Handling the pressure - Mentality

[pee dubya]

For all the big money we spent, how many of our players have actually won serious trophies?

Vieira, Tevez, Toure, Bridge, Sylvinho and RSC. I think that's it?

Only Tevez is really in his prime, maybe Bridge and Toure too. The other 3 are on their way out, bit part players.

 

[Unknown_Genius]

Come on people. If there was only two minutes of injury time would we be having this discussion? We handled the pressure just fine and lost the game with 20 seconds to go. We have won games in injury time and we have lost games in injury time.

You misunderstood, its not the result I'm really talking about, but the performance to go with it. When we beat them in 2006, we were aggressive, we pushed them, tackled and harried them, Ireland was superb that day. Yesterday, we just let them control the midfield and it was no real surprise they nicked it. The players just seemed to freeze on the big occasion. It wasn't just this game I was talking about but the matches against Liverpool and Everton aswell.

 

[warringtonmcfc]

Come on people. If there was only two minutes of injury time would we be having this discussion? We handled the pressure just fine and lost the game with 20 seconds to go. We have won games in injury time and we have lost games in injury time.

When was the last time that we won a game in injury time? It's not springing readily to my mind!

Without going back and checking I am pretty sure it's not happened this season.

 

[haggis95]

It's about comfort zones.

Being self-employed I've gone to some self-improvement courses (which often use sports' analogies, since they are so apt).

One thing I've learned, and which fits for me, is that people have comfort zones for things like money/income. When I make more money than I want/need I back off and coast for a while, until I'm reaching the end of my money and start to fall beneath the amount of money/income I need to feel comfortable. Then I start to work and make money etc... etc.,....

To make MORE money I need to start feeling uncomfrotable with what I am NOW comfortable making.

Back to the topic.... City need to feel uncomfortable being 6th or 4th and feel a DIRE need to be be first!

While the fans and the team are happy with 4th then City will never rise above fourth.

Being first has to be on every one's mind.

What seems to be on everyone's mind is beating United, and that's why City has a better record against United than it does against other topflight teams.

What seems to be on the players' minds is their contracts, not being first.

Until the team is bigger than any player then City will never top the league with any regularity. And that's why Nani was dumped for a month or so when he complained about Fergie. Meanwhile Bellamy cvan mouth off about the team and not get sanctioned, which reinforces that the players are bigger than the team.

Until the manager can drive this goal with a rod of iron and dump any player who steps out of line this will never happen.

Until beating United in a Derby comes second to winning the league City will not win the league with any regularity.

When players and managers have got the team's priorities straight THEN they will have a winning mentality, and they won;t fold in the final minutes.

That's why United played OLDER and more tired players against City yesterday and won. On paper they should have lost. Giggs, Scholes and Neville don't know how to spell that word.

 

[Barcon]

Come on people. If there was only two minutes of injury time would we be having this discussion? We handled the pressure just fine and lost the game with 20 seconds to go. We have won games in injury time and we have lost games in injury time.

You misunderstood, its not the result I'm really talking about, but the performance to go with it. When we beat them in 2006, we were aggressive, we pushed them, tackled and harried them, Ireland was superb that day. Yesterday, we just let them control the midfield and it was no real surprise they nicked it. The players just seemed to freeze on the big occasion. It wasn't just this game I was talking about but the matches against Liverpool and Everton aswell.

I disagree that it was no real surprise that they nicked it. I still thought we could win it and was hoping to see more injury time added on. The players didn't freeze when we played Chelsea and Arsenal and they were big occasions.
In 2006 when we were aggresive and pushed them and tackled them and Ireland was superb we played a different team and like you say, Ireland was superb (and I'll have to take your word on that because I honestly don't remember). But, he aint superb now. As far as when was the last time we won in extra time goes, I don't know, but we have. I'm not looking to argue, I just don't think there's any mental problems, we lost a game of football and we'll loose a lot more before I die.

 

[Unknown_Genius]

You misunderstood, its not the result I'm really talking about, but the performance to go with it. When we beat them in 2006, we were aggressive, we pushed them, tackled and harried them, Ireland was superb that day. Yesterday, we just let them control the midfield and it was no real surprise they nicked it. The players just seemed to freeze on the big occasion. It wasn't just this game I was talking about but the matches against Liverpool and Everton aswell.

I disagree that it was no real surprise that they nicked it. I still thought we could win it and was hoping to see more injury time added on. The players didn't freeze when we played Chelsea and Arsenal and they were big occasions.
In 2006 when we were aggresive and pushed them and tackled them and Ireland was superb we played a different team and like you say, Ireland was superb (and I'll have to take your word on that because I honestly don't remember). But, he aint superb now. As far as when was the last time we won in extra time goes, I don't know, but we have. I'm not looking to argue, I just don't think there's any mental problems, we lost a game of football and we'll loose a lot more before I die.

The Arsenal and Chelsea games were both different. Everton and Liverpool were billed as the win and you go forth and get Champions League. It was always as if they were cup finals. There were no other matches playing at the time that would have affected our position, so the sole focus was on us, and both times we buckled. The whole media attention, and hype before them does not help the players, there is a load of them that have never been under that sort of scrutiny, attention and expectation before.

 

[Gelsons Dad]

I would question the fans mentality before the players!