Discuss Pellegrini (Pt 3)

[Lancet Fluke]

If you take out zaha who didn't join up with them until after the season ended then net spend was pretty much the same as ours, I think.

Wrong. Their net spending for the season was double ours. We had a net spend of £14m last season. The rags, was £31m I think (not including Zaha).

My apologies, I hadn't factored in Balotelli leaving in January.

 

[Skashion]

My apologies, I hadn't factored in Balotelli leaving in January.

Had we replaced him in January I think there's a good chance we could still have won it. Whilst we were busy pissing about in January with the Balotelli transfer saga it's worth bearing in mind that after 23 matches played the rags were only 5 points ahead of us. Had we got in another striker at that point, it may have made the difference.

 

[berniethebusman]

Re: Discuss Pellegirini (Pt 3)

Different ideologies there's always gonna be disagreement, some would rather win one draw two than win two lose one anything not to lose.
I personally think all the years of defeats & relegations fueled with the sheikhs money have turned some into win at all cost monsters... & to those I'm prolly some football purist carebear.
Ultimately we all want what's best but until were supporting the invincibles some will never be happy.

 

[TGR]

If you take out zaha who didn't join up with them until after the season ended then net spend was pretty much the same as ours, I think.

Wrong. Their net spending for the season was double ours. We had a net spend of £14m last season. The rags, was £31m I think (not including Zaha).

So what you are telling me is that the Rags bought Robin Van Persie to upgrade their squad and we bought Sinclair?

 

[Combat Carl]

Yours..The plastic scouse match going dunce.....x

The only part of your post which holds any truth to it.

You really are a horrible little man.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

My apologies, I hadn't factored in Balotelli leaving in January.

Had we replaced him in January I think there's a good chance we could still have won it. Whilst we were busy pissing about in January with the Balotelli transfer saga it's worth bearing in mind that after 23 matches played the rags were only 5 points ahead of us. Had we got in another striker at that point, it may have made the difference.

Depends who we had replaced him with, I suppose. I don't think we'd have won it if we had just not sold him. Who knows.<br /><br />-- Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:06 pm --<br /><br />

If you take out zaha who didn't join up with them until after the season ended then net spend was pretty much the same as ours, I think.

Wrong. Their net spending for the season was double ours. We had a net spend of £14m last season. The rags, was £31m I think (not including Zaha).

So what you are telling me is that the Rags bought Robin Van Persie to upgrade their squad and we bought Sinclair?

And the season before we won it because we bought Aguero and they bought Jones. This can go on and on but there is more to it than just looking at the balance sheet and deciding who will win the league. At least I hope there is.

 

[BluessinceHydeRoad]

Pellegrini arrived more or less at the time pre-season training began officially, although some of our players had late starts for one reason or another. During the transfer window we added five first team squad players at a cost of £90 million or thereabouts.Pre-season was more or less like any other pre-season, but when the season proper began it appeared that the belief that the new manage would need time were ill-founded as Newcastle were outclassed and overwhelmed. Since then a much more complex picture has emerged: very impressive at home, playing some delightful attacking football, but much less successful away. City dominate possession in all games (apart from one exception, at home!) but examples of rank poor defending abound, and have been alarming at home and very costly away. Some players have clearly responded to the new manager: others have apparently not. The attacking players talk of liberation, the defenders seem uncertain and confused. We have lost a third of the PL games we have played and this is clearly NOT what City fans (and almost certainly the owner and board) expect or will accept if it goes on all season. All these games have been away, where our record is at the moment P5 W1 D1 L3 F8 A9 Pts4.

As a whole I have to say that this is disappointing, and the defending is a cause for concern. I think there are several reasons for this. It is true that injuries are to blame in part, but we have never, in the PL, been opened up by any team simply being too imaginative for us, even Chelsea. The goals against have come mainly from aerial attack, much of which has been only of mediocre quality. This is in part because we defend with one fewer player than previously - we do not have a DM - which adds numbers to the attack and helps explain our greater goal threat. In part it is because we defend a high line and push up to play an offside game. The players seem utterly confused with this, and the full backs seem totally unaware of where they should be, and the CBs only slightly less confused if at all. There is no sign that our back 5 are any more comfortable with this than they were back in August. How much more time will it take? We are also, apparently, switching from zonal marking at set pieces to individual marking. This still appears a rather foggy notion even after 4 months: on Sunday, in the third minute no-one was marking Cahill when he blasted over the bar , and Terry, Torres and Ivanovic were similarly unattended 12 yards out. Even in the last 10 minutes we were giving free kicks away and Chelsea were succeeding in overloading at the back post.

Is it all enjoyable? No, not all of it by any means. I love seeing some of our attacking play. I have enjoyed most of our goals. I have not enjoyed ANY of the goals we have conceded. I have been furious at all of our defeats because of the ludicrous way these 3 PL games have been thrown away. So, when we lose my uppermost thought is NOT that I must count my blessings and losing one in three is the price I must pay willingly for our goals. I am a City fan. We have the best squad in the PL. We have two quality players for each position. I expected at the start of the season the PL title, or at least a damned good challenge for it. At the moment that doesn't look likely, and comments that"it's miles better than it was" are risible, defensive and irrelevant.<br /><br />-- Wed Oct 30, 2013 4:26 pm --<br /><br />

FFS lads, let it go. The rest of us are bored shitless with it.

I'm going to do something far more useful and clean the apartment. Tomorrow I'm off away for the weekend so you'll be delighted to know that I won't be able to log back in until Monday.

Enjoy a quiet weekend ... ;)

Can't you have a nice long weekend?

 

[pinkwheeltrim]

He's just shit!

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

Anyway...come on Manuel tonight.Let's have a solid away performance.

 

[BlueAnorak]

Mancini had to go. The owner (the best any club could have) comes first.
The issue is about Pellegrini.

At Home we look pretty good.
But away we are a shambles. The following are the reasons why our away form is W1 D1 L3 this season:
- 1.22 goals per game conceded (on average) as opposed to 1 goal per game last season and 0.89 goals a season in 2011/12
- Only scoring from 1 in 13.6 'attempts on target' (as opposed to 1 in 9.3 last season and 1 in 6.5 in 201/12

Both have to improve to get in the top 4. Both have to improve dramatically for us to win the league. I see no sign whatsoever of a major improvement in the tactics that will deliver sufficient improvement in either statistic. If there is no improvement by the end of the Arsenal game Pellegrini has to go. If there is a major improvement he can stay for me. Simple.