Newsletter #1325

Saturday’s derby game didn’t turn out to the reverse drubbing many expected and the atmosphere was much improved. The only real topic of conversation was the cheating and diving from the PFA player of the year, who evidently has immunity from refereeing decisions, although Ball’s challenges have led to much debate and condemnation. There is a school of thought that Ball did what numerous other defenders have been wanting to do all season.

Today we have opinion on the way forward for MCFC as we approach season end, look back at the derby, the Ball and Barton incidents and more unsavoury news on the Thai guy.

OPINION: THE WAY FORWARD? I

A friend at work has come up with a plan for City’s revival. It may just work, so we will share it with you:

Make Wenger an offer he can’t refuse, say £6 million a year for 5 years. Give him £10 million to spend in his 1st year, increase this amount according to our success in subsequent seasons.

The Cost:
Wages: £6 million * 5 years = £30 million
Transfer funds: £15 million (average) * 5 years = £90 million
Total = £120 million

The Benefits:
Current expected prize money for finishing 16th = £36 million
Expected finishing position under Wenger:
Year 1: 10th = £41 million
Year 2: 7th = £44 million
Year 3: 6th = £45 million
Year 4: 5th = £46 million
Year 5: 4th = £47 million

i.e. prize money over our current position brings in:
Year 1: £5 million
Year 2: £8 million
Year 3: £9 million
Year 4: £10 million
Year 5: £11 million
Total extra prize money = £43 million

TV money increases, more televised games: £? million/year
Revenue through sales: £? million/year
Bums on seats: 10,000 people times 19 games times £25/ticket = £4.7 million times 5 years = £23.75 million.

Extended cup runs: £? million
UEFA Cup money in years 2,3,4: £? million
Champions’ League money in year 5: £? million

Guessed Revenue:
Prize money = £43 million
Gate receipts = £23.75 million
TV money: 3 extra games per year = £7.5 million @ £0.5 million per game.

Revenue:
Scarves/beer/snacks/car parking = £10 million
Cup runs, £1 million times 5 Years = £5 million
UEFA Cup times 3 years times £3 million = £9 million
Champions’ League (one year) = £10 million

Total = £107.75 million

Result = Lose £13 million over 5 years for a top manager, an exciting team and a chance of silverware.

OPINION: THE WAY FORWARD? II

Reading MCIVTA 1324, I want to add my support for Joey Barton and a couple of other points I feel important to City at this time. I read the view is half and half. However, I cannot imagine Barton wearing any other colours. He has many suitors keen to have him in their ranks. Players with this passion have foibles.

I do not condone what has gone on with Dabo, but these things do happen in football, and most recipients are man enough to resolve them inside the club. I think Barton’s attack cowardly, but you don’t go crying to the papers. You let the club and your manager sort it out.

Joey clearly has problems, but they can be worked out. His passion for success with City is palpable. Ultimately, it is the fact that we are going backwards through a lack of investment in the team that have manifested themselves in Joey snapping. Along with Richard Dunne’s outburst prior to Blackburn and Sylvain Distin’s concern we have to prove our ambition through actions, not words, in summer. I am still behind Pearce for this reason. He has not been given anywhere near the investment we need as a club – though I am a touch concerned at the backroom lacking senior management experience. I digress. In times of adversity we should come together.

Joey is a Blue and I would hate to see him wearing any other colours. What he does need is another three people alongside him to carry the midfield he has been doing consistently for the last three seasons. A consistent partner to compete with and someone better to take set pieces would take the weight of responsibility off his still-young shoulders. In recent games the people taking free kicks and corners have not been any better than Joey.

If I was consistently performing better than my colleagues I would have asked for parity in wages. If no-one else could do the job better I would do it. Conversley, if higher wage earners were clearly delivering a higher performance and there was someone better to deliver the job, I would try to up my game.

My second concern is the link with Micah and United. City without Anelka and SWP seemed unimaginable in the two seasons where those two were adding speed, flair and class to the team. Selling them would prove to be a team going backwards, and it has done. City without Joey and Micah will see this decline continue. A team with all four of these would show ambition. Agents are keen to breed impatience for their own gain, hence we do not see the 500 appearances at many teams any longer. These greedy parasites have been at the heart of all these moves.

Building a team and a club should be a two way process, I am still disappointed that SWP chose to repay our patience by leaving. Forget the money, it does not kick footballs on a Saturday. When you are on your arse, starting out, or at your lowest, the club backs you. When you hit your peak and start to deliver you back the club that has nurtured you. That’s the wider approach we all need to consider as fans, players, managers and directors.

Players are overpaid today, now more than ever. The fact Stephen Ireland asked for a pay rise so early to look after his kids’ future belies his own background and is more words put in his mouth. He would get his reward in good time, as Pearce has consistently proved, without having to instigate it himself. That has left a bitter taste. Again, I digress.

Strength to hold onto our players. Ambition to be winners. This all necessarily involves risk. That is where we pull together through thick and thin and build a club with strength and ambition. I do not think our current board have the appropriate appetite for risk and this needs addressing to balance a much too conservative approach. I have waited a long time to be successful again, and selling any of these four was and still is unthinkable.

This leads to my final concern. Ambition, strength, and support does not require us to sell our soul at any cost. The only people linked with buying the club so far, do not have City at heart. In particular, Shinawatra does not have City in his heart or even close to him. I would be appalled to see people with the Blue blood John Wardle and David Makin clearly have sell out to this man. Especially as JW is keen to ensure the club is placed in the right hands. A lasting legacy for both these fans who have put their money where their mouths are would be to facilitate the ownership of City into Blue hands. The importance of the Trust movement at this juncture cannot be over emphasised. We can as fans get behind a bid to buy the club as a few have mooted.

Every purchase of Premiership clubs has ultimately led to the investors, as business people do, borrowing as much as they can against the assets of the club. Business people do not use their own money in the end. Even Abromovich has break-even plans. This is what I believe we should be doing as a set of fans. We have the skills in our ranks, we have the fan base – the loyalty of a huge fan base that may not have money to invest, but a passion to get behind the Manchester club in any way they can. Hence the importance of channelling all this through a Trust in the fans’ interest.

Additionally we can achieve a semblance of control through proxying shares, investing in a body with the fan first and foremost, attending games, not leaving before the final whistle, supporting the team and investing in the club – as many have consistently done over lifetimes.

Whilst JD appear to be the last of the City fans with enough money to buy a controlling interest in the club, there are other ways of taking control. By no means should we allow people of this Shinawatra’s ilk walk in and take over. City modelled in the fashion of Barcelona is a dream we should join the Trust to achieve. Now more than ever.

Whatever you do, stay Blue!

OPINION: THE WAY FORWARD? III

As a City fan of 38 years standing I, like many of you, have experienced the despair caused by the sheer ineptitude of the Club over decades of under achievement, bad management and crass stupidity. The latest is a worrying rumour, reputed to come from an impeccable source, that City are considering a deal to sell Micah to the Red Scum for £8 million plus Wes Brown. God forbid that should happen. Richards is a key figure in our future, especially if we get massive investment from ‘Frank’ Shinawatra and if it were even remotely true, who in their right minds is saying Wes Brown is worth £7-£12 million if we value Richards at £15-£20 million? I just pray that ‘Frank’ gives us the nod before these buffoons on the Board do any more business in the transfer market.

One minor note of positivity from MCFC was, for the first time in living memory, a public relations exercise that actually worked. Giving a free scarf to every City fan in the stadium was great idea and one that was instrumental in creating a tremendous atmosphere and allowed us to envelop the COM Stadium in a sea of sky blue and white.

But no sooner was I ready to congratulate the Club on its PR success and MCFC score an own goal! Who in the City hierarchy gave the order for all the stewards to stand up and face the crowd for the last 10 minutes of play and thereby antagonise all the suffering supporters sitting in rows A to E who had their view of the pitch obscured?

Sheer bl**dy madness. Talk about a lesson in how not to win hearts and minds! As a result the City fans in the middle rows whose views were not affected stood up in unison in support of those at the front, so let that be a lesson to the Club and their petty behaviour.

Ah well, just one more game to suffer away to another nemesis, Spurs. I might even get up close and personal with Stupid Stu and the Board as I am in with the ‘suits’ at White Hart Lane. Two words of conversation should suffice. Go now!

I now write in relation to the Prat Pearce’s threat to take disciplinary action against Michael Ball for a challenge on Cheating Ronaldo. Pearce is beneath contempt. Ball was our best player, fully committed, playing with passion and skill and having to face up to a diving, coniving little runt known as Ronaldo. We want him to sign a long-term deal so how does Stupid Stu approach the situation… he threatens him with unnecessary disciplinary action. If I was Michael Ball I’d tell Pearce to stick a new contract right up his fundament… sideways!

I don’t see Fergie taking action against Ronaldo for cheating and diving but cast your minds back to The Swamp in December. Mr Goody Two Shoes Pearce wants to climb up the FA’s backside and discipline the hapless Corradi for trying to get us an advantage and now he’s doing it again.

Get rid of Pearce now! Honourable – my a*se! He is a self-serving arrogant, deluded prat who should be fired ASAP.

OPINION: END OF SEASON

The team put up a gallant performance against the Rags, but the penalty miss by Vassell was a disaster. Hindsight is easy but I would have got Mpenza to take the penalty. I frowned when I saw it was Vassell, for Vassell has a lot of huff and puff, but lacks that scoring touch.

Credit to Stuart Pearce for a good game plan, considering the players that he had to play. The subs did not help the cause, but there were not many options left on the bench.

Only one game left this season and that will be away at White Hart Lane versus Spurs, so we might get a goal? For not to score just one single goal at home since 1 January is a disaster in itself, a disgrace to any professional football team.

For Stuart Pearce to come out now and say “we need a striker”, wrong comment, SP did get a striker, Georgios Samaras, who has let the club down. Going after Mido was a big mistake, I’m pleased that we did not sign him for he would not have been good enough, but I am upset that we never got a decent striker in the January transfer window – we had a month to do it, there can be no excuse by Stuart Pearce unless he is the Chairman and the MCFC Board’s scapegoat with them holding back the money to spend.

Getting Mpenza did help to save the club some, and Michael Ball deserves a contract to stay as a City player.

A very disappointing season, and there were many supporters who did sense it earlier on in the season. It stood out in many areas, yet nothing was done about it; the club did not have the funds to get everyone that we would have liked to have gotten, but nothing was spent. Stuart Pearce had to work with a shoe budget team, held together by a good defence and Academy players.

I made comments myself here in MCIVTA: “pay the piper now or pay a lot more later on”. Fortunately City have secured enough points to stay in the Premiership.

Big changes are needed for next season; we should be in the top half of the division, not fighting off relegation. I, like many other City supporters, wait in anticipation of a take over by a worthy person, or group of people that will take the club back on track as a top club again.

Whatever we do, stay Blue!

OPINION: THE UNDESIRABLES? I

Some interesting pieces in MCIVTA 1324 about the takeovers that may or may not be happening of the club. Interesting different views as well, with Ray Bardsley saying on the other hand the ex-Thai PM is according to some sources allegedly bent as a nine bob note, and Joel Perry saying Shinawatra is a different kettle of fish entirely. He’s worth £2 billion. £100-£120 million ‘investment’ he wouldn’t be in this for a quick buck. It’s a long term business venture.

So I thought I’d do some Internet research. When I put Thaksin Shinawatra into Google, here’s what I found.

The Nation, Friday 04 May 2007
AEC PANEL TO URGE SEIZURE OF LAND, SHINAWATRA CASH
Subcommittee wants Bt772 million paid by former premier’s wife to be held while case pursued: Udom

A corruption panel probing a Bangkok land deal involving ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman will advocate seizure of the 33-rai plot and the Bt772 million payment, an official said yesterday. The recommendation was likely be made to the Assets Examination Committee (AEC) on May 14, said Udom Fuangfung, chairman of the AEC panel probing the Shinawatras’ purchase of the Ratchadaphisek block from the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF). Council for National Security chairman General Sonthi Boonyaratglin hinted that the AEC would make front-page headlines within a few days. Udom said his panel would suggest the AEC take recourse from Article 34 of the Criminal Code to confiscate both the land and money, because Pojaman unlawfully bought the land not long after her husband came to power.

So if this story from today is to be believed, I think I’m in the Ray camp, sorry Joel!

And on Joey Barton – wow Joel, what a rant!! I think you should and he should settle this man to man. I hear he’s got a bit of time on his hands to the end of the season. Good luck, but watch out for those sneaky attacks from behind!

OPINION: THE UNDESIRABLES? II

Simon Clarke wrote in MCIVTA 1324 “I hesitate to condone physical violence but I do feel [sic] that Barton has vented the fans’ fury caused by totally ineffectual [sic] players in the team.”

Er… do I understand you right? Despite the concluding paragraph that begins, “We can fault Joey for his behaviour…” do you think his “behaviour” (as you so euphemistically call it) was excusable, justified, yes or no? I note you say “We can…” Well yes, we “can”… but the question is, do you?

I almost wrote a little time ago how annoyed I am at the meaningless stream of inexactitude and the euphemisms used to mischaracterize and obfuscate the true nature of Mr Barton’s misbehaviour and assaults, especially the old cigar-stubbing assault, for which he should have been dismissed and imprisoned for a significant stretch, but I know how, er, you all are over there about dealing with criminals.

Simon, are you attempting some strange (moral) equivalence (or showing us a hierarchy of values) viz. Barton’s assault causing actual bodily harm, and Dabo’s hopeless form when you say: “Joey has been suspended and is missing… [no one] has mentioned about Dabo missing the games because he has been so hopeless…”?

Is the position of unlearned counsel for the defence that Mr Barton should be excused in the commission, prima facie, of a felonious assault causing actual (if not grievous) bodily harm because he was venting and channelling the “fury” of City fans, and Mr Barton was justified because Dabo is just a loser anyway (he is at “fault”, he is one of those who is “definitively” ineffective), whereas Barton is a man of “effort”?

I hesitate to ask, but are prior bad acts admissible at trial under certain circumstances in England? Frankly, Mr Barton is fortunate that Mr. Dabo does not file suit against him for a substantial sum. Whilst the common law has always recognized that a cause of action does not lie in harm or injury reasonably expected and proceeding from the sport itself (to which participants give their implied consent), this act lies well outside such cognizance.

I understand that “yank”-bashing is a favourite pastime of many, but this is one instance, where I hope you all might recognize (and here I would wait on advice from learned counsel in the UK) that a cause of action may lie against Manchester City themselves, especially in light of Mr Barton’s prior bad acts (which may not be admissible during his criminal trial, but possibly at sentencing) which I am guessing may well be admissible during a civil cause of action: in other words, settled law was not always so, and unless there is absolute immunity in some way MCFC need to get rid now (the problem with this, is it might indicate a guilty conscience, that is, similar to fleeing the scene, the issue in UK law then might be is such dismissal admissible at a civil trial, and if it is, must the jury be instructed they may not take it as evidence of culpability by the person dismissing) because what happens if he does a Cantona but really causes damage to a fan?

I am speculating of course: does Dabo’s contract contain a hold harmless clause viz. MCFC and / or any contract employee? What exactly is the doctrine of respondent superior in the UK? Are Barton’s acts so egregious that no argument can be made that MCFC is responsible under any doctrine of agency? Perhaps, but then we come right back to Barton’s prior bad acts and statements by MCFC backing him to the hilt. Reasonable expectations? Is there a hold harmless clause hiding somewhere? I suspect (hope) that such a clause is void ab initio if it tried to shield MCFC from acts proceeding from recklessness and certainly it ought to be void where the conscious object (intent) was present… and intent does not require a cool head by the way and can be formed in a second.

I make no conclusions, but just raise questions, because this is not just a case of someone having a barney. There is evidence here, as with the cigar, that Mr. Barton actually pauses, reflects, then consciously escalates. Is there a solicitor or barrister that, understanding English law, can perhaps give a decent perspective of what is and is not and may be at stake when nutters like Barton do this kind of thing?

If Mr Barton were here he wouldn’t stand a chance and MCFC would be very worried about their own position in civil law, especially because of Mr Barton’s prior bad acts.

OPINION: THE UNDESIRABLES? III

Congratulations to City who I’ve supported since 1965, you have got another thug in your ranks. If Joey Barton may be shown the door, Michael Ball shouldn’t kick another ball for this club. That was just plain cowardly and if Thatcher got eight weeks, then so should Ball. There are times that players lash out in the heat of the moment but Ball wasn’t even warm.

And as for the penalty (which at nearly 1am in the morning looked real soft) there was no chance that Vassell would score giving his run in one on ones with a ‘keeper. What about Emile Mpzena? Paul Dickov? They would have been far better options.

And saving the best of the lot for last, the lowest home goal tally ever! I enjoyed it more when we were in the old Division 2!

Finally, if Stuart Pearce could do a quarter as well as Sir Alex, then I would be happy, sadly I doubt that will ever happen.

Where to from here? Well I suppose with the team we’ve had, just to finish in the Premiership is an achievement. Hmm. Some clubs think it’s a failure not to win a trophy or two, we think staying up for another season is an achievement in itself.

OPINION: THE UNDESIRABLES? IV

This is the first time I’ve contributed although I’ve been near on a number of issues but yesterday pushed me over the edge as it were. This past season we’ve seen Thatcher’s assault on Mendes, Barton deliberately doing Mendes in the return at Pompey and even Darius Vassell was highlighted on Match of the Day a few weeks back for two vicious, over the top ‘tackles’.

Yesterday we had Ball’s stamp on Ronaldo in the first two minutes. I don’t think Ball has a particularly bad reputation so what’s changed? He’s come to City, that’s what. I’m beginning to think that this has been deliberate or at least encouraged by Stuart Pearce to compensate for the total lack of creativity and skill in the team. Can anyone imagine all of the above occurring with someone like Keegan in charge? I don’t think it’s likely.

Man City have a tradition of playing open, attacking football. At present, we’ve a team of thuggish hoofers that are a disgrace. Pearce needs to go and the board need to appoint someone who will play football in the tradition and manner of Manchester City Football Club.

OPINION: THE UNDESIRABLES? V

Well, I am ashamed to be a City fan. If it wasn’t bad enough players putting one another in hospital and pressing charges against each other, after three minutes we have Ball deliberately and apparently without provocation stamping on Ronaldo. After that what did the result matter?

It was not the sort of thing I expect from a team I support – it was also profoundly stupid. If you accept that “anything goes” and it’s OK to deliberately kick an opponent then why do so after 3 minutes and risk being sent off? Why do so when you know that you will be picked up by the cameras? Why do something that looks so bad and doesn’t put the opponent out of the game? I despise Roy Keane and believe that he should have been banned from football “sine die” but at least he was intelligent – last few minutes of a game when the title was settled and he made sure that Haaland was damaged.

What is going on?

OPINION: BENT MONEY? I

There was a suggestion in Friday’s edition that the Thai money is as bent as a nine-bob note. Maybe so, but we only have to look across the city to the evil empire built on the dodgy dealings of the bent butcher.

For those of a younger age – Louis Edwards (father of Martin Edwards who nearly sold the Swamp and its inmates for £10 million) was a butcher with a contract to supply meat to Manchester schools for school dinners. There was much speculation about the quality of the meat, indeed there was a school of thought that the meat had been condemned as unfit for human consumption. Edwards senior died at a time when there was a great deal of media interest in the butchery business.

The Wikipedia entry for Martin Edwards makes interesting reading. There’s a piece about him too in the Times archives at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/serialisations/article1003221.ece

Anyone who comes to City and sweeps away the under performing clowns on both the football and non-football sides of the business is welcome. City’s cronyism makes the Labour Party’s recruiting policy look like equal-opportunities-on-speed.

OPINION: BENT MONEY? II

As the rumoured takeover bid by ex-Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra (hitherto to be known as ‘Frank’ – geddit Shinawatra – Ol’ Blue Eyes) gathers momentum, we should prepare ourselves for sunnier days in 2007/08. If it all goes to plan and we have someone of the calibre of Louis van Gaal as the new manager, £50 million worth of transfer funds to be spent diligently and brave new horizons to conquer then we can go to The Swamp next season and win for the first time in more than three decades… headline to read ‘Thai Take Away’.

Alternatively, we could all find it goes horribly wrong and have Thomas Cook focus on one particular Thai holiday destination as our shirt sponsorship, and then when Joey balloons a 90th minute penalty over the bar thus depriving us of victory, we can all look at the shirt and say… Oh Phuket!

Ok, I’m sorry… taxi for Walker.

OPINION: JUST LIKE PLAYING MILAN

Paul Fegen mentioned in the last McV the red and black stripes same as AC Milan, that were worn in the 1969 FA Cup Final.

Leicester City won the toss and were designated as the home team and so wore their blue shirts. Manchester City wore the “red and black stripes” shirts used by Malcolm Allison and copied from AC Milan.

I was lucky enough to have been at the game behind the goal where Neil Young scored with his 15-yard scorcher.

But back to the red and black, Princess Anne was the Royalty on the day, and although Royalty are supposed to be dressed in neutral colours, Princess Ann was dressed in red and black. It was not long before the City fans were chanting “Princess Ann she’s a City Fan”. I also think that Princess Anne was amused when the City fans were singing “God bless our gracious team”.

Oh for another team like we had back then (with new owners who knows? we all must pray harder).

OPINION: NUMBER EIGHT I

Far be it for me to make light of a nasty little punch up, but I’m trying to imagine what was said between the french wizard and our fabled scouser.

Obad: “you seez monsier barton, you take le penalty kick like so”
Bully Barton: “come ed laaah?”
Obad: “you pick le spot and you wallop le balle à la onion bag – c’est simple”
Bully Barton: “dey doo doh, don’t dey doh” (apologies to Harry Enfield)
Obad: “c’est magnifique n’est ce pas?”
Bully Barton: “come ed soft laah *ickhead…” string of Brookside expletives… wallop.

Glad to see also Dickov got a mention in stopping the brawl. I thought another of our great signings might have slipped off the planet.

Been a bit a joke of a season really. And our top goalscorer is suspended prior to the derby. It does not bode well. Joke’s on us.

OPINION: NUMBER EIGHT II

Before Barton is hung, drawn and quartered, it is worth reading the following short piece from the Daily Telegraph and also bear in mind especially those who have never even played amateur football that football is a physical contact sport. This is a sport performed by extremely fit young men… not hairdressers or florists. I don’t condone Barton’s actions at all but I feel as though I do understand his character. Good luck JB for the future, perhaps once your demons are vanquished maybe you can re-establish your chosen career.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&xml=/sport/2007/05/02/sfnbar202.xml

OPINION: NUMBER EIGHT III

Just putting aside Barton’s behaviour for a minute, shouldn’t we be asking questions about the management of the incident itself insofar as the press are concerned? I cannot imagine for one minute that this would have been handled in the way we have done had it been at Arsenal, Liverpool or god forbid the Scum. Are there some personal agendas here?

All we have now is a player whose contract stipulates a sale at £5.5 million potentially being reduced in value to what, half that? For a club in our financial state, that is wholly unacceptable. Let’s hope a takeover proceeds – a root and branch clear out is needed, and soon.

OPINION: EX-BLUES’ SPOT

Spending a few days in Tbilisi and last night, in a bar at one of those western hotels, walked none other than all City fans’ favourite Georgian, Mr Georgiou Kinkladze. I got a swift handshake as my Georgian mates introduced me as a City fan and he said ‘How you doing?’ in a great Bond villain accent. He looked in fine fettle, though he should drop a dodgy hairband! Anyway, I hear he’s ‘between clubs’ (again) and is considering playing in Georgia again next season. He’s only 32 evidently. Bit sad really.

No sign of Murtaz Shelia. Or that iffy striker who really was bobbins.

OPINION: MPENZA SIGNS

Mpenza has signed a new deal. I actually think that given the right support, he could be a god player for City, we will see [You read it here first after the roadshow folks! – Ed].

Stuart Pearce really doesn’t see when he’s walking into trouble though, does he? Re Mpenza signing he said: “He’s got a good CV, he’s scored everywhere he’s played and the deal is a no-brainer on his performances since he came here.” Everywhere, that is, with the exception of the City of Manchester Stadium.

REQUEST: BLUES VIEWING VIA MAC

City fans around the world have been able to watch City’s games live on their PC on http://www.liveonlinefooty.com/, where TV coverage is unavailable. Unfortunately the service claims that it will only work on windows-based computers and that Apple Mac users are out of luck.

Just wanted to let you know that I was able to view the last game I subscribed to without any problem on an Apple Mac. I downloaded the mplayer for MacOS X (and also installed the optional codec package. I don’t know if this was necessary or not but I installed it anyway to be safe). I then entered the stream’s url in file->open location. the stream/game played well without any issues.

I am on an Intel mac but I am sure it would most likely play fine on a power-pc based Mac too.

REQUEST: HOTMAIL PROBLEMS

A fair few MCIVTA subscribers using hotmail have complained about not receiving issues. This site explains why: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/05/01/hotmail_friendly_fire/

The suggested fix is to get a Google Mail account and use that for MCIVTA instead. http://gmail.google.com/

REQUEST: BLUE MOON / KK

RESULTS

6 May 2007

Arsenal               1 - 1  Chelsea               60,102

5 May 2007

Aston Villa           3 - 0  Sheffield United      42,551
Everton               3 - 0  Portsmouth            39,619
Fulham                1 - 0  Liverpool             24,554
Manchester City       0 - 1  Manchester United     47,244
Newcastle United      0 - 2  Blackburn Rovers      51,226
Reading               0 - 2  Watford               23,294
West Ham United       3 - 1  Bolton Wanderers      34,404
Wigan Athletic        0 - 1  Middlesbrough         21,204

League table to 06 May 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  36 15  2  1 46 11 13  2  3 37 15 28  4  4  83  26  57  88
 2 Chelsea         36 12  5  0 36 10 12  4  3 27 13 24  9  3  63  23  40  81
 3 Liverpool       37 14  3  1 37  5  6  4  9 18 20 20  7 10  55  25  30  67
 4 Arsenal         37 12  6  1 43 16  7  4  7 20 19 19 10  8  63  35  28  67
 5 Everton         37 11  4  4 33 17  4  8  6 18 18 15 12 10  51  35  16  57
 6 Bolton Wndrs    37  9  4  5 24 18  7  3  9 21 32 16  7 14  45  50  -5  55
 7 Reading         37 11  2  6 29 20  5  4  9 20 24 16  6 15  49  44   5  54
 8 Portsmouth      37 11  4  3 28 15  3  7  9 17 27 14 11 12  45  42   3  53
 9 Tottenham H.    35 11  2  4 31 20  4  6  8 21 32 15  8 12  52  52   0  53
10 Blackburn R.    36  9  2  7 28 22  6  3  9 20 28 15  5 16  48  50  -2  50
11 Aston Villa     37  7  8  4 20 14  4  8  6 21 25 11 16 10  41  39   2  49
12 Middlesbrough   37  9  3  6 28 23  2  7 10 13 25 11 10 16  41  48  -7  43
13 Newcastle Utd   37  7  7  5 23 20  4  2 12 14 26 11  9 17  37  46  -9  42
14 Manchester City 37  5  6  8 10 16  6  3  9 18 26 11  9 17  28  42 -14  42
15 Fulham          37  7  7  5 18 18  1  8  9 19 39  8 15 14  37  57 -20  39
16 Sheff. United   37  7  6  5 23 19  3  2 14  8 34 10  8 19  31  53 -22  38
17 West Ham United 37  8  2  9 24 26  3  3 12 10 33 11  5 21  34  59 -25  38
18 Wigan Athletic  37  5  4 10 18 30  4  4 10 17 28  9  8 20  35  58 -23  35
19 Charlton Ath.   36  7  5  6 19 18  1  4 13 13 38  8  9 19  32  56 -24  33
20 Watford         37  3  8  7 18 24  2  4 13 10 34  5 12 20  28  58 -30  27

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: