Newsletter #1199

Don brings us news tonight on the latest contract negotiations, Pearce and the England situation, the new boys, SuperKev and our amazing 17th place.

The reserves were in action midweek with a 4-0 romp over Sunderland, report tonight. We also have plenty of opinion on atmosphere, ejecting fans, exasperation and the usual requests.

Roll on Sunday, we’re still dreaming of getting somewhere in the Cup this year.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Hey! Big Earners! It’s that time of year when the accountants known as Deloitte publish their football “Rich List”, showing the top 20 revenue earners in the world of football. The Reds and Real Madrid grabbed most of the national headlines, as the Spanish side overtook the Swamp dwellers for the first time at the top of the list – but who’s that lurking at no.17 in the “league”? Why, it’s our own dear MCFC, who Deloittes reckon brought in £60.9 million revenue in 2004/05. That puts us just a few pounds behind Glasgow Celtic, but above such luminaries as Everton, Valencia and Lazio.

Curb Crawling to the Ebgland Job: Mr. Pearce is much in the national spotlight at the moment as the FA seeks a summer replacement for Sven Goran Eriksson as England’s national coach. Sunday’s pre-match press focussed on an apparent U-turn by our manager – “Pearce open to England Offer” said one such tome. Looking at the comments made, however, you get the impression Psycho was responding to a question like “So Stuart, are you saying you’d never be interested in the England job?” To which our gaffer replied: “It would be absolute folly to rule myself out of any job,” according to The People. “I would certainly go for an interview. It would be very disrespectful to say I wouldn’t even turn up to talk to people who were offering me employment. I would have to have my chairman and the board’s consent, but if I was invited I would go down there and be very open-minded about what they had to say. I’m a realist and the realism is that there are a lot of people better qualified than me,” which hardly reads like a ‘come and get me’ plea, surely? And with two prime candidates facing each other when Charlton Athletic came calling, it was favourite topic to discuss with both managers. “I don’t think when the job is being given out I will be in the hot seat, that’s for sure,” said Psycho. “If the FA are talking about the next England manager being British it is good news for everyone in this country,” he said. “The public seem to want that, so obviously I would want to go that way – not just from the point of being in contention but because I am English. It is very important for this country – and for the FA – to go down that route because we are all taught through their system and we are all going through the curriculum for the badges and qualifications.” Alan Curbishley has also been mentioned as a possible future England boss, and he just hoped the matter was sorted swiftly. “The situation should be clarified,” said Curbishley. “In my opinion, the FA should turn round and say they will not make an announcement until after the final Premiership game on 7 May, which will just allow everyone to get on with what they have to do. All we are getting at the moment is ‘Curb Watch’, ‘Pearce Watch’ and ‘Sam Watch’, plus a fictional horse race with our heads on little horses seeing who is in front. It is not distracting but all three of us have important jobs to do. There is still three months of the season left and every day someone is saying something else. Who knows what people are thinking? I just think we should all be given a chance and the FA say they are not going to talk about it until after the season is over.” David James meanwhile was pretty horrified at the thought of City losing on Pearce. “It would be a huge blow for the club if he left,” said James. “We are building a strong club here and if, for any reason, Stuart was taken away, he would be very difficult to replace.” Today City insisted that they have had no approach from the FA. “We have not received an approach from the Football Association and any other speculation regarding Stuart is rampant and unjustified,” said a City spokesman.

Bring on the Reds: We now know when the FA Youth Cup quarter final meeting with those pesky Traffordonians takes place. It’s at the COMS on February 23rd with a 7.30pm kick off. Advance prices are £4 adults, £2 concessions and it’s a fiver on the door.

Greece is the Word: Who says you can’t further your career at MCFC? New City striker Georgios Samaras has been called up for the first time by Greece for a tournament in Cyprus at the end of the month. “I have been observing Samaras for quite a while and now was the appropriate time to select him,” said Greece coach Otto Rehnagel after selecting 10 foreign-based players in his preliminary squad. Greece play their first game of the tournament against Belarus on February 28. And there was good news for another of City’s youngsters, as Stephen Ireland also received his first senior international call-up, for the Republic’s of Ireland’s clash with Sweden. New Irish boss Steve Staunton recently vowed to give young talent a go, and he’s been as good as his word with our Stephen. A slightly more mature Richard Dunne has also been selected for the game.

We Only Need Ten Men… The Reserves are scoring more frequently than Wayne Rooney in an Old Folks’ Home at the moment. In yet another fine showing this week, the second string scored a 4-0 thrashing of Sunderland. BWP scored the first three goals, thus helping himself to a true hat-trick just after the hour. The game saw the return of Danny Mills, Ben Thatcher and Willo Flood from injury, and City could afford to withdraw Thatcher on 75 minutes despite having previously used all three substitutes, and still they scored – Ishmael Miller’s strike on 88 minutes completed the rout. “There were some fantastic goals, but I thought we were a bit slack in the first 10 minutes,” said Steve Wigley. “They had a couple of half-chances and Kasper did well, but then we got a grip on the game. We upped the tempo and passed the ball quickly and there were some really good performances.” Of the hat-trick hero, Squiggly Wigley added: “They were three great finishes, but his work rate all round was good tonight. He carried the workload of the frontline tonight but I would still like a tap-in from him! That was a target I set him, and he scores a lot in training but they were three wonderful goals that would grace any game. Maybe I’m being a bit greedy, I’d like him to get one at the near post, but it was a good performance.” Those returning from injury got a mention as well. “There were good performances from the senior lads, Danny Mills has got about 70 minutes under his belt, Ben had about 75. Willo did well also, so they were big plusses with them coming back from injury, and all three came through OK.”
Team: Schmeichel; D.Mills (D’Laryea 68), Thatcher(withdrawn, 75), M.Mills, Jordan; Flood (Logan 62), Croft, Laird, Miller; Sturridge (Johnson 46), Wright-Phillips. Unused subs: Matthewson, Ward.

“Let’s Talk Contracts” News

Willie or Won’t He? Sylvain Distin updated the media on how his contract talks were progressing this wee. He said: “We have been talking about it since the pre-season, and we agreed to wait until after January. We have another meeting next week, but it’s always been very positive. From the outside people might think that I don’t want to sign, take my time and be free in December, but I have never been like that. I’ll just take my time and I want to be sure that the Club and I want to go in the same direction. It has never been just about the money.” As if by magic, a story appeared this week suggesting that Lyon could make a fresh move for Distin in the summer. Lyon’s former Liverpool boss Gerrard Houllier is hoping he can get Distin back to his native France – Distin’s agent is Willie McKay. Draw your own conclusions… We’ve more about Joey Barton in the “Reactions & Comments” section, but SP was confident that a positive outcome would arise with both players. “We made an offer to Joey on Friday and I will have a one-to-one with him this week. We’re talking with Sylvain’s representatives, and I’m optimistic that these boys want to stay at this football club. It’s a good club, I think it’s important to realise that if you are on the playing staff that are not too many better than this.”

Love-Lee Job! Lower down the food-chain at the COMS, Lee Croft sounds like he’s about to get a new deal. “As far as we are concerned we are a long way down the road with Lee’s contract, and we hope to get that finalised very soon,” reported SP. “He’s started a few games, and he certainly made an impact when he came off the bench on a few occasions. He’s scrapping away for a place in the squad and in the side, he knows that being on the substitutes’ bench is not a foregone conclusion. He has come on in leaps and bounds, in some ways since I took over as manager. Before then he was deemed a reserve team player, now he’s a first-teamer and it’s down to him and how he does in the minutes he has on the pitch to push me in one direction or another.”

Sinclair’s Satisfied: Trevor Sinclair meanwhile has invited the club to offer him a new deal. Sinclair has 18 months left on his current contract and he hopes to win an extension. The 32-year-old insists he is happy at City and would like to finish his career at the club. “If I feel I can compete at the top level when my contract ends and the club feel the same way about me I’ll be happy to finish my career at City,” he said.

Ex-Blues’ News

Kev’s a Rover: Kevin Horlock has joined League One side Doncaster on an initial one-month loan deal from Ipswich Town. The Yorkshire outfit, who ended City’s League Cup hopes earlier this season, completed the deal after beating off competition from neighbours Barnsley as well as Yeovil and Oldham. The 33-year-old former City number 6 is out of contract in the summer and will not be staying at Portman Road beyond that. And Kev enjoyed his Donny début – he helped set up both goals in Doncaster’s 2-0 victory over the aforementioned Barnsley.

Reactions and Comments

Addicks ‘Ave It: City and Charlton played out quite a classic on Sunday afternoon, with an eventful second half more than making up for a lacklustre first period, as the home side came out 3-2 winners. A tame first half was only enlivened by Richard Dunne volleying home after Joey Barton’s cross was only half-cleared by the Charlton defence. The second half was a much more entertaining affair, as Charlton began with a flourish. Darren Bent notched up his 13th goal in the Premiership this season when he ran on to a beautiful diagonal ball that split the City defence, to finish with style. Almost immediately City regained the lead when Georgios Samaras headed home a Barton cross, with the Greek striker missing a great chance soon after to extend City’s lead. That happened in any case on 62 minutes, when Barton unleashed a 30-yards effort that pinged into the Charlton net off the post. But just when it looked like the Addicks were buried, Marcus Bent popped up to make it 3-2. “It was great fun,” Pearce told Sky Sports. “I thought at 3-1, we had killed the game off, but we did not get tight enough. They had nothing to lose, chased and harried us and created problems. They have a lot of pace and power up front and you have to give them credit for that. We are pleased to have won by the odd goal in five, even though I try to pride myself on clean sheets.” Pearce faces an anxious wait for news of two key players. “We believe Trevor Sinclair has fractured his cheekbone, prior to that he told me he had a slight problem with his groin,” added Pearce. “Coley we are scanning him tomorrow, so fingers crossed.” Samaras drew praise from Pearce, but he does not feel the Greek is the finished article. “He’s only 20 years old, we feel he is an uncut diamond and needs coaching, but it showed in flashes that he has the makings of a decent footballer,” stated the City chief.

Barton’s Bazooka: Joey Barton couldn’t stay out of the limelight again this week, but at least it was for positive football reasons. His contender for goal of the month was an astounding effort, and his performance drew praise of sorts from Gaffer Psycho. “In some ways he operates better when he has the weight of the world on his shoulders because he shuts his mouth. We saw that against Newcastle and he flourished again today.” Pearce confirmed the club had tabled a revised contract offer to Joey. “We recently made Joey a new offer, but it is obviously nowhere near the offer he made us but, we hope he stays at this club because it would be very good for him,” said Pearce. “Hopefully, it is a two-fold thing. We will be good for his career and he will be good for ours. I want us to flourish together.” Barton was interviewed after the match and said “I have had a disappointing 12 months or so, some caused by myself, some not. It is an outlet for me to get out on the pitch and show what I can do and it is good to play in a good team. It was nice to hit that and it be the winner.” Asked for his take on the contract discussions, he said: “The talks are going quite well, so it should be agreed very shortly.” Of the game just finished, he added “It was frustrating to play in. Every time we got the chance to kill the game off we gave away a sloppy goal. But we have turned this place into a bit of fortress now and we have to concentrate on winning games here and getting something on the road.”

Umm Aah, It’s Micah: Micah Richards was an assured performer and SP praised the 17-year-old Academy player after handing him his full début. Pearce revealed: “Sun Jihai failed a medical test at 1.30pm so obviously we had to put Micah in. I was ‘umming’ and ‘aahing’ to be honest with you whether to play him and move Jihai to left back beforehand for the game itself. Credit to him, one thing he is a strong character, and in the game he did a lot of good things out there. And I think in the game you’ve got to have a strong character. He never puts his head down, he’s as strong as an ox, and I think he’s got a bright future in this game.” The débutant said: “It was a great experience to get out there. I didn’t even know I was starting until about five minutes before we went out to do the warm-up! I noticed Sun Jihai wasn’t there, so I was the only defender, and I knew I was going to play at right back. I’d worked it out for myself, but when the gaffer said ‘you’re starting’, my heart started beating about 20 times faster. But once I got out there it was just incredible. The fans were great. Once you’ve got the fans around you, you can do anything.”

Squad News

Gorgeous Georgios: City new boy Georgios Samaras swears he is not a troublesome influence. His previous club Heerenveen claimed Samaras went on strike to win the move to City, but Samaras denies this. “It is not true that I went on strike. I was suffering from a cold and did not go into training,” said Samaras. “I asked to be sold to City and when Heerenveen refused to accept what was being offered, I took my case to the Dutch FA. They agreed with Heerenveen because they were still in the UEFA Cup, but that was wrong because my contract included a clause saying that I could leave if the club was given a reasonable price. It was only when I then became ill and didn’t arrive for training that they decided to sell me. But I am not a troublemaker. I am 100 percent professional and that means doing absolutely everything that my contract says I must do. I was within my rights to leave the club. It was in my contract, so if people think I am trouble all I can say is that they are wrong. It was a happy ending for me.”

Grow or Die: David James has assured Joey Barton that his colleagues are right behind him – provided he continues to deliver on the pitch. Under the headline “Bart and Soul” (I want to be a tabloid headline writer when I grow up), James said in the Sun: “Everyone is aware of the situation and the squad told him what they thought. The transfer window has closed, so the focus now is just on Joey playing for the team and his recent performance against Newcastle showed his standards remain high. It’s a situation where you either grow or you die. There is a lot of pressure from all quarters. If you are not strong enough you will crumble and he has been strong enough. He has had a lot of turmoil over 12 months, off the field especially, and it can be very difficult to find out who your friends are. Joey’s escape has been on the football field and his performances over 12 months have been very good.”

Prince Albert: SP has been impressed by Albert Riera’s start to life in England since arriving from Espanyol last month. “Albert has really wanted to be part of this club,” he told the M.E.N. “I don’t usually leave the training ground until 8pm but three or four nights a week he is still in there having English lessons. That shows a man who wants to stay here long beyond his loan period when it expires in the summer. If he keeps doing well for us, that will give me in a nudge in the right direction.”

MATCH REPORT: MCFC RESERVES 4 SAFC RESERVES 0

City were looking to avenge ourselves for the poor defeat away at Sunderland earlier in the season, and welcomed back Mills, Thatcher, and Flood, all returning from injury. Line-ups as usual below.

A cold evening in the East of Manchester, and a poor attendance – officially announced as 372, but there was no way that many were there. In fact we got a little bored in the first half and counted just 200. So where were the usual City faithful, off out romancing or staying in and watching the TV game? The official site reporter didn’t sound too happy about being there for work, hey at least he gets paid! Try going as a fan to some games, not easy.

Young Schmeichel was apparently in as a late replacement for Weaver, and he did us proud – the loan spell at Darlington has certainly benefited. In the first five minutes Sunderland had an attack and shot on goal that Kasper ably saved. With the defence we had, it was surprising to see Sunderland break through – Mills Jr is certainly one to watch, and not afraid of organising the other players. However, the first 25 minutes were rather poor for City as Sunderland made a few advances, understandable with a team which had so many changes to accommodate returning players. Croft and Miller were doing their usual runs down the wings but we failed to make contact with the final ball on several occasions. Flood was in the middle, returning after a long spell away, but looked lost and out of the game.

It was a surprise when, on 30 minutes, City took the lead. BWP ran the ball through the Sunderland defence, into the box and shot past the ‘keeper. 1-0. We then let Sunderland have another attack as they hoofed the ball upfield, and Jordan in another of his rash moments grabbed the player about 18 yards out. The ref did not hesitate in carding him, and he was lucky it was just a yellow.

On towards half time and Croft with his trademark play down the right crossed in to BWP who wasted no time and scored on the volley. 2-0. This will do BWP’s confidence no end of good. Johnson (midfield) came on for the second half to replace Sturridge who had been largely anonymous, but was obviously struggling as he went to ground before the whistle. No idea what was wrong, but hope it’s not too serious with the youth cup match next week. 15 minutes of play ensued which neither side was profiting from, but City were looking slightly stronger. Our defence had settled into play and Miller was producing some good moves down the left hand side. Flood was replaced by Logan (left back) but we had some bizarre moves around at this point as the defence stayed put, Croft moved to the left, Miller up front and Logan on the right midfield. It didn’t really matter though as immediately we were awarded a free kick, taken by Croft, which BWP again controlled and volleyed home. 3-0.

Mills Sr was then replaced by D’Laryea at right back and Mills Jr took charge of marshalling the defence even more. A few minutes later Thatcher was off and left us down to 10 men. Both seemed to have come through without any problems so could well be back in contention for our trip to Villa.

The game was all but over, and City didn’t need the extra man as just before full time Miller had a great run through, and shot powerfully to make it 4-0.

An easy win for City, confidence amongst the youngsters will be high and much deserved after that. MotM was a joint award to BWP and Mills Jr. Pearce was watching and, at this rate is going to have some real dilemmas over the substitutes’ bench. It can only be a matter of time before young Mills and Miller are given their opportunities.

City: Schmeichel, D Mills (D’Laryea), M Mills, Jordan, Thatcher, Croft, Flood (Logan), Laird, Miller; Sturridge (Johnson), Wright-Phillips
Subs: Matthewson, Ward

Sunderland: Carson, Christensen, Dennehy, Collins, Donoghue (Martin), Allan (Weir), Davison, Richardson, Graham (Dowson), K.Smith, Welsh

OPINION: BACK DOOR TO EUROPE?

Middlesbrough, Everton and Blackburn are the only English clubs to have met UEFA’s February 14th deadline for applications to next season’s InterToto Cup.

Admittedly, it’s not the world’s most important trophy, but it still represents a “back-door” that enables teams to get into the UEFA Cup proper. But why didn’t City apply? Are we so sure of qualifying by the conventional method, as Middlesbrough did last year? And wouldn’t a few July and August qualifying games in Europe make a change from pre-season trips to Scunthorpe or Rochdale, etc.? I think the club has missed out (again) on an interesting opportunity.

[It would certainly be better than a farcical tournament in Thailand, Bob – Ed]

OPINION: STAND UP, SIT DOWN, CLOSE DOWN

Further to an article by my brother (Graham Keller) in MCIVTA 1197, I sit on the same row in the South Stand and raised the issue at the Points of Blue meeting and intended to try to raise it at the Roadshow. Unfortunately I was unable to raise the issue in the Q&A session, which may have been a blessing in disguise, as after the Q&A session I hurtled toward the stage like a man possessed and asked a very nice lady who was clearing the top table “if I could have a word with John Wardle”, at which point JW turned round and asked what he could do for me.

I showed him the letter we had received regarding relocation and asked to discuss it with him. He knew all about the letter and asked what did I want to talk about. I informed him it was about the closure of our row and the general business of the stewards. JW explained how it was because the Club had been informed that the area around our row was where the stewards had met the most ‘resistance’ – at this point Paul Tyrell (communications geezer) joined the conversation, JW and I clarified the discussion to date to PT.

I explained to JW & PT that it wasn’t so much a case of that is where the ‘resistance’ was, more a case of that we were fed up that no action is taken toward away fans and that the stewards religiously only get to about row L/M before they stop and take no further action in trying to get City fans to sit down. As no-one else behind us sat down, we stood up, “why should we sit down?”, PT agreed with that theory. JW seemed genuinely astonished at this development as he was of the belief that no-one further back sat down ’cause we wouldn’t sit down. He (and PT) promised an urgent meeting would take place between them and Peter Fletcher whereby they would insist that the stewards get every City fan in the South Stand sat down.

We then discussed the fact that away fans are able to stand unchallenged – JW & PT both explained that the Council have instructed MCFC to ensure the Home support is sorted out and under control regularly before they deal with the Away support.

At this point JW apologised and explained that he had to go, I felt that he had given plenty of his unscheduled time and thanked him for listening and agreeing to take action.

I continued the discussion with PT over standing areas and the result of Lord Justice Taylor’s report – ultimately neither JW or PT agreed with any aspect of the report – PT agreeing it is farcical that Eastlands is any less safe than grounds such as Cheltenham when it comes to standing but they are controlled by the Council and councils up and down the country impose the regulations inconsistently.

I continued by explaining the threat at the Newcastle match whereby we were told by a steward that the next person to sing ‘stand up if you love City‘ would be ejected – a point that I said was completely preposterous. PT smiled and explained that it is because in singing this song ‘we are encouraging supporters who have just been told to sit down, to stand up’. I explained that ultimately MCFC can rightly or wrongly second guess the reason, but we will always claim it is to try and generate some sadly lacking atmosphere at Eastlands. This led me to explain that like it or not, football clubs, Councils and Governments alike need to accept that supporters like to stand to sing – this is why Away fans make so much noise at Eastlands – they can stand all game and sing whenever the mood takes them, so in effect MCFC and the Council are contributing toward the lack of atmosphere.

That was the conclusion of my discussion with PT and now I intend to try to speak with someone on the Council. It is clear from the Council’s own directive to MCFC (not to worry about Away fans) that they are/maybe prepared to allow ‘some’ fans to stand – why not allow a tolerance area whereby the Away fans and the home fans in the adjacent blocks be allowed to stand more regularly – City fans could then relocate to/from those areas whichever is applicable.

Footnote – from my vantage point high up in the clouds at the Charlton match I noticed that initially stewards did attempt to go a few rows further back in the South Stand, however as the 2nd half progressed, the stewards moved from the side next to the away fans to the other side of the block with an increased Police presence, clearly something going on there – next thing the whole South Stand will be closed! Time for fans to take action, have a look at http://www.standupsitdown.co.uk/

Thanks for reading/listening and I’ll get off my soap box now.

OPINION: GIVING UP

A copy of my letter to MCFC re: season card renewal, which I want to share with my fellow Blues.

16th February 2006.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Season Card Renewal 06/07. Customer Number ******

Thank you for sending me a renewal form for next season.

After very careful thought and consideration I have made the sad decision not to renew on this occasion.

I have been a seasoncard holder for a number of years and a supporter since 1969.

I no longer enjoy the experience at The City Of Manchester Stadium and feel that Manchester City no longer wants supporters such as myself who wish to stand up and be vocal supporters. I am sick of Showsec stewards, polite in the main, who hassle me for 90 minutes at most home games. I know the reasons why but cannot agree or cooperate and therefore feel that our relationship must now end. I feel alienated by the club. I am confused by mixed messages from the club saying it wants our vocal support but from a seated position. This just doesn’t work I’m afraid. It would be very easy to re allocate seats to supporters who cannot see as there are empty seats at most games now in areas where fans sit down. The safety argument just doesn’t hold water either.

I have come to the conclusion that I am a “dinosaur” supporter living in the past, remembering good times on the terraces of The Kippax.

Other issues for me include:

1. Players’ wages and attitudes.
2. Kick off times and days.
3. Poor quality, expensive catering and service.
4. Extortionate ticket prices.
5. Attitude of Stewards to loyal supporters.
6. Refusal of club or authorities to compromise on standing.

I can watch all home games on foreign satellite TV now and lots of other games on Sky or Terrestrial TV. Not my preferred choice but one I feel forced into. I am not paying to be treated like this by anyone. I have even been arrested myself for arguing with a Police Officer about heavy handed policing.

I have my career to consider and cannot afford to be criminalized for such a petty offence as standing up at a football game. What is the world coming to?

I know that this letter will be completely ignored but feel compelled to type something at least as it is such a sad decision for me. I don’t think I am alone in this and wonder what the atmosphere will be like if all supporters like me decide to stay away. Attendances are falling but clubs are not interested.

Yours faithfully,

[Mark, you’re not alone. So many people giving up for combinations of the above reasons, having a good think myself – Ed]

OPINION: PREDICTIONS

Anorak’s Final League Position Prediction 2005-6

A slight improvement since the last time but our lack of consistency is shocking. The good news is that our last 6 form has crept up to levels not seen since early November. Perhaps we don’t like the damp of a British November/December/January?

Anyway, on to the predictions…

The first prediction (p1) replaces last season’s score with this season’s score (with the relegated clubs replaced by the equivalent promoted clubs). As we beat Charlton at home last season then there’s no change to this measure; we’ll finish on 55 points, which means we just miss out on Europe again.

The second (p2) is a rolling average that averages how we’ve done so far over the rest of the season. This is calculated as follows, where gr = games remaining, gp = games played, p = current points total:
p2 = gr/gp * p + p
p2 = 12/26 * 37 + 37 = 54 points.

The third (p3) is a rolling average based on the points obtained from the last 6 games played. This is calculated as follows, where ls = points in last 6 games, gr = games remaining and p = current points total:
p3 = ls/6 * gr + p
p3 = 9/6 * 12 + 37 = 55 points.
Note: First time since Blackburn (H) that our last six form was higher than 8 points in 6 games.

The following table indicates how our form has changed over the season, with the columns specifying:

• result last season [and the points obtained]
• result this season [and the points obtained]
• +3/+1/NC/-1/-3 = change in points from last season (NC = no change)
• g = gr/gp = games remaining divided by games played
• p = current points
• ls = points from the last six games
• 1, 2, 3 = each points prediction (and league position)

Charlton   (H) 4-0[3] 3-2[3]NC g=12/26 p=37 ls=09 1=55(08) 2=54(08) 3=55(07)
Everton    (A) 1-2[0] 0-1[0]NC g=13/25 p=34 ls=07 1=55(07) 2=52(08) 3=49(10)
Newcastle  (H) 1-1[1] 3-0[3]+2 g=14/24 p=34 ls=07 1=55(07) 2=54(08) 3=50(10)
Bolton     (A) 1-0[3] 0-2[0]NC g=15/23 p=31 ls=04 1=53(08) 2=51(10) 3=41(16)
Man Utd    (H) 0-2[0] 3-1[3]+3 g=16/22 p=31 ls=07 1=53(08) 2=54(08) 3=50(10)
Spurs      (H) 0-1[0] 0-2[0]NC g=17/21 p=28 ls=04 1=50(10) 2=51(10) 3=39(16)
Boro       (A) 3-2[3] 0-0[1]+1 g=18/20 p=28 ls=07 1=50(10) 2=53(08) 3=49(10)
Chelsea    (H) 1-0[3] 0-1[0]-3 g=19/19 p=27 ls=06 1=49(10) 2=54(08) 3=46(11)
Wigan Ath  (A) 3-2[3] 3-4[0]-3 g=20/18 p=27 ls=07 1=52(08) 2=57(07) 3=50(10)
Birmingham (H) 3-0[3] 4-1[3]NC g=21/17 p=27 ls=07 1=55(07) 2=60(05) 3=52(08)
WBA        (A) 0-2[0] 0-2[0]NC g=22/16 p=24 ls=07 1=55(07) 2=57(07) 3=51(10)
Charlton   (A) 2-2[1] 5-2[3]+2 g=23/15 p=24 ls=07 1=55(07) 2=61(04) 3=51(10)
Liverpool  (H) 1-0[3] 0-1[0]-3 g=24/14 p=21 ls=07 1=53(08) 2=57(07) 3=49(10)
Blackburn  (H) 1-1[1] 0-0[1]NC g=25/13 p=21 ls=10 1=56(07) 2=61(04) 3=63(04)
Fulham     (A) 1-1[1] 1-2[0]-1 g=26/12 p=20 ls=09 1=56(07) 2=63(04) 3=59(05)
Villa      (H) 2-0[3] 3-1[3]NC g=27/11 p=20 ls=09 1=57(07) 2=69(04) 3=61(04)
Arsenal    (A) 1-1[1] 0-1[0]-1 g=28/10 p=17 ls=07 1=57(07) 2=65(04) 3=50(10)
West Ham   (H) 2-1[3] 2-1[3]NC g=29/09 p=17 ls=10 1=58(05) 2=72(04) 3=65(05)
Everton    (H) 0-1[0] 2-0[3]+3 g=30/08 p=14 ls=10 1=58(05) 2=67(04) 3=64(04)
Newcastle  (A) 3-4[0] 0-1[0]NC g=31/07 p=11 ls=10 1=55(07) 2=60(05) 3=63(04)
Bolton     (H) 0-1[0] 0-1[0]NC g=32/06 p=11 ls=11 1=55(07) 2=70(04) 3=70(04)
Man Utd    (A) 0-0[1] 1-1[1]NC g=33/05 p=11 ls=12 1=55(07) 2=84(02) 3=77(03)
Portsmouth (H) 2-0[3] 2-1[3]NC g=34/04 p=10 ls=14 1=55(07) 2=95(01) 3=89(02)
Sunderland (A) 2-1[3] 2-1[3]NC g=35/03 p=07 ls=14 1=55(07) 2=89(02) 3=89(02)
Birmingham (A) 0-1[0] 2-1[3]+3 g=36/02 p=04 ls=12 1=55(07) 2=76(04) 3=76(04)
WBA        (H) 0-0[1] 0-0[1]NC g=37/01 p=01 ls=12 1=52(08) 2=38(17) 3=75(04)

Notes:

[1] 2004-5 Season: Points: 52 Goal Difference: +8 League Position: 8 last5=11, last4=8, last3=7, last2=4 last1=1

[2] Last season’s relegated teams are replaced with:

18..Crystal Palace = Sunderland
19....Norwich City = Wigan Athletic
20.....Southampton = West Ham

OPINION: CHARLTON SUPPORT

I noted the comment about only one bus from Charlton.

Through the very kind efforts of a Charlton Season Ticket holder for many many years, I came on a very full double decker on Sunday (I think there were others).

I called for him at about 7.45 in the rain, he has no car and it rained all the way until we arrived at his home just after midnight. Oh yes, our tickets permitted us to sit in the rain also.

I think a word of praise for all supporters including Charlton’s who do endure long trips to follow their teams and in particular those who help distant supporters of other clubs (I am 75) to get to (albeit their opponents’ ground).

Had to dress soberly, passed the biscuits around and clapped at all the good things on both sides.

It is called politics.

Thanks Ray.

[Saw the double-decker standing forlornly in the away car park. To be fair to Charlton fans, it was a ridiculous time for getting up to Manchester and back on a Sunday, for a game which was televised – Ed]

OPINION: FOOTBALL AND GREED

Marc compares the ticket value at a strokes gig with the ticket value at a football match. I agree the wages taken by players is ridiculous and ticket prices are ridiculous, you could effectively halve both. The players would still get a fantastic wage and the man on the street could more likely afford the prices. In the comparison of players to musical stars, there is no mention of the money taken by the recording artist in royalties. Gigs support record sales and vice versa. Footballers have only one main income stream (although some do have sidelines).

The other side of the fence is the argument that a football career is short and all they have to earn it while they can, and they are washed up by 35 etc. I have an Idea… when you retire from football, rather than expecting to be set up for life, why not expect to get a normal job like the rest of us? If this was the case, today’s top players could earn circa £200,000 per year for 10 years then when they get to 35 they should have a nice house (paid for) and a few quid saved up, still far, far better off than your average Joe, and your average Joe could afford to turn up and watch!

OPINION: WE’RE NOT SKINT

Apparently we’re the 17th richest club in the world.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1710792,00.html

OPINION: BIG SAM

After the glorious win over Charlton I think we have to have a better chant for Samaras. The scousers call Fowler God; well city have got a Greek striker who can score better than Fowler any day.

I think we should have a chant with Samaras being called Zeus or Hercules.

[We can’t go using The Feed the Goat/Greek song, so suggestions on a virtual postcard to the usual address – Ed]

OPINION: NUMBER EIGHT

Alf King certainly isn’t being too cynical re: Barton’s change of heart (MCIVTA 1197). His about-face suits both parties, though – Barton gets his wages doubled until the next transfer window, when he will leave, and his being on a longer contract will help to maximise the fee City get for him.

REQUEST: VILLA TICKET AVAILABLE

Upper tier City end ticket for sale £20. Please email me for details.

REQUEST: BLUES VIEWING IN BOSTON

Many thanks to everyone involved in this great newsletter. Never felt closer to my beloved City.

I am in Cambridge (MA, USA) until the end of summer and would love to meet with fellow City supporters in the Boston/Cambridge area to watch City in sports bars here. Just e-mail me to the address below.

REQUEST: MELBOURNE BLUES VIEWING

I was hoping there are some Melbourne based Blues out there that can point me in the direction of a good place to watch our up and coming victory against Villa.

REQUEST: ATMOSPHERE VOTE

Please can you as a Blue vote on our polls that we are doing on http://www.bluewatchmcfc.co.u/k; all the results will appear in the Manchester Evening News and will be sent to the club,

RESULTS

15 February 2006

Blackburn Rovers      2 - 0  Sunderland            18,220

14 February 2006

Liverpool             1 - 0  Arsenal               44,065

13 February 2006

West Ham United       3 - 0  Birmingham City       31,294

League table to 15 February 2006 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Chelsea         26 12  1  0 31  7  9  2  2 21  9 21  3  2  52  16  36  66
 2 Manchester Utd  26  8  3  1 25  8  8  3  3 27 19 16  6  4  52  27  25  54
 3 Liverpool       26 10  2  1 19  5  5  4  4 13 12 15  6  5  32  17  15  51
 4 Tottenham H.    26  8  4  1 20  8  4  5  4 15 14 12  9  5  35  22  13  45
 5 Arsenal         26  9  2  2 30  8  3  3  7  9 13 12  5  9  39  21  18  41
 6 West Ham United 26  7  1  5 22 16  5  4  4 17 18 12  5  9  39  34   5  41
 7 Blackburn R.    26  8  2  2 21 13  4  2  8 12 18 12  4 10  33  31   2  40
 8 Bolton Wndrs    24  6  4  1 14  5  4  5  4 16 18 10  9  5  30  23   7  39
 9 Wigan Athletic  26  6  2  6 17 17  6  1  5 13 15 12  3 11  30  32  -2  39
10 Manchester City 26  8  2  4 22 12  3  2  7 14 18 11  4 11  36  30   6  37
11 Everton         26  6  1  6 11 15  5  2  6  8 17 11  3 12  19  32 -13  36
12 Charlton Ath.   25  5  2  6 15 16  5  1  6 17 21 10  3 12  32  37  -5  33
13 Fulham          26  9  2  2 25 13  0  3 10 11 24  9  5 12  36  37  -1  32
14 Newcastle Utd   25  5  4  2 12  9  4  1  9 12 20  9  5 11  24  29  -5  32
15 Aston Villa     26  3  4  6 14 17  4  5  4 18 18  7  9 10  32  35  -3  30
16 Middlesbrough   25  4  5  5 20 24  3  2  6 13 20  7  7 11  33  44 -11  28
17 West Brom A.    26  6  1  6 19 15  1  4  8  5 23  7  5 14  24  38 -14  26
18 Birmingham City 25  3  2  7 14 16  2  3  8  7 21  5  5 15  21  37 -16  20
19 Portsmouth      26  2  5  6  8 16  2  1 10 10 29  4  6 16  18  45 -27  18
20 Sunderland      26  0  4 10  9 27  2  0 10  9 21  2  4 20  18  48 -30  10

MCIVTA FAQ [v0506.02]

[1] 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

[2] What are MCIVTA’s publishing deadlines?

Deadlines for issues are nominally 6pm, Monday and Thursday evenings bu email. Unfortunately we cannot accept email attachments.

[3] 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.

[4] What is the club’s official web site?

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

[5] What supporters’ clubs are there?

Manchester City FC recognises three supporters’ clubs: The “Official Supporters Club” (http://www.mcfcosc.com/); the “Centenary Supporters’ Association” (http://www.reddishblues.com/CSAWebsite/CSA.htm) and “The International Supporters’ Club”.

[6] Where can I find out about the fans’ committee?

The Fans’ Committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. The Fans’ Committee has been relaunched as “Points of Blue”. It has appeared on the club website as a minor entry under “Fans Zone”.

[7] 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://mcfc.videoloungetv.com/do/preLogin?clubSiteCode=MCFC&CMP=AFC-003.

[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. Useful sites for North American viewers are http://www.foxsportsworld.com/named/FSW/Index/Soccer, http://www.soccertv.com/, and http://www.livesoccertv.com/.

[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/.

[13] Where can I find a list of City-related websites?

Try Wookie’s Lair: http://www.wookieslair.com/modules.php?name=Web_Links

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: