Daily Fail and the Mancini era ....

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Did the players throw the cup final to get him sacked? It's something that has crossed my mind...

I posted the same thing straight after the match. No way would all 11 players of that quality have the same "off" day.

The mail is spot on this time.

The idea that the players threw the cup final is utter codswallop. We lost it for the same reason we've been found continually wanting against teams like Swansea, Southampton, Liverpool, Dortmund, Everton, Madrid etc, namely the opposition employed a high press to stop us playing the ball out from the back and then had sufficient pace, width and skill to hurt us on the counter. Mancini has consistently had no answer to this approach. For McManaman, read Gotze.
There's a world of difference between a team being simply demotivated and ill prepared tactically, and a team deliberately passing up the chance of a trophy, a medal and some glory

 

[mancunial]

This article is doing exactly what it says on the tin,,operation I'm a rag arse licker city destabilisation, this hack should be allowed anywhere near man city ever. A made up load of poisonous crap dont fall for it guys, The rag arse lickers are going to go into overdrive this summer they know now the writing is on the wall, bobby was the best thing that could have happened to our great club after our owners. But these gutless phone hackers have been chipping away at city since we were taken over, it has been relentless, Hughes Bellamy adebayor balloteli nasri Kompany Teves hart now bobby, it's destabilisation at its nastiest, we as fanatics should be protecting our club against these phone hackers. Scum every last one if them.

 

[southern muppet]

Worries me that we seem to have more than one or two who are prepared to shout from the rooftops about it, particular cozy texts to members of the press (I wonder how many times that's happened over the past few years).

Don't want to always compare ourselves to them across the road, but it wouldn't be allowed to happen there. Read this a week or so ago, I think they're a stronger club because of it.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2013/may/11/alex-ferguson-manchester-united-manager" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog ... ed-manager</a>

If there is a code of silence, Ferguson's players are bound to it. Despite being friends with Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney, among others, I have never – ever – heard them say anything about Ferguson. All those hours of sitting around at England camps or on bus rides, and not once did any United players ever reveal anything to me about their team-mates, their dressing room or their manager. In an industry renowned for its gossip I find that extraordinary.

On one occasion I remember sitting with Phil Neville for a chinwag and, like a typical footballer, ranting about a team-mate of mine who I found annoying at the time. When I'd finished I expected Phil to reciprocate. But there was not a word. "What an absolute prick!" I thought, red-faced after pouring my heart out only for him to remain tight-lipped. But later I concluded that his approach was an exemplary – and clever – way to carry yourself through a career in football.

All the United players were the same, no one would ever say a bad thing about their team-mates. Even when the media reported chaos in the United dressing room – from the infamous pizza throwing to Becks' cut above the eye after Ferguson kicked a boot at him – there were no comments from the United boys. There were plenty of questions, of course. But their answers were only ever vague, or meaningless.

Can't see that culture lasting under Moyes. It worked so well because players were (let's be honest, rightly) in awe of Ferguson. The knives will be out for Moyes when he inevitably reveals himself as not good enough IMO. Touch wood, it's going to be fun to watch.

 

[taleofbluehalves]

To have this sort of thing in the press shows a lack of class from us. We should be keeping these views inhouse and not share them with the likes of Ladyman.

Mancini made a new chapter in our history, tore down the banner with the league and cup and took us to the Champions League 3 times and he deserves to be remembered for these things.

We may become more successful, we may have better managers but this rubbish being leaked has to stop.

 

[The perfect fumble]

it can also be stated that there is very rarely smoke without fire.

You can state it, but it doesn't make it true. In the world of sports journalism there is so much smoke it's not possible to make any rational decision as to the existence of fire. I read this week that Sergio is off, that Martinez will be our assistant manager, that the "special one" is coming to Eastlands, that we will end up with Benitez and that we will come third next season behind Utd in second, with Chelsea winning the title, tomorrow it'll be something else, and on it goes.

The above is speculation though,the Mancini 'smoke' is fact,the only matter of discussion is to what degree.

Interesting, we've moved from the existence of fire to the existence of smoke! And how much? Fair enough, though, in my experience, the degree of smoke, not unlike bullshit, is dictated by the amount the public will consume while appearing at least slightly plausible.
My view with these stories is whether it's the real deal, you know, to return to your original post, the smoke/fire thing, or is it just smoke this hack produces from thin air and innuendo to blow up our arse.

 

[mayo31]

Ged Coyne on Twitter backing it up, said Kiddo told him Mancini never listened to anything he said.

And yet Kidd looked genuinely upset when interviewed after the Reading game

No one outside the club knows and never will.

 

[bernabias home shirt]

This article is doing exactly what it says on the tin,,operation I'm a rag arse licker city destabilisation, this hack should be allowed anywhere near man city ever. A made up load of poisonous crap dont fall for it guys, The rag arse lickers are going to go into overdrive this summer they know now the writing is on the wall, bobby was the best thing that could have happened to our great club after our owners. But these gutless phone hackers have been chipping away at city since we were taken over, it has been relentless, Hughes Bellamy adebayor balloteli nasri Kompany Teves hart now bobby, it's destabilisation at its nastiest, we as fanatics should be protecting our club against these phone hackers. Scum every last one if them.

I get told enough times off folk on here to never believe anything that horrible c unt ladyman and the mail say
I dare say bobby will come back with his version and the shitstorm will continue

Oh and cheers vicky for dragging our club through the shit

 

[manimanc]

Compare our performance against wigan to reading....
Two completely different attitudes,couldn't be arsed in the final,lethargic and slow..to reading,alive,attack after attack,urgency and composed...
Lest's remember,these players have signed for the club not the manager and it's the simple fact that the players have lostt faith in him...
Has any player come out yet and said they was shocked at mancini going or thanks boss for everything??
The silence speaks a thousand words and just for once the press can correctly say he has lost the dressing room......

 

[cibaman]

Story tells me more about the people still at the club than anyone who has left.

And is worrying if true.

We knew very early in his city career his man management was poor, you can be like that but you HAVE to win things. I hate player power with a passion but they also have to be happy in their work. Seems there was no middle ground here.

This is more like the truth! It's the ability to put an arm round a shoulder, when needed rather than ostracise a player! Old gammon chops could be be a tyrant and an bully but knew how to get the best out of the scum players, look at teen wolf this year compared to last. He stuck by him, bigged him up and he begrudgingly had a good season, whereas Hart went backwards with public criticism.

Bobby needed to do this more. The press are complete c@nts and I still love what Bobby did for us. We will never know the truth

Clough's approach to player management made Mancini look like an avuncular uncle. It worked well enough for him at Derby and Forest when he was dealing with players who hadn't achieved anything, less well at Leeds with players who had enjoyed success.

It seems that Mancini was initially unpopular and effective but at some point (after the RM game if some reports are to be believed) became unpopular and ineffective. Still the right man for City when he joined us.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

The idea that the players threw the cup final is utter codswallop...........
There's a world of difference between a team being simply demotivated and ill prepared tactically, and a team deliberately passing up the chance of a trophy, a medal and some glory

Absolutely. The notion that a group of professional footballers would conspire to throw a Cup Final (which they may never have the opportunity of playing in again) is ridiculous and completely fails to grasp what it takes to arrive at the top of the game of football.

They are there because of skill and athleticism, but there are plenty of player their age who had those qualities who never made it. Making it to the top of professional football requires (in almost every instance) an incredible degree of dedication, hard work, mental focus and will to win. Top players will have seen many talented contemporaries fall by the wayside because they lacked these qualities. To suggest that they would act in such a counter-intuitive and in actual fact, selfless way, is completely wide of the mark.

The margins i n football are very small, especially at the top. That is why teams like Wigan have a realistic chance of beating team like City. On the day too many of our payers were off their best game and most of Wigan's were at 100%. Our players' performances may have been down to unrest in the camp, press speculation or a sub-conscious assumption that we would beat Wigan if we just turned up, but to suggest that they deliberately threw the game fails to grasp the will to win that burns in them all.

That's why they made it to the top.