Newsletter #1322

Well it’s all happening this week. From Barton’s rant on Saturday to the takeover/investment speculation mounting with frenzy at the start of the week and a seeming 3-way battle. There only appears to be one runner at the moment in the Ranson bid, with the Thai PM having been denied (phew) and the mystery US investors not quite stacking up.

Tonight we have Sarah’s news summary on this frantic activity, the transfer rumour mill and season ticket deadline extension. We have plenty of opinion on the takeover front, and a Why Blue from Calvin.

Finally, sad news this week in the death of Alan Ball at just 61. There is to be a minute’s applause at grounds this weekend.

NEWS SUMMARY

City Saddened by Ball’s Death: Former City Manager Alan Ball died suddenly last night after a heart attack at his home. Ball, who played for Everton, Arsenal and Southampton, was best known as the youngest player in the 1966 World Cup winning team, and managed City from July ’95 to August ’96. Blues’ chairman John Wardle paid tribute to Ball, saying “Alan was an iconic football figure and a great servant of the game, who will be missed by everybody.” Another former City boss, Kevin Keegan, a team-mate of Ball’s at Southampton, was “absolutely shocked” at the news of his death, commenting: “He was a great player but as a person he was even greater, great to be around, great fun, the life and soul of the party – A very caring person.”

Take Over and Over and Over Again: Nothing for ages, then three come along! At the start of the week it was reported that the former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra had made a £92 million bid for the club. Thaskin, who has been spending time in the UK, made an unsuccessful bid for a 30% stake in Liverpool in 2004 and reports from a fansite of the multi-millionaire suggest he is ready to make another attempt to invest into English football. Former Fulham chairman Mohammed Al Fayed is reported to be involved in the negotations on behalf of the former policeman, who gained his estimated fortune of £560 million from Thai communications group Shin Corp. It was then reported that former City defender, Ray Ranson, had also expressed an interest, but the Club announced that they were not happy with certain conditions of his particular bid. Ranson who had excited fans by revealing a proposed kitty of £20 million for strengthening the team, is now awaiting a decision on the revised bid that he has now submitted. Another name linked with the buy-out is Simon Jerome, the US-based investment banker who met with Pearce recently on a trip to the UK. Simon was one of the first Americans to express an interest in investing in a UK outfit and he was previously linked with Millwall.

Season Ticket Deadline Extended: The Box Office has extended the date for season ticket renewals until tomorrow, but Joey Barton wouldn’t hand-over his cash to watch the Blues play at home! Blues’ boss Stuart Pearce passed on his own wishes to the supporters who have not yet renewed along with those who have already signed up for the 2007/08 Barclays Premiership campaign. His message to City fans is: “Stick with us, the Club’s going in the right direction. We have had a couple of tight seasons, we have had to steady the ship, but the Club’s on a better footing than it was two years ago. When you look through the squad and see the average age, look at some of the young players that have flourished and there’s a nucleus that’s pushing the squad forward. Have a good, long overview of everything that’s happened and make a decision from there. I want our fans to stay Blue and stick with us.”

Barton Blasts Lacklustre City: No sooner had City left the pitch after Saturday’s lacklustre performance than Joey Barton was condemning the performance of (some of) his team-mates. The midfielder launched an astonishing attack on his own club and admitted he wouldn’t pay to watch the Blues this season. Barton’s blast encompassed everyone at the club, from chairman John Wardle’s “lack of insight”, to Stuart Pearce’s failure to bring in quality players – and even to his teammates. “If I’m honest, I would not pay to watch us this season. The fans pay a lot of money to watch us. They work hard for their cash and at the end of the day they aren’t getting value for money. I know a lot of our fans are thinking about whether they should buy season tickets for next season and I don’t blame them.” As a result of his outburst the press are sure to start the rumouring about whether Barton, who signed a four-year contract last summer, will want to stay at a club of which he says “We have to be brutally honest and admit we haven’t brought enough quality to the club. Unless something is done about it things aren’t going to get any better. They are going to get worse and that’s not right because this club and our fans deserve better. The problems are there for all to see. It goes from the top all the way to the bottom.” Barton will not be disciplined over his views, but will be invited to explain himself to Pearce, who is bemused at the outburst from a player he had hoped was maturing.

Chairman Pledges More Money: Manchester City Chairman John Wardle has pledged a ‘significant’ transfer budget for the club to bring in new players for next season – whatever the outcome of current investment speculation (let’s just hope someone overlooks the players first!). Mr Wardle has said that “Plans are being made for the new season. It is important that our supporters know that whatever happens with regard to potential new investment, the Board will support the manager in the transfer market.” The Chairman added that although the Club were successful in capturing Emile Mpenza and Michael Ball mid-season, hopes were dashed on other transfer targets in the January window. “Funds were made available by the Board for squad strengthening in the winter window,” said Mr Wardle, “although we were unsuccessful in bringing in all the players we targeted. We will provide significant support again this summer.”

End of Season Blues! Like his outspoken midfielder, Pearce was not too impressed with the Blues’ performance on Saturday, though he was a little less outspoken! “The game had an end-of-season feel to it, and both sides lacked a bit of energy,” said Pearce. “But once we had got our noses in front, I could not see them scoring, so I am disappointed we did not hang on for a win. This is my second full season as a manager, and it has been a fantastic learning curve for me. We know where we need to strengthen, and I hope we will do that in the summer. I am probably a bit disappointed that we will not finish higher in the league, but we need to add more goals to the team.” And speaking of end of season matches – City have turned down the Rags’ request to move the last home fixture because of proximity to their Champions’ League fixture.

Transfer Targets:
In?
So now the speculation starts as to how Pearce will squander (sorry, invest) this new funding and the current rumours include Rennes striker John Utaka and Barnsley striker David Nardiello.
Out?
Meanwhile, Trevor Sinclair would understand if he is shown the door by Manchester City in the summer. The veteran midfielder’s contract expires at the end of the season and he has yet to be offered an extension to his four-year stint with the club. He has made 16 Premiership appearances for City this season and is waiting for an indication of his future. Sinclair has hinted at playing in Major League Soccer although he is reported to be keen to stay at City.

Out For Now! Meanwhile, defender Micah Richards will be out for the rest of the season as he recovers from injury. Micah had his operation on Wednesday and although everything went very successfully, he needs a number of weeks to recover. Richards had been suffering from compartment syndrome, which affects the muscles in his lower legs and had not played since coming on as a substitute in England’s 0-0 qualifying draw in Israel on March 24.

Out But Not For Much Longer: The boss is confident Emile Mpenza will be available again this weekend, after a recent calf problem, and confirmed talks were progressing with both the Belgium forward and defender Michael Ball over the possibility of turning their short-term deals into longer contracts. “I think we are pretty close with both of them,” said Pearce. “In this day and age negotiations tend to be protracted but hopefully they can reach a positive conclusion.” Meanwhile, talking of protracted negotiations – Pearce also confirmed he hoped to meet Sylvain Distin’s agent later this week in an effort to get the French defender to sign a lucrative contract extension.

Out on Loan: Stuart Pearce has given the latest news about City’s on-loan pair of young goalkeepers, Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel. Hart moved to Blackpool as an emergency loan and has just had his loan spell extended to include this weekend. Pearce hopes he will stay until the end of the season and claims the Club is “getting glowing reports on him every time he goes out and plays…”, adding “He’s enjoying it, he comes in and trains with us, he getting the best of both worlds with a game on Saturday. He’s got a bright future and these are all great experiences for him – more league matches under his belt.” Joe also has an England Under 21 cap under his belt, and Pearce thinks the league experience for Blackpool will help him catch the eye of England scouts with the European Championships coming up this summer. The Manager is also full of praise for Kasper Schmeichel, who he intends to see back training with City next pre-season, after his loan spell with SPL outfit Falkirk ends at the finish of the Scottish season. “It’s a great experience for him to be playing in a league of that standard, playing against Rangers and Celtic, and we can’t buy that for him at this football club. It’s fantastic for him and he’s loved it. And rather than sitting around in a flat getting bored stiff, he even comes back down here to train with us, that’s Kasper for you. He doesn’t want to come off the training pitch and has such an appetite for work it’s incredible. If you’ve got that appetite it tells me you’re going to succeed.”

OPINION: SEASON TICKETS

Not every City supporter is paid well enough to shell out for a season ticket nowadays, especially when you know that you’re possibly going to have to miss games due to rearranged fixtures, which don’t take into account shift patterns and that everyone has a life outside of football. We don’t all have jobs that pay big bucks, and making such a big outlay (it gets earlier and earlier) each year, leaves a dent in your finances.

The City board have done well with supporters under the age of 21, but they could have kept a lot of older existing season ticket holders happier by making even as a little as a £20 price cut in season tickets – it would at least have been a gesture of goodwill, but the board didn’t even do this. I firmly believe that they should have gone a lot further than this, especially when you see how much it costs to watch football on the continent. With the vastly increased TV deal, clubs like City should have reduced adult ticket prices so that a season ticket works out as no more than £18 per game – that’s a cut from £460 to a more affordable £342 for a Kippax/Colin Bell Stand ticket before the earliest deadline. Behind the goals they could go for a maximum of £15 per game – that’s a more realistic £285 per season. Match day prices should also be set at a more realistic level. Why should it cost more than £20 to pay on the day to watch 90 minutes of football?

There will be more football on TV next season, which means more rearranged kick-offs; they could at least compensate fans if they cannot get to matches that have been rearranged by offering a rebate – they have the technology and the cash to do it in 2007! That’s not to say that football clubs as a whole shouldn’t do more to value their fans in many other ways. Kevin Cummins’ idea of a loyalty discount after a certain amount of years is a good one. Why not reward that sort of loyalty? It’s certainly a lot of heartache to recognise! I do beg to differ that the prices of kids’ tickets next season are “comparable to adult prices in the early 80s” as I suppose it depends whether you sat or stood back then! The prices in the early 80s were significantly less than £5 per match – for instance, the matchday prices on the Kippax Stand was £1.80 in 1983/84 and £2 the following season, with Kippax season tickets around the £30 mark.

All these suggestions are constructive ways for the club to sell more season tickets and match tickets. It’s not the first time that this has been said but I’ll say it again: more season tickets and match tickets sold = more people visiting Eastlands = more merchandise, food, drink sales. If 25,000 buy season tickets at a fairer price as opposed to around 14,000 as is the case now, then these spin-off sales should more than offset the reducing of ticket prices. I hope that someone takes note and does something positive. Whichever regime is in charge at City, I hope that they will listen to and, crucially, act upon supporters’ concerns. Or am I just another Blue writing in vain?

OPINION: PLUS ÇA CHANGE

Two things that never change. Death and Manchester City shooting themselves in the foot.

Shocked to hear about Alan Ball’s untimely death, not so shocked about the City board and their obvious hatred of Ray Ranson. Now I don’t know him from a bar of soap, but a person with football in his veins seems a far better bet to look after City than a bunch of Yanks and a bent Thai PM. Perhaps someone can explain this to me?

Money has killed this game, and I’d hate to think of what will happen when the money men have enough of Chelsea, Villa (not so our Red neighbours, who I believe will survive not matter what – maybe we should take note how they run their club, and we might have a 70,000 seater stadium and playing Champions’ League football as well). Players and agents have become increasingly greedy, being sold for and paid ridiculous amounts, that most people find offensive. Then they complain if left out of the side for any length of time and then transfer out.

Well the season’s almost finished, thank goodness some might say. A few thoughts. Player of the Year – only one choice: Richard Dunne. Those that deserve another year (or two!): the two ‘keepers – although Nicky Weaver is still I think a better all round ‘keeper, Nedum and Micah, Michael Ball, Mpenza, Joey Barton (I agree with you totally), Sun for his utility value, Michael Johnson and Stephen Ireland, Dunney of course and maybe Vassell. We badly need a couple of decent strikers but then everyone knows that. We have the makings of a half decent side, but after being attack-minded under Kevin Keegan, we have now gone in the opposite direction, and that leads me to our manager. I honestly think he’s bitten off a bit more than he can chew.

Well another season of a few high and a lot of lows; I really hope the board have the common sense to do the right thing, but I have my doubts.

OPINION: TAKEOVER

Isn’t it time that fans who also own small quantities of shares are informed by the board what is going on?

We need to know what is on the table so that we can make an informed decision on what to do. By kicking the Ranson bit into touch it would appear that the major shareholders are only in it for what they can get out of it and blow the rest of us.

OPINION: US INVESTMENT I

This is going to be a rant, but first, for the sake of full disclosure, I am an American supporter of City. As such, I was very disappointed to read Bob Simnor’s opinion about US investment. One galling statement was this: “They haven’t got a clue about the game or more importantly the history and culture of football.”

What nationality are the current owners of City? Has their knowledge of football history or culture helped the club in any way? Mr Simnor further stated that American owners wouldn’t care about the club but only about money. And he knows this how? Has he talked to Americans looking to invest? To paraphrase Martin Luther King, why don’t we look at the content of one’s character instead of the content of one’s passport before we make such judgments. Besides, I’ll put Mark Cuban’s passion (he owns a basketball team here in the States) for his team against anyone’s passion for theirs (supporter or owners included). The man gets into arguments with the referees at the game, and screams himself hoarse every night – plus, how many British owners sit in the stands with the supporters like he does?

Simnor also said “Abramovich is a fan, a European and he doesn’t mind spending a few roubles on his hobby, his passion. The American psyche just doesn’t allow this.” He really could not be more wrong – the vast majority of sports owners in the U.S. are hobby owners. The guys (Americans) who just bought Liverpool have made billions doing other things and nearly every NFL owner is either an owner for fun, or has had the team under family ownership so long (like the Rooneys who own the Steelers) that they could sell and make a huge windfall. The Yankees and Red Sox are owned by guys who bust the piggy bank every spring with little to no regard for financial prudence because it is a passion to them. A Microsoft billionaire owns a couple of teams. I could go on and on.

As a supporter of the club, I want anyone with money, common sense, and the best interests of the club to come to the rescue. Does anyone here believe that a good businessman, be he English or Ethiopian, would have allowed the excesses of the Keegan era to occur? I know that as supporters it was exciting to get big names, but a cold, calculating owner might have said no. How did Risdale and Ray Ranson work out with Leeds? Did the major shareholders’ possession of a British passport keep this club from being relegated in the 90’s? With all due respect, lashing out with outdated jingoistic prejudices does nothing to solve the debt, mediocre performances, or pathetic atmosphere at COMS. The Premier League as a whole has gone downhill since the late 90’s and long before us Yanks started meddling. Find another bogeyman please!

[Interesting to note this week that the US-owned Manchester United are bucking the trend of freezing/falling season ticket prices and increasing theirs by up to 14% for 2007/08. Real intentions of US investment coming to the fore? – Ed]

OPINION: US INVESTMENT II

Sorry but I’m not in full agreement with Bob Simnor on MCFC not having an American owner; I would say it all depends on who the person or group is that buys the club.

Where the group or person comes from is not to the point, it’s what can the group or person can do for Manchester City.

More Americans have become more interested in the English Premier League because of the coverage of the games by Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta Sports. Some European games are shown on ESPN. Never until this season has the game had so much coverage.

Americans are also looking at the success of the Evil Empire since it was purchased by an American. It was said back then some Americans would be watching closely on how United would respond to an American owner; although it’s hard for me to say this, “it doesn’t look as if it’s hurt United to have American owners”.

Aston Villa have an American owner who came in after the season had started; we have to wait and see here what will happen during the summer.

Liverpool are the latest to be bought by American partners. The first thing they did at Liverpool was to stop work on the new Liverpool stadium and got plans to increase the size of the new stadium, which is now going ahead with a green light.

Wake up Bob, football has been a business for many years, and very few clubs ever make a profit.

I would have worse fears of the group led by the ex Thai Prime Minister and his partners, one from the Middle East, the other from China, and the deal maker for the group Al Fayed (Harrods and Fulham). But if this is the best deal that MCFC can get, who am I to say no?

I simply want new owners that will put money into the club for some better players, period. If someone dropped in from Mars and bought City and made City great again then let it happen.

One thing that we can all say about John Wardle he has had the club at heart and he is a true City supporter.

All the American Glazer family were in the stands to watch the United Vs. Milan game. The American owners just splashed out 31 million pounds to keep Ronaldo on a 5-year contract, not bad for uninterested American owners eh!

But let’s not go into this thinking that all American owners can be the same; as I have said before it’s up to the person or group.

If Ray Ranson takes control of MCFC, don’t be surprised if Gordon Strachan leaves Celtic to become City’s manager. Celtic fans believe that Strachan’s wife is unhappy in Scotland and wants to return to Manchester (she is a Salford girl).

Come on you Blues!

OPINION: US INVESTMENT III

I reckon we, the supporters, buy the Club. Let’s say it is valued at 50 million quid. I’ve done some maths here. Let’s say we have 1/2 million Blues the world over. Is this a good estimate? £50 million divided between half a million Blues make 100 quid a pop. Money well spent to keep the club where it belongs – with us. I’ve not thought this out fully but it seems like a good plan. Better than some Thai cop – I’ve seen those films and they are not to be trusted.

Anyway. We just need some trustworthy Blue to sort out the financial details – Leeson or Bernstein and we’re set. Couldn’t be any worse right? Look at the Boddingtons vs. Holts. The only analogy I can think of at the moment. Where is Boddies now? Where is Holts?

Aren’t some continental clubs owned by their towns? For me it’s a no- brainer. We get some foreign investment, some cash gets pumped in short term then what? We the fans get the shaft. We end up paying anyway. Thai cops, triple glazers and Russian crooks understand three things: money, making money, and not making money. I’d like City to concentrate on playing football, on our terms. Not as some investment/ tax shelter/ plaything/ rip-off. You mark my words, these are very dark days for footie. And this idea does sound far-fetched but I think the other scenario is really dangerous and could kill City as we know it.

OPINION: NEIL LENNON

I read with interest that Neil Lennon is about to call it a day with Celtic. Methinks that Lennon could be a god addition to the squad as a useful midfielder. That is, until I find that he’s 35!

Then I read that he started out with City in the 80’s. Hands up who remembers that? I didn’t.

On checking Man City Stats, it appears that Lennon Junior made one appearance for the first team vs. Birmingham at home in November 1987, a 3-0 win but never played for City again because of a recurring back problem.

Truth is stranger than fiction.

OPINION: BLUE MOON

As in MCIVTA 1321 reading about the origin of Blue Moon, well correct me if I’m wrong, after a win in a London pub, someone said “we win in London once in a blue moon” so the fans started the song.

Well think I read it in here years ago.

WHY BLUE

I am ethnic Chinese brought up in Hong Kong and then migrated with my family when I was twelve to New Zealand, the most beautiful country on earth. It seems surprising that I could get hooked into football in this soccer-phobic country. This was because my best mate was a footie fan and he fed me with all the correct mind set for the sport. I was intrigued by the passion of the English fans, especially the struggling teams. Why on earth would they follow a team so s**t (I remember the 1 point from 11 games under Ball), when next door you can enjoy all the glory you can possibly imagine. I started checking out City on the net, then I bumped into http://www.uit.no/mancity/. After reading some interesting educational materials, and a subscription to this newsletter, a new City fan was born.

In 1995, NZ resource of football was scarce, we only had a re-broadcasted Premiership games on Sunday morning plus a weekly highlight show that I could feed on. The horror of relegation meant Teletext became my friend for updates of Division 1 and 2 scores. In 1996, a friend of my father provides us with accommodation in London, so a family trip to England meant a possible visit to Maine Road. Permission from parents given, the setting was a FA Cup third Round tie against Bradford City; 2-0 was the score, Uwe Rösler and Michael Brown the scorers. I remembered before the game there’s a bit of rain and it’s a freezing cold day, so I had to get some fish and chips from that shop at the corner (all painted in blue). I was also shocked that they have the evening papers printed with the result of the match outside the ground. This was only occasion that I watched a City game with fellow City fans. The feeling of the place was very suburban, very down-to-earth, a dodgy place without the crowd. I love that feeling!

In 1999, everybody’s loyalty was paid back. I was listening through the Capital Gold broadcast at what must have been 5am into the morning. All of a sudden I screamed so hard I woke my whole family up! I was almost into tears that night. Similar fashion a year later only by that time I was back to my home country, and the setting was my university hostel. This was my happiest era as a Blue: when I told people which team I supported, they laughed.

2001, it was around 2am, alone in the hostel TV room, live game from Portman Road. I remembered by that time I wasn’t as hardcore as a few years back, but still I was very proud of Mr. Goater at his effort to put us one up, it still gave me that urge to scream, again alone in the dark. That’s my story with City, always alone in the dark…

Keegan’s football in Division 1 was the greatest showpiece of my City following career, though I could only witness that after the season ended (online ordering of the season highlights). I can’t recall another City moment then on. Although I wasn’t a local, the club has changed from passionate loyal team into a mediocre / under-par corporation. I lost my interest in football for 2002-2006 period, partly due to work commitments and stuff. Of course I am still updated with transfers and results, but was disappointed time and again. I wasn’t playing the pessimistic / p**sed off card here, but I just couldn’t be a fan of those “retiring second-hand Rags”, namely Andrew C*le and Big Red Nose, “overpriced penalty missing Scouse” and Danny “I’m a Cockney psycho thug” Mills. It’s got to a point where I totally understood why are there so many Rags supporting Cockneys, mediocre teams are boring to follow.

I may be City Till I Die, but COMS is still boring, it’s lost that sense rawness in my opinion. It took away a big part of the history of a great team. I just hoped COMS will grow into something more ritual in that sense.

I suddenly picked up watching football this year. I was intrigued by the pessimism through reading this newsletter, it felt like a low point in terms of passion from City fans, which we used to be proud of. So I started watching games again. I felt that we weren’t that s**t, only lacklustre. I get why you local fans are p**sed. I would if I was watching Samaras and Vassell week in, week out.

So after ten years of ‘City supporting’, I am on the brink of abandoning English football. Reasons as follows:

1. the league will only be won by four teams
2. above average mediocre teams will treat Europe or League Cup as winning the league
3. below average mediocre teams that slipped into Championship, will turn into another Leeds
4. every other season there will be a foreign invested Championship clubjoining the Premiership mediocrity (Derby, Portsmouth)
5. then there will be those yoyo’s like West Ham, Charlton, Sunderland

Setting aside the potential buy-out, our objective for the next 10 years will be preventing relegation and hoping for another Fair-Play Award. If the potential buy-out goes through, we may be more comfortable as fans, but do we want an Abramovich coming in? Do we want to be Chelsea fans? You just have to hope our buyer is more flash than the Geordies’. Is it just about supporting the shirt or the club or the owner? Pretend to be ecstatic when Cole scored? F**k that for a laugh! I’m not being racist, just carrying out duty supporting my beloved club, not the bl**dy jersey or badge.

RESULTS

22 April 2007

Aston Villa           0 - 0  Portsmouth            31,745
Newcastle United      0 - 0  Chelsea               52,056

League table to 25 April 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  34 15  2  1 46 11 11  2  3 32 13 26  4  4  78  24  54 82
 2 Chelsea         34 12  4  0 34  8 12  3  3 26 12 24  7  3  60  20  40 79
 3 Liverpool       35 14  3  1 37  5  6  4  7 17 17 20  7  8  54  22  32 67
 4 Arsenal         35 11  5  1 39 14  7  4  7 20 19 18  9  8  59  33  26 63
 5 Everton         35 10  4  3 28 13  4  8  6 18 18 14 12  9  46  31  15 54
 6 Bolton Wndrs    35  9  4  5 24 18  7  2  8 18 27 16  6 13  42  45  -3 54
 7 Reading         35 10  2  5 28 18  5  4  9 20 24 15  6 14  48  42   6 51
 8 Portsmouth      35 10  4  3 26 14  3  7  8 17 24 13 11 11  43  38   5 50
 9 Tottenham H.    34 11  2  4 31 20  3  6  8 18 30 14  8 12  49  50  -1 50
10 Blackburn R.    34  8  2  7 24 21  5  3  9 18 28 13  5 16  42  49  -7 44
11 Aston Villa     35  6  8  4 17 14  3  8  6 19 25  9 16 10  36  39  -3 43
12 Newcastle Utd   35  7  7  4 23 18  4  2 11 14 25 11  9 15  37  43  -6 42
13 Manchester City 35  5  6  6 10 13  6  3  9 18 26 11  9 15  28  39 -11 42
14 Middlesbrough   35  9  3  5 26 20  1  7 10 12 25 10 10 15  38  45  -7 40
15 Fulham          35  6  7  5 17 18  1  8  8 18 36  7 15 13  35  54 -19 36
16 Wigan Athletic  35  5  4  8 18 26  4  4 10 17 28  9  8 18  35  54 -19 35
17 Sheff. United   35  6  6  5 22 19  3  2 13  8 31  9  8 18  30  50 -20 35
18 Charlton Ath.   35  7  5  6 19 18  1  4 12 12 34  8  9 18  31  52 -21 33
19 West Ham United 35  7  2  9 21 25  2  3 12  7 33  9  5 21  28  58 -30 32
20 Watford         35  3  8  7 18 24  1  4 12  8 33  4 12 19  26  57 -31 24

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: