When you look at some of the successful managers in the PL era, the likes of Mancini, Ferguson, Wenger and Mourinho, you see managers who have a connection with the fans. These are managers who the fans idolise due to their persona, commitment to the club as well as their success.
They are managers who would back their clubs to the hilt and in essence made the fans love them. I can see Klopp going the same way at Liverpool.
I've never got that impression from Pellegrini. Now I don't solely blame him, I think the changes at boardroom level want a quiet person who makes minimal fuss publically and gets on with the job. That I acknowledge. However, I just don't feel any connection towards Pellegrini.
I'd put him in the same bracket as Nasri. A great player on his day but a person who I won't be the slightest bit arsed when he leaves. Compare that with a Zab or Hart who many of us fans will be gutted when they go.
It's not just managers who come under the same criticism, we also judge the likes of Kun, Vinny, Silva and Hart a lot more leniently than the likes of Dzeko, Nasri and Fernando.
Perhaps if we understood Pellegrini and bit more he would be less harshly judged.
I'm not sure if reductio ad absurdum is quite the right term for the nature of your argument, but it feels like it should be. The thing is, the huge majority of us (myself included) haven't wanted Pellegrini sacked every time we've lost, because we realise you can't win every game and we realise that managers will have off days in the same way that players do. However, this now goes way beyond random one off 'bad days at the office'. It's been a long gradual decline, during which more and more teams have adapted to the way we play, and yet Pellegrini has continued with his own game plan regardless, seemingly oblivious to the problems at hand. He has been making the same mistakes with team selections, formations, game plans that don't suit the personnel at his disposal, failure to adapt during the course of matches, and so on and so on for months now, without giving the faintest indication that he has any idea how to adjust. Some of the defending yesterday, from front to back, was just downright embarrassing. The worst I've seen since Liverpool, which was was the worst I've seen Monchengladbach, which was the worst I've seen since Spurs, and so on and so on. He is getting the worst out of the players at his disposal now instead of the best, and whilst the players must shoulder some of the responsibility, the flawed team selections and set ups are his fault and his alone. Were it not for the whole farcical Pep situation, he would surely have been sacked already IMO.
Absolutely shambolic. Embarrassing. No effort, no motivation, no idea. Where was the fight and the desire???? This manager is useless. Besides not having a clue about tactics and the ability to change in a game, he clearly doesn't know how to motivate his players to earn their ridiculous wages. And then he blames it on fatigue! Give me a break! They are athletes (bar, Fernando, who my mum could outrun!) I watched Salford Shitty play the other night, those guys have done a full day's work before they turn up to play on a rain sodden pitch and they didn't half put in a shift. Our players believe too much in their own press that they are the best in the country. They are clearly not. And the sooner they wake up to that fact the better. Pellers and that Dracula bloke who sits next to him on the bench (what does he do????) should be gone and that hanger-on Kidd, too.
Skip could try his hand again, it's only been 25 years since he gave it a go.So who would take up the helm for the rest of the season if he were sacked...Someone like Bielsa?
Whilst I know rationally this should not matter if someone is delivering, and that it is just a job to them. I have to say I agree totally with your post. I think the connection between the fans and the manager is so important, especially as he the only regular link between the fans and the club.
The Pearce era was the only boring period in my 39 years as a City fan. How can anyone be bored in any way whatsoever following this club?
I'm not sure if reductio ad absurdum is quite the right term for the nature of your argument, but it feels like it should be. The thing is, the huge majority of us (myself included) haven't wanted Pellegrini sacked every time we've lost, because we realise you can't win every game and we realise that managers will have off days in the same way that players do. However, this now goes way beyond random one off 'bad days at the office'. It's been a long gradual decline, during which more and more teams have adapted to the way we play, and yet Pellegrini has continued with his own game plan regardless, seemingly oblivious to the problems at hand. He has been making the same mistakes with team selections, formations, game plans that don't suit the personnel at his disposal, failure to adapt during the course of matches, and so on and so on for months now, without giving the faintest indication that he has any idea how to adjust. Some of the defending yesterday, from front to back, was just downright embarrassing. The worst I've seen since Liverpool, which was was the worst I've seen Monchengladbach, which was the worst I've seen since Spurs, and so on and so on. He is getting the worst out of the players at his disposal now instead of the best, and whilst the players must shoulder some of the responsibility, the flawed team selections and set ups are his fault and his alone. Were it not for the whole farcical Pep situation, he would surely have been sacked already IMO.