Newsletter #1333

Another week, and still no progress other than that preferred managerial candidate by the prospective new owner, Claudio Ranieri, has decided ‘basta’ already and has joined Juventus. The rumours of Souness arriving continue, although joining that list are candidates such as Houllier, Adrianse, Strachan and O’Leary.

Where this leads the takeover is anybody’s guess, but City have tonight announced on their website that they will be making the following standard statement to the Stock Exchange tomorrow: “Further to its announcement on 25 April 2007, the Board of Manchester City confirms that it is now in advanced discussions with interested parties that may or may not lead to an offer being made for the Company.”

Tonight we have more views on the takeover, managerial candidates and the increasing questions about just what is going on at City?

Thursday’s edition will be delayed by 24 hours due to editorial cover.

OPINION: IS THERE ANYBODY THERE?

If the ex Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin’s takeover fails, it could be because the banks in Thailand might have frozen his assets, and reports say it could be a while for him to be able to take money out of the country because he and his family is under investigation over some dealings, including the sale of the company Shin to Singapore investors. There are also reports claiming that taxes are due on these dealings too.

I hastily add that these are allegations by the Thai government and no one has been proven to be guilty.

Now media reports say that Graham Souness could become the next City manager; there will be no Ranierei if Thaksin does not take over soon.

This to me is the worst possible news in years, that City would make Graham Souness manager. Of course, how many managers would come to City in the mess that the club will be in without a takeover?

The ups and downs of Manchester City they are never ending.

I do not think that Stuart Pearce will be laughing, he is not that type of person, but maybe he is pleased in a way that he has left, and he no longer has to be the scapegoat for John Wardle, Alistair Mackintosh, Dennis Tueart, and the rest of the company.

MCFC needs help and soon, the transfer window has opened, we have no manager and worse still will lose supporters.

In Thailand they are calling Manchester City the “blue ship”, whilst the rest of us could well be calling it a “sinking ship”.

However, on a positive note I still think a takeover will eventually happen, but it will take much longer than first thought. Despite everything that is happening, John Wardle does want the best for MCFC, and his money back.

Please let there be a takeover,

OPINION: THE MANAGERIAL MERRYGOROUND

I cannot for the life of me think what is wrong with Sven as a club manager. I would have preferred Raineri but he is going to Juventus, I hear.

The ineptitude of the current England manager shows you what a good manager Sven was with the same team. I never could stand the whining and complaining when he was with Middlesbrough and I still don’t know how he got the job. Perhaps that is why he is always wiping his nose.

What happened to the exclusive Joey B interview on Sky? Did he punch the cameraman? Reo Coker would be a good replacement for him.

OPINION: THE AWAY KIT

Yellow Away Shirt, Question for Tony Higginson – with respect – why do you want one of those yellow monstrosities?

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: