Ferran Soriano & Txiki Begiristain

[Bluemoon115]

Can I point out that Mancini never won a league game at the Britannia?

I can remember him definitely beating Hughes though.

One occasion springs to mind, a nothing 'end of season' game in May ;)

 

[BlueAnorak]

Can I point out that Mancini never won a league game at the Britannia?

The last time it wasn't helped by incompetent refereeing when Medowlark Lemon bounced the ball past two defenders and put the ball in the back of the net. Mancini did win his last game there in the cup though.

I should also point out that neither has Pellegrini won there yet. If he does win it will help to show he may well be an upgrade. if we draw it will be 'same as' and if we lose it will start to confirm my worst fears.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

If he does win it will help to show he may well be an upgrade. if we draw it will be 'same as' and if we lose it will start to confirm my worst fears.

You think you might be jumping the gun with any of these three synopses?

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Can I point out that Mancini never won a league game at the Britannia?

The last time it wasn't helped by incompetent refereeing when Medowlark Lemon bounced the ball past two defenders and put the ball in the back of the net. Mancini did win his last game there in the cup though.

We have been unlucky there over the years. That goal, Crouch's freak goal and then winning 1-0 through Richards when they equalised with 30 seconds to go.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

winning 1-0 through Richards when they equalised with 30 seconds to go.

Kolo was massively at fault for that goal iirc.

 

[TGR]

Can I point out that Mancini never won a league game at the Britannia?

The last time it wasn't helped by incompetent refereeing when Medowlark Lemon bounced the ball past two defenders and put the ball in the back of the net. Mancini did win his last game there in the cup though.

We have been unlucky there over the years. That goal, Crouch's freak goal and then winning 1-0 through Richards when they equalised with 30 seconds to go.

Does history count for anything in Saturday's game?
It's two very different teams both playing different kinds of football than the 2 or 3 previous seasons.<br /><br />-- Sun Sep 08, 2013 4:07 pm --<br /><br />

I get the impression any discontent stems from Mancini's sacking and a few posters belief that Pellegrini isn't an upgrade.

You don't say ... :)

Jokes aside, I think no matter how confident/skeptical you are about Pellegrini's appointment and the overall job Txiki and Ferran are doing, it's important to acknowledge just how important and powerful the two guys are within the structure of the club, and how much faith Khaldoon must have in them to give them that power. The sacking of Mancini was inevitable whether they'd been at the club or not, so you can't really even count that as something they did. Certainly appointing his successor was Txiki's call and any success or failure Pellegrini has will reflect upon him.

As I said to Skashion earlier, I believe the general narrative of the forum will have changed dramatically in a couple of months time. There are countless genuine posters who are concerned and I respect that. However the concern is misplaced IMO, because we are in the best possible hands from top to bottom.

YCMIU!

 

[CITYBOY1000]

If he does win it will help to show he may well be an upgrade. if we draw it will be 'same as' and if we lose it will start to confirm my worst fears.

You think you might be jumping the gun with any of these three synopses?

I envisaged at the start of the season that it wasn't going to be easy for any manager taking over in his first season. The Premiership is so competitive and very different from the Continent. He's brought 5 new players in as well and all in key positions and we'll definitely missed Carlito's energy pressing the defenders up front.

I'll be pleasantly surprised if Pellegrini comes up with trophies this season and will settle for a run in the Champions League to something like the semis. That would show that he is an upgrade maybe.

He's getting a full season at least so everyone needs to come to terms with that. Even if he loses the next 5 games he's going nowhere. The owners just don't operate like that with knee-jerk reactions. They are into stability. Hughes hung onto his job after how many draws in a row and when we were looking shakey at home to anyone and everyone ? Remember that 3-3 at home to recently promoted Burnley anyone ?

Let's just see how it all pans-out at the end of the season and get behind the team. That said, I fully understand the frustrations of those who didn't agree with the Mancini sacking and don't think we've got an upgrade. Everything that goes wrong will just seem like their worst suspicions confirmed.

He's here for the season guys even if he wins nothing and might even stay longer if we show something different on the pitch that smacks of improvement and a move in the right direction.

 

[Anonymous]

Can I point out that Mancini never won a league game at the Britannia?

However for Pellegrini, three games into his inaugural league campaign it's become a must win. It's the kind of comment if you read it in the Sun you'd laugh hysterically at it's ridiculous nature.

Anyway as many of the sane posters have pointed out. Our owners are anything but knee jerk and Pellegrini/Txiki/Ferran will all be given plenty of time and space to do their jobs.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Re: Ferran Soriano & Txiki Begiristain

Last season you and Dave went potty when Mancini started using 3 at the back. Fair enough. You were entitled to your view but you certainly claimed your criticism was voiced out of support for City so surely it's you who are now being hypocritical for trying to ridicule any criticism and questions?

Please stop using the pro or anti Mancini standpoint taken to judge comment on Pellegrini and judge it on its merits. Mancini was a proven manager, Pellegrini is not. You can argue that he has all the qualities to be a better manager and that's fair enough, but until he delivers a trophy in Europe there will be questions, and it's indefensible to claim that supporters should not raise questions.

Criticism after 3 games may well be ridiculous. I'm much more prepared to take that angle of argument.

I can't help commenting after conceding 3 at Cardiff and playing an unbelievably poor game at home to Hull employing throughout tactics which I consider highly inappropriate to the team i.e. moving players out of midfield to the wing and forward line. The other thing that bothers me is that we have bought 3 additional forwards when the team can at anyone time play 2 whilst not strengthening the left full back and central defensive positions which were obviously weak points. That's already proven to be a mistake

Please don't bring me into this abortion of a thread.

I'm sitting back and enjoying it.

And just to be clear, I'm not laughing at anyone who questions Pellegrini. In laughing at the numpties questioning our club's two Spanish executives, essentially because we were so-so at Cardiff and crap against Hull. The equivalent of someone having a dodgy burger and insisting that beef should be removed from the food chain.

I remember someone calling them a pair of idiots if they never went for Mourinho
Who was that?

It was me, although that's certainly not exactly what i said. And if Pellegrini is a failure then it's an opinion I will reiterate.

But to start calling him a failure so early into the job and with the circumstances as they are is, of course, the real idiocy.

And anyone who believes now, after all that happened last season, all that went on behind the scenes and all that has come out since May, that Mancini didn't deserve to be sacked, is not living in the real world and has no idea about the sport of football.

Even if Pellegrini fails, and of course he might, then that doesn't mean sacking Mancini was wrong. It means we appointed the wrong replacement.

 

[hgblue]

Please don't bring me into this abortion of a thread.

I'm sitting back and enjoying it.

And just to be clear, I'm not laughing at anyone who questions Pellegrini. In laughing at the numpties questioning our club's two Spanish executives, essentially because we were so-so at Cardiff and crap against Hull. The equivalent of someone having a dodgy burger and insisting that beef should be removed from the food chain.

I remember someone calling them a pair of idiots if they never went for Mourinho
Who was that?

It was me, although that's certainly not exactly what i said. And if Pellegrini is a failure then it's an opinion I will reiterate.

But to start calling him a failure so early into the job and with the circumstances as they are is, of course, the real idiocy.

And anyone who believes now, after all that happened last season, all that went on behind the scenes and all that has come out since May, that Mancini didn't deserve to be sacked, is not living in the real world and has no idea about the sport of football.

Even if Pellegrini fails, and of course he might, then that doesn't mean sacking Mancini was wrong. It means we appointed the wrong replacement.

I don't think anyone is suggesting Pellegrini should be sacked after three games, but the early signs aren't great. If the two amigos had the chance to appoint Mourinho, but choose to appoint Pellegrini instead, then that's a decision which could haunt us for years to come and one which they should be held accountable for if Pellegrini fails.