THE 93:20 NEWSLETTER:- ISSUE 36

Author

Howard Hockin
April 18, 2025

Hello, and welcome to Issue 36 of the 93:20 Newsletter. It’s been a fairly quiet week in the life of Manchester City football club, which is no bad thing. Still plenty to talk about however. As always, we appreciate the support of you all, but it has been a tough season on and off the pitch, so do subscribe if you can, and have not previously. The more that do, the more we can produce - and the more nonsense I will type.

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Onwards and upwards…

So it was bittersweet, but rather nice, to put my feet up and watch some stress-free Champions League football this week. It didn’t disappoint. Are PSG still the template for all that is good in football? They were very lucky to get away with their Villa Park performance, and could easily have collapsed, as they traditionally do around this stage of the competition. Again, it raises the danger of hyping teams in the moment, rather than taking a wider view. They are a brilliant side, and their attacking talent is to be admired and envied, but they are not without their flaws, and much of the footballing fraternity are using a small sample size of three Champions League games as evidence of their brilliance. If I was a betting man (and I am), I would still be cautious in tipping them to win the competition. Though I hope they do, as that would mean Arsenal haven’t, and the moral guardians of Fleet Street would be FUMING- and surely we can all get behind that.

Closer to home, and it is party pooper time, the first of two references. So, straight to the point - don’t let a good Kevin De Bruyne performance fool you. Now I as much as anyone have been looking for signs for months that the old Kevin De Bruyne could return, and we could hold on to our greatest player (fact) until he literally fell over, like Madrid have with Modric. But sadly the signs have not been there. I am afraid, much as it pains, that his exit is the right decision, and I pray he does not remain in England.
However. It would have been easier as a coping mechanism to discover that it was De Bruyne’s decision. Knowing it was Pep that decided and that De Bruyne wanted to stay has irked me a tad, for reasons that are hard to define.
However. On the flip side, it does hint at Pep fully realising the scale of the rebuild task, and that the days of leaning on his ageing, senior players had to end, and soon. He has pretty much said as much in recent weeks, stating that he cannot depend on injury-prone defenders, which means John Stones is toast, and expressing uncertainty that Ilkay Gundogan would be at the club next season, even though he has triggered a contract extension. No room for sentimentality moving forward, this is what we needed to hear, and this is what needs to happen. I am as sentimental as anyone, but these players were always going to leave at some point, and I would rather watch their decline in another team’s shirt.

So Real Madrid v Arsenal was a tie that was always going to leave me conflicted, as sadly football does not allow for both team to go out of a competition, more’s the pity. But you must have a heart of stone not to take some raw, uncontrollable joy from seeing Real Madrid dumped out of the competition. Has a club ever compiled a bigger collection of undesirables, outside Manchester? You would be hard-pressed to find one. The fact that Kylian Mbappe received a one-match ban for one of the worst tackles I have seen this season, tells you all you need to know about how the sport operates differently for some clubs.

Footnote: Don’t forget Thibaut Courtois, and I am not just saying this in solidarity with Kevin De Bruyne. He is one of those arseholes who goes under the radar, probably because so many of his teammates take the spotlight off him.

On a separate note, Wednesday’s game gave Fleet Street’s finest one hell of a dilemma. Jude Bellingham was once more totally ineffective, but on a level excluding Henry Winter et al from bigging him up. Best then to turn a blind eye until the next time they watch him, and they can pretend he is the world’s greatest player once more.

Some startling news reached my Twitter feed midweek.

Well done City, you have officially ground me down. I concede, and accept defeat willingly. Charge £200 a ticket, ban me for standing up at the wrong time during a match or passing on a ticket to a friend. A global Club World Cup, raising the profile of the club further, a competition City enter as holders, and you do not think wearing blue might just be a good idea? Rather than whatever that latest, desperate cash grab monstrosity is above. Dear oh dear. A nice way to celebrate a 131st birthday.

Still in better news, City v Bournemouth has been scheduled for 7pm on a Sunday evening. I have no words left.
But there's more! On the day they announce a Sunday 7pm fixture, that is subject to change, they insist that 16 of the 19 league games must be attended by season ticket holders, 10 in person – for some that will be the final straw (they have told me so). Tightening the rule son City fans use of their own tickets, whilst openly collaborating with 9 (NINE) ticket tout companies. Modern football in a nutshell.

There is a European theme to this week’s newsletter, as that is all the football I have been watching. Ange Postecoglou proving that old theory (that I have just made up) that when a manager most needs a result, they often get one, in a game you would least expect them to. Elsewhere, I was reminded of the endless refereeing debates, and the common suggestion that the Premier League import top referees from abroad, one of the most laughable suggestions I have ever heard. Whatever you may think of English referees, I can assure you European ones are no better, or perhaps they are simply applying even more ludicrous laws. From the second yellow card for the Lyon player, to the fact that the referee needed VAR to ascertain James Maddison had been decapitated, with VAR also required for Mbappe’s weekend horror tackle. Pretty much every European game I watch, the referee comes across as an overly-officious jobsworth, easily conned by the play acting that is so prevalent in the modern game. The only plus is that they stand for little or no dissent from the players.

Still, there’s a worse issue to deal with when watching European football. If anyone watched United on TNT on Thursday night, I probably don’t have to type another word. I am going to stay calm and not go on a rant, as my doctor says it is not good for my health, and I am already on the verge of statins, but Rio and Ferdinand and Robbie Savage delivered a new low for sports co-commentary, the equivalent of two coked-up pub bores shouting randomly at a screen in the corner before being asked politely to keep the noise down. BT Sport used to employ a raft of knowledgeable football commentators, the Goals Show a prime example of what can be achieved if you treat your audience with a modicum of respect. I don’t know if the merger is to blame, and the need to cut costs, but it has fully dumbed down now. Thursday night was an embarrassment.

The club Twitter account asked this week, “what was your favourite City moment?”. Naturally there were some serious answers, there are always some party poopers. Here are mine, in no particular order. Please note, all of these are also serious.

1. Mancini telling Ferguson to “do one” on the touchline.
2. Arsenal fans pretending to try to get to Adebayor after his goal celebration. Lattes all over the shop.
3. Blue ketchup at the Etihad on derby day.
4. THAT Iheanacho miss.
5. David Silva with a crew cut.
6. Presenting Yaya Toure with a lifetime season ticket. No wonder we have empty seats.
7. The CAS decision.
8. Mario Balotelli’s solitary assist.
9. Delia Smith’s half-time “pep talk”.
10. Kyle Walker time wasting at Old Trafford.
11. Dzeko faking death on the Goodison pitch in 2014.
12. Rio Ferdinand getting angry at Mario Balotelli.
13. Mike Summerbee’s solitary appearance in the Sky Sports studio.
14. Disrespecting Burton Albion by scoring too many goals.
15. David Silva wearing the away shirt with a sash for the 1st time.

As I write this, it is 14 years to the day since Yaya Toure scored the solitary goal against Manchester United to send City to an FA Cup final.

Fourteen years. What a ride, eh? How many “bad” years in that 14? A few, but not that many. What a journey, and what a privilege to be a part of it. City will be back at Wembley soon, and 2015 was the only season we haven’t been there, so always be thankful, even when the tougher times arrive. And drink it in.

Just a reminder – Manchester United are three points clear of 17th place. What a shame that the three promoted sides will be relegated for the 2nd successive season. If just one of them had made a better fist at Premier League football, there would be a lot of very panicky United fans right now.

Don’t get me wrong, I am more optimistic of City getting top 5 now. But it would show football at its cruellest if City finished 6th and the worst United team of a generation got Champions League football by winning a 2nd tier trophy, which they qualified for because City turned up to a Cup Final hungover, and in the first season that did not see Champions League teams drop into the Europa League, seriously diluting its quality.

And speaking of relegated clubs, reminded me of the Overlap, and a further reminder of the need for independent fan content more than ever. This week’s Overlap gem that I couldn’t avoid, was a clip of Roy Keane claiming that the promoted sides just didn’t try hard enough. They must be kicking themselves at this revelation – if only they had put a bit more effort in, they may have stayed up! Add this to Gary Neville bemoaning boring football because defenders pass too much, or their excruciating attempts to discuss City’s 115/130 charges, and you should realise by now that we as fans deserve better than this level of discourse. And we can have better – I hope you consider the 93:20 podcast one such example.

 AND FINALLY

This will be an irregular feature – but here’s some more stuff I have been watching and listening to this week.

Mitchell & Webb – Princess Diana Conspiracy

Not sure if I am allowed to listen to Arcade Fire anymore, as Win Butler is a wrong ‘un, but their new single is a belter.

A blast of Manchester past - Chemical Brothers – One Too Many Mornings

The greatest ever award ceremony presentation

Evanescence – Afterlife

And Severance, one of the great programmes of recent years, with a perfect final episode of Season 2. Now for Black Mirror, White Lotus and the Last of Us Season 2.

And as for Black Mirror – the Eulogy episode. Oh my…….

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK

THE REVIEW:- HIGH FLIERS

Ste, Howard and Ben discuss a crazy afternoon at a sunny Etihad. Some solutions found, and some recurring issues.

THE MARKET:- EPISODE 35

In what has been the most popular Market episode ever, Ahsan, Lloyd and special guest Darren talk Frimpong, Wirtz, Gibbs-White and a lot, lot more! A must-listen.

OPPOSITION FAN

Howard chatted to Andy Smith about all things Everton, from new owners and an old manager, a new era beckons, and a team in good form.

THE WEEKEND SHOW

Howard, Lloyd and Tom look back at the week that was, talk Palace, recruitment, protests and preview a tricky final trip to Goodison.

COMING UP

Two tricky games on the horizon (as per usual), so the content will continue – reviews previews, news and more.

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!