Newsletter #1252

Apologies for the delay, so this is coming out whilst service is restored. Thanks to all the wags with their comments about my unbootable PC being akin to City at Chelsea, more of which in this issue.

MATCH VIEW I: CFC 3 MCFC 0

Well I didn’t expect much from this fixture and I wasn’t disappointed. City gave away a silly goal from a daft foul by Thatcher then poorly defended, an unlucky deflection and one quality goal. In return City offered nothing but blood (mostly Micah Richards!) sweat and tears. Too soon to judge but I have a bad feeling about Corradi – hopefully he will prove me wrong. I’d hoped Weaver would have had a blinder in his first full game back but he was only on a par with the rest of the team – a more authorative ‘keeper (Trautmann or Schmeichel snr) might have forced the City defensive line higher and given himself space to meet the cross for the first, James might have managed to stick out a foot to stop the lucky deflection that gave the second but none of them would have stopped the third (except maybe Gordon Banks?). The ref was an average homer for the big clubs but didn’t influence the overall outcome and most of the “bigger” decisions were OK. However, a foul count of 15 to 7 didn’t represent reality; no problem with Corradi getting two yellow cards but surely hair pulling should be a red (perhaps Steve Bennett has something against Corradi’s curly locks given his own deficiencies in that department?) and Dickov’s booking was a joke that implied personal animosity from the referee. Still, his performance was better than Mr Walton’s efforts at Everton.

Let’s hope for better all round in the future.

MATCH VIEW II: CFC 3 MCFC 0

If I am honest, I did not expect City to come away from Stamford Bridge with anything other than a defeat. From all reports, the players selected scrapped away to the best of their ability. They also did not have the best of luck, in that Chelski’s second goal took a nasty deflection. Corradi had, I understand, before getting yellow carded, been previously “clobbered” by Essien, with the foul going unpunished. So, after one defeat, albeit probably the most difficult fixture of the whole season, I am not going to go overboard in criticism of our manager.

However, much as I admire and am behind SP, he is not beyond reasonable criticism. I did compose a letter last May summarising the errors that, in my opinion, he made last season. On reflection, I decided not to send it. He is, after all, still a relatively inexperienced manager. I hope that he is with us for years to come and proves his worth. On Sunday, we were without Isaksson, Hamann and Trabelsi, yet he persisted in playing Thatcher at left back, rather than Jordan who is much more committed and a much better defensive full back. As expected, and I have written on this point before to MCIVTA, Thatcher gave away the free kick from which the first goal was scored. SP also persisted with Reyna, until substituted by Ireland. Surely Ireland might be a part of the long term future of this Club, whereas Reyna cannot be described in such terms. The increasingly slow Sinclair also started, with our fastest player, Vassell, warming the bench. Vassell, although not a prolific goal scorer, will always out-score Sinclair.

One further query; why was Danny Mills on the bench ahead of Nedum Onuoha? Had Danny got on the pitch, he would have doubtless conceded other needless free kicks in dangerous positions. Again, I cannot see him as a long-term City player, whereas we should be seeking to give Nedum, whom I hope will be with us for many years, as much exposure as possible.

Of course, it could be that SP wants to place this quartet in the “shop window” before the 31st August arrives. However, I think that scenario is just my wishful thinking.

MATCH VIEW III: CFC 3 MCFC 0

Manchester City had to face eleven Chelski stars plus a referee Bennett who was so much on their side it was unbelievable. I just hope that Stuart Pearce does not sit back on not complaining about such refs this season.

Chelsea’s first goal came from an over aggressive tackle from Thatcher and Chelsea were awarded a free kick when John Terry scored a good goal poaching in front of the City goal. I would never tell Thatcher to change his style of game; not quite the complete player, but a strong effort. Chelsea’s second goal was never Weaver’s fault as it first appeared, for it took a deflection on the way in and Lampard took the credit.

The best chance for City came when Corradi just could not quite get to a through ball. I have some advice for Samaras: get your hair cut so you can see the ball; the EPL is not a place for fashion statements unless it is scoring goals. He was substituted, by Dickov I think for lack of passion and not knowing what to do with the ball when he got it. This rough diamond needs some polishing, but I still have faith that he will succeed.

Why Dickov was singled out by referee Bennett from the melee in front of the Chelsea goal to be booked did not amaze me after the way the referee had appeared to take sides.

Corradi was sent off for a second yellow card and foul on Essien, which did not look to be a bad tackle. Essien only got a yellow card for pulling Corradi’s hair. So City then played with only ten men and were now truly up against it.

I think that all the City players gave their all, but at the end of the day were up against a class Chelsea side that had been bought off a shelf and put together.

Distin had a decent game, but did not stand out, other than one special tackle to stop Drogba who was in a great position to score.

Sure Chelsea deserved their win, but they did not need a referee as well to win.

The tactics for this game were questionable. I would have tried to have not let the Chelsea players have any space in midfield, try to close them down with our defence, then go for a fast breakaway goal. Of course that’s easier said than done, no complaints from me from the City players’ effort or on Stuart Pearce who has been limited in what he can do.

I will remember this game for the best reasons, the heroic display by Micah Richards who had to go off for a bad cut that caused some bleeding, but that never stopped Micah, who kept coming back for more and had to change his shirt twice because of the blood. The TV announcer said his blood was red but I disagree: it was City blue. I would put money on Micah being our “Player of the Year” right now today.

Let’s not get too downhearted over this result, get regrouped, grit your teeth, and come out in the next game with team spirit and passion. Maybe Didi Hamman will be fit for our next fixture?

And Distin, please make up your mind, it is not fair to our club what you are doing, with only your own personal gains in your thoughts and not the club you play for. Come out and say “I want to stay at City, another contract can be talked about towards the end of the season, until then I am a City player” or be off. Show me that you are indeed worth £40,000 a week; I am pulling for you, so get out and prove it to me. Until then, the offer made by MCFC has been too generous.

Disappointed in the result? Not really for I knew that we were going to be up against it. It’s what we do in the next game that is more important to me right now.

So come on you Blues!

MATCH VIEW IV: CFC 3 MCFC 0

No surprises here then.

Confirms that we haven’t got a decent experienced defender on the books.

The definition of a defender is that they attempt to tackle when possible without jeopardising the position by letting the attacker past, and marking at defensive situations.

Enter Ben Thatcher. We can’t defend free kicks. So why do we continually give them away around the penalty box?

Enter Richard Dunne. No, not the own goal first and third. Who do you think gave John Terry and Drogba free headers? Yep, you got it. Everyone’s favourite player (not mine) Richard Dunne.

Midfield. Where was Joey Barton? Even when he got the ball (which was usually because someone else won it for him or a stray pass), he continues to pass to the opposition.

And up front. Samaras. Back to the form of the last 10 games of last season. Ineffective, lightweight, positionally inept. A waste of a shirt.

Those are the highlights, or should I say lowlights.

No, we don’t have to play Chelsea every week but Chelsea weren’t even out of first gear.

It worries me where the motivation will come from for games against the likes of Watford, Fulham, etc.

Even if they’d gone down fighting, I wouldn’t have complained but they didn’t even raise a fist.

MATCH VIEW V: CFC 3 MCFC 0

After watching the game and listening to the comments of the manager re the Chelsea game, I must say if I didn’t see another City game I don’t think I’d miss it.

It seems to be acceptable that we lost because we were playing Chelsea and that because they have better players than us and more money then what else can we do?

How about not giving stupid free kicks away on the edge of our own area when the opposition are known to have a centre back that is capable of beating anyone in the air, how about not letting Frank Lampard take pot shots at our goal when we know that half the time he will score? Why couldn’t we just for the want of a better word be more professional and harder to beat?

Both Sheffield United and Villa managed to get draws and gave Liverpool and Arsenal a game but even Frank Lampard after the match said it had been an easy game and for that I feel the club should hang its head in shame. Didn’t we get knocked out of the cup not long ago by a First or Second Division club and if it’s just a case of those with most money and the better players win, how did we get beat that night? We have our star centre back who doesn’t want to stay at the club and yet he is still played and begged in the media to sign a new deal; what message does this send out about our club? He won’t go because it looks like he wants the big signing on fee when he goes on a free but don’t keep begging him to re sign and letting the rest of the squad know that even though they are offering him more than anyone else there he still won’t stay. Doesn’t exactly give the message that we are a club on the up, does it? I’d have him sweeping the terraces or selling Bovril on match days if he doesn’t want to stay. There will be those that say we can’t afford to let him leave on free but we don’t have an option, it’s his call. There will be those that say he’s the best we have, he has to play, but what does that say to those waiting to fill his shoes? It can hardly give them confidence. I know it’s all doom and gloom but I’m struggling to see a bright spot.

OPINION: RED RECORDS

I would just like to put the record straight to John Nisbet who, under the title ‘MISERABLEBROUGH’, said not since 1974 when United got relegated to Division 2 have I seen such a mass drop off in support when a team are not doing well.

When United were in Division 2 (1974-75), United’s average attendance was 48,388 up by 6,000 on the previous season, which was 42,721 {hardly call that fickle support!}.

As you can gather I am a Red and have the MCIVTA sent to me by a Blue workmate for a read (I need a good laugh now and again!).

Good luck to City for next season!

OPINION: MISTAKEN IDENTITY?

After watching the England-Greece match, I wonder if City bought the wrong long-haired Greek player from the wrong Dutch club last season.

OPINION: LATE HOLIDAY ANYONE?

Found this site, which is worth a quick look:

http://www.internetsportstravel.com/Antoine_Sibierski_soccer_camps.htm

REQUEST: BLUES VIEWING IN PARIS

Will be in Paris this weekend; does anyone know a good bar to watch the City vs. Arsenal game on Saturday evening? Not too far from the Champs Elysee would be best.

REQUEST: PREDICTION LEAGUE

I have just started up a MCFC prediction league, which everyone is welcome to join:

http://forrest1066.php1h.com/

REQUEST: CHARITY MATCH

Sunday 1st October 2006, Altrincham Football Club, kick off 2pm.

MCFC Old Boys vs. All Star XI

City to include the likes of Peter Barnes, Asa Hartford, David White, Jim Melrose, Ian Brightwell, Steve Redmond, Kevin Reeves, Andy Dibble, Kenny Clement, Andy Morrison.

All Stars yet to be finalised but likely to include ex-Reds: Clayton Blackmore, Frank Stapleton, Lee Martin, Stuart Pearson.

All proceeds for the Kidneys for Life charity, which is based at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Prices £5 adults / £3 concessions.

Gates open at 12pm. If any fans would like information on sponsorship, advertising or mascot (for under 11s) packages they should contact Caroline Siddall at the email below.

RESULTS

20 August 2006

Manchester United     5 - 1  Fulham                75,115
Chelsea               3 - 0  Manchester City       41,953

19 August 2006

Sheffield United      1 - 1  Liverpool             31,726
Arsenal               1 - 1  Aston Villa           60,023
Everton               2 - 1  Watford               39,691
Newcastle United      2 - 1  Wigan Athletic        51,569
Portsmouth            3 - 0  Blackburn Rovers      19,523
Reading               3 - 2  Middlesbrough         23,855
West Ham United       3 - 1  Charlton Athletic     35,000
Bolton Wanderers      2 - 0  Tottenham Hotspur     22,899

League table to 20 August 2006 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Manchester Utd   1  1  0  0  5  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0   5   1   4   3
 2 Chelsea          1  1  0  0  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0   3   0   3   3
 3 Portsmouth       1  1  0  0  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0   3   0   3   3
 4 West Ham United  1  1  0  0  3  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0   3   1   2   3
 5 Bolton Wndrs     1  1  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0   2   0   2   3
 6 Reading          1  1  0  0  3  2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0   3   2   1   3
 7 Everton          1  1  0  0  2  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0   2   1   1   3
 8 Newcastle Utd    1  1  0  0  2  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0   2   1   1   3
 9 Arsenal          1  0  1  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   1   1   0   1
10 Aston Villa      1  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  1  1  0  1  0   1   1   0   1
11 Liverpool        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  1  1  0  1  0   1   1   0   1
12 Sheff. United    1  0  1  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   1   1   0   1
13 Middlesbrough    1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  2  3  0  0  1   2   3  -1   0
14 Watford          1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  2  0  0  1   1   2  -1   0
15 Wigan Athletic   1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  2  0  0  1   1   2  -1   0
16 Charlton Ath.    1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  3  0  0  1   1   3  -2   0
17 Tottenham H.     1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  2  0  0  1   0   2  -2   0
18 Blackburn R.     1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  3  0  0  1   0   3  -3   0
19 Manchester City  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  3  0  0  1   0   3  -3   0
20 Fulham           1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  5  0  0  1   1   5  -4   0

MCIVTA FAQ [v0607.01]

[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 Radio Manchester (née GMR) pre and post match phone-in is available on the web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/sport/manchester_city/index.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://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer, 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 Plus Markets Group web site http://www.plusmarketsgroup.com/ 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] I hear there is a TV programme specifically about City?

InsideMCFC is broadcasted by ChannelM. It is available on the SkyDigital (ch.203) and NTL (ch.26) platforms as well as being transmittedtraditionally within the Manchester area (ch.39). In addition, theprogramme is available to watch via the web. More details and schedule:http://www.channelm.co.uk/features/city.html

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: