Newsletter #1564

Tonight we have Alex’s news round-up with reactions to the transfer window activity, new captain, new squad and reaction to the recent games.

We also have opinion on Dunne’s departure, the squad and the usual requests.

Confirmation thanks to Jane from the club that the Fulham fixture has indeed been moved to Sunday 25th October, 3.00 pm kick off.

Finally, to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of MCIVTA going online we have a competition; read on for details.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

City Settled: City’s new look team has been tipped to challenge the monopoly of the Premier League’s ‘Big Four’ this season but pundits believe that they only way they will do this is if the major names that have joined the side settle quickly. But manager Mark Hughes has claimed that this settling is already done. Despite admitting to be slightly nervous a couple of weeks back as to how quickly the new boys would gel with City’s old guard, Hughes has stated that quality is shining through as an unbeaten run of five games without conceding continues: “The settling-in process is accelerated with the kind of top-quality players in our squad. These guys have a real understanding of how the game is played and are reacting off each other. They are enjoying playing alongside each other and showing what they can do. We have made huge changes in personnel, so they are all coming together at one time. But there is a real focus in the group. Everyone is excited, and as a consequence we are playing some good stuff.”

Summerbee Feeling the Buzz: City legend Mike Summerbee has had his say on the Blue revolution this week and has told the press that he is hopeful that his championship winning side will soon be replaced as the club’s ‘golden side’. Buzzer, recently inducted into the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame, played for the club the last time that such a feeling of optimism surrounded the Blue side of Manchester and now the former right winger believes that Tevez, Robbie and Adebayor are fully capable of bringing some well-earned silverware to CoMS. “It’s nice that it’s happened now, when things are going so well for us and the club is on such a good footing. What I’d like is – put us in the museum, close the door, and let’s get the future sorted out! We look back at our history, and we won’t forget that, but what would be lovely in my lifetime would be to see City fans at Wembley, going into Europe, and the club winning trophies again. I think there’s a real possibility of that happening with the way things are going, on and off the field. City could be on the verge of going through the same sort of era that we did. To be honoured in this way is tremendous. We were not a star-studded side, we were more of a working side who battled for each other. The stars were probably Colin and Francis, they could turn and win games for us, but this is a fantastic honour for all of us. Six of that team were brought up in Manchester, so for us to be put into the Hall of Fame alongside some great individuals and great sides is a tremendous honour, not just for this team but for Manchester City Football Club.”

Euro Chief Holds Firm: UEFA President Michel Platini officially outlined his plans to limit the amount of money that will be spent on transfer fees and player salaries in the coming seasons. Platini, who explained the move was to assure the future of Europe’s football clubs, has often made reference to Premier League debt and the former French international intends to get tough on spending. Hughes, who noted Platini’s criticism of City’s spending and also his silence with regards to Real Madrid’s £200 million splurge on four players, asserted that the way City are doing business is not ‘wrong’ but simply ‘different’: “He has come with this without really discussing it with clubs. I only briefly read what he said, but it seems he was talking about it being better to borrow money and service the debt, rather than having somebody with a real desire to build the club from within and make it prosper. Who is to say who is right or wrong? If you have a huge amount of debt, some people view that as being the incorrect way to run a business. We are trying to drive the turnover to a different level anyway.”

City Project is No Joe-ke: On-loan Birmingham ‘keeper Joe Hart has moved to the defence of the club that loaned him out this summer. The England international was the club’s number one until January when Shay Given replaced him despite not making a mistake but Hart isn’t bitter and he believes not enough people are taking the Citizens seriously. Hart told reporters that there’s a divide amongst City’s critics: some believe that money is the new players’ main motivation and as such they won’t perform and others fear that Hughes’ men will became the new team to beat: “There are too many haters. There are too many bitter people. Too much jealousy. Everyone wants to knock them down but I hope they do really well. They have not broken any rules. They have paid the money, they are not doing it with backhanders, it’s legitimate money. So good luck to them, I say.”

He’s Not Kidding: The transfer window may have closed but the arrivals may not have finished entering CoMS. Ex-United assistant Brian Kidd may be the next ‘Fergie-ite’ to jump across the divide and join City. Following the signing of Carlos Tevez, Hughes has moved quickly to add another of Alex Ferguson’s men and Kidd, who spent three years as a player at Maine Road, is said to be tempted by a move that would see him link up with the new look City Academy.

Squad News

The Trio’s Return: The sales of Richard Dunne, Gelson Fernandes and Tal Ben Haim may have left City lacking a little depth but the Blues’ physio has told Hughes that the missing three of his senior side will soon be fit and raring to go. Roque Santa Cruz, Vincent Kompany and Michael Johnson have all had their own various ailments over the last few weeks and months (and year in Johnno’s case) but Hughes has given his evaluation of where each player stands in their recovery:
Santa Cruz: “We’re happy with him; as I’ve said before we have to give him the time he needs, and he is working really hard. He’s desperate to play, but we’re holding him back a bit because we have a break at the moment. The internationals actually come at a good time for him; psychologically he’s not missing any more games but he’s adding to his fitness. When Roque is ready he will be involved; we want to get him in a City shirt and out there playing because he is going to be a big asset for us. With our options up front, we can give him the time he needs.”
Kompany: “Vinnie’s doing well; we are having to try to keep the reins on him too. The bone in the toe needs the time it deserves to heal, if you don’t do that then the player is compromised. It will heal in its own time, but he is pain-free and raring to go.” Johnson: “We’re positive. Michael saw a specialist a few weeks back, was very happy afterwards and since then we have been building up his fitness. The approach we are taking with Michael is that we want to give him games to give him a base level of fitness. He’s been out for a year; if we rush him back he could break down. We’ll get him involved with the reserves, and if we get him and the other two up and running in the next month or so it would be like three new signings for us.”

Captain Kolo? The departure of long standing servant to the club Richard Dunne may not have left a huge hole at the back with £40 million spent on the position this summer but one issue yet to be resolved following his sale is where the captaincy will end up. Gareth Barry, Vincent Kompany and Micah Richards will all lay claim to the arm band but it seems that £16 million signing Kolo Toure is the front runner. The Ivorian, who skippered the side against both Crystal Palace and Portsmouth, has stated that it would be a great honour to lead City to greater things: “It was a very proud occasion to lead the side out at Selhurst Park. It was a big moment for me to lead out Manchester City. If the manager asks me to be captain regularly then I would be delighted to accept because I am really happy to be at this football club and I think as a group we can bring a lot of success here.”

The Legend of Superman: The story behind Stephen Ireland’s journey from City misfit to Supporters’ Player of the Season is one that has been guessed at by many various figures within the game who continue to speculate as to how it is exactly Stevie has trained to become the player who was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year. Ireland himself has revealed the secret behind his success: “What I do is a bit unusual, I suppose. I don’t think there’s many footballers who go kick-boxing until midnight because they think it will give them an edge on a Saturday afternoon, but it has worked for me. I did it last summer, when I was at the crossroads of my career, not really knowing whether I had a future at City. And I did the same again this summer, only this time I worked even harder. I’d be at it for five, six hours or more and it’s the reason why I think I now come into my own at the end of matches. For most of the game I have to be more disciplined than I was last year because of how the team is set up. But as soon as the 75th minute comes I’m gone. If you look at most of my goals like the one at Blackburn on the opening day of the season teams switch off and I’m still at it. I’ve got that energy and that desire to keep going. I want to be like Keane was for United. I want to lead. I want the players, staff and the manager to trust me. I want to be the one who’s always on the team sheet first. I never want to be left out. I want to play every minute that I can. It’s something I want to do for myself and for the club. But it’s also a challenge. I want to prove I can play with these guys.”

Ade All About Action: Ever since his £25 million move from Arsenal to Manchester City, critics of Emmanuel Adebayor have claimed that the Togalese international only left Champions’ League outfit Arsenal for the money at Eastlands. The striker, who has scored three goals in three Premier League games has dismissed this acussation as nonsense and has told fans that he will prove himself on the pitch: “People can talk about players joining City for money, but players know the truth. Nobody hears the pitch the manager and chairman give players when they are trying to convince them to sign. Last season both AC Milan and Barcelona wanted to sign me, but at those clubs there is already history – what is to build on? At City I have a chance to help make history for the club and the fans. I have the chance to be part of their first Premier League title and their first European Cup, and if I didn’t think they were real possibilities then I would not have joined. I moved here for football reasons and for nothing else, and when people see what we are capable of they will begin to understand my choice.”

And it’s not only the player who has been enjoying his move CoMS, Mark Hughes has expressed his delight with the club’s top scorer: “It’s clear to see he is happy where he is. He’s enjoying playing with good players again and the fans love him. That maybe was missing from his life before. I thought he was superb. There was a lot said about Ade as a player and a person, a lot of it with a negative slant. You can only judge people on how you find them and he’s come in and wants to be successful. Those negative things people said I haven’t seen. He’s enjoying the team he’s in. He could be at the start of something special and wants to play a big part in that.”

Welsh Pride: Hughes may have spent the week paying tribute to his new expensive squad but he also had time to praise January signing Craig Bellamy, whose workmanlike performances have provided ‘something different’ to the City XI: “There were a number of good performances but I thought Craig was exceptional. His energy and willingness to work for the team and his ability to carry the ball from deep areas into the opposition half was invaluable for us. I wanted to play Craig because I felt if we did come under pressure he would be a good outlet for us. I felt the ability Craig has would be a factor for us today and that is how it panned out.”

Transfer News and Rumours

Transfer Saga Complete: A £24 million fee has brought an end to the long-running Joleon Lescott transfer saga that has resulted in him becoming the second most expensive defender in British football history. Ever since City’s move for John Terry collapsed, Lescott has been top of Mark Hughes’ list and despite David Moyes refuting any suggestion that his former Wolves centre back would indeed be sold, Everton simply couldn’t refuse a fee that has gone on to buy them three new players. The England international has explained the reasons behind his move: “I see the future being brighter here than Everton. Everyone outside the top four are aiming for the same thing but I think Manchester City are more equipped to get there faster than Everton. That is why I made the change.”

Hughes argued that signing Lescott is the best possible way to bounce back from missing out on Terry: “Joleon is arguably the best centre-half in the Premier League and can be for a number of years. Some transfers are completed relatively quickly, others take longer. This has been one of the latter cases but the fact we kept pushing for it is indicative of my view on the player. I feel we have bought a defender of the highest quality who is able to play in a variety of different positions. Joleon was key to what we are trying to achieve this year, we are delighted with the quality of players we have been able to bring in.”

No Substitute for Experience: One of the most unlikely transfers of the summer is the arrival of Brazilian left back Sylvinho from Barcelona. The 36-year-old joins on a free transfer and will become understudy to Wayne Bridge. The former Arsenal defender believes that he has to take advantage of this second chance he is being given in the Premier League: “It’s great news for me that I’m back in the Premier League. Every player likes to play in this league, this is my second chance and I’m very proud to have been asked to come back over here. This club is changing a lot, but they have a great mentality and they want to make this club even bigger. That’s great to hear for me, and to be part of this project will be exciting. A lot of good players have come here already, and it is promising to be a great season. Every player likes to play 100% of the time but you have to understand that the boss makes the decisions. You need a group of 24 or 25 players training at a high level to cope with all the different competitions over here.”

The manager has explained why he plumped for Sylvinho despite having young Spanish international Javier Garrido waiting in the wings should anything happen to Bridge: “We want strength in all positions, and what we have now is good cover on that left-hand side. We don’t want people to become complacent, we want them to perform to stay in the team and that’s what we will have in all areas now. We will look to freshen it up, rotate positions and try to bring freshness to the squad. Everybody has to be ready and capable of hitting a certain level, I think we’re getting to that point now. Sylvinho is an experienced and seasoned campaigner with great experience of this league, and he will add to the good influences in the dressing room.”

Deal Dunne: After nine years of service to the club, Richard Dunne has left the club in a deal worth £6 million. The former Everton centre back has made the move to Aston Villa and joined up with Martin O’Neill in order to assure himself of first team football. The mega money signings of Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott meant that for the first time in his nine years, City’s skipper was not guaranteed a first eleven spot and despite wranglings over pay-off deals, testimonials and FA ratification, the deal was finally completed last week. Hughes paid tribute to one of the club’s fan favourites: “Richard has been outstanding for Manchester City. He is the ultimate professional and has served the club magnificently. Winning the player of the year award for four consecutive years tells you everything about him. We all wish him well for his future career at Aston Villa. It would have been difficult for Dunney to stay given his standing at the club and I understand that. I wasn’t going to stand in his way. I could have tried to stop him going and said I wanted him as a squad player but out of respect for what he has done for City I wasn’t going to do that. Not only has Richard performed exceptionally well for this club over the years but he has been a terrific ambassador and is a inspiring person who commands the respect of everyone. He has conducted himself in a impressive manner throughout my time here and way beyond that.”

Moving to the Coast: Portsmouth’s deadline day spend included a £4 million deal for City’s Tal Ben Haim. The former Bolton and Chelsea centre back had performed well for the Blues when given the opportunity but the centre back soon found himself well down the pecking order and was loaned out to Sunderland for the second half of last season. Now, following the signings of Lescott and Toure, Ben Haim’s chances were going to be extremely limited and so when Paul Hart came calling, the Israeli was bound to respond. Now Ben Haim must focus on the relgation battle currently going on at Fratton Park: “It’s a big challenge. I think we can turn things around.”

Having Some in Reserve: Young defender Ryan McGivern has made the move to Championship side Leicester City on a loan deal that will provide him the platform for first team football. The deal itself will run up until January and there will be an option to extend the deal to the end of the season. The loan move comes only days after the FA Youth Cup winner signed a contract with the Citizens that will keep him at Eastlands until at least 2012.

Into the Saddle: Only a couple of days after Academy graduate Kelvin Etuhu joined Cardiff on loan, Clayton McDonald joined the list of ‘outgoing promising youngsters’ as he joined League Two outfit Walsall on loan until October the 3rd. McDonald has been tipped for great things by City’s youth set-up and his move to the Saddlers will give him a valuable taste of what it will take to compete for a first eleven place.

Post-Match Reaction

Routing the Palace: Neil Warnock may have been irate about the goal that never was the week before, but there was no need for luck in City’s 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the League Cup second round. Goals from Carlos Tevez and Shaun Wright Philips were enough to put Mark Hughes’ side through to a third round home tie with Fulham and despite Palace maybe seeing a little too much of Shay Given’s penalty area, the boss was very impressed with his side’s performanace: “Palace are a young and energetic side and they made things difficult for us in the first half but we always created chances and we were a bit a aggrieved at one or two of the offside decisions that went against. Once we got our noses in front we could have scored three or four more. On the night it was important to get the job done and that is what we did in a professional manner. There are plenty of examples in this Cup where teams try and rest players and go into ties with weakened sides but I was never going to do that. I was conscious that we have made a good start and wanted to keep that momentum going and allow the new guys to gel and we got that out of the game too.”

Of Carlos Tevez, who scored his first goal for the club in this game, Hughes said: “I was hoping that by playing Carlos that it would be an opportunity for him to get off the mark and was delighted that he did so. He is working nicely with Emmanuel Adebayor. Carlos is a quality player with great intelligence. He makes the right runs time and time again. The other thing that is impressive is his protection of the ball. At times against Palace that aspect of his game was great. He draws people to him and then knows exactly when to release people into space. He has proved in a short space of time what we already knew; that he is an outstanding player. Even at his level though confidence is an important thing and the goal will have helped that and the ninety minutes will have enabled him to get up to speed.”

Pompey Performance: A third goal in three Premier League appearances won Emanuel Adebayor all the plaudits for this result at Fratton Park and despite the opposition hardly being as stern a test as the Portsmouth side that won the FA Cup only two seasons ago, the City chief was pleased to see that his side continued to battle in a way that was not evident last term: “We’re very pleased, Fratton Park is always a difficult place to come and you will always have to work exceptionally hard to get a poisitive result here. I thought we were good value, we restricted them to very few opportunities and we had a good chance at the end. As an away side, it’s very hard not concede chances over 90 minutes. But when the opponents do get chances, you would expect a top ‘keeper to deal with them, and that’s just what Shay did, like he has done on numerous occasions. All in all, it was a very satisfying performance, it could have been more emphatic if we had had the goal that was chalked off allowed. At 1-0, there is always that little doubt when they hit balls into your box late on. You just have to stand up to the challenge when that happens, and that is what we are doing at the moment. Last year, under pressure, we were a little bit fragile and flaky. The difference this year is that we have guys that when they going gets tough, they thrive on it. That’s the mentality and the difference in all areas that we have now. It was important to get a good start to settle everybody down. We are not making any promises about what we can achieve, we will just try to do our very best and be as consistent as we can. We have had the good start we wanted, and we have a good base to build on.”

Academy Blues

Hard Act to Follow: Andy Welsh was the man chosen to take the City’s youth side forward following the move of Jim Cassell to the Abu Dhabi project and the new Academy Chief has set out his stall for the coming years: “I’ve spoken at length to Chairman Khaldoon – he came down to watch the youth team a couple of weeks ago and we had a good hour-and-a-half meeting about the Academy. He is delighted with how things have been and he is desperate to make sure we maintain that route for boys to work through from the Academy to the first team. Everybody will be trying their hardest to make sure we do that. In the modern game you have to have a global recruitment programme, but in saying that we still have some very talented local boys as well as those from Europe and beyond. There is a balance. The bar has been raised even higher because of the nature of the way things have gone at the Club. We’re very excited. I’m enjoying trying to build on the fantastic base laid by Jim. I’m looking forward to spending many years here. I think I’ve found a home and a great rôle thanks to everybody’s support at the Club in helping us to try to move forward.”

Olle Olle Olle: City’s least publicized signing this summer is sixteen-year-old wonder kid Joan Angel Roman Olle who has made the move from Spain and re-joins Pablo Zabaleta who was also bought from La Liga side Espanyol. Having been named Player of the Tournament in the Mediterranean International Cup, Olle is hotly tipped to be one of Spain’s most interesting prospects and captained Espanyol’s youth side last season. With Platini set to bring in a ban on all international transfers for players under 18, this may be one of City’s last promising arrivals from overseas but Spanish pundits will tell you that it’s quite the coup.

OPINION: SQUAD CITY

First let me say a “Happy Birthday to McV”, and to all who have helped throughout the years, thank you.

Manchester City now have a very good squad of players, with some young Academy players on the verge of coming through, with Vlad Weiss already showing great promise as perhaps another George Best (only on the footballing side).

Sure, we appear to perhaps have more players than needed for certain positions as pointed out by Keith Sharpe in MCIVTA 1653. But allowances must always be made for the African Nations Cup, international games, unforeseen injuries, unwanted bans from games (red or yellow cards that mount up), and then there will be players wanted for certain games, just like horses for courses.

So I am pleased that we have a quality squad of players, we have to be able to play a very good team every week to maintain a positive push for the top four, and perhaps the League Cup or FA Cup?

What Sparky has to do is keep a happy dressing room. The captain of the team can go a long way in helping with this cause; I think that although Toure has been made captain, Mark Hughes has said that he has not made a firm decision on the captaincy yet. It looks like Toure is on probation, and if everything goes well he might well stay as captain.

Martin Petrov is one player that comes to mind who will be itching to play in all the games; I just hope that he becomes reasonable and understanding that it’s a squad, and you must keep the right attitude and fitness to be called upon when needed.

We have also seen Sparky bringing on players 15 or 20 minutes from time, not just to give other players a part, but for tactical reasons; it’s all part of today game.

If you are a player on Manchester City’s book, you are part of the Blue Revolution. Give your best: “Pride in Battle”.

The City supporters have given all the players a cheer in all of the games,the player who has been enjoying this the most is Adebayor, and he deserves it.The City supporters home and away are a credit to the club, well done to men,ladies, boys and girls keep it up, the players love the support.

Come on you Blues!

OPINION: DUNNE’S DEPARTURE I

Having just watched Richard Dunne’s interview on signing with Villa, I just wanted to say what a great guy he is. He is obviously disappointed to have left but he took no cheap snipes at the club for letting him go.

I think anyone would be disappointed to leave at this time as the club looks like it is much closer to real success, but to his credit he took it on the chin and has moved on, without being given a chance to fight for his place. It must have been galling for him to be asked to leave now especially as his form this season has been good. He has been surrounded by better players this season and as a result he too looks better. Have we done the right thing in letting him go, even if he wasn’t going to be playing every game?

We are probably only a couple of injuries away from needing a defender of his talent; I don’t think we are that deep yet. I think when Villa come to Eastlands we should be giving him a standing ovation in the true City spirit. You aren’t player of the year for four years running without being one of the best servants of the club in recent memory. For me he will always be on a level with Lee, Bell, Summerbee, Watson, Kinkladze etc., even though his occasional rush of blood and red cards was a little annoying (e.g. Hamburg!) from time to time. I don’t think he is one of the best technical defenders in the world but as a guy who plays his heart out and gives everything for the shirt when so many just care for the cash, I think he is a true star and rôle model for youngsters going into the game. All the best Dunnie!

OPINION: DUNNE’S DEPARTURE II

I am disappointed with the way Richard Dunne has come out moaning about leaving City (BBC /Sports News Sept 4).

Sorry, but my respect for Dunne has faded. He should have known that the only way to have secured his place with City was on the pitch; now he has created bad blood towards the club who backed him for nine years.

If Gary Cook was getting a feel for the market in selling Dunne – after all Cook wanted the best price – isn’t that good business?

If Gary Cook had told Dunne back in June “I am going to sell you before the transfer window closes”, would Richard Dunne have given his best on the pitch knowing this? And Dunne still had a choice of refusal to the deal of leaving and going to Villa.

So Dunney Monster, go and score some own goals for Villa. Sorry but I gave Dunne a decent farewell in last McV; he has changed my attitude towards him after reading his remarks about City.

Football today is a business; most of us have known this for some time.

OPINION: FIGHTING FORCE

City fans will be interested to know that Alf-Inge Haaland’s friend Roy Keane has teamed up with eager businessman Marcus Evans at Ipswich Town. You have got to feel sorry for the Tractor Boys, this nauseating self-aggrandising duo have few friends in the game, but had earned some grudging respect for their uncompromising attitudes. Now, despite the forecasts of success, it’s all going pear-shaped. How long before the former Trafford hero does another Sunderland and departs for an extended spate of dog-walking? The great Keano is used to starting things (not just fights) but he has that attention-deficit disorder. So he doesn’t always finish em!

MCIVTA COMPETITION

The MCIVTA 15th anniversary competition

On September 7th 1994 MCIVTA was announced on the newsgroup rec.sport.soccer as what we believe was the first ever Internet newsletter dedicated to Manchester City. Two days later (on Sep. 9th) the first edition of the newsletter was pushed out to the subscribers. In October the first ever web-page dedicated to Manchester City saw its daylight when the “Supporters’ Homepage” went online. Soon back-issues of MCIVTA were collected on the homepage, and today the two have merged into “mcivta.com”.

To celebrate our 15 years of existence we challenge all our readers in a quiz about Manchester City. As always it will be completely free to participate, and best of all the prize is a signed poster of Paul Dickov celebrating after scoring that goal on Wembley. The competition will run over two weeks and the questions are presented in the newsletter and on the homepage.

So over to the questions: 1-3 out of 6 in total.

Question 1: MCIVTA was announced on rec.sport.soccer on September 7th 1994 and went public two days later. Who was the founder?

Question 2: Which players in the current City squad have played more than 100 league and cup games for the club?

Question 3: The 10-1 win against Huddersfield on November 7th 1987 was the second biggest victory in the Club’s history, but have City scored 10 or more goals in any other league or cup game after 1900? [bonus: Name the game(s)]

To participate just go to the web-page below and enter your answers. Please read the rules and guidelines. Deadline for submission of the first set of answers (1-3) is Sunday September 13th at 23:59.

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

REQUEST: POINTS OF BLUE

Do you have views on any City-related subject that you want to raise with the Club?

From match tickets to the concourse catering, whatever the issue, get it off your chest at the next Points of Blue meeting.

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 15 September at 6.30pm in the Mancunian Suite.

The club will be represented by Vicky Kloss (Head of Communications), Danny Wilson (Head of Supporter Experience) and Peter Fletcher (Stadium Safety Manager).

All supporters are welcome.

REQUEST: BUCKET COLLECTION AT ARSENAL GAME

SOS: Collectors needed to man buckets at the Arsenal game for the Sierra Leone collection. We need people from about 12.30 onwards. Please contact Phil if you can help on 07734 003 083.

RESULTS

League table to 05 September 2009 inclusive

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

MCIVTA FAQ [v0708.01]

[1] MCIVTA Addresses

Articles (Heidi Pickup)          : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org
News/rumour (Alex Rowen)         : 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 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.mancitycsa.com/) 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: