Newsletter #1344

It’s full steam ahead this week, as we finally get news of the pre-season fixtures a week in advance with Port Vale off the agenda, Sweden on and a visit from Valencia (not Real Madrid as was suggested by Frank).

Tonight we have Don’s news roundup following all things happening on the transfer rumour mill, with the first signing looking like Bianchi (more of him from our man in Italy, Vanes) and the numerous other players linked. Svenn has started his managerial/coaching appointments as well to build the squad.

We also have views on players past, the way forward and a few requests.

NEWS SUMMARY

Now it Really is Thaksin Times

Anyone for Svennis? To which the answer is – Manchester City Football Club, apparently. After many weeks of speculation, City finally unveiled their new manager, and it was former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. “I’m delighted and honoured to be City manager. It’s an exciting challenge,” the Swede told the club website. He added: “I’ve already started making preparations for the new season. I want to deliver a team that our fantastic fans can be proud of.” The club’s chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, said: “I’m delighted that Sven has agreed to join the club as we move into an exciting new era. His vast experience of managing top clubs to success around Europe is one of the qualities that attracted us to him. He also knows the Premier League inside out from his time as national team manager.” There was much talk in the press of Sven having a £50 million war chest to splash on players, although Mr.E. was somewhat cagey on discussing amounts, or even which players he wanted. “I can promise you will see new faces in the squad and the team when the Premier League starts. Let’s wait until the middle of August and you will see. It’s a big, big club and I think a lot of football players around the world would like to play for Manchester City especially as they know this club will be bigger and bigger.” On his current squad, he said: “I think it’s good. One thing I think is very, very good is that we have six players from the Academy in the squad. That’s important, That’s something to build on for the future.” Eriksson believes he should not be judged on his England record and hit out at some of the press he has received since stepping down. “Those writing it should be embarrassed,” he said. “I’m not here to talk about England and the FA. I’m here to talk about here and the future.”

No Revenge: Eriksson said he’s comfortable with the pressure that he expects to be under on his return to the game. “I have never worked in the Premier League before so I don’t know if I have to prove myself or not,” he said. “I know what I have done in the past and I am looking forward to an exciting job and an exciting season. Every time you are a coach, you have pressure whatever team it is. I hope I will have a big pressure as that means I am at a big football club. Manchester City is a big club. It is the Premier League – I think it is the best league in the world and if you get an opportunity to work in it you should take it and I did.” Eriksson insisted he felt no desire to prove his critics wrong, saying: “I’m not made like that. I don’t feel that I have to have revenge or things like that. I know myself. I know what I’ve done in my years in England and outside England. You cannot take that away from me. I want to be judged on football results, I want to be judged as a football manager. It’s good to feel the stress. It’s good to feel the pressure. I feel much better then.”

Get Backe to Where We Once Belonged: Sven is reportedly turning to Hans Backe to become his number two at Eastlands. Backe is a long-time friend of the former England boss, 59, who sees him as the man to help him transform City’s fortunes after his first choice, compatriot Roland Andersson, turned down the rôle in favour of continuing as Sweden’s assistant manager. The move is being interpreted by some newspapers as a “snub” for former England midfielder David Platt, whom they had tipped as Eriksson’s assistant. Ex-England Under-21 coach Platt, 41, was thought to be well in the running, but Eriksson is clearly more comfortable with another Swede as his right-hand man. TV pundit Backe has managed four Swedish clubs, and been a friend of Eriksson’s for more than 20 years. Speaking of snubs – Chelsea’s new Director of Football Avram Grant claims he rejected an offer from City, before moving to Stamford Bridge. The former Israel coach left his Director of Football rôle at Portsmouth over the weekend to join Chelsea’s backroom team. The Sun says Grant was offered £1.5 million a year to become Sven Goran Eriksson’s first-team coach at City. But the former Portsmouth technical director has been chosen by Roman Abramovich to replace Jose Mourinho if things go wrong this season.

Thai Up: So all the Blues news was upbeat going into the weekend – a fresh start for City with a new owner and a shiny new manager. Your News Editor suffered a bout of insomnia on Monday morning (not due to City I assure you), so I decided to watch BBC News 24 on the telly. Top news story at 4am that morning? “Thaksin charged with fraud.” I decided to go back to bed. Apparently Shinawatra has been ordered to appear in a Thai court next month over corruption charges. He’s charged with corruption, with conflict of interest and with dereliction of duty for personal gain in the case. Thaksin’s wife is alleged to have brought prime real-estate in central Bangkok, worth £32 million, for £12 million while her husband was Thai Prime Minister. Her husband is accused of illegally influencing the deal. If convicted, Thasksin faces up to 10 years in jail. Thaksin’s lawyer said his client would not return to Thailand to answer the charges as he feared he would not receive a fair trial. “I fear that my client will not get a fair trial because the judicial system in Thailand has been interfered with by some powerful groups, and I also fear for his safety,” said Noppadol Pattama. However, even if Thaksin refuses to return to Thailand, a conviction would result in him failing the Football Association’s “fit and proper person” test and bar him from ownership of City. Thaksin denies all charges against him.

Sacked by Email: One of the first casualties of the new regime was former player Dennis Tueart who lost his place on the Board. DT feels he was shabbily treated, as he said in the M.E.N. Tueart said: “It’s not often that I am lost for words but that was one of the biggest shocks of my life. I got a call from my secretary saying we’d had a few attachments e-mailed through and one of them was my resignation letter. I asked her to forward it on and, sure enough, there it was with all the documents relating to the takeover of the club. I was stunned. I have been associated with the club for 33 years and it was ended by one e-mail. Immediately after that e-mail, I contacted Alistair Mackintosh Chief Executive) and said: ‘I’ve just been sent my resignation letter’. He blustered a bit, mumbled and said: ‘That’s where we are up to’. Then he added: ‘What can I do?'” Tueart continued: “That night I got a very cold call from Alistair, telling me there were going to be documents hand-delivered to my house for signature. As my son, Mark, passed the phone to me, I felt my stomach churning and the phone felt ice-cold because I knew what was coming. My wife Joan even asked me what else Alistair had said, and when I said ‘nothing’ she was absolutely livid. That was because no one knows better than her how many hours I had put in over nine and a half years trying to give the Manchester City supporters, who I relate to, what they deserve – a fantastic football team. For the next 24 to 48 hours I was not a person to be with. But my faith in human beings eventually started to return because I got so many calls from virtually all the Academy staff, who were devastated because we were bonded in a team unit.” Tueart finished darkly with: “I’ve thought long and hard about it, and I keep thinking there could have been an outside influence involved with his own agenda – someone with a personal vendetta against me, which has been suggested to me.” Tueart had been a director for nine years, and he famously scored the winning goal when the Blues won their last trophy back in 1976, the League Cup.

Three Year Stretch: Away from the darker side of the takeover, the voices of the new order were proclaiming that all was well in the land of City. Thaksin Shinawatra, talking in Hong Kong, said: “Right now, I have no other plan than to make the club very good”, although he suggested that he’d set himself a target of three years to turn the club’s fortunes around. He said that Eriksson “is working with my advisers to bring new players to join the club. We have many good players in the club but it’s not enough. We have to get good players to the club and this season we have to move forward… It’s hard to tell how much we are going to spend. We need strikers, we need midfielders. We need quite a number, maybe five, six, seven, I don’t know.” At the press conference where Sven was paraded before the media, John Wardle spoke of the bright future for the club. He said: “I’m pleased now to drop to deputy Chairman and get some of that responsibility off my shoulders. Dr Thaksin is now Chairman and we spoke to him today, unfortunately he’s not here, he’s away on business but will probably be around next week. He’s absolutely delighted that the deal has gone through, he’s spoken with Sven and is in contact with us all the time, and he will now be calling the shots.” When asked if it was a sad day for him, Wardle replied: “No, I think it’s a very happy day, because I can see what’s coming and the future. We’d got to a stage where, I do believe, we’d taken Manchester City as far as we possibly could. Along with Alistair Mackintosh of course, we had stabilised the Football Club from a financial point of view, but we needed that extra to do what Dr Thaksin’s going to do by bringing in a top class manager and hopefully world class players will be following. So I’m very pleased and am looking forward like everyone to the future of this Football Club and watching them go up and up.”

Mack Back Saintly Losers: Chief executive Alistair Mackintosh led the tributes to Wardle and his former business partner David Makin in the M.E.N. Under the headline “£10 MILLION LOSS FOR CITY SAVIOURS” Mackintosh said, “John and David will lose a lot of money in this transaction, but without them being willing to take that loss, this deal simply could not have happened. I think it is a sign of great men when they know when the time is right to hand over the reins, especially when you are involved with something as pleasant as a football club. I’ve worked very hard to ensure that John remains part of this club and Thaksin Shinawatra has asked personally that John continues to be involved, but that was not a pre-condition to this deal moving forward. Had it been in the best interests of the club, John and David would have happily passed over to somebody else. It is great news that John has agreed to stay on. John would never speak about this, of course, but that’s down to his modesty. As far as I’m concerned, however, I want this information on record to underline what this club means to him. It’s been a very important time for the football club. We’ve moved the club forward under John’s stewardship, particularly over the last four years as a Premiership club. We’ve built on our infrastructure and the club was a very attractive proposition to investors, so we knew we were going to be busy.”

Hello, Mr. Anderson… Another vocal presence at Sven’s news conference was agent Jerome Anderson, who was rather mysteriously described as the “deal-maker” in most journals, although he’s better known as the representative of a host of Arsenal players. Whatever his rôle was in the Thaksin takeover or the Sven succession, he was fulsome in his praise of the Swede. “Sven can attract some of the biggest players in the world to City,” he said. “Players like and respect him. He has always had a magnificent element of trust from people who have worked with him. He will bring that to Manchester City. Sven knows the players from every league in Europe and Africa, and having the kind of resources he has available, there will be a different type of player coming to this club now. It is definitely a very exciting time to be here.” Anderson insists the Blues have got a manager of impeccable pedigree. “Sven brings a wealth of experience that he has gained in football all over the world. Analyse his record. It is up there with the best in the game. When we first spoke to Sven about this job, it was clear he wanted it. Now the excitement can begin.”

Be Yourself: We got the comments regarding Sven and City from the last living ex-England manager – none other than our former Boss man, full name Joseph Kevin Keegan. We’ve already heard the musings of Graham Taylor and Bobby Robson in the last month, so why not KK? Keegan said: “It’s a great club with a great support base and I wish him all the luck in the world. It’s a club who train 200 yards from Manchester United – two massive clubs in one city – and Manchester United are the biggest club in the world, arguably.” Keegan warned that the new City boss, who was the subject of several off-field controversies during his England career, would not be able to escape the glare of publicity. “That comes with the territory,” Keegan told BBC Radio Scotland. “If you’re a high-profile manager you are always going to be attacked from various points. It can be character, it can be the fact you’re not interesting, it can be the fact you’re too fun- loving, it can be your private life. Whatever happens, when you get to the top in management you’re going to be attacked some way, and I think you’ve got to accept that, and if you don’t I think you’re just fooling yourself.”

General News

Fixtures are Fitting: Sven’s already shaping the pre-season friendly schedule, and one domestic game’s already been binned. To the great disappointment of at least one member of the MCIVTA News Editing staff, City’s proposed visit to Port Vale has been called off. The match, billed as a benefit for Vale manager Foyle, was due to be played on August 1. Foyle said: “Obviously I am disappointed, but I understand Sven will want to make his own plans when he takes over. I am hoping we can arrange another game, maybe during the week set aside for internationals, but in the meantime we will just get on with things and concentrate on the new season.” City now find themselves being whisked off to Eriksson’s homeland. The Blues will face Örgryte IS, Påskbergsvallen, Varberg, on Wednesday, July 18 (7pm k.o.). City’s other game will be on Saturday, July 21 against Carlstad United (4pm k.o.) at Tingvalla, Karlstad. And while we’re on the subject of fixtures – remember those fixtures you carefully copied into your diary last week? Time to get the Tippex out, because Sky TV have already started dickering with some of City’s early games. The Manchester derby is now part of a “Sky Super Sunday” and will take place at the COMS on August 19, kicking off at 1.30pm. The next home game, against Aston Villa, starts at 4.00pm on Sunday September 16th. The club website also announced that there’s been some jiggery pokery to make room for the UEFA Cup Final taking place at the COMS at the end of the season: the home game with Newcastle United has been brought forward to Saturday September 29. City’s Premier League campaign will now end with a trip to Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium on Sunday, May 11th.

Sun’s Up: Sun Jihai is fit again, and is representing his country in the 2007 Asia Cup tournament, which begins with China taking on Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. “The Asian Cup is a lot different from club football so I hope to do my best,” mused Sun “After this I’m going back to my club. I will show my skills to the new head coach. After last season I had a month’s holiday, then two weeks’ preparation then another two weeks with the team so I’m sure I’m ready for this competition.”

Fit for Purpose? City have a new fitness coach, a position that has remained unfilled once Juan Carlos Osorio departed for pastures new at the start of season 05/06. Now City have Stefano Marrone, who’s worked with Everton, as well as clubs in Italy and Turkey. “For a fitness coach, working in the Premiership is a big challenge,” he said on mcfc.co.uk. “It’s very exciting as this is the most physical league in the world. It’s also exciting because of the passionate supporters and the stadiums are always full. Manchester City are similar to Everton, in that they have great supporters and the people of the city really seem to get behind them as well. It’s also great to be at another club that has a big rivalry with a local neighbour. The facilities here at Carrington are at a very good level, there’s plenty of space outside and we will also look to improve one or two things. We have been working on aerobic endurance and strength, we have been alternating between working in the gym and on the pitch, but there has already been some football as well. It’s double sessions for the first few days, it’s hard work but it’s also very important work. Even with the programmes the players had during the break, they are not in the shape they would be during the regular season. That’s why it’s important to start improving performance straight away, and we have four or five weeks to get into the right shape.”

Goodbye Vale, Hello Valencia: Mr.Thaksin promised us a pre-season game against Real Madrid. Well, he got the right country, just the wrong team. Valencia (who, to be fair are no mugs) will be the visitors to the COMS for this year’s Thomas Cook trophy. The Blues’ final warm-up game takes place on Saturday, August 4th and will kick off at 3.00pm.

Transfer Rumours and Gossip

In all my 114 years of writing this news summary, I cannot remember a week with so many names being linked with City, but with so little to show for all that the guesswork. I’m not even going to attempt to supply you with every alleged transfer target because (a) I got bored writing them all down and (b) All the rumours can’t be correct can they? Otherwise, some City players would have 3-digit squad numbers! Here’s a few of the choicer snippets.

Seduced by Sven: The nearest to a deal seems to be a move for Reggina marksman Rolando Bianchi. The ex-Atalanta striker rose from obscurity to write his name on several Serie A shopping lists after firing the Calabrian minnows to top-flight survival last term with 18 goals. A summer move was inevitable with Juventus and Napoli both allegedly lining up a swoop, but now it seems Bianchi is ready to ply his trade abroad. Now the Serie A club have confirmed that they are set to sell their prized asset to City. “We have reached a preliminary agreement with Manchester City for the permanent transfer of Rolando Bianchi to the English club in a 13 million euros (£8.7 million) transfer deal,” Reggina president Lillo Foti confirmed. “The deal will be completed on Wednesday.” Err, not yet he hasn’t. It had been suggested that Bianchi was getting cold feet about a move to City, and would favour a move to Spain with Atletico Madrid in the frame – but the La Liga side are yet to make any approach. Things are moving on today, however – City have announced that a fee has been agreed with Reggina, and that the player’s having a medical at Carrington today. In a brief interview with Sky in Italy, Bianchi has revealed what a good salesman our new Manager is. He said, “Mr Eriksson called me personally and told me he wanted me at any cost. He told me ‘come and we will be watched by 50,000 fans every Saturday and we want to be in Europe’. When he just mentioned the word Europe, I had a big feeling. Nothing was moving in Italy so I had to take this chance. I hope one day I can return to Italy with to play for a big club, but I am start this new adventure and I now want to succeed at any cost. I want to do well and show what I am capable of,” he concluded.

In Cruz Control: So let the silly season rumours begin! Sven is planning a bid for Toulouse’s Swedish centre-forward Johan Elmander. Eriksson will bid £9.5 million for the striker, who hit 11 goals in 32 games for Toulouse last season. The 26-year-old has been compared to Didier Drogba for his strength and goalscoring ability. Elmander said: “I’d love to play in Premier League. I think that league will fit my game perfectly.” Not so, according to the Daily Star – Eriksson wants to make Bayern Munich’s £8 million striker Roque Santa Cruz his first signing. The 25-year-old is currently with Paraguay at the Copa America and netted a hat-trick against Colombia. Bayern have already signed Germany striker Miroslav Klose to replace Santa Cruz. But just a cotton picking minute – Saint-Etienne striker Pascal Feindouno is hoping City make their alleged interest real. Feindouno has an offer from Dynamo Kiev, but admits: “I want to take my time. If I have another proposal from England or Spain, I would prefer to go there. As I said to you, nothing is agreed. I’ve said many times recently that I do not want to play any longer in France.” He wasn’t that desperate for a trip to Manchester, because Sky Sports News said today that he was on the way to Birmingham City. Steven Pienaar’s agent is in the dark over reported interest from City. The South African international midfielder is currently with Borussia Dortmund, who he joined from Ajax last summer. A host of Premier League clubs, including the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, considered a bid for the 25-year-old, but Dortmund stepped in to snatch him. However, the move to the Bundesliga has not been as successful as Pienaar would have hoped and he is now been linked with a fresh move. Pienaar’s representative Rob Moore, though, admitted that he had not had any contact with Manchester City. “It is news to me,” he told skysports.com. “Obviously they are a big club, with a top class coaching team and a lot of players would like to go there now, but we are not aware of any interest. After some very happy years at Ajax he has gone to Dortmund and they play a different type of football. For anything to happen it would firstly have to be in the best interests of the player, but also it would have to be acceptable to Dortmund.” Time for another Swedish link, methinks. SGE is ready to make Christian Wilhelmsson his first signing (what, another first signing!) as City manager. The £2 million-rated Nantes and Sweden winger is thought to be keen on the idea of working under his compatriot. Wilhelmsson, 27, spent last season on loan with AS Roma and has been linked in the past with moves to Tottenham Hotspur and Middlesbrough (I’d like to thank Messrs. Google and Wikipedia for assisting me in writing this paragraph).

He’s the Dude: With Nicky Weaver being shunted off to Charlton last week, City are theoretically one goalie short. Jerzy Dudek is available, and says he’s interested. The Polish international is on the look-out for a new club following his release from Liverpool at the end of last season and he had been linked with a move to Real Madrid. But Dudek says he would like the opportunity to work with Eriksson at City. He told the Sun: “If I got an offer from City, then I would seriously consider it. It’s a great club.”

Oh NoNoNoNo! You can see how the tabloid logic works. When England manager, Sven’s star men were David Beckham and Michael Owen. So how about a City bid for his former star players? LA Galaxy-bound Beckham has been linked with a loan move to England at the end of the MLS season in the autumn, while Owen is rumoured to be unhappy at Newcastle United. “I didn’t even know that there was any possibility of Beckham being available on loan, but no, no, no. I haven’t thought about it and won’t think about it,” Eriksson told the News of the World. “He was a big favourite of mine (with England) but at Manchester City we are trying to build a great team, and when you’re trying to do that you don’t take a player for a couple of months. As for Michael Owen – he’s available? I didn’t know that. Michael Owen will always score goals for you, but I don’t want to read that I’m interested in signing him either.” So that’s a pretty emphatic denial, I’d say.

Ullo, Ullo, United Rejects! Sven is supposedly set to test relations with Old Trafford by moving for Reds’ pair Alan Smith and Kieran Richardson. The People says he intends to make offers for Smith and Richardson in the coming weeks. Meanwhile The Mail on Sunday says Eriksson has already received his first snub as City manager – by former United man Phil “Pretty Boy” Neville. Everton captain Neville has rejected a move to the old enemy. Now there’s a shame…

Wayne’s World: ‘New’ City are not afraid to plunge into the bargain bucket, if you believe some of the rumours. The Daily Mirror says Eriksson is hoping to snap up Charlton’s left winger Wayne Thomas with a £1 million bid. The former Arsenal wideman would jump at the chance of returning to the top flight.

It’s All Pants: Sweden’s most famous advertiser of underpants could be on his way to the COMS, if you believe today’s media reports. S-GE has reportedly held talks with Arsenal star Freddie Ljungerg in a bid to hijack his Fiorentina move. Ljungerg, who has spent nine years with the Gunners, has been told he can leave the Emirates Stadium by Arsene Wenger. Fiorentina were thought to be close to finalising a £5.5 million deal for the 30-year-old but The Sun claims Eriksson has now held talks with Ljunberg and his agent. The paper reports the Eastlands outfit are now favourites to land the midfielder for £6 million after a successful meeting on Tuesday night. Ljungberg is on a hefty wage at Arsenal but hey, City have the money now, don’t they? Don’t they?

Not – So Idle Weiss: It wasn’t just idle froth and speculation in the transfer world this week – City have actually signed a player. Don’t get too excited just yet – it’s Slovakian midfielder Vladimir Weiss. The 17-year-old has worked his way through City’s youth system since 2005 and the new contract now means Weiss is eligible for reserve games next season. Weiss said: “The offer had been there one month already, since the end of last season. Before I departed home, the club had offered it to me. We were discussing it properly with my father and he told me then ‘You are old enough, so make the decision on your own. I will respect it.'” Weiss’ agent, Juraj Venglos, gave further details of the contract, he said: “The club have offered Weiss a two-year deal which is an upgrade of his youth contract which is still valid.”

Ex-Blues’ News

Barton Bail: Joey Barton might have made a fresh start in his football career, but his recent past continues to dog him. On Wednesday Barton had his Police bail extended, so police can make further enquiries. He was due to answer bail today over the alleged incident with Ousmane Dabo that took place at City’s Carrington training ground. Barton was first arrested in May while a player for his previous club Manchester City. It is alleged he attacked his then team mate Dabo, 30, during a training session at the club’s training complex in Carrington, south Manchester. Barton was arrested, spoken to by police and bailed while they made further inquiries to find out what happened. The player was suspended by Manchester City after the incident, and sold by the club to Newcastle last month in a £5.8 million deal.

Just Champion: Trevor Sinclair has signed for Championship side Cardiff City on a free transfer. The 34-year-old was released by City at the end of last season after spending four injury-hit seasons with the Premiership club. Sinclair, who was also wanted by Stoke City, passed a medical on Tuesday and immediately flew to Portugal to join Cardiff’s pre-season tour. “Trevor will add value and depth to the team,” said City chief Peter Ridsdale. “He will give us more quality as we try to build a team that can operate at the right end of the Championship.”

Squad News

Friend or Defoe? Micah Richards says that he’s fighting fit (not in a Joey way, of course), and ready for action. “I’m glad to be back at work – it’s about time!” he said in the M.E.N. “It’s been a good summer, but I’m ready to go now. I had a long season and probably needed a rest anyway but I had to miss the last month so I could get the problems I was having sorted out. I was actually carrying two injuries – my shins and my ankles – but the operation was a success and it was great to get back into pre-season training. I had a couple of weeks in Marbella and just rested in the sunshine so my batteries are definitely recharged.” Micah likes the look of the new gaffer: “I met Sven on the first day back at Carrington. He seems like a really nice guy and we’re all just looking forward to cracking on and getting a bit of the feel-good factor back in the camp again. Hopefully we’ve got the resources we need in place now and I can’t wait to see who Sven brings in. He’s got the money and he’s certainly got the knowledge – it’s all about finding the right blend now. He’s got a great track record in club management and the players all have a great deal of respect for him, so he’s got a good base to work from.” He’s sad that Joey Barton and Sylvain Distin have moved on: “They were two of our key players and I am disappointed they have gone,” Richards confirmed. “I know Joey did a few bad things during his time at City and maybe he felt he needed a fresh start. Sylvain made me feel welcome from the moment I arrived at the club, so I was sorry to see him leave too.” And he’s already got a candidate for Sven to sign up! “If I could choose anyone, I would like to see my good mate Jermain Defoe sign for us,” said Richards. “I think he would do really well for City and the way we are heading, I think it would be a great move for him too. Maybe I will give him a call and see what he says.” He wouldn’t be a bad addition to the squad Micah, so get yer mobile out and start talking!

Ball’s in Sven’s Court: Michael Ball endured a long wait to hear if the new regime will honour Stuart Pearce’s promise of a new deal. Today he found out. He’s agreed a new two-year deal at City. Ball, who won his only England cap under Eriksson, had offers from other Premier League clubs but opted to commit to City until 2009. Sven was quoted on the club website as saying; “Michael’s experienced, having played in Scotland and Holland as well as England, and it’s good that he is staying with us as he’s going to be very useful. We had to build on what was good here, and there was a lot that was really good, so I’m happy that he’s signed and he is happy as well,” he concluded.

OPINION: BIANCHI

Bianchi’s arrival reminds me of Samaras. Young, fantastic season, but still with a lot to prove. I think he has long hair too… His scoring tally had been next to zero and then he surprisingly blossomed last season with Reggina (who started their campaign with an 11-point deduction; Bianchi’s goals practically saved them).

Scoring 18 goals in Serie A is a massive achievement and I’m sure Eriksson is aware of that. Defences are solid and tough and most managers’ priority as Italian football is first of all a very defensive game. So in my opinion his goals are definitely more valuable than the ones Samaras scored in Holland or any striker playing for a top club where the feeding is much better.

I’m a bit concerned about how he will adapt to English football and life. Apart from Zola and Di Canio most Italian players have found it really hard, and Corradi is there to remind us all. But if a club like Juventus were considering signing him (then Trezeguet stayed and lost interest) it has to mean something good. Napoli were also ready to come up with an offer (I think they did) but couldn’t match City’s, and believe me Napoli’s chairman is a very important film producer and an extremely rich man.

I wouldn’t compare BIanchi with Corradi. Their passport is in common but Corradi has never been a natural goalscorer and he’s never going to be as motivated as Bianchi who’s still trying to build a top career. Another 18 goals and Italian top clubs will be queuing for him next summer and who knows, Corradi might help him find his feet in Manchester if he’s not lucky enough to find an Italian club looking for his services.

The Italian press didn’t welcome the news as another highly rated player has decided to leave the country. The likes of Juventus, Inter and Milan have enough strikers and have to think about luring top names to please their demanding fans, while other teams like Roma, Fiorentina or Lazio cannot compete with City’s or more generally English clubs’ money.

Anyway, with last year’s midfield I wouldn’t even expect Ronaldinho to score so many goals for City…

OPINION: THE TAKEOVER I

Anyone who has heard the chilling story called the Monkey’s Paw will know that the moral of that story was ‘be careful what you wish for’. I think I must have been carrying a paw around in my pocket when I said I would not renew my or my son’s seasoncards until 1) City had a new Board and 2) City had a new Manager. I have renewed both Seasoncards.

I sincerely hope and pray for the sake of Frank and City that the serious allegations being made against him are nothing more than an attempt to discredit him by the military dictatorship in his home country. Only time will tell on that, but I wouldn’t mind betting Sky Sports 1 is not available in the average Thai dungeon.

As for Sven, well isn’t that just the cherry on the cake! I was scathing of Sven’s stewardship of the England team, he showed himself to be greedy (not beyond measure but rather on a par with a Premiership player), dodgy (the tabloid sting operation), unreliable (yes Mr Walker, I love Blackburn in November) and to fall victim to complications of the heart (politeness must prevail). He also took crocked strikers instead of the highest goalscorers, too few strikers, too many over-rated midfielders and a teenage pocket rocket who he never took out of his pocket. Oh well, once more into the breach my friends, it’s going to be another hell of a ride.

For the conspiracy theorists: Why does the ad break always come on Sky Sports News when City’s actions are coming up? Has Taggart just blown £70 million on players this summer to make sure that even if City spent £70 million, there would still be an ever-so-comfortable gap of £100 million between the Rags’ First IX and City’s first IX?

I thought closed seasons were designed to let City fans go for a period of stress counselling, anger management and for a course of prescription anti-anxiety medication to give them a chance of getting through the next season. This past two months has put more years on me than the last ten seasons. Come on Sven, prove me wrong. Let’s get behind the new management from day one. Anyone want a monkey’s paw? I’ve no more use for it.

OPINION: THE TAKEOVER II

I found this article speculating on Shinawatra’s motives for acquiring City: (http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9409294&CFID=13083001&CFTOKEN=16561373). I hope he washed his hands afterwards!

OPINION: WEAVER ET AL

Just read Joel Perry’s piece in MCIVTA 1343 about Nicky Weaver.

I have taken the liberty of copying Weaver’s quoted comments from the M.E.N., which should be read first before I try to analyse the situation:

Nicky Weaver: “One minute we were talking about a testimonial and the next we weren’t talking at all and I found that disheartening,” admitted the crowd favourite. “I was told that the contract offered while Stuart Pearce was manager was no longer on the table and that I would have to basically go on trial for the new manager. I found that a bit of an insult, given that I played more than 30 games last season in the Premiership and cups. My agent Paul Stretford made it clear that I didn’t want to leave City, where I had spent most of my adult life, but in the end it became clear that it was time to move on. I will probably never again experience the special bond I have with City’s fans and, for their sake, I hope the season is a great success. They deserve to see a winning team. Now I have got to get on with my new life. Alan Pardew made me feel extremely welcome and did in 15 minutes what City couldn’t in six months.”

Firstly, Joel writes in the expectation that Nicky Weaver will reply to him in person, which I don’t think will be the case.

I’d be interested to know where Joel gets a wage of £26,000 a week from; I am sure you are way out. £26,000 a month might be nearer the mark. Don’t assume that every player at every Premiership club is raking it in, because the truth might shock you. Do the maths – say City were paying 20 players an average of £20,000 a week basic; that alone would stack up to £20 million a year. Then there is the rest of the playing and coaching staff, bonuses and appearance monies, and the rest of the staff and senior management at the club who need paying. It just doesn’t stack up. Some ignoramuses out there claim Weaver drives a brand new Bentley when it is actually a Chrysler (I’ve seen him getting out of it on matchdays), which looks like a Bentley but costs a fraction of the price.

It is fair comment that the club stood by Nick when he had the treatment on his knee in America, and paid his wages, but wasn’t this a freak injury that happened in “the workplace”? Clubs have an obligation to look after its employees, like City did with Paul Lake and Richard Edghill during their long term rehabilitations. Injuries are an occupational hazard of any sport, and I am sure Nicky Weaver would have much preferred to have stayed fit and played football during his layoff, so don’t have a go at him for that.

I take the point that everybody is on trial when a new manager arrives, but was/is the situation with Michael Ball any different? Didn’t his contract also expire on June 30? To me it would have made economic sense to give Weaver another 12 month contract, and if he didn’t fit in with Sven’s plans, then sell him for £500,000 and recoup the money spent on his treatment (which was probably covered by insurance anyway). Hart and Schmeichel are nowhere near the calibre of Weaver, who was at least as good as Isaksson from what I saw, so Sven will need to invest in an understudy at least. It seems like false economy to me.

Nicky would have no axe to grind, and the tone of his comments show he was genuinely sad to leave City, and felt let down by the club, in particular Alistair Mackintosh, who was the one who said Weaver’s contract was no longer on the table. I wonder who actually offered Nick the contract, as he does say “I was told that the contract offered while Stuart Pearce was manager”. He doesn’t actually say it was offered by Pearce, so perhaps it was offered by Mackintosh? If it was, perhaps that’s why Weaver felt so insulted that the Chief Executive had gone back on his word? Bearing in mind that his contract would have expired on Saturday June 30 (most players’ contracts do), I’d say he had a perfect right to be insulted when Mackintosh then offered him a “trial” in front of Sven after making 207 appearances for the club. How embarrassing would that have been for Eriksson by the way? Given that this offer would have been made on the Monday or Tuesday, Nick was technically out of work and seeking employment, and had probably already agreed to go down to Charlton on the Wednesday. If as he says he was guaranteed first team football and made to feel more welcome in 15 minutes at Charlton than he had in the last six months by those in power at City, who could blame him for signing up? I would love to know how much involvement John Wardle had in this matter.

I think I speak for those of us who were fortunate to meet Nick when I say that he loved playing for City, he loved Manchester and he loved the supporters (was he ever booed by the fans?), and never wanted to leave. Like all goalkeepers he dropped a few clangers, but he never let the team down. Talk of a testimonial turning into a wall of silence was like Groundhog Day. Let’s see, didn’t the same happen to Richard Edghill? One unanswered question for me is why Weaver was suddenly dropped for no good reason in March in favour of Isaksson? Was it Pearce panicking because of how much he had paid for Isaksson, or was he under instruction because of the situation with Weaver’s contract talks? Anyway, Weaver has moved on, and so must the rest of us. I have bought my City Card, and tickets for the first two home games, and I’ll take it from there.

It’ll be very interesting to see how the relationship between Alistair Mackintosh and the new regime develops (or deteriorates) over the coming months. They say that what goes around comes around don’t they?

P.S. I have just had an uncle visiting who has lived in Thailand for around 15 years, and he says all the bad things we hear about Thaksin are probably true.

OPINION: DENNIS

I give Dennis Tueart credit for being a very good footballer, and thank him for his brilliant overhead kick that scored the winning goal in the 1976 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. Many are under the impression that Dennis is a Geordie, probably because he started his footballing career with Newcastle Boys, then Sunderland FC but he was born in Manchester.

As a Director on the MCFC Board he might have helped the club by bringing in Kevin Keegan, but he didn’t say no to the non-stop spending that went out of control at the club, and got MCFC into financial difficulties; he backed KK’s every move in the transfer market.

We as City supporters (at least the majority of us) want to see a big change at the club; we have achieved nothing since Dennis Tueart’s goal versus Newcastle United way back in 1976, and to me that was Dennis Tueart’s biggest achievement; whilst he’s been a Director we have done nothing but got into debt and struggle in the Premiership.

There had to be some changes at the club all around, the Board of Directors, team manager and coaching staff, and players. The new owner has started with a clean sweep, and a new beginning at MCFC. Only time will tell if all this was correct, but at least we must give everyone a fresh start and with our support.

In any business this is the way it is done. Football today is a business. It was very nice when it was more pure sport but we have to move forward.

Sorry but I’m not too upset that Dennis Tueart has left the Board of Directors. He did his best and good luck to him in his other profession. Dennis was brilliant on the field, but not off it.

OPINION: THE TAKEOVER

Having read innumerable rants on here about the takeover and new manager, I feel I can no longer keep my twopence worth quiet. How is the current situation at City bad? Last close season we signed Bado (rubbish,lazy, etc.), Corradi (not given the right service but hardly bled for our cause), and Hamman (past his best by a long way and injury prone). Prior to the takeover we lost two of our arguably four best players of this season.

Now we are linked with all manner of quality players, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Kinkladze. Am I missing something here, how is this bad?

I understand that people have concerns over Frank and in some part they may well be justified, but the British Government to my understanding do not even recognise his Thai governmental replacements as Frank was elected and they were not. They ousted him while he was attending the United Nations and even they recognised Frank as the legitimately elected leader of Thailand. We simply cannot compare our democracy to that of other countries and certainly not to countries whose systems and cultural leanings have long been very different to our own. For example, Thailand still has the death penalty (and did, well before Frank was in charge) whereas we got rid of that years ago; does that mean that simply every Thai is a bloodthirsty medieval savage and we are democratic? It certainly does not.

How many multi billionaires haven’t got skeletons in their closet through their business dealings? I would hazard a guess at not many and that would include Mr Abramaovic. Let’s put this anti-Frank thing to bed now for all our sakes. Surely we want the best for the club and if that means watching “overpaid and over inflated egos in a blue shirt” win rather than a bunch of journeymen and mercenaries lose with no fight then I say bring it on. I’m sure I’m joined by thousands of Blues who are now looking forward to the new season rather than with dread and thoughts of damage limitation on our minds. Finally to those so called “fans” who think that being forced to sell their insignificant number of shares will result in them giving up supporting our fine club, well I don’t think we really want your kind of support anyway.

Roll on the new season with some hungry new faces and a few more wins, goals, and excitement.

OPINION: GARRY’S WORLD

Long ago, far away there were a footy club that weren’t right good. Then we were. Oh how we were. The people rejoiced. The mathematicians celebrated 4-0 as the new swamp-song. Oh how t’were celebrated as the song of the occasions.

The dark days followed as night follows night and, glory, promotion from Division 3.

And the boys clambered the cliffs of adversity to claim their places amongst the elite. And slumbered. And snored. It was a troubled, nightmare ridden rollercoaster of a night.

And the people became restless. Where is the Messiah? He’s not the Messiah, he’s just a naughty little boy.

The Giant has slumbered and now awakes. He sees the future. A glorious future that stretches farther than the eye can see, man.

Yet there were those who were scared of that future, scared of the success, scared of winning.

As the unfamiliar smell of success wafted across the nostrils of the faithful, they rose up and embraced their heroes. A new dawn.

Beep beep beep went the clock-radio.

What colour sound is blue? Hope I live to see it.

OPINION: MOVING FORWARDS

I think that we are going to see a contrasting team to Kevin Keegan’s by Sven Eriksson. By this I mean older players versus younger players by the two managers.

Kevin Keegan always believed that it took mainly established and experienced players to play in the Premier League. Although he very much approved of the Academy, KK never ventured to using and giving the younger players a chance very often. One of the great things KK did for City was getting Richard Dunne back on track; just look at him today.

The best thing about KK was his attacking football, and he did bring some exciting games to City.

Many of KK’s signings were established players but also older in age, and because of this when they came towards the end of their contract their value was very little or nothing, and as they left the team it got weaker. All the players bought by KK were backed by the MCFC Board of Directors; the idea was to have an instant success but they were blind to players’ values.

Stuart Pearce went to the Academy and gave several young players their chance, partly because he was given no money to buy players, and had to use them (with the exception of our rough diamond, Samaras).

Sven Eriksson I have heard is going to build a team mainly of younger players and build a team up from them, not to say that there will not be some experienced players in the squad. The team, if a success, should grow in value.

It remains to be seen if Sven’s team will produce some exciting, attacking football, with good results. But Eriksson’s players for the best part should have value towards the end of their contracts, and hopefully MCFC will give them extensions to their contracts if they deserve it, and the best will remain City players.

I look forward very much to the new season. Come on you Blues!

REQUEST: SHARE INFO

I own a small amount of shares in the Blues that I do not want to sell but may have to. Since I bought them, I have moved home several times but forgot to advise of the new address. I wrote to the address on the share certificate but received no response. Can anyone tell me who I need to inform of my new address?

REQUEST: AUSTRALIAN BLUES’ VIEWING

Looking for some help from our Australian contributors. I know it’s a while a way but I like to plan in advance.

My wife and I will be travelling around Australia in February and March next year and am looking for info about where to watch the Blues while we are away. We will be in Mundarah, which is near to Perth, between 8th and 15th February and need to find somewhere to watch the Old Trafford derby on the 10th. I know the later fixtures haven’t been picked for television yet but just in case.

We will be in Broadbeach on the Gold coast near Brisbane for the Everton game on the 23rd and in Melbourne on the 1st March for the Wigan game. I am looking on the Internet for clues but if any Aussie Blues can point me in the right direction for sports bars, I’d be obliged.

REQUEST: BLUES VIEWING IN BERLIN

I am trying to find out where they show games in Berlin. I am there for the derby in August and have tried the contact from the City mag, but it keeps throwing it back saying it doesn’t exist. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

REQUEST: MAINE ROAD TRIBUTE

A bit late in the offing, but I’ve not been able to find a way to get this to a wider audience until YouTube.

I made a little tribute (way back in 2003!) to Maine Road in a program called Blender and set it to Masterplan by Oasis. I thought you might like to watch it and get all nostalgic. It’s not the best “model” of Maine Road ever but you get the essence).

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kWM9blsr0kI

Enjoy!

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: