THE 93:20 NEWSLETTER:- ISSUE 32

Author

Howard Hockin
March 21, 2025

Hello, and welcome to Issue 32 of the 93:20 Newsletter. If you do not subscribe to our player, I suggest the coming days/weeks may be a good time to do so, if you catch my drift. Though any time is good, as we continue to put out the best content almost daily, even during a dreary international break.

Maybe I am being harsh about the international break. After all, a man who is tired of England v Albania and England v Latvia is tired of life, as Samuel Johnson once said. A true visionary.

Bit. It does feel like off the pitch, we’re getting close to a decision. I’m getting the sort of butterflies not experienced since the QPR match. It’s rather important, after all. What a shame that City’s most pivotal moment of the season will be away from the pitch. A sad indictment of modern times, and legal wranglings thereafter will probably muddy the water for another year or so.

Anyway, let’s crack on with the usual random observations and the world exclusive leaked WhatsApp conversation that I promised last week.

The response to Newcastle United winning a trophy was entirely predictable – happiness for fans, and a scramble by Fleet Street’s finest to point out the dark undertones to it all. I’m not one to bemoan people’s issues with such owners, as I hardly blow smoke up the backside of my own, and football would be better if it were not a plaything for billionaires or state-linked individuals. Not the fans’ responsibility, and the richest and most popular sport on the planet was always going down this path, especially in England, where the fans have been slaves to the product, and have not been the most vociferous historically over the finer morals of the game, do not have a history of fan ownership, and perhaps most pertinently of all, the prospect of success, of better times, will easily make most of us compliant. Would you swap the last fifteen years of success for a local philanthropist, who oversaw relegation scraps and mid-table mediocrity? Nope, easiest decision ever, and I am not going to feel an ounce of guilt for it. Sheikh Mansour’s money would be propelling another club instead and the world would be no better off – a poor argument I know, and I could not care less. Write all the articles you want, football is no different to other “businesses” across the globe that are happily awash with Middle Eastern money, however much certain scribes insist it is. It may once have been, but it is 2025, not 1982. We as fans have the power to change certain things, ticket prices being an obvious example, but there are certain aspects of the game where the ship sailed many blue moons ago. Even Tony Bloom at Brighton is a billionaire. The game sold out a long time ago. Saudi state money is hardly the same as Bloom’s money, obviously – there are levels to this. But ultimately, if we want change, it has to be more than banning state ownership – that solves very little, should you believe there are issues to solve in the first place.

Most pertinently – fans are rather sick of being patronised by pseudo-intellectual football writers, so such musings are merely there to serve fans of other teams, as much of the writing on City is, and has been, for many years. I was invited on the Second Captains podcast the day after City won the title in 2014, with joy in my heart and a stinking hangover, to be interrogated over human rights issues for 10 minutes. Fans aren’t allowed to be happy anymore, it seems, not if you support a certain team, anyway. This is PRECISELY the time such issues need to be discussed, people like Delaney and Early will parrot. Whatever, keep telling yourself that, it changes nothing, but might sell a few extra books.

As an aside, the Carabao Cup final got me pining for 2011 and 2012. Oh my, what a time that was to be alive, and as we talk about poor atmospheres and ticket prices, we must also acknowledge that we can never recreate what those 12 months or so provided. How could you? A first trophy in more than a generation, and a first league title, in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable. From that moment on, everything felt like something of an anti-climax, at least sub-consciously. Finally winning the Champions League ended another chapter. And I feel that for some fans there was a finality to that day, and a checking out. Perhaps for some players too. We’ll be back, and feel that euphoria many times again, no doubt, but you can never match the first time.

An even bigger aside - Edin Dzeko chat resurfaced this week, as he celebrated his birthday.

Naturally this led to some rewriting of history, with some asking why we let him go? Well, because he wasn’t playing very well for an extended period, I imagine. I may be wrong, but I don’t recall much gnashing of teeth and wailing at his departure. But ultimately, that is the nature of football – players move on. He clearly had the time to offer much more, but sometimes it is best for all parties to have a change, and the player finding success thereafter does not invalidate the decision. Julian Alvarez is a case in point – he was always going to succeed at Atletico Madrid as far I was concerned, but he could not be as suitably accommodated at City. There will be mistakes in who clubs let go, and City are no exception, but I cannot lump Edin Dzeko in that bracket. He was a great servant to City, and a great guy, and is a player I find happiness in seeing him succeed after leaving City, rather than bemoaning letting him go. I can feel a song coming on.

Credit to Thomas Tuchel this week, not for picking Jordan Henderson, but for the genius manner in which he dealt with the tiresome National Anthem “issue”, as a foreign manager of an England side.

"It means everything. It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel because it is that meaningful and it is that emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it.

"I feel that it is not just a given. You cannot just sing it. That's why I decided that I will not sing it in my first matches.

"I will earn it with results, with building a group, with doing my job properly and by creating a feeling where maybe even you guys say at some point, 'Now it's time that you sing it, it feels like you properly earned it and you're a proper English guy now'.

"Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like, 'He should sing it now, he's one of our own, he's the English manager, he should sing it'."

The whole topic is tedious, but he has skilfully come up with an answer that throws it back to those that created the story in the first place, and put it in their court. Basically, I’ll sing the national anthem when YOU decide I have earned the right. Slag me off, and I won’t. Credit me, and I will. Over to you, Ian Herbert.

As it’s World Poetry Day, I have spent the last few days compiling my own poem. I hope you like it.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I’ve heard the new Libero podcast
Is a pile of poo.

You’re welcome.

FINALLY – OVER AT THE EMIRATES

#visitRwanda

FINALLY, FINALLY – THE WORLD EXCLUSIVE.

As promised, the world exclusive of a Jim Ratcliffe leaked WhatsApp chat that I have got my hands on. Explosive stuff, I am sure you will agree.

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK

THE 9320 REVIEW – WIDE OPEN SPACES

Ahsan is joined by Jordan and Tom to discuss the draw with Brighton at the weekend. All the talking points covered including Doku, defending and where is Jack Grealish?

FOOTBALL MENTALITY

Ste is joined by Ally, Joe and Howard to talk about how football and mental health entwine, for good and bad, and how we as fans can deal with it.

THE HUB:- EPISODE 29 – HUMAN MISSILES

Howard is joined by Bailey and Sam, in an episode titled Human Missiles, that looks at full-back options for City in the summer. Both guests evaluate City’s current crop, and make their personal picks, whilst considering the options for Pep moving forward.

THE PRICE OF LOYALTY

A must-listen for all blues, and available to all on Soundcloud. Howard chatted to Nick from the MCFC Fans Foodbank Support Group and City Matters Rep Alex Howell about the ongoing battles between fans and club over tickets, and much more.

COMNG UP

Another Hub episode will drop on Monday, and a double England review on Tuesday, plus a wider look at the international weekend. A quiz is being organised, and there will be all the usual content, as domestic football returns with a huge cup match!

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!