THE 93:20 NEWSLETTER:- ISSUE 61

Author

Howard Hockin
September 19, 2025

Hello, and welcome to Issue 61 of the Newsletter. Media gubbins, returning heroes, and more. As always, plenty to talk about, and never a dull moment.

The usual (apologies) reminder that the Newsletter cannot survive without your support, and we are truly grateful for it, in whatever form it takes. If you can help, it is always appreciated, and I can already promise more bonus newsletters and pod content thanks to your generosity. As has been the case for many years, there has never been a greater need for independent coverage of City – without bias, but WITH emotion.

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A lot to get through – a succession of small bursts of consciousness. Let’s go!

I've never had anything against David Ornstein. Seems a pleasant chap, and far away from the knee-jerk, trashy opinions shared by many in the industry, namely because I wasn’t aware of what his opinions or affiliations were. As a football journalist, he is a one-trick pony, but what a trick. His bulging black book full of contacts has made him the best in the business for breaking news. If he breaks a story, then it's almost certainly to be believed, which is not something I can say for many of his colleagues. A client journalist perhaps, some may harshly say a shill for clubs, but the information was trusted, and that’s the important thing. 

If only he had stuck to one trick. This season he is more omnipresent than whichever deity you may worship. He has turned up on camera before a number of games to put forward opinions and updates on ongoing transfer sagas, usually Isak-related. And podcasts too. Everyone is on one nowadays, ahem. This week, he popped up on a podcast to give his opinions on City. And reminded us all why he has previously stuck to breaking news. All in all, in recent months, it irks me to see the muddy waters between a football journalist and “celebrity”, an area he now occupies. He seems to have got ideas above his station. 

If you are not aware, in the clip Ornstein came out with a comment so spectacularly wrong, I cannot believe he has been operating at the forefront of the transfer industry for so many years. He stated that gone are the days of City being able to outmuscle their title rivals in the transfer market. This bizarre opinion naturally created a tsunami of pushback from blues, and led to the remarkable situation where the Athletic have pulled the clip due to the responses it produced. That's surprising, because whatever you think of the accuracy of Ornstein's assertions, and I clearly think very little, amongst with most other blues, there was nothing particularly offensive in what he said, which is usually the only reason that content gets pulled, when something slips through the net that should never have been published. 

I think I have been overwhelmed by opinions. There are just too many of them in the footballing world, attacking your senses from every direction, and I'm sick of most of them, a natural consequence of living in an online world, and a natural consequence of the algorithms that determine that the worse the view is, the more attention it will get. How ironic I hear you cry, as you read this newsletter that I have put together, the 61st of a series expressing my views (also available in paperback and Kindle formats). But if you're reading this, you have at least professed a willingness to read what I think, desperate as you may be. What’s more, the big selling point of social media sites like Twitter was always that you could curate what you read. Still can, but it seems increasingly hard to filter out the guff. 

Hopefully Ornstein has got the message by now. City have never been able to outmuscle rivals to players as the norm – you know the full list, I am sure, and it is a fairly long one. There was a reason blues referred to City and Txiki as Release Clause FC. It’s only when the club went toe-to-toe for the odd player in recent times that it lost out on some big targets. It would be easy to field a team with targets City wanted but did not get. Why he said it is hard to fathom, beyond it being one of the many misconceptions about City that are just ingrained in the perceptions of non-City fans.

The key point here. This type of narrative from Ornstein and many, many others is simply part of a desperate need to proclaim that the Pep Guardiola era is over, and the almost psychotic desire for Pep to realise the same and to call it a day. It’s part of the narrative that things have changed at City, and the assumption that this is GOOD for football as a whole.There's been plenty waiting for this moment from the day he arrived all those years ago. If the club is on the wane, then so is Pep, and vice versa. There is an overwhelming desire for new eras and new stories to tell – and preferably an Arsenal v Liverpool era of rivalry, without City. Even better with United, but there’s only so far people’s imaginations can take them.

Napoli Shorts

The Kevin De Bruyne reunion was too soon. It felt like your child popping round the day after you'd sent them off to university. It was weird, and there was no outcome that I was ever going to find particularly enjoyable, if I’m honest. It would have been better to play Napoli last in the group stage, it would have felt more real. Always nice to see him though, always will be. Cracking tifo, too.

But what a damp squib it was in the end. I cannot lie – there was a sigh of relief when he walked off. City come first, and a potential narrative had been squashed, and City’s chance of success increased at that moment. In an ideal world he scores a world class free kick as a consolation goal when City are five goals up, but that was never remotely likely against the Italian champions, even a man down. And I’d rather take a clean sheet. So in the end, a comfortable victory, another clean sheet, two important wins, no narratives, no controversies, Phil is back, the ex-United players were anonymous – everything I wanted from the night.

Sorry to mention VAR, especially as it did its job last night. It has still managed to irk me, however. That’s VAR for you. When the referee was awaiting instructions on the incident, my screen showed one angle that was more conclusive than the others, absolutely confirming that it was a red card offence. Yet, when the referee went to the screen, he did not see this angle, the best angle. Why?
I don’t think the system is “bent” or corrupt or biased, but little things like this do not help. Why was the referee not given all the tools to make a decision, and why are those in control of VAR struggling with what should be a fairly simple system to get things right?

Great to see Jeremy Doku add some numbers to his game. I assume he'll be in trouble with his manager however for ignoring Pep's attempts to stifle his creativity, which apparently is what he does to all wide players. 

Liverpool are irritating us all with these late winners. Thing is, history tells us not to be surprised, and the answer lies in the heads of those opposition players and managers. Bournemouth are the perfect example of the psychology of football that allows Liverpool to score these goals. And it all boils down to an inferiority complex, and to be honest, cowardice. Harsh, perhaps, but these games are lost in the head, and from the touchline.

I watched the Bournemouth game, and within a few minutes of them equalising, I knew Liverpool would win the match. Now, it’s easy to say that was just my pessimism kicking in, the same routine I used to go through when United weren’t winning against inferior opposition under Ferguson, which made me a fair few quid in bets. But from the patterns of play, I knew my pessimism was well-founded, the match playing out in a way I had seen thousands of times before, and will see a thousand times again, cholesterol levels permitting.
The moment Bournemouth equalised, they sat back. Knowing a draw would be a brilliant result, they decided to attempt to protect what they had, and immediately surrendered any advantages they had. Their tactical approach had seen them match Liverpool and could have seen them go on and snatch an unlikely winner. But no, the inferiority complex kicked in, and the deal was essentially sealed. A thousand times, as I said – a team finds itself in a position it could barely dream of, then abandons its principles and panics.

With the release this week of Manchester United’s latest financial figures, a reminder that their debt stands at £471m, with just a few hundred million owed in transfer fees. But that’s fine, because the rules that clubs such as United helped form, say it is fine. So therefore, we must all have no issue with it. That’s how it works – got it?

Never mind, you probably missed that news anyway, as the media went to work on United’s behalf as per usual, following a quick call from Neil Ashton. The headline – revenue was up. Bet it isn’t next year! Though as United can move money around without any comeback, thus not breaking PSR limits, I’m sure they will find a way to present whatever figures they desire. May require the guy on security to pack his bags though, if he hasn’t already.

Funny how far the backing of a media that largely grew up under United success can take you. Record revenue at a time of no Champions League football and the poorest-performing league team in decades. Not a question asked. The most successful side in England over the past decade (spoiler alert: City) could post the same headline, and the assumption would be of chicanery involving inflated sponsorship deals. The announcement of the next Etihad deal should be fun - £1.5bn is the rumour. Those “unnamed executives” (those that are left) at other clubs that love to provide anti-City quotes to certain journalists will have to suck it up. Marvellous.

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK

THE 93:20 REVIEW – THE HIT MEN

On an emotional day, Howard and Ahsan discuss an ultimately comfortable derby day victory. The individuals, tactics, consequences and more. A huge show.

NAPOLI PREVIEW

Howard, Lloyd and Ahsan look back at the United win, and forward to the return of a King, other familiar faces and a tricky Thursday fixture.

NAPOLI REVIEW

Ahsan and Bailey look back at what turned out to be a comfortable win against Napoli, to open the Champions League campaign. The return of Kev, red cards, Phil, Jeremy and more.

THE WEEKEND SHOW

Another packed show, as always. Looking back at the week that was, with two very welcome victories, and previewing another huge match on Sunday – plus much more.

BONUS NEWSLETTER – KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

I never miss the opportunity to have a good laugh at United.

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!