His performances hadn't been bad though, thats the point and I think all agree it is clearly personal/off field issues that has impacted on his minutes, because there has been many players given opportunities after failing to perform each week. If he was as bad as you believe then it is another mistake on Peps list for this season having him use a squad place.Maybe just shows you how bad he has been according to the men that matter.
He didn't score for 12 months ffsHis performances hadn't been bad though, thats the point and I think all agree it is clearly personal/off field issues that has impacted on his minutes, because there has been many players given opportunities after failing to perform each week. If he was as bad as you believe then it is another mistake on Peps list for this season having him use a squad place.
Bravo. Sums up word for word how I feel, articulated far better than I ever could. The thing with fellow blues, and with football fans of many persuasions, is that they become ultra defensive when it comes to criticism of their star players. This sensitivity and need to "one up" a rival opinion just leads to disingenuousness. We're seeing it now with Nunes, he has put in a few decent performances at fullback, and all of a sudden he's one of the best around; the truth is he's flattered to deceive and will likely be moved on this summer. It's the same with Jack, on an extreme level; the standard he is held to is far lower than any other player in our squad. Why is that? It's because we can't bear to admit, as fans, that our club massively overpaid for a player that ultimately (note: ultimately, not initially) hasn't worked.Enjoyed reading that.
You’re trying to wrap mediocrity in the glory of Manchester City’s golden era — and I am not buying it. Let’s be clear: Grealish didn’t “fit like a glove,” he clung on, benefiting from a system so perfectly drilled it could carry a passenger without breaking stride and also, I won't take away his short lived 3-5Months, but it is not like his performance were anything to remember unless if you are his die-hard fan. Even if I wanted to, I would never take away from the incredible contribution and achievements of every player including Grealish, during that historic treble-winning season. They all played their part in making history.
Correlation isn’t causation. This isn’t a 5-a-side pub stat. He wasn’t the reason we won — he was there while the others dragged us over the line. If he was so crucial, we’d feel his absence. Yet whenever he’s out, our intensity increases, tempo improves, and decision-making sharpens. You don’t need to be Pep to see that. I think you are mistakening Rodri's absence for Grealish's influence!
No one is arguing against balance. But balance isn’t the same as anonymity. For £100M, you expect impact — not just jogging in tight triangles, shielding the ball, and slowing down attacks like he’s running down the clock in minute 7.
Absolutely. But nobody will be talking about Jack Grealish. They’ll be talking about Pep, about Haaland’s goal record, about Gundogan's clutch moments, about Rodri’s dominance, about Bernardo’s versatility — not a winger with fewer league goals over three seasons than some full-backs.
You’re mistaking lack of purpose for “discipline.” Grealish often kills promising transitions, plays safe when boldness is required, and avoids risk to the point of irrelevance. Opponents know he’s going to cut inside and recycle — there’s no edge, no unpredictability, no chaos — nothing to fear or worry about. And oh, we have been doing death by a 1000 cuts way before Grealish played in a City shirt!
Please. Don't try to sprinkle in nostalgic historical fluff to defend a modern luxury player in an era of ruthless efficiency. This isn’t about falling out of favor — it’s about never delivering enough to justify favor in the first place.
“armchair experts”? The same “experts” you mock were the ones calling for Doku when Grealish was sleepwalking through games. The same ones demanding a more dynamic left side to match our evolution and change the game. Guess what? They were right. You speak of "armchair experts", while you pose as one yourself, that is very rich!
We’re not talking about “Hello Magazine” — we’re talking about production, bravery, and technical output at the very top level. Grealish hasn’t delivered it consistently or enough, full stop.
So no, we don’t owe him a round of applause for existing in a treble-winning squad. And no, we’re not going to silence criticism because he held width and passed sideways.
Using Cruyff to defend Jack Grealish’s performances sounds poetic, but it's a complete misreading of what Cruyff actually stood for. The quote — “Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is” — is often thrown around to excuse safe, uninspired play. But Cruyff wasn’t praising players who stall attacks, recycle possession sideways, and avoid risk. He was celebrating players who made the hardest decisions look effortless — fast 1-2s, intelligent off-ball movement, incisive passes in tight spaces. Grealish hasn’t embodied that.
Grealish’s style at City has become more about playing it safe than playing it simple. He slows transitions, plays backward or sideways far too often, and rarely takes on defenders unless it’s deep in the opposition half where the risk is minimal. That’s not “simple” football — it’s cautious football. It’s control without penetration. And when you’re in a team designed to suffocate the opposition with precision and movement, that lack of vertical threat becomes a liability.
Cruyff’s philosophy was about doing the most intelligent thing with the fewest touches — with bravery and intent. If Grealish truly played like Cruyff envisioned, he’d be dictating tempo, eliminating defenders with sharp decisions, and contributing heavily in goals and assists. Instead, 4 years in, he’s been outperformed by nearly every other winger on the team.
So let’s stop misusing Cruyff’s legacy to shield underwhelming performances. If anything, Cruyff would have demanded more from a £100M player operating in one of the best teams in history. Lets stop pretending like Grealish is some misunderstood genius embodying the gospel of Total Football.
Respect the badge, respect the standard. The bar is elite. Jack hasn’t cleared it.
Fuck the whole thread - look at that football top!!!In a 4 year period in our greatest era, City have won more games when Grealish has played and lost more matches when he hasn't which I think deserves a lot of respect.
It also encompassed winning the treble and 4 in a row. The sheer magnitude of winning 4 league titles in a row for the first time in the history of English football seems to escape many on here, an achievement that will be spoken about in 100 years time yet posters are talking about not making dreams come true FFS.
Professional football is about building a balanced team to win football matches. And that's it.
And yet there's 57 pages in this thread and 488 pages in the other thread of tactical geniuses and transfer gurus endlessly repeating themselves, whilst missing the main fucking point of professional football.
Grealish fitted like hand in glove in an extremely high level team that suffocated the opposition both with and without the ball, death by 1000 cuts football, involving real patience, discipline and precision passing, requiring constant focus and concentration from opponents that couldn't be maintained.So rather than slurs, the only thing completely wasted was this level of football on the many on here stomping their feet and wanting the ball passed forward quicker to Haaland.
But the most analysed and popular sport moves on and it seems a narrower front three, a deeper midfield and getting the ball forward to Haaland is where it's now headed. This is probably due to a large extent in Haaland signing a long new contract. And now the foot stompers are complaining about the inevitable energy required in midfield for the increased number of turnovers.
Jimmy Greaves didn't become a bad player immediately because he couldn't force his way back into the 1966 team after injury where Ramsey liked the balance of the team he'd stumbled upon. Ian Bishop didn't become a bad player because Kendall preferred to play a different way in which Mark Ward was more suited. So I don't think Haaland signing a 9 year contract requires a full complement oi Hello magazine writers to pontificate and it may just be a different tactical approach is the now best option to get a balanced team in order to win professional football matches.
So rather than the armchair experts on here who've no real appreciation of what they've been witnessing over the last few years I'll leave the final word to the Godfather of modern football.
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Huge flop.Bravo. Sums up word for word how I feel, articulated far better than I ever could. The thing with fellow blues, and with football fans of many persuasions, is that they become ultra defensive when it comes to criticism of their star players. This sensitivity and need to "one up" a rival opinion just leads to disingenuousness. We're seeing it now with Nunes, he has put in a few decent performances at fullback, and all of a sudden he's one of the best around; the truth is he's flattered to deceive and will likely be moved on this summer. It's the same with Jack, on an extreme level; the standard he is held to is far lower than any other player in our squad. Why is that? It's because we can't bear to admit, as fans, that our club massively overpaid for a player that ultimately (note: ultimately, not initially) hasn't worked.
Yes, he contributed during our treble season. He deserves credit for that. But he didn't carry us, and I would argue there were a dozen more integral cogs in the machine. And the majority of those cogs kept working at an exceptional standard over a much longer period. In any other industry or occupation, if you did six months of solid work followed by a two year disappearing act, you'd be let go, and you certainly wouldn't be held in any kind of high esteem.
My one abiding memory of Jack is the goal in the CL group stage against RB Leipzig (I think). He picked up the ball left side, carried it twenty yards, before curling a beauty into the right hand corner. He's arrived, I thought, we have our next superstar...
That was four years ago.
And therein lies the problem. There haven't been enough wow moments. Enough games that he grabbed by the scruff of the neck. Enough games where he thought, fuck Pep's rigidity, I'm gonna show him what a maverick I am. Am I being unfair? Can people count on one hand his MOTM performances? Maybe he has imposter syndrome? Maybe he's just fallen out of love with football? And all this discounts the high likelihood of his professionalism being sub-standard.
I love Jack as a person, he's one in a million in that regard. But he's flopped, in my opinion. And the reason he's flopped is because he's leaving us, unceremoniously, this summer at the age of 29. That truth is staring us all in the face. Had he succeeded, he'd have signed that extension long ago and we'd be ready to enjoy his prime years. Either that, or he'd have a host of European giants sniffing around him. Neither of those has happened.
Let's wish him well, whilst also expecting a damn sight more from our record signings in future.
Kalvin likes this and half the price too.Huge flop.
Treble winner.
One of only 40 or so in the world to do it involving the Premier league, Champions league and FA Cup.
Three times premier league winner.
Each to their own but thousands of players would love to be as big a flop as Jack has been.
Nobody is ever worth £100 million but it is what it is.
We’ll move on, Jack will move on and then we’ll see what’s what with whoever we bring in.
Or any other signings for that matter.[QUOTE="Blue and true, post: 18320396, m
Let's wish him well, whilst also expecting a damn sight more from our record signings in future.
A player's medal count doesn't offer the truest reflection of their legacy at a club, or the scale of their contributions. It's not a one-size-fits all correlation. As the other poster mentioned, Kalvin Phillips; has more medals than most players in our history but is curiously one of our worst ever players. Jack has won more than Yaya, which player has the greater City legacy? How many plodders hoovered up league-winners medals at united over the years? To clarify, I'm not saying Jack is plodder, nor even a tenth as pitiful as Phillips. But I am maintaining he has flopped.Huge flop.
Treble winner.
One of only 40 or so in the world to do it involving the Premier league, Champions league and FA Cup.
Three times premier league winner.
Each to their own but thousands of players would love to be as big a flop as Jack has been.
Nobody is ever worth £100 million but it is what it is.
We’ll move on, Jack will move on and then we’ll see what’s what with whoever we bring in.
Not even close!As the other poster mentioned, Kalvin Phillips; has more medals than most players in our history but is curiously one of our worst ever players.
Great postEnjoyed reading that.
You’re trying to wrap mediocrity in the glory of Manchester City’s golden era — and I am not buying it. Let’s be clear: Grealish didn’t “fit like a glove,” he clung on, benefiting from a system so perfectly drilled it could carry a passenger without breaking stride and also, I won't take away his short lived 3-5Months, but it is not like his performance were anything to remember unless if you are his die-hard fan. Even if I wanted to, I would never take away from the incredible contribution and achievements of every player including Grealish, during that historic treble-winning season. They all played their part in making history.
Correlation isn’t causation. This isn’t a 5-a-side pub stat. He wasn’t the reason we won — he was there while the others dragged us over the line. If he was so crucial, we’d feel his absence. Yet whenever he’s out, our intensity increases, tempo improves, and decision-making sharpens. You don’t need to be Pep to see that. I think you are mistakening Rodri's absence for Grealish's influence!
No one is arguing against balance. But balance isn’t the same as anonymity. For £100M, you expect impact — not just jogging in tight triangles, shielding the ball, and slowing down attacks like he’s running down the clock in minute 7.
Absolutely. But nobody will be talking about Jack Grealish. They’ll be talking about Pep, about Haaland’s goal record, about Gundogan's clutch moments, about Rodri’s dominance, about Bernardo’s versatility — not a winger with fewer league goals over three seasons than some full-backs.
You’re mistaking lack of purpose for “discipline.” Grealish often kills promising transitions, plays safe when boldness is required, and avoids risk to the point of irrelevance. Opponents know he’s going to cut inside and recycle — there’s no edge, no unpredictability, no chaos — nothing to fear or worry about. And oh, we have been doing death by a 1000 cuts way before Grealish played in a City shirt!
Please. Don't try to sprinkle in nostalgic historical fluff to defend a modern luxury player in an era of ruthless efficiency. This isn’t about falling out of favor — it’s about never delivering enough to justify favor in the first place.
“armchair experts”? The same “experts” you mock were the ones calling for Doku when Grealish was sleepwalking through games. The same ones demanding a more dynamic left side to match our evolution and change the game. Guess what? They were right. You speak of "armchair experts", while you pose as one yourself, that is very rich!
We’re not talking about “Hello Magazine” — we’re talking about production, bravery, and technical output at the very top level. Grealish hasn’t delivered it consistently or enough, full stop.
So no, we don’t owe him a round of applause for existing in a treble-winning squad. And no, we’re not going to silence criticism because he held width and passed sideways.
Using Cruyff to defend Jack Grealish’s performances sounds poetic, but it's a complete misreading of what Cruyff actually stood for. The quote — “Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is” — is often thrown around to excuse safe, uninspired play. But Cruyff wasn’t praising players who stall attacks, recycle possession sideways, and avoid risk. He was celebrating players who made the hardest decisions look effortless — fast 1-2s, intelligent off-ball movement, incisive passes in tight spaces. Grealish hasn’t embodied that.
Grealish’s style at City has become more about playing it safe than playing it simple. He slows transitions, plays backward or sideways far too often, and rarely takes on defenders unless it’s deep in the opposition half where the risk is minimal. That’s not “simple” football — it’s cautious football. It’s control without penetration. And when you’re in a team designed to suffocate the opposition with precision and movement, that lack of vertical threat becomes a liability.
Cruyff’s philosophy was about doing the most intelligent thing with the fewest touches — with bravery and intent. If Grealish truly played like Cruyff envisioned, he’d be dictating tempo, eliminating defenders with sharp decisions, and contributing heavily in goals and assists. Instead, 4 years in, he’s been outperformed by nearly every other winger on the team.
So let’s stop misusing Cruyff’s legacy to shield underwhelming performances. If anything, Cruyff would have demanded more from a £100M player operating in one of the best teams in history. Lets stop pretending like Grealish is some misunderstood genius embodying the gospel of Total Football.
Respect the badge, respect the standard. The bar is elite. Jack hasn’t cleared it.
Comparing Jack to YaYa- a fool’s errand. YaYa, mustard. Jack, quite good but a million miles from YaYa.A player's medal count doesn't offer the truest reflection of their legacy at a club, or the scale of their contributions. It's not a one-size-fits all correlation. As the other poster mentioned, Kalvin Phillips; has more medals than most players in our history but is curiously one of our worst ever players. Jack has won more than Yaya, which player has the greater City legacy? How many plodders hoovered up league-winners medals at united over the years? To clarify, I'm not saying Jack is plodder, nor even a tenth as pitiful as Phillips. But I am maintaining he has flopped.
Jack didn't set his price tag, that wasn't his fault. But when a club pays an unprecedented amount for a player's services then a certain level of consistency is expected. Jack hasn't reached that level, unfortunately.
You’re not sure about him I take it?Great post
I'm not of the older generation, so maybe I'm wrong, but pound for pound there can't be many worse than Phillips.Not even close!
That's literally the point I was making. Their medal hauls don't change that.Comparing Jack to YaYa- a fool’s errand. YaYa, mustard. Jack, quite good but a million miles from YaYa.
If we’re talking this century, and transfer fees relative to the time they were incurred, then I’d say Matias Vuoso was the worst pound for pound signing we’ve made. £3.5 million in 2002 and zero first team performances before being moved on to a Mexican club. Think that will take some beating.I'm not of the older generation, so maybe I'm wrong, but pound for pound there can't be many worse than Phillips.
Bernardo Corradi. Can't remember how much he cost, but he was a truly dreadful footballerIf we’re talking this century, and transfer fees relative to the time they were incurred, then I’d say Matias Vuoso was the worst pound for pound signing we’ve made. £3.5 million in 2002 and zero first team performances before being moved on to a Mexican club. Think that will take some beating.