Flashback Friday - Man City 0-0 NUFC
Scott Robson takes us back to 11 November 2006, the last time we got so much as a point at Eastlands
MANCHESTER CITY 0, NEWCASTLE UNITED 0.
Att: 40,571
MANCHESTER CITY: Weaver, Richards, Distin, Dunne, Thatcher, Trabelsi, Barton, Reyna (Corradi 60), Sinclair, Dickov (Samaras 60), Vassell.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Harper, Carr (Solano 76), S Taylor, Moore, Ramage, Milner, Emre, Parker, Duff (N’Zogbia 56), Sibierski, Ameobi (Dyer 56).
Not used: Srnicek, Butt.
The meaning of the term slim pickings goes like this: “little or no success in getting something”.
For us, at Manchester City’s new stadium the “little or no success in getting something” comes in the shape of points, fun, hope and happiness. One win in the league cup in 2014 and EIGHTEEN defeats in twenty league matches. Young’uns now old enough to drink think this was always the norm. This flashback is done purely to show that it hasn't always been that way.
It's certainly not done for excitement.
2006’s version of NUFC was really hard to like and really easy to ignore. We were post Shearer, who had retired at Sunderland in the previous April and we were packed full of gambles (Emre), over the hills (Craig Moore/ Nicky Butt) and pretty expensive signings that just didn't click (overwhelmingly Albert Luque).
At this stage we were in the middle of a four game goal drought against illustrious opponents like Boro, Charlton and Sheffield United. We were, though, in the UEFA Cup group stage and after one of the greatest goalkeeping performances of all time by a teenage Tim Krul, we beat Serie A leaders Palermo in Sicily. The progress in Europe was a comfort for a sterile start to the season. Only four teams were below us at this point- one of them was Manchester City.
I remember at this stage Man City and Newcastle games still had a bit of an edge. Incidents had happened to and fro for a few years, including Man City fans damaging pubs on Percy Street at breakfast time for an FA Cup game. Sometimes two bald men fighting over a comb is at least watchable. Like rubbernecking a car crash. Make no mistake this was the pits.
City were a couple of years away from hitting the jackpot with the Abu Dhabi takeover and a couple of years after moving to the then City of Manchester stadium. A white elephant gifted to them as a sympathy vote. This was my second time at this ground and it was in an area of complete deprivation.
Housing estates pierced by a spaceship-like stadium. The old was still rubbing shoulders with new at that point. It just didn't feel right. Like West Ham now, City seemed to massively compromise on atmosphere, authenticity and vitality when they cleared their debts by leaving Maine Road.
Two years later I returned and the estate and the pub within it were flattened. Progress was opposed at the time but the rewards were staggering. Sound familiar?
Look at City’s team. Stuart Pearce was manager. Players like Trevor Sinclair and Paul Dickov were having unexpected last dances in the Premier League. Players like Ben Thatcher and Claudio Reyna were backed up by young guns Joey Barton and Micah Richards. Both disappeared quietly without trace unfortunately.
This side, wait for it, didn't score a home goal after January 20th until the season ended. Not one. Zero. At least when they got relegated to Division three and played in front of 3,000 they had some badge of honour to keep up, this was just moribund.
This game was on pay per view which looking back probably led to it being scrapped or used at Guantanamo Bay. “If you don't give us your nation's secrets you will have to watch Man City Newcastle from 2006 again” . “Ok, ok, heres the secret dossiers, chief”.
Newcastle were desperate in the first half.
Barton, to be fair, looked the only decent player on the pitch, dragging just wide before Harper somehow tipped over a screamer from the future United reprobate.
We did nothing. Emre and Ameobi were as interested as children in an algebra class and had all the relevance of one. Martins was injured. Obviously.
Sibierski, as so often in his time with us, the only one you felt was actually busting any sort of gut. It couldn't get worse in the second half could it? Well…
Barton should have immediately put them in front but dallied and Harper denied him again. We were lucky to survive the hapless Samaras’ heading in a Richard Dunne header. It was marginally given offside. Dunne was simply over the moon it wasn't his own net, more than anything.
We gambled by bringing on the reliable duo of N’Zogbia and Dyer (two generations of nearly men dovetailing there) and they injected a bit of life into us. We almost won it at the death, but Solano’s goalbound shot hit Sibierski in a move so apt it was darkly comical.
Both sets of fans wandered out of a stadium nowhere near full wondering why we put ourselves through it and whether we should do it again. It was that bad.
The BBC commented at the time “Both teams have had far better periods in their history and judging by both sides’ performances it will be a while before they see another”.
To be fair it was bang on. This was the shittiest of a shit Premier League. It wasn't a throwaway statement. Both teams were a joke.
Of course what we know now renders that statement side splitting. 23 titles. The best team on the planet and just in case you were wondering, Dunne and Thatcher didn't make the cut.
In terms of us, we had to be relegated twice (this side could easily have done so) before reaching the halcyon days of top four finishes and cup finals again.
Walking out of the ground that day if anyone would have said we would both become the two potentially richest clubs in the planet within 20 years, you would have pissed yourself laughing. It's not that long ago really, but it seems light years away.
Just like that housing estate and pub, this period at Eastlands has been rubbed out of history, but i'm proud to say people like me will always fight the good fight and never let anyone forget.
You can rely on me folks.
A one man crusade to answer the age old question. Where were you when you were shit?
Scott Robson
Superb flourish at the end there. Love that, love your crusade. One day TF could run a 'shit-off'. Each writer picks their lowest point watching NUFC, explains why, then they are ranked after being voted, as to which is the shittier. An utter shit-fest to find 'King Shit of Turd Mountain'. Not now though, we have finals to think about, and don't need that sort of gloom, until we are on a shit run again; which we will be. Glad you offering a perspective. Thank you.