Newsletter #1654

City’s pre-match friendlies in the USA continue with the latest versus Club America; we have a great match report tonight thanks to Neil who’s on his travels, together with other views and opinion on the US games.

There’s a look at the new 25 man squad ruling and how that will affect City, a home friendly this weekend up in Barrow and the usual requests.

No news tonight as Alex is on holiday, but read on and catch up!

MATCH REPORT ‘LIVE’: CLUB AMERICA vs. MCFC

Part IV for City’s USA marketing tour took us south to Atlanta, Georgia. Rather than flying from New York, we decided to drive the 900 miles and see a part of the US we had not been to before. We drove across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, stopped off at Gettysburg for a picture with a bronze Abe, then drove down the Appalachian mountain chain through Virginia, North Carolina and into northern Georgia. It is a beautiful part of the world with lots of civil war and early settler history. We got into steamy Atlanta yesterday afternoon and thankfully booked a hotel close to a freeway exit and within walking distance of the impressive Georgia Dome. The traffic was backed up just after our exit and the one way system downtown was an adventure.

The huge venue is similar to other US sporting stadiums, with wall-to-wall food and drink stalls around each level behind the seats. What sets the Georgia Dome apart is the air-conditioning! It was hot and humid outside but the 71,250 seated stadium was covered by a big white roof and the huge air-conditioning units made it cold inside. It was surreal. They probably have to defrost the grass surface once a week. A few hundred City fans in the official 33,721 attendance were scattered around the lower level, unlike in the rowdy corner at the Red Bull arena, and there were no attempts at a ‘Blue Moon’. Many sections of the stadium were empty and I thought the attendance was closer to 20,000. Mexicans wearing their team shirts, with the sponsor ‘Bimbo’ (Mexico’s version of Warburtons) emblazoned across their chests, far out-numbered the City fans and many have taken to the vuvuzela. Someone please confirm that they are banned from Premier League grounds next season. Also, in case you are wondering, Mexicans still love the Mexican wave. By the way, have City ever played a Mexican club side in their history?

Chris Bailey has provided a basic report on the official City website that covers the main components of the match. Overall City moved the ball around well, especially in the first half (Yaya Toure was the difference), and cooler heads in front of goal would have scored two or three goals late on. In fairness though Club America had their moments going forward and probably deserved the draw over ninety minutes. They hit the upright twice with Hart (first-half) and Given (second-half) well beaten. Highlights for me were seeing Given back and fully fit, although he had to pick the ball out of the net within two minutes of starting the second half, Yaya Toure’s first run out (he is huge and will be an impressive play-maker next year; think of Vieira at his peak at Arsenal) and Given’s two penalty saves in the shoot-out. In true US style a draw was not acceptable and someone had to win. City’s first trophy of the season, a mounted frosted glass football, was pocketed convincingly via a penalty shoot-out. Adebayor scored the first penalty (he also scored a penalty in the first half after Johnson was tripped) then Club America scored. Next up Jo scored, Given saved, Weiss scored, Given saved again then Vieira scored City’s fourth penalty of the shoot-out to end the evening’s entertainment in the Georgia Dome. City should have won the match in normal time with Adebayor and Jo missing several chances in the last ten minutes. Jo reacted to a rebound on 80 minutes and really should have scored, whereas Adebayor had a Lampard-esque moment on 88 minutes when the ball bounced down off the underside of the bar and the referee waved ‘play-on’.

Besides Yaya Toure, during the ninety minutes I was impressed by the attacking options provided by Adam Johnson (first half) and Weiss (second half). I am pleased to see that Yaya Toure is not another defensive midfielder. He will be a key component of the team next season. Nearly everyone present got a run-out. There was no sign of the non-English City players who took part in the latter stages of the World Cup: Tevez, Boateng, Silva, de Jong, Robinho or Santa Cruz. The starting 11 were Hart, two Toures, Bridge, Boyata, Barry, Kompany, Richards, SWP, Johnson and Adebayor. Additions for the start of the second half included Given, Vieira, Ireland, Jo, Lescott, Zabaleta and Weiss. Adebayor, Bridge, Richards and possibly Boyata started both halves. The second half side had a ‘proper’ back-line and what I believe will turn out to be fringe midfielders and forwards. There was a substitution in the second half after Richards received treatment twice in quick succession. Cunningham was the replacement on 75 minutes. Richards was hobbling badly after pulling up the second time and looked like he had pulled a muscle or strained a ligament. Richards also received a yellow card for ‘simulation’ after storming into Club America’s box on the hour mark and crumpling in a heap after being tackled by two defenders. It looked like a penalty from my seat. The referee thought otherwise. We should learn about the injury and booking from Micah’s diary on the City website.

The final stop on the tour is Baltimore on Saturday night. There should be a very large Italian contingent behind Inter Milan. Thankfully the next 70,000 seater stadium is not air-conditioned. We hit the road this morning and hope to cross the Carolinas and spend Friday in southern Virginia.

MATCH VIEW: CLUB AMERICA vs. MCFC

I had to watch this game on a Spanish speaking ESPN TV station, as no other TV station carried the game in the USA. Because I don’t speak Spanish, I cut out the commentary, saying to myself there is no commentary when I attend games; besides some commentators are lousy, especially a certain Scot who never seems to give City any credit.

City played in the white with black and red stripe. The game was played in the Atlanta Falcons’ (NFL) indoor stadium.

For this game, Mancini put out mainly the experienced players. In the first half Yaya Toure played in midfield, with Vieria replacing him in the second half.

Adam Johnson won a penalty when he was pushed over in the penalty box. Adebayor made no mistake with the penalty as he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Boyata played a very good game, and is one of the best to have come through the Academy. Weiss came on in the second half; he never stopped running with a very good effort on the right wing.

Joe Hart played the first half, with Shay Given playing the second half. Mancini made several changes to the team at half time, giving players a chance to shine.

Club America scored their goal in the second half, when their player beat Lescott to score. After 90 minutes it was 1-1, so the game went to a penalty shoot out; the hero was Shay who saved two penalties.

City came out the winners 4-1 on penalties. City looked the better team but not of high quality as they struggled to score. Some of the players played their first competitive game, and are not exactly match fit. Not the best of games, but pleased City got the win.

I will be going up to Baltimore tomorrow (Friday) to watch the City and Inter Milan teams train, then back on Saturday for the game, a game in which I hope Mancini puts out his strongest team against his old club Inter Milan.

Sorry to see Alex Gibson leave after twelve years of good work with the Academy. Nice to see Mark Hughes in charge of another Premier League team Fulham; I wish him all the very best except when Fulham play City. I read in one paper the first sighing Mark wants to make is his pal Craig Bellamy.

Looking forward to my trips to Baltimore – I shall take my cameras.

OPINION: CITY SQUAD RULES I

Just looking at the potential City squad for the coming season, and how it fits with the new Premier League rules; it throws up a couple of interesting posers.

As I understand it the rules are basically these:

• You can have a maximum of 25 players over 21
• 17 of these can be “not home grown” (36 months with theclub prior to their 21st birthday qualifies as home grown)
• An unlimited number of under 21s (U21 in January of the same year the seasonstarts, so anyone U21 in January 2010 will qualify) can be added
• “Home Grown” is purely an age and service thing, it has nothing to do with nationality

If you look at the City squad you have 37 players. Let’s look at the “Not Home Grown” element:

GK: Given, Taylor
DEFENCE: Boateng (U21), Lescott, Bridge, Garrido, Toure (K), Zabaleta, Kolarov
MIDFIELD: Johnson (A), Silva, Barry, Vieira, Toure (Y), de Jong, Kompany
ATTACK: Adebayor, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Bellamy, Robinho, Jo, Caicedo

23 players. Boateng qualifies as U21. So we need to ‘lose’ 5 out of that list, not 6. The obvious candidates may be: Garrido, Jo, Caicedo. Still need another 2. Robinho? Santa Cruz? Bellamy?

For anyone else we buy over 21 you need to remove another name from this list (maybe why we’re so interested in Balotelli as he is U21).

So now we’re down to 17, we can add another 8 “Home Grown” players over 21.

We actually only have 7 that I can think of: Hart, Richards, Onuoha, SWP, Ireland, Johnson (M), Etuhu.

Then we have the U21s: Logan, Vidal, Mee, Cunningham, Weiss, Ibrahim, Nimely.

So it will be interesting to see who doesn’t make the cut. The key here is you have to separate the 17 from the rest. For instance, if we lose someone from the ‘home grown’ list, e.g. Stevie Ireland, it has no influence on the 17, i.e. we can’t replace them with a purchase.

Changes to the squad of 25 can only be made inside of the transfer windows.

Now the disclaimer. I think the above is correct based on my understanding of the new rules.

OPINION: CITY SQUAD RULES II

After the Bosman changes to football transfers and contracts, is FIFA’s (and/or the FA’s) limitation on the size of Premier League senior squads going to be challenged?

Think of the numbers of professional soccer players who will find themselves out of work at major clubs. Last season Liverpool had a playing staff of 63. The Rags sported a staff of 50+. Clubs like Aston Villa and Bolton with small staffs may now have an advantage over bigger clubs who must now sell on (if they can) their footballing talent. This move will most likely have a marked impact on transfer fees next time around as clubs realize that they must unload surplus players. Player wages will also go down (not necessarily a bad thing).

This move to limit squad size will cause significant hardship amongst fringe players. I wonder how long it will be before one of them sues for:

1. Wrongful dismissal, or
2. Limitation of trade

I wonder how long it will be before the clubs themselves complain about too many games with such small staffs!

OPINION: NY BLUES I

Like others, I have been completely mystified by what City were trying to achieve in New York.

The two games have, in my view, been an embarrassment, a bit like watching England in the World Cup. If the purpose is to try out youngsters then there are plenty of other places to do that without making us look a laughing stock; if it is part of the pre-season build up then I’ll be surprised if more than about four of those who have played in these two games appear in the starting line up at Spurs; if it is about building a multinational brand then surely you want a team that produces exciting performances?

OPINION: NY BLUES II

We have to look at it from the manager’s point of view, despite the disappointment ofy the City supporters in New York not seeing some of the senior players, and of course the results not being in City’s favour.

There are new rules for the Premier League starting on September 1, one day after the transfer window closes. Each team in the league will have to name 25 players, 8 must be home grown, no more than 17 over the age of 21 years.

At present City have a large squad with possibly two more players to join the squad, another striker, and midfield player? It does not mean that City have to show the door to all the players not named in the 25, because they can be eligible for other competitions (unless other rules apply)? It will be for the best if City can recoup some money, and better for a player if he joins another club, so he can play regular football.

So when Mancini put out the younger players, he was looking at the future, for the younger players would show what the have got against the stronger competition. In this respect I like Mancini’s policy; he wants to know what he has, and is willing to give the young lads a chance.

From the New York game I shall name just two players that impressed me, although some other players deserve credit too. Nimely and Ben Mee who had the job of marking Henry in the game versus Red Bulls.

So far I have liked the new signings by Mancini, of course we all can’t wait to see them playing for City. I have to go back to what I have always said: “It’s not the results in pre-season, it’s getting the players fit for the new season”. Disappointing in New York, yes, but the Premier League next season is what’s most important, and which players Mancini wants to keep in his 25-man squad.

In Roberto I trust!

Come on you Blues!

REQUEST: HOME FRIENDLY vs. BARROW

Info for fans planning to go up to watch the Elite Team at Barrow on Saturday:

Corporate Hospitality is available at the reduced price of £25 per adult and £5 per under 16 for Saturday’s game with Manchester City.

There will be a limited number of places available, and so anyone wishing to book should call the club on 01229-823061 as soon as possible and reserve their place.

The itinerary for the day will be as follows:

• 1.30pm Hospitality rooms open, complimentary bar available until 2.45pm
• 2.00pm Hot lunch served, wine available with lunch
• 2.45pm Move to reserved seating in the Main Stand
• 4.45pm Hospitality room re-opens, sandwichesserved and complimentary bar available until 6.00pm

All guests will receive a complimentary match day programme, and at some point before kick off will receive a talk about the game ahead from a member of the Barrow AFC management team.

Please could you release this information in advance of the game and hopefully some City fans will take advantage of what looks quite a good deal.

REQUEST: REDDISH BLUES

Reddish Blues’ first branch meeting of the new season will be on Tuesday 17th August at Reddish Working Men’s Club, Greg Street, Stockport and what a cracker we’ve got in store for you.

BBC Radio Manchester will be broadcasting live their City Fanzine programme “Blue Tuesday” with Ian Cheeseman and Paul Lake.

The broadcast will be from 6.00pm to 7.00pm and doors will be open from 5.30pm and as always everyone is welcome.

Our usual branch meeting will take place when the radio staff have cleared their equipment away.

REQUEST: MELBOURNE BLUES

Melbourne Blue will be in the Gold Coast from 18th-28th Aug; anyone like to catch up for a pint and watch the Liverpool game?

REQUEST: SYDNEY BLUES

Calling all Aussie Blues! I’m flying out to Sydney this week for an 8 week medical placement with the flying doctors in New South Wales.

Was hoping to meet up with any City fans in the city to watch any televised games and share a few beers. I’ll be staying fairly central and will be keeping an eye-out for decent drinking holes. If you’re out in Sydney, get in touch, or if anyone has visited and knows of a good pub that shows Premier League games, let me know!

Come on you Blues!

REQUEST: SPECS FOR SIERRA

On 25th August this year 4 colleagues and I will be flying to Sierra Leone (officially the poorest country in the world) to distribute lots of equipment to a community there. The equipment is leaving in a shipping container along with a coach.

We are also taking some educational equipment for use in schools there. One thing we are desperately short of is spectacles of all sizes and strengths. If anybody has any spare or old pairs of glasses that are no longer in use would you please send them to me and we will ensure they are given to people who need them but cannot obtain them in Sierra Leone.

Whilst we are in Sierra Leone we will be accompanied by a TV camera and our efforts can be seen on BBC TV sometime in September.

Please post your spare spectacles to:

Alex Channon
11 Thirlmere Avenue
Swinton
Manchester
M27 5XD
Tel No 0161 281 7517

REQUEST: WINKBALL REPORTERS

WinkBall are recruiting enthusiastic reporters to approach the general public and gather their opinions at Premier League matches for 2010-2011 in and around Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.

Working as a team, you will be assigned to matches and interview willing members of the public about their thoughts on the match, using small hand held video cameras. Interviewees will be able to see themselves via our website, WinkBall.com, after the event. We are looking for approachable, sociable, lively individuals to pioneer this style of citizen journalism. It would be desirable to have some knowledge of reporting techniques and interviewing skills.

We envisage that there will be at least 1 shift per week per person. You will interview people before kick off and after the match (usually 4 hours per shift). You be required to travel to stadiums where matches will take place (where there is no more than one hour driving each way) and so it would be beneficial if you can drive. Occasionally there may be additional shifts for you to work, such as gigs or other large events happening in the area. You will report to a local reporter manager and will be expected to deliver cameras after each shift to them.

We will provide full training to successful candidates. We will provide you with uniform, identification and all video recording equipment. The rôle is in part a promotional activity for this website: you must therefore wear your uniform for any shifts and make every effort to promote WinkBall services in your discussions with the public. In addition you may be asked to promote any competitions we are running.

You will be responsible for submitting invoices for your work in a timely fashion and keeping us up to date with your availability and contact details. Payment £14 per hour, including expenses.

To apply, please email <recruitment(at)winkballproject.com> with your CV, a brief description of why you would like to join the team. In addition please sign up for a free account at WinkBall.com and send a video message to the same email address showing why you would make a great reporter.

MCIVTA FAQ [v1011.01]

[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?

The Official Supporters’ Club and the Centenary Supporters’ Association have merged to become the Manchester City Supporters’ Club (http://www.mcfcsupportersclub.com/). The club also recognise the Manchester City Disabled Supporters’ Association (http://www.mcdsa.co.uk/).

[6] Where can I find out about Points of Blue?

The committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. Points of Blue appears on the club website under the “Fans” heading (http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Fans).

[7] What match day broadcasts are available on the web?

Live match commentary can be found on the club website. The Radio Manchester pre- and post-match phone-in is available on the web at http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/manchester/hi/tv_and_radio/.

[8] Where can I find out if City are live on satellite TV?

http://www.satfootball.com/pl.html provides a listing of Premier League games being shown on UK domestic and foreign satellite channels. Useful sites for North American viewers are http://msn.foxsports.com/, http://www.soccertv.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: