How can people still be negative about mancini?

[Prestwich_Blue]

Why is it so wrong to have an opinion that isn't fawning or completely uncritical?

We've won the FA Cup and I was in tears at the final whistle. Not because, as some on here would have it, that I was gutted that he'd won something but because I was pleased.

But if we strip away the emotion we struggled to beat 3 lower league teams and then beat a Premiership team that wasn't remotely interested. The semi was our first real test and we didn't turn up until 25 minutes in and could easily have been a couple down. Then we played well for the rest of the game.

But just 5 days before that game we were completely abject at Anfield. Since then we let Everton off the hook after being in total control.

So that's why some of us still doubt whether he really has the ability to take us all the way to a title and CL.

Saturday was the first time that we completely controlled a game for 90 minutes and if we carry on like that the doubts will disappear.

So while I'm thrilled about an FA Cup and CL qualification, I'm looking at next season, when we won't be able to rely on teams around us self-destructing and will have to raise the bar far more than we have this season. 70 points will not be good enough come May 2012.

I'm still not fully convinced Mancini can deliver that vital improvement but I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.

 

[Anonymous]

Just to give a bit of national context to the issue . . we've all heard the media babbling on all season about how we should perform miracles from day one given our investment (effin' nonsense since no other team has ever rebuilt then gone onto instant success). And even with the fact that bacon face took the rags down a division when he rebuilt - they didn't win an honour for 3 years and didn't get the title for 5 . . the press were still hyping it up as instant success or abject failure.

Well, to get to the point, I was half listening to talk sport last night (in the car and busy driving into town) when a pundit put it that Mancini has achieved all his targets and more for this season so should be manager of the year . . knowing how biased they are I was stunned to hear it . . nearly stuffed the motor up the arse of a bus in surprise!

Fact is that our target was a place in Europe (4th place in the Prem) and a getting to a Cup Final (either Europa or FA [FA being the better of the two]) and we've already exceeded that.
Bacon faces target was the treble and we stopped them getting that (failed their target already). As is, they've just squeezed the top spot, virtue of a chelski mid-season collapse, and a humiliation by barca (every possibility of that - come on barca) will showcase an end of season defeat for the rags, on the world stage, and that'll put the icing on it.

Looking at last seasons levels and measuring realistic expectations / improvement levels in this season, it's clear as day that Mancini = manager of the year.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

No matter what any of us think about Mancini, he's won the cup and got us in the top 4. How he did it doesn't matter because he's delivered. And that cup has bought a shitpile of credibility for him with the fans and the squad.

I'm not going to sit here and say "I was wrong, he's the best in the business" like I did about Carlos Tevez because I don't believe it. I still don't think he's the man for City long term. I'm still not even 100% convinced we're the club for him either.

Right now all that matters is we've had 2 of the most glorious days in the club's recent history over the last 4 weeks. He was the manager when we had those days.

He should always be judged on his tenure overall and it's trajectory. He doesn't convince me but by hook or by crook and with a little bit of luck he's dragged us over the line this year and I'm grateful to him for that. His shuffle of the forward players on 72 minutes on Saturday arguably won us the game. I'd have picked 10 of his 11 for the game and the system too, and the way Ya Ya has suddenly learnt how to play in his new position has been the catalyst for the last month. I've given him stick for making errors all season but he got most things right on Saturday, and against Man Utd, so fair fucks to him.

And the players suddenly showed their desire over those two games so they get loads of credit too.

 

[80s Shorts]

For a while I was unsure of Mancini. However, I didnt think it necessary at the time to continually slag him off and have sly digs. Thankfully my patience has been rewarded as Mancini is showing what a class act he is.

Those that, even now, are hell bent on slagging the guy off with no appreciation of what he has achieved are baffling to me.

It is the mark of a mature human being to be able to admit (even to some small extent) that you were not 100% correct in your opinion. It is the sign of a pig headed, immature person that is so stayed in his or her opinion that they are blind to the facts and other opinions.

 

[glen quagmire]

No matter what any of us think about Mancini, he's won the cup and got us in the top 4. How he did it doesn't matter because he's delivered. And that cup has bought a shitpile of credibility for him with the fans and the squad.

I'm not going to sit here and say "I was wrong, he's the best in the business" like I did about Carlos Tevez because I don't believe it. I still don't think he's the man for City long term. I'm still not even 100% convinced we're the club for him either.

Right now all that matters is we've had 2 of the most glorious days in the club's recent history over the last 4 weeks. He was the manager when we had those days.

He should always be judged on his tenure overall and it's trajectory. He doesn't convince me but by hook or by crook and with a little bit of luck he's dragged us over the line this year and I'm grateful to him for that. His shuffle of the forward players on 72 minutes on Saturday arguably won us the game. I'd have picked 10 of his 11 for the game and the system too, and the way Ya Ya has suddenly learnt how to play in his new position has been the catalyst for the last month. I've given him stick for making errors all season but he got most things right on Saturday, and against Man Utd, so fair fucks to him.

And the players suddenly showed their desire over those two games so they get loads of credit too.

DAVE MAY I ASK, WHO IS THE MAN FOR THE CLUB?

Ta.

 

[80s Shorts]

No matter what any of us think about Mancini, he's won the cup and got us in the top 4. How he did it doesn't matter because he's delivered. And that cup has bought a shitpile of credibility for him with the fans and the squad.

I'm not going to sit here and say "I was wrong, he's the best in the business" like I did about Carlos Tevez because I don't believe it. I still don't think he's the man for City long term. I'm still not even 100% convinced we're the club for him either.

Right now all that matters is we've had 2 of the most glorious days in the club's recent history over the last 4 weeks. He was the manager when we had those days.

He should always be judged on his tenure overall and it's trajectory. He doesn't convince me but by hook or by crook and with a little bit of luck he's dragged us over the line this year and I'm grateful to him for that. His shuffle of the forward players on 72 minutes on Saturday arguably won us the game. I'd have picked 10 of his 11 for the game and the system too, and the way Ya Ya has suddenly learnt how to play in his new position has been the catalyst for the last month. I've given him stick for making errors all season but he got most things right on Saturday, and against Man Utd, so fair fucks to him.

And the players suddenly showed their desire over those two games so they get loads of credit too.

Bet you nearly choked on your spittle typing that. Begrudging appreciation for a manager that has helped us to the best season in decades. Wouldnt have bothered.

 

[Anonymous]

You haven't been shy in vilifying Mancini at various stages this season so you can't have it both ways

Bottom line is we won the FA Cup, beat Utd at Wembley, did OK in Europe and qualified for the Champions League. The gap between Arsenal and Chelsea (who incidentally spent £70 Million in the January transfer window (and that didn't work)) has gone. Did you expect more? Free-flowing football? It's been good enough

You have an opinion which you are entitled to, but what good is it of having a critical mind if you are unable to adapt to facts and the world around you.

I respect your views totally, and acknowledge I could be wrong, and I change my mind frequently so please feel free to argue why Mancini should have done better

To be honest Marvin, I've laid it out simply many times, but I'll say it once more. I don't like the football we play under him, and I don't like how he sets the team out. I'm delighted we've won the FA Cup, and finishing 3/4 in the league is a dream because it means CL football. But I'm a purist - i want to see us attempting to play with the kind of freedom that the rags do and Arsenal do and Barcelona do. At the very least I want to see us attempting to capture the imagination of supporters by playing football befitting of the 'richest club in the world' and befitting of a club which boasts an array of attacking talent. The fact is that Mancini hasn't done it for me. He may do next season, but I won't hold my breath. Having said that, I posted the other day I will never again let his boring ways spoil my enjoyment of watching City as it did earlier this season...so onwards and upwards.

 

[Quinny851]

So you are not having little digs at Mancini then.... yeah what ever.

I'm not having sly digs. I'm stating my opinion, which isn't all positive. Hurt your feelings much does it?

Does it hurt your feelings that Mancini has achieved his aims this season ??
i think it does...Im dead happy how things have panned out for us so are my feelings hurt ??..laughing my tits off me.

It hasn't hurt my feelings that Mancini has achieved his aims this season but although for all the good that he's done my personal ambitions haven't been met.

With the squad at his disposal, the money that is available for investment, meeting his targets was imperitive for him personally and us as a club.

I personally think the bar should have been set higher, I mean I believe under Hughes/Mancini the aim was to finish in the top 4 and get to a cup final, with this years investment why should the target have remained the same. That's not my call that's down to the board.

Our results against the top 4 clubs have been ok, generally won at home and lost/drawn away. It's the defeats and dropped points to the likes of Wolves, Birmingham, Blackburn, Villa that have determined our season.

Mancini deserves his chance to get another year or more but I will voice my opinion if we play shite, he does something tactically that I don't agree with, likewise I will lap the praise on if he continues to bring success.

After all isn't that what it's supposed to be like being a football supporter. Praise the good, object to the bad?

 

[Berkovic_blue]

Because even though we may get third and we've won a trophey, some of us believe that most managers with our squad should be able to do the same and with more flair and entertainment. How many of us stood in the kippax watching Brian hortins men win 4-3 or get beat 5-1 and thought, fuck me what a game and didn't give a shit that we won or lost cis we are blue through and through. So as I now live in oz and can't get to a game, have we sacrificed entertainment for trophies? Why can't we have both. I appreciate what he has done for the club in attracting the bigger names, but finishing 3rd at best with the best squad in the league isn't that fantastic is it?

It's his first full season, how about givng him some time to develop the playing style.

As for not caring if we win 4-3 or lose 5-1, well you must've loved Hughes and are probably gutted we've finally won something

 

[Marvin]

Why is it so wrong to have an opinion that isn't fawning or completely uncritical?

We've won the FA Cup and I was in tears at the final whistle. Not because, as some on here would have it, that I was gutted that he'd won something but because I was pleased.

But if we strip away the emotion we struggled to beat 3 lower league teams and then beat a Premiership team that wasn't remotely interested. The semi was our first real test and we didn't turn up until 25 minutes in and could easily have been a couple down. Then we played well for the rest of the game.

But just 5 days before that game we were completely abject at Anfield. Since then we let Everton off the hook after being in total control.

So that's why some of us still doubt whether he really has the ability to take us all the way to a title and CL.

Saturday was the first time that we completely controlled a game for 90 minutes and if we carry on like that the doubts will disappear.

So while I'm thrilled about an FA Cup and CL qualification, I'm looking at next season, when we won't be able to rely on teams around us self-destructing and will have to raise the bar far more than we have this season. 70 points will not be good enough come May 2012.

I'm still not fully convinced Mancini can deliver that vital improvement but I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.

Nothing wrong with having a critical and contrarian view but you have to take onboard facts. After objectives have been achieved and exceeded you have to as you concluded be ready to be convinced.

The argument that we played lower league clubs on the way to the FA Cup is a poor won. our past is littered with disasters at lower League grounds. And I am sure there will be more to come.