Satisfied with 5th?

Is this a trick question? Of course I wouldn't be satisfied with 5th. We'll never get an opportunity like this again, where the points total required to finish 4th is so low. We should all be disappointed if we don't take it.
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
bluemoonste said:
At the start of the season I'd have been happy with 5th, but now we are so close to making 4th.... I'd be gutted.
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That sums up my feelings on the subject. Fourth spot is in our own hands now, particularly if we can get 3 points each against Spurs, Everton & Villa.
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Me too!

Best chance ever!!
 
Robinho's_thumb said:
Would you be satisfied with 5th?

Finishing 5th wouldn't be a disaster imo.

If Tottenham or Villa get in the CL I doubt they could bring in players that we couldn't.
We can get rid of the deadwood and really create a squad which can challenge for honours and get 2 top players for every position.

(I don't make many threads, but I'm really interested to find out what everyone thinks.)
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When thinking of the bigger picture with City i always try to look at us objectively. And as much as i think that getting 4th will help us bring in some really top name players, I can't help but think that we are not ready for Champions League football yet.

I think we are a good 3-5 years off being a steady CL club and team. I still feel that we still deep into our infancy of building the pedigree of this club up and that consolidating ourselves as a regular 5th/6th placed Premier League team; making ourselves a team who will do well in domestic cups; and importantly a team who will do well, challenge for, if not win the Europa League - over the nest 3 seasons is more important for us than finishing 4th this season.

In my opinion(!!), i really don't think we have a CL goalkeeper, CL full backs, a CL central midfielder, a CL attacking midfielder, a CL right winger, (with Bellamy not being able to play many games in a row and his form-not his effort-sometimes being up and down) a CL left winger, and a CL second striker to play with Carlos if we need 2 up front in certain games. I cant see us buying 8 top world class players in the summer, i dont think we'll be going out and buying 8 new players in one window at all, i think we'll just add players here and there, maybe 3 in the summers and 1 in the winter, and that'll be it from now on! but i think we will need these 8 players for us not to have a shit/embarrasing first CL season!

Besides 4th means nothing! it doesnt win you a trophy, and it doesn't even get you into the CL! it gets you into a qualifyer where you could end up playing Lyon Sevilla Valencia Roma Juventus PSV Hamburg Leverkusen - with their European experience, what are the chances we'll get through anyway? plus this qualifyer is in September, after the transfer window closes, so which top European players will chance leaving their already CL clubs to come to a team that might but might not get into the CL?

As much as 4th and playing CL football excites me (who wouldn't it excite!?) to be honest i think i'd prefer to finish 5th! We can then look at improving our squad step by step and possibly a few more squad and utility players to really get us going as a serious club [i don't think we're viewed as a serious club yet, we just haven't been up where we are now for long enough!]
 
danburge82 said:
Robinho's_thumb said:
Would you be satisfied with 5th?

Finishing 5th wouldn't be a disaster imo.

If Tottenham or Villa get in the CL I doubt they could bring in players that we couldn't.
We can get rid of the deadwood and really create a squad which can challenge for honours and get 2 top players for every position.

(I don't make many threads, but I'm really interested to find out what everyone thinks.)
Click to expand...

When thinking of the bigger picture with City i always try to look at us objectively. And as much as i think that getting 4th will help us bring in some really top name players, I can't help but think that we are not ready for Champions League football yet.

I think we are a good 3-5 years off being a steady CL club and team. I still feel that we still deep into our infancy of building the pedigree of this club up and that consolidating ourselves as a regular 5th/6th placed Premier League team; making ourselves a team who will do well in domestic cups; and importantly a team who will do well, challenge for, if not win the Europa League - over the nest 3 seasons is more important for us than finishing 4th this season.

In my opinion(!!), i really don't think we have a CL goalkeeper, CL full backs, a CL central midfielder, a CL attacking midfielder, a CL right winger, (with Bellamy not being able to play many games in a row and his form-not his effort-sometimes being up and down) a CL left winger, and a CL second striker to play with Carlos if we need 2 up front in certain games. I cant see us buying 8 top world class players in the summer, i dont think we'll be going out and buying 8 new players in one window at all, i think we'll just add players here and there, maybe 3 in the summers and 1 in the winter, and that'll be it from now on! but i think we will need these 8 players for us not to have a shit/embarrasing first CL season!

Besides 4th means nothing! it doesnt win you a trophy, and it doesn't even get you into the CL! it gets you into a qualifyer where you could end up playing Lyon Sevilla Valencia Roma Juventus PSV Hamburg Leverkusen - with their European experience, what are the chances we'll get through anyway? plus this qualifyer is in September, after the transfer window closes, so which top European players will chance leaving their already CL clubs to come to a team that might but might not get into the CL?

As much as 4th and playing CL football excites me (who wouldn't it excite!?) to be honest i think i'd prefer to finish 5th! We can then look at improving our squad step by step and possibly a few more squad and utility players to really get us going as a serious club [i don't think we're viewed as a serious club yet, we just haven't been up where we are now for long enough!]
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The reality is we aren't going to pick up those CL players without the lure of the CL.

And even if we didn't quality from the playoff stage, you get an automatic bye into the Europa League. So either way 4th is very much in our interests.
 
If pool win europa will that allow another team in europa next season, say if they finished 6th in league, with scum winning coke cup europa teams to qualify at the moment are 5th and 6th i think.<br /><br />-- Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:34 am --<br /><br />You only get a bye into europa if you finish 3rd in group, if you finish 4th your out of europe
 
At the start of the season 5th place would have been a realistic target for City, as it would have been for Villa, Spurs & Everton. However no club can admit to targeting 5th, its like targeting failure. If 5th why not 4th? Instead clubs claim to target Top 6 which is seen as a more acceptable target than 5th.

The factor that's changed expectations since the start of the season is Liverpool. I dont think many expected them to slip back to the extent that they have. Now a 5th place finish would seem like a missed opportunity.

The fans of all the clubs fighting for 4th place will complain about their inconsistency. I just keep thinking back to those home draws against Fulham, Hull & Burnley. Just how well placed would we be if we'd won those games?
 
the goats backside said:
If pool win europa will that allow another team in europa next season, say if they finished 6th in league, with scum winning coke cup europa teams to qualify at the moment are 5th and 6th i think.

-- Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:34 am --

You only get a bye into europa if you finish 3rd in group, if you finish 4th your out of europe
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That's once you have qualified to the group stage. I'm saying that if you lose in the CL qualifier, you get put into the Europa League. Happened to Celtic this year when Arsenal beat them.
 
bluemoonste said:
At the start of the season I'd have been happy with 5th, but now we are so close to making 4th.... I'd be gutted.
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This, knowing it was there for the taking. Europa league and Sunday games next year wont feel right to me as hopes were for Champions league for months
 
Before the season I would have done but the way things have gone we should be capable of 4th spot. It really is there for the taking this year, we've been far from our best but are still in with a chance.
 
5th wouldn,t be a disaster imo....seems like RM will be going(bad move in my view - he needs time),so yet another new boss in the summer= more new aquisitions= more time to knit a squad together....easier to do this in a europa league campaign than CL....A FULL SEASON WITH THE SAME COACH,FOR ME,WOULD GIVE US TOP 3 OR BETTER!!!!.....
 
riley347 said:
5th wouldn,t be a disaster imo....seems like RM will be going(bad move in my view - he needs time),so yet another new boss in the summer= more new aquisitions= more time to knit a squad together....easier to do this in a europa league campaign than CL....A FULL SEASON WITH THE SAME COACH,FOR ME,WOULD GIVE US TOP 3 OR BETTER!!!!.....
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satisfied? yes

is that where i'm hoping we'll finish? no

we all know that 4th is on the cards and i'm sure we all want us to finish there. but that wasn't the question. so yes i'd be satisfied with 5th, but also a little dissappointed that we failed to capitalise on a great opportunity.

it's coming though.
 
We are nowhere near good enough for the Champions League right now. Any of Roberto's summer acquisitions will need 3-4 months to gel, so I would be perfectly content with fifth place this season. Next season we can try and win a domestic cup and hopefully finish in the Top Four. Anyone demanding more from City is being delusional and greedy.
 
At the start of the season then I would have wanted 5th i.e. best of the rest without the sky 4 and this was where my money went with paddy power, the fact that the wheels have come of at Liverpool would make finishing 5th feel like a massive blow, especially if they were the team to benefit.
 
I think in the long term finishing fifth could be better for us than fourth. By the start of next season our squad will definitely be of a champions league standard but a year of gelling and a a strong Europa league run will mean by 2011/12 we WILL be in the champions league with a team that knows each other and has European experience. It may not seem that way now but finishing fifth may be a blessing in disguise.
 
lionheart said:
We are nowhere near good enough for the Champions League right now. Any of Roberto's summer acquisitions will need 3-4 months to gel, so I would be perfectly content with fifth place this season. Next season we can try and win a domestic cup and hopefully finish in the Top Four. Anyone demanding more from City is being delusional and greedy.
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Don't know how you can say that.

1) the PL is suitably strong enough to ensure that we wouldn't disgrace ourselves in the competition. The current size of the CL means the inclusion of teams such as Rangers, AZ, APOEL, Debrecen. We'd be no worse than the 3rd/4th place teams from France and Italy IMO. A struggle to qualify out of the group stage perhaps, but we would represent ourselves well.

2) at this point in time it's not about winning the CL, but taking part. The prestige it affords the club will put us in another league in terms of being able to attract quality players who aren't coming here because of a feud at their previous club (Barry, Tevez, Adebayor). In the eyes of other nations, we go from being a project to a team that has arrived on the biggest stage. From there we can develop ourselves into a team that can compete on the biggest stage. But getting there is extremely important.

3) Just entering in the CL brings about 6m in prize money, plus £600k for every win. We'd also probably stand to gain around 10-12m TV money/market pool just from being in the group stage. So even if we didn't qualify past the group stage that's damn near £20m extra in revenue.

4) Making the CL guarantees that Liverpool are deprived of this CL income for another year. Times are hard for them, and it could eventually mean a sale of Torres and/or other key players. Even if we were knocked out of the qualifying play-off, the net effect on Liverpools finances for failing to make 4th would be a huge benefit. They'd have no money to improve their squad.

5) If it was Spurs or Villa who made it instead of us, then they get the £20m on top of the money they can already spend. What we don't want is the race for 4th becoming harder next season.

6) qualifying for the CL boosts your UEFA coefficient - something which benefits you in the long run
 
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