The battle for 4th place

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Steve68 said:
Well, I could be wrong. I'm sixty this month so it's bound to happen one day. ;)
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I just think we have a real opportunity to win ole big ears right now-yesterday's shambles was awful to watch but I believe it was right to take the risk. Here's hoping you have a memorable 60th!!
 
bert38 said:
I just think we have a real opportunity to win ole big ears right now-yesterday's shambles was awful to watch but I believe it was right to take the risk. Here's hoping you have a memorable 60th!!
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I'm taking early retirement so it'll be an epic day. It's also the day after the final so I'm hoping it'll be Super Epic.
 
bert38 said:
I just don't see how Pellegrini had much choice yesterday- but you are right the players let us down. It was always going to be a difficult game and the players minds were clearly elsewhere-we could miss out on both but doesn't mean he was wrong to do what he did. The players are now rested for Wednesday and we will deal with Arsenal afterwards. Playing a full team yesterday we could have still lost, been knackered for Wednesday and then knackered for Sunday. It was a risk we had to take.
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Its reasonable for him to take selection risks, but he has to back that up by making sure that the team that he puts out is in the right frame of mind. Yes, the players let us down, but player motivation is a key element in his job description. He has to take some responsibility for the uninterested attitudes we saw yesterday.
 
Yesterday was the manifestation of several problems - the non-intergration of hungry youth players that would pull their tripe out in these kind of games, players on the way out in the summer that know their time at City is up, and a manager that sees Champions League success as far more important that top 4. But its also worth considering that even with our full strength team playing yesterday we would probably have got beat just like we have at every decent hard working side this season.

Its so frustrating to see players like Kolorov and Bony get more opportunities to play in these games when their recent performances would have seen them nowhere near the first team with a stronger manager. However, the suggestion that Soriano should be telling Pel who to pick is ridiculous. We are where we are, and regretfully will see us miss out on top 4, but you simply cannot have a manager that does not have sole control of the team selection.

I hope I'm feeling more optimistic by the time i board the flight to Madrid.
 
The West Ham v United game next Tuesday is tricky in that it can work for or against us depending on this weekends results.

If they both win (United at Norwich and West Ham at home to a now safe Swansea) then we MUST win v Arsenal. No other result will do to ensure we go to Swansea on the last day with top 4 (never mind top 3) entirely in our hands.

Otherwise we will be praying for a draw at West Ham as the one hope to give us back a lifeline of total control if we lose Sunday.

But they would also both know a draw would do that before the game so it becomes almost a CL play off between the two whilst we sit and watch.

If we draw Sunday then Arsenal are guaranteed top 4 and we are 2 points ahead of United and 3 over West Ham.

So we only go into the last game in full control if West Ham beat united (because of our better GD) or it is a draw.

If United win that night they then are in control last day and only need to beat Bournemouth at home to make our result at Swansea irrelevant.

So we could do with BOTH dropping points this weekend to really mean we have scope to do anything other than beat Arsenal. And it is the only scenario where we still have control if we lose.

But they both now feel they can make top 4 thanks to our result Yesterday so that is just a hope rather than expectation as both teams have a free week with only those Saturday's matches in their heads. So we will need some fortune Saturday for us not to HAVE to beat Arsenal.
 
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the calculations are easy now. Win both games and get 3rd. Anything less considering we're in double digit league losses we don't deserve CL anyway.
 
Andouble said:
the calculations are easy now. Win both games and get 3rd. Anything less considering we're in double digit league losses we don't deserve CL anyway.
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The sad thing is that most people would agree that West Ham deserve CL more than we do. They have got the best out of their squad and over performed. We have done the opposite - admittedly with horrendous injuries that have really stuffed the season from woe to go. Can easily see a last hurrah of that bug bear on Wednesday kicking us in the teeth before Arsenal.

It is just how this season has gone. Like Leicester (according to local legend) had the uncovering of the King's body in a car park and his burial urging them on we must have upset some spirits from the Temperance movement on the old Maine Road housing site where they have been building.

At least I have given MP a new excuse for post match interviews as his current ones are getting a bit repetitive.
 
Healdplace said:
The sad thing is that most people would agree that West Ham deserve CL more than we do. They have got the best out of their squad and over performed. We have done the opposite - admittedly with horrendous injuries that have really stuffed the season from woe to go. Can easily see a last hurrah of that bug bear on Wednesday kicking us in the teeth before Arsenal.

It is just how this season has gone. Like Leicester (according to local legend) had the uncovering of the King's body in a car park and his burial urging them on we must have upset some spirits from the Temperance movement on the old Maine Road housing site where they have been building.

At least I have given MP a new excuse for post match interviews as his current ones are getting a bit repetitive.
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Perhaps it's having a representative of the undead on the touchline?
 
Healdplace said:
The sad thing is that most people would agree that West Ham deserve CL more than we do. They have got the best out of their squad and over performed. We have done the opposite - admittedly with horrendous injuries that have really stuffed the season from woe to go. Can easily see a last hurrah of that bug bear on Wednesday kicking us in the teeth before Arsenal.

It is just how this season has gone. Like Leicester (according to local legend) had the uncovering of the King's body in a car park and his burial urging them on we must have upset some spirits from the Temperance movement on the old Maine Road housing site where they have been building.

At least I have given MP a new excuse for post match interviews as his current ones are getting a bit repetitive.
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don't forget some absolutely poor refereeing decisions against us this season - that has been poor - consider twattenburg twice as an example - there are more including the decision not to give a free kick for the foul on Kelechi yesterday prior to their goal and the blatant push in the area for the other
 
kevodevo said:
don't forget some absolutely poor refereeing decisions against us this season - that has been poor - consider twattenburg twice as an example - there are more including the decision not to give a free kick for the foul on Kelechi yesterday prior to their goal and the blatant push in the area for the other
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Agree in some ways about the decisions against us but we have been hopeless this season its a miracle were in the top 4.
 
Refereeing this season has been awful pretty much everywhere. It really needs sorting.

United should have had a penalty yesterday at the end and we would really be in the mire. Then again they should have had ten men for much of the game - though so probably should Leicester (and both likely will now miss the rest of the season retrospectively).

Our injury record has been something else this year and we have had it worse in a way facts can demonstrate - key players out long spells over and over.

Without it we would be confirmed top 2 already despite our many other failings and likely be pushing Leicester hard.

Much else has been wrong but that has disrupted every time we looked like getting our act together.

Why I morbidly expect something like that to happen Wednesday to stop us having a clear run at Arsenal.
 
kevodevo said:
don't forget some absolutely poor refereeing decisions against us this season - that has been poor - consider twattenburg twice as an example - there are more including the decision not to give a free kick for the foul on Kelechi yesterday prior to their goal and the blatant push in the area for the other
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That one against Spurs was shocking.
 
Steve68 said:
He had plenty of choices. Not playing his discredited 442 to begin with. Starting Aguero and trying to win the game in the first half. Not chasing the game with a Demi and Nasri midfield two.

I don't buy the idea that professional footballers need a week to recover anyway. One game at a time in our situation.
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Imagine if you had dates lined up with supermodels on Sunday and Wednesday. Would you:

a) Rise to the occasion, or
b) Bomb Sunday's out in favour of a quiet wank?
 
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