA cup matchdays. As much as I didn’t want to scream at the guy on the ticket office, as it wasn’t his fault, I was absolutely livid. Still I reigned myself in, went home and watched it on BBC3, admiring the nearly 16,000 empty seats as I did so.

Whilst I can appreciate the problems the ticket office might have in trying to answer calls if they’re stretched, it’s quite another thing for them to give out blatantly wrong information. Grrrrrrr.

Anyway, the question is, why can’t you buy tickets on the night? There I was with two season tickets (sister and brother in law). I’ve been going to see City for 15 years. I’ve been a season ticket holder in the past, and since a member. It’s not like I couldn’t prove who I was. OK, yes, I can perhaps see a point in not putting tickets on open sale on the night, so as to stop away fans from turning up without tickets, all going in the home end and (possibly) causing trouble. But this just stops actual fans getting in.

Rant over. Thank you for bearing with me.

OPINION: JAUNDICED VIEWS

Agree with James in MCIVTA 965 about The Guardian – I’m always surprised to read anything positive about City in there. The Observer isn’t much better.

REQUEST: MARC VIVIEN FOE MEMORIAL FUND

The online auction is now “live” and you can view the items available from the many clubs, the FA and various celebs that are available to bid for by visiting the website:

http://www.marcvivienfoe.org

Amongst the City related items kindly donated by MCFC, Doves and Dave Kilroy are signed shirts, signed programmes, original No 23 training tops and a matchday package.

For further information please email:

REQUEST: AFGHAN BLUES

If I thought MCIVTA was important to me living in Bermuda, its value has gone beyond measure now I am working in Afghanistan!

Although the massed ranks of the Taliban are a thing of the past, there are still a number of people lurking whose allegiance is to Another Menace – including my boss, the British Ambassador. And, I feel panic setting in, one of our heavily armed bodyguards. Surely there must be another Blue or two living in the shadow of the Hindu Kush? If there are, please say hello.

Four and a half hours ahead of the UK, news of City now usually comes the day after. But information is hard to come by: BBC World Service reception is pretty hopeless; Internet access is patchy. One of my military colleagues told me he has just started supporting the Menace because of reading of the Munich disaster! Tells you a lot about the quality of paper delivery boys in our neighbourhood. So any Blues in Afghanistan, make yourself known! Safety in numbers guys.

Heidi, please keep pumping out MCIVTA.

Best wishes to Colin Bell and all at Maine Road.

REQUEST: NEWCASTLE TICKETS

Anyone with 2 spare tickets for Newcastle away 22/11/03, please get in touch.

RESULTS

9 November 2003

Liverpool             1 - 2  Manchester United     44,159
Manchester City       0 - 3  Leicester City        46,966
Chelsea               5 - 0  Newcastle United      41,332

8 November 2003

Wolverhampton Wndrs   1 - 1  Birmingham City       28,831
Arsenal               2 - 1  Tottenham Hotspur     38,101
Aston Villa           0 - 2  Middlesbrough         29,898
Bolton Wanderers      0 - 0  Southampton           25,619
Charlton Athletic     3 - 1  Fulham                26,344
Portsmouth            6 - 1  Leeds United          20,112

League table to 09 November 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         12  5  1  0 12  6  4  2  0 13  4  9  3  0  25  10  15  30
 2 Chelsea         12  5  1  0 15  5  4  1  1 11  4  9  2  1  26   9  17  29
 3 Manchester Utd  12  4  1  1 12  3  5  0  1 11  4  9  1  2  23   7  16  28
 4 Charlton Ath.   12  2  2  2  9 11  4  1  1 10  4  6  3  3  19  15   4  21
 5 Birmingham City 12  2  3  1  6  4  3  2  1  5  4  5  5  2  11   8   3  20
 6 Manchester City 12  2  2  2 12  9  3  1  2 10  6  5  3  4  22  15   7  18
 7 Fulham          12  2  2  2 10  9  3  1  2 12  9  5  3  4  22  18   4  18
 8 Liverpool       12  2  1  3  8  8  3  1  2 10  6  5  2  5  18  14   4  17
 9 Southampton     12  3  1  2  5  3  1  4  1  5  4  4  5  3  10   7   3  17
10 Newcastle Utd   12  2  2  2  6  4  2  2  2 10 14  4  4  4  16  18  -2  16
11 Portsmouth      12  4  0  2 15  6  0  3  3  2 10  4  3  5  17  16   1  15
12 Middlesbrough   12  2  0  4  6 10  2  2  2  5  5  4  2  6  11  15  -4  14
13 Tottenham H.    12  2  1  3  6  8  1  2  3  5  8  3  3  6  11  16  -5  12
14 Bolton Wndrs    12  1  4  1  5  4  1  2  3  4 15  2  6  4   9  19 -10  12
15 Leicester City  12  2  2  2 10  8  1  0  5  9 13  3  2  7  19  21  -2  11
16 Aston Villa     12  2  3  1  6  5  0  2  4  3 10  2  5  5   9  15  -6  11
17 Everton         11  2  2  2  9  7  0  2  3  3  8  2  4  5  12  15  -3  10
18 Wolves          12  2  2  2  6 13  0  2  4  2 11  2  4  6   8  24 -16  10
19 Blackburn R.    11  1  0  4  8 10  1  2  3  7 11  2  2  7  15  21  -6   8
20 Leeds United    12  1  2  3  5 10  1  0  5  6 21  2  2  8  11  31 -20   8

MCIVTA FAQ [v0304.06]

[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/); the “Centenary Supporters’ Association” (http://www.reddishblues.com/CSAWebsite/CSA.htm) and “The International Supporters’ Club” (http://www.mcfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=111845&Title=International+Supporters+Club&lid=Membership).

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

The GMR pre and post match phone-in is available on the web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/gmr/sport_intro.shtml.

Live match commentaries and archives of games, reports and interviews can be found at http://www.mcfctv.com/, whilst an alternate live commentary service, hosted by Yahoo, is located at http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/foot/englandprem/cal/index.html.

[7] 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. Useful sites for North American viewers are http://canadatvsoccer.tripod.com/Fixtures.htm, http://www.foxsportsworld.com/named/FSW/Index/Soccer, and http://www.soccertv.com/.

http://www.foxsportsworld.com/content/view?contentId=1288602 also provides a guide to pubs in the USA showing football.

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

It’s actually a mix of two tracks. It starts with “O Verona” (from the motion picture “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet”) and leads in to “Barber’s Adagio for Strings (Ferry Corsten remix)” by William Orbit. The first part is available on the movie soundtrack (volume 2) and the second is included on a variety of CDs such as Kiss House Nation 2000, Galaxy Hit Mix, Cream Live, Ibiza Chill and Dance Nation 4.

[9] 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

[10] 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/

[11] Can I buy shares in the club?

Yes you can: Shares in Manchester City PLC are traded on OFEX. The latest prices can be on found the OFEX web site http://www.ofex.com/ (registration required) or in the business section of the Manchester Evening News.

[12] Where can I find match statistics?

Statistics for the current season are available from the club site, but for a more in-depth analysis try http://www.mcfcstats.com/ or http://www.citystat.net/.

[13] Acknowledgements

Thanks go to Damian Quinn, Stephen Webb, Roger Haigh, Martin Price, and Adrian Howarth 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, editor@mcivta.city-fan.org

Editor: