Newsletter #1459

What a difference a win makes. Match views tonight on the first home game of the season versus West Ham, praise for Elano and Sturridge and concern for Richards.

We have opinion on individual players and club ahead of the next UEFA game.

MATCH VIEW I: MCFC 3 WHU 0

Well we’re off and running, three points against a West Ham side that offered little.

3am in New Zealand, cold, wet, dark, woke up and thought do I watch the game and leave the comfort of my lovely warm bed, and my lovely wife to watch a game of football? Simple really, once a Blue, always a Blue, even with all the rubbish surrounding our club.

A few points. Kompany looks a bargain buy even on one performance, very assured on and off the ball, Hamann brings quality back to the midfield. Ireland did some great things, but must remember which side he’s playing for (gave the ball away far too much), Elano seems to be in good nick and Ball and Petrov combined well on the left.

It’s three points against a sorry West Ham side that offered very little, but three points nevertheless, and we can only get better, and I won’t say anything about our smiling leader and his hand puppet!

Staying Blue, got the shirt, and besides I like the colour!

All the best for the season everyone.

MATCH VIEW II: MCFC 3 WHU 0

City played their best football for quite some time, an exciting game with pace and energy.

It was very disturbing to see Micah Richards being carried off after being attended to on the pitch by medical staff for eight minutes before being rushed to hospital. Later reports say that he will be OK; I now feel that I can now celebrates a fine win.

The début by Vincent Kompany could never have been a better one. At first he played in a holding rôle in midfield but when Micah got injured he moved back into central defence, and Didi came on in his familiar rôle.

It was great to see Ireland back to his best, he worked his socks off and helped with two of the goals.

Elano has found his best position, which is roaming freely behind the striker who today was Sturridge, who scored City’s first – a screamer.

Petrov hit the post from a well-taken free kick, and as per usual was a menace on the left, whilst Ireland put on his “superman” attitude on the right.

Elano scored two great goals that sent CoMS singing his name.

Today the one striker paid off because everyone played their part. Nevertheless I would still love to see Jo and Sturridge as partners up front.

Of course we shall have Boj, Benji and Evans all waiting for the chances to take part in the new Mark “Sparky” Hughes City team.

I felt sorry for Etuhu missing a chance to gain some more Premier League experience when no sooner had he come on as a sub than he had to go back off with a hamstring injury. More chances will come his way.

I know that I have singled out some names, but all the players and I mean every player did a very good job. I could see this coming from the way we had played versus Villa: courage, stamina, and positive attitudes all round.

It was nice to see Frank back at CoMS watching his team play and win.

Just hope that Micah’s head does not hurt too much.

Thanks for a great game City, more of the same please.

Come on you Blues! In Sparky we trust.

OPINION: STRIKERS

Is it me?

We had all heard about Sturridge, a good striker in the reserves. We waited ages to see him and after lots of injuries we finally got a glimpse. To me, he looks the part and I thought he had a good game against West Ham with a crisply taken goal (the after goal celebration could do with a bit of thought though!). I have not heard as much about Evans but let’s wait and see. So why is it that as soon as another forward gets injured, we have to be on the lookout for yet another one? Give Sturridge some games and experience and I reckon he could be big for us. At least he seems to know where the goal is and in the short spaces of time we have seen him, has added to our previously woeful “shots on target” totals.

OPINION: HAM AND

No big surprise tonight, whenever Hamman comes on we are a much better team and Kompany looks a good buy.

More than that, let’s keep Sturridge up front when the others come back, love his moves.

OPINION: IN GOOD KOMPANY

Man City 3 West Ham 0

West Ham are no pushovers but that’s more like it! The breakthrough has come. We were clearly the best team by miles. Great midfield players and defence. Micah Richards’ injury was a concern but good to hear he is on the mend.

So many positives, great goals from Sturridge and Elano – built up by teamwork (particularly by Stephen Ireland). As for new signing Kompany, welcome to City! He worked extremely hard and is a new, exciting player who will have much more to offer in defence and midfield.

Sunderland next – should be a tough match, but I am confident… very confident.

OPINION: DUNNE ET AL I

I am putting pen to paper to vent my frustration at the team’s performance, albeit so early in the season; I can only hope it is a glitch. Richard Dunne is totally overrated as a great defender, he is slow to react, tries to dribble the ball up the park like he’s George f’ing Best, cannot pass the ball to his own players and frankly only gained a good reputation whilst playing alongside Distin who, despite being a money grabbing frog, was much better than Dunne.

While on the subject of over rated players we can also add Johnson, Corluka and Ireland. The problem with having a fantastic youth policy and academy is that when these kids break into the first team, albeit sometimes by necessity, if they perform well and get rave reviews, they immediately start demanding huge salary increases and behaving like prima donnas à la Johnson. Personally, I would take the cash from Liverpool and get rid of the little plonker, especially after his recent performances including the England U-21 game where he was awful.

I hope Sturridge keeps a hold on reality and does not start acting like a drama queen following the good reviews he has received this season so far.

I agree with most other contributors that we need a LB, RW, M and, at the moment, a replacement striker or 2.

But it’s early days, let’s not panic just yet, just hope the boys can settle down and produce some consistency, which has always a City problem ever since the days of the late 60’s and early 70’s when we managed to go on winning runs of more than 2 games.

Keep the faith guys.

OPINION: DUNNE ET AL II

I am sorry to have to say this but how many of our fellow ‘via the alps’ subscribers are actually City fans? I am sick and tired of this negative approach adopted against our loyal and give-all captain Richard Dunne that seems to resurface every time City hit a bad patch. Over the last 2 or 3 editions this again seems to be the case and it leaves me to wonder are such fans actually watching City and Richard Dunne’s performances and indeed if they have very short memories!? Particularly to Mr John Nisbet who in the last edition of the alps blatantly abused Dunne, our captain now for several years!

Against Midtjylland Dunne made one costly error, yes one, against a poor European side who City should be beating every week. So I find it very unfair and even unrealistic to blame only him for the most dismal of performances that night. The fact of the matter is that against such poor opposition our whole team let us down, not just Dunne! Again, we ‘should’ be beating such opposition easily, week in, week out, but the all round performance of the whole ‘team’ let us down, not just our committed captain!

Let’s recall Dunne’s recent accolades both at club and international level shall we?. Some suggested that Dunne’s end of season performances last year showed his true ability but lest they forget that Dunne has played nearly every minute of City’s last three campaigns and hence may have felt a little run-down! Also due to other club matters might he not have felt a little disillusioned by the end of last season?

Furthermore to his 100% commitment, Dunne has shown in our beloved jersey he has claimed our ‘Player of the Year’ for the last 4 seasons in a row now, an unheard of feat that rewarded such whole-hearted commitment that Dunne has shown to our club, and remember this was voted for by the ‘fans’ i.e. ‘real fans’ who know and appreciate Dunne’s efforts.

Finally at international level; although Ireland did not qualify for the Euro campaign and in truth put in some very poor performances in a mediocre international team during this campaign, Richard Dunne was named Irish Man of the Match in every one of these games throughout the campaign! Again this is unheard of and shows Dunne’s real merit.

At both International and Club level Dunne puts in 100% week in week out, he rarely loses out in the air, his ball distribution is generally consistent and he never winces out of a tackle, as his many cuts and bruises over the years prove! How ‘some’ City fans can once again jump on his broad back is beyond me? He is the most committed and professional player we have at our club as all our previous managers from Keegan to Pearce to SGE and now Hughes have all noted and put faith in him. So those of you doubters, sink back into the woodwork because as the song goes:

“He’s here he’s there, he’s every f’in where Richard Dunne, Richard Dunne!”

And if you’s aren’t careful doubters, the Honey Monster might just come for you!

OPINION: DUNNE ET AL III

John Nisbet in the last issue refers to Richard Dunne as thick as pigs**t, and I have to say I find this description of our Captain and supporters’ player of the season for four seasons quite offensive.

I would be the first to admit that Dunnie has been below par in a couple of games, but I know for sure that he will bounce back.

Real fans get behind the team when things are not going well. CTID.

OPINION: SUITS YOU

Our 3rd kit is an old washed out strip from Oldham; they played in tangerine shirts and blue shorts 40 years ago, someone must have found them in the attic at Boundary Park.

OPINION: WHAT’S GOIN’ ON?

Not really sure where to begin to respond to it, but can I recommend that you all read this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/aug/23/manchestercity.premierleague

Food for thought. Maybe I had my head in the sand but I had no idea that the club was being run by someone with such weird views on the game – not to mention, erm, human rights.

REQUEST: CARLING CUP PREDICTOR CHALLENGE

To celebrate the 2008/09 Carling Cup, Carling.com has launched a Predictor Challenge, which lets fans show off their football knowledge for the chance to win Carling prizes and tickets to the Carling Cup Final!

Simply predict the score of the Carling Cup matches each round It’s free to play. Round winners will receive a case of Carling, a Carling sports bag and t-shirt! Overall champion wins 2 tickets to the Carling Cup Final! Set up a mini league with your mates. The Challenge starts with round two fixtures, so enter now!

The Carling.com website and the Carling Cup Predictor Challenge are only open to people over the legal drinking age.

To play The Carling Cup Predictor Challenge or find out more, please visit the Carling website: http://www.carling.com/in/pressrelease/carlingcup/predictor.html?source=pressrelease

RESULTS

24 August 2008

Wigan Athletic        0 - 1  Chelsea               18,139
Manchester City       3 - 0  West Ham United       36,635

23 August 2008

Blackburn Rovers      1 - 1  Hull City             23,439
Liverpool             2 - 1  Middlesbrough         43,168
Newcastle United      1 - 0  Bolton Wanderers      47,711
Stoke City            3 - 2  Aston Villa           27,500
Tottenham Hotspur     1 - 2  Sunderland            36,064
West Bromwich Albion  1 - 2  Everton               26,190
Fulham                1 - 0  Arsenal               25,276

League table to 24 August 2008 inclusive

                              HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Chelsea          2  1  0  0  4  0  1  0  0  1  0  2  0  0   5   0   5  6
 2 Liverpool        2  1  0  0  2  1  1  0  0  1  0  2  0  0   3   1   2  6
 3 Blackburn R.     2  0  1  0  1  1  1  0  0  3  2  1  1  0   4   3   1  4
 4 Hull City        2  1  0  0  2  1  0  1  0  1  1  1  1  0   3   2   1  4
 5 Newcastle Utd    2  1  0  0  1  0  0  1  0  1  1  1  1  0   2   1   1  4
 6 Aston Villa      2  1  0  0  4  2  0  0  1  2  3  1  0  1   6   5   1  3
 7 Manchester City  2  1  0  0  3  0  0  0  1  2  4  1  0  1   5   4   1  3
 8 Bolton Wndrs     2  1  0  0  3  1  0  0  1  0  1  1  0  1   3   2   1  3
 9 Everton          2  0  0  1  2  3  1  0  0  2  1  1  0  1   4   4   0  3
10 Middlesbrough    2  1  0  0  2  1  0  0  1  1  2  1  0  1   3   3   0  3
11 Fulham           2  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  1  1  2  1  0  1   2   2   0  3
12 Sunderland       2  0  0  1  0  1  1  0  0  2  1  1  0  1   2   2   0  3
13 Arsenal          2  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  1  1  0  1   1   1   0  3
14 Stoke City       2  1  0  0  3  2  0  0  1  1  3  1  0  1   4   5  -1  3
15 West Ham United  2  1  0  0  2  1  0  0  1  0  3  1  0  1   2   4  -2  3
16 Manchester Utd   1  0  1  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   1   1   0  1
17 Tottenham H.     2  0  0  1  1  2  0  0  1  1  2  0  0  2   2   4  -2  0
18 West Brom A.     2  0  0  1  1  2  0  0  1  0  1  0  0  2   1   3  -2  0
19 Wigan Athletic   2  0  0  1  0  1  0  0  1  1  2  0  0  2   1   3  -2  0
20 Portsmouth       1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  4  0  0  1   0   4  -4  0

MCIVTA FAQ [v0708.01]

[1] MCIVTA Addresses

Articles (Heidi Pickup)          : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org
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[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 Points of Blue (formerly the Fans’ Committee)?

The committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. Points of Blue appears 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] 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/.

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: