THE 93:20 NEWSLETTER:- ISSUE 30

Hello, and welcome to Issue 30 of the 93:20 Newsletter, at the end of what has been a quieter week, thankfully. Following City feels like a full-time job sometimes. So as always, it’s a newsletter of bits and bobs, and me spewing out random thoughts. We have been as busy as ever on the 93:20 podcast, so check out our content at the bottom, subscribe, tell friends and family, because word of mouth is what keeps us going! Let’s crack on….

Desperate times at United, (obsessed!) as they stumble from one mishap to another. During their FA Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Fulham, it was clear to see rafts of empty seats at Old Trafford, the Theatre of Memes.

Of course, when such an occurrence happens anywhere away from east Manchester, not a word is said, not a whisper from the media, nothing. No questioning of their support, and there is always just cause – crap team, protest at owners etc. When an empty seat is spotted at the Etihad, it is because they are a small club with no fans, and the seat is circled in red and placed in newspaper articles. You can choose not to attend due to poor form, but you cannot be priced out of going, them’s the rules apparently.

Now, for the caveats. Because this is not some cheap attack on United fans, so sorry if you assumed that is where this was going. There are plenty of other things the club does on and off the pitch for that sort of thing – this is the exception, and should always be the exception. United of course have more fans than City, coupled with a strict cup policy. Some City fans are now realising the same thing with season tickets – if you don’t go, if you give up your ticket, you may never find a way back in. United fans have been pressured to attend cup games, at extortionate prices. They have my sympathy, genuinely.

Now forget tribalism, United fans should not be criticised for not attending right now. If many City fans feel disillusioned right now about the state of affairs (and rightly so), imagine how United fans must feel, supporting one of the worst-run clubs in modern history. And perhaps ancient history too. There is this undercurrent from a section of fandom that fans have to “prove” how big a fan they are, by going to all matches however bad it may get, staying to the end, and so on.

And they’re idiots. Fans should do whatever they want, and should do so to protect their own sanity, and mental wellbeing. As someone who has pretty much always stayed to the end, whatever the score, I have left games slightly early a few times this season. Not because I’m a glory hunter and am having a strop at poorer performances than I am used to. But quite simply, because I wanted to. Maybe it is because I am a glory hunter, but who cares? If I want to go, I should go. There was zero chance of recovering the game v Liverpool with a minute of normal time to go, so I left, and went to the pub. I am no longer prepared to make myself feel worse for the sake of proving what a fan I am. I understand the poor optics of fans leaving early, but how can you separate the collective from the freewill of individuals to do what they want, having purchased a ticket? You can’t blame the individuals. The problem is that City have been my emotional crutch for a decade, and that has been whisked away from me this season. City have masked many of life’s problems by providing me with so much joy and so many memories. And the one thing that has finally dawned on me this season is that I cannot depend on occurrences out of my control to determine my mood. So be whatever fan you want to be. If I was a United fan (perish the thought), I would be nowhere near the ground right now.

It's been a week of European action, so you would think there was plenty for the media to talk about, but no. As with every other week, there has to be some dreary, pointless thing to argue about. Mo Salah v Kevin De Bruyne is thus the latest tedious debate, and proof of the need for CONTENT at all times (I appreciate the irony of saying this). I hate nostalgia, but in the old days, such players would simply be appreciated and enjoyed – now it has to be a competition. Sucking the joy out of football, one tedious Overlap debate at a time. The answer to the debate is quite simple – both players are Premier League and club legends, and both of the respective fanbases should enjoy that fact. That’s it.

And so it begins (continues). At half-time in the Leyton Orient match, a player was interviewed as he left the pitch. An abomination, and totally unnecessary. There will be league games played abroad, it is inevitable. World Cup Finals will feature 64 teams, will continue to be hosted in countries with little interest in the game, and with terrible human rights records (such as the US, smiley face) and this is just one of the next natural steps, along with a Super League of sorts at some point. I’ve said I’m not nostalgic, but those who run the game are severely testing my patience.

Elsewhere, news has emerged that the Club World Cup will have a $1 billion prize fund. The winner may take home up to £77.5m. Something to consider should City’s bean counters put up season ticket prices again. An extra ordinary general meeting has been agreed to by the club to discuss ticket prices, but they cannot commit to a date. It doesn’t need a meeting to freeze prices. If the club had an ounce of decency about them, they would have done it already. The fact that they are talking about meeting suggests they have no intention of doing so.

Thanks, Gerard. Ah man, you were SO close to identifying the problem right at the start, then rather lost your way, living in your little bubble as you are. Other sports are irrelevant. Any sane individual knows that football matches do not have to all have a winner. There are problems, and you managed to accidentally mention the main one, whilst being totally oblivious to doing so.

Finally, an apology in advance of what I am about to write.

On a podcast this week, I triggered Ste by saying I was going to write a defence of Wayne Rooney on this week's newsletter, prompted by a small rethink I had after speaking to a Plymouth Argyle fan last week on the opposition fan podcast.

Don't worry, I won't be too effusive about him, so don't click away just yet. And if you want to hate him and his ilk, that is absolutely fine, I'm not looking to persuade you otherwise. After all, it has long been my opinion that the Ferguson association has for too long allowed bang average ex-player-but-now-a-manager to earn a further living trading off their name, and too many club owners continue to fall for it. In what shape or form was Ruud Van Nistelrooy ever the best option for Leicester City, or any other team for that matter?

However. In a world where I am spoilt for football people to detest, spread across the spectrum, I just find it hard to spare much hated for Rooney. Though i am not convinced this will ever happen, I wouldn't be against him forging some level of success as a manager. Because unlike others, he genuinely wants to succeed, and seems prepared to graft to do so. He may not be the best manager, but he has walked into some poor situations as a manager, and given his all. I have heard countless stories of his hard work, approachability and determination. As a pundit he speaks well, and god knows we did more of that in TV studios, and when he speaks of City, he is far and logical in his assessment, which is more than can be said of the fraudulent Micah Richards. So he does alright by me.

Still, I probably once said the same thing about Gary Neville. Urgh.

One very final point. I have heard from a very reliable source that Jim Ratcliffe has banned players from taking a drink during matches and then spitting it out, as this constitutes waste, and will result in a club fine. You couldn’t make it up.

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK

THE 9320 REVIEW – ROUND UP

Howard and Ste look back at the Plymouth win and if anything was learned, plus laugh at United, obviously.

THE HUB:- EPISODE 28

Howard welcomes Bailey and Sam to assess City’s goalkeeping situation, looking at Ederson and Ortega. Bailey and Sam present three picks each as potential successors to Ederson.

OPPOSITION FAN – NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Howard chats to Forest fan George about a club very much on the up.

THE WEEKEND SHOW

As always a bumper show with Lloyd, Chris and George, previewing a big weekend match and looking back at the week that was and another weekend of big Premier League action.

NO HISTORY:- BRAZIL

Recorded but not yet released, Howard and Joe look at City’s Brazilian players – all 15 of them!

COMING UP

The usual stuff, plus a quiz is in the offing!

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!

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