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


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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


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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


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

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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


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


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


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.


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.


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?


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.


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.


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


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.


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.


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


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.


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.


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


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.


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?


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


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.


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


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.


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?


YAYA TOURE JOKER IN PACK?


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

http://withoutadreaminourhearts.blogspot.com/


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.


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


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


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


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.


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


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.


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.

topical city - issue #1

Documents

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topical city issue

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