Writing is on the wall

[VOOMER]

Then if we are to maintain challenges for the title and succeed in the champions league, how exactly will we do that with the current squad, when we have several players in their 30's and no one from the youth team pulling up trees to join the squad?
Plus what exactly qualifies Khaldoun, to decide if the squad is fit for purpose? The new 2 have been brought in because Khaldoun has got the brains to realize that its not his area expertise, so I would dismiss that comment, as one being made on the back of some very poor and self serving advice.

The core of our squad has a very young average age. Who are these several players in their 30's ? We need to replace Lescott/Toure/Barry this summer but two of those three aren't regulars in the first team anymore and in Barry's position we have Garcia, Toure, Milner, Rodwell.

Anyway, even if we do need to replace players I'll say again, it is ridiculous to expect and hope that City will every summer sign players like De Rossi or Van Persie. Again, the last few transfer windows have shown how serious Khaldoun was.

And speaking of Txiki and Ferran - of course they will know the value in a squad needing top quality players and experience, but they have let it be known that the days of City having two international quality players for one position are over. The objective moving forward is having four or five world class players in the squad, supplemented with younger, hungrier, cheaper, players.

As for dismissing comments made by Khaldoun, why on earth would you do that when they are obviously the words of Sheikh Mansour and more importantly, those words have been put into actions, or in this case, inaction, in the transfer market.

The last window isn't an issue, but the fact we signed 5 players in the summer means that the Khaldoun comment can be dismissed, or else we wouldn't have bought anyone. We bought several players for no good reason, because someone other than Mancini had a hissy fit. 2 high quality signings a year is what will be required for the next 4 -5 years.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Then if we are to maintain challenges for the title and succeed in the champions league, how exactly will we do that with the current squad, when we have several players in their 30's and no one from the youth team pulling up trees to join the squad?
Plus what exactly qualifies Khaldoun, to decide if the squad is fit for purpose? The new 2 have been brought in because Khaldoun has got the brains to realize that its not his area expertise, so I would dismiss that comment, as one being made on the back of some very poor and self serving advice.

The core of our squad has a very young average age. Who are these several players in their 30's ? We need to replace Lescott/Toure/Barry this summer but two of those three aren't regulars in the first team anymore and in Barry's position we have Garcia, Toure, Milner, Rodwell.

Anyway, even if we do need to replace players I'll say again, it is ridiculous to expect and hope that City will every summer sign players like De Rossi or Van Persie. Again, the last few transfer windows have shown how serious Khaldoun was.

And speaking of Txiki and Ferran - of course they will know the value in a squad needing top quality players and experience, but they have let it be known that the days of City having two international quality players for one position are over. The objective moving forward is having four or five world class players in the squad, supplemented with younger, hungrier, cheaper, players.

As for dismissing comments made by Khaldoun, why on earth would you do that when they are obviously the words of Sheikh Mansour and more importantly, those words have been put into actions, or in this case, inaction, in the transfer market.

You are far more interesting when you are not banging on about Bobby. That's my advice, for what it's worth.

Anyway, I don't think any club will now countenance 2 top internationals for one position for both financial and political reasons [although the Spanish make up their own rules]. As you say, the key is the 4-5 world class players [we may need a couple more!] gelling with players brought through the club 'programme' [Big Tick for us in the years to come].

Hart, kompany, silva, yaya and aguero are arguably world class, although there may be a doubt creeping in about yaya, and clichy isn't too far off. One world class natural wide player, a Christian ronaldo, and we have the core of a squad which can win the champions league. In terms of personnel we are incredibly strong now, although its a bit unbalanced.

I think billy nailed it earlier, that our squad was finished in summer 2011. Just replacements and opportunist upgrades were/are required. I don't personally see the squad as significantly weaker than then now, in fact it could be argued its stronger with nasty and tevez(who the club assumed was leaving that summer, hence aguero)

I am also glad that ADUG haven't taken a 'throw good money after bad' approach to transfers. It wouldn't be healthy for the club. The manager has been given the finances and tools to build a dominant team and he now stands and falls on results, like any other manager.

I still think the league isn't beyond us, because we are better than united, but of we don't win it's a failure.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

IMHO The absence of spending in this transfer window increases the chances that we willl sign a big star in the Summer. I thought Ferran emphasised how important it was to bring in a star like Ronaldinho (in his Barc days) in his book. Increased sponsorship should cover the FFP requirements.

Also, in the book "Richer than God", the point is repeated a number of time about how important the image of Abu Dhabi is to Sheikh and we have to be competing with the top teams. Admittedly, we are not there in Europeand Mancini will be looking to do much better next year.

The age profile of the squad is very good with many players either reaching or in their peak years.

 

[FantasyIreland]

We bought several players for no good reason, because someone other than Mancini had a hissy fit.

Please tell us more,i have wanted an explanation for the summer shambles?

 

[coleridge]

[/quote]
Hart, kompany, silva, yaya and aguero are arguably world class, although there may be a doubt creeping in about yaya, and clichy isn't too far off. One world class natural wide player, a Christian ronaldo, and we have the core of a squad which can win the champions league. In terms of personnel we are incredibly strong now, although its a bit unbalanced.

I think billy nailed it earlier, that our squad was finished in summer 2011. Just replacements and opportunist upgrades were/are required. I don't personally see the squad as significantly weaker than then now, in fact it could be argued its stronger with nasty and tevez(who the club assumed was leaving that summer, hence aguero)

I am also glad that ADUG haven't taken a 'throw good money after bad' approach to transfers. It wouldn't be healthy for the club. The manager has been given the finances and tools to build a dominant team and he now stands and falls on results, like any other manager.

I still think the league isn't beyond us, because we are better than united, but of we don't win it's a failure.[/quote]

Absolutely, although the EDS/Etihad Campus effect will seminally take years to bear fruit. You are also a much better poster without the Mancini moan. Just saying, like. ;)

 

[Lancet Fluke]

We bought several players for no good reason, because someone other than Mancini had a hissy fit.

Please tell us more,i have wanted an explanation for the summer shambles?

It looked to me like we signed those players late on in the window because Mancini had a hissy fit. Certainly he did quite a lot of whinging publicly at the lack of signings and then we made the signings.

 

[PUTTYBLUE]

I like Mancini and i hope they keep him. Who would you get that is as good as him out there?
Ok he has made some dodgy decisions but who hasn't, did we really expect to win the Champion league straight off. Lets not forget what hes done in this short space of time, FA Cup, Premiership Champions and Charity Shield. Its all progress, i hope we stick with him for years to come.

 

[Blumooniac]

I love Mancio and hope he stays. However, after his comments on Mario's departure and the positive language he used to describe both him and Milan, my first thoughts were that he might be following him at some point .

I don't know if anyone has managed both Inter and Milan, or whether it's unthinkable, but did anyone else get this feeling?

 

[coulsonblue]

But we didn't have the structure that Coulson is referring to; we didn't have a coherent long-term strategy backed by serious investment; we didn't have a Director of Football...

Managerial (as in head coach) stability and a stable club are not necessarily the same thing. Also, changing the manager after three years for a better model does not imply a lack of stability, it should imply progress: stability should never become a barrier to progress. Progress means something should be changing and that might be the manager.

Changing the manager at the drop of a hat is not to be recommended and I do not believe our club will do that but they will make a change if they think it is the best way forward.

I appreciate that but we arent talking about a change every 3 years. We were talking Chelsea like changes year in year out depending on success. You can't say Chelsea portray a stable club although behind the scenes they could have a rock solid set up away from the manager.

Thing is once the manager is changes then usually the assistant manager is, then the coach, then the goalkeeping coach, then they bring their own players in, then the scouts, then how they play the reserve games etc etc. So to me, regardless of the set up in the directors box, a stable club has a long term manager at the helm.

On the first point: I think the people who make these decisions, presumably a collection of Txiki, Ferran and Khaldoon maybe others, will be looking at Mancini's record over a period of time.

For example, last season, Khaldoon visited Mancini (I think after the Arsenal game) after a game where everyone thought we had lost the league, to tell him his job was safe. He was judging him on his progress over a period of time, not the last 6 weeks that had seen us collapse.

This summer, he will be judged on this season and last both domestically and in europe.

Re the 2nd point: If Mancini left, so would Falso, Platt, Battara, probably Lombardo.

Again, this is just coaching staff for the 1st team. The whole point of having a structure in place that means the manager can be changed whilst keeping all else constant remains the same, when the new manager brings his own coaches in.

It's not like the academy coaching setup is being torn up.

Re: Reserve games - If you are to develop a system of playing that you want to run throughout the football club, you need to have all of the coaches with the same mentality.

As far as I'm aware, Mancini only coaches the first team.

This point is another one in favour of having a good structure with a DoF who sets the philosophy.

Regarding Scouts:

There was a fantastic article a while back which went through the scouting process. When City look to sign a player, the scouts develop a dossier detailing their playing style, how they would fit into the club, their off the field hobbies and family in order to establish how well they would integrate into the club(ie. are they a Zabaleta type who would embrace the culture, or a Tevez and go into his shell) and therefore what work "Player Care" need to do.

All the points you raised, I could make an argument how they would be achieved by having a solid structure in place with a DoF.

As OB1 said, this is vastly different from the old fashioned Ken Bates style chairman. For a start Txiki has played (and scored) for the Spanish national team

 

[Bobbies Black Bins]

I jumped with both feet..hahahaha

Go and watch the Liverpool preview Mancini has done...

By the way the video is on <a class="postlink" href="http://www.mcfc.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.mcfc.co.uk</a>

Why do you keep going hahahahahahahaaa???

What has that got to do with the topic at hand.

I will have you a bet, loser pays £50 to charity and believe me I will be happy to lose it. If we win nothing (again hopefully this doesnt happen) then Bobby will not be our manager next season. You on?

Hahahaaaa

You just sound silly now and very boring. You refuse to believe what Mancini has said in press conference and written word.

Grow up you fool.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/manchester-city-boss-roberto-mancini-1284794" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... ni-1284794</a>