THE 93:20 NEWSLETTER: ISSUE 29

Author

Howard Hockin
February 28, 2025

Hello, and welcome to the 93:20 Newsletter, Issue 29. Plenty to talk about as always, and nice to do it after winning at Spurs once more. They still count as a bogey team, but it’s good to see that some progress is being made.

We learned this week that for branding purposes, Tottenham Hotspur have issued directives stating they do not wish to be called Tottenham anymore, but Tottenham Hotspur or Spurs. Now I am happy to display my respect for Tottenham by taking on board the directive Tottenham have issued, and will consider their wishes when discussing Tottenham in future, be it the players of Tottenham, the manager of Tottenham, or any other matters regarding Tottenham and all-things Tottenham.

It was still a mixed week, and I know a lot of blues will be hurting at City’s form right now, but I think we are missing who the real victims are here. The likes of Miguel Delaney must be gutted at City’s demise, meaning some time off moaning about the demise of competitive football, though City’s APT legal wranglings gives them an alternative avenue of attack.

But still some have given Liverpool’s processional title win the treatment, with none other than Barney Ronay wondering if football is actually fun? Well it has never been for you or your colleagues, who see the negative in everything from your multiple high-horses. It’s all been downhill since he enjoyed Putin’s World Cup so much he wrote a book on it.

It’s quite funny really that history seems to suggest that competitive Premier League title races actually require City. Otherwise, someone just runs away with it, because no other club steps up. But it’s boring should City eventually prevail in a classic title race repeatedly. Make it make sense. To summarise: City are involved in a neck-and-neck title race five times, but ultimately they prevail in all five = boring and anti-competitive. Team wins league comfortably = boring. Other stuff happening in league - who cares? And that is part of the problem in the media outlook on competitive leagues – the talk is almost exclusively reserved for the title race. Yes, that will always be the main focus of any league, but still only one aspect of many. The real possibility that all three promoted teams will be relegated for the second successive season does not help matters however, but there is plenty still at stake for many teams, as City fans know all too well.

It could have been much different, but PSR has put paid to that. Speaking of which…..

Quite an astonishing take, but one to be expected.

But to reiterate, for those saying the Premier League is not exciting, it is certainly tense in the race for Champions League spots, though the pseudo-intellectual sports writers scattered across our media will of course point out that such matters are not what makes a league exciting – a race for 4th /5th spot. Whatever. It’s tense and exciting for those involved, and it matters, with so much at stake – to build for the future and progress, and for some, to avoid PSR pitfalls. It may be a sad indictment of modern football, but the money matters, as does competing against the best. The stakes are huge, including for City.

Speaking of Barney, he provided a classic example this week of a strawman argument, created because he had an agenda to follow.

“There was some talk..” No there wasn’t, you pathetic liar. But it gave you an excuse to then criticise the following performance even more, because you had created this fake scenario. Embarrassing.

My mind often wanders, so it was of little surprise I got to thinking about things falling for City once more, even after a disappointing season. Because I have to say, there has been an element of luck in City’s situation. Not at any point have City shown a period of good form, and yet would you rule them out of eventually finishing 2nd this season? With a need for Champions League football to salvage the season and help build for a brighter future (and it will be brighter), City have been helped by those around them, who have been equally flawed, and in many cases, more so. Aston Villa a re a shadow right now of last season, and like many teams, they look to have turned a corner, before losing again. In fact, they have not won three games on the bounce all season. Newcastle United started well, faltered, recovered and now have faltered once more. Bournemouth seem to have hit a brick wall, which is more understandable, and I am hoping Nottingham Forest have too. Brighton have hit form but off the back of a 7-0 drubbing and following an eight-match winless streak before that. More luck has arrived with the near-certainty that 5th place will secure Champions League football, unlike last season. Tottenham in the Champions League this season may have allowed them to kick on – we will never know. The bar is relatively low for City to secure a top-five spot, but then this should be expected to some extent – it was never going to necessitate the relentless form needed in a title race. Standards are understandably a step lower.

Lauding the Champions League is a necessary evil. Across Europe, nothing has destroyed competitiveness more than the riches of the Champions League, especially in less powerful countries where one team taking part becomes immeasurably richer and thus more powerful than every other team in their domestic league.

But why did I say that things had fallen for City “once more”? Because I have been thinking about City’s success over the past 13 years, and how many times City have just come out on the right side of history, and how perhaps an element of luck has been part of that. The FA Cup victory over United in 2011 was preceded by two misses by Berbatov, but hey, that is football and even many United fans agreed City deserved the win that day. The win over QPR was miraculous, but on another day City would have prevailed comfortably, considering the chances that did not go in. The breathless title races against Liverpool and to a slightly lesser extent Arsenal, had some sliding doors moments. The Aguero goal v Burnley that was millimetres over the line. THAT Rodri non-handball. Both these games and others assume that with different decisions, City would not have therefore won the games, but we do not know how they would then have panned out, and never will. The Ihenacho miss. The Ortega save from Son. Another miraculous come-back against Aston Villa. The late Inter onslaught that somehow did not result in a goal. City have come through so much and emerged victorious by such small margins, that I remind myself of this repeatedly to calm my frustrations when things do not go well, as has been the case this season. Not everything will go how you want in sport, and City are well in credit in that respect, though we tend to forget, or rival fan bases do, the decisions that did not go our way. But perhaps it misses a bigger point – it was not about luck, but the fact that real winners tend to find a way. Real Madrid are a prime example of that. And City have been the realest winners of them all over the past decade and beyond.

I have done a couple of podcasts this week looking at City’s treatment of fans around ticket prices, away fans in home ends and more. They are both available on Soundcloud, so do check them out, and I won’t say any more on here, apart from the fact that we as blues do not “owe” the owner(s) anything, and should not just accept anything they do. Sheikh Mansour did not take over City because he felt sorry for us, but as a clearly brilliant investment opportunity. I am thankful for everything that has followed, but to reiterate, to be treated shabbily and as a “customer” not a “fan” is utterly unacceptable, and the decision makers at City need to know how we feel.

I say this somewhat tongue in cheek, but the rumoured leaked home shirt is evidence of the disconnect. New designs designed by Noel Gallagher. Stupid fonts. Crap new shirts for the Club World Cup. “We’re so Manc!” marketing. Drip, drip, drip. It is hard for me to present kit designs as evidence of a disconnect between fans and club as whatever you like them or not is subjective. But I can say with some considerable confidence that if that leaked shirt is real, it will be extremely unpopular, mainly due to the fact it's crap. 

Anyway, West Ham have frozen their season ticket prices for next season, and concessions have been saved, almost certainly due to fan pressure. Over to you, City. Prove to us that fans do matter, and that the Chairman’s end-of-season fan eulogies are not little more than lip service. Enough is enough.

Finally, I am compelled once more to think about Manchester United, as we have our weekly laugh at their misfortunes, though hundreds of loyal hard-working staff losing their livelihoods whilst executives fly around on private jets is anything but funny.

The Omar Berrada leaks story is rather humorous namely that he told staff to stop leaking stories to the press, and we know this because his request was leaked to the press. But United have shown for a decade now that leaks are what happens at dysfunctional clubs. They are evidence of a sinking ship, and perhaps proof that we as fans should not assume that high level club executives are super intelligent, just because of their apparent success and profile, an apt observation in a week when I and others have railed against City and a number of their policies, which are not wrong just because of the financial grab that inspired them, but are just bad examples of how to run a club.

But I finish with an exclusive, as I have got hold of my own leaked information, and have further details of the cost-cutting measure Offshore Jim is planning at Old Trafford:

  • When raining, staff must reconvene outside and tilt their heads upwards, mouths open, to use the rainwater as hydration. The time spent outside must be made up at the end of the day.

  •  United's 1996 grey away kit to be used as insulation in walls of office. 

  •  No shirt swapping after matches.

  •  Redundant staff to be charged hourly administration fee to clear their own desks.

  •  All personal staff Nectar points to be handed over to club, to go towards new printer. 

  •  £2 fines for audible farts and burps. £5 fines for “silent but deadly” farts.

  •  Selling Casemiro to help fund new scoreboard.

  •  Stop signing every player City are linked with in media.

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK

THE 9320 REVIEW – SAME OLD, SAME OLD

Ste Tudor, Ste Mcinerney and Lloyd look for the positives from a thoroughly annoying weekend.

EXPLOITING LOYALTY

Ste chats to Jo and Howard about their frustrations at ticketing issues at City, pricing, away fan invasions and much more. Enough is enough?

EXPLOITING LOYALTY – 1894 CHAT

On a similar theme, Howard chatted to Jackie from the 1894 Group about the issues, and the drive for change.

THE 9320 REVIEW – HALF AND HALF

Howard is joined by Lloyd and Ben to look back at the victory at Tottenham, a future template, a new star, refs and much more.

OPPOSITION FAN – PLYMOUTH ARGYLE

Howard chatted to Joe from the Argyle Life/Green & White Podcast about all things Plymouth.

THE WEEKEND SHOW – PILGRIMS

Another bumper show with Ste, Adam and George, looking back at the Spurs win, previewing the FA Cup match, and more.

COMING UP

Aside from all the usual stuff, there will be a new Hub episode looking at goalkeepers, and a No History pod in the coming days looking at City’s Brazilian players.

If you are not a subscriber to our player shows, then enjoy some free samples of what we are about. Every show we do will have a 15 minutes sample on Soundcloud, along with a full, free weekly Friday show, jam- packed with content. Give it a try!