Newsletter #1388

Don’s news round up brings us Shinawatra’s interview and hints on player moves in January, a plethora of new links, news on the February derby game and yet more fixture changes.

We also have opinion on the Spurs game, ‘keeper deficiencies, moving forward and an ex Blue from way back honoured, together with the usual requests.

Next up, Bolton.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Munich Commemoration: Some bright spark at the Premier League (they’ll blame the fixture computer – it’s always the computer) has decreed that City will visit Old Trafford a few days after the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster. Both clubs are anxious to commemorate the occasion in a correct manner – United have been given permission to play in non-sponsored shirts, numbered one to 11, in honour of the crash victims, while City have announced that their shirts that day will have a black ribbon embroidered into it along with the words `Manchester Remembers’. City have also been at pains to point out that their fans shouldn’t make inappropriate chants that day. “We have worked closely with our supporters over a number of years now to eradicate any abusive chants which, in any case, have only ever emanated from an isolated few and we have adopted zero tolerance to such behaviour even going as far as banning orders,” revealed Head of Communications Paul Tyrrell. “We sincerely hope that the significance of this anniversary will not be lost on anyone.”

Ask the Owner: City’s manager may be circumspect in what he reveals to the press – but the owner seems somewhat more garrulous. Reports emanating from Hong Kong suggest that City are (a) Trying to work out a swap deal for Adriano, (b) Looking for a younger midfielder to replace Didi Hamann, and (c) Trying to find a way to cover some of the rising costs of running a football club. Let’s work our way though these points. First – “We’re looking to see whether we’ll do a swap deal or not,” Thaksin told reporters in Hong Kong on Friday. “Adriano was a top player, but he lost form when his father died, and he put on weight,” he added. “Now he’s returning to form”. Thaksin did not identify the midfielder he wants, but he knows who the player will replace. “Hamann is getting old,” Thaksin said. “We’re looking at a new midfielder who we think will play very well with Elano. We’re going to play in a classic style.” In a later interview with Reuters, Thaksin said he was also considering securitising revenue such as gate receipts. “The fact is I’ve just found out that running a football club, especially at the Premier League level, is very expensive,” Thaksin said. “Normal revenue from TV, sponsors, kit sales, ticket sales is never enough. That’s the reason why Premier League clubs keep changing hands, you need to find deeper and deeper pockets all the time,” the billionaire tycoon added. “So if we want to own and manage Manchester City football club forever, we have to find other sources of income. You have to know how to use modern financial instruments, that’s what we’re planning. Securitisation is the name of the game they are playing in Western countries. We have to work on that. If we manage clubs in the old style, it’s not going to work. The Premier League is global by nature.” These comments produced some speculation that Thaksin was looking to flog the club, but this seems odd when you see the owner’s full thoughts on the matter. Meanwhile, back at Tight-lipped Central, Sven was giving his views on the arrival of the Thailand national team. Thaksin’s countrymen are here to face City’s Reserves next weekend. “It’s very good. They are more than welcome and we are going to see them working here,” Sven said on the club website. “They’ll be working every afternoon at Carrington and we will provide them with different coaches, fitness coach, goalkeeping coach. So they will have someone from the Club while they are here. If we can help them we will do so and I look forward to that. I think for a national team from Thailand coming to a big European club to train and look at training is very good for them.”

Vamos, Ramos! Before City faced Tottenham last Sunday, Tottenham boss Juande Ramos insisted he was never in line for the City job. Clearly it was a different Juande Ramos whose name kept cropping up on these very pages. Ramos said: “I was never close to going to Manchester City. I never had a direct meeting. Those who deal with these things knew more about it than I did.”

Let’s Hear it for Good Old Grimey: Will Ashley Grimes be the next young buck sent out on loan to gain first team experience? I ask because Grimes struck twice for the reserves in their 2-1 defeat of Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday night, in front of a host of scouts from the Championship. The Blues’ management were also present – SGE, plus assistants Hans Backe and Derek Fazackerley, and a delegation from the Thai national side looked on with interest. In a hard fought game, Ash had given City the lead on 26 minutes, although 5 minutes later the visitors were level through a penalty. The second half saw plenty of chances at both ends, before Grimes snatched the winner with 12 minutes to go.
City: Hart, Obeng, Logan (booked 39), Onuoha, Williamson, M Daly (Poole 69), Vidal, Grimes, Clayton, Marshall, Moore. Subs: McDonald, Hartley, Mouritsen, Cunningham.

In A Fix: Three City games, early in 2008, have had their kick-off dates and/or times altered. Arsenal visit the COMS on Saturday February 2, 2008 and the kick-off has been brought forward to 12.45pm. The OT derby in February will kick off later than originally billed – the game kicks off at 1.30pm on Sunday February 10, rather than midday. Finally, the City vs. Everton fixture at the COMS has moved from Saturday February 23 to Monday February 25, 2008 with an 8pm start.

Transfer News and Gossip

Sven’s Shining Wit: Brace yourself; Sven attempted a joke this week. Liverpool have recently been reported to be interested in young Michael Johnson. When asked about this supposed interest, SGE, quick as a flash, responded thusly: “I heard rumours about Liverpool wanting to buy him. But I know he is very happy here. If Liverpool did contact us I would tell them they could only afford Michael if they sold their stadium and I would ask for Steven Gerrard as well! But I don’t think he wants to go anywhere.” The manager continued to praise his young midfielder: “Michael is a very good player and he will be even better in the future. I’m also pretty sure that he’ll play for England,” the Swede continued. “He’s already in the Under 21s and he has a big chance to be in the senior team. He is a little different to Gerrard – who bites a little more than Michael – but Johnson can score goals, pass, defend and run strongly. He’s an all-round footballer with a fantastic temperament. But I don’t think he wants to go anywhere. He has been playing every game for us apart from when he was injured, so I see no reason why he would want to go.”

Permit Perils: According to reports emanating from Holland, City have withdrawn their interest in securing the services of hit-man Afonso Alves next month. According to De Telegraaf, the Blues have pulled out as they found it impossible to secure the 26-year-old a work permit in Britain. As the international striker does not hold an EU passport, his transfer to City could be approved by the Home Office and the Premier League only had he played in 75% of Brazil’s games for the past two years. It may be that Alves therefore stays in the Netherlands – AZ Alkmaar are now thought to be in the running to snaffle the striker. And speaking of Brazilian striking targets – whatever Thaksin says, Internazionale president Massimo Moratti has warned City off landing Adriano. “I would like him back here in January, as strong and as good as he was,” said Moratti. “He will give us a good help in the decisive phase of the season.” You may recall that the forward is currently back in Brazil, getting fit.

Not Goin’ for Owen: Real Zaragoza are preparing themselves to rebuff a bid from City for Diego Milito as Sven is said to be ready to make a move, a report in Spain suggests. The Argentinian striker has been targeted by the Swede and an offer is expected to arrive during the winter transfer window to test the Aragón-based club’s resolve. There’s a whopping €100 million buy-out clause in the player’s contract though, and reports suggest that Milito himself would not be keen on switching to England. So how about Michael Owen joining the Sven Revolution, he keeps being mentioned doesn’t he? Well he won’t be coming to Manchester, says the Daily Mail, because Sven thinks he’s too old. And what does the favourite journal of Middle England base this surmise on? Sven’s comments praising Arsenal’s youth policy, that’s what. “I agree with the way Arsene Wenger has done it at Arsenal. It’s my philosophy too,” said Eriksson. “It is the right way for City. We’re building for the future.” And while we’re on the subject of favourite forward targets, Blackburn are the latest club reported to be interested in Nicolas Anelka. The People newspaper claims that boss Mark Hughes will have to sell first before being able to put in an offer for Anelka.

Ex-Blues’ News

Joey Barton’s Foot-in-Mouth Count This Week: Err, none, as far as I know. Unless you know different, of course.

Kendall Mint for Ireland: I forgot to include this item last week, I was obviously overwhelmed by Joey’s philosophical musings, but City’s former boss Howard Kendall, is interested in succeeding Steve Staunton as Ireland’s head coach. The 61-year-old, who hasn’t managed in the professional game since a spell in Greece ended in 1999, believes his experience in the game is enough to make him a contender. “I’ve had long enough out of it now and I feel it would be perfect for me and hopefully for them. I’ve made some inquiries,” he said. Kendall rejected any suggestion his time away from management would count against him. “Look at the CV and go through the history of what I’ve done,” he said. “I am in touch with the modern game, I write a column in the local newspaper and I go and watch Premier League football every week,” Kendall said. “I know who I would put in place. If he was interested, the likes of Peter Beardsley, I think he would be superb. I have spoken to Peter and he said he would love to work with me again.”

After-Match Reactions and Comments

Pascal’s Handy Goal: The general feeling was that City were a smidgin unlucky in their visit to Tottenham’s White Hart Lane last Sunday. Pascal Chimbonda gave the home side a controversial lead when he deflected the ball in with his arm from an offside position. Substitute Rolando Bianchi (sporting, unless my eyes deceived me, a scarf) headed the Blues level when he powered in Martin Petrov’s corner. But Stephen Ireland was sent off for a hideous-looking lunge on Lee Young-Pyo Lee and seconds later Jermain Defoe crashed home the winner after Steed Malbranque’s cross hit the post. While Sven felt that something was amiss with Chimbonda’s opener, he refused to blame referee Mark Halsey. On Sky the Boss mused: “Many times when you see the reaction of the players it’s an indication that something has happened that shouldn’t have happened. But the referees in this country are very good and they are very honest. Sometimes you are unlucky with the decision and other times you are lucky. That happens in football.” And the Swede had no complaints over Ireland’s early exit. He said: “From the bench I thought it was harsh, but when I saw it afterwards it’s the right decision from the referee and nothing to complain about. It’s always more difficult to play with 10 against 11. But it’s not the referee’s fault, it’s our fault.” Tottenham full back Lee was furious with the challenge he copped from Ireland. Lee said: “It was a red card, it was a bad tackle. It happened so quickly, but I have marks all over my legs.” Sven made clear that his errant no.7 was apologetic about the incident. “I took him in front of the laptop and when we saw it together there was nothing to say,” SGE said. “Of course he apologised and is sorry. Stephen Ireland is a young, very good footballer and he will get better and better. He should not have done the tackle but he did it. A week ago Robbie Keane did something similar and was sent off. They are great footballers but sometimes adrenalin goes inches too high. It’s not a problem but he will pay a heavy price for it.” The penalty for Ireland is likely to be a three-match ban.

Good Game, Good Game: Although his team lost, SGE was at least happier with this away performance. “It was a bad result but we played one of our better away games. We were brave and tried to win. It was a very open game. I am not happy with the defeat but I am with how we behaved. If we play like this I don’t think we will lose many games.” The Tottenham camp were mighty relieved to register only their second League victory under Juande Ramos. Assistant Manager Gus Poyet phrased it thus: “We needed this a lot after losing last week against Birmingham. It was a good game, very open and good for the supporters. Jermain’s goal means a lot to everyone – especially to him. But all three subs did very well. It’s not just about the 11 that start, it’s about the whole squad. It was the only thing I asked Jermain when he went on – I said ‘please J, score the winner’. He did it, and was really happy with his celebration.”

The Future’s Bright: Another positive for Eriksson was that a youthful starting eleven, including Kelvin Etuhu making his first start, acquitted themselves well, which he feels bodes well for the future. “Michael Johnson came back well and I thought Kelvin was good, it was a very big game for him with it being his first start. The future is ours, even if we lost today, the average age was about 22 and we had a couple of 19 year olds out there, so the future is bright.” He also insisted that scarf-wearing goalscorer hasn’t asked to leave City. “He seems happy and calm, he has been working very hard, so there have been no indications that he wants to leave or anything like that.” Eriksson said he hoped his goal at Tottenham would give Bianchi the confidence to push for more first-team action. He said: “I speak with him every day and it’s very easy to because we can both speak Italian. It’s not been easy for him, but I hope that this goal will help his confidence.”

Squad News

Champions’ League Awaits! It seems an awfully quick recovery, but Elano is in contention for a City return against Bolton Wanderers in Saturday’s Premiership clash at the COMS. So says Boss Sven: “Elano will, almost for sure, be fit for Saturday. The plan is that when we return to training on Tuesday he will be practising with us once again.” If he’s fit, he may well replace Stephen Ireland, who’ll be starting his three-match ban after his red card at Tottenham. Elano meanwhile believes that the club should be setting their sights on qualifying for The Champions’ League this season. “A Champions’ League place is not beyond us,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “It will be difficult for us to break into the top four this season, but we will be aiming for a UEFA Cup spot.” He’s very happy with life in the North West: “City’s players and supporters have shown me so much warmth and made me feel so welcome and I want to repay their kindness in the coming months and years,” he added. One player who isn’t finding life too dandy is new signing Suree Sukha, who admits his first weeks at the club have been difficult. “I’m not tough enough for the physical challenges in the Premier League,” the Thailand full-back admitted. “I’m also awkward in the air and still have problems in communicating with City players.” Apart from that, all’s going well…

Ched-er Please: Norwich City boss Glenn Roeder says he plans to speak to the Blues with a view to extending the loan of striker Ched Evans. Evans, who’s gone to Carrow Road on loan until January 1, made an immediate impact for the Canaries when he bagged two goals in as many games, to propel the Canaries off the bottom of the Championship. Ched hit the opening goal in a hard earned 2-1 victory over Plymouth at Carrow Road, followed by the only goal in Norwich’s victory over Sheffield United a few days later. Meanwhile, Shaleum Logan’s loan spell at Scunthorpe United is over after he returned to City. The 19-year-old played four times for the Championship side following a full back injury crisis at the Iron. And midfielder Marc Laird has extended his loan at Port Vale. The Scottish midfielder has played six times for the Valiants and played a vital rôle in their important 2-1 away win over Gillingham at the weekend. His deal at Vale Park now runs until January 8.

Take It from Jerome: Micah Richards is hanging on just a little longer before signing his new contract. The Daily Express says Richards is set to pen a bumper new £10 million, four-year contract with City. The 19-year-old is keen to sign up, but not before December 20, when his contract with Jerome Anderson’s Sports Entertainment and Media Group expires. This will save him some £1 million in agents’ fees.

Sturridge: Danny Sturridge is itching to get back to playing, and it won’t be long now. He’s very pleased with how he’s feeling following an operation for a hip injury. “I think it’s been a success,” he declares. “I am doing my rehab work now and I feel a lot better than I did back in August. I hope that in about a month’s time I’ll be back playing, and scoring goals again. Everything’s going to plan so far, hopefully I’ll keep improving as the days and weeks go by, and as soon as I’m back playing I hope to make an impression. I don’t think there’s anyone who wants to play football more than me, I’m determined to get back stronger, faster and fitter than I was before.” Danny revealed that he’s not yet back in full training, but is under the guidance of the club’s physios and coaches.

OPINION: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

I’d like applaud City for planning to wear a special kit when we play United on February 10, as this shows that our beloved club intends to pay appropriate respects to the victims of the Munich air disaster at the time of its fiftieth anniversary.

I also applaud City fans who are trying to encourage all Blues to respect the occasion. No matter how much we dislike or hate United, we should show respect for those who died at Munich and most City fans do pay respect to those who perished because most of us are decent enough not to sing sick songs about Munich.

Unfortunately, there are, like in any cross section of society, individuals who don’t have any respect and they are a disgrace to our club. Let’s face it, I have seen on more than one occasion in my footballing life, fans not being able to show common decency to fellow fans of their own team, and sadly City fans are no different from anyone else in this regard, so what chance that they are going to show any respect to those killed at Munich? Here’s hoping that their sick chants are not heard, ever again. I just hope that I am not hoping in vain. As well as wanting to see humanity towards our rivals, I hate to see our club and our fans’ reputation being dragged through the mud by a few half-wits.

As for certain United fans getting self-righteous about the sick ‘Munich’ chants, that’s all very well. I hope they lecture their fellow Reds about sick songs about Shankly, Hillsborough and Russian Submarines etc. with the same vigour. Anything less would be hypocritical. Anyway, as well as hoping that the 50th Anniversary of the Munich air disaster is given the respect that it deserves, here’s hoping that we get three more points to do a long overdue double over Stretford Rangers.

Season’s greetings to all Blues everywhere and thanks to Heidi, Don, Mads and everyone else for their sterling work at MCIVTA.

OPINION: SPURS VIEW I

I have written about our goalkeepers before and here I am again. I noticed on several occasions on Saturday how Isaksson would kick the ball the whole length of the field only for the ball to be gathered up by the opposing ‘keeper without a City player getting near it, and who probably said to himself: “Thanks very much”. Surely the ‘keeper should aim to kick the ball so that it lands about half- way between the half way line and the goal line? A case of too much ‘oomph’ methinks.

Also, much has been said about the fact that City are failing to get victories away from home. Risking the possibility of being thought of as ridiculous by your readers, I am proposing the possibility that the all-purple strip has something to do with this. There is a psychological factor here that cannot be defined. A club becomes associated with the colour of its shirt, which should be worn both home and away, unless a clash forces a change. The colour purple does not impact very well with me. In fact, in all my years of watching football I have never seen it worn before.

OPINION: SPURS VIEW II

City played a much better game away from home versus Spurs but lacked a goal scorer up front.

The first goal by Spurs should never have been allowed for two reasons; it was first of all way offside, and Chimbonda helped the ball over the line with his arm; the City players appealed to a referee that had no chance of reversing his decision.

Bianchi came on in the 57th minute, and it took him just three and a half minutes to head home a great goal from a corner, but we never saw much more from him.

With the score 1-1 both teams played some very good football, and City never looked like the away team of recent games.

But we had more bad news as Ireland made a reckless tackle and was given a red card; no point in appealing this one, it was deserved.

It did not take Spurs long to score the winner, which this time was a good goal scored by Defoe.

No question in my mind this game should have been 1-1, as we all know you can’t change a ref’s decision, and just hope that next time it is City that gets the luck from a linesman that doesn’t go to Specsavers.

Overall I was pleased with the attacking game from City, but same old story striker needed, Vassell chased, huffed and puffed and made a big effort, but is no goal scorer.

We will welcome Spurs to COMS for the League Cup encounter, this should be a cracking game, with City to get their just rewards – a win!

Come on you Blues!

OPINION: EX PLAYER HONOURED

I thought other MCIVTA readers would be interested in this from the Canadian soccer hall of fame.

“Walter Bowman holds a unique distinction. He was the first player, born outside of the British Isles, to play in England’s legendary Football League. Born in Waterloo, he was a member of the Canadian team that toured Britain in 1888 and 1891. However, after the 1891 tour he remained in England and signed for Accrington, one of the original members of the Football League, which was formed in 1888. Later he moved on to play for Ardwick and then Manchester City.”

OPINION: FIRST CHOICE ‘KEEPER

I would like some views as to what Sven is playing at with our goalkeepers. Joe Hart had a great game against Portsmouth and has not played since because to me Issakson has spat his dummy out.

Bear in mind our back four won’t pass back to him because he can’t kick the ball. I am a season ticket holder and can see for myself that Hart (OK not much experience) is by far a much better ‘keeper than Issakson. Is it a case of Sven playing them both until January, and buying a quality goalkeeper?

Would like to hear some comments.

OPINION: THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT (BUT GET IT SORTED)

I think that Sven ought to test another aspect of his man-management skills in order to keep our next midfield, home grown, potential superstar in check.

Stephen Ireland’s red card attack on Spur’s Lee barely differs from the Hunt attack on Gelson at CoMS a week or so earlier. Ireland has already proven that he is prone to all sorts of ill-advised silliness. I regard him as being a more gifted individual than Barton and it would be a tragedy if, unguided, he was to find himself on the same slippery slope as that sorry figure.

And then, on a much lighter note;-

Virtually already on the verge of 2008, I am absolutely convinced that we are on the brink of really big things happening with all things City. I have never been so optimistic since the summer of ’68 when we’d become champions and we were ready to take on the world.

When (hopefully) City take Afonso Alves on board, then we are going to take off with a team of home-bred youngsters, complemented by a rich stream of foreign talent and a Brazilian samba driven heart. Boys and girls, mark my words, in the words of a famous song, “we’ve only just begun”.

A merry Christmas and a happy new year to all of the sky-blue persuasion. If you didn’t get a card from me then please accept the above sentiment.

OPINION: TICKET LINE

Not read MCIVTA for a while due to being way in Oz but in reply to Michael’s understandable gripe about the 0870 phone number for tickets in MCIVTA 1384. If you go onto http://www.saynoto0870.com/ you can obtain the geographical number for these rip off numbers; the City ticket number of 0870 062 1894 is 0161 231 3200 – the website will also give any freephone number that may be attached to it (not in MCFC’s case though!).

Whilst in Oz I did speak to some people who were very positive towards Breschiano (or however it’s spelt) and were of the opinion that he would be a good acquisition for City, comparing his passing ability to that of Beckham… hmmm.

Keep the faith.

OPINION: JINGLE TIME

Hello all, how’s about a little bit of fun for Christmas and set up a footy ditty? Here goes my attempt: “Jingle bells, jingle bells, Elano’s gonna score, Oh what fun it is to see Bianchi get two more” ho ho ho : )

Merry Christmas to all the Citizens out there, have a good one.

OPINION: GREETINGS

Just wanted to endorse Ernie Barrow’s comment in MCIVTA 1387. A big thank you to all behind the scenes at MCIVTA for making them among my most eagerly anticipated emails. Great job Heidi, Mads, Don, Paul, David and anyone else involved!

Cheers – and have a great Christmas and New Year everyone!

REQUEST: NEWCASTLE TICKETS WANTED

As a fourth generation Blue, and living in Newcastle with young family to boot, I am making a request to see if anyone could possibly source and provide two tickets for the St James’ Park clash on 2nd January?

Thanks in advance.

REQUEST: VILLA TICKETS AVAILABLE

I have two spares for Villa, face-value. Contact Dave by phone 07812 065005 or email.

Thanks.

RESULTS

League table to 12 December 2007 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD  Pts
 1 Arsenal         16  7  1  0 20  6  4  3  1 13  8 11  4  1  33  14  19  37
 2 Manchester Utd  16  8  1  0 20  2  3  2  2  9  6 11  3  2  29   8  21  36
 3 Chelsea         16  5  3  0 14  3  5  1  2 10  6 10  4  2  24   9  15  34
 4 Liverpool       15  3  4  0 16  4  5  2  1 11  5  8  6  1  27   9  18  30
 5 Portsmouth      16  2  5  0 11  6  6  1  2 17  8  8  6  2  28  14  14  30
 6 Manchester City 16  8  0  0 13  3  1  3  4  7 14  9  3  4  20  17   3  30
 7 Everton         16  5  1  2 19  7  3  2  3 10  9  8  3  5  29  16  13  27
 8 Aston Villa     16  5  0  4 13 12  3  3  1 14  7  8  3  5  27  19   8  27
 9 Blackburn R.    16  4  2  3 11 11  3  3  1  9  8  7  5  4  20  19   1  26
10 West Ham United 15  2  3  2  9  7  4  1  3 11  5  6  4  5  20  12   8  22
11 Newcastle Utd   16  5  2  2 14 13  1  2  4  9 13  6  4  6  23  26  -3  22
12 Reading         16  5  1  3 12 12  0  1  6  9 21  5  2  9  21  33 -12  17
13 Tottenham H.    16  3  1  4 19 16  0  5  3  9 13  3  6  7  28  29  -1  15
14 Bolton Wndrs    16  3  3  3 12  9  0  2  5  4 14  3  5  8  16  23  -7  14
15 Birmingham City 16  2  1  4  7 10  2  1  6 10 16  4  2 10  17  26  -9  14
16 Middlesbrough   16  2  3  3 10 13  1  2  5  5 15  3  5  8  15  28 -13  14
17 Fulham          16  2  4  2 14 14  0  3  5  4 13  2  7  7  18  27  -9  13
18 Sunderland      16  3  2  2  7  7  0  2  7  8 24  3  4  9  15  31 -16  13
19 Wigan Athletic  16  2  2  3  6  7  0  1  8  6 23  2  3 11  12  30 -18   9
20 Derby County    16  1  2  4  5 14  0  1  8  1 24  1  3 12   6  38 -32   6

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: