Newsletter #860

With apologies to any minors reading this, but as the great Peter Kay would say Heidi has “packed it, booked it and f***** off,” leaving yours truly in charge.

Sarah kicks off this week’s MCIVTA with her news summary, and with two match reports from another reserve team victory (why do they never win when I go to see them?), two belated reports from Birmingham, and plenty of opinion about Anelka and KK, it has kept my inbox full!

Plenty of requests for tickets, particularly for the derby – a match I am missing due to a close friend’s wedding, definitely a case if there ever was for fixture lists to be decided in consultation with happy couples!

I have got fingers crossed we can improve on our two results last time against West Brom. Anyone else feel left out that they weren’t linked with a move to Ipswich?

[A huge thanks to Paul Howarth without who this issue would have been unreadable – blooming Word 2002]

NEWS SUMMARY

Reactions & Comments

Delighted to have secured their first home win, KK feels justified in sacrificing skill for steel in Saturday’s match vs. Birmingham. Although renowned for being attack-minded, Keegan left out Benarbia and Wright-Phillips and was rewarded by his first victory away from home, with a début goal for Sun Jihai and a further one for Anelka. With Schmeichel out with flu, Nash was recalled, while Tiatto was back from suspension and Dunne (who is now a stone lighter and fitter), was also in the starting line up. The reward for a week’s intensive training was Saturday’s win, which KK hopes will have silenced the critics, at least for now. City are now out of the bottom three and the boss looks set to stick to the same line-up for the next match against West Brom.

Howey hopes to keep the winning habit: Having now broken the run of away losses, Steve Howey is hoping that the team can turn Saturday’s winning performance and clean sheet into a new habit. Captain for the day, Howey claims that by keeping goals out, the defenders can help the forwards to do their job. However, he also urges caution and emphasizes the need for a similar performance at the Hawthorns on Saturday.

Psycho helps Tiatto to keep his Cool: Danny Tiatto insists that he has learnt his lesson and that from now on he will channel all his energy into helping City to progress in the Premiership, a vow that was borne out by his performance on Saturday. Tiatto found his spell in the stand, following suspension, frustrating and is now keen to repay his team-mates, the boss, the coaching staff and the fans with his performances on the pitch. Tiatto has also revealed that Stuart Pearce has also been helping him to keep a check on his temper.

They’re not really here! Well three of them won’t be. With Roy Keane and Nicky Butt already missing from United’s line-up for the derby match, comes the news that David Beckham too will be out serving a one-match suspension.

Reserves win four in a row: Manchester City reserves continued their winning run with a 2-1 defeat of West Brom reserves on Monday night. West Brom scored first after only eight minutes and a few minutes later City should have equalized, but Huckerby hit the ball over the net. Still, the hardy bunch of City followers did not have to wait much longer for City to score with a spectacular goal. Shuker was upended thirty yards out and Kerkar sent in a rocket that left the West Brom goalie standing. City lost Vuoso through injury on twenty four minutes. Stephen Paisley slotted in at the back, with Kerkar joining Huckerby in attack. Huckerby was denied a goal when Murphy managed to gather a Shuker long range shot at the second attempt. However, he was to turn provider for the winning goal on seventy one minutes.

It’s tough at the top! Charlton manager Alan Curbishley believes the jobs of half the managers in the Premiership could come under pressure this season – including that of Manchester City boss Kevin Keegan (although Saturday’s win should have eased that situation somewhat).

Transfer News & Gossip: City are reported to be tracking Arsenal striker Francis Jeffers, although Middlesbrough look most likely to make a