All a bit dramatic. Chasing clicks.
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Pep to leave at the end of the season
- Thread starter Ric
- Start date
Why?If this is true, it's huge, and will sew nothing but discordance between the club, fans and new manager (if he comes at all).
hilts
Well-Known Member
You use your tongue preddier than a 20 dollar whore
I can see a decent proportion of fans not being happy with an incoming manager being responsible for forcing the club's decision making process and, perhaps, Pep's. Surely the tweet is hinting/claiming that the leaks about Pep's future have been coming from Maresca's camp?Why?
What is?What a mess.
Manager's leaving, new manager incoming, get over it. What's the problem? We wait until the club want to announce it officially then it's done. Until then it means very little.
This happens at virtually every club because people can't keep a secret, and it's driven by people like on here who can't wait and insist they need to know. This is exactly how the media want you to react.
Gabriel
Well-Known Member
He might take another sabbatical, but his character does not suggest someone who will be, or should be, inactive for long.While they may have already done so, the most likely scenario is he will want to take a long break unless he's already been offered another job at the absolute top. There will be no shortage of suitors already, that's for sure.
SatOnTheWall
Well-Known Member
Well, celebrate the two trophies we have won, then.Sorry but im not an Arsenal fan and therefore i dont celebrate unbeaten runs when they are peppered with turgid draws against relegation fodder. Apologies but I could never.
If you think finishing second with both Cups is a crap season then you are going to be very disappointed in the future.Haven't won it though (I know they are high standards but they are the ones he set with his achievements).
If you believe an incoming manager is responsible for any of this....well I have no words. The club will decide on everything ultimately, an organisation this big isn't going to be controlled by one person, especially one that's not even employed by them yet.I can see a decent proportion of fans not being happy with an incoming manager being responsible for forcing the club's decision making process and, perhaps, Pep's. Surely the tweet is hinting/claiming that the leaks about Pep's future have been coming from Maresca's camp?
Jeeeze, these comments are getting more and more bizarre by the day. If you don't understand how the media works by now you never will.
Marvin.
Well-Known Member
No he doesn't, but I think City might want to break now if he is adamant that he is leaving in 2027. Pep seems to love his job so I am hopeful. He has rebuilt a side full of potential but it has not yet won the league title or Champions League but with a little work, it could happen soon. I think he might want to be part of that. The 'project' at City remains exciting.He doesn’t need to sign a year’s extension to stay another year.
Well, celebrate the two trophies we have won, then.
Yes definitely. But my original point was we fell short in the league because we put in a few too many duff performances to win it (which i can cope with as its normal for a team to have a bad season). We were poor at times by our standards and using a 14 game unbeaten run as a counter point to that doesnt change anything. Draws are crap.
Marvin.
Well-Known Member
We don't go from a washed up team in 2024-25 to centurions in a year.Sorry but im not an Arsenal fan and therefore i dont celebrate unbeaten runs when they are peppered with turgid draws against relegation fodder. Apologies but I could never.
The trophies and point change by season speak for themselves. You want everything now but it's a process. As long as the fans can see that City are on their way back, most will be happy
The way the whole situation has been handled. Pep does sound like he isn't ready to go just yet. It has been far from being a smooth process and despite trying to convince supporters Maresca is going to be ideal for the next stage it doesn't appear to be the case going off what has happened at Chelsea.What is?
Manager's leaving, new manager incoming, get over it. What's the problem? We wait until the club want to announce it officially then it's done. Until then it means very little.
This happens at virtually every club because people can't keep a secret, and it's driven by people like on here who can't wait and insist they need to know. This is exactly how the media want you to react.
hilts
Well-Known Member
Only post that makes any sense so far.This might come across as a different take, but I’ve been thinking — might this be a decision the club actively took, rather than simply accepted? In other words, the often-said “he can leave/stay when he wants, the club will let him decide” might be missing the club’s own preference in the context of our form earlier this season, what was considered best for the club then (including operationally), and quite possibly what the club still wants (even if Pep is plausibly having second thoughts).
Disclaimer: I love the man. If it was up to me we’d keep him for many more years. I know the club would give him a respectful send-off, and I believe it was genuinely “mutual” (although there’s some confusion in how that term’s used in football).
But when you look at the broad timeline (as reported):
• Early season (up to Oct): Struggling around 5th place after a trophyless campaign. Many of us were worrying and writing the season off early. Pep looked short of fresh ideas at times.
• December 2025: Maresca leaves Chelsea. Stories linking him to City as Pep’s successor had already surfaced before he departed. He reportedly told Chelsea about the interest, causing the breakdown, and he’s been out of work since. (Surprising for a young, promising, in-demand manager who had so recently left his AM post to pursue this career)
• January 2026: Our form dipped again. If talks were happening in that Dec/Jan window, those results would have supported a mutual decision. Plenty here were saying “it’s time”. This is also the window you’d expect City to discuss, and then make, arrangements for a transition (knowing how we’ll run the club is).
• April/May 2026: Resurgence in form. Treble bid. Two trophies. Likeable young new squad coming together. Dramatically different both vs what we expected earlier in the season, but also I would imagine how the dressing room feels.
If as reported a decision was reached in Dec/Jan, to me it seems like a properly “mutual” one - ie both sides wanted it for similar, albeit personal, reasons. Pep was tired and 10 years is the perfect milestone, plus our form wasn’t giving him any joy. The club, with its high standards, had one trophyless season and risked another — a change was needed eventually, so why not now with a trusted successor lined up? And again, our form wasn’t great. So, hypothetically (but as reported, contemporaneously), we reached a gentleman’s agreement / signed a pre-contract with Maresca, put everyone involved on NDAs and planned for an announcement later in the season.
I would have expected the club to announce Pep’s departure earlier. But they probably weren’t expecting a potential treble charge or anything resembling that, and the right decision for all involved would have been (regrettably) to delay announcement so as not to impact the players. Pep’s comments about his contract having one more year seem to be for the same reasons - not breaking his NDA (if he has one), respecting the club’s preferences on timing, and most importantly protecting the players.
What surprised me were his comments tonight about speaking to the chairman. That was the first time it seemed to me he might be having second thoughts. After all, what is there to discuss otherwise? It might be an awkward chat to have though - if earlier in the season it really had been a mutual decision as described above, you’d need movement from both parties. I find it difficult to believe that City would break their word to Maresca (if given), reverse a huge operational decision taken many months ago (if taken), or leave an open question over the manager’s tenure going into next season. It goes against the stability and credibility the club treasures.
I’m not a mind reader and I only have the same knowledge as the rest of you, so I might be wrong. I just think the situation has been handled extremely oddly and Pep’s comments tonight were odd too. There are obviously a few other oddities in the manner/timing of when this was leaked, conflicting accounts from some linked to City (not that I think Liam Gallagher’s the most reliable source), and the guesswork that seems involved on the parts of some of the journalists/pundits reporting this. But if you asked me to guess, I’d say Pep’s having second thoughts, but those may well not change the dial (as the club isn’t leaving this totally up to him). We live in hope?
BringBackSwales
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 3 Jul 2009
- Messages
- 38,765
I sincerely hope that Pep decides to stay (until HE says it I’m not giving up). IF he does decide to go I’m not overly keen on Maresca (strikes me as someone who could have an argument in an empty room) and would far prefer Iraola, what he’s done with Bournemouth is miraculous
If you think we've been crap in the league you've become entitled, and I don't say that loosely, a great many of our fans have. We've only lost one, to the rags, as far as I can remember and it's the only match in which statistically we were not better than the opposition.Abandoning a transition process that has seemingly being going on for months just to get one over on the press or give Pep the perfect exit narrative is actually a bad thing.
What happens next time he wants to leave?
The season's over, the big send off is in a few days, everyone needs to crack on.
It was kept quiet out of the public sphere for months and we were still crap in the league.
We have the makings of an excellent young squad but the central midfield has been sluggish and ineffective for big chunks of this season. There will be an overhaul so let's just let the new coach get on with it.
I love Pep and we'll never see anything like the past 10 years again, but if the plan was to go leave then he should go. Pep's fairytale ending is not more important than the long term planning and stability of the club.
We've won two trophies since and finished second with our nearest rivals 10 points behind with one match to play. For most people, for a team in transition that's an excellent achievement.
i think you may have misread my original post, i do NOT believe that, why would he do something so insane~?If you believe an incoming manager is responsible for any of this....well I have no words. The club will decide on everything ultimately, an organisation this big isn't going to be controlled by one person, especially one that's not even employed by them yet.
Jeeeze, these comments are getting more and more bizarre by the day. If you don't understand how the media works by now you never will.
my point was the tweet was very provocative. I think you may be overreacting somewhat with your last sentence!
Brightwell Bros.
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 1 Oct 2014
- Messages
- 9,170
It's funny watching people in different stages of grief argue with other people in a different stage of grief. The angry people kicking out at the depressed people are especially funny.
Sorry if that offends. I thought we were all of the opinion on here that our centurions season was more of an achievement that arsenal's invincibles season. If looking at an "unbeaten run" uncritically without taking into account the below par performances and inadequate points return makes me a knob then so be it.Fuck me I supported City through decades where a turgid draw was something to get excited about. Get over yourself you pathetic muppet. Up the fucking Blues