Newsletter #376

Hmm, firstly, it appears that various portions of Issue 375 failed to make it to all subscribers. I’m not sure why this happended but we’ll keep a close eye on it.

City were true to themselves once again, and turned in a performance of stunning ineptness against Reading, though this failed to dim Joe’s assertion that we will avoid relegation – grim times ahead methinks.

This issue contains another anonymous piece; once again though, the author is known to me and has made a convincing case to remain so. Having access to information denied to the majority of us, the author can speak with some authority on higher management at the club. Although the article itself is very lengthy, my only editorial action has been to remove a single duplicated word (!) as I felt it important to pass this excellent and cogently argued piece on in its entirety.

Ian Blinkhorn has kindly passed on an interview he did with Colin Bell on behalf of the International Supporters’ Club – thanks to Ian for forwarding it to us. Lastly, it looks like the Tokyo Blues are getting it together, be there or…!

MATCH REPORT – ‘LIVE’ I

READING vs. MANCHESTER CITY, Tuesday 24th February 1998

As some of you know I’ve had a few health problems this year and have not made it to many matches. To be honest Blackpool away (friendly), Blackpool Home (Gut rot cup), QPR away and last night’s Reading game.

Last night was special it was one of the few times when the whole of the tribe (4 of us) got to go to a game together. My wife and daughter are semi Blue in that they haven’t a clue about football but are prepared to put up with me (the fanatic) and son (trusty acolyte, pie and coke drinker). I managed to have the day off to prepare myself spiritually for the game. It was the usual scenario – constant Ceefax and Blue View, chanting incantations followed by the donning of the ceremonial robes (70’s City Shirt, 20-year-old scarf, jacket I bought ‘cos it was in City colours and made by Maine Performance). Son and daughter in City shirts and wife forced to wear City sweatshirt (OK I know I’m a sad git).

M23, M25, M4 to Reading – Junction 12 not Junction 11 like last year. Arrive at ground and park up 5:30 and into pub for 10 beers (wife driving home). Pub was very Blue and the service was crap so I only had 2 beers and gave up after 30 minutes trying to buy another. Exit pub – see team arrive, Programme, Bert and KoK procured into ground – 4 hot dogs and a coffee. Take up seat and wait for team to warm up.

Loads of Blues as usual and sit back awaiting the game. Now being a namby pamby Southern Blue I remembered last year – QPR 2-2 Coppell’s reign begins followed by Reading and another crap performance – surely this year will be different? Reading come onto the pitch followed shortly after by those men in Yellow and Black. Here we go Come On City! Within minutes it was obvious that once again the hopes and dreams were to be shattered. Reading cheated by running around like things that run very fast, every loose ball was met by 3 Reading players, they didn’t even give us a chance to pass the ball around – miserable sods. We were outplayed in every department and City never looked threatening.

Ian Brightwell played his usual game and Symons showed commitment but drifted back into making fundamental errors, in short the back 4 were a disaster area. Midfield was equally ineffective and the attack saw the return of Uwe Rösler’s inept twin brother. Bradbury showed about as much effort as someone who is totally uncommitted on a bad day. He wouldn’t jump for headers and seemed to keep tripping over the ball. The newspapers seem to have been at a different game – indeed the Sun said a Reading player played better than Kinkladze (as he wasn’t playing that wasn’t difficult). City were bad and deserved to lose by more than they did.

The good news is that Joe Royle saw the team as they are and can now make some changes. Hopefully this some minor sugery is required (Jeff W in for Brightwell, Scully on the wing, drop Symons). My team (cheap no cost) would be:

          Wright or Margetson
Jeff Whitley  Wiekens  Shelia  Briscoe
   Jim Whitley          Tskhadadze
 Scully	                   Kinkladze
           Dickov Russell

Subs: Symons, Bradbury, Rösler

MATCH REPORT – ‘LIVE’ II

READING vs. MANCHESTER CITY, Tuesday 24th February 1998

Weather – warm (compared to Swindon!)

I set off for Reading optimistic that City would go on from the Swindon game to record two wins on the trot for only the second time this season. The win at the County Ground had certainly been deserved and the performance was impressive, although not full of flair. But I was certainly not disappointed to see more passion and work being put in by the team. Having said that, the fact that Swindon failed to attack us for almost the entirety of the first half meant that we did get a 45 minute head start on them. Having now seen the performance at Reading as well, I am more of the opinion that it was the fact that Swindon were truly awful rather than the fact that we were good that meant we won.

Having not been to Reading’s ground before, I found it easy to find (thanks to the useful travel guides in King of the Kippax) and parking was no problem. The City end was almost full half an hour before kick off and the Reading stands were empty by comparison. The City warm up looks a little more constructive now – instead of just running from one side of the pitch to the other JR seems to allow them to use a ball as well!

City lined up as follows;

Wright
Brightwell (3)
Briscoe
Wiekens
Symons
Tskhadadze
Whitley Jim (1)
Brown
Bradbury
Beardsley (2)
Rösler

Subs:
Whitley Jeff (3)
Russell (1)
Dickov (2)

The team differed to that at Swindon, with Gio and Murtaz both being injured. Jeff Whitley and Craig Russell were both dropped, Bradbury getting a start instead of Russell.

City started off quite well, with some semblance of the attacking attitude that we saw on Saturday. The City fans were optimistic, the general feeling being that Reading were no better than Swindon – even Ball’s Blunderboys had beaten them at the weekend. Rösler was put through early on from a promising attacking move and tried to beat the ‘keeper, who made a good save at his feet. Sad to say, but this was more or less the sum total of our chances. Our midfield evaporated, which was a major disappointment given that Jim Whitley and Michael Brown had looked so commanding on Saturday. Beardsley was extremely disappointing – how much are we paying him whilst he is with us? His corners are good and well floated over the box but we don’t get enough corners to get the benefit of this. He could be lacking match fitness though it could also be the fact he is 37 and maybe doesn’t have the pace he once had. His rôle seems to be to stand in midfield and try a clever chip over the defence rather than run at them à la Kinky to cause them problems.

Reading’s first goal was very unfortunate for Tommy Wright who made an excellent save to deny the first shot but he couldn’t hold it. Hodges followed up and stuck the ball in the net, though the fact that he was first to react in a crowded penalty box again says something for the awareness of our defenders. Their second was a shot from Ray Houghton (his first goal since September 1996!) which went in from the edge of the box; and their third was on the 90th minute, which by then was academic.

There isn’t much description above about City’s play but to tell you the truth there wasn’t much of it. It was a bit like standing in a bad dream, as whatever the score was 0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, the attitude or urgency of the players didn’t seem to change at all. They really did seem to be going through the motions. There was no midfield bite at all, the defence were sloppy and looked nervous and lacking confidence (though after Saturday I don’t know why) and the attack was clueless. Bradbury and Rösler were very poor and by the end we had 4 recognised strikers on and still we barely got a shot on goal. The sum total that I counted in the last half hour were two weak efforts from Dickov, which were at least on target, but were never going to trouble the ‘keeper. Tactically, we seemed to be all over the place, and the bench didn’t seem to be shouting or cajoling the players too much.

Reading attacked us and were up for it, but they weren’t that good – just determined. They knew the value of the three points and thought it better to get the job done now than to have to leave it to a nailbiter at the end of the season. I wish our players had that attitude. I think that now most City fans will be mightily relieved if we finish out of the relegation positions only on goal difference, but why do we have to make it so hard for ourselves?

A few observations;

1. It would have been impossible to pick a man of the match for City. Notone player IMHO put in the required effort during that game.
2. Why change the midfield and attacking formation from Saturday? Okay, Giowasn’t playing, but he was largely ineffective against Swindon anyway.Russell did well in the first half on Saturday and his constant runningcontributed to the reason why Bradbury got so much space in the second halfwhen he came on – the Swindon defenders had had to do some work.
3. Uwe has pledged his long term future to the club. Should we becelebrating this? He looked up for it at Swindon, but on Tuesday he wasrunning around again like a headless chicken. Once incident occurred whenhe could have been following up on a shot, but instead chose to complain tothe referee that he wasn’t given a penalty. Play to the whistle for God’s sake.
4. If we stay up by winning half our remaining games, then fine, but whydo we always have to rely on this? We seem to lack the killer instinct andthat only seems to come by being ruthless, both in training and in front ofgoal. I am glad to hear that JR has recalled Scully from Stoke – if he cansupply the ammunition Rösler and Bradbury need, then great – let’s spendthe whole of the week practising it in training.
5. Opposition managers keep saying we won’t go down. I’m still notconvinced. I can see it going right down to the wire, especially now thatboth Portsmouth and Bury are getting results as well.
6. So much for talk of moving to a bigger ground. Has FHL got any plans inmind for moving to a smaller gorund when we hit the Vauxhall Conference?

NEWS SUMMARY

Tuesday 24th February

Match Result: Reading 3 City 0

What a fine game. Two evenly matched teams of gladiators battling out a fiercely contested, fast, furious and highly skillful encounter. It had it all. Flair, excitement, fantastic goals, a superb atmosphere and a level of commitment from both teams that I’ve seen all too rarely this season. Perhaps at this point I should mention then that I went to see Huddersfield vs. Sunderland before you all think I’ve lost it completely (ended 2-3 for those who are interested). Was I glad that I’d chosen this chilly Tuesday night to accompany a friend – as I do once a year – to see his beloved Sunderland? Too bloody right I was! I’m sorry, but to lose 3-0 at Reading is an absolute disgrace, and for the first time in a long, long time I was glad not to have been at a City match! What the **ck is going on?

But this is supposed to be a news summary, and I’d better crack on. Oh, but before I do, was I the only one whose mind flashed back to Wimbledon around this stage some two seasons ago? 3-0 there too. I remember thinking that was decisive in our last relegation, and horrible thought that it is, a similar thing is running through my mind at the moment…

What happened today news-wise then? Well, Gio has spoken out in the press for the first time in a long time, and has added further confusion to the whole situation surrounding him wanting to leave. Still in Manchester as the team were being humbled in Reading (partly because he was injured, partly because he was in court – adjourned again for about a month by the way) he stated that he hadn’t discussed anything yet with JR, but plans to do so this week. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to the manager yet. So I can’t say anything about my future until I do. I will see him this week for talks. But you know me. I am still happy here. I am always happy. I have always got a smile on my face.” Doesn’t sound like a player desperate to get away really does he? I’ve got a sneaky feeling that this ‘transfer request’ may just be a smokescreen in an attempt to get the Blues’ fans to accept his departure more easily. But hopefully Royle has realised, having watched a City side in which Gio didn’t feature tonight, what a bleak prospect the team is without him. FC made similar noises about selling when he first arrived, but it didn’t take him long to realise that Kinkladze is worth far more to City than we’ll ever receive in a transfer fee for him! As a matter of interest, Royle has now said that he wants Gio to stay until at least the end of the season…

Looks like there’s something in this Noel Gallagher story. Journalists on tour with Oasis have been quizzing him, and apparently he’s absolutely disgusted at what’s happening at Maine Road. Noel, a lifelong City fan is still promising that he will try to wrestle control of the club away from Franny at the end of the season! Sources close to Stephen Boler suggest that he’d rather offload his shares to allow him to concentrate on his Safari Park – and his pledge to save the Rhinoceros from extinction in South Africa – Gallagher could pick up 24% of the club by targetting Franny’s guardian angel for less than £8 million. Which, let’s be honest, is a pittance to him…

Wednesday 25th February

The fallout from last night’s shambles has emerged today, with Royle blasting our defending in general and making predictable noises about realising it was a big job before he took it on. Couldn’t get away from the nagging feeling that Big Joe has been taken somewhat by surprise as to the actual size of the task ahead and though it may just be my cynical mind, is even beginning to feel the strain already. “We defended appallingly and I feared for us every time Reading got behind our defence. It’s something we have to rectify quickly and this has now become a 12-game season for us. We are a Jekyll and Hyde side but I was well aware of that when I took the job on. It wasn’t something that I needed confirming. But if we keep winning one in two we will be okay, so we will have to make sure we do the business on Saturday. I already suspected about one or two aspects of the team but this defeat has clarified one or two things as well. Hopes are high and they will remain high but it’s got to be tinged with reality, and reality certainly bit tonight. We haven’t changed from a bottom three side with one result. We came here with high hopes and a high morale but defended poorly in the first half and didn’t take our chances. The first half was more evenly contested but we missed three chances and they took two of theirs. But it’s past now and what we have got to do is raise ourselves for the weekend. I’m not kidding myself. They were better than us in all three departments. They passed the ball better. The situation is still dire. When I came here we were in the bottom three and we are still in the same position. We have to get ourselves moving!”

Tony Scully is on his way back to Maine Road tomorrow having played his last game for Stoke tonight. Those in the know seem to think that he’ll figure in JR’s plans for West Brom, and who am I to question them? I also hear that the plan for Saturday’s formation is 4-4-2 (finally), possible thanks to Richard Edghill’s expected recovery from injury, with Edgy slotting into his more natural right full back rôle with Briscoe on the left.

The resignation of Brian Little from Villa has thrown a cloud over our move for Gary Charles. Royle had arranged to speak to Little about the defender to see whether he’d recovered from his bout of tonsilitis, but obviously that’s now impossible and it remains to be seen how the new Villa regime will feel about the idea…

Thursday 26th February

Speculation over Peter Beardsley’s future at Maine Road is rife today, with speculation running high that his City career could be even shorter than Steve ‘Sensitivity’ Coppell’s! Beardo hasn’t exactly set the pitch on fire in his three games so far and it’s been said that Royle feels that we don’t have the time or opportunity to hang around waiting for him to fit in. It looks to me as though his age has finally caught up with him. Give me Gio any day of the week is my opinion!

Kit Symons remains as captain, even though both Gerard Wiekens and Ian Brightwell are back in the side. Since relinquishing the job a few months back Kit’s game has come on in leaps and bounds, so much so that the return of the armband doesn’t really seem to have affected his confidence this time around. It’s still widely thought that Kevin Horlock will get the job soon as he’s almost fully recovered from injury now, but for the time being at least the job is Symons’.

Finally, on a slow news day, news of the reserves who were in action against Grimsby at Bloomfield Road last night. The results was a rare victory, with goals from Nigel Clough and Gerry Creaney proving enough to see off a spirited display from the Fishmongers.

MATCHVIEW I

Just got home from Reading. Two words. Completely Inept.

MATCHVIEW II

Tuesday 24th February

This date will stick in my mind as the one that sealed City’s fate and a trip down to Division II.

I joined 2,999 other City faithful at an appalling ground in the middle of Reading and was optimistic for the hour and a half before the game, in the pub, and seven minutes into the first half. Reading then scored and City were relegated. I know this view may seem pessimistic, but we cannot continue to play crap football and expect to stay up despite “being a big club”. If I hear that expression once more, I’ll go mad.

Football is a game played on grass, not 6ft up in the air. The only player who showed any slight ability was Wiekens, which surprised me after his dreadful efforts at Swindon. Everyone else was crap. I had no idea who was playing, as the tannoy system at Reading was as bad as the ground. I know Bradbury was on, ‘cos he got a lot of stick from the fans – all justified. He looks fat and crap. Dickov was OK but only got on with about 30 minutes to go. I don’t care anymore really. I was ready to go about 5 minutes into the second half, but thought I might get some value for the £9. How wrong can you be. I left 10 minutes before the end only to discover on Radio 5 that Reading had scored again, in injury time – something that is guaranteed to the opposition when playing City these days.

Where do we go from here? You can’t blame the manager or FHL. They don’t play the football. The blame lies entirely with the big headed, arrogant players who sit back on their fat arses and rake in the wages every week and don’t have any respect for the fans whatsoever.

Enough ranting – I worked out that I could get to about 10 away games next season – first stop Northampton.

MATCHVIEW – SWINDON

“We’re s**t and we beat you twice” or “Thank you Mrs Whitley”

I prefer the latter, not just because it’s cleaner but because we weren’t s**t on Saturday and I’d rather dwell on our good side for once.

The Whitley brothers had a great game – it’s young, talented commitment like this that will get us out of the mire as much as the much vaunted ‘dogs of war’ approach. Jeff in particular showed that to be a City right back you don’t have to hoof the ball all game and be bamboozaled by a third rate left winger.

The Case for the Defence – as a unit (football speak) they looked good. Even though they went AWOL for the goal (never a free kick in the 1st place) they looked solid. New guy Briscoe at left back looked ok, Georgians quality in the air, Kit better not having Bob around (surely his last run in the team?). Great to see Wiekens back – added quality. Let’s hope the stories about Dave Watson arriving as part of the Kinkladze package are rubbish (unless it’s Super Watson our old hero).

Midfield – worked hard, Whitley and Brown covered more ground than a Kew Garden mower. Gio not really in it but neither was his replacement Beardsley.

Attack – Uwe’s put away the chances he’s missed all season. Russell looked lively, Bradbury obviously needs a few games to get back into it but his pace made the second goal and he challenged well for his header. To say it looped in would be an understatemant. It seemed to take forever to come down and to our collective disbelief landed in the net.

Summary – derserved win. Third goal prevented the usual jitters. Could have more as their ‘keeper was arse. Support excellent and Royle has adopted a smart low key response to the victory – long way to go.

Reading on Tuesday, new dawn or back to reality?

P.S. I remember Stefan Karl and that goal at Southampton.

TAKING THE BISCUIT – A VISIT TO READING FC

(no offence meant to biscuits or those with sense of humour failure)

by Noel Bayley (editor of Bert Trautmann’s Helmet)

After a two month lay-off I have finally bowed to pressure from both of my fans and I have decided to do my bit for the computer peripheral industry and launch a comeback amongst the electronic pages of MCIVTA…

And so to Reading, only days after visiting their near neighbours Swindon to rustle a point or three. Would we do it again tonight we wondered as Mike ‘The Jinx’ Billinge (he’s not seen City win away this season) and I were whisked out of City Centre Manchester in ‘Statto’ Steve’s blue saloon. The answer was a resounding “yes” even allowing for the fact that Mike’s last away win was against Bradford Park Avenue. But what the hell. After all, Reading had lost their last four or five games and Ray Houghton had yet to score. And don’t forget that City were on a roll: a one match unbeaten run stretching back days. It was just a question of how many… It was also a question of “What time’s the kick off, mate?” when we got there, as some said 7.30 while others opted for the more laidback k.o. time of 7.45.

The journey through the grim industrial heartland of the Midlands contrasted sharply with the picture postcard park we pulled up alongside and the time-honoured query of “Oi, where’s the nearest pub, mate?” elicited a most unusual response: “Over the hill and behind the trees.” Well, it was Royal Berkshire after all and as we trooped our mud-laden boots up and over the hill and into the ‘foyer’ I half expected to see penguin-suited waiters ladling out brocolli soup and freshly bagged pheasant such were the salubrious surroundings. As always, the place was full of Kappa shirts and the beer wasn’t too bad either for darn sarf.

The game itself was a non-event from our point of view and so I won’t bother you with the details or the highlights as there weren’t many of either. As I had become separated from Mike and Steve, I elected to stand plum behind the goal if only to stand with a guy I know called Simon and to see the ever-agile Tommy Wright in action. I was to be disappointed (no not with Simon, with Tommy). “Tommy S***e, S***e, S***e” chanted all ten of the Reading supporters and it was difficult to argue as he was beaten twice in the first half; once by Houghton, not surprisingly.

I moved from my ‘lucky’ spot to stand with Fandango, LTB and JT and assorted other Internet Blues, but had awards been up for grabs for the most p****d person in the ground JT would have swept the board, as he invented one daft song after another in honour of the 12 year old Reading goalie’s tracky bottoms. Sadly, on this relatively balmy evening, that was the only entertainment to be had at Elm Park discounting Ian Brightwell’s woeful impression of a footballer, of course.

So the spoils to Biscuits and a long journey home to the Blues. Still, we made our own entertainment as we talked long into the night about the glory days when we used to beat the likes of Oldham, Charlton and Stoke, stopping only for a brew at Hilton Park where we held the weekly autopsy over a pot of tea with other dispirited Blues. But before I sign off, special mention must be made of The Lemon Plaice – a surreal chipshop where sausages are saveloys and pies non-existent. Also on the menu were, wait for it… pea fritters (!), spam fritters and pineapple fritters. Being a bit of a health freak myself I opted for the latter of course. However, the $64,000 question is this: what exactly is reformed scampi? Them scampi must be real bad darn sarf!

(P.S. I’ve just heard Barnsley have stuffed the Rags! Hurrah for Tommy The Tyke!)

WE’LL DRINK A DRINK A DRINK, TO COLIN THE…

Once in a while something happens to reaffirm your faith in human nature, talking to a hero, not to mention living legend, and finding him to be approachable and willing to talk with a stranger at great length is one of those things. Colin Bell kindly granted me this interview on 14th February 1998 before the departures of messrs Clark and Hill and also before that day’s awful defeat at the hands of the mighty Bury.

Throughout my conversations with Colin he expressed a concern that he might have come across as big headed; if he has through this interview you can blame my typing for not conveying what he said to me. He came over as thoroughly genuine chap who had the confidence in his own abilities to go on and be successful (and after all he was bloody great!).

Colin told me that he hopes to write his life story, not a boring retelling of favourite football matches, rather an insight into the man and his motivations. I for one can’t wait. Good luck to Colin in all his future ventures, let’s just hope that sooner or later we see him back at Maine Road.

IB – What are you up to nowadays?

CB – Well, as you probably know, not a lot really. I was sacked by City at the age I am, I’m not doing anything unfortunately.

IB – How are you keeping yourself busy then?

CB – I’m not really, I just go with one or two friends occasionally to the odd game here and there.

IB – Do you still watch City at all?

CB – No, I wouldn’t go back while the three people who sacked me are still in charge. Unfortunately it’s sour and bitter after the tribunal. It should have never happened that way. I’m the type of person that if I hadn’t been doing my job I would of held my hand up and said. Not being big headed, Terry Farrell and I were doing a brilliant job (in a previous conversation Colin had touched on this point, if you discount our neighbours, we do seem to have produced at least as many young talents in the last couple of years as most other clubs in the country, even those in the Premier. When you consider the recent turmoil at the club it’s a minor miracle that we have attracted any kids at all).

IB – If you were playing today you would be worth over £10 million and be earning upwards of £10,000 a week, do you think that these astronomical amounts of money are adversely affecting the commitment of today’s players?

CB – I think the game has completely changed now. I’ve never ever begrudged them having very good money, it is a short career, but the thing is it seems as if it’s gone over the top on the money side. I mean I only read the papers, I’ve never seen people’s contracts but if it’s anything like it is in the papers! I just feel sorry for the supporters all the time, they’re paying twenty odd pound a match with programmes and travel, they’re paying the money out and I don’t think they should suffer to pay the players what they’re getting paid. I know people say that Sky are putting money in and that’s how it’s getting up to the wage it is, but how do they claim they’re entitled to the money they’re on for what they put in during the week?

IB – I can’t see how anyone can justify fifty thousand a week.

CB – There’s plenty of people who don’t get that a year so how can someone justify that they’re getting that for a week? When I was playing it was a pleasure to do it, it wasn’t a job, and to get paid for a pleasure is wonderful. All kids that can kick a football as a youngster want to be a professional footballer just because they enjoyed it as a sport, but now the money they’re on is ludicrous. Like I said I don’t begrudge players who are secure in life by the time they’re thirty/thirty five, but there’s a difference between being secure and the money they’re on.

IB – It doesn’t bear much resemblance to the people paying at the gate.

CB – Well the thing is, it knuckles down to people at the gate and when you think there’s the ordinary man in the street and he has two kids and he wants to take them, the process for three people and programmes, drinks, and travel. It’s all right saying that there’s the big companies like Sky putting money in, a lot of it is still from the supporters as well, without the supporters and without the atmosphere it wouldn’t be the same.

IB – Did you experience any of the downside of fame that many of today’s pro’s wish they could be without, did you ever regret being famous?

CB – It’s an unfortunate part of the game, but I was one of those players that didn’t enjoy the press full stop, and they got to know me, that I wasn’t the sort of person who would say things and come out with things and give them stories. So I wasn’t really best loved by the press.

IB – One of the favourite debates when any City fans get together nowadays is who is the greatest ever City player you or Gio Kinkladze, what do you think?

CB – Well the thing is, I don’t know what Gio thinks, but I was always absolutely delighted with being Colin Bell, I was over the moon. If I was to come back as a player I’d love to come back and be Colin Bell again, my career has been wonderful and there’s nothing I would change in it. All the plusses and negatives to individual games, I was delighted at the number of plusses I had to my game, that’s how I assess people. There’s probably twenty plusses – ability, vision, flair, tackling, good in the air, right foot, left foot and it all depends how many plusses you’ve got out of twenty to how good a player you are. In answer I’ve always been delighted to be Colin Bell, people have said to me would you rather have been Colin Bell or Pele, I’ve been absolutely delighted being me.

IB – Can you sum up in a few words what it feels like to have your name chanted by 50,000 fans?

CB – Oh, it was fantastic. When I first came and Malcolm being Malcolm we used to go out on the pitch, as you probably knew, there was a bit of a thing for players to get into that habit that Malcolm wanted, to appreciate the supporters. They are Manchester City, without them you’d go nowhere so you appreciate everything they do and the travelling they do. So to go out and give us a little bit of a wave is fantastic, there were one or two songs they used to sing, for me particularly two or three, and there’s nothing better, I know it’s a team game as I’ve always said, but there’s nothing better than for people to appreciate you and they know what the game is about, they go every week and they see what standard is around and how the game’s played, and to be appreciated by them you know you’re doing something right. It was lovely, it’s just nice to hear – to know your support, you’ve given them something and they’ve given you something in return. It’s what I’ve always said about the supporters at City, that we were always good for each other, I didn’t know any better than to give a hundred percent. I mean the ability part you’re either born with it, you improve on it, you haven’t got it or whatever, but I was a player that would just give a hundred/hundred and ten percent with the ability I had and they were happy with that or more than happy with that and they showed that and we’ve always had this thing all the time I was at City we clicked, people down there like people who give effort and commitment and they always have done and I was that type of player, with whatever flair and ability I had. I always gave the club one hundred and ten percent on the park and they appreciated that and that’s how we gelled together ‘cos they’re that kind of supporters.

IB – In particular one of the guys wanted to ask about the reception you got when you made your comeback against Newcastle.

CB – Well the thing is that’s one of the top things in my mind from my career. There again it’s to do with the supporters, I came on against Newcastle, came down the tunnel and a few kids ducked their heads under the top of the tunnel and they saw us coming back on as sub after half time, and I could hear the word go round and I got a standing ovation, it must have been a full house – forty five thousand – and everybody stood and I got a lump in my throat. I don’t remember much about the game but the atmosphere was though it had stepped up a hundred times better than it was in the first half when it was 0-0, and we won 4-0 and I can’t remember touching the ball, I still had the bad injury so it was ten against eleven but the crowd willed the team to win and the atmosphere was fantastic. It’s one of my top memories and I’ve won a few caps and one or two medals and trophies but that one moment is always foremost in my memory. I couldn’t have been at a better club for support, I can’t remember a bad word or a boo nothing whatsoever, it’s wonderful.

IB – Who, in your opinion, was the best player you ever played with?

CB – I would think Bobby Charlton, but I wouldn’t pinpoint anybody because it would be unfair, I mean to say even in the City side everybody did their part when we were achieving things, people could head a ball, people could cross a ball, a mixture for every position. The mixture was right for about five or six years, it couldn’t be better and everybody gave a hundred and ten percent, and the support was first class. So everything was there to make things happen, and it did happen for five or six years. We believed we were a good side, and we went out believing that. It was the manager and the assistant manager, Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison that made us believe we were one of the better sides there was around, and the supporters took over that and made us believe that when we were on the park. Individual players is hard to say, the thing about the team spirit then is that nobody was better than anybody else, there were one or two England players in the side but they were no better than the people that didn’t appear for England, we felt no better than the others, it was eleven a side and without the eleven playing well in their positions we wouldn’t have achieved.

IB – Do you still get the urge to pull on your boots when you watch the team run out on a Saturday?

CB – Well the thing I feel at this time is that I just feel sorry that my knee doesn’t bend, I’ve always been an athlete and I’d love to, even though my lungs are good they’ve said I can’t knock my knee up on hard surfaces and it doesn’t bend enough to clear over long grass so it’s difficult to play and it’s difficult to run and it’s just annoying that, because my lungs are in good order, I’ve never smoked and my lungs I feel are brilliant but the reason I had to retire from football is my knee doesn’t bend and I can’t travel at speed which is annoying because I could travel a lot quicker than I do because I know my lungs are good. I’d love to do one or two marathons but unfortunately the training part, week in week out for something like that just knocks my knees up and it’s a shame because like I say, upper body I feel brilliant.

IB – If you were made manager at City tomorrow is there any one thing that you would change straight away?

CB – One?

IB – Yeah.

CB – If I was manager of City tomorrow… er… not really, there’s a little bit of neatness that you would automatically do that you can see is wrong, but this is what I thought made you a good player in your playing days, that you learned about the game. I see things that I learned as a player that’s actually wrong down at Maine Road. Certain things that you’d put right straight away. Initially the thing I’ve always learned through my playing days is that managers knew who their best eleven was and if they were fit, it was the same at Maine Road when we played everybody of the squad of seventeen or twenty knew if everybody was fit which eleven would be out on the park. When I talk to supporters nowadays even when everbody’s fit their none the wiser to which eleven would turn out on the park, and in which position. It must be difficult for the players, you’re in one week out the next, different formation, different player in, you’re thinking does he fancy me does he want me, it’s all ifs and buts.

IB – Whilst you were at the club in the youth development rôle were there any young players coming through that really impressed you?

CB – There’s a few, five or six. It wouldn’t be fair to pick names out because it wouldn’t be fair to the kids, but the five or six you’d hang your cap on. This is about making decisions and knowing the game, I personally think I know the game because I’ve gone through my career picking up points, good from bad and learning from game to game and this is what it’s all about and I think I know a player when I see one. I mean to say I saw Gio play in the flesh, not on a video tape, I saw him play for ninety minutes before we bought him so I think personally that I know a player when I see one. With kids though it all depends how they progress, what problems they come across, such as family and work and you’ve to see the problems and sort them out to make sure they’re happy because if they’re happy they’ll perform. It doesn’t matter who you are, whether you’re Pele or whoever, if you’re at a club where you’re unhappy or you’ve got family problems you will not perform. It’s a mixture of a million different pieces and I’m old enough to know now what they are, unfortunately everybody doesn’t pick up this through their football career as I’ve just found out in the last four years, some people go through their careers and don’t pick up what the game is all about. I’ve been clever enough to go through my career as a decent player and also pick up the goods and bads of what makes a player.

IB – Obviously I canvassed people from around the world for questions to put to you and one guy came up with a couple of interesting ones, so the next three were submitted by Tommy from North Manchester.

Q1 – When you were a player you used to be allowed an extra month in the summer before you started training, due to your England duties, did you spend that time training with another team because you still left all the other players standing?

CB – The thing was during my playing career it was very unusual if I had a rest during the close season. The majority I was playing for England and there were a couple of World Cups in there so I was away for a long time, I remember going to Mexico for eight weeks and I’ve never been fitter than when I came back after training at altitude. I remember there was one particular year when I came back from England duty and the club were starting pre-season training so I had to ask Malcolm and Joe for a fortnight’s holiday. The thing I did used to do is go back to the North East and play cricket, I used to open the bowling for a local side and I used to bowl ten or fifteen overs.

Q2 – Is it true that you had your sweat glands removed as a child? (no human being should be able to come out of a sauna without a drop of sweat!)

CB – Well I wasn’t a weighty person in any case. I was always active when I was a kid, if I had an errand to do for the family I used to jog along with a tennis ball at my feet. I could never walk, it took too long to walk even when I used to come back from the local cinema which was about four miles away I used to run a lamppost walk a lamppost, I was always on the move and there wasn’t much meat on me and I think this just helped, although saying that, I grew about six inches from thirteen to fourteen and my legs were like rubber for a year, all my strength had been sapped. I used to play for the youth club and my school.

Q3 – Did that level of fitness you had cause any mickey taking at the club?

CB – Not really, well I used to get a bit of stick. I used to enjoy race horses and I used to get a bit of stick at Wythenshawe Park, they used the name of a well known race horse. They’d probably come to the end of a training session and I’d be coming up on the inside and the lads taken their second breath and I used to give a running commentary as we went round two twenties they’d be puffing and blowing and there used to be one or two swear words floating around because I’d found it reasonably easy and they were hard training sessions. To be honest there were more than one or two good athletes in the City side when I played, and I mean good! There wasn’t just me as an athlete.

IB – Those last three questions came from Tommy Booth.

CB – They came from Boothy did they?

IB – Yeah, so what did you think of his fitness?

CB – Well Boothy wasn’t the quickest. I remember Boothy playing against Supermac at Maine Road and I’ve never met anyone quicker, I mean to say I ran against him in Superstars in the hundred and ten metres and I still had a hundred yards to go when he finished, so Tommy’s up tight marking him on the half way line and the ball gets knocked forty yards over the top and Supermac’s turned and gone, he’s gone fifteen yards before Tom’s thought about it. But Boothy had a brilliant brain and the next time the ball was knocked over the top Tommy was ten yards off him, this is what makes you a great player. In the air big Boothy was second to none, absolutely brilliant,

IB – Who were the team jokers?

CB – Oh, there were a few different jokers. Big George, he was the iron man big George Heslop, if you said anything against him he used to give you a little punch to the arm, and his fists were as big as big Joe Corrigan’s. There was that many dry and everybody used to be cracking jokes it was so at ease and so relaxed it was fantastic. It used to be buzzing in the dressing room.

IB – You’ve mentioned Malcolm already, what can you tell us about Joe Mercer?

CB – Well Joe Mercer was the figurehead and a nicer chap you couldn’t wish to meet and to have Joe’s name connected to Manchester City was great, I don’t know anybody who’s ever said a bad word about Joe Mercer. Everybody loved him, he had the time of day for anyone, he was a father figure for all of us.

IB – In your opinion who are the 3 all time greatest players in the world?

CB – That’s difficult, there’s a few. It depends how you separate them, in the different positions there’s a few that come to mind. In my day there was Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer was another, obviously Eusebio was a great player, if you come to England Bobby Charlton then you go to Ireland and George Best, there’s probably about eight or nine and you struggle to break down to three.

IB – Which current day player would you compare yourself to?

CB – (pause) Oh I don’t think there’s anybody, not being cheeky or big headed but I don’t think there’s anyone around similar to myself. When I watch games I don’t think that’s the way I played. I was one of those players who was reasonably fit and I could get all over the park and I just give a hundred percent but I wanted to win more than most, I was always a bad loser, it used to stay in my system until training on Monday. I don’t think I was like him or him, I like to think everybody’s a one off. I feel annoyed at times with Malcolm for giving me the nickname Njinsky because it made people think all I could do was run, I could certainly get around and I made myself fitter because of this thing of being a winner, it doesn’t matter how tired you are you can always find a bit more a few seconds later.

DIARY OF SIMON COX AGED 33 1/3

Wednesday 18th February

People had told me that I would leave the cinema after watching the Full Monty unable to stop laughing. Umm. How about this scenario, City have a new manager therefore Radio 5 send a reporter to the ground for our mid-week fixture against Ipswich, although not the commentary game (there were two cup semi-finals on) we were the first league game featured even though Utd were playing, so what do I do – I take the portable radio with me and plug the earphones in just after the film has started to hear we are 1 up, I tell my wife the film is great. Now… the film stays great right up to the final number, they are just about to go full monty, the place is full of laughter as they say there is another goal at Maine Road, due to the noise I had two choices either stand up and shout ‘Shut the F&*! Up’ or turn the radio up, of course I should have thrown it straight at the screen, but at least we would get a point. So we get up and wander outside with people saying what a great film it was (I assume that is what they were saying, but I couldn’t actually hear a thing as the headphones were still turned up). Just as we get outside Ipswich bloody score again. So, the Full Monty is not funny, and you do not go home feeling great, don’t believe everything you read in the papers.

Friday 20th February

Up at five to go to Glasgow to shout at some people as it was their turn (I’ve got a great job). The taxi driver is a Celtic fan and tells me that it is really bad news that Rangers are going to sign Gio as he would like him to go to Celtic? I suppose he would be a good replacement for Laudrup, and at least he would not be playing in England. I suppose we all have to wait and see where he goes – (personally Rangers would be fine by me – I could go to Glasgow for mid-week games to watch him and get the company to pay, we have got an office in Wilmslow but there are two men and a hamster at that office and I have not been able to convince anybody to let me go there yet). After work I fly back and drive straight to Schchchwindon (does anybody know if Schweppes should really be spelt Sweppes, but, when a guy from Swindon was asked what it should be called actually said Schweppes? Sorry if you do not understand this but the away fans insist on pronouncing their club in that way in anything they sing) unfortunately to stay at my parents so that I can have a lazy day before the game, although it is almost midnight when I get there (maybe not such a great job).

Saturday 21st February

Now after all that utter rubbish am I going to write a great match report. Nope. In summary Uwe smashes in from 2-3 yards. We have another disallowed for ‘It would not be fair for City to win easily, their fans are not used to it.’ I think that’s better than anything the referee can come up with for not allowing it anyway (although I have not seen it on TV yet). Some fat bald git holds onto Gio for 45 minutes, kicks him a few times and gets away with. Shelia trys to play on when one of his legs is missing, eventually they swap him for Gerard. Half Time.

Gio does not come back on, replaced by ‘Ugly Bloke’ (Peter to his friends). Schchchwindon suddenly have a problem trying to sort out who baldy should kick, and then replace a couple of players. All of a sudden City are facing another half where you just know we are not going to hold out. By the end of the season we really should have an excellent defence, they get enough practice. Anyway Schchchwindon get a free-kick for one of their players holding onto Gerard, Walters moves the ball forward a few yards, puts it in the middle and they score. Uh-oh, we’re going to lose.

But no, suddenly Schchchwindon stop attacking and let us have a go. Uwe smashes another in from 2-3 yards (although it was more tricky this time as it came up off a defender in front of him). Then shortly afterwards a cross is expertly missed by their terrible ‘keeper, the defender and Bradbury both assume he is going to catch it and stand still – so it hits Bradbury and loops into the goal. I am assuming there will be plenty of decent reports and player ratings so I will not bother. But three last things, Thank You for your patience. A mate of mine was sat next to Curly Watts and told me when I saw him Sunday that Curly was smashed before the game, best way to watch I suppose, and unable to walk by the end (perhaps we should look forward to seeing him with a hangover in an episode soon) and the last thing, the last four matches I have been to are Forest away, ‘Boro at home, Portsmouth away and Swindon, that is four wins in a row. Therefore I have a problem, I am off to Reading on Tuesday, what if we win, that would be two in row for City and five for me, but I am not planning to go to any more games this season. I really do pray that if we win Tuesday then we win again on Saturday or I am going to have to blame myself for City’s season.

WHY FRANCIS LEE MUST GO

I am aware that, in asking Ashley to print this piece anonymously, I risk being accused of not having the courage of my convictions. I nevertheless consider my request justified. I would like to give myself free rein to back up my views with facts about the club of which I am personally aware. I am unable to do so because these came to my notice through my work. I am bound to follow rules of professional conduct, including the strict maintenance of client confidentiality. If I am seen as being in breach of these rules, the governing body of my profession has the discretion to take measures which would have extremely serious repercussions for my career. Although I intend to outline my arguments and opinions without breaching any professional standards to which I am subject, I am happier doing so without my name at the foot of this article. Given the potentially serious consequences of any allegations against me, I am (understandably, I feel) keen to keep any risk to a minimum.

My professional experience has included advising both sports clubs and governing bodies. I would not claim that I have ever been a mover and shaker in the world of British sport by any means, but I believe I have a greater insight into the administrative and commercial side of sport than most fans. First and foremost, though, I am a fan and have been since I was a small child. I have attended Maine Road regularly, for reserve and youth team games in addition to watching the first team. Since I was a teenager, I have also frequently travelled to away matches. Whether I look at City’s current situation as a passionate supporter or as a dispassionate observer (insofar as I can), I find it impossible to avoid the conclusion that Francis Lee should now step down.

I am aware that, over the few years preceding the departure of Peter Swales, the club had been desperately badly run, despite this not being reflected in our Premiership positions of fifth, fifth and ninth. None of the facts I am about to quote are new, but they are worth repeating nonetheless. According to the Deloitte & Touche survey of football club accounts, the 1993/1994 financial year saw City being out-performed financially by Norwich, hardly a giant of British football in off-the-field terms. This was due in large part to a masterstroke whereby Peter Swales franchised out our merchandising operation for an annual flat fee of £60,000 until late 1995. To assess the merit of this transaction, consider that in the 1994/1995 financial year, Manchester United turned over £18 million from merchandising.

Financially, then, we were in no way a big club. However, in the two previous years, again according to the Deloitte & Touche survey, we outspent in net terms every club in England bar Blackburn in the transfer market (and managed to drop from fifth to sixteenth in the table in the process!). Owing to this, and the construction of the new Platt Lane stand (built despite the Taylor Report also obliging us to rebuild the Kippax terrace by summer 1994), the club was heavily in debt. We also had to go further into debt to rebuild the Kippax – a massive undertaking, as this stand represented 47% of our overall capacity. As already explained, we had contractual obligations which would prevent us from increasing our commercial income significantly for almost two years.

I recognise that parts of Lee’s commercial management of the club are worthy of praise. Whereas Swales made terrible commercial blunders, Francis Lee at least realised that off-the-field revenue opportunities are of vital importance in 1990s football. If we ever managed to build another successful team, the commercial infrastructure would be in place to capitalise. Our club shop, it is estimated, will turn over around £2.5 million this season after only a couple of years as an in-house operation. This compares with an estimated £4 million at Arsenal and £1 million at Leicester, both often cited as clubs adept at maximising their commercial opportunities. Given our league position, it’s a remarkable achievement. The Kappa kit deal was an excellent piece of business, too. Our home shirt is now the 5th best selling replica kit in Britain, behind only the home and away shirts of Manchester United and Liverpool.

However, this must be seen in perspective. The club shop’s turnover, for example, is dwarfed by the loss of Sky TV revenue which resulted from our relegation. With an impeccable sense of timing, we managed to go down just before the Premiership’s new and extremely lucrative TV deal came into effect. As a result, while an average Premiership side receives £8 million from Sky each year, the average in Division One is around 10% of this figure. If anyone wonders about the effect this has had on the game, ask yourself whether it’s an accident that last season’s relegated clubs are the top three in Division One, while last year’s promoted clubs are all in the relegation zone in the Premiership. We have support and facilities which would not be out of place in the top flight. However, returning there will be a herculean task. This is partly because the ill-assorted, directionless rabble currently representing us on the field of play will take quite some time before it can be moulded into a promotion team (at least in Division One!). Once we’ve managed that, though, there’s the small matter of consolidation against teams which have been receiving the Sky millions to invest in their teams for years.

It is my contention that we need never have been relegated from the Premiership and that Lee must take much of the responsibility for the fact that it happened. First of all, he appointed the manager with what I would imagine must be the worst track record in the history of English football – four previous relegations. Then the club pursued a policy of selling all its top wage earners. Lee enthused over this in many interviews. The misguided notion was that cheap foreign imports (Immel, Frontzeck, Kavelashvili), other people’s reserves (Clough) and Nationwide League players (Creaney, Phillips) could effectively replace players like Quinn, Curle, Coton, Flitcroft, Walsh and Phelan, all of whom featured in City sides which had performed strongly in the top flight and who, with the exception of Walsh, were purchased by sides whose status was higher than ours.

I agree that some very ordinary footballers can today pick up extremely handsome salaries. However, there has been an explosion in players’ wages and by refusing to pay the going rate to the Premiership quality players on our books, we suffered. We coupled this unwise parsimony with the tactical and man-management prowess of the ginger football genius; it was hardly surprising, then, that we created a team which went down and was in no state to come back. Given that Lee oversaw both the clear out and the Ball appointment, he must be called to account for both.

Of course, the fact that City were placed in an unacceptable financial position was down mostly to the legacy left by Peter Swales. I referred earlier to the need to build a new stand, and there’s no doubt that this was a great burden. However, the new regime needed to ensure that the new stand was built as cost effectively as possible. I am not in a position to allege we paid over the odds but serious questions have to be asked. In 1995, Middlesbrough built an entire new 30,000-seater stadium for only £3 million more than we spent on our stand. Two years before we rebuilt the Kippax, Leeds spent £5 million on the construction of a stand that held 17,000. Further, though by February 1994, the Manchester Olympic bid had failed, it was still apparent that a new stadium could be built in the city, as Commonwealth Games and national stadium bids were on the cards. This possibility appears not to have played a rôle in the club’s stadium development strategy. A couple of years later, though, Colin Barlow was travelling to London to tell the Sports Council that if Manchester were awarded a new stadium, City would probably move there.

Relegation, the cost of the new stand and the weakening of the playing staff led to a situation in November 1996 where City were £20 million in debt, in the club’s worst ever league position (at the time) and under the temporary stewardship of Phil Neal, of all people. We were headed for disaster and the Lee regime could not provide any financial support to help to turn this around. As a result, the club had to be bailed out by a shareholder who had been bitterly critical of Lee less than three years previously and by a new investor.

Obviously, the blame for City arriving at this situation cannot be laid entirely at Lee’s door. Swales’ legacy was horrific, and the rapid evolution of the climate of English football hardly helped – it was scarcely foreseeable in early 1994 that, by summer 1996, English football would see its top players changing hands for eight figure transfer fees. Given the state of the club Lee inherited, there was no way we could compete with the top clubs (though, as I said, I do think we could have competed with the Southamptons and Coventrys and managed to stay up).

Though I am fully aware of these points, my sympathy for Francis Lee is extremely limited. It should not be forgotten that the ‘Forward With Franny’ campaign massively inflated the fans’ expectations for what was bound to be a difficult period. The fact that Lee may not have made these claims personally is irrelevant. His supporters and the media trumpeted a range of extravagant boasts that he was backed by high-profile investors, that huge sums of money would be ploughed into the club and that big name stars would be signed. I avidly followed the takeover story throughout its duration in the whole range of news media available. I never once recall these rumours being denied by Lee or his associates. Only after he acceded to the chairmanship did Lee move to temper expectations with a dose of realism.

Further, it is extremely difficult to feel sympathy for someone who displays the breathtaking arrogance Lee has on occasion. As an example, look at the treatment of Dave Wallace, one of City’s higher profile non-celebrity fans. Wallace angered our chairman by having the temerity to suggest (and he did so in very restrained terms) that many City fans had reservations over the Alan Ball appointment because of Ball’s previous track record. In my view, this did not justify Lee telephoning him at home to berate him when he was about to leave for a holiday and it was not in itself grounds for dispensing with the idea of fan representation at board meetings. A few months later, Wallace printed an article in his fanzine which contained the shocking and manifestly inaccurate assertion that some City players were prone, on occasion, to drink to excess. For the club to have a solicitors’ letter sent to the fanzine demanding a retraction was petty beyond belief. In passing, I note that similar action has not been taken when much more serious allegations about our players’ private lives have appeared in Sunday tabloids. I am not asking readers to admire Dave Wallace or to agree with the principle of a fan on the board. I am simply saying that, whatever views fans may hold on either, Lee’s behaviour does him no credit at all.

It should also not be forgotten that Lee has done much to make our club a laughing stock. His understanding of public relations seems to be non-existent. Under his charge, City have frequently managed to be the laughing stock of English football. Forgive me if I do not find this amusing. Many of these episodes have been a direct result of incompetence at the club, often on the part of Lee himself. He bemoans his reputation for interfering in team affairs. Surely he realises that he invites these claims if he ostentatiously places himself in the middle of team photographs? I remember him launching into a tirade at fans for a mocking song about his holiday in Barbados. Attacking the club’s loyal fans for a light-hearted chant at his expense makes him appear rather small-minded. I have always been surprised, too, that Lee seems unaware of the prospect of ill-advised public comments (promises to resign if the club is not successful within three years, to quit if a certain manager leaves or to jump from the roof of a stand if we are relegated, for example) coming back to haunt him.

If any doubt remains that Lee has often been guilty of bungling ineptitude, think of the way he has handled the managerial situation at the club. Perhaps the most damning statistic is that in less than three years following the Lee takeover, we had three lengthy searches for a new manager (May to July 1995 post-Horton, August to October 1996 post-Ball and November to December 1996 post-Coppell). In other words, staggeringly, in less than three years, we spent almost six months with no permanent manager at all. Of course, there are plenty of other grounds for criticism. The Coppell situation was quoted in MCIVTA 373, and I agree that this still has not been adequately explained. I share the doubts over the rumours that he resigned because of his private life – in an era where the private lives of the Royal Family are considered fair game for tabloid sensationalism, I simply refuse to believe that Steve Coppell would somehow be immune. I fully agree that the reasons given for his resignation must be in doubt until some kind of clarification is given. As previously noted, Coppell was in a new job three months later. Since then, he has gone through a promotion battle, the play-offs, a survival fight, a prospective takeover and prolonged speculation that he is to be sacked. This stress has not yet caused him to resign. I too noticed that City did not follow through with their threat to sue over Ron Noades’ claim that illness had not been the cause of Coppell’s departure from Maine Road.

I have had these views on Francis Lee more or less since City’s relegation in May 1996. However, a few months later, Lee finally, and belatedly, managed to attract funds into the club and to secure the appointment of a credible manager whose tenure had lasted for more than a month. This was not too much to ask after almost three years of trying, but it left me optimistic that better times could be ahead. My opinion of Lee’s performance then was substantially the same as it is now, but I felt that, with his personal shareholding reduced to 12% in the reorganisation, he would be kept in check by other influences.

I was of this opinion until very recently. Obviously, I was dismayed by our league position and by many of the performances I have witnessed this season. For most of the season, I felt that the club’s priority should be to address the performance of the management and players. However, while I still feel that there were and are problems in these areas, in recent weeks, I, like many other observers, have become convinced that there are problems at the club which go far beyond the inadequacies of the coaching and playing staffs.

In retrospect, I am surprised that I did not arrive at this conclusion earlier. This season, Frank Clark kept repeating conspiracy theories and we had the famous Rodney Marsh quotation about a “cancer” at the club. There have been allegations that there is an attempt to drive down the club’s share price. Takeover rumours have abounded. December saw boardroom changes, with the two other members of Francis Lee’s original consortium losing their places on the board. On his departure, Clark referred darkly to a “fifth column on the fringes of the club”, while Alan Hill warned City would never recover until the “cancer” infesting Maine Road was completely cut out. Whatever the merits or otherwise of Frank Clark’s management, I would not question his integrity, so I do not believe he would fabricate this kind of allegation. Then there was the astonishing attack on Lee by another shareholder. It is an understatement to say that none of this is indicative of a happy, healthy club. I also firmly believe that in any organisation where there are problems at the top, these are likely to have a detrimental effect throughout.

Part of the problem may well be that we have a fragmented shareholder base, with no single grouping in control. Further, the holder of the largest block of shares reportedly does not take a great deal of interest in the club; he lives abroad and is said not to have been to Maine Road for years. This situation was created by the November 1996 share issue, prior to which Lee had de facto control – while he and his supporters held just under 30% of the shares, the backing of Greenalls and a few small shareholders was enough in practice to cement his position. Following the share issue, this degree of power no longer persisted, but Lee continued to take an active rôle, and retained the post of chairman with its attendant profile.

I do not recall reading of any similar unrest in the last four months of last season, when results picked up and there seemed genuine hope for a forthcoming promotion bid. However, it is easy to be united when things appear to be going well. Divisions appear in times of crisis, and the suspicion must be that this is what has happened this season. Frank Clark, on his departure, defended Lee and appeared to blame other, unidentified elements within the club. It is almost impossible to make sense of events. Whatever the rights and wrongs and whoever is trying to undermine whom, it appears undeniable that the current strife is caused by different groupings who are pulling in different directions. The appointment of Dennis Tueart, the removal of Barlow and Dunkerley and David Makin’s outburst are clear signs that things are wrong at board and shareholder level.

Frank Clark (understandably, perhaps) simply does not know the background to the current situation and is unaware that Lee should bear a large portion of the blame for these divisions. I think I have quoted enough grounds for criticising Lee to emphasise that those of us who call his record into question certainly do not do so without foundation. I agree that his record over the last few years is not all bad. I recognise that he would undeniably have fared much better had his predecessor shown even a remote degree of commercial competence. The sad fact, though, remains that if most of us had shown a similar level of performance in our own jobs, we would expect the sack.

In addition, our divided shareholder base arises directly from the fact that we needed bailing out of a desperate situation. This was because, after almost three years of Lee’s reign, we were £20 million in debt, losing money (we made a £2 million loss in the financial year 1996-97 before transfers), unable to appoint or hold onto a credible manager and playing like a team destined for relegation to the old Division Three. Lee’s errors did much to contribute to this state of affairs. So much for the bold words about success in three years. The club then received an injection of funds and was able to appoint a manager who, at the time, was warmly welcomed by most of us. This was effectively Lee’s last throw of the dice, his chance to make amends. While I would not blame him for the fact that Frank Clark spent £7 million net to turn us into a side staring relegation in the face, it has not worked.

Other shareholders can hardly be expected to be happy about the club’s current position. Any of us would be concerned if we had large sums of money invested in a business (even the football club we support) which, for whatever reason was facing a financial catastrophe. Make no mistake, this is what relegation would be for Manchester City. If I were a major shareholder, I know that I would be unhappy for a man with Francis Lee’s record to have a significant influence on the day-to-day running of the club. For him to insist on doing so (he has constantly and publicly reasserted his intention not to step down) would be certain to create friction. Thus it seems from the appointment of Dennis Tueart, the removal of Barlow and Dunkerley and David Makin’s outburst.

Makin’s comments were particularly interesting. He laid a number of charges at the door of Francis Lee – that he is domineering, that he should resign given his poor record and, most importantly, that he is obstructing the investment of further funds in the club. Exactly the same accusations were made in December 1996 by Tony Warrender, another (if slightly less influential) shareholder. I am not necessarily of the “no smoke without fire” school of thought, but I do believe these allegations deserve some examination.

I must emphasise that I know neither Makin or Warrander. It is perfectly conceivable that either or both have fallen out with Francis Lee or have some other ulterior motive for their comments. However, while I in no way claim to be privy to the secrets of the Maine Road inner sanctum, I do flatter myself that I have a greater knowledge of the background to the workings of the club than most fans. In the course of my professional duties, I have had access to files containing correspondence and documents relating to the club. I have also had the opportunity to speak at length about the club at various times with professional advisers representing the club itself, certain directors and shareholders on an individual basis and parties interested in investing in the club. I gleaned information from these sources which I would dearly like to share with subscribers to MCIVTA. As I explained in my opening paragraph, I am unable to do so. I must therefore choose my words carefully, and allow readers to judge whether or not I am just another bullshit merchant. From what I have seen and heard, I will not take issue in this piece with Warrander or Makin. I also consider worthy of observation the fact that people with funds to invest in a business normally wish for a significant say in how they are used, and I hope Lee could honestly say that he has always abided by this principle in considering potential investment.

Some fans are of the opinion that being critical of the club somehow diminishes the critic’s support. I can assure you that, in my case at least, this is not so. I am praying as hard as anyone that Joe Royle can give the players enough of a lift in the short term to pull us away from the bottom three before May 3. I would urge fans to give the team their maximum backing between now and the end of the season. However, I believe that it is perfectly proper for fans to enter into constructive debate about events at the club.

Whatever Royle and the players manage between now and the end of the season, I believe that our club will not make real progress until it is united by strong leadership instilling unity and a sense of purpose from the top downwards. As such, this is the most important issue currently facing our club and should be aired. To those who say that it is easier to point out problems than to solve them, I simply reply that a problem cannot be solved before it is identified. I am aware that if this piece is printed in full, it will be comfortably longer than any other I have ever seen in MCIVTA. I apologise if it is merely conceit which makes me think I have a valuable contribution to make to this debate.

JUST A THOUGHT!

Just realised, when City get relegated, we’ll be entering next year’s FA Cup at the 1st round – alongside all the other minnows!

DREAMS

A don’t often dream (or remember dreams) about City… but when I do they tend to come true, sometimes 4 or 5 years later. However, they don’t always come true in the manner I expect them to!

For instance, a year ago last November, I had a dream about Steve Coppell celebrating victory in the play-off final at Wembley. A week later, my hopes were dashed when he resigned. What could my dream mean? Well I found out later in the season when at the beginning of June he takes Crystal Palace to Wembley and wins!

Anyway last night I dreamt seeing Joe Royle standing on a balcony holding the Premier League throphy aloft. What could this fortell? Does he attend Brian Kidd’s birthday bash – and for a joke hold the Premier League trophy aloft? Who knows – I certainly don’t!

MCFC – NIGHT IN MOGAMBOS (UNOFFICIAL TOKYO SUPPORTERS’ CLUB)!

The momentum for discovering City fans in Tokyo/Japan continues. We have managed to find various City fans (double figures!) and now almost have enough for a reasonable drinking team. Anyone interested Email me.

Stew Bailey, owner of a splendid bar in Roppongi, is acting as mine host for our next escapade, see below. All welcome…

To all concerned (and we are very concerned at the moment),

The first Unofficial Tokyo MCFC supporters’ meeting (p***-up) will be held in Mogambo on Mar 7 Sat at 8pm. Be there or be sober!

If you don’t know where Mogambo is, check our web page. The “Meeting” will be hosted by yours truly. See you there.

OPINION – SWINDON GAME

After my girlfriend Lisa and I “dropped” the Man City Bear signed by Kinkladze (and aptly called Gio…) to the subs’ bench for the Bury game, to no avail (i.e., we still lost) we decided to take him to Swindon.

What a change a week makes. They still seemed a bit hesitant at times, but they had some confidence and guts to fight back when Swindon equalised, so we ended up with a creditable 3-1 win. They worked hard for the whole game.

Beardsley needs a bit of match fitness I think but he has some good ideas. Rösler was a different person entirely (no more rugby kicks Uwe!) Kinkladze seemed to be limping for half the time he was on the pitch – his ankles need a rest. Symons was excellent. The rest also did well – few complaints.

Also Joe Royle isn’t afraid to use his subs when people get tired, which is a pleasant change rather than waiting for the last 5 minutes.

But… Well done lads, but one victory isn’t a rescue! It makes 33 points from 33 games – 13 games to go, 39 available points, the trick is to get as many as are realistically possible.

BTW – Joe – get Scully back from Stoke and on that wing if you’re playing 4-4-2!

OPINION – WE NEED HELP!

We need help! I have never known City be in a worse state in my life. Granted, off the field things are pretty strong, on the field things are p*** poor! I’m of the belief that Joe Royle is as good as anybody to try to save us from the inevitable, mission impossible though! Even if Royle pulls it off I don’t believe he’s the kind of manager who can bring success back to Maine Road. His teams don’t play the City way, attractive football that is if anybody has forgotten how we’re supposed to play! IMHO the club has something fundamentally wrong with it. FHL is not the problem, FC was not the problem, JR will not be the problem, Christ knows what the problem is! We just do not have the players at the club who have the desire to put on the jersey of dreams and go out there week in, week out and do the business for us. But why is that? Do we pay them too much? Are the supporters too impatient? Are the players simply not good enough? Is it a combination of all these things and more, but surely not that bloody gypsy’s curse thing!

I despair! Please, if anybody has the answer, and so far I’ve not read it in MCIVTA, get an appointment with FHL/JR ASAP and save us from hell!

Yours, the 1 of 30,000 who doesn’t want to be seen in Macc next season!

OPINION – THE CHAIRMAN

Don’t know how Bob Jacobs can stick up for FHL – OK so there are worse chairmen but he has betrayed City again and again.

> I can't see any point in calling for Francis Lee to go. He has done all
> that he can under the circumstances. Frank Clark was as good a manager
> as we could have hoped for at the time, and FHL has given him more than
> enough time to get the team performing.

What about the constant rumours that he’s been interfering with managerial policy, the frequent sacking of managers when he should be taking some of the blame, the 3 Georgian’s policies that he apparently holds? His promise to go if he hadn’t brought success to the club in three years? His tooth and nail fight against Donn for control threatening to destabilise the club, the lack of money available for Royle to work with? How many managers can he think of that could turn a team as hopeless as City (sad truth) around in 14 months? In many businesses it would have been half that time before he got his name on the door. Next time there are problems, Francis Lee has to go. He cannot go on scapegoating managers.

BLUE HUMOUR

Fireman Joe doomed in Maine Road hothouse

For reasons of his own, Joe Royle this week accepted the job of Manchester City’s manager. He sorted through his new desk in a bemused manner. Mm. Evidently several people had left this place in a hurry. Dry-cleaning ticket in the name of Neal. Steve Coppell’s library books. On the wall a series of pencil marks, in five-bar-gate arrangements, adding up to 33. Also, framed on the wall, a letter: “Dear Frank, Thank God you’ve come! We thought we’d never …”

Knock, knock. A secretary hands Royle a car-park pass stamped “Feb only”. “This will do until – well, you know,” she shrugs. “Right-oh,” he agrees. “I thought I’d tell the press how the job inspires me and the potential here is fantastic. What do you think?”

She smiles, non-committally. “Now you won’t mind if people address you as Manager Ninety-Eight (One)?” she asks briskly, indicating the bracket notation with a little flourish of her fingers. And then she goes off to Tippex some headed notepaper.

Royle glances quizzically at the framed pictures on his desk, all other men’s children, some of them – good grief – little Howard Kendall’s. “Hopefully,” he says, addressing her departing back, “I can do here what I have done successfully before – and that’s firefighting!”

Managing Manchester City is the worst job in football, though it needn’t be. City have 30,000 regular fans, a world-class Georgian in their ranks; moreover, their light blue strip is lovely. Yet managers rarely stop long enough to register a preference for Jammie Dodgers. They go in as tall, strong men and emerge 33 days later a wreck on all fours. Why? Because a huge mental bugaboo undermines every effort to lift Man City; and that bugaboo is Manchester United.

If only convention did not dictate against setting fire to Old Trafford. But as things stand – well, City is bugabooed, possibly terminally. It’s a crying shame. But what can be done? Envy and sibling rivalry are bad enough in life generally but, in football, poor relations just collapse under the weight of the chips on their shoulders. In real life, if your little brother becomes Elton John, you can move house, forget it. But if you’re a football club and your neighbour grows up to be Manchester United, all you can do is make brave jokes at your own expense. Man City jokes are the best you will hear. Like the Inland Revenue suddenly querying 20 years’ worth of silver-polish claims.

No one’s to blame, but the manager of the month keeps getting the push anyway – even though it’s hardly his fault that Manchester United are heading for a treble. Royle is therefore unlikely to buck the trend, unless he’s already subscribed to a mass hypnosis programme. If he could only get the fans to see (say) Brentford as their natural rivals instead of Man U – then, really, he’d be laughing. Meanwhile, the certain route to the exit is to spout banal managerial talk about firefighting, and goals, and such.

Back at the office, Royle opens his letter of welcome. “Dear 98 (1),” it begins, “Thank God you’ve come! We thought …”. He puts it down and rolls up his sleeves. Oh, how he loves football management! He knocks the little Kendalls into the bin and takes up a pencil. “Score goals,” he writes, feverishly. “Win matches. Avoid relegation.” He sits back, pleased with his work. Good heavens, he thinks, what chumps the previous umpteen guys must have been, if they couldn’t even think of that!

WHY BLUE?

Almost every little kid in Norway supports an English football club. So when I was about five years old my father decided to buy me a kit for my birthday. He went to the largest sports store in Oslo and asked for a Liverpool kit. This was in their early prime (mid seventies) so the kit was sold out. But the guy in the store had a better idea. He told my father that there was this other English club who had won the League Cup the same year and probably would win the League the year after. Why not buy this one? My father did.

I loved the sky blue kit. No white shorts back then. It was long sleeved with big collars and umbro-logos down the side. I always used it in PE at school although I had to take some stick. Because I was surrounded by red shirts. Both U**** and Liverpool. Nobody I knew supported my club. 20 years later I’m not alone. I’ve got you guys in MCIVTA. But City remains a disapointment, even though I have some personal highlights:

• The win at Swansea televised in Norway (83?). And the one against U*** where Tony Henry scored.
• Seeing City play in Oslo in the summer of ’89. All the players had hangovers and could barely move.
• 5-1 ticking in during the Norwegian match of the day.
• Calling for the results against Huddersfield. Listened to the recorded results over and over again.
• Being able to brag about Kinky at my job at the sports desk in a Norwegian tabloid.
• The first half against U*** (93?) when Quinny scored a brace. Watched it in Bergen with an ugly Red friend of mine.I almost turned violent in the end. Wanted to smash his face in.

It’s tough even in Norway to support our beloved club. The misery never ceases.

RESULTS

Full-time scores for Wednesday, February 25 1998

Birmingham City      1 - 3 Bury
Johnson (90)               Rigby (32)
                           Patterson (53)
                           Ellis (75)
Middlesbrough        1 - 0 Crewe Alexandra
Maddison (80)
Queens Park Rangers  2 - 2 Sheffield United
Sheron (4)                 Saunders (8)
Ready (53)
Stoke City           1 - 2 Charlton Athletic
Kavanagh (42)              Robinson (17)
                           Barness (73)

Full-time scores for Tuesday, February 24 1998

Bradford City        2 - 1 Port Vale
Melville (34)              Foyle (29)
Pepper (58)
Huddersfield Town    2 - 3 Sunderland
Allison (51)               Johnston (17, 24, pen 39)
Phillips (57)
Ipswich Town         5 - 2 Oxford United
Mathie (28)                Francis (11)
Johnson (35, 38, pen 85)   Donaldson (pen 59)
Holland (56)
Reading              3 - 0 Manchester City
Hodges (8)
Houghton (29)
Asaba (89)
Stockport County     2 - 2 Norwich City
Dinning (19)               Grant (56)
Grant (46)                 Coote (89)
Tranmere Rovers      0 - 0 Nottingham Forest
West Bromwich Albion 0 - 3 Portsmouth
                           Hillier (12)
                           Claridge (33)
                           McLoughlin (86)

Up to and including Wednesday, February 25 1998

                             HOME            AWAY
                      P  W  D  L  F  A   W  D  L  F  A   Pts   GS
Middlesbrough        33 12  3  2 32 10   8  5  3 23 17    68   55
Nottm Forest         33 12  2  2 36 16   7  6  4 16 13    65   52
---------------------Promotion-----------------------------------
Sunderland           32  9  4  2 31 13   9  3  5 26 21    61   57
Charlton             33 10  4  1 30 14   6  4  8 26 29    56   56
Sheff Utd            32 11  4  0 28 11   3  9  5 20 24    55   48
Stockport            34 11  5  1 36 15   4  1 12 18 30    51   54
---------------------Playoffs------------------------------------
Ipswich              33  8  4  4 30 16   5  8  4 23 19    51   53
Wolverhampton        32 10  4  2 29 14   5  2  9 13 18    51   42
Birmingham           33  7  6  4 20 12   6  5  5 22 14    50   42
West Brom            34  8  4  6 18 18   6  4  6 17 17    50   35
Bradford             35  9  7  2 22 15   3  5  9 14 21    48   36
Swindon              34  9  3  5 25 19   4  4  9 11 30    46   36
Crewe                34  6  2  9 19 26   7  2  8 24 23    43   43
Norwich              34  7  5  5 16 20   4  4  9 17 32    42   33
QPR                  34  7  7  4 21 17   2  5  9 16 33    39   37
Reading              33  7  4  7 25 24   3  5  7 10 26    39   35
Oxford Utd           33  7  4  4 20 15   3  3 12 20 35    37   40
Tranmere             33  6  6  5 21 17   3  4  9 15 24    37   36
Huddersfield         34  6  4  7 20 20   3  5  9 16 32    36   36
Stoke                34  5  5  7 21 28   3  6  8 12 21    35   33
Bury                 34  3  9  5 15 19   3  8  6 17 23    35   32
---------------------Relegation----------------------------------
Port Vale            34  5  5  7 20 20   4  2 11 19 32    34   39
MANCHESTER CITY      34  4  4  9 21 20   4  5  8 16 21    33   37
Portsmouth           33  6  3  8 22 27   3  3 10 15 23    33   37

WWW MANCHESTER CITY SUPPORTERS’ HOME PAGE:
http://www.uit.no/mancity/

MCIVTA ADDRESSES:
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Subscriptions & Club Questions: Steve – sbolton@buxtonrd.u-net.com
Technical Problems: Paul – paul@city-fan.org

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.

Ashley Birch, mcivta@tollbar.u-net.com

Editor: