Newsletter #200

Life goes on; there’s another chat with Bally in Singapore, some info on potential Georgian buys as well as, Official News, Euro 96 competition and plenty of opinion, and a Blue with a sense of humour and good business acumen.

The latest news on the Internet footie competition (EuroNet 96) is that we were not in the draw and can only play if someone else drops out. Furthermore, the orginal date given to us (I still have the mail) was 16th June. We didn’t have a team then so didn’t register. We were then approached at a later date as they thought teams would drop out and they wanted replacements. It seems however, that they brought the date forward one week, but didn’t tell us this! We were working on the assumption that it was the June 16th and it is definitely now taking place on June 9th i.e., this weekend! This means that it is highly unlikely that we will be able to enter a team. If you need more info then you’ll have to mail Rob Watson (rw@wg.icl.co.uk) directly tomorrow, or maybe he’ll mail everyone who expressed an interest.

NEWS – GEORGIA IN NORWAY

As a Norwegian fan of City, I was thrilled to hear the great news coming out of the Norwegian FA this week: On Sept. 1, Norway will play a friendly against Georgia in Oslo.

This of course will give all of us up here an amazing chance to see King Georgi Kinkladze live and up close. Plus perhaps Mikhail K. and that new signing Ball is talking about. Smack in the middle of the start of the new season. I only hope there won’t be any conflicts between City games and this one.

NEW GEORGIAN

It was interesting to read Ball’s comments that we’re going to sign a new Georgian. I have tried to find out who he might be. Here’s what I came up with through my contact;

It don’t think that the Georgian being commented is playing for Dynamo Tblisi. Dynamo has a very young team at the moment with players who aren’t ready to play in a major European league (at the CIS Champions Cup in January 1996 Dynamo’s team, the average age of the team was only 19 years!).

Probably this Georgian is one of the following Alanya Vladikavkaz players (all three are former Dynamo Tbilisi players…):

1. Bahva TEDEJEV (18.09.1969, 177cm/78kg, former clubs: Dynamo Tblisi,Spartak Vladikavkaz, Dynamo Moscow, 46 matches/9 goals in the USSR league,106 matches/30 goals in the Russian league, 6 matches/1 goal for the Russiannational team).I know the agents that brought all the Germans and Georgians to City verywell and they said to me some weeks ago that they are trying to bringTedejev to City (although he is Georgian, he has opted to play for theRussian national team. Like Tetradze who you will see in the Euro 96′).
2. Gocha DSHAMARAULI (23.07.1971, 180cm/73kg, former club: Dynamo Tblisi)He came to Alanya in February after failing a trial at Derby County (andSheffield United?). Before joining Alanya, he was the best player in theDynamo squad and is an excellent attacking midfielder. He’s a Georgiannational team key player.
3. Miradsholol KASYMOV (17.09.1970, 173cm/72kg, former clubs: PakhtakorTashkent, Dynamo Minsk, 30 matches/2 goals in the USSR league, 72 matches/17goals in the Russian league)He is one of the best Russian players at the moment. He scores often and isalways the player with the most assists. He has outstanding technicalskills, an excellent overview of the game as well as passing and dribblingskills. He’s a free-kick specialist and makes out of three free-kicksusually two goals…However, this player is from Uzbekistan, which will rule him out?

I would bet on Tedejev…

RUMOUR – SYMONS THE DJ?

I heard a rumour from a pretty reliable source this week from inside the club that Kit will be DJ-ing at South on South King Street this Sunday night.

OFFICIAL NEWS

There’s not much to offer at the moment, but here are the responses to your most recent questions.

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Are City going to enter the Anglo-Italian Cup? I hope not – it’ll be very expensive!

This hasn’t yet been decided but it’s a possibility. As for it being expensive, it depends on whether or not we win it!

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I was wondering if the club have any feedback on how Michael Brown has been doing for the U21s? Hopefully, if he does well he ought to get a bit of a run in the team.

Michael Brown has accounted for himself very well. He’s played against Belgium, Angola and Portugal but missed the Brazil game because he picked up two yellow cards. He is very likely to get a show in City’s first team as he is seen as a player with “frightening” ability; the phrase “future captain” was used to describe his approach.

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1. When does the next season start?
2. How many up and down between Div 1 and the Premiership?
3. Has AB achieved his ambition of European football with a place in the Anglo Italian trophy?

Although it hasn’t been confirmed, the 17th August is the likely start of the season; one week before the Premiership. As for the uppers and downers, there will be three. Two of these will be automatic and one through play offs.

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Please could you provide more details of the close season tour of China? I live in Hong Kong and will try to combine a business trip with watching the boys playing… and I may even write a match report or two for you. Also if anyone is planning to go to the games please e-mail me so we can co-ordinate.

The only extra details available are the kick off times. They are:

Saturday 27 July        Tienjin FC    (ROC)         3.00 pm
Tuesday 30 July         Dailian FC    (ROC)         7.00 pm
Friday 2 August         Sechuan FC    (ROC)         7.00 pm

The times for the other matches are:

Friday 19 July          Athlone FC    (Eire)        7.30 pm
Sunday 21 July          Cork City FC  (Eire)        3.00 pm
Thursday 8 August       Exeter        (at Exeter)   7.30 pm
Saturday 10 August      Plymouth      (at Plymouth) 3.00 pm

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So there you have it. Paul Power is now opening the School Fête at Park Lane School, Macclesfield at 1.00 pm on Saturday, so if you like bouncy castles and want to meet PP get yourself down there.

EURO ’96 COMPETITION

As I’m sure everyone knows the footy starts in earnest on Saturday. I’m looking forward to it even though any Blue interest is likely to be coming from the commentary box and not the pitch. So here are the competition entries. I’ve noted on my ISP’s local newsgroups that some u-net subscribers might have lost some email so if you’ve sent in an entry and it’s not on the list can you mail me again asap.

Late entries accepted ’til kick off.

Cheers and good luck (to me anyway ‘cos I picked England).

KINKY INTERVIEW

For those who haven’t seen it, there is a quite revealing Kinkladze article in FourFourTwo magazine this month including a frame-by-frame “diary of a wonder-goal” for City fans to savour.

First there is the South American link. Kinky played for Maradona’s team Boca Juniors for 4 months and, although the two have never met, Maradona is Kinky’s hero. Kinky often spends his afternoons after training in his house in the Manchester suburbs drinking Tango and watching videos of South American football and Maradona in particular. Kinky would like to see Maradona play for City (that would keep the Moss Side drug dealers in business!)

The interview itself seemed to be rather tense. The translator was Russian and the interviewer judged that there was a little ethnic bitterness in the air. At one stage the translator referred to Kinky’s club as “Manchester United”. Kinky corrected him with a growl.

We then learn that Kinky has an omnipresent Turkish friend called Fernando who the MEN has described as a “nightclub gadfly and self-styled Casanova.” Kinky is clearly a shy person who can easily be dominated. Fernando insists that Kinky is 21 rather than 22 and it is said that he has changed Kinky’s diet, barring Kinky from eating after 4pm 48 hours before a match. Fernando says that Kinky is over-fond of junk food.

Kinky seems happy that he now has his mother and Kavelashvili in the country. Kinky’s mother used to cry at the sound of her son’s voice when he phoned her in Georgia.

He says of AB “I like my manager very much” (he probably doesn’t understand a word AB says, thank goodness). Of City fans, he thinks we are “the most supportive fans in England.” Of the rest of the side, he says “I love every member of my football team.”

Language problems were evident at the start of the season when Symons, Immel, and Kinky stayed in the same Cheshire hotel before finding accommodation. The Welshman, German and Georgian had silent dinners together, smiling at each other every 3 mouthfuls. Could this part explain our disastrous early season results?

Kinky now goes to clubs with his team mates, plays tennis with Nicky Summerbee and likes to go out to Chinese restaurants.

BALL IN SINGAPORE – PART II

I went to the Padang again for the second coaching clinic conducted by Bally on Saturday (1st June) and this time I got a fellow City fan — in the form of Craig Fielding — to come along. We were there at 9am and, as expected, we were the only two City fans there.

Ball was working with school children between the age of 10 to 14 that morning. He appeared truly affected by the tropical heat and humidity here. He did not do much shouting or running. All the time Craig and I remained at the sidelines not wanting to irritate him with our “usual” questions of whether Uwe and Gio are leaving. To our pleasant surprise, Bally came over to us and said hi to me and asked who is the other supporter I brought along.

He shook Craig’s hand and started talking about the 95/96 season and that we should be fine in the Nationwide League. He also added that no-one will leave unless they want to and there could be another Georgian in midfield. There has been no firm offer for any player and again he told us not to believe the newspapers regarding unhappiness or transfer rumours apart from those coming from him or the chairman.

He came across as a friendly man and, from his tone and the words he said to us, we both felt that he is rather committed (even loyal) to the club. He is truly unhappy that the team was relegated. In fact, during an interview telecast on national TV, he mentioned that his feelings and pride were hurt when the team was relegated. He can’t wait for the season to re-start and hoped that the team will come back stronger from this whole unpleasant episode.

Finally, though I did not hear his commentary on one of the S-League matches (I went to another match featuring the SAFFC in sky-blue), my friends told me that his commentaries were pathetic and his voice… well need I say more. To be fair, he does not know any of the players and is unfamiliar with the standard of football in Singapore. I really hope he is better at managing a club than at giving commentaries 😉

TETLEY TEA?

Anybody else seen the new Tetley Tea advert on the TV with Sydney and the Gaffer, is it meant to be a parody on City?

The advert opens with Sydney dressed in a sky blue and white hat and scarf coming out of a footie ground looking decidedly glum along with numbers dressed similarly and feeling the same, whereas those dressed in red and white seem much happier. He walks into his house, throws the hat onto a hat-stand from where it promptly falls off. The gaffer takes pity, makes him a brew and gives Sydney the cup. Upon after taking a drink Sydney kisses the cup and holds it aloft and feels much better (pity it doesn’t work in real life!!). I can’t remember what the song is that is being played in the background but it does seem to sum up the actual advert (from sadness to happiness).

Anyone else seen the advert, is it just a coincidence or are the Tetley Tea family another set of famous Blues?

BALL GETS AN AWARD!

In this month’s Total Sport, as well as a cut out and keep photo souvenir of the darkest day (Uwe crying, Kit distraught and a great shot of the team in the tunnel at the moment that the news was broken to them) there is another award for Bally to add to his manager of the month for November which is the Mug of the Month award.

This is for… you’ve guessed it… telling the team that they were safe and to hold the play up. Now from my seat in the Main Stand this didn’t seem to last very long at all, the highlights definitely distorted the time they spent fannying around in the corner, but you have to say that it just sums up the season entirely and if people are looking to knock Ball and the club then they need look no further.

Incidentally, how many City linked players will be appearing in Euro ’96 this summer? I can only think of Colin Hendry, but then I am feeling a bit groggy. Isn’t Boddies Mild brilliant?

Er… no.

OPINION – DECENT CANDIDATES

IMHO Andy Jowett in MCIVTA 198 (ss this the Andy Jowett from Oxford 1980-1983?) forgets the same basic point that must explain FHL’s choosing and sticking with AB, namely: who else was available last August and who else is available now? Not one half decent replacment comes to mind. That being so, the ‘stability’ argument must tilt the balance in favour of retaining AB despite his having done just what Brian Horton got sacked for only nearly doing and despite this being done with a squad which included one very, very special player indeed.

Bally therefore won’t get any marching orders until another realistic and willing candidate is available. Hopefully Souness is not a person in this category.

OPINION – STADIUM SWITCH

I agree with Neil Adshead’s comments (MCIVTA 199) on City possibly moving to the new stadium. IMO there isn’t one bad aspect about the move. Yes there are lots of great memories from Maine Road and we will have them in our memories forever. But overall, apart from the 10-1, 5-1 and the promotion clinching games it’s been pretty poor for the past 20 plus years. No, a new stadium won’t help us win trophies, what it will do is give us a fresh start, something City fans and players can be proud of, win, lose or draw. We will leave the Rags behind facility-wise overnight. The stadium could hold concerts, trade shows, conferences, semi finals etc. with the club being the focal point. Like Neil pointed out, 2 or 3 seasons in Division One and we could develop into the next Wolves. Hopefully soon we can compete with the big boys on the field, when we’re ready to do that why not have the best stadium in the country to go with it for the best fans in the country.

Summer Hols:

With the summer holiday season soon to be upon us I’d just like to invite any Blues passing through the Jacksonville/St Augustine area to look me up (e-mail me) and maybe we can get together for a pint and a chat about Kingkladze and the boys. I miss a good natter with a fellow Blue. We’re about 2.5 hours northeast of Mouse World (Orlando). Wherever you go on your hols this summer wear the Blue shirt with pride!

Did anybody else notice our so called Italian sister club Torino were also relegated!

OPINION – STADIUM AND BALL

I just want to send my comments on two recent concerns, i.e. AB and the new stadium. As for AB my mind is not made up one way or the other, but look this season at Athletico Madrid who for years fired managers if results were dire. They finally ended up winning the double. I personally would not be opposed to a few years of Graham-type football if it brought some silverware. As for the stadium, has anybody been to matches in Italy or Germany at stadiums with a track? The atmosphere is truly dire unless sold out. I say stick to our roots at Maine Road, especially now that we’ve spent so much on the new Kippax.

BLUE HUMOUR

I know it’s really petty but it raises a laugh…

In the Daily Mail and the Sun on Weds June 6th there was a story about how United are annoyed because someone’s beaten them to their plan to launch Eric the Red Wine. Some fiend, or more exactly Brandon Pyatt, 45 of Warrington, has taken C*****A’s name and image and lobbed it onto a bottle of plonk.

The company’s called Cantona French Wine and is selling 1200 bottles a day at £9.99 each.

The punchline is that he’s a Blue!! 1200 bottles at £9.99 is as good as £60k a week or more than three mill a year. I wonder if Franny’s thought of Kinky Cola or Uwe IrnBru?

Also, in one of the tabloids on Sunday it said (I know it’s always just tosh but it passes the time) that if we manage to sign Wolves defender Mark Atkins we’ll let Curley go up to Sunderland. But is he any good? Is it a fair swap? Any info’d be nice.

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MCIVTA ADDRESSES:
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Thanks to …Nizam, Morten, Johnathan, Martin, Mark, Tor-Kristian, Paul, Nick, Stephen, Jim, Steve & David.

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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.

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