MAN CITY INFO VIA THE ALPS "McVittee!" #423

DATE Thursday 13th August 1998

I'm afraid we don't have a match report for the Notts County game, maybe someone can do one and send it off to Nizam for the next issue. City won 2-0 with a goal around the 70th minute from Tskhadadze, who headed a Horlock corner home and then, right at the end from Allsopp who was on for Bradbury. A through ball caught the Notts defence napping (not offside according to David White on GMR) and Allsopp tore down on the 'keeper, rounded him and slotted the ball home. Despite what the newspapers reported, Paul Howarth assured me that we we outplayed them. City's youngest player Mason once again put in an excellent performance.

This issue sees Simon's last posting; along with that, we have plenty of opinion generated by his previous postings, including one which has come from a source close to the club who wishes to remain anonymous.

'til September... Ashley

MCIVTA - GUEST EDITOR

During my absence (hols at last), please send all contributions for MCIVTAs 424 through to 428 (Monday 31st August) to Nizam Idris at:

nizam@idea.com.sg

Nizam is based in Singapore - at least until next month when he'll be moving to Manchester - and has been a subscriber seen the very early days, possibly even the first issue. Please support him as best you can with plenty of match reports, news, opinions and Why Blues.

NEWS - BROWN

According to the M.U.E.N. Sheffield United are interested in buying Michael Brown for £1 million. Perhaps City should introduce a 'buy one, get one free' offer - it's the only way we'll get rid of Nigel Clough etc.

UPDATE ON THE CITY SQUAD

Danny Allsopp signed for £10,000 from Port Melbourne Sharks
Scott Hiley loaned to Southampton
Joe McNab & Neil McNab joined Portsmouth
Martyn Margetson joined Southend on free transfer
Rae Ingram joined Macclesfield on free transfer
David Morley and Chris Greenacre transfer listed
Craig Russell on loan to Tranmere

Players Released:      Neil Brisco, Tony Callaghan, Gerry Creaney,
                       George Doherty, Ben Gallagher, Chris Pridham, Aled
                       Rowlands, Scott Thomas, David Wills, Richard Acton,
                       Ben Burrows

Tommy Wright
Nick Weaver
Michael Brown

Gerard Wiekens
Tony Vaughan
Richard Edghill
Anthony Fenton
Nick Fenton
Murtaz Shelia
Richard Jobson
Danny Tiatto
David Morley              Transfer Listed
Paul Beesley              Transfer Listed
Scott Hiley               Loaned to Southampton
Kakhaber Tskhadadze       Transfer Listed

Kevin Horlock
Jamie Pollock
Lee Crooks
Gary Mason
Jeff Whitley
Jim Whitley
Michael Brown
Ged Brannan               Transfer Listed
Nigel Clough              Transfer Listed
Martin Phillips           Transfer Listed
Neil Heaney               Transfer Listed
Ian Bishop                Transfer Listed

Paul Dickov
Lee Bradbury
Barry Conlon
Shaun Goater
Alan Bailey
Danny Allsop
Mikhail Kavalashvili      (on loan to Grasshoppers Zürich)
Chris Greenacre           Transfer Listed
Craig Russell             (on loan to Tranmere)
Ray Kelly                 Transfer Listed


Second year trainees:

Lee Daly (goalkeeper)
Greg Duff (defender)
Stephen Rimmer (defender)
Adam Allcock (midfield)
David Laycock (midfield)
Neil Morley (midfield)
Ged O'Keefe (right wing back)
Darren Garfield (striker)
Michael Julien (striker)
Jason Kneen (striker)
Alan Reilly (striker)

First year trainees:

Steven Hodgson (goalkeeper)
Shaun Holmes (defender)
Stephen Jordan (defender)
Tony Dunfield (midfield)
Andrew Pavey (midfield)
Andrew Porteous (midfield)
Leon Mike  (striker)
Stephen Parkhouse (striker)
Shaun Wright-Philips (striker)

FULHAM ODDS

Local bookies are offering the following odds;

Fulham     6/4
Draw      11/4
City       6/4

In other words they do not know who is going to win but they are expecting it to be very close with a 1-1 scoreline the favourite. Let's hope the Blues can do better than that.

LATEST BETTING FROM LAS VEGAS

I rushed into the Sports Book at Caesar's Palace on Sunday morning in the vain hope that news of City's tremendous start to the new campaign may not yet have filtered through to the industrious bookmaking fraternity. I looked long and hard at the endless LED odds boards searching for an up to date price on City lifting the coveted Division 2 title - but nothing could I find.

Maybe I was in time?

"$50 on Man City to win the Nationwide Division 2 championship please", I said, nonchalantly.

I was filled with a feeling of déjà vu as I noticed the writer's face curl up to one side when, with an economy of words that truly captured the moment, he uttered the immortal word - "What?"

TOP CELEBRITY CITY FAN

This week's (month's) Match Of The Day magazine has in interview with George Weah, in which he discloses that his favourite football club is City. Apparently, when English football was first beamed to Liberia where George was brought up, City were the team he took to. Hmmm. Wonder if he fancies partnering Shaun Goater up front?

Re: the good Mr. Goater, some words of reassurance. I've seen a few worried comments about him ... "too slow" ... "doesn't look like a striker" etc. Don't worry about Goater. Get the ball to him in dangerous positions and he will get goals. Yes he's not the fastest player in the world, and no, he doesn't look like a striker, but he has had the best striking record in the 2nd Division over the past 3 years, and I confidently expect him to pick up another 20 to 25 goals this season, fitness permitting.

GIVE US OUR GAME BACK

Since the World Cup, three things have happened that have shaken me to the very core of my being. I am filled with a sense of impending doom that the game I now and love so well is changing so rapidly that it will be totally unrecognisable very soon.

The first thing that happened was Franz Beckenbauer was quoted as saying that International football was coming to an end and that European Club football was the future. The second thing was the proposed European Super League, an abomination in the sight of football fans everywhere. The third thing, which on the face of it may appear trivial, but (as they say in all the good lawyer movies) a little latitude and I'll show you where I'm going with this.

In light of the Super League pronouncements perhaps Mr Beckenbaur's comments were not premature. But they did cause me to question his agenda. Did he know something we didn't (at the time) or was he merely miffed at Germany being dumped out of the World Cup before the final twice in a row? Methinks the former. As chairman of Bayern Munich, he will have had discussions about the SL long before anything was made public. A precursor to the storm that was to follow. Or is there a bigger picture emerging from the haze of a unified European state? That the Super League will be the 'domestic' league of Europe followed by the creation of single European team.

I personally and sincerely believe that the SL in its currently proposed format is a recipe for disaster. I also believe that it is not what the rank and file football fan wants. By football fan, I mean the punter, the through the turnstile every Saturday in all weathers die-hard football fanatic. Excluded from that definition is the fan nouveau, the on the coat-tails of success sofa season ticket satellite channel subscriber.

The creation of a closed shop Super League will kill the passion that the game itself creates in all of us. It is the passion that causes us to support who we support. It is the hope at the start of a new season that this season our team will produce something special and challenge for a trophy or if they produce something extraordinary, two trophies. It is the disappointment at the end of the season when our hopes have come to nought, but then there is always next season. Next season will be better. Being a fan takes over part of our existence, it is our reason for living.

But the bean counters who have conceived this Frankenstein called a Super League, want to take that away from us. They don't want to rely on next season for better things. They want success guaranteed like some divine right.

No. The SL is the worst idea I have ever heard in my entire football-supporting life. It is an abomination. Not only will it devalue and render meaningless the domestic leagues in Europe, as well as existing European competition, it will also destroy the International game. The SL will become a closed shop. No way out for those that sign up, or in for those excluded. It will be a closed competition which will become totally meaningless after 3 or 4 matches when teams in the lower reaches of the league realise that there will be nothing to play for or fight against. It is another ploy by the accountants who run the modern game to squeeze more money and create more profit from the game, but in so doing are in danger of killing the golden goose. And once the goose is dead they will move onto the next faddish sporting event. We would then be in danger of seeing a Rugby League type scenario where the top 4 teams 'battle' it out at the end of the season to determine the 'ultimate' European Champion. Meaningless. Utterly meaningless.

The people behind the idea have no feeling whatever for the history of the game or the passion that local, domestic and European rivalries can evoke. It is the hope at the start of a new season that fills every fan with optimism. It is the disappointment at the end of each season when our hopes have come to nought, but then there is always next season. Next season will be better. The Super League will destroy that hope.

The only consideration for the SL is the television audience, not the fan who pays up at the turnstile. A lot of opinion amongst the rank and file supporters here has been anti Super League and once fans start staying away from matches then the game is dead. Less than 10,000 turned up to the Nou Camp to watch Newcastle play Barcelona in the Champions' League last season. Why, the result was academic. Neither team had anything to win or lose other than pride. These are supposedly two of Europe's top sides. Attendances of 10,000 will not sustain the clubs and empty stadiums would correspond with a drop in TV ratings and ultimately a drop off in TV revenues.

It would be unrealistic to remove teams from their own domestic leagues even for a season. The domestic game would be poorer for it. Let's say Arsenal qualified and played in a 20 team SL. That would mean they would play 19 matches at home (or Wembley) all season. There would be no revenue from the Premiership, no revenue from the FA or Worthington Cup. The domestic league would be without two of the strongest teams from the previous season which would weaken the Premier League. Also it would see a potentially weaker side than Arsenal qualify for the SL the following season and Arsenal would once again have to readjust to the rigours of the Premier League. The SL, in whatever format, has to have the strongest teams in Europe take part each season or else it becomes a farce. As you know teams experience highs and lows. What happens when a team goes into a low part of the cycle? I'm sorry, I just can't see the SL as being feasible.

I agree that the current European competition needs an overhaul. Perhaps the European Cup could become the European League with the qualification criteria remaining the same as it is now. This will generate fresh interest in the competition each season and not damage any of the domestic league structures. Then the UEFA Cup and Cup-winners Cup could be merged into a single cup competition with revised criteria for qualification. But the current domestic league structures must remain. It is the domestic leagues that keep the strength of both European and International competition alive.

So having unleashed an stream of invective about the Super League, let me get right to the point that I am trying to make. The chairmen who have been talking to the 'organisers' of the SL will be doing so 'with the best interests of the club at heart'. I don't think so. Rangers are s***ting themselves that they and Celtic will be left out in the cold, as will the chairmen of Newcastle, Tottenham, and even our own Mr. Bernstein. But they are all ignoring one thing. The clubs may belong to them on paper but in reality who does the game belong to? It belongs to me and you and every other football fan around the globe. It certainly does not belong to Rupert Murdoch and Silvio Berlusconi (although in light of the rumours that the Dirty Digger is trying to buy Spurs, it would appear that he thinks he owns it).

And now my point about Pierre van Hooijdonk. Who the hell does he think he is? He makes a couple of appearances in the World Cup and now he's too big a star to play for Nottingham Forest. Why did Forest not take a stand and hold him to his contract? If van Hooijdonk wanted a transfer, all he had to do was ask. To stay away because he thinks the club has no ambition is effectively strike action. A wildcat strike and potentially illegal. No doubt he was acting on advice from the parasite he calls an agent. It came as no surprise whatever that a certain lower-than-shark-s**t agent whose favourite phrase is monster came out in favour of the Super League.

I applaud Fergus McCann for donating his players' bonuses to charity. The players have caught the greed virus just like the TV Executives. Who do they think pays their salaries? We do when we buy our season and match tickets, when we buy the merchandise and when we subscribe to Sky TV. And it is time we had a say.

Yes I am angry and I apologise if I come across like a rabid right-winger. It is not my intention. But I feel very passionately about football and about City in particular and the three things I mentioned at the start of this article have roused my passions indeed. It is time to make our voice heard, time to take a stand against the very people that could take away from us the thing that we hold most dear. Our game, our passion, our reason we look forward to 3pm on a Saturday. I propose that we start a protest group (Saturday 3pm would be a good name) and campaign to and give the game back to whom it belongs and get the game back to where it belongs. Not 9pm Thursday, Not 1pm Sunday, Not 8.30pm Friday. On Saturday. At 3pm. Imagine if just one Saturday, no-one turned up to watch. I think a great many chairmen (and players) would have a serious rethink about where they are taking the game.

OPINION - BRADBURY MUST GO

I know Bradbury scored one of the goals but quite frankly no professional could have missed from where he was. Bradbury showed no enthusiasm at all - he strolled around making a few half-hearted attempts to get the ball. I almost died laughing when I read an earlier contributor say he was taken off so he could rest for the match tomorrow - he did not seem to be doing much to me on the pitch. It's about time we tried to recoup some of that £3 million, the only problem is no other team would buy him. It was good to see Whitley, his substitute, running around actually chasing the ball - he probably ran further in the 30 minutes he was on than Bradbury did in the time he was on the pitch.

Buck up Bradbury or get out.

But the rest of the team did brill.

OPINION - BLACKPOOL ROCKED

So the season's finally begun, the disappointment and bad taste just a memory (one that you can either erase, or one that still haunts you). Was I feeling anticipation walking to the ground or a sense of forboding? Well, neither really, I couldn't get really worked up, yes it was a Lancashire derby (they always tend to use that term when 2nd rate NW teams are meeting and yes that's what we are now), but it was a match in the 3rd Division. The ground was packed to the rafters (well almost), the sun shining, the multitude of workmen's and stewards' jackets in the crowd, oh sorry that's the away kit - should shine on a wet, miserable November night.

Onto the game, who is this Mason chappie? A pretty impressive performance, if a little fortunate result, I mean the 3 goals we did get. Did Dickov drag back the defender to set up the first goal? Did the referee miss a blatant penalty on Vaughan? How did the Blackpool attacker miss the target and only hit the bar? Badbuy's goal was lucky as a deflection took it under the 'keeper. Notice that City will have to put up with a variety of heavy challenges this season, Blackpool certainly handed them out!

It's the first match of a long, hard season, a good start, another 30 odd of these results will see us thru! Am I confident of the team? Maybe, I'm still a little worried, maybe we'll find out how good City are when they take on Fulham.

P.S. The "Simon Issue" - can't we restore a little peace back into MCIVTA? Everyone is entitled to their opinions, some of Simon's comments make perfect sense, some of the other replies also make perfect sense. Why can't we leave it at that? Simon's his own man, has his own mind, why are other's trying to tell him what to do? Let's leave it at that, if Simon wants to walk away from the club for whatever reason, that's his choice, so let's not force other views on him (and I don't think Simon was forcing his views on us, just highlighting some points). I feel the arguments are getting long and drawn out, let's forget it and get back to supporting the Blues, be it either at the matches, on the radio or in our hearts and minds. So let's draw a curtain over it and leave it at that! What's next, are we going to start bickering over each other's choice of trainers, cars, haircuts?

Let's finish the arguments.

OPINION - FROM SIMON AND HIS LAST POSTING!

In the previous FACTS FROM SIMON article, I stated that I would not renew my season ticket because I was sick of watching City producing s***e week in week out whilst the boardroom still managed to take the p**s with the money. So this season, I have decided to watch City every now and then (and not very often) on a match day ticket, which some fans (noticeably Noel "Burt Fanzine" Bayley) took offence to.

Well I bought one for the Blackpool game, and I don't think I will buy another in a hurry. As predicted, nothing has changed. Different season, different Away kit (naf), different Division, same old City s**t.

If we actually look at the football (Noel), the team still looks as if it has all the fatal weaknesses it had last season, even if Lee BadBuy (now renamed Lee BestBuy) did score a goal!

I am sorry to say we will make mid-table, and for me there are no more excuses, we need investors and a new board and bloody quick.

Well done to all the City fans that turned out on Saturday (and Blackpool fans who sold all their tickets as well), but unless something is done quickly, I fear City will be playing in front of much smaller crowds very soon.

As for Noel Bayley, I have just seen his report on the Blackpool game, and sure enough, 1 line on the match, 19 lines on the crowd and the rest about the Rags. I can understand why he talks about the size of the crowd so much, because that is the only good thing about the Club (whilst it lasts) but why always do the Rags have to come into it?

I have pointed the above out because Noel described my FACTS articles as "a pathetic diatribe" which I thought was completely out of context considering I was only trying to bring to light the club's faults. Noel is obviously a devoted City fan and full marks to him, but how useful would it be to have someone this devoted to also see the downside of this club's failings. It's people like Noel who could put some pressure on the board to get it sold, to the right investors and quick.

I have made all my points for this season, and you will probably be pleased to hear that this most likely my last posting, as I have said all I wanted to say with my FACTS (1/2/3).

I am sorry if some people took offence to me slagging off the board, but I am just so bitter that this great club has been controlled by very poor directors and driven into the ground, left in a state by which even the loyal supporters cannot help it now.

I made the points in the hope that it might stir up enough people into doing something about it, and if anyone has any more ideas on how to fix the problems then like many of the rest of you, please email me. It is a real shame that the people that matter most (shareholders, directors, Fanzine eds) cannot see the real problems, because until they do it will be CTTGIR (City till they go into receivership).

Believe me when I say about receivership. Don't think for one second that 30,000 people at one game does massive for the club's massive financial debts because it does not. All it does is stave off the creditors for another month. The football industry went crazy when transfer fees ballooned. The only clubs that survive well financially are the ones which buy and sell players well (and City that is not).

New Board, New Investors. That's what we need. End of story.

I have said enough on MCIVTA so...

May I say thanks to the people who took the time to email me with the same views, and the people who disagreed (Huff (sorry Jeff) Berens & Noel Bayley) for creating some good feed for Ashley.

OPINION - A REPLY TO SIMON

Please shut up and listen to what people are saying. You may well have spent a grand on two tickets but more fool you. Personally, I know a bit about what goes on in the bowels of Maine Road. Please take the time to read this.

Fact: Francis Lee did make a balls up of running Maine Road. He also made some very substantial changes for the better, i.e. your precious £500 tickets for corporate entertainment (personally I think you were ripped off, it's not even that much at the Swamp). Francis has been a fall guy for some of the behind the scenes people who cocked up. David Bernstein has got rid of a few of these people (Ian Niven being one of the culprits) and is still trying to work out who else was involved. It's not just directors either.

Fact: David Bernstein is the man for City. Both Swales and Lee tried to be involved with the running of the team. Bernstein has said "that is not my job." David has one of the best financial minds in the country and is well known in corporate circles. As a chairman he oversees the running of the club. He has to control various aspects, all of which involve money.

Fact: David has said "no-one will invest in a Division 2 club." His plan is to get out of this league and into Division 1. From there he has lined up investors who are ready to pump money into the club, and I mean money. City are not small fry and in the eyes of some of the potential backers City is worth millions to them. They are just biding their time to save themselves a few bob before they invest in us.

Fact: David does live in London but he is in touch with Maine Road every day. This is the age of the computer, not the 1800's. He is contactable every day. Jack Walker still has his business interest and so does Sir John Hall, it is common for chairmen to do this, the classic example is Mohammed Al Fayed.

Fact: The City players are not Fat Cats as you so stupidly suggest. Read the papers, see it with your own eyes. The highest paid player at the club (apart from Tskhadadze) is Pollock with just under £3,000 a week. Francis saw a major flaw with the club and tried to put it right. He wanted the players to have passion for the club not for their pay cheques.

Fact: Doing your homework helps.

Fact: City have some of the best youngsters coming through at the moment, Mason being the obvious one.

Fact: There is a long-term plan in place for City which is not banded about the papers. You can see it in the team and behind the scenes. The plan includes everything from staff to the ground and status. All the problems that have been mentioned in MCIVTA have at some time been mentioned around the boardroom table. It has all come from one man, Mr Bernstein.

Next time you mouth off, especially when you don't know the FACTS (as you so childishly put them), do some background reading.

You may ask how I know these things, well I'm in a position to find them out, that's why I will not be putting my name to this or my e-mail address. Please don't lose heart, from what I've seen things will get better.

The name and address of the author has been withheld by request. As many of you undoubtedly know, I don't normally do this, but the nature of the posting means that the author could find himself in hot water if his/her identity were revealed.

OPINION - THE PLAYERS, THE BOARD, AND MY TWO CENTS' WORTH

I've been following with interest the debate that has been rumbling on about the board and in particular if the current board are able to pull us out of Division 2 and put us back up where we belong.

It seems sad that football is now turning into a case of "hunt the benefactor" i.e. find a person or company willing to plough in millions and millions of pounds into a club and success will follow. It might have worked for Blackburn and Chelsea, but it's been patchy for Middlesbrough and Newcastle and led to no change for Millwall, Wolves and Birmingham. Whilst stacks of cash are needed for the Premiership, this comes from two sources:

1. Sky revenue
2. Investors

No investor will want to take over City's debts at the moment, the job of the current board is to reduce these debts and to show that financial responsibility and stability have returned to the club. Only then will the city (the square mile not the team!) start to sit up and take notice. These people have no great love for football, which is just one of a range of possible areas to invest in; with the world economy heading for a slowdown these people are going to be even more cautious.

This is even more true of the team; Joe's job has to be to clear out the squad and unearth promising young players who can save the club millions in transfer fees, and on the basis of Saturday at least, he ain't doing too badly on that score. This team can get us out of this Division and can form the basis of the team that can get us into the Premiership and be the solid base around which a Chelsea-esque influx of foreign stars can lead us to glory. This is obviously a few years off, but it is only when things are starting to look that way that big money will take notice.

In short, a big money benefactor is pie in the sky at the moment but is possible in the future. The job of the current board and management is to prepare for this day.

OPINION - BADGE AND SIMON

1. From the last MCIVTA - The reason that the badge changed from the old to the new is (apparantly) because Umbro designed and held the rights on the old one, which is why "everything" in the souvenir shop had to be changed.
2. Simon - I'm glad to see that his seat was taken by a more deserving soul on Saturday. If (when) we get promoted and start playing well next season, will this part-time, gloryhunter reappear as if by magic and then continue calling United fans for doing the same? When we get back to the big time we will have shown loyalty above any other club, our reputation is growing as the country's most loyal supporters (United, Chelsea, Blackburn, Leeds, Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesboro, Rangers, Celtic, Bolton W, Nottm For, Wolves etc., altogether now... where were you when you were ****).

OPINION - A MESSAGE FOR SIMON

Simon says (!) we will accuse him of talking bollox if we win the first game in front of a full house. I say he just talks bollox full stop, whether we win or not. The only way fan power works is when the fans get right behind the team. OK, Blackpool were not any great shakes but we must realise that we are also a Second Division team and concentrate on being the best Second Division team. Next season comes later.

JR has the full backing of this JR. Win or lose I still love the Blues.

OPINION - SIMON I

I have to say, over the last few weeks this guy has been starting to get on my nerves. He reminds me of the Scum fans that are now bleating about what has happened to their great team (their words). He seems to like facts but gets most of them wrong; how many players have we signed, none - wrong. Tiatto, Allsopp (maybe cheap, but scores goals). He goes on that Bernstein lives in London, who cares? Have you not heard of telephones and fax machines and pagers where you come from?

Regarding players leaving on free transfers, if the player wishes to leave then how can this be blamed on the board? The players join the club and sign a contract for a number of years; if at the end of the contract they don't wish to sign then there is little that the club can do, simple answer, mainly due to the Bosman ruling. When Uwe left I didn't miss any sleep; if it had been a few years ago I would have been gutted. Remember that the financial problems stem from years back when Swales was in charge, the daft spending of the 70's coupled with poor decisions like the Platt Lane Stand and some crazy contracts that were signed. Francis Lee and the Kippax just shows another mistake that the club will be paying for for a long time.

Your solutions seem simple, sack the board, find an investor (good knowledge about business) and the sun will shine. It ain't that simple! As you take great delight in pointing out, we are in Division 2 and we have missed the gravy train as far as Sky money etc. go so we are not a great target. Businessmen and football clubs have different priorities, look at the Scum and the wages problems that they have, look at clubs forced to sell top players because it is good business. From what I have seen Bernstein seems to be a suitable bloke for the chairman's job, he has his head on straight, he isn't prepared to damage the club any more. As for being a good businessman I think he is fairly well qualified. The bright spot about all this is that for every fan like you there are a 1,000 others who ain't. I don't think you talk bollox, you are just turning into a moaning Red.

OPINION - DICKOV, DEFENCE AND DADZE

Am I hallucinating? Did Adam Davey really say in a recent issue that he would rather play with 10 men than 10 men and Dickov? Or did I misread? OK, he won't get 20 goals a season, but his skill and work-rate make things happen, and his control with his back to goal is better than anyone else's at the club. I think he'll be crucial to our chances this season. Pretty easy for me to say, having watched him create our goals against Blackpool...

Watching that game, I thought our main weakness was our lack of pace in defence. At this level, the number of balls pumped over the top mean you have to have people who can get back - even if they are great readers of the game, they'll still be caught out sometimes.

Why is T'dadze on the transfer list? He made a few mistakes last season, but I reckon his start to this one warrants keeping him.

The argument recently being discussed in these hallowed pages that City fans should stay away from the games in order to reduce the club's income and force the board/shareholders to take what they can get from a new investor and run seems a bit back to front to me. I agree that football clubs being run as businesses has resulted in the wealthy profitting from the loyalty of fans, but we can't let that fact dictate our support for our club.

I saw a recent report stating that the owner of Chester City, who I believe is a lifelong Blue(?) is selling his interest in the club. Perhaps...

OPINION - SIMON II

You may be CTID, but from where I'm sitting you are one of those omnipresent moaners that unfortunately infest Maine Road.

Yes, City are in the third tier of English football, and yes City have more debt than a third world banana republic. Unfortunately this seems to be a constant factor with City.

The complaint about our incumbent chairman living in London is a complete irrelevance, after all, when did City last have a chairman from Moss Side?

More importantly, just where are these wonderful benefactors going to come from? Nobody in the financial city would touch City with a barge-pole, and other than Scum, football shares are not doing all that well. Not even those southern darlings of Chelsea and Arsenal are a safe bet at the moment.

More than that, have you not learnt anything from the last couple of years? Boardroom revolts have come and gone, the only thing that has resulted from any yet, is that attention has been moved from the pitch to the boardroom and football standards have suffered.

Regardless of your present opinion of the board, more than anything, this club needs stability. The lack of confidence that has cursed our beloved club for so many seasons has led to the position that we are now in. How can the players think about their game when there is a constant worry about the chairman going, which leads to managers going, and results in the players wondering which of them is next? Hardly a good recipe for a good team morale and a successful footballing side now is it?

City are a laughing stock. It's sad but true. Working in Liverpool I used to get jibes about how long it had been since City won a trophy, which has always been taken as a compliment, because at least we had respect, and other teams viewed us as real opponents. Now, I am more likely to get sympathy. Now that hurts, when Evertonians and the like want you to win.

City must start winning games, so far so good. Once they have proven that they have a solid footballing foundation on which to build, then and only then can City progress up the rungs of the footballing world.

The renewed approach to the youth team setup is just one part of the foundation City need, this however takes time and stability, and regardless of how good the board are, City have to earn respect on the pitch, and only then can they earn access to the higher tiers of our nation's leagues.

City don't deserve to be anywhere other than where they are. You are not owed access to a football league simply because you have 30K fanatical supporters on a religious crusade, determined to follow City into hell if need be. The only thing that matters is results.

So regardless of who the chairman is I will get behind City, and want them to win, and stuff the board, until they start interfering in team selection they will remain an irrelevance come 3.00 on a Saturday afternoon.

OPINION - THE NEW KIT

Is it just me or does the new away kit possesses the most hideous colour scheme ever seen on a Man City shirt? Every time I see one, I have great difficulty in preventing myself from being sick!

Either:

[a] It is designed to disorientate opposition players, so helping us to gain more points this season (let's hope this cunning plan doesn't backfire and result in our boys becomming disorientated instead!)

[b] The new chairman is 100% colour blind.

[c] Kappa have a job lot of yellow/dark blue stripped cloth that they need to get rid of and City don't have the financial clout to tell them where to stuff it.

or

[d] Kappa don't want to continue supplying kit to Manchester City and as such have designed the new shirt to bring the kit deal to a premature end.

Either way, it's the first City strip for about 8 years that I won't be buying. Fortunately, its disorientating effects can be eliminated by wearing the City sunglasses that can also be purchased from the merchandising catalogue.

P.S. Great performance on Saturday, keep it up lads!

OPINION - BROWN FOR SALE -- JOE CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

After reading the interest in Michael Brown it causes me great despair that we are even thinking about letting him go!

The word from Royle seems like unfortunately yes. When will we learn to keep our good midfield players that we produce ourselves - Flitcroft and Lomas - what a pairing they would be in the same ways as perhaps Brown and Mason? Who is the ideal replacement for Pollock considering injury or suspension - Brown.

He should not go!

OPINION - SIMON III

I can certainly see Simon's point, but think he is being a little too pessimistic. I also apologise for accusing him of being a Rag, which is a foul slur on any human being, and unthinkable for a Blue. Anyway... apart from Allsopp we have bought no new players; how can this be a problem? Wasn't Maine Road a little over populated anyway? Half of the point of being a football fan to me is that I believe in City and that they'll do OK. Otherwise it would be quite fun to see your team get relegated so you could see different teams. Probably. So fine, we don't have any players that are going to raise £20 million in transfer fees but saying they have no quality is unfair. I could pick a couple who would fit that description, but what do you expect? Should we sack Royle for selling Kinkladze, who would have been dismembered by Division 2 teams in seconds?

As for it all being down to the boardroom, go ahead and laugh at me. Sack the board is certainly a new one down at Maine Road, haven't heard that one before. Do you have any substantiation for saying 'they are greedy money-grabbing private individuals who are taking the p**s out of you'? So Bernstein spends most of the week in London, but he had done more in his time than FHL (sum achievement Kinkladze) did, in my opinion, and Lee is not Chairman any more. At least DB seems to be doing something to bring investment to the club. Why blame this board for problems started by Peter Swales?

Argue against this fact: with the fan base that City have, every member of the Maine Road board would make a personal fortune by returning City to the Premiership.

Having said that, if a major corporation wants to invest £500 million into City I would be persuaded to have a change of heart. That's a sad situation though.

Simon, I see where you're coming from but where you're going is somewhere very strange indeed.

REQUEST - FULHAM PUBS

Does anyone know any good pubs around Craven Cottage for Friday's game? I believe there are around 200 tickets left at the ticket office (Tuesday morning) and we've been allocated 5,500!

REQUEST - LIVE COMMENTARY ASSISTANCE

Two points as I sit here listening to the County game.

One - why is it so difficult to connect to the live commentary? Often I am told that the URL is outdated etc.! Can anyone help me get a smoother connection?

Second - looked at the online shop tonight for the first time - fantastic, wow what a great selection of presents! If you are like me and live overseas then you too will not have had the fortune of looking at all the great offers. Although the one turn off is the eagle on the badge... I have had my doubts about it since I saw it last year, for me off-putting!

REQUEST - FAR EAST BLUES

From the first week in September I will be on my travels as the oldest backpacker on the circuit. So if there are any Blues out there in Bali (Sept), Vietnam (Oct) or Thailand (Nov) who fancy meeting up to discuss how the start of season bubble has burst, over a beer then it would be great to hear from you at the address below.

OPINION - SIMON III

I'd just like to say (I'm sure I speak for a number of people here), who the hell do you think you are?

FACT:- We all know the problems.

FACT:- If you think you're such an analyst, I'm sure David Bernstein would be interested in your views. Why not tell him instead of devoted fans?

FACT:- Red suits you.

WHY BLUE?

Well, my father came from Manchester, with a protestant father and catholic mother, thus torn between two clubs. Here in Adelaide Australia my passion was originally for Australian football, but as I aged I learned to love football. Sadly like my father I was originally torn between the two clubs - but United's success and arrogance and my love of the underdog swung me the way of City.

BLUE HUMOUR - MANCHESTER UNITED TV: FIRST SCHEDULE REVEALED!

MANCHESTER UNITED launched their exciting new cable television channel MUTV yesterday, and here are the first day listings.

7am, THE BIGGER BREAKFAST
Dieting the Brian Kidd way.

9am, BLUE PETER
What is Schmeichel actually saying when he's shouting at his defenders? (Subtitles)

11.30am, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
Teddy Sheringham on filling Cantona's shoes.

12.30pm, EVERY SECOND COUNTS
Quiz with Alex Ferguson and his famous stopwatch.

1.30pm, NEIGHBOURS
A look at cross-town rivals City (A study into fan loyalty).

2.30pm, THE GREAT ANTIQUES HUNT
Bryan Robson explains what possessed him to sign Gary Pallister.

3.30pm, ANIMAL HOSPITAL
Rolf Harris looks at how the surgeons helped Roy Keane back to full fitness.

4pm, CHANGING ROOMS
David Beckham talks about the one he sat in for most of the second half against Argentina.

5pm, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE LIKELY LADS?
Ben Thornley, Graeme Hogg and other 'new George Bests' reveal all about their exciting new careers at Accrington Stanley.

5.30pm, WESTCOUNTRY LIVE
United's traditional fan base have their say.

6pm, BOBBY CHARLTON'S FOOTBALL SCRAPBOOK

7pm, GARRY BIRTLES' FOOTBALL SCRAPHEAP

8pm, BLANKETY-BLANK
Highlights of United in the Champions League knock-out stages, with Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

8.30pm, THE VANISHING MAN
Jaap Stam talks us through his Charity Shield performance.

9pm, RED DWARF
The Paul Scholes story.

9.30pm, MEN BEHAVING BADLY
Starring Norman Whiteside and Paul McGrath, with guest appearance by Tommy Docherty and George Best.

10pm, QUESTION TIME WITH ALEX FERGUSON

10.01pm, WINNER TAKES ALL
A big-hearted tribute to Arsenal's 1997-98 season.

11pm, RED NOSE DAY SPECIAL
More laughs with Peter Schmeichel.

12pm, SHUTDOWN
(Shutdown may be delayed by up to 20 minutes on the order of Alex Ferguson - not, repeat not the referee!)

Ashley Birch, mcivta@tollbar.u-net.com