Things could get ugly...

The twenty-four hours since news broke that Joey Barton had handed in a written transfer request do not appear to have brought the two sides any closer to resolving the issue.

Firstly, Barton's agent Willie McKay spoke this morning and indicated that the decision was not down to money (or at least was no longer about it) but hinted at a lack of ambition from the club, and appearing to close the door on any reconciliation, saying:

"It's not just about money but where the club wants to go and where Joey wants to go.
Joey had a conversation with Stuart Pearce and he said he was disappointed with the offer of his contract. Speaking to Joey (on Monday), if Manchester City came up with much more than we asked at first I don't think he will sign it. That's just the way he is now".

Several newspapers this morning were openly critical of Barton's decision, especially in the wake of the way the club had stood by him over his off-field incidents and reported that the club claimed the improved contract offer would make him the second highest paid player at the club, contrary to McKay suggesting that clubs take players who came through the ranks 'for granted' when it came to contract offers.

In the last couple of hours it has emerged that City rejected a verbal offer made by Middlesbrough, and more speculative reports linked Barton with both United and Arsenal with Stuart Pearce determined to keep Barton at the club, commenting:

"The bottom line is the decision stops with me. If I say Joey is not going anywhere, he doesn't go anywhere, whether there is a third party involved or not.
It is not as if a deal can be done and without us knowing about it."

So, as the transfer window begins to close, it appears that although Barton will not be moving anywhere, there appears little common ground for the clubs to work on between now and the summer when the club will be under pressure to sell Barton before he enters the last year of his contract and his value diminishes.

Events over the last twenty-four hours do not appear to have swayed Pearce over whether to include Barton in the line-up for tomorrows game at home to Newcastle, but it will surely be a massive distraction if Barton plays, given the level of feeling this has generated already, and Pearce would be well advise to tell Barton to steer clear for this game at the very least.

Barton transfer request rejected.

Joey Barton's written transfer request earlier today has been swiftly rejected by the club, who released the following statement:

"The manager has publicly stated his desire to keep the player at Manchester City. A second round of negotiations between the club and the player's representatives took place on Monday and Manchester City wishes to continue those talks."

Although it was common knowledge that Barton had turned down the clubs first offer recently, it is still a suprising move by Barton, especially in the wake of speculation that suggested he turned down a move recently to Middlesbrough.

If a second round of negotiations had indeed failed, it appears the club were still intent on talking to Barton and his representatives before the end of the season so the timing of Barton's request is puzzling to say the least with little over twenty-four hours remaining until the transfer window closes until the summer, leaving no time for any move to go through. It was hardly as if last ditch talks had broken down without any hope for the future.

I can understand Barton wanting a much improved contract as his level of play over the past season and a half has merited it, a period which has also seen him straighten out his off field antics which blighted his career so far. The flip side of that though is a loyalty which he certainly owes both Stuart Pearce and the club itself for the way they stood by him through some troubled times.

As far as we know the reason for the request is solely down to money and the club are well within their rights (and right to do so) to reject the request given the fact that he is under contract to the club and were looking to extend his current deal, in line with signing up some top young talent to build for the future so it is unlikely the club will fail to put up a fight.

The difficulty now though is as we all know too well in football these days, you cannot keep an unhappy player at a club no matter how good your intentions are. It remains to be seen what effect this will have on the team as Barton is perhaps the most integral part of the midfield at the moment rather than an unhappy player only on the fringes of the side.

It will go one of two ways now. Either there will be some compromise deal between the player and club on his contract and the request will be withdrawn, or it could become an ugly stalemate where the club will have no option but to sell in the summer, where presumably there will be no shortage of takers for his services. I'm of the opinion that it will be resolved and he will remain at the club, but you have to wonder what damage Barton's hasty and ill-timed request may have done in the long term.

FA Cup 5th Round Draw.

Following Saturday's 1-0 victory over Wigan, City have landed an away tie at Aston Villa in round five.
Although it is an away tie, I don't think we can complain too much at the draw as our record over the years is quite good against them.
Looking at the rest of the draw, the potential for a decent quarter-final draw also looks favourable should we go through.

Full 5th round draw:

Preston/Crystal Palace v Coventry/Middlesbrough
Newcastle v Southampton
Aston Villa v Manchester City
Everton/Chelsea v Colchester
Charlton v Brentford
Liverpool v Manchester United
Bolton v West Ham
Stoke v Reading/Birmingham

Samaras signs.

MCFC.co.uk has announced that the transfer of Georgios Samaras has all but been completed, with both a fee and personal terms being agreed with his club Heerenveen, and the player himself. The player is due in Manchester tomorrow to complete his medical

The fee is reported as £6 million and a significant increase on what we were believed to have first offered (around £3.8 million) but still some way short of Heerenveen's initial valuation. This seems to suggest that the decision to allow Robbie Fowler to leave may not have simply been football related. If the Samaras deal was dependent on an increased offer, then a saving of five months of Fowlers wages would have financed that and makes perfect sense considering we gain a striker who is likely to feature prominently and released a striker who in truth would be unlikely to have had much playing time between now and the end of the season.

It is a gamble by Pearce to spend that amount on a relatively untried talent (parallels to Matias Vuoso?) but Pearce appears to be very thorough in his transfer dealings and won't have made this decision lightly. Samaras is only 20, yet comes with a glowing reference from his old club

The following link is not the best quality but shows Samaras scoring for Heerenveen.

Samaras 'on strike'.

After losing his arbitration hearing earlier this week, Heerenveen striker Giorgios Samaras is reported as having failed to turn up for training today and will not feature this weekend against RBC Roosendaal.

His arbitration hearing was an attempt to prove that Heerenveen were demanding an unreasonable fee for him and that he could earn substantially more in England than in Holland. Having the hearing rejected, the possibility of him leaving Heerenveen lies in the clubs hands, basically if a club matches their valuation of him.

So far, City are the only club to have tabled a firm bid but appear to be some way short of their valuation. History shows though that it is rare that an unhappy player remains at a club for too long and it maybe that Heerenveen now draw out this saga for as long as possible to squeeze the largest possible transfer fee for him.

With the Fowler move earlier today, it remains to be seen whether City will now up their offer or try or bide their time until the summer - with the risk of other clubs bidding for him.

Fowler returns home.

Not exactly breaking news now I guess but it is still a shock that Robbie Fowler has moved back to Liverpool. With a bit more time over the weekend I'll try and post something a bit more in depth about Fowler's time at City but for now, here is how it will affect City, Liverpool and Fowler himself:

For City: As many on the message boards have pointed out, it leaves us woefully short up front unless the Samaras deal can go through at the eleventh hour. Ironic that a lot of the posts criticise the move, yet the majority opinion seemed to be to get rid of Fowler throughout his time at the club.
It does leave us worryingly short and the most disappointing aspect of the move is that there doesn't appear to have been a fee involved as although it is technically a loan move, we have basically given him away on a free.
However, did Stuart Pearce really have a choice? Technically yes as he is under contract until the end of the season but as Pearce said, could he really have stood in his way and denied him a move.

For Liverpool: They get another option up front until the end of the season, and should easily be able to absorb his wages (even if they are around the £35,000 a week he was supposedly on at City). Clearly, he is not the Robbie Fowler of his first spell at Anfield but he will bring a different option to the strikers they currently have and will be motivated to succeed.

For Robbie Fowler: A return home to the club he admittedly never wanted to leave in the first place. He will potentially play more games there than he would have done at City. Undoubtedly, he will also be motivated to earn a further contract from Liverpool. If not, I'm sure he will gladly hang up his boots at the end of the season having finished his career at Anfield.

Is there anybody out there?

Whilst it is still possible that the Giorgos Samaras transfer may still happen and despite Stuart Pearce stating he hopes to bring a further three or four players in over the next week, it is possible that the transfer window may come and go without any further additions to the squad, although it is apparant that areas of the team and squad need strengthening.

One thing worth thinking about though amidst the clamour for the likes of a Steed Malbranque being brought in is (since the transfer window was introduced) how many big name and big money deals have been made in January over the past couple of seasons? The majority of moves that are made during this transfer window are generally for sides either in relegation trouble seeking to avoid dropping out of the Premier League, or by an ambitious Championship (or other league) side gunning for promotion or the playoffs.

The big name and big money moves are saved for the summer, where clubs are more likely to sell in the off-season as they look to rebuild and where a number of players are beginning to enter the last year of their contracts.

Looking at the list of players who have moved so far, who could you honestly say would is an improvement on the current side?
As the list is quite extensive, I've listed below some of the more prominent moves so far:

Dean Ashton [Norwich - West Ham] £7.25m
Theo Walcott [Southampton - Arsenal] £5m
Alan Stubbs [Sunderland - Everton] Free
Marcus Bent [Everton - Charlton] £2m
Vasiriki Abou Diaby [Auxerre - Arsenal] Undisclosed
Emmanuel Adebayor [Monaco - Arsenal] Undisclosed
Benjani Mwaruwari [Auxerre - Portsmouth] £4.1m
Pedro Mendes [Tottenham - Portsmouth] Undisclosed
Noe Pamarot [Tottenham - Portsmouth] Undisclosed
Sean Davis [Tottenham - Portsmouth] Undisclosed
Dan Agger [Brondby - Liverpool] Undisclosed
Chris Sutton [Celtic - Birmingham] Free

Whilst I think Ashton would be a useful addition to our forward line, a cost of £7.2 million is clearly not good business and I wouldn't consider paying more than half that amount for him.
Marcus Bent? Over-priced even at £2 million and wouldn't add anything to the side.
Walcott is a complete non-starter, as are Diaby and Adebayor if Arsenal have made a move to sign them.
Sutton may have been a useful pick-up, but he is only signed through to the end of the season and rumoured to be on £40,000 per week so again, not good business.
I don't know anything about Mwaruwari, apart from making an inauspicious debut before departing to the African Nations and seems to be a case of Harry Redknapp splashing out an inflated fee for an unproven striker (although the same could be said of Pearce's attempt to sign Samaras).
Pamarot, Mendes, Flitcroft, Stubbs? I don't think so.

From the list, the only other player that I think would be a good signing was Sean Davis, but assuming Barton has one of the central midfield roles I wonder if he would offer much more than Reyna or Sinclair, but agree he would add depth to an area we are light in.

Whilst Pearce has undoubtedly been working to bring reinforcements into the club, perhaps the only realistic signings are likely to be short-term loans or younger, more long term signings such as Southampton's Matthew Mills (who we have been linked to) and that in reality, the big name, impact players simply aren't available.

A crucial time for SWP.

It was reported in some newspapers and websites over the weekend that Liverpool were preparing to make a bid to loan the services of SWP from Chelsea for the remainder of the season.

It was cited as likely due to the fact that Jose Mourinho had recently stated he would not stand in the way of any unhappy player who wanted to leave (not that SWP has stated he is unsettled) and team mate Wayne Bridge moved on loan to Fulham last week, undoubtedly with the aim of safeguarding his England World Cup squad place.

A World Cup squad place is something that SWP himself must now be sweating on, given his less than illustrious start to this Chelsea career. Hark back to last season when he was the hero of the City crowd and earned plaudits left, right and centre. He broke into (and impressed in) the England side, and raised debate as to whether he should replace David Beckham on the right-hand side of Englands midfield.

Fast forward to the start of 2006 though and SWP is very much a peripheral figure in the current Chelsea side, seemingly behind Robben, Cole and Duff for a place in the side and so far has started only nine games (with a further sixteen substitute appearances), often being withdrawn after failing to make an impact on the game. To me this then translates into him trying too hard to impress and his performances have been very nervy looking without him playing with the freedom and confidence of last season and has struggled to fit into a more rigid 4-4-2 formation and system that Chelsea play.

However, it may not all be negative for SWP. Chelsea are now entering a crucial part of the season with games coming thick and fast with the resumption of the Champions League on top of FA Cup and league action. It is likely that he will feature more prominently for Chelsea between now and the end of the season.
It is also easy to forget that he it must take time for him to settle in a new environment and he has come into a squad which swept all before them last season. Take a look at Joe Cole, who struggled initially under Mourinho but is now a focal point of the side and has nailed down an England place as well.

As he offers something different to other potential England candidates I still think he will make the World Cup squad despite how the rest of the season pans out, but there is still plenty of time in the season left for someone like a Stuart Downing (or heaven forbid Kieran Richardson) to snatch a place ahead of him.

All in all though, it could be a crucial few months for SWP between now and the end of the season.

Barton speculation.

I've not seen this in any other newspaper or from any of my usual sources, but tucked away on page 69 of The Sunday Mirror yesterday was the following item (sorry, no link):

"Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton has rejected a £4.5 million move to Premiership strugglers Middlesbrough. Barton 23 was given permission to speak to the Teesside club following prolonged negotiations between the two clubs more than a week ago.
But the reformed midfielder, who turned to Tony Adams's Sprting Chance Clinic to clean up his act after he faced the sack over a series of unsavoury bust-ups, is likely to to be rewarded with a new contract for remaining loyal to City."

There has been no word from either City, Barton or Middlesbrough regarding any truth in this but if it is true to is certainly alarming. I don't think for one moment that Barton would be keen for a move to Boro, but what are the club thinking of to potentially allow arguably our most improved player of the season (and certainly most influential) to leave months after sanctioning the sale of SWP?

Coupled with the lack of transfer activity into the club and reports that the Giorgis Samaras bid could be hijacked by Everton, it lends some weight to the suspicion that there is nowhere the rumoured £10 million transfer kitty Pearce is alledged to have - if there is any available at all.

Bolton 2 City 0.

Back down to earth then. Following the highs of last weekend to the disappointment over yesterdays performance against Bolton.

I don't think I could sum up the game (or indeed current form) any better than Stuart Pearce in his post-match interview, commenting "the effort put in by the side was very good...I think, at the moment though, we need to get a little bit of consistency where we are not giving away goals to teams".

Boltons opening goal for me started when Jordan inexplicably allowed the less than nimble Kevin Davies to turn and leave him for dead out on the right before cutting the ball back into the penalty box. A nice back heel from Nolan left the defence static and allowed Borgetti to scramble home.

City preceeded to allow a couple of long range shots soon after, with one being superbly saved by James before we gifted a second goal just before the break which effectively ended the game. It appeared that Richard Dunne was in two minds as to whether to control the ball or clear it first time, resulted in the ball hitting him and setting Nolan up with a gift to make it 2-0.

In the second half I thought Riera and Sinclair were brought far more into the game, but there were too many balls being hit in hope than to a specific target - something which Bolton did very well I thought. As the game went on, we were being reduced to long range shots which barely troubled Jaskelinen.

One apsect which did puzzle me was the tactical changes Pearce made. Sibierski for Riera, and later Croft for Vassell. At the time Riera looked to be the most dangerous outlet for creating anything and why take off Vassell with less than ten minutes remaining and your side 2-0 down?

On the whole, it was a scrappy game with very few clear cut chances being created. With Bolton missing several players through African Nations cup duty, I did fancy us to get something on the back of last weeks Derby result. We defended solidly on the whole but if you gift a side two chances like that then you are going to get punished. No disputing Barton worked hard, but he lost out in the battle with Kevin Nolan, whilst Stephen Ireland had his worst game for me with some awful distribution (he wasn't the only culprit though to be fair).

A big week now ahead both on and off the pitch with Pearce hopefully reinforcing the squad with the signing of Samaras and a dominant, imposing central midfielder as the deadline approaches, before culminating in the FA Cup 4th round game at home to Wigan, who despite suffering injuries and additional cup games of late show no signs of dropping off from the levels they have shown so far this season.

Match reports:
BBC sport
MCFC homepage
Sky Sports
The Observer

Reyna signs, Barton to follow?

They may not be new signings being paraded but the club announced today that Claudio Reyna had signed a one year extension to his current contract, and were hoping to begin negotiations on extending Joey Barton's current deal in the next week or so.

Barton currently has eighteen months remaining on his deal, but both the club and player are believed to be keen on striking a deal which would reward his superb form this season and the also the way he has recovered from the personal setbacks he has experienced over the last year. Reyna meanwhile announced he was pleased to have signed on for another year as the club is clearly 'moving in the right direction'. Until his recent injury he was displaying some of his best form since his arrival and I think a further one year deal is more than beneficial to the club and player alike.

Samaras deal stalls.

The prospects of signing Giorgis Samaras have taken a step backwards today after it appeared that a day or so ago it was all but a done deal. His current side Heerenveen appear to be in no rush to sell him and have announced it would be in his best interests for Samaras top remain at the club until the summer at least.

After selling Klaus-Jan Huntelaar to Ajax at the start of the transfer window, Heerenveen may be in no rush to sell either from a financial and team perspective, but my guess is that it is a late tactic to try and force City to up their bid for the player or alert other interested teams to the situation and his availability.

The club, constantly throughout this situation, have again maintained a discrenable silence over the speculation and it is unlikely any confirmation either way will be forthcoming until the signing goes through or the deal is dead in the water.

Fowlers future.

There have been contrasting reports today regarding the future of strike Robbie Fowler, with The Sun, Clubcall and Evening Times suggesting Fowler will be offered a take it or leave it 50% pay cut if he wants a new contract, yet TeamTalk and Sporting Life state the club have yet to decide on whether a new deal will be offered, preferring to wait until nearer the end of the season.

The club clearly have the upper hand at the moment as despite rumours that have circulated (mainly about a loan move) there has presumably been no firm interest in Fowler either to buy him from City or offer a contract to him for his signature at the end of his current deal. However, (and this is a big 'if') if Fowler does become a more permanent fixture for the remainder of the season and posts a decent return of goals then it will serve to strengthen his position in negotiations. Pearce will probably already have a strong idea whether he wants to bring Fowler back after this season, and I expect an announcement on his future will be made by the end of March at the latest.

Silly season.

I think this one must rank as the craziest rumour I have seen during the transfer window.
Surely not?

A done deal?

Despite no official announcement as yet, it appears that we are extremely close to confirming the signing of Georgis Samaras, the Greek striker currently at Dutch side Heerenveen. The M.E.N. Sport front page suggested it was a done deal and both Heerenveen and the the players father stated a deal was virtually agreed, for a fee believed to be £4.8 million.
Arsenal had also rumoured to be interested in Samaras before they signed Emmanuele Adebayor (also linked with City) earlier this week.

Although the club remain silent it does seem as if Samaras is headed to City and Pearce's tactic of keeping deals quiet seems to have paid off as Samaras does come with a good reputation and made his intentions to quit the Dutch side by the summer very clear.

Still, the fee is sizeable for a player who is still largely unproven (he has a record of seven goals in fifteen starts this season). It is also the first meaningful fee Pearce has sanctioned and of course the first chunk of the SWP 'exaggerated transfer fee' that we received, which, as I have written before will be the ultimate judge of whether the transfer was a mistake or not. A striker is one of the areas we do need strengthening and it may also now allow Bradley Wright-Phillips to go out on loan to a Championship side to get some meaningful action behind him rather than the ten minute cameos he is currently restricted to.

Derby day pics.

Click the following link for some great pictures from Saturday's derby victory by a photographer called Richard Tucker.
I've also added his homepage to my City links as he has quite a comprehensive section on City past and present. Definitely worth taking a look.

Pride of Manchester 3 - 1 Rags

This is how it feels to be city..............

Got to say, I was remarkably relaxed going into today’s derby, sure there is always the potential for a beating (for both sides) but the Rags are just not the force they where. Its not just a case of Chelsea raising the bar, United have gone backwards and the fear factor they once half over teams has evaporated.

The game itself, as always with derby’s, is a bit of a blur mainly due to alcohol but also the pace and atmosphere. United had quite a bit of the ball early on but didn’t really threaten , Fake Ronaldo’s frequent runs directly across the park after getting no change from Jordan probably highlight this the best. Credit Rooney for his efforts he kept probing and running but to no effect, god knows where he gets the energy from to try and referee the game as well.

City came into it after about 25mins first through Sinclair then Vassell getting behind the suspect united defence. Both providing quality finishes.

After the break United came out the stronger but again didn’t threaten, until Fake Ronaldo’s wild kick at Cole earned him a straight red, funnily enough it was the only decision he didn’t dispute all day as he minced off.

Van Nistelrooy then pulled one back to give us a nervous 10/15 minute spell before Robbie Fowler lumbered off the bench to do what he enjoys the most , winding up the rags and making it 3-1. Game Over.

Got to give credit to all the City players out there, hard really to pick a man of the match but if pushed I would go for Trevor Sinclair, could be with real irony That SWP’s departure to Chelsea may have opened the door for Tricky Trev to have one last international hurrah in Germany, his form since switching back to the right has been excellent.

As for the Rags, more whingeing, bleating and cheating than you would believe possible from 11 men. Every decision from Steve Bennett questioned normally by a baying crowd of 4/5 players. Their collective discipline is appalling but once again Fergie heaped disgrace on Defeat with him and Shrek confronting the ref at half time, presumably for over ruling some of Rooneys decisions. Added to that Fergie has then openly slated the ref (and implicated city) by stating our hospitality may have swayed him. AND THEY CALL US BITTER?

You get those days (not so many as a city fan) when the lager is going down nicely , the city fans are in full cry , united are silent, fergie’s whining, the scoreboard says 3-1 and it makes it all worthwhile.

Happy Days.

Robbie Link

Sky Report

United preview.

In the latter part of the week as the derby approaches, it seems to me that there has been a little more interest focused from TV and other media outlets on the game than in recent previous encounters.
In recent times, there has been the accusation that the derby has lost some of it's passion, intensity and meaning, something that is a little strange given the relative evenness of overall results since we returned to the Premier League.

Stuart Pearce has got in on the act though, stating both sides 'are on an even footing' and talking up our chances with our side 'packed full of internationals'. Ferguson on the other hand has remained fairly silent over the derby, preferring to lavish praise on the Glazer family this week for their 'excellent support'.

Albert Riera is expected to start on the left hand side of midfield for us, which should free up Sun Jihai to slot in at right back ahead of the out of sorts Nedum Onouha, with the favoured central duo of Barton and Ireland augmented with Sinclair on the right which leaves the only contentious decision being the forward partnership with Cole and Vassell rumoured to be starting ahead of Robbie Fowler, despite last weeks hat-trick.
As for United, their defence is looking more solid in recent times since the return of Wes Brown and he is likely to partner Ferdinand with Evra making his debut at left back with van Nistelrooy expected to replace Saha from their midweek game at Blackburn.

Looking at the likely line-ups, it is clear that are chances of winning the game rest with Barton and Ireland as for all their reinforcements their central midfield area is still weak and the stage is set for Barton to dominate proceedings with Ireland playing off him.
For me it is also important that Sinclair and Riera (if he plays) are given the opportunity to push on to negate the threat of Giggs and Ronaldo, whilst a welcome return to form from both Distin and Dunne is needed to attempt to shackle the threat of Rooney.

I don't think I've ever approached a derby with any semblance of confidence, and this one is certainly no different given both sides recent results and form.
I do think though that the early kick-off could subdue the atmosphere a little both on and off the pitch and I think chances are likely to be at a premium. I can't see too many obvious routes for a goal, but I do think we are more than capable of posting a clean sheet.

All in all, not a derby classic and I think a 0-0 draw will be the outcome.

Trials and tribulations.

Missed this one before but a few sources have reported that we have taken Cristian Bolanos on trial, following a short spell with Liverpool. Not too much on him at the moment (anyone fill me in on the background) but it is believed we can sign him for around £500,000.

Meanwhile, it is also reported that Matt Jansen hasn't in fact begun training with us and may not in fact do so after all.
Not going entirely to plan so far is it?

A whole lot of nothing going on.

So, over a third of the way into the transfer window and we have barely caused a ripple in the football world with the moves we have made so far.
Adding to the captures of Tumoas Haapala and Albert Riera, we have brought in Matt Jansen to train with the side with a view to signing on a permanent basis should he impress Stuart Pearce sufficiently.

As I wrote last week, if we signed Jansen it would be an indication that we may not have the funds available to make a big splash in the transfer market and Tom from City 'Til I Cry speculated that he would be 'suprised' if we spent any decent money during the transfer window.

Stuart Pearce appears to be a cautious player in the transfer market, and it is likely that he has not found the calibre of player he feels can strengthen the existing squad or is not willing (or the board isn't) to pay an over-inflated fee for a player on the market - as Portsmouth appear to have done with their triple swoop on Tottenham today for Mendes, Davis and Pamarot.
As the last few weeks have proved though, the current squad is in need of strengthening and is short on depth to sustain a whole season factoring into account injuries, loss of form and suspensions .

At the onset of the transfer window opening, Pearce seemed to be confident that any players that would be arriving at the club would be here early in January giving them extra time to bed in and settle with the squad. But as January ticks by, it becomes even more likely that a big splash signing of the calibre of a Dean Ashton and Steed Malbranque is less likely to materialise, with only the prospect of loan signings or cheap transfer options arriving at the club.

Fanzine Interview - City 'Til I Cry.

As promised, here is the second installment of the fanzine interviews, and up today is Tom Ritchie from 'City Til I Cry'. Take it away...

Bitter and Blue: How long has City Til I Cry been up and running?

City Til I Cry: We started on the first day of the season in 1999 when we played Blackpool at home in the old third division days. Ah, how I miss those times!

B&B: Why did you decide to set a fanzine up in the first place?

CTIC: A reaction to the relegation from the old second division, almost an act of defiance, and also me and a few mates had previously written for King of theKippax and Electric Blue/Blueprint (as well as quite a few others!) and we'd always fancied doing one of our own. We thought we'd do a couple of issues, and here we are 64 issues later!

B&B: How much work is involved in producing each issue?

CTIC: Blimmin' loads! As the editor I have to put it all together and in the early days I did a fair bit of the writing as well. Nowadays I do less writing, as we've built up a fair few quality contributors over the years, and I think it's better to have a wider view than just mine - even though my view is always right!

B&B: Do you see yourself in competition with other City fanzines, or more running alongside one another?

CTIC: I always felt we were complementary to one another, that we should be supportive of each other and see the fanzines as a common bond between various fans. In reality we are all sensitive and protective of our own fanzines so while we aren't in a fanzine war, like previous times, we all go our own way. The good thing is that all City fanzines are different and so cover most fans interests. Each of them has their own character and thatshould always be encouraged.

B&B: What is the best, and worst aspect of producing a fanzine?

CTIC: The best thing is actually selling a copy. You feel that all the work hasbeen worth it when someone forks out £1.50 to buy something you have lovingly put together. That's the only real recognition that matters. It's not a profit-thing, it's that people enjoy what you do enough to actually spend money on it. I also love that I've gathered up a fair few excellent contributors over the years, who have blended magnificently into the culture of the fanzine and what we are trying to do. The worst? Cold, rain, being left with a box of fanzines unsold. Sportspages welching on the payments. "Is that the programme" comments and some fans seemingly blaming you for the performance on the pitch!

B&B: Do fanzines have the power to be able to influence goings on at a footballclub?

CTIC: I naively believed that at one time, but I realised a long time back that we are the equivalent of tomorrow's chip paper. At best we can create a climate for change, but the power resides with the club, via the board, the manager and the players. We are irrelevant to the workings of them. No matter how much we kid ourselves that we have a "say". We can start as many campaigns as we like, but if the board don't listen then there is little we can do. It's the same as Fans Committee meetings; me and other fanzine editors have been banging our heads for years hoping the club would listen to us, but instead they use selective memory as to what they hear! Maybe 'influence' is a good word, as we can nibble at the edges and make things uncomfortable for them at times. But we have little real power in all honesty.

B&B: Where do you see the City Til I Cry heading in the future?

CTIC: Adapt or Die? Then I think we'll die. We'll do this so long as Blues buy it, or until we get so fed up we can't be bothered anymore. Whichever comes first. I'd like to get to 100 issues and see then. But I still believe that there is an undercurrent of support at City that likes fanzines and wants them to stay traditional. I think fanzines have to become less about football and more about the culture of football supporting. And this is a policy we will continue to pursue.

B&B: With the increase in websites, forums and blogs etc, do you think the fanzine still has a role to play in the culture of football?

CTIC: Yes. But fanzines have to change to compete. We can't do match reports anymore as that is done to death on the web-pages, maybe fanzines have to become more like 'scandal sheets' and dish the dirt to a greater extent!

B&B: Onto footballing matters, what are your thoughts on how City have done so far this season?

CTIC: As well as could be expected. I feared the worst at the stat of the season, as the sale of SWP and the lack of investment had me thinking thoughts of another relegation battle. Fortunately that hasn't happened... yet! I don't think we'll go down and I don't think we'll qualify for Europe. Mid-table mediocrity beckons for the next couple of years I think. The manager has done well, as has the youth and reserve set-up, but yet again it's the board that have failed us. And that's been the case for about as long as I've been a City fan!

B&B: What would you see as a success for City this season?

CTIC: Top half, a good cup run (semi's?) and the Intertoto at the end of it! Also clear out the wasters and develop the kids. Bring in quality rather than quantity and be prepared for a long-term development of the club over th next three years or so.

B&B: How do you evaluate how Pearce has done so far during his time in charge?

CTIC: Superb. Still learning. Makes mistakes. But, for me he's as safe as houses for at least the next two seasons as we couldn't afford to replace him. Maybe he has to improve his coaching team, though.

B&B: What areas do you see as needing strengthening during the transfer window, and who would you like to see brought in?

CTIC: A big, daft centre forward should be the priority. Ashton is too pricey, so maybe Heskey or Rasziak. Also a decent footballing midfielder - Murphy or Dunn perhaps? Maybe even Jarosik or Sidwell. Malbranque would be brilliant, but I doubt if that's a runner. We also need a left back, but it's not a priority until next summer. And if I could be completely cynical, could I suggest that I'll be very surprised if we spend any decent money at all this transfer window.

There is also now a link under 'MCFC links' on the right-hand side to contact or subscribe to City Till I Cry directly.

Fanzine Interview - A Million Miles Away.

With so many football blogs and websites up and running at the moment, it can be easy to forget that there are some decent fanzines out there - and also the influence that these fanzines have had.
Over the years, City have had some excellent fanzines produced - some up and running and some no longer being produced.
In the spirit of community-mindedness, here on Bitter & Blue we decided to profile a couple of those City fanzines - one which is unfortunately no longer up and running and one which is still going strong.
First up to be profiled today is 'A Million Miles Away'...

Bitter and Blue: How long has A Million Miles Away been up and running?

A Million Miles Away: Well, we were running for the start of this season and for two seasons prior to that.

B&B: Why did you decide to set a fanzine up in the first place?

AMMA: The original editor, Mike Fryer, was a working for Football365. He saw a gap in the market, and decided to go for it. Simple as really.

B&B: How much work is involved in producing each issue?

AMMA: Quite a bit. I did all the putting together of the fanzine, including designing the cover, editing, putting pictures together, getting it printed etc. A lot more than we first expected, and then of course I had to write my bits as well. It became a proper part time job really.

B&B: Do you see yourself in competition with other City fanzines, or more running alongside one another?

AMMA: Good question. We tried not to focus on United as much as possible. Sometimes that was just too difficult. We tried to be more pro-City, rather than just take the piss out of United or have a pop at Robbie Fowler for being fat and wealthy. In some respects I think we were in competition with the others, but there was never any malice. I love Manchester City, and I got pissed off reading other writers constantly having a go because we weren’t in the Champions’ League Semi Finals or winning every game. I think City fans are the ultimate romantics, but sometimes that has to be tempered with a little reality. I know we received a lot of good feedback from the punters for the stance we took.

B&B: What is the best, and worst aspect of producing a fanzine?

AMMA: The work involved and selling outside the ground when it was pissing down, are definitely the worst. The best? People saying they were looking forward to the next issue. That was a real buzz and it spurred you on. Seeing the finished product was always exciting.

B&B: Any amusing anecdotes, disasters that you’ve encountered when selling the fanzine?

AMMA: We once thrust a copy into a bewildered Ricky Hatton, We were probably trying to get free tickets to his next fight as we didn’t charge him.

B&B: Do fanzines have the power to be able to influence goings on at a football club?

AMMA: Not any more. I think in the days when Swales was in charge, they pretty much were the only outlet for alternative writing. With the advent of the internet, where you don’t have to fork out £1.50 to read somebody complaining. You do it yourself.

B&B: Where do you see the A Million Miles Away heading in the future?

AMMA: Online. I’m thinking about starting it up again but an online version. No profit, but then there’s no deadlines to meet, and I’m not pressured into getting 44 pages of copy together, in time to get it off to the printers.

B&B: Onto on-pitch matters, what are your thoughts on how City have done so far this season?

AMMA: I think we got off to a flyer at the start of the season, but like most clubs with a small squad, it’s slowed down. Maybe we’ll kick on again if we make a few signings.

B&B: What would you see as a success for City this season?

AMMA: A Uefa cup place would be nice. I would really love to win the FA Cup. That would be great.

B&B: How do you evaluate how Pearce has done so far during his time in charge?

AMMA: Very well. I think for us to be in this position after the demise of KK, he has to be applauded. I will always thank KK for everything he did for the club, but I think the game moved on since his time at Newcastle, and other clubs were wise to him. Provided SP doesn’t make any silly mistakes in the transfer window, I think we’ll do OK.

B&B: What areas do you see as needing strengthening during the transfer window, and who would you like to see brought in?

AMMA: The team! Seriously though I think we need a creative midfielder, and I’d love Malbranque in the team. It’s funny that he pulls up with a mystery injury just before the window opened isn’t it? Papa Bouba Diop as well. Danny Murphy has been mentioned and I think he would be a good signing as well. Another striker is important but I really hope we don’t sign Dean Ashton. 7.5 million for a player who’s hardly setting the championship alight is just silly. There’s not really anyone else who’s available who really sets my heart racing at the prospect of signing them.

F.A. Cup 4th round draw.

In a fourth round draw that hardly caused too much excitement, City at least landed a home tie, playing the winners of the Leeds-Wigan replay.

The full draw is:
Stoke City/Tamworth v Barnsley/Walsall
Cheltenham Town/Chester City v Newcastle United
Coventry v Nuneaton Borough/Middlesbrough
West Brom/Reading v Torquay/Birmingham
Portsmouth v Liverpool
Leicester v Southampton
Bolton v Arsenal
Aston Villa v Port Vale
Brentford v Sunderland
Manchester City v Wigan/Leeds
Millwall/Everton v Chelsea
Preston v Crystal Palace
West Ham v Blackburn
Colchester v Derby
Charlton v Leyton Orient
Wolves v Burton/Manchester United

It could have been better, it could have been worse, but the old adage of wanting a home tie certainly rings true and whilst there are a few minnows remaining in the draw, we should be confident of overcoming either of those sides at home to progress to the fifth round.

City 3 Scunthorpe 1.

Hands up who tipped Robbie Fowler to come away from Saturday's game with the match ball tucked under his arm?
Hands up who thought he'd even make the starting line-up?
Certainly not me, especially after a 'source' reported seeing Fowler tucking into a hearty portion of chilli and rice in the players lounge moments after the Tottenham game before getting off sharpish.

However, rather than tinkering with his line-up to rest a couple of players ahead of the derby, Cole and Vassell paid the price for the recent lack of goals with Fowler and Sibierski starting up front in a move which must have left Bradley Wright-Phillips wondering what he needs to do to get a starting role.


In my preview, I wrote 'I can't help thinking that we will undoubtedly make hard work of it in some way', and true to form we managed to go a goal down to an Andy Keogh strike. But the second half was turned around completely with an eighteen minute hat-trick, with the second strike in particular being vintage Fowler and the third a reminder of how to slot home a penalty (see Middlesbrough game).
Scunthorpe manager Brian Laws in particular, praised Fowlers all round movement and the way in which he dropped off the defenders, saying 'he kept dropping into areas where our centre halves did not want to be and we couldn't cope'.


Pearce inevitably spent most of the post game interviews fielding questions on Fowlers future and stated that he wouldn't be leaving the club during the January transfer window, and hinted that he may even have a future at the club beyond when his contract expires this summer.
Whilst that may be looking a touch too much into the future, it was a timely performance from Fowler ahead of the derby and I would have thought he is now a cert for one of the striking positions, and leaving Cole and Vassell sweating over their places.

Match reports:

BBC Sport
Sky Sports
Scunthorpe United mad

Black and White and read all over.

Check the following link for my guest appearance musing on the fortunes of Newcastle United's season so far on the excellent blog Black and white and read all over.

Scunthorpe preview.

FA Cup 3rd round day. Steeped in history and tradition as the 'minnows' get to rub shoulders with the 'big boys'. The day that dreams are fulfilled and legends and folklore is created.
And today, we host a lower league club whilst in the middle of not a crisis, but what could be described as a 'sticky patch' and in desperate need for a morale boosting win ahead of next weeks derby (not to mention to actually try and have a cup run of note this season).

There is not too much history between the sides and the only previous home game against Scunthorpe resulted in a 8-1 win for City back in 1963/4.

Scunthorpe are currently 17th in League one and have not won in their last four games and have shipped forty-five goals so far. I must confess I don't know a great deal about their side apart from having former Blue Peter Beagrie on the books, but Beagrie himself was praising their youthful strikeforce of Billy Sharp and Andy Keogh earlier this week.

I can't see Stuart Pearce taking the opportunity to rest any of the squad due to the importance of this game both in the short and long term prospects for this season. Sibierski maybe expected back, but Reyna and Mills are still absentees.

Given the fact that we are at home (despite a low anticipated crowd), I cannot see an upset being caused. Looking around at a few of the online betting sites and other predictions, most seem to be plumping for 2-0 to City, but I can't help thinking that we will undoubtedly make hard work of it in some way.

Prediction : City 2 Scunthorpe 1.

Rumour round-up.

With the festive period of games now behind us, it is probably a good time to check a couple of the rumours that have been doing the rounds this week of supposed City signings during the January transfer window to accompany the confirmed Albert Riera and Tuomaas Haapala.

The Sun reports today that Stuart Pearce will splash £10 million out to sign Charlton's Danny Murphy and Norwich's Dean Ashton.

Bitter and Blue verdict: The Ashton story won't go away and Norwich are believed to be keen to cash in if a club meets their valuation (believed to be £7.5 million). Wigan have made enquiries and although we won't pay close to their valuation, recent goalscoring problems may force Pearce to up his bid. Murphy meanwhile is believed to be going nowhere and Alan Curbishley again denied he was on his way out.

TeamTalk meanwhile suggests that Michael Brown's performance on Wednesday will be enough to tempt City to splash out £2million, although we would face competition from another of his former clubs Sheffield United.

Bitter and Blue verdict: I can't see that Pearce is interested in Pearce and I believe this is a story made out from the fact Brown has not featured too often for Tottenham this season. Brown has always appeared keen to remain at Tottenham whenever speculation has previously surfaced.

In what is a new rumour, Matt Jansen has supposedly contacted City with a view to a free transfer and 'pay as you play' contract according to The Mirror.

Bitter and Blue verdict: This is a new one and Jansen recently expressed his frustration at not featuring in the Blackburn side. In some ways he has done remarkably well to be even playing again following the motorbike accident that put him in a coma a couple of years ago. As talented as he was, this would be a huge gamble and a sure sign that we do not have a transfer kitty to go out and buy a better striker.

Finally, Footballrumours.com provides a club by club profile of all of the players who have been linked in and out of the club since the start of the season.

No festive cheer.

A tricky period of games ended with last nights 2-0 defeat at home to Tottenham and a yield of one point from four games was hardly on the festive wish list of any Blues.
Perhaps more worrying though from last nights game with future fixtures in mind was the performance itself. Gone was the spirit shown in an attempted comeback at Wigan, and the endeavour shown against Chelsea and Middlesbrough.

Stuart Pearce admitted after the game that there was a lack of confidence and belief in the side at the moment and that was clearly evident from last nights display. However, I believe much of that lack of belief last night was translated from the tactics employed by Pearce. There looked to be a static bank of four for the defence and midfield around ten-fifteen yards apart. This appeared to stifle any creativity and attacking impetus, neutralising Stephen Ireland out on the left in particular. I would liked to have seen him playing in the centre alongside Barton, with Sun Jihai on the left who would have been better suited in containing the sprightly Aaron Lennon.
With Joey Barton looking jaded after virtually carrying the midfield over the last couple of games, the only outlet of attack came through Trevor Sinclair who continued to display his impressive form of late. However, there appeared to be little cohesion and fluidity with either of the strikers and unsuprisingly this resulted in little or nothing of note being created.

Contrast with Tottenham (who were missing key players Davids and King) in that whilst they hardly pushed themselves to create chances, they were content to be patient, showing far better movement than City did and always appeared to have time and space on the ball.
Their use of the ball was also more impressive, and this was a particularly poor aspect of City's game in that the distribution (in particular from the defence) was of poor quality and this was surely the reason that Onouha was substituted, whilst Richard Dunne is struggling to recapture the form he has showed the previous eighteen months.
Sun Jihai in particular though can only be best described as inept in a central midfield role as time and time again he continued to give the ball away.

Without shooting ourselves in the foot with the first goal, the game could have easily petered out into a scoreless draw but Distin though, whilst correctly shepherding the ball out for a goal kick, inexplicably failed to get his body in the way and shield it out of play allowing Lennon to pull the ball back for Mido to easily slot home.
In truth, the game was as good as over at that stage and the home crowd knew it. In fact, it wasn't until after Tottenham scored the second after a long punt downfield was some allowed to fall to Robbie Keane (who else?) to fire past James.
The introduction of Wright-Phillips and Croft saw us carve out a couple of half chances, but Robinson was only really forced into action on one occasion late on with a smart save from Cole.

The recent festive period results and performances have in truth probably signalled the end of the end of Stuart Pearce's 'honeymoon period', one which was fully deserved given the run at the end of last season and how the team performed at the start of this season. Pearce to his credit admitted as such and it has become apparant that perhaps the current squad at times have played above and beyond their potential rather than merely fulfilling it.

Last nights game to me merely illustrated the loss to the side from last season of both Nicolas Anelka and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Wright-Phillips for the creative outlet and the ability to spark the team at any given moment, whilst (for all his detractors) Anelka was willing to drop deep and look for the ball to create things for both himself and the team.

The transfer window now takes on added significance as fans will be looking to see who is brought in to strengthen the current line up as although I think it is conceivable we will drop out of the top ten at any time this season, to have a realistic run at European qualification, all areas of the team do need to be strengthened over the coming month.

Match reports:
Manchester Online
Sky Sports
BBC
Fox Sports
Official Tottenham website

City 0 - 2 Spurs

Don’t Panic – DON’T PANIC.

Well not yet anyway , but , by the end of January’s transfer window………we will come to that in a bit , first to tonight’s game.

Fair play to Spurs , they came to play positive football from the outset and simply set a pace we couldn’t match , the midfield in particular appeared to be chasing shadows at times as we got nowhere near close enough to them , and certainly not as close as they got to us. For some reason Pearce refused to see that our only decent spells came when Ireland abandoned his left midfield role and came inside , and that Ireland was struggling to keep tabs on an impressive Arron Lennon , a simple swap round of Ireland and Sun would have benefited us big time. I really do hope Sun shifts loads of shirts , there has to be some reason for him. And Onuhua had to be injured that cant have been a tactical substitution ??
For all Spurs possession and good passing they didn’t craft many clear cut scoring opportunities so Distin thought he would help them out , by displaying the kind of
Lazy attitude to defending that allows a no mark like Boumsong to be repeatedly picked for the French squad before him. Lennon nips in , pulls back for a tap in.

We had a bit of a go in the second half and finally started to pick up the pace of the game around the 60 minute mark , forced a few corners , a couple of bouts of head tennis in there box and BWP flashed a shot just wide.
Somewhat inevitably , a clearance from Robinson allowed to bounce by Distin , watched by Dunne as Robbie Keane nips in and lashes home the final nail in what has to be the most lacklustre performance of the season.

Worst home performance of the year , Pearce had his substitutions booed , we haven’t scored for 3 games , 1 point in 12 , a happy new year ???

Which brings us to the transfer window ! So far Haapala on a free , potentially Riera on loan.
Not very inspiring at all , this site has previously discussed the funds that would be made available from the SWP sale for reinvestment ; the consensus been 5-10 million. I sincerely hope that Wardle makes sure it’s at least 10 million. They have sold off our heroes in Anelka and SWP and whatever the reasons for there departure the board still made the decision to accept a bid. Crowds are dropping and will continue to do so with performances like tonight , The youth policy is been far too heavily relied upon you can’t just keep throwing kids in and expect them to all be SWP’s , The manager is gaining respect and envious glances we need to spend big on two or three quality players.

For my money City simply can not afford NOT too spend.
Over to you Mr Wardle.

Tottenham preview.

Under Martin Jol, Tottenham have continued to progress steadily in recent times leading to many commentators billing them as the 'best of the rest' outside of the top-four sides of Chelsea, Arsenal, United and Liverpool.
Certainly, the club has made tremendous progress since Jol was appointed alongside Frank Arnesen and the duo began acquiring some of the best young talent in English football (Dawson, Davenport, Lennon, Huddlestone etc) but were jolted when Arnesen was seduced by the lure of Chelsea.
Since then Jol has began developing the team well, adding the likes of Mido and more imprtantly for this season Edgar Davids. They look a highly organised side throughout and at present sit in fourth place in the league, capitalising on some poor form by rivals Arsenal to set themselves for a Champions League challenge.
Tottenham have had the better of us in recent times, looking for their fourth win in five games at City and have won ten of sixteen all time in the Premier League but we can boast a 100% record on Sky this season.
Pearce will be hoping some of the recent endeavour shown against Chelsea and Middlesbrough can be translated into a little more quality that will ensure three points are taken.
It is difficult to see other alternatives Pearce has at the moment to alter things (assuming Haapala and Riera are not yet ready), with an ever growing reliance on Joey Barton becoming worrying, but a positive move for me may be forced by the absence of Sibierski in that Stephen Ireland may get a start.
The defence looks to have steadied itself again following the debacle at Wigan and I don't think there will be too many goals, more than likely a 1-1 draw being the outcome.

Riera in, more to come?

City today confirmed that Spanish midfielder Albert Riera had joined the club today on a six month loan deal from Espanyol.
Riera, 23 had only moved to Spain from Bordeaux in the summer but has found first team chances hard to come by and called the chance to move to City until the end of the season a 'great opportunity'. Contrary to reports in some newspapers though, there doesn't appear to be an option for a permanent transfer at the end of the season.
Coupled with the availability of Tuomas Haapala (whose contract commenced January 1st), it throws doubt on the long-term future of Kiki Musampa who has seen himself out of favour in recent times and Riera's arrival in particular will have done him no favours. With the size of the squad currently though, it is unlikely Musampa will be sent back to Atletico Madrid before the end of the season but it looks a certainty that he will not be back next season.
Pearce is unlikely to have stopped in his attempts to bring further reinforcements to the club, stating that he needs 'three or four' more players to bolster his line-up. As ever though, Pearce is keeping his cards close to his chest and refusing to even speculate, leaving speculation to grow on who might be next to arrive.

Middlesbrough 0 City 0.

Not exactly a humdinger to signal the end of 2005, but a game that left neither manager enamoured with it as a spectacle at least ensured both sides stopped a recent run of defeats.
Perhaps it was hoping for slightly too much to come away with a win from Middlesbrough given our poor history of results up there, and our winless streak in the Premier League against them now stretches to thirteen games.
The GMR commentary of the game suggested that it was a game without too many chances, and the brief highlights on MOTD seemed to back this up, with Schwarzer making a superb save from a Barton header (reminiscent of a mid-1980's Andy Gray attempt) a Boro claim for a penalty when Viduka appeared to be caught by Distin as he winding up for a shot - although it was anything but 'stonewall' despite Steve McLaren's protestations.



McLaren is beginning to come across in a similar vein to David O'Leary, in that he always appears and sounds like he has been really hard done to by everyone and everything. He has in truth spent a fair amount on players brought in to the club and been blessed with a talented crop of young players coming through yet still seems unable to take Middlesbrough to the next level (a fate which ultimatelty did for Bryan Robson). Yet he still seems to enjoy this reputation as a 'bright young thing' in English football and cosy-ing up to Sven is doing no harm for future England managerial ambitions despite his reputation as a talented coach not seeming to bring anything of benefit to the national squad .
Much like several players who command high transfer fees on leaving have done, it seems a reputation gained at Old Trafford can take you a long way.
Stuart Pearce again praised the battling qualities of the side but it seems that only the introduction of Stephen Ireland managed to spark some life (Fred Ayre in particular emphasising this point and the lack of creativity offered by Sun Jihai) and he may get an outing against Spurs on Wednesday as we look to take what will be a welcome three points.

Match reports:

Manchester Online
Sky Sports
The Observer