Im in two minds about yesterday. I get those that felt passionate about it enough to leave, but I do feel slightly for Pellegrini too.
Ultimately, I think a lot comes down to a disconnect between what the board wanted from him and the fanbase did. They were clearly keen on someone willing to toe the party line in public after the Mancini era, which is why all we have really heard is the repetitive mantra of being unlucky or reinforcing the (incorrect) mindset that we stick to attacking football. We as fans want to see a manager that will acknowledge substandard performances as then we have the confidence they might do something about it. Instead, he's been sticking rigidly to the party line throughout. I refuse to believe for a second that he didn't see a lot of the issues that we did as for all of his faults, he isn't that stupid.
From the lineups chosen against Southampton and Chelsea, it was clear that Pellegrini was prioritising the CL over everything else, something that would have been a direction from the board as well give the messages of thanks yesterday. Again, there was a disconnect as the league will always be the priority for the fanbase. Not for the board focussed on international profile though.
For all the tactical incompetence, he has also been dealt a bad set of cards at times too, which the poor squad building has magnified even more. There's not been that many games where a 433 was even a viable option given our lack of available players in certain positions.
He's had some players decline at a greater rate than I think him or Begiristain thought would and a transfer policy that hasn't seemed to have taken into account any other way of playing apart from the generic 4412 set up he has utilised. Couple that with injuries (the Madrid game for example, losing Silva and Kompany in either leg - we are still massively reliant on our spine and that's immediately us impacted, as it would be for most teams).
Ultimately, yesterday was for me more an indication of the disconnect from the fanbase to the board and a difference in prioritisation. Pellegrini has been, to us, the public mouthpiece for the board and as a consequence taken the lions share of the accountability despite it actually bring deeper than that.
The upshot is we have a situation where fans feel passionate enough to walk out rather than acknowledge someone that has won us a league and by all indications, stuck to what was asked of him by his employers. In that regard, I do feel sorry for him as it can't have been a nice experience.
My anger is more at the board for allowing this to happen, both in terms of the complacency and the disconnect to the fans, and ultimately Pellegrini has taken the hit for them. If anyone owes anyone an apology for yesterday, then it's the board to him.
