Newsletter #1030

A short issue tonight, with Renato’s views on Italian Bosmans, a book review from Dave and news of a Foe tribute concert in Manchester.

As it’s quiet season, any more footballing book reviews that people would care to submit to add to our summer reading lists?

OPINION: ITALIAN BOSMANS

Here’s a list of Serie A players available on Bosman with my ratings! What are you waiting for City?

PLAYERS         ROLE    AGE     SQUADS          VOTES
Almeyda         MF      30      Inter           ****
Benarrivo       DF      35      Parma           **
Berretta        MF      32      Ancona          ****
Binotto         MF      29      Bologna         ****
Carbone         STR     32      Parma           ***
Carew           STR     24      Roma            ***
Cevoli          DF      35      Modena          **
Colonnese       DF      32      Lazio           ***
Coly            DF      30      Perugia         **
Conte A.        CC      34      Juventus        **
Conte M.        DF      39      Sampdoria       ***
Couto           DF      34      Lazio           **
Cucciari        MF      34      Siena           **
Gamarra         DF      33      Inter           ***
Ganz            STR     35      Ancona          ****
Giacobbo        MF      29      Ancona          **
Gottardi        MF      33      Lazio           ****
Guly            CC      30      Inter           ***
Helveg          DF      33      Inter           *
Lassissi        DF      25      Roma            ****
Lima            MF      33      Roma            ****
Limberski       MF      20      Modena          **
Maini           MF      32      Ancona          **
Marasco         MF      34      Modena          *
Pivotto         DF      29      Modena          ****
Redondo         MF      34      Milan           ***
Rossitto        MF      32      Udinese         ****
Sacchetti       DF      31      Sampdoria       ****
Sakic           DF      32      Sampdoria       **
Scoponi         MF      30      Modena          ***
Signori         STR     36      Bologna         ***
Torrisi         DF      33      Reggina         *****
Valtolina       DF      32      Sampdoria       ****
Vargas          DF      28      Empoli          ****
Yanagisawa      STR     26      Sampdoria       ***
Zivkovic        MF      33      Sampdoria       ***

OPINION: BOOK REVIEW

Title: George Best and 21 Others
Author: Shindler, Colin
Publisher: Headline
Price: £14.99
ISBN: 0755311531

Whilst browsing in Ottakers in Ayr I noticed the above title – I was about to dismiss it as more Rags junk when I noticed that Colin Schindler was the author so I took a closer look and decided I could get it for my dad’s birthday (and of course read it first).

As a boy I lived at 113 Gorton Road, Reddish, and Phil Burrows lived at 117; he was a couple of years older than me so we weren’t best friends but we did play cricket and football together in the cobbled back entry and against the gates of the chemical works. I recall that the part of my game he most admired was my goal celebrations – nuf said! We also occasionally joined a bigger group, including Mike Doyle, on North Reddish park. So in 1964 when City’s youth team played the Rags in the semi-final I made my one and only expedition to the Swamp along with my mate Phil Crookes. This match is the starting point for Colin Shindler’s book.

From a perspective similar to my own (i.e. an intelligent City fan with a rational dislike of the Rags!) he explores that game and the fortunes of those involved in it. My abiding memory of the game, apart from the drabness of the Swamp and the fact that we lost, was of Mike Doyle “chinning” George Best out of sight of the officials. This incident is not included in the book although the general feud between Doyle and Best is. Perhaps my memory is playing tricks – I also remembered Mike Doyle as a Rags’ fan as a boy though he denies this.

Consequently for me this book is an overdose in nostalgia, and for any City fan of a certain age it is in the must-read category. It is more than that, however, as in following the memories and fortunes of the players involved in that game it throws a new and not entirely pleasant light on the game of football. City perhaps because of the perspicacity of the author come out better than some in their recruitment of youngsters though their subsequent treatment of them was not always so caring.

There is a new light on the Mercer/Alison partnership, with the genial Joe Mercer coming across as less of the father figure and with Malcolm Alison often having to mediate on behalf of players – not how I had viewed it. At the end of the book I was glad that my late development (I was always the smallest in class until I had a late growth spurt at about 18) had channelled me into an academic rather than sporting career – so much for dreams.

Colin Shindler also looks at some of today’s youth team – tellingly Taggart would not allow him to interview the present Rags’ youth team members. Given the antics of his son that’s perhaps not surprising!

Read and enjoy.

REQUEST: CAR SHARING WOKINGHAM/THAMES VALLEY

Season ticket holder, who has been left stranded ’cause his two mates have not renewed their season tickets for next season, is wondering if there is anyone out there who would be willing to car share? I live in Wokingham and would be willing to share driving duties. Costs would be shared and I am good company!

Don’t fancy driving up on my own so please email me if you are interested.

REQUEST: FOE TRIBUTE CONCERT

The Arden School of Theatre based at City College Manchester in association with RF Records presents ‘Ya Freddy’ “Foe (we miss you)”, a live showcase compared by Jason Manford (Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for Comedy, Nominee 2001) in Albert Square, Manchester City Centre on Thursday 1st July at 5.00pm.

The event is in memory of Marc Vivien Foe, the 28-year-old Manchester City midfielder who tragically died last year whilst representing his country at football. The evening will start with African dance displays, vocal performances by the Accord community gospel choir and conclude with a preview of Freddy’s next single ‘It’s Over’, to be released on RF Records.

Freddy Wanga, a.k.a. Ya Freddy, recorded the song, which is released under the City College Manchester record label, Raw Fish Records. The CD single is available from Music Zone stores, ReebokCity, Manchester City’s Superstore, online at http://www.rfrecords.com/, is priced at £2.97 with £1 of the money raised from each CD single sold going towards the Marc Vivien Foe Foundation, which had been set up by Foe and continues in his memory to help young people access all areas of sport.

Manchester City Football Club, who have supported the release said: “Marc was a very special footballer and a very special person, whose contribution both on and off the pitch was enormous. His shock death had a profound impact on fans and colleagues alike and it was an absolute privilege for all of us at Manchester City to have worked with him. Freddy and the City college team have shown great determination in producing this record and I would encourage all fans to support this most worthy of funds in memory of Marc.”

Aside from being an opportunity to see such exciting live performances, the evening will be a fitting celebration of the life of somebody who was so widely respected and well loved, not only here in Manchester, but all over the world.

For further information please call: Phil Ellis or Jo Hilditch
Tel: (0161) 279 7302
Mobile: 07909 907 089

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: