Newsletter #1406

News on pre-season tours, reflections of our last game and yet more transfer rumours in the news round-up tonight. We also have opinion on the derby game, answers to the goal celebrations and the usual requests.

Next up, Everton.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

Thai Feast: You’ll never guess in a million years where City may be touring in the summer time – go on, have a guess! The Blues are likely to tour Thailand in May, according to the Thai FA president Worawi Makudi. This has yet to be confirmed officially by the club, mind. The same report also said that Suree Sukha, Kiatprawut Saiwaew and Teerasil Dangda are waiting for a date to join Swiss side Grasshoppers Zurich. The trio were signed by City last November but were unable to obtain work permits to play in the UK.

Beach Balls and the Break: This week feels a bit like “After the Lord Mayor’s Show” for City, with the heroics of OT followed by a blank footie-free weekend for the Blues. You can thank Sheffield United and some blue and white balloons for that, of course. Sven-Goran Eriksson thinks that the enforced break could do the players some good. “I would have liked to have been in the FA Cup, for sure, but on the other hand it will do the players a lot of good to have a break and not see each other,” he said. “They have not had a break for a long time, I’m quite sure we’ll have a fresh team for the rest of the Premier League games.” He’ll have a couple more players to choose from for the Everton game as well, as Vedran Corluka and Elano are back from suspension. And speaking of the débâcle at Bramall Lane, it was interesting to note that in Sheffield United’s fifth round tie, versus Middlesbrough, the ref stopped the game to remove an air filled object – the Sun says that one Blades supporter attempted to distract Boro on Sunday by launching a beach ball on to the pitch. It was duly deflated.

Fab’s Change of Hart: England coach Fabio Capello was moaning about the lack of available talent at his disposal in his new job – but at the same time, gave the international prospects of young Joe Hart a big boost. Let’s hope Don Fabio’s right hand man, S. Pearce Esq., has been putting a good word in about the lad. Capello said: “Only 38 percent of the players in the Premier League are English. The pool is reduced. I have had to reinstate a 37-year-old goalkeeper but I have spotted one in the Under-21’s who is very interesting.” So either (a) Joe could be on the verge of a call up to the full squad or (b) Joe is seen as the next Engurland ‘keeper or (c) both. Depends which paper or website you read.

Transfer News and Gossip

Silva Service? City have been linked with a trio of midfield talent this week – that trio is Celtic’s Aiden McGeady, Lyon’s Juninho and Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva. The Sunday tabloids have linked Celtic’s £12 million-rated attacking midfielder McGeady with a switch to City, while Brazilian duo Juninho and Gilberto are also thought to be in the frame. City might baulk at paying such a fee for McGeady, while at 33 years of age Lyon’s dead-ball specialist Juninho might be considered little too old. Gilberto, a mere stripling at 31, would be a viable option and could be available given the fact he has slipped down the pecking order at the Emirates behind Mathieu Flamini this season.

I’m Only Here fir M’Bia: If it’s a midfielder Sven’s after, how about Rennes’ midfielder Stephane M’Bia? The Cameroon international has been in good form for the French club so far this season, scoring twice in sixteen appearances. Several Premiership clubs are believed to be interested in the player but the Daily Star are reporting that the Blues currently appear to be the only club willing to meet Rennes’ £4 million valuation for the 21 year old.

The Hunt for Huntelaar: I bring you an update on that seemingly perennial City target Ajax’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Tottenham are said to be moving ahead of City in the battle for the striker. Spurs and City are tracking Huntelaar leading up to the summer market and the Londoners will move for the Dutch ace if they are forced into cashing in on Dimitar Berbatov in the summer.

Who Will Buy Jov, By Jove? It’s nice when you see your club mentioned in the same breath of some of Europe’s heavyweights – and even with United. Apparently Partizan Belgrade’s starlet Stevan Jovetic is being tracked by a host of clubs throughout Europe including City, those gul durned Reds, Real Madrid, and Fiorentina. Reports from Italy over the weekend suggested that 18-year-old Jovetic – who is captain of Partizan – was on his way to Florence. Partizan have confirmed that Fiorentina have made contact but denied that a deal was done for Jovetic, whilst reiterating their intention to keep him until the end of the season. “It is true we have held talks with Fiorentina, but their offer was quite insignificant,” Partizan president Tomislav Karadzic confirmed. “We have told them from the very start if they did not revise their offer there would be no further talks. Jovetic will not leave until the end of the season, and we would like to try and keep him until the end of the year.”

Ex-Blues’ News

Barnes Storming for the Blues: In a quiet newsweek, the M.E.N. thought fit to fill up one day’s news with the thoughts of former City legend and (if you ever heard his radio commentaries) expert name – mispronouncer, Peter Barnes. Apparently PB played in the last City team to finish in the top four back in 1978, so the question was asked – could the current lot repeat this feat? “They can do it,” Barnes said. “It will all come down to whether they can get that consistency going on the back of the derby victory. If they can, I believe they’ve got every chance of finishing in the top four. Sven has done it all, and deserves respect for everything he has achieved. He’s won trophies in Sweden, Portugal and Italy, and he had a great start to life as a club manager in England. It’s been a bit of a topsy-turvy season, and we had gone off the boil a little from November onwards, but the derby victory will have lifted everyone. If I was going to nitpick, I would say that I’d like City to be a little more adventurous at home, because I don’t think we’ve got anything to be frightened of.”

See the World – Or Sea World – For Kiki: You’ve got to admire his persistence – in his search for a new club, Kiki Musampa has decamped to the New World. Musampa, who was released by Dutch club AZ Alkmaar on January 1, is a free agent and was initially linked with a move to either Korea or Japan. Yet he has begun a one-week trial with Toronto at their pre-season camp in Florida. So at least he’ll get a nice holiday out of the trip, if nothing else – handy for the Theme Parks.

Oh Andy… To be filed under “Quelle Surprise” Former City captain Andy Morrison pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm at a Northwich court. Morrison was arrested on February 3 after an incident in a pub car park. He is to appear again at the Magistrates Court on April 17 for committal to Crown Court.

After-Match Reactions and Comments

Oh Danny Boy – Part 1: City progressed to the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup with a 4-2 victory over Bristol City at Ashton Gate. City had taken the lead on 14 minutes through David Ball, but were 2-1 down before an hour was played. Then Danny Sturridge turned the game with a couple of crackers, before Ball completed the scoring with his second of the game. After the match the Boy Sturridge was rather modest. “They were alright finishes, but at the end of the day the collective performance from the whole team was absolutely brilliant,” he said. “We showed that we are a very resilient side and strong side because we could have easily lost that at 2-1 down. Obviously Bally scored the goal that got us back in it and everyone got stronger as the came got on. In the end we deserved the win. The youth team are at the top of their league and far in front, I think they could easily win the Youth Cup without me, so I don’t think they really needed me but it was good to be involved. It felt great because I need games. I’ve only been back for a few weeks now and it was great to get another game under my belt and hopefully I can still be involved with the first team.” Team: Hartley, Trippier, McGivern, Boyata, Mee, Tutte, Weiss, Kay, Ball, Sturridge, McDermott (sub Tsiakilis, 61 minutes).

Oh Danny Boy – Part 2: There’s no stopping that Boy Sturridge is there? Not contact with scoring for the first team and under-18’s , Danny smacked in a couple for the Pontin’s League team this week. City beat Preston 3-0, with the third goal coming from Felipe Caicedo, his first since signing for the Blues. Team: Martin, Logan, Williamson, Breen, McDonald, Marshall, Clayton, Moore, Etuhu, Sturridge, Caicedo. Unused subs: M.Daly, Clegg, D.Ball, Trippier, Weiss.

Squad News

Hamming It Up: Didi Hamann has been reflecting on his new contract with the club. He’s delighted to have another year at the club, although it does appear that the 34-year old wasn’t handed a new deal – a clause in his previous contract meant he’d be staying. “Once I’d reached a certain number of games then the extension kicked in and obviously things are going well. I hoped to play those games and that to happen because I’m happy here and there’s no reason to go anywhere else. It didn’t bother or affect me, but either way I know I’ll be here next year and hopefully another one after that. I’m taking it year-by-year from that point of view, but game-by-game now though.” And in relation to on- field matters, Hamann admits anything less than qualification for Europe would be a failure for the club. He said: “We played a lot of games over Christmas, so with having a few days off, we hope that we will come back fresh for the final 12 games. We need to finish in a position which gets us into Europe next year.”

Stevie Loves Ireland – Again: The wheels are turning to entice Stephen Ireland back into his national squad. It’s reported that S-GE has invited new Irish coach Giovanni Trapattoni to watch both the 21-year-old and defender Richard Dunne in action against Everton on Monday, while Stephen himself has made a public declaration of his desire to play for his country again. “I’m available for selection, very much available,” he said this week. On Trapattoni, Ireland added: “We need someone like him hopefully to bring it out of us and get us playing. When Sven heard that he was announced, he said it was a great opportunity for me to go back now because he is a very good coach and I will learn a lot. This did have an effect on my decision to return. I trust Sven you know. Whatever he says is good advice and he means well. I think there is a lot of talent in the squad and we can actually qualify for the big tournaments.”

Nothing Dunne Yet: There’s still nothing concrete to report on Richard Dunne’s contract negotiations, except Sven’s still confident his skipper will re-sign. “It is in the pipeline and I am sure he will sign a new contract,” said a confident Eriksson, refuting the speculation Dunne could take advantage of a FIFA ruling that allows players over the age of 28 that have spent two years at the club to buy out the remaining 12 months of their contract. The Republic of Ireland international has been linked with a summer move away from the COMS after talks about a contract extension stalled in January, but it’s believed that the player and club will soon begin fresh negotiations.

Good as New: Valeri Bojinov believes he will come back from a serious knee ligament problem a stronger and better player. He recently made his comeback with a scoring return for the reserves against Newcastle, and now the 22-year-old has set his sights on a return to first-team action after a few more run-outs for the reserves. “I’m very happy because after five months out since my injury my first game back went well,” he said on mcfc.co.uk. “I scored my first goal for Manchester City as well, which was very important for me. I only played 30 minutes, but I hope to play for maybe 45 in the next one, and then a full 90 minutes after that. The physios have made me work very hard every day for the last few months, but I thank them for helping me so much because I know how important it was to get me fit enough before I could play again like I did at Newcastle. This has been my first serious injury, but I knew soon after it happened that I could return and be a better player as well. I feel much stronger.” Sven’s pleased to have a soon-to-be-fit Boj back in the squad. “He’s very good technically; he sees things and can link up well with people. So it’s like having a new signing,” mused the Boss.

Johnson Joy: It’s been duly noted by you very people that City’s dip in form pre and post Christmas coincided with Michael Johnson’s injury. The good news is that the press reports suggest that Michael is ready for first team consideration, following his half a game at Newcastle. “I hate being injured, but now I’m finally running with no pain, and I’m thrilled about that. Touch wood, it stays away now and I keep on top of it,” Johnson told the M.E.N. “It was good to get 45 minutes under my belt against Newcastle in the reserves. I had no pain, and I didn’t feel too tired, so it was a good stepping stone for me.” Turning to first team matters, Johnno said, “We hope we can carry this on into the game against Everton now and get three points there, because that’s going to be a big game for us. They are where we want to be at the end of the season, so it will be a six-pointer. I think the race for Europe is on. Our aim is to get fifth or sixth spot, and if we put together a really good run, maybe to get fourth. And Everton want the same, so it will be a big game.”

OPINION: GOLDEN OLDIES

In response to John Nisbet’s appeal in MCIVTA 1405 for some pieces of history.

My father turns 92 in a couple of months. He came over to the UK in 1942, he was a Polish soldier sent to Scotland for the latter years of the war, and moved to Manchester on 1st January 1946 to take a job in Blackley.

His new found colleagues at work decided to take him to his first English football game. At the time of course, Rags also played at Maine Road but fortunately for me, that week City were at home so his first ever game was City. Like a lot of people in Manchester at the time, he and his colleagues would go and watch City one week, United the next, but later when they parted ways and the Rags went back to OT, my father because of his first game chose City. He of course tells it that he just felt the pull to the Blue side, for reasons good and bad, straight and comical, that would reveal themselves to him over the years. I thank God every day that he wasn’t one week earlier or later at that first match. His highlights of games he attended with ‘the gang’ are the Trautman Cup Final, the Ballet on Ice versus Spurs, St James’ Championship winning game and beating Gornik (Polish team!). His lowlights and comical moments? Well how long have you got!?

I think his most-oft quoted phrase as I have grown up watching/suffering (delete as appropriate) the Blues week in week out, through all the highs and lows since my first game in 1979, was “Son, I’ve been watching City since 1946 they never change!” Last quoted after Balloongate 2 weeks ago!

Anyway, I digress. To answer John’s question, I thought I would share a story he told me last week on Derby Day. With all the hype around the recent derby, and the (rightful) attention around remembering Frank Swift, my father recounted a tale of woe he witnessed at Maine Road. He remembers City were playing Wolves in a game they had to win (to avoid the drop? He wasn’t sure?) and found themselves 3-1 up. They had a centre half called McDowell who had the ball and who under no pressure turned back to Swift and shouted “Frank” (you can imagine in those days the crowd hearing every word from the players!). Swift came out and McDowell then proceeded to lob him. Own goal 3-2. Apparently five minutes later, McDowell had the ball again, and with uncanny accuracy, repeated the feat exactly with a shout of Frank and an inch perfect lob. He recalls the game ended 3-3 and McDowell never played for City again. Priceless!

Ten minutes of research later and I can reveal the following (Copyright Steve Kay http://www.mcfcstats.com/ with thanks). On 30 October 1948, City drew with Wolves 3-3 at Maine Road. In the team were Swift in goal and McDowall in the Number 5 shirt. Lo and behold, the following game vs Bolton away, McDowall is highlighted as playing his ‘finale’ match and so is curiously (or not so) replaced mid-season by J Fagan. Although I doubt the match in October was a relegation-avoiding game, it still makes for a fabulously City-esque story.

I agree John, another great generation of memories, if only we could catalogue them all, but one thing’s for sure… same old City!

OPINION: LIVING ON THE CEILING

Well have you scraped yourself off the ceiling yet? Me neither, and I make no apology for that. Man Utd 1 Manchester City 2 sounds great and reads pretty well too, and after 34 years why shouldn’t all Blues bask in its glory? Of course, the City players are rightly focused on the next crucial game against Everton and it is another game that shapes our season. Win and we go level on points with the Toffees and keep the heat on the likes of Villa and, dare I say it, Liverpool; draw and we keep them all in our sights, even if it would be an opportunity missed; lose and we will be playing catch up. Our season could also be shaped by the Carling Cup Final, and hopefully Chelsea will beat Tottenham to keep the UEFA Cup spot away from a team that is not likely to qualify for Europe via their League exploits. So it’s a special ‘Cam on Chewwsey’ on Sunday (sorry, “Sanday”), before getting back to ‘Come on City’ on Monday night. My wife and I went to Paris for a mini-break on the weekend after. It was a really good break in a great city, and like a trip to Eastlands, it was a chance to view some wonderful sights and great artistry! Sven being our very own Claude Monet, whose Water Lilies (a.k.a. Nympheas) in L’Orangerie are a most beautiful sight. Some sections of Monet’s work may look like a series of dots and splodges of colour, but take a step back, and it is a sight to behold. Similarly, take a look at Sven’s squad and some may wonder how some players get a game, especially after games like Derby and Sheffield United! Look at the whole picture and you see why: our healthy league position and results like Manchester City 1 Man Utd 0 and Man Utd 1 Manchester City 2 say it all. Indeed, I don’t think there are many people complaining about the scene that Sven is painting in Manchester!

I turned on the TV in the hotel room to the Canal+ Sports channel, and the very first thing I heard was a presenter say “Mon-chester Una-turd a eu une defaite a domicile contre Cee-tee” (to those who haven’t guessed and don’t speak French, “Manchester United had a defeat at home against City”, or something very close). Very sweet words indeed and they certainly raised a smile in our room. Magnifique as the French would say. I didn’t really tune myself in to try and translate the rest of what they were saying about Lyon’s chances of beating them in Europe, because I was thinking back to that day: a very special day. Roll on the next win, and the next win over United. Who knows, we may just get back into Europe or better still, the Chimps League. Indeed, why put a ceiling on our ambitions?

OPINION: STAT ATTACK

We all know Steve Kay keeps great stats but there was one, unwanted stat that was also broken last week at Old Trafford.

We all sing, ‘Never felt more like singing the Blues, when City win and United lose’ but, when was the last time that City won away on the same day that United lost at home? It’s not pleasant reading.

1st December 2001
Grimsby A, won 2-0 Division 1
United vs. Chelsea 0-3

And in the Premier:
31st October 1992
Everton A, won 3-1
United 0-1 Wimbledon

16 years since it’s happened (Premier).

Another weight lifted. Let’s hope it’s not another 16 years before it happens again. Data taken from Steve Kay’s stats and a Rag website.

OPINION: GET SHIRTY

Hell is red, sky is Blue (again). Well. I’m glad Steve Kay (MCIVTA 1405) likes the idea of “hell is red, the sky is blue” enough to put it on his City shirt, but what I really wanted was that someone with a bit of paint and a spare bedsheet would hang it over the railings at COMS so as to reach a wider world via TV.

If people saw it they’d laugh, laugh with City and at the Rags, which is what they thoroughly deserve. How the muppets who follow the arrogant MUplc empire deserve to be laughed at was made clear by the two I met on the NYC subway today, getting off a train as I was getting on. They were from the Far East both wearing brand new Rags’ shirts. I did the 2-1 thing on my hands and they didn’t get it, I showed them my City scarf and they didn’t get it, I told them they’d never been to Manchester and their team was bobbins and the daft sods still didn’t get it. Sad, really, because they and the many like them are lost souls, and that’s what “hell is red the sky is blue” is saying.

So come on Steve Kay, or someone, get down to Asda and buy some sheets and paint and have it on the railings for City vs. Everton and thereafter!

OPINION: RESPECT

Was wondering if anybody (who was lucky enough to be at the game!) could clarify this since I am sure I heard it towards the end of the match on the box. We were 2-nil up with about 10 minutes to go and I am sure the City fans started singing “There’s only one Frank Swift” for a couple of minutes. I then heard a growing round of applause, getting louder and louder. This wasn’t mentioned on TV nor in the papers but it was a touching Chant and a commendable reaction by the United fans, but can anybody confirm if it was the United fans who applauded or was it our boys applauding themselves … because they Were Impeccable after all!?

Roll on the weekend, hopefully Johnson is fit enough to play again so let’s go and back up Dunnie’s fighting talk and hit those scousers 3-0!

OPINION: BANG BANG

In response to the question by Christopher Ryder re the explosions. My wife thought it was Joe Hart bursting balloons!

OPINION: CELEBRATIONS I

Having come back down off my cloud since the finest day in many a long season – I read in MCIVTA 1405 about Tony’s response to Phil Alcock’s mention of Benjani pointing at them lot after his goal. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of it soon (starting Monday!) because having read on the official City website on the Thursday or Friday before the game he explained what the celebration was. Apparently it’s something from a film he saw and he said it means “I like you, I like you, I like you, I like all of you.” So I doubt that was for the cheery Rags fans. The big question now is to find what film it’s from!

Also re the Bang to Rights post (MCIVTA 1405) some Rags have owned up to the noise on the Guardian’s forum site. They were meant to be letting off the same number of bangs as their players who died (like some kind of gun salute) but two of them didn’t go off! It makes that day even better to think their own fans messed up on their day of days.

OPINION: CELEBRATIONS II

The loud bangs (heard during the minute’s silence) in my opinion were not run of the mill fireworks. These to me sounded like something you would hear at a professional firework display. it has played on my mind ever since. so you may ask who would have the most to gain from City fans disrupting the minute’s silence? Not City fans; we had everything to lose. Not United either. so who is left that would spend money on expensive fireworks and could get the most mileage out of the story? The Press!

Also as I understand it the origin of the song “We’re not really here” is when in old Division 3 we were taking 5,000 plus to games making all the very small clubs money and winning but to the press we did not exist.

OPINION: CELEBRATIONS III

I understood Benjani’s trademark goal celebration (which we saw often enough from his Portsmouth days) to be “and this is for you, and you, and you… and all of you”, as he points to individuals and ends with a sweep of his arm. It had nothing, and has never had anything, to do with opposing fans.

I’ve watched the game four times now and the highlight of the game for me is the contrast between a smiling Benjani saluting the City fans, and the cursing, gargoyle-faced, prawn-friend muppet Rag zombies, snarling and giving him the two fingered salute and all clearly seen around the world.

This juxtaposition of opposites, the old Scots whiner running away after the game (his reason fooling nobody), and his number two’s excuses, have not gone unnoticed by neutrals.

City 3 (pre, match, post) United 0. Come on City!

Re: the fireworks. I read two stories right after the game. Version one was that it was some kids just messing about near the railway lines and trying to cause trouble. Version two (which was broadcast on GMR I think) was that it was some disgruntled United fans who had petitioned United to set off fireworks as a form of eight-gun salute. United said no to this. GMR stated this was confirmed by GMP, at least that’s what I read. Who knows? The fact it was hardly mentioned in the press and United have said nothing makes me wonder. I believe I’m right that version two was actually the first story, later superceded by version one. Whatever the case, the paint-bomb attack by disgruntled United fans on the Bouncing Babes / Bouncing Busby Babes thingummie (sponsored by AIG) got little attention and is emblematic of the treatment United get. For instance, the highlight shows that I have seen bear no relation to the game, and were clearly edited to show United in the best light.

The failure of anyone to really get to grips with Ferguson running away is stunning. Who on TV has ever talked about the treatment of Munich survivors? Did anyone ask why, if United were so concerned about sponsorship on the game kit, the mascots and billboards were all AIG (must remember that Sky / Setanta have a real interest in portraying United in the best light at all times). There’s a lot that went on during the week (and right after the match) that has been ignored; from holding City fans back 45 minutes after the game (why? hmmmm), to United fans singing “If you are a City fan surrender or you’ll die” (that’s nice) in honour (!) of the dead outside Old Triffid on the Wednesday preceding perhaps it had nothing to do with the dead and is just some sort of zombie bonding ritual.

I wonder when Frank is going to have a banner put up at COMS that reads “21 years and counting”. 21 years since Zombie United lost their soul.

OPINION: CELEBRATIONS IV

Just a couple of responses; re Benjani’s pointing celebration to City fans at the derby… I saw an interview on TV before he moved to City and Benjani said he saw a film (not sure what it was) with a character who was pointing to a crowd or his fans saying “I love you.” He did the same celebration at Pompey so I guess he loves us now, we love him after that goal!

I was at the derby, heard the fireworks and cringed. At first I thought it was coming from inside the ground around the concourse area before you walk up to your seat, it could have been in our area or at the back of the main stand where the United fans were but wasn’t clear. Anyway after the game when City fans were kept behind for half an hour (some of the most humorous chanting I’ve been involved with e.g. “S**t ground no fans” and “They’re here they’re there they’re every flippin where empty seats, empty seats”). Stewards went on to the roof of the stadium above the City end and I guess were looking for fireworks that were possibly thrown up or landed up there. To be honest the whole thing’s a mystery and I’m happy to leave it like that, it’s inconclusive whether it was a City fan, United fan or attention seeking idiots.

P.S. I’m still buzzing after spotting myself on the back of the Daily Mirror under the headline “Perfect Day” and it was!

OPINION: NOT HERE

Wasn’t it when we were banned from Luton Town? But City fans turned up anyway and sang that song.

REQUEST: DERBY DVD

Does anybody have a DVD copy of the full Sky coverage of the derby? I did have a copy but it was ‘accidentally!’ deleted from my Sky+ box. I’d be more than willing to pay for the DVD and of course the postage. Please!

REQUEST: BANGALORE BLUES VIEWING

I’m currently in Boston USA where everyone seems to be Chelsea or Arsenal supporters. There’s only a few City fans here, but I make as much noise as I can.

I may be moving to Bangalore, India and was wondering if there were any supporters over there? Or if any of your readers have worked there any advice would be appreciated.

RESULTS

League table to 20 February 2008 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD  Pts
 1 Arsenal         26 12  2  0 31  8  7  4  1 23 10 19  6  1  54  18  36  63
 2 Manchester Utd  26 12  1  1 32  5  6  3  3 18  9 18  4  4  50  14  36  58
 3 Chelsea         26  8  5  0 23  8  8  2  3 15  9 16  7  3  38  17  21  55
 4 Everton         26  8  2  3 24 11  6  3  4 17 12 14  5  7  41  23  18  47
 5 Liverpool       25  5  6  1 26  9  6  5  2 14  8 11 11  3  40  17  23  44
 6 Aston Villa     26  8  2  4 24 17  4  6  2 24 17 12  8  6  48  34  14  44
 7 Manchester City 26  9  3  1 21 11  3  5  5 13 18 12  8  6  34  29   5  44
 8 Portsmouth      26  3  7  2 15 10  8  1  5 21 16 11  8  7  36  26  10  41
 9 Blackburn R.    26  5  4  4 13 13  5  5  3 19 20 10  9  7  32  33  -1  39
10 West Ham United 25  5  5  3 16 13  5  2  5 14 10 10  7  8  30  23   7  37
11 Tottenham H.    26  6  2  4 33 22  2  6  6 15 19  8  8 10  48  41   7  32
12 Middlesbrough   26  4  4  5 14 18  3  4  6  9 20  7  8 11  23  38 -15  29
13 Newcastle Utd   26  5  5  3 17 18  2  2  9 12 29  7  7 12  29  47 -18  28
14 Sunderland      26  7  3  3 17 13  0  2 11  9 32  7  5 14  26  45 -19  26
15 Bolton Wndrs    26  5  4  5 17 12  1  3  8  9 23  6  7 13  26  35  -9  25
16 Wigan Athletic  26  5  2  5 15 14  1  3 10  9 28  6  5 15  24  42 -18  23
17 Birmingham City 26  3  4  5 13 14  2  3  9 12 24  5  7 14  25  38 -13  22
18 Reading         26  6  1  6 14 19  0  3 10 16 34  6  4 16  30  53 -23  22
19 Fulham          26  3  5  5 18 22  0  5  8  7 22  3 10 13  25  44 -19  19
20 Derby County    26  1  3  9  8 24  0  3 10  5 31  1  6 19  13  55 -42   9

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[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: