Newsletter #1005

Plenty of news, and some excellent opinion and views tonight on our current plight, so read on and enjoy.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Cup Final Date: According to a fans’ website of the Evil Empire (see the depths of depravity I have to trawl to bring you the news?), the date for the Manchester Senior Cup final has been set. It’ll take place at Old Trafford on May 11. No kick off time was mentioned.

Battle Royle to Commence: The M.E.N. reports that Joe Royle’s claim for compensation has been listed for hearing in October. JR was sacked by the Blues following relegation from the Premiership in May 2001, and the dispute centres on Royle’s status at the time of dismissal – he is claiming that he’s entitled to £750,000, while the club reckon it’s around one sixth of that sum. The newspaper thinks that witnesses will include Deputy Chairman Brian Bodek, Chief Executive Alistair Mackintosh and former Chairman David Bernstein. DB is quoted as saying: “I will always support the club. The truth is the truth and I’ll just be saying what happened.” Bodek said: “We remain reluctant to go to court with anyone who has served the club but we have a duty to shareholders and our supporters to act responsibly with club funds. We gave Joe his expensive Seven Series BMW company car as part of his termination package along with the £150,000 as per his contract.” A spokesman for Royle’s solicitors said: “We have no comment. This is a matter that will be dealt with by the court.”

KK Health Update: Today’s Daily Mirror brings alarming news. Under the Headline, “Keegan Op Fear”, Alan Nixon writes: “Kevin Keegan is due to see a back specialist today amid fears the Manchester City manager needs an operation. Keegan, 53, would be sidelined for the rest of the relegation fight if the word from the experts is to have minor surgery. He went to hospital last week with pains that were initially described as a nerve problem. However, there will be further check-ups to see if there may have to be work done on his discs. Keegan is in genuine discomfort or he would not be marked absent at such a vital stage of the season. Assistant Arthur Cox has been put on standby to take charge of the team for the second successive weekend for Sunday’s crucial trip to Aston Villa. And doctors have told the City boss to stay away from the club’s Carrington training base until tomorrow at the earliest. City spokesman Paul Tyrrell said: ‘Kevin is in good form and is in contact with club doctor Mark Whittaker and physio Rob Harris on a regular basis. He is following their advice to the letter.'” The official line is a little more upbeat – the club website announced that KK had undergone further treatment this week, and was expected to be back on duty next week.

International Blues News: There was great excitement over the weekend when Shaun Wright-Phillips was called up to the England squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Sweden. SWP said: “It has been a dream of mine to play for England and I am sure a lot of players think like that. I had just been trying to do my best as I always do for Manchester City. I had a few targets this season but I hadn’t really thought about England until now and I am delighted.” Assistant boss Arthur Cox also welcomed Shaun’s inclusion in Eriksson’s squad: “I am delighted to see Shaun being named in the squad. It is a boost for everyone’s confidence here,” said Cox. “You want Shaun to be successful in everything he does as he is so whole hearted in what he does.” Ian Wright was naturally pretty chuffed. “This is a fantastic achievement and exactly what he deserves,” he stated. “As a dad I am so proud. He’s done it all of his own back and deserves tremendous credit for it all. He has worked hard to improve his game and now I hope he gets a game against Sweden to cap it all off.” In the event, SWP did not grace the pitch in Gothenburg – we did catch a glimpse of him at the end of the game on TV, trudging off in an oversized track suit looking a bit disconsolate. David James meanwhile played the full 90 minutes, and was beaten once as the hosts won 1-0. Elsewhere, Paul Bosvelt was a last minute substitute for Holland, as they drew 0-0 with France. Richard Dunne was forced to withdraw from the Republic of Ireland squad, as they prepared for their friendly against the Czech Republic in Dublin on Wednesday.

Transfer News and Gossip

Lay Off Our Shaunie! Is that the sound of vultures circling overhead I hear? The club have another good reason for avoiding relegation this season, as the papers have had a couple of stories this week linking Shaun Wright-Phillips with other clubs. Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has drawn up a list of players he wants to bring in this summer, and SWP tops that list apparently, with a £10 million fee being mentioned. Newcastle United are also tracking Wright-Phillips ahead of a possible £8 million summer bid. The local rag in the North East reported “a source in Manchester” as saying: “Shaun Wright-Phillips has attracted interest from Newcastle and other clubs. He is the sort of attacking midfielder Sir Bobby Robson is desperate for on the right side of midfield and he will have had some very impressive reports about him from his scouts. But Manchester City are unlikely to want to let him leave. He has been one of their best players this season and they be desperate to hold on to him.”

Free Whelan to Wednesday: Republic of Ireland under 21 international Glenn Whelan has signed a pre-contract agreement that will see him move to Sheffield Wednesday when his current contact with City expires in June. Whelan made his senior début in the UEFA cup qualifying 2-0 victory over Welsh side T.N.S., and has been on loan to Bury earlier this season, while recently was offered a trial with Wycombe Wanderers. Whelan said: “I am delighted with the move, it’s good for me and will give me that chance of regular first team football, I didn’t think I’d get a chance at City with the players already there. Having spoken with Chris Turner, the Wednesday boss, who outlined his plans for the side and my rôle I was glad to take the opportunity of moving. Now it is up to me to make the most of it”, he finished.

Hanging to the Left: The Evening News had firmer news on a potential deal for Real Sociedad winger Javier de Pedro. He was thought last week to be on his way to Bolton, but City are said to be favourites to land the 31-year-old. The player was giving nowt away when he cryptically commented: “I have made a choice and this process is now at an advanced stage but this is secondary now as we are trying to get as many points as possible to finish the league in a comfortable position,” he said. “I have nothing more to say right now, and I will talk when I have signed something. At the moment I am looking to play and each game is special because I know that it could be the last.” It appears that KK may want to strengthen the left side of midfield, as the Sunday People reports this week that City are chasing Ipswich’s young left winger Ian Westlake, at a cost of £1.5 million [Thanks to the Clan Chief for the last item].

Ex-Blues’ News

Eyal in ‘No Sulking’ Shocker: Eyal Berkovic was dropped from the Portsmouth team on Saturday, and his new Boss Harry Redknapp said that his new playemaker was as good as gold when told the news. “Eyal took it fine. He’s been terrific. It’s not his fault he wasn’t playing at Blackburn. He was ill before the Southampton game and had to pull out, and then we kept the same team. He was as happy as anyone we won at Blackburn. He was excellent there. After Yakubu got the winning goal at Blackburn Eyal was the first one to put his arms around him in the dressing room. Eyal’s had his ups and downs with people. But he’s a very, very clever guy. He’s not a fool. He’s a terrific player. It’s been hard for Eyal and Ivica Mornar. They’ve both done well but weren’t in the side at Blackburn. But it’s a nice position to be in – to be able to leave senior players out of the starting 11 rather than scraping around for a squad.” Earlier in the week Berko was extolling the joys of his South Coast sojourn. “I like it so much here I want to finish my career at Portsmouth,” said Berkovic. “When my contract is up, I will go home. I can’t see me moving to another club. I want to help Portsmouth stay up and be a mid-table club next season.” Eyal-less Pompey beat Blackburn 2-1, leaving the grisly possibility of Portsmouth staying up at City’s expense.

Reactions and Comments

Instant Replay: City continue to hover just three points above the relegation zone after the COMS became a goal-free zone last Saturday against Fulham. The biggest talking points of a disappointing match came with two penalty appeals that were waved aside in the final quarter of the match. City felt they ought to have been awarded a spot-kick when substitute Jon Macken went sprawling following a challenge by defender Alain Goma. Fulham felt similarly aggrieved when Luis Boa Morte broke away only to be upended by City captain Sylvain Distin. Fulham manager Chris Coleman felt both incidents reinforced the growing calls for video referees. Coleman said: “Referees have a split second to make a decision. While you have to get on and accept such things, now is perhaps the time to have video play-backs. It would be easier if there was another referee in the stand, especially with so much at stake in the Premier League. Referees need help and videos would take 60 seconds to sort out and it would help them. So why don’t we go down that road?” Arthur Cox did not agree, saying: “I have watched the incidents and I can see both sides of the argument. But I am old fashioned and once a decision has been made you have to accept it and get on with it, however important it may be.” Luis Boa Morte felt Fulham were denied a clear penalty. “I was about to make a pass for McBride when he caught my right ankle,” said Boa Morte. “I think it was a foul, definitely. A free kick or a penalty, yes definitely. I don’t know what the referee’s position was.” Commenting on the game, Boa Morte added: “We knew Man City would come back with confidence, as they had a very good game against Manchester United. Our aim was to keep a clean sheet and try to score a goal.”

Could Do Better: Of City’s performance, Cox said: “Our quality in the final third wasn’t quite good enough. Whether it was a through ball, cross or pass, it wasn’t there. But I suppose if you can’t win, you will take a point and we can take some pleasure out of the clean sheet. Now we have to roll our sleeves up and focus on the trip to Villa on Sunday. If you can’t win the game then make sure you don’t lose and that is what happened against Fulham. My mind is now on what we can do to beat Villa next Sunday. If you cannot look after yourself then no one else can look after you. If you look after yourself everyone else will help you.”

Too Good to Go Down(!): There are many clubs who were considered too good for relegation, only to finish in the bottom three (West Ham being the most recent example), so Chris Coleman’s consoling words were a little worrying. “City have too much quality to go down,” he said. “If they don’t stay up it would be a travesty because in terms of facilities, crowd and history they are a top-six club. I have seen them five or six times this season and they should have won every time, yet incredibly they have lost the lot. Last Monday at Leeds they were by far the better side and they still got beaten. It’s amazing really and I do feel sorry for them but they will stay in the Premiership – it’s where they belong.”

Squad News

He’s Buyten The Dust: [Headline c/o The Sun] There was depressing news for fans of Daniel van Buyten on Friday morning. Arthur Cox confirmed that van Buyten had been ruled out for the remainder of the season, after rupturing a muscle in his groin in training on Thursday. “We have suffered a major blow as Daniel has a grade three tear of the aductor muscle,” Cox explained. “He will be missed but we have to accept it, get on with it and be positive in everything we do. It was done in training, a simple slip and he was unopposed. The club has informed Marseille who have also been advised on Daniel’s course of treatment. It is highly unlikely that he will be able to play for us again this season. It does leave us a little thin on defensive cover but we have Jihai Sun, Gerard Wiekens and Paddy McCarthy who can all perform well in that rôle.” It’s not clear if that means the end of the Belgian as a City player, because according to the defender’s agent, van Buyten would be happy to stay at City, but with one proviso. Christophe Henrotay said: “Daniel has really enjoyed his time at Manchester City. He has been really impressed with Kevin Keegan. He’s happy to stay, but if a big club comes in it might be difficult.” KK has said that he thought the Belgian international would leave this summer to join “a big club.” A stumbling block in any potential deal for the defender could yet prove a transfer fee for the Belgian international defender. Henrotay added: “Manchester City do have an option to buy at the end of the season. But it would involve quite a big sum, though Marseille might be willing to find a solution.”

Dunnie Danger: Just to complete the tale of injured defenders – Richard Dunne faces a hernia operation but will wait until the season is over. He first picked up the injury when on international duty with the Republic of Ireland last month. The injury happened in a training session and was confirmed by City when the defender returned to the club. “Richard pulled out of the Republic of Ireland squad after I talked with Brian Kerr their manager and explained the circumstances,” explained Arthur Cox. “Brian was aware of the situation as it was his medical team who diagnosed the problem after he had slipped in training. It was confirmed that he would need an operation when he returned to training here.”

Tough Break for Kieran: Goalkeeper Kieren Westwood, currently on loan at Oldham, will be sidelined for at least a fortnight due to a fractured finger. The ‘keeper injured his left hand on Sunday and X-rays later revealed a the break. Westwood has yet to feature in the Latics’ first team this season.

OPINION: THE BIG PICTURE

A lot has been said and written in respect of the running of Man City this season, some good and some bad, and I would say that overall we now have an idea of where we stand, relating to future growth. I write on a regular basis, to give my opinion on certain reasons as to why we now find ourselves at the wrong end of the table, and very possibly staring relegation in the face, once again.

Relating back to my past comments, my view was that David Bernstein should have remained as chairman because he was instrumental in developing a boardroom that had Manchester City’s long term interest at heart. Once the boardroom team was in place, it was time to secure a manager who would befit the position, of developing a team of players, who in time would bring the glory days back to the greatest and best humoured supporters this country has ever witnessed. That man Was Kevin Keegan, and as I have said before, one of the best players ever to grace a football pitch, who also wears his heart on his sleeve, and who gave the board a manager who could draw some of the best players to the club, such is the reputation of the man, both as a player and as a manager in his desire to play free, attractive football.

David Bernstein is financially astute, and was a great figurehead in securing financial muscle for the club’s growth, and as chairman his views were, that for future development, it would be wise to only buy players who were better than the ones we already had, otherwise we would not be moving in the right direction.

Kevin’s idea was to replace the iconic figure of Shaun Goater, with Robbie Fowler who was overweight, underperforming, and no way reflected the policy of buying a player who was primed and ready to replace, for that moment in time. Such is the desperation of supporters’ needs, that we find ourselves praising the efforts of Robbie, but it has taken too long to reach this point, and whilst I don’t blame Robbie for anything, the fact remains that he wasn’t ready to replace the legend, and therefore the decision to sign him rests with the manager, who ultimately severed the link between the supporters and a player who epitomised everything this club holds dear, and I truly feel as I did then, that the Goat deserved more respect, and it should be him gracing us with his presence at the new stadium, because no one deserved it more.

All good teams need a manager and assistant manager, who are both capable of driving each other and their coaches forward, enabling success, e.g. Mercer and Allison, Clough and Taylor. The list goes on. Kevin on the other hand seems content to work with people who presumably have no desire to question his decisions, and I get the impression we have a management team similar to Taylor and Neal, England’s finest.

The ingredients of any successful club depend on a financially astute board of directors, feeding a sound management team, who in turn feed sound coaches, who then feed the players who ultimately feed the supporters, and to top it off with a worthy stadium. If there is any weakness in the chain, then problems will develop, as we are witnessing now. As I commented before, the future of this great club now rests with a chairman thrown in at the deep end, who has to manage a new stadium, and a manager who has shown too much loyalty to Fowler and Anelka at the overall expense of more dedicated players.

Kevin’s actions tell me that his overall player selections will hinder the growth of youth players, because they cannot progress within a poorly performing first team, and could then be sold, undoing all the work that has gone into nurturing them.

What then of Shaun Wright Philips? He is proof that youth can flourish I hear you say, yes, but if the team do not progress his progress will go down or he will ultimately move on to another club.

Managers need time to develop a winning team, and Kevin is no different, but our club is heading in the wrong direction, and somebody is to blame.

OPINION: MAKING GOALS

I’ve had this bad feeling for a while now that football clubs in general, and City in particular, do little more in training than run around for a bit with a ball and then play a practice game together. Now I’ve never actually seen them training, so I decided to take the opportunity to ask SWP about this in his 1,000th edition interview. In case you missed it, here’s his reply: “Fitness work is done in the training games, everything is game related so a lot of the work comes with that – the shooting, crossing, running etc., it all slots in together. There’s some gym work, but that’s mainly when coming back from injury. Practice matches tend to be when new players come in, but we haven’t really needed any this season.”

I’m afraid this fuels my worst fears, that there is very little work done on improving players’ techniques and general ball skills, that there is very little ‘pure’ fitness work (if the fitness only comes from running hard in practice games, the lazy b*****ds can easily avoid doing too much running if they want), and that there is very little work done on set plays (either dead ball plays, or open play situations). If any or all of this is true (God, I hope not), it might go a long way to explaining some of our problems this season.

Living in California limits the number of games I get to see, but from the ones I have seen, as well as from the detailed reports in MCIVTA, it seems like we just throw out the best set of players we have (let’s not get into a debate about whether it really is the best set we have…) and hope that somehow the chances appear and we can capitalize on them. This might work if you have a creative genius or two in midfield who knows how to generate opportunities for strikers, but I don’t see anyone like that in the squad right now. Contrast this with what might happen if we had a few set plays – imagine SWP breaking down the right wing. He heads for the goal-line and without even looking up crosses the ball right over the defence to the back of the six yard box. On seeing SWP heading down the line, Anelka breaks for the near post, dragging half the defence with him, while Macken knows to drift to the back of the six yard box, where he meets the cross, unmarked and heads it powerfully into the net. The same situation without a set play that’s been drilled over and over might look like this – SWP breaks down the line. He has to look up to see if anyone’s in the box. Here comes Anelka, into the box, and Macken too, both calling for the ball and closely marked. The cross comes in short and is headed away, or it goes long, over everybody and the crowd groans (again). Another six or seven chances like that and we’re sure to get a goal.

It may sound a little idealized, but American sports are built on practicing plays just like that one. And they have a bunch of variations too. They wouldn’t dream of just giving the ball to the quarterback in the hope that something good might happen, that a receiver might just be on the same wavelength for that play and run into just the right position. I think we really have to start figuring out how to manufacture goals instead of just hoping that constantly getting the ball into the area will somehow lead to them. It sometimes does, but apparently not that often for us this year.

And if you’ll indulge me a little more, how about not only working on some set plays in practice, but also working on specific skills: controlling the ball, crossing, shooting, right foot, left foot, tackling, heading. All these things can be improved, even by the best players in the world. The top golfers spend hours every day honing their skills to keep them sharp and to improve them. How many footballers do this? From the number of entirely one-footed players around, I suspect not many.

OPINION: WHAT’S GONE WRONG?

We are City fans. We have been for as long as we can remember, and will be until the day we die. We have been through the highs (FA Cup ’81, Simod Cup ’86, promotion after promotion, Play Off finals and even a brief encounter with the UEFA Cup) and the lows (oh God where do I start!).

But isn’t that what City are all about? We never have a boring season. Last season came as close as you can get to ‘normal’. Yes, the team has vastly under-achieved this year, and I can understand that some people want to vent their frustration, but let’s look at the facts.

I watched the Leeds game with some Leeds fans, and the only thing I could say about the ref was that at least he wasn’t being paid! The refereeing we have seen this season has been poor to say the least. But we can’t blame it all on the man in black.

Has KK bought badly? Is the team not playing well? I would rather watch the football City are playing at the moment to the drivel we had under Ball, Clark and even Royle. They say a team needs time to gel, and ok maybe a season is too long, but bet your mortgage on it, City won’t go down, and next season we will renew our campaign and be a top 7 club. Give KK a chance – he is a great man motivator, Cox is a great tactician and Pearce can rally the dead.

David James: By far the best English ‘keeper around. The defence has looked more solid since he has arrived, a brilliant shot stopper and he has even learned how to catch a cross.

Richard Dunne: The boy is class. He has put his early season troubles behind him, and I believe he is one of the class defenders in the Premiership.

DvB: Great loan signing when we needed him. I don’t think he wants to stay though, we need to find a replacement. Alan Stubbs would be an option, as would Matt Elliot (maybe only for a season but by then I hope Bischoff will be mature enough.

Sun Jihai: Looks good going forward, but makes a lot of mistakes. Backs up SWP in attack, good squad player and earns great revenue for the club in China.

Distin: I know he has his critics, but I believe he is a good player and looks good coming forward. Not sure he is captain material, but then I don’t know how he is on the training ground and in the dressing room.

Tarnat: Another season will suit me fine. He has his off games, but has a hell of a left foot and never looks disinterested.

SWP: World Class. I just wish he could finish more often.

Barton: Still has a fiery temperament that he needs to control, but his distribution is good and his tackling hard. Someone needs to take him under their wing and show him how to be aggressive without losing it.

Bosvelt: I just don’t see it. What does he contribute? Can’t pass, can tackle a bit, can’t shoot (even the Spurs goal was threatening the corner flag before it hit Ledley King). Get rid.

Macca: Won’t be here at the end of the season. Thanks God. Wasteful.

Sinclair: I agree with KK. Hasn’t performed to his ability. Give him time.

Reyna: Too injury prone, although excellent touch on the ball. Doesn’t get forward enough for me, and should shoot more. He has a cracking shot from distance and should try it more.

Fowler: Getting better, except the Leeds game where I thought he was playing musical statues. I think he will prove his weight in coke.

Anelka: The best forward ever to play for City IMHO. His relationship with Fowler is getting better and if he stays, which I hope he does, then will prove to be a better and better player.

Sibierski: I wish he could direct more than 1 header in 10. Good support player.

Macken: Quite frankly he is a First Division player.

Wanchope: Same as Macken.

I won’t go through the whole squad, but that’s the crux of it. If I was KK, I would get rid of Macca, Bosvelt, Macken and Wanchope, bring in one more midfielder (Butt would be ideal), and another forward (Bergkamp and Hasslebaink are free in the summer I believe), and I honestly think we would have a great squad.

I’ll show my bottom on the town hall steps if City get relegated. We have a relatively easy run in to the end of the season, in which if we take 12 points from them, we will be more than safe.

Don’t moan about the team, they need our support, and we need them to rise to the occasion. We are playing consistently well, we just need some goals. Anelka is back (just needs match fitness), Fowler is scoring 1 in 10 shots and if they can work it out then middle of the table obscurity here we come.

I hope I didn’t waffle on too much! Thanks for listening.

OPINION: NEXT UP

I have to agree with the City fans who voiced their opinions about Anelka; this is one player who shows up to play with a half hearted attitude, I’m glad I’m not the only one that has noticed it.

We only have eight games left. None of these games are going to be as easy as some might appear, the way City have been playing all of them are tough. It’s time to use the players that want to play their hearts out for the shirt, we don’t have the luxury of being safe in the Premier League anymore.

I feel that the partnership of Fowler and Macken should be up front as our strikers; they showed us some determination during the derby game. Anelka, until he has that desire to give a full game’s performance for City, on the bench. Someone tell him, France might show less interest in him if he is not willing to play, and if he wants European Football he has to show Barça and the likes that he can still play.

When will Anelka ever learn to time his runs without being offside, he just waits there just to do this game after game? OK, enough of my Anelka bashing, I truly hope he shows up and plays his heart out so I can be the first to say “well done”.

OPINION: WHERE TO NOW?

Having read a few of the Elk must go articles I thought I’d throw my two penneth in so to speak. As depressing as it may seem, City have to move on as a club now and realise that we either have to have Anelka in a team of players on his wavelength (i.e. spend a fortune and potentially bankrupt the club) or cash in on him while there is time left on his contract. There seem to be direct comparisons with the other ex-genius of ours in Kinkladze, a player I would have paid to watch train never mind play. With individuals of such ability in the team we still appear to struggle and let’s face it, who did Gio have to play a one-two with, Ged Brannan, Nigel Clough! Whilst today’s squad members would struggle to try to play as badly as these particular individuals, we are suffering from a similar lack of cutting edge in the final third. For next season there is no need to panic and buy big again, let’s plan for next season and shop around Europe/Africa for someone who has the potential to be a great player. In the meantime we have Fowler and Macken who work well as a partnership; though a little lacking in pace, they were still part of the team that collectively put 4 past ManUre. To back these up we have good target men in Wanchope and Sibierski (fair enough, at the moment he is missing a lot of chances but everyone can see the potential he has when he has adjusted to the rigours of the English style of play). To add to these we have Elliott and Bradley Wright-Phillips on the fringes. Add to all this one more signing of long term potential and I believe that things will eventually click.

For the short term, it’s obvious that Anelka and Fowler do not work as a partnership and to be even harsher Anelka seems to have a negative effect on Robbie’s performance. Just look at the Leeds game as an example where Sibierski and Anelka passed the ball to each other all night and ignored a frustrated Fowler. Things were a little better against Fulham but the final ball/finish was either woeful or straight at the ‘keeper. What we need to do is drop either of the two and bring in Macken or Wanchope to partner or even more radically switch to a 4-5-1 with Anelka on his own up front, supported by a midfield of Shaun Wright-Phillips, Bosvelt, Barton, Sibierski and either of the disappointment twins Macca/Sinclair.

Just a couple of points regarding the defence, I think they were on to a loser with the signing of Seaman, he quite clearly had gone a season too far and with the uncertainty of a shaky Seaman, injury prone Weaver or the most nervous looking goalie in the league, Ellegaard, behind them, I think the lot of them have been unnerved from the off. The introduction of James has certainly improved matters and let’s hope that we sign Arason for the long term as he looks the part. One complaint regarding the defence is that we haven’t given either McCarthy or Jordan a proper chance yet, and looking forward to adding the talents of Willo Flood and Onuhura to the squad next year then things aren’t as bad as they could be.

Finally, as a former short term and somewhat controversial news editor for McVittee, a big congratulations to everyone behind the scenes as the work and dedication that goes into this has to be seen to be believed. Looking forward to the 2,000th edition already.

OPINION: TEAM SELECTION

I agree with your recent contributors regarding team selection. For most of this season we have seen players selected who have barely deserved it while others have been omitted for what appear to be non-playing reasons. Berkovic is one example of the latter – reading Paul Bosvelt’s comments regarding Berkovic’s inadvisable outburst was very interesting. Now we have the same thing happening to Jon Macken. What did he do to deserve being dropped for the Leeds match? Keegan made some ‘lucky’ changes against United (it appeared both McManaman and Reyna were injured otherwise he’d have left them on), which resulted in our victory. One would think under the circumstances that we would keep a winning team. But no, ‘favourites’ are selected again. The message this sends out to the players is appalling. Why is it when a lot of fans can see that Macken and Fowler play well together our glorious management team cannot? I think that Anelka should be put on the bench until he earns his place in the team. As for surviving in the Premiership this year, well, I believe that van Buyten’s injury will cost us dear. Distin was a different player with van Buyten next to him. Whatever the outcome I think the present management team should go at the end of this season. We have seen poor man management, lack of tactics, no young players coming thorough (I see Glenn Whelan is now being shown the door) and poor team selection.

OPINION: SHOOT THE ELK? I

Okay, so we know football fans are a fickle bunch, but this is ridiculous. Nicolas Anelka is the one truly world class footballer we have. What would we achieve by selling him? It’s not like we’re going to see all the money being spent on players. Our club debt is such that it’s not a stretch to imagine the money would be spent consolidating that debt. Those of you who think he should go, think about this first: our biggest problem this season has been the lack of quality support for Nicolas from the midfield. Basically, we never replaced Berkovic and Benarbia, which has meant that all season we have relied on SWP’s pace and skill, Tarnat’s crosses, and more recently Sibierski’s head. None of those make up for the killer balls that Berko used to play. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should have kept him, but I’m saying we need to replace him.

Football fans are a funny breed. Anelka has scored 20 goals this season. Prior to injury and suspension, he looked sharper than sharp. Remember his altercation with Ashley Cole? If he didn’t care about the club, he’d have celebrated his goal and left the ball in the net. Instead, he was the first player to go for the ball to try and get the game restarted. And for his efforts he was red carded. I cannot believe, in a season where so many players have underachieved, City fans are choosing our one class player to vent their frustrations at. This is wrong.

IMHO, Sinclair, Bosvelt, Tarnat, Wanchope, Macca, and Fowler need to go in the summer. They have all underachieved dramatically, whilst on fat wage packets. We then need to build an attacking team around SWP, Barton, and Anelka. We need to play with Anelka and Macken, or Anelka and a new strike partner. I’m ranting now but I cannot believe that nobody has noticed the poor, poor, football Fowler has played all season long. I’m sure he’s nice enough guy, but football is about performances and ability. Robbie simply doesn’t have the ability anymore. Or, certainly not consistenly. Why not blood some more youngsters? I’d rather we went out and lost to the likes of Middlesbrough and Portsmouth with a team of youngsters who are getting better, than lose with a team of ageing wage collectors.

I fear for KK this summer. Realistically, we need a first choice centre back, a first choice left back, a first choice midfield playmaker, and possibly a first choice stiker to play alongside Nico… although I really, really like the look of Macken. He could grow into a player similar to James Beatie if he’s given the opportunity. I digress. With all of these obvious holes in the squad, why are we suprised at the league position we’re in? To wrap this up nicely, Berko and Ali B were our two most influential players in Division One, and Berko was arguably our most influential player in the Premiership last season. You cannot lose him, not replace him with a player of similar, or better ability, and then expect to take a step up. Stop all this sell Nico nonsense at once. Get behind him, and he could one day fire us into the Champions’ League. I truly believe that.

OPINION: SHOOT THE ELK? II

I have just read the article by Mike Holden in MCIVTA 1004. It makes interesting reading and I suggest that the statistics back up Mike’s views. Taking all competitions into account, the average number of goals scored by City when Anelka has started is 1.45 goals per game. In the 8 games which Anelka has missed, the team average exactly 2 goals per game. For clarification, I assumed Anelka did not play in the League Cup tie at Spurs in the 4-3 win, as he went off injured when we were 2-0 down. Indeed, that Spurs game could be the yardstick to judge the difference in the team when Anelka doesn’t play. The transformation in terms of attitude, performance and goals scored was remarkable.

Let’s be clear. Anelka is a class player but is not good for City as a team. And it is a team game. If the rumours are true about Barcelona interest, it might be right to sell him and use the money to invest in van Buyten. We’d still have £7 million spare. Now that’s a good deal.

OPINION: SHOOT THE ELK? III

I hate to say this but I told you so. I have been saying for ages that Anelka is only good for one thing, Anelka. KK must realise that players don’t have the same commitment as he has or had. If players really cared why do so many of them sit on the bench each week? Arsenal, Chelsea and the Rags. These clubs have most of the players; once these players would have been distributed throughout the league.

We must not blame the Elk entirely, we should blame the man who put him straight back in the team. You should never change a winning team. 4-1 against the Rags and then we change the team, not exactly good management.

I still believe we will fill the third relegation place. Why? Because we draw whilst others win. Those two points makes all the difference. Also we have been here before, it’s just one of those things.

If anyone would like to hear my comments on referees then I would be willing to oblige. I used to do it.

OPINION: SHOOT THE ELK? IV

Sell Anelka and give way to some real endeavour i.e. Macken, not just the look at me and be grateful attitude we have seen all season. Anelka may be top scorer, with the help of penalties, but at what cost to our club?

OPINION: SVENN’S SENSES

I am sure this will be one of many emails on the subject. I think that the treatment of Shaun Wright-Phillips by the most over hyped and most certainly over paid, manager (and I use that word loosely) England have ever had who has come to symbolise the increasing destruction of the game by the marketing muppets was an absolute disgrace last night. This Emperor who never had any clothes fiddles at the flames.

The one spark of genius who might have changed the ordinariness and soporific delights this one trick magician was able to express was not even allowed the dignity of a cameo performance. My only hope, and I hold this very dear, is that the cure for insomnia gets to take over from Fergiescum during the summer. That would be a match made in heaven. In short Ericsson you are a moron.

OPINION: ANELKA

I may have misheard, but hopefully someone here can clear this up for me. Before the Leeds match on Sky I’m sure I heard one of the presenters make reference to a clause in Anelka’s contract that says he plays if he’s fit?

Surely not? On the other hand it would explain why he’s managed to stay in the team for so long irrespective of his form: indifferent at best, wretched at worst.

OPINION: REYNA

Can anyone offer me any crumbs of positivity with Claudio Reyna?

Why did we but him?
What has he brought to the team that we didn’t have before?
How is he better than Barton or any other midfielder we have?
Name one match in which he has performed.

OPINION: CAN WE?

1. Can we play Man Utd every game for the rest of the season?
2. Can the rest of our home games be played at Maine Road?
3. Can someone please teach Monsieur Anelka the offside rule?

OPINION: THE OLD GIRL

Having travelled up to the (appalling) game against Fulham, we thought it might be interesting to see what was going on with Maine Road.

We first saw 2 kids running off with a pair of seats each from the rubble and then found a wheely bin to stand on and have a look over the fence.

This was the view http://www.art-dept.org/maineroad

[Open with caution, it’s not a pretty sight – Ed]

REQUEST: WOLVES TICKET

If anyone has a spare Wolves ticket, I’m after one. Contact me any time on my mobile: 07717840096 or at work between 9:30am – 6pm on 01179589716

REQUEST: SPURS TICKET

Does anyone have any spare tickets to the Spurs game? Please contact me, and I will be forever in your debt!

REQUEST: FOOTBALL ANTHEMS

Am getting into the spirit of the Euro 2004 and am looking for a CD for the car to bop along to on the way to work. I am looking for a good Football Anthems one and seen a couple on the net but am unsure as to the quality. I am looking for the usual ‘Three Lions’ by Baddiel & Skinner, “Vindaloo” etc. Am particularly looking for one I heard in a sports shop recently on the PA which have a ‘Sven’ song that I hadn’t heard before.

So can anyone recommend me the ‘definitive’ CD on this subject! If I could get a ‘copy’ would be an added bonus (all costs will be covered!)!

REQUEST: BLUES OUT FOR MOSSLEY

Mosley AFC and Brooklands Trades and Social Club are holding a Manchester City Legends evening on the 20th April at Brooklands Trades and Social Club on Carrswood Road, Brooklands Estate. Tickets £5.00 on the door or pre-order from the club. Featuring many past City players: Peter Barnes, Paul Lake, Paul Power, Alex Williams and hopefully more T.B.A.

For more info contact RA Newby on 0161 998 6837.

RESULTS

League table to 31 March 2004 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Arsenal         30 12  3  0 29 11 10  5  0 29  9 22  8  0  58  20  38  74
 2 Chelsea         30 10  2  3 29 13 11  2  2 28 11 21  4  5  57  24  33  67
 3 Manchester Utd  30 10  3  2 33 13  9  2  4 23 17 19  5  6  56  30  26  62
 4 Liverpool       30  8  2  4 22 13  4  8  4 20 18 12 10  8  42  31  11  46
 5 Newcastle Utd   30  9  3  3 26 10  2  9  4 15 21 11 12  7  41  31  10  45
 6 Birmingham City 30  8  4  4 23 17  4  5  5 14 19 12  9  9  37  36   1  45
 7 Aston Villa     30  7  4  3 19 14  5  3  8 19 21 12  7 11  38  35   3  43
 8 Charlton Ath.   30  6  3  6 23 24  6  4  5 18 15 12  7 11  41  39   2  43
 9 Fulham          30  8  3  4 24 16  3  4  8 18 24 11  7 12  42  40   2  40
10 Southampton     30  8  4  4 19 11  2  5  7 11 17 10  9 11  30  28   2  39
11 Middlesbrough   30  5  4  6 17 19  5  4  6 18 20 10  8 12  35  39  -4  38
12 Tottenham H.    30  8  2  5 29 23  3  2 10 11 24 11  4 15  40  47  -7  37
13 Bolton Wndrs    30  4  7  4 16 16  5  3  7 18 30  9 10 11  34  46 -12  37
14 Everton         30  7  5  4 23 16  1  5  8 13 25  8 10 12  36  41  -5  34
15 Manchester City 30  3  8  4 21 17  4  2  9 20 25  7 10 13  41  42  -1  31
16 Blackburn R.    30  3  3  9 21 28  5  4  6 21 20  8  7 15  42  48  -6  31
17 Portsmouth      30  7  2  5 24 15  1  4 11  8 30  8  6 16  32  45 -13  30
18 Leicester City  30  2  9  5 15 24  3  4  7 24 28  5 13 12  39  52 -13  28
19 Leeds United    30  4  5  6 17 23  2  2 11 12 37  6  7 17  29  60 -31  25
20 Wolves          30  5  5  4 17 26  0  4 12  9 36  5  9 16  26  62 -36  24

MCIVTA FAQ [v0304.07]

[0] MCIVTA Addresses

 Articles (Heidi Pickup)          : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org

 News/rumour (Don Barrie)         : news@mcivta.city-fan.org

 Subscriptions (Madeleine Hawkins): subscriptions@mcivta.city-fan.org

 Technical problems (Paul)        : paul@city-fan.org

 FAQ (David Warburton)            : faq@mcivta.city-fan.org

[1] What are MCIVTA’s publishing deadlines?

Deadlines for issues are nominally 6pm, Monday and Thursday evenings.

[2] MCIVTA Back Issues and Manchester City Supporters’ home page

http://www.uit.no/mancity/ is the unofficial Manchester City Supporters’ home page. Created in 1994, it is the longest running of the Manchester City related web sites. Back issues of MCIVTA are also hosted on the site.

[3] What is the club’s official web site?

The official club web site can be found at http://www.mcfc.co.uk/

[4] What supporters’ clubs are there?

Manchester City FC recognises three supporters’ clubs: The “Official Supporters Club” (http://www.mancity.net/osc/); the “Centenary Supporters’ Association” (http://www.reddishblues.com/CSAWebsite/CSA.htm) and “The International Supporters’ Club” (http://www.mcfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=111845&Title=International+Supporters+Club&lid=Membership).

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

The Fans’ Committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. It has its own website, http://www.mcfc-fans.com/ containing info about forthcoming meetings as well as minutes from previous gatherings.

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

The GMR pre and post match phone-in is available on the web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/gmr/sport_intro.shtml.

Live match commentaries and archives of games, reports and interviews can be found at http://www.mcfctv.com/, whilst an alternate live commentary service, hosted by Yahoo, is located at http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/foot/englandprem/cal/index.html.

[7] 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://canadatvsoccer.tripod.com/Fixtures.htm, http://www.foxsportsworld.com/named/FSW/Index/Soccer, and http://www.soccertv.com/.

http://www.foxsportsworld.com/content/view?contentId=1288602 also provides a guide to pubs in the USA showing football.

[8] What’s the music the teams run out to?

At the start of the 03/04 season it was actually a mix of two tracks: Starting with “O Verona” (from the film “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet”) leading in to “Barber’s Adagio for Strings (Ferry Corsten remix)” by William Orbit. The first part is available on the movie soundtrack (volume 2) and the second is included on a variety of CDs such as Kiss House Nation 2000, Galaxy Hit Mix, Cream Live, Ibiza Chill and Dance Nation 4.

Currently we use a selection of different music, which seems to change each game.

[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 OFEX web site http://www.ofex.com/ (registration required) 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] Acknowledgements

Thanks go to Damian Quinn, Stephen Webb, Roger Haigh, Martin Price, and Adrian Howarth for the Satellite TV info.

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: