Ticket For Schalke said:We've seen managers come to these shores, that everyone would of thought would be a success here, the same way people are suggesting decent managers with track records, what happened to ramos, le guen et el?
jay_mcfc said:blueinsa said:As with Mancini boys, shit efforts, must do better ;-)
Does that mean I'll win a cup?
Are you in the Green man for wembley? Come have a beer if you are, as long as you're not singing any of 'those' songs. That goes for Billy and Dave too but I guess the former will be on a plane somewhere far away.
blueinsa said:As it stands i have no idea tbh fella. Wife is in Hospital tomorrow morning for a C-section, twins ;-)
I have a ticket but it will be a last minute call as to whether i get to make the game dependant on family circumstances.
Dyed Petya said:blueinsa said:As it stands i have no idea tbh fella. Wife is in Hospital tomorrow morning for a C-section, twins ;-)
I have a ticket but it will be a last minute call as to whether i get to make the game dependant on family circumstances.
Best wishes to you and your wife for the birth, mate. Hope you also manage to make the final.
blueinsa said:Dyed Petya said:Best wishes to you and your wife for the birth, mate. Hope you also manage to make the final.
Cheers mate.
2 healthy kids, 3 points against Spurs and lifting the cup will certainly make for an amazing week :-)
Chick Counterfly said:The evidence for Mancini leaving is miniscule by comparison. It's just something we're talking about on here.
Dyed Petya said:Chick Counterfly said:The evidence for Mancini leaving is miniscule by comparison. It's just something we're talking about on here.
Well, it's not JUST something we're talking about on here. Mancini to Juve has been rumoured for quite some time in the Italian press. It wouldn't be popular with the Juve fans because Mancini was the coach of the club that benefitted most from their punishment in the Calciopoli affair, but historically there's always been a lot of movement between the big clubs in Italy; the supporters would probably forget their animosity pretty quickly if he were to be successful.
There have been reports that Mancini met a Juve delegation in London last month. Nothing conclusive in the fact that something was reported in the press, but there was a lot of detail, which tends to add credibility: the date (13 April), the place (some hotel - forget which one, and don't have time to search for the reports now), those present (including Juve director Nedved, sporting director Marotta, and agent Raiola). Moreover, Nedved, who is rumoured to be taking on a more important role in a post-season shake up and who is touted as being a major advocate of Mancini within the current Juve structure, is a former team mate of RM at Lazio so the two men have a long-standing acquaintance.
Anyway, the 'Mancini to Juve' story still may not be true, and even if it is, it may just be an insurance policy for Roberto. A month ago, it did look like Spurs would push us much harder for fourth place than currently appears the case (I hope I haven't tempted fate by saying that). Mancini would probably have believed that finishing fifth could well get him the sack, so perhaps any flirtation with another club was simply football's equivalent of firing off one or two CVs in the real world if you don't think things are going well at work. Frankly, Mancini's agent wouldn't have been doing his job properly if he weren't putting feelers out for other potential employers for his client at that stage.
However, it's certainly not inconceivable that he could want to go there anyway. Being closer to his sick father would be a powerful motivation on its own. It's also possible that he may, after 18 months in England. have decided that he either feels more comfortable in Italian football or that Italy simply suits his skills better. And there could be an emotional pull: Juve is, historically, the best supported Italian club and the most successful in domestic competition. Mancini supported them as a kid, too. They move to a new stadium this summer, and it wouldn't be a complete surprise if he was drawn to the challenge of leading the club into its new era. And now that it looks as though we have a fair shot at finishing fourth and winning a pot - well, rather than being a ground for him to stay, that could equally be a factor that would help him to decide to quit, meaning he could leave with his head held high.
So this isn't simply a piece of nonsense which we're idly speculating about on here. It's something that's been the subject of chatter for a while and that hasn't gone away. Moreover, you can put together a fairly decent argument for why it could actually stack up. Of course, only Mancini knows for sure what he wants and none of the above may apply. I think there's enough of a prospect to make it worth discussing, though.
Rammy Blue said:That's a very insightful post, DP.
To be honest I wasn't aware that the Juve meeting in London took place, I was under the impression that a meeting was denied in the press?
Dyed Petya said:Chick Counterfly said:The evidence for Mancini leaving is miniscule by comparison. It's just something we're talking about on here.
Well, it's not JUST something we're talking about on here. Mancini to Juve has been rumoured for quite some time in the Italian press. It wouldn't be popular with the Juve fans because Mancini was the coach of the club that benefitted most from their punishment in the Calciopoli affair, but historically there's always been a lot of movement between the big clubs in Italy; the supporters would probably forget their animosity pretty quickly if he were to be successful.
There have been reports that Mancini met a Juve delegation in London last month. Nothing conclusive in the fact that something was reported in the press, but there was a lot of detail, which tends to add credibility: the date (13 April), the place (some hotel - forget which one, and don't have time to search for the reports now), those present (including Juve director Nedved, sporting director Marotta, and agent Raiola). Moreover, Nedved, who is rumoured to be taking on a more important role in a post-season shake up and who is touted as being a major advocate of Mancini within the current Juve structure, is a former team mate of RM at Lazio so the two men have a long-standing acquaintance.
Anyway, the 'Mancini to Juve' story still may not be true, and even if it is, it may just be an insurance policy for Roberto. A month ago, it did look like Spurs would push us much harder for fourth place than currently appears the case (I hope I haven't tempted fate by saying that). Mancini would probably have believed that finishing fifth could well get him the sack, so perhaps any flirtation with another club was simply football's equivalent of firing off one or two CVs in the real world if you don't think things are going well at work. Frankly, Mancini's agent wouldn't have been doing his job properly if he weren't putting feelers out for other potential employers for his client at that stage.
However, it's certainly not inconceivable that he could want to go there anyway. Being closer to his sick father would be a powerful motivation on its own. It's also possible that he may, after 18 months in England. have decided that he either feels more comfortable in Italian football or that Italy simply suits his skills better. And there could be an emotional pull: Juve is, historically, the best supported Italian club and the most successful in domestic competition. Mancini supported them as a kid, too. They move to a new stadium this summer, and it wouldn't be a complete surprise if he was drawn to the challenge of leading the club into its new era. And now that it looks as though we have a fair shot at finishing fourth and winning a pot - well, rather than being a ground for him to stay, that could equally be a factor that would help him to decide to quit, meaning he could leave with his head held high.
So this isn't simply a piece of nonsense which we're idly speculating about on here. It's something that's been the subject of chatter for a while and that hasn't gone away. Moreover, you can put together a fairly decent argument for why it could actually stack up. Of course, only Mancini knows for sure what he wants and none of the above may apply. I think there's enough of a prospect to make it worth discussing, though.