Bobby Manc...anyone had a real change of heart ??

[citysince88]

I don't think we've been 'negative'. It's just a sad dig by the media, we haven't changed the style of play or formation yet people say we are more attacking ? I think thats bollocks. I think the reason people say this is becasue the players have more of an understanding regarding thier movements etc, which means more of what we try is coming off resulting in more chances and goals.

Against Arsenal that is the only time I can really think of when you could say we were negative.

So were not negative but were not any more attacking it's just we do what we do better than last season.

 

[Nascent Blues]

For me it was all about expectation. I believe that some people thought that, with the players at our disposal, we should have been playing like Barcelona or Madrid with scintillating, free flowing football whilst demolishing teams out of sight with the caviler swagger and collective confidence of a team that had been playing together for 5 years rather than 5 months.

For me it was never going to happen straight away.

It has been mentioned time and time again that the first thing a manager has to do is develop a solid and sound defensive foundation (if one doesn't already exist) - regardless whether it's to the immediate/short term detriment of the team's attacking prowess - and it is from this that the manager can start to build and shape his side into whatever he wants it to become. The old analogy about the foundations of a house being the most integral part of the entire structure couldn't be more true.

Mourhino inherited a Chelsea side that finished 2nd and it took pisscan down the road five years to win something. Why some people believe that Mancini could and should have strolled in and immediately got us playing like world beaters is beyond me.

I personally cannot wait to see the evolution of Mancini's team over the next few years - the preface to a book only ever gives a brief insight to the rest of the story (and it can sometimes mislead the reader and dampen expectations). In other words, judge the narrative Mancini is creating not by the prologue but by the future epilogue.

 

[Bluemoon115]

What gets me is fans are so fickle 3rd and fa cup win! What does it take to have no doubts in a manager?

We have had some garbage managers in the past, we have a good one now hope he stays for a very very long time...

surely it is fickle to complain about him then bum him to death when we win the fa cup and get 3rd?

the use of the word fickle is completley wrong

I've NEVER said anything negative but he's a quality manager(check my posts) so I'm not fickle it's the anyone who question him now!

No, you're still not getting what fickle means.

Holding a grudge against someone is the complete opposite of fickle.

 

[Anonymous]

For me it was all about expectation. I believe that some people thought that, with the players at our disposal, we should have been playing like Barcelona or Madrid with scintillating, free flowing football whilst demolishing teams out of sight with the caviler swagger and collective confidence of a team that had been playing together for 5 years rather than 5 months.

Half the forum has just collectively shaken their heads having read that paragraph.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, expected us to have been "playing like Barcelona or Madrid with scintillating, free flowing football whilst demolishing teams out of sight with the etc..."

Equally, nobody expected us to be camped in our own half with 10 men behind the ball and a 40 yard gap between our midfield and lone forward.

All about happy mediums.

 

[FeedTheGoat10]

People will be saying 'Mancini out' when we lose, regardless of how we play

 

[Nascent Blues]

For me it was all about expectation. I believe that some people thought that, with the players at our disposal, we should have been playing like Barcelona or Madrid with scintillating, free flowing football whilst demolishing teams out of sight with the caviler swagger and collective confidence of a team that had been playing together for 5 years rather than 5 months.

Half the forum has just collectively shaken their heads having read that paragraph.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, expected us to have been "playing like Barcelona or Madrid with scintillating, free flowing football whilst demolishing teams out of sight with the etc..."

Equally, nobody expected us to be camped in our own half with 10 men behind the ball and a 40 yard gap between our midfield and lone forward.

All about happy mediums.

My point is that's how some of the constant negative shit came across, especially when we didn't beat certain sides out of sight - your '40 yard gap' comment is exactly what I did - exaggerate to make a point.

The 'happy medium' comment inadverdantly backs up what I was saying - a 'happy medium' is the holy grail of football and it takes time. And believe me, the irony of you saying that 'half the forum' would have shook their head after reading a particular part of my post does not escape me.

 

[moomba]

Always liked him, but was never sure he was going to last here. Liverpool match last April I had real doubts, but since then we've got 9 wins from 10 in league and cups and look to be really coming together as a team.

Performances against the sky 4 teams still needs to improve (cup semi aside), but I'm more confident than ever.

 

[jay_mcfc]

The importance of time, especially when building in the way we have been over the past few years. We were nowhere near as negative last season as some are now trying to make out but there was and has been room for improvement. It seems now Bobby has let off the leash properly because he thinks the time is right and he has the squad to do it. I just hope we still stick to our guns at the back because had we conceded an equaliser yesterday it would have been a travesty.

There's still room for balance and yesterday is not going to be the way we set-up to play every game imo.

 

[peoffrey]

Look at the 3-3 away at Bolton two years ago. Two and fro and we looked really dodgy defensively.

There's only one goal between a 3-3 and a 3-2. Perhaps I'm misreading what you're saying but a 3-2 win isn't a triumphant result. It's just a result. 3-0 is a triumphant result. If City had won 3-2 at Bolton two years ago then would people be celebrating in the same way? Both games would've produced the same 3 points.

 

[southwalesjesus]

I didnt like him,and I am still to be totally convinced due to the negative style of football , HOWEVER I dont think you can fault him at the moment, the end to last season was awesome, at one point the FA cup was still only a distant dream (draw v Man U) and fourth place was looking dodgy. But to put the run together to finnish 3rd and win the cup as well, saved his job.The signings so far have been very good and the football appears more positive ( lets see what happens at Spurs).I was also pleased to see yesterday that he is willing to be flexible and I was very impressed that he left three up front when defending corners (aka Mark Hughes against Stoke / delap ).I also like Mancini when he is interviewed.
I still think some of his buys last year need to do a bit more this season (dzeko,Balo and Kolo) but I would expect them to improve or be moved on.The early signs are that this is happening with Dzeko looking good and Kolo looking ok in pre season and not bad yesterday.

This seems to have been missed. But I'm not sure you can be allowed an opinion on Mancini if you don't know that one of our players has been banned for 6 months. Or are getting Kolo and Yaya confused. In which case, Yaya scored the winner in both the semi and the final and was one of our best players last year, so what are you on about! Also it didn't save his job. The owners had publicly backed him. Have you by any chance just been watching MOTD and SSN, because you are just regurgitating their opinions....

 

[Manchestercitychorlton]

I can honestly say i never doubted him

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Even RAWK are starting to get it:

Am I alone in thinking that Mancini has got them playing almost identically to how we did under Rafa for a long time?

(They believe that's the ultimate compliment by the way)

But there's still some isolated pockets of resistance:

I am skeptical about Mancini. The amount of garbage transfers he made is mind boggling. Just look at the list of players who were bought under his tenure. Even besides the poor transfers, I say he is not going to be there long term. Against Bolton, they were shaky. You could hardly say that there's some coaching or tactics involved in ManCity's game. Avram Grant finished second with Chelsea, too.

He did get shot down over the transfers comment though.

 

[kippax boy]

I didnt like him,and I am still to be totally convinced due to the negative style of football , HOWEVER I dont think you can fault him at the moment, the end to last season was awesome, at one point the FA cup was still only a distant dream (draw v Man U) and fourth place was looking dodgy. But to put the run together to finnish 3rd and win the cup as well, saved his job.The signings so far have been very good and the football appears more positive ( lets see what happens at Spurs).I was also pleased to see yesterday that he is willing to be flexible and I was very impressed that he left three up front when defending corners (aka Mark Hughes against Stoke / delap ).I also like Mancini when he is interviewed.
I still think some of his buys last year need to do a bit more this season (dzeko,Balo and Kolo) but I would expect them to improve or be moved on.The early signs are that this is happening with Dzeko looking good and Kolo looking ok in pre season and not bad yesterday.

This seems to have been missed. But I'm not sure you can be allowed an opinion on Mancini if you don't know that one of our players has been banned for 6 months. Or are getting Kolo and Yaya confused. In which case, Yaya scored the winner in both the semi and the final and was one of our best players last year, so what are you on about! Also it didn't save his job. The owners had publicly backed him. Have you by any chance just been watching MOTD and SSN, because you are just regurgitating their opinions....

Not that I feel I need to justify myself but here goes, I dont watch motd because I go to the games and have a season ticket, I was at the semi and the fa cup final , but didnt bother with charity shield if that is ok with you,
what about you ?
so i feel think i am entitled to an opinion
by balo i meant balottelli
by kolo i meant kolorov our £18 million pound left back from lazio who i like many feel has under performed this year
yes i am well aware that kolo is one of the toure brothers who is suspended, hence when i said kolo playing yesterday , i meant kolorov who replaced clichy
who was injured
i was also at wembly for the full members cup final and the playoff win over gillingham
do you think if we had lost the semi to man u and not made the top 4 Mancini would still be in a job because i dont, how many times have owners ( not ours) publicly backed the manager for the axe suddenly to fall

sorry i wont use shortened names in future in case it causes confusion

 

[Akira]

Mancini's philosophy is very simple yet solid.

First, we defend. When we defend, we must defend well.

Then, we attack. When we attack, we mustn't neglect defense, concentration is key.

Finally, if we can't defend well, we can't win.


Mancini's tactics is based alot on "build from the back". Keep the defense shape, keep it well, then we can think about attacking.

I'll admit defense is definitely not the best of tactics, but given the money and sheer attacking quality, balanced with Mancini's defensive policy, it is more than enough to keep us in the top four consistently.

 

[oakiecokie]

Mancini's philosophy is very simple yet solid.

First, we defend. When we defend, we must defend well.

Then, we attack. When we attack, we mustn't neglect defense, concentration is key.

Finally, if we can't defend well, we can't win.


Mancini's tactics is based alot on "build from the back". Keep the defense shape, keep it well, then we can think about attacking.

I'll admit defense is definitely not the best of tactics, but given the money and sheer attacking quality, balanced with Mancini's defensive policy, it is more than enough to keep us in the top four consistently.

By the same token,we appear to be far more adventurous than this time last year.

 

[joolsbikini]

I didnt like him,and I am still to be totally convinced due to the negative style of football , HOWEVER I dont think you can fault him at the moment, the end to last season was awesome, at one point the FA cup was still only a distant dream (draw v Man U) and fourth place was looking dodgy. But to put the run together to finnish 3rd and win the cup as well, saved his job.The signings so far have been very good and the football appears more positive ( lets see what happens at Spurs).I was also pleased to see yesterday that he is willing to be flexible and I was very impressed that he left three up front when defending corners (aka Mark Hughes against Stoke / delap ).I also like Mancini when he is interviewed.
I still think some of his buys last year need to do a bit more this season (dzeko,Balo and Kolo) but I would expect them to improve or be moved on.The early signs are that this is happening with Dzeko looking good and Kolo looking ok in pre season and not bad yesterday.

This seems to have been missed. But I'm not sure you can be allowed an opinion on Mancini if you don't know that one of our players has been banned for 6 months. Or are getting Kolo and Yaya confused. In which case, Yaya scored the winner in both the semi and the final and was one of our best players last year, so what are you on about! Also it didn't save his job. The owners had publicly backed him. Have you by any chance just been watching MOTD and SSN, because you are just regurgitating their opinions....

Not that I feel I need to justify myself but here goes, I dont watch motd because I go to the games and have a season ticket, I was at the semi and the fa cup final , but didnt bother with charity shield if that is ok with you,
what about you ?
so i feel think i am entitled to an opinion
by balo i meant balottelli
by kolo i meant kolorov our £18 million pound left back from lazio who i like many feel has under performed this year
yes i am well aware that kolo is one of the toure brothers who is suspended, hence when i said kolo playing yesterday , i meant kolorov who replaced clichy
who was injured
i was also at wembly for the full members cup final and the playoff win over gillingham
do you think if we had lost the semi to man u and not made the top 4 Mancini would still be in a job because i dont, how many times have owners ( not ours) publicly backed the manager for the axe suddenly to fall

sorry i wont use shortened names in future in case it causes confusion

To be fair mate, shortening Kolarov to Kolo was going to be confusing for anyone on here. Surely you can see that. It's a bit like shortening Greg Cunningham to **** and letting everyone assume you meant Adebayor.

 

[Blue Haze]

Last season we looked like a team just grinding out the points, this year our players are truly demonstrating the art of football. Bobby was always right in that a solid defence is the necessary foundation for any winner, but I did question whether his brand of football would attract the necessary global support and get enough points to win the PL.

One has to remember that he's only 46, so he's too young to have a set-in-stone philosophy of football. Remember the halftime bust up between Tevez and Mancini during Newcastle at home? Tevez was angry about the negative setup. Where did that manager go? In his place appears an Italian Pep Guardiola. Where there was fear last season as reflected in our players and setup, there is confidence this season.

From the middle of last season until now he has impressed me more and more. I always thought he's the perfect personality for City-- classy, good looking, stylish, and none of the childish bullshit Mourinho or Wenger pull after a loss. No mind games, never has a bad thing to say about anyone. His transfers are mostly spot on, as good as any manager you'll find. The only question for me was his football, the last piece. And it's falling into place right now.

Exciting times.

 

[cibaman]

We'll still have bad spells and those spells will most likely be characterised by not scoring. A bad spell under RM will produce games like Birmingham at home last season rather than say the 3-3 draw against Burnley under MH.

So, whilst the knives are no longer out for RM, he's still going to attract more flak than he deserves when things arent going well.

 

[ClaudioDeyna]

I was neutral about RM's arrival, thinking I'll support him because, you know, that's what you do. But three things increased my enthusisam for him a thousand fold:

1) The dust-up with Moyes on the touch line. Nice to see him so passionate to the point of a fight.
2) Manning up over the Pool defeat. As I type this I can't think of any manager who would be so honest as to blame himself, period.
3) His general courtesy. For all the passion, he tries to answer questions as best as he can in a thoughtful manner.

And that's before we get to the results!

 

[londonbasedblue]

Just wondered if anyone who really was not a Bobby fan,had a change of heart over the past 10 days.
I accept its early days,but anyone brave enough to admit that yes he`s now trying to set his stall out in a more attacking minded way ??
We all knew that he won the Italian League with a very positive sytle of attacking play.
Perhaps he just didn`t feel confortable with the lack of his "type of player" to move us up,to the next level.
I must admit that I was wary at first, some 18 months ago,but I`ve never publically slated him,but must admit I did not like some of his tactics at the time.
Bring more of it on Bobby when we have to.
Only concern and its not a Bobby problem, but a team one,we need to kill teams off,when we have the chance.

No, i still don't think he is the right man for the job. I would bet heavily that he will not be our manager in 2 years.

Maybe he'll prove me wrong, i hope so but i think he is weak tactically. I also worry about how he will manage all the players he will have at his disposal. We shall see.