Defining Week For City

I said before that this week will be a defining one for Manchester City. So it will prove to be both on and off the pitch. The first part of the week didn’t exactly get off to a good start with the blue side of Merseyside downing the blues of Manchester by two goals, which in all reality could, and probably should, have been much worse.
At the end of this week we entertain Wigan and if a defeat is handed out to us there, or even a draw now then we can really start to kiss goodbye to any hopes we had for Champions League football next season. Don’t get me wrong I still think that City are enjoying a superb season, with the scalp of local rivals United in the derby - twice and the fact that we haven’t been out of the top half all season is something every City fan would have taken with both hands and no questions just seven months ago.
However whether we win, draw or lose Saturday probably the most defining moment of Citys future will actually come on Thursday. City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has announced that he will return to his native Thailand where he expects to be arrested and bailed on corruption charges. Once bailed he will then begin the process of negotiating with the ruling PPP party in order to regain control of the $1400m (US) that was seized and frozen last year. With the PPP thought to be sympathetic of Shinawatra it is expected that the charges against him will eventually be dropped. As any City fan will know he was ousted in a bloodless coup while at a UN meeting in New York. During his entire takeover of City, human rights watch groups were stating that he was a human rights violator of the worst kind.
As an ex Thai cop, he made his fortune when he established the largest mobile phone operator in Thailand before entering politics and was elected Prime Minister in 2001, then won a second term in 2005.
Hopefully if all goes well he will redirect some of that money in Citys direction, in particular for Sven to invest in the squad during the close season.

Interesting 72 hours

Twelve games remain and as you can see from my few previous posts I believe that my beloved Manchester City have a really great chance of getting that fourth Champions League spot. They really would have to be really unlucky big time not to get into Europe at all! Make no mistake this is our best chance of getting into Europe, for many seasons we have relied on a push towards the end of our season to save us from relegation and only then possibly get into Europe (remember the season when we played Middlesboro on the last day only for Fowler to miss a penalty!) Over the course of the next 72 hours it will become a little more clearer how realistic legitimate European football really is for us.
Saturday sees Liverpool at home to Middlesboro and Portsmouth home to Sunderland. Granted neither away side are really lighting up the league but stranger things have happened. Liverpool were less than convincing against Barnsley and really only due to the fact the opposition were down to ten men for a long period did they manage to wear them down and score two goals late on. Middlesboro can certainly come away from Anfield with some points, if not all. Portsmouth against Sunderland is again one that may seem really predictable on paper, maybe it is but certainly am hoping for Roy Keane to be happy come the end of the game.
Sunday pits Blackburn against Bolton and Reading against Aston Villa. Again maybe not to much to hope for with these as Bolton may be exhausted from the European game midweek and Reading couldn’t beat a drum this season! That is why Monday is key for us.
Monday of course City at home to Everton. This has to give us hope for a number of reasons. 1) We are at home, which really has been a fortress for us, considering last years home form anything from the tenth home game has been an improvement! 2) Everton just played in Europe and we can hope are tired and 3) They have none of our ex strikers playing for them!
So in conclusion worst case scenario sees City lose and the others win and puts City a full 6 pts out of Champions League position and 3pts behind UEFA positions (with Liverpool still with a game in hand). That certainly would be way too much for City to claw back, not because I do not think we will win enough points but because I do not think that the two Merseyside teams (and Villa) will drop enough! However a win for us coupled with defeats or draws for the other games suddenly sees us tied on points with Everton and two or three above the chasing pack. Certainly a much healthier position.

Most Improved Teams In The Prem

So it is pretty clear that City are enjoying a better season this time around but just who are the most improved from last season and which teams are worse? West Ham have 17 pts more than they did at this point last season and maybe surprisingly Arsenal are also up there with 14 points more. City also have 14 points more than they had last season at this point (though they also are the only team to currently have more points than they got all of last season). The other improved teams are Villa (+12), Everton (+8) and Blackburn (+5). On the other side of the table there are a lot of teams with worse points totals than this point last season, the worse being Bolton (-22) and Reading (-21). Other negatives are Fulham (-13) with Newcastle and Man Utd both off by 8pts from last year.

European Places Run In

With Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea pretty much certain to finish in the top 3 I thought it would be interesting to look at the next five teams below that trio to see who will take the fourth Champions League places, who will take the UEFA places and who will end up with nothing.

EVERTON: Currently they are in 4th place with 47 points. Although they are currently in the Champions League driving seat they do have, at least on paper one of the toughest run ins. The UEFA competition they are currently in could be more of a burden the further they get as one eye becomes focused on a European trophy. Also they play Euro place rivals Manchester City at Eastlands, Liverpool at Anfield and Arsenal at the Emirates. Home games also see them play Portsmouth, Chelsea and Villa. I can see them getting 14 points from their remaining games leaving them on 61pts.

LIVERPOOL: Currently 5th, a game in hand on 44pts. Knocked out of the FA Cup and consistently not performing to ‘their’ level I see the game in hand not helping them much at all. Champions League is now their only chance of silverware this season and so I am sure Benitez will rotate his squad many times before the season ends. Their toughest games will come at Arsenal and Man Utd and I really do not see them taking points at either. Everton will certainly be up for the Merseyside derby as they try to end higher than their local rivals and City and Blackburn will both look to take points from them as they look to a strong finish. 16pts from their run in will see them end with 60pts and below Everton.

ASTON VILLA: 6th on 44 pts and below Liverpool on goal difference only. No outside distractions for Villa. Out of the FA Cup, no European games and not in the League cup final means they have clear focus on the run in. Having said that they have to play Arsenal and Utd away, as well as playing in a midlands derby. However Martin O’Neills side are in the best position to make a good run at the Champions League spot. 17 points from their final games sees them also on 61pts but just below Everton on goal difference.

MANCHESTER CITY: 7th on 44 pts with the worst goal difference of them all. Like Villa, City have no distractions during the run in and will be boosted by the derby double this season. Unlike Villa though four of their five key games are at Eastlands, which has been a fortress this season. 18 pts from the remaining games will see City end on 62pts, knocking Everton into UEFA place and Liverpool out of Europe places totally.

PORTSMOUTH: 41pts and a real chance of getting to the FA Cup final at Wembley will see Portsmouth really suffer in their run in. Though they do not have to play any of the ‘Big 4’ they do have to go away to Everton and City as well as host Villa and Blackburn. I only can see them getting 14 pts from the remaining games leaving them 55pts and out of Euro contention, though they could qualify still through the FA Cup.

10th February 2008

February 10th 2008 will be a date that will be remembered in City history for a long time to come. After being outclassed by Arsenal the week before and the ‘Balloon-gate’ incident that saw City crash out of the FA Cup it was no surprise to hear a few City fans thinking that the fantastic start we had at the beginning of the season would now slide into another middle of the table finish.
The build up to the Manchester derby was greater than normal as it would also coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Munich air crash in which some of the famous ‘Busby Babes’ had their lives, and talent cut short. Mainstream media was awash with pre judging and finger pointing, claiming that ’City’ fans would ruin the tributes scheduled.
Fast forward to the day and City roll out in special one off sky blue shirts missing all sponsors names, likewise for Utd (though theirs were red). City were off to a great start when all the fans (including some 3000 City fans) kept quiet and respected the silence without fault. From there on I believe some anti City (or maybe more correct to call them Pro Utd!) knew it wouldn’t be their day. City started by absorbing all the pressure Utd put on them. This was something they failed t do against Arsenal and it cost us dear that day. Derby day though was different and it was to get better as Ireland was fed through onto goal. Van Der Sar saved and even got to Vassells shot as he latched onto the rebound, however he was helpless to do anything about Vassell getting onto the second rebound, with Utd defenders seemingly in slow motion City fans saw the net bulge and we were 1-0 up. Later that half it would get better as new signing Benjani scored with one of his dreadlocks. City were 2-0 up and deep in enemy territory! United pulled one back deep into stoppage time at the end of the game but in reality it didn’t sour the victory at all for the City faithful.
The defeat of Utd was their first on home soil this season, it was a defeat on ‘their’ day. It was the first time we had beaten them at Old Trafford since 1974 and with the victory at Eastlands it was also the first time City had done the double since 1970! Also as a bonus, us City fans could possibly look back on this day as the day United dropped out of the title race.

Arsenal game.

Arsenal do play flowing football but to be to be fair their first goal was deflected away from Hart (though this time it was on target). The second goal had a hint of offside about it and for all their dominance they only went in at half-time up by one goal. Second half Vassell, who wasn't offside and then didn't chase the ball, was flagged offside as Petrov chased the ball and was in. Now had that been allowed to play out it could have been 2-2 and who knows where we would go from there. However it wasn't to be and we have to deal with the fact that again we were not good enough up front and struggled to compete in midfield. That put extra pressure on our defensive players and maybe made them look worse than they are. For me I would have liked the first substitution to have been Hamann off for Vassell. I think Sturridge holding up the ball and feeding Vass, or vice versa would have been interesting.

Benjani on then off now.........?

Last night at around 2am Manchester City announced that their deal to secure the services of Portsmouth striker, Benjani had fallen through due to the fact paperwork had not been submitted in time. This morning I wake up to find that Portsmouth have contacted the Premier League to see whether Benjani's move to Manchester City can still go ahead.
The south coast club claim they went ahead with the purchase of Jermain Defoe from Spurs after City told them their forms for Benjani had been faxed to the FA.
After the Defoe deal had been confirmed City spokesman said that their transfer of Benjani had collapsed due to the late arrival of the player in Manchester.
The Premier League is now examining the timeline of the paperwork
Harry Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, revealed the club had received a call from City five minutes before the transfer window closed stating that they had completed the paperwork and so got the go ahead for the Defoe deal to go through.
But later, after completing the Defoe deal, Portsmouth were then informed by the Premier League and told that they had not received all the documents to complete the Benjani deal.
This potentially leaves Portsmouth in a financial bind as they were banking on the reported 7million City had agreed to pay for Benjani to balance the books.

Mancini Trial

Sven Goran Excellent has again used his friendships within the game and as a result Manchester City have handed a two week trial to Filippo Mancini, the son of Inter boss Roberto.City boss Sven Goran Eriksson and Mancini senior are close friends following their time together as player and manager at both Sampdoria and Lazio and arranged for the youngster to move to City.Regarded as one for the future, Mancini will train with the club's Academy stars during his stay in England. This has to be seen as a good thing and an indication that Sven is looking to the future but I myself, and I am sure many other City fans, are more interested in who will come in now who is ready to jump into the first team and can score goals.

Bad Signs Bojinov

Fears have been raised regarding the comeback date of summer signing Valeri Bojinov. The Man City striker could miss the rest of the season even though he has returned to training. The Bulgarian has been out of action since the derby win over Manchester United in August after suffering ligament damage. Bojinov recently started 'light' training but assistant boss Hans Backe has admitted: "Valeri had his first session on Wednesday and I don't know if I am being a little pessimistic or not but with the kind of injury he has had I am inclined to think that he will not be fully fit until the summer." Backe was quoted in the Manchester Evening News as saying: "If we are lucky he may be ready more quickly but we don't want to push it and experience says that with that kind of injury it takes some months to come back to games even after returning to training."This on the back of Bianchi heading to Lazio, the lack of quality firepower in the squad and inactivity (so far) in the transfer market means that once again us City fans are left wondering where the season will go from here.

Samaras Offski...In Comes Podolski!!

After what seems like an age of speculation it now seems like the 'Weak Greek' is off to Brum! Personally I think it is a good step for all parties involved. Samaras came to City with potential but after a good start his performance nose dived. It will be good for us to offload him, it will give him a chance to start over with a clean sheet and gives Brum a potential investment. 2.5 million is a great price for a Premiership striker, if Sam can deliver like he did when he first came to CoMS.
Also after news that Sven invited Podolski's representatives to the game on Sunday it was only going to be a matter of time before this rumor got fresh momentum with a loan deal until the end of the season looking the option to suit both clubs.

West Ham (H) 01/20/08

We were lucky on Sunday as we got a point for playing really quite badly. However West Ham were not that good either. Maybe its just because both managers got the other one worked out? Playing each other three times in two weeks can do that. Also we have injuries and guys playing out of position so it is clear we are still a work in progress. We definatly have to improve if we do not want this season to fizzle into no decent end product. However on the plus side it is always said that the sign of a good team is when they do not perform well they still can pick up points.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I did some research and got some figures from previous seasons. I know that whatever happens in the future cannot be determined by math equations, but for fun (and maybe some reassurance), I decided to post the results. At this point in the calendar in the three seasons we qualified for Europe through the league we had 13, 9 and 14 wins (in 72, 76 and 78 respectively). Keep in mind that 3 games more were played at that in ‘72 and ‘78 so we are pretty much on course to end in Europe places. We currently have 42% of our games left to play this season, a figure we also had left at this point in the 03/04, 04/05 and 05/06 season. After this point in 03/04 we got 44% of our points for that season and 46% in 04/05 (which if put onto this seasons current tally would see us end on 72pts, not to shabby!) However in 05/06 we only got 28% of our total points in the final period, would have us end with 54pts. That would probably give us a 9th position and obviously out of European place. I prefer to for arguments sake to think we will get 42% of our points in the run in. That would give us 67 pts and very much in UEFA cup position and maybe even Champions League. I suddenly feel like John Snow now, but anyway that equates to us getting 28pts in our remaining 16 games. So I did more looking and this is what I can see happening in the run in, WINS (West H (H), Wigan (H), Spurs (H), Brum (A), Sunderland (A), Portsmouth (H), Fulham (H), Boro (A). DRAWS (4) Derby (A), Everton (H), Reading (A) and Chelsea (H). Now this is all for fun and like I said things can happen in football that are unexpected, its why we watch every week but I would be interested in your comments and opinions (other than I need to get out more, I know it and I am trying)

Munich Air Crash.

The 50th anniversary of the Munich plane crash is coming up and both City and United are to mark the incident four days later when they both meet in the league. I am a City fan and my blood runs as blue as any other City fan. I hate United and enjoy the taunting songs we have for both their team and players, but I do not like nor participate in the Munich songs. I'll admit that I didn't know a great deal about the whole night and with this in mind I felt I should do some research into who were involved that night. As many Manchester reporters died that night as United players. I couldn’t find information about all of them but here is what I did find:
Players:
Duncan Edwards (21) 18 England caps, 5 goals. Recommended to Busby by Joe Mercer! Youngest post war England debutant until Owen broke that 43 years later(since broken by Rooney then Walcott). He suffered multiple leg fractures and severely damaged kidneys. Doctors gave him an artificial kidney but this reduced his bloods ability to clot and he began to bleed internally. Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Died 15 days after the crash
Roger Bryne (28) Captain. Manchester born and won 33 caps for England. Mark Jones (24) England schoolboy international. Tommy Taylor (26) 19 England caps, 16 goals. Also played for Barnsley Eddie Coleman (21) Player. Liam Whelan (22) R.O.I. 4 caps. David Pegg (22) 1 England cap. Geoff Bent (25) Player.
Staff:
Walter Crickmer Club secretary. Bert Whalley Chief coach, youth development Tom Curry Trainer Played for Utd and Newcastle
Media:
Alf Clarke Journalist, Manchester Evening Chronicle. Don Davis Journalist, Manchester Guardian. George Follows Journalist, Daily Herald. Tom Jackson Journalist, Manchester Evening News. Archie Ledbrooke Journalist, Daily Mirror. Henry Rose Journalist Daily Express. Eric Thompson Journalist, Daily Mail
Frank Swift Journalist, News of the World (City player) 376 games for City from 1933-49 and 33 England caps (14 coming during war time). Named in the Football League 100 Legends in 1998 celebrating 100 seasons of league football in England (Alongside Meredith, Bell and Trautmann)
Others:
Cpt Kenneth Rayment, Co-pilot. Survived the crash but suffered multiple injuries and died three weeks later as a result of brain damage.
Bela Miklos, Travel agent. Willie Satinoff, Supporter. Tom Cable, Steward

Survived:
Players:
Bill Foulkes (26) Only played for Utd and only once for England. He has managed Witney Town, Chicago Sting, Tulsa Roughnecks, San Jose Earthquakes, I.L Bryn, Steinkjer FK, Lillestrom S.K, Viking Stavanger and F.C. Mazda.
Harry Gregg (24) went back into wreckage to rescue passengers.
Johnny Berry (31) Never played again. Played for Birmingham and Man Utd. Got four England caps. Suffered a fractured skull. When he woke up he was totally unaware of the plane crash. Died in 1994.
Jackie Blanchflower (24) Never played again. 12 Northern Irish caps. Suffered fractured pelvis and crushed kidneys. Died of cancer aged 65 in 1998.
Bobby Charlton (20) Scored twice the night before.
World Cup winner. Played for Utd, Preston and Waterford. Managed Preston (player manager) and Waterford (caretaker). Knighted in 1994.
Ken Morgans (18) Never recovered his form after Munich Went on to play for Swansea and Newport Co.
Albert Scanlon (22) Suffered terrible head injuries, recovered and played well for several years at Utd, Newcastle, Lincoln and Mansfield. Was about to sign for Arsenal before the crash but that move was cancelled.
Dennis Viollet (24) Striker 59-60 scored 32 goals. Played for Utd and Stoke. Got just the 2 caps for England. Came out of retirement to join NASL team Baltimore Bays. Then he returned to Britain to play for Witton Albion then Linfield. Went on to coach Preston and briefly Crewe in 1971. Moved to Florida to coach Jacksonville University Dolphins, then onto Richmond Kickers in the USISL before returning to Jacksonville to coach A-league side Jacksonville Cyclones. Died in 1999 age 65 from cancer in Florida.
He was inducted into the USL Hall of Fame in 2002 and now the annual University of North Florida/Jacksonville Uni soccer match has been contested for the Viollet cup since 1991.
Ray Wood (26) Suffered terrible head injuries and rarely played again. Played for Darlington, Utd, Huddersfield, Bradford and Barnsley before managing APOEL FC in 1971. Finished his career with 3 England caps. Has managed teams in the following countries: USA, Ireland, Zambia, Canada, Greece, Kenya, Kuwait, UAE. Also coached Cyprus and Kenyan national teams and NASL team LA Wolves. Died in 2002 aged 71.
Utd Staff:
Matt Busby (manager) read his last rites twice
Media and Others:
Frank Taylor Journalist Died in 2002
Peter Howard Photographer Died 1996
Ted Ellyard Photographer
Vera Lukic and baby- passengers rescued by Harry Gregg
Mrs Miklos Wife of travel agent
Mr Tomas Vic - passenger
James Thain - Captain. Blamed by German authorities for crash. Died 1975.
Rosmary Cheverton - Stewardess
Margaret Bellis - Stewardess
George Rodgers - radio officer


An interesting fact is that back in the airport terminal for barely ten minutes then the call to reconvene on the plane came and a number of passengers began to feel nervous. Charlton and team-mate Dennis Viollet swapped places with Tommy Taylor and David Pegg, who had decided they would be safer at the back of the plane. This would prove a fatal decision for Taylor and Pegg.
So with this in mind, City fans remember Frank Swift but also members of the Manchester and national media as well as the people staffing the flight and players that we never got to see fulfill their role for England.