Does anybody feel “different” since Istanbul?

Dodge said:
For me, after the euphoria and undiluted bliss of Istanbul, there's also a tinge of sadness.

I'll never share the company of so many old friends (and new) as I did in my 4 days in Istanbul. Friday night at Nevidaze will live with me forever. The feeling of utter joy and bedlam when we scored will never be matched. The relief at the final whistle was overwhelming. But, I'll never forget, after the match, 25 of us sitting in our regular bar in the Old City in Fatih, singing, celebrating, watching the sun come up and staying together well past dawn. I'll admit to many a tear being shed as I looked round the table at so many of my best friends in the moment. One of our lot has cancer and won't be attending matches next season, so thoughts wandered to the people we've lost over the years and a glass was raised to every single one of them. I remembered my Dad who we lost to cancer in 2013. The last thing he ever said to me was "bloody Germans" after he'd asked me how City got on that night and I told him we'd lost at home to Bayern in the CL. He passed the morning after. Here I was 10 years later celebrating us winning the damned thing.

That was the best of it for me. Sharing the moment with my best mates, of many years. Shared with their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and absent friends remembered dearly.

I know there is very little chance of our group being together like that again. In a distant land, bonded by the blood of our fantastic club. Lifting the big one and smashing a treble. Drinking til dawn. Priceless memories.

A lot is made of the physical and mental demands of the players over a long hard season. Well, for me, the same is true of us supporters. When you take into account the emotional ties and hardships we've been through, it's tougher on us mere mortals.

So, I'm enjoying a break, basking on the seasons glories on the pitch. Recharging, getting fit and ready to go again in August.

Looking forward to visiting the five clubs who've thrown our lack of "European pedigree" at us for decades. We'll, they're getting it back, in fucking spades. Fucking spades and shovels full of steaming karma coming their way.

Champions of Europe....NOW SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Up the fucking Blues.
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Great great post mate
 
ejdmcfc said:
I’ve said this to a few people since coming home.

Since getting back I feel completely different. Not like a weight has been lifted per se, but an innate weird feeling like the pinnacle has been reached. Maybe along the lines of “What next?” Or “Nothing will ever top this.”

Sounds absolutely ridiculous I know. But in someways it’s like I feel completely differently towards everything. I blame Nevizade and its capturing of souls on that Friday and Saturday night.
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I can relate. When Hibs won the Scottish cup it was our CL. It’s like completing a computer game, we’ve reached the pinnacle and now what. From mid table division 2 to the best team in Europe, we’ve done it. And as things move in cycles we’ll fall off eventually, look at the 2 red teams. But it’s City, strap in and enjoy the ride.
 
BobbyJohnstone said:
I can relate. When Hibs won the Scottish cup it was our CL. It’s like completing a computer game, we’ve reached the pinnacle and now what. From mid table division 2 to the best team in Europe, we’ve done it. And as things move in cycles we’ll fall off eventually, look at the 2 red teams. But it’s City, strap in and enjoy the ride.
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Right now it's the lack of jeopardy. Rodri's goal was a huge release of tension after 68 minutes of jeopardy. Now there's no jeopardy and we're the treble winners we were told we'd never be and all the stumbles on the way seem like another life. All fans thrive on jeopardy, but City fans especially, imo. But once the season comes back the jeopardy will return. No guarantees we'll steamroller every team in our path. Couple of stumbles and we won't feel like the glamour boys - then all the hunger will come back. Right now there's no hunger. I'm expecting a huge bunfight over tickets when they go on sale and in this post-CL state I'm asking myself 'can I be arsed with it, it can't top last season, maybe I should go to less games until things have calmed down a bit, is it too much money, too much hype, too much mither now?' Then I give my head a wobble and remember all our fight backs, all the times we've got up off the floor, and I know exactly where I want to be on a matchday.
 
Kinkys Left Foot said:
Whats left? Still plenty to aim at!

Beating either of the red arse cheeks in a European CL knockout round, preferably the semis.

Beating Totteringham at their new gaff. (Which means scoring as well, excepting OGs)

Playing well and twatting red scouse at Anfield.

Back to back European CL.

Invincible season.

Super Cup winners.

Club World Cup Winners.

Holding 6 pieces of silverware at one time- achievable this year.
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Those are probably in descending order of difficulty or ascending order of likelihood.
 
ejdmcfc said:
I’ve said this to a few people since coming home.

Since getting back I feel completely different. Not like a weight has been lifted per se, but an innate weird feeling like the pinnacle has been reached. Maybe along the lines of “What next?” Or “Nothing will ever top this.”

Sounds absolutely ridiculous I know. But in someways it’s like I feel completely differently towards everything. I blame Nevizade and its capturing of souls on that Friday and Saturday night.
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I’ve said a few times that winning a treble is not the pinnacle.

United made everyone think they’d put a full stop of football when they won their treble in 1999. Nothing could top that in their eyes. But it’s just three trophies of four to seven on offer (in this country we have a fourth major trophy and there are three minor trophies n’all). So there’s always more to strive for.

Also, in football, if you’re a good team and you’ve achieved something once; go and do it again to prove it wasn’t a one-off.

Quadruple (CL PL EFL FA)
Septuple (^+ CS SC WCC)
Four PLs in a row
Back-to-back CLs

Even if we can’t do any of those, let’s try and be the first ever holders of all seven trophies on offer by winning the three minor trophies and then the EFL Cup next season. Even if they’re not all in one season, being the holders of all seven trophies will be brilliant.

There are bigger and better achievements to aim for than just a treble. For me winning four PLs in a row as well as winning the CL for a b2b next season would be a better achievement than the treble this season because of the pressure to do then again and break the league titles in a row record and be the first English club to win b2b CLs (when it’s been done in the past it was the EC and only had about four rounds, some years clubs who won it got byes on the way).

If Manchester City move away from this era and in a few decades we look back and we’ve only won one CL, I’ll be disappointed. Winning something once can just be from a good run of form. You prove your worth by winning something again, and again, and again…
 
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