Newsletter #1550

Pre-season proper got underway this weekend with the mini-tournament over in South Africa, but unfortunately a loss for a less than first choice Blues team. We have views on the game tonight.

There is also opinion on the recent player acquisitions, the progress being made at MCFC and on our recent signings.

We have Phil and Tony causing mischief and the usual requests.

MATCH VIEW I: MCFC 0 ORLANDO PIRATES 2

Fascinating to watch the City versus Orlando game on my computer in Toronto (or what I saw of it!).

One overriding disappointment. I can appreciate that it was City’s first real exhibition outing and that many of their top players didn’t play. But you couldn’t help but feel that the South African fans felt cheated by not seeing City’s top players in action. One commentator said that after watching United and Tottenham field strong teams in previous competitions and playing exciting football, that they felt let-down by City’s performance.

If Mark Hughes wants to impress the football world that he is about to spark a new revolution, a drab 2-0 loss to the Orlando Pirates is not the way to start things off. If he doesn’t feel his team is ready for such competition, then he should hold off until later in the pre-season. But he is entered in a prestigious competition and he needs to field a team that can win it. No surprise that on the same day, United were playing in Malaysia and all their top players were on the field.

If I was a fan in Orlando, I would have felt cheated. No Tevez, no SWP, no Rocky, no Shay Given or Richard Dunne. Reminiscent of those pre-season games in Canada when you’d travel literally thousands of miles to see City play Dunfermline in Toronto and end up watching a group of players that even I had never heard of.

Overall, bad PR move. If City want to promote themselves as an international force, they have to play their top players. Be interesting to see what team Sparky fields on Tuesday.

By the way, great website.

MATCH VIEW II: MCFC 0 ORLANDO PIRATES 2

The streaming of the game, although it appeared that there might have been problems at first, was otherwise excellent.

It was a good work-out for many players including Michael Johnson who played the first half; we also saw some of the Academy players playing – it should give them all a boost but the result was not good.

The results of the first pre-season games over the years have never bothered me; it is never nice to lose a game, but we must remember this was the first conditioning game that has been played.

What is most important in pre-season games, more that the results, is the players, how they are getting match fit, who is getting in form etc.

Great to see the enthusiasm of the South African fans, and I noticed that some of the Chester branch of one of the supporters’ clubs was there, along with many other City fans enjoying the South African sunshine.

Come on you Blues!

OPINION: CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

At the risk of wasting my fellow subscribers’ patience, amid this daily continuous bombardment of press speculation about yet another mega-bucks swoop by City into a market of contracted players at other clubs, may I make a few personal observations. And I stress, personal.

1. At the start of the 1959-1960 season, Everton were described in all hostprogrammes as the ‘Million Pound Club’ against whom all others would find itdifficult to compete, on the field and in terms of open transfer dealings whenplayers’ contracts came up for renewal (at a standard, official, £20 per weekduring the season). In those days, as it is for the rest of us today, anemployment contract was binding. A breach of which would find either partyfacing some serious inquisition before ‘My ‘Lud’ and a jury (sometimes) in acivil court. Higher profile cases end up, at vast profit to the legalprofession, in Chancery. Damages and costs will ensue (for peons like us)against the party found to be in breach of contract. A plea of ‘constructivedismissal’ is usually hotly contested and finds its way to the front pages ofthe more serious papers.
2. The first intimation that football was ‘different’ in this respect, in myopinion, was not the justifiable campaign against the minimum wage regime wagedby Jimmy (the chin) Hill, Chairman of the PFA, on behalf of Johnny Haynes, norwas it the EC enforcement of the Bosman rule 35 years later (i.e. a player at theexpiration of his contract is not bound to his former employers but is a ‘freeagent’) but the perhaps long-forgotten saga of George Eastham’s refusal to betransferred by his then employer (Newcastle United if I remember correctly) whilehe was still under contract, to a club not of his choosing. So he went onstrike. Ultimately, again if my memory serves me well, he had his wish andjoined Arsenal. MCIVTA readers, I’m sure, will correct me if I’m wrong ondetail.
3. Even allowing for ridiculously inflationary figures and all the attendantexplosion of TV rights, merchandising, Premier League position bonuses, Champions’League pay-offs etc., that ‘pay on the gate’ for terrace standing is a memoryand that the likes of Trautmann, Alan Oakes, Ewing are relics of a morelegally-constrained contractual past. Today a decent Premier League player on afour year contract at a vast weekly salary can, with impunity, directly orthrough that modern-day curse his ‘agent’, hold the contractor club to ransomfor a re-negotiated contract barely after the completion of his first twoseasons. What contract? What binding agreement? What ‘loyalty’ to club andsupporters?
4. Accordingly, I cannot bring myself to be enthused about our recent spendingspree. I don’t doubt the footballing quality of the players ‘bought’ and, in afree market where existing contracts count for nought, I suppose that a debt-freeclub like City should be able to buy success. Forget 1960 Everton. Cityare the 2010 ‘Billion Pound Club’. But these ’employees’ are, mostly, amoralchancers some of which ‘targets for purchase’ e.g. Adebayor have been well sussedout by principled managers such as Wenger. Eto’o is another such greedyvacillator. Nothing but opportunistic mercenaries. Were they to be signed byus, more fool us for thinking they’d play their heart out for the cause.
5. Tevez is a different animal in that a ludicrous ‘economic rights’ thirdparty contract has been bought out and freed the player to sign a contract withan employer (City) of his choice. He may turn out to be our trump.
6. All of the above brings me neatly, if sadly, to the views of a number ofMCIVTA subscribers over the past few issues, and in particular to that of PaulFegan in MCIVTA 1549. Why should we dispense with Richard Dunne? OK, he may nothave had the best of seasons last time and often when I watched him underpressure I did so with my heart in my mouth. But he’s our club captain and ourplayer of the year on four occasions. No one doubts his commitment to City orhis quiet dignity. Since Keegan took him in hand, his behaviour off the fieldhas been exemplary and a credit to the club. He has some years left in him yet;and he’s fit and not prone to injury. He is a fine example of loyalty and thebetter values in life to us all and especially to the young. I’m not aware thathe’s ever parked his car in a disabled bay in a supermarket parking lot or beenregularly spotted by paparazzi, pie eyed, in ‘celebrity’ night spots. Terry?

OPINION: SIGNAL OF INTENT

Maybe it’s all the competitive strategy I’m studying in graduate school at the moment, but as long as our owners can stomach the money, which it looks like they have no problem doing, I love their player acquisition strategy. To me it signals the following:

1. Buy proven Premier League players, not projects (see Jo here). Performance is #1 priorityas is winning.
2. Buy your rivals’ best players, thereby strengthening your team while weakeningyour immediate cohort. We’ve nicked players from two of the “Top 4” and one froma Villa team that looked the part for most of last season. Taking Lescott wouldalso do damage to a team consistently fighting for a top 6 place. Buying Terrywould do the same to Chelsea.
3. Buy players who will have a high profile and potentially large impact at theWorld Cup next summer. This can only raise City’s global profile.
4. If you’ve got the muscle, it’s ok to (over)pay high amounts. It sets thevaluation of players higher than normal and in some cases prices players out ofyour rivals’ budgets.
5. Fill the stadium! Big name players will put butts in seats and sell shirts.
6. The domino effect: Attract other big names. Players are forced to take noticeof us now and consider our offers seriously.

Now, Sturridge may turn out to be a gem at Chelsea (he looked great vs. Seattle in his début) and the no-names you hear coming into squads like Stretford and Arsenal may also be decent buys, but this is how you make a large jump quickly. What an exciting time.

P.S. ordered my shirt yesterday. L/S Ireland #7 home. Can’t wait!

OPINION: TEVEZ

Amidst the euphoria and excitement about snatching Tevez, provoking Ferguson to absurd public hypocrisy and exposing himself to mass ridicule, it may be that many have forgotten the subtlety that adds even more to the deliciousness of it all.

It goes all the way back to this time last year. Gazumping the scum with a bid for Berbatov forced them to overspend. This meant the hugely (and some would argue, illegally) indebted scum could not afford to buy Tevez at the time. This left the skinflints scratching around to find the dosh and clearly drove Carlos to come to his senses.

Forcing this situation (with a bid which we were damned lucky not to have won) actually succeeded in the most delicious finesse in recent financial trading history. It really should be fully appreciated and savoured for a very long time. Not only did they scrape for cash and fail to find it, they lost a far better player than the one we forced them to pay way over the odds for.

Long may Bacon-face gnash his teeth and wail about unfairness. Nobody deserves to suffer so much as that unspeakable man.

OPINION: ADEBAYOR

As I write this Adebayor has not signed for MCFC; reports are he wants more time to think about it? Perhaps hoping that AC Milan will make a bid but I doubt that will happen.

Other reports say Adebayor is afraid that his country folk back in Togo will think that he just moved from the Gooners for the money and that he is greedy, and yet we hear that he wants more money from MCFC?

Back in Togo many follow the team Arsenal and don’t want him to leave the Gooners because it is the club that they follow, so what once Adebayor becomes a City player Togo can follow City. On the other hand Gooner supporters don’t want Adebayor to return to their club, saying that he is too lazy, and they are pleased that he is leaving Arsenal.

I can see why MCFC want to sign Adebayor: he is a decent striker and MCFC want an African into the team, so as to help the “global image”, having dropped out of trying to get Eto’o.

Of course we would all like to see great players join the City squad, and Adebayor has scored some very good goals, and has the quality to be a good striker.

My honest feelings about Adebayor are if he wants more time to think about coming to City for whatever the reason, and if as the Gooner fans portray this player as lazy, how easy will it be for Sparky to motivate this player from having the label of being lazy?

Could be that Adebayor needs a new club, and challenge to be motivated. City could very well be that club for him; he would also be pushed to do well by Rocky, Bellamy, Tevez, Robinho and other players.

OK so I’m not as excited about the signing of Adebayor as I have been for Tevez, but should he sign I shall support him as any other City player, and of course I would want him to do well for City.

Come on you Blues!

OPINION: JOHNNO

Here’s the latest picture of Michael Johnson on the club website. He seems to have, er, filled out a bit, doesn’t he?

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Players/Midfielders/Michael-Johnson

OPINION: SPANISH EYES ARE SMILING

On 16th July the Barcelona Sports Paper(s) both devoted two full pages to Manchester City!

That’s incredible, but only a sign of City’s new significance in the world football story today.

Times are changing!

BLUE HUMOUR: MANCHESTER CITY IN MACAU

Currently languishing post-season in The Venetian in Macau, well someone has to!

Wandering around the shopping mall, I came across the wonderfully titled: “Manchester United experience superstore” replete with Ronaldo posters in the window.

Wandered in and found a very helpful salesperson. Here is the record of the conversation:

Me: Hi how are are you?
Salesman: Good thanks – how can I help you?
Me: I’d like to buy the new strip please.
Salesman: Sure no problem (directs me to rack of shirts)
Me: Can I buy one with Tevez on the back?
Salesman: Errrrrrrr not sure he moved to another team.
Me: Oh really which one?
Salesman: Errrr Manchester City
Me: So you don’t have United shirt with Tevez on the back?
Salesman: Errrr no
Me: So do you have a Man City shirt with Tevez on the back?
Salesman: Errrrr no
Me: Oh Ok maybe I will support man City now.

Ferry Ticket to Macau $200
Venetian Hotel per night $300
Winding up Rags Priceless!

BLUE HUMOUR: PET NAMES

Just thought I would share this classic with the readers.

My daughter Claire is on a work placement in Newry Co Down and working with a lot of so called fans from the other half of Manchester. She rang me to let me know of a workmate of hers who purchased a very expensive dog about 2 years ago, and guess what, he promptly called the dog Tevez. A classic I think.

It keeps getting better and better (I hope the dog is well looked after). Come On You Blues – Happy Days.

REQUEST: CITY VIEWING FROM SOUTH AFRICA

Both City’s games in S.A. can be seen on http://www.liveonlinefooty.com/ Or http://www.footyonline.tv/

They’re both subscription sites but you can usually buy a day pass.

REQUEST: VOLUNTEERS FOR SIERRA LEONE BUCKET COLLECTION

We’re holding a collection at the Arsenal game on Saturday 12 September 2009 in aid of… well, see below.

If you can help please contact Phil Holme at <philholme(at)btinternet.com> or call 07734 003 083.

In the autumn of 2003 a member of the Reddish branch of the CSA completed 30 years as a police officer in Manchester and retired. He then started working in Sierra Leone in West Africa, where his job was to train detectives out there to investigate child abuse.

Sierra Leone has for the past several years been either last, or second to last in the world wealth league tables published every year. Average life expectancy is around 38 years and living conditions for most people are appalling. On top of all these problems the country has gone through a particularly bloody civil war that lasted 11 years and only ended in 2000.

When he arrived in Freetown, the capital City, Tony noticed the usual scattering of people wearing Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United shirts. It soon became apparent that football is massive in the country and most people follow the English Premier League. At the end of his first week he was enjoying a beer at a beach bar when a young man approached him by the name of Armani Sheku Kamara who was selling watches, sunglasses etc. He noticed that he was wearing a Manchester United lapel badge. As Tony is a dyed in the wool Blue he joked with the young man that he could not buy any of his merchandise from a man wearing a Man United badge. Within a short time he agreed to throw the offending item into the Atlantic Ocean and negotiations commenced.

It soon became apparent that not only did he have a good knowledge of Premier League football, he also had a good knowledge of the ups and downs of Manchester City. He assured Tony that he was only wearing the United badge because a customer had given it to him and he promised him that if I could get him a City shirt he would be a City fan for the rest of his life. Little did he know what that conversation would lead to.

In early 2004 Tony returned to Sierra Leone having spent a few weeks back in Manchester, and of course took back with him a City shirt for Armani. Within a few days of receiving the shirt Armani told Tony that he was setting up a Man City Supporters’ Club in Freetown. When Tony next returned to UK he discussed the Sierra Leone situation, first with Howard Burr the Secretary of the Reddish branch and then with Alex Channon the Chair of the C.S.A. It was then that the Sierra Leone Branch of the Manchester City Centenary Supporters’ Association was born.

On Tony’s next visit he was able to take back with him several dozen assorted City shirts donated by City fans over here. They proved very popular and soon were being seen all around the Freetown streets. Soon Armani had formed a Manchester City Football team in Freetown as well as a Junior Man City team. The problem was that they were wearing a red and white striped kit that they had to rent on a match by match basis. Following discussion with Lorraine Firth at Manchester City the club kindly donated a full kit for the team out there. There was also a concerted effort by a lot of branches to collect as many shirts, boots as possible – these were also sent.

Another recent development is that a Reddish branch member donated a generator for the community where Armani lives, allowing around 100 people to have electricity. The shipping of the generator was financed by C.S.A. funds with the blessing of its members.

Tony Griffiths last visited Sierra Leone in March 2007 and we were proud to hear of many men, women and children wearing an array of City shirts around the capital and beyond. The football team formed such a short time ago is going from strength to strength and Armani is something of a local celebrity who is frequently interviewed on national radio in Sierra Leone and works extremely hard to promote Man City for no financial reward.

The Phuket Branch of the MCFC CSA then very kindly donated both a new home and away kit as many of the shirts donated were getting a bit past-it. On 23 November 2008 Man City Youth team appeared in the Sierra Leone FA Youth Cup final and won.

Not bad for a team that did not exist 4 years ago. You now can’t walk through Freetown without seeing a City shirt and hearing shouts of City Till I Die.

Unfortunately the first team had to pull out of the main league this season as it did not have enough cash although the league have agreed to keep their place in Division Two for next season assuming they have funds in place.

The next phase is to try to help make the team financially independent by raising £15-20,000 for a bus; this would double up as both transport to away matches – which is one of the most prohibitive costs to the team – then during the rest of the week it would become a revenue maker by running it as a proper bus in the capital. This would give two people a job and also raise enough cash to keep the teams running. Also it should provide enough to replace the bus every 10 years.

This is not just another fundraiser; the work being done is changing lives and keeping young people off the streets and giving them a common bond. It is changing lives and even saving some.

Hence the appeal and the collection, which will take place around the ground at the Arsenal game on September 12 2009. If you see people with buckets and bright T Shirts collecting on the day please give what you can. If you won’t be there and wish to send a donation for now you can contact me and I will sort out for you.

We also need up to 50 volunteers to help with the bucket collection, so if you want to help please contact me at the address below:

REQUEST: CITY CHOIR WANTED

I’ve pressed the “Go” button on my City songs (both old and new) project. But I need a choir!

I’m organising from hopefully City’s Season Ticket Holders, for a competition in Manchester next month to find four guys (two baritones and two tenors).

Anyone interested can contact me direct at the email below, which is dedicated to this project.

Sponsors and myself will fully cover their costs to come to Barcelona and spend a week in recording studios and also involved in publicity with Barça Football team and officials.

Also if anyone has details of any old City songs that have been in usage since the Second World War please send me details.

MCIVTA FAQ [v0708.01]

[1] MCIVTA Addresses

Articles (Heidi Pickup)          : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org
News/rumour (Alex Rowen)         : 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 by email. Unfortunately we cannot accept email attachments.

[3] MCIVTA Back Issues and Manchester City Supporters’ home page

http://www.mcivta.com/ 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.mancitycsa.com/) 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.mcivta.com/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: