The Neutral View....

[adr2.8i]

for me i want City to win every single game

i dont care if we play madrid on a wednesday, chelsea on a sunday or frickin accrington stanley on a tuesday night in the sherpa van trophy........i want to win every single game!

 

[Bilboblue]

I’ve been on this forum for a while now, as many of you will know. I’ve seen how pissed off you get after (rare) defeats and I understand that sometimes, in the heat of the moment, people can say things that, the next day, they wont mean. In contrast, I see the reactions to some of your big wins and how many people’s opinions of players/staff and the like are immediately inflated, sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly.

I put that down however, to the fickle nature of football fans in general, and not just with City.

However, I’ll be honest here though, in that I am amazed at some of your thoughts on tonight’s game, your potential CL campaign outcome, the upcoming game against Chelsea and the Europa League.

A couple of years ago, when Spurs nicked the CL spot from you after ‘that’ Crouch goal, this place was not happy, and understandably so. After such a rapid & prominent rise since Sheikh Mansour took over, CL qualification was the immediate aim, long before a potential League Title.

Fast forward a year and you got exactly what you wanted, by finishing 3rd.

Manchester City in the Champions League – who’d have thought it? Fuck me, 10 years ago you were playing the likes of Wycombe, Mansfield and even my Oldham!

Draws haven’t been kind as we all know, and to be honest, the performances haven’t been there either. BUT, whilst you still have a chance to qualify for the KO rounds this season, and since it’s only fucking November and the PL title race hasn’t even got going yet, I cannot fathom some of the reactions on here this last few days, in particular to the question posed the other day, “Would you accept a defeat against Real, for a win at Chelsea”?

Now surely it’s not just me here, but whilst you can still qualify for the CL, why the fuck wouldn’t you want to go all guns blazing tonight, against the most successful team in European Cup history, on your home patch, knowing a win could keep you in the hunt for the KO rounds. There’s plenty of things to consider here...

1. Ajax definitely have a chance of beating Dortmund
2. Equally, City have the squad to beat Madrid
3. It’s November, you lose to Chelsea and, at worst, you’re 2pts behind United. Fuck me, they bottled an 8pt lead last year in April, what the fuck is a 2pt advantage in November, especially when they have to visit The Etihad in a few weeks.

I guess what I am saying, is that I can’t believe the majority of people on here would happily abandon any CL hopes now, if a guaranteed win against Chelsea was available on Sunday. Fair enough, if we were in February and you were 3pts behind in the PL, then I could perhaps understand it a little.

But this is the Champions League, something 10 years ago you would have laughed at the possibility of participating in, and you’re playing Real Madrid, at home, whilst qualification is STILL possible. Even if Dortmund did pick something up in Amsterdam tonight, think of the extra confidence your team would get by turning Real Madrid over. A defeat to Chelsea on Sunday is as far away from the end of the world as possible. Imagine losing to Madrid tonight, only to see that Ajax had beaten Dortmund?

Lastly, whilst I agree that the PL is the big focus again this season, surely a Europa League stint would be useful in it’s own ways. Just look how much Co-efficiency points Atletico Madrid earned last season when they won the competition. They’re on the brink of Pot 1 as it stands.

You have two very good players for every position and I see no reason why you cannot challenge on both fronts, even by keeping the PL as the priority.

Lastly, from a personal point of view, I’ve always thought of City fans as a good bunch. Especially when you factor in just how arrogant those ***** across the road have been all these years. I guess I just thought I’d never see you turn your noses up at competitions like the Europa League now you’ve got some success behind you.

There’s a lot of positives to take out of a win against Madrid tonight, even if Dortmund beat Ajax.

It’s not the end of the world if you lose to Chelsea on Sunday.


*Cue potential Rag comments.

A very, very good post sjk, however, you are wrong thinking it is the majority of us are abandoning hope re: Champions League, 95% of those I talk to still hope we can go through, if not then the Europa League is a way of boosting our European co-efficient rating.

Don't tar us all with the same brush mate.

 

[Latics Fan SJK]

I’ve been on this forum for a while now, as many of you will know. I’ve seen how pissed off you get after (rare) defeats and I understand that sometimes, in the heat of the moment, people can say things that, the next day, they wont mean. In contrast, I see the reactions to some of your big wins and how many people’s opinions of players/staff and the like are immediately inflated, sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly.

I put that down however, to the fickle nature of football fans in general, and not just with City.

However, I’ll be honest here though, in that I am amazed at some of your thoughts on tonight’s game, your potential CL campaign outcome, the upcoming game against Chelsea and the Europa League.

A couple of years ago, when Spurs nicked the CL spot from you after ‘that’ Crouch goal, this place was not happy, and understandably so. After such a rapid & prominent rise since Sheikh Mansour took over, CL qualification was the immediate aim, long before a potential League Title.

Fast forward a year and you got exactly what you wanted, by finishing 3rd.

Manchester City in the Champions League – who’d have thought it? Fuck me, 10 years ago you were playing the likes of Wycombe, Mansfield and even my Oldham!

Draws haven’t been kind as we all know, and to be honest, the performances haven’t been there either. BUT, whilst you still have a chance to qualify for the KO rounds this season, and since it’s only fucking November and the PL title race hasn’t even got going yet, I cannot fathom some of the reactions on here this last few days, in particular to the question posed the other day, “Would you accept a defeat against Real, for a win at Chelsea”?

Now surely it’s not just me here, but whilst you can still qualify for the CL, why the fuck wouldn’t you want to go all guns blazing tonight, against the most successful team in European Cup history, on your home patch, knowing a win could keep you in the hunt for the KO rounds. There’s plenty of things to consider here...

1. Ajax definitely have a chance of beating Dortmund
2. Equally, City have the squad to beat Madrid
3. It’s November, you lose to Chelsea and, at worst, you’re 2pts behind United. Fuck me, they bottled an 8pt lead last year in April, what the fuck is a 2pt advantage in November, especially when they have to visit The Etihad in a few weeks.

I guess what I am saying, is that I can’t believe the majority of people on here would happily abandon any CL hopes now, if a guaranteed win against Chelsea was available on Sunday. Fair enough, if we were in February and you were 3pts behind in the PL, then I could perhaps understand it a little.

But this is the Champions League, something 10 years ago you would have laughed at the possibility of participating in, and you’re playing Real Madrid, at home, whilst qualification is STILL possible. Even if Dortmund did pick something up in Amsterdam tonight, think of the extra confidence your team would get by turning Real Madrid over. A defeat to Chelsea on Sunday is as far away from the end of the world as possible. Imagine losing to Madrid tonight, only to see that Ajax had beaten Dortmund?

Lastly, whilst I agree that the PL is the big focus again this season, surely a Europa League stint would be useful in it’s own ways. Just look how much Co-efficiency points Atletico Madrid earned last season when they won the competition. They’re on the brink of Pot 1 as it stands.

You have two very good players for every position and I see no reason why you cannot challenge on both fronts, even by keeping the PL as the priority.

Lastly, from a personal point of view, I’ve always thought of City fans as a good bunch. Especially when you factor in just how arrogant those ***** across the road have been all these years. I guess I just thought I’d never see you turn your noses up at competitions like the Europa League now you’ve got some success behind you.

There’s a lot of positives to take out of a win against Madrid tonight, even if Dortmund beat Ajax.

It’s not the end of the world if you lose to Chelsea on Sunday.


*Cue potential Rag comments.

A very, very good post sjk, however, you are wrong thinking it is the majority of us are abandoning hope re: Champions League, 95% of those I talk to still hope we can go through, if not then the Europa League is a way of boosting our European co-efficient rating.

Don't tar us all with the same brush mate.

You've got the wrong end of the stick, mate.

I didn't say the majority of people have given up hope of qualifying. I said the majority would sacrifice tonight to get 3pts on Sunday, which is what I found surprising.

 

[Blue Mist]

Look if you are going to come here and post rational, sensible thoughts then we dont want you. You are only welcome if you rant at Mancini three days after saying he is the greatest manager to walk this planet. It is people like you who give this forum a good name and I for one don't want it. It is not big and it is certainly not clever.

Also please notice how I have not called you a Rag ? BUT I do think the Mods should ban you, sensible posts indeed.



indeed.

 

[Asa's left peg]

As well as winning both games and increasing our coefficient, there is something more for me about tonight.

Staying in or going out - Its about laying down a marker - saying , this is the real Manchester City and this is what you will get next season when you draw us in the next group of death. F##k you Rumenigger, Delorentis and all - we are here for a long time so get used to it.

I'm so up for tonight I want to play !

 

[Didsbury Dave]

You've got the wrong end of the stick, mate.

I didn't say the majority of people have given up hope of qualifying. I said the majority would sacrifice tonight to get 3pts on Sunday, which is what I found surprising.

I believe Paul Dickov would sacrifice an FA Cup 3rd round replay against Leeds for 3 points in the league on Saturday. It's the same scenario.

 

[the goats backside]

I’ve been on this forum for a while now, as many of you will know. I’ve seen how pissed off you get after (rare) defeats and I understand that sometimes, in the heat of the moment, people can say things that, the next day, they wont mean. In contrast, I see the reactions to some of your big wins and how many people’s opinions of players/staff and the like are immediately inflated, sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly.

I put that down however, to the fickle nature of football fans in general, and not just with City.

However, I’ll be honest here though, in that I am amazed at some of your thoughts on tonight’s game, your potential CL campaign outcome, the upcoming game against Chelsea and the Europa League.

A couple of years ago, when Spurs nicked the CL spot from you after ‘that’ Crouch goal, this place was not happy, and understandably so. After such a rapid & prominent rise since Sheikh Mansour took over, CL qualification was the immediate aim, long before a potential League Title.

Fast forward a year and you got exactly what you wanted, by finishing 3rd.

Manchester City in the Champions League – who’d have thought it? Fuck me, 10 years ago you were playing the likes of Wycombe, Mansfield and even my Oldham!

Draws haven’t been kind as we all know, and to be honest, the performances haven’t been there either. BUT, whilst you still have a chance to qualify for the KO rounds this season, and since it’s only fucking November and the PL title race hasn’t even got going yet, I cannot fathom some of the reactions on here this last few days, in particular to the question posed the other day, “Would you accept a defeat against Real, for a win at Chelsea”?

Now surely it’s not just me here, but whilst you can still qualify for the CL, why the fuck wouldn’t you want to go all guns blazing tonight, against the most successful team in European Cup history, on your home patch, knowing a win could keep you in the hunt for the KO rounds. There’s plenty of things to consider here...

1. Ajax definitely have a chance of beating Dortmund
2. Equally, City have the squad to beat Madrid
3. It’s November, you lose to Chelsea and, at worst, you’re 2pts behind United. Fuck me, they bottled an 8pt lead last year in April, what the fuck is a 2pt advantage in November, especially when they have to visit The Etihad in a few weeks.

I guess what I am saying, is that I can’t believe the majority of people on here would happily abandon any CL hopes now, if a guaranteed win against Chelsea was available on Sunday. Fair enough, if we were in February and you were 3pts behind in the PL, then I could perhaps understand it a little.

But this is the Champions League, something 10 years ago you would have laughed at the possibility of participating in, and you’re playing Real Madrid, at home, whilst qualification is STILL possible. Even if Dortmund did pick something up in Amsterdam tonight, think of the extra confidence your team would get by turning Real Madrid over. A defeat to Chelsea on Sunday is as far away from the end of the world as possible. Imagine losing to Madrid tonight, only to see that Ajax had beaten Dortmund?

Lastly, whilst I agree that the PL is the big focus again this season, surely a Europa League stint would be useful in it’s own ways. Just look how much Co-efficiency points Atletico Madrid earned last season when they won the competition. They’re on the brink of Pot 1 as it stands.

You have two very good players for every position and I see no reason why you cannot challenge on both fronts, even by keeping the PL as the priority.

Lastly, from a personal point of view, I’ve always thought of City fans as a good bunch. Especially when you factor in just how arrogant those ***** across the road have been all these years. I guess I just thought I’d never see you turn your noses up at competitions like the Europa League now you’ve got some success behind you.

There’s a lot of positives to take out of a win against Madrid tonight, even if Dortmund beat Ajax.

It’s not the end of the world if you lose to Chelsea on Sunday.


*Cue potential Rag comments.

A very, very good post sjk, however, you are wrong thinking it is the majority of us are abandoning hope re: Champions League, 95% of those I talk to still hope we can go through, if not then the Europa League is a way of boosting our European co-efficient rating.

Don't tar us all with the same brush mate.

You've got the wrong end of the stick, mate.

I didn't say the majority of people have given up hope of qualifying. I said the majority would sacrifice tonight to get 3pts on Sunday, which is what I found surprising.

And how sad is that

 

[Latics Fan SJK]

You've got the wrong end of the stick, mate.

I didn't say the majority of people have given up hope of qualifying. I said the majority would sacrifice tonight to get 3pts on Sunday, which is what I found surprising.

I believe Paul Dickov would sacrifice an FA Cup 3rd round replay against Leeds for 3 points in the league on Saturday. It's the same scenario.

You would believe wrong.

A cup run this season is absolutely vital for us, in financial terms.

Even Corney (Our CE) would choose an away FA Cup 3rd tie at any 40k+ ground than 3pts at the weekend.

There's plenty of time left in the season to sort out our league form. Big cup ties are once in a bluemoon opportunites for teams like us.

 

[Berkovic_blue]

I guess what I am saying, is that I can’t believe the majority of people on here would happily abandon any CL hopes now, if a guaranteed win against Chelsea was available on Sunday. Fair enough, if we were in February and you were 3pts behind in the PL, then I could perhaps understand it a little.

But this is the Champions League, something 10 years ago you would have laughed at the possibility of participating in, and you’re playing Real Madrid, at home, whilst qualification is STILL possible. Even if Dortmund did pick something up in Amsterdam tonight, think of the extra confidence your team would get by turning Real Madrid over. A defeat to Chelsea on Sunday is as far away from the end of the world as possible. Imagine losing to Madrid tonight, only to see that Ajax had beaten Dortmund?

You make a fair point and for me personally I've enjoyed the CL games despite the results because the quality of every single game has been superb (thanks to the opposition).

However I would argue that the league has *always* been more important than European competition. I don't think it's case of people turning their noses up at it, I'd love it if we won the Europa League but there's no escaping the fact that as we're now in the fortunate position to be regularly challenging for the league title then that competition comes first in anyone's book.

 

[geoffchall]

Full strength tonight, possible starting Dzeko (who should be bloody hungry to prove something by now) and Aguerro. Minor rotation at the weekend but the idea that we'd be seeing a team with Kolo, Lescott, Garcia, Rodwell and Sinclair at either game is unlikely.