Reflections on the past 7 years - foundations, hunger and regression

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Well, as we enter the last half season of Manuel, I am rapidly descending into what I call 62-63 mode. During that time I turned up to Maine Road and feared the worse, hoping we would see some measure of reward for turning up. Come Sunday, I shall be in full-on 62-63 mode.

 

[MillisleBlue]

Still remember finding it hard to take in when we signed Dzeko from VFB Wolfsburg. He'd won the Bundesliga title with them and had been scoring for fun in Germany. To me, players of that quality normally went elsewhere!

 

[YaYa's Left Peg]

Well, as we enter the last half season of Manuel, I am rapidly descending into what I call 62-63 mode. During that time I turned up to Maine Road and feared the worse, hoping we would see some measure of reward for turning up. Come Sunday, I shall be in full-on 62-63 mode.

Haha ...62-63 mode...I like that. I thought I was alone in thinking that way.

It's ludicrous when you think about it, that we should feel like this way given the players we have now, but it's difficult to shake when the evidence is so overwhelming. MP has regressed us so much it's unbelievable.

I am dreading Sunday, but will turn up just like you, with my expectation meter tuned firmly to 62-63 mode.

 

[toffee balls]

Right , you lot , this shit stops right here.
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again.

The squad is decimated by injuries and they need all the help we can muster.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Haha ...62-63 mode...I like that. I thought I was alone in thinking that way.

It's ludicrous when you think about it, that we should feel like this way given the players we have now, but it's difficult to shake when the evidence is so overwhelming. MP has regressed us so much it's unbelievable.

I am dreading Sunday, but will turn up just like you, with my expectation meter tuned firmly to 62-63 mode.

If we set up expecting another Leicester debacle then we won't be disappointed; come away with the points and we can milk it! I've been to more City matches with that frame of mind than not!

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

A destination can frequently be somewhat underwhelming compared to its journey, but it doesn't mean the destination has to be anything but enjoyable, if you can apply a sense of perspective to it.

 

[gio's side step]

My god did even I underplay the catastrophic regression with this thread on the 10th February. I knew it was there. I knew it was coming for 2 years. But what has happened since - the wheels have well and truly fell off.

I have revisited this today to add a couple of other short points.

Khaldoon. I would pay a lot of money for his thoughts this morning. He has been here since day 1. The clinical sacking of Hughes. The progression, hunger, desire to build a football club at the highest level. Seeing Mancini instil that mentality. The progress off the pitch. The navigating FFP. His end of season interviews - hmmm, right now this morning, we have lost more games in the PL this season than in the last 4 years combined. I genuinely cannot believe Pellegrini is still here. Its a big call to sack him now - with Pep coming in and only a small number of games left and would be a PR disaster and highlight mis management at the very top of the club, but I can't see how Pellegrini can remain here based on this logical trajectory of results which would have us well outside top 4 come the last game. I said last week, I think we will win 2 games. West Brom and Stoke. I mean that. The rot has set in. It takes a long time to build a football club with a winning mentality - in our case we did it pretty quickly and in an accelerated fashion but its taken Pellegrini very little effort to dismantle it.

One final point on what I think is the big problem and has been from day one regardless of the various moments we have been able to put a plaster on a large wound.

Mancini started from the back. Defence. Don't concede goals but also ensure we were compact in midfield with good protection and game management. Barry was so important to how we played. Ever since Pellegrini's first game - it was clear he didn't give a fuck about being compact in midfield. I knew one day no matter how many purple patches and goals scored in that first season, that once teams worked out how to play against us, press hard and high, and run through our entire spine on the counter attack and to have more belief and be willing to go toe to toe (what teams never did against us under Mancini as they were all scared to death) that it would one day cost us big time. He has stubbornly refused to deal with this bar one or two moments (Seville away).

He has to be sacked - just to make the statement that this is unacceptable and that this level of regression will not be tolerated no matter what the context is.

 

[MadchesterCity]

Agree completely he has to be sacked today

 

[Father Paul]

I am hoping we see the squad reinvigorated by the arrival of Pep, as we need it badly. To me it feels like Pep is the destination and this last 3 years under Manuel were the long boring drive to get there.

Its all exciting when you set off, but now we are at the phase where the kids in the back wont shut up...."no we're not fucking there yet!"

The first year was anything but boring not sure it was because of or inspite of Pelligrini though. The last two years bar Willy at Wembley have been a drive to a destination in reverse.