Newsletter #1306

Focusing on the league this weekend as Wigan visit, although most Blues can’t help but keep one eye on the 11 March FA Cup quarter final tie with Blackburn Rovers. Surely a more attractive prospect than Arsenal for us, if only for the ticket pricing.

Tonight we have news on the finance and investment front including half year losses of over £7 million, new goalkeeping and reserve coaches, and potential summer targets. There’s also opinion on the FA Cup, money and football, the club in general and Men in Brown.

NEWS SUMMARY

Takeover Talk

No Ray of Hope: With no match action for City this week, there’s been more focus on financial matters. On Monday the Times reported that Ray Ranson was back in the frame with his consortium, wishing to buy the club for £70 million. Other papers felt Ranson would be rebuffed yet again, as the club supposedly preferred the advances of the mystery Americans. There would be a catch to this deal however: “The Times understands that the American bid is leveraged and could result in the club, who have existing debts in excess of £50 million, falling deeper into the red, a nightmare scenario for supporters who fear that the club could be saddled with a debt in much the same way Manchester United were when the Glazer family took over at Old Trafford.”

Here, Kitty: Elsewhere it was being suggested that SP would be handed a cool £20 million transfer war chest in the summer. The Sun says that City aim to agree a takeover by May and give Pearce a healthy summer transfer kitty, while claiming that the unnamed American consortium were offering £42 million to buy out all the club’s shares. They will also give the current major shareholders – chairman John Wardle and ex-business partner David Makin – a further £10 million to write off their £20 million loan to the club. The only stumbling block is whether the transfer cash should be in a lump sum or paid over time.

At a Loss: On Tuesday the club confirmed a £7.1 million loss for the six months ending November 30, 2006. Although the loss compares badly with the £13.2 million profit from last season, the Guardian pointed out that that figure included the £21 million received for SWP. The club reported that turnover fell by 9% to £25.7 million and wage costs rose by 4%, the equivalent of £1.8 million.

In Fans We Trust: On Wednesday the M.E.N. reported that the Supporters’ Trust would become an official body at a meeting at UMIST on Sunday afternoon. The paper quoted a letter of support for the Trust from David Bernstein, and mentioned the fact that the Trust was attracting some serious financial backing. In fact, the Trust was said to have recently made an unsuccessful bid for Sky’s 10% holding in the club. A Trust spokesman was quoted as saying, “We do have finance available and have several City supporters who would like to invest a significant sum in Manchester City plc via the Trust; however, such a sum would not be sufficient to mount a takeover,” he said. “We are not part of any group looking to acquire our club and our position on this has been published on our website and in the M.E.N. We would however, be very willing to talk to those interested parties if they are open to us acquiring a shareholding in our club via the Trust, and effectively securing a supporters’ interest for the future.”

General News

Give Us a Break: All parties at the club seemed pleased with their break in Dubai. Sorry, their fitness training in Dubai. SP said on the club website that “I think it’s quite vital that the players get a fresh environment. The main reason for going was to give the players a little bit of a lift going into the last third of the season. They’ve been brilliant, training’s been of a good standard and they’ve had a bit of down time of their own, where they’ve played golf or gone shopping. They’ve enjoyed it and they are a group who enjoy spending time together, which is always pleasing to see. I feel as though it integrates and bonds some of the new players in together a little bit tighter than if we where at home.” And conditioning coach, Jon Webb said: “Through the Christmas period and just afterwards there are quite a lot of games, so training wise, we’ve had to taper it down and focus on recovery and preparation work. We’ve tried to use the trip as a mini pre-season again and the break of two weeks in between games has allowed us to do a bit of quality work here. Also, it’s given the players who have needed a bit of rest and relaxation a chance to recharge the batteries and unwind a little. It gives the likes of Richard Dunne, who’s played every game, Sylvain, who’s missed one along with Micah, and Joey who’s missed a couple, the chance to recharge and then build up again towards the Wigan game.”

A Good Grounding… We don’t often report Rugby Union in these pages, but last Saturday England gave a début on the left wing to one David Strettle. Much of the pre-match coverage focussed on Strettle’s move from Manchester City FC to international rugby player – because as 14 year-old he attended City’s Academy. As he explained, “Like every other kid on City’s books at the time, it was my dream to be a professional footballer. It wasn’t until later that Rugby Union began to take over, although I come from a Rugby League family.” Perhaps his experience as a Blue Boy stood him in good stead for his début at Dublin’s Croke Park – for, despite scoring a try, Strettle and his teammates were on the end of a 43-13 tonking.

Man of Steele Joins City! City have appointed Eric Steele to replace Tim Flowers as goalkeeping coach. Former England ‘keeper Flowers left the club last week to become Iain Dowie’s assistant manager at Coventry. SP has now found a successor in Steele, the former Watford and Derby star, after recommendations from, among others, England boss Steve McClaren. “Tim Flowers leaving us last week left us in the lurch a little bit, but we are delighted that Eric has joined us,” Pearce told City’s official website. “He is a vastly experienced goalkeeping coach and everyone I talked to who has worked with him spoke very highly of him, including Steve McClaren.”

Bunn Fight: And just what’s so great about Coventry City? This week they’ve appointed City’s Reserve Boss Frankie Bunn as their new first team coach. The 44-year-old will assist Dowie in training and will also take charge of the Sky Blues’ reserve side. Bunn began his coaching career with Wigan Athletic before joining City in 1998, where he became reserve team coach. The former Luton and Hull player scored six goals in one game playing for Oldham Athletic against Scarborough.

Transfer News and Gossip

Making the Gradi: Crewe Alexandra boss Dario Gradi is resigned to losing defender Billy Jones this summer, but hopes to agree compensation deal for the player. A target for City and Everton, Jones will leave Gresty Road in the summer when his contract expires, but Crewe will still be due a compensation fee. “It is impossible to quote a figure for Billy. So what we hope to do is agree an amount with a club beforehand,” Gradi told my local rag The Sentinel. “That is what I am doing at the moment. I am talking to various clubs and I am emphatically telling them he is good enough to play in the Premiership. I am hoping that someone will come in and offer us decent compensation for him. But having said that, it is out of my control. It is more under the control of his agent and his dad at the moment.”

To Be a Pilgrim: City and Everton are ready to do battle for the services of highly-rated Plymouth star Dan Gosling, according to reports. Chelsea are also keen on the player, who can play in defence and midfield, and a three-way battle could be on the cards for the 17-year-old in the summer. Gosling caught the eye of the Premiership champions after scouts were sent to keep an eye on the progress being made by striker Scott Sinclair who is on loan with the Pilgrims. Scouts from Everton and City have also watched him since he broke into the Plymouth first-team back in December.

Scots Scout Sidwell: The list of suitors who are chasing Reading’s midfielder Steve Sidwell is growing almost by the minute. He’s having an outstanding season for the Royals, and if memory serves, City were rather keen to sign the 24-year-old former Arsenal trainee pre-season. He’ll be out of contract in the Summer and available to move on a free transfer, and this has seen a host of fellow Premiership sides, including Chelsea and Middlesbrough, linked to the Royals’ star. Scottish champions Celtic have reportedly held talks with his representative, and now their Glasgow rivals Rangers are joining the fray. ‘Gers’ boss Walter Smith reportedly sent his assistant Ally McCoist to the Riverside on Saturday to watch Sidwell in action against Middlesbrough in the Royals’ 2-1 defeat. Rangers are aware that clubs outside of England can try to negotiate a contract with Sidwell before the summer and would almost certainly be able to match Celtic’s reported offer of £35,000-a-week wages.

The Juan to Watch? Are City already looking for a replacement for Andreas Isaksson? I only ask because Juan Pablo, goalie at Spanish Second Division side Numancia, admits he would be keen on a move to England after being informed of reported interest from City as well as Primera Liga side Racing Santander. The 28-year-old custodian was unaware that he had attracted suitors from England, but admits a switch to the Premiership would be tempting to most players. “I did not know they (City) were following me,” said Pablo, who has conceded 24 goals in 26 league games. “English football appeals to any footballer and to play there would be a special experience for every player.” However, Pablo, who is out of contract in the summer, insists his primary concern is to help Numancia back into the top flight of Spanish football, Numancia are currently fifth in the Second Division, six points off the promotion places. “Now we are immersed in the league and we need to be focussed on that so Numancia can get as high as possible,” he told Marca. “Numancia have to be the first beneficiary in every aspect.”

Ex-Blues’ News

Ducks in a Row for Fowl: Watching Robbie Fowler slotting home two penalties for Liverpool last Saturday brought back bitter memories of the day three seasons ago when Our Robbie couldn’t convert one penalty for City against Middlesbrough. Ta ta UEFA Cup place then. And there’s reports this week that Fowler is considering a move to Major League Soccer in the summer after holding preliminary talks with New England Revolution coach and former teammate Steve Nicol. Fowler’s future at Anfield is looking increasingly uncertain, with Andriy Voronin set to arrive in the summer and Liverpool pursuing another striker. Fowler’s Liverpool contract is currently set to expire at the end of the season. “We’d be interested in Robbie,” said Nicol today. “But at the moment the first thing is the financial side. We’ve spoken, but as of yet nothing’s been settled. He’s really just dipping his foot in the water here. It’s something he’s thinking about. He’s getting his ducks in a row. Whether he gets a contract at Liverpool or whether he moves on, he’s dipping his foot in the water.”

Squad News

Keeping Corradi: SP admits that January’s transfer speculation unsettled Bernardo Corradi. Corradi was linked with a return to Serie A during the winter market and Pearce told City’s website: “I am pleased with Bernardo over the last few weeks. He was a little unsettled during the recent transfer window with a bit of speculation over what he might do, but the window shutting has really focused him. I’ve seen a good upturn in his form, not just in the matches but he has impressed me on the training pitch. We hope he maintains that and if he does so he stays in the team.”

No More Cobblers: Manchester City defender Matthew Mills is extending his stay at Colchester United. Mills will stay with the U’s for another month after initially joining the Championship side in January. Matthew has started all six Championship games for the U’s since his move and the 0-0 home draw against Burnley on Saturday was set to be the 20-year-old’s last game, but an agreement is now in place until March 24. Elsewhere, midfielder Marc Laird has returned to City from Northampton after his month-long loan spell at Sixfields came to an end. Laird made six appearances for the Cobblers, made up of two starts and a further four from the bench. Boss Stuart Gray said: “He has helped us through the last month and hopefully he will have benefited from the experience. I am very grateful to Stuart Pearce for his assistance in allowing us to borrow Marc and the way Marc has conducted himself has been a credit to him and his club. We wish Marc every success for the future and thank him for his efforts.”

Sixth (Round) Sense: Paul Dickov and Darius Vassell are on the road to recovery. Dickov has been struggling with a toe injury, while Vassell has a hamstring problem and Pearce took the pair to City’s Dubai training camp. “Paul’s back in training and with Vass I think it’s worked well not having a game this Saturday. I know myself for when you are out and there isn’t a game on the Saturday, you just think, ‘thank goodness for that I’ve not missed one this weekend.’ We’ll see how he gets on, he’s progressing really well, but we’ll have to take care because hamstrings are very unforgiving injuries.” Mr. Dickov was Sky Sport’s guest at Blackburn’s Fifth Round replay with Arsenal, and he revealed that he’d targeted the Sixth Round tie at Ewood for his return.

You Lift Me Up: The boss thinks Emile Mpenza is settling well. The Belgium international joined on a free transfer from Al-Rayan and is now in line to make his début against Wigan on Saturday. “In probably five days away Emile will get to know his team-mates the equivalent of staying at home for a month,” he told the club’s official website. “They have been in each other’s pockets day in, day out and he is settling in pretty well. We are just hoping he will give us a lift and do himself a favour as well.”

Isak’s Down Some: And Pearce has been fulsome in his praise of goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson for the ‘fantastic’ way he has responded to being dropped for the Preston match. “Things like straight after the training he’s been involved with the shooting and credit to him because that’s where he could have said, ‘No, I don’t want to do this’, or his disappointment could have been reflected in his performance, but it wasn’t. He was fantastic. The one thing he does know is how impressed I’ve been with the game and a half he’s played in Nicky’s absence. From his point of view, he can be very pleased with exactly what he’s done since he came into the side, but I have to take into consideration how well Weaves has done. For me it was the right decision to bring Weaves back, but whichever way I went it was going to be the right and the wrong decision. I’m just fortunate that I’ve got two very good goalkeepers showing very good form at the moment.”

OPINION: BE PREPARED

Imagine you’re the manager of Blackburn Rovers and you have to prepare your team to face Man City in the quarter final of the greatest domestic cup competition in the world. What would you say to your players?

Do not worry too much about their forward line, as they are not a major threat in front of goal and they will need six chances to score two.

Corners will be floated in without pace, making it easy to defend against. Free kicks around the box will be taken by the same player, with no variation.

They lack real urgency, and against a strong willed team will struggle to get a grip of the game. Defenders will boot the ball upfield when they have more time to look and pass it to a team mate. They will put team mates under pressure due to a lack of movement and vision.

On the other hand, City’s coaches might sort themselves out and work on these negatives and give the players, and the club, a chance of glory.

Here’s hoping.

Come on City.

OPINION: PRICING OUT OF THE GAME

As many clubs are now announcing that they are either holding or dropping admission prices, it seems that they are at last taking notice but, as with the fuel strikes of about 6 years ago, it doesn’t go anywhere near to what is needed.

Let’s look at City’s case.

The lowest adult ticket is around £22. The highest, in the region of £38. I don’t know about anyone else but I think that £22 is too much. A sensible price to watch a game of football these days would be about £15 for adults, and a tenner for under 16’s and special prices for a family of four.

However, if City dropped the prices to that level, obviously, they would go out of business. So would most of the clubs in the country. Why? Well with 40,000+ attending home games, that’s £600,000 per game. Or, £11.5 million per season, without cup games and merchandise. Isn’t that enough? Nowhere near!

The reason is simple, it’s all going in the players’ pockets. That’s where the real problem lies. So for me, it’s not all the fault of the club. The club are merely trying to compete in a world where some clubs have a distinct advantage with multi millionaire owners (no names).

And next season, when the Sky money goes up substantially, you can bet your life that the agents are gathering like vultures already.

And it’s the mugs who turn up week in and week out that are coughing for it.

It’s a moral dilemma. Do you want your favourite club to be able to compete? You are forced to pay up or quit.

Our favourite Red, Gary Neville, incredibly came out with a statement in the paper last week. He suggested that agents should be banned from the game and that if they had any kind of difficulty, they could be represented by the PFA. Unbelievable. A Red coming out with common sense in bucket loads.

It’s the fault of the players, pushed by the leeching agents, that are ruining the game. All the money that is flooding into football gushes into the clubs and drains away just as quickly into the pockets of the greedy and over-rated.

I hear today that Robbie Fowler is now considering joining David Beckham in America. I bet it’s not for £50 a week!

So let’s not blame our club for all of this. They are just trying to compete in a difficult market but, until the agents and extortionate players’ contracts cease sucking the life out of the game, expect more of the same as the recent reduction in admission prices is just cosmetic.

OPINION: CITY, THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

I have been a little puzzled by the Supporters’ Trust aims and objectives – not the written ones, which seem perfectly reasonable – but the implicit ones that appear as a result of many of the postings, many if not most of which are negative towards the club. The air of negativity and the lack of humour are both depressing and I do not feel reflect the MCFC I know and love and have supported since 1965 through the good and the bad. Like many, I am saddened by the ‘money god’ that has taken over the Premiership but it appears to be a fact of life. That being said, in my conversations with many friends and colleagues who support other clubs, I believe that the City board, for all its failings, is one of the better ones and that seems to be becoming lost in the discussions.

For the Trust to be effective, it needs to try to work with the Board and that means recognising and acknowledging the good points as well as criticising; we have a fantastic ground (if not atmosphere always – and that is not really the Board’s fault but ours) and we have some of the lowest ticket prices in the Premiership – but Premiership clubs cannot be run on thin air and players’ wages and transfer fees (and hence ticket prices) are not governed by our Board but by all boards, agents and players.

Our present Board is paying the price for the strange (‘typical City’) behaviour of many Chairmen and managers over the years (remember the return of Malcolm Allison?) and while of course I don’t agree with everything they have done or will do, Wardle has put money into the Club and I believe cares passionately about the club. I for one will be renewing my season ticket – again at the frozen price – even tho’ it represents a lot of money for me and (now I am exiled down south) a lot of time and money travelling. My kids are now above the cheap season ticket age but I applaud the decision to offer these reduced tickets, even tho’ cheaper adult ones would have benefited me personally.

I applaud the investment that has gone into the Academy – if we can keep these lads together, that is the way we will progress as a club – and we have some fantastic youngsters. I applaud the honesty of Pearce and within reason I am prepared for him to learn lessons as he goes along (what price all of the rapid turnover managers I have lived through) – and I believe he is learning although I know many do not. Of course, I hang my head at some of the inept displays (not the first time I have seen that at City) but I also stand in amazement at some of the great stuff we have played; the highs and lows are part of football, and certainly part of being a City fan, aren’t they? Even in the days of the blessed Trinity (Bell, Lee, Summerbee) it was the same. The difference was that standing on the Kippax we pretty much always stayed behind the team and the criticisms were full of (often dark) humour, not just abuse. I’m not one of these ‘why can’t it be like the old days’ supporters (though I would love to be allowed to stand again) – I am a passionate City fan for now – but I do believe that we as fans have our part to play if we want a great team – by making a noise, not leaving 10 minutes before the end, supporting the players when things are not going well (I’ve yet to see the team or an individual play better with abuse and moaning – save that for the pub afterwards) and, yes, by parting with our hard-earned cash. There seems to be a feeling nowadays that everything can be blamed on someone else – manager, board, players – if there is anything to blame it is the culture that has been brought about by Sky TV, UEFA (the outrageous sums of money going to the Champions’ League thereby enhancing the few rich clubs at the expense of the rest), the general attitudes fostered by some agents and players and an unrealistic expectation of success now.

Yes, there are problems at City just like anywhere else – but if we care about the club we should accept our responsibilities for putting things right and not simply just blame others. The Trust has the potential to be a positive force (and that includes constructive criticism). I hope it fulfils that promise and does not simply become another outlet for whinging or demands that City give away tickets, spend non-existent money on the plethora of proven goalscorers whose clubs are desperate to let them go, and get into the Champions’ league this season playing football like Brazil. I used to believe we were the best fans in the land – I’m not sure we are anymore but I hope I am wrong. I love this club and that means through the dark days as well as the good.

OPINION: KERCHING

According to the FA website, and if I have it correct that both clubs benefit from live showings, City have already earned just under 1 million pounds from the FA Cup run.

                                        Live    Highl   Win
Sheffield Wednesday     A       1-1             £18K
Sheffield Wednesday     H       2-1     £150K   £18K    £40K    £226K
Southampton             H       3-1             £18K    £60K    £78K
Preston North End       A       3-1     £265K   £18K    £120K   £403K
Blackburn Rovers        A               £265K   £18K    ?       £283K
                                                                £990K

Assuming that every game’s highlights at this stage of the FA Cup are shown, and using figures from the FA’s website, should they win at Blackburn, they will benefit from a further £300,000 for making it into the Semi’s.

If history turns itself on its head (yes, I can hear you all saying, City won’t get there), should they make it to the semi’s and win, they will benefit from a further £900,000.

There appear to be no payments for live TV broadcast for the Semi’s and Final but there are also some smaller payments for Radio 5Live broadcasts of which I don’t know how many City have benefited from this season.

As they say at Tesco, every little helps.

And should they go on to win it… OK I’ll shut up.

OPINION: A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME

Dabo spelt backwards is O-Bad. Need I say more.

Samaras spelt backwards is still Samaras. More or less.

Great weekend though. We don’t play and move up the table 1 spot. At this rate we’ll be in europe by the end of the season.

OPINION: 007 BLUES

I just Googled the ex Bond, and found this:

Timothy Peter Dalton was born in Colwyn Bay, Wales on March 21, 1944 (or 1945 or 1946), the eldest of 5 children. Though Welsh-born, he is of British, Italian, and Irish ancestry. His mother is from the Bronx (New York). He grew up in Manchester, England with a background in show-business, as both his grandfathers were vaudevillians.

OPINION: YOUNG GUNS

I watched the Carling Cup Final, and thought what a great team of young talent Arsenal have.

It was a game of the young versus the experienced, and if it had not been for Chelsea having the best striker in the game today, Drogba, the young guns of Arsenal might have won.

Which now brings me back to our beloved City team. Why not play Michael Johnson in place of Dabo, whom most of us think is under performing?

Why not play Daniel Sturridge in place of one of the strikers who are failing to score on a regular basis?

If these young players lack experience, then they will surely make up for it with passion and a desire to win, for the only club they know is City.

The young guns of Arsenal have shown to many of us that age no longer matters, it’s the skill and desire to succeed.

Stuart Pearce has already proved to us all that he does give the best Academy players a chance, but I feel that Dabo and the strikers are letting this team down, so maybe the youngsters should be given at least some time on the pitch.

Come on you Blues (I’m tired of watching other football teams), but we learn.

OPINION: SENT TO COVENTRY

I, along with many football fans the world over, have my own petty likes and dislikes, my own little irrational and slightly idiosyncratic ticks and prejudices.

For me these can range from anything like driving my elder brother to distraction asking about the lightning conductors on top of the old Kippax at reserve matches in the early seventies to an unhealthy obsession with no-mark players of yore (stand up Jimmy Conway! Oh, you are standing up!). I can be as serious about City as the next fan, but I feel that my, as some have informed me down the years, ‘overdeveloped sense of the absurd and the plain stupid’, can also inform what it is that makes us fans what we are and to my mind enhances the whole ‘football experience’ no end.

One great favourite of my own overblown prejudices is that of all things Coventry City. This is two fold. One part relates to my sister-in-law being injured after tumbling off a seat she was standing on after a MCFC goal at Highfield Road (we didn’t understand the concept of ‘all seater’ in those days) and a very unpleasant policeman refusing to let us get to First Aid. The second, and I reckon Blues of a certain age will know where I’m going here, was them running out at Maine Road in the late seventies in an all dark brown with white stripes down the shirt and shorts, Admiral away kit! It was a monster. It was an abomination. I was apoplectic with rage and remember experiencing waves of nausea and disgust as I sat on the wall of the Kippax tunnel. It scarred me for life, let me tell you.

I trot this story out in alehouses and taverns across the land to illustrate to friends how silly and irrational us footy fans can be. A little self-deprecation can go a long way, you know. Underneath though, it still rankles and I still shudder at the thought of that fateful day…

…so imagine my absolute horror when my Rochdale-supporting friend, who knows of my ‘Coventry brown kit psychosis’ gleefully quotes from a book called “Echoes of ’69- The Season Dale Went Up” by Steve Jones. (apparently a tome about Rochdale AFC’s fabled promotion year and not, as I wrongly assumed from the title, something that would sell like hot cakes in the Gay Fiction section of Waterstones). The author is taken to Maine Road on a snowy day in January 1966 by his father: “the day sticks in my mind because City choose to turn out in a disgusting chocolate brown kit for better visibility on a snow covered pitch”! What? We played in brown long before Coventry? I was devastated by this shocking, dispiriting and disgraceful allegation and have since lapsed into a near comatose state, staring into the middle distance and responding to questions with only a barely audible grunt, à la Bishop Brennan after being kicked up the arse by Father Ted. The book is written by a self confessed Rag and I naturally suspect foul play. I simply cannot believe we could have worn this kit, or more accurately don’t want to believe it, and would be interested to know if any subscribers remember it. Surely this cannot be right? Is this some kind of karmic boomerang effect for my years of bad mouthing and taunting all things related to the sky blue west midlanders? Have I actually for years subconsciously been hating Manchester City, all that is dear to me and indeed myself? Nurse, for the love of God, the screens!

In the words of the american kid in response to his team throwing the 1919 World Series in Rounders, “Say it ain’t so, Joe”

BOOK REVIEW

Title:     This Simple Game (The Footballing Life of Ken Barnes)
Author:    Ken Barnes with Jimmy Wagg
Publisher: Empire Publications
ISBN:      1-901-74649-6
Price:     £16.95 hardback

The book carries a warning on the cover: “contains explicit language”. For those who have had the privilege of meeting characters like Ken over the years, this will come as no surprise. Straight talking, forthright, honest – more often than not you’ll find yourself nodding in agreement with him. From his early days Ken was obsessed with football, playing whenever he could and this carried on right through his early working life and RAF, until he signed his first professional contract with Stafford Rangers.

Things were different in Ken’s day, of course, but you can’t help wonder just why we need so many people involved in the game now; his views on coaching are worth the read. Ken had a terrific career with Manchester City after joining in 1950 – upsetting a few managers, and directors along the way – achieving more professionally than most of the current players can ever hope for. League titles, FA Cup winner’s medal, and the respect of a generation of footballers, managers, and fans. His influence in the infamous “Revie Plan” is acknowledged, there are some wonderful tales of matches and the camaraderie between fellow professionals back then.

After retiring from playing, he continued his career with City, working with the youth team development and eventually scouting until finally taking retirement (for the second time) in 2000 aged 71! Ken is still heavily involved with the supporters’ clubs, one of the greats who loves talking over and sharing views with the fans.

A great read, and don’t believe a word of it when the “best wing half never to win a cap for England” proclaims he’s jack of all trades and master of bleep none.

We will have a copy of the book, signed by Ken, to give away in a forthcoming competition, which was kindly donated by the publishers.

REQUEST: GOOD HOME FOR OLD PROGRAMMES

We have 77 Man City various programmes dating from 1973-1985, mostly home league games. We wondered if they were of any interest to your members before we decide what we are going to do wirh them. We have them because our sons used to watch City before they left home for University etc.

If anyone is interested, please get in touch by email.

Thank you.

REQUEST: MCFC SUPPORTERS’ TRUST

Just a reminder of this weekend’s Open Meeting, which will be taking place at 2pm on Sunday 4 March at the University of Manchester’s Renold Building, Sackville Street Campus, Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 3BB.

The MC will be James H Reeve, and speakers include Dave Boyle and Sean Hamil of Supporters’ Direct, John Keen of the Supporters’ Trust at Reading and we look forward seeing a number of City fans there.

RESULTS

League table to 28 February 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  28 12  1  1 35  8 10  2  2 30 11 22  3  3  65  19  46  69
 2 Chelsea         27 10  4  0 30  8  8  2  3 18 11 18  6  3  48  19  29  60
 3 Liverpool       28 11  3  0 29  3  5  2  7 15 16 16  5  7  44  19  25  53
 4 Arsenal         26  8  5  0 32 10  6  2  5 16 12 14  7  5  48  22  26  49
 5 Bolton Wndrs    28  8  3  3 20 12  6  2  6 13 20 14  5  9  33  32   1  47
 6 Reading         28  9  1  4 26 16  4  3  7 16 20 13  4 11  42  36   6  43
 7 Everton         28  7  4  3 21 11  4  5  5 15 14 11  9  8  36  25  11  42
 8 Portsmouth      28  8  4  2 22 10  3  4  7 14 19 11  8  9  36  29   7  41
 9 Tottenham H.    28  9  1  4 25 17  2  5  7 11 23 11  6 11  36  40  -4  39
10 Blackburn R.    28  7  2  5 19 16  4  2  8 14 22 11  4 13  33  38  -5  37
11 Newcastle Utd   28  7  4  3 23 17  3  2  9 11 20 10  6 12  34  37  -3  36
12 Middlesbrough   28  8  3  3 21 14  1  5  8 11 20  9  8 11  32  34  -2  35
13 Aston Villa     27  6  4  3 15 11  1  7  6 13 22  7 11  9  28  33  -5  32
14 Fulham          28  6  4  4 13 12  1  7  6 17 31  7 11 10  30  43 -13  32
15 Manchester City 26  5  4  4 10 11  3  2  8 10 21  8  6 12  20  32 -12  30
16 Sheff. United   28  5  5  4 17 16  3  1 10  7 24  8  6 14  24  40 -16  30
17 Wigan Athletic  28  5  2  7 14 20  3  3  8 15 24  8  5 15  29  44 -15  29
18 Charlton Ath.   28  5  3  6 15 17  1  2 11  9 30  6  5 17  24  47 -23  23
19 West Ham United 28  5  2  7 14 17  0  3 11  4 29  5  5 18  18  46 -28  20
20 Watford         28  2  6  6 11 18  1  4  9  5 23  3 10 15  16  41 -25  19

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: