Download - Topical City - Issue #1
1 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
CARLOS TEVEZ
JANUARY PREVIEW
SPENCER PRIOR
2010 AWARDS
HEROES AND VILLIANS
HTTP://WWW.TOPICALCITY.CO.UK
2 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
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CONTENTS
WELCOME - PAGE 4 CLARKEY—TOPICAL CITY
JANUARY TRANSFER PREVIEW - PAGE 5 SNOZZABLUE—WWW.MCFCFORUM.COM
UPS AND DOWNS OF 2010 - PAGE 8 RYANCORLESS—WWW.MCFCFORUM.COM
MILNER MIDFIELD MAESTRO? - PAGE 10 TRIPP—WWW.MCFCFORUM.COM
CITY VS THE MEDIA - PAGE 12 BRIAN ROBAN—WWW.TOTALMANCHESTERCITY.COM
BATTLE FOR THE CAPTAINCY - PAGE 13 MERLIN—WWW.MCFCFORUM.COM
FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY- PAGE 16 MATT HILL—WWW.MCFCFORUM.COM
SPENCER PRIOR- PAGE 18 BLUEWOLF—WWW.MCFCFORUM.COM
3 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
PAGE 22
PAGE 24
PAGE 26
PAGE 28
PAGE 30
PAGE 20 - MANCINI—VILLAIN TO HERO STEVEN—WWW.VIEWFROMABLUE.WORDPRESS.COM
PAGE 22 - LAST CHANCE SALOON? RYANCORLESS—WWW.MCFCFORUM.COM
PAGE 24 - THE JOKER IN THE PACK MARK WILSON—WWW.WITHOUTADREAMINOURHEARTS.WORDPRESS.COM
PAGE 26 - 1988/89 RETROSPECTIVE DANNY PUGSLEY—WWW.BITTERANDBLUE.COM
PAGE 28 - HEROES AND VILLAINS PETE CUMMINGS—WWW.MANCITYBLOG.COM
PAGE 30 - WE LIVE IN SANITISED TIMES SIMON CURTIS—WWW.DOWNTHEKIPPAXSTEPS.BLOGSPOT.COM
PAGE 33 - THE POWER STRUGGLE COULSONTOM—WWW.MCFCFORUM.COM
4 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
Originating from MCFCForum.com, Top-
ical City started out in summer 2010 as a
magazine showcasing the very best the
talented writers at MCFCForum.com.
Unfortunately in the autumn, I had to
shelve the project due to other commit-
ments. Towards the end of November, I
had the idea of expanding the magazine
to include the best of ‘City on the web’,
which is where we are now.
However, this would not have been pos-
sible without all the fantastic people
who have helped me along the way.
From the talented writers who have con-
tributed articles this month to all the
people who have contributed behind the
scenes, this wouldn’t have been possible
without you.
The name Topical City was proposed by
MCFCForum.com member Dakeb, which
won the public pole with Noisy Neigh-
bour finishing a close runner up. The
name Topical City is derived from the
commonly used phrase ‘Typical City’,
none more relevant than the recent
game against Everton when we had the
chance to top the Premier League table
at Christmas for the first time in dec-
ades.
Thanks to the hectic Christmas period, it
has been almost impossible to contact
all City site/blogs on the web, if you are a
keen writer and would like to contribute
to our future issues, then please do not
hesitate to contact us at topical-
[email protected]. I will end this introduc-
tion here as this is already 2 hours late in
being published!
CONTRIBUTORS
BITTER AND BLUE http://www.bitterandblue.com
Danny Pugsley
DOWN THE KIPPAX STEPS http://www.downthekippaxsteps.blogspot.com
Simon Curtis
MAN CITY BLOG
http://www.mancityblog.com
Pete Cummings
MCFCFORUM
http://www.mcfcforum.com
BlueWolf
CoulsonTom
Matt Hill
Merlin
Ryan Corless
Snozzablue
Tripp
TOTAL MANCHESTER CITY
http://www.totalmanchestercity.com
Brian Roban
VIEW FROM A BLUE
http://www.viewfromablue.wordpress.com
Steven
WITHOUT A DREAM IN OUR HEARTS
http://www.withoutadreaminourhearts.blogspot.com
Mark Wilson
WELCOME
W elcome to this the first edition of Topical City the new Manchester City orientated
online magazine. Despite the hectic Christmas period, we are pleased to arrive
on the scene with a packed issue with contributions from all around the City
online community.
Words: Clarkey
5 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
JANUARY TRANSFER PREVIEW
Well that domination has in part been
broken as Manchester City have quickly
built a competitive football team that
after all.is finally starting to look like a
top four contender. City have, up until
this point been by far the most active
team in the European transfer market,
however after the July/August window
closed, many at the club were saying
that the City would be scaling back their
activities in the transfer market. At the
time that talk seemed sensible after all
they had just added six new faces to the
squad for the upcoming season, howev-
er a number of things have changed
since then, which would suggest that
January could indeed be a busy transfer
window.
It does promise to be a very interesting
January for Manchester City and there
are countless scenarios that could unfold
during this window. One thing that will
restrict City's transfer activities some-
what will be the impending UEFA finan-
cial fair-play regulations. All transfers in
and out will need to be carefully co-
ordinated to ensure that the club doesn't
add anymore stress to an already bulg-
ing wage bill that will need to be
trimmed by next season. It looks highly
likely that most of City's efforts will be
put into selling or loaning out players
who are surplus to requirements, and
then picking up another striker, and pos-
sibly one other player. Santa Cruz,
Adebayor and Shay Given look almost
certain to be moving on, and if this oc-
curs Edin Dzeko is a red hot favourite to
finally sign up for the club. Also, be on
the lookout for that good old mystery
signing that no one saw coming. As most
City fans know it's best to expect the
unexpected when it comes to the trans-
fer market, and this January will be no
different.
Words: Snozzablue, http://www.mcfcforum.com
T here aren't many football teams in the world that have seen the kind of transfer action
that City have seen in the past two and a half years. If nothing else, City's exploits in the
transfer market have made football interesting and unpredictable again after so many
years of boring, monotonous domination by the so called 'big four'.
SWP was always City's favourite son who
took a short holiday at Chelsea before trium-
phantly returning home to the team where
he grew up. When he did come back every-
thing was rosy ... for a little while. Now, how-
ever, he finds himself struggling to get a
game in a star-studded midfield, which has
improved 4-fold since this time last year.
Once an automatic choice on the wing, SWP
now has to battle Spanish World Cup winner
David Silva, African powerhouse Yaya Toure,
and the up and coming English stars, James
Milner, and Adam Johnson for a spot that
used to be his by default. Despite his enor-
mous promise Wright-Phillips has been una-
ble to unseat any of the aforementioned
players and has managed only a hand-full of
games, mostly in the Europa League. While
he himself hasn't had too much to say about
the matter, the same can't be said for his
attention seeking father, Ian Wright, who has
often raised his sons plight in the media. Liv-
erpool have been the team most linked with
SWP, and they may bid for the winger in Jan-
uary, but the real question is will Mancini sell
him? WRIGHT-PHILLIPS
6 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
It was clear even before the start of the cur-
rent season that Roque Santa Cruz had fall-
en out of favour at Manchester City. When
the front man wasn't on the treatment table,
he was warming the bench. On the odd oc-
casion where he was given a chance he failed
miserably. Fact is he has never been able to
rediscover the form he had at Blackburn, and
he now finds himself way out of his depth in
a Manchester City team full of class players.
Despite the fact that he's played very little in
the last year he still seems to be a player in
demand. Fulham manager, and long time
admirer Mark Hughes, has expressed his
desire to bring Santa Cruz to Craven Cot-
tage. The press have also linked him to La-
zio, Inter Milan, Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen
and Everton. It seems almost certain that
Santa Cruz will be going in January and the
most likely destination has to be Fulham.
However, if City succeed in bringing Edin
Dzeko from Wolfsburg to Manchester then
Santa Cruz could find himself going the oth-
er way as part of the deal. SANTA CRUZ
OUT
Big Ade promised so much this season but
he has delivered little, and as a result has
found himself on the fringes. Adebayor’s
biggest problem is that Roberto Mancini
now favours a 4-3-2-1 formation with Tevez
as the lone striker, and therefore found his
opportunity's limited. He also hasn't helped
his own cause by under-performing when he
was given a chance, and publicly talking up a
transfer move to Juventus. All these things
aside, Big Ade now finds himself on the inju-
ry list with an uncertain return date due to a
nagging calf problem. To a lot of people his
fate appears sealed with Juventus looking a
likely destination for the big man, however,
there have been questions raised as to
whether Juventus can afford his transfer
fee , reportedly around £15-20 million. Other
teams including Inter Milan, AC Milan and
Liverpool have been linked, but there hasn't
been anything strong enough to indicate
that he would move to any of those teams.
Juventus is where Ade wants to go, time will
tell if he gets his wish now or in the summer. ADEBAYOR
When Bridge signed on for City. he was
thought by many to be one of the better left-
backs in the Premier League, his fall from
grace since that point though has been quite
spectacular. Poor old Wayne has been dog-
ged by injury, lack of form and of course, a
certain three-way love triangle involving
former best friend, John Terry. He then had
to sit back and watch as Roberto Mancini
went after, and secured the signing of, for-
mer Lazio left-back Aleksandar Kolarov. This
was the beginning of the end for Bridge, as
he soon found out that not only Kolarov was
chosen ahead of him, but Zabaleta and Je-
rome Boateng, as well. Despite all this there
have been few teams linked with the defend-
er with only Blackburn, Stoke and Liverpool
being mentioned in the press as possible
destinations. Out of the three Liverpool
would be the front runner and could proba-
bly pick themselves up a real bargain if they
play their cards right. All in all though, the
writing really looks to be on the wall for
Wayne Bridge, and as far as leaving City
goes it is really only a matter of when rather
than if for the former England international. BRIDGE
There aren't too many teams in Europe that
can boast having two world-class Interna-
tional goalkeepers. City however, are one
team that can, having both England Interna-
tional Joe Hart, and Irish stopper Shay Given
in their squad. As great as this sounds there
have been inevitable issues from day one of
this season. Despite Shay Givens heroics of
09/10, Roberto Mancini simply could not
overlook Joe Hart's red hot form which saw
him named the Premier League goalkeeper
of the 09/10 season for his exploits whilst on
loan with Birmingham. This has caused
problems for Shay, who rightfully feels he
should be playing first team football, and he
has let it be known that he will likely be leav-
ing come January. Mancini has attempted to
appease Given by playing him in the latter
group games of the Europa League, but it
looks unlikely that will be enough to keep
him at the club. Arsenal are the favourites to
secure Given's services come January, how-
ever, if a transfer cannot be agreed, he may
well go out on loan to another club until the
summer. GIVEN
7 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
IN
Dzeko is one Europe's most promising strik-
ers and is a wanted by a number of other
European sides such as Juventus, AC Milan,
and Chelsea. He reciprocated City's advanc-
es in August when he released a statement
expressing his desire to join the Citizens,
however, in the end, City decided to go with
Italian striker Mario Balotelli instead . He
then expressed his desire to join Juventus,
which indicates, more than anything, that he
desperately wants out of Wolfsburg who are
struggling badly in the Bundesliga this sea-
son, languishing in the bottom-half of the
table. A lot of time has now passed since
then and with the likely departure of Roque
Santa Cruz and Emmanuel Adebayor in Jan-
uary, City are now on the look out for anoth-
er forward option. The media continue to
link Dzeko with a long awaited move to City
and now the bookies have joined them,
slashing Dzeko's odds of joining the team to
even money. Manchester City have long
coveted the big Bosnian striker and January
may finally be the time when they land him. DZEKO
Like Edin Dzeko, Fernando Torres has long
been linked with a move to Manchester City.
Rumours reached fever pitch in August when
Liverpool were in between managers and on
the verge of financial collapse. After talks
with new manager Roy Hodgson and captain
Steven Gerrard, he was convinced to stay,
however, things have not improved at Liver-
pool and they now find themselves languish-
ing mid table looking nothing like a Champi-
ons League contender. This fact alone has
seen rumours of a January move away from
Anfield increase, and there are many in the
media who feel that City have already lined
up a move for the prolific striker. Any trans-
fer deal will cost City at least £50 million,
money that would definitely come in handy
for Liverpool. Another option is a cash plus
player deal which could include Shaun
Wright Phillips, Emmanuel Adebayor and
Wayne Bridge going in the other direction.
Either way the prospect of Torres becoming
a blue is very real and supporters of both
clubs will be watching with great interest . TORRES
Manchester City have long been an admirer
of Dani Alves, and even though they signed
Jerome Boateng in the summer they would
still jump at the chance to sign the right-
back if one was to become available. The
good news for City is that chance to sign
Alves may present itself in January. Alves
has recently been told that he can leave Bar-
celona after rejecting a 'final' contract offer
that they put forward. This means if Alves
shows a genuine interest in moving clubs,
Barcelona may have no other option than to
sell him or risk losing him for nothing on a
Bosman. Alves currently earns £63,000 a
week at Barcelona, but an offer from City
would see that amount at least trebled,
which would no doubt tempt the Brazilian.
Many City supporters will wait with baited
breath in January with the hope that City
make Barca an offer that is simply too good
to refuse. If a transfer doesn't happen then
the Spanish giants will face a nervous wait as
Alves weighs up his options leading into the
summer transfer window.
With City looking likely to add another for-
ward option in January it's only natural that
Carroll, currently one of the Premier
League’s leading scorers, is mentioned as a
possible target. Carroll is a very strong, tal-
ented young striker who has enormous
upside and City could do with a player of his
quality, especially as they are struggling
with set plays and corners, an area that he
excels in. Roberto Mancini was heavily
quoted in the media following City's 3-1
away win over Newcastle, as possibly being
interested in making a move for Carroll,
however he was quick to clarify his com-
ments, saying he was merely admiring the
big strikers talents Any move for Carroll
would cost City a lot and it would all depend
on, not only Mike Ashley's willingness to
sell, but also whether or not Carroll would
want to leave Newcastle, the team that he's
played for since the age of sixteen. Despite
the media hype; it does however seem
more likely that City will focus on Dzeko or
Torres ahead of Carroll. CARROLL
ALVES
8 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
THE UPS AND
DOWNS OF 2010
Words: RyanCorless, http://www.mcfcforum.com
2010 has seen City enjoy yet another year of ups and downs, some moments have given us
fabulously wide grins; some moments have made us want to shout, swear, scream and cry.
Some players have caused us to have our heads in our hands; some players have made us
jump up and down on the spot with excitement. Some goals have made us cheer louder and
feel better than we thought possible; some goals have taken us right down to rock-bottom.
Here’s the best and worst of 2010!
DEFENDER OF THE YEAR: VINCENT KOMPANY
It’s hard to look much further than our Belgian stopper when it comes to our best defender of
2010. I used to think Vinnie was a little bit clumsy and maybe didn’t have everything required
to be a top class defender for a top class team. But I’m happy to say he’s proven me entirely
wrong, Kompany has grown into the role as our rock at the back and has been by far our best
defensive player of the last 12 months.
MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR: NIGEL DE JONG
‘Nige’ has become a fan favourite with the majority of Blues, and it’s not just his performanc-
es on the pitch that make him such a hero to the Eastlands faithful. Not only does Nigel put in
110% every time he steps on the pitch, but he has a great rapport with the fans due to his ac-
knowledgment of them. He’s always the first to walk over at an away game and let the fans
know what he thinks of them. Although not everyone thinks Nigel is an essential part of the
team, his absence from the side has cost us on more than one occasion and has proven to be
a key cog in the forever improving City machine.
FORWARD OF THE YEAR: CARLOS TEVEZ
Carlos’ first 6 months in a City shirt were right up to standard, and his next twelve months
weren’t too shabby either. After setting the Premier League alight in December 2009, Carlos
continued his good form into the New Year and has been scoring goals for fun ever since. De-
spite giving all City fans a scare in December 2010, it’s hard to suggest that anyone else could
be our forward of the year.
9 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
SHOCK OF THE YEAR: CARLOS TEVEZ’S TRANSFER REQUEST
After summer speculation that Carlos wanted a way out of the club, City managed to hang on
to the 26 year old Argentine for at least another six months. It wasn’t long though before Car-
los seemingly wanted out, just three months after the window slammed shut he handed in his
written transfer request. Perhaps an even bigger shock was seeing Tevez withdraw his re-
quest not long after!
GOAL OF THE YEAR: DAVID SILVA, BLACKPOOL
The two goals that spring to mind, are this one and Adam Johnson’s away at Sunderland. For
me this one takes the gold, simply because this goal had a bit of everything! Sometimes
when I watch Silva dribble the ball, I wonder if he has glue stuck to the inside of his boot, and
this goal sent me into further doubt. The wonderful Spanish playmaker faked past two Black-
pool defenders before placing the ball into the far corner to wrap up a valuable three points
for City.
WORST MOMENT OF THE YEAR: CITY 0-1 SPURS
Peter Crouch’s late header was an almost impossible thing to watch, I was stood in the South
Stand behind the net that he sank his header into, and it felt like the whole season was a
waste of time. Some people will claim that Shrek’s header at the swamp was a worse feeling,
and to be honest it feels nice for the worst moment not to be a relegation blow, but Crouch’s
dagger to the heart was a painful one nonetheless.
SIGNING OF THE YEAR: DAVID SILVA
For me, David is on par with the anything we’ve seen in recent years at this club. The Spanish
International struggled in his first few weeks with City, but since then has come on leap and
bounds, and has quickly become a fan favourite amongst the City faithful. Only one goal for
Silva so far, but he’s at the centre of many of the attacking moves we conduct in games and
will prove to be massively important over the course of the next few years when it comes to
that creative spark.
GAME OF THE YEAR: BURNLEY 1-6 CITY
I know the obvious one is the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against United, but in
terms of the quality on show, the result and the general performance, the trip to Turf Moor
was in my opinion the game of the year. The weather did it’s best to ruin what was a fabulous
performance, but in the end City saw the game through convincingly to take three well-
earned points from our North-west rivals.
MOMENT OF THE YEAR: TEVEZ PEN, MAN UNITED
It was a moment that couldn’t have been written better, former United man against a club
with fans that now boo his name, in front of 6000 of those very fans. Tevez had previously
stated that if he scored against United he didn’t know if he would celebrate. Well Carlos did-
n’t disappoint and smashed the penalty into the top of the net before running past the fans
that used to sing his name waving his hands around in what can only be described as a pretty
crazy way! His ‘you talk too much’ gestures to Gary Neville put a smile on everybody’s face.
10 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
The second objection I had was his role:
we were rich in midfield already, with
the likes of David Silva and Yaya Toure
signed in the same window to join up
with the quality of Nigel de Jong and
Adam Johnson, who had made them-
selves first names on Roberto Mancini's
team-sheet already. Sure, Milner had
quality; but was he good enough to cut
it in the new-look City team?
He started on the wing in the opener
against Liverpool, and made an instant
impact, seemingly quieting the doubt-
ers; he hustled for the whole ninety
minutes, setting up a goal for former
Villa comrade, Gareth Barry, and never
going slack for a moment. But, for the
next three games, he went cold; he
showed the same industry, working
hard to keep possession and help out in
defence, but none of the brilliant pass-
ing seen at Liverpool. He rediscovered
that against Chelsea, but then again ran
cold, for a long series of games; solid,
but not what one would call spectacular.
Then, against Salzburg at the beginning
of December, suddenly he was back.
Playing in his favoured central role, in
which he had failed to shine against
Wolves, he was the definition of a dyna-
mo. His passing was spot on, having a
helping hand in the goals and was in-
credibly unlucky not to score himself.
But then, just like after Liverpool, he
faded again, entirely uninspiring against
Juventus and Everton, still in the centre
of midfield. Especially in recent weeks,
he has been entirely out-shone by the
industry and sharpness by Yaya Toure
and Gareth Barry, who struggled mas-
sively at the beginning of the season
and still can seem off the pace often
enough.
However, a point in Milner's favour is
how entirely awful Ireland has been
since moving to Villa. In this sense, the
deal made by Mancini was a good one;
while Milner hasn't exactly set the
Premier League alight, I have seen very
few players go out on the pitch with less
commitment or energy than Stephen
Ireland in a Villa shirt. Gerard Houllier is
already desperate to be rid of him after
only four months.
So what is Milner's issue, then? This I
cannot speak to, but as we have seen in
spurts and flashes this season, he has all
the quality needed to replace Ireland's
creative energies in the centre of mid-
field. Not only does he have the talent,
but he has what Ireland only rarely ever
had; the temperament. Whilst Barry,
Johnson, and Joe Hart have been caught
out drinking and partying at all hours
this season, Milner is teetotal, focused
on his work as a footballer and a fine
example to the young players of the
Academy as well as the less disciplined
members of the first team. He can be
everything this club needs; a rock to
build the team around, a provider for
Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and the
supposedly soon-to-arrive, Edin Dzeko,
and a tutor to the wealth of talent com-
ing out of Platt Lane. Added to which, if,
and when, Michael Johnson returns
from injury, his own brilliance as a box-
to-box midfielder, linked up with the
defensive energies of Nigel de Jong or
Yaya Toure, would have the potential to
make one of the most frightening and
effective midfield trios in the Premier
League.
So, for the sake of the team and all of us
suffering fans, James, please sort it out.
With him firing on all cylinders on a reg-
ular basis, City will have another
component of a title-winning team.
MILNER MIDFIELD
MAESTRO?
Words: Tripp, http://www.mcfcforum.com
W hen James Milner arrived at Manchester City over the summer, few were more
sceptical of his signing than I. The first sticking point was the cost: £16million for
him, with Academy product and fan favourite, Stephen Ireland, in the first throes
of his fall from grace, headed the other way, making it a £24million package.
11 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1 JAMES MILNER MIDFIELD MAESTRO?
12 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
CITY VS THE MEDIA
Words: Brian Roban, http://www.totalmanchestercity.com
Everyday without fail there is a negative story
aimed at the club. I will admit that a lot of the-
se stories are written by so called journalists
who support other teams and find City an easy
outlet for their anger and frustration. One of
the most recent stories that comes to mind is
the Mail on Sunday who ran a story that
spread like wild fire. The story in mind was
"Tevez begs for United return", within 24
hours, however, the same one and only Carlos
Tevez committed his future to City. While this
may be a distraction to players it certainly is
putting a lot of City fans from even picking up
a paper of late.
I firmly believe until City pick up some silver-
ware and break into the top four the media
onslaught will continue; is this the price of a
rich sugar daddy owner? The short answer is,
yes. However, while I moan on about the me-
dia, and do the same ol' routine of getting an-
noyed with silly little reporters spreading lies
and rumours about the club we love, I have to
say I have been proud to watch and see the
transformation of a so called small club into
title contenders, to watch on as managers
from other clubs talk about City with worry in
their voices before a game. Best is watching
the interviews after when they have been
praising the calibre of players City now have at
their disposal. It is a shame that City, as a club,
don't get more attention in the media for all
the good they do for the community - how City
fund overseas aid relief projects in third world
countries. No, that would be constructive and
be of benefit to the general population to ad-
vertise the fact that you also can help. No, not
a hope, instead the British media would prefer
to set sports icons up and expose them for the
good of the public, using the old chestnut of
"The public have a right to know".
Young kids learning to read are subjected to
these articles belittling the team, whilst wait-
ing all week to go and see their heroes brought
down before their eyes in a piece of recycled
toilet paper posing as a newspaper. It's a sad
fact of reality that we as City fans are fast find-
ing out. While we will endure, as all times be-
fore, it will take time to get used to, as I’m sure
finding consistent winning form will also take
time.
If I could wish for one thing, it would be to see
City lift the title this season, if not, at least see
City in second place, which would be a dream
come true and stop the anti-City band wagon
in its tracks.
W ith all the media attention City receive these days, one has to wonder if there is a
small hint of an anti-City conspiracy at work. I know that must sound as absolute
paranoia, but when I read the papers or listen to online sports rants, it sure does
feel like it.
13 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
Words: Merlin, http://www.mcfcforum.com
BATTLE FOR THE CAPTAINCY
The problem for Mancini is no matter
how clever he is, or how detailed his
preparation is for each match, the con-
trol of the team is handed over to his
captain once a match begins, because
the manager cannot enter the field of
play. It is the captain’s responsibility to
ensure that the manager’s wishes are
followed on the field. Despite Tevez’s
recent transfer request, and subsequent
withdrawal of said request, Tevez re-
mains as Mancini’s team captain. A fair
question for City fans to ask is whether
this is a good decision. This article asks
what makes a good captain, and more
importantly, does Tevez fit the mould,
or should Kompany or De Jong take
over?
RIGHT TO START
I would suggest that the first criterion to
be selected as captain is to earn your
right to be first on the team sheet. It
would serve little purpose to have the
team captain regularly on the subs
bench. This criterion includes the skill
and ability to compete in the Premier-
ship. We all know that Tevez is an essen-
tial component of City’s first team, and
he easily meets this criterion. However,
Mancini does seem to be experimenting
more with the exclusion of Tevez. Could
this be an indication of what might hap-
pen in the summer? Kompany has grown
in stature over the last two seasons, and
is also an automatic pick for Mancini.
Similarly, De Jong will always be on the
team sheet, because he suits Mancini’s
style of play. Since the World Cup, De
Jong has come back a better player, and
the standing ovation after his captain’s
performance versus Villa is testament to
his popularity.
Tevez 4/5 - Kompany 5/5 – De Jong 5/5
LEADERSHIP
This is a very difficult trait to define, be-
cause it means something different to
many people. Some people lead by ex-
ample, some lead by respect and some
lead by charisma. But leadership on a
football field needs all three. It is the
captain’s responsibility to motivate the
team, and direct the team’s actions on
the field. If the captain’s head drops,
then so does the team’s. It is my opinion
that Tevez is not the best leader at the
club, and his selection appears to be
more diplomatic than essential. Recent
events in the media demonstrated a
selfishness that is not becoming of good
leaders. Kompany is more discrete than
Tevez; for a while he was not in the first
team, and yet he quietly waited for his
opportunity without any song or dance
in the media, and when the chance came
he took it. His leadership qualities are
clear to see when he’s playing, and he
doesn’t create controversy off the field.
De Jong has applied his uncompromising
trade to City’s midfield for a few years
now, and despite (unfortunately) break-
ing a few legs, continues to impress. His
“never say die” approach to the game is
an ideal motivator for a team. It is no
coincidence that when De Jong plays
well, City dominate possession of the
ball.
Tevez 3/5 - Kompany 4/5 – De Jong 5/5
PRESENCE
Presence is partly charisma, but it is also
a measure of how the opposing team
views the captain. A strong leader can
I t is understood by most football fans that the manager is responsible for the success of the
team, and Mancini certainly has a hot seat at Manchester City. As the manager, Mancini
dictates tactics, transfer policy, team selection, training, fitness and man-management. Par-
ticularly in the Premiership, with such power comes great responsibility and when things go
right he is credited with the glory, and when things go wrong it is his head on the block.
CITY VS THE MEDIA
14 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
counter the opposing team, and identify opportuni-
ties to defend or attack without communication
with the manager. I feel the position a captain plays
can strengthen the captain’s ability to do this. The
best person on the field to observe the flow of the
game is the goalkeeper, because the whole game is
in front of him. The next best position is central
defence. I question the value of a striker as team
captain because he can only look back at the play,
and that is hard to perceive. It’s like playing chess
from the side of the board instead of from behind
your pieces. From a presence and positional per-
spective I think Kompany will make a better cap-
tain. There is also a strong argument for a midfield
player to lead the team, having an all round per-
spective of the game from the centre of the field.
De Jong represents a strong choice as captain be-
cause his team mates respect him, the opposition
fear him, and the fans adore him.
Tevez 3/5 - Kompany 5/5 – De Jong 5/5
INTELLIGENCE
A good football captain must understand the man-
ager’s tactics and strategy, and communicate and
implement them on the field. This demands the
ability to understand instructions, translate them,
and communicate them in a fast flowing game.
This demands intelligence: a quick, agile and ana-
lytical brain. The fact that Tevez does not appear to
be in control of his own destiny, instead being guid-
ed by his agent, suggests to me that he isn’t the
most intelligent player in the world. Kompany, on
the other hand, has demonstrated a calculated as-
cension in City’s ranks, and plays intelligently on
the field. De Jong rarely puts a foot wrong, and he
always gives his all for the team. There are question
marks over his ability to pick out a killer pass, alt-
hough this part of his game has improved this sea-
son.
Tevez 3/5 - Kompany 4/5 – De Jong 4/5
RAPPORT
The club captain must have a good rapport with the
fans. This is usually achieved by speaking intelli-
gently in public, playing well every week, and being
loyal and ethical to the football club. Richard
Dunne is an example of a popular captain, proven
by the fact he was voted player of the year four
times. Tevez was idolized by City fans for his in-
credible work ethic and goal scoring feats, but his
recent transfer request has rightly made fans ques-
tion his motives. This act alone puts a massive
question mark over his loyalty to City. Kompany is
DE JONG
15 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
also popular with the fans, but not as high profile as
Tevez. It is the nature of the game that goal scorers
receive more adulation than goal stoppers, so this
is no surprise. De Jong has stayed loyal to City, and
despite the controversy of the World Cup incident,
the club has stayed loyal to him. At the Villa game
on Boxing Day Tevez was rested and De Jong was
captain. The team won 4-0, and De Jong received a
standing ovation from the fans. I think that says it
all.
Tevez 4/5 - Kompany 3/5 – De Jong 5/5
INFLUENCE
This criterion is more related to influence on the
field, more than influence within the club. If it was
the latter Tevez would win hands down … there is
no doubt that he and his agent have influence. On
the field the captain should have the ability to influ-
ence the game. This is partly through direction,
tactics and communication, but individual skill
should not be underestimated. A player that can
raise a team’s moral through unexpected brilliance
can greatly influence the outcome of a game. Simi-
larly a strong, unwavering work ethic can turn the
tide of a game. There is little doubt that Mancini
has chosen Tevez as club captain due to his ability
to influence a game. This is probably Tevez’s
strongest suit when it comes to captaincy. Kompa-
ny is a good communicator and a good footballer.
Despite being a hard tackling central defender, he
can also influence a game with sublime skill. How-
ever, he rarely scores goals, and his ability to influ-
ence games is significantly less than Tevez’s. De
Jong, also, is highly influential, because he ensures
that City maintain possession in a game, and as we
all know, possession is nine tenths of footballing
success. I don’t think De Jong has ever scored for
City, and he rarely creates goal scoring chances.
Tevez 5/5 - Kompany 3/5 – De Jong 3/5
The Verdict. The total score is:
Tevez: 22/30
Kompany :24/30
De Jong :27/30
Based on this analysis there are at least two other
candidates at City who would make excellent cap-
tains should Tevez either leave or surrender the
captaincy. Should that be the case, my choice
would be De Jong due to his loyalty, rapport with
the fans and tenacity on the field.
KOMPANY
TEVEZ
16 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
The main aim of these proposals is fair-
ness; indeed Michel Platini (UEFA Presi-
dent) has said that "The philosophy [of
these new regulations] is that you can-
not spend more money than you gener-
ate." With that in mind, by the end of
2012, in order for a team to be able to
compete in the Champions League or
the Europa League, they must present a
dossier to UEFA with proof of the follow-
ing: break-even requirement; no over-
dues payable during the season (towards
other clubs/employees and/or social/tax
authorities) and finally a provision of
future financial information (to ensure
clubs can meet future obligations).
For a club like Manchester City, spoilt by
the colossal riches of the very wealthy
Sheikh Mansour, the only problem that
they will face with these impending rules
is complying with the break-even re-
quirement. It has been acknowledged by
club officials to be a “huge challenge”
because of the size of City’s task to re-
duce their losses of £121.3m in 2009-10,
and expected losses of £130m-plus in
2010-11. These losses are problematic
for the Blues as they are primarily
caused by the excessive transfer fees.
UEFA FFP rules state that initial losses
averaging £19.6m per year will be al-
lowed, but from 2012-13, they will be
capped at £13m per year (averaged over
a three-year period), and from 2013-14,
be capped at £8.7m per year.
After several hectic spending sprees
since the Sheikh’s takeover in August
2008, City have amassed a grand total of
approximately £325 million on transfers
alone, an astonishing amount consider-
ing the club’s lack of high-level European
action. With many players reportedly on
large contracts, in particular the likes of
Yaya Toure and club captain Carlos
Tevez the highest earners, City will have
to curb the money they splash out on
their lavishly-paid stars in order to meet
UEFA’s strict criteria. With a squad that
is sitting pretty in the top four of the
Premier League at the end of 2010, City
Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak is
aware that only ‘finessing’ is required in
order for the Blues to be the top dog in
England. Consequently, apart from Edin
Dzeko, the man it is believed City will
hasten to add to their armoury, big-
name or rather big-money signings will
not take place in January as the Blues
aim to cut their losses on expensive flops
such as Roque Santa Cruz, Wayne
Bridge and Emmanuel Adebayor. Whilst
the club aim to lower their wage ex-
penditure by offloading certain players,
in order to ensure that they do not
‘spend more money than they generate’
the Blues will have to find other ways of
avoiding losses in order to keep Platini’s
army at bay.
One way the club can do this is to in-
crease its popularity by trying to sell
themselves commercially. Manchester
City “the brand” has to be sold world-
wide, with the Blues’ hierarchy securing
major sponsorship deals with Etihad
Airways and Etisalat, as well as their
long running partnership with shirt spon-
sor Umbro. Indeed, the long term bene-
fits of their commercial success mean
that City will rely less on Sheikh Mansour
pumping money into the club, therefore
meeting UEFA’s demands. This is a
FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY
Words: Matt Hill, http://www.mcfcforum.com
O n May 27th of this year, UEFA’s Executive Committee unanimously passed the UEFA
Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations (FFP). These new restrictions will
assess the finances of all clubs competing in UEFA competitions ensuring they com-
ply with the break-even requirement that comes into force for the financial state-
ments at the end of 2012.
17 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY strategy which has been approached by
most major clubs in Europe - Manchester
United, Liverpool and Real Madrid are just
three names which spring to mind. Those
three are clubs which are engulfed in histo-
ry and idolised by many from all parts of
the globe. It is a simple fact that not many
(if at all, any) African or South American
children grow up wanting to play for Man-
chester City, it is hoped however that ma-
jor success on the pitch will impact the club
off it.
Despite the heavy losses shown in the
club’s most recent financial report, City
officials are confident that the club will
meet UEFA’s financial restrictions by the
end of 2012. They argue that although a
significant amount of money has been
spent on players and wages, an equal
amount has been spent on the regenera-
tion of stadium and its surrounding areas,
as well as City’s global academy. It is be-
lieved that the introduction of City Square,
as well as the proposed plans for the re-
mainder of the land around Eastlands will
increase revenue and make Manchester
City a major attraction, both on and off the
field.
This season it is imperative that City finish
in the Champions League places because of
the financial implications it has. Television
dictates football nowadays, shown by eve-
ry single Champions League game being
televised – the majority by Sky – resulting
in massive television revenue and global
publicity. To increase awareness about
Manchester City, the Champions League is
a competition they must start competing in
before these restrictions come into place.
When the Abu Dhabi United Group took
over Manchester City in 2008 they stated
that they had a clear ten year plan. They
wanted to wake a sleeping giant and bring
trophies to a success-starved club and
bring joy to its loyal fans. They knew it
would not happen overnight, but they will
be hoping that in ten years’ time, young
children growing up in places like Africa
and South America will want to play for
Manchester City.
END OF EXCESSIVE SPENDING AT CITY?
18 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
MCFCforum.com: What do you think of Sven as a manager?
Was he hard done by, at City? How's he doing at Leicester?
Spencer Prior: I think he’s doing a great job at Leicester, and
with a bit of time he will get them back into the Prem. He has
the budget to take them forward, however, with all these for-
eign owners and investors they demand instant success. I
think that’s where he was hard done by at City … It takes time
to build a squad that is balanced and will survive for years ra-
ther than be one season wonders.
MCFCforum.com: Do you prefer the "old" struggling City, or
the "new" mega rich City? Do you think City could have ever
challenged at the top of the league and threatened the Sky4
order without Sheikh Mansour?
Spencer Prior: Personally I’d like to say I love seeing the suc-
cess that is happening at City now. Unpredictable City are still
around as you would have backed them to beat Everton, so
there is still a bit of “old City” around. The most disappointing
aspect for me regarding the club, is that its lost its family ap-
peal, and is more geared towards the corporates that will be
the only people that can afford to go to the games. I also don’t
like seeing people jumping on the bandwagon and supporting
City because they are suddenly the “Bling” Club of this era. Its
a society issue and something that narks me.
MCFCforum.com: What do you think the outcome will be in
the FA Cup tie between Manchester City and Leicester City?
Spencer Prior: Who knows. I think if Leicester play a full
strength side that click on the day, they may cause an upset. I
hope City do treat the FA Cup with respect, as, realistically,
it’s their best opportunity of winning silverware this season,
and the owners/supporters would love to see a trophy other
than a play-off final trophy!!
MCFCforum.com: In a one year stint, you managed to bag
four goals for City, more than for any other club during your
career. How did you manage that as a defender? What is lack-
ing in our current defence that is keeping them from popping
up with an odd goal?
Spencer Prior: Unbelievable that I scored that many goals in
9 games!! Right place, right time. The most important thing
was that we got promotion, something I am very proud of.
And the memories will live with me forever. The current de-
fenders are doing a great job defending, and that’s their prior-
ity. However it would be great for someone to take the weight
off Tevez’s shoulders and notch a couple.
MCFCforum.com: You came in late in City's promotion surge
and we didn't lose a game when you played, you must have
been thinking "bring on the Prem", the dream became reality,
what happened? Not just you, but the team?
Spencer Prior: We worked so hard to get up. I believe on the
back of successive promotions, and with the additions that
were made to the squad, the balance wasn’t quite right to
build on the momentum of the promotion.
MCFCforum.com: How were the nerves before the play off at
the Millennium Stadium, home town team, in their own back-
yard? Fortunately a win ensued, but you must have been sick-
ened with Chris Day's save!
Spencer Prior: The save didn’t bother me at all, I just wanted
the promotion. I was bought into Cardiff to do a job by Sam
Hamman, and we failed in the 1st year. That really hurt us as a
group, and we carried that disappointment all year. So it was
a wonderful experience winning with so many Cardiff fans in
their own back yard. I’d love to see them get into the Prem, as
it would complete the journey that I was able and fortunate
enough to have been part of.
SPENCER PRIOR
INTERVIEW
S pencer Prior. Twenty years in the English leagues, and spent 2000-2001 with Manchester
City. With the upcoming FA Cup tie between two of Prior’s former clubs, MCFCforum
caught up with Spencer and asked him a few things about his time at the club, and at
Leicester City, amongst other things.
Words: BlueWolf, http://www.mcfcforumcom
19 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
MCFCforum.com: How did it feel playing in THAT match
at Blackburn and how long was it before you realised, with
the luck Blackburn had, it was going to be one on those
days, where there was no chance we were going to lose?
Spencer Prior: We got absolutely battered by them that
day!! I think if the season had of gone one more game we
wouldn’t have been able to keep going. Mentally and
physically we were shot, but something happened that
day that always makes me laugh. It was only when we
scored that we realised the stadium was full of City fans
who had bought their tickets off the Blackburn supporters.
That spurred us on to keep going, and the rest is history.
MCFCforum.com: I've heard good things about you being
a pundit in Australia, so does this mean this is the avenue
you will be taking, or would you like one day to move back
to the UK to either coach or manage? If so, which club
would you love to go to?
Spencer Prior: I’m travelling down the coaching pathway,
and have completed my A License badge. If part of my
journey brings me back to the UK then I’ll try and approach
it with the same philosophies I had as a player, at whatever
Club I went to. I enjoy doing the TV work, although I do
find it difficult to knock players when one day I might have
to work with them as their coach/manager. That’s where it
becomes difficult.
MCFCforum.com: Just how much has Australian football
benefited from the jump from Oceanic to Asian football?
Spencer Prior: Greatly. The competition is much tougher
and will raise the standards of football significantly. Not
just on the pitch, but also off it, with Clubs having to have
a far grater level of professionalism to be successful. By
joining the AFC, the FFA has jumped into a much bigger
pond with more money coming into the game.
MCFCforum.com: Apart from endless sunshine, the beer,
the beaches, the ocean, the terrific lifestyle and the almost
perfect attitude to sport, what does Australia have going
for it?
Spencer Prior: Ha ha ha we love it here, and its a fantastic
place to bring up our 3 kids. They have adapted to the Aus-
sie lifestyle, and I even caught one of them whistling Ad-
vance Australia Fair. She is now an ex-daughter by the
way!!!
MCFCforum would like to thank Spencer for taking the
time to talk to us, and wish him and his family all the best
for the future.
20 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
MANCINI
VILLAIN TO HERO Words: Steven, http://viewfromablue.wordpress.com
1 9th December 2009. The day when Sheikh Mansour signalled his intention to turn Man-
chester City into a major worldwide force. Forget the big money transfers and ambi-
tious predictions. But make sure you remember the ruthlessness that the Sheikh, along
with Khaldoon-Al-Mubarak and Garry Cook, showed on that date in sacking Mark
Hughes and appointing Roberto Mancini as manager.
Hughes was the people’s champion; the
manager whom the players liked – the
man whose sides played easy-on-the-
eye attacking football. Naturally, his
replacement would be on the back foot
from the start, and City certainly didn’t
help Mancini in the manner of his ap-
pointment. It was during the match at
home to Sunderland on the 19th when
news filtered through that Hughes was
going to be sacked after the game and
that Mancini, a former Inter Milan
coach, had been lined up to take over.
It was a moment that the senior men at
City have since regretted; not the actual
change, but the manner in which it was
conducted. Mancini had been ap-
proached a couple of weeks earlier, be-
hind Hughes’ back and had agreed to
replace Sparky. That in itself angered
the players, the fans and numerous oth-
ers, and it was left to Mancini to strug-
gle through his early City days.
Well, he was expected to struggle, but
whilst Hughes had suffered his fate after
a plethora of draws, Mancini immedi-
ately rectified that problem and started
by winning his first four games in all
competitions. Suddenly, all the negativi-
ty that surrounded the end of Hughes’
tenure was being swept away in a sea of
Italian style. The new manager was in-
tent on improving our defence, which,
under the erstwhile incumbent, was
noticeably permeable. Under Hughes,
goals were conceded with regularity but
Mancini set about to find a solution to
this problem. Clean sheets were imme-
diately kept against Stoke, Wolves and
Middlesbrough and ever since then, the
defence has been City’s strength under
Roberto.
His insistence on building from the back
has been interpreted by many as ex-
treme negativity, but that blinkered
outlook fails to appreciate the upturn in
results since he took over. Yes, we came
ever so close to attaining Champions
League football last season, but the
board would have viewed this campaign
as the crucial one. Last year, Mancini
inherited a squad of players from
Hughes, many of whom were content
with the Europa League, content with
sitting on the bench and picking up their
vast pay checks.
But Mancini has been busy instilling into
the squad a winning mentality which
will serve them well for the present and
future. He spent a huge amount of mon-
ey in the summer on players who added
extra quality; the current crop and, for
the most part, Mancini, has done a ster-
ling job of unifying the egos in the dress-
ing room and gelling them into a prom-
ising outfit. As has been stated before, it
will take time, but fans are starting to
appreciate the good work being under-
taken by Mancini and the rest of the
managerial team.
Just like the owners back in December,
the Italian has displayed his ruthlessness
in disposing of a number of troublesome
and disruptive players, namely Stephen
Ireland and Craig Bellamy, and whilst he
has had his disagreements with captain
Carlos Tevez, the manager has stood
firm in his beliefs and we are starting to
see the benefits.
Within touching distance of the top of
the league and favourites for the Europa
League, Mancini has turned from villain
to hero in the space of just twelve
months. His status as a City great would
be confirmed if he were the man to lead
us to a trophy for the first time in 34
years and the way he is going, that suc-
cess may not be too far away.
21 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1 ROBERTO MANCINI FROM VILLAIN TO HERO
22 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
Obviously spending hundreds of millions
of pounds in the last couple of seasons is
only going to heap the expectation onto
us, but I can’t help but think we’re in a bit
of a hole now, and it’s going to be hard
to climb out. Last season we saw a gut-
wrenching showdown with Spurs, which
ended in typical City fashion: heart-
break. But by getting so close to the
promised land of Champions League
football, did we make it impossible not
to reach the top four this time round?
I think it’s fairly obvious that if Roberto
Mancini doesn’t finish amongst Arsenal,
Chelsea and United this time round, he
may well see himself leaving through the
same door that Hughes did a year ago.
His ‘get out of jail free card’ may well be
delivering a trophy to the fans that have
waited so long for silverware. However,
the Italian blew a golden opportunity
earlier on this campaign by sending out
a weakened side at the Hawthorns. The
Blues lost the match 2-1 and were al-
ready out of what was viewed as a win-
nable domestic competition.
Hopefully Bobby won’t be quite so com-
placent when it comes to the knockout
stages of the Europa League and the
beauty of the F.A. Cup. I can safely say
though that I think Mancini has learnt his
lesson, and that I don’t expect to see the
likes of Javan Vidal, Ben Mee, and Abdi
Ibrahim trusted with the task of over-
coming established sides in order to ad-
vance through to the latter rounds of our
only remaining cup competitions.
You can never guarantee a good cup run
though, and we can’t be too over-reliant
on squeezing success out of our cup
competitions, we have to focus on our
keeping consistency with our league
form as well. So far so good as far as the
league front in concerned, sitting com-
fortably in the top four, as well as being
in and around the main title contenders,
is a position that I think most Blues
would have taken before that opening
day clash at White Hart Lane. But the
importance of keeping up our impressive
league performance this season is essen-
tial to our long-term future.
If we do indeed succeed, and secure, a
Champions League spot for the first
time, then it’s difficult to see any bad
times ahead whatsoever for City. The
club will have a new draw, top players
from across the globe will know that
we’ve arrived on the big stage, and may-
be the media will lay off our backs for a
couple of days, too – I’m not overly con-
fident about that last one though!
If we don’t quite make it like last term
then I think it’s going to be another diffi-
cult couple of years that follow. Chances
are Roberto Mancini will be on his way,
some fans will start to lose faith, the
over-critical Blues will multiply, and the
media will laugh at us along with rival
fans and claim that it’s just another
speed-bump in what’s been a very
bumpy ride over the years.
I understand that the last two and a half
years have been important, but as im-
portant as the next five months, defi-
nitely not. When Sheikh Mansour decid-
ed to give City fans something to smile
LAST CHANCE SALOON?
Words: RyanCorless, http://www.mcfcforum.com
I t’s been two and a half years since City were handed the seemingly unreal takeover that
sent everyone associated with the Blues into dreamland, and slowly but steadily the club has
been making steps towards a better future. Regardless of the forward steps we’ve taken
though, I’m beginning to think that the pressure is now so high for City to succeed, that if we
don’t hit the dazzling heights of Champions League football this season, we could well be wit-
nessing another false dawn at this great club.
23 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
LAST CHANCE SALOON?
about in August 2008, the pressure on City to perform wasn’t
exactly massive. Sven had just delivered a mid-table finish in
his first and only season with the Blues, it’s not as if we’d
finished in the top 6, it’s not as if Mark Hughes had a massive
job to follow on from.
In comparison, Roberto Mancini has spent a lot of cash since
he’s been here, he took City to an impressive fifth place fin-
ish last season, albeit should’ve been fourth, but it was still
our highest Premier League finish to date. The former Inter
manager has heaped pressure upon himself, and it was al-
ways going to be the way, but if he fails what next? New
manager, more money spent, more negative media cover-
age, more City jokes, more expectancy on the next man, and
more disappointment for the City faithful.
The next five months are incredibly important in terms of
this club’s development, let us all pray and hope that Rob-
erto can see us through, because I don’t see anything but a
top four finish being good enough in the long run, and I don’t
just mean for Mr Mancini ...
ROBERTO MANCINI UNDER PRESSURE?
24 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
YAYA TOURE JOKER IN PACK?
25 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
There was no doubt about it – we had signed a top class talent.
With experience at Olympiacos, Monaco and Barcelona, and 50
-odd caps for Ivory Coast, here was a player with excellent ped-
igree and at 27 years – clearly moving into the peak of his pow-
ers if he wasn’t there already. This all added to a hefty price tag
and wages that we ended up shelling out – at £24m and on
wages reported to be somewhere of the region of £200,000 per
week, Yaya certainly didn’t come cheap.
It was a big signing. I remember thinking that it was perhaps a
too bigger a signing, a bit of overkill, given the position that
Yaya would undoubtedly be asked to fill. For me, we already
had quality in the defensive midfield department. Gareth Barry
knew the Premier League like the back of his hand and Nigel
De Jong had bedded in nicely and was fast becoming one of the
best defensive midfielders in the league. Patrick Vieira and, at a
pinch, Pablo Zabaleta could both act as good cover in this de-
partment throughout what would surely big a long campaign.
Surely we would have been better ploughing our vast financial
resources into a different kind of player that could give us
something different from central midfield positions.
We would find out that Roberto Mancini had other ideas for
Yaya Toure. Viewing the player very differently from other
managers, the Italian took the view that as far as our midfield
was concerned, we could both have our cake and eat it. Far
from being deployed in a defensive midfield capacity, Yaya
Toure was asked to attack from the middle of the park and sup-
port our forwards whenever possible.
The Ivorian has revelled in his new role at the sharp end of the
engine room. With two defensive midfielders deployed behind
him – often in the guise of Barry and De Jong – Yaya has been
given licence to power forward in a way that is rarely seen in
the Premier League these days – indeed, in any top flight of
club football. Due to taking up advanced positions, the Ivorian
has already scored three goals for City this season – one more
and he will equal the tally he reached in three seasons with Bar-
celona.
One of those goals came in spectacular fashion at Upton Park
against West Ham. A nice one-two with Barry saw Yaya lash in
a shot from the edge of the area. The next goal – although ulti-
mately credited as an own goal to Robert Greene – was all
down to the power of Yaya, who latched onto a pass from de
Jong and surged past the West Ham centre back to lash in from
an unbelievably narrow angle.
The Ivorian’s strength, pace, and exceptional close ball control
skills make Yaya a perfect fit for the role that Mancini has cre-
ated for him. And Yaya’s merits don’t end there. At 6ft 3 in, he
gives us an aerial threat from set pieces and, at a pinch, a target
man to aim at from goal kicks.
But whilst Yaya must be given credit for taking to his new role,
the real praise must go to Mancini and his backroom team for
seeing the wider picture. The accommodation of the Ivorian
into a midfield diamond is a microcosm of how Mancini wants
the whole team to play. This is no longer the City of the Eriks-
son and Hughes eras – teams that could play but that also
could too easily be muscled out of proceedings. The Mancini
era will be different. The Italian envisions a side that marries
physicality to pace and welds footballing skill to tactical nous.
Appearances can be deceptive. On the surface we might well
be labelled ‘boring City’, but to me this is fast becoming a falla-
cy as we begin to see the formidable threats that Mancini is
building into this side. Who then is the real joker in the pack? A
certain ‘defensive minded’ Ivorian? Or a certain ‘defensive
minded’ Italian?
THE JOKER IN THE
PACK
F irst came Gareth Barry, then came Nigel de Jong, followed by Patrick Vieira. At the start
of the 2010 campaign, it was clear for all to see that we had a midfield packed with de-
fensive steel. Now all we needed was a bit of guile and creativity from the middle of the
park, and our engine room would be complete. And so what do we do? We go and
sign yet another defensive midfielder, this time in the guise of a 27 year old Ivorian that went by
the name of Yaya Toure.
Words: Mark Wilson, http://withoutadreaminourhearts.blogspot.com
26 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
City headed into the 1988/89 season un-
der the stewardship of Mel Machin, an
amiable character who arrived at the club
from Norwich following the relegation in
1987. Machin replaced Jimmy Frizzell,
who had tried to steady the ship after
Billy McNeil bolted for Aston Villa – of
course becoming the first manager to
take two clubs down in one season.
The previous season – the first after
dropping out of the top flight – had been
one of transformation. Out had gone
some of the older names and in their
places came a number of younger players
– the ‘Boy Blues’ who had won the FA
Youth Cup a couple of seasons before.
Machin had blooded the likes of Andy
Hinchcliffe, Steve Redmond, Ian
Brightwell and Paul Lake. Alongside
them were the veteran presence of John
Gidman, Kenny Clements, Neil McNab
and Imre Varadi. Although in with a
shout of promotion over the first half of
the season, the side fell away over the
second half to end in mid table, some
thirteen points off the promotion places.
The side, however, did show some spirit
in the Cup competitions: falling to Mer-
seyside clubs Everton in round 5 of the
League Cup and Liverpool in the quarter-
finals of the FA Cup.
The Blues kicked off the new season with
an away trip to Hull and came away emp-
ty-handed with a disappointing 1-0 de-
feat. Worse was to come two days later
as neighbours Oldham arrived at Maine
Road and defeated the Blues 4-1, with a
solitary goal from Paul Lake the only
consolation.
City steadied matters in their next pair of
games with two consecutive draws at
home to Walsall and away at Leeds, but
four games in the Blues were still winless
and in twentieth position in the league.
The visit of Brighton would kick start the
season though as goals from Brightwell
and Moulden earned a 2-1 victory. This
win would be the first of five in a row that
hauled the side back up to eighth in the
league and saw the Blues notch twelve
goals in the process.
This bright start was not to last though as
both the goals and wins dried up. The
next six goals saw just one win (at Plym-
outh three days after hitting six past
them in the League Cup that saw many
fans stay down in Devon on an extended
break) and two goals as the up and down
start to the season continued with Paul
Moulden, Trevor Morley and Wayne Big-
gins all struggling in front of goal. The
run even saw an infamous defeat at West
Brom in midweek in which Brian Gayle
laid the blame for the Baggies’ winning
goal on losing the flight of the ball in the
Hawthorns’ floodlights. Typical City in-
deed.
Crowds remained constant however,
with an average attendance in the early
20,000’s being maintained despite the
patchy performances.
After six games where the side had strug-
gled, the side turned the tide. Biggins
and Moulden were on the scoresheet as
Watford were defeated 3-1 at home to
kick start a run that saw the side hit top
spot the week before Christmas with a 4-
0 home win over Bradford. All in all the
side experienced just one defeat in six-
teen games through to the start of March
with eleven wins being posted. This run
B ack in 1988, long before the millions that arrived to transform the fortunes of the club as
we stand today, City stood in the second tier of English football, trying to end the dec-
ade on a brighter note than most of the 1980’s had witnessed, following the successes
of the previous decade.
1988/89 RETROSPECTIVE
Words: Danny Pugsley, http://www.bitterandblue.com
B ack in 1988, long before the millions that arrived to transform the fortunes of the club as
we stand today, City stood in the second tier of English football, trying to end the dec-
ade on a brighter note than most of the 1980’s had witnessed, following the successes
of the previous decade.
27 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
left the side in second position with a five
point cushion over Blackburn in third
place at the two- thirds mark of the sea-
son to really ignite hopes of the season
ending in promotion.
March would prove to be a goal laden
month at both ends with a pair of 4-2
wins over Leicester and
Sunderland, a 3-2 defeat away at runa-
way leaders Chelsea (who would take the
title by a seventeen
point margin) and an amazing 3-3 draw
at Walsall, a game that saw Nigel Gleg-
horn take the gloves from Andy Dibble
following an injury to the Welshman with
the side 2-0 down – proving the strength
of character in such a young side. Amaz-
ingly, Dibble would again be forced off
injured at home to Crystal Palace at the
tail end of the season. Gleghorn would
once again take the gloves, but not be-
fore having the Blues’ goal in a 1-1 draw.
April could have been the month that
City put one foot back in Division One,
but City being City, nothing was
achieved with ease or without putting
their fans through the mill. Whilst back
to back wins over Shrewsbury and Swin-
don were achieved, defeats to Brighton,
Blackburn and Barnsley saw a huge elev-
en point lead at the start of the month
whittled down to a far more slender five
point margin.
As the month of May arrived, City had
three games in which to seal promotion.
A hard fought draw against rivals Crystal
Palace at Maine Road kept the Eagles at
bay to earn what would be a vital point,
largely thanks to the efforts of Nigel
Gleghorn of course, that meant the side
could clinch promotion behind Champi-
ons Chelsea with a week to go at home
to Bournemouth, Over 30,000 headed to
Maine Road to witness the party and the
Blues got off to a flier. Paul Moulden hit
two and Trevor Morley also got on the
scoresheet as City romped to a three-
goal lead at half time to cue scenes of
celebration.
With promotion in their grasp however,
City collapsed. Three unanswered goals
after the break meant City had blown a
golden opportunity in a manner perhaps
only City of that time could have man-
aged and it saw a crucial two points
dropped. Heading into the final game at
Bradford City’s lead was down to three
points, allowing Crystal Palace a chance
to overhaul them on the final day.
Thousands descended upon Valley Pa-
rade to see if City could shake off the
nerves and indifferent form and return to
the top flight, knowing that just a solitary
point would be good enough. A Mark
Ellis goal midway through the first-half
though saw the Blues trail at the break
and worse as to come as news filtered
through that Crystal Palace had raced
into a heavy lead – eating away the slight
goal difference advantage that city en-
joyed. City battled away in vain during
the second-half and with just four
minutes remaining, and knowing a fur-
ther Crystal Palace goal would knock City
into the playoffs, Trevor Morley slid
home from David White’s ball to earn the
draw and spark joyous scenes. City were
back in the top flight, promoted with
eighty-points, ultimately just one more
than Crystal Palace whose late charge
was not quite enough to overhaul the
Blues.
It had been an up and down season at
times, but the consistent run from De-
cember onwards had the laid the founda-
tions for a promotion that had not been
widely expected at the outset. It was
testament to Mel Machin that he
achieved it despite bringing in so many
young players over this and the previous
season and it provided the likes of Red-
mond, Brightwell, Hinchcliffe, Lake and
White the platform to launch long ca-
reers both at City and beyond.
City had mixed fortunes at the start of
the following season, beating United 5-1
of course but in the main struggled to
adjust back in the top division. However,
it was still a major surprise when Mel
Machin was sacked in early December by
Peter Swales, primarily for ‘not connect-
ing with the fans’. In his place came How-
ard Kendall, who broke up much of the
side Machin had put together and, with
Peter Reid succeeding him when he bolt-
ed back to Everton, City went on to enjoy
a period of stability not seen for some
years – achieved, many would say, on the
back of that promotion campaign of
1988/89.
1988/89– FOUNDATION FOR FAMOUS 5-1
28 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
City have made some controversial sign-
ings over the years but signing an ex-
German Paratrooper four years after the
end of World War Two must rank
amongst the most controversial of all
time.
Born in 1923, just five years after the end
of the First World War, Bert Trautmann
joined the German army and served with
the Luftwaffe during the Second World
War until he was captured in 1941 by
British forces.
Trautmann sat out the remainder of the
war in a Prisoner of War camp near Ash-
ton in Makerfield and was offered the
chance to be repatriated to Germany
following the war’s end. Trautmann re-
fused the offer, preferring to stay in the
North West and began playing in goal
for St Helens.
Trautmann quickly made a name for
himself and interest in him was taken by
several clubs, most notably, City. How-
ever, anti-German feelings were still
high amongst the public and the blues
would be taking a risk and face a huge
public backlash if they signed him.
But the blues pressed on with his signing
in 1941, which sparked protests involv-
ing over 20,000 people. However, the
big German gradually won over the pub-
lic with a series of brave displays, com-
bined with the fact that he only missed
five of the clubs 250 games since his
signing.
Trautmann proved himself to be a valua-
ble member of the team and when he
was named the Football Writers Player
of the Year in 1956, it showed just how
much he had won the public over. But it
was also in 1956 that his City status be-
came legendary.
It was FA Cup Final day and City played
Birmingham at Wembley. With 15
minutes remaining and City 3-1 up, Bir-
mingham launched an attack that
caused the keeper to race from his line
and dive bravely at the feet of Peter
Murphy. Although he had been injured,
Trautmann played on and made some
excellent saves to preserve City’s lead
and ultimately win the FA Cup. Upon
taking his winners medal, it was noted
that his neck looked a little crooked but
it was only two days later that x-rays
revealed Trautmann had suffered a bro-
ken neck.
Trautmann made 565 appearances for
City but sadly never made an appear-
ance for his country. At the time, Ger-
man rules stated only those playing in
the German league would be eligible for
selection to the national side. This
meant Trautmann missed out on the
1954 World Cup, which was won by West
Germany.
Trautmann ended his career with a testi-
monial in 1964. If 20,000 people protest-
ed against his signing, more than double
stood and applauded the man as 47,000
appreciative supporters gave him a de-
serving send off.
Following his retirement, Trautmann
moved into management with lower
league sides in England and Germany
and in 2004, his services to football were
recognised as he was awarded an OBE
for promoting Anglo-German relations
through football, a deserving award for a
deserving man.
By comparison, Eric Nixon was some-
thing of a strange choice between the
City sticks but he did have some hard
acts to follow. With Trautmann many
years before him, Nixon also had to fol-
low in the footsteps of Joe Corrigan and
Alex Williams and never quite lived up to
expectations.
Manchester born, Nixon started his ca-
reer with Curzon Ashton before City paid
them £1,000 for his services in 1983.
HEROES VS
VILLAINS
T here are heroes and villains at every football club and City are no different. The blues
have had their fair share of both over the years so for our first edition of Heroes v Villains,
we look at goalkeepers of a bygone era and pitch the legendary Bert Trautmann against
the not so legendary Eric Nixon.
Words: Pete Cummings, http://www.mancityblog.com
29 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
Nixon finally made his debut for City in a home match
against West Ham United, taking over from Alex Williams.
Nixon conceded two goals as the blues drew 2-2 but re-
mained between the sticks for all but six games of the sea-
son.
But Nixon lost his place to Perry Suckling the following sea-
son and the keeper had four loan moves throughout the sea-
son to Wolves, Bradford, Southampton and Carlisle before
returning to Maine Road for the final games of the season.
Nixon kept three clean sheets in five games but unfortunate-
ly this couldn’t save City from relegation.
Mel Machin’s arrival at Maine Road saw Nixon installed as
number one choice, but a blunder in a League Cup first leg
tie at home to Wolves saw him replaced for three games by
on loan Bobby Mimms.
Nixon was reinstated for the second leg of the tie and kept a
clean sheet as the blues progressed thanks to a 2-0 win. Nix-
on kept his place in the side as City embarked on a 13 match
unbeaten run, which ended with a 3-1 home defeat to Crys-
tal Palace in December, a defeat in which Nixon was instru-
mental.
The keeper had been booked earlier in the game and, with
City leading 1-0, collected a backpass with no danger. How-
ever, Palace striker Mark Bright, whose dubious tactics had
infuriated the City fans all afternoon, raced towards the City
keeper at full speed.
Nixon’s reaction should have been to step aside and make
Bright looked stupid but, like all blues fans, he’d had enough
of Bright and lashed out, catching the striker full in the face.
City fans cheered his actions but the ref took a different view
and showed the keeper a red card. In the days where substi-
tutes were limited to two and keepers were never on the
bench, the keeping responsibility fell to Steve Redmond,
whose first task was to pick the resulting penalty out of the
net.
Nixon served a two-match suspension and was replaced by
Suckling for two consecutive defeats. Nixon returned but
was replaced by another on loan keeper in Mike Stowell for
the trip to Blackburn and made just two further appearanc-
es, the first in an FA Cup 5th round tie against Plymouth,
which the blues won 3-1 before his final appearance ironical-
ly, came on the final day of the season, a 2-0 loss at Palace.
Overall, Nixon made just 84 appearances for City before his
loan move to Tranmere was made permanent, spending
nine years at Prenton Park.
TRAUTMANN AFTER INJURING HIS NECK
30 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
I well remember an early example of how the place could be in
the seventies, when Jack Charlton’s Boro were entertaining a
Coventry side that contained future City stars, Tommy
Hutchison and David Cross. Boro were fresh out of the second
division and on their way to a top ten finish for the first time in
their history with a team boasting the likes of Craggs, Boam,
Hickton, Foggon, the Davids, Mills and Armstrong, and a
young, aggressive midfielder called Graham Souness (in those
carefree days mispronounced “Sow-ness” by Messrs Motson,
Davies and Moore). This particular game was featured on TV
on the traditional Sunday afternoon highlights show and as a
riotous 4-4 draw was played out, my eager eyes picked out a
small bunch of Coventry supporters stuck in the middle of the
terrace behind the goal to the right. Every time the away side
scored, the usual glum silence would fall over the ground like
a wet carpet, apart from a bobbing group of West-Midlanders
caught in the midst of the home support. This was typical of
early 70s football, where violence inside the ground was com-
monplace. Away fans had not yet been properly catered for
with the barbed wire cages, 8 foot high perimeter fencing and
segregation that awaited us in the 80s.
Television viewers were not only left with the sight of these
Coventry fans jumping around in amongst a sea of red and
white scarf-wearing Middlesbrough supporters, like a bunch
of unaware gazelles doing the hokey-cokey in the lion enclo-
sure, but also with the throaty chant of “You’re Gonna get
your Fucking Heads Kicked in”, as it rose immediately and
menacingly from the smoke-clad home terraces. This would
be a charmingly monotonous anthem all round the country
for nearly two decades and, following City home and away, it
always produced a frisson of fear to remind you that you still
had to pick your way daintily to the trains afterwards, a feat I
magnificently failed to do at Wolves, Huddersfield and Port
vale with varyingly hilarious consequences.
Maine Road would regularly echo to YGTGYFHKI in the early
80s when City found themselves dumped in the second divi-
sion after a 17 year stint in the top flight and sparse away fol-
lowings would be hemmed in between the vociferous end of
the Kippax and the enthusiastic mob of casuals gathered in
the Platt Lane Stand. How intimidating that must have been,
with only flight through the labyrinthine alleys of Moss Side to
look forward to after the game. I often found myself looking
at the meagre away following of the smaller visiting clubs
(Shrewsbury, Oxford, Cambridge all graced Maine Road be-
tween 84 and 88), and imagined them finding themselves
heavily outnumbered in the face of hostile hosts in the cold
back streets of Rusholme as soon as the game had finished. It
was one thing to see the lanes and alleys and know exactly
which one you needed to get to the chippy, the social club,
the bus stop etc, but another thing altogether to be faced by a
litter-strewn rabbit warren with the voices of the inquisitive
closing in on you from all angles, and not have a clue which
way to go.
Ayersome Park offered much the same sort of experience.
Getting there in the 1983–1984 season to see a second divi-
sion game in the utterly bleak month of February, the place
was barren, surrounded by bleak terraced houses with a back-
drop skyline of bent cranes and cracked smoke stacks. A
handful of half-derelict pubs were serving locals only and a
wind whistled down the grey streets that would have knocked
a fully grown polar bear off its feet. I had travelled across the
Pennines in a train packed with Young Governors, a large
group of Lacoste and Ellesse clad teenagers, who liked to
WE LIVE IN
SANITISED TIMES Words: Simon Curtis, http://www.downthekippaxsteps.blogspot.com
MIDDLESBROUGH 2 CITY 0 – Ayresome Park, Saturday 25th February 1984
I n its last few crumbly years, Ayresome Park represented what was typical of football in the
eighties before the Premier League announced its arrival in a welter of scaffolding poles and
cement dust. It was tired, cramped, cold, wet, out-dated, open to the elements, rust-laden,
falling apart at the seams and switched between an atmosphere of tepid decay, prevalent all
around in those days, and one of straightforward hostility, if and when the occasion warranted it.
31 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
spend their Saturday afternoon’s looking for the rival home
crew for well-dressed stand-offs. Reaching Darlington, my
entire carriage emptied, charging off down the platform to
look for locals to compare tracksuit tops with, leaving the rest
of us with the dilemma, do we go with the young guns and get
in a fight or stay on and get ambushed at Middlesbrough Cen-
tral by the home welcoming party. Safety in numbers and a
certain ruck, or no protection and a probable ambush. Ah, the
joys of it all. I stayed on, aware of my fragile hangover and the
need for a kebab before attempting the 100 metres in 11.4,
but needn’t have worried. On alighting, we were soon aware
of the famous pincer movement, as another big bunch of
Manchester mannequins emerged from further down the train
bellowing “we are the City boys”. Any thoughts of a subtle,
trouble-free melting into enemy territory came to an abrupt
halt. Joining the baying group, we were siphoned into a tunnel
of huge scowling policemen.
Whilst still on the train another edifying moment of 80s cultu-
rama had occurred, when it was discovered that the back end
of this Intercity was carrying Cardiff’s City’s infamous crew on
their way up to an away day tea party in Newcastle. These
boys were seriously into their gear. A massive Welsh guy
would pile through our carriage in a sheer white Tacchini
tracksuit, white trainers with a motley bunch of immaculately-
dressed valley-scallies as accessories. These were truly weird
times. Everyone at the football seemed to be unemployed,
dispossessed, or part of a sacked miners’ support team, yet
these boys wore kit that was not merely expensive, it was
sumptuous. It was the same wherever you went. These lads
were dressed to, if not kill, then seriously maim. City’s hard
nuts were amongst the most feared in the country in the 80s,
split between the wily savagery of the Guvnors and the ener-
getic savagery of the Young Guvnors, and it often gave the
pre-match build up an extra spice to be in their vicinity. 83-84
saw Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle, City, plus the
likes of Leeds, Cardiff; Portsmouth and Huddersfield in the
second division together, each with micro groups of young,
old and casual followings. The Big Four were taking seriously
large numbers to most away games and there was always a
high potential for fighting inside and outside the ground. I was
at Maine Road for the visits of Newcastle and Sheffield
Wednesday during this season and on both occasions we had
more than 40,000 in the ground and a crackling atmosphere
before and after. Another vivid memory of the season was
being at Hillsborough when Newcastle came to town with a
12,000 strong away following. What mayhem there was that
day in Sheffield city centre, mostly caused, I seem to remem-
ber, by the home fans, who at one point were attacking an old
black and white striped Volkswagen camper van and trying to
push the thing onto its side. The fact that it was packed with
some 15 or so rotund Geordies kept it solidly on its axles. Such
was the pre-match merriment in those pre-cabernet sauvi-
gnon days of yore.
Middlesbrough, one-thirty pm. I had arranged to meet up with
Neil, a mate from college, sadly to depart to the big football
ground in the sky a couple of years later, who was a season
ticket Boro fan and had said that we would be able to share a
few pints before the game, and he duly escorted me away
from the bubbling mass of spotty faces waiting for a punch-up
at the station. We found ourselves a watering hole near the
32 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
ground where the modus operandi in a place like Middles-
brough was to avoid talking. Nobody can do a Teesside accent
like the Teessiders can. Although colours were never worn to
away games in the eighties (replica shirt wearing pointy-
hatted carrier bag Happies were still a long way off), I occa-
sionally risked the blue & white bar scarf tucked in under my
jacket at places like Notts County where the away support
would outnumber the home 2:1 and always wore the 80’s uni-
form of a small round metal pin badge of the City crest in the
middle of my Lacoste or Pringle jumper (you see we were all at
it). On this occasion the almost invisibly small pin badge made
me feel hugely conspicuous in what was a real home fans’ den
The equivalent at Maine Road would have been wandering
whistling into the Parkside with a Stoke City badge on your
lapel and an inflatable pink panther, singing Delilah as you
pushed your way to the bar. Trying to look casual with a small
“c”.
The ground itself was a heap in those days. The tin barrel roof
over the main stand looked precarious and the corners were
open. The home end was away to our left – a great, steep ter-
race that looked alarmingly narrow and incredibly close to the
pitch and the far end touchline - and we had been allocated
the far corner terrace, much like Windy Corner at Maine Road
before it, which was laughingly redeveloped into a Meccano
set. There seemed no room to take a corner at the far end, so
close was the terracing to the pitch. I wonder whether this was
a ploy to intimidate visiting players and have the opposite
effect on the Boro players. Often in later years you would see
the likes of Bernie Slaven clambering up those big old fences
at that end to celebrate with the surge of the great unwashed
of Teesside coming down the terrace to meet him.
It was freezing cold on this occasion, an icy wind making more
conspicuous use of the City scarf necessary by this time. I no-
ticed, as the match kicked off, that, bit by bit, the Young Gov-
ernors were beginning to turn up, evident by their lateness and
the bravado with which they greeted each other with tales of
where they had been and who they had engaged. A giant
blond guy with a huge, thick white fisherman’s jumper still
springs to mind, as he clapped his arms around him and ca-
reered around the terrace reuniting himself with the clan. We
could only have had about 2,000 there, on the back of the pre-
vious weekend’s home defeat to Keegan’s Newcastle and ow-
ing to the bad weather and the debilitating cost of away travel
even then. Times were hard and a trip to Boro expensive and
dangerous for the half-committed. In those days, you could
wander around until you had found an agreeable spot, good
spec, reasonable view, bit of cover or at least some shelter
from the biting wind, perhaps near to the most vocal support,
although the whole away section did its bit in those days.
How any of us managed to be even half-committed at times
during this season I will never properly know. We were sudden-
ly down with the dead-men and were already looking unlikely
to pip Chelsea, Wednesday and Newcastle to one of the three
promotion spots on offer. The football was generally poor and
the team was filled with Billy McNeill’s short-term, stopgap,
cheap, Scottish recruits. The likes of Dalziel, Tomie, Parlane,
McNab, Sullivan and McNaught certainly caught the eye and
made it water. How far we had fallen from the recent days of
Tueart and Reeves, Hartford and Watson, Barnes and Owen.
Following City was very much like British life at the time: hard,
rough, uncomfortable, bleak and unrelenting. As the miners’
strike cast a shadow across the North and Midlands, City were
in a season where points would be dropped to the likes of Car-
lisle, Grimsby and Shrewsbury. We were all losing a little hope.
Times were hard indeed.
The match exemplified all of this to a tee. A scrappy wind-
swept affair ruined by the elements’ treatment of our light-
weight players, Kinsey, Tolmie, Lomax, May. The ball went
where it wanted, the crowd groaned its resignation and we
gradually became aware that this was not to be one of those
heart-warming days that make it all worthwhile by teatime.
This would be a day when nothing happened at all, nothing
went in at either end, no crumb of comfort could be gained
from a touch of skill or a daring goal attempt. Nothing at all.
Just over 9,000 watched the game in a ground that had held
nearly 40,000 two season’s earlier. Boro just survived relega-
tion at the end of the season. There would be only 7,000 for
the corresponding fixture the following season (a 2-1 Boro win)
and Boro would be in the 4th division and in administration
within three years. When the gates opened on a freezing, pitch
black Middlesbrough skyline at the end, you just knew you’d
be going again the following week. Shrewsbury at Maine
Road? We’d be there! With the same doubts and grumbles, but
we’d be there.
The result dropped City to 5th; the lowest we’d been all season
and the final three months to May saw us stutter to a final 4th
place finish, well behind the top three. A 5-1 defeat at Fulham
was still to come and crowd trouble at Oldham and in the
home fixture with Chelsea, where the travelling fans gloated
that they were going up at our expense, fillings pockets of the
North Stand as well as a large portion of the away terracing
next to the Platt Lane with their noisy support, helped confirm
the worry that City were a long way short of what was needed
to return to the Big Time. Within 12 months McNeill would
manage just that, however, and dismal trips to Ayersome Park
would be off the menu at last.
33 TOPICAL CITY ISSUE 1
Though, there was a touch of irony that the club
website posted an interview with Tevez in which he
stated his desire to remain at City for the rest of his
contract. It would be a shock to no one if Tevez were
to leave the club in the summer but any move would
be on the clubs terms.
When the club put a strong statement on the official
website stating that Tevez will remain at City, they
provided a signal of the power of the club. In the
modern game, players have the power as they de-
mand such high transfer fees that many clubs can-
not afford to miss out on, such as Edin Dzeko. When
you are a player at the richest club in the world who
pay higher wages than any other club, the situation
is entirely different.
If they so wish, City could keep a player at the club
until the end of his contract and never play him,
such is the size of Sheik Mansour’s personal fortune.
The most likely outcome however, is a summer
move for Tevez to Real Madrid in Spain. Despite
suggestions otherwise, Madrid is closer to Buenos
Aires than Manchester, as a direct flight is available
from Madrid but not from Manchester where at
times three connections can have to be made. This
would still have been a victory for the club, Tevez
helps the team challenge for the title and the Euro-
pa league, and he is not sold to a domestic rival.
Tevez is rewarded for Champions League qualifica-
tion with the move he so desperately wanted.
Comparisons were made with Wayne Rooney’s con-
tract saga but the big difference is that United are a
club in decline and they were desperate to keep
hold of Rooney which forced them to commit to an
extra £28,600,000 worth of wages for the player.
City could force Tevez to remain at the club without
having to fork out any extra cash.
Whilst Tevez’s situation was in limbo, there was
much debate about whether Tevez should remain as
captain. Doubts about Roberto Mancini’s decision to
keep Tevez as captain eroded after the game win-
ning performance against Newcastle on Boxing Day.
The “badge-biting” celebration will return, probably
on February 12th. Credit has to go to Mancini for his
handling of the situation and he has shown in his
year in charge, how the decision to sack Mark
Hughes was an excellent decision which has moved
the club forward. Mancini’s strict control of the play-
ers and insistence on hard work on the training
ground has paid off. His training regime was laugha-
bly accused of causing the players injuries in a scan-
dalous piece of opportunism by a former club em-
ployee and Hughes chum. City has many jealous
enemies, but the club is far more powerful than any
of them.
SPENCER PRIOR
INTERVIEW
S pencer Prior. Twenty years in the English leagues, and spent 2000-2001 with Manchester
City. With the upcoming FA Cup tie between two of Prior’s former clubs, MCFCforum
caught up with Spencer and asked him a few things about his time at the club, and at
Leicester City, amongst other things.
Words: BlueWolf, http://www.mcfcforumcom
THE POWER STRUGGLE
Words: CoulsonTom, http://www.mcfcforum.com
T he announcement of Carlos Tevez’s transfer request shocked many City fans due to the
timing, during a week that the club could have become the league leaders at Christmas.
The fact that Tevez wanted to leave, was not a surprise given the players recent admission
of homesickness.