Forget Recriminations, how do we sort this mess out?

[Marvin]

Midtable and I could understand it, but this is on the back of an away draw where but for a contentious refereeing decision and a double injury to Richards and De Jong we'd have probably won. Then you'd have the same suspects talking about can we win the title.

Chelsea fans would no doubt have been critical of their team and manager over the last 6 weeks, but then a struggling team comes back to life.

Always too quick to condemn

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

Midtable and I could understand it, but this is on the back of an away draw where but for a contentious refereeing decision and a double injury to Richards and De Jong we'd have probably won. Then you'd have the same suspects talking about can we win the title.

Chelsea fans would no doubt have been critical of their team and manager over the last 6 weeks, but then a struggling team comes back to life.

Always too quick to condemn

not really, name we one game we've actually played well in in the last month.

Also, it wasn't a contentious refereeing decision, in fact it was a decision that should be encouraged to be given because there shouldn't be 1 rule in the box and 1 rule outside of it, McLeish is absolutely right.

 

[Anonymous]

Passing time makes things clearer. A year ago I remember wondering whether Mancini had certain 'traits' as a manager which would limit him in the premiership. I got told to STFU.

A year later weirdly enough - I still ponder the same things.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

Passing time makes things clearer. A year ago I remember wondering whether Mancini had certain 'traits' as a manager which would limit him in the premiership. I got told to STFU.

A year later weirdly enough - I still ponder the same things.

7 days ago you said the following:

Certainly I don't want him now. Roberto's doing a fine job and will no doubt be allowed to get on with it....but Mou is still the best club manager out there - still a pure winner - still as entertaining as f@ck (if you like that sort of thing). No doubt one day Mancini will decide to go back to Italy - we could do much worse than having Jose as his replacement (did Inter no harm)...

Do you still feel he is doing a fine job or is one week (and the outrageously terrible two away draws that have occurred in that time) enough to change your mind?

 

[Anonymous]

Passing time makes things clearer. A year ago I remember wondering whether Mancini had certain 'traits' as a manager which would limit him in the premiership. I got told to STFU.

A year later weirdly enough - I still ponder the same things.

7 days ago you said the following:

Certainly I don't want him now. Roberto's doing a fine job and will no doubt be allowed to get on with it....but Mou is still the best club manager out there - still a pure winner - still as entertaining as f@ck (if you like that sort of thing). No doubt one day Mancini will decide to go back to Italy - we could do much worse than having Jose as his replacement (did Inter no harm)...

Do you still feel he is doing a fine job or is one week (and the outrageously terrible two away draws that have occurred in that time) enough to change your mind?

That's a very good question and one that I struggle with. Obviously I was either being disingenuous then, or I'm being disingenuous now.

If I'm honest, I was probably mildly more disingenuous then, but not enough for you to quote things back at me and for me to feel in any way ashamed or embarrassed. Roberto has certain traits which a year later I can say are traits which will and do hold us back. Now of course, when it works it is seen as progress - but fuck me, you know as well as me that to dare to say anything....hell, to have an opinion when things are not going well is simply not acceptable on here. So it makes it harder to be consistent.

Here we stand - and the thing which honestly bothers me - is all the points we dropped earlier in the season were written off as 'everyone has poor results'....except now it's the business end of the season - and yet still the truth is our competition is Spurs - it doesn't fell like progress.

Yeah, I can have a drink, feel the buzz, and be grateful for CL football, or even just to have people give a fuck about City....unfortunately that's not me. I'd rather be honest in a moment (after all that's what football is about - emotion passion and things we can't articulate or rationalize) than be "happy" or "sad" just for the sake of it...

 

[Lancet Fluke]

7 days ago you said the following:



Do you still feel he is doing a fine job or is one week (and the outrageously terrible two away draws that have occurred in that time) enough to change your mind?

That's a very good question and one that I struggle with. Obviously I was either being disingenuous then, or I'm being disingenuous now.

If I'm honest, I was probably mildly more disingenuous then, but not enough for you to quote things back at me and for me to feel in any way ashamed or embarrassed. Roberto has certain traits which a year later I can say are traits which will and do hold us back. Now of course, when it works it is seen as progress - but fuck me, you know as well as me that to dare to say anything....hell, to have an opinion when things are not going well is simply not acceptable on here. So it makes it harder to be consistent.

Here we stand - and the thing which honestly bothers me - is all the points we dropped earlier in the season were written off as 'everyone has poor results'....except now it's the business end of the season - and yet still the truth is our competition is Spurs - it doesn't fell like progress.

Yeah, I can have a drink, feel the buzz, and be grateful for CL football, or even just to have people give a fuck about City....unfortunately that's not me. I'd rather be honest in a moment (after all that's what football is about - emotion passion and things we can't articulate or rationalize) than be "happy" or "sad" just for the sake of it...

I wasn't trying to embarrass you Billy. Just when you posted that last week, I was actually quite chuffed that Mancini had finally managed to convince you. When I saw that post this evening, I just genuinely wondered whether you had changed your mind or not. I have said it several times today and make no apologies for saying the same again. I know we are in a bit of a dip but seriously, for so many posters to be as negative as they are currently is staggering considering how positive everyone was being literally a couple of weeks ago. I know football fans can be fickle but if one defeat and a couple of draws is now enough to go from Manager of the Month to a season going off the rails then we may as well just fuck it all off.

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

7 days ago you said the following:



Do you still feel he is doing a fine job or is one week (and the outrageously terrible two away draws that have occurred in that time) enough to change your mind?

That's a very good question and one that I struggle with. Obviously I was either being disingenuous then, or I'm being disingenuous now.

If I'm honest, I was probably mildly more disingenuous then, but not enough for you to quote things back at me and for me to feel in any way ashamed or embarrassed. Roberto has certain traits which a year later I can say are traits which will and do hold us back. Now of course, when it works it is seen as progress - but fuck me, you know as well as me that to dare to say anything....hell, to have an opinion when things are not going well is simply not acceptable on here. So it makes it harder to be consistent.

Here we stand - and the thing which honestly bothers me - is all the points we dropped earlier in the season were written off as 'everyone has poor results'....except now it's the business end of the season - and yet still the truth is our competition is Spurs - it doesn't fell like progress.

Yeah, I can have a drink, feel the buzz, and be grateful for CL football, or even just to have people give a fuck about City....unfortunately that's not me. I'd rather be honest in a moment (after all that's what football is about - emotion passion and things we can't articulate or rationalize) than be "happy" or "sad" just for the sake of it...

you're just not convinced mate, I'm not either. I think we all want to completely believe in him, but certain things(different for everybody, sometimes the same issues) mean that we always doubt. When things are going well we think he's finally got it and we're going to just keep going from strength to strength, and then when it starts falling apart we think "hang on a minute...those issues were there before, and actually it's not really any different we just had a good run, there's still these fundamental issues".

January really annoyed me in regards to Mancini, because I cannot comprehend or believe that we still have no CM, no wingers and no proper forwards on the bench, and that we are relying on Kolo, Barry and Milner, and that Hart has not been dropped when he should have been 3 weeks ago.

There my bones of contention(to start with at least), and they're a bit different for each of us, but there are issues, and that's why we can't really decide whether we can fully back Mancini or not.

 

[Anonymous]

That's a very good question and one that I struggle with. Obviously I was either being disingenuous then, or I'm being disingenuous now.

If I'm honest, I was probably mildly more disingenuous then, but not enough for you to quote things back at me and for me to feel in any way ashamed or embarrassed. Roberto has certain traits which a year later I can say are traits which will and do hold us back. Now of course, when it works it is seen as progress - but fuck me, you know as well as me that to dare to say anything....hell, to have an opinion when things are not going well is simply not acceptable on here. So it makes it harder to be consistent.

Here we stand - and the thing which honestly bothers me - is all the points we dropped earlier in the season were written off as 'everyone has poor results'....except now it's the business end of the season - and yet still the truth is our competition is Spurs - it doesn't fell like progress.

Yeah, I can have a drink, feel the buzz, and be grateful for CL football, or even just to have people give a fuck about City....unfortunately that's not me. I'd rather be honest in a moment (after all that's what football is about - emotion passion and things we can't articulate or rationalize) than be "happy" or "sad" just for the sake of it...

I wasn't trying to embarrass you Billy. Just when you posted that last week, I was actually quite chuffed that Mancini had finally managed to convince you. When I saw that post this evening, I just genuinely wondered whether you had changed your mind or not. I have said it several times today and make no apologies for saying the same again. I know we are in a bit of a dip but seriously, for so many posters to be as negative as they are currently is staggering considering how positive everyone was being literally a couple of weeks ago. I know football fans can be fickle but if one defeat and a couple of draws is now enough to go from Manager of the Month to a season going off the rails then we may as well just fuck it all off.

Personal opinion - people have had negative bullied out of them...

That's not to say they are right or wrong, but just that it's much easier to articulate 'i believe' than it is to articulate the opposite on Bluemoon.

Going back to what I said in my previous post though - I fear we're going to end the season competing with Spurs for 4th. No matter which way you cut it, that won't be progress. I am hoping/believing etc that that won't happen.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

I wasn't trying to embarrass you Billy. Just when you posted that last week, I was actually quite chuffed that Mancini had finally managed to convince you. When I saw that post this evening, I just genuinely wondered whether you had changed your mind or not. I have said it several times today and make no apologies for saying the same again. I know we are in a bit of a dip but seriously, for so many posters to be as negative as they are currently is staggering considering how positive everyone was being literally a couple of weeks ago. I know football fans can be fickle but if one defeat and a couple of draws is now enough to go from Manager of the Month to a season going off the rails then we may as well just fuck it all off.

Personal opinion - people have had negative bullied out of them...

That's not to say they are right or wrong, but just that it's much easier to articulate 'i believe' than it is to articulate the opposite on Bluemoon.

Going back to what I said in my previous post though - I fear we're going to end the season competing with Spurs for 4th. No matter which way you cut it, that won't be progress. I am hoping/believing etc that that won't happen.

I don't mind negativity, I am by my very nature quite a negative and pessimistic person tbh. However, I have been surprised by the level of negativity recently. For instance, I think Didsbury Dave was giving his view of how terrible everything has been since the turn of the year. To me it was like he has been watching a different team. I accept it hasn't been great but it has been a million miles away from terrible. We have taken 8 points from 5 matches since the turn of the year, ok not great but if that is our bad run, it is not a desperately bad run. Yes , it is "a crossroad" now in as much as the next few weeks are crucial (aren't they always) but I think we can win on Saturday, get a draw at united and beat Fulham. We'll probably also get through to the 5th round of the cup and to the next round in Europe in that time. I accept any title challenge is over now, which is disappointing but I do think we are playing for 3rd or 4th and if we get either of those positions (which I think we will) then it would take a particularly perverse perspective to say that isn't progress on finishing 5th last season.

 

[Anonymous]

Personal opinion - people have had negative bullied out of them...

That's not to say they are right or wrong, but just that it's much easier to articulate 'i believe' than it is to articulate the opposite on Bluemoon.

Going back to what I said in my previous post though - I fear we're going to end the season competing with Spurs for 4th. No matter which way you cut it, that won't be progress. I am hoping/believing etc that that won't happen.

I don't mind negativity, I am by my very nature quite a negative and pessimistic person tbh. However, I have been surprised by the level of negativity recently. For instance, I think Didsbury Dave was giving his view of how terrible everything has been since the turn of the year. To me it was like he has been watching a different team. I accept it hasn't been great but it has been a million miles away from terrible. We have taken 8 points from 5 matches since the turn of the year, ok not great but if that is our bad run, it is not a desperately bad run. Yes , it is "a crossroad" now in as much as the next few weeks are crucial (aren't they always) but I think we can win on Saturday, get a draw at united and beat Fulham. We'll probably also get through to the 5th round of the cup and to the next round in Europe in that time. I accept any title challenge is over now, which is disappointing but I do think we are playing for 3rd or 4th and if we get either of those positions (which I think we will) then it would take a particularly perverse perspective to say that isn't progress on finishing 5th last season.

You're absolutely right. We all have our own perspective. If we finish 3rd or 4th this season that is without question progress. Bringing the cup in, IMO, is a little disingenuous. We all know it's CL or bust this season...and more importantly, last season we sacked a manager because the CL was on and that manager was seemingly letting it slip...

I get a lot of shit for being apparently 'pro Hughes/Mourinho' and 'anti Mancini'....this i what I posted just before Roberto got the job...

Mancini and Khaldoon are good mates IIRC.

Whether we like it or not, this guy is probably our next manager.

I don't understand all of the Hughes Out posters who want to get rid of him now. We can bring in Mancini, Hiddink or whoever now or wait until summer until Mourinho is available. The guy deserves a season at least, otherwise what was the point of backing him for £200m and then sacking him before you get the returns on that?

If the returns don't come this season, and he finishes outside where he needs to, then get rid. Doing so now makes us look like fools, and worst of all, makes us look like we have a bunch of entirely impatient owners who talk a big game about patience and understanding football but are actually just idiots with a bit of cash who knee jerk react to a run of bad results.

I'm not saying that Hughes is the man for the job, but I do believe that the manager we really want isn't going to be available until the summer, so it is a silly idea to remove our current manager before then. He might even come good, you never know. What we do know, is that Hughes won't get us relegated and we there or thereabouts a European spot. If we don't hit the CL this year, then fine, it's still an improvement on last year. Dispose of Hughes and bring in Mourinho.

This period of time is a test of the Sheik and Khaldoon, and we are about to find out if our owners are as reactionary and impatient as some fans are, or have a bit of nouse and plan for the future. There is no benefit to us to getting rid of Hughes now, and only positives for keeping him until the summer.

If I had a choice of CL under Mancini now, and UEFA Cup under Hughes then Mourinho in the summer, I know what I would choose. You can't sack a manager if he gets us to the CL after coming in in January, so we would be cutting off our nose to spite our face.

That post is flawed on so many levels. Firstly, whether Hughes is sacked tomorrow, or in the summer, nobody can say he wasn't given a fair crack of the whip by our owners. In fact, it beggars belief that anyone would suggest Hughes hasn't been given a chance. He has been given resources which are unprecedented, on top of that, he chose to use those resources signing experienced premiership players so there was no period of adaptation required. Just hit the ground running. In theory anyway...

As for the Mancini v Mourinho argument. Again, flawed, flawed, flawed. I actually laughed out loud at the "UEFA cup under Hughes, with Mourinho to follow, or Chumps League with Mancini..." IMO, it's borderline delusional to think that next summer Mourinho will take over City if we are not playing CL football. For exactly the same reasons, that we won't sign Messi or Torres...so it's either Mourinho in Jan, or not at all. And with the way the CL draw has just happened, I'd hazard a guess as to not at all...

You seem to be arguing that Hughes may not be good enough, but we should give him the rest of the season because...well, just because it would mean our owners are stand up guys. No thanks. I'd rather our owners were ruthless and wanted what is best for the club.

And here's what I posted after Roberto got the job...

If Mourinho REALLY wanted to come to City he'd have come in the summer gone when Inter sold Ibra and replaced him with Eto'o...

If the club REALLY wanted JM, then they'd have left Hughes in charge for the rest of the season regardless. Hell, they could even have given him the new contract he desperately wanted...granted it would have cost them a few extra million if they wanted JM in the summer, but it would've ensure stability for the rest of this season...

Mancini is incredibly well connected in Italy. If JM is so nailed on, Mancini would not have taken this job as there can't be anything more humiliating than having the same manager take your job twice in four years...

All in all though - who gives a fuck, except those who are intent on wreaking some kind of lame revenge on MCFC for sacking Saint Mark Hughes.

Onwards and upwards under Roberto Mancini if you ask me...he can be our special one...

I want what is best for MCFC. Nothing more and nothing less. I will hazard a guess that 90% (DD included) of the so called "anti Mancini brigade" just want what is best for the club and posted similar things when he was appointed.