Who now then?...

[CC1]

Not disagreeing with your point, but that summer you refer to had nothing to do with Txiki - he joined the club on 28th October 2012, well after that clusterfuck of a transfer window had shut.

Blame City, blame Ferran Soriano, blame Marwood - but you can't reasonably pin that window on Txiki.

Thanks for clarification. It demonstrates how some people with a tad of knowledge still throw around incorrect criticism of our club despite being the best ever premier league team last season. Ah well...,

 

[nmc]

I really wanted him, especially after some of his passes for Napoli vs us (although we did flatten him afterwards) but I did think he might end up playing in another position than Fernandinho's, once in the Prem.

But having watched how easily Pep took him apart, & not only that but we thrived by pressing the receivers of his passes, I feel like I've just got out of a huge car crash, after driving pissed, & nobody was injured & there are no police around.

I wanted Jourginho too but having watched how he reacted when we pressed him on Sunday - I’m glad we missed out (although it’s probably harsh to judge on a single game). He hardly made a forward pass - he seemed happy to dump the ball to anyone - even if they were under pressure. He looked reminiscent of Butch Wilkins (bless him) spraying the ball to anyone behind him.

 

[Neville Kneville]

There not gods. Even the best can get it wrong, Fergie, Jose, the lot of them. The pursuit of players with obvious deficiencies is worthy being mentioned. Particularly when tixi/ city fucked up a few years back bloating the team with mediocrity like javia garcia, Scott sinclair and Jack Rodwell. Saddling the club with big contracts, blocking the pathways of academy players and or superior players city could have recruited. So no. Sorry, I love pep but none of this feels right. I think we are actually lucky as fuck that fern was at the club before pep signed because on the strength of the players pep has been looking to fill ferns role, pep would never in a million years signed fern, who for me as been the lynchpin of are success.

The way City played v Chelsea, Pep was clearly targeting Jorginho as a huge weakness in their setup, not just pressing him but players picking off where his passes would go. We got it wrong a couple of times & they mounted some danger, but mostly, it was an absolute arse fucking for the guy.

That suggests to me that Pep was signing a player with flaws he knows about, who he would work on, rather than a direct Fern replacement. Imo, even so, he's too fucking slow end of, so you are probably right that we have dodged one. I think he was to replace Yaya & backup Fern, not to be the player who replaces him.

Pep said yesterday re Gundogan, something along the lines of that he was 'surprised' how well he played there v Spurs, but he sees him as a penalty area player, not a deep one.

I don't think we have yet seen the player Pep wants as a replacement for Fern.

Interestingly enough, one of the atributes he mentioned as to why Stones might be able to play as a backup to Fern (which the computer boys will hate & pretend never happened) is that he is 'tall'. That's straight out of the mouth of Pep Guardiola.

So his thinking re Fern's ideal long term replacement, might not be that far away from yours, or indeed mine.

 

[93.01]

Not disagreeing with your point, but that summer you refer to had nothing to do with Txiki - he joined the club on 28th October 2012, well after that clusterfuck of a transfer window had shut.

Blame City, blame Ferran Soriano, blame Marwood - but you can't reasonably pin that window on Txiki.

Fair enough mate. Tixi has still had a few ropey moments in the transfer market at City. http://sport360.com/article/footbal...egrini-scapegoat-txiki-begiristains-man-city/

 

[Neville Kneville]

I wanted Jourginho too but having watched how he reacted when we pressed him on Sunday - I’m glad we missed out (although it’s probably harsh to judge on a single game). He hardly made a forward pass - he seemed happy to dump the ball to anyone - even if they were under pressure. He looked reminiscent of Butch Wilkins (bless him) spraying the ball to anyone behind him.

Exactly what I thought. Ray Wilkins.

 

[Easy]

We’ll be fine. If it was such a concern, we would of paid extra and brought someone in.

Gundogan did well as a DM in the games he played last season. If he gets over the mental block of the injury and starts to get stuck in he can be even better. This is the position Pep has bought him. Using him as DM probably means Foden gets more game time in the 8 position so everyone benefits.

Then we have Delph who can most definitely play there. He is very good in possession and has the energy needed. Excellent defensively as well.

Douglas may get a work permit and if not other options are De Bruyne who we saw play the role comfortably then finally Danilo may possibly play there and Stones as Pep said.

Fernandinho will play the majority of games but less so than last season I believe. If the position becomes a concern we can always bring someone in during the winter transfer window or even loan a player.

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

Fair enough mate. Tixi has still had a few ropey moments in the transfer market at City. http://sport360.com/article/footbal...egrini-scapegoat-txiki-begiristains-man-city/

I completely agree with you. Txiki signed Mangala for £40million, or whatever the fuck it was we paid for him in the end, which is pound for pound our worst ever transfer (in my opinion) and also signed Wilfried Bony for £27million - so he's not without blame.

But I maintain that Txiki would never have overseen a window as consistently horrifying as the one that saw us 'push on' from a title win by signing Rodwell, Garcia, Maicon, Sinclair and Richard 'fucking' Wright!

Still makes me angry to think we handed Ferguson his perfect retirement by giving up on retaining the League and showing so little ambition that season.

Although you could argue, looking at the shambles that is the Rags since he left, that it was an inspired piece of strategic forward thinking!

 

[asahartford1]

Fair enough mate. Tixi has still had a few ropey moments in the transfer market at City. http://sport360.com/article/footbal...egrini-scapegoat-txiki-begiristains-man-city/

Does referencing Sport360 strengthen your argument ? -;)

 

[93.01]

We are also as lucky as duck that they signed KDB, Stones, Ederson, Jesus, Walker , Bernardo, Laporte, Sane......All at costs which seem bargains. TO suggest that they may be doing a poor job of recruitment is not right.

Fernandinho could easily play in a number of roles, as can a number of our midfield players. We are so so lucky to have Pep, so so lucky.-;)

Poor job in recruiting for the dm role. Not recruiting as a whole. How long do we need to suss that this position needs to strengthening. When the need is identified its in pursuit of players completely contrary in ability to the world beater you already have in position. Then when the pursuit of the two players you have in mind fall through. The messaging is that an attacking midfielder Douglas Luis can do it subject to work permit. Then there's talk of kdb, gundogan and others sharing the role. Then city do a 360, and we're being told a ball playing defender can slot in their. Like I said not having a go at recruitment or pep in general, just the pursuit and messaging to the fans around the acquisition of this role which has been at best schizophrenic.

 

[Rammyblues]

It looks like only players being transferred re City will be outgoing. It looks like it is up to Pep to manage the resources he has in such a way to at least try and win everything. Personally just happy with the league and a reasonably good run in CL. Any other additions would be a bonus. Setting records, not bothered really, if we can win prem league with any number of points it will do for me.

 

[93.01]

Does referencing Sport360 strengthen your argument ? -;)

No. the other guy was completely right. It merley presents facts of his transfer activity at city, evidencing that tixi can be fallable in the transfer market, bloating the team with mediocrity. But I suppose he's not the only one and won't be the last.

 

[OB1]

Delph doesn't have the technique, he's improved a lot but is no where near the level needed to excel in that single pivot role IMO.

He did it extremely well season before last away at the Bridge.

Said it many times but people keep underestimating Delph.

 

[asahartford1]

No. the other guy was completely right. It merley presents facts of his transfer activity at city, evidencing that tixi can be fallable in the transfer market, bloating the team with mediocrity. But I suppose he's not the only one and won't be the last.

We did go through a time, when ffp restricted our recruitment. None of those players are now at the club.
I think you would agree clubs are paying bloated prices for inferior players, in an effort to close the gap.
I don't believe City will be tempted to pay an inferior player a kings ransom and upset the wage structure already in place.

 

[93.01]

I completely agree with you. Txiki signed Mangala for £40million, or whatever the fuck it was we paid for him in the end, which is pound for pound our worst ever transfer (in my opinion) and also signed Wilfried Bony for £27million - so he's not without blame.

But I maintain that Txiki would never have overseen a window as consistently horrifying as the one that saw us 'push on' from a title win by signing Rodwell, Garcia, Maicon, Sinclair and Richard 'fucking' Wright!

Still makes me angry to think we handed Ferguson his perfect retirement by giving up on retaining the League and showing so little ambition that season.

Although you could argue, looking at the shambles that is the Rags since he left, that it was an inspired piece of strategic forward thinking!

Yeh your spot on mate. Cant fault a word of what you've said

 

[Jazzman]

So Txiki and Pep do make mistakes. Still their hit rate concerning transfers is much higher than average.

 

[blueparrot]

Poor job in recruiting for the dm role. Not recruiting as a whole. How long do we need to suss that this position needs to strengthening. When the need is identified its in pursuit of players completely contrary in ability to the world beater you already have in position. Then when the pursuit of the two players you have in mind fall through. The messaging is that an attacking midfielder Douglas Luis can do it subject to work permit. Then there's talk of kdb, gundogan and others sharing the role. Then city do a 360, and we're being told a ball playing defender can slot in their. Like I said not having a go at recruitment or pep in general, just the pursuit and messaging to the fans around the acquisition of this role which has been at best schizophrenic.

But doesn't that make you stop and think either the club are all over the place and have no idea what they want for the pivot in a Pep team, or they know exactly what we want but I can't quite see what that is.

 

[93.01]

We did go through a time, when ffp restricted our recruitment. None of those players are now at the club.
I think you would agree clubs are paying bloated prices for inferior players, in an effort to close the gap.
I don't believe City will be tempted to pay an inferior player a kings ransom and upset the wage structure already in place.

I know. I agree with you. Its just that it narks me that we seem to have spent a lot of time chasing players who may not have been right for us. Which in fairness to pep and tixi over the last 2 years is a rarity. As they've generally got it right. But like I said earlier it's the conflicting messaging about what we want for the role that has pissed me off. From jorghinio to stones is such a big difference in abilityand style of play in that role Fern to stones is equally not what what I would consider to be a seamless transition in quality or style of play. Just all very confusing.

 

[Kompany is King]

Keep Pep, not forgetting Txiki helped to bring Pep to City. Keep both.

 

[The Preacher]

I think we’ve made it absolutely clear in the last couple of windows (and put down a marker for future signings) that we won’t be taken for mugs - we have our valuation of a player and won’t enter any bidding wars - and that we will only sign players who genuinely want to come and play for the club and aren’t motivated simply by money. That’ll do for me.

 

[93.01]

But doesn't that make you stop and think either the club are all over the place and have no idea what they want for the pivot in a Pep team, or they know exactly what we want but I can't quite see what that is.

Yeh that's what I've said in my last few posts. The conflicting briefs from the club has not made it confusing about what they want in that role. At the end of the day, I know they don't have to share anything but that being the case, it would be helpful if the club were consistent with their messaging, or consistent with saying Jack shit.