It's Quiet the £250m return

Berti No Show said:
What comes with winning, inevitably, is entitlement. When you’ve been at the top for as long as we have, it’s easy to slip into the mindset that every season has to be flawless, that anything less than perfection is somehow failure. But football, like all sport doesn’t work like that. It goes in cycles. Nobody stays at the summit forever. The Chicago Bulls ruled basketball in the 90s, but when Jordan, Rodman and Pippen left they weren't the same force and that golden era ended, the cycle moved on. AC Milan were kings of Europe for decades before they slipped away and had to rebuild. That’s sport. That’s reality.

You've got to have a little perspective sometimes. Take Crystal Palace for example – one trophy in their entire history. I actually know a Palace fan who feels blessed beyond words just to be able to follow them on a European tour. For him, that’s once in a lifetime stuff. Meanwhile, we’ve won the lot. Every trophy, every honour - the full set, whilst creating history that will still be talked about in 100 years time. Some fans of other clubs can only dream of what we’ve lived through.

Even last season, written off by many, we finished third and reached a cup final, despite losing key players for the entire campaign. That’s not exactly failure. That’s a squad holding its own in adversity.

So instead of fans dissecting every misstep, every selection, every bad pass as if it’s the beginning of the end, maybe just stop and appreciate what we’re living through. Because this era won’t last forever. Nothing does. And when it passes, we’ll look back and realise we’ve never had it so good.

If someone had told you at the start of the summer that we’d be bringing in Cherki, Reijnders, Donnarumma, Ait-Nouri, Marmoush, Khusanov, Trafford, Reis (one of the most coveted young defenders in Europe), plus Echeverri, Nypan, Jumah Bah, and Nico González, you’d have snapped their hand off. That’s a mix of proven quality, elite potential, and serious investment in the future. Yet somehow, because it didn’t tick every single box for every single fan, people are calling it a failure. Really?

Even if we’d added Livramento on top of all that, there’d still be voices moaning, because some supporters have reached a stage where success isn’t enough. And if this is what success brings, endless nitpicking, crisis talk after every bump in the road then I almost wonder if some people would be happier moaning their way through relegation scraps every season.

The truth is, we’ve never had it so good. The manager and players built this golden era. They’re the reason we’ve lifted everything there is to win. They’ve earned our trust, and they deserve our backing through the rough patches as much as the good ones.

Because when these new signings settle, when the chemistry clicks, this team is going to take off again. And when it does, people will look back at this summer window and realise just how strong it really was.

This manager has brought us everything we ever dreamed of. Trophies, glory, respect on the world stage. He’s taken us places we never thought we’d reach. Year after year he’s rebuilt, losing key players and still finding a way to deliver titles. That takes genius, resilience, and vision of the highest order.

He’s achieved things even Sir Alex Ferguson never did. Think about that for a second. We are watching one of the greatest managers in the history of the game, and he’s ours, he's been ours, he's one of us now.

So when I see our own fans tearing him down, it honestly saddens me and I feel embarrassed. Other clubs look on in envy. They’d give anything to have a manager like him, and here we are wasting energy moaning about the very man who built this golden era. Without him, this doesn't happen.

We should be standing tall, proud, united behind him. Because this manager hasn’t just given us success - he’s defined our identity. He’s raised our expectations, rewritten our history, and taken this club to levels we once thought impossible.

He deserves nothing less than our full support. Through every dip, every challenge, every change, he has earned our trust a hundred times over. He's got enough credit in the bank to be backed, even if we finish 15th like United did. Just take a trip back to the City v Inter CL final thread on this forum and just look at what he brought to our fans on here. The best night of our lives.

One day this era will be history, and we’ll look back and realise just how lucky we were to live it, and when he's gone we will know how good we had it with Pep.
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Agree totally with your Pep sentiment. But proven quality? Aside from Donnarumma we haven’t signed any proven quality. That’s the issue.
 
LongsightM13 said:
Nonsense
Cherki, Rejinders and Ait-Nouri are all proven qualty
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Simply not the case. Cherki has barely played for France, hasn’t done anything in the CL or in high pressure games in the league. He has shown promise in a league which is a way below the premier league. Reindeer’s has played 2 years in a decent league albeit in a poor ac Milan side and was outshone my Scott McTominay. Air nouri is a solid lower mid table premier left back. Hasn’t played a single champions league game. Saying these are proven talents at the level city are wanting to be at is proposterous. Donnarumma is proven the rest are gambles. Personally the balance between the proven players and gambles is weighted too heavily towards the gambles.
 
Tier2Blue said:
Simply not the case. Cherki has barely played for France, hasn’t done anything in the CL or in high pressure games in the league. He has shown promise in a league which is a way below the premier league. Reindeer’s has played 2 years in a decent league albeit in a poor ac Milan side and was outshone my Scott McTominay. Air nouri is a solid lower mid table premier left back. Hasn’t played a single champions league game. Saying these are proven talents at the level city are wanting to be at is proposterous. Donnarumma is proven the rest are gambles. Personally the balance between the proven players and gambles is weighted too heavily towards the gambles.
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I think you mistakenly posted in the wrong thread.

The “Entitled Twats” thread is ———>>>>>>
 
Tier2Blue said:
Simply not the case. Cherki has barely played for France, hasn’t done anything in the CL or in high pressure games in the league. He has shown promise in a league which is a way below the premier league. Reindeer’s has played 2 years in a decent league albeit in a poor ac Milan side and was outshone my Scott McTominay. Air nouri is a solid lower mid table premier left back. Hasn’t played a single champions league game. Saying these are proven talents at the level city are wanting to be at is proposterous. Donnarumma is proven the rest are gambles. Personally the balance between the proven players and gambles is weighted too heavily towards the gambles.
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In that case, Kompany, KDB, Ederson, Silva, Aguero, Fernandinho, Sane, and many more were all gambles.
In fact, I cannot really think of a proven player we have signed. Oh...Jack Grealish, perhaps, and John Stones.
 
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oldius said:
In that case, Kompany, KDB, Ederson, Silva, Aguero, Fernandinho, Sane, and many more were all gambles.
In fact, I cannot really think of a proven player we have signed. Oh...Jack Grealish, perhaps, and John Stones.
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Na, neither of them two played in the champions league. FC Gambles.
 
Tier2Blue said:
Agree totally with your Pep sentiment. But proven quality? Aside from Donnarumma we haven’t signed any proven quality. That’s the issue.
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Spot on. Although I would include Rudolf as a quality signing. We need quality and experienced players which Vianna unfortunately hasn't delivered on. I said immediately after the FA Cup Final that we should have put a bid in for Isak. Both he and Haaland upfront would have been unstoppable.
 
INDEEDY DEEDY said:
Spot on. Although I would include Rudolf as a quality signing. We need quality and experienced players which Vianna unfortunately hasn't delivered on. I said immediately after the FA Cup Final that we should have put a bid in for Isak. Both he and Haaland upfront would have been unstoppable.
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Marmoush, Isak, Haaland would be a tad bit much

our main issue is with unbalanced midfield and shaky defence

Big Don should at least resolve first time shot goals
 
Tier2Blue said:
Simply not the case. Cherki has barely played for France, hasn’t done anything in the CL or in high pressure games in the league. He has shown promise in a league which is a way below the premier league. Reindeer’s has played 2 years in a decent league albeit in a poor ac Milan side and was outshone my Scott McTominay. Air nouri is a solid lower mid table premier left back. Hasn’t played a single champions league game. Saying these are proven talents at the level city are wanting to be at is proposterous. Donnarumma is proven the rest are gambles. Personally the balance between the proven players and gambles is weighted too heavily towards the gambles.
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WUM.

McTominay was playing in behind the striker.

Like other posters have said, the only proven quality we’ve ever signed with champions league experience is Haaland and a couple others.

You’re just chatting complete and utter shit and framing things to suit your narrative.

We can all do that- Cherki has been playing in one of europes top 5 leagues since he was 16, he was statistically the most creative player in Europe last season in the same division as the champions league winners and he shined in a European competition last season.

Who do you want us to sign then?
 
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oldius said:
In that case, Kompany, KDB, Ederson, Silva, Aguero, Fernandinho, Sane, and many more were all gambles.
In fact, I cannot really think of a proven player we have signed. Oh...Jack Grealish, perhaps, and John Stones.
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Aguero had played nearly 200 games for AM, Silva was a World Cup winner/CL experienced and title winner, Kev Bundesliga winner with prem experience, Sane CL experience and German international. Others like Vinnie came in a different era/expectation level. And often came into a settled and sometimes dominate side. I accept they all had growth in them but largely started at a higher base, are more proven than this summers signings. Plus they came into a side with players at their peak and full of leadership and confidence. Arguably only Rodri is at his peak, we are in a different phase so I think an another proven player may have made a difference.
 
Tier2Blue said:
Aguero had played nearly 200 games for AM, Silva was a World Cup winner/CL experienced and title winner, Kev Bundesliga winner with prem experience, Sane CL experience and German international. Others like Vinnie came in a different era/expectation level. And often came into a settled and sometimes dominate side. I accept they all had growth in them but largely started at a higher base, are more proven than this summers signings. Plus they came into a side with players at their peak and full of leadership and confidence. Arguably only Rodri is at his peak, we are in a different phase so I think an another proven player may have made a difference.
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We have as many proven players as we did when all those other players came in, we have about 8 champions league winners, to help all the new young players adapt, there is absoloutely nothing that says the new signings can't reach the levels of those previous players. Your assumptions are based on nothing at all, wait and see and give them time.
 
richardtheref said:
I'm not completely sure about Ait-Nouri. I'm sure I can remember Savinho taking him to the cleaners last season and we know what a lot of our posters think of the Brazilian
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The jury's out for me on all our signings. As always the proof will be in the pudding. As a unit the whole team needs to improve a fair bit from what I've witnessed so far.
 
Can't find it but one thing that went under the radar during the Cherki done deal with Lyon, is City apparently asked about Malick Fofana and we are keeping an eye on him this season, winger at Lyon already has 1 goal and 1 assist in 3 games for lyon this season. Scored in his first game for Belgium too. 20 years old
 
Skrastins said:
Marmoush, Isak, Haaland would be a tad bit much

our main issue is with unbalanced midfield and shaky defence

Big Don should at least resolve first time shot goals
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Our problem are wingers who can't score and create much.without KDB in midfield ,we need wingers to do much more.
 
CΛL said:
WUM.

McTominay was playing in behind the striker.

Like other posters have said, the only proven quality we’ve ever signed with champions league experience is Haaland and a couple others.

You’re just chatting complete and utter shit and framing things to suit your narrative.

We can all do that- Cherki has been playing in one of europes top 5 leagues since he was 16, he was statistically the most creative player in Europe last season in the same division as the champions league winners and he shined in a European competition last season.

Who do you want us to sign then?
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I reckon we should go out and get Akanji, Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne, Grealish and Gundogan. All proven quality with champions league experience, and a history of winning trophies, proven in English football.
 
blueparrot said:
We have as many proven players as we did when all those other players came in, we have about 8 champions league winners, to help all the new young players adapt, there is absoloutely nothing that says the new signings can't reach the levels of those previous players. Your assumptions are based on nothing at all, wait and see and give them time.
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I haven’t made any assumptions. Merely questioned whether the profile of our signings was right for the current situation we are in. I think we could have mitigated the risk a bit. There are question marks though as outlined above. Ages, career history and where they have played show there is a significant degree of risk. But the prices are reasonable which mitigates that. Time will tell.
 
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