The rebuild has started. Who goes?

[noseve]

That's why, in spite of his ability, Nunes will have credit in the bank. He's not a RB but is doing his best in that position. And he's been available all season and willing to play wherever he's selected.

Like every League 2 player would be, given half a chance!?
Not sure that's really something for the + column...

 

[noseve]

We really are in a mess! We have let it turn that sour, that I can't work out where to start. Yes, we have made some interesting purchases with potential, but seriously ask yourself this.....are any if them likely to be a new:-

David Silva, Yaya Toure, KDB, Aguero, Kompany, Diaz, Zabaleta, Rodri, Walker, Bernado, Mahrez, Sane or Gundogan?

Make no mistake, that is the quality, reliability and longevity we need. We do not need another Grealish, Phillips or Doku, who have ranged from poor to disastrous. Conversely we seriously need to ask some wider questions as to why the CFG Academy operation at Manchester cannot produce a single genuine fullback?

And then there is Pep! If I'm honest, the whole style of play has gone dull, and I haven't seen anything since the Villa 3-2 league winning game that has got me off my feet. Even the treble season was uninspiring in the style of football. For me, Pep is like my wife, in that perhaps as time has passed, the sex has become dull. It doesn't matter what new clothes (new players) she wears, it's still my rather dull wife underneath. However counter that with the argument that a new wife, even with my old wife's clothes (our existing players) might just get me a little more aroused and may even have a few new tricks to try!

That in a nut shell is it.

You need a change, mate - why not try out your neighbour's wife? Must look pretty fetching to you, in that little red number?

 

[Charlesfarsbar]

It’s fanciful to think that we will see six senior players leave the squad in the summer

We will not be forcing people out of the door if they have time left on their contract, it’s just not how the club operates.

I think KDB could go unless he can capture some form between now and the end of the season. The club won’t be able to justify his wages as one of the top earners

I think Gundogan will stay if he triggers the number of games to get another year. He will have to accept a reduced role and may have the carrot of a coaching role once his contract is up

I think Grealish may leave as he looks like Pep has given up on him. This will be up to him though

I think everyone else will stay

 

[Gone for a Burton]

We really are in a mess! We have let it turn that sour, that I can't work out where to start. Yes, we have made some interesting purchases with potential, but seriously ask yourself this.....are any if them likely to be a new:-

David Silva, Yaya Toure, KDB, Aguero, Kompany, Diaz, Zabaleta, Rodri, Walker, Bernado, Mahrez, Sane or Gundogan?

Make no mistake, that is the quality, reliability and longevity we need. We do not need another Grealish, Phillips or Doku, who have ranged from poor to disastrous. Conversely we seriously need to ask some wider questions as to why the CFG Academy operation at Manchester cannot produce a single genuine fullback?

And then there is Pep! If I'm honest, the whole style of play has gone dull, and I haven't seen anything since the Villa 3-2 league winning game that has got me off my feet. Even the treble season was uninspiring in the style of football. For me, Pep is like my wife, in that perhaps as time has passed, the sex has become dull. It doesn't matter what new clothes (new players) she wears, it's still my rather dull wife underneath. However counter that with the argument that a new wife, even with my old wife's clothes (our existing players) might just get me a little more aroused and may even have a few new tricks to try!

That in a nut shell is it.

The players are the (relatively) straight forward decisions....young players for old ones, poor players for elite ones.

The elephant in the room imo is Pep....style, intensity & temperament.

He is our 'football CEO'.

In business CEOs are recruited and retained for 5/7 year cycles before both parties change for new challenges.

Pep celebrates 10 years this year.

Do he, the club and the players need a change and who would fit the bill ?

A reasonable question.

 

[supercity88]

Like every League 2 player would be, given half a chance!?
Not sure that's really something for the + column...

That's bollocks though. If you want to compare Nunes to prime Walker fine, but it's worth comparing him to the performances of Walker this season, or Rico. It's worth looking at the mistakes Gvardiol, Stones, Akanji have made or the sloppy passing and lack of energy/effort from players in midfield. Nunes isn't likely to make it with City long term. But he was performing well in a wide role earlier in the season and he's done an okay job at RB considering he's not a defender. A squad is always going to need a few players that will knuckle down and play wherever they're asked to. The club aren't going to sell Nunes when there are already a good 3-4 positions that need filling. We've brought in 5-6 players this window (depending where McFarlane is) and anymore than 3-4 in the summer would be ridiculous.

 

[supercity88]

The players are the (relatively) straight forward decisions....young players for old ones, poor players for elite ones.

The elephant in the room imo is Pep....style, intensity & temperament.

He is our 'football CEO'.

In business CEOs are recruited and retained for 5/7 year cycles before both parties change for new challenges.

Pep celebrates 10 years this year.

Do he, the club and the players need a change and who would fit the bill ?

A reasonable question.

It's 10 years next summer - he joined in July 2016.

I'm not sure whether it was his decision or the boards not to invest last summer but that was a major error and compounded (or a cause of) the injuries we've had.

However, they clearly recognise the issue and are looking to resolve it and once they have Pep's the man you'd want in charge. He'll be working with new players, driving those standards and he'll still have a number of trusted players like Dias, Rodri, Bernardo to drive those on and off the pitch.

 

[noseve]

That's bollocks though. If you want to compare Nunes to prime Walker fine, but it's worth comparing him to the performances of Walker this season, or Rico. It's worth looking at the mistakes Gvardiol, Stones, Akanji have made or the sloppy passing and lack of energy/effort from players in midfield. Nunes isn't likely to make it with City long term. But he was performing well in a wide role earlier in the season and he's done an okay job at RB considering he's not a defender. A squad is always going to need a few players that will knuckle down and play wherever they're asked to. The club aren't going to sell Nunes when there are already a good 3-4 positions that need filling. We've brought in 5-6 players this window (depending where McFarlane is) and anymore than 3-4 in the summer would be ridiculous.

I don't actually compare Nunes to Prime Walker.
Just to any other average player - he still doesn't come out of it well...

 

[eastmanc]

We really are in a mess! We have let it turn that sour, that I can't work out where to start. Yes, we have made some interesting purchases with potential, but seriously ask yourself this.....are any if them likely to be a new:-

David Silva, Yaya Toure, KDB, Aguero, Kompany, Diaz, Zabaleta, Rodri, Walker, Bernado, Mahrez, Sane or Gundogan?

Make no mistake, that is the quality, reliability and longevity we need. We do not need another Grealish, Phillips or Doku, who have ranged from poor to disastrous. Conversely we seriously need to ask some wider questions as to why the CFG Academy operation at Manchester cannot produce a single genuine fullback?

And then there is Pep! If I'm honest, the whole style of play has gone dull, and I haven't seen anything since the Villa 3-2 league winning game that has got me off my feet. Even the treble season was uninspiring in the style of football. For me, Pep is like my wife, in that perhaps as time has passed, the sex has become dull. It doesn't matter what new clothes (new players) she wears, it's still my rather dull wife underneath. However counter that with the argument that a new wife, even with my old wife's clothes (our existing players) might just get me a little more aroused and may even have a few new tricks to try!

That in a nut shell is it.

You say we were dull in the treble season yet we were brilliant against ushited 6-3, Arsenal home and away, 3-1 and 4-1, Liverpool at home 4-1, Bayern Munich 3-0 and the best of all 4-0 against Real. That isn't dull football and remember we scored over 150 goals that season in all comps. Me thinks you have a selective memory.

 

[eastmanc]

It’s fanciful to think that we will see six senior players leave the squad in the summer

We will not be forcing people out of the door if they have time left on their contract, it’s just not how the club operates.

I think KDB could go unless he can capture some form between now and the end of the season. The club won’t be able to justify his wages as one of the top earners

I think Gundogan will stay if he triggers the number of games to get another year. He will have to accept a reduced role and may have the carrot of a coaching role once his contract is up

I think Grealish may leave as he looks like Pep has given up on him. This will be up to him though

I think everyone else will stay

I think it will be the opposite to what you say. I think Gundo will go and KDB will get another season, but like you say they can't all leave at once.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

I think it will be the opposite to what you say. I think Gundo will go and KDB will get another season, but like you say they can't all leave at once.

I don’t think either of them should be in the playing squad next season.

As people on here know, I am the president of the Gundogan fan club and always have been. He is right up there with David Silva for me as probably my favourite ever City player.

While he has been dealt a shitty hand this season and blamed for a ton of stuff that isn’t his fault, next season I want him on the training pitch coaching our next group of legends, and I’d also have him sat next to Pep in the dugout.

With Kev I just think it’s time to say a sad goodbye and for him to leave a legend, in the same way we did with the likes of Aguero. Age and injuries have caught up with the lad - he’s still got a couple of years in him in somewhere like the USA but he’s done at the top European level. We need to rip the plaster off.

A tier down is guys like John Stones and Bernardo. Maybe we keep them for another year but we can’t be relying on them.

 

[eastmanc]

I don’t think either of them should be in the playing squad next season.

As people on here know, I am the president of the Gundogan fan club and always have been. He is right up there with David Silva for me as probably my favourite ever City player.

While he has been dealt a shitty hand this season and blamed for a ton of stuff that isn’t his fault, next season I want him on the training pitch coaching our next group of legends, and I’d also have him sat next to Pep in the dugout.

With Kev I just think it’s time to say a sad goodbye and for him to leave a legend, in the same way we did with the likes of Aguero. Age and injuries have caught up with the lad - he’s still got a couple of years in him in somewhere like the USA but he’s done at the top European level. We need to rip the plaster off.

A tier down is guys like John Stones and Bernardo. Maybe we keep them for another year but we can’t be relying on them.

Good shout.

 

[TheGhost]

The players are the (relatively) straight forward decisions....young players for old ones, poor players for elite ones.

The elephant in the room imo is Pep....style, intensity & temperament.

He is our 'football CEO'.

In business CEOs are recruited and retained for 5/7 year cycles before both parties change for new challenges.

Pep celebrates 10 years this year.

Do he, the club and the players need a change and who would fit the bill ?

A reasonable question.

You don’t change Pep. You change the players.

 

[blueparrot]

It’s fanciful to think that we will see six senior players leave the squad in the summer

We will not be forcing people out of the door if they have time left on their contract, it’s just not how the club operates.

I think KDB could go unless he can capture some form between now and the end of the season. The club won’t be able to justify his wages as one of the top earners

I think Gundogan will stay if he triggers the number of games to get another year. He will have to accept a reduced role and may have the carrot of a coaching role once his contract is up

I think Grealish may leave as he looks like Pep has given up on him. This will be up to him though

I think everyone else will stay

As far as I can see if we want to register the players we have in the CL and have the same squad as the PL and next season think we will, Echeverri and Reis will be added next season. Then 3 players Walker,Phillips and probably Gundogan need to leave.From there it's one out one in.
So I think at least 2 more will go so we can bring in and AM and a full back ,which 2 is anyones guess, my guess would be Nunes and Kovacic or KDB.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

The players are the (relatively) straight forward decisions....young players for old ones, poor players for elite ones.

The elephant in the room imo is Pep....style, intensity & temperament.

He is our 'football CEO'.

In business CEOs are recruited and retained for 5/7 year cycles before both parties change for new challenges.

Pep celebrates 10 years this year.

Do he, the club and the players need a change and who would fit the bill ?

A reasonable question.

Absolutely.
In business, he'd be given a temporary assignment elsewhere to give him a break (which i think he needs).

He's just going to have to work through this one though eh?

In Pep we trust.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

I think it will be the opposite to what you say. I think Gundo will go and KDB will get another season, but like you say they can't all leave at once.

Well, given that they'll be out of contract, it'll be their choice, actually. I actually think Kev's a lucid enough player to recognise that he simply isn't making the contribution he used to. Yes, he can still sometimes do magical things, things that absolutely no-one else on the park could do. But they have become few and far between. He is a proud man, and I suspect his choice will be to go. Same for Gundo, although I heartily agree with the notion of Gundo being kept on in a coaching role. Pep said it — the best footballing brain in the entire squad. That was quite some accolade. And Pep doesn't do ego massaging.

 

[supercity88]

I don't actually compare Nunes to Prime Walker.
Just to any other average player - he still doesn't come out of it well...

Well he's played there a few times now despite us having quite a few other players who could have been tried. I'll trust the manager thanks.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Well, given that they'll be out of contract, it'll be their choice, actually. I actually think Kev's a lucid enough player to recognise that he simply isn't making the contribution he used to. Yes, he can still sometimes do magical things, things that absolutely no-one else on the park could do. But they have become few and far between. He is a proud man, and I suspect his choice will be to go. Same for Gundo, although I heartily agree with the notion of Gundo being kept on in a coaching role. Pep said it — the best footballing brain in the entire squad. That was quite some accolade. And Pep doesn't do ego massaging.

Super post.
Fully agree.
Would love to see Gundo go into Coaching at the club.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Maybe the worst post in Bluemoon history and that takes some doing.

Foden gets a free pass because "he's one of our own" but he should be judged the same way as players like Nunes and others. We know what he is capable of and I thought he had a better claim to the Balon D'Or than Vinicius Jr based on the season he had. But he's gone to pieces this season, bar a few recent goals.

His weaknesses have become all too apparent. Feeble in the tackle, reluctance to put right his numerous mistakes by chasing back, lack of meaningful involvement in games. He needs to get back to doing what he does best (although I feel it's a complete waste sticking him out wide). Hopefully he can do that soon but if we see the same Foden next season then we should get rid. We can't afford passengers if we want to resume our trophy-gathering, regardless of whether they've been with us since they were just out of nappies or not.

 

[the blue panther]

Foden gets a free pass because "he's one of our own" but he should be judged the same way as players like Nunes and others. We know what he is capable of and I thought he had a better claim to the Balon D'Or than Vinicius Jr based on the season he had. But he's gone to pieces this season, bar a few recent goals.

His weaknesses have become all too apparent. Feeble in the tackle, reluctance to put right his numerous mistakes by chasing back, lack of meaningful involvement in games. He needs to get back to doing what he does best (although I feel it's a complete waste sticking him out wide). Hopefully he can do that soon but if we see the same Foden next season then we should get rid. We can't afford passengers if we want to resume our trophy-gathering, regardless of whether they've been with us since they were just out of nappies or not.

Phil can only do what he does best in a functioning team. We've been far from that this season, and hence his shortcomings have been on display more than his attributes. If the Gonzales experiment comes off, I think we'll see the best of him again very soon.

 

[noseve]

Well he's played there a few times now despite us having quite a few other players who could have been tried. I'll trust the manager thanks.

So why are you on a forum, where you'll have to suffer actual opinions from others?

Christ it's tedious when posters get all precious because we have the cheek to query something Pep does.

Pep's terrific - of course he is - but are you telling me that we wouldn't have another UCL if he'd played Fernandinho against Chelsea (who'd barely threatened in any of the previous encounters that season with him in the team?).

And have you agreed with every starting line-up, every substitution during the past 2-3 months??

Bollocks, have you :-)