Newsletter #695

With two internationals in a few days (at least for England), there’s very little football news I’m afraid. This issue has Peter’s news; the City Diary; some opinion; and after a very long wait, a good Why Blue (more wanted please).

Next game: Aston Villa at home, Saturday 31st March 2001

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NEWS SUMMARY

Part I – Transfer News and Rumours

Topplöller Impresses City Boss: Dino Toppmöller is bidding to earn a permanent contract with Manchester City. And the 20-year-old has already succeeded in making a favourable impression on Joe Royle. Toppmöller has been at Maine Road for three weeks since arriving from German Second Division side Saarbrücken and has played in three reserve games so far. The midfielder will stay until the end of the season, at which point the Blues have first option to clinch a permanent deal. And judging by Royle’s comments, the player could well be part of City’s squad next term. “We like what we have seen so far,” the City boss told the club’s official website at http://www.mcfc.co.uk/. “He is a talent who is very comfortable on the ball and is settling in nicely, though he still has a little bit of learning to do on how the game is played here, particularly the defensive side.”

Morrison Wants to Secure Blades Future: Andy Morrison made a loan move away from Manchester City last week. But the former Blues’ skipper is resigned to leaving the club permanently in the summer – and would like to join his temporary employer Sheffield United. The Blades were keen to land Morrison as cover after seeing their bid to secure a First Division play-off place hit by injury problems. But it’s thought that an impressive loan spell could help the big defender land a £150,000 switch to Bramall Lane at the end of the season, a prospect the ex-Huddersfield man would view as a “fantastic opportunity”. If the South Yorkshire outfit don’t pursue their interest in the player, it’s rumoured that several other clubs will be keen to sign him, with Watford and Stoke being mentioned as possible interested parties.

Taylor Scores to Boost Permanent Move Hopes: Gareth Taylor is in the second month of his loan spell with Burnley and is hoping to sign for the Clarets when Manchester City release him in the summer. And the striker is continuing to impress at Turf Moor. Taylor’s Maine Road contract expires at the end of the season, and he’s keen to move to the Lancashire club on a permanent basis at that point. And he’ll have done his prospects no harm by scoring another goal for Stan Ternent’s men in Saturday’s 2-1 home win over struggling QPR. Meanwhile, winger Chris Shuker began his stint at Macclesfield by coming on as a substitute in the Silkmen’s 2-1 victory over Blackpool. The youngster’s eleven-minute appearance was his first taste of senior football.

Royle – Men We Wanted Weren’t For Sale: Joe Royle says that Manchester City’s search for new players continued right up until last week’s transfer deadline. But the Blues’ boss says that other clubs were not prepared to sell the men he wanted to bolster his struggling side. Royle recalled Spencer Prior’s immediate influence a year ago, and claimed that City had been on the lookout for men who could make a similar impact this time round. But with other clubs reluctant to part with their better players at this stage of the campaign, the fact that none of the targets were actually landed was a matter beyond the Blues’ control. “The players I wanted were not available, it was as simple as that,” explained the City manager. “What I didn’t want to do was to bring in another player who might be similar to what we have already got.”

Bid for Speed if City Stay Up?: Manchester City are being linked with a summer move for Gary Speed. But the Newcastle midfielder is unlikely to be interested in a switch to Maine Road unless the Blues have been successful in their battle to avoid the drop. Speed is out of contract at St James’ Park at the end of the 2001-2 campaign, and if he refuses to commit to a new deal, the Geordies are likely to sell him at the end of this season while they can still receive a significant fee. Fulham are also monitoring developments, but some sources claim that if City can offer top-flight football, Manchester’s closer proximity to his North Wales roots could persuade the 31-year-old to link up again with Joe Royle. In 1996, when in charge at Everton, the Blues’ boss paid £3.5 million to take the Welsh international to Goodison Park from Leeds.

Part II – Miscellaneous News and Views

City Back from Sunshine Break: Manchester City’s players have now returned to England after their week in the sun. The Blues have been training in Spain but are back to focus on the club’s fight against relegation. Joe Royle took his squad off to sunnier climes hoping that the change of scenery would revitalise the players. And skipper Alfie Haaland says that the Blues had a productive time away from Manchester. “Because of the temperatures, training didn’t go on too late, and some of the lads went to the gym in the afternoons, while others went to the pool to get some swimming in,” wrote the Norwegian on his personal website. “The hotel was surrounded by mountains and the scenery was lovely, so we sometimes went out on bikes or for a drive to explore the local area.” Reserve goalkeeper Carlo Nash missed the trip after a bereavement.

Royle Not Giving Up Hope Yet: Manchester City face an uphill task if they’re to compete in the Premiership again next season. But Joe Royle hasn’t given up hope of his side securing a top-flight future. City only have eight games in which to make up a deficit of four points on Middlesbrough or six points on Everton. But even though the Blues still have to face top two Manchester United and Arsenal, Royle is adamant that his side shouldn’t be written off. “Of course there’s still hope,” insisted the City manager. “There are eight games left and 24 points at stake. If we can get half of them, we’ll be okay. We certainly won’t be giving up.”

Charvet Philosophical Over Alfie Return: Laurent Charvet is set to lose his place in the Manchester City side again this weekend. But the Frenchman says that if he’s omitted from the starting line-up, he’ll simply continue working hard. Charvet played in City’s last game at Bradford, when Alfie Haaland was suspended. But with the Blues’ skipper now available again after his one match ban, the ex-Newcastle full-back is likely to be back on the bench for the visit of Aston Villa – a prospect he views philosophically. “If you do your work conscientiously and professionally the rewards will come in the end,” he reflected. “You have to relate all that happens to you so you can understand yourself.”

Easy Night for Weaver in Under-21 Game: Nicky Weaver featured for the England under-21 side against Finland at Barnsley on Friday. And the Manchester City goalkeeper had a quiet night as his side dominated the game to run out 4-0 winners. With Leeds’ Paul Robinson sidelined with a dislocated finger, Weaver was restored to Howard Wilkinson’s under-21 line-up, but the ex-Mansfield junior was scarcely called into action as the Finns posed little threat. Meanwhile, City Academy product Rhys Day was an unused substitute as the Welsh under-21 side lost 1-0 in Armenia while Shaun Holmes had an unhappy time for the Northern Ireland under-21s against the Czech Republic. The transfer-listed City full-back was booked and made an error which led to a goal as his side went down 2-0 at home.

Dunne Dropped for Irish Win: The Republic of Ireland boosted their World Cup qualification hopes by beating Cyprus on Saturday, but even so, there was disappointment for Richard Dunne. The Manchester City defender was left out of the Irish line-up for the game. The former Everton player had been hoping to earn his sixth cap in Limassol but was overlooked as boss Mick McCarthy restored the fit-again Wimbledon’s Kenny Cunningham alongside Coventry’s Gary Breen in the centre of defence. Ireland eased to a 4-0 win.

First-Team Duo Face More Travelling: Two of the Manchester City players likely to be on duty against Aston Villa at the weekend will be on their travels this week. Nicky Weaver and Richard Dunne are with the England under-21 and Republic of Ireland parties respectively. Weaver is in Albania with the England party for a game on Wednesday, while Dunne is with the Irish squad for the match with Andorra in Barcelona on Wednesday. The City defender is again likely to have to settle for a place on the bench. The two players will fly back to Manchester on Thursday and will train with their team-mates on Friday ahead of Villa’s visit to Maine Road.

Bernstein – Stadium Deal Suits all Parties: A national radio station last week attacked the plans for Manchester City’s new stadium at Eastlands. Manchester City were accused of benefiting from public money to secure a new arena the club should fund itself. BBC Radio Five Live’s ‘On the Line’ programme claimed that projects funded by money from the National Lottery should benefit the public, and that for a profit-making entity like the Blues such to take over the stadium after the Commonwealth Games is inconsistent with this objective. But David Bernstein explained that the facility will remain available for public use, and said the deal is in the best interests of both the club and Manchester City Council. “The new stadium is a tremendous opportunity for the football club and we are in a win-win situation,” explained the City chairman. “We have been at arm’s length with the council in negotiating this deal and this was a chance we could not miss.”

Allocation for Old Trafford Clash Sold Out: Manchester City will have the backing of 3,000 fans away to Manchester United on April 21st. The Blues last week sold their entire ticket allocation for the derby clash. Demand for tickets for the Old Trafford clash was high and so the club instituted strict limits on sales, with fans required to produce ticket stubs from previous away games this season. The game, which could both see United clinch the Premiership title and be vital in City’s relegation struggle, will kick off at noon and will be screened live in the UK on satellite channel Sky Sports One.

Part III – Reserve and Youth News

Reserves Face Derby Cup Clash: Manchester City reserves are in action on Tuesday evening. The Blues take on Manchester United at Hyde in the Manchester Senior Cup. Mark Kennedy and Kevin Horlock are expected to feature in the City side, while Dino Toppmöller will continue his bid to earn a permanent Maine Road move. The Blues will be hoping that history repeats itself – they’ve already beaten United’s second string once at home this season, winning an FA Premier Reserve League game 2-1 in November. But the two-goal City hero that night won’t take part this time. Chris Shuker bagged a brace on that occasion but is currently on loan at Macclesfield.

Under-17s Prepare for Title Decider: Manchester City are counting on their Academy to produce the club’s stars of the future. And the Blues’ under-17s could soon vindicate the club’s approach to its youth set-up by landing some silverware. The City juniors have moved to the brink of the Academy League northern area championship for their age level after a hard-fought win over Manchester United last week. A last-gasp Ciaran Kilheeny strike sealed a vital 2-1 triumph for the Blues, who can make now sure of the title by beating Aston Villa on Tuesday afternoon. But the Reds could still overtake their cross-city rivals if they beat Newcastle on Saturday and City slip up against the Midlands club.

Peter Brophy (peterbrophy@mancity.net)

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CITY DIARY

This week in City’s history: 26th March – 1st April.

26 March: On Sunday 26 March 1995 City went to Spain and drew 1-1 in a friendly with Atletico Madrid. Carl Griffiths scored and just 7,000 saw him do it, though many more watched the game live on Spanish TV. On their way to their first Championship title in 1937, City beat Liverpool 5-0 at Anfield.

Derby County 2 Manchester City 0, Division One, 26 March, 1949, from the Derby Evening Telegraph. “Watching through half-closed eyes the Derby County-Manchester City sleep-producer at the Baseball Ground on Saturday, I found myself wishing long before half-time that a football referee could be invested with similar powers to those of the ‘third man’ in the boxing ring. There would have been few howls of protest if referee Warburton had stepped in with a ‘No contest’ verdict and ordered the players back to their ‘corners’.” Derby grabbed a 2-0 lead inside ten minutes, and thereafter the match became a dire spectacle. The lamentable lack of ball control from players of wide experience was “astonishing”, the report went on. The only thing that kept the crowd awake was the announcement of a shock result in the Grand National, and “special medals should be struck for the spectators who suffered in silence. A game that was about as exciting as a nature walk in the Sahara.” The only spark of life, it seems, came from Derby’s Frank Broome, “who demonstrated the finer arts of ball-play to his elephant-footed colleagues and rivals.” City’s defenders “had not the faintest idea how to deal with the dancing, prancing winger” and they were said to be the “most panic-stricken” set of defenders seen in Derby all season, but since Derby’s attackers “showed a complete lack of imagination” the game died a death. Even big Frank Swift came in for some criticism: “Swift is a great showman”, the reporter wrote, “and has a natty way of cloaking his mistakes, but his judgment is not what it was and it seems that his wonderful international career has come to an end.” Swift played just a few more games for City into the start of the next season, and that was it.

27 March: City beat Liverpool 2-1 at Hyde Road in front of 35,000 people plus King George V. Another George, George Heslop, scored his only League goal for City in 1968, but what an important goal it was, setting City on the way to a 3-1 win over United at Old Trafford as both teams chased for the Champonship. City also beat United 3-0 in the FA Cup semi-final at Bramall Lane on this date in 1926. Derek Kevan scored a hat-trick against Norwich in 1964. And Terry Cooke got two at Reading in 1999, where City won 3-1 at the new stadium.

28 March: Bert Trautmann played for the last time, City losing 0-2 away to Preston North End in Division Two.

29 March: In 1937 City beat Liverpool 5-1 at home, making it 10-1 against the Reds in the space of four days. City beat Birmingham 5-1 in 1932, having beaten them 2-1 just the day before. In 1994 Uwe Rösler got his first goal for City, in a 2-2 draw down at Ipswich.

30 March: City played bottom-placed Bolton at Burnden Park on the evening 30 March, 1996. Kinkladze was chopped down in the first few minutes and thereafter didn’t see much of the action. Neither did the drunken Bolton fan who got himself escorted out of the stand by the local constabulary after discovering City fans sitting next to him. Niall Quinn’s goal got City a point, but City would follow Bolton out of the Premiership a few weeks later.

31 March: Eric Brook scored the first of his record 178 goals for City in the 1928 5-3 victory over Clapton Orient. City beat Glossop 2-0 on this day in 1900. Among other such rare events, there was a Blue Moon on this day in 1999 (two full moons in the same month – the next one’s in November 2001). It was 2-2 when City played today’s visitors Aston Villa 99 years ago in 1902.

1st April saw Niall Quinn’s first hat-trick for City, winners 3-1 away at Crystal Palace.

Ken Corfield (keltia@prodigy.net)

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MILTON KEYNES OSC BRANCH: DAVE WATSON VISIT

The Milton Keynes OSC branch will be holding their March meeting at Great Brickhill Cricket Club on March 29th, starting at 8pm.

The special guest will be Dave Watson. Entry fee on the door is £1 (£2 for non-members).

If you’re in the Milton Keynes area then why not come along – get in touch with me if you would like more details, or directions to the venue.

Steve Maclean, Secretary – Milton Keynes branch, Manchester City FC Supporters’ Club (Stm1@stm1.freeserve.co.uk)

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MOBILE PHONE LOGOS

You can get a free (if naff) Man City logo for you mobile at http://www.boltblue.com/. They do ringtones too but you pay for those.

Lance Thomson (lnt@btinternet.com)

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OPINION – NOW WE’RE COOKING

Everton are on the slide, and are set to join Bradford and Coventry into the relegation places. Providing Joe starts pulling his finger out and putting some pressure on them whilst we still have time. He needs to go for it, starting by giving Egil a full game alongside the Goat, with Darren Huckerby sitting just behind them. Have Danny Tiatto out on the left and Andrei Kanchelkis out on the right making full use of their pace, play Tony Grant in a deep midfield rôle, and have a back four consisting of Charvet, Dunne, Howie, and last but not least Granville. Nicky Weaver can sit back and watch, and admire a forward line that is capable of inflicting some damage against Villa, and who knows maybe Everton will fail to pick up points.

Mystic Blue Boy – Gary Sullivan (gary@ferodo60.freeserve.co.uk)

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OPINION – THE SEASON SO FAR…

My observations of the season so far are thus: The defence has been largely untroubled and Howey has generally been outstanding, showing an awareness which should surely see him recalled back into the national side. The midfield has shown the determination and movement that is required to match any side at this level and, when he has played, Wanchope has troubled defences with unerring ease. Overall, we may not match every side for pace but this is more than compensated for by a combination of sheer hard work, spirit and commitment which at times is a joy to watch. If only the real team was as good as my FIFA 2001 City side, I would be as happy as, er…

Larry Higgs (larry.higgs@virgin.net)

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OPINION – A STADIUM BY ANOTHER NAME…

I’ve just finished reading Jim Curtis’ piece in MCIVTA 694 on the possible name for the new stadium. Must say I like the idea of the ‘Bargain Booze Stadium’, it has a certain ring to it. However, I suppose like a lot of people I’ve fallen into the habit of calling it ‘Eastlands’, which is a bit sad really as historically the area never existed. Where the new ground will be was part of Bradford (Manchester) with Beswick just across Ashton New Road and Miles Platting to the North. The area where the new stadium now stands straddles what was the old Forge Lane, which was the site of Bradford coal mine and Johnson’s Wire Works, later known as Manchester Steel. Although the pit ceased production when I was just a babe in arms, I remember vividly as a kid going up the Forge Lane with my dad and seeing the flames and sparks fly as they pulled the white hot steel into wires and straps for the local engineering works. As with all foundries, the local area had more than it’s fair share of pubs to keep the thirsty workers supplied with ale. There was a community in the few houses that nestled in between the factories and the local boozers were the centre of that community, sadly now all gone.

Another part to the rear of the site was the old Manchester Gas Works where in the days before North Sea gas the huge coking ovens turned out high grade coke for the steel works and coal gas for the population of the city to cook their dinners on. Many of the thousands of men who worked in the area were some of the earliest supporters of both Manchester teams as City played about half a mile to the south of the new stadium and the Rags had their home ground a quarter mile to the east in Clayton. With all that history in the area, maybe it would be appropriate to reflect some of it in the name of the new home for our glorious Blue idols. Well, on current form ‘The Pit’ might not be too far from reality but as we are naming for the next 199 years of our lease, that may be a bit of an albatross in years to come. With all the talk about going down or staying up ‘The Gas Works’ is also a definite possibility but for me the thing that we require more than anything and the one industry that has dominated the area of Bradford for so long is steel. So how about naming our new home ‘The Steel Works’ and see if the power of the name inspires some of the same in the team. Anything is better than the made up nonsense that is Eastlands.

Dave Cash (Vanda_David@vcash.fsnet.co.uk)

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OPINION – MORRISON AND EDGHILL

Can someone explain? Morrison and Edghill both come back into the first team after respectively being (a) injured and (b) crap and both do at least as well as some others getting regular games. Suddenly neither features and both are on the way out. Particularly with Big Andy, I’d have Dunne at right back and him at centre back rather than let Alfie back in.

Steve Parish (steve@bloovee.freeserve.co.uk)

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OPINION – STADIUM NAMES

Regarding names for the new stadium, it strikes me that we don’t really need to worry about what the bigwigs decide on, be it ‘The City of Manchester Stadium’, ‘Eastlands’ or whatever. Over time it will be known by the name we give it, and I’d like to suggest ‘Xanadu’ which Encarta defines as ‘an idyllically beautiful place’. You can’t say fairer than that!

CTID, Dave Scott (davescott99@hotmail.com)

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OPINION – NEW MINI SEASON

We could say the rest of this season is a mini season all of its own. Eight games to go and every one a cup final; as long as we start off winning every game as we go along could be like another cup final. We have 8 cup finals, are we lucky or what?! Of course the answer is yes if we win our 8 cup finals. I know every one of us who has Blue blood in our veins will be behind our beloved club City during these important games. May we celebrate, and not drown our sorrows with our favourite beverage. To all my friends who are with us, keep the faith.

Come on you Blues!

P.S. If City can stay in the Premier League, all you players enjoy the bonus!

Ernie Barrow (BarrowLoyalBlue@aol.com)

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WHY BLUE?

Just like Matthew Knowles in MCIVTA 685, I sometimes feel that people who call themselves hard-core Man City fans and establish the main criteria as either living in Manchester and/or having a season-ticket, want to exclude us non-Mancunians – or even, anyone not living in Manchester anymore (for whatever reason).

I have no connection with Manchester whatsoever but started supporting the team in the late ’70’s. I’m not sure why anymore but later I have reasoned with myself, and come up with a possible explanation. I think it’s down to the fact that they played in sky blue and white back then, just like my favourite Swedish team (Malmo FF). Oh, and Malmo was the “local” team where I lived then.

Also the word “City” in the name may have had something to do with it, as it sounded cool for a 10-year-old schoolboy in Sweden. Aahh, life was easy when you were a kid, wasn’t it?

Back in those days we didn’t have the comfort of the brilliant service of MCIVTA (thanks guys – and contributors – it’s invaluable to us foreigners!) and I often had to wait until Tuesday for a 50-60-word-long match report in the Pools Mag “Vi Tippa”. Midweek results often simply weren’t reported in the daily papers etc.

I can’t claim to have been present at any of the 5-1’s (Charlton and Man Utd.) nor the 10-1, but I have a rather annoying memory of the latter. As I’d just moved to a new apartment I was holding a small party on the Saturday evening and as the guests arrived they politely enquired about City’s whereabouts on the afternoon, knowing of my obsession for Man City. They all supported the “traditional clubs” to support in Scandinavia, i.e. Liverpool, Tottenham, Man Utd or Arsenal. When I, bursting with joy after spending the afternoon glued to the radio listening to BBC World Service, announced that City had won 10-1, they simply didn’t believe me! Comments like “those results don’t exist in modern day football” and “perhaps you shouldn’t have tasted your aperitif in such quantities” were made and that was the end of the discussion!

My first game watching Man City live was in March 1982 when they played a friendly vs. IFK Gothenburg, who were preparing for a quarter-final in the UEFA Cup (the Swedish season runs from April to October). The game ended 1-1 with City’s goal scored by Steve Kinsey, a favourite player of mine and also the president of the Sweden Branch of the Supporters’ Club. A great talent who never took off. I nowadays can’t believe how I managed to get my parents to drive four hours one-way, partly in a snow blizzard, for a midweek friendly!

In 1984 they were back in Sweden and lost to the just relegated IF Elfsborg (yeah, them!) and a game arranged to celebrate the Swedish government controlled pools company 50th anniversary. 1-2 with City’s goal scored by Jamie Hoyland. Though the result was embarrassing, I got to enter the players’ coach and talk to Mick McCarthy. I was bursting with pride and holding the full autograph book (the Official Man City Autograph Book, of course, ordered by mail order) close to my chest on the long drive back (no, I wasn’t driving myself, and yes, it was about the same distance as the last time, on a very wet midweek evening again).

I have spent many evenings in my youth studying statistics against the particular team that City were to play on the Saturday to come, and even drawing a schemes with complete line-ups, the teams’ crests, the five latest years’ results etc. to be fully prepared for the Saturday afternoon. The afternoon itself was spent in front of either BBC World Service on the radio or, in the winter, in front of the telly as they broadcast a live English game. Saturday evenings were usually spent sulking after yet another disappointing result. After all, when I started to get into City for real, they reached the semi final of one cup and the final of the other, and also beat Man United every now and then, so in those days I was expecting some sort of success. Not so anymore.

For a long period of time I even started to think that my presence was the factor that stopped City from winning. My first league game, travelling with the Scandinavian Branch of the Supporters’ Club, was Aston Villa at home in 1986, with Villa equalising to 2-2 with only minutes left, and that was followed by 0-2 vs. Liverpool (Barry Siddall made his début). A year later I went by myself for the first time, took a cab from Stansted to Selhurst Park for the pricely sum of £40 in order to get to the game to see the kick-off, and ten minutes later Charlton had scored two past a mediocre Man City. It ended 5-0 and I was starting to get an idea of where the path I had chosen would lead. 1-1 vs. Watford and 1-0 vs. Oxford (yes, a victory, but we still went down!) were the other games I saw that week.

The first 16 games that I watched Man City play in England only produced two wins (the other being 1-0 vs. Coventry on a freeeezing January day 1993, David White scored the goal). Sandwiched between them were however, the glory days of the squad’s visit to Umeâ in 1987. 3-2 vs. Holmsund, 10-0 vs. IFK Rundvik and 12-0 vs. Vebo/L-vânger FK. Imagine that! And no, please don’t ask in which divisions the Swedish teams played!

However, in 1998 the tide seemed to have turned. Not only could I go to England courtesy of my employer (three days at Harpenden/Luton University), but I also got to see two consecutive wins. Away at that, too! 1-0 vs. Colchester and 3-1 vs. Reading (Terry Cooke, please come back!). The next trip brought me down to earth, though, when we lost to Huddersfield after beating Barnsley 3-1, both games at Maine Road. Still, 1 out of 2 isn’t bad in my book, so a year later I was on my way again. The Hammers at Upton Park. My West Ham-supporting friend (who actually lives on Princess Street in Manchester!) had gotten us the tickets. You all know the story, 1-0 turned to 1-4, Steve Lomas showing the way by scoring the equaliser. I had paid £80 for the flight (Ryan Air), £23 for transfers, £55 for accomodation, £34 for the match ticket and couldn’t see any of the goals as there was a post in the stand in the way. The giant screen showed replays, though (not that I was too keen to see them, really).

Still, things can always get worse. Flying high on the result of my last visit to Manchester, the Everton game (5-0) in December, I (+ my brothers) gave my father (also a Man City supporter due to my influence) a journey to Manchester, all expenses paid, for his 60th birthday. It’s been a long standing ambition of mine to take my father and my daughter, soon three years old, to Maine Road to see Man City play there before they move to Eastlands. My father said that he wanted to go for the Easter, when the weather is getting better etc. So off I went, got match tickets (thanks Tor!!!), booked the flights (cheapest ones to Manchester are £190 with SAS, but not re-bookable) and what happens…? Indeed, Arsenal advance in the Champions’ League and the game is brought forward to Wednesday 11th April. Exactly 20 hours before we arrive! Is it sickening, or what? Not even a tear-dripping, sentimental letter to SAS would change their ticket policy. Going to Manchester to see the team get out-played is one thing, not to even get to see them is quite weird…

Anyway, three of us (nine in all) will go to Filbert Street to see the away game vs. Leicester, so expect it to be called off due to bad weather!

I have stayed loyal to the club through these lean years – they have actually never won anything during my time as a supporter. I guess it comes down to the fact that I’m no quitter (and I know that the sweeter the taste of success will be if we ever win anything, but, more importantly, the friendly atmosphere and humour among the City supporters. Travelling to Manchester for home games with the London branch is always a pleasure. My favourite memory is probably the home derby in 1993, which was my first time on the Kippax, my first derby game as well as the first time I had brought my wife to Maine Road. What an atmosphere!

Now I’m a member of ISC, OSC, CSA and have Man City Card. For more than 10 years I spent all my pocket money as a student (and that’s not much) and then all my earnings and days off after starting to work, just to go and watch Man City. I spend 100-200 quid in the superstore on each visit nowadays when I’m a bit better off, I run the Swedish leg of the Scandinavian Branch of the Official Supporters’ Club, I get ridiculed by my Liverpool and Man U***d-supporting mates all the time, i.e. I endure many a hardship for something which cannot be rationally explained.

But I am a Man City supporter, even if I wasn’t born in and don’t live in Manchester. Please don’t take that credit away from me!

Andreas Larsson (andreas@mancity.net)

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

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MCIVTA ADDRESSES:
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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.

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

Editor: