Where do we go from here

[supercity88]

Was having a bit of a daydream and remembering the playoff final in '99. The emotion that day was unbelievable and with the rags having done the treble a few days prior the gap between us and the scum was nearly the biggest it had ever been. Even back in '99 football wasn't the animal it is now. Money, tv rights, sponsorship etc were kicking off but there were only a handful of clubs in Europe that were really benefitting from it. Had anyone told me where City would be 15 years later... well you wouldn't have believed it.

Now we are getting ever closer to another season... what does everyone expect from it? What are people's concerns? Priorities? Is everyone unified in their support of Pellegrini now? Is our squad almost complete? And in the longer term what would people like to see City achieve or do over the next 10-15 years?

In regards to that last one I would like to see us win the Champions League and truly cement our places in European football history. I would take the prem over the CL anyday so we will have to win both! But I really would love to see a local lad go on to captain City and England and make a real mark on the global stage - for me that was always a dream of mine (though I got nowhere near it) but it would make me incredibly proud to see a local lad learn his trade in the academy our owners provided, who lived in a house they had built and who made his name in his home town, at his favourite club in a stadium they helped develop. That to me is what football was always about, before the money took away some of that romance. Whilst this hypothetical player will be rich beyond his dreams, it would still be a special moment to see them captain City and maybe even England.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

We continue with our momentum. Next step is to become a major European player, starting this season. We are the number one club in England now, and I expect the domestic trophies commensurate with that. But we should be looking for a champions league final in the next 2 or 3 years. I think, as our squad takes shape this summer, we shouldn't rule it out for this season.

Everything is in place at the club now. The personnel across the whole club is dead right.

 

[nobody can eat fifty eggs]

Always been proud of being a blue like so many and if I were to die tomorrow I'd die a happy and proud man after seeing what we've achieved in these last four years. Anything more now is purely a bonus in my eyes.

 

[Newman Noggs]

I expect nothing but hope for eveything the OP mentions. The only achievement that I would regard as essential to maintain the momentum is Champions League qualification whilst under cartel restrictions. Manage that this season and everything else opens up before us.

 

[MeatHunterrr]

Champions League win before 2020 would be happy with that.

 

[aguero93:20]

Always been proud of being a blue like so many and if I were to die tomorrow I'd die a happy and proud man after seeing what we've achieved in these last four years. Anything more now is purely a bonus in my eyes.

Very much in this camp, although that won't stop me wanting trophies every season.

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

When will the club sign a galactico?

 

[aguero93:20]

When will the club sign a galactico?

When we need to. Once the academy starts supplementing the senior squad, we'll have more money to spend on less players so most likely then.

 

[blueparrot]

When will the club sign a galactico?

Is Aguero a galactico, if we sold him it would be to Real or Barcelona ?

 

[LeKoa]

Supporting City has changed over the last five years. Almost beyond recognition. It is a very different experience now:

1. My level of expectation has torn through the ceiling and I am no longer just happy to see a 'good' game. I do NOT expect the team to win every game by just turning up. But I DO expect them to win the majority of games if the players perform to their capacity.

2. The stress levels of a title-chasing season far outstrips any tension of a relegation-surviving season. I've never known anything like it.

3. The margins for error at this level are so small.

4. It is noteworthy how quickly I have adapted to watching our team play sublime, possession football and allowed the memory of the wretched fare under Pearce (for example) swiftly fade away.

5. My season ticket price is now extortionate.

And yet.... despite all the global branding, foreign ownership, largely overseas squad, corporate hospitality, new plastic fans... despite all this... it still feels like MY club. This is testimony to the careful strategy of the owners and the fact that I do not yearn for the 'good old days'. They were NOT good. End of.

Where do we go from here?

- retain title
- quarter-finals in CL (minimum)
- domestic cup final

We have a maximum of 3 seasons with this current squad before some players will need replacing due to age. That is where the real challenge exists.