Well done boss

[Phil1]

I know why he hasn't been sacked. Guardiola's arrival is the reason he's still here. It's the reason he got the job. He got the job knowing the moment Guardiola was available he was out.

Sadly I do think Pellegrini and Txiki have been working towards Pep's arrival. As sadly I think they've done a pretty poor job.

I agree that Pep has one hell of a job on his hands. This is my entire point. Between Pellegrini and Txiki they have done a piss poor job. Guardiola will need to work his socks off and we will have to invest a shed load to achieve what we're hoping.

I'd keep your voice down though, according to many Pellegrini should have walked the league with this squad. They will also conceed that Pep has a big job on. Surely if the only issue is an incompetent manager. Pep will walk the league without needing to spend a penny.

Whilst I don't think we should have been walking the league I equally don't think we should have been involved in a fight to finish in the top four.
Can't really argue with the rest.

 

[Shaelumstash]

Yes, but you know, I know he was told last summer he was off. The incoming players were told a deal for Guardiola had been done. That doesn't suit your timeline story, but it's well known that players and Pellegrini himself knew Gaurdiola was a done deal.

He hasn't been sacked because....... He is a safe pair hands till they get the manager they wanted since stepping through the door. They haven't sacked him because he is and always has been effectively a caretaker.

Same as you, I heard that Guardiola was a effectively done last summer. But by all accounts it was seemingly done in 2012, shit happened (great shit happened) and it fell out of bed.

In January 2013 Guardiola to City was "Not 99%, but 100% done" to City for summer 2013 according to a very well placed journalist at City. The week later he announced he was joining Bayern.

Last summer I had strong word that Guardiola was coming to City in summer 2016, but again, I don't think anything was signed, it could still have fallen out of bed, the same as it did in 2012 and 2013.

My personal view is that he probably didn't formalise anything until late 2015, probably after the Juventus game.

I agree that Pellegrini probably knew from day one that Guardiola would be the next City manager. But I don't think it undermined him at any point before that agreement in late 2015.

He knew he wouldn't be here for 20 years. He knew it would be a 3-4 year project all along, even before he signed.

It's ended up being a 3 year reign.

If we didn't have an informal agreement with Guardiola, Pellegrini would have been definitely sacked at the end of 2014/15.

If we didn't have a formal agreement with Guardiola in late 2015, Pellegrini would have been sacked then.

So far from Guardiola undermining Pellegrini and costing him his job, he's actually bought him an extra full season that he would never have got under different circumstances.

Guardiola coming has actually bought Pellegrini time, not cost him it.

 

[BillyShears]

Which squads do you think are better than ours?

I think Chelsea, City, United, Spurs and Arsenal have all got squads this season of a similar strength. Each of those sides have formidable best XI's when everyone is fit, but they all lack depth of quality in certain areas. Really it's much of a muchness.

 

[halfcenturyup]

I know why he hasn't been sacked. Guardiola's arrival is the reason he's still here. It's the reason he got the job. He got the job knowing the moment Guardiola was available he was out.

Sadly I do think Pellegrini and Txiki have been working towards Pep's arrival. As sadly I think they've done a pretty poor job.

I agree that Pep has one hell of a job on his hands. This is my entire point. Between Pellegrini and Txiki they have done a piss poor job. Guardiola will need to work his socks off and we will have to invest a shed load to achieve what we're hoping.

I'd keep your voice down though, according to many Pellegrini should have walked the league with this squad. They will also conceed that Pep has a big job on. Surely if the only issue is an incompetent manager. Pep will walk the league without needing to spend a penny.

I dont think we are disagreeing but I think you are too focused on Guardiola coming. He hasn't been sacked because things weren't really looking that bad at Christmas (well, the performances were already but not the results - still in four competitions, top four comfortably). It's really all gone to hell in a hand basket since then and that has given management a choice: ride it out and hope for the best and look like you know what you are doing, or change and hope for the best and look like you made the wrong appointment. Squeaky-bum time for the people making that decision. If we had been in Chelsea's position at Christmas, we would have got rid, I imagine, even if the Lord God Almighty was coming as the manager in the summer.

Anyway, I think everybody more or less agrees on everything. Interesting discussion.

 

[schfc6]

Same as you, I heard that Guardiola was a effectively done last summer. But by all accounts it was seemingly done in 2012, shit happened (great shit happened) and it fell out of bed.

In January 2013 Guardiola to City was "Not 99%, but 100% done" to City for summer 2013 according to a very well placed journalist at City. The week later he announced he was joining Bayern.

Last summer I had strong word that Guardiola was coming to City in summer 2016, but again, I don't think anything was signed, it could still have fallen out of bed, the same as it did in 2012 and 2013.

My personal view is that he probably didn't formalise anything until late 2015, probably after the Juventus game.

I agree that Pellegrini probably knew from day one that Guardiola would be the next City manager. But I don't think it undermined him at any point before that agreement in late 2015.

He knew he wouldn't be here for 20 years. He knew it would be a 3-4 year project all along, even before he signed.

It's ended up being a 3 year reign.

If we didn't have an informal agreement with Guardiola, Pellegrini would have been definitely sacked at the end of 2014/15.

If we didn't have a formal agreement with Guardiola in late 2015, Pellegrini would have been sacked then.

So far from Guardiola undermining Pellegrini and costing him his job, he's actually bought him an extra full season that he would never have got under different circumstances.

Guardiola coming has actually bought Pellegrini time, not cost him it.

Right we're there now.

"If we didn't have a formal agreement with Guardiola in late 2015, Pellegrini would have been sacked then.

So far from Guardiola undermining Pellegrini and costing him his job, he's actually bought him an extra full season that he would never have got under different circumstances.

Guardiola coming has actually bought Pellegrini time, not cost him"

The reason he got the job was the impending Pep Guardiola. The reason he's not been sacked. The impending Guardiola.

As I've said all along. We employed Pellegrini, we have stuck by Pellegrini all in the pursuit of Guardiola. We have basically spent three years waiting for Guardiola. This has been my point all along.
Earlier on you suggested there were no circumstances. It was just a normal job.

So, Pellegrini hasn't been sacked because of Pep, he got the job because of Pep. It is by very definition a strange circumstance.

You're right, Pep has given Pellegrini more time. As I said all along, he was only here till Pep. The club have been treading water for three years.

Pep is a much much better manager, he is 100% a huge upgrade on Pellegrini. I have never quibbled that. I have said all along that treading water is ideal for no one. The job was never really Pellegrini's he was just keeping the seat warm.

 

[schfc6]

I dont think we are disagreeing but I think you are too focused on Guardiola coming. He hasn't been sacked because things weren't really looking that bad at Christmas (well, the performances were already but not the results - still in four competitions, top four comfortably). It's really all gone to hell in a hand basket since then and that has given management a choice: ride it out and hope for the best and look like you know what you are doing, or change and hope for the best and look like you made the wrong appointment. Squeaky-bum time for the people making that decision. If we had been in Chelsea's position at Christmas, we would have got rid, I imagine, even if the Lord God Almighty was coming as the manager in the summer.

Anyway, I think everybody more or less agrees on everything. Interesting discussion.

We should be fucking Pellegrini off for Pep. I'm 100% behind that.

I don't think we should have just muddled along for 3 years waiting.

If Pellegrini wasn't good enough, he shouldn't have remained in his post purely becuase he was already fired.
This is my issue.
I think under the circumstances he's done a decent job. Better managers would never have taken the job. Worse managers would have done worse.

I think keeping Pellegrini just to get Pep is a big gamble.

I believe Pellegrini is still in the job, because he's doing ok. Non of us know what constraints he's working under. My guess, all that is wrong isn't his fault. Hence him still having a job.

It would be interesting to hear his opinions of the situation once he's gone. But we all know he'll be dignified till his grave. Any shit he may have on the goings on will never be told.

 

[schfc6]

Whilst I don't think we should have been walking the league I equally don't think we should have been involved in a fight to finish in the top four.
Can't really argue with the rest.

A fully fit squad I think we would have walked the league.
We haven't had that though.
Pellegrini struggles to utilise his squad players.
The squad players are pretty average. Navas, Kolarov, sadly Zaba now, Demichellis, Bony, Fernando, Delph, Ya Ya now.
I don't think any of those would get a place on the bench anywhere else in the top 6. Perhaps Ya Ya as a impact player. Maybe Fernando, possibly Navas. Non of them would start for a top 8 side.

Oddly, those fans saying what a great squad we've got will also be all over the aforementioned players threads saying how they're not or no longer good enough.

Our squad is past its best. Pellegrini in tactically inflexible.

Hence where we are now. And the size of Pep's job.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

We don't have the best squad in the league. To say we have "by far" the best squad is laughable nonsense. We went into the season with two senior strikers, one of whom is injury prone. We went into the season with Four central midfield players, three of whom are basically different versions of the same thing. We went into the season with four full backs all of whom are over 30 and have run out of legs.

Laughable nonsense you say, not just normal nonsense then? If you say we don't have the best squad in the league Billy then I KNOW it must be true. You can talk about the limitations all you like but he has brought some of it on himself by not giving youth a chance. I mean even you talk about only having two senior strikers which is a bit disingenuous if you consider the fact that we have a young striker who is MUCH better than one of the senior strikers. But then as far as the manager is concerned, yes, he just has two senior strikers. Who knows which young midfielders could have come to the fore if they'd been given a reasonable chance in appropriate games. Actually fuck it, no need, we can just run Yaya into the ground in a role that he can no longer carry out. That'll do the trick. Certainly the squad hasn't been perfect, it could have done with another option in midfield, a left back to replce kolarov and a striker to replace bony but I wouldn't have swapped our current squad for any other in the division because I do think we have the best squad. 5 weeks to go...

 

[Shaelumstash]

Right we're there now.

"If we didn't have a formal agreement with Guardiola in late 2015, Pellegrini would have been sacked then.

So far from Guardiola undermining Pellegrini and costing him his job, he's actually bought him an extra full season that he would never have got under different circumstances.

Guardiola coming has actually bought Pellegrini time, not cost him"

The reason he got the job was the impending Pep Guardiola. The reason he's not been sacked. The impending Guardiola.

As I've said all along. We employed Pellegrini, we have stuck by Pellegrini all in the pursuit of Guardiola. We have basically spent three years waiting for Guardiola. This has been my point all along.
Earlier on you suggested there were no circumstances. It was just a normal job.

So, Pellegrini hasn't been sacked because of Pep, he got the job because of Pep. It is by very definition a strange circumstance.

You're right, Pep has given Pellegrini more time. As I said all along, he was only here till Pep. The club have been treading water for three years.

Pep is a much much better manager, he is 100% a huge upgrade on Pellegrini. I have never quibbled that. I have said all along that treading water is ideal for no one. The job was never really Pellegrini's he was just keeping the seat warm.

We're going round in circles. I'm having flash backs to trying to buy Madrid tickets on Monday.

You think Pellegrini has been a temporary appointment. I think 3 years is in no way temporary, in fact it's pretty long term.

You think we've been treading water. I think we've spent over £300m and bought some of the most sought after players in Europe.

You think the job was never really Pellegrini's. I think the job was his for 3 years, he's just underachieved.

You are basically suggesting that the very notion that Pellegrini wasn't guaranteed a 4th year from the very start means it's completely undermined him from the start and given him an impossible job. I think that's bollocks.

 

[bert38]

The club sit on the brink of something incredible, yet Pellegrini has underachieved and many have said they cannot wait for the season to end! Like a lot of us I waited 36 years for us to win anything-I never dreamt I'd get to see us win shiny things and several of them over the last few seasons. Pellegrini for me has done an excellent job this season when faced with constant injuries to key players, constant media speculation, the fallout from FFP restrictions and an ageing, declining squad that he has managed the best way he can. I for one am grateful.

 

[kismet]

By 10pm on Tuesday evening we will have a much clearer indication of Manny's legacy.

However for this season to have a happy ending we will have to buck the trend of what has gone before and beat a top 8 team, and beat the true elite of European football.

I sincerely hope we do it but statistically the odds are slightly against us.

 

[jaiguruKun]

I don't think Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klopp, Rafa Benitez, Maricio Pochetino, Unai Emery, Diego Simeone, Roberto Mancini, Ronald Koeman, Antonio Conte or Massimo Allegri would continually pick Fabian Delph at left wing.

I don't think any of them would consistently select Yaya Toure and Fernando in a two man midfield after it has proven to be so disasterous in the past.

I don't think any of them would continue to pick Wilfried Bony ahead of Iheanacho in circumstances where we need a goal and an effective partner for Aguero.

I don't think any of them would have selected Martin DeMichelis 9 times this year and lost 7 of those games.

I don't think any of them would select Joleon Lescott, Javi Garcia or Matija Nastasic at centre back and ask them to squeeze up to the half way line.

I don't think any of them would select a two man central midfield of James Milner and Fernando against the Barcelona team that is considered the best taam of all time.

I don't think any of them would consistently select Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo as a strike partnership.

I don't think any of them would play 442 against a Bayern Munich team that went 3-0 up essentially playing 8 men in midfield.

None of those managers are the best in the world, but they are all competent. None of them would consistently make decisions that have been a hinderance to a team as much as Pellegrini has.

Avram Grant was a nothing as Chelsea manager, an irrelevance. Pellegrini at City has actually been a hinderance in my view, and made the collection of players worse than the sum of their parts.

Great post.

That's one hell of a charge sheet. If he was president of a south american country he'd have been impeached by now.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

By 10pm on Tuesday evening we will have a much clearer indication of Manny's legacy.

However for this season to have a happy ending we will have to buck the trend of what has gone before and beat a top 8 team, and beat the true elite of European football.

I sincerely hope we do it but statistically the odds are slightly against us.

Yes and we beat Chelsea home and away who have won the Champs League in recent seasons!

 

[r.soleofsalford]

The club sit on the brink of something incredible, yet Pellegrini has underachieved and many have said they cannot wait for the season to end! Like a lot of us I waited 36 years for us to win anything-I never dreamt I'd get to see us win shiny things and several of them over the last few seasons. Pellegrini for me has done an excellent job this season when faced with constant injuries to key players, constant media speculation, the fallout from FFP restrictions and an ageing, declining squad that he has managed the best way he can. I for one am grateful.

I don't think Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klopp, Rafa Benitez, Maricio Pochetino, Unai Emery, Diego Simeone, Roberto Mancini, Ronald Koeman, Antonio Conte or Massimo Allegri would continually pick Fabian Delph at left wing.

I don't think any of them would consistently select Yaya Toure and Fernando in a two man midfield after it has proven to be so disasterous in the past.

I don't think any of them would continue to pick Wilfried Bony ahead of Iheanacho in circumstances where we need a goal and an effective partner for Aguero.

I don't think any of them would have selected Martin DeMichelis 9 times this year and lost 7 of those games.

I don't think any of them would select Joleon Lescott, Javi Garcia or Matija Nastasic at centre back and ask them to squeeze up to the half way line.

I don't think any of them would select a two man central midfield of James Milner and Fernando against the Barcelona team that is considered the best taam of all time.

I don't think any of them would consistently select Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo as a strike partnership.

I don't think any of them would play 442 against a Bayern Munich team that went 3-0 up essentially playing 8 men in midfield.

None of those managers are the best in the world, but they are all competent. None of them would consistently make decisions that have been a hinderance to a team as much as Pellegrini has.

Avram Grant was a nothing as Chelsea manager, an irrelevance. Pellegrini at City has actually been a hinderance in my view, and made the collection of players worse than the sum of their parts.


just what part of this post do you find doesnt repeatedly hit the nail on the fucking head

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Great post.

That's one hell of a charge sheet. If he was president of a south american country he'd have been impeached by now.

Decent post but lacking in accuracy! How has been Delph been our regular left winger when he's been injured for most of the season!

 

[Shaelumstash]

Decent post but lacking in accuracy! How has been Delph been our regular left winger when he's been injured for most of the season!

Delph hasn't been our regular left winger. No one suggested he has. It's your post that's inaccurate.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

We should be fucking Pellegrini off for Pep. I'm 100% behind that.

I don't think we should have just muddled along for 3 years waiting.

If Pellegrini wasn't good enough, he shouldn't have remained in his post purely becuase he was already fired.
This is my issue.
I think under the circumstances he's done a decent job. Better managers would never have taken the job. Worse managers would have done worse.

I think keeping Pellegrini just to get Pep is a big gamble.

I believe Pellegrini is still in the job, because he's doing ok. Non of us know what constraints he's working under. My guess, all that is wrong isn't his fault. Hence him still having a job.

It would be interesting to hear his opinions of the situation once he's gone. But we all know he'll be dignified till his grave. Any shit he may have on the goings on will never be told.

agreed

 

[Mr Ed (The Stables)]

Delph is a central midfielder.....simples.

 

[Big Yaya Wilko 12]

I don't think Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klopp, Rafa Benitez, Maricio Pochetino, Unai Emery, Diego Simeone, Roberto Mancini, Ronald Koeman, Antonio Conte or Massimo Allegri would continually pick Fabian Delph at left wing.

I don't think any of them would consistently select Yaya Toure and Fernando in a two man midfield after it has proven to be so disasterous in the past.

I don't think any of them would continue to pick Wilfried Bony ahead of Iheanacho in circumstances where we need a goal and an effective partner for Aguero.

I don't think any of them would have selected Martin DeMichelis 9 times this year and lost 7 of those games.

I don't think any of them would select Joleon Lescott, Javi Garcia or Matija Nastasic at centre back and ask them to squeeze up to the half way line.

I don't think any of them would select a two man central midfield of James Milner and Fernando against the Barcelona team that is considered the best taam of all time.

I don't think any of them would consistently select Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo as a strike partnership.

I don't think any of them would play 442 against a Bayern Munich team that went 3-0 up essentially playing 8 men in midfield.

None of those managers are the best in the world, but they are all competent. None of them would consistently make decisions that have been a hinderance to a team as much as Pellegrini has.

Avram Grant was a nothing as Chelsea manager, an irrelevance. Pellegrini at City has actually been a hinderance in my view, and made the collection of players worse than the sum of their parts.


just what part of this post do you find doesnt repeatedly hit the nail on the fucking head

Agree with every word.

Nail being hit on the head with the same precision and pace as me hitting my head against a brick wall at some of Pellegrini's managerial decisions.

 

[Newman Noggs]

Delph hasn't been our regular left winger. No one suggested he has. It's your post that's inaccurate.

Er...the post people are commenting on lists a series of managers and hypothesises that none of them "would continually play Fabian Delph at left wing". We'll, Pellegrini hasn't either. So Tim of the Oak is correct.