A message to those going to the West Ham game

[John Wayne]

I think this thread is a week premature. I don't understand why we're talking about what people should do after the last game when there are two fixtures due to take place beforehand.

 

[youngbob]

I think this thread is a week premature. I don't understand why we're talking about what people should do after the last game when there are two fixtures due to take place beforehand.

It says really early on in my post that we could be going into the last day in 2nd place if things don't go well at Fulham and Spurs. But my point is that even if we lose all three games against Fulham, Spurs, and West Ham, the lads still deserve a big round of applause from the home crowd after going this far into the season despite how much it took to win the treble.

 

[Stewadda#]

This includes myself. I'll be there in the North Stand.

If all goes to plan, we'll most likely win the Premier League at home to West Ham on May 19th. That means a lap of honour, an afternoon of celebration, and yet another trophy lift. Four titles in a row, cemented as the greatest club side in English football history. However, if things don't go to plan against Fulham and/or Tottenham, we could be heading into that final game with our destiny no longer in our own hands. And even if we do take maximum points from our next two matches, we could still unexpectedly trip up against the Hammers.

With that in mind, if we finish the season 2nd, with Arsenal champions, I'm not expecting there to be a pitch invasion or a happy atmosphere. But I really hope there isn't a repeat of Manuel Pellegrini's farewell in 2016, when he said goodbye to about 3,000 people because we'd dropped crucial points in that Arsenal game and everyone had stormed out. It'll be tempting and understandable to leave if we mess it up, but what a show of solidarity it would be if we all stayed behind and thanked the lads not just for their efforts this season but for 22/23 as well.

We all agreed over the summer of 2023 that even being in the title race this season would be a tough ask given how much effort was expended to win the treble. Somehow -- even to Pep's surprise -- we're still very much in the title race and stand a good chance of winning the PL & FA Cup double. It's clearly taken proper effort and dedication for the lads to pick themselves back up and keep chasing and keep going. Not forgetting, of course, that we've already won the Super Cup and Club World Cup. Two more trophies to put in a formerly barren cabinet.

The thing about title races that a lot of us forget is a simple truth: you win some, you lose some. If Arsenal lift the title from here, they'll be worthy winners. But will an Arsenal victory mean that Pep and the boys aren't worthy of our gratitude? This is the greatest City side of all time. It's never been this good and there's a high chance that it will never be this good again. How would you feel looking back on this era knowing you didn't clap the lads off the one time they didn't quite get it over the line? It's a question that's sat with me for a few days now.

Back in 1998 when we were relegated to the third tier at Stoke -- the lowest this club has ever gone and statistically the worst team we've ever had -- the entire away end applauded Joe Royle and the players off the pitch. In my opinion, that reception set the tone for the next few years. Sir Joe knew we were backing him, the players knew we expected better but that we'd support them through the tough times, and we were back in the Premier League two years later after back-to-back promotions with a lot of the same players.

Obviously football costs a lot more nowadays in 2024 than it did in 1998, so gratitude understandably doesn't come as easily. So I definitely won't judge anyone who decides to leave the Etihad if we fuck it up against Moyes' boys. But staying behind even if we finish 2nd will be about the connection between us and the players and Pep. Any lap of honour won't just be about the season just gone, it'll be about everything the likes of De Bruyne, Pep, Dias, whoever, have given us over the last few years. These are the best days we've ever known and the lads should know we feel that way.

Isn't 2016 when Leicester won the league and we finished fourth? Hardly the same.

 

[youngbob]

Jinxed.

File next to the CL final 2024 allocation thread.

Not sure how this jinxes anything. I'm saying that the lads still deserve a big round of applause even if we finish 2nd. I'm not sure how this comes close to tempting fate.

 

[mimicmickmickdoyle]

It says really early on in my post that we could be going into the last day in 2nd place if things don't go well at Fulham and Spurs. But my point is that even if we lose all three games against Fulham, Spurs, and West Ham, the lads still deserve a big round of applause from the home crowd after going this far into the season despite how much it took to win the treble.

Good luck with that one matey, If we were to lose it on the last day the Media will focus on nothing but the half empty stadium , and so they should, it would be a total embarrassment if that were to happen.

 

[youngbob]

Isn't 2016 when Leicester won the league and we finished fourth? Hardly the same.

It's not the same. That 15-16 season was way below expectations. But Pellegrini, for all his faults, won us a second Premier League title (proving we weren't "just another Blackburn") and two League Cups. He's the third most successful manager in City's history behind Pep and Joe Mercer, ahead of Mancini and Wilf Wild. He gave his farewell speech to an empty stadium. Obviously Pellegrini is a big boy who can deal with these things but it never sat right with me that one bad result was justification for thousands of people storming out when we knew it was his farewell game. I will admit that I only have bad memories of that day because I wanted to stay but was basically made to leave by the people I went with -- I was ill at the time and needed lifts to and from the ground so couldn't object and stay behind. But these pictures (below) are pretty sad. More to the point, what if one of Walker, De Bruyne, or, god forbid, Pep decides in the summer that their time at City has ended and they move on? It'll sting like hell if I look back at the upcoming West Ham game knowing I wasn't there to wave them off after an amazing few years together.

 

[Stewadda#]

It's not the same. That 15-16 season was way below expectations. But Pellegrini, for all his faults, won us a second Premier League title (proving we weren't "just another Blackburn") and two League Cups. He's the third most successful manager in City's history behind Pep and Joe Mercer, ahead of Mancini and Wilf Wild. He gave his farewell speech to an empty stadium. Obviously Pellegrini is a big boy who can deal with these things but it never sat right with me that one bad result was justification for thousands of people storming out when we knew it was his farewell game. I will admit that I only have bad memories of that day because I wanted to stay but was basically made to leave by the people I went with -- I was ill at the time and needed lifts to and from the ground so couldn't object and stay behind. But these pictures (below) are pretty sad. More to the point, what if one of Walker, De Bruyne, or, god forbid, Pep decides in the summer that their time at City has ended and they move on? It'll sting like hell if I look back at the upcoming West Ham game knowing I wasn't there to wave them off after an amazing few years together.

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Yeah I am saying its not the same because we are in this right until the end. We finished forth that season. It was a rubbish season, I don't think the result of the game was the reason people left.

 

[uwerosler28]

A lot of people will stay (me included) and applaud the side for another amazing season regardless of the outcome of the league. They always do a lap of honour and if one thing is for sure, we owe Pep and this side every bit of gratitude we can give them.

Completey agree we owe it him, but my point is it won't happen if we aren't ending the game as champions

 

[stonerblue]

ffs, another thread telling me what to do.

 

[John Wayne]

It says really early on in my post that we could be going into the last day in 2nd place if things don't go well at Fulham and Spurs. But my point is that even if we lose all three games against Fulham, Spurs, and West Ham, the lads still deserve a big round of applause from the home crowd after going this far into the season despite how much it took to win the treble.

The reason it's premature is because it will likely be buried down the forum somewhere in 10 days' time. If this is to serve as a reminder to people then it needs to come close to the event.

The Pellegrini send-off was problematic because they spent bloody ages before bringing him out to say goodbye. People just won't wait around for 40 minutes if there's no silverware at the end of it all. I understand too why people are cynical about football and the game should expect nothing from the people who pay to watch it.