We've hit a rough patch of form in the league recently. Let us not forget that we are 3rd, in 2 cups, and our last two games before Fulham were 5-0 and 3-0 wins (obviously against a much lower standard of opposition).
Unfortunately for every single one of us on here (and this isn't a challenge to TH's or Danamy's info sources as they certainly know their stuff), we know fuck all about the mindset of Mancini and people are seeing whatever they want to see. Some say that he is motivating his players through public criticism, no different from what millions of other managers do, some say that he is cracking under the pressure. In reality, both of these will be over simplified and false.
If Mancini wasn't feeling the pressure right now, I'd want him sacked. The idea that Mancini can't handle the pressure of the City job after been the Inter manager for several years is absurd and laughable. Talk about high standards, the guy won the league 3 years on the bounce and STILL got sacked for not winning the CL.
My problem with all of this doesn't rest on Mancini's shoulders, but on the shoulders of us, the fans. I don't think that WE can handle the pressure. Put it this way, if I told you a year ago that we'd be coming into March, still in the Europa League and the FA Cup, and 3rd place in the league, would you have taken it?
I would have snapped your hand off.
Too many times, we micro-analyse every single media report, every comment by the manager or a player, every kick of the ball, every hand gesture or 'body language communique'. We spend so much of our time talking about all of the trimmings, that we forget to eat the turkey.
The turkey, in my view, is that we are on a rough run of form due to injuries to key players and our playing style isn't palatable to those who turn up to be entertained. Good. I don't want people going to Eastlands to be 'entertained', I want them to go because they want to watch City win.
You can debate all day long about whose fault it is that we are on bad form. Is it Mancini's for not signing stronger in the January window? To be fair, this is another one of those things that has happened since the takeover; some believe that we are now able to just buy people by clicking our fingers. Is it the players who lack the talent to play in the first team against this type of opposition? Is it tiredness? Lack of motivation?
Again, the reality will be some mixture of all of the above.
So, if you do agree that it is Mancini's fault that we are in bad form (and I do), then what do we do about it? Sack him? That sets a very dangerous precedent within our club - sacking a manager every time we go through a bad run of form. Slag him off all day on here? Whether some like to admit it or not, this place catches the zeitgeist of the City fans, and does have the power to influence opinions of others. If this whole placed was screaming for his head, it would eventually filter into the matchday fans thus the club itself. Do we blindly support him?
I support the management of the club when they have a proven track record. I do this because it makes me feel happier as a fan. I see football fanaticism as the support of a group of athletes wearing the badge of the local community team. I don't go to be entertained, I go to help and try to motivate the athletes that I root for.
This isn't to say that I can't see the criticism of him, because I can and do acknowledge when he has things wrong, I just never get myself in a position where I feel that the mans time at this club should be over because of one incident. If these incidents build up whereby his negatives outweigh the positives, and we have alternatives in the market place who look like they are able to do a better job, then I don't mind a change. To be honest, I don't see drawing a game at home to be a negative that deserves to be considered in our overall judgement of Mancini.
This is what I mean about pressure. For those who can't handle this, every straw is the one that broke the camel's back. Every negative is a huge deal which means that he MUST GO RIGHT NOW. On the opposite side, some cannot take the criticism of Mancini in the correct context. Not every critque means that he should be sacked, just as not every mistake means that he should be sacked.
It was an interesting place this forum in January. There was an undercurrent of a "Mancini Out" starting up again, just as Hughes Out started. First, it starts off with threads like this; then it progresses to the joking "Mancini Out" threads, then some idiot posts a completely knee jerk reaction to a bad day at the office for the team, and the conversation is then out there and the ball rolls until the forum is in complete warfare again.
After the Notts County game, we had several threads criticising the team. I want you to consider this for a moment; after a 5-0 win, we had threads criticising the team for not playing well enough. If you are making threads about it then, then your opinion is tainted and nothing you say should be taken seriously. 5-0 wins make you immune from criticism.
The point is, Mancini taken in overall context is doing a good job. Not great mind, but good. If he would have challenged for the league, it would have been a masterful job, but it wasn't to be this year though with an extra year together, we could be looking at this next year. A good job, favourites for the UEFA Cup and sliding through the rounds lately, 3rd in the league in March and a semi-tough run in in the FA Cup that could see us at Wembley. That's not bad for his first full season. He has a far better win record than current flavour of the month Harry Redknapp which is constantly overlooked.
There's very little to worry about here. We've dipped in form due to injuries, but we're still looking good in all competitions. Just calm down and stop panicking so much at every little thing. We're fine. We might not win something this year, or we might win a Double (!). We might finish 2nd or we might finish 5th. None of it truly matters. What matters is how much we are moving forward as a club and as a team; I don't think anyone doubts that we have moved forward significantly under Mancini both on and off the pitch. Have some patience and stop trying to force everything.
