Newsletter #1056

Views on the Arsenal game, where it is fair to say (to borrow KK’s oft used quotes) we played well but were unlucky not to get the rub of the green.

The great Ticket Rip-Off continues, as do views on management and progress and the usual requests.

MATCH VIEW I: MCFC 0 ARSENAL 1

I think prior to this game I didn’t fancy our chances and would have settled for a good show in defeat and would have been ecstatic with a draw. Arsenal visited CoMS 46 games unbeaten and hosted a plethora of stars and quality players. But how this game mimicked the two contests last season, City having much of the play and chances yet Arsenal pipping us to the win.

Arsenal’s winner came very early on (15 minutes) when a good Arsenal move was cut out by Dunne but his loose ball was picked up by Henry who cut across the box and placed the ball past David James with a lovely outside of the foot tap. Only then I realised it was in fact Ashley Cole and not Terry Henry, class finish from the full back! I think this goal sums up why Arsenal are just so good, their players interchange positions effortlessly, they can move the ball around the pitch at will and some moves are just unstoppable. Yet with all their movement and changing of positions they retain a structure.

For all Arsenal’s qualities, City nearly matched them, there was passing and movement from the midfield, the defence looked sound against some of the best strikers in the world and with SWeeP and Anelka we looked threatening. But the elusive goal wouldn’t come. City had a number of long range efforts, most of which came via Anelka, Sibierski and a great run from Sun but we couldn’t find the net. But for me the most promising points of this game were Anelka and Barton, both of whom did an immense amount of work. KK tried to shake things up late on – bringing McManaman/Flood on and pushing SWeeP up front with Anelka. For me this decision stunted us a little and took the wind out of our sails at a critical point of the game but at least KK tried something different to get the goal.

For me the most disappointing part of the game was the Arsenal players’ time-wasting, attempts to get City players booked by bickering with the ref and in one case unsportsmanship, when they refused to kick the ball back to City after the ball had been knocked out for an injured player (with City on the attack). This behavior sours a team that are so good to watch; they don’t need to resort to such tactics!

Player ratings:

James (7/10) – Didn’t have a chance with the goal but made three really good saves.

Sun (7/10) – Started as left back, which made me very nervous, but after a slightly shaky start he was absolutely solid, also gives us another option going forward. Would have scored a cracker from a 30 yard run if he hit the net rather than tamely shooting the ball wide. Well worthy to retain his place over Maggie.

Dunne (7/10) – Good game, partnered with Distin well but was unfortunate for the goal.

Distin (7/10) – Generally solid, good distribution (seemed to interchange with Sun at left back a lot in the second half).

Mills (7/10) – Best game for City so far, thundering tackles, full of running and commitment and kept Reyes very quiet.

Barton (8/10) – I thought Joey was class – up against a class midfield, marked by Viera, Joey absolutely shone – his work rate was tremendous, putting in tackles in his own area and then belting forward to support the ensuing counter-attack. Had a few misplaced passes but generally his passing was much better (for me shaded Anelka for Man of the Match).

Bosvelt (6/10) – Reasonable as the holding midfielder but too many times caught being too slow or not quick enough to read the game.

SWeeP (7/10) – Not the best SWeeP performance but he was still effective getting down the by-line and providing some good crosses.

Sibierski (6/10) – Don’t think left midfield is his rôle but to be honest he’s making a go of it and is a threat in the air. Had a reasonable performance.

Macken (6/10) – Needs more games under his belt as he still looks rusty and needs to strike up a relationship with Anelka. He’s definitely our best target man since Wanchope left and hopefully he can use this ability to start playing Anelka in more.

Anelka (8/10) – Class again today, showed nearly as much running as Barton as was clearly up for it. Did everything but score.

Subs:

Flood (6/10) – Looked a bit over-awed when he first came on but quickly settled down and soon found his feet and started trying to dictate things when he got possession.

McManaman (6/10) – Little impression but had a long range effort that he did get on target.

Ref: N.Barry – Mixed display from the ref – he’ll come in for a lot of criticism from City fans. I felt one thing he did well was keep a very close midfield battle in check – he could have carded a number of players for a number of challenges but I think only Bosvelt actually got a card. Biggest complaint was why did he give every 50-50 decision to Arsenal; also why didn’t he cut out Arsenal’s timewasting, which started straight after they scored the goal?

So on the whole a very positive performance from City even if the result wasn’t the right one – as I’m sure every other City fan thought in the stadium, if we play like this every week then we shouldn’t struggle this season – the trick is playing like that every week.

MATCH VIEW II: MCFC 0 ARSENAL 1

Well, we got what I had expected – nothing! We went along hoping for good entertainment, which certainly we got, and I harboured secret hopes of a 2-2 draw! Arsenal are now an awesome team but look at their stats in the match programme – not so many years ago they lost 17 matches in one season and finished 14th! Hope for us all! Especially given the magnificent and loyal fans, the awesome, almost always full, stadium and the excellent youth product we have; good to see the Gooners applaud our Under-15 ‘World Club Champions’!

City took time to settle, allowing Arsenal too much space and time on the ball. They played the game at their pace, as they saw fit, and soon took the lead with a well-taken finish… from the left-back popping up at centre-forward! City huffed and puffed and had shots, but in truth we were not likely to score, and were probably lucky to be only one down at the interval. Why did the game start so late? Why is the traffic so bad at the moment?

Second half, a different City. We closed them down, we harried the Gunners into mistakes. Anelka I thought was awesome – imagine he and Henry together! Had some of the chances that fell to Jon Macken gone to Nic, then possibly an equalizer may have been forthcoming. Our defence looked assured, even the skipper, who has been a little poor of late. Dunne I think is having a magnificent season and I feel he will grow into a major defensive authority. Mills has class and is settling, Jihai Sun I thought was terrific, so too the ‘keeper – again! SWP was ok but well marshalled by the England full back, but maybe we need to get the ball wide more often. Sib was fair, still needs to impose himself more and Joey looked well at home in the centre. Bosvelt and Macken are ok, but a yard off the pace against this awesome an opponent. Macken I feel to be marginally out of his depth at this level, but given the current state of play (or not play) with Robbie, maybe a run of games for Jon now will prove me wrong. Hope so! He is certainly whole-hearted and has a good touch…

Why did KK leave the changes so long? OK, we looked the better side for a good portion of the second half, but surely Macca for Bosvelt should have come sooner, to give the sub a chance to impose himself on the match. I was screaming (!) for him to be brought on behind the front two, but for more than just the last knockings!

Still, not too fed up – we were not totally outplayed and there are good signs… I wish we could play that Everton match again with the new confidence we have! Let us hope for more of the same next week in Hampshire; I feel a defeat would be a big blow, but is a win too much to expect!

Win, lose or draw, however, our loyalty is tantamount. To all of the players and to the manager.

Paulo Wanchope is banging the goals in for Malaga in La Liga, by the way!

MATCH VIEW III: MCFC 0 ARSENAL 1

OK so I eat my words. Humble apologies to KK and his supporters.

A terrific team effort only just lost out to a far superior footballing team. To see Arsenal having to resort to unsportsman-like timewasting to get a result at City is flattering.

Shame the Ref didn’t bother about it though. Will be interesting to see if we go one up at Highbury next January if the Ref will put up with such blatant bending of the rules by our heroes.

Play like that every week and we will have no problems. Trouble is, which team will turn up next time? The one we all saw on Saturday I hope.

And yes I did see Distin shouting and geeing players up, at last!

MATCH VIEW IV: MCFC 0 ARSENAL 1

City might have lost the game to Arsenal by the one goal by Cole that was well taken but slightly lucky, but we will have won over more fans for a determined and gallant effort.

It was a team committed to playing football as a team, City came away without the point that I felt they richly deserved. The surprise in the line up was Sun at left back, who played very well and created several chances going forward. Anelka came close to scoring and deserved his goal but on the day was to be denied. Macken held on to the ball well and had a decent game, but lacked that bit of pace needed on occasions. James did not have a busy afternoon but when called upon did his job well, coming out to close down the angle of some attacking forwards, the goal he could not be faulted for. Mills stopped Arsenal several times, and then set up City for the attacks on the Gooners. In the central defence Dunne and Distin played very well together, with more understanding between them.

Shaun Wright-Phillips always looked dangerous, and in the 75th minute KK pushed him up front with Anelka; I felt this was a good tactical move by KK, as SWP had the pace lacking in Macken as he went off for Willo Flood to come and play on the right flank; he has shown much promise. Bosvelt, who had been having a very good game, tired a little and was also replaced in the 75th minute by McManaman (back after an Achilles heel injury); Macca had one 30 yard drive on goal that was saved but was not on long enough to give much of an impression. Sibierski teased the Arsenal defence many times, he too had a very good game. Barton looked much more mature in his game, and will continue to get better; his new contract will be rewarded.

Not on the bench for this game was Fowler, who has been ordered to have special fitness training, which should take about three weeks; this only shows how uncommitted Fowler has been to City’s cause (should have come back at the start of the season ready and fit, and with a positive attitude). Fowler owes KK a lot for putting his faith in him; I’m pleased that KK has put his foot down to get the best from his players. If Fowler comes back with his old passion all will be forgiven.

The team had been well prepared by Kevin Keegan and the coaching staff for this game; we might have lost the game but it was how we lost, playing some very good football, with passion and pride in their effort.

On this occasion I will not attempt to give the players individual marks out of ten; instead I give the whole team nine out of ten, they did not get ten out of ten because we did not win.

But I will give King Kev ten out of ten because of his motivation and the preparation of the team for this game, more of the same against other teams and the wins will come!

Come on you Blues!

OPINION: TICKET RIP-OFF

Below is a copy of an email I have sent to the OFT about the spiralling costs of attending football matches. It may help if other Blues could do similar; the more complaints they receive the more they will investigate. I will let you know of any responses received.

I wish to lodge a complaint about the fairness of ticket pricing of certain football clubs, in particular the Premier League. I have just intentionally broken a run of 327 consecutive matches stretching back to January 1998, as a personal protest at the extortionate unfair prices being charged.

Many clubs “categorise” matches, so the better the opposition, the higher the matchday ticket price. As a Manchester City supporter, I usually have to play the highest price when visiting away grounds. This is not because City are one of the top teams in the country (far from it), but because they are renowned for their excellent away following. So clubs cash in on supporters like me. An example of this is Birmingham City. I was recently charged £40 when we played them in the Premiership on a Tuesday night. Last year (in the Premiership), Birmingham charged £35, yet the year before that, the price for the same seat for the First Division match was just £17. Is this a fair and justified increase for what is still 90 minutes’ entertainment? I understand clubs like this hide behind a Premier League “rule” that states home clubs cannot charge away supporters any more than they charge home fans in that stand (not ground). Clubs can abuse this rule by making that stand “season ticket only” for home fans, saying that “if” they had match day tickets for home fans, they would charge their fans the same as away fans. Yet Birmingham are advertising in their programme that they have season tickets available “from £336”, which equates to less than £18 for each Premiership match! My season ticket at City equates to £25 a match, and City’s top price for away fans is £28, albeit in a slightly cheaper stand. I would say this is fair, especially when you consider the City of Manchester Stadium is regarded as one of the most comfortable in Europe. For your information, Manchester City will be charging Birmingham City fans £25 when they visit our brand new stadium.

Surely it must be illegal for the admission price to a venue to vary depending on which club you support? It is like a petrol station charging different prices per litre depending on how expensive your car is.

How can it be fair that for we “poor Northerners” to pay £50 to see our team play at Chelsea, yet the affluent Chelsea fans will only have to pay £28 to see their team play in our state-of-the-art stadium?

The fairest way forward in my opinion, is for the FA Premier League to set a common “away supporter ticket price” at the start of each season, based on the lowest adult admission price in any Premiership ground. This may be, say £25 this season, but that way, every away fan of every club knows they are being treated fairly wherever they go.

Although not directly affected by this next issue, Manchester City were forced to pay Birmingham City for the unsold ticket allocation for this season’s match. I am led to believe this amounted to well over £40,000. Irrespective of any Premier League rules, is this fair trading? My understanding is that away clubs have to be offered 3,000 tickets or 10% of the capacity (whichever is the lower), but can decide to take 50% on sale or return. But because Manchester City believed they could “sell out”, they took the full allocation, knowing they would have to guarantee that Birmingham City get full payment of over £100,000. I realise the same applies for clubs visiting Manchester City, but this doesn’t make it right. In hindsight, Manchester City could have subsidised the cost of the Birmingham tickets for its supporters, but they should not be forced into such radical thinking.

Finally, though this may not come under your remit, “value for money” and seating conditions are another major issue at some Premiership grounds. Some examples are:

Liverpool – £30, yet anybody taller than 5ft 6in (I am 6ft 4 inches) finds their knees dig into the back of the seat in front.
Birmingham – £40, yet the seats are so narrow that most adults are sat shoulder to shoulder.
Crystal Palace – £35, yet 2,500 fans have to use half a dozen Portaloos in an old stand.
Chelsea – £42 for a 2-dimensional view, and height restricted if sat on the back few rows.
Portsmouth – £29 to sit in an uncovered stand that should carry a health warning.
Newcastle – £28 for a seat so high up in a stand that you cannot make out the different players.

To end on a positive note, some Premiership clubs do give “reasonable” value for money. Last season they included Southampton, Leicester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, and of course Manchester City.

I would appreciate a reply, with your comments, and details of any action you can take to put an end to this rip-off.

OPINION: FRIENDS, ROMANS, CITIZENS

After reading some of the recent comments in MCIVTA I felt that I should lurch (well, “leap” seemed too energetic) to the defence of some of the people who have criticized Keegan in these pages recently. When Kevin Keegan arrived at City, someone referred to him as “football’s equivalent of a defibrulator”. I think that this has been borne out by the last three seasons, as we rocketed up the First Division and then surprised a few people in the Premiership. However, once out of intensive care, what we need is a systematic programme to work our way back to health – more jolts from the defibrulator will not have much more effect and may even be detrimental.

Having said this, I agree with people like Svenn Hanssen when they say that sacking Keegan is not the answer. For 20 years we have suffered from managerial instability to such a degree that having 2 managers in the past 6 years has seemed like a lifetime. Most readers of MCIVTA will know that Keegan’s managerial style has its problems – unwilling to demote his favourites, reluctant to give young players a chance etc. I believe the problems we are experiencing come from his expectation that the players will approach things with the same will and determination that he himself did as a player. I’m not sure he can really understand players who do not have this mentality.

One player who I believe does have the mentality to want to improve is the much-maligned Anelka. I don’t agree with all the clichés written about him “sulking”. As we have had the chance to see him at close quarters over the past two years, he is clearly not a very demonstrative person (although he appeared quite happy when he scored our first against United at Maine Road). He genuinely seems quiet and quite a shy person, which is difficult for the media circus surrounding the Premiership to accept. He has not developed a silly goal celebration but so what? Neither has he been reported as standing on a bar top urinating on the people below (although this is probably the Sun’s next story…). Given the choice between the London brat pack and the privacy-seeking French players I know which sort of behaviour I would prefer to see in a footballer.

I believe that the real motivation for the criticism of Kevin we have seen recently in MCIVTA is a combination of worry over the possibility of another relegation dogfight season and an impatience to move on to the next phase in which hopefully we see a couple of seasons of gradual improvement from mid-table to serious contenders. I don’t believe that Kevin is the man to achieve this for various reasons. However, if he can do a reasonable job and keep us stable for the next 18 months then he will have done his job well and laid the foundation for more success in the future.

Now is the time the board should be working – to get a good replacement lined up for 18 months’ time and for the club to be in a position to be attractive to such a replacement at that stage (good players and some money to invest). Between now and then, the main objective must be stability in the league and ensuring that our best playing staff remain committed to the club. In this respect, the retention of SWP is a major step forward. In the interim, if we can do well in the league or win a cup then that would be a significant bonus.

OPINION: LIES AND STATISTICS

In response to 'Lies and statistics' by Mike Maddox in MCIVTA 1055

The statistics raised an eyebrow or two. In fact, so much so I thought I might respond to it – the first time I have responded in 5 years of reading the fanzine.

The statistics are really quite surprising and yet I think there is a degree of significance to them. Most often, statistics don’t really tell you anything usually because the sample is too small or the conclusion they seem to produce is too narrow. But your statistics seem to indicate that there are some real character issues for Manchester City, which come out in the way we play – and I think the sample is large enough to demonstrate it – though it would be worth applying your analysis to a 5 year trend, say.

It’s difficult to know what to conclude other than something strange is going on; but I might hazard a guess. I wonder if it is symptomatic of regarding ourselves as the ‘plucky underdog’ too often. Or maybe the poor relation (though analysis of Everton contradicted this) or worse still, the victim. We like to think we like winning, but do we really revel in the misery and do the payers reflect that character? It’s like winning is good for a change, but winning too often will deny us our identity.

Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but your statistics made me laugh, and then disturbed me greatly.

OPINION: HANDS OFF ARSE(NE)

Picked this story out of the London Standard this morning, readers might be interested in this.

“Wenger eyes the Wright stuff” By Steve Stammers, Evening Standard 24 September 2004.

Shaun Wright-Phillips emerged today as a potential future target for Arsenal – the club where his stepfather Ian Wright is the record goalscorer.

The 22-year-old Manchester City star has forced his way into the England squad for the World Cup qualifiers and will tomorrow attempt to break Arsenal’s 46-game unbeaten run in the Premiership clash at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: “He is getting higher every year. He is a guy we have an eye on and we follow his progress. He will be a major threat to us. He has a tremendous work rate and tremendous penetrating power. With the combination of the two, and his improvement technically every year, he will be a very good player. He is a Wright – and the Wrights have a big love affair with Arsenal. At the moment I do not want to say we are buying him but he is one of the interesting players on the right flank in England. Could he be at Arsenal one day? It is not impossible but I don’t know yet. We have Jermaine Pennant, we have Fredrik Ljungberg – we have plenty of players there. But he is an interesting player. He is a winner and I like his attitude.”

Wright senior – who adopted Shaun when he was 18 months old – scored 185 goals for Arsenal and has given him unflinching support throughout his career that started with rejection by Nottingham Forest when he was 16.

“They said I was too small,” said Wright-Phillips. But City took him on, he blossomed into a midfield player of genuine class – and that has caught the eye of Sven-Goran Eriksson. The England manager gave him his full début last month and he scored against Ukraine. City manager Kevin Keegan rewarded him last month with a new four-year deal. On Wednesday he scored once and made five assists in City’s 7-1 Carling Cup victory over Barnsley.

Arsenal go into tomorrow’s game with a two-point lead at the top of the Premiership and captain Patrick Vieira is convinced they are a team of world-beaters. He said: “Right now, the way we play football, Arsenal would beat France. That shows how far this club have come in the last few years. There is a young generation coming through and it’s a new start for us.”

REQUEST: ANYONE SEEN THE AAG FLAG?

Firstly I apologise on behalf of the Atmosphere Action Group as things have been a little bit stagnant the past few months. We are currently looking for people to help out in fund raising, new ideas and reorganising of a few things. We have just received some bad news from the club, that the “We Dream of Playing in the Shirt” banner has been stolen. The prime suspects are people from across the road. The “Kippax” banner is still being put up every home match but really due to the lack of security at the Stadium we could do with a volunteer on the second tier to put up and take home the banner every home match, preferably a season ticket holder.

We are in the process of having T-shirts printed and distributed to raise money for handouts i.e. songsheets and scarves (for the Lokeren song) in the South stand lower. At the minute there are only 3 of us, we are looking for a trustworthy treasurer and maybe 4 or 5 volunteers; any help would be more than grateful, we are currently in the process of doing a lot of work with the Prestwich & Whitefield supporters’ branch. Last season we held a charity boxing event at The Bradford pub and raised £435 for the Kirsty Howard appeal. This year we are hoping to do the same but raise some money for the AAG also so we can carry out other activities in the future.

REQUEST: MILTON KEYNES BLUES

The monthly meeting of the above Supporters’ Club will take place this coming Thursday the 30th September at Great Brickhill Cricket Club at 8pm.

New members are always welcome. Anyone needing directions or more information can contact me on the email address below.

REQUEST: ADELAIDE BLUES

I moved out to Australia back in February and I am now based in Adelaide. If there are any of the faithful living here in central Adelaide, can they get in touch with me to let me know where they meet up?

It would be nice to see and meet up with fellow Blues over here.

REQUEST: AMSTERDAM BLUES’ VIEWING

Most likely I will be in Amsterdam on Saturday, 16 October 2004, for the game vs. Chelsea. Are there any Blues in the Dutch capital who would recommend a place to watch the game and have a few beers together?

REQUEST: MAINE ROAD MEMORIES

I hope there are some Blues out there who can help me, and feature in a new book. My name is Len Grant and I am a freelance photographer commissioned by Manchester City Council to document the demolition of Maine Road. As well as photographing the ground I have also interviewed and photographed some of the local residents and businesses. A book called ‘Full Time at Maine Road’ will be published in November. The book is about the community’s view of the demise of the stadium as much as about the demolition itself. Some images are available on my web site: http://www.lengrant.co.uk/. Follow the ‘In Progress’ link.

The book designer and I are hoping to compile fans’ pictures to be published on the inside covers of the book. They have to be pictures of themselves, friends, or family at Maine Road either inside or outside the ground. We are not looking for pictures of games but of fans themselves. Because the dealine is fast approaching (I would need stuff by end of September) I am hoping fans could email me digital images. Please ask other fans as well but include everyone’s names so I can credit them in the back of the book. Sorry, we can’t pay you for the use of your images but any supplied will be invited to the book launch!

REQUEST: THE INVISIBLE MAN

In the recently published ‘The Glory Years – Manchester City 1966-1970’ there is a photograph of the 1965/66 Second Division Championship winning team (pages 12 & 13) which shows a squad member whose presence was clearly not required as he has been ‘painted out’ of the picture.

Can anyone put a name to this mysterious character, stood between Walter Griffiths and Roy Cheetham, or is it simply the Invisible Man we are all so fond of?

RESULTS

26 September 2004

Portsmouth            0 - 1  Everton               20,125

25 September 2004

Middlesbrough         0 - 1  Chelsea               32,341
Aston Villa           1 - 1  Crystal Palace        34,843
Fulham                1 - 0  Southampton           19,237
Liverpool             3 - 0  Norwich City          43,152
Manchester City       0 - 1  Arsenal               47,015
Newcastle United      3 - 1  West Bromwich Albion  52,308
Tottenham Hotspur     0 - 1  Manchester United     36,103
Bolton Wanderers      1 - 1  Birmingham City       23,692

League table to 26 September 2004 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Arsenal          7  2  1  0 10  5  4  0  0 12  2  6  1  0  22   7  15  19
 2 Chelsea          7  2  1  0  3  1  3  1  0  4  0  5  2  0   7   1   6  17
 3 Everton          7  2  0  1  4  5  3  1  0  5  1  5  1  1   9   6   3  16
 4 Bolton Wndrs     7  2  2  0  8  4  1  1  1  4  5  3  3  1  12   9   3  12
 5 Manchester Utd   7  2  1  0  4  2  1  2  1  4  4  3  3  1   8   6   2  12
 6 Newcastle Utd    7  2  1  1  8  4  1  1  1  6  7  3  2  2  14  11   3  11
 7 Liverpool        6  3  0  0  8  1  0  1  2  2  4  3  1  2  10   5   5  10
 8 Aston Villa      7  2  2  0  7  3  0  2  1  1  4  2  4  1   8   7   1  10
 9 Tottenham H.     7  1  2  1  2  2  1  2  0  2  1  2  4  1   4   3   1  10
10 Middlesbrough    7  2  1  1  6  5  1  0  2  5  6  3  1  3  11  11   0  10
11 Fulham           7  2  0  2  3  5  0  2  1  5  6  2  2  3   8  11  -3   8
12 Charlton Ath.    6  2  1  0  5  1  0  1  2  2  9  2  2  2   7  10  -3   8
13 Manchester City  7  1  1  2  5  3  1  0  2  3  4  2  1  4   8   7   1   7
14 Portsmouth       6  2  1  1  8  6  0  0  2  1  3  2  1  3   9   9   0   7
15 Birmingham City  7  1  1  1  2  2  0  2  2  3  5  1  3  3   5   7  -2   6
16 Blackburn R.     6  1  2  0  3  2  0  0  3  2  9  1  2  3   5  11  -6   5
17 Southampton      7  1  0  2  5  6  0  1  3  1  5  1  1  5   6  11  -5   4
18 West Brom A.     7  0  3  0  3  3  0  1  3  3  9  0  4  3   6  12  -6   4
19 Norwich City     7  0  2  1  2  5  0  2  2  3  7  0  4  3   5  12  -7   4
20 Crystal Palace   7  0  0  3  2  7  0  2  2  4  7  0  2  5   6  14  -8   2

MCIVTA FAQ [v0405.01]

[1] MCIVTA Addresses

Articles (Heidi Pickup)          : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org
News/rumour (Don Barrie)         : news@mcivta.city-fan.org
Subscriptions (Madeleine Hawkins): subscriptions@mcivta.city-fan.org
Technical problems (Paul)        : paul@city-fan.org
FAQ (David Warburton)            : faq@mcivta.city-fan.org

[2] What are MCIVTA’s publishing deadlines?

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

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

http://www.uit.no/mancity/ is the unofficial Manchester City Supporters’ home page. Created in 1994, it is the longest running of the Manchester City related web sites. Back issues of MCIVTA are also hosted on the site.

[4] What is the club’s official web site?

The official club web site can be found at http://www.mcfc.co.uk/

[5] What supporters’ clubs are there?

Manchester City FC recognises three supporters’ clubs: The “Official Supporters Club” (http://www.mancity.net/osc/); the “Centenary Supporters’ Association” (http://www.reddishblues.com/CSAWebsite/CSA.htm) and “The International Supporters’ Club” (http://www.mcfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=111845&Title=International+Supporters+Club&lid=Membership).

[6] Where can I find out about the fans’ committee?

The Fans’ Committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. It has its own website, http://www.mcfc-fans.com/ containing info about forthcoming meetings as well as minutes from previous gatherings.

[7] What match day broadcasts are available on the web?

The GMR pre and post match phone-in is available on the web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/gmr/sport_intro.shtml.

Live match commentaries and archives of games, reports and interviews can be found at http://www.mcfctv.com/.

[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://canadatvsoccer.tripod.com/Fixtures.htm, http://www.foxsportsworld.com/named/FSW/Index/Soccer, and http://www.soccertv.com/.

[9] Do we have a Usenet newsgroup?

Yes we do: uk.sport.football.clubs.man-city is our home on usenet. If you are not familiar with usenet, a basic explanation is available here: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci213262,00.html

[10] Do any squad members have their own web pages?

There are a number available and direct links can be found at http://www.uit.no/mancity/players/

[11] Can I buy shares in the club?

Yes you can: Shares in Manchester City PLC are traded on OFEX. The latest prices can be on found the OFEX web site http://www.ofex.com/ (registration required) or in the business section of the Manchester Evening News.

[12] Where can I find match statistics?

Statistics for the current season are available from the club site, but for a more in-depth analysis try http://www.mcfcstats.com/.

[13] Where can I find a list of City-related websites?

Try Wookie’s Lair: http://www.wookieslair.com/modules.php?name=Web_Links

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: