Newsletter #1759

What a game the visit to White Hart Lane turned out to be in a 5-1 masterclass for the Blues. How sweet given it was (a) Spurs and (b) ‘Appy ‘Arry. Dzeko was sublime, Nasri fitted into the team just perfectly and if three games in this is the sort of performance we can put together then keep it coming… No matter what the costs and finances involved the media keep referring to: you can spend what you want on a player but somebody still has to craft them into a team. Got to love Mancini’s comments post match that he was disappointed that we conceded a goal, that’s the spirit!

In this Bank Holiday edition we have a match report, news on the Champions’ League travel packages and the results/table. On a weekend that a 5-1 drubbing would have seen us top of the league and duly praised, Arsenal had to roll over and capitulate for that other Manchester lot.

Thanks to all the lovely comments from folks as far afield as Papua New Guinea, and remember if anybody does fancy a go at the editing of the newsletter going forward then please do let us know.

MATCH REPORT: THFC 1 MCFC 5

City gave an absolutely brilliant performance in defeating Tottenham 5-1 at White Hart Lane. Indeed this coruscating display of attacking football was one of our best performances for many years. It was reminiscent and perhaps even better than a 5-1 win at Villa Park under Howard Kendall in 1990, which saw David White net four times. Edin Dzeko matched Whitey’s achievements with a masterclass in centre forward play. Dzeko’s movement, strength, touch and skill were too much for Michael Dawson, who is a very good centre half. The Bosnian bought half a yard here and there by some highly intelligent play. Indeed, he has a sixth sense for finding space. Edin Dzeko looks like the best centre forward in the Premier League this season, and his four expertly taken goals in this game (he now has 6 league goals already, underlining how he has settled in to English football).

Spurs may have one or two injuries (we also had de Jong missing) and the Modric issue to deal with but they are still a very good side so this does not detract from a top class City performance. The interchange of passes with silky skills was literally a football heaven for us. There were so many highlights from this game that it is almost impossible to recall them all without writing War and Peace!

Mancini picked a very attacking but at the same time a very balanced line up. Edin Dzeko and Sergio Agüero were paired up front with David Silva and Nasri just behind in attacking midfield rôles, but the licence to attack was given by Barry and Yaya being designated to sit deeper. Not that it was left to these two to do the dirty work in midfield. Everyone did their share of defending, and the work off the ball, especially when we didn’t have it, was top drawer. There is no finer example of this than David Silva, who tracks back with exactly the same zeal that he attacks with. This Canarian master craftsmen has a real pride in the job and yet he is one of a whole squad that works hard for each other. The football that City served up was sumptuous. Such was the interchange of passes and intricacy of movement between the players that their nominal positions became irrelevant. Nasri looked like he’d been playing for City for years, so good was his understanding with his team mates and their silky interchange of passes. Our playmakers played without ego: they all just look like they love playing football. If they can keep this level of performance up then we are destined to have a very enjoyable season indeed.

Increasingly, it is become apparent that we are not dreaming, and this is reality: Manchester City are a very, very good side and look very well equipped to challenge for the title. There is so much to appreciate, especially since we have endured some very rough times. We’re not really here? We most certainly are. What we witnessed yesterday was very special indeed.

REQUEST: CHAMPIONS’ LEAGUE TRAVEL

We are currently putting together the itineraries for all 3 away fixtures. The priority being Munich.

Ideally we are looking to put on an overnight stay, out of Manchester, direct into Munich; hotels are a problem because of the beer festival Oktoberfest: we normally have our own beer festivals, anyway!

Villareal: we are likely to run a day trip, a one night and two night package.

Napoli: a day trip is likely to be the only excursion that we will be running.

Once we have full confirmed details, they will be posted, or alternatively, you can send us an email with “subscribe” in the subject line to <info(at)bluechipcsl.com>.

RESULTS AND TABLE

28 August 2011

Newcastle United      2 - 1  Fulham                42,684
Tottenham Hotspur     1 - 5  Manchester City       36,150
West Bromwich Albion  0 - 1  Stoke City            22,909
Manchester United     8 - 2  Arsenal

27 August 2011

Aston Villa           0 - 0  Wolverhampton Wndrs   30,776
Wigan Athletic        2 - 0  Queens Park Rangers   17,225
Blackburn Rovers      0 - 1  Everton               22,826
Chelsea               3 - 1  Norwich City          41,765
Swansea City          0 - 0  Sunderland            19,938
Liverpool             3 - 1  Bolton Wanderers      44,725

League table to 28 August 2011 inclusive

                            HOME          AWAY        OVERALL
                    P  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  W  D  L  F  A  GD Pts
 1 Manchester Utd   3  2  0  0 11  2  1  0  0  2  1  3  0  0 13  3  10  9
 2 Manchester City  3  1  0  0  4  0  2  0  0  8  3  3  0  0 12  3   9  9
 3 Liverpool        3  1  1  0  4  2  1  0  0  2  0  2  1  0  6  2   4  7
 4 Chelsea          3  2  0  0  5  2  0  1  0  0  0  2  1  0  5  2   3  7
 5 Wolves           3  1  0  0  2  0  1  1  0  2  1  2  1  0  4  1   3  7
 6 Newcastle Utd    3  1  1  0  2  1  1  0  0  1  0  2  1  0  3  1   2  7
 7 Aston Villa      3  1  1  0  3  1  0  1  0  0  0  1  2  0  3  1   2  5
 8 Wigan Athletic   3  1  1  0  3  1  0  1  0  0  0  1  2  0  3  1   2  5
 9 Stoke City       3  0  1  0  0  0  1  1  0  2  1  1  2  0  2  1   1  5
10 Bolton Wndrs     3  0  0  1  2  3  1  0  1  5  3  1  0  2  7  6   1  3
11 Everton          2  0  0  1  0  1  1  0  0  1  0  1  0  1  1  1   0  3
12 QPR              3  0  0  1  0  4  1  0  1  1  2  1  0  2  1  6  -5  3
13 Sunderland       3  0  0  1  0  1  0  2  0  1  1  0  2  1  1  2  -1  2
14 Norwich City     3  0  1  0  1  1  0  1  1  2  4  0  2  1  3  5  -2  2
15 Swansea City     3  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  4  0  2  1  0  4  -4  2
16 Fulham           3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  2  1  4  0  1  2  1  4  -3  1
17 Arsenal          3  0  0  1  0  2  0  1  1  2  8  0  1  2  2 10  -8  1
18 West Brom A.     3  0  0  2  1  3  0  0  1  1  2  0  0  3  2  5  -3  0
19 Blackburn R.     3  0  0  2  1  3  0  0  1  1  3  0  0  3  2  6  -4  0
20 Tottenham H.     2  0  0  1  1  5  0  0  1  0  3  0  0  2  1  8  -7  0

MCIVTA FAQ [v1112.01]

[1] MCIVTA Addresses

Articles (Heidi Pickup)          : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org
News/rumour                      : 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/Twitter

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://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england/manchester/.

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

http://www.satfootball.com/ provides a listing of Premier League games being shown on UK domestic and foreign satellite channels. A useful site for North American viewers is http://msn.foxsports.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://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/Usenet

[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] Do any squad members have their own Twitter accounts?

A list of genuine player accounts is maintained at http://twitter.com/#!/MCFC/players

[12] Where can I find match statistics?

Statistics for the current season are available from the club site, but for a more in-depth historical 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: