What are the owners/board thinking???

[Blue Mooner]

We're acting like spoilt kids quite frankly.

Nobody good have foreseen Johnsons injury and of all the players to get a long term injury this is the player you would have least wanted as he is about the only player that we don't have cover for. That is just sods law and not something you can 'blame' anyone for.

SWP is our option and if he can get his confidence together he is a player that could do a job for us and inject some much needed pace.

This signifies just why the press are wrong to have made such a big deal about keeping all our players happy, I feel that they have successfully unsettled some of our fringe players into moving on for 'regular' first team football.

What people are forgetting is that we have only 'loaned' out most of these players so we can't possibly add 'another' player to the squad list. The key is to offload those players permanently in the summar at which point they can be replaced.

One player doesn't make a team and although losing Johnson is a blow it doesn't automatically follow that we will fall apart. As usual its the knee jerkers who can't wait to start to develop some sort of 'crisis'

Now is the time to back the likes of Jo rather than cheering his substitution as he has shown he can do a job like at West Ham and Fulham away earlier on in the season.

We have won plenty of games without Johnson but he was a very useful player to have in our armoury without a doubt and he will be missed but its not the end of the world as some would have you believe and you odn't go an buy a permananet replacement for a player who will be back in 3 months, that's management of the madhouse.

Clearly some see our board as a bottomless pit, they are not, they have invetsed heavily and because of FFP they will have to run City like any business and that is not adding more and more players to the squad when you haven't permanently got rid of others.

I thank god that we have sensible people in charge and not the panic merchants.

 

[the blue panther]

The thing is about our decision makers, you can take at pretty much a given that The Sheikh and Khaldoon don't know too much about the football side of things. It's a nailed on fact that Cook doesn't.

So this is down to Marwood and Mancini. I think Mancini has to be seen to back his own judgement with players like Boateng and Kolorov, so he's not going to want to cast them aside. And he'd look weak going back on his fallouts with people. Marwood I just don't know enough about his judgement yet.

Are our chickens coming home to roost a bit?

A defeat at Brum and this season is going tits up a bit in my opinion.

For me, a gunfight for 4th place with Spurs is a backwards step given supposed progress made. Finishing 5th would be calamatous for "The Project".

I'm feeling a bit uneasy too. To give Marwood and Mancini some credit, they couldnt have predicted AJ's injury, or Balotelli's. But I really think we should have quality cover in every position given the money spent.

Step forward SWP...time to shine.

Or has the manager fallen out with him too?

That's a big ask of SWP given what he's looked like so far this season but, unless something shocking happens in the next 9 hours or so, it's Hobson's choice, so, come on Shauney boy!!

 

[Anonymous]

The thing is about our decision makers, you can take at pretty much a given that The Sheikh and Khaldoon don't know too much about the football side of things. It's a nailed on fact that Cook doesn't.

So this is down to Marwood and Mancini. I think Mancini has to be seen to back his own judgement with players like Boateng and Kolorov, so he's not going to want to cast them aside. And he'd look weak going back on his fallouts with people. Marwood I just don't know enough about his judgement yet.

Are our chickens coming home to roost a bit?

A defeat at Brum and this season is going tits up a bit in my opinion.

For me, a gunfight for 4th place with Spurs is a backwards step given supposed progress made. Finishing 5th would be calamatous for "The Project".

I'm feeling a bit uneasy too. To give Marwood and Mancini some credit, they couldnt have predicted AJ's injury, or Balotelli's. But I really think we should have quality cover in every position given the money spent.

Step forward SWP...time to shine.

Or has the manager fallen out with him too?

My understanding is that SWP isn't an option full stop. This is backed up by the media briefings after yesterday that SWP not moving on was not linked to the AJ injury, but to the fact that we haven't had a suitable offer...

I take your point regarding the players signed last summer - but we forget that we let all our wide players go except SWP and AJ. SWP is effectively gone - so even before the AJ injury we needed cover in that department.

I think it's unfair to start suggesting that us supporters are 'envious' of the business other club are doing - frankly, I'm not arsed one way or the other who Chelsea or Spurs sign. I'm concerned about whether our squad has the legs to sustain a top 4 challenge.

Here's a doomsday scenario. Mario's knee isn't heeled and needs more recovery. Tevez gets a niggling injury.

Regarding it being difficult to buy in Jan - I agree - but I also think that a bigger picture needs to be looked at. We aren't by any stretch of the imagination comfortably in pole position to finish 4th. We're in the mix - but that's it. It would make far more sense to bring forward a summer purchase, paying the January premium, to ensure we are stronger going into the business end of the season - than doing what we did last season - relying on what we have and ultimately falling just short...

 

[Chippy_boy]

This is the one window where we can spend some money. After today everythin we spend will be part of FFPR.

I used to think that, but unfortunately the FFPR have kicked in already mate. We are required to amortise our transfer spending, so even if we buy today the cost spreads over into the FFPR monitoring period.

 

[dctid]

The thing is about our decision makers, you can take at pretty much a given that The Sheikh and Khaldoon don't know too much about the football side of things. It's a nailed on fact that Cook doesn't.

So this is down to Marwood and Mancini. I think Mancini has to be seen to back his own judgement with players like Boateng and Kolorov, so he's not going to want to cast them aside. And he'd look weak going back on his fallouts with people. Marwood I just don't know enough about his judgement yet.

Are our chickens coming home to roost a bit?

A defeat at Brum and this season is going tits up a bit in my opinion.

For me, a gunfight for 4th place with Spurs is a backwards step given supposed progress made. Finishing 5th would be calamatous for "The Project".

I'm feeling a bit uneasy too. To give Marwood and Mancini some credit, they couldnt have predicted AJ's injury, or Balotelli's. But I really think we should have quality cover in every position given the money spent.

Step forward SWP...time to shine.

Or has the manager fallen out with him too?

That's a big ask of SWP given what he's looked like so far this season but, unless something shocking happens in the next 9 hours or so, it's Hobson's choice, so, come on Shauney boy!!

Personally if i was SWP i would not do a fookin stint and force my way out because quite frankly if Jo gets picked before yourself you know you must be truly dog shit - cant see the point in keeping SWP

SWP should have played yesterday ahead of Jo - Milner on the left - SWP on the right

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

I think our board are very concerned about the size of our wage bill in relation to our income, and are extremely reluctant to add to the outgoings before we have removed some of the very highly paid players we already have on the books who can barely even get on the bench these days.

January is an awkward time to buy, particularly when you get towards the end of the window as we were when AJ got injured. Agents will ask for astronomically high wages knowing we're a) loaded and b) desperate, and options are limited as most top players don't move in January, which could result in another overpaid flop on £150,000 a week who we want rid of at the end of the season, alongside Ade, SWP, Bridge, RSC, Bellers, etc.

It would be a moment of truly absurd 'typical City' if we splurged all this money to make sure we come third this season (the only result we actively have control of), only to have the wages we're stuck with count towards us being barred from the Champions League in a couple of years.

Whilst it is undoubtedly frustrating being left short by AJ's injury, we have to introduce a slightly more sustainable approach than "lets just buy Santi Cazorla/Alexis Sanchez for £30million and pay them £150k per week - then we'll definitely finish third' - its unrealistic and could end up causing us more problems in the long run.

 

[blueinsa]

The club have backed the current manager in his approach to the development of the squad and are seemingly happy with what they have seen.

I personally see far fewer issues with what Mancini has done and far fewer negatives during the latest couple of transfer windows than under Hughes.

The FFPR are no doubt informing the decisions on the macro level, and when you calculate the wasted wages on players that are no longer delivering then it is no surprise that a buying in January was the least of the boards concern.

Edin had been a target for a while, they went out and got him at considerable cost.

The Manager made it clear that HE thought that Edin was the last piece of the jigsaw.

If the board are backing the manager then they are at least being consistant in that approach as not buying more matches what Mancini was saying.

"only the very best players now wanted and they dont become available in january very often"

The injuries are problematic for sure, but they cannot force decisions on the club as that is bad business and goes against everything we are being told about City in the new world of transfers.

Manicni has already laid out what we should expect in the future as well.

"2 or 3 players in the summer"

Now it may be that City push for one of those players earlier but I doubt it.

So the policy seems to be about doing little in January and the summer will bring in only big names.

I can live with that TBH.

As for the rest of the stuff about Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs is so far just "sound and fury, signifying nothing".

As I write this no deals have been concluded. Perhaps Torres will go to Chelsea, perhaps not but he was told to feck off by City once he was offered late last month (he had his chance and blew it and City no longer beg people to join).

So City are doing exactly what I expected they would.

It just seems we are worrying that others may get into the top four based on what happens in Jan'.

History suggests that that wont make a real difference.

A fair and reasoned post fb but i will argue that as a club, we are not in any position to tell a player of Torres stature and abilty to "fuck off, you have had your chance" yet and if this is true, whoever has made that decision needs to give their heads a fucking wobble. That is of course if we were ever in a position to be offered the lad?

Whilst i agree that panic buying is not the ideal, football is a fluid game and injuries and suspensions do occur and seasons and goals set can and will be decided by such things. That in mind and given the fact we do need cover, even Bobby knows this any budgets or worries should be put to one side and everything done to get the players in and make sure that the season is not de-railed.

 

[Anonymous]

I think our board are very concerned about the size of our wage bill in relation to our income, and are extremely reluctant to add to the outgoings before we have removed some of the very highly paid players we already have on the books who can barely even get on the bench these days.

January is an awkward time to buy, particularly when you get towards the end of the windoe as we were when AJ got injured. Agents will ask for astronomically high wages knowing we're a) loaded and b) desperate, and options are limited as most top players don't move in January, which could result in another overpaid flop on £150,000 a week who we want rid of at the end of the season, alongside Ade, SWP, Bridge, RSC, Bellers, etc.

It would be a moment of truly absurd 'typical City' if we splurged all this money to make sure we come third this season (the only result we actively have control of), only to have the wages we're stuck with count towards us being barred from the Champions League in a couple of years.

Whilst it is undoubtedly frustrating being left short by AJ's injury, we have to introduce a slightly more sustainable approach than "lets just buy Santi Cazrola/Alexis Sanchez for £30million and pay them £150k per week - then we'll definitely finish third' - its unrealistic and could end up causing us more problems in the long run.

Wages won't be the issue as they would be the same today or in the summer for the likes of Sanchez. The issue would be the transfer fee.

Also, regarding our wage bill. RSC gone, Bellamy gone, Petrov gone, Ireland gone, Ade gone, Bridge gone...off the top of my head that's a hell of a lot off the wage bill...SWP will go either now or in the summer. Viera will go in the summer (he's on 100k a week).

Finally it's worth noting with have a top notch scouting department in place and the likes of Rigg and Marwood will have a dossier full of players who they think are suitable for the club.

 

[waspish]

We're acting like spoilt kids quite frankly.

Nobody good have foreseen Johnsons injury and of all the players to get a long term injury this is the player you would have least wanted as he is about the only player that we don't have cover for. That is just sods law and not something you can 'blame' anyone for.

SWP is our option and if he can get his confidence together he is a player that could do a job for us and inject some much needed pace.

This signifies just why the press are wrong to have made such a big deal about keeping all our players happy, I feel that they have successfully unsettled some of our fringe players into moving on for 'regular' first team football.

What people are forgetting is that we have only 'loaned' out most of these players so we can't possibly add 'another' player to the squad list. The key is to offload those players permanently in the summar at which point they can be replaced.

One player doesn't make a team and although losing Johnson is a blow it doesn't automatically follow that we will fall apart. As usual its the knee jerkers who can't wait to start to develop some sort of 'crisis'

Now is the time to back the likes of Jo rather than cheering his substitution as he has shown he can do a job like at West Ham and Fulham away earlier on in the season.

We have won plenty of games without Johnson but he was a very useful player to have in our armoury without a doubt and he will be missed but its not the end of the world as some would have you believe and you odn't go an buy a permananet replacement for a player who will be back in 3 months, that's management of the madhouse.

Clearly some see our board as a bottomless pit, they are not, they have invetsed heavily and because of FFP they will have to run City like any business and that is not adding more and more players to the squad when you haven't permanently got rid of others.

I thank god that we have sensible people in charge and not the panic merchants.

Somebody with some sense! I agree with you there some spoilt people! I have no doubt our squad is capable at pushing top 2!!

 

[auction294]

The transfer policy shouldn't have changed due to AJs injury, whilst very unfortunate and without doubt he is a vital part of the squad I don't think Mancini quite sees him as being an essential part of his preferred starting eleven in the Premiership. Whereas NDJ, Tevez , Kompany etc would have been much more devastating, although granted we have cover in all those postions that those named play.

I think this transfer window will set the tone for the future, it's adding one or two players to enhance the squad. We've done our buying for the time being and I for one am quite happy with the squad we have. The owners and the board have carefully overseen this whilst the media and other fools choose to believe we have adopted a scatter gun approach to transfers. The club know what's best. The fact we have moved from a very mid table team to top 4 in two years speaks volumes.

As far as the squad being weakened. Can't agree with this. RSC, Adebayor, Bridge we're not even figuring so they aren't exactly going to be missed.