Topical City: False Dawn Shinawatra

The third issue of monthly City fanzine, Topical City, is out now.  If you wish to read it, as you should, then follow this link and click on either the flash or non-flash version of the magazine.

This month I have written an article on the first day of the 2007/2008 season - the first competitive game of Shinawatra's reign at the club - and try to argue that this was the first day in the modern era of the football club.  The article starts below and can be read in its entirety in Topical City magazine.

11^th August 2007.  The opening day of the season had taken us away to East London and a game against West Ham at the Boleyn Ground.  As we stepped out of the tube station and into the late summer sunshine, those usual feelings of trepidation and doubt were outweighed by something different, something new.

The previous season had ended with a long slog of drab, hopeless football.  Stuart Pearce’s trusty Beanie Horse had run out of luck and City had not scored a home league goal since New Year’s Day.  There was a tangible sense of impending doom about the club.  If the lucky horse no longer delivered, what hope was there for the season to come?

Step up, the ‘fit-and-proper’ saviour, Thaksin Shinawatra.  The FA agreed that our new charismatic owner needed a break from ‘politically motivated’ bitchiness, and the former Thai Prime Minister came in and injected, that vital football fan ingredient, hope into the football club.  The week before the start of the season, after showcasing his new football team against Valencia at home (a David Silva goal settled the tie – I wonder what happened to him?), Thaksin treated the City fans to a party in Albert Square.  Whilst those who went down into central Manchester after the game were guzzling down the complimentary Thai Green Curry, Shinawatra took the microphone and serenaded the dumbfounded Blues with the club anthem, Blue Moon.  

To read on, turn to page eight of the new issue of Topical City magazine.

City 1 - 0 Wigan: Match report

It looked like it was going to be one of those days when Conor Sammon pushed the ball seemingly past Hart and into the bottom corner with seconds remaining - but some marvellous late turn of the ball sped it past the post and ensured a welcome three points for City.  Wigan's second half performance meant it was a close run encounter, but the victory allows City to consolidate a top four position with Tottenham and United both facing difficult games today.

City played some impressive stuff at times in the first half - quite often just a pass or touch too many in some scintillating, quick-flowing moves.  Silva was at the heart of most of them - finding room to manoeuvre down the left hand side - but the multiple one-twos between Tevez and Balotelli were also a joy to watch.  As the person who sits behind me was at pains to point out to the whole stand, all this pretty football is pointless without an end product, and City were perhaps guilty of trying to walk it in at times but, as a show of quality and growing understanding between our players, this style was good to see.  

Perhaps strange then that our only breakthrough of the game came through a comedy of errors on the part of the Wigan back line.  A slip from Caldwell gave Silva the space to roll a shot in at the near post and Al Habsi will want to forget the rest.  A howler of the first degree.

Wigan had their moments in the first half, with Victor Moses getting quite a bit of joy with his speed and trickery against Zabaleta, but it was in the second that they started to cause City the problems.  Sammon's late miss was one of four fairly presentable chances in the half - McCarthy's drive from the edge of the box, Alcaraz's knock against the post, and Rodallega's weak finish from just outside the box.  Whilst Wigan fans will be encouraged by the style of play they were putting together, their impotence in front of goal will worry them just as much.

City will be worried they let such a promising start descend into such a close encounter but the three points are what matters and City had to return to winning ways in the league here.

Again, there is concern over the form of our captain, Tevez.  A series of head down runs into crowds of players and the occasional sulk counters his fantastic work rate - and he will need to be a little less greedy if he is going to be part of an effective team display.  He has been out of sorts since the derby game and, if he is to feature, City will need more from him in the coming weeks.

Lescott had another good game at the back and is on a fine run of form - which is ideal in the light of the Kolo revelations (a man, it could be said, that he had already taken the place of).  Kompany's return was very welcome, as the announcer said at every opportunity, despite only missing two games - and it was good to see De Jong back in action too.

City will need these players back for the run of games in March - starting with the long and chilly trip out to Kiev on Thursday.  With the temperatures still knocking around minus ten, I'm sure a good number of players will make the most of the snood before it is banned from our pitches.