Mentality

[sir baconface]

I suspect Pep's arrival will come as an uncomfortable shock to some people at the club, and there will be tears before bedtime. I expect radical change, and some players (not necessarily ones that get slagged off on here every week) wanting to leave.

But ultimately, it will be for the best.

Those who can't hack it are welcome to fcuk off. My guess is most will adapt quite happily to a more disciplined and demanding, but ultimately more professional, approach.

It's the same in most work situations: one or two beyond the pale but the majority able to respond to inspiring leadership.

 

[shevtheblue]

Interesting theories! In retrospect it does seem we need some time to adjust the mindset. A few years ago in Champions League we seemed rather nervous when facing Napoli, not to mention the biggest teams. And then it's been two years group stage and two years round-of-16. This year is quite a huge jump to the semi-finals, and playing in Santiago Bernabeu might be quite a pressure for some of our players, especially those who haven't played there yet. Coupled with some gap of quality we have in the team against Real, I'm not that aghast about the performance. Next year should be better because we've already got experience as a semi-finalist.

I'm not sure I agree completely with that mate. If you take it player by player, all of the guys who started have played in huge games and probably in the Bernabeu (although given not in a semi of champs league) before. They went out on Wednesday with a fear and what seemed like an acceptance that we have done well to reach the semi's, actually going as far as admitting it in interviews. Success is winning, not almost winning.

I seem to recall that when I studied management many moons ago, there was a style of management called 'country club' where the employees enjoyed themselves, but very little was achieved. I can't help but think City have gone 'country club'.

I suspect Pep's arrival will come as an uncomfortable shock to some people at the club, and there will be tears before bedtime. I expect radical change, and some players (not necessarily ones that get slagged off on here every week) wanting to leave.

But ultimately, it will be for the best.

Good point Brian, I think most of these players were complaining about Mancini not treating them like adults and then Pellegrini comes in and is the complete opposite, they're unable to manage themselves. Pep does seem like a middle ground, he'll give them guidelines that they need to stick to but other than that they are free, but i'd imagine if they put a foot wrong they'll be fucked.

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

I'm the harshest person on our teams performances, but was oddly calm on Wed night.

Why?

Because looking at the evidence this season, this current team was not capable of performing any better than they did against Real Madrid. I don't believe for a minute we could have done any better. Real perhaps could have done worse, had a red card or a penalty etc to shift the odds in our favour, but that's their performance and not ours.

Could we have fluked it? Perhaps.

Could we have won it? Perhaps.

But if we played Real Madrid over 2 legs 10 times, the outcome would be the same overall.

To me that's not a mentality thing, it's a squad talent thing. I've played and coached sports at a decent level and there's no way any player in our squad didn't give 100% of what they could in that environment on Wed. Yaya did. Kolarov would have. Kun did. But some of these would have known deep inside that they were in too deep, didn't have the engine anymore to compete on that stage, or didn't have enough players of a high enough skill level to match Real man for man. So in a way some of our boys(I'll use Yaya as an example here) were beat before the ball was kicked off. Is this a mentality thing or is it a player having a realistic expectation of the outcome based on their maximum level of performance? I think it's the latter.

Now, where we do have a major, major mentality issue is the management. And yes, I'm going to slate Pellers again, but the same held true for Mancini(who I adored), Hughes and Sven.

All allowed complacency into our squad. They all at some stage have given a squad an excuse to underperform.

"It's only Stoke and there's a champions league game in 3 days time".

"It's only a cup game and the league game is the priority".

"Injuries are hurting our season".

I remember one game a few years back against Everton where it was pouring rain and Mancini was moaning before the game, saying it was impossible to play in these conditions.

He trotted out in a stupid large jacket, big wooly hat, scarf, gloves etc and everything about him screamed he didn't want to be there. How does he expect to get a performance from players when this is what they see from their leaders?(needless to say we lost)

None of our managers to date have had a consistent winners mentality.

Pep will change that and it will permeate down to the kids on the cusp of breaking into the team.

 

[BlueMojito]

Can't wait for the start of next season, new broom clean sweep and all that. Players need to man up or move on. Can't play at yaya pace all season, sharpen the mind and the passing speed, game on.

 

[bulldogblue]

Just read your post Shev and totally agree with the majority of it.
I get hacked off nearly every week by comments on being in the third tier of football, playing away at York,etc. and of course Gillingham.I have supported the club for over 50 years and whilst it is part of our history I do not wish to keep being reminded of those awful days. I live for the here and now and the excitement of the club's potential future.
Whilst we have won the league cup and reached the semis of CL it feels that we have under achieved in a season that started with so much promise. Pellegrini has lost the plot this season with his tactics, systems and selections. Let's face it for a man who can't manage his own hair how can he hope to manage a multi-million pound football team.
Rant over. Going out into the garden.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

I hate those comments too. Bottom line is that Real Madrid played pretty averagely for the 180 minutes. Most of our players blew potentially their only chance of reaching a CL Final. Completely blew it. And didn't even seem that bothered that they blew it.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

I'm the harshest person on our teams performances, but was oddly calm on Wed night.

Why?

Because looking at the evidence this season, this current team was not capable of performing any better than they did against Real Madrid. I don't believe for a minute we could have done any better. Real perhaps could have done worse, had a red card or a penalty etc to shift the odds in our favour, but that's their performance and not ours.

Could we have fluked it? Perhaps.

Could we have won it? Perhaps.

But if we played Real Madrid over 2 legs 10 times, the outcome would be the same overall.

To me that's not a mentality thing, it's a squad talent thing. I've played and coached sports at a decent level and there's no way any player in our squad didn't give 100% of what they could in that environment on Wed. Yaya did. Kolarov would have. Kun did. But some of these would have known deep inside that they were in too deep, didn't have the engine anymore to compete on that stage, or didn't have enough players of a high enough skill level to match Real man for man. So in a way some of our boys(I'll use Yaya as an example here) were beat before the ball was kicked off. Is this a mentality thing or is it a player having a realistic expectation of the outcome based on their maximum level of performance? I think it's the latter.

Now, where we do have a major, major mentality issue is the management. And yes, I'm going to slate Pellers again, but the same held true for Mancini(who I adored), Hughes and Sven.

All allowed complacency into our squad. They all at some stage have given a squad an excuse to underperform.

"It's only Stoke and there's a champions league game in 3 days time".

"It's only a cup game and the league game is the priority".

"Injuries are hurting our season".

I remember one game a few years back against Everton where it was pouring rain and Mancini was moaning before the game, saying it was impossible to play in these conditions.

He trotted out in a stupid large jacket, big wooly hat, scarf, gloves etc and everything about him screamed he didn't want to be there. How does he expect to get a performance from players when this is what they see from their leaders?(needless to say we lost)

None of our managers to date have had a consistent winners mentality.

Pep will change that and it will permeate down to the kids on the cusp of breaking into the team.

Great post - Brailsfordesque

 

[Blue Til Death]

We all talk a good one about not watching City anymore and we all keep going and we always will, its what we do..!
This season promised so much after the first 5 games and for me it was a missed opportunity to have the greatest season in the Clubs history.
To be honest I think our season imploded a bit because of a catalogue of injuries and confirmation of Peps arrival, we seemed to lose our sense of direction and some of our players just were not up to going out on the pitch and ripping success from the likes of Leicester, dippers, rags etc, its no coincidence that we have not beaten any of the top 6 clubs this season either.

If we can take our final 6 points and maintain CL status, coupled with a CL Semi Final under our belt and winning the League Cup, it can hardly be called a disaster in the scheme of things, it wasn't that long ago Stockport County were handing us our arses ;-))

Cant wait for Sunday and the following Sunday CTID

 

[CitizenTID]

Agree very much, the honeymoon period of success and not taking for granted every second of what comes our way should be behind us now. Whilst I hope our fans never turn into self-entitled dipsticks like Arsenal fans booing all the time, the world expects us to be successful at the highest levels and when we perform like we did the other night it's kind of embarrassing.

I can only guess why the atmosphere at the Etihad has subdued over the last few years but it's the attitude of a few of our players in this squad that really pisses me off - Pellegrini has allowed a weak mentality to fester in our club but it started from when Mancini sacked - I got the impression he was ready to cull it at the time and Pellers has come in like the big friendly giant not wanting to tread on anyones toes.

 

[Walking on the blue moon]

I'm not sure I agree completely with that mate. If you take it player by player, all of the guys who started have played in huge games and probably in the Bernabeu (although given not in a semi of champs league) before. They went out on Wednesday with a fear and what seemed like an acceptance that we have done well to reach the semi's, actually going as far as admitting it in interviews. Success is winning, not almost winning.


Good point Brian, I think most of these players were complaining about Mancini not treating them like adults and then Pellegrini comes in and is the complete opposite, they're unable to manage themselves. Pep does seem like a middle ground, he'll give them guidelines that they need to stick to but other than that they are free, but i'd imagine if they put a foot wrong they'll be fucked.

Apart from Yaya, Kun and Navas, have they played in games as huge as CL semi-finals? The back four actually did quite well considering the opposition, as did Joe. It's the midfield and the attack that has problems. Well Kun does not have the best record in against Real does he? Yaya's performance is probably a combination of lack of fitness and age catching up with him. And then the rest of them, apart from Navas, probably haven't played there. People always say the atmosphere in Santiago Bernabeu can be quite intimidating, and it's the first time most of them played in the semi-finals, so I thought it was quite natural for even the bravest of them to have fear and nerves. Historically all good teams went through this phase at some point. Some survived and went on to win (though more often due to luck than lack of nerves), while some failed and had to wait for the next chance.

And reaching the semi-final is already exceeding expectations, especially with our form this year. I for one thought we might stop in the quarter-finals. And Real Madrid, despite not putting in very good performance themselves, is still a very experienced team with better players than us. So this year will be a very good lesson for the players to further adjust their mentality.

Of course success is winning. No one but us will remember City almost winning. So I would not consider this CL campaign a success, but a satisfactory one that enable us to reach success in near future. The only draw-back is our league form and question marks over whether we can beat Arsenal this weekend. I hope the players can reflect upon their mistakes after the loss and put in a good performance so we can finish top 3.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

I'm the harshest person on our teams performances, but was oddly calm on Wed night.



To me that's not a mentality thing, it's a squad talent thing. I've played and coached sports at a decent level and there's no way any player in our squad didn't give 100% of what they could in that environment on Wed. Yaya did. Kolarov would have. Kun did. But some of these would have known deep inside that they were in too deep, didn't have the engine anymore to compete on that stage, or didn't have enough players of a high enough skill level to match Real man for man. So in a way some of our boys(I'll use Yaya as an example here) were beat before the ball was kicked off. Is this a mentality thing or is it a player having a realistic expectation of the outcome based on their maximum level of performance? I think it's the latter.

Yup agreed. But I do believe there are coaches who can make a team believe they are better than they are. We need a little of what Leicester and Athletico have. Pep will bring it, more than him being a tactical genius, he will bring the winning mentality or fuck off somewhere else attitude.

 

[1961_vintage]

Routinely pusillanimous. Too nice and not anything like ruthless enough in terms of achieving success and reaching our potential.

 

[fatbloke]

I genuinely don't give a single fuck about the talent of the players, what division we're playing in, who we're playing or anything else for that matter as long as the players in those blue shirts give us everything they have I will support them win, lose or draw.

This last two seasons have been embarrassing, not due to results or playing poorly but the effort from a few of the players hasn't been right and the manager hasn't been strong enough to drop the players who haven't put in their maximum effort.

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

I genuinely don't give a single fuck about the talent of the players, what division we're playing in, who we're playing or anything else for that matter as long as the players in those blue shirts give us everything they have I will support them win, lose or draw.

This last two seasons have been embarrassing, not due to results or playing poorly but the effort from a few of the players hasn't been right and the manager hasn't been strong enough to drop the players who haven't put in their maximum effort.

For the same reason, the 99-00 promotion under Royle, remains one of my favorite campaigns
Without even trying, I can instantly recall victories at Bolton, Birmingham, and Blackburn, and late home wins against Ipswich, Portsmouth, Grimsby, and West Brom.

There were large periods during nearly all those games, where a draw, never mind three points, looked doubtful. However, we persevered and overcame our opponents through sheer, grit and determination.

On reflection, that team was limited, but honest, and in a strange way, I feel closer to those players than I ever will to the current crop.

 

[goatboy]

Because looking at the evidence this season, this current team was not capable of performing any better than they did against Real Madrid. I don't believe for a minute we could have done any better. Real perhaps could have done worse, had a red card or a penalty etc to shift the odds in our favour, but that's their performance and not ours.


To me that's not a mentality thing, it's a squad talent thing. I've played and coached sports at a decent level and there's no way any player in our squad didn't give 100% of what they could in that environment on Wed. Yaya did. Kolarov would have. Kun did. But some of these would have known deep inside that they were in too deep, didn't have the engine anymore to compete on that stage, or didn't have enough players of a high enough skill level to match Real man for man. So in a way some of our boys(I'll use Yaya as an example here) were beat before the ball was kicked off. Is this a mentality thing or is it a player having a realistic expectation of the outcome based on their maximum level of performance? I think it's the latter

sevilla away, kiev away, psg, bournemouth away, chelsea away show that we are capable of performing better than wednesday, and recently too.

also if its a squad talent thing then leicester dont win the premiership and athletico dont knock out barca, bayern or sit level with barca and a point above real in la liga. injuries have obviously played their part as well as lets just say curious management, but how many times have we been found wanting the last two seasons by a team that wanted it more than us. or you could just say had a better mentality than us

 

[Deleted member 58678]

We've not got that "being shit is unacceptable" "try scoring against us you cunts" "we're going to fucking beat you" sternness and arrogance that real top clubs have.

We have to be one of the softest touches in football. I cannot stand gentleness. Even in life I don't like it but in sport you cannot have one ounce of it, you have to be hard and ruthless and not give one inch for one second. You have to be prepared to bollock everyone if they don't put their bodies on the line for their teammates. When was the last time you felt that was part of our club?

 

[Keeper!]

We've not got that "being shit is unacceptable" "try scoring against us you cunts" "we're going to fucking beat you" sternness and arrogance that real top clubs have.

We have to be one of the softest touches in football. I cannot stand gentleness. Even in life I don't like it but in sport you cannot have one ounce of it, you have to be hard and ruthless and not give one inch for one second. You have to be prepared to bollock everyone if they don't put their bodies on the line for their teammates. When was the last time you felt that was part of our club?

Excellent comments.

Our whole club is too soft, fans included.

Everyone takes the piss out of wonderful club and we just roll over and take it.......enough is enough.

The fight back begins on the 1st June.....Pep won't roll over for anyone.... everyone at this club is going to get one gigantic kick up the ass....just a shame it's 3 years to late!

 

[Tim of the Oak]

If we want more passionate players then we might need to do a better job at getting behind the team. That said, the team should have been incensed by the leg breaker on Sterling and let Madrid know about it. Our performance wasn't good enough and nor was our attitude!

With all the shit we take in the media I would like see and feel a siege mentality. The bloke next to me in the Berabau did nothing but whinge all game. People are deluded if they think that's a winning mentality. Nor is it a description of a football fan.

Thank goodness that the vast majority of Blues sang their hearts out in Madrid in the second half. That said, we have a singing section where half the people in the blocks stand there with their hands in the pockets. It's pretty poor, despite the great efforts of 1894.

Pep will bring a better mentality but he can only do so much. We are all in this together.

 

[Deleted member 58678]

Excellent comments.

Our whole club is too soft, fans included.

Everyone takes the piss out of wonderful club and we just roll over and take it.......enough is enough.

The fight back begins on the 1st June.....Pep won't roll over for anyone.... everyone at this club is going to get one gigantic kick up the ass....just a shame it's 3 years to late!

Everyone is going to get a huge shock at just how ruthless, stern and demanding Guardiola is. He makes Mancini look like a choir boy. I'm not sure all of our fan base realises this about Guardiola. Some of our players are going to get the shock of their lives when he walks through the door.

 

[come-on-barney]

I miss this word. Mancini used it in every interview - "we have a good mentality in this moment"

I also miss the spirit we had at times then. The whole atmosphere at the club is complacent, this season and last.

Is it too late to get Bellamy back and fit?

The whole atmosphere is flat, players flat, fans flat, the whole club has become lifeless. Pep won't stand for any of this shit and will make Mancini look like a pussycat.