Newsletter #1021

City related news this week includes the inevitable transfer links, international action for our youngsters, ex-Blues and another rôle for Bernard Halford – thanks to Don for his round-up.

We also have season reviews, where to go now, the usual requests and a Why Blue? Any more for any more, given the close season?

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Sunny Donny Beckons: There has already been a change to the pre-season fixtures announced last week. City have swapped the joys of a day at the seaside for the delights of Doncaster. The visit to Bloomfield Road had been arranged as a testimonial for Andy Morrison. A club spokesman said: “It’s unfortunate because it would have been a good game for us and a chance to raise some money for Andy. As far as we’re concerned it was a breakdown in communications between them and Andy’s agent and organising committee,” he added. The match schedule now looks like this:
Wednesday July 21st vs. Bury, away, kick off 7.30pm
Saturday July 24th vs. Doncaster Rovers, away, kick off 3.00pm
Wednesday July 28th vs. Hull, away, kick off 7.45pm
Friday July 30th vs. Wolves, away, kick off 7.45pm
Monday August 2nd vs. Reading, away, kick off 8.00pm
Saturday August 7th, opposition and kick off tbc at Eastlands.

7 Up is Good for You: A quick update on Nico’s family business, courtesy of the Scotsman: “New Raith manager Claude Anelka has made no less than seven French signings as he prepares for next season. Stark’s Park chairman Turnbull Hutton is hopeful the new arrivals will be of a similar quality to goalkeeper David Berthelot, who was brought to the Kirkcaldy club from the French lower divisions last term. ‘Obviously the players will not be household names in Fife,’ he said, ‘but we got Berthelot last season from a similar level in France.'”

International Blues: Paddy McCarthy scored for the Republic of Ireland’s under-21s last week, in their 3-1 defeat of Scotland in Galway. Willo Flood has also seen action for Ireland, in the European Under-19 championships. Flood played in all three group matches, which saw a narrow defeat against Belgium, a victory against Serbia & Montenegro and a 3-0 success against Norway. The Irish just missed out on progressing to the next stage, however. Meanwhile, Paulo Wanchope has decided not to play in Costa Rica’s World Cup qualifiers this summer. “I will not be playing for Costa Rica in the summer,” said Paulo. “We have two important World Cup qualifiers in June and then the Copa America in July. But I have decided in discussion with the medical staff that it would be better for me, the club and Costa Rica to rest this summer.” And France coach Jacques Santini has admitted that the international door is not closed on Nicolas Anelka, although he is far from his immediate plans. Santini insisted in L’Equipe this week that Anelka can still work his way back into the side in the future after apologising for his snub.

Swift SWeeP: We now know that Shaun Wright-Phillips is quick on and off the pitch. Everyone’s favourite number 29 has been banned from driving for 3 months after being caught speeding on the M56 in Cheshire (well who hasn’t, members of the jury…). Apart from the ban, SWP was ordered to pay £2,000 in fines and costs. The court was told that traffic police were patrolling just below the 70mph speed limit at Bowdon when the Mercedes zoomed past on September 29 last year. They then timed the car, which was heading towards Manchester, over a distance of half-a-mile and recorded it at 120mph. His lawyer claimed that his client was speeding to get out of the way of a red BMW.

Plans for Maine Road: The M.E.N. reports this week that plans for the site of Maine Road will be announced next month. The paper believes that a privately funded scheme is planned to develop high quality housing on the land, along with wide-ranging community facilities. The work on the project will be put out to tender in the summer, with a decision on the preferred bidder expected to be made in September, around the time demolition work on Maine Road is due to finish.

Councillor Bernard: Club secretary Bernard Halford has been voted onto the FA Council, the governing body of football in England. Halford has been with the Blues for 32 years, and has joined the tiny band of club secretaries who have held the prestigious post of FA Councillor, and will join the council as the representative of the Manchester County FA. “It’s a huge honour to be selected by the Manchester County FA as their representative on the FA Council,” says Halford. “I stood for the position to fulfil a promise I made to our former director Chris Muir, who sadly passed away not long ago. Chris was the Manchester County rep on the FA Council and wanted me to take over from him when he retired at 75. I spoke to him last year when he was terminally ill and he asked me again if I would take over from him. I promised him I would and now I am looking forward to taking over where Chris left off.”

Transfer News and Gossip

In Limbo: There’s been conflicting news on the transfer destination of Daniel van Buyten. First he was off to Hamburg, then it wasn’t too clear. As early as last Friday, Henk wrote in to say that Belgian teletext was reporting that German side HSV (Hamburg) were in for van Buyten, but like City were not willing to pay Marseille’s asking price of £7 million. Hamburg’s interest was confirmed by Klaus Toppmöller who said: “Daniel is an absolute top star and he speaks German. I could imagine that he could become our new captain.” Then came news that things were not going the way of the German club. Van Buyten’s agent Christophe Henrotay told BBC Sport: “I don’t think it will happen. Hamburg would have to make too big an effort on the financial side.” Henrotay added: “There is nothing between Daniel and Hamburg. We had a couple of chats with them after they signed Emile Mpenza and they are looking for a defender. Apart from Bayern Munich, German clubs are not used to paying a lot of money for players, it’s certainly not common for them to pay £3 million for a defender. I don’t think Marseille will let him go cheaply so it’s going to be difficult for Hamburg unless they say we’re going to do something special. But at the moment it’s not the case.” So the ball’s back in City’s court. DvB was quoted as saying: “After experiencing the club, the stadium and the fans, I want to be a City player,” he stated. “Kevin Keegan has told me there is no money for him to spend, but I hope the clubs can come to some agreement.”

Leeds Reject Matteo Bid: Perhaps City have already given up hope of signing van Buyten, because Leeds have apparently rejected a City approach for captain Dominic Matteo. City wanted to take the 30-year-old defender on a season-long loan deal. However, Leeds have said they will only listen to cash offers for a player who was one of the star performers in a torrid season.

Right Back Where We Belong: The good personages of the press seem convinced that City are on the look out for a right back. Last week’s rumours of a move for Danny Mills of Leeds have persisted – but only if the 27-year-old is given a free transfer by the white rose outfit. One player who will be available on a free this summer is Barcelona’s Michael Reiziger. Reiziger almost joined the Blues two seasons ago, and even had a look around the club’s training facilities before deciding to stay at the Nou Camp, so the evening News reckons that KK will rekindle his interest in the 31-year-old. Next in the M.E.N. rumour and speculation mill is Chelsea’s Mario Melchiot. Again, this could fit into the category of wishful thinking, because even the Evening News concedes that Melchiot will have half the Premiership chasing his signature once his contract at Stamford Bridge runs out.

Bad Break: Premiership returnees West Bromwich Albion have opened talks with Danny Tiatto following the Australian international’s release by City. Tiatto, whose six-year spell with City has been ended after an injury-troubled final season under KK, wants to stay in England and has the Premiership experience to attract boss Gary Megson. Tiatto has also been linked with a move to Leicester City. His hopes of finding a new club in the summer have received a blow however, after he suffered a broken jaw while on international duty. The midfielder suffered the injury during Australia’s 3-1 loss to Turkey in Sydney and he spent his 31st birthday having his jaw wired shut. Tiatto – who was recently released by Manchester City – had only been on the field ten minutes when he collided with his own goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

Reject Sale? Manchester’s evening journal says that KK will follow orders from the boardroom, and “get creative in the transfer market”. This means that three players will be shown the exit door – Matias Vuoso, David Sommeil and Christian Negouai. Vuoso is the second highest goalscorer in Mexico’s summer tournament, so could command a fee for his services. Sommeil, the paper speculates, could still be a makeweight in the DvB deal, while Negouai, brought in for £1.5 million from Belgian side Charleroi after home grown youngster Dickson Etuhu was sold to Preston, has had a miserable time of things and would relish a move back to the continent.

Turkish Delight? Turkish side Besiktas are lining up Nicolas Anelka as a potential transfer target, according to a report. The club, who were crowned Turkish champions in 2003, are set to hold presidential elections on Sunday, and leading candidate Yildirim Demirorem has promised to bring Anelka, along with Sylvain Wiltord to the club, according to the Daily Star. However, whether he would be able to pull it off should he be elected is another matter entirely. It’s unlikely City would listen to anything but a substantial offer for their leading marksman, and then it would remain to be seen whether Anelka fancied a move to Turkey. In other news, the Observer says that Fulham and City want German-based Nigeria star Pascal Ojigwe. The 27-year-old midfielder currently plies his trade with Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Ex-Blues’ News

In the Clear and Back to the Prem? All charges have been dropped against Paul Dickov and two other Leicester City footballers accused of sexual assault in Spain. Dickov, Frank Sinclair and Keith Gillespie will not face further action, said chief executive Tim Davies. Davies said the trio would not have to go back to Spain, where they spent a week in jail before being freed on bail. He said: that he had exchanged texts with the players but had not spoken to them. “They are obviously relieved that their innocence has been proved,” he said. “As a club, we have consistently maintained our total faith in the Spanish judicial system and welcome the news that justice has been seen to be done.” The results of forensic tests released earlier this week showed no link between the three footballers and their accusers. Meanwhile Dickov is wanted by Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers, according to Foxes’ boss Micky Adams. Adams is disappointed to see the Scotland international is seemingly heading for the exit. He told the Leicester Mercury: “I would have hoped that players who I have basically re-invented would have had a bit more about them. We signed them when no-one else was interested in them, but they will say they have their families to think about no doubt. I would look at someone like Muzzy Izzet, who had plenty of chances to leave, but honoured his contract with us to the very end and I would have expected others to have done the same thing. (Riccardo) Scimeca has gone and with Dickov having discussions with Portsmouth and Blackburn, I now expect him to go too.”

Hamstring’s Killen Me: Thanks to Ralph, our man in New Zealand, who writes: “News of a City old boy. All White (and former MCFC squad member) striker Chris Killen has been ruled out of the upcoming OFC Nations Cup and World Cup qualifying tournament through injury and replaced by Aaran Lines. Killen has been recovering from a hamstring tear but after consultation between New Zealand Soccer medical staff and his Oldham Athletic club in England, the decision has been taken to replace him in the squad due to concerns over his fitness. Killen has been replaced in the squad by Aaran Lines, currently playing for Arka Gydnia in Poland.”

Not Bright at the Vale: Ian Brightwell has decided to leave his rôle as Port Vale youth team coach. The former City defender was assistant boss at the club but was replaced by Dean Glover when manager Martin Foyle took over in February. “Ian has decided not accept the new position and I fully understand his reasons, but he’ll be a big loss to the club,” Foyle told BBC Radio Stoke. Brightwell has been linked with a move to Macclesfield where he would team up again with Brian Horton.

Squad News

Will Do Better: Captain Sylvain Distin thinks that the team have learned valuable lessons after their disappointing showing last season. “If we work really hard, we have everything here to have a much better campaign,” he said. “We may not be Chelsea or Arsenal but we can improve and finish in a good position. We have learned a lot from this season. You learn more from the bad days than the good days. When you are winning, you don’t have to think about a lot of things, you just go with the flow and you don’t need to find solutions. You don’t think about what you have to do. When you are not playing so well, you have to think about what is going wrong and why results haven’t come. This is the type of season that will help you. You cannot play relaxed football when you are in that position and, of course, everyone was nervous because we knew what we could lose. Why just tried to work hard to make things better.”

The Other Wright-Phillips Kid: Twenty goals at in all games suggests that Bradley Wright-Phillips might well be joining elder brother Shaun in the first team picture next season. “I’m happy with the progress I have made but there’s still a lot to learn,” said Wright-Phillips junior. “Just playing with the reserve side has been good and I’ve learned a lot of new things. I’m trying to put a bit of weight on and just get physically stronger. When I play I just get into the box as often as possible and get in as many shots as I can. That’s what the coaches have been telling me to do so that’s what I have done.” With his brother now a star in the first team, and his step-father already famous, how does Bradley cope with the comparisons to his family? “I don’t think about the family link until people bring it up,” he said. “When people ask if I feel under pressure it does come to mind but normally I don’t let it bother me. Shaun told me to relax and not rush things and he is a constant support.”

Successful Operations for Pair: Richard Dunne and Jon Macken have both undergone hernia operations, and are expected to be fit enough to start pre-season training in July. “Both Jon and Richard are fine and recovering well,” reported club doctor Mark Whittaker. “It is a testament to both that they managed to play and train for up to four months with what were decent sized hernias. The plan was always to get them operated on as soon as possible so that they would be back 100% for the pre-season. They went to Germany because they have a slightly more advanced technique that cuts down the rehab time. We have used the facilities there before and been pleased with the results. The players will be able to do some gentle exercise within a fortnight and they will definitely be back fit for when the squad returns to work.”

Crofty’s Lofty Ambitions: Eighteen-year-old midfielder, Lee Croft feels that next season could vital in his attempts to break into the first team. “I have just completed my first season training with the senior squad,” explained the former City trainee. “It has been a great experience and the boss has been very encouraging saying that we could get a chance in pre-season. I know I have been fortunate to have been training with world class players but the manager has told me to believe that I can do it. I know that there are so many midfielders at the club already but I also know that it is now up to me to show my abilities.”

Farewell Then, Gerard: Gerard Wiekens has left the club after seven seasons with the Blues, and is still unsure of his future. The 31-year-old admits that the last year with City has not been easy, but he will always hold the club high in his affections. “It has been frustrating watching the team struggle this season especially at times when I have been fit and felt that I could have made a difference,” he admitted. “No player likes training all week and then spending Saturday sitting in the stands and I am not any different. I have been struggling with my knee and though it is not career threatening or anything like that it was been bad enough to keep me out of the team when I might have got back in against Bolton recently. It has just been a terribly frustrating time and a sad way to end my days at City. My last game was against TNS and it is more than a year ago that I played in the league.” Wiekens says he intends to carry on playing for another two or three seasons and to stay in this country, if possible. “I want to be playing again and I know to do that I have to move on,” he added. “Seven years at one club is a long time for any player, especially in the modern era, and I have some fantastic memories to take away with me. If there was a good club in for me from Holland I would consider going back but the difference between the game here and back home is big. In Holland the game is not as big or as popular as it is here. I feel as though I have another two or three seasons left at a really good level before I have to drop down and I will just have to see what happens. One thing is for sure I can never forget City or the fans they have been part of my life for so long.” Wiekens, who featured at centre half, midfielder and full back for the Blues, clocked up 195 league and cup starts for City in three different divisions, scoring 10 goals along the way.

OPINION: END OF SEASON THOUGHTS

Well we survived and there is I think much to be optimistic about despite the poor finishing position.

The positives:

• Liverpool are looking for a new big name manager. Had City finished inthe top 6/7 who do you think would be rivalling O’Neill, Curbishley et alin the bookies’ lists for their next manager? Undoubtedly KK would be beingset up for the prodigal’s return to Anfield but having seen City lose ourway this season he’s not even in the lists! Thank goodness for that I sayas I think next season could be his best ever with us.
• Next season will be our second in the new stadium. Recent history islittered with teams who have struggled in their first season in a newstadium but have then moved forward the following year once they havesettled in and started to make it a fortress. Southampton are a greatexample of this. Add 4 or 5 wins to our home form and we’d all be talkingabout what we needed to do to push on into the Champions’ League next year.
• Most new players need time to bed in and are at their best once they havehad a season to do so. Look at Arsenal this year – how many players didWenger buy in the summer and compare that with the difficulties ManUre andChelsea have had by comparison (not that I’d mind their problems…!). Lastsummer KK brought in a whole raft of new players, some of whom I think willbe much better next year having had a year to adjust to life in Manchester,the new stadium and the way we want to play.
• We can’t be as unlucky for such a prolonged period again next year.
• Look at the home wins we did get:
  1. ManUre 4-1
  2. Villa 4-1
  3. Bolton 6-2
  4. Newcastle 1-0
  5. Everton 5-1
  We beat 4 top 10 sides and averaged just under 4 goals a game against them.The only bottom half team we beat was Everton when the season was done anddusted. Add in to this that we battered and lost to Chelsea at home and youhave to conclude that we’re perfectly capable of top 6 but need to be moreconsistent at home (see above).
• SWP is going to be world class.
• We have a top class ‘keeper – a prerequisite for all good teams.

The problems:

• We developed an inability to make pressure tell throughout the season.Part of this is due to poor finishing (see below!) and part I think is dueto our lack of an incisive midfield passer in the Ali B mould. I don’t buyinto the “we shouldn’t have sold Berko” camp as he spends too much time inthe treatment room. This is presumably the job Reyna was bought to do alongwith the traffic cop but neither have set the world alight yet.
• Anelka is undoubtedly a top class striker but he drives me mad with allthe easy chances he misses. If he wants to be up with the best he has gotto start putting the one on ones and poacher’s chances away. I reckon he’smissed at least 15 one on ones this season. My God, he could have been upamongst the Shearer and Henry’s of this world if had taken the easy ones!How many times has he done this when we are 1 up only for the other side toequalise soon after? It’s a fine line but KK, as one of my all time greatstrikers, must get hold of him and improve him in this area and turn himinto the great striker he can be. Does anyone remember him missing the easyones at Arsenal?
• If Anelka is to stay and be the main man up front then KK needs to solvethe problem of who partners him. It saddens me to say that Robbie is notcompatible with his style. I think both of them need to be played as a mainstriker with a partner playing in the hole just behind them. This is whatMacken seems to do and is what Robbie has had to do when partnered with theElk. At Arsenal Anelka had Bergkamp playing that rôle and he scored ashedful and if City want to play to his strengths we need to play someonein that rôle. Wanchope is unpredictable and injury prone and has never doneit over a long period of time in the top division. Macken and Fowler workedwell as a partnership when Anelka was injured/banned and suddenly Robbiewas scoring. In fact in games where Anelka didn’t play Fowler led the lineand his goal average was up with anything he’s produced in the past. WithAnelka I think Fowler’s scored 2. Macken and Anelka hasn’t set the worldon fire either, maybe Nic doesn’t rate him? I wonder if the answer mightnot be Sibierski? He’s good in the air and from the hole could be hard topick up. He’s also got a decent range of passing and can take peopleon. Ultimately I think KK will sell one or two of our strikers this summerif he can and we’ll see Elliott pushing his way onto the bench as the nextgeneration coming through. In the end though, don’t be surprised if SWP istried with Anelka. KK has suggested in the past that SWP will one day playup front. He’s shown this year that his finishing has improved and I wouldbe surprised if the boss didn’t give it a try at some stage.
• Defence! Like most supporters I think DvB is a must if we can possiblyget him. The number of games that we dominated only to lose/draw last yearcannot be repeated and to do that we need a leader at the back who caninstil confidence and help to eradicate the daft errors that cost us somany points. I don’t agree with the finger of blame being pointed at KK’slegendary defensive frailties as for the most part the errors were not poorpositioning, just daft mistakes when under pressure. I’d offer DvB the lureof the skipper’s armband as well as getting rid of some dead wood to free upthe cash. Obviously with DvB we’d play 3 at the back with Dunne and Distinas his partners but the lack of cover for injuries etc. is a worry. Leftback is also an issue and I hope he isn’t seriously considering playingDistin there. Personally I’d like to see a left and right back brought inif there are any players we can afford on Bosmans (is Danny Mills tooexpensive?).
• We are bloody awful at crossing the ball. This is SWP’s one achilles heeland has also been a problem with almost everyone else. Can we practice thisplease!

All in all I think we will do very well next year. The gap is not as big as we think, but we do have to learn to put teams away at home. Consider this from the season just finished – I know these are ifs and buts and there are too many for comfort but no other side in the bottom half can make a similar case:

• We lost to Middlesbrough at home when they didn’t even have a shot. Poorfinishing and rank bad luck.
• We murdered Spurs at home and drew 0-0. We had something like 25 goalattempts – top sides win 3, 4, 5-0 with that sort of dominance – poor finishing.
• We completely outplayed Leeds home and away and got 1 point! We lost toludicrous refereeing and poor finishing at Elland Road (just after AndyGray said our performance was one of the best away performances he’d seenfrom anyone outside the top 3 all season). At home Sommeil went mad andgave the ball to Viduka, then we murdered them (although another defensivecock up should have cost us the game late on).
• We completely dominated Liverpool and even their boss said we should havebeen 3 or 4 up at half time – poor finishing.
• We completely dominated Chelsea and lost – Ranieri said we were fantasticand deserved to win – bad luck and poor finishing.
• Away to Birmingham we lost to 2 goals that both went in off the strikerwithout him knowing anything about it – bad luck although a draw wouldhave been fair to them.
• OK James’s penalty saves and Wanchope’s last minute equaliser againstFulham got us 3 points but we blew at least 17 points with bad luck, daft defensiveerrors when on top and rank bad finishing.

And finally:

What chance that a certain Mr Robert Fowler is tried on the left side of midfield in pre-season – he’s got a left foot, crosses well and spends half his time out there anyway. Probably a totally daft idea but if Ericsson could play Heskey there for England… At least he wouldn’t be looking to cut inside all the time like Sinclair and Macca. If he wants to be a striker then he won’t get a game. Stranger things have happened.

Have a great summer everyone.

OPINION: SELLING THE FAMILY SILVER

Newsflash: “Dave Clinton for Manager’s Job”

Just read Dave’s piece in McVittee 1020 and feel that he is right on the button.

Dave’s not on his lonesome either as there have been a number of articles that show that positive changes can be made to the side for next season rather than take the doom & gloom approach as per KK.

In a nutshell – get rid of the non performers (high and low wage earners), bring in DvB (a class act – even with the cr*p hairdo and socks over the knees) and for Christ’s sake let’s give some of the youngsters a decent run in the team before we offload them.

Sorry Kev, but I have to agree with the Chairman, you should be made to work with what you’ve got and sell to replace – DvB is an absolute must so get cracking immediately!

Although City have underachieved this season, there have been times that they have played some brilliant football, which has been a lot better to watch than the boring stuff served up whilst Clark, Ball, Royle etc. were managers.

I think that if KK can get his head right over summer, the squad we have should be more than capable of sitting in the top third of the table next season.

Maybe KK’s foxing us, ready to surprise at a moment’s notice?

OPINION: PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES

Pre-season games always bring some controversy in that City are not playing bigger clubs, and are not playing in a foreign country. Playing abroad can bring the club its rewards, we only have to look at Liverpool who last season went to Thailand; now the Thai Prime Minister wants to invest into the club with a very large amount of money, and the kids are wearing Liverpool shirts (at least they are not Rags’ shirts, but still they are not ours).

Some members of our board of directors have been to Russia and China to try to drum up some business, but it’s Newcastle that will be playing their friendlies in China and Hong Kong. So why are City playing friendlies at home?

My guess is we are correct in doing this; City have probably more pre-season games than anyone else in the Premier League. We have so many youngsters who have been waiting for their chance, and this is when so many are going to be given the chance of playing in the senior side. As fans we are all pulling for them to have success.

The future of City is so much in the hands of our young stars; it’s far more important that they be given the opportunity. Then, maybe next year we will play abroad for the business side of the club. The priority now though is the players, and team for next season.

Come on you young City stars!

OPINION: REST HOME?

Saw on BBC Sport that Barcelona have released Kluivert, Overmars, Cocu and Reiziger. What odds at least one of them will end up at COMS?

OPINION: HAITIAN THANKS

In a recent MCIVTA there was an appeal for football shirts for children in Haiti; we sent a few that the boys had grown out of, including the season before last’s away shirt with Goater on the back as Josh thought it important that ‘they had some good players to be like’.

I received the following response that others might like to see:

“I’d like to thank you and all the City fans who have sent me T-shirts for the kids in Haiti. Of all the fans who have sent me shirts, the City lot have been most generous.”
(from Michael Power)

Thanks and keep up the good work. Here’s looking forward to the new season and hoping it starts as the last one ended!

REQUEST: CITY WEBSITE RELAUNCHED

Just a quick one to let you know that Bluemoon (http://www.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/) has been relaunched with a new design and message board if anyone’s interested.

REQUEST: COMS ENGLAND FRIENDLIES

The Football Supporters’ Federation are doing their usual international game fans’ embassy and if anyone would like to help out with the (free) Free Lions fanzine distribution from about 5pm next Tuesday and around 12pm on the Saturday around the pubs and immediate vicinity of CoMS, please could they let me know and I’ll pass details on. It’s usually a good laugh and some worthwhile work and contacts for away games made. Honestly.

You can find out more from the FSF website at http://www.fsf.org.uk/

REQUEST: INTERNATIONAL TICKET

Does anyone have any spare tickets for the England vs. Iceland game on June 5th?

REQUEST: EURO 2004 TICKETS

I’m going to be out in Portugal for Euro 2004. I was wondering if anyone knew of anyone, or where; where I can get hold of two tickets for the England vs. Switzerland game? I would be very much appreciative if anyone can help with this please.

WHY BLUE?

Well my earliest memory of football comes from the 1976 FA Cup final. My older brother declared himself to be a Man Utd. fan (we lived in Darwen,near Blackburn, so yes he was a glory hunter) and I asked who they were playing; he told me Southampton, and me not knowing it was a David vs. Goliath game promptly declared my allegiance to the Saints! Well, what can I say, Bobby Stokes!

Well I found my favourite player to be Mick Channon and when he was transferred to City I decided if they were good enough for him they were good enough for me. Of course he did not stay long, but by then I was not so fickle and have been a Blue ever since. Best player, Wright-Phillips of the current team and of the past players Peter Barnes is a player fondly remembered, along with Paul Power. I also remember people going on about Liverpool and the RAF and Blackburn with the SAS but we had the WAR, Walsh and Rösler, unstoppable on their day.

Best memories, of course the day against Gillingham; I had just arrived on holiday in Cyprus and had promised the family faithfully that I would not watch the game, ’cause they knew if we had lost I would have been down for the entire 2 weeks, but sitting in a restaurant that night and it being shown in the next bar I heard that it was going to penalties and said b**ger it I have to watch! When I saw the score I thought (as you do being a City fan) that we had blew the lead and let them come back at us; how wrong I was and of course it made my holiday so much better. Recently I was at the game against Newcastle, my first in the superb new stadium, and watched them win and basically stave off the threat of relegation. I could not cheer or jump around though as I was in the middle of the Newcastle fans, being invited by my wife’s boss who has a box at St. James’ but oh did I not love it and gloated all the way home!

Things I feel will be so different next season but we have to keep van Buyten as I feel he will be a class defender, and sell Macken or Fowler if we have to do it to buy him.

MCIVTA FAQ [v0304.07]

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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: