Newsletter #985

A shorter issue tonight, Don’s news gives the hits and misses on transfer speculation, and happenings at CoMS together with opinion, fluffy cartoon characters and the usual requests.

Tottingham on Sunday, and hopefully not out for round 5.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Psycho Killer Blow to Oldham: Oldham Athletic’s prospective new owners have revealed that City coach Stuart Pearce has turned down the opportunity to discuss the vacant managerial position at Boundary Park. According to the Latics’ website, Pearce “declined to speak to Athletic’s new investors as he felt it was inappropriate at this time”. Oldham revealed on Friday that they had not made any moves to lure Steve McMahon away from rivals Blackpool, after the ex-City midfielder resigned, then withdrew the resignation shortly after.

I Like Pleasure Spiked with Pain: While City’s Fortunes have Faded, Blues supporters can look forward to a summer gig at the COMS, By the Way. Popular beat combo The Red Hot Chili Peppers continue their worldwide Road Trippin’ with a performance at Eastlands on Friday June 18. It’s believed the band will arrive by Aeroplane, but it’s not clear whether they have agreed to play later in the sewers beneath Chelsea’s ground – will they be Under the Bridge I wonder? Your Editor got to Taste the Pain when he tried to use the link provided in the club newsletter, which supposedly took you the agency selling tickets. Once on the Otherside, he found it was password protected. Nice one City! Tickets are allegedly available from today, Universally Speaking.

Lost in France: It’s going to be busy in M11 this summer. The club website has announced that City will play host to a tri-nation tournament involving England, Japan and another European nation ahead of the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal. “This is a terrific boost for the City of Manchester Stadium,” said a club spokesman. “It is recognition that our home is one of the leading grounds in the country. Our facilities are second to none and already we have had a UEFA delegation at the stadium. Their feedback was excellent and we hope one day in the future that we will be able to host key UEFA matches.” The Guardian reported this week that the FA had been negotiating with France to participate as the third country – this plan has had to be abandoned, as the countries meet in the tournament proper in June. Dang nab it.

Transfer News and Gossip

The Green Green Graz of Home: KK has confirmed that midfielder Christian Negouai is in talks with Austrian side, Sturm Graz about a loan move until the end of the season. But the manager stressed that if the move goes ahead it does not shut the door on the midfielder’s career at City. “Christian has gone over there for a medical and we will see what happens,” he explained. “It will be a loan move if he does go. But there is still a possibility that things will work out for him here. He will only be gone until the end of the season and he still has a couple of years left on his contract. We would expect him back for the start of next season, just like Matias Vuoso. They are both inexperienced and both need to play games.” The midfielder was sidelined last season after undergoing an operation on his knees and has been a regular in the reserves this season. He has played just eight times for the Blues, scoring two goals. His last appearance came against TNS in the UEFA Cup at the beginning of the current campaign.

He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother: Chris Sutton’s brother John is said to interest City. Sutton has scored 15 goals in 23 appearances this season for Raith Rovers, and is being chased by Manchester City and Southampton according to the Daily Record. Valencia had offered Sutton a trial with a view to a transfer during the January transfer window, but he rejected the offer in preference for a move closer to home. Dundee, presently in administration, are not in a position to offer a straight transfer fee at present but were keen to discuss the terms of a possible loan deal. Raith are quoted as saying they would prefer to negotiate a transfer fee, “especially now there is serious interest from two Premiership clubs.” Sutton minor is also interesting Millwall, and it’s said that a fee of £100,000 would secure the striker. [Thanks Matthew Thomas]. Millwall and City have also been mentioned in connection with Nice youngster Johan Audel. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder looks likely to quit the Côte d’Azur club during the transfer window, and Millwall had appeared favourites to land the French prospect after he enjoyed a short stint in East London with Dennis Wise’s Lions. However, it has emerged that Kevin Keegan has also been alerted by the player’s availability, and could rival any interest in his signature.

He’s Leaving Rome: City, along with a heap of other Premiership clubs, have been linked with a loan move for French playmaker Ousmane Dabo. Lazio are believed to be willing to loan out the Frenchman with the option of selling him on a permanent basis as they look to ease their financial problems. “There are number of clubs interested in signing Dabo on loan for the rest of the season,” McKay said. “We are just waiting for confirmation from Lazio to see if he will be allowed to leave on loan. Several clubs have watched him in action and they have been interested in him before. Dabo is keen to come to England as he is big fan of The Premiership and he feels playing in England can help win a place in the France side for the European Championships,” said Dabo’s agent, the ubiquitous Willie McKay. Dabo has two international caps, his last coming in August, and faces intense competition to secure a place in the reigning champions’ squad for Euro 2004.

Knocking on Evans’ Door: KK may have beaten Sir Redface in the race to sign teenage Welsh midfielder Scott Evans. The Swansea City academy player, 15, will visit City for a two-week trial after attracting the attention of a number of Premiership clubs. Evans is a left-sided defender or midfielder and it is believed he will be offered a four-year deal by Keegan, while Swansea could be given first option on the teenager should he leave the Blues on loan in the future. There is also speculation that City will play Brian Flynn’s side in a pre-season friendly as part of the deal. “I can see something happening,” Swansea Chairman Huw Jenkins said. “Scott is contracted to us, but his family have made it known that if Manchester City are interested in taking him they would be interested in Scott going. We would like him to stay with us and we could force him to stay until he is 17, but I don’t think that’s the way to do things. That’s why Scott’s going up to Manchester for a couple of days next week.”

Old Codger: There is plenty of speculation this week about KK bringing down the average age of his squad by not retaining some of the more venerable players. Britain’s best selling newspaper began the trend by stating that “Kevin Keegan is ready to dump Paul Bosvelt and Michael Tarnat at the end of the season.” The journal states that the club would be glad to be rid of the pair’s £30,000 per week wages, in order to reduce the wage bill. Elsewhere there were other reports stating that Tarnat, Danny Tiatto and Gerard Wiekens were the most likely candidates for the chop in the summer. “I have made no decisions and I am unlikely to make any on any players at the moment,” declared Keegan. “Danny Tiatto’s contract runs out at the end of the season as does Gerard Wiekens and there are three or four younger players whose contracts run out as well. We will make some offers to them but they have the choice to go if they want as in January they are entitled to go and talk to other clubs or sign pre-contract agreements. We have to wait and see how the season pans out and have a good look at the players. I don’t think there is any pressure from me and there is none from the players. They are all free to go at the moment because of the rules but I don’t think that Michael Tarnat expects me to speak to him until the end of the season.”

Just What I Always Wanted: KK wants to recruit a defender on loan before the end of the transfer window, as the Big Boss Man now thinks that City’s defensive cover is a bit on the thin side. “Contrary to what people think we have not got a big squad here, but I still believe it is a quality squad,” he said. “The only part of the squad about which I have any concern is the defence. We would be stretched if we get suspensions and Sylvain Distin is only one booking away from a ban. I would like to try and pick up another player for the defence. He would fill a gap for us in case we get any more injuries. I told the chairman we are a looking for a top-class defender, who is on a Bosman and who is available in January and wants to come to Manchester City. I am being a bit facetious when I say we are looking for a top-class defender, but it might be a player who is at a club and it might be a big wage for them, he might be leaving at the end of the season so now is the time to do it. I think it is for the agents to come to us if they have someone of that ilk.”

Ex-Blues’ News

Bye Bye Baby: Leicester City manager Mickey Adams has put Steve Howey on the transfer list – just six months after Howey joined from our own City Blues. The Foxes boss has run out of patience with the injury-prone centre-back after the 32-year-old pulled out of the midweek FA Cup tie with City less than an hour before kick-off. Howey complained of a tight hamstring and Adams was forced to throw in young defender Matt Heath, 23, for the 3-1 loss. Adams explained: “I felt it was in the best interests for both parties if we went our separate ways.” Howey has made 15 first team appearances this season for the Foxes, and reports suggest that Sunderland might make a move to bring the defender to his home-town club.

A Loan Again? Naturally: A reunion of former City boys could be on the cards if tabloid reports are to be believed. Ipswich Town boss Joe Royle wants to take Shaun Goater on loan from Reading. Big Joe apparently wants more of a goal threat from his Tractor Boys (after all, they only scored six against Crewe last Saturday), and also thinks the Goat will be useful defending set pieces (after all, they conceded four goals in the same match). Injuries and a change of manager have not helped Goater settle at the Madejski Stadium, although the great man has not lost the art of goalscoring when he does play. The Goat’s reaction is in his column in Bermudian newspaper the Royal Gazette: “It is true that Joe has been in contact with my boss Steve Coppell and I am flattered because he and assistant coach Willie Donachie, more than anyone, were the most influential in my career and helped make me as well-known as I was with Manchester City. Joe Royle brought me to the club and gave me that opportunity and I am flattered to know that he is interested in me. I don’t think the talk of my possibly going on loan will unsettle me, all it will do is let me know what my situation is with the club.”

You Gotta Beat the Clock: I bring news of Steve Mackenzie, scorer of the best goal of the 1981 FA Cup Final (Ricky Villa? Never heard of him). “Stevie Mac the First” retired from the professional game in 1994 aged 33, but was recently tempted out of retirement to play for Dr Marten’s League Western Division side Gresley Rovers. Mackenzie was helping out an old friend, Gresley coach Steve Hinks, whose side have been blighted by injury. On his début against Shepshed Dynamo recently Mackenzie came off the bench to score a memorable goal with his first touch to seal a comfortable 3-0 victory for Gresley. “I’m just helping them out because they have got a few injuries at the moment,” said Mackenzie later. “It’s just a short-term thing because I coach at West Brom’s School of Excellence during the week and I usually work for the press association covering games on a Saturday.”

Reactions and Comments

Hello Goodbye? The press pack picked up on KK’s programme notes for the Blackburn game, which were interpreted as a sign of Keegan’s imminent demise. Musing about his pre-match pep talk to the players prior to the Leicester match, KK opined “I told the players before they went out that if I was going to lose my job, as so many people seem to think, I wanted to be able to say they had given me everything. And I think they did and have done all along. The performances and the spirit have kept us going when just about everything else has gone against us. You expect the luck to even itself out over a season but that has not been happening. And I am enough of a realist to know that two or three more bad results and my job is on the line. When you go on a run like this, you can get the tap on the shoulder. I know that if your results aren’t right over a long period someone else gets the chance to do your job. It is just the jungle we live in and it’s accepted and it’s understandable. We just want to make that cup result the spur to go on and really finish in the table where our ability deserves to take us. It might be a turning point. Our performances have been good. The players hadn’t done badly. They had some bad results – there is a difference.”

Under Pressure: Believe it or not, the Sunday papers actually contained some Boss reaction to the Blackburn match as well. A 1-1 draw at home to Rovers left City looking anxiously over their shoulders at the drop zone. Keegan said: “We had some chances to win, especially in the first half when we hit the post, but we weren’t as dominant as I would have liked in the second half. We didn’t hold on to the lead for as long as I had hoped and in the last 15 or 20 minutes Blackburn were the more composed side. That is understandable as we last won here on October 18 and it showed at times. The effort and commitment was good, but we didn’t open them up. When we were 1-0 up we didn’t look like a side that looked confident to hang on to it and I guess that is because we have been unable to do so. We have plenty of character, but for some reason we are struggling here.” Asked if he felt the pressure, KK said that “There is pressure on us all but it tends to start with the manager because I am the one who picks the team. You have to go back to October for our last home win and that is a long time. We are in a disappointing run but we will keep soldiering on. We got 1-0 up but we didn’t look like a side who was going to hang onto it,” he admitted. “That is because in recent times we haven’t been able to. There is plenty of character in the side but for some reason we are struggling. Results haven’t gone for us when we have played well and if you don’t play well, you don’t get much in this league anyway. It was very disappointing to concede and how many times have we said before during this season that the only thing the goalkeeper has had to do is to pick the ball out of the net. We have played well at the City of Manchester Stadium and teams have not been able to get at us. I would have liked to see Brad Friedel tested more. But it was always going to be that sort of game.”

Great Balls of Fire: Keegan’s former Liverpool teammate and opposing manager, Graeme Souness, felt his defence were worthy of special praise. “You could count on the fingers of one hand the games where we have defended well this season, but that was one of them,” he said. “It is our defensive performances that have put us in the position we are in but Nils-Eric Johansson and Markus Babbel were outstanding today. They managed to keep Nicolas Anelka quiet, which is no mean feat in itself because I regard him as one of the best strikers in the world. Overall, I was happy with a point because neither side created many chances. It was a fair result to a scrappy game. I cannot fault my team for their commitments and the amount of work they put in. I would have liked my team to pass it better and show more creativity, but there were two sets of nervous players and I think that is the reason why the game panned out as it did.” Souness’ succinct summary? “This was a game for my senior players to stand up and be counted, and they did that. They showed big balls.”

A Rush of Blood to the Head: Speaking of spherical objects – Trevor Sinclair sported a golf ball sized lump on his noggin following a nasty clash of heads. “I was in the wars but that is part and parcel of the game,” he said later. “We are more worried that we took the lead and couldn’t hold on to it. It was an evenly matched contest but maybe we edged it and we deserved to be in front after the chances we did create. There was a lapse not just from the defence but the whole team and they have equalised within five minutes. We didn’t lose and that was important against a Blackburn side in a similar position to ourselves. It was a big game. We are not nervy, I think we were just bombing on trying to get a second goal. We haven’t got the players in the team to get a 1-0 lead and try to defend that,” he said. “We felt a second would have finished off Blackburn but it wasn’t to be and we showed some good things without getting the decisive three points.” Sinclair was asked to compare his current club’s plight with that of his previous one, West Ham United. “I suppose there are some similarities with West Ham last year in that we had a strong squad that we had problems in getting three points at home but that’s where the similarities begin and end. We got such a good start this season when we were fourth, where as at West Ham we really struggled from the start and things didn’t get better until the New Year, so I can’t really compare the two situations. We had a lot of good players at West Ham and we have a lot of good players at City who don’t want to be down there and are determined we will not be come the end of the season. Our reaction is to get our sleeves rolled up and get stuck in. Being down there is hurtful to our pride and we want to fight our way out of it.”

Squad News

Spice Up Your Life: As reported last week, the “Spice Boys” reunion tour didn’t get off to the best of starts, after five City players were said to have been left behind at The Walkers Stadium on Wednesday. Friday’s papers were still buzzing with the story, and I quote from Friday’s soaraway Sun: “The stars are believed to have been in the players’ bar at Leicester when Keegan ordered their team coach to drive off without them following City’s 3-1 FA Cup third-round replay victory. Panicking club officials began a search for their stars – Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Trevor Sinclair, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joey Barton. But Keegan lost patience and told the driver to go. The players made an SOS call to the coach and were told to wait in reception to be collected. At that time McManaman confirmed: ‘There’s been a mix-up, they are coming back to pick us up.’ But, to their horror, it was Keegan who returned in a top-of-the-range BMW – and onlookers said the City boss was steaming. One witness said: ‘Kevin wasn’t happy. He didn’t say anything but he had a face like thunder.’ The players’ bar is on the second floor of the Walkers Stadium. Players from both sides can invite friends and family. Soft drinks are served until 15 minutes after the game, then a normal bar operates. There is no suggestion any of the City players had been drinking. A Leicester insider said: ‘I could not believe it when I saw the coach pull away because I knew there were still players on the second floor. You could understand perhaps forgetting one – but not five.'” City later confirmed they will review their transport policy for away games. “This has been a genuine mix-up,” said City spokesman Paul Tyrrell. “We will now be looking at our transport policy for the squad to away matches.”

You To Me Are Everything: You get the feeling that KK is still pleased with last week’s acquisition of “England’s, England’s number one”, namely David James. “We have gone for the very, very best that we can,” Keegan declared. “It’s not the cheap option, it’s the right option. In David we have got an outstanding goalkeeper, who is currently England’s number one. He is going to Portugal and he needs to be playing in the Premiership because when he goes there – and with no disrespect to the strikers in the First Division – he is going to be playing against some of the best in the world. He’ll come up against the likes of Thierry Henry and players of such standard. It was a real `win-win’ situation for us and we have made the very, very best of what was difficult situation for us. He’s got at least six or seven years ahead of him” Likewise, James feels that he cannot fail to prosper at City. “Everything has been so far, so good, but it’s only been brief,” said James. “It was big step for me in leaving West Ham because I felt part of the family set-up there so to come here and not do what I know I can would be criminal. I would like to spoken of in the same breath as Peter Schmeichel and David Seaman one day, in fact it would be an honour. If I could have success here it would be tremendous because Manchester City are steeped in tradition. If I am mentioned in the same breath as those two, I know I will have done something right. But the only way you become a top goalkeeper for your country is by playing well for your club. I have moved to Manchester City with the intention of retaining the England jersey. All I can do is to perform to my best and hopefully that will happen. I think I have got my best years ahead of me but the game changes.”

Knock on Wood: Thanks to Dillon Allie, for providing news of one of City’s loan rangers who is currently playing in Mexico. “Just wanted to let everyone know that the woodwork is keeping Blues from scoring all over the world and not just in England. Vuoso hit the bar with a crashing header in the 69th minute vs. Chivas of Guadalajara. Santos lost their first Liga de Mexicana match of the summer season 1-0. The fact that he is getting to play in a side that also features Mexico’s first choice striker (Jared Bourghetti) speaks volumes, even though the season is early.”

OPINION: TIME TO DIG IN

Time I put a few thoughts down. Just what is happening with our City? They are not playing as a team; no matter what combination starts they are not a team. Talented individuals yes but that is obviously not enough.

OK, there have been some dodgy officials, but generally it works out over the season. For example the clown of a linesman in front of us at Leicester; at least he was inconsistent for both teams.

What is a ‘hardman’ like Paul Bosvelt getting booked for at a free kick? Kick someone up in the air if you’re going to get booked Paul, Flitcroft does! Never mind the fair play league, let’s start getting tough. It became fairly obvious early on against Blackburn that Souness had told his team not to lose at any cost. They didn’t and he got what he came for.

The time for pretty (dare I say sexy) football is over. Now is time to dig in and make damn sure we stay up in this league. We are lucky there is some rubbish below us: Portsmouth, Leicester, Leeds and Wolves. Oh no! We haven’t beaten any of them in the league this year (yet). Our beloved Blues could be well in the s**t by the time we get to the derby match.

So KK if you read this, I’m backing you all the way, the top managers have been with their teams a lot longer than you (or have unlimited funds), but it’s time to fill some sandbags, fix bayonets, and fight for our place in the Premiership. Then when we stay up, lessons learned (hopefully), you can plan the next campaign with 2 years’ experience and a chance to make your mark.

The new stadium is just bloody brilliant, the atmosphere is coming along nicely (slowly but nicely). The fans we know are the best in the world. A winning combination so let’s hope we start winning.

CTID, Mick B <Koolfurmick(at)aol.com>

OPINION: SONG FOR THE DERBY

A song for the Eastlands derby I feel…

His name is Rio,
And he’s sitting in the stand,
Oh Rio don’t forget,
To collect your eighty grand…

(To the tune of the old Duran Duran classic, of course!)

OPINION: ESCAPE TO PICCADILLY

Thanks to Garry Higgins for his amusing Match View of the Blackburn game in MCIVTA 984.

For his and anybody else’s information, I have found that the most direct walking route back to Piccadilly is along the canal that runs parallel to Bradford Road. You can get to the canal through the gate at the rear of Reebok City. You eventually emerge at the junction of Great Ancoats Street, Bradford Road and Store Street, just behind Piccadilly Station. The walk takes about 15 minutes, and is free from brick-chucking local brats.

Hope this helps.

OPINION: GET FUZZY

One of the most popular comic strips in newspapers here in the U.S. is ‘Get Fuzzy’. I’ve always been a fan, but today I bought the new compilation book ‘Blueprint for Disaster’ and lo and behold the human; Rob (it’s him, his cat (Bucky) and dog (Satchel) who are the focus of the cartoon) is wearing a Le Coq Sportif Eidos shirt with the City badge in full view… We have City fans in all kinds of unexpected places!

Here’s a link to the book, I believe you can get it in the UK: http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/getfuzzy/archive/

OPINION: THANKS

A big thank you to all the McV readers who have shown an interest in the excel spreadsheets posted on the “Odds-n-Sods” website; special thanks to the City fans who have contacted me with comments and/or suggestions about the sheets.

Consequently, there is now an improved version of The-Bigger-One (the Man City and all Premiership team-progress spreadsheet) available free at: http://www.freewebs.com/vincents-odds-n-sods/thebiggerone.htm As well as the old features, it now has a Date-Ordered-Fixture-&-Results page, new Won/Drawn/Loss graphs, Season-Results-Margin graphs, more comprehensive instructions, and it is now easier to check for mis-entries on the fixtures/results-grid. Plus lots of other stuff. Its results and fixture-dates are up-to-date to the 20th Jan-04, and all the tables and graphs are instantly revised with every result you enter. If you like the sheets, please tell your mates.

It has been suggested that I write a version of my sheets that will work on MS Works Spreadsheet; I’ll try to make time to get one running for the start of next season; unfortunately, it will have fewer features, but will be based on the same lines as “The-Bigger-One”. No matter how you cut the statistics, City’s situation looks ominous! And after our win against Leicester in the Cup, I had visions of us being the ubiquitous team, struggling against relegation while having a good Cup-run. A good result against Spurs on Sunday (gone by now) will only reinforce that image.

I’m old enough to remember the 1969 FA Cup final when City beat Leicester, with Leicester already doomed to relegation. It has just occurred to me that if City get rel*#*=ed, I’ll have to totally re-write all of my sheets, based on a 24-team league, instead of a 20-team league!

Come on you Blues – I want a summer holiday!

REQUEST: LONDON VIEWING

“Scuse me Guv, got a minute? Fell on hard times see? Born an’ raised in Gorton. What? No, it’s up North, an’ I support a club called Manchester City. No mate, not Maaaaaanchester, ManchesTOR. No mate, they’re actually from the City of Salford but anyway. Yes, I can see, an actual ****** replica shirt. Only £125 and only 2 days out of date? Lucky you. No, it doesn’t matter, my fault, don’t know what came over me. Saw the shirt and thought you might be from my neck of the woods. Stupid really, I mean, we are in Walthamstow.”

Never mind the KK debate, never mind 14 games without a win, if you live where you see a City shirt/car sticker/emblem/CoMS every day, and even when you can read the MuEN when you like, then, Ladies & Gentlemen, you don’t know you’re born!

Spare a thought for the unwashed amongst us who bleed Blue but suffer the slings and arrows of cockney/Kent/Idonesian Rags without respite. You will not be surprised to note that the nearest bookshop to Upton Park (literally 30 seconds from the Anne Boleyn pub), sells/advertises more Rag books/calendars etc. than WetSham.

Therefore, please tell me where I can see City progress via Spurs (absolutely no doubt in my mind), with other masochists anywhere near Norf Landan.

Sack ‘im at the end of the season (if warranted) and not before.

REQUEST: SPARE LIVERPOOL PROGRAMME

Have any MCIVTA readers got a spare programme from this season’s home game with Liverpool? Please advise and we can sort out costs, delivery etc.

REQUEST: CHORLTON BLUES

The next Chorlton Blues’ meeting takes place on Tuesday 27th January at South West Manchester Cricket Club at 8.00pm.

Our invited guests for the evening are officials from MCFC. There will also be a raffle and free buffet.

Entrance is £1 for members and £2 for non-members. Juniors are free. Further details can be found on our website at http://www.chorltonblues.co.uk

REQUEST: NEW CITY SITE

In these dark days it’s hard to keep up a smile. Still, you can always have a look at The Blue Stuff website to cheer things up a bit.

http://www.thebluestuff.co.uk/

RESULTS

21 January 2004

Wolverhampton Wndrs   1 - 1  Liverpool             29,380

19 January 2004

Newcastle United      3 - 1  Fulham                50,104

League table to 21 January 2004 inclusive

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

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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: