Martin Samuels As Recommended by the OS

[JULES]

Grumbling City players are not happy at fourth-rate club


Manchester City are fourth, so what is the problem? Manchester City are fourth, that is the problem.
Technically, the club is exactly where it wants to be, in a league position that fits the plan to qualify for the Champions League this season and challenge for the title the next. City are on course.
There are plenty in the Premier League that are not. Ask the supporters of Everton, Liverpool, Fulham or Aston Villa if they feel their club is where it hoped to be. West Ham United have already tagged one fixture 'Save Our Season' and it is not even Christmas.
Yet while every club has its tensions, nowhere does resentment and anger seem to be brimming beneath the surface quite like Manchester City. The usual mitigations are advanced: players are at each others' throats simply because they care, but that makes no sense. Plenty of us care about our jobs. We don't have to be pulled off the office manager or a co-worker every week.

Fight club: Tensions are brewing behind the scenes as big summer-signings Balotelli and Boateng testified
The fact is, fourth is not good enough for City, and certainly not for the most expensive members of the squad. Roberto Mancini has assembled a cast of high maintenance egomaniacs with a point to prove. Do you think they wish to be perceived as men who are happy with fourth?
Carlos Tevez was part of a Manchester United team that won league titles and reached the Champions League final, but because he was a squad player and not the centre of the universe, he walked across town to their most hated rivals.
For all his goals and influence at City, do you think when he sees his old team-mates, Tevez puffs out his chest and purrs, 'Look at me - I'm fourth'?
It was commentator David Coleman, in a fit of excitement about the Olympic 400 metre hurdle race in Mexico in 1968, who uttered the simple home truth about the less glorious podium finishes.
'It's David Hemery first, Gerhard Hennige second,' he announced, 'who cares who's third?'

Not what he signed up four: Carlos Tevez would not be content with fourth-place finish
More people than Coleman imagined actually, because John Sherwood of Great Britain had won bronze, but while the faux pas has remained in the memory, the basic observation stands. Hemery is a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, a former Sports Personality of the Year and served as the first president of UK Athletics; John Sherwood was 37 years a PE teacher at the Firth Park Community Arts College in Sheffield. No less inspirational in his way, but you get the idea.
The riches of the Champions League have made football a sport in which coming fourth can be very lucrative. Tottenham Hotspur pipped Manchester City to it last season and were delirious. There are players throughout the Premier League for whom coming fourth would be the pinnacle of their career; and some at City, too, but they are not the ones having the fights. The big ticket items - Tevez, Mario Balotelli, Emmanuel Adebayor - came to the club to be the star turn at the biggest show in town.
It is wrong to believe they are solely money motivated. Yes, the salary is a huge part of the attraction but it comes as part of a package, including success and prestige. Fourth does not tick those boxes. Ask Cesc Fabregas.
The in-fighting at City suggests the players do not care very much for their present league position at all. They do, however, wish to look after No 1.
Talking with Mancini earlier this year, he made it clear he views the season after a World Cup as a random event. He said players can hit a wall or become very tired late in the day, and that Manchester City must be ready to pounce if that happens. He did not sound like a man aiming to pre-qualify for the Champions League next season.
So why the negativity? Why statements of such limited ambition? There will never be a better opportunity for a club from beyond the traditional elite to win the title. Chelsea have lost their way, Manchester United go from the sublime to the ordinary often in the same week, while Arsenal are without a first-class goalkeeper and have a defensive line that could be breached by an inventive six-year-old on a space-hopper.
This could be Manchester City's time and the players know it. Some would walk into other clubs, just as big, not quite as fourth. And maybe in the summer they will.



Read more: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1336593/Chris-Hughtons-sacking-Newcastle-United-manager-tawdry-business.html#ixzz17VwUuQMV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... z17VwUuQMV</a>

sounds fun!

 

[SkyBlueLion79]

Even though we've only had serious money since 2008 I still see us as a team that's only 5 months old, compared to Spurs who are 5 years in the making. It takes time to build team spirit, togetherness & a siege mentality. Also takes time to create a pattern and style of play. As time goes by these problems will disappear & then the press will start kissing our blue asses. Even when this happens I will still never buy another newspaper ever again.

 

[taconinja]

Unusually silly article from Samuel. From the same facts, thin as they are, istead of arguing that "The in-fighting at City suggests the players do not care very much for their present league position at all. They do, however, wish to look after No 1", you could equally argue that it shows how much they care about getting the club higher up the league. Still, I suppose putting this spin on it will sell more papers.

Coming out of lurking to post that I believe Mr. Samuels was saying that they're not content with 4th and are aiming at 1st, which is why he phrased it as "No 1" instead of writing it out as would be usual when saying a player is looking out for "number one," i.e. one's self. Of course, since he's been so unclear, it's a poorly written article.

 

[msl]

I couldn't give a shiny shite what that fat prick says about our club, the sooner we win the league and shut him and his pals up the better. Tick fucking tock.

Bring on West Ham

 

[TheMightyQuinn]

I don't suppose many players outside of Arsenal are currently happy with their clubs league standing to be honest.

We're within 4 points of 1st place in December, the players will know this is a strong position which can be made stronger with each and every game.

Martin Samuel is usually OK but this just smacks of 'I must write about City but have fuck all to say'.

 

[Deleted member 14625]

Martin Samuel is my favourite journalist. In fact, he's the only journalist I like. Here is one of his weaker articles. Some of what he says is very true but he's very sparse with his facts in this article and nobody will know if he's right until the end of the season. I keep saying that even if we're good enough to win the league this season (which I still don't think we are anyway!) that it would be unrealistic that we would do it. The term "they need time to gel" has become somewhat of a cliche it's been used so often; but it's so true!

Tuckman: Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing. Group development follows this path, it can be said everytime. This is a well documented and respected model. At the moment we are only really in the Forming-Storming crossover phase. What else can be expected?!

 

[Bigga]

Unusually silly article from Samuel. From the same facts, thin as they are, istead of arguing that "The in-fighting at City suggests the players do not care very much for their present league position at all. They do, however, wish to look after No 1", you could equally argue that it shows how much they care about getting the club higher up the league. Still, I suppose putting this spin on it will sell more papers.

Coming out of lurking to post that I believe Mr. Samuels was saying that they're not content with 4th and are aiming at 1st, which is why he phrased it as "No 1" instead of writing it out as would be usual when saying a player is looking out for "number one," i.e. one's self. Of course, since he's been so unclear, it's a poorly written article.

Hahaha!

Such an excellent reply as I was going to write pretty much the same!

I think I need to be quicker off the mark in future!! ;)

 

[SI's Bald Head]

even if we win it this season it will only be because the usual teams in the 'big 3' were shit - i've stopped reading the papers because until we've been winning trophies for 5 - 10 years the negativity will continue.......

In KAM, GC & RM we TRUST. CTID

 

[Newman Noggs]

Unusually silly article from Samuel. From the same facts, thin as they are, istead of arguing that "The in-fighting at City suggests the players do not care very much for their present league position at all. They do, however, wish to look after No 1", you could equally argue that it shows how much they care about getting the club higher up the league. Still, I suppose putting this spin on it will sell more papers.

Coming out of lurking to post that I believe Mr. Samuels was saying that they're not content with 4th and are aiming at 1st, which is why he phrased it as "No 1" instead of writing it out as would be usual when saying a player is looking out for "number one," i.e. one's self. Of course, since he's been so unclear, it's a poorly written article.

Not sure that "look after number 1" could ever translate as "aiming at 1st" but we're agreed that it was a badly written article.

 

[Wheelsy]

I just think Mancini's being a little coy when talking about our ambitions for this season.

I think he, and the players, believe we can win the league this year. That's our aim -- even if we're not admitting it.