It’s a fine balance between realism and arrogance ...

[CorporateBlue]

just reading the Cardiff thread, and there are plenty of the usual ‘banana skin’ comments in there. The reality is that we are by far and away the best team in the league, and possibly one of the best teams in Europe (we shall see..) so we shouldn’t be fearing anyone domestically. If we turn up, work hard and have our full team available we should beat most teams. With the best squad and the best manager, it should work most of the time.
But ...
How do we avoid the arrogance we so hate in others? (see The Pride of Singapore TM 1999-2011)
I think we (the club and the fans) carry on as we are - respectful, humble and staying mostly silent on our prospects. Let’s let the football do the talking.
However, I DO think we should strongly defend ourselves when under attack in the media or by other fans, whether its our ownership, our occasional empty seats or our spending. Just because we retain dignity does not mean we should stay silent as the gobshites from the media etc take their cheap shots.

So, quietly confident about Sunday and the rest of the season, and safe in the knowledge that our owners and manager will not stop until we are clearly the No1 club in the world...

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

When i am in the vicinity of a Rag unfortunately my humility goes out of the window , 30 odd years of the Rags taking the urine does that to you , but agree with your sentiments only City fans could possibly witness currently the best team in the world and fear a banana skin at Cardiff , but "typical city " and "40 points" is what makes our club so different , many of us have endured the barren years and despite pinching myself on a daily basis , it all does appear to be true , we do have Sheik Mansour , Pep Guardiola and KDB , best owner,manager and player in the world. .The vast majority of our support are grounded and are enjoying the ride , the fact that PEG and the media continually have to have a dig only proves how much we are hurting our detractors.

 

[ancoats]

if you think little old manchester city same old shit then your 10 years out of date. the mentality as change its not arrogance its realism we are the best club in europe and records have tumbled and players at the club are now told how good they are and don't hide behind a badge and shirt and they walk out with pride and respect

we are manchester city and everybody wants to beat us if that's is arrogance then we have earned it and respect must be given that is realism

 

[paulchapo]

Stoked by the old top four and rag loving media with their lies and smoke and mirrors, plus the hypocrisy and jealousy of other club's fan's, who wish they were us but lie they wouldn't want to be, we are already hated by many. I say fuck them all! We are damned if we do, dammed if we don't.

 

[davymcfc]

As a City fan I think I have a natural skepticism and pessimism inbuilt in my system.

Having said that I bought my sister’s fiancé (rag) a pair of socks for Christmas with “mind the gap” on them.

 

[urban genie]

Arrogance is lording it over other teams, and patronising them or their worth and we have some fans that talk down other clubs fans or make condecending remarks about their clubs.

Thankfully, for now that is a minority, and it's good that most fans have a mutual repsect for the opposition.

That's the key, we can acknowledge we are a great team, but not by belittling the other teams.

we were always great in my eyes because we were city even though we were shite, every trophy is a bonus that I am gratefull for

whento our fans it becomes expected and not winning one makes us act like precious spoilt fuckers then the arrogance will have kicked in.

 

[jay laruja]

If you're a city fan and not feel the least worried about the worst happening then you haven't been paying attention.

 

[JASR]

I think we only venture into the world of arrogance when ‘we’ start saying and believing we are ‘entitled’.

That’s a line that was crossed (in my lifetime) by Liverpool in the late 70’s and United in the late 90’s.

I can’t quite remember arsenal being the same in the late 80’s - because I knew/know zero arsenal fans - but I know various posters have commented about them over the years.

As pointed out by many posters on other threads, we on the whole welcome the potential addition of new lucky clubs to the top - whether they have ‘history’ or not. Good for them.

Hopefully they will be well run from top to bottom, and not just a business persons ego trip (Blackburn, Leeds, Swales City etc etc)

As long as we continue to do as we have done since the takeover, with class, style and inward investment, then arrogance at any level -for the business, the fans and the actual football - will not get a foothold, and we won’t ever get the Three letter abbreviation ABC.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I was in the City shop this morning and lo and behold in come a couple of bandits - Rag baseball cap, etc. I think he was just looking around, and then as I said 'Eh, up, bandits'! He said yer can't buy history! FA Cup weekend I say, largest FA cup score was Ardwick, (now he did know that we were once Ardwick, I'll give him that!) and then I said '!904 - first cup to Manchester won by City!"

Warning: a couple of what I think were MANUre fans were working on the lift down to the tram! Let someone test it before you have a go!!

 

[Bluekiwi]

I confess that I regularly defend our team on the ESPN web site - but I do it politely and with a touch of humour.
Some of the clowns on there are only just out of their nappies and reside 10s of thousands of miles from England.
And looking at some of their avatars they only started following the scum because of golden balls.