Newsletter #1629

News and reaction tonight to the recent run of games, with Mancini looking ahead. There’s an update on the injury list, the transfer rumours continue and the player of the year voting is on along with internal promotions.

We have opinion on recent performances and tactics, the prospects for fourth place and more on those North Stand moves.

Next up, Villa are the visitors and the return of Dunne as we slog it out for that fourth place.

NEWS SUMMARY

General News

We Will Be Champions: Roberto Mancini declared this week that he has one firm goal for next season: to win the Premier League. Ever since the takeover of Sheikh Mansour in 2008, City have been labelled a project, a project that will be completed only when the club dominates world football and the City manager sees winning England’s top division as the next step towards that goal. In order to achieve this aim, Mancini has revealed that he will make additions to his squad this summer and admitted that finishing in a Champions’ League spot will be greatly beneficial to the club when they enter the summer market: “All the top players want to play in the Champions’ League, this is normal. If you want to build a team that next year plays to win the Premier League, we must get top players. In Europe there are a lot of top players. I don’t know if they would come here because we were playing in the Champions’ League. Next year we want to play to win the Premier League. For this to happen, we must improve this team.” Mancini went as far to say that he hopes to have a significant portion of his transfer dealing completed before the World Cup starts in June: “It would be better, because during the World Cup it is difficult to speak to the players and to buy any players. So for us to prepare very well for next season it is important, if possible, to sign the players before the World Cup.”

Tour Will be Good for ‘US’: City are set to go on a tour of the US this summer in preparation for the 2010/11 season. The club plan to travel around the East Coast of America and are due to participate in the inaugural New York Football Challenge alongside Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, host team New York Red Bulls and top four rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues travelled to South Africa last summer to take part in the Vodacom Challenge and the club’s trip to the US is being considered as another way to take City global. The tournament will run from July 22nd to the 25th and will take the form of a knock out in which the Blues will play two games. Roberto Mancini, who could come head-to-head with former City assistant Hans Backe who is now manager of the host team, believes the tournament will be beneficial for City both on and off the field: “The New York Football Challenge 2010 is an important one for us. We have big ambitions for the Premier League next season, and this tournament will give us the perfect opportunity to prepare for our season with some highly competitive games, enthusiastic supporters and world class facilities. It will be fantastic for us to visit the United States, and especially for us to visit New York during our tour of the East Coast. New York is one of the world’s most famous cities, and I know the players will be excited about us going there. It is also a great chance for us to show our ability as a team to our supporters in America.”

Polling Open: Voting has opened for the MCFC Awards ceremony 2010. Supporters are being given the opportunity to vote for the best goal and best performance of the season and the prizes will be awarded to the individual winners on Thursday May 6th, when the club’s Player of the Season will also be announced. Fans can vote on the official club website but have only a week left as voting closes at 5pm on Tuesday May 6th. Tickets for the awards ceremony, which is to be hosted by Sky Sports News presenter Georgie Thompson, are still available mcfc.co.uk.

Dream Come True: Rebecca Firth has been named City’s new Club Secretary, succeeding Bernard Halford who has become Life President. After spending years as Halford’s PA, Rebecca knows exactly what it means to do her job well, and the 28-year-old simply can’t wait to start her new duties: “I love transfer windows. It’s my favourite time of the year. They’re the busiest periods, don’t get me wrong, but they’re very rewarding as well. When a player is finally signed, then all the hard work to get to that stage is very satisfying. You see the player perform well on the pitch and it’s all worthwhile.” Speaking of her time working alongside ‘Mr Manchester City’ (Halford), Firth explained: “I became PA to the chief operating officer, Chris Bird, when Sara Billington was promoted then when Chris left the club, I started working more with Bernard. That allowed me to focus on learning this job inside out. It’s a very reactive job, you never know quite what is going to happen. You are forever learning, but it’s exciting. I’ve worked with the master for eight years, so I couldn’t have had better training. He’ll still be around and I’ll call on his knowledge. There’s not much he doesn’t know, and he’s respected throughout the game. If you say ‘Bernard’ in football circles, everybody knows exactly who you mean.” Of his former colleague, Halford paid tribute: “Becky is perfect for the job, and she’s getting her chance with the best football club in the world.”

Squad News

Richards Raring to Go: Whilst all current injury talk surrounds Shay Given and his dislocated shoulder, there has been one other absentee who is ready to return and help City in their quest for fourth. Micah Richards replaced Wayne Bridge in the first half of last weekend’s tie against Arsenal to make his first appearance since the 2-0 to Everton last month and the right back believes he is back to full fitness. Having failed to beat either Arsenal or United in their last two games, City will need all the club’s quality at their disposal and Richards is likely to return for the coming games against Villa and Spurs though he has admitted that it has been frustrating to sit it out on the sidelines at such a crucial time of the season: “I’ve got something called tendonitis. It’s hard to describe, but it basically means I’ve got little blood vessels in my knee which can flare up from time to time. One week I might be fine but the next I could feel quite sore and I would have problems bending my knee. I’ve had discomfort for quite a while now, but it obviously you want to stay in the side and keep going. After games it meant I couldn’t really train for a few days, but there are lots of players around who suffer with this problem. I’m probably at the starting point of where Roque Santa Cruz is now. Roque’s had a number of problems with his knees and really suffered, but identifying the problem early on means I can take preventative steps to stop things worsening and fingers crossed, it won’t be a problem for me in the future. It is doubly frustrating because I felt really strong and was enjoying a good run of form, but that seems to have been the way for me since I made it into the senior team. I’ve had a number of set-backs at important times in my career and it is very frustrating because I do everything I can do get my body in top condition and be available for the team. I know when I’m playing well that I’ve got the ability to do well for City and England, but I can’t let it get me down because I’m still young and hopefully things will even up over time.”

What Luck of the Irish? Following his country’s controversial exit from the World Cup qualifying stages, Irish goalkeeper Shay Given must have felt that the best way to get over his disappointment was to achieve all he could at club level. Unfortunately his season has been cut short by a dislocated shoulder and he will play no further part in the race for fourth. Making a seemingly run-of-the-mill save at the Emirates last weekend, Shay suffered an injury that will see him visit two specialists this week in order to fully assess the situation. Shay isn’t the club’s only injured goalie with Stuart Taylor and David Gonzalez also sat out on the sidelines so it was the job of Faroe ‘keeper Gunnar Nielsen to step up to the breach. Nielsen is now tipped to start against Villa at Eastlands this Saturday though the club have brought in Sunderland’s Marton Fulop on an emergency loan deal. Mancini was obviously shocked by the unexpected injury to his ‘number one’: “Shay’s injury will be a problem. It’s not good for us because Shay is a fantastic goalkeeper. He is important to us, but in football you can always get injured.” Fulop has spent most of the season sat on the Sunderland substitutes’ bench but has promised City fans that he is ready to take Given’s place if called upon: “I got the call on Tuesday from City and I was more than happy to come and help the club. It’s fantastic to be here at such a time. It came out of the blue but I’m delighted to try to help City achieve their goal. I’m ready to play, if I’m selected. I came here to do a job and I’m confident that I can do that. I feel good, and we need a win to get that fourth-place spot, which is so important for the club.”

All About Alex: 19-year-old Alex Tchuimeni-Nimely has signed a new four year deal with the club. The Academy graduate is the latest to benefit from Mancini’s policy of keeping faith in the club’s youngsters as his deal comes in the same fortnight as James Poole and Dedryck Boyata signed contract extensions. Having made his name in City’s under 18’s side and created one of the country’s most prolific strike partnerships alongside Slovakian Robbie Mak, Nimely is undoubtedly an exciting prospect and the Liberian is honoured to have committed his future to the club he loves: “It’s a great day for me and my family. To come from a country so far away and get to this stage is fantastic. Obviously my parents are very proud and I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me, particularly the coaches at the Academy who have really helped me over the past few years. I sort of knew about this a couple of weeks ago because my dad has been speaking with Brian Marwood about it, but it’s wonderful when everything is actually signed and sealed. I’ve worked really hard this year and feel I’ve become a lot stronger both mentally and physically as the season has progressed. Things actually started quite slowly for me, because I was injured at the beginning of the new campaign and then I had to wait for my chance to get into the team, but everything has gone really well after that. This is a massive boost for me – it is very important for a young player to know he’s loved and wanted by a club. I feel very fortunate to be at a club as big as Manchester City and now I can concentrate on repaying the faith the manager and the club have shown in me.”

Manu TV: Emmanuel Adebayor will line up alongside Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf and former Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann on the BBC sofa this summer as one of the channel’s pundits. The ex-Togo captain was a shock inclusion to the list of illustrious names who will discuss the upcoming tournament but the City striker, whose country will not be represented having failed to qualify, will no doubt be a lively and fascinating member of the BBC panel.

Hopes of Fourth Spurs Vlad’ On: City have a secret weapon in place to damage Spurs’ hopes of Champions’ League qualification this weekend and it comes in the form of Slovakian winger Vladimir Weiss. Weiss, who moved to Bolton Wanderer’s in January in search of first team football has recently admitted to feeling frustrated about his lack of opportunities but has impressed of late. Now the Blues’ Academy graduate has his sights firmly set on Bolton’s weekend trip to Spurs and he hopes that he will be the one who damages the Londoners’ hopes of finishing fourth in order to help his parent club: “I’ll be doing everything I can if I play against Spurs to ensure Bolton win. Stopping Spurs will help City and it would be incredible if I scored a goal that eventually helped us qualify for Champions’ League football next season. I set up both against Stoke and played quite well, so I was sort of hoping to get a start against Portsmouth. I think I did OK so I’m desperate to keep my place for the match at Tottenham this weekend. I love City and would like to stay with the club for many years to come and next season could be very exciting for us. Obviously I would love to be part of that, so if I can help Bolton beat Spurs, I will, you can be certain of that.”

The Rumour Mill

Strike While the Iron’s Hot: Rafa Benitez has been angered greatly this week as Mancini admitted that he hopes to bring Fernando Torres to CoMS this summer. The Italian finally revealed that the Spaniard would be his top target should he become available or choose to leave Anfield come the end of the season. With Liverpool seemingly destined to miss out on Champions’ League football and City on the cusp of replacing them, there’s no reason why Torres wouldn’t make the move to Manchester. Not only that, but given that only Real Madrid (arch-rivals of Torres’ boy-hood club Atletico) could challenge City’s spending, the Blues seems first in line to take one of the sport’s greatest assets. The City Chief sees Torres as the man to shoot the club on to the world stage but knows that prising the 26-year-old away from Liverpool won’t be as easy as made out: “We are a top team and I think all the top teams are interested in Torres. He is up there with Tevez, Rooney, Messi, Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo… the best in Europe. Sometimes it depends on the player because they want to play in the Champions’ League. And if we don’t get into the fourth position it will be difficult. I have read that Liverpool have to sell one or two players but I don’t know what their situation is exactly. Torres is a fantastic striker but all the teams in Europe are interested in him. It is the same situation with regard to fourth place. I want players to understand that Manchester City are an important project for the future and that they can come here, not only if we get fourth position. Probably the money helps. I think we must buy a top player. We must make sure we don’t spend too much on normal players but if there is the possibility to spend the money on top players, young players who can help us build a future, I think it is OK. I don’t like to waste money because I have respect for the club and the owners, but if we need a player we will spend. It all depends on our target next year. If we want to win the Premier League ahead of Chelsea and Manchester United, we must sign some important players.” Rafa refuted all speculation: “When you talk to Fernando, you realize he is happy to be a Liverpool player, so hopefully everything will be ok. He is not for sale.”

If the Blues fail to reach the top four then maybe Inter Milan’s Mario Balotelli would be the more likely option. Though French talent Youann Gourcuff has also been mentioned, Italian born Balotelli has fallen out with boss Jose Mourinho and is not exactly a fan favourite within the San Siro therefore this could be the opportune moment to strike. The 19-year-old is widely regarded as a sensational prospect and City boss Mancini once described him as the “future of Italian football”. Inter may ask for the big bucks in order to sell their striker but the Blues can afford it and no doubt City’s Italian manager could get the best out of the talented youngster.

Summer Clear-Out: With the Champions’ League calling, reports have suggested that Mancini may seek to clear-out some of City’s current squad. Once again, Craig Bellamy has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur whilst fan favourite Shaun Wright Phillips may also be leaving the club after contract talks stalled. Roque Santa Cruz is rumoured to be the first out of the door having only joined last summer and Stephen Ireland may go in search of first team football with Aston Villa interested. Martin O’Neill has also expressed an interest in Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov.

Post-Match Reaction

Bore Draw: It might not have been a pretty sight to behold but City’s goalless draw with Arsenal last Saturday saw the gap between us and fourth placed Tottenham cut to a single point. For a second week running, much had been expected of City’s weekend fixture and as the pundits will tell you, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. Van Persie and Bellamy were busy for their respective sides but neither managed to carve out a clear cut chance for their team-mates and the biggest cheer of the day came from the Arsenal fans as their former cult hero Patrick Vieira made way. Those cheers were replaced by a chorus of boos as Emmanuel Adebayor replaced his former Arsenal team-mate only to be greeted by the long expected reaction of the Gunner faithful. Shay Given’s 72nd minute injury meant a début for the appropriately named Gunnar Nielsen, who became the first Faroe national to play in the Premier League, yet he went untroubled for the remainder of the game. Mancini believes that being disappointed about taking a point from the Emirates is a sign that the club is making progress and he thinks that with their destiny in their own hands, the Blues are fully capable of qualifying for next year’s Champions’ League: “Now I think we can get ten points – this one plus the other nine! It was a difficult game but in the end a draw was the right result. They played better than us in the first half – they had more possession – but in the second half we played better. We wanted to win, but we had a problem with Manu against United so for this game he started on the bench. If not, we would have started with Manu and Carlos. If you can’t win, then a draw is OK. Man United versus Tottenham was a good result for us, and we are very close. We have three games: if we win them, then it is finished. But before anything else we must think about Villa.”

Nielsen, who strangely enough professed only last week to being ready to step up to the first team should Given ever pick up an injury, was evidently delighted to have débuted at the 60,000 seater Emirates: “The Faroe Islands is only a small country, 50,000 people, and I think they will be very proud. They know I’ve been trying for years! It was an unbelievable feeling afterwards, but when I did come on it was just so intense – it was a high pressure game and I had to stay focused. I like to think I’m calm under pressure. But I’ve not played too many games, especially at this level – hey, I’ve just started at the top, the rest will be easy! I’m Gunnar; they’re nicknamed the Gunners, so maybe it was fate! But Shay looked in bad pain. He’s a really top guy, I’ve learned so much from him and he’s been brilliant with me all season. I’m gutted for him. Shay has been so consistent for us – he’s calm and experienced, and I want to be like that. When I’m out on the pitch I do like to shout at the guys; talking to the other players helps me a lot. Being No.2 is difficult. I’ve been training hard with our coach Massimo. If it’s serious with Shay then it’s probably going to be a couple of games for me. If I play against Aston Villa I’ll be up against Brad Friedel, who was the main man when I was at Blackburn Rovers. He’s a top man – I’d be playing against one of my heroes. But I don’t know whether my family and friends would be able to come over and watch. That might all depend on the ash cloud – we’re a bit close to Iceland.”

Ex-Blues’ News

Return of an Old Friend: Richard Dunne returns to Eastlands for the first time since his £6 million move to Villa last season in this weekend’s vital clash against Martin O’Neill’s men. There’s no doubt that Dunney will receive a rapturous welcome from the home support when he steps onto the green of CoMS this Saturday and the City faithful will never forget their former captain and four times Player of the Season but Irish compatriot Stephen Ireland believes that the centre back has performed better this season than he ever did at City: “Dunney is still a great mate and I keep in regular touch with him. He’s had a terrific season for Villa, been to Wembley twice and was voted into the PFA Team of the Year. You can tell by his performances that he’s enjoying himself and he’s probably has one of the best seasons of his career in terms of what he’s done this season. He’s really looking forward to coming back on Saturday and the City fans will no doubt give him a fantastic reception because they loved him, though it’s going to be weird seeing him in another club’s colours. I’m sure he’ll make life difficult for our forwards and will be doing everything to help Villa win. I know he he’ll always have a special place in his heart for our supporters because they’ve always held him in such high regard, but I’m sure they won’t mind if he has an off-day! It’s important we win our final three games and claim fourth spot and we know we’ll have to be at the top of our game on Saturday to stop Villa and if we win, it will set the Spurs game up perfectly.”

OPINION: THE TIME IS RIGHT

I’m not sure why I’m bothering, but here goes…

Kevin Williamson in MCIVTA 1628 says: “Sorry, but we are light years behind United”.

Actually, no, we aren’t. We have been, but not any longer. We’ve lost to Man U three times this season. All in the final minute of time added on for stoppages. In the past twenty years, we’ve beaten Man U several times. Each time, we played above ourselves, and each time it was a cause for celebration.

This season we were bitterly disappointed to lose these three games. There was nothing to choose between the sides for the 90 minutes, which shows how close the gap now is. What I admire them (and I say this through gritted teeth), what I admire about Man United, is their self-belief and the fact that they never know they are beaten. Man for man they aren’t as good as City. In fact, they aren’t as good as a few teams in the Premier League. They make up for this by their absolute will to win. We need to bring some of that to the side next season.

To be brutally honest, the only player at OT I think is better than our player in a man for man comparison is Patrice Evra. They can keep the rest. Evra, Ashley Cole and at a pinch, Daniel Alves, are the best three left backs in Europe. We need one of them.

Teams go to OT and are intimidated by the history of the club. We don’t have that. Teams come to our place and want to show the nouveau riche upstarts that they can mix it with the big boys. Most of them would dump their team immediately before the match if City made them an offer though. That’s how shallow top professional footballers are these days.

I’ve no idea if Mancini is keeping the seat warm for Mourinho and until Saturday I wasn’t really bothered. However, we now know we should have taken three points off Arsenal on Saturday if we’d bothered attacking them, similarly Liverpool at Eastlands. Four points dropped and an insight into Mancini’s mindset.

It’s a big gamble but we just have to go balls out and play the next two games like cup ties. Batter Villa and Spurs and glory is ours. It will be a massive setback for the club if we miss out on the Champions’ League and as well as not being able to attract a few top names, we may lose one or two of our own.

It’s odd to think that a game versus Gillingham is one of the most important games in the history of our club. Now is the time to redress the balance with two far more important games coming up in the next week.

OPINION: TACTICS

While I agree with Glyn Albuquerque that it was frustrating that City didn’t take the game to Arsenal the way we might have expected given our record against them this season, I don’t think you can fault Mancini for his tactics. A point at Arsenal is a good result, and the only side we’ve beaten away with a similar home record (2 home losses) is Chelsea. The tactics of that match were basically the same, albeit with Adebayor suspended: City started with 3 defensive midfielders (Zabaleta, Barry, de Jong) playing behind Bellamy, Johnson and Tevez. City were fortunate to reach half-time on level terms thanks to a Chelsea defensive error. Bellamy cracked the game open with a lightning counter-attack, and Roque Santa Cruz came on to leave 2 defensive midfielders behind a four-man attack of Bellamy, SWP, Tevez and RSQ. The sending off of 2 Chelsea players relieved the pressure towards the end, but even then there were spells when Chelsea were knocking on the door of a third goal.

City started the same way at Emirates, with 3 defensive midfielders in Vieira, Barry, and de Jong behind the same attacking trio that started the Chelsea match. The first half had few chances at either end. Mancini had learned the lesson of Spurs’ win over Arsenal: defend deep and narrow with 2 bands close to the edge of the box, forcing Arsenal to either try to pass through the middle in heavy traffic or cross from the wings. Despite Arsenal’s possession they did not manage a decent shot. At the other end, Tevez was isolated, and the few promising moments came from balls over the top that Johnson and Tevez failed to get on the end of. Half-time came with the scores level, always a good position for a visiting team if you ask me. The injury to Bridge was a setback as it left Mancini with one less substitution option in the second half (which would have surely been SWP for Johnson), and I am sure he didn’t want to see Richards against Clichy. Adebayor’s introduction fixed the isolation, he held the ball up nicely and gave Bellamy and Johnson time to get up in support, and having Tevez in the same area helped. City put together some nice forays into the attacking third, but couldn’t find anybody in the box. However, only de Jong and Barry were left to protect the back four, and Arsenal threatened more in the last 20 minutes, but thankfully could not find a way through.

So tactically you could argue that the 0-0 at Emirates was not that far away from the 4-2 at Stamford Bridge. What the Arsenal match lacked was a piece of individual brilliance of the kind provided by Bellamy against Chelsea, and of course the sending off of opposition players that reduced the pressure on City once they had the lead.

This is the Italian style: make sure you don’t lose the game before you start to think about winning it (and it gets worse in Europe…).

While it’s clear Patrick Vieira no longer has the legs that made him the great midfielder he was at Arsenal, he is still able to do a job as the third defensive midfielder in Mancini’s defensive 4-3-3. When there are only 2 defensive midfielders, the ground to cover is too much and the pace of the game gets to him, but sitting in the middle of the field and breaking up play, he can still do when he is one of three.

Which brings us to the absence of Steven Ireland. I am convinced Mancini would put him in if his defensive work-rate were better. As it is, he has been (at least partly) responsible for some costly goals, the Stoke equaliser in the FA Cup first leg where he gave Fuller a free header by pulling out of the challenge, then failing to properly track Scholes’ run from deep 2 weeks ago. No one doubts his ability on the ball, but realistically his only place in the side is in the heart of midfield, and he has to prove that he has the stomach for defensive duties the way Bellamy has done (at the expense of Petrov).

Anyway, I still believe we are looking good for fourth, provided we take our chances. I think we will see Adebayor and Tevez start together against Villa, with Bellamy and Johnson/SWP starting deeper to track Villa’s speedy wide men. Then I think against Spurs we will open with the defensive 4-3-3 in deference to Spurs’ good form and their danger on the counter-attack, coming out of our shell as the pace of the game slows.

Come on City!

OPINION: NEGATIVITY

Well at last. I thought it was just me and a few old moaners (that’s my brother), who were wondering what the hell has happened to forward-thinking City.

I thought it was just us, who had been despairing at City games being described as the worst games the commentators had seen this season (see versus Liverpool, Portsmouth, and now Arsenal, to name but three). And I was beginning to think that I was the only one (oh, and our kid), who were bemused by some of the team selections, substitutions and performances, especially in midfield, of those loitering, without intent.

Well it nice to see in the nice MCIVTA 1628 some other people finally beginning to bemoan the tactics of our ‘lucky’ manager, Mancini.

Since my birth having never seen us lift a major trophy (I was 23 days old in ’76), I have seen some pretty dark times. I have always wished for the managers to be given time to build and shape a team (except for Ball of course; who didn’t want him out?). I raged at the ridiculous sacking of the ‘most promising young manager in British football’, coming at a time when I thought we were finally getting our house in order. And even though I did not agree with the appointment of Mancini, on any level, I was hoping his ‘lucky’ tag might just work, even at City. Well, I should have trusted my instincts.

Now I know many people will say you have to give him a chance, it isn’t his team etc… but let’s be honest, have you ever seen a team who have so much, offer so little (please don’t say Liverpool, they were awful to watch last year, and have been well found out this one)? What happened to the team who couldn’t stop scoring? Now they sometimes can’t even muster a few shots on target, at home! What happened to a team whose spirit and solidarity looked so great, but now seem totally disinterested (see Bellamy, Tevez, Ade, Barry, Wright-Phillips). Let me tell you what happened: Mancini.

Ever since this man’s arrival, all performances, and subsequent results, have been on the slide. We’ve witnessed some of the most negative tactics any of us have ever seen deployed to those in a City shirt. And quite frankly, I’m tired of it. Will we get fourth? Villa, and especially Spurs, probably deserve it more. But who knows, maybe this man is ‘lucky’ after all? I’m just hoping Juventus come knocking.

OPINION: REALITY BITES?

At last. The manager is rubbish and the owners don’t give a toss about loyal fans they are running a business and will do whatever it takes to make a return on their money so you don’t own the right to a seat.

OPINION: EVICTED!

I’m not one to complain, in fact nothing riles me more than the frequent complaining found within this newsletter about seemingly trivial matters.

But as a long term resident of Block 132, I’m just a little bit p****d that they never bothered to let me know up front. Just a quick note. No, I had to find out via Facebook. Just a bit rubbish!

OPINION: ‘KEEPER

Was it just me or did anyone else think that Nicky Weaver had come back to the club when Given was substituted on Sunday?

Talking of Nicky, does anyone know where he is now? Has he retired?

RESULTS

League table to 28 April 2010 inclusive

                             HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F   A   GD Pts
 1 Chelsea         36 16  1  1 60 14  9  4  5 33 18 25  5  6  93  32  61  80
 2 Manchester Utd  36 15  1  2 48 12 10  3  5 33 16 25  4  7  81  28  53  79
 3 Arsenal         36 14  2  2 44 15  8  4  6 34 24 22  6  8  78  39  39  72
 4 Tottenham H.    35 13  2  3 39 12  6  5  6 24 25 19  7  9  63  37  26  64
 5 Aston Villa     36  8  8  2 29 15  9  5  4 22 20 17 13  6  51  35  16  64
 6 Manchester City 35 11  4  2 38 18  6  8  4 31 24 17 12  6  69  42  27  63
 7 Liverpool       36 13  3  2 43 13  5  5  8 18 20 18  8 10  61  33  28  62
 8 Everton         36 10  6  2 34 21  5  6  7 25 28 15 12  9  59  49  10  57
 9 Birmingham City 36  7  9  2 17 12  5  2 11 18 32 12 11 13  35  44  -9  47
10 Sunderland      36  9  7  2 32 18  2  4 12 15 35 11 11 14  47  53  -6  44
11 Blackburn R.    36  9  6  3 26 17  2  5 11 12 37 11 11 14  38  54 -16  44
12 Fulham          35 10  3  4 24 12  1  7 10 12 27 11 10 14  36  39  -3  43
13 Stoke City      35  7  5  6 24 21  3  8  6  9 23 10 13 12  33  44 -11  43
14 Bolton Wndrs    36  5  6  7 24 30  4  3 11 16 35  9  9 18  40  65 -25  36
15 Wolves          36  4  6  8 11 21  4  5  9 18 31  8 11 17  29  52 -23  35
16 Wigan Athletic  36  6  6  6 17 22  3  2 13 18 47  9  8 19  35  69 -34  35
17 West Ham United 36  7  4  7 29 28  1  6 11 15 34  8 10 18  44  62 -18  34
18 Hull City       36  6  5  7 22 29  0  5 13 10 44  6 10 20  32  73 -41  28
19 Burnley         36  6  5  7 21 28  1  1 16 16 50  7  6 23  37  78 -41  27
20 Portsmouth      36  4  3 11 21 31  2  4 12 10 33  6  7 23  31  64 -33  16

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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. You can also follow on www.twitter.com/mcivta to get the latest updates.

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

The official club web site can be found at http://www.mcfc.co.uk/ and the official club Twitter page at www.twitter.com/mcfc. The club also has a facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/mcfcofficial

[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: