are we wasting this window?

Started off as a good thread this...then descended into a fucking bullshit fest full of secret information & suggestions of a mysterious über Manager waiting in the wings to save us in the summer! Fuck me the Cider must be strong this year...
 
johnny crossan said:
Wheelsy, de Niro and Didsbury Dave are all responsible, well connected posters, not Hughes diehards either as far as I know.
If they have formed the view that Roberto is a willing stop-gap, happy to sign up to sky-high targets (and without the full and extensive backing he needs to achieve them) I for one would like to know how they came to their understanding of his allegedly precarious position.

Our manager is an experienced & highly regarded professional, it would be unusual to say the least if he agreed to such a shabby short-term deal.

Don't spare our feelings chaps, please justify your collective scepticsm.
Click to expand...

Maybe they just don't rate Mancini or believe it was worth sacking Hughes for Mancini as opposed to say Mourinho or the '6 months and 3 years' bit in the PC or whatever. I still don't care much whether Mancini delivers the goods or Mourinho or Hiddink. All I want is a first class manager who can deliver. Mancini would not have been at the top of my list but if he does the biz then I'll be a happy bunny. So far I like his style, his attitude and what I have seen on the pitch and to be honest its a relief to be shot of Hughes so I am definitely in a giddy phase!

I am sure Mancini will get stick on here and in the media when he loses a game or two - I mean he is getting stick over a 6 month free signing so its only a matter of time but he's a big boy and can take care of himself :)
 
i rate mancini very highly, in fact i'd give him the 3 years right now, i hate all this cloak and dagger, chopping and changing shit.my main thing being a hughes inner was we need stability.
my original question was'nt just aimed at the manager, its like a "where are we going with this" type question.i'm sure had bobby been let off the leash he would'nt be signing 33 year old player (sorry patrick not a pop at you).
 
de niro said:
i rate mancini very highly, in fact i'd give him the 3 years right now, i hate all this cloak and dagger, chopping and changing shit.my main thing being a hughes inner was we need stability.
my original question was'nt just aimed at the manager, its like a "where are we going with this" type question.i'm sure had bobby been let off the leash he would'nt be signing 33 year old player (sorry patrick not a pop at you).
Click to expand...

It could be that Mancini wants to avoid any major disruptions between now and the end of the season given that it is a must we finish top 4.

Perhaps if he was here for the long haul with NO short term targets he'd be prepared to sacrifice this season to build a team for the future but he can not afford to do that.

It could well be he's happy with what we have, generally, and wants to spend a while working with what he has before making any hasty decisions regarding replacements and such like.

One thing everyone seems to agree on is that we have a squad capable of a top 4 finish.

Or it could just be that the Jan window is shit!
 
We all seem to miss the point of this window, there are very few if any major signings, so it's not really worth people getting their hopes up.

I beleive that the squad is quite strong (when they are all fit) and just needs some fine tuning, from what I have seen already the manager knows what he is doing
 
one way of looking at it goes something like this

mancini isn't nailed on to continue. if wenger, capello, mourinho became available, if we regressed in the second half of the season, the heirachy have left themselves room to look elsewhere. that doesn't make him a stopgap, it just means that this is sort of a probationary period, sort of a period of transition for city. having dumped the 'long term' hughes plan, everything is up for grabs.... but there is little point rushing into any long term decisions. just have a good second half of the season, and see how things are at that point.

mancini is happy to take the opportunity, and won't force city into making any big signings. if he spent 120m of the owners money, then he's bringing more pressure on himself. perhaps he thinks we really don't need them to achieve a great finish this year. a couple of minor tweaks at this point should do the trick. if he succeeds then he wins extra credit for doing it without throwing the chequebook at it. he'll have a much better idea of what he needs in the summer, more players will be available. from the clubs point of view, if the club proceed with him, then any signings can be made as part of a considered long term strategy. it would also help manage our reputation for spending vast amounts of money on anyone and everyone.
 
I think the point is that we're fast reaching the stage where we don't NEED to sign anybody in the January window. The top players just don't tend to move clubs in this window, and if you're not a top player you're not going to strengthen this squad (with the possible exception of a quality left back as cover/competition for Bridge). This summer could be an entirely different kettle of fish however, especially if we manage to get a Champions League spot.
 
hughes squandered 24 mil on lescott, 12 on toure and they were gash... mancini hasnt spent a penny yet,, and youre worried??
 
My reading is that Sheikh Mansour has looked at the season so far and decided -

- our defence was very poor and Cruz has had one good game for £18M, plus Lescott at £24M we massively overpaid

- someone needs to sort us defensively, Hughes had his chance and failed, he will not give him any more money to waste, he goes

- the 2 ideal candidates Jose and Gus are unavailable, but Roberto who he knows is. How good is Roberto? He is untested in the Prem. He doesn't want to commit to a long term contract just in case, so he decides to give him a very attractive financial package and an achievable target of top 4.

- Roberto accepts as he is guaranteed £5million whatever, and knows he only has to sort the defence. Even if we don't hit top 4 then he could well stay, if Robbie impresses and we finish 5th then there is every likelihood he would remain.

- Roberto enquires about trusted people he has worked with Eg Vieira. He also looks to bolster the left back position with Ansaldi

- Roberto's main priority is the centre of defence with Kolo and Joleon not gelling. However the returning from injury Vince Kompany has been exceptional and played in 3 clean sheets. Vince may have solved the problem for him.

- Roberto may think the squad only needs fine tuning and that only say 3 additions are necessary and they will be defensively focused

Thus i think the window is not wasted.............and we could be surprised as we are only 8 days into it.
 
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