Joe Hart (joined Torino on season long loan - Official)

[Metalartin]

L

I think Pep will have been talking to the likes of Brian Kidd about what has gone on over the years going right back to the Mancini era. He'll have worked out exactly who's been up to what. I seem to remember Pep saying that he wasn't too concerned with tactics at the moment and that he was concentrating more on trying to create team spirit, or words to that effect. If that means getting rid of a few players he thinks are detrimental to team spirit, then that is what will happen regardless of ability.

Yeah if there's anything to it he's gone I agree, Pep needs everyone to buy into his culture and his plan by the sounds of it(I've not read his book but I've heard plenty about his values) and I can see the logic in it to be honest. If anything would get in the way of building a new culture it would be the players themselves, I don't want to say "bad apple" because I don't get the sense he's like that, I could believe he may have become too big for his boots and too influential with the other players perhaps.

 

[twoddlehopper]

Any world champion with ambition and aspirations of greatness?

I tell you what the atmosphere would be 100x better if we didn't have tits singing "don't sell Hart" trying to create divisions in the fan base.

Maybe we should all just get behind the boss and the players on the pitch who have obviously shown their ability to stay fit and listen to instructions.

Something has been wrong with this crop of players for 5 years, time to put it right and that will probably involve rooting the old guard out.

In 5 years we'll all be singing Jesus Navas songs and John Stones songs.

If it really doesn't matter to you who you actually watch on the pitch playing, why not go to a different team in the district when city are away?

I care about Manchester City being the best at it's intended purpose. And yes, that is winning every competition that it enters. To be the best of the best. That is why Sheikh Mansour has ploughed more than a billion of your British pounds into the club. That is why the academy was built. That is why we are spending milions on the finest young talent money can buy.That is why Pep is here. That is the journey we have been on for the last 8 years or so. All this has happened to enable us to win everything and then win some more. It certainly wasn't done so the players could have a rapport with the fans to make them feel good on Saturday afternoon after a hard week at work. It's not a social club. So, yes, it is all about winning. Nothing else really matters as far as football is concerned.

Sad statement that. One I completely disagree with.

 

[goalmole]

If it really doesn't matter to you who you actually watch on the pitch playing, why not go to a different team in the district when city are away?

Sad statement that. One I completely disagree with.

In that case I don't see the point to any sporting organisation, team, club or contest. I can't imagine 2 teams going at it for 90 minutes and the losing team going home happy that it lost. When I watch City play I watch them in expectation of them overcoming the opposition. Winning. If they lose, it spoils my whole weekend. Am I missing something. Is the Corinthian spirit still stirring amongst the untold billions that are being spent to enable teams to succeed, also known as winning. Perhaps some people have other loftier reasons for watching their team but I would take a guess that there is nothing football fans enjoy more than seeing their team win and nothing they hate more than seeing their team lose, to suggest otherwise would be a tad disingenuous.

 

[FanchesterCity]

In that case I don't see the point to any sporting organisation, team, club or contest. I can't imagine 2 teams going at it for 90 minutes and the losing team going home happy that it lost. When I watch City play I watch them in expectation of them overcoming the opposition. Winning. If they lose, it spoils my whole weekend. Am I missing something. Is the Corinthian spirit still stirring amongst the untold billions that are being spent to enable teams to succeed, also known as winning. Perhaps some people have other loftier reasons for watching their team but I would take a guess that there is nothing football fans enjoy more than seeing their team win and nothing they hate more than seeing their team lose, to suggest otherwise would be a tad disingenuous.

I totally understand where you're coming from but there's another level of things too.
Older fans will remember far more about special City 'moments' in their lives far more than the wins and losses (barring the very significant ones). Their first City shirt, first match, listening to us playing in Europe on the radio etc. Winning the FA cup or the League are truly fantastic moments, definitely, but they are massively outweighed by the rich and fond memories of being a supporter than go well beyond the final score. You'd be hard pressed to find a more dramatic individual moment than the Aguero one, but over the lifetime of supporting City it will still never measure up to all the other memories combined, most of which weren't about end results.

At the risk of sounding like a hippy peace maker, I think you're both right, but at two different levels. The player changes we make are all about being the best team we can be in order to win. That's what a sporting team does, that's it's goal (pardon the pun).
But 'sport' magically offers more than that, and the drama for good and bad, and some of the memories I've mentioned above combine to make being a fan far FAR more than the end result. Otherwise, why watch at all? might as well just await the final score on a teleprinter right?

You're right that the feeling of winning is good, and the feeling of losing is not, and yet so many fans will endure the feeling of losing far more often just for the rare time they win. That defies the simple logic of it only being about winning - because if you lose more than you win, it's a net deficit. We go because we still enjoy the feeling of hope. That 'next time we might win!'.

So really, it's not all about the actual winning. It's the hope of winning, the dream of winning, and even sometimes, the 'we almost did it' moments or the plain old sentimentality of 'remember when...' and the result is almost an irrelevance when we look backwards at it.

 

[goalmole]

I tLunderstand where you're coming from but there's another level of things too.
Older fans will remember far more about special City 'moments' in their lives far more than the wins and losses (barring the very significant ones). Their first City shirt, first match, listening to us playing in Europe on the radio etc. Winning the FA cup or the League are truly fantastic moments, definitely, but they are massively outweighed by the rich and fond memories of being a supporter than go well beyond the final score. You'd be hard pressed to find a more dramatic individual moment than the Aguero one, but over the lifetime of supporting City it will still never measure up to all the other memories combined, most of which weren't about end results.

At the risk of sounding like a hippy peace maker, I think you're both right, but at two different levels. The player changes we make are all about being the best team we can be in order to win. That's what a sporting team does, that's it's goal (pardon the pun).
But 'sport' magically offers more than that, and the drama for good and bad, and some of the memories I've mentioned above combine to make being a fan far FAR more than the end result. Otherwise, why watch at all? might as well just await the final score on a teleprinter right?

You're right that the feeling of winning is good, and the feeling of losing is not, and yet so many fans will endure the feeling of losing far more often just for the rare time they win. That defies the simple logic of it only being about winning - because if you lose more than you win, it's a net deficit. We go because we still enjoy the feeling of hope. That 'next time we might win!'.

So really, it's not all about the actual winning. It's the hope of winning, the dream of winning, and even sometimes, the 'we almost did it' moments or the plain old sentimentality of 'remember when...' and the result is almost an irrelevance when we look backwards at it.

I understand what you say and that is a different argument but I don't think it extends to keeping Joe Hart or any other player just for the sake of it.

 

[george22]

Joey has been a great keeper for us
Won games almost single handedly at times
Still has a good amount of time left in his career
I'm a big fan but this is a new regime and if Pep wants a change then
Thanks Joey but this where we part ways
Good luck and thanks

 

[FanchesterCity]

I understand what you say and that is a different argument but I don't think it extends to keeping Joe Hart or any other player just for the sake of it.

Agreed!
We'd still have Asa Hartford in midfield and Dave Watson at the back if I let myself think that way!

 

[FanchesterCity]

Joey has been a great keeper for us
Won games almost single handedly at times
Still has a good amount of time left in his career
I'm a big fan but this is a new regime and if Pep wants a change then
Thanks Joey but this where we part ways
Good luck and thanks

Right hand ;-)

 

[Ezra]

Right hand ;-)

I did chortle

 

[afro2007]

It was very surprise to Joe put a smile on his face when Sunderland leveled the scores. I never thought he would laugh inside with such intent hope Pep succeed and makes history for winning the UCL and the league title together for his turnual.