Roberto Mancini is not cracking under the strain of City’s title chase. But the weight of the world will come crashing down on the Blues boss’s shoulders if his team fails to beat Fulham tomorrow, warns Kevin Keegan. The former City boss knows more than most about the pressure of going head-to-head with Sir Alex Ferguson and United after his Newcastle side blew a 12-point lead in 1996.
Keegan was famously said to have suffered a meltdown live on television with his “I’d love it” rant during the run-in. And after City lost at Everton on Tuesday night, some pundits suggested Mancini had a “Keegan moment” as he spoke of the defeat being his fault. But Keegan says Mancini was actually being smart. “He was taking the pressure off the players,” said the former England and Fulham boss, now lead football analyst at ESPN. “He could have said that when you have the number of players City have with vast experience and international know-how, they shouldn’t perform at such an average level.”
Keegan also dismissed the notion that it was his flare-up which lost Newcastle the title 16 years ago. “I never realised it was shouting, as I had the earphones on – and you have to remember we had just beaten Leeds!” he said. “Everyone has their opinion, but people look for scapegoats, whether it be a manager or a player. The truth is you are all in it together, and at Newcastle we just weren’t good enough. Our players, when it came to the crunch, didn’t put chances away, and I may have picked the wrong team at times. When we lost, it was always the wrong team! “Maybe that is what Roberto was trying to say the other night, and there is nothing wrong with sometimes admitting you got it wrong. “People will look at those things, but Roberto knows the answers are in his dressing room, and Fulham is a massive game for them. The whole world will come down on Mancini and his players if they don’t win it.”
Prestwich_Blue said:Here's the article:
Roberto Mancini is not cracking under the strain of City’s title chase. But the weight of the world will come crashing down on the Blues boss’s shoulders if his team fails to beat Fulham tomorrow, warns Kevin Keegan. The former City boss knows more than most about the pressure of going head-to-head with Sir Alex Ferguson and United after his Newcastle side blew a 12-point lead in 1996.
Keegan was famously said to have suffered a meltdown live on television with his “I’d love it” rant during the run-in. And after City lost at Everton on Tuesday night, some pundits suggested Mancini had a “Keegan moment” as he spoke of the defeat being his fault. But Keegan says Mancini was actually being smart. “He was taking the pressure off the players,” said the former England and Fulham boss, now lead football analyst at ESPN. “He could have said that when you have the number of players City have with vast experience and international know-how, they shouldn’t perform at such an average level.”
Keegan also dismissed the notion that it was his flare-up which lost Newcastle the title 16 years ago. “I never realised it was shouting, as I had the earphones on – and you have to remember we had just beaten Leeds!” he said. “Everyone has their opinion, but people look for scapegoats, whether it be a manager or a player. The truth is you are all in it together, and at Newcastle we just weren’t good enough. Our players, when it came to the crunch, didn’t put chances away, and I may have picked the wrong team at times. When we lost, it was always the wrong team! “Maybe that is what Roberto was trying to say the other night, and there is nothing wrong with sometimes admitting you got it wrong. “People will look at those things, but Roberto knows the answers are in his dressing room, and Fulham is a massive game for them. The whole world will come down on Mancini and his players if they don’t win it.”
Really don't see any problem with that. He's talking completely from his own experience.
City Raider said:why exactly are we supposed to be offended by that?
Bigg Bigg Blue said:Fulham, Newcastle and City. 3 clubs that would not be where they are today if not for KK.