I am also thankful for what Bobby has achieved with us as our manager, he has helped stabilise the club and make us into a contender for silverware. He has brought us our first FA Cup, Premier League Title & Community Shield and will be forever remembered for doing so - and rightly so.
I look at last summer during the transfer window which turned out to be a total farce, and felt sympathy towards Bobby as the club did not back him in the market. But with the mistsakes made the squad was still capable of retaining the premier league title. The season started with what seemed to be with a hangover for the players from winning the title last term, there was lackluste displays which frustrated myself and other fans. The issue was that this carried on throughout the whole season and was not something that you could call a blip
During the CL campaign it was here after playing Dortmund that the camels back was broken, It was their formation and tactics that showed other teams how to sit back and basically counter against our style of play - this was then picked up on by the rest of the premier league sides, we struggled against this type of formation constantly trying to break the opposition defence by going through the middle, due to the fact that we had no width.
We did pick form up slightly towards the end but then again it returned to lethargic dislays & basically withered out. Not any fan, whether you are a lifelong Blue or a newbie can deny that this defence of our premier league title was basically poor.
It culminated in our club reaching the FA Cup final, against a strong wigan side fighting relegation but with a number of injuries to their squad. Prior to the final we played Wigan in the league at the Etihad and Wigan outplayed us in our own park, we got the win down to a piece of individual brilliance from Carlos that secured the 3 points, however and I think most fellow blues would agree it went against the run of play
In the run up to the FA Cup the week started with the great news that baconface had retired - a day for us to celebrate the passing of the devil incarnate. Rumours of the job being turned down by Mourinho, which meant the 2nd option of Gollum was taken up made the news even sweeter to our ears. The week could not get any better.
But low and behold news then broke out that Bobby's position at our club was under threat again, initial reports at the beginning of the month started with Txiki being spotted having dinner with Pellegrini's agent (Jesus Martinez). The Spanish press reported this which of course the english press lapped up with reports of Pellegrini being offered to take over. The press questioned Bobby in most press interviews regarding the situation to which Bobby brushed aside.
But this must have irritated Bobby, it would anyone, but that is the nature of the game now it seems.
In the build up to the game yesterday it emerged earlier on that in fact Pellegrini had accepted the job and would arrive in the summer. The Spanish press again reporting that it was sealed, Pellegrini although not admitting was known to have spoken to his players. This so called appointment also came with the news that Isco would follow Pellegrini as part of him taking the manager's job at City.
With the game drawing near the players and Bobby arrived at Wembley, and then a short while after it showed both Bobby and Khaldoon stood side by side on the pitch - now due to the news that had broken prior to the game I could have been looking for signs, but it did seem that their was a slight frostyness between the pair as they stood together, facial expression on both parties looked as though it was them trying to show a statement of everything was okay, but it didn't (not to me anyway)
Now in the FA Cup final yesterday, our manager & our players would have been well aware of how Wigan play, but would have also been aware of the injuries to their squad which meant they were not at 100%. The showing by our players was shocking, it was flat footed and at times reflecting back you would think that we were the team fighting relegation and Wigan the ones with the vastly assembled squad.
The question we have to ask is why, for whatever reason could the players not pick themselves up for an FA Cup final - the most prestigous cup final in World football. And although the players are to blame so is Bobby, because after that 1st half display it is his job to speak to the players and give them the kick up the backside and make them rectify the sitaution in the 2nd half, that it was he is paid to do.
But it never happened and Wigan again controlled the game and as this was going on and the rain was coming down the camera panned to Khaldoon & Soriano who were sat in the stands and they did not look happy with what they had seen - and rightly so.
Wigan went on to secure the win, and as hard as it is to say it, they bloody deserved to win.
Now I am a supporter of Bobby as he is our manager, he has brought us silverware which is what we as fans had craved for, for a hell of a long time. Now that this has arrived our expectations will increase - something that some of us Blues have not had to deal with as we were used to yo-yoing up and down like a bloody fairground ride - but we stuck with the club and the players because we loved our club.
I was in agreement that Bobby should have at the very least one more season, but looking in hindsight what would that ultimately achieve. Will Bobby change his way of tactics ? Will he change the way in which he prepares the team for europe ? Will he still hold strong on the formations he thinks will improve the squad ? Will he bring through any of the talented youth players next season or instead want multiple major signings? There are many more questions all which have question marks against them
During his time at Inter, Bobby became their most successful manager winning three consecutive Serie A titles and two Italian Cups, and won almost 62% of his 226 games at the helm. But his downfall at Inter was his lack of winning the champions league. After winning those titles within his time at Inter they still sacked him after the game against Liverpool following statements by Bobby to the press.
It showed that no matter how much silverware a manager achieves they too along with the players are not bigger than the club, and the Inter president acted in the best interests of the club by dismissing Bobby.
After the FA cup final another bloody report came out stating that Bobby had made critical remarks towards the hierachy at our club....and rightly so because it was over the so called Pellegrini rumours.
But the problem is that the players along with Bobby are professional's in their own right and these rumours should not have affected their game on the day.
What I ask for now is a statement from the City board, someone needs to come out and either put all this rumour nonsense to bed or state which direction the board is going in in terms of a new manager if that is the case.
So, come on Soriano or Khaldoon let us fans know what is happening, so the bloody press can stop reporting rumours which have ultimately de-stabilised the squad in what was one of the most important games of the season.
