MAN CITY INFO VIA THE ARCTIC #127

Date: Wednesday 20th September 1995

Wycombe Wanderers. The name sounds like Muhammed Ali doesn't it? After last night we might start considering how and when our first win of the season will come. Having said that, Wycombe did beat Coventry 4-2 in the 2nd round last year, so...

This issue features 2 reports from the Newcastle game and one from the Coca Cola match. Other news is regarding Blackburn's interest in "Flipflop" and some inside information about Frannie's views of the situation.

I'm planning on getting my last (for now) issue out on Friday evening, before going on a 2 week holiday in the Mediterranean :-))

MATCH REPORT `LIVE'

Wycombe Wanderers vs. Manchester City, Tuesday 19th September 1995

"Are You Watching Alan Ball?"

Another new ground for me and I suspect most of the 1,500+ Blues who made the journey south to Adams Park. The ground is unusual for one so new in that it doesn't look like a warehouse or some sort of industrial unit (like Walsall and Scunthorpe for instance), being solidly constructed and finished with attractive brickwork. Set amidst the Buckinghamshire countryside well away from the town centre, parking spaces were plentiful but amenities such as pubs were much harder to locate (ones that would let away fans wearing colours in anyway). The ground was reasonably full, the low roofs of the stands contributing to the atmosphere and resulting in the loss of 5 or 6 balls.

With Gerry Creaney cup-tied and Garry Flitcroft suffering from an ankle knock, Niall Quinn and Steve Lomas were drafted into the starting line-up. The first half was a typically end-to-end cup tie but without a great many chances created by either side. City looked really nervous and the lack of confidence within the side showed with many aimless punts up the field and some panic-stricken clearances from players under no real pressure.

City actually had the ball in the net once but the linesman had long since flagged for offside. Edghill was in trouble with the referee again, picking up an early booking but things looked better on the left flank where Phelan and Beagrie looked much more like their old selves going forward. Chief threat from Wycombe came from Miguel DeSouza, a striker quick enough to leave even Phelan behind. He had what looked a good shout for a penalty refused on 14 minutes after Edghill appeared to take his legs in an incident very similar to the one at Newcastle on Saturday. Instead, the referee booked DeSouza for diving.

In the second half City were awful and were well outplayed by Wycombe, who were first to the ball virtually every time. Simple pass-and-move tactics seem to be missing from City's game plan and there was very little communication between our players, with the exception of the industrious Lomas. However, Edghill's poor distribution appears to have spread to the rest of the team now and Lomas was no exception. Kinky was totally ineffective played wide on the right, and although he moved about a bit more in the second half, was unable to impose himself on the game, being replaced by Summerbee once again. Summerbee managed what was pretty well City's only shot late in the second half, after cutting inside from the right flank. His appearance for the reserves appears to have done him some good, though there's still plenty of room for improvement.

At the other end Wycombe forced a steady stream of corners and had a goal of their own disallowed following a blatant foul on Immel by DeSouza. In the end we managed our first clean sheet of the season but there's no chance of another one on Saturday if we play like this. We seem to be getting worse rather than better and the lack of confidence has permeated right through the side. Radical changes are needed, if only to bring some youthful enthusiasm into the side. Hopefully a single win will be enough to restore confidence but it's hard to see where it's going to come from. The lads were booed off the field again and the City fans moaned "One shot! We've only had one shot!" and "Are you watching Alan Ball?"

Final score: 0-0

NEWCASTLE

As for the Newcastle display - well Match of the Day certainly did not flatter us, although it did look as though Richard Edghill had got the ball rather than Ginola. I can only assume that City were giving Newcastle a preview of the type of defending they will be up against at Ashton Gate tomorrow evening in the CC Cup - i.e. when you are being attacked you go bow-legged, stretch your arms out, jig around a bit, and stand and watch as the opposition glide past you and/or pass the ball.

I have to say it did seem really pathetic, although I do know that highlights can lose a lot of resolution. I think we are down already - we are, after all all but one sixth of the way through the season.

As a rider to the above, I would note that I completely agree with what Paul Howarth noted in MCIVTA 125; there is no way that FH (and AB) will be able to clean up the mess of the last twenty years overnight - or even in a couple of years. I too have mixed opinions about Ball, especially given his record, but feel strongly that we must get behind him and Franny. Also, relegation didn't do Forest any harm did it? Maybe we need a season or two of rest and recuperation in the Endsleigh to sort the club out. Most of all we need players who want to be City players - for me, that is the main thing, and it didn't look like that on Saturday. God spare us from what the Rags will do to us if we play like that again (or Wycombe :-(( )

MATCH REPORT `LIVE'

Newcastle United vs. Manchester City, Saturday 16th September

"What's it Like to be Outclassed?"

To nobody's great surprise, City were taught a footballing lesson at St. James' Park today. Hopefully it is a lesson that the players will take to heart, that running off the ball, making yourself available and getting forward in numbers to support forwards is a good thing, that it leads to lots of chances and makes for an exciting spectacle.

City lined up as per the Arsenal match, except for Gerry Creaney who as expected replaced Nicky Summerbee. No place on the bench for Niall Quinn, whose absence from the training ground this week suggests he'll soon be on his way. Lomas, Summerbee and Margetson were City's substitutes. Good news for the Geordies was the unexpected appearance of Peter Beardsley, described as "definitely out" of the game only the day before. This was of course bad news for us as he always seems to play well against us; today was to be no exception.

In the first ten minutes Newcastle really ripped into us and had three good efforts brilliantly saved by Immel. The best chance came in the first minute after Gillespie ran straight through the City defence and squared the ball to Beardsley, just behind the penalty spot, whose goal-bound effort was somehow kept out by the German.

The referee was busy with his notebook, booking 3 City players in quick succession, though none could really complain about the decisions. Our disciplinary record this season is appalling; it's OK being competitive but some quite unnecessary bookings have been picked up this season for tackles from behind and other reckless challenges in the middle of the field where there was no apparent danger.

The deadlock was broken in the 18th minute when Edghill tripped Gillespie from behind after a neat one-two on the edge of the area. I thought it was reasonable attempt at going for the ball even though he missed and was quite surprised when Edghill was booked in addition to the award of a penalty. Beardsley made no mistake from the spot. Not long afterwards Edghill made another one of those stupid challenges, coming right through the back of Ginola. The referee had no option but to book him again and hence send him off. So, one goal and one man down against the in-form Premiership leaders. I thought at this point we were going to be on the receiving end of a five or six goal thrashing.

The home side were full of confidence now, passing neatly and sometimes arrogantly, the extra man not really necessary such was the quality of the off-the-ball running. It's no wonder the fans have flocked back to St. James' Park to watch this sort of performance. Les Ferdinand plays as a lone striker but gets excellent support from midfield; there were regularly four or five men lined up along the edge of our area available for a pass. The system clearly works well when everybody understands it and puts the effort in to make it work.

Surprisingly, it took until the 38th minute for the second goal to come. Gillespie and Barton found plenty of space on the right flank, put in a great cross which was met by the unmarked Lee at the far post and his goal-bound header was nudged over the line by Ferdinand. Lomas replaced Flitcroft (don't know whether this was tactical or whether Flitcroft had picked up a knock) and with Ian Brightwell having moved to right-back after Edghill's departure and Creaney playing a more withdrawn role, this gave us a completely different centre midfield than that which started the game. Both sides tried playing keep-ball until the end of the half, the crowd cheering every pass.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first had ended with Newcastle pinning City in their own half, though I felt that they took their foot off the pedal a little. City didn't help their own cause by hitting longish balls out of defence, usually straight to a Newcastle player rather than keeping the ball and playing a short pass to a blue shirt, even it meant going backwards.

Newcastle's 3rd goal came on the hour, again from the right flank. Ginola was left unmarked by Curle and he whipped in an excellent cross. Ferdinand got in front of Symons and headed powerfully home from 10 yards, giving Immel no chance. City's goal led a charmed life for a while thereafter but the fans continued to get behind the team, exchanging chants with the home fans. Summerbee replaced Kinky and actually showed some commitment and inclination to take on and beat defenders. City managed to create a few chances in the last quarter of an hour; Rösler headed back a Beagrie cross for Creaney who swivelled to volley the ball home but a last-ditch effort by Peacock denied him. However, on 82 minutes Creaney scored a débutbut goal, jumping well and heading accurately into the top corner from Summerbee's cross. This lifted the spirits of the travelling fans who broke into ironic renditions of "We're gonna win the league" and "What's it like to be outclassed?"

There was no lack of effort from City in this game, they were simply outclassed by by far the better side. We looked better going forward with Creaney and Rösler up front but this may have been a side-effect of Newcastle's more adventurous style of play compared with Arsenal and Everton. I wasn't too disappointed with this result; at 1-0 and down to ten men with less than half an hour gone, I'd expected a thrashing. On chances made, it could well have been, but it wasn't. If the Championship goes to goal difference, Newcastle may regret not pressing home their obvious supremacy and really making it count.

With only a draw to show from the first six games, this is City's worst ever start to a season. Defeat on Saturday would equal our record of 6 straight league defeats, so it's vital that we get a result against Middlesbrough. A confidence-boosting result at Wycombe on Tuesday would also be very welcome. With nearly a sixth of the season gone, there's little time left to sort out the problems before we get too far behind to recover. However, we're still only 3 points behind the champions, so there's hope yet.

Final Score: Newcastle 3 City 1

LIVE MATCH REPORT

Newcastle United vs. Manchester City, Saturday 16th September

Having made the journey from London, and it being my first trip to Newcastle, I thought I'd better make some sort of a report! If anybody else living in the Southeast or London is considering the trip next season by car, then be prepared for a 4.5 hour trip in the morning (A1 dodgy); unfortunately we came back Sunday afternoon and it took 7 hours (4 hours from Nottingham to London). However, despite the result and the performance it was worth it. Newcastle is really buzzing in a way that only a "one team town" can... it seems like 60% of the population is wearing black & white stripes and I felt well out of place walking round in sky blue; we walked round the city centre trying to find a pub with the odd City fan, but no luck. Settled on a pub, just down the hill from St James', for a few Newcie Browns...

Once inside the stadium, the penny dropped that the 1,500 or so Blues must have been drinking in the stadium, well the ones that drink anyway... first impressions of the ground are the brilliant design integrity, walkways etc. and 80% of the crowd are in their team strip... a great atmosphere, with City fans leading a lot of the singing, and a great view of the ground even though we were in the corner... I'm no fan of Maggie-loving Sir John Hall but it's difficult to be cynical about anything that's been achieved up there (I can't believe I just wrote that).

So, Beardsley turned up in the starting line-up despite being pronounced unfit the previous day (don't know if AB bargained for this or not). I had placed a hopeful bet for a 1-0 City win just before kick-off, and when Eike had made 7 excellent saves in the first 5 minutes, my reaction to my neighbour was that it was our lucky day... (total bollocks reaction, but you have to, haven't you?). Immel's opening form was the type of performance that soaks up the early pressure, gives the team a bit of confidence etc... this kind of form will win matches against lesser Premiership sides but this was Newcastle, and whilst the penalty given away by Edghill on 17 minutes (put away by Beardsley) and his sending-off on 25 minutes, closed the book on us early on, United with Beardsley, Ginola and Gillespie making unopposed runs and inch perfect crosses to Ferdinand, it would have been tough anyway.

I'm not convinced that City's workrate was anything as high as it was against Arsenal (yes, it's true Sky-watchers, that was a good City performance), and new-boy Creaney doesn't look like a chaser to me... in fact for all you closet Sergeant Majors, Gerry Creaney is a shirt outside the shorts man... Summerbee came on for a largely ineffectual Kinky on 67 minutes, and though we didn't look particularly dangerous, he provided some presence on the right wing which was completely unmanned up until then, most obviously when we were in possession in midfield. Now I can't remember whether he had to get round a man or not but fair dues, he made the cross on 81 minutes which Creaney showed a bit of genuine striker's heading craft with... Creaney must have known he'd been getting a bit of stick up until then, as he made a defiant "this is what I can do" sort of gesture to the City fans... fair play to him!

City fans had been in good voice right through to the final whistle and I was thinking the players should give us some extra recognition at the end, and they did...

To sum up then, and to generalise...

Plus points

• Eike will win games for us
• Creaney scores on his début

Minus points

• City completely outclassed in defence, unable to handle quality wingers & unable to disrupt opponents (within the rules)
• 6 yellows, 1 red
• Like in the Arsenal match, nobody will have a go at shooting!

Other thoughts: Huddersfield are 6th in Div.1 with 100% home record; and Ball reckons a win against Wycombe will be a confidence booster!

All the best everyone,

FLITCROFT ON THE MOVE I

GMR reported this morning that Blackburn manager Ray Harford is interested in signing Garry Flitcroft.

In the same bulletin Uwe said to give the team 2 to 3 weeks and they would start to produce some results.

FLITCROFT ON THE MOVE II

Teletext Monday and Tuesday's papers are reporting a possible move by Blackburn for Flitcroft. City have put a value on him of £4 million. Alan Ball made no attempt to frighten off Blackurn by declaring his intention to sell if necessary in order to improve City's fortunes. Garry has had an indifferent season in my opinion but there is no doubting his quality. Whether we can sell him on and bring in somebody, or bodies, who can grind out the results we desperately need is debatable. If the decision is made to sell him I wish him well. He has played well in recent seasons and alongside other quality players may realise his international dreams.

Bally appears to have bought well with Kit Symons; it is too early to judge Creaney after one game, so hopefully he has players in mind to do a job for the Blues. Nobody wants to see good players leave the club but unfortunately City have been a selling club ever since the early 80's and FL hasn't had time to change this position. We desperately need a gritty ball winner in midfield, something that has been missing since McMahon left the club. The one thing we had under Peter Reid was a reasonably solid defence supported by Reid and McMahon in midfield. To expect Flitcroft at twenty-two years to fill their rôle with the unsettled midfield we have, and carry the burden of captain as well is probably too much.

Ideally I would like to see another ball winner alongside Flitcroft but in the real world it seems we need to sell and bring in two players who can win the ball then feed KInkladze and Beagrie who are ready made playmakers. I feel that Ian Brightwell could then be freed to play at right back which I believe is his best position.

So who are these two midfield players I think we need? I think AB should decide He is the one who gets paid all the money not me! In other words I haven't got a clue.

NEWS

The European Court of Justice has issued an interim judgement in the Jean-Marc Bosman case, ruling that the current transfer system for players out of contract is illegal under European Law. The full judgement isn't expected for a few months yet but the European Football authorities are hoping to reach a compromise position by introducing a system similar to that in England which works in the best interests of both clubs and players throughout Europe. If a compromise is not reached, the future for small clubs who survive by selling their best players will look very insecure indeed. The full judgement is also expected to rule the restrictions on numbers of foreign players illegal.

NEWCASTLE

Once a season or so we get a Premiership team down at the Gate (BCFC) in one cup or another; in our time in Bristol I have seen Bristol City wallop Chelsea in the FA Cup, draw (twice - once the lights went out!) with Liverpool, and win the replay, overran Everton (last season!) hitting the post twice, and them scoring the winner with one of only two shots in the 90 minutes; also - though I missed this - damn near taking Forest in the CC Cup semi-finals.

Last night they played Newcastle, and lost 5-0; in all the other cases, getting fired up was enough - for 90 minutes anyway - to bridge the gap between the lower division and the Premiership. Last night - they were never in the game. Point one - the gulf between the top teams and the rest is widening by the season, and money is the only solution now it seems. I believe that Franny is thinking this way, and that he will concentrate on this until he has real cash in his pockets to spend on players. Point two - I suspect Newcastle will be this season's Blackburn, i.e. the team to run against the out of town folk. So - cheer them on, and also - expect us to beat them soundly when they come to Maine Road; we are staring relegation in the face, and they have nearly grasped the championship.

FLITCROFT INJURED

Monday's M.E.N. reports that Flitcroft is out of the Wycombe game with an ankle injury picked up at Newcastle. This leaves the door open for Lomas or Brown to slot into midfield. Quinn may also come in with Creaney cup tied. It is also notable that in the form guide for Saturday's defeat, only Immel, Symons and Creaney were rated above 5.

IAN BRIGHTWELL INJURED

Ian Brightwell pulled up during training today and is rated as "doubtful" for the Wycombe game; Flitcroft is "definitely out" following a knock he picked up on Saturday (but then Peter Beardsley was "definitely out" on Saturday too). Gerry Creaney won't be playing either as he's cup-tied.

MCIVTA & FLITCROFT

Since Ashley has now returned to the UK and the ties with Zürich have somewhat diminished, are we to rename the mailing to MCIVTP (for Peaks) or are we to continue with the original name... think of the value of the t-shirts in years to come. Anyway, if we do rename perhaps we should hold some kind of competition; the winner gets to visit Maine Road, find out actually how much money the club has, the cost of renting out a box for the day and to see if 'hardman' Garry Flipflop can actually make either... a telling forward pass or a decisive forward run to support the attack. Answers on a postcard to the usual address. If the rumours are true, Flipflop's got an interested buyer in Blackburn (£4m) to boost the goal count for Shearer. Can anyone see reason not to sell?

TRANSFER SPECULATION

A City scout was apparently watching 30-year old Tranmere winger John Morrissey last night. He's on a week-to-week contract at the moment and would "jump at the chance" of a move to the Premiership at this stage of his career.

CITY

Franny & Rodney were lovers, lordy how they could ....

No, that's not it at all; however ...

I missed this, but Pat, my wife heard it on Radio 5. The tea-time show, run by the excellent John Inverdale, was doing a Coca Cola Cup preview; during this he talked to Rodney Marsh and got onto the subject of City. Rodney said that he recently made a train journey with Franny, during which Franny said that he is totally untroubled by what is happening, and that City are currently in a timewarp between the old regime and the future. He sees a timescale of around 2 years to pull out of this hangover, and - as mentioned before - if relegation is part of this process, then so be it. So there you go.

COCA COLA CUP ROUND 2 FIRST LEG

Tuesay Sep. 19th 1995

Bolton - Brentford        1-0
Bradford - Nottingham     3-2
Bristol C. - Newcastle    0-5
Cardiff - Southampton     0-3
Crewe - Sheffield Wed.    2-2
Hartlepool - Arsenal      0-3
Huddersfield - Barnsley   2-0
Leeds - Notts County      0-0
Oxford - Queens P.R.      1-1
Shrewsbury - Derby        1-3
Southend - Crystal Palace 2-2
Stockport - Ipswich       1-1
Tranmere - Oldham         1-0
Watford - Bournemouth     1-1
Wimbledon - Charlton      4-5
Wycombe - Manchester City 0-0