Manchester City
Feed the Goat - and Weah will score too
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Early promise: Weah, whose signing may be the masterstroke of the summer scores in a pre-season game against Stockport
Photograph: MARTIN RICKETT  |
Summer summary: Celebratory hangovers lasted well into June, since which time Joe Royle has been a rather busy manager. Incomings began slowly but gathered apace with the arrival of George Weah, whose signing may be the masterstroke of the summer. Steve Howey and Paulo Wanchope, for reasons medical and temperamental, can be filed under "gamble". Sales have not been easy, leaving Royle with a wage bill that needs trimming.
Transfers in: Paulo Wanchope (West Ham United) £3.65m;
Alf Inge Haaland (Leeds United) £2.5m; Steve Howey (Newcastle United) £2m+; George Weah (AC Milan) free.
Transfers out: Jamie Pollock (Crystal Palace) £600,000+; Lee Peacock (Bristol City) £600,000; Craig Russell (St Johnstone) free.
Manager profile: Having guided the club back to the Premiership from the depths of the Second Division, Royle has assumed demi-god status in Moss Side and beyond. Still feels he has a point to prove after his spell at Everton ended in tears, but he remains one of the best in the business. His job is as safe as houses.
Liabilities: Nicky Weaver is a hugely talented goalkeeper, but one prone to erratic moments if he is exposed by a porous defence. Haaland’s arrival is unlikely to transform a midfield which, with the exception of Mark Kennedy, appears devoid of craft.
Tactical profile: "Feed the Goat and he will score". Shaun Goater, that is, although Weah would appear a better target for Kennedy, whose left foot is their chief source of creativity.
Cult hero: Weah’s arrival may have sent waves around football, but even he is unlikely to usurp Goater as the king of the Kippax. The Bermudan, a target for the boo-boys in his early days, has become one of the most popular players in the club’s history.
Bizarre statistic: City’s first-team squad includes eight players whose surname begins with W: two Whitleys, a Weaver, a Wright, a Wright-Phillips, a Wiekens, a Weah and a Wanchope.
Up-and-coming prospect: Shaun Wright-Phillips. Ian Wright’s son might look like an extra from Grange Hill, but he has the pace and skill to run defences ragged. Could probably do with going on a steak diet, but will be devastating as a substitute if used sparingly.
Likely disaster: Wanchope, Weah and Goater — surely the Premiership’s furthest flung strikeforce — will all be jetting off to Costa Rica, Liberia and Bermuda on international duty at regular intervals, leaving City’s attack depleted for key matches.
Hollywood actor most likely to star in Manchester City: The Movie: Director Chris Bird, the club’s mouthpiece, would have it that he is the image of Joe Pesci. Erm, whatever you say, Chris.
Lookalikes: Ian Bishop, the midfielder turned cartoonist, bears an uncannily resemblance to the famous Russian mad monk Rasputin.
Bogey team: Manchester United. City fans still sing about their last victory over their hated rivals, a whole 11 years ago. What does that say?
Sign of a typical fan: Notoriously intolerant of shirkers, but famously loyal to the collective, they are arguably City’s greatest asset. That said, they are likely to break down in tears at the mention of their near-neighbours (and I’m not talking about Stockport County). Their inferiority complex is so well-entrenched that it might be considered as a name for the new stadium when they vacate Maine Road in 2003.
Prediction: History says it won’t be dull. Another defender would not go amiss, but they will surprise a lot of people if the rearguard stands firm. If not, they could be in for a long, hard season, but Weah’s goals will ensure they don’t go down.
OLIVER KAY
Useful information
Squad: 1 Nicky Weaver; 2 Lee Crooks; 3 Richard Edghill;
4 Gerard Wiekens; 5 Andy Morrison; 6 Kevin Horlock;
7 Spencer Prior; 8 Ian Bishop;
9 Paul Dickov; 10 Shaun Goater; 11 Terry Cooke; 12 Danny Allsopp; 13 Tommy Wright;
14 Gareth Taylor; 15 Alfie Haaland; 17 Jim Whitley;
18 Jeff Whitley; 19 Danny Tiatto; 20 Gary Mason; 21 Nick Fenton; 22 George Weah; 23 Stephen Jordan; 25 Richard Jobson;
26 Richard McKinney; 27 Shaun Holmes; 28 Tony Grant;
29 Shaun Wright-Phillips;
30 Steven Hodgson; 31 David Laycock; 32 Leon Mike; 33 Chris Killen; 34 Mark Kennedy;
36 Danny Granville; 38 Rhys Day; 39 Dixon Etuhu; 40 Chris Shuker; tbc: Paulo Wanchope, Steve Howey;
Stadium: Maine Road
Capacity: 35,100
Address: Moss Side, Manchester M14 7WN
Telephone number: 0161-232 3000
Clubcall: 09068 12 11 91
Official website: www.mcfc.co.uk
In need of some expensive signings to enliven the standard-looking site. The historical section is interesting, as are the video clips of yesteryear.
Unofficial site: Nothing decent.
Manager: Joe Royle
First-team coach: Willie Donachie
Chairman: David Bernstein
Ticket details: 0161-226 2224 (ticket office); 0161-227 9229 (Dial-A-Seat); 09068 12 15 91 (City Ticketcall). Unlikely that tickets will be available to non-members.
Ticket prices: £12-£22
Cheapest/most expensive adult season ticket: £250/£370
Recommended radio station: Century 105 FM
Programme: £2
Fanzine: King of the Kippax
Cost of adult replica shirt: £39.99
Training ground: Platt Lane Complex
Directions to ground: 2 miles from Manchester Piccadilly rail station. Several buses run from Piccadilly Gardens bus station — ask for Platt Lane or the Princess Rd Depot. By car, turn off Princess Rd (A5103) into Claremont Rd. Street parking may be unsafe, so leave the Merc at home.
Pubs near the ground: Platt Lane Complex, corner of Yew Tree Rd; The Sherwood Inn, 417 Claremont Rd.
