Manuel Pellegrini (cont)

[CatMan]

A perfect storm has been contrived, and we've simply not been able to wing it.

We've been doing it since the day that ball left Aguero's foot.

Due to the restrictions imposed on the club by UEFA, the owners thought we could get away with treading water, adding family staples to the small supply of fine foods we had previously bought.

Baked beans taste fine and dandy, every now and again. What they don't taste great with is being slopped on the same plate as caviar.

We have put together an ill-conceived menu for the last 24 months and much as I love our owner and chairman for everything they have done so far, I would now urge them to take stock of what they really want out of this association?

If it is to win friends and influence people, they are shit out of luck. They have enabled Manchester City, of previous ridicule, to bring out the very worst of British and European traits - envy and spite of someone else's success.

They have allowed their eye to be taken off the ball, trying to jump through hoops, in the hope of presenting a more acceptable, watered-down threat to the so-called establishment of the game.

Mancini, for all his faults, and he had many, knew that a team that had come from nowhere, still needed to spend on the very best, however vulgar it may be perceived by people who will never find City acceptable, regardless of what we do off the pitch.

Mancini managed his final season with one hand tied behind his back and cut his throat with the other one.

I could not believe the team when it was announced last night, although was relieved to see Pellegrini make the correct decisions at half time in replacing the appalling Jovetic and Nasri, in terms of addressing an extra man in the middle and also trying to introduce Nasri's ball retention.

But to then undo that thought process by taking off Fernando pretty much summed up the manager's state of confusion this season. He is wasting substitutions because he is simply not setting the team up with the correct platform from the outset.

I stand by what I observed on Sunday, the removal of Milner against United was tactical naivety in the extreme.

Sadly, results dictate, but this current group of 'over-ripe' players won't allow me to be fooled for a second time, with or without David Silva, they should be good enough to beat the majority of cannon-fodder.

Pellegrini, if he can somehow make it through to January, needs a frank discussion with Khaldoon and Begirsitain. He should not be made the patsy for players such as Clichy, Fernandinho, Dzeko, Nasri and Jovetic.

Perhaps Pellegrini does deserve the absolute backing from Abu Dhabi to address the weaknesses in this squad, regardless of cost?

I'm on the fence if Manuel has it in him, but the solution remains the same, somebody needs to decide if they want City to wither on the vine, or go again, regardless of the consequences.

I think most blues would accept the trade-off being expelled from Champions League football for a year if the result is a couple of hundred million (and that's what it will take) to set a City team up for the next five-year cycle.

You can only be a nice guy for so long, or it starts to stink of weakness.

Possibly the best post I have seen on Bluemoon ever...... maybe?

 

[chris85mcfc]

Cheers for that Tolmie

I feel like ive just got a load off my chest reading that post

 

[MeatHunterrr]

I think he will be replaced in the summer and would expect Guardiola and Klopp to be top of our list, no reason we couldn't get them.

Your wrong because neither of those two managers is attainable this summer mate. If you think we should replace Pellegrini with someone else fair enough, but you can write it down now, we're not getting Pep nor Klopp this summer.

Yeah. People need reality check. Bayern surely is going to sell their manager for some nice little compensation, or maybe not. Pep will see his 3 year contract out.

 

[yarny101]

As much as TH's post was something that could represent 90% of City fans opinion, I doubt it represents the board in regards to being expelled from the champions league.

 

[BillyShears]

As much as TH's post was something that could represent 90% of City fans opinion, I doubt it represents the board in regards to being expelled from the champions league.

No but I think the sentiment is bang on. We have all the resources in the world. We've just watched the rags spunk 200 million in one window because they needed to. It's clear to most of us our squad needs a serious revamp. There's little point in talking a good game and building an outrageous infrastructure if the first team aren't good enough.

 

[TGR]

A perfect storm has been contrived, and we've simply not been able to wing it.

We've been doing it since the day that ball left Aguero's foot.

Due to the restrictions imposed on the club by UEFA, the owners thought we could get away with treading water, adding family staples to the small supply of fine foods we had previously bought.

Baked beans taste fine and dandy, every now and again. What they don't taste great with is being slopped on the same plate as caviar.

We have put together an ill-conceived menu for the last 24 months and much as I love our owner and chairman for everything they have done so far, I would now urge them to take stock of what they really want out of this association?

If it is to win friends and influence people, they are shit out of luck. They have enabled Manchester City, of previous ridicule, to bring out the very worst of British and European traits - envy and spite of someone else's success.

They have allowed their eye to be taken off the ball, trying to jump through hoops, in the hope of presenting a more acceptable, watered-down threat to the so-called establishment of the game.

Mancini, for all his faults, and he had many, knew that a team that had come from nowhere, still needed to spend on the very best, however vulgar it may be perceived by people who will never find City acceptable, regardless of what we do off the pitch.

Mancini managed his final season with one hand tied behind his back and cut his throat with the other one.

I could not believe the team when it was announced last night, although was relieved to see Pellegrini make the correct decisions at half time in replacing the appalling Jovetic and Nasri, in terms of addressing an extra man in the middle and also trying to introduce Nasri's ball retention.

But to then undo that thought process by taking off Fernando pretty much summed up the manager's state of confusion this season. He is wasting substitutions because he is simply not setting the team up with the correct platform from the outset.

I stand by what I observed on Sunday, the removal of Milner against United was tactical naivety in the extreme.

Sadly, results dictate, but this current group of 'over-ripe' players won't allow me to be fooled for a second time, with or without David Silva, they should be good enough to beat the majority of cannon-fodder.

Pellegrini, if he can somehow make it through to January, needs a frank discussion with Khaldoon and Begirsitain. He should not be made the patsy for players such as Clichy, Fernandinho, Dzeko, Nasri and Jovetic.

Perhaps Pellegrini does deserve the absolute backing from Abu Dhabi to address the weaknesses in this squad, regardless of cost?

I'm on the fence if Manuel has it in him, but the solution remains the same, somebody needs to decide if they want City to wither on the vine, or go again, regardless of the consequences.

I think most blues would accept the trade-off being expelled from Champions League football for a year if the result is a couple of hundred million (and that's what it will take) to set a City team up for the next five-year cycle.

You can only be a nice guy for so long, or it starts to stink of weakness.

A great post Tolmie - bang on the button.

 

[OB1]

I won't quote it, but Tolmie that's a fucking cracking post and bang on the money.

We need to throw out the over ripe players first and foremost. If Pellegrini goes so we can implant a manager with the force of character to push further i'm all for it, but there's only two men who fit that bill, Klopp and Pep. Anyone, and I mean literally anyone else, including Ancelotti, will be treading water.

As I said to you we don't want the 100 million pound training complex to become a giant white elephant. We need the next manager to truly be someone who reflects the long term vision of the club as well as the short term results.

I won't quote it either but I do agree with much of Tolmie's post although he is point about Milner is still wrong IMO.

I have said often enough that I would prefer us to use a different formation but we don't even have the personnel to do justice my favoured 4-3-3 baseline. However, I still consider the formation issues are not an excuse for the kind of performances we have seen from the team. This is much more of a player issue. Therefore, I agree with Mr A that we need to be very careful about thinking dispensing with the manager when the options to replace him with better are so limited. Simple truth is that I want Pep at City and have done since well before Mancini left.

I hope we can get Pep in 18 months or so time but we need to start rebuilding the squad so it is of the quality that makes his decision on where to go after Munich an absolute no-brainer. We need to splash the cash and buy players with the highest technical quality, pace and big cojones.

 

[robbieh]

Disagree with TH in as much as I don't think we need to spend 200 million quid. Chelsea are 3rd favourites for the CL. And it's not because of the players. Can anyone really tell me that this line up, it's probably the one mOurinho would pick, is that much worse than Chelsea's?

.............Hart
Zabba VK Mangala Clichy
Fernando Fernandinho
Silva Yaya Milner
,,,,,,,,,. Kun

especially when you consider what's available from the bench

Navas, Nasri, Jovetic, Dimichelis, Kolarov, Dzeko.

The much cheaper option rather tha getting rid of half the squad is to get a world class manager in. Look what happens when you don't. Barca used to Guardiola have taken two huge gambles on their managers. Madrid bring in Ancelotti, much better suited to Madrid than Mourinho. Voila.

Who it is going to be I have no idea, as a couple of choices are unavailable. But there must be someone who can inject a bit more urgency into this team than the John Major type we currently have in charge.

 

[BillyShears]

This is much more of a player issue. Therefore, I agree with Mr A that we need to be very careful about thinking dispensing with the manager when the options to replace him with better are so limited. Simple truth is that I want Pep at City and have done since well before Mancini left.

I hope we can get Pep in 18 months or so time but we need to start rebuilding the squad so it is of the quality that makes his decision on where to go after Munich an absolute no-brainer. We need to splash the cash and buy players with the highest technical quality, pace and big cojones.

I think that's what is going to happen. We'll see a big summer of player trading next summer. New look squad closer to the kind that Pep/Klopp require, and then we move for one of those two in the summer of 2016.

As much as the winter narrative will be about Pellegrini, I don't think at board level there'll be much discussion about him. More likely he'll be involved in a frank analysis of the squad's inherent weaknesses.

 

[moomba]

Problem with buying big is that we need to look at the kids that are ready to break through and make sure they're not all blocked by high price signings.