Newsletter #1206

Another away game, another poor performance as we succumbed to two (albeit well taken) goals from Portsmouth. We have a report tonight thanks to Derek, and also a belated reserves report.

There’s plenty of opinion on our inconsistency, the big debates, one year under Pearce and the usual requests.

Cup replay night tomorrow, fortunately we’re at home and can hopefully give Villa a similar game to the league one earlier in the season.

Finally it was announced today that Roy “Nobby” Clarke, former City and Wales international, has died aged 80. There will be a minute’s applause before tomorrow night’s game to celebrate his life. RIP Nobby.

MATCH REPORT “LIVE”: PFC 2 MCFC 1

What a rubbish sporting weekend this was – England trounced in the rugby, one down in the cricket and City succumbing to lowly Portsmouth.

I started getting twitchy in the Good Companions pub beforehand, where some Pompey fans were telling me that they “never score more than one” and “none of the big money signings have yet performed”. In the event both of these were put right from a Pompey perspective in what was, for me, a classic mid-table versus bottom game. We had a bit more quality but just didn’t want it as much as Pompey did.

The first half was turgid. We simply did not play at all. Reyna was clearly off the pace, the full backs didn’t get forward with any purpose and Barton wasn’t in the game enough. There were few positives, but Vassell did cover an amazing amount of grass and provided an outlet of sorts and Sinclair wanted to have a go. Portsmouth were limited too and our back line, particularly Dunne, looked comfortable.

I was surprised to see Sinclair replaced by Croft at half time but the bloke behind me made a good point that despite the trickery on the right wing there had been few decent crosses. Maybe it was because of that. Anyhow, we were brighter in the second half and I thought we looked as though we would impose ourselves. Then a brilliant volley from outside the box made it 1-0 for Pompey. James did his rooted to the spot trick. Is it me or does he do this more than other top class ‘keepers?

Following the goal, City really ground to a halt. I was disappointed at this. It’s not good news to ship a goal away from home but there was loads of time left and we were playing well up until the goal. There should have been a more spirited reaction in my view. Anyhow, gradually City started passing again and then towards the end 3 headers on the spin and it’s in the back of the net with Dunney deservedly getting the final nod.

Having brought on all the strikers, City were unbalanced and there then followed a bizarre mini-game of break and counter-break with both teams desperate to score the winner. Vass had a glorious chance to win it but shot over. If only he was a better finisher he would be awesome.

Right at the death, Micah misses a tackle and Mendes does a carbon copy for the winner.

There was decent support in the away end but with 2 distinct camps. One favouring the “he’s greek/great/plates” song and one opting for “feed the greek”. I don’t think Samaras is yet good enough to merit 2 songs. One needs to prevail (or maybe a third, neutral one?).

Ratings:
James 6. Solid except one missed punch and also got nowhere near either goal.
Sun 4. Defensively ok but offered nothing going forward.
Jordan 4. Ditto.
Dunne 9. Superb.
Richards 6. OK but missed the tackle for second goal.
Sinclair 7. Seemed up for it and showed the odd trick.
Reyna 4. Off the pace.
Barton 6. Came into it in the second half.
Musampa 5.
Vassell 7. Great effort but wasted a great chance.
Samaras 6. Some flashes of great skill but needs to battle more. Much more.
Subs:
Croft 6, workmanlike.
BWP 5.

MATCH REPORT: MCFC RESERVES 4 WAFC RESERVES 2

Bischoff and Hoopla returned from prolonged and mysterious absences for this game (the latter apparently has been in Japan). We had a bizarre team selection from Mr Wigley consisting of 5 defenders and 5 players who had been playing midfield recently, so with some reshuffling ended up with 4-4-2 and Sommeil in midfield with Bermo and Miller up front. Wigan had a couple of first teamers on the field too, line-ups below.

The game started off without any vigour or urgency from either side. It was about 10 minutes before we got going as, following a thwarted attempt where Laird played the ball out to Miller, who had the shot pushed over the bar by the Wigan ‘keeper. Sommeil was producing quite a performance in midfield and crossed a neat ball that Miller headed home. 1-0. It was good to see Flood back on form in midfield following his recent traumas, as on 20 minutes he ran through in the style we’re used to of old and shot, only for Walsh to save again.

We then let Wigan gain control as our defence was pretty shambolic, Johansson lost Mills Jr, had an open goal as Weaver had come off his line and made no mistake in firing home. 1-1. Minutes later the ever threatening Mellor made it 1-2 as he too was allowed through unchallenged.

On to the half time whistle, when the only real action consisted of Bischoff trying to knock out team-mate Mark Laird (a repeat apparently of his knockout with Croft a couple of weeks ago!). Laird was subbed by Etuhu just before the whistle went and we went trailing in.

Wigan subbed Walsh after the break, and after a few minutes of non-action from City later, Wigan thinking they were dominating (which they were), took off Mellor. This had an effect for City, in that with their main threat gone we managed to get back in the game. Mills Sr, who had been useless apart from his audition for the England rugby squad with a free kick that sailed some 10 feet over the bar, was replaced by Logan and we upped the tempo.

On the hour, we were awarded a penalty as Miller was hacked down by Lee; this takes some doing given the size of Ishmael. He was determined to take the spot kick, and duly slotted home to make it 2-2.

Ten minutes later Bermo was replaced with Grimes and with Etuhu pressing forward down the right flank, Grimes collected the ball and hit it from the edge of the box, leaving the Wigan ‘keeper floundering. 3-2. Minutes later it was all over as Grimes scored again to make it 4-2.

A flattering scoreline and we were helped by the Wigan substitutions to be honest.

MotM will surprise a few – Sommeil in midfield. He had a really good game, defending, attacking and getting into position. Take note Hoopla. Since writing this, Bischoff has apparently gone on loan to Sheffield Wednesday.

City: Weaver, D Mills (Logan), M Mills, Bischoff, Thatcher, Flood, Sommeil, Haapala, Laird (Etuhu), Bermingham (Grimes), Miller
Unused subs: D’Laryea, Matthewson

Wigan: Walsh (Croll), Heywood, Waterhouse, Lee, Roberts; Francis, Mahon, Middleton, Owens, Mellor (Litchfield), Johansson (Hazeldine)

OPINION: REALITY BITES

So you want to stand up at a football match in the Premiership do you? And you feel that it’s your right to do so if you see fit do you?

Well I’m sorry to disappoint you but it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee people. It ain’t gonna happen.

All of your p**sing and whining about this rule not specifically stating that or another recommendation stating the other means nothing.

I often hear the statement that ‘the majority of football fans’ want to stand. What is that based on? Supposition I expect, and of course the desire of those who want to stand expecting that everyone else feels the same.

Prepare yourself now ’cause I’m gonna ramble on folks.

The majority of football fans at Maine Road watching the last game with standing accommodation (yes, the Kippax) were in fact seated. I was in fact on the Kippax that day and it was sad to think that it was the last chance I had to stand where my dad had once stood etc.

It was also sad to think that none of my 4 sons would experience that awe-inspiring view as the massive Maine Road pitch opened up in front of you as you left the tunnel in the centre of the Kippax, especially for night games with the old floodlights high above us, seemingly tickling the clouds above.

It was weird to sit in the new Kippax, 58th tier, 4,000 ft into the stratosphere. But I also found it strange as well when I sat in the Platt Lane stand, oops sorry the Umbro Stand or whatever, and find that the seats were plastic and not wooden benches. Ah the memories.

Of course it was strange to go to the Maine Road site at various stages of its destruction.

I reckon that it meant more to me than most because I used to live at 94 Thornton Road and up until we moved, when I was 11, I used to open my bedroom curtains to see the Maine Road grass through the corner between the Kippax and Platt Lane stands. My dad also used to be the postman at Maine Road so met all the greats from the 60’s and 70’s.

Excuse me whilst I dab the tears from my eyes – sniffle – cough. But I digress.

You see the point I’m leading to is that it’s been a hell of a long time since anyone stood at a Premiership footie game, or was at least supposed to.

Have a think about it, when was the Kippax redeveloped, go on how many years (1993/4 season if I remember correctly)?

Now think on this Mr “It’s My Right To Stand”, you’re making yourself look incredibly stupid.

You may even have the legal right, in some obscure legal fashion, to stand but you will never be allowed to do so. To continue with this fight is childish and silly, I’m sorry but it is.

Now I’m quite good at this debating lark so I will now use my cunning to put an end to the next gripe, namely the atmosphere issue.

The atmosphere at MR was wonderful and I often had tingles of excitement as the roar of the crowd bellowed out, seemingly as one voice.

But I was also there in the FA Cup when City were beaten and Blues were fighting Blues on the terracing as a pitch invasion was trying to get the game abandoned, so it wasn’t always wonderful.

But the reason for the change in atmosphere Mr “Last Year Was Better Than This Year” is obvious. Take out your old videos of the 70’s games and look at who’s watching the games; that’s right, it’s nearly all men (the same men who were fighting in the streets later by the way).

Now take a look at the recent Sunderland game. I was glad to see boys and girls, old and young women enjoying the game alongside the more traditional male spectator.

The only reason they are there is the same reason there’s no standing anymore, it’s all changed and so has the atmosphere. I prefer the calmer and less violent vibe brought about by the changes. I prefer to feel safe with my kids at the game and particularly enjoy the lack of stale p**s in my nostrils, especially when my young lads accompany me.

Live in the past if you want to, dude. Moan, whinge, complain and continue to write your letters and I will continue to shake my head and feel pity for you. Hey, things change.

Smoking won’t be allowed in public buildings soon and I expect that to be applied in some way to football stadia, imagine the problems there.

So I will keep my eyes open for the bloke standing, spitting, p**sing in the aisles, smoking a pipe, drinking Bovril, waving his rattle and wearing a flat cap. It’ll probably be you.

OPINION: INCONSISTENCY IS OUR REWARD

Well the win a game, lose a game routine carries on, making a UEFA Cup place unlikely. We played for 10 minutes against Sunderland and then gave the appearance of thinking job done and have to say the Mackems were unlucky not to get a point. We now play Pompey and get outplayed seemingly for much of it (that said, I didn’t go, I’m just going by the various reports on the game).

What is going on? I have just renewed my season card to get the “frozen” price i.e. they get my money 5 months before I get any product! With travelling etc. costs well over a £1,000 per 9 month season. I do wonder why I have when we see such gutless displays, with a manager like SP who I respect totally (great guy, motivator and taste in music is spot on – a fellow Strangler!).

Reality is we over achieved last season thanks to SP tightening the ship up. But he cannot make a silk purse out of sow’s ears when there is a lack of true quality, passion, positional awareness etc. Watch Jordan lunging in as he gets caught out of position etc. The defence has looked frail and prone to panic attacks. A serious lack of creativity in midfield. Riera flatters for 10-15 mins but very little end product, Musampa looks lazy to me with some nice touches, Barton passion yes but too many basic mistakes means he is not Gerrard and never in my view will be. Samaras looks promising given time to mature and make the right choice of ball etc. Vassell oh dear pace but no idea what to do with it!

A few good results and we might make that European place we need and the extra cash from the Premier League but cannot see where they will come from! I, along with a lot of others, probably expected too much but I expect them to at least appear to give their all week in, week out. Is this unreasonable given salary levels of players? Come on, let’s have more of that Psycho treatment Stuart please.

OPINION: SHAMBOLIC

You useless pack of under achieving, over paid bunch of prima donnas!

They say City till I die. I hope your medical insurance is paid up, ’cause following this bunch will probably kill you. And I’m not even angry. It’s laughable.

OPINION: PAPER ANNIVERSARY

Congratulations to Stuart Pearce on his first anniversary of being the ‘gaffer’, but how has he done?

Well, after a remarkable start to his tenure, with some exciting wins and near European qualification, results-wise we seemed to have slumped in to a ‘no-better, no-worse’ than during the Kevin Keegan era.

The plusses of SP’s reign include the jettisoning of lightweight squad players like Steve McManaman and Jon Macken, but one must question how others like French Tony have survived (he must be a real Maradona in training the way he keeps getting picked). Other plusses are the increasing break-through and use of the Academy players, many of which, in fact probably most of them, have held their own and look like they have the ability to claim a regular place in the team, let alone the squad – my personal favourite being the extremely gifted Stephen Ireland (note to SP: find a bunch of videos featuring Ali B for S.I. to really learn how to make use of the ball without resorting to running and how to become the ultimate short-ball passer). Another is his dealings in the transfer market to date which have all reaped dividends; I suppose it’s not strange how a quality defender like SP seems to have an eye for a decent forward.

The negatives are obviously our never ending consistent inconsistency and our less than efficient defence this season.

A year on, it still seems like SP’s ‘honeymoon period’ with the management, fans and media is ongoing but come on, he’s got to be as culpable as the players if not more so for that ridiculously bad away form.

Why must we always play a 4-4-2 (granted, it sometimes becomes a 4-4-1-1 when under pressure) with two wide men. Let’s forget three and go for the point sometimes with a far more defensive 4-5-1 and hope to nick a goal if we are able (we can always resort to 4-4-2 if we go behind).

And why is last season’s determined and mean defence so inconsistent this season when the personnel are the same? Well that can be put down to rarely having had a settled back 4, unlike last season when we played chunks of games with the same 4 before making one (enforced) player change for a further large chunks of games. Last season the centre backs never changed, whereas this season we’ve had some strange (enforced) combinations. Last season the full backs were Mills or Onuaha pairing with Jordan or Thatcher, whereas this season we’ve had more than a handful of right backs and a constantly changing left-back situation. Thank God for the ever present, ever dependable David James. But there is one other reason I believe why we can’t keep a clean sheet and that is we lack a quality holding player like Paul Bosvelt. Not the most gifted going forward I’d agree but I bet the centre backs loved him; little came through the middle, forever sticking a leg out to clear the lines. I see that our reservations about giving him a new season long contract hasn’t stopped him from going on and playing almost every game (last time I looked in January – something like played 18 out of 21 games) for Heerenveen, oops! I daresay SP had a major part in PB having to move on and I for one reckon we’ve missed him. We have no holding player on the books (maybe a bit early for Micah to hold that position down), and so we’re having to resort to the likes of Sun Jihai or Kiki to hold the centre together while that poser Barton sprints forward but jogs back – have you ever noticed that, also have you ever noticed how he always jumps to head the ball looking for a foul, or for that matter he’s always looking for a foul; he’s got a few bad habits our JB (sort it out). So with one of the least defence midfields in the country is it really a surprise that we can’t for the life of us keep clean sheets away from home? Come on Stuart, wise up and let’s become a resilient away team!

OPINION: CHALK AND CHEESE

Those of the ilk of Colin Bell only come along once in a “blue moon” and I think we all agree JB is far from such legendary status… in fact the last time I saw a player who potentially could have risen to such stature was one Paul Lake, endorsed by him being voted from memory as one of the 11 best players of all time for City. Considering injury forced his retirement in his early 20’s one can only imagine what he and City may have achieved if he had been controlling our midfield.

Colin Bell is football royalty and also held in high esteem by non City fans who recognise excellence. JB has much to prove I’m afraid!

OPINION: PASS THE VASS

Not the best choice of words by Faz regarding Vass’s hernia problem: “It’s a case of suck it and see”. Er… no thanks!

REQUEST: UWE RÖSLER

Being a long standing subscriber to MCIVTA, I have many old copies sorted away from past years of City “glory”. Despite going through these old copies as part of my search, I cannot find out where Uwe Rösler is currently working. The last records I can find point to him being at Lillestrom SK in Norway as a coach but despite emailing the club I cannot get this confirmed.

The reason behind my search is that one of my son’s close friends has been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 13. He is currently undergoing his chemotherapy and we need to help keep his spirits up. I have been encouraging him by using Uwe’s fight with cancer as an example how he can bounce back from this illness. When he currently cannot walk upstairs under his own strength, it is tough for him to believe this!

If I can contact Uwe I would just ask for a signed picture or letter with words of encouragement to help keep this young lad’s spirits up. If you or any of the readers of MCIVTA can help me in this search I would be most grateful.

Both my sons and their friends play soccer in Texas for Texas Premier Football Club. Feel free to take a look at our website at http://www.texaspremierfc.org/. We are helping to bring the beautiful game to the local cowboys and my goal to educate them that there is only one team in Manchester is an ongoing process that I promote through cloth team shirts and stories from the City games I have seen.

Thanks for all your hard work in keeping this newsletter going and I have my fingers crossed that we can contact Uwe and get some good cheer into this young man’s life.

REQUEST: WORLD CUP FIXTURES FOR OUTLOOK

If anyone wants a copy to fill up their calendars for June, please email me. I’ve tried it, and it works!

BLUE HUMOUR

Inspired by an article in MCIVTA 1205 I feel we need to deal with a really important issue. Standing at games? Too much money? Too many foreign players?

Nah. Who is the hardest manager!

So, going down the league table pitting 1st against 2nd, 3rd against 4th and so on.

Round 1

Jose “the one” Mourinho vs. Alex “Taggart” Ferguson
Easy win for the tenacious “one”, Taggart’s attempt to kick a boot at Jose is easily deflected by the coat. As the special one goes in for the kill, Taggart’s last defence of the hairdryer technique has no effect.
Winner – Jose “the one” Mourinho.

Rafa B vs. Marty “Dutch” J
Rafa offers up what at first seems to be a promising attack, but ultimately fails to score a point, employing some outdated tactics. Dutch calmly puts the Spaniard out for the count.
Winner – Marty “Dutch” J

Arsene W vs. Mark “Sparky” Hughes
No contest – Arsene W’s whinging about the fairness of the contest does not interest Sparky, one deft kick with his tree trunk like thighs ends any hopes Arsene may have had of victory.
Winner – Mark “Sparky” Hughes

Big Sam A vs. Alan “the Cockney” P
Initial reports from Ladbrokes indicate Big Sam as a firm favourite, but the Cockney is no easy target, The clash is turned in Big Sam’s favour after almost half an hour of duelling when Sam employs the use of his gigantic head, aiming a head butt directly at Pardew’s nose. It’s all over.
Winner – Big Sam

Stu “Psycho” P vs. Paul “scouse” J
The Scouse terrier shows promise in the first few exchanges, until Psycho abruptly ends the contest with a clean knock out. It turns out he was using this bout as a warm up for the later rounds.
Winner – Stu “psycho” P

Alan “the sniper” S & Glen R vs. Davey boy “the jock” Moyes
Two versus one can’t be a fair contest? But with Glen bringing nothing to the party, and The Sniper more concerned with trying to get in a sneaky elbow, “the jock” easily deals with the pair.
Winner – Davey boy “the Jock” Moyes.

Alan Curbs vs. David O’Leary
The surprise package of the round, Curbs dodges the potentially fatal blows from the Irishman. In the end Fitness wins out, O’Nearly just can’t keep up the level of attack, Curbs waits for his moment and ends O’Nearly’s campaign with a quick barrage of blows that the tired David can’t defend against.
Winner – Alan Curbs.

Steve Mac vs. Chris “mustard” Coleman
The younger Coleman faces a seemingly tough challenge in Steve Mac, but not tough enough; a fairly uneventful clash sees Coleman beat Steve Mac on points.
Winner – “mustard” Coleman.

Red Robbo vs. Red Bruce
The contest of the round see the old comrades go toe to toe. Devastating blows dealt by both old warriors, Robbo breaks Bruce’s nose (again), the bout almost ends when Bruce inflicts a wound to Robbo’s cranium, claret pours out, but it only spurs Robbo on.
Winner – Red Robbo.

Harry “the Don” Redknapp vs. Kevin “the caretaker” Ball
Experience vs. a rookie, Redknapp despite all his wisdom just can’t beat youthful enthusiasm. With nothing to lose and no expectation of victory, ball goes all out and quickly finishes “the Don”.
Winner – Kev “the caretaker” Ball

Round 2

Jose “the one” Mourinho vs. Marty “Dutch” Jol
Controversy! Moments before the fight, Dutch fails a drug test; “schmoking der hasshissh” may me acceptable in parts of Holland but is banned in the Premiership Manager Face Off.
Winner – Jose

Mark “sparky” Hughes vs. Big Sam
Big Sam with his big head or Sparky with his big legs? Both lethal. But with the greater reach of Sparky’s right boot and Sam not being able to get in range to use his devastating head butt, Sparky wins with repeated volleys to Sam’s mid section.
Winner -Sparky

Stu “Psycho” P vs. Davey boy “the Jock” Moyes
Lion Heart Psycho won’t find it easy against this tough Scots Braveheart, the fight is a good one, Moyes landing quick and skilful blows and Psycho using sheer power and aggression. Psycho gets knocked down but in a Rocky style, he only really gets going when angry. Psycho digs deep and draws upon his never say die attitude, the Jock can’t believe he can’t finish Stu off. Spirit broken, Psycho gets the better of Moyes.
Winner – Stu “Psycho” Pearce.

Alan Curbs vs. Chris “mustard” Coleman
Two very evenly matched contenders duel for what seems like hours. Both fit, with quickness and reasonable experience on their sides, this is a real stalemate. The fight ends when they both collapse through exhaustion.
Winner – Me (I needed to get rid of two so I could have 4 managers in the semi’s).

Red Robbo s. Kevin “the caretaker” Ball
One blow and it’s over, Robbo steams straight in and finishes Ball, it’s over almost before it started. Ball is visibly scared of Robbo’s reputation. He never stood a chance.
Winner – Robbo

The Semi Finals

Jose “the one” vs. Mark “sparky” Hughes
The coat offers little protection against the savage kicks from Sparky. But the special one is a tough little scrapper, willing to get dirty if needs be. Sparky has to pull some other weapons from his arsenal, and combines some well-placed punches with his kicks. The special one is rapidly becoming “the beaten one”.
Winner – Mark “Sparky” Hughes

Further controversy follows this bout: Jose is disqualified in shame as it turns out the Dutchman Jol was innocent in the previous round. The Russian Mafia had spiked his drink and threatened officials with AK47s on Jose’s behalf. After a stewards’ enquiry Jol is not reinstated on the basis that Sparky would have whooped him.

Stu “Psycho” Pearce vs. Red Robbo
Clash of the titans. The blows can be heard on the other side of the earth (at MUFC’s main supporters’ club HQ in Malaysia). Psycho has to go against his morals and use a somewhat unsporting tactic to go for Robbo’s weak spots, and he has a few of them! Stu uses his hammer of a free kick technique on Robbo’s knees followed by a devastating blow dislocating Robbo’s shoulder. Fight over, Robbo can’t continue and is forced to surrender.
Winner – Stu “Psycho” Pearce.

The Final

Stu “Psycho” Pearce vs. Mark “Sparky” Hughes
Who do you think will win? Answers on a post card.

I would like to point out for legal reasons that this is all fictitious and Jose Moaninho has never been involved with a doping scandal or the Russian mafia. Aat least that’s what the fella stood behind me with the Russian accent and an AK47 is telling me to type.

The future’s bright, the future is Blue.

RESULTS

12 March 2006

Manchester United     2 - 0  Newcastle United      67,858
Charlton Athletic     2 - 1  Middlesbrough         24,830
Arsenal               2 - 1  Liverpool             38,221

11 March 2006

Birmingham City       1 - 1  West Bromwich Albion  28,041
Chelsea               2 - 1  Tottenham Hotspur     42,243
Bolton Wanderers      4 - 1  West Ham United       24,461
Everton               3 - 1  Fulham                36,515
Portsmouth            2 - 1  Manchester City       19,556
Sunderland            0 - 1  Wigan Athletic        31,194
Blackburn Rovers      2 - 0  Aston Villa           21,932

League table to 12 March 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         29 14  1  0 35  8 10  2  2 23 10 24  3  2  58  18  40  75
 2 Manchester Utd  28  9  3  1 27  8  9  3  3 29 20 18  6  4  56  28  28  60
 3 Liverpool       29 11  3  1 20  5  5  4  5 14 14 16  7  6  34  19  15  55
 4 Tottenham H.    29  9  5  1 25 12  4  5  5 16 16 13 10  6  41  28  13  49
 5 Arsenal         29 10  2  2 32  9  4  3  8 13 14 14  5 10  45  23  22  47
 6 Blackburn R.    29 10  2  2 24 13  4  2  9 14 21 14  4 11  38  34   4  46
 7 Bolton Wndrs    27  8  4  1 20  7  4  5  5 17 21 12  9  6  37  28   9  45
 8 Wigan Athletic  29  6  2  7 18 19  7  2  5 16 17 13  4 12  34  36  -2  43
 9 West Ham United 28  7  2  5 24 18  5  4  5 18 22 12  6 10  42  40   2  42
10 Manchester City 29  9  2  4 24 13  3  2  9 15 21 12  4 13  39  34   5  40
11 Everton         29  7  1  6 14 16  5  3  7 10 21 12  4 13  24  37 -13  40
12 Newcastle Utd   29  7  5  2 17 10  4  1 10 12 22 11  6 12  29  32  -3  39
13 Charlton Ath.   29  6  3  6 17 17  5  3  6 17 21 11  6 12  34  38  -4  39
14 Aston Villa     29  4  4  6 15 17  4  6  5 18 20  8 10 11  33  37  -4  34
15 Middlesbrough   28  5  5  5 21 24  4  2  7 16 22  9  7 12  37  46  -9  34
16 Fulham          29  9  2  3 25 17  0  3 12 13 29  9  5 15  38  46  -8  32
17 West Brom A.    29  6  1  8 20 19  1  5  8  6 24  7  6 16  26  43 -17  27
18 Birmingham City 28  4  3  7 16 17  2  3  9  7 22  6  6 16  23  39 -16  24
19 Portsmouth      29  3  5  6 10 17  2  1 12 10 32  5  6 18  20  49 -29  21
20 Sunderland      29  0  4 11  9 28  2  0 12 10 24  2  4 23  19  52 -33  10

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

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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: