THE 93:20 NEWSLETTER:- ISSUE 22

Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of the 93:20 Newsletter, Issue 22. The thriller script has been delayed another week, due to certain events on the pitch in Arsenal matches leading to a plot twist I did not see coming. Next week, hopefully.

Never mind, as with City, there is always plenty to talk about, and this week has been insane. I wasn’t expecting Pep’s personal life to be part of the discussion, however, nor a new 115-month contract. Off we go….

Sadly, this is where I must begin.

I will cut to the chase about this disgraceful piece of “journalism”. Don’t feel that Brown is being particularly vindictive towards City. His Pep piece was a perfect example of his wider collection of works. A piece, like many others, that has survived an editing process without a single raised eyebrow it seems.

What a perfect example of us having the press we seemingly deserve. And you only have to delve into any comments section on pretty much any online article or Facebook post to know that we very much deserve, and crave, such content. To delve into the private lives of the rich and famous, and make assumptions, put forward theories and demand to know the inside story. Salacious gossip is oxygen to many. And it ties in nicely with a British pastime of building people up so that we can knock them down. Many despise those more successful than themselves, which may explain the glee at wealthy people’s houses burning down across the pond. However, you know an article has crossed a line when those that despise City (and Pep, by association) jump in to disparage an article, as happened here. Brown won’t care, it will have got the attention he craved, and the views he needs to succeed in the modern world of journalism.

Perhaps we are being harsh on Brown here, though as will later be noted, he is a serial bad-take master, and that’s before I get to claims of transphobia (which I feel ill-equipped to offer expert opinions on). After all, often the chief villain with such pieces is the copy editor, with a provocative headline to lure in readers, clicks, and outrage, safe in the knowledge that headlines are exempt from litigious types. I mean, Brown kills his premise in the opening paragraph, but ploughs on nevertheless.

Tempting as it might be to draw a straight line between Pep Guardiola’s public displays of stress and the reports in Spain of his divorce from wife Cristina, the only people who can illuminate the precise chronology are the couple themselves.

He is not alone either. The press has gone to town on the news, with a focus on Pep’s contract extension being the final straw. But for me there is something insidious about an opinion piece writer utilising the news for copy in order to write an article on the stresses of a manager. Brown is happy to list other managers who have seen marriages break up whilst in post, simultaneously stressing that we cannot be sure that their work, and their obsessive nature was to blame. But happy to mention it and imply that was the case instead. Which makes his conclusion after 900 words of copy even the more pitiful.

For all that marital issues will now be cited retrospectively as a factor in this behaviour, it is wise to be cautious with any conclusions.

Well, indeed. An article on football management being stressful is not to be derided. But using news of a marriage breakdown as your hook to do so, is.

Still, par for the course for him. Brown has form for shit writing.

So, rather than get the tin foil hats out and cry about the “agenda”, maybe it’s just easier to accept that many opinion piece writers have terrible opinions, and move on. Brown is perfectly representable of a once respectable newspaper that is little more than a home for batshit conspiracy pieces and bigotry, so the sports pages are the least of our worries.

But as least now we know. Cristina Serra was responsible for Rodri’s cruciate ligament injury. I’m frustrated I had not joined the dots previously. Marital issues have hampered City’s recruitment efforts for the past 18 months. Now that the marriage has broken down, players are lining up at City’s gates to sign. The failure to buy a left back for a decade was solely due to Pep and Cristina residing a thousand miles apart. City are poor out of possession because Cristina has demanded she has custody of the dog. Get Pep hooked up on Eharmony, and watch City rocket up the league.

So, Erling Haaland eh? Fancies a bit of League 2 action it seems. A new 115-month contract, that has surprised me and had me tearing up much of this newsletter to squeeze in some reactions. Fair to say the news has not gone down very well with rival fanbases. If it has surprised me and many other blues, you can only imagine what it has done to the cranks of the Arsenal, United and Liverpool fanbase.  To say they have not taken the news well is as surprising as learning that Manchester is due some rain. This naturally all ties in to something away from the contract itself – the belief that City are ”getting off” the charges, and the transfer activity on top of this contract announcement only strengthens the belief that City are going nowhere, even during an off-season, and will continue to wreck rival fans’ dreams and hopes. Cry more. So many fans have invested EVERYTHING on the tribunal not just clipping City’s wings, but tearing them off. If City do escape serious sanction, we will all have to take the week off to enjoy the fall-out. Fingers crossed.

It also ties in to the desperate media narrative that continues apace a decade later, that City’s big stars will not hang around, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Stories were circulating the day after Haaland signed for City about his next club.
So no doubt, we can still expect the following rumour to break tomorrow: Barcelona feel confident of securing a summer move for Erling Haaland, and the player is thought to be eager to complete a move – Sport.

Here is how others are taking it (some of the following may not be strictly accurate – but believable?).

NEW HAALAND DEAL LAYS BARE FSG’S TRANSFER GENIUS – AND PEP KNOWS IT – LIVERPOOL.COM

HAALAND REGEN IS ALREADY AT LIVERPOOL – SAVING THEM £200M+ IN PROCESS – LIVERPOOL ECHO

HALLAND WAGE SPLURGE SHOWS CITY DISDAIN FOR RULES AND REGULATIONS ONCE MORE – MUEN

EVERYTHING CITY ARE DOING IS TO PROTECT IMAGE OF MOHAMMED BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN - MAGIC HAT (actually, that one is true)

HOW CAN UNITED COMPETE?! – MARK GOLDBRIDGE LIVE REACTION

HAALAND NEW CONTRACT SIGN OF PEP LONELINESS AS DIVORCE LOOMS – OLIVER BROWN, TELEGRAPH

NEW HAALAND CONTRACT WILL MAKE HIM RICHER THAN GOD – ANOTHER WORRYING TREND FOR SPORT DESTROYED BY SPORTSWASHING AND OIL MONEY – MIGUEL DELANEY

£10M PER TOUCH – AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO CELEBRATE THIS NEWS?! – BARNEY RONAY

DESPERATION OF NEW HAALAND CONTRACT CANNOT MASK SHIFTING SANDS IN MANCHESTER – JONATHAN WILSON

BLOOD MONEY AND A FLAILING MANAGER CONTINUE TO KEEP A STATE PR PROJECT IN THE NEWS – JONATHAN LIEW

WHO IS ERLING HAALAND? – PAUL MERSON

And Finally…..

Some of what is written below are my own words, but much is taken from City’s site, for which I do not apologise, as they worded the passing of a great man better than I ever could.

Finally, this week we received the sad news that a legend of Manchester City, Tony Book, had passed away at the age of 90.

A City legend in every sense of the word, Tony – or Skip as he was universally known - made 315 appearances for the Club between 1966 and 1974, the majority as captain, before then becoming first team manager. A man who amazingly was 32 when first playing in the top flight, and is still rightly considered a club legend, but way beyond what he did on the pitch.

Appointed captain in 1967, Book would go on to lead City to one First Division title, one FA Cup, one League Cup, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and one Charity Shield across what was a golden era of success. He was in charge as manager in 1976 when Tony led City to League Cup glory at Wembley, also guiding City to runners-up position in Division One in the 1976/77 campaign.

He would later serve as youth coach, he helped inspire City to a first-ever FA Youth Cup triumph in 1986. later serving an Honorary President as well as holding down a role as Life President of our Official Supporters Club and remained a hugely popular member of the matchday legends at city games. As City said this week – for many he was simply Mr Manchester City.

Like many of City’s greats, a great player, and a great, humble man, who served the club with distinction, and represented it perfectly, as anyone who has met him will attest. And as perfectly put by City - a giant of a man whose impact and legacy will never be forgotten.  Rest in peace, Skip.

What We Have Been Up To This Week

The Hub – Khusanov Special

Bailey chats to Connor about the imminent arrival of Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens.

The Hub – Episode 23

Spencer joins Bailey to explain the value of data in football, his action impact model, how the City transfer targets score, and why Kobbie Mainoo does not have good underlying numbers.

The 93:20 Review – Mac Attack

Howard, Lloyd and Ahsan look back at the Salford thrashing, youth, McAtee, Brentford and much more.

No History:- Argentina

In the first of a new series, Howard and Joe look at nationalities, starting with Aguero. May contain some pining.

The 93:20 Review:- No Defence

Howard, Bailey and Ahsan look back at the draw at Brentford, and all that entails. Positive signs, the same weaknesses, subs, Pep and more.

The Weekend Show:- Loadsamoney

A huge show, talking Haaland, transfers, the Ipswich match, looking at the rest of the Premier League and a whole lot more.

COMING UP!

Opposition Fan

Out Friday night, Howard chats to David from the Blue Monday podcast about all things Ipswich.

The Hub:- Episode 24

Alex (Euro Expert) joins Bailey to look back through the first six months for Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich, his coaching influence on the team, where the holes are, and the future he could have at Manchester City.

Plus a whole lot more, as always! A Market pod or two, more reviews, previews, History shows, a Ref special, and that’s just for starters.

Sorry to beg, but we are a small podcast in the wider scheme of things, and rely on your support. Please spread the word about our written and free content, and if not a subscriber, give it a go! Over 25 shows a month, for the price of a beer. Cheers, and as always, up the blues.

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