Newsletter #1296

Phew! What a bumper edition we have tonight!

We have Don’s News Summary for starters… followed by plenty of fallout from the Blackburn game, Brian is wondering what will happen to next season’s Sky money, a few replies to Graeme Nicholson’s article, Ernie answers his critics, John Pearson remembers the early days of MCIVTA and an early appeal for some Liverpool tickets.

Heidi will be back for Monday’s edition after her recuperation!

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Sign ‘O’ the Times: SP was asked for his opinion on Blackburn’s Lucas Neill decision to join relegation contenders West Ham, rather than Liverpool. Neill claimed he’d moved South for footballing reasons. “If you’ve got a choice of going to Liverpool or West Ham and the wages are exactly the same, for footballing reasons you might decide to go to Liverpool,” continued Pearce. “That’s why West Ham have probably offered more money to someone like Lucas Neill to try and tempt the player there. What I would say to any player is go for footballing reasons only.” And to illustrate the point, Psycho revealed a recent conversation he’d had with one of his players. The Boss asked which the lad would rather have, an England cap or a Ferrari? “He told me ‘well, definitely a Ferrari because they are fantastic, aren’t they?’ That’s just alien to me.” Sad to say, the boss remained tight lipped over the player in question.

No Cashing In: SP has played down suggestions that next season’s financial windfall for Premiership clubs will only heap further pressure on top-flight managers. The Premier League announced on Thursday that the 20 sides will share around £900 million for each of the next three years. As a result prize money will go through the roof for all Premiership clubs. “I do not think there will be any extra pressure on managers because we as individuals heap it on ourselves,” said Pearce. “You could pay me £20 million a day to do my job but I honestly believe I could not do it any better or work any harder, so it would be irrelevant. Look at some players – they will give you everything you have if even they are on a pittance. The only time the prize money helps you is when you want to enter the transfer market.”

Frank Lamps Joey: If Joey Barton does get a call up to the England squad any time soon, perhaps it wouldn’t be wise to pair Frank Lampard and our genial number 8 together as room-mates. The shy and retiring Scouser recently called into question Lampard’s ability to play in a team with Liverpool’s Stevie Gerrard. Lampard hit back in the Times, saying: “I don’t think Joey should talk about me and Steve Gerrard, that probably says enough. Joey mentioned that he was running at six in the morning in Dubai on holiday and then he wondered if me and Stevie G were doing the same. When I read that, I thought: ‘I was doing that when I was 11’. That’s the difference. I’ve been training my socks off and I think Stevie G has as well. That’s what you do. Maybe Joey Barton has found that but I’ve been doing that for a long time. As a professional – and I know I’m talking about another player now – you shouldn’t talk about other players too much. There are a lot of players fighting for a place but they don’t come out and say something. They get their heads down and keep fighting. That’s what Owen Hargreaves did when he could have said things.” Ouch! Hope Barton’s feeling duly castigated.

Transfer News and Gossip

Another Ball Bounces In: My youngest sibling is a pithy and concise fellow, and he summed up the following two stories with a neat motto. “Michael Ball (the mulleted singer?) + a nutter. Whoop de do.” For those who want a bit more meat on the bone, let me elucidate. First, City have taken another left-back on trial. This time it’s former Everton and Rangers player Michael Ball. The 27-year-old, currently with Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, is spending a week at Carrington. The club website quoted Ball saying that “This is a great opportunity for me to show the Manager and the staff here first hand what I can do.” Second – SP is supposedly attempting to sign Tottenham striker Mido in a “shock £3 million swoop”, the Daily Mirror reports. Fourth in the Spurs pecking order behind Dimitar Berbatov, Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane, “the temperamental star will not accept being sidelined for long”, the paper reckons. If memory serves, City were interested in the volatile Egyptian a couple of years ago, but he plumped for the Londoners.

Easter Parades his Talent: Jermaine Easter’s agent has revealed he has fielded enquiries from Premiership clubs, with City and Blackburn thought to be leading the chase for the player. Wycombe striker Easter made headlines with the equalising goal in his team’s first leg Carling Cup semi-final draw against Chelsea. “There is interest in Jermaine from a number of Premiership clubs,” Easter’s agent Wayne Elsey told the Daily Star. “I just feel him scoring against Chelsea has brought his obvious talent into a national spotlight. Who knows what could happen if he has a good match at Stamford Bridge.” Sadly for his client, he had a poor game in the second leg as Wycombe succumbed 4-0 at the Bridge.

I Should Coco: Blimey, I hope Francesco Coco wasn’t reading Vanes’ opinions on him last week – because the Inter Milan defender has denied a poor attitude was the reason behind City aborting his trial last week. “It’s an incredible lie,” Coco told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I am a serious professional, educated and respectful with others.” the former Italian international claimed that football reasons were the problem. “I left Manchester on good terms with the Stuart Pearce,” said the 30-year-old. “When they told me that City could use my services, I asked Inter’s permission to travel to England for a couple of days. It didn’t work out because the coach wanted to use me in a different position to what I am used to, full back. After two days we realised that there was no point in wasting time as they already have two players in my position.”

Firing Blancos: Any hopes the Blues had of landing target Kepa Blanco have been dashed after he decided to join West Ham on loan. The Sevilla striker has been touted around the Premiership and it was thought that Pearce, who has admitted he wants to add players to the squad, was closing in on the player, but he has opted for Upton Park instead. The Hammers’ loan deal includes an exclusive option to make the 23-year-old’s move permanent in the summer.

It’s Cler Enough: Here’s a couple of titbits relating to SP’s search for defensive reinforcements. The gaffer is being linked in the Netherlands with a move for Gijs Luirink. The former under-21 international, a member of the preliminary Dutch squad for the 2006 World Cup, came through the ranks at Ajax and joined high-flying AZ in the summer from Groningen. Injuries have restricted the 23-year-old’s chances to shine so far but Pearce is thought to have been impressed during a recent spying mission to Holland, when he took in AZ’s game against ADO Den Haag. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reports that our learned leader is actually after AZ’s left-back Tim de Cler.

KO’d at the KC: Hull City boss Phil Brown believes Danny Mills’ injury could scupper a return to The KC Stadium. Old Chrome Dome made nine appearances on loan at the Tigers last year. Brown is keen to see Mills back at Hull, but thinks the club may be forced to look elsewhere as Mills is currently sidelined with a stress fracture. “We’ve been in regular contact since he left the club and he phoned me at the weekend to let me know the extent of his injury,” he told the Hull Daily Mail. “It’s a situation where yes, it would have been nice to bring Danny back to the club because he would have been a welcome addition to the squad. But it’s not the end of the world for us. If I can’t get Danny back we’ll look elsewhere.”

Reactions and Comments

Burned by Blackburn: City’s unbeaten run crashed and burned in spectacular fashion last Saturday tea time, as Blacburn stuck three past the Blues without response. David Bentley cleared off the line for Rovers before Morten Gamst Pedersen headed home a cross from the Rovers’ winger. Pedersen later scored a curving free kick, while Rovers’ ‘keeper Brad Friedel made two good saves from Darius Vassell. Blackburn, who lost defender Andre Ooijer with a broken ankle (caused by Bernardo ‘Mr. Lover Man’ Corradi falling on him), scored their third through Matt Derbyshire’s finish from a tight angle. “We got what we deserved – and that was nothing,” said SP. “I’m disappointed with quite a number of things, and to a man, we have not played as well as we have been doing. But it goes to show if you are five per cent off in this league, you will get beaten, although we were probably more than that today. We were not at the races today, without a doubt,” he continued. “We were out-fought and I thought that Rovers dictated their formation onto us and dictated the game. Apart from one two skirmishes, especially after the break, we felt sorry for ourselves today for whatever reason – but we shouldn’t have done. We did not impose ourselves, and I don’t think too many of our boys can leave the stadium tonight and hold their heads up. They know that, and we are very disappointed. It’s a real blow, after six games unbeaten and especially in front of our own fans. We have done ourselves no credit whatsoever, but once again this is how you find out a bit more about your squad when they react and start work again next week. Now there is another massive game ahead of us next weekend.”

Joy Down the Wings: Blackburn Rovers manager Sparky Marky Hughes congratulated himself on sussing out City’s formation. “We are doing fine on our travels at the moment and I am delighted with the manner of the performance, not just the result. We dictated the tempo, we were calm in possession, created chances and took the ones that we needed. We looked at the way City shape up and felt there could be joy down the wings and that is how it panned out.” Blond bombshell and Rovers captain, Robbie Savage, told Sky Prem Plus: “This was a great win, considering we lost Andre today and we’ve also lost Steven Reid and Ryan Nelsen. We owe this victory to them because they’re a big part of this squad.” Pedersen added: “This was a win for the team. We worked hard together. We’ve been unlucky with injuries this week and today with Andre.” And personally I think that’s quite enough after match reaction on a game that yours truly gave Rupert Murdoch 8 quid to endure. Moving on.

Squad News

Another £30,000 Per Week Saved: So last week’s reports turned out to be true – City have agreed to release Claudio Reyna from his contract. The 33-year-old midfielder is expected to return to his homeland after three-and-a-half years with the Blues, but there’s no confirmation of a deal with the New York Metrostars. He arrived from Sunderland for £2.5 million in August 2003 and during his time at City made 77 starts and scored four goals. City boss Stuart Pearce had hinted earlier in January that the player was considering making a return to the United States for family reasons. Reyna, who signed a one-year contract in January 2006, played his final game for City in the 2-1 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur back in December.

Willie Sign a New Deal? Meanwhile, at the other end of the age spectrum – City have opened talks with Stephen Ireland over a new deal at the club. The midfielder still has two years to run on his current contract, but he is hoping to win a new improved deal. Ireland has broken into the City side in recent weeks and he has kept hold of his place with some impressive performances. The Republic of Ireland international is highly regarded within the corridors of Eastlands and they are determined to keep hold of Ireland. Ireland’s agent Willie McKay revealed talks are ongoing with City regarding a new deal for the youngster. “I have spoken to Stuart Pearce about a new deal for Stephen,” McKay told Sky Sports. “He said he is keen to keep him and he will speak to the powers that be to sort something out. Stephen has been in great form in recent weeks and he is enjoying his football at City. We are hopeful that we can reach a successful conclusion with the talks soon.”

Cobblers to Marc (Sorry) Marc to the Cobblers: And finally, we have news of some City starlets out learning their trade on loan at lower league clubs. Northampton Town have taken Marc Laird on a month-long loan deal. Cobblers’ boss Stuart Gray told the club website: “He is a box to box midfield player who is very mobile and has plenty of energy. We appreciate what Stuart Pearce and Manchester City have done in allowing us to borrow a player of his quality.” Central defender Matthew Mills has gone to Colchester United for a month. The U’s are the surprise package of the Championship this term, and are in line for a play-off place. Elsewhere, defender Nathan D’Laryea has started a month’s loan with Macclesfield Town, a club whose fortunes in Legaue Two are being revived under Paul ‘Incey Wincey’ Ince’s stewardship. The 21-year-old was on the bench for Macc’s game at home to Hereford on Saturday.

MATCH REPORT: CITY 0 BLACKBURN 3 (LIVE)

Normal Service Has Been Resumed

After a six game unbeaten run (most of which coincided with me being on holiday) it was back down to earth with a bump for the Blues on Saturday against a Blackburn team on their own little run. Apart from their aberrations against Arsenal, Blackburn had been winning and scoring freely so there was every possibility that this was going to be the first in a series of tough games for us. Plus we don’t have a good record against them. Things had been looking well up recently, with a good run and Barton and Richards seemingly committed to the cause and this was a litmus test of how we really stood.

With Barton suspended and Onuoha injured, we lined up with Weaver, Richards, Dunne, Distin, Jordan, Trabelsi, Dabo, Ireland, Sinclair, Corradi, and Vassell, initially in a 3-5-2 (or 5-3-2) formation. Jordan and Trabelsi were the wing backs and Sinclair having a more central rôle. It was quite clear from the start that we were struggling without Barton. Dabo isn’t the most mobile player but he was all action compared to Sinclair. The first thirty minutes or so were the most dire I have seen for some time (and there has been plenty of competition recently). The only entertainment to be had was from chatting to the bloke next to me, with the game going on in the background like a TV with the sound turned down. The only moment of note in the first third was the failure of Weaver to intercept a good, low cross from Bentley but fortunately there was no one on the end of it.

The game only came to life after half an hour with City gaining a corner. Richards got on the end of it and it was only stopped by Bentley, who looked to have used his arm. In the scramble, the Blackburn player Ooijer went down and, despite the fact that play was stopped, due to a City corner, the referee made him hobble off the pitch. Once he got off there were immediate calls for the stretcher and it was clearly something serious (it turned out to be a broken leg), which hopefully left referee Dowd feeling a complete prat. Having got him off the pitch he refused to allow the corner to be taken until he’d been moved so he clearly felt some shame.

Blackburn then applied the pressure and started testing Jordan down the City left. We looked to be going in all square (and I’ve said this a few times) when Bentley beat Jordan to put over a searching cross that was headed home by Pedersen. Changes were clearly needed at half time. Sinclair had done nothing whatsoever and Corradi hadn’t been terrible but wasn’t getting much change out of the Rovers defence. Jordan had also been woeful and it’s about time our manager, no mean left-back himself, took the lad to one side to explain the concept of marking an opposition player so that you stop him receiving the ball or, if he does, you can do something about it. Dabo and Trabelsi had also been so-so. However, there was a guy a few seats from me screaming abuse at Ireland throughout the game and he had been far from our worst player. Perhaps he was his former agent.

The changes made at the start of the second half were to replace Corradi with Samaras and Sinclair with Beasley as to seemingly go to a more conventional 4-4-2 (though who could tell?). Both introduced some skill at least and Samaras got stuck in purposefully as we chased the game. There were some cynical fouls as we pressured Blackburn and the ref had three yellow cards out in quick succession. We failed to capitalise though and gave away what looked like a soft free kick just outside the area on the left. Blackburn took it quickly and messed it up but the referee let them have another go, which Pedersen curled into the net. City had a go but the few times they pierced the Blackburn defence, Friedel was in fine form. His best save was to deny Vassell from a good strike at close range, after a pin-point cross from Beasley. Vassell and Samaras both had another good strike but Friedel wasn’t unduly troubled.

Ishmael Miller came on but had little impact though his energy was welcome. We clearly weren’t going to close the gap as the minutes ticked off and the home fans decided enough was enough. The ground was emptying fast as we went into injury time so most people missed Jordan totally sleepwalking as the substitute Derbyshire got in front of him to get the ball then strolled past him, totally untroubled, to score inside Weaver’s near post. It summed up Jordan’s afternoon but many of his colleagues weren’t far behind him in the “awfulness” stakes.

The usual City failings were much in evidence. We were totally static when we had the ball and Ireland rarely had any runners to aim passes at. We also seemed to concede the midfield far too readily as were often outnumbered by Blackburn in that area and relied on defending the 18-yard box. Robbie Savage could have done his washing and ironing for all the trouble he had in midfield (though it would presumably have been a different story if Barton had been playing). It simply wasn’t good enough from people paid very handsomely to put some effort in when it matters and I’d rather see some of the kids given a go as at least you might see some endeavour and pride from them. Our next four matches involve Reading and Chelsea at home and Portsmouth and Arsenal away. Before this game I optimistically thought we might get 7 or 8 points from the five games but now we’ll be lucky to get one, on this showing.

Performances:
Weaver – 5. Not at all convincing. At fault in part for the final goal and nearly gave away one early on.
Richards – 6. Subdued by his standards but at least he looked as though he cared.
Dunne – 6. Reliable if not spectacular.
Distin – 7. Showed some class and gave little away.
Jordan – 1. No skill. No effort. No tackles. No interest. Next to him Frontzeck would look world-class. In fact Heidi in plaster after her op could do better.
Trabelsi – 5. Poor game I thought but at least he tried.
Dabo – 5. Needed too much time and rarely used the ball well when he had some.
Ireland -7. Despite the views of the “gentleman” a few seats away he was the only bit of class in midfield with some great passes.
Sinclair – 2. I’ll be generous as he was out of position but new contract? Forget it Trev. Come in number 28 – your time is up.
Corradi – 4. Another one who didn’t look like he fancied it.
Vassell – 7. Worked his socks off, never gave up and only denied by a couple of superb stops from Friedel.
Subs:
Beasley – 5. Occasional flash but muscled out.
Samaras – 7. He looked better, worked harder and usually used the ball well.
Miller – 6. Plenty of effort but no cutting edge.

Overall Edge-of-the-Seat Factor: 1. Two real bits of excitement in 90 minutes and the only time most people got up was to go home.

OPINION: BLACKBURN GAME (I)

I’ve supported City since 1953 when I was taken as a 6 year old to see them play Fulham at Maine Road, on a sunny Wednesday night in August. Sat on the ramp of the entrance tunnel at the Scoreboard End. Fantastic view and saw Johnny Haynes. What a player.

I have one comment to make about the Blackburn game. “They Never Miss An Opportunity To Miss An Opportunity”.

After all that good work over the last month. But it’s always been like this.

MCIVTA 1295 was for me the best yet, but no one pointed out that if we had won, we would now be 4 points off a UEFA place. That’s what makes me sick. What a glorious opportunity missed.

OPINION: BLACKBURN GAME (II)

One thing nobody mentioned in the last issue of MCIVTA was how good Blackburn were! They launched a quite superb smash’n’grab!

Despite being a huge and life-long City fan, I had to admire Rovers’ performance. They are on a roll so I knew this would be a very tough game to get any result from. They had strength in depth, worked very hard, played some real quality football, and took their goals beautifully!

I can’t really make my mind up about the City performance. After a while I think my mind just gets confused between all the various shades of poor. We definitely missed Joey! Darius Vassell was a joy to watch at times. Dabo – why? You feel embarrassed that he is even there! Seems way out of his depth! Perhaps the poorest acquisition since Jim Conway?

Good to see Macc win again! County are going well! What else can we say?

OPINION: BLACKBURN GAME (III)

I have two season tickets.

I love Manchester City.

I have a wife.

I love my wife.

It costs me 50 pounds a match to watch City and be aggravated.

I sit arms crossed over my stomach, knotted up with acid.

Even if we are 3-0 up with 10 minutes to go, until that whistle goes… I know, with absolute certainty, we will lose 4-3!

It has been like that for years.

For the same price, I can go out with my wife and, for a whole evening:

1. Enjoy a reasonably priced meal for two.
2. Go to the cinema, see an enjoyable film and have a bite to eat afterwards.
3. Go to the theatre, see a good play and have a leisurely drink.

…and do that for 20 Saturday nights a year, the same price as my season tickets.

Admittedly, I do not feel the same sense of elation seeing the performance of a great Shakespearian actor as opposed to the simplest of tap-in goals from a City player.

Nor do I plummet into the depths of despair if I see a below average film or eat an “OK” meal in comparison to a below average or average City performance.

But the final Blackburn goal put things into perspective.

I realise that I watch City, no longer for enjoyment, but out of a sense of duty, tradition and routine.

When I see a player earning a huge salary plod after a player having given the ball away, why should I bother?

Where was the fire that used to burn in City players?

Yes, it is a different game… but why should the sense of passion and commitment be less?

I defy anyone to show me that if presented with a blank sheet of paper, the names of more than 4 or 5 existing players would appear as players you would definitely now want in your City team.

Maybe I should just accept the game/City for what it now is, lower my expectations and settle for half-best?

I cannot be accused of being a “fair weather” supporter, having supported City through thick and thin for over 45 years but maybe I should now call it a day on my season tickets?

OPINION: BLACKBURN GAME (IV)

Well, in spite of the poor result, there are some interesting comments for those of us in far flung areas.

I think the result was more than a little flattering to Blackburn, who seem to be our bogey team of late.

I, too, was at the all Huddersfield games mentioned, and remember my brother in law buying me mashed spuds, carrots and minced gravy before the away game at Huddersfield, when they were challenging us for first place in Division 2.

We used to stand in those days and were quite orderly without the help of stewards and there was lively banter behind the goals. We used to change ends at half time too. Platt Lane End second half meant we would win, or so we thought then.

The one thing that we always wanted to see was a good game of football. We see that now in the Premiership and a lot of the time it is because of foreign players. If you ask anyone outside of England, it is the most exciting league to watch and now the most skilful. That is why they get so much money from television. If you play with the best, your level of play improves. That is why the Italian league was so good for so long and why they always challenged for the World Cup while we hoped to do well. We have a lot of good, young prospects in the team that will bear fruit in the future and, if we had a goalscorer, we would be much higher placed. They do not grow on trees but I have faith that SP will find one or bring one through. It is not going to happen this year. We just have to keep the faith.

Thanks to all of the crew that keep us supplied with the news and everyone who contributes, keep it up.

OPINION: BLACKBURN GAME (V)

The Blackburn match has to go down as one of the most disappointing I have seen. I always resolve to stay right to the bitter end, especially since I travel from Buckingham, a journey of some two and a half hours, it seems stupid to miss any of the 90+ minutes. However, for the first time, for at least as long as I can remember, we got up and left immediately after the third goal went in. What got to me was the manner of the defeat summed up by Stephen Jordan’s terrible defending for that goal and the way he appeared to give up and almost walked behind the Blackburn player as he went on to score. This followed from Dabo having effectively given them the free kick that lead to the second goal with a weak pass across goal.

It has grated with me for some time now that teams like Bolton and Blackburn with far fewer supporters can bring in better players. We seem to only manage to go for loan or free transfer players at the wrong end of their careers. We are relying too heavily on age 30+ players in key positions who are obviously slower than they were and more susceptible to injury; Sinclair, Hamman, Dickov, Reyna (if he has not left yet), Trabelsi, Corradi, with Distin and Jihai Sun reaching 30 this year. These players are, I assume, supposed to provide the experience to bring on our young Academy players such as Richards, Miller, and Onouha. The trouble is that they are not good enough now to do that. They effectively drag our promising players down to their level. We need to get investment into the club and to buy very good players in their early to mid-twenties with the drive, fitness and sheer energy to out-compete Blackburn, Bolton and the rest. If not I fear we will lose our way.

Where were we when Blackburn signed David Bentley to name just one player from Saturday’s game? So come on directors re-double your efforts. If Wigan, Aston Villa, and Portsmouth can find rich benefactors then we should be able to!

OPINION: BLACKBURN GAME (VI)

I’ve held back and held back on sending this, because, believe it or not, I am usually a positive sort of chap. More recently my contributions have been pure whinge. However, I’ve got to vent my spleen again after the garbage that was served on Saturday. I feel it’s important not to let my standards slip and set out proper expectations. So apologies in advance, please skip this as you wish.

I thought Jordan was totally exposed. Terrible set up of the side, our weakest link left with no protection. The link up play with Sinclair and Trabelsi was only made possible because they were both playing the same position! Seasoned pros, as these are supposed to be, should be able to spot that Ireland in the middle is not sufficient cover down the left, let alone the observations of our coaching staff. Hughes must have been laughing his sheep mullet off.

Our squad set up has to include the following as a minimum: two left footed midfielders, two central (one battler, Joey fits this mould, one orchestrator) and two right midfielders.

As an aside – a thought for Willie MacKay too. Given Stephen Ireland requires a new contract as he has been ‘playing well for the last few weeks’, how about £25,000 a week for every game he plays well in, then he pays us back £25,000 for each game he does not.

Saturday’s reality check was what we needed. We have scraped enough points to not worry about going down, hopefully, and that should please our Board’s ambitions. However, we have been playing awful in the previous unbeaten streak. Barton has been manful in doing the jobs of four midfielders when he has been in. Distin left-midfield at Sheffield United showed we recognised the need for more balance, and he played it as well as most. In Joey’s absence on Saturday we looked woeful.

Corradi needs offloading. Again, we have not had a proper midfield set up for four years now – Sinclair in this period has been synonymous with the whole ineptitude of our investments – but the Italian has had plenty of opportunity for a player of his age. He just hasn’t the pace or ability, even without the service he should expect from the middle men. By the way, I’ll be right behind him when I’m at the game encouraging him, but he is not the answer.

Jon Carew being mooted for Villa – we should nip in and take a look. Luke Varney, my mate Phil’s tip, has got to be worth a gamble. I am not going to reel off my regular midfield options, but they need bringing in now.

Midfield is our main problem area and has been for some time. Without a good supply even the best strikers cannot score. With the current forward quartet we have got serious problems on the goal front.

Three of the talking points at the match:

1. Our scouting system is non-existent. A certain Monsieur Baguette pointedout Nonda in his early days amongst others, Ashton, McCarthy, et al.McCarthy yesterday was pacey and made good room for his team mates. He cost£2.5 million.
2. Our buys are rubbish, if we did not have the youth production line wewould be knackered. We have been relying on the kids since our brief sojournin the UEFA cup. Proper quality need signing, and not for ridiculous sums.
3. Our policy is a mismatch of two strategies and is missing the spot. EitherSP is Arsene Wenger or he is Harry Redknapp. He cannot be both. How can wefork out £6 million for one for the future, without being able to afford one for thepresent?

I’m embarrassed at the malaise we find ourselves in. Will the Board be happy with three survival seasons in Sky’s ultimate pay day and being free from debt? I am sure they would. Not I. Pounds and pence on your bank statement do not kick footballs nor do they provide the attacking football I crave at City. We have had a good base for a long time now, with no ambition or finance to build on it.

Invest now. Spurs did and they were well behind us in the pecking order two years ago, not now. It does not even have to be daft money as a player we were linked with for four years prior to his arrival at Blackburn has scored 13 goals already.

We need scouts committed to our club who have a proven track record. The fare we are being served on match days has been poor for too long. There are too many Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn performances to be one-offs. To make a mistake once, you can learn from; twice is showing you have not learnt properly; three times and it’s not happening.

Finally, Pearce needs proven experience around him, not just the current bag of yes men. In addition, he cannot polish a turd and needs cash, as we know. Changes are required, not least for my sanity!

Rant over.

Whatever you do, stay Blue!

DARIUS VASSELL

I was just reflecting on Vassell’s recent 1 on 1 scoring difficulties when I caught sight of a YouTube compilation of Romario’s finest. Thought other readers of this fine publication might be interested. Is there any chance Vassell himself might take a look?

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhjxcKqFfLc

Thanks to Heidi and all involved in making MCIVTA such a great publication.

OPINION: PREM MONEY

Would I be being cynical in thinking that City will be reducing prices next season due to the influx of money from Sky?

To be honest, it isn’t just the standard of football that’s getting me down at the moment… having to pay crazy prices to watch my team is stopping me from renewing my ST for next season.

Premiership football is losing fans of the future. Prices should be accessible. Paying nearly 50 quid for an afternoon’s footie is mad (as I do for me and my lad). Twenty quid for admission and a fiver for kids should be the max.

Also an area of unreserved seating should be available. How can any people meet up with relatives/mates from around the country and just turn up to watch the match like in the ‘good old days’ and sit together at the match?

To get my family together to watch a match is a logistical nightmare.

I miss the gangs of young lads heading for the game, paying to get in and staying together in the ground. It just doesn’t happen anymore, and if we don’t start catering for these lads, we’ll lose them… if the game hasn’t already.

OPINION: SUPPORTING OUR TEAM (I)

Can I make a point in respect of Graeme Nicholson’s article “Supporting our Team”? Although I agree with a lot of what he says, I must add that we took over 6,000 to Hillsborough for the first game as well and people seem to forget that on the day following the replay, all the papers were lambasting our attendance but praising the Wednesday fans!

OPINION: SUPPORTING OUR TEAM (II)

I have been a part of MCIVTA for a mere year, but feel it is time that I submitted my first post.

First off a little history: I am from Campbell River B.C. (Canada), grandson of a True Blue, son of a True Blue (and MCIVTA faithful) and therefore I am a True Blue. My older brother is a Blue, as are all my friends. How a bunch of Canadian boys become City fans relies solely on the fact that everyone that stepped in the house on a Saturday when Dad was listening to City on that old blasted radio had to ‘support City or get OUT!’. If you mentioned the Rags, you were banned. We all fell in love with City and have been proud supporters since a young age.

I visited Maine Road once at the age of 20 and had a wonderful time. We drew with West Brom, but it was the atmosphere that left me breathless. I have never been at a sporting event that kept me on my feet for the whole game. From the time I woke up in the morning, until later the next day, all I could think about was the game. The fans singing songs that I (and I don’t think most others) knew all the words to, but we sang anyway!

In September 2005 I got the ultimate experience. After travelling through Europe with a friend (a Blue) from home, we got the news that there was a possibility that we could get tickets to the City vs. Portsmouth game! Very excited to say the least, we travelled up to Manchester where we stayed with my Grandma and started getting excited for the game. We had no idea what we were in for!

My dad had told me to call next door of my Grandmas, as a certain family friend might be able to help us out with a ticket. We got the great news that we had gotten tickets to the game. On game day we showed up at COMS earlier than anybody, got our new jerseys (Barton on the back) and went to go ask about these tickets. The family friend was Sarah Billington. She was absolutely amazing. We had no idea that the tickets weren’t just tickets! Sarah took us on a tour of COMS, onto the field, into the press room and then left us, absolutely left us, on our own, in the Players’ Lounge! As the players started swarming in before the game, we could not believe what was happening.

Dunny, James, Distin, Cole, Vas, and our kid Joey all blessed us with their presence. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to SP and got my programme signed by the man himself.

Then the game started. We took our 3rd row seats (behind many City alumni who treated us very well) and the game played itself out perfectly. Coley scored the winner and ran over to SP to give him a big hug before all the team piled on (I have a great picture!) We sang and sang all day, once again not knowing most of the words; it was one of the best days of my life!

And lastly (it’s not over yet), we get back to Canada and could not stop talking about the day, the game, the experience. People were finding it hard to believe while my Dad and brother didn’t believe a word we were saying! Until a few days later when my brother was on MCFC Website and all of a sudden he starts going crazy!

My friend and I showed up on the front page (Newer low price on 05/06 Kit), thanks to our good friend Eddie Garvey (who we also met through Sarah).

I guess what I am trying to say is that I believe City Fans are all True City fans. You don’t support City because you need a team to support, you love City because either you get born into it, or you just love City!

I agree with the fans that are trying to get more true fans out to the games. The atmosphere is the best when we are all cheering together. I hope to one day be able to make it to many more games and when I do I will sing and sing with all the other Blues!

OPINION: STAND UP IF YOU HATE STANDING!

Well, I thought I’d be copping some flak for my stance on standing and I was right!

It isn’t only my old bones that caused me to denigrate the supporters of stand-up as ‘Luddites’ (a remark for which I wholeheartedly apologise – sometimes the wannabe tabloid headline writer deep in the psyche of this well-serious journo drives me to excess).

Nor do I swallow the imbecility of the likes of Lord Claptrap and his ‘ruggah’ watching mates who sit on tribunals to ascertain the cause of football disasters – something the average football fan could tell them for free.

I think I came to realise that standing was not all it was cracked up to be after spending two hours on the terraces at Maine Road in a crowd of 70-odd thousand (official). The occasion, a cup-tie against Everton. I was fourteen and my passion for City even then confounded all reason. Still, even I sussed that squelching back to town, limping the length of Lloyd Street with a wellyfull of scouse piss, was not nirvana.

For the next few years I leaned against a barrier on the Platt Lane, sometimes having to limbo under it as a prelude to skiing down the terrace, propelled by the crowd leaning forward in unison to get a better view of a corner kick from the right.

Subsequently I moved to the Kippax to bond with my peers and we jumped, screamed, sang, roared and, yes, fought. And it doesn’t need Lord Claptrap to tell me that whacking even a Leeds fan was anti-social behaviour. The clubs, cynical beggars that they are, would be perfectly happy if the old rules still existed. They could keep the shallow-stepped terraces with their rusty-stanchioned blind spots (you can pack more in that way). They wouldn’t need to spend money on even basic facilities. Less seats, preferably none, fewer stewards to pay. The scouse hordes could give folk wet wellies to their hearts’ content without fear of ejection.

Personally, I don’t believe that all-seater stadiums are, by definition, lacking in atmosphere. It’s not seats that kill atmosphere, it’s over-zealous stewarding. I think it entirely reasonable that crowds should rise in unison to applaud a goal, sing an anthem, condemn a dangerous tackle or rubbish a referee. This basic human reaction should be understood and condoned by the clubs and they should ride with the atmosphere and be proud of it, not send in the jack-booted fascist storm troopers. Violence to persons or property, stamp it out, but leave simple human emotions alone. Hope I’ve explained it better this time. Aaaagh! Hell, must get a new typing chair. My back is killing me…

OPINION: THE TEAM

Told you all before. Why are we blaming the players? They need to be managed. Get a Manager.

BLACKBURN REVISITED!

I dunno. I move to one of the most extreme places on the planet, a place that keeps itself going because of administrative services, fish and a growing tourism. It’s taken me 8 months to meet another City fan (I believe there are two more, but that’s your lot). There are rarely more than 3 people in the pub to watch football, and the other two are plastic Rags. Even the return of the sun after its winter break was blotted out by snow, and it was another couple of days before we could see it. I thought that this town produced nothing. I was wrong. It produced Morten Gamst Pedersen. Maybe it’s time to move on.

RONALDINHO!

The father of a mate of mine, Steve Helm, is a football commentator. You’ll know him – John Helm.

Well, whilst out in Germany, covering the World Cup for Channel 5, Mr Helm senior was finding it rather difficult to get to sleep in his hotel room one night, due to a constant thudding in the room next door. After literally a couple of hours, John gets up, tired and a bit irritated, he steps out into the corridor and makes his way to the bedroom next door. Banging on the door, he is greeted by the toothy boy wonder – Ronaldinho – doing kick ups! Complete with a smiley, albeit concerned look on his face, asks: (whilst still doing kick-ups) “What is the problem?” John – laughing at the situation says: “It’s a bit late for that isn’t it son?”

To which Ronaldihno replies: “Late for what? I was asleep!” Quality!

EARLY DAYS OF MCIVTA

I am not sure if I was on board from the very first edition. While responding to something on rec.sport.soccer in the early 90s I received an email from Sean Bechofer who along with James Nash and Martin Ford had started a small email list about City. I then met Sean and James when they were, separately, in Northern California but never had the pleasure to meet Martin. Then one day Sean gets me signed up to MCIVTA and life has been hell ever since!

It used to be that I was cut off from the day to day heartache of following City, other than copies of the Pink or three day old newspapers in college libraries. Then t’Internet came along with immediate news, gossip and opinion.

I’ll say now what I said in 1999, MCIVTA has made me feel much more connected the City that anything else I can imagine (even the many, many games on TV). The reason is that it is the fans who contribute, often with humour, always with passion, sometimes with anger (at each other or the club or a manager or a player) and now and again with remarkable detail and analysis, such as Colin Savage’s articles on finances (not that I ever understood them and I still don’t get why City’s debt seems to be the same as it was 2 years ago, but let’s not go there) and always with a sense of what might have been. The editors have been so consistent and dependable that I am convinced that Ashley and Heidi are cloned.

The debate has been lively and only now and then has there had to be some calming down done by the editors. Perhaps we are all too exhausted after the ups and downs of the last 15 years.

I was also impressed with the recent articles taking us back to games in the early 60s and the Pink ‘Un and the Green ‘Un. City were pretty dire in the early 60s and crowds were, at times, very, very low indeed. What we have to remember (or at least I think we do) is that it took a long time to build the crowds back up. Even during the 1967/68 season I think the home average was under 35,000. It didn’t climb above 40,000 until ten years after the arrival of Joe and Malcolm. That is what the board need to know about the history. If you lose supporters because of the way you play or the overall paucity of results or continued lack of visible progress, it may take time to win them back. In many ways I was spoiled by being able to see a lot of City games between 1964-71 and then into the late 70s on long trips home to Manchester. I also realise that I miss Maine Road, not because I don’t like COMS or that I don’t accept that Peter Swales made a huge mess of a potentially great ground (how can a smaller ground on less space such as Old Trafford be developed to 75,000 seats and Maine Road end up a complete shambles?) – I just miss its atmosphere and feel. I am going to digress here but there for me there have been few places of Holy Ground; the Kippax was one and Sun Recording Studios in Memphis is another.

The other thing I always take from MCIVTA is that most of us don’t really know what we are talking about 🙂 We do what we do in life because we probably couldn’t do what Pearce does – but so what? Why should that stop us venting, giving opinions, ranting and raving? It all makes for a really great twice weekly read. Every time I write something I seem to be proven wrong in the next edition. I wrote before Xmas that I feared the worst over the holiday season, so they go unbeaten (and we seem to have had a lot of the games recently on TV). I also made a really big mistake in writing that I thought the Watford game was about the worse I had seen in the Premiership. After last weekend’s game I realise I was again wrong. If the early 60s games against Huddersfield was worse I shudder to think what it was like.

Thanks for everything to everyone who contributes to MCIVTA. Every so often (and one time was at half time 3-0 down against Spurs in the Cup) I think “that’s it… I’ve had it with this club, I will not watch another game, read another article and I’ll ask Ashley/Heidi to unsubscribe me and I will attempt to live a normal life.” Then I say: well, perhaps I’ll just read the next edition and after all I did see the second half against Spurs (after telling my wife at half time that I was giving up completely with this lot). So on it goes.

So here’s to many more years of insight, player ratings, managerial merry go rounds sprinkled with a good deal of hope and expectations.

Last comment. Can I join the chorus wondering whether Sturridge is going to get a chance. Perhaps he is not quite fit but why not put him on the bench? Of course I have never seen him play so if, once again, I am wrong, it is all the fault of fellow MCIVTies who have seen him play!

REQUEST: TICKETS FOR LIVERPOOL GAME

I would greatly appreciate if anyone had 4 spare tickets for the Liverpool game on 14 April. Basically we will pay what you ask for them. You can contact me at the email address below.

A passionate, loyal Blue.

RESULTS

23 January 2007

Watford               2 - 1  Blackburn Rovers      13,760

21 January 2007

Arsenal               2 - 1  Manchester United     60,128
Wigan Athletic        0 - 2  Everton               18,149

20 January 2007

Aston Villa           2 - 0  Watford               35,892
Fulham                1 - 1  Tottenham Hotspur     23,580
Liverpool             2 - 0  Chelsea               44,245
Manchester City       0 - 3  Blackburn Rovers      36,590
Middlesbrough         5 - 1  Bolton Wanderers      24,614
Newcastle United      2 - 2  West Ham United       52,095
Portsmouth            0 - 1  Charlton Athletic     19,567
Reading               3 - 1  Sheffield United      23,956

League table to 24 January 2007 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  24 10  1  1 29  8  8  2  2 24 10 18  3  3  53  18  35  57
 2 Chelsea         24  8  4  0 24  8  7  2  3 17 11 15  6  3  41  19  22  51
 3 Liverpool       24 10  2  0 25  3  4  2  6 12 13 14  4  6  37  16  21  46
 4 Arsenal         24  7  5  0 30  9  6  1  5 15 11 13  6  5  45  20  25  45
 5 Bolton Wndrs    24  7  2  3 17 10  5  2  5 11 16 12  4  8  28  26   2  40
 6 Portsmouth      24  7  3  2 20  9  3  4  5 14 15 10  7  7  34  24  10  37
 7 Everton         24  6  4  2 19  9  3  4  5 12 14  9  8  7  31  23   8  35
 8 Reading         24  7  1  4 21 14  3  3  6 13 18 10  4 10  34  32   2  34
 9 Tottenham H.    24  8  1  3 21 12  1  5  6  8 20  9  6  9  29  32  -3  33
10 Blackburn R.    24  5  2  5 14 15  4  2  6 14 18  9  4 11  28  33  -5  31
11 Middlesbrough   24  7  2  3 18 12  1  4  7 11 17  8  6 10  29  29   0  30
12 Newcastle Utd   24  5  4  3 18 15  3  2  7 10 17  8  6 10  28  32  -4  30
13 Manchester City 24  5  4  3 10  9  3  2  7  9 19  8  6 10  19  28  -9  30
14 Aston Villa     24  5  4  3 14 11  1  7  4 12 17  6 11  7  26  28  -2  29
15 Fulham          24  5  4  3 10  9  1  7  4 16 27  6 11  7  26  36 -10  29
16 Sheff. United   24  3  5  4 13 15  3  1  8  6 18  6  6 12  19  33 -14  24
17 Wigan Athletic  23  3  2  7 12 20  3  2  6 11 18  6  4 13  23  38 -15  22
18 West Ham United 24  5  2  5 13 14  0  3  9  4 24  5  5 14  17  38 -21  20
19 Charlton Ath.   24  4  3  5 11 16  1  1 10  8 27  5  4 15  19  43 -24  19
20 Watford         23  2  5  4 10 13  0  4  8  4 19  2  9 12  14  32 -18  15

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.

Madeline Hawkins, editor@mcivta.city-fan.org

Editor: