Newsletter #1636

A short issue tonight with a look at the transfer season, attendances and a couple of Blues’ requests.

Congratulations to Blackpool on their promotion at the weekend!

OPINION: TRANSFER SEASON

Now we are into the silly season of transfer action and reaction, I really hope Mancini takes stock of what he needs and does not get into the Mark Hughes mentality of buying certain targets at any cost.

First, Roberto should realize that the guts of the current team should be maintained rather than another complete overhaul. Four or five key acquisitions are all we need.

I do agree that we need a clear-out of players who do not fit Mancini’s tactical blueprint. So tatty bye Bridge, Garrido, Ireland, Robinho, Jo, Caicedo, Bojinov, Vieira, Petrov, Santa Cruz, Richards and Michael Johnson.

Mancini needs to convince Hart and Given to split assignments (a common practice with the National Hockey League). I would keep Ned; he is worth working with. Kompany, Barry and de Jong too for sure and I would also persevere with Lescott but I really think Toure has to show more consistency or he should be shipped out.

Adam Johnson is a future star but I would also keep SWP and Weiss. I would lock up Tevez with a lengthy contract but I am still not sure about Adebayor. I don’t think he has the work ethic Mancini is looking for.

I don’t understand why Bellamy wants to leave for Tottenham. There is no way he beats out Bale or Lennon in Tottenham’s starting line-up and he is truly respected at Eastlands. Maybe he feels he is past it with City? I’d still keep him.

Milner would be a great choice but I wouldn’t get into a bidding war. 25,000 quid tops, with maybe Richards tossed in. Otherwise, look elsewhere. Stevie G would also be a great signing but I am not convinced his loyalty would be in the right place.

Looking forward to the new season. Just hope we can slot a few missing pieces into the City jigsaw puzzle and give Chelsea, United and Arsenal a run for the the Premier League.

P.S. Congratulations Blackpool. Definitely one great away outing.

OPINION: ATTENDANCES

In MCIVTA 1633 I noticed Neil Adshead’s mention of the City average home attendance of 45,512 in 2009-10 being the highest ever for the club and the first time in his lifetime we got more through the turnstiles than Liverpool.

In 2003-04 our average was 46,830, the highest of all time (and better than Liverpool). This season was our second highest of all time.

REQUEST: WORCESTERSHIRE BLUES

I live in Malvern, Worcestershire and would like to get in touch with other Blues in the area.

Does anyone know of any other Blues in the area? I don’t get to that many games but would happily join up for car share to help with driving/costs for any other Worcs Blues.

REQUEST: ZURICH BLUES

I have just moved to Zurich, Switzerland. I have been a season ticket holder for nearly 40 years and wonder are there any other Blues based out here?

MCIVTA FAQ [v0910.01]

[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. 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: