Newsletter #516

Some news to report at last! Yesterday someone wrote in (sorry but I forgot just who) to say that Mark Kennedy – the highly rated Wimbledon winger – would sign for City within the next few days. I passed the note onto Peter who incorporated it into his news summary, which, due to travel commitments was written this morning. However, since then events have overtaken the summary and Kennedy has actually signed. Like most people, I was beginning to cast nervous glances down the fixture list and draw some uncomfortable conclusions re the quality of many of the teams, and our apparent inability to strengthen our known areas of weakness. Needless to say, I’m very pleased to see us bide our time and get a player who is still very young, very talented and with a lot to prove. Would anyone who has seen him play care to do us an assessment?

Another piece of news that has come my way, though I can’t for the life of me get it confirmed, is that Colin Bell has been appointed as the new coach of German 3rd Division side Dynamo Dresden! This issue also has several articles/opinions on great matches and great goals, news of McVittee FC’s title decider, as well as a neat Why Blue.

Recently, I was asked whether I knew any stories of Blues who had, either actively or accidentally, had old acquaintances renewed through people spotting their names in MCIVTA. If you have such a story to tell, please send it on in.

NEWS SUMMARY

On Wednesday evening, I was wondering if I’d have anything at all to include in this summary. The only news to speak of was the departure on a free transfer of a player who’d played four first-team games in the previous two seasons and none at all last term. However, Thursday morning brought news that the close season’s first signing may be imminent.

For personal reasons, I’m completing this at around 10 a.m. on Thursday, so will miss news breaking in the course of the day. If there’s anything important which doesn’t appear in this edition from another source, I’ll include it next time.

Kennedy Fee Agreed

Thursday morning’s newspapers and local radio bulletins carried reports that the Blues have agreed a £1.5 million fee with Wimbledon for Republic of Ireland international Mark Kennedy. The player is now expected at Maine Road for talks. Personal terms have proved a barrier with one or two City transfer moves recently, though it’s as yet unclear whether Kennedy’s demands will cause the Blues a difficulty. Presumably not if we can believe the weekend report which claimed City are prepared to offer him a three-year deal on a weekly salary £8,500. Kennedy was once British football’s most expensive teenager, having joined Liverpool from Wimbledon for £2 million in 1995. However, in common with many other costly Anfield buys in recent years, he ended up playing mostly reserve team football and in 1997-98, was loaned out for a successful spell at QPR. When Rangers couldn’t afford the fee to make the move permanent, the player joined Wimbledon in March 1998 for £1.75 million. However, he was unable to dislodge the former City favourite Michael Hughes from the Dons’ starting line-up. Joe Royle was said to be interested in bringing Kennedy to Maine Road during the course of last season, but at the time, even if the player had been prepared to drop two divisions, his club wasn’t willing to discuss either a temporary or a permanent deal. Now, Wimbledon chairman Sam Hammam says his club is keen to raise funds, which has given Joe Royle the chance to end his eight-month search for a quality left winger.

HEANEY MOVES TO QUAKERS

Neil Heaney has finally ended his unhappy spell at Maine Road. The ex-Arsenal and Southampton man, signed for £500,000 by temporary manager Phil Neal in November 1996, has returned to his native north east, joining Darlington. The Quakers have secured the financial backing of a local multi-millionaire and are rated as favourites for promotion from Division Three next season. To fulfil this ambition, they’re intent on bringing in several players with a pedigree in the higher leagues. Heaney was unlucky at Maine Road to the extent that the man who brought him to the club departed a matter of weeks later. However, in all honesty we have to welcome the departure of any player earning first-team wages and who hasn’t been selected for a meaningful game in fifteen months. On his departure, Heaney reflected that his move to City “didn’t work out,” revealing him to be something of a master of understatement.

PRE-SEASON TV DATE

City’s pre-season friendly at Everton on July 28, a testimonial match for Goodison midfielder John Ebbrell, will be screened live by cable channel L!ve TV. Meanwhile, anyone who wants to follow the build-up of the City juniors may be interested to know that a City XI will play at Rossendale on the evening of Friday 16 July, the day before the seniors begin their warm-up programme at Bury.

LOCAL MEDIA CHANGE

Manchester-based fans who follow the club’s fortunes in the Manchester Evening News and on local radio statio GMR will notice a personnel change in the new season. The MEN’s City correspondent Richard Burgess is joining GMR, where he’ll be a general sports reporter. The paper is replacing him as their City reporter with another Blue in Chris Bailey.

NEWS – BELL ON HIS WAY?

Just heard from a friend in Dresden that Colin Bell has been appointed the new head coach of Dynamo Dresden. According to my friend, Dresden is now a 3rd Division team, trying to get into a newly forming professional 3rd Division. This presumably means that the team is currently only semi-professional, and has therefore sunk even lower than City over the last few years. Colin should feel right at home.

MCVITTEE FC LOSE LEAGUE DECIDER TO QPR

ASB and McVittee FC, football teams representing the fans of QPR and Manchester City respectively, played their last match of the season with the outcome deciding who would be the PSINet league champions for 1998/99.

The first 20 minutes proved crucial as ASB’s experience over the last few seasons saw them take a quick 2-0 lead. McVittee fought back, and with an ASB player sent off with 10 minutes to go with the scores 2-1 looked like a repeat of Wembley was on the cards. Not to be as the game finished 3-2 and ASB were crowned PSINet league champions once again.

Thanks to all the players that have turned out and played for McVittee this season – especially those that have travelled to London and further afield to places like Bournemouth.

For many it was our first season together and to come runners up in the league, and to go out in our last 2 tournaments in the semi-finals on penalties (emulating England!) we should all be proud of what we’ve achieved. Many managers of the other football teams have written to me and told us the same.

For our team, the biggest tournament this year is WorldNet which is to be played in Leicester on the weekend of 17/18th July – 40 football teams of 22 players in each squad will descend on Leicester. The first day is 8 groups of 5 teams playing each other and the top 2 going through to the next day for the knockout stages. Better make sure we practice those penalties!

ESSEX-BASED BLUES

An informal meeting of potential Essex Based Blues is planned for Friday 23rd July 1999 (from 18:30 onwards) in The Duke of Wellington Public House, Hatfield Peveral (on the A12) to see if enough interest can be created to form an official branch of the City Supporters’ Club. Anyone interested is welcome to come along.

Contact on the night will be with Ian Whittaker.

CLAYTON STADIUM!

The new Clayton Stadium (it is not, repeat not Eastlands).

Work has started on the stadium. The site has been fenced off in lurid yellow wooden fencing, and some of the local lads have been signed up as labourers. By the way, before United moved to Stretford they used to live less than half a mile from where our new home is being constructed (for any Rags reading this it was when they were called Newton Heath Loco).

AT LAST!

At last I can sleep peacefully knowing that my favourite goal was scored by Jim Melrose against Notts County – all I need to know now (for total peace of mind) is who scored at the end of Mike Doyle’s jinking run in the 3-1 home victory over Liverpool in Oct 77 – Was it Kidd, Royle or Channon?

As to all who mentioned other great City goals (Steve McKenzie’s vs. Spurs in the ’81 cup final, Paul Power’s vs. Ipswich in the ’81 cup semi-final and Hinchcliffe’s against Man Ure in the ’89 5-1) – yeah they were all great goals – just not at the top of my list – although Paul Power’s does get in as the best direct free kick…

MEMORY LANE

It seems it’s the time of the year for memories. Billy Spurdle (aaah), so unlucky not to make Wembley 56 but so good to have Nobby Clarke as cover.

No 1 best goal is by Alex Harley (42 goals in one season). 1957 (I think). City 2 up… United coming back to 2-2 (this was at Old Trafford before they called it the ‘Theatre of (we’re after your money and if you think we won’t get it, we’ll see you in your) Dreams’). Then Bert does a mighty throw straight into Harley’s stride and bang top corner and 3-2. This against the mighty Busby Babes (our 3rd win of the season by the way against them).

2nd best. Alan Oakes (he didn’t get many) Semi-final Cup-winners Cup 1970 Schalke 04. Took it on his chest half-way line, took a few steps and unleashed a screamer.

3rd. Colin Bell (he scored a few) Sheffield United away 1968 (when Yorkshire used to play cricket at Bramhall Lane and the ground only had 3 sides for the spectators). Great tackle in defence, pass to Glyn Pardoe and then to Mike Doyle, and who’s running on to the pass… Yes, yes, yes the King.

Now 3 (for me) great matches:

1961 Spurs vs. City (this was to be the season I saw every City home and away match for the first time (I was 16). This was a great Spurs side (and I mean great, they did the double… anyway). They won their opening 11 matches on the trot and City were surely a formality. Enter Bert Trautmann the greatest goalkeeper ever. Suffice to say it ended 1-1, but if they had cameras then like they have now (à la BskyB) his display would be marketed as a coaching manual for would be’s like Schmeichel.

Christmas 1965 City vs. Huddersfield Maine Road. Huddersfield were top of the (old) 2nd Division and City were second. This was the start of our glory years. The score-line was close (2-1 I think… I’m doing this from memory), but the match was so so important. About 150,000 (officially about 55k) were in the ground and it was very similar to the Gillingham match emotion wise. After this match we never looked back (until one Peter Swales took over).

1968 Man Utd 1 Man City 3 (This was the match that inspired the ‘Sha la la la Summerbee’ song). This was when we caught United. Outplayed them and for the first time, saw how much they wanted to cripple Bell (they did it eventually). Oh what a night, was it good to be wearing Blue in the Fourways in Urmston was it? Yes it was. My mate Jack Barton who is a great guy except he’s a Red, said he had never, ever seen United outplayed like that. And that was just the start… anyway I’ll finish now ’cause even nostalgia, isn’t what it used to be.

NEVER SAY “NEVER AGAIN”

I have never, ever understood anyone who says that they are not going to City again.

This is City that we’re talking about, something sacred, something so special, so crazy, funny yet twisted, that even the bloke who tore up his season ticket on the pitch ended up with his renewal form back in the post, courtesy of a sick and twisted (obviously Blue) mind.

Over the past couple of years in the fanzines and on MCIVTA, there have been a few Blues who have come to the end of their tether and just said “enough’s enough, we’ve had enough of being s@@t on” and jacked it all in. A few dirty Red mates said to me the only way to get any change is to stop going, but even in the darkest days that never seemed to be an option.

This is religion and obsession rolled into one. You can’t change the colour of your blood and we’ve all got Blue Blood.

At Wembley though, thoughts of never going again were right at the top of the agenda with five minutes to go! I left my seat at 1-0, because just like at 0-0 Villa away in our relegation (from the Premiership) season I couldn’t hack the tension, I just couldn’t watch any more. I couldn’t leave the ground, that would have been f@@kin stupid (sorry to all that did). I went and stood by the (alledged) food bar while my mates carried on watching the torture.

The second cheer went up, and an Officer Dibble came out and told me it was 2-0. “We’ll be bloody busy tonight” he said!

For me that was the end of twenty years of hurt (England fans don’t really know what hurt is). They’ve let me down once too often. Initial obsession during the Allison years as a kid (what did I know?), through to hope during the Machin years, Wimbledon style Reid and Ellis (hasn’t Reid learnt that grass exists these days), and the Exorcist style nightmare of the Horton and Ball years. It was all over.

Once too often… first they pick the year I go to live in Oz to get to Wembley, and then when I’ve fixed it with work, my very understanding wife and the bank manager… it comes down to this!

I watched a few Blues leaving, crying, fire in a few eyes, and a couple of lads singing “City… It’s Just Like Watching City”, and staggered back to my seat. My season ticket paid for for next season (for me to attend not one match due to distance) suddenly became a symbol of all that’s wrong in my life. 12,000 miles for this load of pants.

Horlock scored… that made it worse… why did we have to wait until now? Dickov! No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes It’s In! There’s no way we’re going to lose now! “Look at his face, just look at his face”

The Rest is History! Me? Leaving City? Not A Chance! Twenty Years More Misery for Half an Hour of Ecstacy! Worth Every Minute!

Never Say “Never Again”

PREDICTIONS FOR SEASON 1999/2000

Any Blues interested in taking part in a predictions competition? Send me an e-mail nominating your prediction for the following:

Premiership Winners, 2nd & 3rd.
(Score 5 points for correct position or 2 pts in any order).
Premiership 18th, 19th & 20th.
(Score 5 points for correct position or 2 pts in any order).
Premiership Top scorer LEAGUE GOALS only.
(Score 10 pts for correct selection).
Division 1 Winners, 2nd & Play Off winners.
(Score 5 points for correct position or 2 pts in any order).
Division 1 22nd, 23rd & 24th.
(Score 5 points for correct position or 2 pts in any order).
Division 2 Winners, 2nd & Play Off winners.
(Score 5 points for correct position or 2 pts in any order).
Division 2 21st, 22nd, 23rd & 24th.
(Score 5 points for correct position or 2 pts in any order).
Division 3 Winners, 2nd, 3rd & Play Off winners.
(Score 5 points for correct position or 2 pts in any order).
Division 3 24th Place.
(Score 5 Points for correct selection).
Worthington Cup Winners & Runners up.
(Score 5 points for correct position or 2 pts in any order).
F. A. Cup Winners & Runners up.
(Score 5 points for correct position or 2 pts in any order).

Entries are for “fun only” and should be back to me before end July.

TEAM OF THE 90s?

There has been a lot of lists in MCIVTA recently, so thought I’d add one of my own. Even though I think it’s probably an understatment to say that the 90s have been somewhat disappointing for us City fans, there have been some decent players at Maine Road during this time. So I thought I’d attempt to piece together a team of the 90s, and see what happens.

                 1
               Coton
  2        5       6        3
Edghill  Curle  Hendry  Pointon
  4       10        8        7
Lomas  Kinkladze  Flitcroft  Horlock
          9        11
         Quinn  Rösler

And on the bench;
12 Walsh
13 Weaver
14 Morrison
15 Beagrie
16 Brightwell

They’re not world beaters admittedly, but I don’t think they would have got us relegated twice in three seasons!

Anyway, in explanation.

T.C. in nets obviously.

Edghill at right back ’cause I couldn’t think of anyone else.

Curle and Hendry in the centre of defence would have been pretty strong with Curle’s pace and Hendry’s height and power.

Pointon at left back ’cause he was the last decent one we had.

Flitcroft and Kinky in the middle with Lomas, who I thought was very underrated on the right and Horlock on the left. I think Horlock is also very underrated (how many players would have skyed that goal at Wembley?).

Rösler and Quinn up front. I thought about this for a bit ’cause they never really seemed to gel that well as a partnership. But they were definitely the best two strikers we’ve had over the past decade.

A team a little short on creativity perhaps but there is always Beagrie on the bench to liven things up. And before you say anything about Brightwell, he is there because he can play anywhere and he played for City just about all the way through the 90s. Anyway I thought he was a reasonable player.

Players who just miss out: Cooke, Gaudino, Phelan, White, and loads of others.

Maybe someone should do a nightmare team of the 90s, that could be interesting!

OPINION – FAVOURITE GOALS (FROM THE LAST THREE YEARS)

While everyone else gangs on about all the truly great City goals, most of the goals that stand out in my memory will never be included amongst them. This mainly comes down to the fact that I’ve not been going to Maine Road regularly for as long as many of you (although I’m a hopeless addict now, having just bought my first season ticket) and I think it’s fair to say that, with the quality of football we’ve seen since relegation, I’ve not seen many that would qualify as good, let alone great. Most of the goals that I’ll remember in years to come will be the ones I remember for their significance, either personally or for City, or for the emotional reaction that they caused. In fact three of the five that particularly stand out were scored by some of the most maligned players of recent years. so here’s my top five for the last three years…

5. Tony Vaughan, vs. Bradford, November 97 or thereabouts. Odd choice I know, but it was the first goal City had scored in about a month. We’d sat through about 97 minutes of utterly dire football, the only other incident in the game that I can remember is Margetson’s double save a minute or so before that kept the game at 0-0. Brown took the free kick near the corner flag, Vaughan rose above everyone else to send a looping header into the back of the net. That’s how I remember it anyway, but the important part is that it was the first goal we’d celebrated in ages and it was celebrated in the North Stand as if we’d won the cup.

4. Shaun Goater, vs. Wigan, play-off semi-final. Another odd choice, but it’s one we’ll all remember because of the atmosphere more than anything else. Crap goal, either went in off his chest or his arm but who cares, what matters is it went in and we went to Wembley. And the rest is history.

3. Kinkladze vs. West Ham. Here’s the exception – a goal that might actually be classed among the greats, if only it was as good as his goal against Southampton. Even my mum appreciated the quality of this one. And it was Match of the Day’s goal of the month.

2. Brannan (yes him), Forest away, September 97. Purely personal reasons for this one, and a real comedy goal. One of my housemates at the time, plus my boss, were Forest fans. They’d won all their games so far, we hadn’t won one yet. They were gloating two weeks in advance. My housemate was in the Trent End, the boss was there somewhere, and I was amongst the Blues, anticipating a humiliating defeat and the stick I’d get for the next month. So I was pretty happy when, courtesy of Ged Brannan, who I’d never seen play so well before and never saw play so well again, we were 1-0 up. And as far as I was concerned he couldn’t have picked a better time for the funniest comedy goal I’ve ever seen (usually we concede them, which isn’t funny at all). Brannan and the Forest ‘keeper had collided outside the area, with the ball just by the ‘keeper’s right arm, but of course he couldn’t touch it. Brannan got up first and hoofed it. His foot didn’t make contact, I think it was his shin, and it must have gone 40 feet in the air, before coming down and into the net. And my housemate’s never been allowed to forget it.

1. Dickov at Wembley, of course. Not the best ever scored for City, nor the best Dickov’s ever scored, but easier chances had been missed in the preceding 95 minutes. Of course Horlock’s is just as significant, they both played their part in getting us back to 2-2, but we just thought it was the consolation at the time. When was the last time a goal was celebrated like that one? I think I did permanent damage to my larynx. Long after the goal itself is forgotten, it will be remembered for its significance and for purely emotional reasons. I’d gone from utter dejection, to vague hope with Horlock’s goal, to the disappointment of lost hope when I realised how little time to left, to absolute ecstasy in the space of about 6 minutes. If City’s future lies where we all hope it does, then this goal will be seen as the turning point.

So there you have it, my collection of favourite goals. You’ll probably all think I’m off my head choosing goals by Vaughan, Brannan and Goater, but if we do return to the Premiership, and if we do see the quality of football that City were playing 25 odd years ago, I’ll happily replace them in my top 5 with goals of far superior quality. But it’ll take quite a goal to displace Dickov from number one.

OPINION – MORE TOP GOALS AND COMMENTATORS

My nomination for best goal would have to be Rodney Marsh’s overhead kick against QPR in the mid-seventies. As my less than perfect memory recalls it, it came late in a very exciting game, which due to big Joe Corrigan, Phil Parkes and the woodwork, was still somehow goalless, at the North Stand end. The ball was crossed waist height like a bullet from Mike Summerbee(?). Marsh 12 yards out, level with one post and back to goal seemed to stop the ball dead by flicking it up on the volley with his left foot. He then flicked it with his left knee onto his right knee. Teed it up with his right knee and then hit an overhead kick with his right foot into the top corner. Final score 1-0. I bought nearly every Sunday paper the next day and cut-out all the match reports and headlines to put in a scrap book. Sadly the scrap book disappeared many years ago, but I can still recall back page headlines like “MARSH MAGIC” and “10 OUT OF 10”. The saddest thing was there were no TV cameras there as this was obviously pre-Sky.

To Stephen Welch on your 13 things:

Actually the commentator for City 5 Charlton 1 was Barry Davies, not Motson (I still have it on video). The reason I remember it is for Barry Davies’ classic comment as the teams come out to 48,000 screaming fans. “And so the aspirations of a season come down to the perspirations of the last 90 minutes”. Wonder how long he’d been waiting to use that one.

Malcolm MacDonald wasn’t actually speechless at the end of the City 10 Huddersfield 1 game (I still have this one as well). Although I bet he wished he had been, when he came out with the priceless comment. “I thought 3 or 4 of City’s goals looked suspiciously offside”. O.K so it was only 6 or 7-1. A**hole (incidentally I think it was his first game in charge).

Bit of anorak news. I’ve checked the average home attendances for last season and we were the 12th best supported team in the whole country. Which means we were better supported than almost half the Premiership.

Lastly, I am led to believe that Live TV are carrying the City friendly against Everton at Goodison Park. Can anyone confirm?

OPINION – GREATEST GOALS

I don’t think that this list cannot be looked at without some reference to the importance of the goal to the match, the season or history. That is, you can compile two lists; one of great goals and the other of goals that make you shiver.

In the shiver catergory;

Very often, when these kind of lists are made, the value of events that have taken place very recently are massively overvalued (people vote The Spice Girls better than The Beatles and that kind of thing). But, I rate Paul Dickov’s Goal (it should, from now, always have a capital letter) the best ever in this category. Better than Alan Sunderland for Arsenal in the 3-2 FA Cup Final (c.1978) even though we jumped up from our chairs with such energy when this goal went in that we nearly penetrated the roof of our house. I clearly remember manically running around my house, with my brother, for several minutes afterwards. What a great goal that was. What utter joy. But I digress…

Dickov’s Goal was the most important goal ever. No-one can dispute it and as such must be the greatest goal in this category.

In the other category, can anyone remember a game at Maine Road, I think against Newcastle United on a Wednesday night in 1973/4? The final score was 2-0 to City, of course, and Rodney Marsh scored both goals. One of them, scored into the Platt Lane was his greatest ever. He was standing on the corner of the penalty area with his back to the goal and facing the Main Stand. The ball came to him hard and low, in front of him and across him. Somehow he stopped the ball in mid-flight and, in the same move, with the same touch, scored, carressing the ball into the far corner of the net. The greatest strike of all time.

Younger readers cannot know, but Rodney was at least as skilful as Kinkladze (more skilful I would say) but with humour, cheek and flamboyance. Better than that actually, he was a God and I worshipped him.

Anyway, it’s the cricket season. What’s everyone doing talking football?

OPINION – GOLDEN GOALS

A lot of the classics were mentioned in the last issue – the Cup Final winner by the King of all Geordies and the best goal of the ’81 Cup Final to name two – and it got me thinking so much so that after being in work for 6 hours today, I’ve come up with over 25 classics. Nobody in my office can understand English so it’s been a great way to spend a day of work – thanks! Anyway, I narrowed it down to 3:

3. Paul Power 1981 FA Cup 6th Round vs. Everton (A)
The eruption behind that goal when the ball floated in put even the old Kop to shame – scenes of celebration that had to be seen to be believed – a great goal by one of City’s most deserving and loyal players. Who would have thought that one year later he would become the no. 1 target of the boo-boys and eventually forced out of the club after a disastrous relegation campaign.

2. David Cross? (Full Members Cup year) vs. Trafford (A)
The second goal in the 2-2 draw over there was memorable for me, not for the goal or scorer (who I can’t remember) but because of the sheer joy of bounding down the steps of Utd’s C Stand with my mate, draped in our Full Members’ flag – we were going to Wembley, we had watched United once again fall apart when it really mattered – waving at the Stretford End and watching a couple of (very) bitter Reds get ejected for trying to climb over the fence separating us so that they could have ‘a little chat’… and being able to sing that song to them at the end of the game – “you’re gonna win the league” – in a ‘special’ kind of way – those there will now what I mean! That was the time we had a crap side but still had our ‘ace up the sleeve’ in footy arguments in the pub by asking ‘who was the last team in Manchester to win the League’?

1. Mike Doyle 1976/7 vs. Liverpool (H)
This goal capped off a City performance that for me, may never be equalled. The memory is a bit hazy now but I think it was the final goal in a 3-1 victory – destroying the Champions of Europe in front of 52,000 after David Fairclough had come on and brought them back into the match in a year when we all believed we’d win the league (until Everton stole a point from us at the end of the season). The goal was great – classic sweeper counter attack – but it’s no. 1 in my list primarily because of what it represented – a successful City team playing to full houses; flair, passion, pride – they had the lot and Doyle epitomized it all.

P.S. What about Ian Brightwell’s screamer away at Trafford (1990?)?

OPINION – CURRENT PLAYERS

Weaver – easily, great season ahead, international recognition beckons. Good enough for premiership now, bit too cocky though.
Wright – will be good understudy, hope he stays.
Crooks – might struggle to get in side.
Vaughan – will be ok if asked to play centre back, but left back at this level might be a sight for sore eyes.
Edghill – expect a great season from Edgy if played at right back. Honestly believe the lad has Premiership potential.
Wiekens – pace will be his undoing but should be ok.
Morrison – Not totally sure, perhaps this is just about his level.
Peepo – Easily cope with this level. Like to see him alongside Ged. Premiership quality.
Fenton – Because of the amount of centre halves may not get many games. Expect Joe to get rid of 1 to give this lad his proper run.
Tiatto – probably out of his depth.
Brown – should be ok but I have a feeling Joe will have him on the sidelines to start with and I reckon Browny will be fecking furious.
Pollock – just about ok in Division 1.
Horlock – easily cope with this lot and expect a good season from Super Kev.
Bishop – easily. Probably one of the best passers of a ball in this division.
Cooke – p!ss it no problems. Premiership quality.
Jim Whitley – probably be gone anyway.
Jeff Whitley – interesting. I thought he had a great game at Wembley and next season will be his biggest yet.
Mason – Can’t see him getting in much. Not expecting great things from him.
Allsopp – should be ok.
Dickov – no problems. Approach play should frighten most at this level.
Goater – Can’t see him getting any better, can you?
Taylor – Ditto.
Russell – This level is easily within him why not give him a run Joe?

Also hope the 2 exciting prospects of Wright-Philips and Mike get in. So with what we’ve got at the moment I’d start like this:

          Weaver
Crooks Peepo Wiekens Edghill
Cooke  Brown Bishop  Horlock
      Dickov Russell
Subs Morrison, Jeff, Allsopp

OPINION – CITY’S FUTURE

The great joy of 30th of May is still in my eyes. I’m Italian and I support City since 10 years when I saw on Italian TV, City destroy United 5-1. I couldn’t see the match of Wembley because I had to go to the beach with my friends (it was an hot day at Rome where I live) but I wore all the day the away shirt of City I bought the day before. I think that shirt is lucky because as you know we played with the away shirt… I came back at home knowing nothing about the match and when I read on the web the result I started to sing “Stand up if you love City!” I felt happy as my Italian team (Roma) had won the Italian title. A great friend Thomas Lee, send me the official VHS of the season so I could see better our players. I saw the VHS 3 times but in particular the final part of this with the match with Gillingham. I have to say we were very lucky in that match (some saints were looking at City on that day) but I think City deserved that lucky… we were relegated 2 times in the last match of the season by Premiership and 1st Division and I don’t think we have been so lucky in the past. The video showed me a very good player as Terry Cooke. I read many match reports that celebrated him but I prefer to judge a player seeing him play. And I think he can be our key to continue our good moment. He has a good running, good pass, he has a good dribbling (only Dickov is able to elude the opponents), and his crosses are magnificient (fantastic was a cross Goater headed in goal, I don’t remember the match but I believe is one of the last matches).

I think we have some problems in defense (incredible the goal we conceded at Wigan in the semi-final), Weaver has to learn better to come out of the goal when there is a corner. He made some mistakes against Darlington in FA Cup and in a League match. He made however many good saves and however if you obtain 22 clean sheets you are a good goalkeeper. I don’t know what you think about Goater. I read he could be sold to Bristol City or some other club. He scored so much this season I think it’s right to give him a possibility in 1st Division. We need 2 or 3 new players, a good right full back (I don’t like Crooks, he has the responsibility of 1st goal of Gillingham), a good central defender and a central midfielder. Perhaps a new striker but I don’t know if City is able to buy a very good striker. Sorry for my bad english.

REQUEST – MANCHESTER THE GREATEST CITY

I am writing from Miami, Florida where I seem to be the only person around who is aware of the Blues. I would like to find out how to get my hands on the book, Manchester – the Greatest City by Gary James. I am a Canadian living in the States who works in Major League Baseball for the Florida Marlins, and I love the Blues. My father was born in Manchester and I had the pleasure of visiting your great city as a youth. I do very much look forward to getting back soon…

REQUEST – SHEFFIELD BLUES

Are there any Blues out there who live in Sheffield and who would like to meet up either to travel to games or watch them in a pub when they’re on Sky? None of my friends in Sheffield is Blue, and it just ain’t the same making the trip on your own! Also when I rang Maine Road about the Supporters’ Club they told me my nearest branch was at Selby in North Yorkshire (surely not!) and they then gave me a duff phone number for it. What customer service! Anyway, any Blues in Sheffield/Chesterfield area, get in touch!

WHY BLUE? – BLUE AGAIN THANK GOD!

I have a confession to make, I have not always been Blue.

I have not supported anybody else though!

I was born in Old Trafford in 1963. My (Irish) dad was a Blue when he married my English mother (a Rag who used to date one of the Scum players, Taylor I think?!) but he soon converted her. My older brother Carl, older sister Karen, my twin brother Andrew and myself were all subsequently born into the fold as was my younger brother Tony (he eventually turned and switched his support to Liverpool when they were doing well).

We moved to Ireland in the early 70’s and I subsequently lost the plot, I don’t know how it happened, it just did, I completely went off football of any kind. I think I discovered girls or maybe it was because we joined a local football team and I never got a game due to the fact that I was as useful as a glass hammer.

After a long absence I discovered the beautiful game again when I moved to London in 1990 in nice but strange circumstances at Highbury of all places.

A friend of my wife was on holiday in Menorca when she met a guy running a bar called Ronnie Macrae (who claims he used to play for Leyton Orient). He had apparently worked for Ladbrokes, orchestrating the construction of their betting shops in football grounds, and was very pally with the then Commercial Director at West Ham. To cut a long story short, they fell in love and he followed her to England to try to persuade her to return to Menorca with him. During his flying visit he called his mate at West Ham to find that he was then at Watford. We were invited to spend an afternoon in the commercial director’s box at Watford which we duly did, and saw Watford beat Birmingham 5-1 with Paul Furlong (then at Watford) scoring a hat trick. A great day was had by all so we arranged to go and see Arsenal take on QPR at Highbury (Ronnie was an Arsenal fan). I was amazed at the atmosphere at that particular game and recognized some of the players, Wright, Adams, Dixon for the Gunners and Ray Wilkins, Les Ferdinand and Darren Peacock for QPR.

I noticed that City were to play QPR at their ground the following week. (I think this was Micheal Brown’s début and he got sent off). I obviously was bitten again and am happily totally restored to City worshipping again. I was at Wembley thanks to my good friend Alex Bracey (a.k.a. MLI on Blueview) and have made many friends in recent times, thanks to MCIVTA and Blueview and will live happily ever after.

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

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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

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