Newsletter #1278

A fair few scoffed at my score prediction, but what a pleasure to see a committed team performance, great team spirit, and Corradi break his goalscoring duck for us. The only downside was losing our home clean sheet record, but it was bound to happen sometime.

We have match reports and views tonight, reviews of the season and performance thus far and the usual requests.

Liverpool on Saturday, I shall consult the crystal ball!

MATCH REPORT ‘LIVE’: MCFC 3 FFC 1

Someone said it was Flag Day but it looked more like “Come-as-a-blue-seat Day”, with a sparse crowd in the stadium at the kick off. Radio Five Live had predicted a record low crowd for a Premiership game at CoMS and it looked like they were right. The crowd is usually announced just after the start of the second half but they didn’t do that today. It certainly didn’t help that Fulham brought much less than five hundred but there were plenty of empty seats in the City sections as well. I actually met our esteemed editor before the game for the first time and she assured me that it would be 4-0 to the Blues, corroborated, apparently, by the prediction of an Oldham fishmonger. Hope you managed to “plaice” your bet, Heidi [I’ll gladly forego the winnings for that performance! – Ed]

There was no Sinclair, so Trabelsi started on the right and Vassell on the left, with Corradi and Samaras preferred up front, which at least made some sense. The early action involved Samaras, who controlled a high ball well but cannoned his shot into one of the more delicate parts of a defender’s anatomy. A largely uninspiring ten minutes followed but then a ball forward to Samaras was superbly flicked on to Corradi who was onside and in the clear. His right foot shot was blasted towards goal and although Niemi got a hand to it there was no way he could stop it hitting the back of the net. 1-0 and Corradi was finally on the score sheet. An elaborate celebration followed involving knighting Barton with a corner flag. The next major action involved Trabelsi putting in a shot into a crowd of players that was deflected into the path of Corradi. Niemi did get there this time but parried the ball away. Barton was on to it but the Fulham ‘keeper did well to throw his body onto the ball.

A Fulham free kick caused Weaver a bit of a problem from a looping header but it was City who resumed their assault on the Fulham goal from the clearance. Corradi flicked on a header to Samaras who turned inside to unleash a powerful shot that went just wide of the far post. It was looking good so far but better was to come. On 32 minutes, Bocanegra dallied on the ball and Reyna sneaked a leg in to feed the ball forward to Barton. He went on a powerful run and perfectly released the ball to an unmarked Corradi running into in the box. This time Niemi got nowhere near Corradi’s emphatic finish and it was 2-0. Given that we hadn’t conceded at home this season and Fulham had been utterly insipid, things were looking really good. It was also nice to hear the song “Bernardo, whoa oh” (to the tune of Volare) ringing out, in contrast to the ludicrous boos that greeted him a few weeks ago. There was a glorious piece of showboating from Vassell as he kept the ball from the clutches of the Fulham defence while on the floor.

Samaras had a pop from twenty or so yards that sailed harmlessly over. With half time looming, a Fulham free kick was bravely punched away by Weaver and Distin punted a huge clearance up the field. Trabelsi showed great pace to beat the Fulham defender to the ball and played a neat ball to his left into the path of Barton. He raced into the area and placed a low shot just inside the far post. 3-0 and we had doubled our home goal tally.

Chris Coleman changed things around at half time, bringing on Collins John and Helgusson. The former has a bit of a scoring record against us and proceeded to get a couple of shots on target that were ruled out for offside. City had gone off the boil as Fulham upped the pace but nearly made it four when Richards beat the offside trap and played the ball into the unmarked Samaras. However, his shot was woeful and nearly cleared the roof of the North Stand. Then it was a case of third time lucky for Fulham as Collins John picked up a headed flick and lobbed Weaver to put paid to Heidi’s bet.

We had finally conceded at home after ten hours and it was a shame it was to a side having an off day up to then. Dickov came on for Samaras and this was a substitution that made sense for once as Samaras had started well but seemed to lose heart as things didn’t go as well for him as they had for his strike partner. His head had gone down and he just wasn’t making a nuisance of himself. This is not an accusation that you can throw at his replacement and Dicky upped the energy level at a time when it was most needed.

I had visions of them adding a second and us fighting a rearguard action but the goal woke City up and Richards wasted a golden opportunity, electing to shoot from a tight angle when there were two better options. Dunne then had to make a last ditch tackle to deny the dangerous John his second. The ball went back up the Fulham end and Diop somehow escaped a yellow for a clear foul on Trabelsi. The resultant free kick nearly resulted in a Corradi hat trick as he met the ball with a quick reaction but Niemi also reacted well to parry it. Nedum Onuoha came on late in the game for his first appearance in a while and Queudrue was also lucky to escape a booking for a crude challenge on him. The Fulham revival never really happened and City finished strongly, taking all three points. So, not a bad prediction by your fishmonger, Heidi. The right number of goals but the wrong score.

Performances:
Weaver 7. Little to do but solid enough.
Richards 7. Got forward well. Great week for him.
Distin 6. Did OK. Superb clearance for third goal.
Dunne 8. One critical tackle and a rock generally.
Thatcher 7. Solid defensively and some great balls into the box.
Trabelsi 7. Played well and is finding his feet nicely.
Barton 8. Popped up everywhere and a well taken goal. My MOTM.
Reyna 7. Lasted ninety minutes and played well for most of those.
Vassell 7. Getting back to full fitness after injury and worked hard.
Corradi 8. Pure quality. Would have had hat-trick with a bit of luck.
Samaras 6. Still too inconsistent. Needs to put the work in all the time.
Subs:
Dickov 7. Did what he does best at the right time.
Onuoha 6. Good to see him back.

Overall Out-of-the-seat Factor: 6. Not a classic but plenty of incident.

MATCH VIEW: MCFC 3 FFC 1

Stuart Pearce pleaded with City supporters and fans “be patient”, today it paid off and Corradi for all his hard work got two goals that he richly deserves, the third coming from Barton just before half time.

This was a game that City needed to score goals and get out of the goal drought, and this they did with three very well taken goals.

The defence conceded their first and only goal at the CoMS, but winning is far more important than keeping a clean sheet, although it’s nice keeping clean sheets.

The players who stood out in the victory over Fulham had to be Corradi for his well taken goals, Reyna who held firm with his tackles in midfield, whilst going forward the hero was Joey Barton who had to be saying on today’s form “here I am, pick me for England”.

Samaras had a nice flick on to create Corradi’s first goal, but in many ways is still a bit of a rough diamond, I still think that he will be a star in the future, I’m not being smart or trying to be funny by saying get a headband for his hair, it’s just common sense.

Anyone looking for negatives from this game will be out of luck, for all the players played for one another with a great determination and effort to win. If anyone says Fulham did not play well, it was because City did not let them play well.

From this game I hope that it will bring confidence to the team, which has been much needed after some other games of late.

Next game at Anfield versus Liverpool: it would be nice to get our first away win of the season against such formidable opposition.

Well done Stu, great game plan and team spirit,

Come on you Blues, beat Liverpool.

OPINION: SEASON THUS FAR I

And so, with the season a third of the way through, some observations.

Amongst all the doom and gloom (some of it coming from me) we concede our first goal of the season at home to Fulham, of all teams. Quite incredible when you think that allied to this defensive achievement at home, if we could have scored just a few more goals, we could, and should, be battling for a place in Europe. In fact, as it stands, we are 6 points from a relegation spot, and only 5 points from a place in Europe, and only 6 points off a Champions’ League place! [Cup half full John! – Ed]

Joey Barton (not my favourite individual) seems to have settled down but I’m far from happy since we need a midfield general and Joey is not that man.

Bernardo finally gets his first goals for the club and well taken they were too. The jury is still out on our Italian Stallion. We shall see.

Biggest surprise of the season is Micah Richards making his full England début and an even bigger surprise that he took his opportunity with both hands (or feet). Yeah right, there’s more chance of me becoming a Red than Micah Richards not playing for England. One worrying thing though, I read that his new contract recently elevated his salary to a ‘mere’ £10,000 per week. Now don’t get me wrong, no-one is worth that let alone the £130,000 a week being circulated in the media for John Terry, but relatively speaking, that leaves us very vulnerable to a swoop by one of the so called ‘Big Boys’. Tear that contract up and get him signed up on a much bigger deal now! If they don’t they will be crying when someone comes in with a hefty cheque book. Now he’s an England International, loads will be after him. Having said that, £25 million and he should be allowed to leave. No less!

What else? Oh yes, Nicky Weaver. I never thought that he’d make it back and if he did, I thought he’d have to settle for life elsewhere as I never expected him to (a) Come back fit enough to make it in the Premier League and (b) would never rediscover the incredible form that made him a legend in the late nineties. Well, wrong on both counts and I, for one, am delighted. He may be a Tyke, but he’s been with the club so long that I feel that he’s one of us. Well done Nicky, keep it going. He’s saved more than a few points this season already.

Stuart Pearce. I think it’s fair to say that most people want to point the finger when we’ve lost, particularly in the manner of the Wigan defeat but, do we really want the scenario that Charlton Athletic find themselves in? Thinking they’d chosen the right man, they’ve had to do a quick U-turn. If Stuart Pearce isn’t the right man, then who is? Hurtful the defeats may be, continuity is what’s needed. Carry on Psycho (just kick a few arses for us Stuart now and again please).

Youth Team: Jim Cassell continues to turn out more than our fair share of ‘promising’ youngsters although I feel that there are one or two that deserve a chance to shine as Micah has. If we have a drought in goals, and no combination seems to have worked (before the Fulham game), then why not try Daniel Sturridge? If the likes of Chelsea and others clubs have been tracking him since he was 14, then he must have something. I reckon he’ll be incredible, given the chance. I’d also like to see Ishmael have more chances, injuries accepted, but not as a winger, he’s a natural centre forward! Did anyone see his pre-season goal at Wrexham where he took his chance like a seasoned veteran? And one or two others have only been offered opportunities out of position, such as Micah Richards who is a natural centre half (Micah won’t let people have free headers because he’s ‘dozed’ off like Dunne and Distin), Onuoha, another allowed to play at full back when his natural position is centre back. Croft and Flood, now allowed to leave because they didn’t make a good enough impression. Both centre midfielders yet came up through the Academy in centre midfield, running the game (particularly for Crofty who did it for all the England youth teams). And as Samaras seems to be able to beat people and make a great pass to round it off, why not try him in the midfield creative rôle? He can make the chances for others to finish. When he drops deep, he really shows what he can do. You effectively have three strikers on the field then in a 4-4-2 line up.

Come on City.

OPINION: SEASON THUS FAR II

After watching our last 5 matches, where we seem to win 1, lose 1, draw 1, I am sure everyone, including SP and his back room staff, are deep in thought about how we can get the best from our distinctly average bunch of forwards.

Dickov: might give 100% every time he puts a City shirt on (unlike Samaras), but ask yourself, is he likely to score a goal? Not really! Does he pose a threat to the opposition players when he has the ball at his feet? Not really! He is obviously there to inspire the younger players, or just work his socks off for the team, with little end product.

Samaras: he only comes to life at home and even then in short bursts, and when we are on our travels he is as much use as the corner flags (he should watch someone like Crouch or Dean Ashton and learn from them). He does not use his height to bully the opposition defenders enough, and added to that he lacks pace, but most of all he really annoys me when he uses his undoubted skill to get into a good position, but then either shoots wildly, or is tackled before he gets his shot off. I would love him to learn the art of a front man, from someone like Robbie Keane.

Vassell: has pace that all our other strikers lack, but his finishing is woeful to say the least, just watch how many one-on-ones he creates with the opposition ‘keeper, but never finishes, like the 3 chances he had against Middlesbrough to kill them off, but couldn’t take one of them. He obviously doesn’t practice enough!

Corradi: I feel sorry for him, as the one thing he does do, is give 100% every match, and via a mixture of poor finishing and bad luck, he has been unable to find the back of the net to date. At least he puts himself about and shows some desire, and will only get better once he breaks his duck.

We really need a strong, bullish striker to be paired up with one of the other 3, just to be able to out muscle the opposition’s defence and create something for the midfield or fellow striker, either in the mould of Jason Roberts or even Drogba.

As for our midfield, we are basically relying on Barton and anyone else from Dabo, Reyna, Hamann, Ireland to provide the creativeness that we so lack. Sadly, Dabo and Hamann have been passengers to date. Damarcus Beasley looks so lightweight, he could well be lighter than Willo Flood, and looks likely to be knocked off his stride quite easily; it’s early days so I should not write him off just yet, he does have ability.

I am looking forward to seeing Trabelsi in full flow like when he was at Ajax and when playing for Tunisia, seen very little of him to date, probably lacks match fitness.

Barton seems to be taking all the set pieces, but should stop taking free kicks as he never seems to do anything with them; compare him and Ronaldo at United – every time Ronaldo has a free kick he looks like he will score and he rarely disappoints. I have read that he puts in a hell of a lot of practice taking free kicks; why can’t the City boys do the same?

Before the season began Pearce knew we needed a quality left back and left attacking midfielder, and guess what? We bought neither. Jordan is shot to pieces and Thatcher isn’t the answer. We need a quality midfielder like Andy Reid, Jason Koumas etc., someone who is good on the ball, with an eye for a good pass to our forwards.

Micah Richards is attracting a lot of interest and Chelsea will probably come calling in January; if we get a good deal, maybe Wright-Phillips in exchange, then personally I would take it, we need an attack and we need goals, and our strength at the Club is in defence so there will be cover, it’s up front and in midfield that we are so poor.

I hope we are not in the bottom 4 at Christmas, as this will only make it harder to attract quality players to the Club.

[Dilemma there, and one which a fair few have been pondering should the situation arise: SWP or Richards? What do others think? – Ed]

OPINION: LAST THREE

I have viewed the last three Sky games (Wigan, Middlesbrough and Newcastle) and have made 3 attempts at writing reports – the first was lost in the post and the other two had the electronic equivalent of being screwed up and thrown in the waste bin. The last one was entitled – “A goat, a goat, my kingdom for a goat”, but that line has effectively been pre-empted by Ernie. As a long-term City fan it is easy to be up and down like a yo-yo and see the team as plummeting through the floor or turning the corner alternately. Trying to form a level view is difficult but here goes.

Against Wigan we were poor but so were Wigan and they certainly didn’t deserve a 4-0 win. However, had we been playing a good team we might have fared worse than Birmingham against Liverpool last season. On the other hand, with a bit of luck we could have drawn – Heskey will not score from a similar position all season (brilliant, yes but reproduceable, I doubt it). Our most dependable player over the last 18 months will not suffer a similar disorientation this season (I hope); in other circumstances we may have been given a penalty and the last two goals probably wouldn’t have happened had we not gone into headless chicken mode to try to recover a lost cause. Yet again, playing Samaras in midfield was a hopefully not to be repeated positional disaster – poor Jordan, suffering a loss of form and no doubt confidence, gets lumbered with Samaras trying hard but clueless as to where he should be.

The Middlesbrough performance was certainly spirited but still without much of a cutting edge apart from Dunne remembering which goal he was supposed to be playing into. Had Maccarone played from the start or had he had the luck in the last couple of minutes that Heskey had previously had, then we could have been bemoaning another City loss.

Newcastle, a bit like Middlesbrough without the goal – lots of effort but no finish and so nearly lost in the last couple of minutes. Graham Poll didn’t help with an unreasonably disallowed goal and a marginal penalty claim turned down plus a few soft free kicks to Newcastle around the City penalty area to try to even up the game – but by his standards not a bad game! I was surprised to read some of the criticisms of Trabelsi who put in some delightful crosses that would have produced goals had we anyone with an instinct for goal poaching. Vassell too was made ineffective by a lack of a striker. Both Vassell and Dickov have useful attributes but neither are finishers and playing them together is destined to cause frustration. In my first report of the season I said I had a bad feeling about Corradi – he has improved slightly but I still think he may be the “nearly man” (a bit like “I was never played in position” Sibierski). I know all stikers have “dry” spells – think Crouch, Owen and Shevchenko – but generally there are others to score whilst they recover but we have no alternative source of goals Sinclair? Reyna? I think not (Barton maybe but probably not as many as Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard). Samaras probably represents our best hope in current regulars but it is difficult not to concur with the idea of giving an extended trial to Sturridge when fit. Kris Boyd of Rangers scores simple goals for fun and his replacement from the Kilmarnock Youth Programme – Steve Naismith – is also going well and has attracted Wenger’s interest.

So from these three games four points but it could easily have been none or seven with a bit less or a bit more luck – how do you make a reasoned assessment?

Some individual thoughts based on these three games:

Pearce: in my view a great guy and probably the nicest manager in Premiership – what every manager should be. But, will he reap the rewards or will the less scrupulous managers be allowed to triumph? Take his response to the Thatcher incident – quite rightly took action against his own player, which unfortunately left Thatcher more vulnerable to the FA – has any other Premiership manager done likewise? Similarly, his attitude towards releasing players for internationals. So if he succeeds that will be great for us and for football but he will have to be really good and avoid disasters like playing Samaras in midfield and Dickov and Vassell as our striking combination.

Weaver: good to see him back now as a good standard Premiership ‘keeper – not, I think, back to his promotion season class but maybe with time…
Richards: a gem – put a £25 million (at least) price tag on his head now.
Distin: good but not irreplaceable – try Steve Pressley of Hearts who may be looking for a move.
Dunne: thank you.
Thatcher, Jordan: OK but not my first choice.
Reyna, Sinclair: can perhaps afford to play one of them but not both together.
Barton: a fair Premiership midfielder, but probably will never be a Gerrard, Lampard, Fabregas or Viera.
Trabelsi: seems to have a good eye for an opening but wasted without someone to exploit those opportunities.
Beasley: so far not as good as Musampa.
Vassell: fast and can create chances but needs a “Cole” type partner – not a natural finisher.
Dickov: creates confusion and with a poacher about that can convert into goals, without a poacher…
Corradi: see above.
Samaras: maybe, just maybe, one for the future – clumsy (like Wanchope) but possibly can be effective.

Our best hope for avoiding relegation this season is that there are some similarly poorly equipped teams.

So until the next Sky game.

P.S. the above was written Saturday. Just as I said this Corradi is a natural goalscoring genius!

OPINION: SUPPORTERS’ TRUST LATEST

Further to the stories appearing in the press last week and coverage on Radio 5 Live and Radio Manchester, we would like to make it clear that we have not been behind these articles but having become aware late on Wednesday night that a wildly inaccurate story was breaking, felt it necessary to do what was required to correct the mistakes then put a lid on the press comment. I spoke to the Manchester Evening News and BBC Radio Manchester but have since declined to speak to numerous media organisations, including the Press Association, Channel M and Radio 5 Live (cue for editor’s comments about media luvvies).

Over the last three months we have undertaken a great amount of work that will lead to the open public meeting early next year and there is a lot more to do. During our planning and research stage we have spoken to supporters, shareholders, potential providers of finance/ donations, interested parties, various industry professionals and most importantly have the full support and regular input of Supporters Direct, the organisation that assists and supports the establishment and operation of Supporters’ Trusts. We are keen to ensure that we do as much planning and research as possible before we unveil our proposals at an open public meeting in late January 2007 or early February 2007.

We publish everything that we are doing on our blog but will not comment publicly about the people, organisations and companies we have been dealing with unless they are happy that we do so.

However, there is one thing that we would like to comment on. In his post-match interview on 5 Live Stuart Pearce was asked about the supporters’ trust. He replied to the effect that unless the people behind the trust were prepared to put in the sort of money that John Wardle had put in, which enabled him to buy players, then he didn’t see the point. Clearly he seemed to be under the impression that the Trust was a take-over group rather than what it actually is so we are not going to criticise his comment. However, it did get me thinking about what he said.

John Wardle and David Makin have put in nearly £20 million of their own money and no Manchester City fan could be anything other than grateful to them for that. They must have done this knowing that there was a chance that they would not get some or all of this money back, which makes it even more praiseworthy.

However, over the same time that they have done this (starting in the year to 31 May 2002), the supporters of Manchester City have put in nearly £50 million in gate receipts and possibly somewhere around £40 million in sales of merchandise, etc.

As I said, this is not a criticism of Stuart Pearce’s remarks or John Wardle’s generosity. But sometimes it is easy to forget just how much money the fans have put into this club as well.

OPINION: 2006 ANNUAL REPORT CORRECTION

Alistair Mackintosh has responded regarding the comments I made about his salary in the last article. He has asked me to point out that as far as the Everton chief executive is concerned, he was only in office for part of the year therefore his full remuneration will presumably be higher. He also mentioned that the highest paid director at Spurs was Daniel Levy, who earned over £500,000.

However, having checked this, he combines the rôles of Chairman and Chief Executive and takes a fee rather than salary. He is also a major shareholder, via ENIC. The highest paid director I referred to at Spurs was Matthew Collecott, the Finance Director. It is quite reasonable that a Chief Executive at a comparable club should be paid more than a Finance Director. In addition Peter Kenyon, David Gill, David Dein, Freddy Shepherd and others are on far more than our Chief Executive.

So let me re-iterate what I thought I was saying in the original article that, compared to other clubs, it would appear that our Chief Executive’s package is certainly not excessive.

OPINION: FINANCE ARTICLES

I would like to say how much I enjoyed reading Colin’s articles regarding City’s finances – it certainly helped me get an understanding of the situation at the club and it was obviously a lot of work by him to write them. Thanks Colin.

OPINION: CITY PODCAST

This may be old hat to everyone else but I have recently become a fan of the weekly podcast from City via ITunes. There’s a nice interview with Micah Richards about his England call up on the latest edition (15/11/2006). The podcast is free and accessed via the iTunes store website. When in ITunes Store click Podcasts, then Sports and Recreation. All sixteen recordings are available stretching back to last August.

The podcasts can be played by Windows Media Player as well as iTunes. You can listen to it on the computer or trasnsfer to an MP3 player if you have one.

REQUEST: STANDING BACK ON THE AGENDA

Mike Hancock MP has put down an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons calling for the introduction of safe standing areas in football grounds.

This is another opportunity to raise this important matter as we build a momentum behind this issue.

Please email or write to your MP now; you can find out who she/he is and how to contact her/him by going to: http://www.writetothem.com/ (emailing your MP takes only a few minutes using this link).

The Early Day Motion can be found at: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31670&SESSION=885

Get scribbling now! Please send any letters/emails you send, and any replies received to:

Phil Gatenby
FSF
Fans Stadium Kingsmeadow
Jack Goodchild Way<
BR> 422a Kingston Road Kingston
KT1 2PB

REQUEST: BOYS IN BLUE

Does anyone know the name of the artist that does the ‘new’ version of Boys in Blue played after the games at Eastlands? and is it still called Boys in Blue?

RESULTS

19 November 2006

Wigan Athletic        0 - 0  Aston Villa           18,455
Blackburn Rovers      1 - 1  Tottenham Hotspur     18,083

18 November 2006

Arsenal               1 - 1  Newcastle United      60,058
Chelsea               1 - 0  West Ham United       41,916
Everton               1 - 0  Bolton Wanderers      34,417
Manchester City       3 - 1  Fulham                35,776
Middlesbrough         0 - 0  Liverpool             31,424
Portsmouth            2 - 1  Watford               19,738
Reading               2 - 0  Charlton Athletic     24,093
Sheffield United      1 - 2  Manchester United     32,584

League table to 19 November 2006 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Manchester Utd  13  5  0  1 13  2  6  1  0 16  4 11  1  1  29   6  23  34
 2 Chelsea         13  6  1  0 14  3  4  0  2  9  4 10  1  2  23   7  16  31
 3 Portsmouth      13  5  1  1 12  4  2  1  3  7  7  7  2  4  19  11   8  23
 4 Arsenal         12  3  4  0 13  4  3  0  2  7  3  6  4  2  20   7  13  22
 5 Aston Villa     13  4  2  0 10  3  1  5  1  5  6  5  7  1  15   9   6  22
 6 Bolton Wndrs    13  3  1  2  5  5  3  2  2  7  7  6  3  4  12  12   0  21
 7 Everton         13  4  2  1 11  5  1  3  2  6  6  5  5  3  17  11   6  20
 8 Reading         13  4  1  2 10  9  2  0  4  5  9  6  1  6  15  18  -3  19
 9 Wigan Athletic  12  3  2  1 10  6  2  1  3  6  7  5  3  4  16  13   3  18
10 Liverpool       13  5  1  0 13  3  0  2  5  1 12  5  3  5  14  15  -1  18
11 Fulham          13  3  1  2  5  5  1  4  2  9 14  4  5  4  14  19  -5  17
12 Manchester City 13  4  3  0  7  1  0  1  5  3 14  4  4  5  10  15  -5  16
13 Tottenham H.    13  4  1  1  7  4  0  3  4  3 11  4  4  5  10  15  -5  16
14 Middlesbrough   13  4  1  2  6  7  0  2  4  4  9  4  3  6  10  16  -6  15
15 Blackburn R.    13  2  2  3  8  9  1  2  3  3  8  3  4  6  11  17  -6  13
16 West Ham United 13  3  1  2  7  6  0  1  6  2 10  3  2  8   9  16  -7  11
17 Newcastle Utd   13  1  2  3  5  7  1  2  4  3  8  2  4  7   8  15  -7  10
18 Sheff. United   13  1  3  3  7 10  1  1  4  1  8  2  4  7   8  18 -10  10
19 Watford         13  1  4  1  7  6  0  2  5  3 13  1  6  6  10  19  -9   9
20 Charlton Ath.   13  2  1  3  4  6  0  1  6  5 14  2  2  9   9  20 -11   8

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

The Fans’ Committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. The Fans’ Committee has been relaunched as “Points of Blue”. It has appeared on the club website as a minor entry under “Fans Zone”.

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

The Radio Manchester (née GMR) pre and post match phone-in is available on the web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/sport/manchester_city/index.shtml.

Live match commentaries and archives of games, reports and interviews can be found at http://mcfc.videoloungetv.com/do/preLogin?clubSiteCode=MCFC&CMP=AFC-003.

[8] Where can I find out if City are live on satellite TV?

http://www.satfootball.com/pl.html provides a listing of Premiership games being shown on UK domestic and foreign satellite channels. Useful sites for North American viewers are http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer, http://www.soccertv.com/, and http://www.livesoccertv.com/.

[9] Do we have a Usenet newsgroup?

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

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

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

[11] 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 Plus Markets Group web site http://www.plusmarketsgroup.com/ 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] I hear there is a TV programme specifically about City?

InsideMCFC is broadcasted by ChannelM. It is available on the SkyDigital (ch.203) and NTL (ch.26) platforms as well as being transmittedtraditionally within the Manchester area (ch.39). In addition, theprogramme is available to watch via the web. More details and schedule:http://www.channelm.co.uk/features/city.html

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: