PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

[cheekybids]

Maybe, maybe not but there has been a noticeable drop in our high standards in this area.

Squad is currently unbalanced with the worst selection of midfielders attacking options to choose from in a long time

Nunes, Philips, Savinho, Doku cost a small fortune and have not improved or nowhere near maintained the level we had.

I would swap those 4 for Palmer and Alvarez in a heartbeat

We’ve had the worst injuries & our new signings traditionally take a year before hey bed in but we’ve had to play them from the off. Savio would have been behind Bobb & Doku behind Grealish.

Our luck this season Palmer & Alvarez would be injured as well.

Last November we drew 4:4 with Chelsea, 1:1 with the Dippers, 3:3 with Spurs & got battered by Villa although 1 nil should have been 5.

Just when I thought we couldn’t avoid another fuck up, Phil gives away a 96th minute pen b palace.

We forget all that, just like we do people not rating Rodri, Bernie, Stones, Grealish & many more.

 

[M18CTID]

The sooner the issue is resolved the better.

It must at some point affect the playing side of things, impossible for it not too. As I said, a smear campaign to fuck us.

I'll leave it there, cheers.

Given that our form picked up hugely when the charges were announced, it could be that the club have been told they’re getting cleared so there’s no siege mentality anymore and that’s why our form has gone to shit ;)

 

[Kippaxpete]

Can we get this thread back on topic please? All valid opinions; just not here!

 

[Saddleworth2]

Two seasons is plenty. We were in a worse position before Pep joined and he won 100 points in his second season.

Besides, he'll be here beyond 2027 anyway.

We weren’t in a worse position. He had a spine of prime Stones, Fern, David, Kdb, Kun and Raheem. That’s miles better than we have just now. I think it will take us at least two very good transfer windows with the right players available to buy. The new boy has a lot to do.

 

[Centurions]

Lot of truth supposition in that,

We have a situation at work with all teams under review. There are opportunities for people to move but no one will until the overall review is concluded. Could end up worse off.

Corrected...

 

[mexico1970]

I thought the whole point of the club's footballing structure was that the manager is just another cog in the wheel (albeit the most important).

The idea is that the style of football (IE -possession-based and attacking) is the same from the youngest youth teams to to the first team.

This should mean that any signings made in the next 2.5 years would also suit the next manager, whose style will be similar to Pep's and the wider club's.

The only flaw in that is that there is only one Pep, managers have tried to emulate him and they've failed.

If it were that easy many would have done it, and if it was that fruitful where are the players from the academy? The size of our academy we should have players kicking the doors in and ready to go.

 

[mexico1970]

How many of the managers currently in situ at the rest or the PL clubs will still be here in 2 years? We actually have more stability than the vast majority of the rest

Those managers would be sacked, Pep actually has a choice and that choice involves him leaving this club with players that another manager can make something off of.

He has one major summer transfer window and a year to bed those players in and then hand those players off to another manager, IMO if he's off we should have looked for someone else.

 

[Bluewonder]

We weren’t in a worse position. He had a spine of prime Stones, Fern, David, Kdb, Kun and Raheem. That’s miles better than we have just now. I think it will take us at least two very good transfer windows with the right players available to buy. The new boy has a lot to do.

He signed Stones in his first season. I assume you meant VK?

Yes, that is a solid spine, but so is:

Ederson, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodri, Foden and Haaland.

And I would argue that the lower grade players like Ake, Akanji and Grealish are better than their equivalents like Otamendi, Kolarov and Nasri.

I think it's easy to fall into a trap of thinking we need wholesale replacements, but every player I've mentioned will be in the 23-30 age bracket at the start of next season, which is typically a footballer's peak.

We need quality reinforcements, especially in midfield, but the cupboard is far from bare.

 

[Bluewonder]

Those managers would be sacked, Pep actually has a choice and that choice involves him leaving this club with players that another manager can make something off of.

He has one major summer transfer window and a year to bed those players in and then hand those players off to another manager, IMO if he's off we should have looked for someone else.

He's signed a two year extension, not one!

 

[Bluewonder]

The only flaw in that is that there is only one Pep, managers have tried to emulate him and they've failed.

If it were that easy many would have done it, and if it was that fruitful where are the players from the academy? The size of our academy we should have players kicking the doors in and ready to go.

I know, mate, he's a genius, but my point is that we aren't going from Pep to Allardyce. Rather, the next manager will be high quality and play a similar game to Pep.