Newsletter #1532

Disappointment against the old foe at White Hart Lane on Saturday, complete with the inevitable disputed refereeing decision.

We have opinion tonight on the season almost gone, the season to come, targets, the manager and the usual requests.

EDITORIAL NOTICE

With a much needed end of season break coming up, we are looking for a guest editor to cover editions 1536-1539 (1 -11 June inclusive).

If you fancy having a go at editing MCIVTA and ensuring continuity for the two weeks, please drop me a line. Full instructions and back-up provided!

Thanks.

OPINION: LOOKING AHEAD

Only one game left in season 2008/09 versus Bolton at home. Which should be a carnival affair.

Looking back on the season, it will go down as a failed season because we failed to qualify for Europe. However, there have been many positives, and some good players to build next season’s squad on.

There have been many reasons for not winning enough matches. Mainly it will go down to our away form. The many injuries that the club had up front with the strikers not being able to play in key games.

The truth is that the squad is just not strong enough, many players must be let go and quality players come in to strengthen the squad, or we shall not be able to compete for a top four place next season.

The media say Drogbog might be available in the summer; he is a striker that I have always admired, but dislike his occasional dive.

The rumour is that £15 million could get him but he is yet to receive punishment for his bad behaviour against the ref after the Barça game. It might be a lengthy ban and would keep him out of playing for any club. If he became a City player I would stop calling him Drogbog and call him Drogba, and if he became the Premier League’s top scorer with City, I will call him Sir Drogba. This is a player who for whatever reason has had a bad season with Chelski, but he still is quality.

Another player who might become a City player is Tevez, but it all depends on United and if they want to pay a lot to keep him; this is a bit of a mystery.

All speculation at the moment, along with many other players that have been mentioned in the press, only about 73 players so far! But Drogbog and Tevez I would like to see with City (OK I am allowed to dream).

Come on you Blues! Come on Sparky, sign the right players and quick.

OPINION: THE MANAGER I

Before the Spurs game Hughes announces: “Harry’s done a good job, similar to the one I’ve done myself but I think Harry gets a little bit more credit than I do!”

In comparing himself to “Honest” Harry Reddknap, who took over Spurs and transformed them from relegation zone to contenders for Europe, Hughes is clearly deluded. Like Tottenham, we were in the relegation zone too, but Hughes was the manager who put us there. Under Sven, the previous manager, we were never out of the top half of the table all season. In any way you measure Hughes’ record we are worse off than last season:

• We have bought 11 new players: Kompany, De Jong, Robinho, SWP, Zabaleta, Bridge,Bellamy, Jo, Given, Ben-Haim and Berti. More than any other club, and for moremoney.
• We don’t qualify for Europe.
• We have lost to the Rags home and away.
• Hughes talks about the progress he has made. Where is it exactly?
• We will probably end up in 10th position, the same as last year, but last yearthe manager had already been told (and the players knew) that he was on the wayout.

Contrast Hughes and City with Woy Hodges and Fulham. Compare the players, the cash spent and the results. Fulham have gone from almost certain relegation candidates last season to Europe this season, with a team largely made up of cheap rejects (including Etuhu who we dumped years ago).

I don’t recall Hodgson pleading for more time and more money. I hope that the owners quickly decide to get rid of this self-deluded Rag and get a proper manager.

OPINION: THE MANAGER II

Mark Hughes confirmed manager: here’s to Championship football in 2010-2011 season. Worst manager since Alan Ball.

Very depressed of Manchester.

OPINION: NEXT SEASON’S SQUAD

Who to buy after seeing them in the flesh last Sunday? My ideal team/squad for next season is this (based on 4-1-3-1-1):

Given, with Hart and Kasper as cover.
Zab and reserve Micah, John Terry or Lescott and reserve Onuoha, Dunne and reserve Onuoha/Kompany, Zirkoff (a must for me) and reserve Bridge.
De Jong and reserve Kompany.
SWP, Ireland, Petrov (Elano, Johnson and Garrido would do nicely as cover(s).
Robinho and reserves Elano and Sturridge for this “In The Hole/Peter Beardsley” position. Which I think would suit Robinho better and Elano was tops at it early part of season under Sven.
Drogba or Eto’o or even Roque Santa Cruz (if fit) and Bojo/Sturridge and possibly also Benjani as cover.
Wayne Bridge as extra reserve to the City midfield three along with Elano/Johnson/Garrido.
Jo as extra loan striker reserve along with BoJo/Benjani and Sturridge.

That means City buying John Terry (£30 million) or Lescott (£15 million). Plus Zirkoff (£20 million) and either Drogba (£20 million), Eto’o (£25 million) or RSC (£18 million).

Total top outlay would be £75 million.

OPINION: EX-BLUES’ WOES

Looks likely that Michael Frontzek has followed his former ‘gaffer’ Alan Ball in shepherding his club into the second tier. Saw this on Soccernet:

Arminia Bielefeld have sacked coach Michael Frontzeck with one game of the season to go after the Bundesliga strugglers were beaten 6-0 by Borussia Dortmund.

That result means not even a win on the final day of the season can save the East Westphalians from a relegation play-off at best.

However, they must beat Hannover to avoid automatic relegation, with Energie Cottbus and Karlsruhe both poised to take advantage of yet another defeat.

Bielefeld have yet to decide who will take over for the final game of the season, with Frontzeck’s assistant Detlev Dammeier the most likely candidate.

He took temporary charge when Ernst Middendorp was dismissed last season and before Frontzeck was appointed.

A club statement read: “The management of DSC Arminia Bielefeld informs that they, with the agreement of the board of directors, have made the decision to part company with coach Michael Frontzeck with immediate effect. The club thanks Michael Frontzeck for the work he has done, in particular avoiding relegation last season, which will remain unforgettable. We wish him all the best for his future, both privately and occupationally.”

Arminia have not won any of their last nine games and have won just twice since the turn of the year. They have won only four games all season and no club in the history of the Bundesliga have managed to stay up with so few wins in a season.

At least he won’t be losing any hair over the job loss…

All the best!

OPINION: TIME TO GET ON WITH SUPPORTING

From the official website statement:

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has left no room for any doubt over Mark Hughes’ future by reiterating that he has complete faith in the manager’s ability to steer the club to greater heights next season.

The Chairman, who was at Tottenham to witness a disputed 2-1 defeat that ended City’s late bid for a place in Europe, has been bemused by frenzied speculation over big names to replace Hughes after just one season.

And after privately reassuring the Blues’ manager yet again this weekend that he will be at the helm for the next campaign, Khaldoon has made it clear to mcfc.co.uk that there will be no change of mind on that score.

City’s supremo admitted: “I have been surprised at all the speculation, because I have always been consistent with everyone on the subject of the manager. Every time I have spoken, I have said the we have the highest confidence in Mark, and I would like to re-iterate that now. Mark will be our manager next season – nothing has changed. It has been a difficult season with all the rumours about Mark’s future and the number of players that we have been linked with. There has been incredible and unnecessary pressure put on Mark from outside the club, especially from the media, but I recognise that it comes with the game and with football.”

The Chairman stressed that, while City’s Premier League finish will be no higher now than 12 months ago, he is satisfied that strides have been taken, particularly behind the scenes, that will reap valuable benefits in the long term.

He added: “From my perspective, I think we have come a long way, and I am very much looking to a big finish to the season next week against Bolton. When you consider how things have gone since January, I think we have accomplished things and now we can start focusing on next season. For once this club can have a pre-season. This is a club that has had ten managers in 15 years – it is hard to believe we have ever had a real pre-season. So this time we will have that, and we will do so with a year’s experiences behind us. That will make us stronger. I think next year is going to be better than this one. The club has a lot more stability.”

Now can the Hughes haters go back to their Sun and Mirror columns?

REQUEST: KING OF THE KIPPAX

Pleased to announce that the tenth and final issue of King Of The Kippax of the season (our 21st as a ‘zine!) hit the streets in the wind, rain and sunshhhiiinnneee at White Hart Lane on Saturday, and the outlets at Urbis and Aleef today.

Front cover reflects the highlights of the season the European away trips, and contents include the usual regulars, plus features on City’s accounts, postponed games, review of Paul Toovey’s Birth of The Blues book, and a clever spoof on that other (almost) Manchester club.

It’s A4 56 pages and will be on sale for just one home game vs. Bolton on Sunday, so we’re praying it doesn’t rain!

It can also be obtained from the usual address: 25, Holdenbrook Close, Leigh, Lancs WN7 2HL for £3.20 including postage.

Thanks to Heidi and everyone connected with MCIVTA this season for the news, views, thoughts, observations and opinions on all things City this season, whose unpredictability continues to baffle us all, including KOTK contributors.

REQUEST: T-SHIRT

We have just launched the special edition tongue in cheek Champions’ LeagueFinal TShirt, it is Barcelona logo with Man City stripes incorporated in it.Underneath it says “Supporters Club, City of Manchester est 2009”. It can beseen here:http://www.iffyton.co.uk/a-kick-up-the-grass/fancy-dans/barcelona-supporters-city-of-manchester

It’s going to be sold for a credit crunch special offer of £5 plus P&P (normally £12.99).

RESULTS

17 May 2009

West Bromwich Albion  0 - 2  Liverpool             26,138
Chelsea               2 - 0  Blackburn Rovers      40,804

16 May 2009

Manchester United     0 - 0  Arsenal               75,468
Bolton Wanderers      1 - 1  Hull City             25,085
Everton               3 - 1  West Ham United       38,501
Middlesbrough         1 - 1  Aston Villa           27,261
Newcastle United      0 - 1  Fulham                52,114
Stoke City            2 - 0  Wigan Athletic        25,641
Tottenham Hotspur     2 - 1  Manchester City       36,000

League table to 17 May 2009 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  37 16  2  1 43 13 11  4  3 24 11 27  6  4  67  24  43 87
 2 Liverpool       37 11  7  0 38 12 13  4  2 36 14 24 11  2  74  26  48 83
 3 Chelsea         37 11  6  2 33 12 13  2  3 32 10 24  8  5  65  22  43 80
 4 Arsenal         37 10  5  3 27 15  9  7  3 37 21 19 12  6  64  36  28 69
 5 Everton         37  8  6  5 31 20  8  6  4 22 17 16 12  9  53  37  16 60
 6 Aston Villa     37  6  9  3 26 21 10  2  7 27 27 16 11 10  53  48   5 59
 7 Fulham          37 11  3  4 28 14  3  8  8 11 18 14 11 12  39  32   7 53
 8 Tottenham H.    37 10  5  4 21 10  4  4 10 23 32 14  9 14  44  42   2 51
 9 West Ham United 37  8  2  8 21 21  5  7  7 19 23 13  9 15  40  44  -4 48
10 Manchester City 37 12  0  6 39 18  2  5 12 18 32 14  5 18  57  50   7 47
11 Stoke City      37 10  5  4 22 15  2  4 12 15 36 12  9 16  37  51 -14 45
12 Wigan Athletic  37  7  5  6 16 18  4  4 11 17 27 11  9 17  33  45 -12 42
13 Bolton Wndrs    37  7  5  7 21 21  4  3 11 20 31 11  8 18  41  52 -11 41
14 Blackburn R.    37  6  6  6 22 23  4  4 11 18 37 10 10 17  40  60 -20 40
15 Portsmouth      36  7  3  8 23 28  2  8  8 12 27  9 11 16  35  55 -20 38
16 Sunderland      36  6  3  9 19 22  3  6  9 12 26  9  9 18  31  48 -17 36
17 Hull City       37  3  5 10 18 35  5  6  8 21 28  8 11 18  39  63 -24 35
18 Newcastle Utd   37  5  7  7 24 29  2  6 10 16 29  7 13 17  40  58 -18 34
19 Middlesbrough   37  5  9  5 17 20  2  2 14 10 35  7 11 19  27  55 -28 32
20 West Brom A.    37  7  3  9 26 33  1  4 13 10 34  8  7 22  36  67 -31 31

MCIVTA FAQ [v0708.01]

[1] MCIVTA Addresses

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[2] What are MCIVTA’s publishing deadlines?

Deadlines for issues are nominally 6pm, Monday and Thursday evenings by email. Unfortunately we cannot accept email attachments.

[3] MCIVTA Back Issues and Manchester City Supporters’ home page

http://www.mcivta.com/ 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.mcivta.com/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: