Newsletter #1760

No action on the pitch for the Blues this weekend due to the international fixtures, but plenty of action behind the scenes in the closing days of the transfer window with a surprise signing of Hargreaves on a free, SWeeP off to QPR, Bellamy returns to Anfield and a handful of loan moves for some of the fringe players.

We’ve opinion on the transfers tonight, together with a look back at Spurs and details on the upcoming Champions’ League travel offers.

OPINION: SPURS PERFORMANCE I

My only complaint about City’s performance against Spurs is that Mancini didn’t go for the jugular and really finish Tottenham off. Just imagine if, after Agüero had scored our fourth goal after 59 minutes, Mancini had executed a triple substitution and brought in Johnson, Tévez and Balotelli for Dzeko, Nasri and Agüero. Just the sight of those three warming up on the sideline would have shattered Tottenham’s already brittle defence.

Instead Mancini brought on Savic for Agüero, City go defensive, Tottenham pulled one back and could easily have scored a couple more. There is a good chance this league could be decided on goal difference and I believe Mancini elected to play safety first rather than really turn the screw. And then you see what United did to Arsenal!

I appreciate having such explosive offensive ammunition is probably a novelty for Mancini but we really do need to run up the score when we do have the opportunity. Still, it’s just like watching Barcelona isn’t it? I really fear for Wigan!

OPINION: SPURS PERFORMANCE II

Last Saturday I became deeply disappointed. First, the power went out at 3pm EST due to hurricane Irene. I got my generator going so as to have power. I checked: yes, my Comcast cable TV was still on. “Good,” I said to myself, “I will be able to see the Spurs vs. City game at 8:30am our time live”, the following morning on Sunday.

But then at 7pm Saturday my Comcast TV, Internet broadband, and land phone went off; this meant no game on TV in the morning. I said to myself: “Ah well, I will be able to see the extended highlights on the official site when things come back on.” I was lucky that everything came back on here on Monday; first thing I did was go to the MCFC official site. I want to thank the people at MCFC who always put on the highlights – thank you!

It was reported on Wednesday evening that there were only 77% in Virginia with power back on, so many trees had come down on lines that affected power.

On Wednesday the full game was shown again as a repeat; great stuff from City, special mention to Nasri on his first game and Edin who has found his form.

A big surprise that Hargreaves has signed for City; as long as he can stay fit, we all know of his footballing skills, a very good signing that can be of service when the African Cup starts.

Come on you Blues!

OPINION: HARGREAVES

I must confess that I struggle with this one. Tainted man with a very unimpressive track record for the past 4 years. I bet I can do more on crutches than he can and my heart is sky-blue. I feel a bit miffed at being over-looked if disability is no longer a barrier to signing for City.

At least he should do no harm, but dumping SWP for him is another reality check to all those who think loyalty has any value in terms of MCFC and their players. What a slap in the face to all the Academy lads!

OPINION: SWEEP’S DEPARTURE

We say goodbye to Shaun Wright-Phillips for a second time as he moves to QPR for a fee reputed to be £4 million. He did well initially on his return, scoring 2 goals on his second début at Sunderland, and he even had a good spell in central midfield under Mark Hughes when we were short of players due to injuries. It’s a shame that it has not worked out for him here in his second spell. After that bright start on his return, he never seemed the same after he took one heck of a kicking as United’s players systematically took it in turns to target him in a Derby at Eastlands. Not that his decline in form can all be laid at the Rags’ door, because in all truth like any athlete, with age, Shaunny has lost a bit of pace. He also seemed to have lost more than a bit of confidence under Mourinho at Chelsea. He had thrived as an out and out right winger in City’s 4-4-2 formation, taking full backs on with skill and pace, but he struggled to fit into Mourinho’s more compressed 4-3-3, and consequently his game suffered.

With all respect to Shaun, since his return to City we’ve signed world class players and Shaun’s confidence has dropped further for not getting a regular game. I suspect that Shaun is one of those players who needs to play regularly to find his best form. Not that he has ever given less than his best in a City shirt.

It will be for his first spell, though, that he will be best remembered. As a lightning fast winger with an eye for a goal (153 appearances, 26 goals) he had lovely skill, and this was complemented by a strong work ethic. He was certainly happy to do his share of defensive work. “Go on Shaun, use your height” was a clever quip that could be heard when he went up for a header, but for someone so short he wasn’t too bad in the air, and he certainly did his best to win the ball. He played a vital part in Kevin Keegan’s fantastically entertaining promotion winning side in 2001/2002. His game came on significantly with the promptings of twin playmakers Ali Benarbia and Eyal Berkovic. My best memory of him was his brilliant goal in the derby at Eastlands that made it 4-1. Indeed, he was a crucial player as City settled back into the Premier League in 9th place, and when we struggled in the years after.

I’ll never forget how bad I felt and where I was when he left us in the summer of 2005 (shocked, stunned, feeling like the heart of our club had been ripped out, as I waited for my train to depart at Kings Cross Station, London). It was a shame in more ways than one that he went to Chelsea when he did, especially when we expected him to stay at least another year. If he’d given us another year I’m convinced he’d have benefited and got to the 2006 World Cup by playing in a familiar environment rather than having to settle in at a new club. Instead he never really nailed down a regular starting berth at Stamford Bridge, whilst we were left with a massive hole in our team as City struggled again. As disappointing as it was for us, it’s difficult to blame him for making that move though, because as an ambitious young player, he had the chance to win something and improve his earning power: something that we could not offer at that time. Certainly in terms of winning medals, his move to Chelsea was a success as played his part in winning the title in 2005/2006, as well as completing a cup double in the following year.

I was hoping that Shaunny would rediscover his form and play a part as a squad player here this season, but it was not to be. Best of luck to him with QPR. It’s a good club (certainly better without Briatore and Ecclestone as owners) with a loyal set of fans who have been through the mill like us (relegated along with City in 1995/1996, they had an even longer spell in the 3rd Division). If anyone can revive his career, Neil Warnock can. He has a special knack with players who have fallen by the wayside, and if he can help Shaun rediscover his belief, then they will have an important player in their battle for survival. I hope he can enjoy an Indian summer to his career there (though not at City’s expense!). They say there’s no room for sentiment in football and there shouldn’t be really when it comes to managers selecting teams and squads, but for fans, it’s a bit different. Shaun is a special player in our recent history. City will always truly be his club and he will always be a favourite here.

Thanks for the memories.

OPINION: TRANSFERS

Does anyone know when the defenders are arriving, especially those who don’t stand like n**s when a team has either a free kick or corner they can get into the box? Eventually someone will score first and second and then we will go to pieces. But maybe the defence is the next part of the plan!

Apart from that we were brilliant.

OPINION: BLUE TUNES

In the tradition of finding chants for new players, here’s one for Samir Nasri based on Mungo Jerry’s ‘In The Summertime’:

Samir-Nasri-time and City are high,
Gonna reach right up and touch the sky,
Samir-Nasri-time,
We got winnin’, we got winnin’ on our mind.

(next bit optional)

Sing along with us, dee-dee-dee-dee-dee.
Da-da-da-da-da… yeah, we’re happy happy,
Da-da-da-da-dah.

REQUEST: REDDISH BLUES

The next meeting of the Reddish branch is on Wednesday 7th September at Reddish Working Men’s Club, Greg Street, Stockport.

The meeting starts at 8.00pm (doors 7.30 pm) and our confirmed guests for the night are: Paul Lake, Gary Owen and the FA Cup.

Copies of Paul’s book, “I’m Not Really Here” will be available on the night.

As always, the meeting is open to everyone and membership will be available on the night.

REQUEST: EUROPEAN TRAVEL

Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City 27th Sept 2011

Fußball Arena München, kick-off 20:45 local time.

Day trip, return flights from Manchester to Munich, departs Manchester at 07:00, arrives 10:30 Munich, includes airport – stadium – airport transfer. After the game we will return to the airport for the flight back to Manchester, arriving at 01:30.

Price £265.00 per person.
No match tickets are included.
All times are approx at this moment; bookings can be made now online.

Villarreal Away

Option 1: 2 Night Stay
Flights: Manchester – Valencia – Manchester
Outbound: Tuesday 1st November, 9am approx.
Return: Thursday afternoon 15:00 approx.
4 star Hotel including continental breakfast, in Central Valencia
All transfers included: Airport – Hotel – Stadium – Hotel – Airport
£349.00 per person based on twin share.

Option 2: 1 Night Stay
Outbound: Tuesday 1st November, 9am Approx.
Return straight after the game, arriving Manchester 02:00 approx.
4 star Hotel including continental breakfast, in Central Valencia
All transfers included: Airport – Hotel – Stadium – Hotel – Airport
£299.00 per person based on twin share

Option 3: 1 Night Stay
Outbound: Wednesday 2nd November, 7am Approx.
Return: Thursday afternoon 15:00 approx.
4 star Hotel including continental breakfast, in Central Valencia
All transfers included: Airport – Hotel – Stadium – Hotel – Airport
£299.00 per person based on twin share

Please note that single room supplements of £45.00 PPPN apply to Options 1, 2 and 3.

Option 4: Day Trip
Outbound: Wednesday 2nd November, 7am Approx.
Return straight after the game, arriving Manchester 02:00 approx.
All transfers included: Airport – Stadium – Airport
£245.00 per person

Minimum of £100 non refundable deposit per person to secure your place. Balance due by 5th October.

Napoli vs. Manchester City FC – One Night Stopover

Outbound: Monday 21st November, 7am Approx.
Direct flight to Naples
On arrival we will transfer to Sorrento where we will stay at the 5* Hilton Palace; you will have the remainder of the day and evening at your own leisure. Match day, we will leave Sorrento and go direct to the Napoli Stadium, departure time TBA. After the game we will go direct to the airport and take our flight back to Manchester, arriving approx. 02:00.
All transfers included – Airport – Hotel – Stadium – Airport
£349.00.00 per person based on twin shared accommodation including continental breakfast

Single room supplement £45.00 per person per night.

Minimum of £150 non refundable deposit per person to secure your place. Balance due by 21st October.

To book:
Online at http://www.sportoptions.com
Call Manchester – 01925 755222
Call London – 0207 935 6129

RESULTS AND TABLE

League table to 30 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: