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the official website of
Brantwood
(Belfast)
M.C.S.C.
Members of
the
OSC Supporters
Club .
ONE
LIFE
ONE
LOVE
ONE CITY
ONE CITY
On this website we will keep you up to date with all
the events,meetings and club trips to the games.
Like all City fans we have been to hell and back
but at the end of it we all love
CITY THE BEST TEAM IN THE LAND IN ALL THE WORLD
(Well in our eyes anyway)
Elano: I won't fade
BRAZILIAN sensation Elano insists he won't suffer the same pitfalls that have dogged so many South
American imports.
The Manchester City superstar has dismissed suggestions that his performances will tail off as the
classic English winter takes hold.
Elano has been the find of the season so far - pivotal to Sven Goran Eriksson's revolution at Eastlands
- and he inflated his growing reputation with a virtuoso performance in City's 3-1 win against Newcastle on Saturday.
The 26-year-old is convinced he can continue his form throughout the season - and having signed from
Shakhtar Donetsk, he insists the weather holds no fear for him.
"I don't think there is much to complain about here," he said. "Don't forget, I lived in the Ukraine,
with its harsh winters for three years."
While Elano seeks to assure City fans he has not reached his peak, Eriksson is adamant there is more
to come from his side as a whole.
High-flyers
Victory over Newcastle keeps them in third place with 16 points from eight games - but the former
England manager says his high-flyers have yet to hit full stride.
"I think we will get better," he said, "The more we play and train together the better we
will get because we can do more tactical work.
"The players are young and hungry and the new ones we have brought in
love the Premier League.
"If we go on playing like that, I am sure we will have an excellent season."
City's hugely impressive performance was crowned by an outrageous free kick from Elano, which caught
Newcastle keeper Shay Given by surprise - but not Eriksson.
"Elano is a great footballer," said the Swede. "He has to be to play such an important role for Brazil.
If he wasn't, he would not get into the team.
"When he first came here, he was a long way off being 100%, but he is
getting stronger and every time he gets the ball, you have a feeling something will happen."
Sven's boys top class
SVEN and his men will continue their hush-hush approach to
life in the top four.
The Blues boss reckons he has not had to ban talk of European qualification because
his players are so focused on the old adage of one game at time that they have never mentioned it.
But the smiling
Swede was forced to admit that the 3-1 hammering of Newcastle, a fifth home win on the trot, might just have raised expectations.
Eriksson
accepted that his team's win over Newcastle was their best display this season.
"What everyone saw on Saturday was
what I saw on Thursday, I knew the players were in great condition and I am just delighted that they reproduced it on a match
day," reflected the manager whose side remained in third position - four points ahead of Chelsea.
"Sometimes you can
drive away from training concerned about one or two little things but I had no worries before this game. It was a top class
performance and I am happy for the players and for the fans. I am sure they like what they see and that is important.
"If
you are a fan you like your team to win and to play good football and that is exactly what we did do.
"It is not possible
to do that every week but we have generally played well at home so far this season.
Creative
I wouldn't say we dominated the game but we created by far the better chances. I felt we
didn't deserve to fall behind but we showed our character and that was particularly pleasing."
Brazilian Elano was
the star among stars against the Magpies and it led to a hefty tribute from the normally verbally cautious City chief.
"It
is impossible to hit a free-kick any better than that," said a beaming Eriksson. "A centimetre either way and it hits the
bar or the post.
"Elano is a great footballer and I still feel he can do better. He can do a little bit of everything.
I have worked with other top-class creative players in the past; people like Baggio and Mancini and he is right up there with
them."
Eriksson revealed he spoke to Brazil coach Dunga - who played under the Swede at Fiorentina - before making
his £8m move for the 26-year-old.
"When he came here, he was not physically 100 per cent, he was far away from that"
said Eriksson. "That is all he needs to work on because you certainly don't need to teach him how to play football!
"Just
like the fans do, every time he gets the ball I have the feeling something will happen."
Even nearly a quarter of
the way through the season however, Eriksson is still refusing to predict how high his side might fly this season or set public
targets.
"Maybe expectations are raised but in the dressing room no one is talking about qualifying for Europe or anything
like that but instead we prefer to concentrate on one game at a time," he declared.
"The great thing is that our confidence
is growing with each week and I am sure the fans' is too."
Logan loaned to Grimsby
CITY youngster Shaleum Logan has joined Grimsby on a month's loan.
Logan
made his senior debut in the Carling Cup win over Bristol City in August and was then handed a second first-team appearance
by Sven-Goran Eriksson when City beat Norwich in the next round of the same competition.
Now the 19-year-old, one of
the many academy graduates to force their way into the City line-up, will further his footballing education at Blundell Park
as the Mariners look to pull away from the lower reaches of League Two.
Sven states Blue values
IT has been used to represent a political party and hijacked by rap lyricists across the
globe but Sven-Goran Eriksson is determined to restore the word `respect' to its original usage.
The Manchester City
boss is adamant that his success as a manager can, to a large degree, be attributed to treating his players and staff with
the esteem and consideration that they deserve.
It is man management at its most simple and yet most effective, while
the number of domestic trophies he has snaffled in his club career coupled with the Blues' best start to a season for a generation
or more is testament that the Swede knows exactly what he is doing.
"If you do not have good team spirit you will lose
everything and maybe that is the most important thing of all," he mused as the Premier League took time off during the international
break.
"I talk a lot about it to the players. It was one of the first things that I mentioned to them the day I arrived
here. If you don't have that spirit in the group and you lose one game then it is very difficult to bounce back.
Spirit
"If you do have it then it is OK and you can handle one, two or three defeats.
"Maybe we have yet to face that
test, although we lost to Arsenal and Blackburn in successive games and the players were very good in bouncing back the week
after.
"The spirit here is very good and that is what we want to keep.
"There are no tricks to fostering that
spirit. I think it is all down to how you treat people.
"When they come to work they must work hard but in a happy
way not in a boring way. The base to it all is how you treat people. I have to show respect to them and they have to show
it to me, the coaching staff, the kit man, and the cleaning staff - everyone who is involved in making City a great club.
"If
you lose that respect then it is the start of bad feelings in the group. Football is like life itself. If you are a father,
which I am, how do you treat your children? You explain to them how to prepare for life but you try to do it in a civil way
and not a bad way.
"All managers have different ways of bonding their squad. I use mental experts when necessary -
we have done it at City - but I am not one for canoeing or going up in the mountains.
"We are together so much that
I believe that when the players have a free day they should see other faces not mine or those of the coaches.
"They
should be with their families."
Philosophy
Eriksson reaches his 100th day in charge this weekend
and so far his methods and philosophy have served the Blues, and their supporters, well.
He admits that he has been
surprised by how quickly everything has come together and the impressive start his side has made, though he is still not making
any predictions.
"If you had told me before the start of the season that we would have played nine games and been
third in the table then I certainly would have taken it," he declared.
"It is perhaps a little bit surprising even
to me, the team, the fans and all the football experts but now we just want to carry on in the same manner and not start talking
about targets.
"We want to make sure we carry on playing the kind of football we have been doing lately. Momentum is
a great thing.
"I was personally afraid of the match that we played on Sunday against Middlesbrough because I thought
it was one of those occasions when, after Newcastle, everyone was speaking about us and expecting us to win," he added.
"But
I thought we did very well and I congratulated the boys because they were up to the expectations."
It wasn't just the
wonder goals from Elano or the flowing movement that pleased Eriksson most but rather the bits of the game that go unnoticed
or unheralded.
"Football is not just about when you have the ball it is about keeping your shape and discipline when
you do not have it and being aggressive in trying to win it back we have been good at all those things too," he concluded.
"Those
things are easy to forget when you are playing well and winning but the players did those things well at the weekend and have
done all season."
Happy Eriksson adores fans
LOVE-struck Sven-Goran Eriksson can't get enough of City's fans.
The Blues manager admits he
has been overwhelmed by the welcome he has received since he moved to Manchester.
Eriksson celebrates 100 days in charge
this weekend and admits he has seldom been happier.
The Swede, not prone to hyperbole or exaggeration, believes the
backing for his newly assembled team has been as good as he has experienced anywhere, including the footballing hotbed of
Rome.
"The City fans treat me very well and you can understand that because they like what they see from the players,"
he said after steering the side to a fifth straight home win in the Premier League - as many as they managed all last season
and the best for 33 years.
"We have been doing well at home and we feel the club is moving forward on and off the pitch
and the supporters have responded to that.
"I knew the fans had a reputation as being among the best but I feel they
are fantastic the way they back the side. I would say they are incredible.
"Time is flying and when you're enjoying
yourself it is great.
"The fans like what they see because we are playing attractive football and that is what they
want.
"I like what I see and hear. I love them.
"The stadium in Rome when I was manager at Lazio held 80,000
and the atmosphere for derby games was incredible but it is similar in Manchester."
And Sven he can't wait to renew
acquaintance with his Blue fan club in two weeks when Birmingham visit Eastlands.
"Last time we went into an international
break it was a long nine days because we had lost at Blackburn," he recalled.
"Now we have played more good football,
taken six points from our last two games and everything looks positive.
"I just have my fingers crossed that they
all come back safely and uninjured from their games for their countries
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United fans have been calling City fans 'the liars' for a few years now, but Bluemoon has decided
to expose a few myths about them.
Utd are the biggest club in the world. Utd took a million to Barcelona. All
their fans know all the words to the flowers of Manchester, they sing it before every match, every time. All Utd fans
are cool socialists. Utd have the most loyal and hardest firm in the world. The cockney reds all come from Manchester.
Utd fans are so cool they never wear colours ever (the fact they sell 4 million shirts a week is irrelevant) Utd have
the BEST stadium in the whole world. Utd fans NEVER sing about death as they know only too well how it feels. All
the famous bands and musicians in Manchester support Man United. All of them. There are no embarrasing celeb fans, they are
all cool. They ALL come from Manchester. All Utd fans have the first Stone Roses Album (Ltd edition of course) All
Utd fans know the words to "One Love" All Utd fans were at Spike Island, it was their special day. There are no Utd
fans in Stockport, and definitely non in London. They are not in any way bothered about City which is why they never ever
spend most of their matches singing nursery rhymes about us. There are no City fans in Manchester. Not one, they all come
from Stockport. Eric Cantona is the best player in the world ever. United have never received government aid to build
the swamp (except for the full rebuild of the cantilever stand before the 66 world cup). You just can't get a ticket for
Old Trafford The train to London Euston is never full of United fans. Ever. Never seen one.
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Two boys are playing football in the park when one of them is attacked by a rottweiler. Thinking
quickly, his friend rips a plank of wood from a fence, forces it into the dog's collar and twists it, breaking the dog's neck.
All the while, a newspaper reporter who was taking a stroll through the park is watching. He rushes over, introduces himself
and takes out his pad and pencil to start his story for the next edition. He writes, "Manchester City fan saves friend from
vicious animal." The boy interrupts: "But I'm not a City fan." The reporter starts again: "Stockport County fan saves friend
from horrific attack." The boy interrupts again: "I'm not a County fan either." The reporter asks: "Who do you support, then?"
"United," replies the boy. So the reporter starts again: "Rag bastard kills family pet...".
A Manchester United scout
returns from Bosnia raving about a new teenage superstar he's seen in the war torn country. Alex Ferguson is convinced and
is so desperate for no one else to snatch him up that he signs the boy without looking at him for himself. The boy arrives
in Manchester for Saturday's game, and is on the bench. With ten minutes to go Solskjaer gets injured and is stretchered off.
Ferguson points to the new Bosnian boy: "This is your big chance, son. Go out there and do the business for us". The lad strips
off his shell suit and takes to the pitch. In those dying minutes he's a revelation, scoring a hat trick. The crowd goes mad.
After the game Ferguson gives the new boy a big hug in the changing room."Great performance son. Go and give your parents
a ring at home. They'll be so proud of you. You can use the phone in my office". The lad goes into the boss's office and rings
his mum. "Mum, I've just had the best debut; I scored a hat-trick!...you don't sound very happy though; why are you crying?
Is everything okay?" "No, son, today has been the worst yet. Your dad has been shot, they've raped your sister, and the house
has been burnt to the ground." "God, mum, that's terrible; I'm really sorry". "So you should be. It was your idea for all
of us to move to Salford."
A man is walking his three-legged dog on Platt Fields and finds a lamp which he picks up
and removes the cork. Out pops a genie who says "Thank you for releasing me from the lamp, O Master. I have the power to grant
you one wish - anything you desire". The man says "Can you make my dog win Crufts?" but the genie says "What, with only three
legs? Wish again!". So the man thinks for a while and asks "Can you arrange for Diego Forlan to become a top international
striker then?" to which the genie replies "Let's have another look at that fucking dog".
Once upon a time in the Kingdom
of Heaven, God went missing for six days. Eventually, the Archangel Gabriel found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired
of God, "Where have you been?" God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look
Gabriel, look what I've made." Archangel Gabriel looked puzzled and said, "What is it?" "It's a planet," replied God, "and
I've put Life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a great place of balance." "Balance?" inquired Gabriel,
still confused. God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth, "For example, North America will be a place of great
opportunity and wealth while South America is going to be poor. Over there I've placed a continent of white people and over
there is a continent of black people" God continued, pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot and
arid while this one will be very cold and covered in ice." The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a small
populated area in the land of Great Britain and said "What's that?" "Ah," said God. "That's Manchester, the most glorious
place on Earth. There's a beautiful river, glorious parks, and buildings, and great music. The people from Manchester are
going to be modest, intelligent and humorous and they're going to be found travelling the world as ex-patriots. They'll be
extremely sociable, hard-working and high-achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers
of peace." Gabriel gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed, "What about balance, God? You said there will be balance!"
God replied wisely, "Wait until you see the lazy, arrogant, bastards I'm putting on the other end of the M62."
United
have signed a new centre forward from Kabul United FC. Apparently on his first day at training, Ferguson picked up a ball
and said: "Ball." Then he pointed at the goal and said: "Goal." Then he demonstrated a kicking motion and said: "Kick. Understand?
Kick, ball, goal. GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!" The Afghan striker was a little puzzled by this and summed up the courage to say "Excuse
me, Mr. Ferguson, but I speak very good English." To which Ferguson replies: "Sit down, son. I'm talking to Giggs."
David
Beckham dies and enters the Pearly Gates, God takes him on tour. He shows Beckham a little two-room house with a faded united
banner hanging from the front porch. "This is your house, David. Most people don't get their own houses up here," God says.
Beckham looks at the house, then turns around and looks at the one sitting on top of the hill. It's a huge three-story mansion
with white marble columns and little patios under all the windows. City flags line both sides of the driveway and a huge City
banner hangs between the marble columns. All the way up the drive are huge statues of great City players from history. "Thanks
for the house, God. But let me ask you a question. I get this little two-room house with a faded banner and Shaun Goater gets
a huge mansion with banners and flags flying all over the place. Why is that?" God looks at Beckham seriously for a moment.
"That's not the Goat's house", God says "That's my house."
A City fan and a United fan get into a car accident. Both
cars are totally demolished, but amazingly neither of them is hurt. After they crawl out of their cars, the City fan says,
"So you're a United fan, that's interesting. I'm a City fan... Shit! Just look at our cars, there's nothing left, but fortunately
we are unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days."
The United fan replied, "I agree with you completely; this must be a sign from God!" The City fan continued, "And look at
this - here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of whisky didn't break. Surely God wants us
to drink this and celebrate our good fortune." Then he hands the bottle to the United fan. The United fan nods his head in
agreement, opens it and takes a few big swigs from the bottle, then handing it back to the City fan. The City fan takes the
bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the United fan. The United fan asks, "Aren't you having any?"
The City fan replies, "No. I think I will just wait for the police to turn up..."
A man receives a free ticket to watch
Manchester City. Unfortunately when he arrives at Maine Road he realises the seat is right at the back of the stadium. About
halfway through the first half he notices an empty seat 10 rows from the pitch, right on the halfway line. He decides to take
a chance and makes his way down to the empty seat. When he arrives, he asks a man sitting next to the empty seat "Excuse me
but is anyone sitting here?" The man says "No". "That's incredible... Who in their right mind would have a seat like this
and not use it?" he says. "Well, the seat belongs to my wife," says the man, " But she passed away. This is the first game
we haven't been at together since 1967." "That's really sad," says the man,"But couldn't you find a relative or friend who
wanted the seat?" "No" came the reply "They're all at the funeral."
A young diehard City fan, who also happens to be
a devout Catholic, goes to Rome with his mum. His big desire is to speak to the Pope. His mum tells him that the Pope will
be doing a run round Rome in the popemobile the next morning and that he should wear his City shirt as the Pope is a big football
fan and may stop to talk to him if he sees his football shirt. Next morning the lad is decked out in his City shirt and
gets a place right at the front of the crowd. As the Popemobile approaches it slows down and his heart starts to pound, but
his excitement turns to dismay as it passes. The dismay turns to despair as the Popemobile stops further down and the Pope
gets out and talks to a young lad in a United shirt. The City lad, overcome with grief goes back to his hotel with his mum
and cries all night long. When he awakes in the morning he sees a United shirt on the end of his bed. His mum comes in the
room and says that he should wear it when the Pope does his tour of the City that day, to catch his attention as he obviously
knows United from their European exploits. The boy remonstrates and says he could never wear a United shirt, but eventually
his mum convinces him it is the best way to get to speak to the Pope. So sure enough the little lad wears the shirt and pushes
his way to the front of the crowd. This time as the Popemobile approaches his heart pounds as it slows down, and this time
stops. The Pope gets out and approaches him, leans forward, puts his hand on the lad's shoulder and says "I thought I told
you yesterday, fuck off back to London." |
Schmeichel: I'll be backNO sooner had he been handed
a new four-year contract than young Kasper Schmeichel found himself dropped from the Blues first team.
For some it
might have been a time for foot stamping but for the rapidly maturing young Dane it was instead a moment for reflection, to
pledge to work harder and cheer on his best pal Joe Hart.
City's 3-3 draw at Fulham ended 20-year-old Schmeichel's
seven-game run in the Premier League but it is unlikely to be the last Blues fans hear of him this season as the three-way
battle for one goalkeeping slot continues to rage.
Articulate, intelligent and forthright, Schmeichel took his bad
fortune in demotion on Saturday against Newcastle in the same calm way that he accepted his luck at leapfrogging Andreas Isaksson
and Hart into the spotlight in the first place.
He has learned greatly from the experience of keeping four clean sheets
in seven attempts and playing a full part in the City revival under Sven Goran Eriksson and is rightly pleased with his contribution.
"I have been here six years now and I feel I have progressed in each of those," he declared with some justification.
"That is all you look to do and see how far it takes you.
"Things have progressed nicely. The loan spells I had last
season were great for me in terms of furthering my experience. Going to Bury and Darlington teaches you things.
"One
of them is how good you have it as a player at a club like City where everything is laid on for you. When you come back you
realise how much effort and work is put in by people behind the scenes at City to create the right environment.
Chances
"I came back this summer not knowing what was going to happen. Obviously Nick and Andreas had played last season and
Joe had made his debut but there was a new manager and new owner," continued Schmeichel.
"Nick then left and I was
lucky that Andreas - unluckily for him especially after what happened to him last season - suffered an injury. I still had
my contract here and it was all about waiting to see what happened. It had crossed my mind that I might have to go out on
loan again.
"We got the best possible manager we could have got. I respect him deeply. Pre-season went well in Sweden
and I felt I was progressing. Under Stuart Pearce it was Joe who got the nod over me but this time I was given the chance
and so far I have taken it. Luck does play a big part in these things.
"As for getting back in the side, all I can
do is work hard, train as well as I can and then perform to the best of my ability when it comes to matches."
Schmeichel
was as pleased as anyone that Hart and the rest of the team hammered Newcastle on Saturday and offered a glimpse of the kind
of spirit that currently exists in the City dressing room.
"Of course there is rivalry between the keepers but Joe
is probably my best mate at the club if not in general and a brilliant goalkeeper," Kasper.
"We always help each other
when we can and when he pulls off a great save I am the first to acknowledge that. I suppose that's something peculiar to
goalkeepers. People talk about the `union' and there is a special understanding between us because we are always the first
to get blamed when something goes wrong."
FOR the full interview and Kasper's forthright views buy a copy of the official
City Magazine out now. |
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