Mister Appointment said:Rammy Blue said:Sounds to me like he's cracking, maybe he wants putting out of his misery so he can pick up a payoff.
I'll tell you something for free Rammy, we should be careful what we wish for. When Mancini went Pellegrini was at least on the market, but going into next summer without a manager is gong to see our pool of candidates very limited. Klopp isn't going to leave Dortmund. As much as we'd all love it to be true, did you see his celebrations after they won at the weekend? It's not just not gonna happen.
Same applies to Bayern and Pep. To me it's just fanciful that he's going to leave Bayern and arguably one of the most complete squads in the world, and pitch up at City this summer where he's probably got literally only five or six players capable of playing the way he wants. It's a pipe dream.
That's not to say that Manuel isn't in danger, as he clearly needs to arrest this slide pronto. However I really fear if Abu Dhabi can't get one of the two guys mentioned above, the third choice is going to lead us straight back up the road we're currently on.
I'm fucked if I know what to do right now.
dancity19 said:It seems the buys aren't Pellegrini's, but they really have to be looked at. Our buying policy over the last 3 seasons just isn't what we need. Too many sub standard players.
OB1 said:I do not see Pellegrini going mid-season and to get rid now would be premature.
gordondaviesmoustache said:There's a regrettable, but to some extent inevitable, lack of perspective from much of our support.EalingBlue2 said:gordondaviesmoustache said:Very well said, mate.
Even the mighty chelsea who we rave about have won the title 3 times in What is now abramovich's 11 seasons after a big Harding investment.
As for 3rd if you look at the seasons of arsenal, Liverpool, rags etc who have all started worse than us them there is nothing to suggest we will drop below 2nd
We've averaged around two points a game this season. By any measure that's a good return. We can't win the league every year. I'm not sure it would even be a good thing if we did. Does that mean that in those seasons we finish second, or god forbid, third that people derive no enjoyment from the experience, as appears to be the case with some of our fans?
What a unfortunate world to inhabit. I do think some of our supporters aren't getting all they can out of this wonderful experience we've been blessed with, which is a shame. It's almost like they've become consumed by a desire to win everything, which is not a good place to occupy as it means regular disappointment, whoever you support.
Mister Appointment said:dancity19 said:It seems the buys aren't Pellegrini's, but they really have to be looked at. Our buying policy over the last 3 seasons just isn't what we need. Too many sub standard players.
I've read this in a few places but I can't agree with it at all. I agree that post Mancini's title win we bought badly, however that was prior to Begiristain coming in. Since his appointment as DoF our business has been exactly what it needed to be from a footballing perspective.
We all felt the season that ended with Mancini's sacking was one of gross underachievement in terms of results and performances. The squad we had at that point was good enough to win the title. Moving into the following summer the only player you can look at with hindsight and say "that's not worked" is Jovetic. Every other player bought that window was worth it and has to some extent proven so. We paid 15 million euros for Navas, who for all his deficiencies did exactly the job he needed to do last season and provided that much needed bit of pace we lacked on the flanks. 13 assists and 6 goals in all competitions for what we paid is more than value for money. Negredo - well it's obvious it was a great piece of business at the time. Lots of talk that Fernandinho is suddenly not good enough. To me that is bollocks he was instrumental to our title win and is still in the top five central midfield players in the league. The only club who IMO boast better options in centre mid are Chelsea.
The summer just gone was one in which the club was hamstrung by FFP sanctions. In terms of judging the players bought - seems incredibly knee jerk to me to be writing off Mangala and Fernando when our own recent history shows us everyone from Silva, to Yaya took literally months to get up to speed in the premier league. Mangala and Fernando have come into the side in a much more high pressure moment and they are both struggling, but in a side that is struggling. It's simply too early to judge.
Where I think we have maybe missed a trick, and this again is probably mitigated by FFP, is that we probably needed to shake up the attacking side of the team this summer. Whether it was Milner, Navas, Nasri, Silva, or Yaya. What we should've done this summer is brought in a bona fide match winner who might have taken the place of one of the players i've mentioned, but who would also have given the whole squad a boost and a reminder that nobody's place is safe and the standards at the club are to continually look to improve.
Prestwich_Blue said:He will be grilled by the Barca boys about what's causing the underperformance but suppose he says "There are too many players who are too far in their comfort zone and we need to get them out?" If they accept this, then not only do I think he won't be sacked but he'll be allowed another season, having ditched those not prepared to put in the effort.
Mister Appointment said:dancity19 said:It seems the buys aren't Pellegrini's, but they really have to be looked at. Our buying policy over the last 3 seasons just isn't what we need. Too many sub standard players.
I've read this in a few places but I can't agree with it at all. I agree that post Mancini's title win we bought badly, however that was prior to Begiristain coming in. Since his appointment as DoF our business has been exactly what it needed to be from a footballing perspective.
We all felt the season that ended with Mancini's sacking was one of gross underachievement in terms of results and performances. The squad we had at that point was good enough to win the title. Moving into the following summer the only player you can look at with hindsight and say "that's not worked" is Jovetic. Every other player bought that window was worth it and has to some extent proven so. We paid 15 million euros for Navas, who for all his deficiencies did exactly the job he needed to do last season and provided that much needed bit of pace we lacked on the flanks. 13 assists and 6 goals in all competitions for what we paid is more than value for money. Negredo - well it's obvious it was a great piece of business at the time. Lots of talk that Fernandinho is suddenly not good enough. To me that is bollocks he was instrumental to our title win and is still in the top five central midfield players in the league. The only club who IMO boast better options in centre mid are Chelsea.
The summer just gone was one in which the club was hamstrung by FFP sanctions. In terms of judging the players bought - seems incredibly knee jerk to me to be writing off Mangala and Fernando when our own recent history shows us everyone from Silva, to Yaya took literally months to get up to speed in the premier league. Mangala and Fernando have come into the side in a much more high pressure moment and they are both struggling, but in a side that is struggling. It's simply too early to judge.
Where I think we have maybe missed a trick, and this again is probably mitigated by FFP, is that we probably needed to shake up the attacking side of the team this summer. Whether it was Milner, Navas, Nasri, Silva, or Yaya. What we should've done this summer is brought in a bona fide match winner who might have taken the place of one of the players i've mentioned, but who would also have given the whole squad a boost and a reminder that nobody's place is safe and the standards at the club are to continually look to improve.
dancity19 said:It may have been a bit OTT.
But we haven't been quite as hamstrung by FFP as people suggest. We have spent a lot over the last 3 years, still. Fernando and Mangala were 44 million.
It is too early to judge Mangala and Fernando, certainly - but they were billed as the missing pieces of the jigsaw.
Jovetic is a huge talent - but I'm unsure if he will make it, unfortunately. He does a lot, without doing anything.
Navas is too hit or miss in my opinion, does too little, too often - I accept the stats you have just used, but during a game I don't think he does enough.
Sagna - no idea what has happened to him - though he hasn't been as bad as people have suggested.
Caballero - 5 million on someone who looks no better than Panti - again bizarre as he was so good in Spain
Fernandinho and Demicheles are the only players we have bought in the last few years who appeard to have improved us. Letting Negredo go that late on, when it was clear he wanted to go all summer, with no replacement was a strange one.
The buys haven't been all bad, and I am in no way saying we need to buy a 'star name' every single window - but i do believe you need the odd one to really liven, and freshen up the dressing room. It gives the players a lift and a boost - I don't understand why we would need a lift after winning a title, but it appears we do.
Maybe I am almost being contradictory, but this summer was billed as one where we make effective buys that are the final pieces of the jigsaw, when in reality, we have gone backwards.
strongbowholic said:Prestwich_Blue said:He will be grilled by the Barca boys about what's causing the underperformance but suppose he says "There are too many players who are too far in their comfort zone and we need to get them out?" If they accept this, then not only do I think he won't be sacked but he'll be allowed another season, having ditched those not prepared to put in the effort.
If they accept that I would hope they'd say "crashing out of two cups so meekly and hitting 1.9 points per league game so far versus 2.26 per game last season is too big a drop Manuel. It's your job to get them out of that comfort zone, get it sorted."
Mister Appointment said:dancity19 said:It seems the buys aren't Pellegrini's, but they really have to be looked at. Our buying policy over the last 3 seasons just isn't what we need. Too many sub standard players.
I've read this in a few places but I can't agree with it at all. I agree that post Mancini's title win we bought badly, however that was prior to Begiristain coming in. Since his appointment as DoF our business has been exactly what it needed to be from a footballing perspective.
We all felt the season that ended with Mancini's sacking was one of gross underachievement in terms of results and performances. The squad we had at that point was good enough to win the title. Moving into the following summer the only player you can look at with hindsight and say "that's not worked" is Jovetic. Every other player bought that window was worth it and has to some extent proven so. We paid 15 million euros for Navas, who for all his deficiencies did exactly the job he needed to do last season and provided that much needed bit of pace we lacked on the flanks. 13 assists and 6 goals in all competitions for what we paid is more than value for money. Negredo - well it's obvious it was a great piece of business at the time. Lots of talk that Fernandinho is suddenly not good enough. To me that is bollocks he was instrumental to our title win and is still in the top five central midfield players in the league. The only club who IMO boast better options in centre mid are Chelsea.
The summer just gone was one in which the club was hamstrung by FFP sanctions. In terms of judging the players bought - seems incredibly knee jerk to me to be writing off Mangala and Fernando when our own recent history shows us everyone from Silva, to Yaya took literally months to get up to speed in the premier league. Mangala and Fernando have come into the side in a much more high pressure moment and they are both struggling, but in a side that is struggling. It's simply too early to judge.
Where I think we have maybe missed a trick, and this again is probably mitigated by FFP, is that we probably needed to shake up the attacking side of the team this summer. Whether it was Milner, Navas, Nasri, Silva, or Yaya. What we should've done this summer is brought in a bona fide match winner who might have taken the place of one of the players i've mentioned, but who would also have given the whole squad a boost and a reminder that nobody's place is safe and the standards at the club are to continually look to improve.