Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Manchester Derby Viewing Schedule!

Hello fellow Blues!!!

Big match this Sunday (kind of!)! The proud in battle SF Manchester City Blue supporters club will be in full force at the bright and early time of 5:15 A.M. for the Manchester Derby which commences PROMPTLY at 5:30 A.M. SHARP. We will be flying high from the top of the table as we meet the Rags at the hellhole that is Old Trafford.

This is an opportunity to come meet fellow City supporters, as well as a chance to see those "only come to church on Christmas and Easter" types! Haha. All in a good day out.

Some fun facts about this, the greatest of all matches Manchester (and Salford):

-City holds the highest record attendance for an English football match with 84,569. United holds the second highest, ironically at Maine Road due to Old Trafford suffering some damage from WWII (if only they'd finished the job!).

-City holds the largest victory, with a 6-1 win in January 1926.

-City's Joe Hayes and Francis Lee hold the top goalscoring honors of the derby, with 10 a piece.

Some come on down, have a pint or three, and come support the Blues in style!

Live Forever

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Bayern Munich 2, Manchester City 0: Andy's Corner



Periodic Analysis & Opinion from Andrew, Supporter's Club Social Secretary:

Wow. I just finished watching this match, so I’m going to write this right now before my thoughts get colored with the opinions of others. I’m going for honesty here, not fairness, and this is not a predictive post – not meant to say I won’t change my mind later, but this is my reaction as of right now.

This was the hardest match of the year so far for us, as far as technical skill of the opponent and expectations. Leading up to the match, Mancini and others had guaranteed a “get your popcorn ready” type of atmosphere for City’s performance, and we were buzzing from breaking the Everton curse. We even felt an itch of validation from a viral video on YouTube of Ribéry lamenting the fact that Bayern had to play us in the Champions League. Everything seemed ripe for a match day full of excitement.

What ended up happening was a lesson in humility.

The first 10 minutes were some of the most exciting pieces of football I’ve seen from City ever – we were well drilled, pushing up on our opponents, getting the early step on them, stealing position, one-touching our passes, etc. I literally said to myself I have no idea what could happen this game. Bayern were obviously up for the task, yet probably a bit surprised how much bite we initially had to our bark.

Gareth Barry
And yet, somehow quickly hell broke loose. I would start by saying it began with #18 Gareth Barry. Now I’m been known to be a bit icy to our guy Barry in the first place, but I had loosened up on him given an excellent pre-season (especially a notable performance against Inter Milan)  and being what I thought was an acceptable midfield replacement for the usual De Jong week or two off due to injury. And in the first 10 minutes, Barry was actually good. He quickly showed his true colors though – losing possession NUMEROUS times, mis-stepping in defence (so much so it was a missed Barry challenge that lead to the counter attack that scored the first goal), and seemingly never being the right place at the right time. After the 2 goals were conceded, he seemed no better in the 2nd half. I’m shocked Mancini kept him in through the first half, he was shocking.

Wingback vs. Fullback?
Another huge issue, and for me perhaps my biggest complaint about this match was the wing back roles that Clichy and Micah were assigned yet having no holding midfielders (perhaps because Barry sucks) or extra defenders to make up for the loss in the final 3rd. The amount of times Ribéry and company were about to counter, run down the wings, and get us on the back heel because NO ONE WAS THERE was baffling. Obviously when De Jong came on this subsided a bit, but Christ if we are going to have this wild wingback stuff we either 5 in the back or more true holding midfielders because we will get burned if no one is out on the wings in our final 3rd.

Yaya, oh Yaya
Which brings me to the other midfield issue. Now I’ve been fighting it like most City fans, any complaints about the legend that is #42 but this game proved some reality to the murmurs of certain Sky Blues about our holy relic Yaya. Can you answer “no” with a straight face to the question: “In the 2011-12 season, do you see Yaya Toure complaining about calls and throwing his hands up as much as he is actually making a play?” We all know this is what is happening. In addition he seems to not be as self-aware of the open spaces around the midfield he should be occupying. Again, I think this changed a bit De Jong came on, but the issue was still there.

Nitpicks
-Anyone who said they didn’t rate Jerome Boateng last year need only watch this match and look at his overpowering of Kun Aguero.
-Nasri was decent and ran a lot but his performance was a bit, how shall we say it… stale?
-ARGHHH MANCINI 2-0 DOWN and you put on TWO defensive subs between minutes 65-70?! Are you just accepting defeat? What happened to all that “play to the end” stuff after the Fulham draw?
-Yeah we got some crappy calls but we played a bit dirty too. Wasn’t like our (especially Dzeko) grabbing of the other players and complaining. #NotClassy

Hold Your Horses
With that being said, there were some positives and some things to think about.
1)    This is just one game. And a very hard one that. No team, including Barcelona, would find Bayern Munich away an easy match. Perhaps Mancini figures this is how a team gets built – hard fought games with some tough losses to build on the greater good. Or something like that.
2)    GAEL CLICHY WOW! He was absolutely the hero of this game, used his speed like he used to, completely dominated most of the pitch, a wingback as it should be! With that being said I still think we need to change our formation haha.
3)    Kun Aguero is a workhorse too! Don’t know what they put in the water down there in Argentina but he was running around like a more agile Tevez. Too bad he was getting pushed around by Ze Derrty Germans.

Anyway, just some quick thoughts. I think we will continue to do well in the league and the cup runs, but wow we just got welcomed (yet again) to the Champions League.

Over and out.

Live Forever,
Andrew

Monday, September 12, 2011

Napoli Home, Fulham Away Viewing Schedule!

Hey all! 

High flying City will be playing Napoli at home at 11:45 AM local time in our first Champions League match... ever! So come join us on a long lunch break at Maggie's to see how our new look squad handles the highest European competition! 

In addition, we will be playing a tough match at Craven Cottage against Fulham at 7:00 AM local time on Sunday. With other big matches being played at the same time (Rags vs. Chelsea, Spurs vs. Liverpool), it will be sure to be a good morning of footy for all involved! So come say hi, cheer on the boys in Blue, and let us continue our historic season in high style!

Cheers!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Spurs v City Viewing Schedule!



Hey all!

This Sunday we play our first real test of the season (if you ask me), an away match against Tottenham Hotspur. The game is an EARLY one, starting at 5:30 A.M. SHARP, so get yer coffee, tea, or whatever your poison is and get ready for a big showdown. The first match of the day is at 5:00 A.M so Maggie's will 100% be open even if you show earlier than 5:30!

After the match, the Rags play Arsenal as well, an important game for City's position in the table, as well as the fact Maggie's also hosts alot of Arsenal fans, so I suggest you stick around with us and take the piss out of two different types of Reds! Haha.

In any case, again 5:30 AM... BE SURE TO BE IN YOUR COLORS, we will be surrounded by Rags and Gooners, very important :)

See you there, and COME ON YOU BLUES!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Bolton Wanderers 2, Manchester City 3: Andy's Corner

Periodic Analysis & Opinion from Andrew, Supporter's Club Social Secretary:
 
Hey all, Andy here with another commentary on last weekend’s 2-3 win over Bolton Wanderers. As usual with City, it wasn’t always pretty, but unlike many years past we got the job done.
Defence7/10


While Kompany continues to be a thoughtful player and attempts to maintain his competencies as a captain, it would seem when faced with playing along Joleon Lescott and Aleksander Kolarov, he experiences issues to communicate with his defence.
Lescott, while advancing in several improvements (more patient, less carless), seems to not know his full role in the alternative center back. Making several key stops, he also appeared to have a tendency to lose his fluidity with the midfield, and only gave a B to B+ performance if you ask me.
Kolarov persists with his inconsistency, and, as I have said before, seems to be frustrated with his clipped wingback position. He does his best when he is as understated as possible as a defender, and can push up just enough that he can get a volley or two at goal, which he did get one, utilizing his cracking left foot, but as a defender was easily the most confused and useless.
Micah Richards is a much more competent wingback, and does not cease to impress me as our choice for most active attacking defender.
Midfield7.5/10


Now, given the fact that the normally discordant Gareth  Barry score an amazing strike of a goal, had the heart to do it, and had a steady stream of excellently placed passes to our defenders, you’d think I’d give a higher score to our midfield.
With that being said, our loss of Nigel de Jong to a small injury was immediately visible – Yaya cannot be expected to play a full on holding midfielder role (it’s just not in his blood), and Milner, who is progressing at a truly impressive rate compared to last year’s campaign, also enjoys a bit of active freedom to get on the wings and in the attack. While it might be nice to see Mancini replacing our normally defensive positions with more attacking minding midfield, it seemed to not suit the three men (who rarely play together in tandem), and while more than enough to handle Bolton, this midfield will not work in the more difficult league, cup, and European matchups.
Yaya was surprisingly understated as well, which took things down a notch for me in midfield, but that may be because of our new-look attack, which follows…
Attack8.5/10


FINALLY, my boy Džeko appears to have found his way in the world. He was, along with the all-conquering David Silva, the best thing on the pitch on Sunday. His ability to parry a healthy attacking mindset (which delivered him arguably his first self-made goal in City blue) with excellent vision and unselfish aerial passing gives me the belief he was close to being man of the match. While still slow and a bit want to lose possession, with Kun Agϋero  as a defender-drawing partner, and the ever-creative Silva to distribute balls to him (ahem), Edin Džeko looked good enough to question the use of the pernicious Balotelli at all in the new lineup, barring any injury, and with 2 big goals in 2 games, begins to add the sort of “other threat” mentality needed in attack when defenses have planned heavily to contain Agϋero, Tévez, Silva, Balotelli, and now new signing Samir Nasri.
Lastly, a word about Tévez – first, I was glad to see him receive an ovation, if not a full on standing one, for coming on the pitch. We are forever indebted to him for his 110% performances last year, and would not have been able to get the FA Cup, or 3rd place, without him. While off of the pitch frankly a nuisance, he has earned his place in City history and will always get a nod of respect from me in his style of play.
Now that that’s out of the way, for me, he looked like he didn’t really need to be there. It is only one game, and I do not think for a second if he stays until January (or ever farther) that he will not have performances that remind us of why he was able to share the Golden Boot last year, but with our other attackers performing almost better as a unit, despite all 3 of them not being a City player nearly as long as Tévez, he again began to take massive control of the ball and rarely seemed to be in parlance with our attack over the 20 or so minutes he played. Again, I believe that he will impress us in the coming weeks, but I also think we don’t need him, simply stated.
Kun Agϋero  (obviously) did not have the game he had last time, but proved an unselfish component of our front 3. I must point out the several easy, truly easy shots, he missed over the course of the game, and so I must dock points from our attack for this, but I believe as the campaign moves on this will become a rarer and rarer occurrence.
Misc.

-Poor Adam Johnson, he is becoming less and less useful, almost an afterthought, not only because of his erratic creative ability, but because of our strong line up. With Samir Nasri to compete with now, I would not be shocked if he is gone by January. With that being said I respect him highly and hope to see him playing a full 60 somewhere, if not here.
-We will need to figure out a contingency plan for Nigel de Jong if he gets injured. Our holding ability was severely curtailed this match, and I believe that has a lot to do with #34.
-As Mancini has pointed out, we gave up a goal we should not have. With Kolo Touré returning soon, and hopefully Gaël Clichy and Stefan Savić receiving more playing time than Kolarov or Lescott, I hope some of these issues will be smoothed out.
-All in all, a fine performance however. It was an away match, a difficult away match with a surging Bolton (who I tip to finish top 8 this year), and getting the 3 points is most important. Top of the table, even if it’s just two matches, and a confidence booster going into an ever tougher away match against Tottenham Hotspur.
Well, that’s all for now, thanks for reading, and come on City!
Live Forever,
Andrew

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Bolton v Manchester City Meetup!


The first top of the table clash occurs this Sunday between our Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers. While still early in this season, this is likely to be Kun Agüero's first start for City as well as a possible appearance (or start) by one Carlos Alberto Tévez.

Gino, Official Club Treasurer, will also be bringing by official membership cards for anyone who has yet to get them, or anyone who would officially like to join (only $10 for the whole year!).

So come down, have a coffee, a pint, a breakfast sandwich, or all three, and enjoy another exciting fixture on our historic 2011-12 campaign!

NOTE: As always, the match will begin promptly at 8:00 A.M. sharp so be sure to be on time and in your proper Citeh gear! Can't wait to see you!

Cheers,
SF Man City Blues

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Opening Day Viewing Schedule!



After many months of waiting - our Premier League opening day is upon us! Our first match of the season will be against newly promoted Welsh side Swansea AFC. With Chelsea and Arsenal unable to come out of the first week with a win, we stand to start of the season with a bang and ahead of fellow Big 6 rivals!

We will be meeting at Maggie McGarry's around 11:30-45 to get ready for kickoff at 12:00 noon sharp so be on time if you can make it!

Have a pint or three, and come cheer the City boys on with us!


Sunday, August 7, 2011

Manchester City 2, Manchester United 3: Andy's Corner

Periodic Analysis & Opinion from Andrew, Supporter's Club Social Secretary:


It had to be like this, it just had to be.

After walking into the locker room at halftime 2-0 up against Manchester United, City managed to lose the game 2-3 when the final whistle blew. One would like to say we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and other cliches, but we essentially did get played off of the pitch. Now that the early morning whiskey haze has worn off, and the dust has settled, here are a few of my thoughts about the game.

Defence - 6/10




Poor Vinny Kompany. He has been nothing less than a stalwart for us since moving from Hamburg SV in 2008, a rock in the back, and (now) an able and inspiring captain. While not having a career-bending terrible performance, his entire back line never seemed completely cohesive today. Kolarov seemed dejected in his smothered wingback role, Lescott defensively strong and present but essentially rendered invisible, and of course old Vinny having both the unluckiest and uncleanliest give away goal in stoppage time. Micah Richards actually had a fairly decent game, but lack of communication with your compatriots can make a good game look... not so good. Anywho, what more can I say about the Premier League's #1 rated defence of 2010-11 other than it was not their day. I give them a 6/10 for a solid if incoherent first half, and despite the 2-0 lead at the half, anyone watching might have seen the signs of a defensive implosion in the second 45.

Midfield - 5/10

I guess after this match I might have to add James Milner with Edin Dzeko in my "I'm a fanboy" column. I personally think he was the only thing worth mentioning in the midfield, modern City relics Yaya Toure and Nigel de Jong included. He was quick on the defensive edge, the only midfielder truly running to the ball, and was hungry for an attack when we actually managed to put one together, which (today) was a rarity. Yaya and Nigel de Jong seemed to be speaking a different language than their forwards, never being able to realize their usual vision as our strategic tunnel for defence to attacking ball movement. Considering how consistent and solid these gentlemen are on most matchdays, that's about as far negative as I'll go on their performance, but again, today was not our midfield's day.

Attack - 3/10

Considering changing the lyrics of "We're not really here" to "Balotelli's not really here."

Mario, Mario. If Dzeko and Milner comprise my "I'm a biased fanboy" narrative this season, Mario Balotelli is the president, vice president, CEO, and secretary, for my "You're beginning to look like a waste of time AND money" column. Look, I know he's young. When I was 21 it was just enough of a life goal for me to stop drinking Natural Light and "mature" to regular cheap beer, like PBR. So I'm excusing him on that front, but we as Manchester City, we as the team who are trying to change the face of not only our club's history but the English Premier League in general, do not have time for a player whose head is in the game 30% of the time. We do not have time to worry about a possible red card any time he throws his hands up in the air, and with that being said, maybe he should take a card from Carlos Tevez's book and leave his diva ways off of the pitch, and just show up to play. At this second, as pointed out in The Guardian, we never know which Balotelli we are going to see. I'll give him until we see how he performs in the Champions League, and if he continues this crap, I'm requesting a break-up. "It's not me, it's you," Balotelli.

Ironically, we paid more for Edin Dzeko. Now you know he is my homey, seems like a true Blue, and is a refreshingly honest and invested player in the club. But you can't pay 27 million pounds for a mannequin. I want to see Dzeko do better, and fair play to him for scoring that goal (an admittedly soft goal), but metaphorically speaking, his clothes just never seem to fit. I still barely know what his role in the attack is, other than to trap incoming long balls with some mild efficiency before losing the ball to a nearby defender. What say you, Edin? Speak!

Silva had one of his worst games as well - overshot corners, lack of ball control, miscommunication. By christ that man is City gold and our best attacking player, so I won't dare touch any kind of major complaint about him, but he had a bad game. Enough said.

Misc.
-Adam Johnson is all cool by me, and he had a cracking attempt at goal this game, but why the hell Mancini would take off Milner, the only successful defending midfielder at the time, and put on Johnson was beside me. I don't know what planet that Bobby Manc lives on some times.

-With that in mind, NO AGUERO?!? Are you serious?? Now alot of folks at the pub were saying "we need to rest him, make sure he's good for opening day"...


-Opening day is a SWANSEA at HOME. If we can't deliver a win without Aguero for that... we can forget Champions League, silverware, any history. Balotelli and Dzeko have a combined cost of  roughly 48 million pounds, plus wages. If we are nervous against Swansea at home with that, then Mancini should just be fired right now because he would be wasting money. No, I don't think Mancini should be fired. I think we will be fine against Swansea at home. We should have played Aguero, even if for just 5 minutes.

Anyway, I'm getting ranty, but I hope you feel me out there, Blues in cyberspace!

'Til next time...

Live Forever,
Andrew

Saturday, August 6, 2011

FA Community Shield Viewing!

Hey all, tomorrow is both the official start of our 2011-2012 season, our chance at our second piece of silverware this year (Dublin Cup, anyone?), and of course a chance to embarrass the filth that is Manchester United.

We will be meeting at Maggie McGarry's as always to watch the game at around 6:15. The game starts PROMPTLY at 6:30 A.M. so be sure to be on time. Early as hell, we know. Oh well, dedication calls!

So come by, have an Irish coffee or three with us, and cheer on the boys in Blue as we start out new campaign!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

City, Inaugural Dublin Cup Winners: Andy's Corner

Periodic Analysis & Opinion from Andrew, Supporter's Club Social Secretary:

Okay, let's be honest. No one cares about this cup, especially considering I have toenails older than it. You can even see this sort of "How silly is this whole thing?" expression on Kompany's face in this picture. With that being said, it is of some interest to us fans, because these two games were essentially the last preseason matches of summer 2011 for City, as the Community Shield Manchester Derby is next Sunday.


Irish XI 0, Manchester City 3
With that being said, let's get the first victory, 0-3 against an Irish XI out of the way. Our 3rd string team, comprised of mainly youngsters and unknowns, was rather shockingly awful. Of course, they are extremely young and simply trying to get by, but that was one of the worst matches of football I've ever seen, haha - consistent loss of possession on both sides, confused and poor ball movement, weak defending. Oh well, we came away with the win, and not surprisingly Shaun Wright-Phillips, Gareth Barry, and Adam Johnson were the best thing about it. Another stunning goal by SWP left me confused as to how he could not receive a starting position, and Gareth Barry (a player I have been want to loathe over the years) delivered numerous excellent long balls to the attack. I might have to ease up on him. Vladimir Weiss, for all intents and purposes the only other player of note in this game, was a bit headstrong and pacey, but all together again showing promise for the coming years. Veseli, Guidetti, and many others were piss-poor, if I'm being honest. With that being said I'm rather shocked an international side would let themselves get thrashed by a 3 goal shutout in such a disjointed way. Don't know much about the squad so perhaps it was not a starting lineup, with many players likely away on club duties. 

Manchester City 3, Inter Milan 0
Now, this game was actually more of a shocker, and exponentially more entertaining. With City fielding perhaps their strongest side (sans newcomer Kun Aguero and club headache Carlos Tevez, of course) currently possible, and Inter fielding a strong if not all first team side as well, the match was sure to be European level competition, and it was. 

Defence - 8.5/10

I never thought I'd utter these words, but Dave's favorite player Aleksander Kolarov actually had a fantastic game. He seemed to be pushing forward just the right amount, but when needed could pull back and hold the back for, along with the ever-perfect Vincent Kompany (looking comfortable in a captain's armband), and the continuously stronger and more measured Joleon Lescott, who much like SWP, has been playing this preseason with a point to prove. Our defence was able to render world-class veterans like Wesley Sneijder and Samuel Eto'o to little more than pencil pushers on the field, with a few chances coming for Inter, but not many. The biggest complaint was several unmarked players on corner kicks, which could come back to hurt us in the season; experienced teams like United and Chelsea will not be so forgiving in the box - the same and more goes for our Champions League competition. All in all, I give our defence a resounding cheer of support though. 


Midfield - 9/10

Similarly shocking was the heroic workhouse effort of James Milner today. While showing flashes of brilliance over last year's campaign, Milner was decidedly hot and cold all throughout his first year with City. With that being noted, I am not going to put too much into this performance other that him showing what he could be when healthy and hungry, but he was a real difference maker today - he seemed to be everywhere on the pitch, taking possession, rushing down the wings, and providing thoughtful and resilient service to players like Silva and Balotelli. Similarly class was Nigel De Jong, but not shock should be there, he was aggressive, patient, and team-oriented the entire 90 minutes. Yaya's ankle injury seemed to be a distant memory, and Barry, when substituted on, actually looked good again as well. Great midfield performance. 

David Silva - 10/10


Now while I could evaluate the attack as a whole, which was good, I might as well just say what we are all thinking after a game like that: David Silva is our attack. Officially crowned "The Magician" by today's commentators (and others, I believe), #21 was essentially a man possessed today - cutting like butter through the Inter defence with the ease of a Saturday afternoon pickup game against a kid's team. Vision, pace, unselfishness - all displayed here today. Last year, Silva was great, today he was epic. If these kind of performances against world class teams like Inter is what we have to look forward too... and Aguero in front of him to pass to... 2011-12 could be a WILD ride. 

Misc.
-We have to admit to ourselves Balotelli is moody even on the pitch. Today I saw him at one minute take complete control of a ball, focus, take blasting strike, head in a goal, pass intelligently, only to minutes later watch him walk around the pitch like a soccer mom in Fort Mason. Other times he would lazily pass the ball away - not as a mistake, but as if he was not even taking the match seriously enough to give his teammates a crisp pass. He has all the talent in the world, granted, but if Aguero is everything he says he is, and Dzeko can continue to improve and be the target-man, I may advocate for Balotelli to be our 3rd option striker purely off of the fact that I cannot predict which Balotelli I will be seeing this week. 

-Dzeko will be alright, I've decided. If the players around him are in full swing, he is, truly, an asset - a big man up front, physically imposing, and more and more getting used to knocking around players, the English way. His ability to trap and set the ball against an oncoming defence is high quality, and he does have great striking ability. He is, might I add, hands down the most effusive and objectively 'likable' player on City, and has the entire team behind him, as evidenced by the players (including the sometimes stoic Yaya Toure) jumping on him and giving him congrats after an admittedly easy goal for any decent striker. Perhaps he will truly become our Bosnian Diamond, and stop looking like coal.

-Give Shaun Wright-Phillips a chance on the first team. The man has given us Champions League, hell, world-quality goals, assists, and presence this preseason. We open with Swansea at home - not a tough match. Start SWP and see what he can do.

Well, that's I think enough for now... the Community Shield next week, a HUGE derby that both sides of Manchester (or should I say Manchester and some place in Greater Manchester? Ha) are taking extremely seriously, as well SF California Blues. 'Til next time.

Live Forever
-Andrew

Friday, July 29, 2011

City In The Dublin Super Cup - Weekend Viewing Schedule

What's up folks - this weekend we have our two final preseason matches in Dublin - one against a hand-picked Irish XI, the other against world football giants Inter Milan. While not of huge importance, these games will be an opportunity to see how we are looking a week before the Community Shield, but more importantly, will most likely be the first time we get to see our new crown jewel - #16, Sergio "Kun" Aguero!

The viewing schedule is a little bit funky, but here we go:

Both games are being tape-delayed on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus. Therefore, if you want to see the game live, I would suggest going to a streaming site like http://www.myp2p.eu/, or downloading SopCast and watching it that way.
--------------------
Dublin XI v Manchester City will be played LIVE (in-person) on Saturday @ 6:00 A.M. California Time

Manchester City v Inter Milan will be played LIVE (in-person) on Sunday @ 8:15 A.M. California Time
--------------------
Now, as far as the tape-delays and when the game is played, the schedule goes as follows:
---------------------
Dublin XI Manchester City will be first TELEVISED on Saturday @ 10:30 A.M. California Time on Fox Soccer Plus 
(*Re-runs of the match at 1:30 P.M. on Fox Soccer Channel, and 10:00 P.M. on Fox Soccer Plus)


Manchester City v Inter Milan will be first TELEVISED on Sunday @ 11:30 A.M. California Time on Fox Soccer Plus
(*Re-runs of the match at 1:30 and 8:00 P.M. on Fox Soccer Channel, and 10:00 P.M. on Fox Soccer Plus)
-------------------------


**Note 1: Maggie McGarry's has all of these channels, and WILL be open
**Note 2: If you do not have Fox Soccer Channel or Fox Soccer Plus, I highly suggest going to www.MyP2P.euhttp://atdhe.tv/, or googling "SopCast" the program.

Cheers,
Andrew

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

LA Galaxy 1(6), Manchester City 1(7)


Yet another legendary outing with Supporter's Club this past weekend. About half of us headed down to Los Angeles to connect with the recently founded L.A. California Blues at On The Rocks in Redondo Beach, and they were as welcoming and friendly as only City fans know how to be!

After a few pints at the bar, we headed up in a chartered bus to the match at Home Depot Center... for many of us, it was a first time at the ground - beautiful arena with perfect weather, and a fairly nice set-up. There were alot of rags walking around supporting #23 who shall not be named but we held it down for the true fans of Manchester!


The first half was a well-played storied in grace from the Boys in Blue; a stacked starting line-up including David Silva, Mario Balotelli, Adam Johnson, et. al. took an early 1-0 lead in the 20th minute after a penalty kick taken by Super Mario. Unfortunately a few minutes later Maniacal Mario decided to continue his previous antics, and attempted a silly back heel kick at goal despite essentially an open net to score on, leading to front page disdain and contempt from both City and neutral press alike this week!


Our second half was a bit more confused, with the Galaxy scoring an admittedly class goal in the 53rd minute, unstoppable even for the likes of England's #1, Joe Hart! But no worries, we thought - what's the worst that could happen... the game could go to PENALTY KICKS?!

And oh, boy, did it ever!


On the 13th PK taken in the shootout, none other than keeper Joe Hart blasted one in the top right corner to give City the win, celebrating with a generationally relevant Ryu Hadouken pose (from Street Fighter) before giving fair play to the Galaxy and referees.

The club returned in fine spirits (no pun intended) to On The Rocks, and continued with our party.


All in all, another fantastic one for the Supporter's Clubs in California, all praise due to the L.A. Blues for showing us a great time, and much thanks due to the Almighty MCFC for giving us 3 wins in 3 games over here in our beloved North America!

Next stop, Dublin... and perhaps the first appearance of our newest signing... can you guess?


'Til next time, over and out from the S.F. California Blues!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Vancouver Whitecaps 1, Manchester City 2: Andy's Corner

Periodic Analysis & Opinion from Andrew, Supporter's Club Social Secretary:

An impressive come-from-behind win punctuated City's victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Monday.

Defence




While the San Francisco match against Club America was a study in patience, in a very Mancini-esque sort of way, this Vancouver game was somewhat of a free-flowing spectacle despite its shockingly patchy pitch. Vancouver, despite being statistically the worst team in the MLS, took the game to us in the attack, presenting something of a double-edged sword for City: on one hand, it lead Vancouver to take on an early lead off of a floaty strike bouncing off of City's new Montenegrian defensive signing, Stefan Savić, while on the other, it displayed our considerable defensive resilience and depth. Savić himself was otherwise steady and clearheaded in the back, never too fast or too slow. The other new signing, Gaël Clichy, was fairly acceptable as well, delivering several well-placed crosses and long balls to Shaun Wright-Phillips and others. Kompany was class as usual, as was Lescott, who continues to impress with his aerial skill, and thoughtful acuity when it comes to an active opposing attack.


Midfield


The midfield was a bit disjointed, with Nigel de Jong and Yaya Touré being their usual brilliant selves before Yaya went down with a nasty ankle injury. Milner was also his usual self: one minute a solid stud in the midfield, moving much quicker than one would expect, the next minute lazily passing away a ball to the defence. A year later, the jury's still out on him, but I'd say he looks better in central midfield. Barry was similarly on and off, alternating between good, quick passes and carelessly handing possession to the Whitecaps. Personally, I think he is regularly "meh", but at times a solid midfielder for mid-table matchups. 


Attack


Our attack was arguably our strongest suit - Vladimir Weiss, Slovakian national coming off loan from Rangers, is looking all parts of great - fast, unselfish, and ballsy in the final third. Johnson is still finding his footing since an injury prone 2010-11 season, but I see a big year for him he stays healthy. Shaun Wright-Phillips, far and away the man of both matches, delivered an absolutely firecracker of a goal, besting his strike against Club America in San Francisco. Fresh off of a renewed contract, SWP looks like he is out for a first team spot, delivering two world-class deathblows in the first two pre-season games. 


Misc.
-Dzeko looked hungry and creative, but not very stable. An embarrassing miss of a goal here, an ugly strike there = he still looks a bit lost, despite him being one of my favorite recent signings, as far as temperment and loyalty go.
-Balotelli looked like he'd rather be receiving an enema than be on that pitch, but given the complaints and the obvious destruction of the grass, perhaps understandable? He kept his cool enough during a late skirmish to have the opposing player receive as card, not hin, so that's good. Also had a great crack of a shot, but it was well defended. 
-Mancini's son looked decent.
-Swedish player John Guidetti scored the first goal, a well placed header, glad to see even more depth with us. In fact, I'd go so far as to say he had a good game, despite missing a chance at goal after a counter. 
-McGivern and Kolarov were solid yet again


Conclusion
In general, I was happy with our perforamnce. Under the conditions of playing on our worst pitch since our 0-0 Notts County away tie from the successful FA Cup run, we managed to keep a cool head, play like a team, and come from behind with a win. I predict a very exciting match against the L.A. Galaxy on Saturday. 


Cheers and Live Forever,
Andrew

Monday, July 18, 2011

Manchester City 2, Club America 0


An absolutely cracking day out seeing the City boys in their first match of the 2011-12 season, hosted in our home of San Francisco, California!!! 

We all started at Maggie McGarry's, with a high turn out of around 100, some from the supporters club, some from Manchester visiting on the tour.

Chris and Paul from the Club came by and shot an awesome piece on us as we travelled to and from the game, an absolute honor to be involved. You can view the video here: http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Video/Features/Summer-tour-SF-Blues.

We headed to the stadium as a group before taking pictures with the FA Cup (too cool): 


But perhaps the most pleasant surprise of all was meeting City god Mike Summerbee, who was kind enough to not only take pictures, but actually sign our banner. All praise is due to Ericha from the supporters club for hooking us up with the Man himself, Mr. Summerbee!


All this and the game hadn't even started!!!

After a funky but precise rebound shot from Ryan McGivern to give us a 1-0 lead, City legend Shaun Wright-Phillips gave us the 2-0 advantage, which, as the City announcer put it, "Even 6,000 miles away, the City fans embark on the Pozan!!" giving us our second big action as a supporters club on actual television this time. Check out the 33rd second of this video: http://www.mlssoccer.com/videos?catid=114&id=16979

After the game our friends and families went our separate ways, but it was an absolute honor and a pleasure to be involved in such a big day for us, the fans, and the Club starting this year with a win!

Many of us will be attending the Galaxy game in L.A. in a week, so look for more stories soon!

Cheers from the SF Man City Blues!


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

City v Club America Weekend Schedule

Friday, July 15th


We will be meeting at Maggie McGarry's at 7:00ish to meet up with the Official Supporter's Club President. If you will be in attendance please be on time and in City garb. We will also be unveiling our new club banner, and member cards if you have paid your dues.

So come by, grab a beer, and meet the rest of the San Francisco City faithful!

Saturday, July 16th (Matchday)


We will be holding a tailgate at Pier 30 at The Embarcadero in San Francisco from 2:30 to about 4. Feel free to meet us there or come meet us at Maggie's between 1:30 PM and 2:15 PM.

The game is from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, after which most of us will be going to Maggie McGarry's again for a post-game drink. Feel free to come by and meet us there if you miss the game or are looking for more Blues to hang with.

Cheers, and come on you Blues!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Greetings!

Hello Fellow Blues,

We are the San Francisco Manchester City Blues, a group of die-hard City fans culled from all regions of Northern California. We were officially founded in 2011, although all of us have been following the boys in blue many years now and are proud to represent the lovely Greater Bay Area with our support and love!

We currently watch matches at Maggie McGarry's, 1353 Grant Ave., San Francisco, CA, US 94133... a great local Irish pub, owned by a Blue, which opens as early as the matches start (yes even the 4:45 A.M. ones!), and have a regular following of fans to meet, discuss, and enjoy not only City but the entire English Premier League with.

Please join us, and look for more info soon!