Discuss Pellegrini...

[BobKowalski]

It always seems to be a battle between Mancini and Pellegrini on here

What if neither are good enough for us

Pellegrini's had one serious transfer window and less than 10 months. Mancini had 3 and a half years. The fact you ask that question is just a bit naive mate. What happens next will define Pellegrini. He's done a fantastic job with someone else's players this season.

Oh God we have entered David Moyes territory "seriously I have done the best I could with this lot..yeah I know they were Champs last year but honestly I need my own players"

Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't one of the arguments for dispensing with he who should not be named was not having to spunk gazillions in replacing those players who wanted out? Instead we spent a £100m on improving a squad that finished first and second in the last two seasons to end up with what is starting to look like...third place. And then we may spend said gazillions in replacing the squad anyway as you seemed to imply earlier.

Anyway enough of that. Several thoughts...I said after the Liverpool match that I was concerned that heads seemed to drop after that third goal went in and how this would impact us. It seems it impacted us more than I realised.

We look tired and flat. When we were all jolly excited about how intense pre season was and how it was a million times better than under he who should not be named and when I asked what exactly the benefit of that was I was told wait and see and all sort of goodies would be revealed. Well I ain't liking the goodies. Its a long campaign not a sprint and all that jazz.

Control. I have a fetish for controlling games and not expending unnecessary energy chasing balls/opposition players etc . Over a league campaign I think it keeps you fresher longer. I still think we no longer control games like we used to and I like control.

Mentality. If control is a fetish for me this is an unhealthy obsession. We are not closing out the big games. That has been discussed. But after Liverpool we had to keep the pressure on and like in 2012 we had 6 games and all are must win. Tonight mentally we blew it. Tonight said that we no longer believed we should or can be Champions. That disappoints me.

But all is not entirely lost. 2012 taught us that much. We now have 5 games and all have to be won and won convincingly. We need to build momentum and belief. Pellers has to instill momentum and belief. Winning 5 games may not win the title but management and players owe us their absolute best and need to win those 5 games.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I think he's a vampire

This.

 

[Danielmanc]

People say we have played some amazing football this season, and they are right. We have also played some out and out crap this season and that's why we won't win the league. If we can't beat Sunderland at home we don't deserve to win the league. We allowed Connor Wickham (that player with zero Premier League goals) to score two tonight. Billy and his acolytes can praise Pelle all they want but he simply doesn't seem to be an improvement on what went before to many City fans. We are only 4 points above 4th and if anyone thinks a tight battle for 4th place is good enough then fair play to you. At the start of the season someone on the board asked "what if Pellegrini is just a boring old man' - I couldn't contemplate that may be the case, now I think they may have had a point.

 

[jus moochin]

Bollocks...unfortunately he's a nice football playing loser.

Can I have this week's lottery results please.

If he gets us finishing third you have to give him a pass mark for his first season.

The question is whether our players en mass want to go to into the trenches for him when things get a little tough.

If not he won't be probably see out a third season in charge,

Predicton? 3rd this year, 3rd next year -get a bet on....

 

[gungho-tactics]

I keep banging my head cause I can't figure out whether the players or the manager are to blame.

Good managers motivate players, and look at Liverpool this year. They seem to have a great mentality and fighting spirit. Would Rodgers manage to do the same at ours? I'm not too sure. We always have a team sheet that looks amazing. No Flanagans, Skrtels, Johnsons or Allens there. Still, Liverpool are winning every game whereas we mix amazing performances with shite like today.

How Mourinho and Chelsea are in the mix, I don't even understand, but he must do something right. He motivates the players and they always put in a fight, but then again, Pellegrini is also known to be liked by the players.

So what is wrong, why haven't we managed to play as the title winning season again? Are our players spoilt? Why could Baconface motivate the same old players year after year after year, when it seems impossible for us?

In games where it has mattered the most this season (Chelsea home/away, Liverpool away, Arsenal away) and we could have taken strides towards an 'easy' title, we've just looked average at best and not too interested. Why, why, why?

Had to rant a little bit, but I'm tired, confused and sad.

Why woudn't they like him. He allows them to be lazy. He probably gave them a pat on the back and a big smile after todays' game. These players can get away with anything under Pellegrini, that's why they like him.

 

[Anonymous]

Every time I read this thread a small part of me dies.

The egos and arrogance of certain blues never fails to astound me.

How the fuck did some people cope when we were truly shite pal?

Thought you were all at York away so how the fuck can you really moan?

I'd just like to point out I was at Oxford away. Not anywhere near as hip or stylish as York away but at the time Oxford was much cooler. In hindsight I should've gone to York.

 

[Ray78]

Bollocks...unfortunately he's a nice football playing loser.

Can I have this week's lottery results please.

If he gets us finishing third you have to give him a pass mark for his first season.

The question is whether our players en mass want to go to into the trenches for him when things get a little tough.

If not he won't be probably see out a third season in charge,

True and it is impossible to predict how next season will shape up.

 

[BobKowalski]

I think he's a vampire

This.

May explain why the players look a bit peaky and tired...

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I think he's a vampire

This.

May explain why the players look a bit peaky and tired...

His powers have seemingly waned as the days have grown longer.....

 

[Damocles]

I don't see why a manager not fancying certain players has suddenly become a major stab at Pellegrini.

Pep Guardiola couldn't work with Yaya Toure properly in his system so sold him. This is not a slight on Yaya, it's just that he didn't fit Pep's vision. This is not a slight on Pep either.

Mourinho just sold Juan Mata, a tremendously gifted player, because he didn't fit the system that he wanted to play for the style of football. This isn't a slight on Mata as a player nor Mourinho as a manager.

And I'm not sure that using Alex Ferguson, commonly considered to be the greatest football manager of all time, as a benchmark for other people is either realistic or fair.

I'd also like to point out that this season we have had a trip to Wembley and lifted the League Cup, winning one of only three domestic competitions available, and we have done this in a new manager's first season at the club. I don't often use the "spoilt" description of City fans but the idea that we should sack a manager in his first season for "only winning the League Cup" looks uncomfortably close to that description for me.

Patience has its rewards and Pellegrini will benefit highly from working with all of our players every single day now for a full year to know where he stands in the summer transfer window in terms of people in and out. You cannot make those types of judgements in the short time he had with them before the summer window shut earlier this season. We expected to challenge for the league this year, win a trophy somewhere and get out of the groups in the CL. This is what we have done and is a solid foundation to build from for next year.