THE 93:20 NEWSLETTER:- ISSUE 77

Hello, and welcome to Issue 77 of the 93:20 Newsletter, and I have a LOT to say, which may be good news, or potentially bad. Unfortunately, as Wolves are such a pitiful football team, we can't even have a laugh at United on this week's newsletter. Rob Edwards deserves all he gets, and hopefully Middlesbrough get promoted, so they can wave at him as they pass in the night.

As always, thanks for those that have supported me - you can donate via this link, and help the content keep flowing – every December seems more expensive than the previous one. I know it’s not the best time to ask, but it has made a difference.

https://donorbox.org/embed/newsletter-donations-805652

(for those panicking about last-minute Xmas gifts, there’s probably still time to pick up a book or two also <:O)

Two days ago, I thought I had nothing I really wanted to talk about this week, but once I thought of one thing, another hundred things popped into my head, so it’s a packed issue as always. Let’s crack on.

On Tuesday evening, I had a bit of a "turn". I felt dizzy, weak, like I was about to pass out. Now, there was a logical reason for this. I had just finished donating a pint of blood (shout out to the small B- posse), so I guess such feelings are a natural consequence of that.

But then I realised that the above was all just a very weak introduction for the real reason I was feeling unstable. I was in shock, and the reason was clear. City had priced a cup game superbly. It will cost me £10 to watch City v Exeter, and I must commend the club for this. They had little choice for a game against a lower league club, but that's never stopped them before. I imagine a Championship side would have seen slightly higher prices, however. 

It's just a shame it didn't occur to the club to do the same for the Brentford game, which is actually the least appealing of the two - it may have sold out then. Ah well, the Brentford match was a great night for the seat counters, and I am not just talking about rival fans.

And I do think Exeter is the more appealing to potential ticket buyers. The FA Cup has always sold well, it's a weekend game post-Christmas,  it's just a better fit than a pre-Xmas cold night at the Etihad for City's 4th most important priority of the season. I know the Carabao Cup was a quarter-final, but despite all the wonderful memeories it has provided City fans over the past 15 years, and the importance of any silverware, let’s stop pretending it was a particularly big match. The two league games sandwiching it were of much greater importance.

 Khusanov’s Sliding Doors Moment

There was some desperation from blues to find a reason that it should not be a red card for Khusanov v Brentford on Wednesday. Fair enough, quite natural for fans not to be impartial, or maybe I am being harsh and there were reasons. Let’s be honest, it could easily have been a red, but worry not, I am not here to discuss that. The incident really hit home after the match had finished, as Khusanov, who had been ropey until that point, and put in a similar disaster-class for 45 minutes v Bayer Leverkusen, then grew and grew into the match, and was imperious by the end. Prior to the incident, I was worried about what player we had got back after his injury. By the end, I realised the importance of match fitness and the impact of rustiness in players, which is what Khusanov was displaying, not a lack of ability – and it shone an additional light on the stupidity of that Leverkusen team sheet. So maybe the tolerance of the referee this week will be a sliding doors moment for Khusanov. If he had walked, would he have been out of favour thereafter? I would hope Pep would not judge players on individual incidents and such small sample sizes, but you never know. This may turn out to be a moment of fortune with big ramifications.

It was also a good night not to have VAR. I am not going on another rant, but how refreshing it was to watch a game and know that when the ball went into the net, it was a goal, rather than having a five minute wait whilst the move was micro-analysed, on the off-chance a City player sneezed on a Brentford defender as a cross came in. 

The Cherki haters are quiet. Long may it continue. Like the PR industry set up, and led by Fabrizio Romano, to resurrect the reputation of Mason Greenwood, there was a similar industry intent on portraying Cherki as a sulky, bad-attitude, trouble-maker, a luxury player ill-suited to Pep’s robotic football. Maybe one day all the naysayers will be proved right, but weirdly, when such people were asked for evidence of his attitude problems, it was never forthcoming. No incidents, no manager fall-outs, no teammate scraps, no going on strike to facilitate a move, all vibes and feels. Either way, that transfer fee is looking like quite the bargain. And in a world when so many moan about football being robotic (more on that later), hoe refreshing to watch a player like Cherki. A real edge of your seat footballer.

Another tiresome consequence of Cherki's brilliance has been for Liverpool fans to tie themselves in knots denying it, because they spent over £100m on a player who can't score or assist, four months after arriving. But at least this all acts as a diversion for the even bigger flop who occasionally plays alongside him and also cost an obscene amount of money, and seems incapable of getting fit over those same four months. 

I love Saka, and only posted this as a dig at yet another tedious tactico who portrays himself as some sort of genius (it's always a male), usually with a hidden club affiliation that merely adds to their bias.

Anyway, good numbers on that post, guess that makes me an influencer.

Does Monday’s game allow us to laugh at United this week? A bit, I guess. After all, do you think there will be a point in the future where City fans would celebrate a 4-4 draw at home to Bournemouth? How the mighty have fallen, where a bit of entertainment is seized upon as something to celebrate, a sign of brighter times.

A side point. Kobbie Mainoo is the new Eric Garcia, by which i mean the player everyone tells you is a class act, a future superstar, but who you have never seem have a good game and whose game seems to be full of flaws. I move quicker than Mainoo on a badminton court, and that's with gout. Still, plenty have seen enough of him to rate him highly, and that includes City, who pushed hard to pinch him off United just a couple of years ago.I have to admit though, that the day Eric Garcia left, I shrugged my shoulders and got on with my day.

And Finally…Speaking of United

In the latest edition of “three ex United players reminiscing on a podcast”, Nicky Butt, ANDREW Cole and Paul Scholes were all bemoaning how robotic and unintersting modern football is, which by sheer coincidence, has coincided with a fallow decade for their club. This is a complete coincidence, and I can say with absolute confidence that they would still feel this way if United had been successful in recent times.

Honest.

This is the last newsletter (probably) before Christmas. So whatever you have planned, whatever your faith, hey, whatever your club affiliation, have a wonderful time over the rest of 2025, thank you to all who supported me, and that includes anyone who opened a single email, and I hope 2026 is good to you.

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK

https://ninetythreetwenty.com/9320-player/

THE 93:20 REVIEW:- ROYAL RUMBLE
Howard is joined by Bailey to look back on the most satisfying, but nervy wins at Crystal Palace and consider where the team is at. A huge statement?

THE MARKET:- EPISODE 48
Ahsan and Lloyd dive deep into the transfer stories around City. Semenyo, Anderson, Wharton, plus Pep’s future, all discussed & dissected.

OPPOSITION FAN:- WEST HAM UNITED
Howard chatted to James Jones about a difficult season, expectations. Paqueta, Nuno. Bowen and much more.

THE WEEKEND SHOW:- SWEET CARABAO
Ben, Howard and Ste look back at another satisfying week, preview the West Ham match and a whole lot 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!

https://soundcloud.com/9320pod/tracks