Newsletter #1351

The final pre-season game ended in a 0-1 defeat to Valencia as we turn attention to the season proper, which commences this weekend.

Tonight we have July’s round-up, season previews and transfer reviews, opinion on activity so far and the usual requests.

JULY MONTHLY ROUND UP

Sven and Dr Thaksin have used July to firmly show their presence is the beginning of something special in the Blue half of Manchester. After eight signings and almost forty million pounds spent, fans finally believe that the UEFA Cup may play host to Manchester City next season. The first of Sven’s acquisitions were striker Rolando Bianchi and Swiss under 21 captain Gelson Fernandes. Bianchi, virtually unknown before last season became many Italian clubs’ target after coming fourth in the Serie A score charts with 18 goals. Fernandes seemed to outline the manager’s policy of youth mixed with experience as a perfect combination.

Brazilian Geovanni was next through the City gates, formerly of Benfica and Barcelona and most famously known for scoring the winning goal for Benfica that knocked Manchester United out of the Champions’ League. And Blue prayers were finally answered as a left winger signed a permanent deal. Martin Petrov joined the Citizens for 4.7 million pounds from Spanish side Atletico Madrid. Like ourselves, Atletico have most often been overshadowed by their close neighbours whilst churning out international talent unnoticed. If Manager Games is to be believed, Petrov is a quality player with valuable European experience that will prove essential to City’s Premier League campaign.

A consistent pre-season campaign has produced many positives and although July ended with a loss against Belgian side Charleroi, Sven and Hans will be confident that the side can play much better football than the season before.

Fans bade long serving goalkeeper Nicky Weaver a fond farewell and it’s safe to say that none of us, young or old, will ever forget his goalkeeping heroics at Wembley that ensured we are in the position we are in now. I don’t believe many people would have considered it but imagine if Weaver had not saved us in the Gillingham shoot out, we’d have been in the then Division Two for another year at least and it’s doubtful that eight years down the line we’d have had a multi million pound take over with the most successful ever England Manager at the helm. So a big thank you to Nicky who I believe in some way has made this possible, we wish you all success at Charlton and wish to give you a sanding ovation at Eastlands next year.

With the new season almost upon us, the positives are far outweighing any negatives (for the first time in a long time) and we can thoroughly look forward to a great season.

OPINION: ANYONE FOR GOAL?

Thought getting rid of Nicky Weaver was a bit premature. To have a first choice ‘keeper (and that is debatable, always thought Weaver was a better all round ‘keeper) without a decent back up, I just hope that it won’t bite us in the backside as it were. Then they want to get rid of young Kasper (always thought that if Kasper is half as good as his dad, we would have a very good ‘keeper indeed)! So where do we get a decent ‘keeper at this late stage?

I hope Nicky’s having a chuckle down at Charlton! Interesting time at City, we seem to have bought well, but who knows? Just hope that they know what they’re doing!

Another season about to start, every year I say I’m going to support someone else, and every year for the last 44, I get the blue shirts out of the cupboard and give them an airing. My wife says I’m a beggar for punishment, maybe she’s right.

Still Blue.

OPINION: FROM THE RIDICULOUS TO THE SUBLIME

Only two months ago, we were wondering if City would be able to field a full lineup when we kicked off against West Ham. No manager, no money, our top players pulling the plug!

But now. In a mad couple of weeks, we’ve bought eight players, fielded two separate teams against Shrewsbury and seem to be in the process of totally transforming the lineup.

In one way it’s great that we suddenly have this massive transfusion of talent but I am a little concerned about the core of the squad.

We play five pre-season games to discover that yes, Corradi and Samaras can actually score and then we bring in a flood of new forwards to replace them. My big concern is for the youth movement. If suddenly Ireland, Johnson, Laird, Miller and Onouha are cast aside by the imports, it is going to undo all the good the academy has established over the past years. Yes, we needed a few more quality players but eight new faces might be a bit of an overkill. Okay, enough is enough, Sven put away your cheque book, we are starting to look like Chelsea!

Come on you Euro Blues!

OPINION: CAUTION!

Well what a rush it’s been for loyal Blues everywhere this past couple of weeks. New signings are arriving by the bucketful and the mood is bullishly optimistic.

So what I have to say is going to sound like a bit of a damp squib, but here goes anyway. Sven appears to be doing everything right in bringing in lots of new faces, which we have all craved for these last couple of years, but it is going to take time, lots of time, for all these new faces to bed in and gel as a team. Almost all players, no matter how good or experienced they are (read Sheva and Ballack, Rosicky and Hleb), need a year to adjust to the pace and intensity of the Premiership. Some will take to it quicker than others, typically defenders adjust quicker, but they will all need time.

That’s where we come in! If we are indeed the best fans in the world (course we are) then we need to show it now and after a woeful performance against Blackburn when all our new skilled players get kicked off the park by “little Fergie’s” thugs, we will need to show support and patience, and not boo them off the park calling for Erikson’s head. This, I am sure will be an up and down season … some stunning, exciting performances full of tricks and skill and great victories, but also some poor ones where particularly the new boys will seem off the pace and disinterested. It’s all part of growing into a team and a new culture.

We need to play our part in this, our new revival. Let’s start anew. Forget the dross of the last couple of years, let’s pretend it’s our first season in our magnificent new stadium, it’s going to be a fortress and we are going to play our part… c’mon yew Blues.

P.S. Just to bring a bit of balance to the Frankie debate, here’s a couple of articles from the BBC world news:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5398186.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1108114.stm

OPINION: ENOUGH ALREADY?

In response to Paul Robinson, I have to say that in my case at least it certainly isn’t “enough already”. He says that “it’s all a bit manic, all a bit rushed, all a bit insulting to the players who worked to keep us up last season”. Perhaps I was watching a different team last season, but the only reason that we were in danger of relegation last season was because those self-same players were incapable of scoring a goal or playing half-decently for most of the time.

So what has Sven done to the squad? Well, he’s bought a left-back, the Italian U21 international no less and since we have only Ball and a youngster in Logan that seems sensible; he’s bought a centre-half/right-back, we’ve lost Distin, and weren’t exactly overfull in that area anyway, so again sensible; he’s bought two wingers since we had none last season (except a loanee who has gone and Sinclair who has also gone), that again is not so much sensible as a necessity; he’s bought two central midfielders, one an established international, the other “one for the future” who seems to be forcing his way into the line-up already, we’ve lost Barton, Hamann is unlikely to last a full 90 and Dabo has yet to prove himself as worthy of a place, so again sensible. And he’s bought one (and likely to make that two) attackers. I agree this seems a bit of overkill with the quality strikeforce we had last season (/sarcasm mode off)!

Where is this “kid in a candy shop”? Sven has spotted the gaping holes in our squad and is seeking to fill them. Yes, three signings in a day was a bit of a heady rush, but with less than two weeks before the start of the season, if he feels that we need to strengthen, let’s do it as quickly as possible to give the players at least some time to get to know each other and gel.

OPINION: INTERNATIONAL BLUES

After a hat trick of international players being signed by City all in one day, and bringing the count to seven new players signed up by Sven Goran Eriksson, I will not be surprised to see some of the old squad going the other way; after the buying the selling off will start.

I might nor have been able to predict any of the smart buys by Sven, but maybe I can predict some to leave City: Vassell, Samaras, D Mills, M Mills and perhaps Dickov.

Sven said he would rebuild a City team, and who would have expected how well he is doing; to be honest he has exceeded what I had expected.

We have two Premiership games to play before we meet the Rags (Aug 19), who by the way on the same day as City signed three internationals, signed a nine year old boy from Oz; next thing we shall hear is that the Rags have signed an unborn baby all because of the baby’s genes.

I just hope that our players can all get used to each other before we meet the Swamp Dwellers.

Come on you Blues!

OPINION: BLUE VOID?

Today I picked up the Independent on Sunday to look at some of the details from yesterday’s game with Valencia… nothing.

Odd I thought, two match reports from Spurs and West Ham, ok I’ll look in the results: Macclesfield yes, Manchester no! We weren’t even in the list of results.

This coupled with last week when we were omitted from the list of transfer activity got me thinking, is there a general initiative to suppress news about us because of the political nature of our esteemed chairman?

But then last year when the fixtures came out and were on Teletext, guess whose were omitted and another thing: why are we always last on Match of the Day?

OPINION: SKY PLUS

I emigrated to NZ with my family in 1967 when I was 10. I lived in Croften Street, just around the corner from Maine Road. Like most kids my age I would play on the buses with my mates until the gates were opened at half time. I’ve played football in NZ since then until a few years ago when injuries stopped me.

Living in a country like NZ that lives and breathes rugby is very hard, especially when football isn’t on TV, so not many people bothered with it. I started getting interested again last year when my brother got Sky. Though some would think last year was a bad year to be supporting City, I don’t care – I proudly wear my City shirt wherever I go and I have just got Sky installed so I’m looking forward to a good season. I think the latest takeover deal is great for the club so let’s start the season positive. If you think City finishing in the bottom half of the league was bad, spare a thought for me – my 3 boys and wife all follow United, it seems everyone loves a fancy boy.

OPINION: BLUES SONGS

New songs for City players? The one whose name goes most nicely with a tune must be last season’s so-called striker from Italy. People could sing along to “Volare” (by Dean Martin). It fits him just right: “Corradi, oh, oh …” etc.

If only he were any good and worth singing about.

OPINION: FRANK’S SONG

I came across this the other day; not my work but i wish it had been. I can just imagine the look on Ole Blue Eyes’ face when he hears 50,000 singing this.

Sung to The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)

Oh you can freeze 500 million
And you can freeze 500 more
Cos Frankie boy has got 10 billion
Underneath his bedroom floor.

OPINION: 24 HOUR CHALLENGE

They did it!

Nicky, Jay, Beci, and Phillipa made it around all 20 Premiership clubs in just under 24 hours, starting at Portsmouth on Friday morning at 9am, and finishing at COMS on Saturday.

The traffic was kind, and the power of teamwork, junk food and cheesy pop music sustained them to the end of their arduous challenge.

The support they’ve had from within the game has been fantastic. Newcastle supplied a signed shirt, Boro gave them a signed matchball, and Barclays gave them a pukka bottle of Man of the Match champagne to celebrate with, inadvertently breaking numerous bye-laws outside COMS!

Sadly, the big launch of Team Thaksin and Squad Sven meant that getting the girls on to the pitch before the game was a bridge too far for the Club, which was a disappointment. But in fairness to City, all the staff were fantastic with the girls, and they let them out onto the pitch side when they arrived for photos with Ross’s parents. Thanks very much to everyone at COMS, and at all of the grounds.

And special thanks go to all the MCIVTA readers who have made such kind donations to the appeal. We can’t tell you how much it is appreciated. The fund raising focus now switches to Ross’s dad’s attack on the Great North Run. Best of luck Colin!

Thanks again.

REQUEST: WEST HAM TICKET

Still desperately seeking West Ham ticket – if you can help please email me.

REQUEST: DERBY TICKETS

Due to some good planning work-wise, I’ll be travelling to Manchester from Canada for the derby weekend and am scrambling around for a couple of tickets for the game. If anybody can help out, please let me know ASAP!

REQUEST: FANTASY LEAGUE

This is the last call for the MCIVTA City Fans’ Fantasy Football League 2007-8, starting Saturday, August 11th 2007, with a 0-5 win for Man City.

There are 144 players this year, double last year. If you haven’t updated your team (points are deducted as transfer costs once the season starts) to reflect any City signings you fancy… you might want to wait until Friday when Zico, Ronaldinho, Platini and van Basten are due to sign.

Here is the website: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/M/info.mc or here: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/

Good luck!

MCIVTA FAQ [v0708.01]

[1] 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

[2] What are MCIVTA’s publishing deadlines?

Deadlines for issues are nominally 6pm, Monday and Thursday evenings bu email. Unfortunately we cannot accept email attachments.

[3] 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.

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

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

[5] What supporters’ clubs are there?

Manchester City FC recognises three supporters’ clubs: The “Official Supporters Club” (http://www.mcfcosc.com/); the “Centenary Supporters’ Association” (http://www.reddishblues.com/CSAWebsite/CSA.htm) and “The International Supporters’ Club”.

[6] Where can I find out about Points of Blue (formerly the Fans’ Committee)?

The committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. Points of Blue appears on the club website as a minor entry under “Fans Zone”.

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

The Radio Manchester (née GMR) pre and post match phone-in is available on the web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/sport/manchester_city/index.shtml.

Live match commentaries and archives of games, reports and interviews can be found at http://mcfc.videoloungetv.com/do/preLogin?clubSiteCode=MCFC&CMP=AFC-003.

[8] 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://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer, http://www.soccertv.com/, and http://www.livesoccertv.com/.

[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] 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/.

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: