Mancini Out

[Blue Since 76]

To bring some stats to the argument, the games and results from this calendar year are below, as a reminder

Blackpool (H) 1-0
Arsenal (A) 0-0
Leicester (A) 2-2
Wolves (H) 4-3
Leicester (H) 4-2
Villa (A) 0-1
Notts (A) 1-1
Brum (A) 2-2

8 games, GS14, GA 11, Points 8/15

The above is fact. Anything else is my opinion.

I would say the goals scored is fairly healthy, considering Balotelli has been injured throughout that period and Dzeko is finding his feet, however, half the gaols were scored against lower league sides.

Goals against is a concern, especially since 5 (almost half) were conceeded against lower league sides.

In all of those games, I thought we played really well in the first half against Blackpool, had a brilliant 20 minutes spell against Wolves when we scored 4 and have shown patches in other games, usually resulting in a goal. Defensively, we've been getting worse and worse. Arsenal was the highpoint, but even that was shaky and was as much luck as judgement.

We're having a poor patch and I don't think anyone can deny that. Every team has them throughout the season. Up to the Arsenal game, I expected us to be top 2, whereas I'm now looking nervously over our shoulder. If we get out of the slump soon and don't have another one (blips excepted), we should be fine for 4th, although 3rd could be a tough ask.

The next 3 league games are West Brom (H), Rags (A) and Fulham (H). I would hope for 6 points at home and 1 away, which would get us right back on track and hopefully some clean sheets as well. Any less and the pressure will really build.

[Fesan]

To the people shouting for Mourinho:

Have you watched RM this season? Not looking that good to be honest. If he cannot do well in RM what makes you so sure he would do well here?

Yes he had a few good years at Chelsea and since then won with Inter, except CL the rest of the trophies there were pretty easy I'd say.

Are we forgetting he went back to back European competitions with Porto?

Lots of managers have won stuff before, my point is he is not that hot this season. The grass is greener and all that... when we think of swapping out Mancini you think of Mourinho at his best, my point is that it is more accurate to look at his current accomplishments:-)

[Nige]

No way should we consider getting rid of Mancini. It's the backroom staff that need to go as they are fucking useless. Mancini needs advice challenge and support not puppets nodding like Phil neal did with graham taylor.

[Blue Since 76]

No way should we consider getting rid of Mancini. It's the backroom staff that need to go as they are fucking useless. Mancini needs advice challenge and support not puppets nodding like Phil neal did with graham taylor.

Brian Kidd? Either he challenged taggart, but doesn't to Mancini, which seems dubious. Or he's useless, which considering what he won at the rags, seems dubious.

[Slim]

No way should we consider getting rid of Mancini. It's the backroom staff that need to go as they are fucking useless. Mancini needs advice challenge and support not puppets nodding like Phil neal did with graham taylor.

Brian Kidd? Either he challenged taggart, but doesn't to Mancini, which seems dubious. Or he's useless, which considering what he won at the rags, seems dubious.

I know my first thought wasn't Kidd.

[ashton287]

How about now????????

anyone want him out???

noooo?????

[halnone]

Mancini is the man for manchester city.

[Blue Since 76]

How about now????????

anyone want him out???

noooo?????

My opinion hasn't changed. It didn't after the Brum result and it didn't after today's.

Personally, I think he's a decent manager, however, I'm still not convinced he will be a success in the Premier League. That doesn't make him a bad manager, as many good players and managers have failed here, just as many of ours have failed abroad.

At times, the football we play can be breathtaking, like the 1st half today. At others it can be poor, like the 2nd half today. Maybe after 3 or 4 seasons he would be able to build a squad and COACH them to play in the way he wants. Time would also allow him to shape the entire club to play the same way, so that youth or reserve players seamlessly blend in when required.

However, I think our owners want the best for the club in anything they do and, come summer, Mourinho is likely to be available. If he came, I don't think he'd be the best in the league, but I doubt we could convince Taggart to swap sides (and NQDP would have a coronary if he did), so he'd be the best we could get. Unfortunately, I think Mourinho is a bit of a chancer, taking other people's good sides and making them great. I'm not so sure he could build a great side or keep one at the top, as he's never been anywhere long enough to try it.

Ultimately, I think Mancini will be our Ranieri - building a great side, but not having the chance to see it grow and fulfil its potential.

[CityFanFromRome]

However, I think our owners want the best for the club in anything they do and, come summer, Mourinho is likely to be available. If he came, I don't think he'd be the best in the league, but I doubt we could convince Taggart to swap sides (and NQDP would have a coronary if he did), so he'd be the best we could get. Unfortunately, I think Mourinho is a bit of a chancer, taking other people's good sides and making them great. I'm not so sure he could build a great side or keep one at the top, as he's never been anywhere long enough to try it.

Ultimately, I think Mancini will be our Ranieri - building a great side, but not having the chance to see it grow and fulfil its potential.

I can see all of this happening too; the problem I have with this scenario is the post-Jose; admitting he comes in the summer and wins us the title and a couple more pots, then fucks off as his usual after two/three seasons, who comes to take his place? We need someone to stay here for ten years and bring continuous success to the club; Mancini, given time to build the side and coach them all to play as he wants every game, and not only one every three (or one half every three games), could provide that. Ancelotti could too, and he's another who's likely to be free in the summer, but I think he wants to manage Roma (the club he's grown up at) before the end of his career, and with the new owners coming in soon there, this summer is going to be his best chance for that, so I don't see us tempting him to come here; frankly, I can't see other managers good enough to fit the bill.

[Im_Spartacus]

How about now????????

anyone want him out???

noooo?????

Churlish after a 3.0 win, but the performance today was fucking awful.

Someone above has said our football in the first half was breathtaking......well, lets just stick to saying it was pretty. We had a sum total of 3 shots on target in the first half, 2 of which were penalties so lets get things into perspective.

We played West Brom, and failed to dominate. Next week we play the league leaders

[Douglas Higginbottom]

How about now????????

anyone want him out???

noooo?????

Churlish after a 3.0 win, but the performance today was fucking awful.

Someone above has said our football in the first half was breathtaking......well, lets just stick to saying it was pretty. We had a sum total of 3 shots on target in the first half, 2 of which were penalties so lets get things into perspective.

We played West Brom, and failed to dominate. Next week we play the league leaders

Interesting. I wouldnt say the performance was awful as clearly there was some very good attacking football in that first half but there were also a few chances for WBA which wasnt great.Then came the second half and we were poor no doubt about it.That happened partly because we were 3 nil up I am sure but nevertheless it shouldnt happen and I reckon Mancini will be very unhappy with it. I hope he is anyway.

next week has to be at least 50% better or we lose.

[Im_Spartacus]

How about now????????

anyone want him out???

noooo?????

Churlish after a 3.0 win, but the performance today was fucking awful.

Someone above has said our football in the first half was breathtaking......well, lets just stick to saying it was pretty. We had a sum total of 3 shots on target in the first half, 2 of which were penalties so lets get things into perspective.

We played West Brom, and failed to dominate. Next week we play the league leaders

Interesting. I wouldnt say the performance was awful as clearly there was some very good attacking football in that first half but there were also a few chances for WBA which wasnt great.Then came the second half and we were poor no doubt about it.That happened partly because we were 3 nil up I am sure but nevertheless it shouldnt happen and I reckon Mancini will be very unhappy with it. I hope he is anyway.

next week has to be at least 50% better or we lose.

It does have to improve and i'm praying it does.

I feel bad for moaning after a 3.0 win, but I sort of felt like when we beat Stoke 3.0 at home under Hughes......you could see there was a huge tactical crack which was papered over by 3 goals from Robinho. I certainly don't think we are going to descend into the sort of run which followed for Hughes which left us in the bottom 3 at xmas, but whilst the old cliches says "You have to take the positives", it is also foolish not to realise that we were pretty bad on the whole today, have been for a few weeks and seem to have a total inability to impose our will on teams in the way top teams do week in week out.

My mate at half time said, "We might as well fuck off home now", and he was right, the 2nd half was entirely predictable and was back to the turgid shite that Mancini loves. Yes, we kept a clean sheet, but winning 6-1 would have given us +5 goal difference, doing fuck all in the 2nd half gave us +3.

If that alone is not argument enough to keep going, I don't know what is......whilst we were attacking early on WBA were no threat at all. It was only when we stopped trying to force the issue that they came into the game, why the fuck can Mancini not see that - Tevez clearly can, as he kicked off about it again yesterday. Ultimately, if we have the ball, the opposition can't score

[kinkylola]

How about now????????

anyone want him out???

noooo?????

Churlish after a 3.0 win, but the performance today was fucking awful.

Someone above has said our football in the first half was breathtaking......well, lets just stick to saying it was pretty. We had a sum total of 3 shots on target in the first half, 2 of which were penalties so lets get things into perspective.

We played West Brom, and failed to dominate. Next week we play the league leaders

Interesting. I wouldnt say the performance was awful as clearly there was some very good attacking football in that first half but there were also a few chances for WBA which wasnt great.Then came the second half and we were poor no doubt about it.That happened partly because we were 3 nil up I am sure but nevertheless it shouldnt happen and I reckon Mancini will be very unhappy with it. I hope he is anyway.

next week has to be at least 50% better or we lose.

It does have to improve and i'm praying it does.

I feel bad for moaning after a 3.0 win, but I sort of felt like when we beat Stoke 3.0 at home under Hughes......you could see there was a huge tactical crack which was papered over by 3 goals from Robinho. I certainly don't think we are going to descend into the sort of run which followed for Hughes which left us in the bottom 3 at xmas, but whilst the old cliches says "You have to take the positives", it is also foolish not to realise that we were pretty bad on the whole today, have been for a few weeks and seem to have a total inability to impose our will on teams in the way top teams do week in week out.

My mate at half time said, "We might as well fuck off home now", and he was right, the 2nd half was entirely predictable and was back to the turgid shite that Mancini loves. Yes, we kept a clean sheet, but winning 6-1 would have given us +5 goal difference, doing fuck all in the 2nd half gave us +3.

If that alone is not argument enough to keep going, I don't know what is......whilst we were attacking early on WBA were no threat at all. It was only when we stopped trying to force the issue that they came into the game, why the fuck can Mancini not see that - Tevez clearly can, as he kicked off about it again yesterday. Ultimately, if we have the ball, the opposition can't score

Technically I can't argue with you, but in reality it really isn't that simple. There are 2 teams out on the pitch and you don't think WBA made some adjustments at half-time? We did as well. It's all well and good to say We should have pushed on and scored 3 more goals, but WBA are a professionaly team and if it were that easy how would we ever lose a game. We played very well first half and there was some good attacking movement on display. Second half we played much more conservatively and even though you might not think it's entertaining or "good," it is smart when 3-0 up. Mourinho would do the same.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

How about now????????

anyone want him out???

noooo?????

My opinion hasn't changed. It didn't after the Brum result and it didn't after today's.

Personally, I think he's a decent manager, however, I'm still not convinced he will be a success in the Premier League. That doesn't make him a bad manager, as many good players and managers have failed here, just as many of ours have failed abroad.

At times, the football we play can be breathtaking, like the 1st half today. At others it can be poor, like the 2nd half today. Maybe after 3 or 4 seasons he would be able to build a squad and COACH them to play in the way he wants. Time would also allow him to shape the entire club to play the same way, so that youth or reserve players seamlessly blend in when required.

However, I think our owners want the best for the club in anything they do and, come summer, Mourinho is likely to be available. If he came, I don't think he'd be the best in the league, but I doubt we could convince Taggart to swap sides (and NQDP would have a coronary if he did), so he'd be the best we could get. Unfortunately, I think Mourinho is a bit of a chancer, taking other people's good sides and making them great. I'm not so sure he could build a great side or keep one at the top, as he's never been anywhere long enough to try it.

Ultimately, I think Mancini will be our Ranieri - building a great side, but not having the chance to see it grow and fulfil its potential.

the fact that you even toy with the idea of Taggart as our manager gets my heart beating in scary tempo.

I think you are dead wrong about Mancini by the way. I don't think he was brought in as 'Ranieri'. Hughes was a 'Ranieri' ie previous owners manager who got to play around with money and ultimately proved it to owners that he wasn't taking us to where they wanted us to go. Mancini was brought in to do that job.

Personally I think some people underestimate our owners and how invested they are to Mancini. They owed Hughes nothing and got rid of him in the end after giving him a chance. However I believe they brought Mancini in for long term. I'm not even sure he'd be sacked if we didn't make it to top 4. With the players we have got, for me, it would be sackable offence but I don't think our owners are your average impatient football supporters.

Whole Mourinho talk is just crap journos fill their papers with. There is no way Mourinho would leave Madrid if, as it seems, he isn't going to win La Liga.

[Im_Spartacus]

How about now????????

anyone want him out???

noooo?????

Churlish after a 3.0 win, but the performance today was fucking awful.

Someone above has said our football in the first half was breathtaking......well, lets just stick to saying it was pretty. We had a sum total of 3 shots on target in the first half, 2 of which were penalties so lets get things into perspective.

We played West Brom, and failed to dominate. Next week we play the league leaders

Interesting. I wouldnt say the performance was awful as clearly there was some very good attacking football in that first half but there were also a few chances for WBA which wasnt great.Then came the second half and we were poor no doubt about it.That happened partly because we were 3 nil up I am sure but nevertheless it shouldnt happen and I reckon Mancini will be very unhappy with it. I hope he is anyway.

next week has to be at least 50% better or we lose.

It does have to improve and i'm praying it does.

I feel bad for moaning after a 3.0 win, but I sort of felt like when we beat Stoke 3.0 at home under Hughes......you could see there was a huge tactical crack which was papered over by 3 goals from Robinho. I certainly don't think we are going to descend into the sort of run which followed for Hughes which left us in the bottom 3 at xmas, but whilst the old cliches says "You have to take the positives", it is also foolish not to realise that we were pretty bad on the whole today, have been for a few weeks and seem to have a total inability to impose our will on teams in the way top teams do week in week out.

My mate at half time said, "We might as well fuck off home now", and he was right, the 2nd half was entirely predictable and was back to the turgid shite that Mancini loves. Yes, we kept a clean sheet, but winning 6-1 would have given us +5 goal difference, doing fuck all in the 2nd half gave us +3.

If that alone is not argument enough to keep going, I don't know what is......whilst we were attacking early on WBA were no threat at all. It was only when we stopped trying to force the issue that they came into the game, why the fuck can Mancini not see that - Tevez clearly can, as he kicked off about it again yesterday. Ultimately, if we have the ball, the opposition can't score

Technically I can't argue with you, but in reality it really isn't that simple. There are 2 teams out on the pitch and you don't think WBA made some adjustments at half-time? We did as well. It's all well and good to say We should have pushed on and scored 3 more goals, but WBA are a professionaly team and if it were that easy how would we ever lose a game. We played very well first half and there was some good attacking movement on display. Second half we played much more conservatively and even though you might not think it's entertaining or "good," it is smart when 3-0 up. Mourinho would do the same.

Yes West Brom may have made changes and I respect their attempts to try and make a game of it. I certainly wouldnt disrespect any team by suggesting that we "should" have scored another 3 goals. However as I continually say, football is a very simple game - if we have the ball, the other team cannot score. It's not a case of saying we played conservatively, we were unable to pass the ball to a blue shirt whilst playing under the negative tactics, and put ourselves under pressure as a result.

We were doing fine, at the time we put the 3rd goal in, we had 80% posession. By half time it was 60% because we let them off the hook and forgot how to do the simple things. In the 2nd half, they shaded us for posession 51/49 because we gave up passing the ball forward.

If we can't dominate posession at home under Mancini's "shut up shop" tactics, it is the big fuck off flashing warning light that we don't keep posession well when we are trying to stall the opposition. 3.0 and 80% posession would to me, indicate a perfect way to stop the opposition scoring, just dont let them have the fucking ball.

Its no disrespect to WBA to say that our players are better than theirs, and should have no problems keeping posession - it is the restrictions on attacking intent that I believe cause us to lose the ball often under no pressure, as ALL players have a natural inbuilt mechanism that tells them to pass the ball forward - and Mancini is trying to over-ride this, completely unnecessarily and players are looking for a backwards pass instead. Tevez' reaction would suggest that the players are as confused about this approach as we are.

[DoomMerchant]

Mancini rode his luck today..i was pleased with the result, but he wasn't a tactical genius, and i haven't seen any indication that he will win a big game, or even try to. In every opportunity since he's taken over -- Spuds, Arse, Rags -- he's wilted and reverted to form as a defensive-minded pussy-ass bitch. FACT. He needs to chuck that if we're going to win anything.

If he goes to OT and tries to play an expansive game of football, even if we lose 3-2 or 2-1, then i'll have some respect for him...but if he goes there acting like Mother fucking Hubbard with nothing on the shelves on offer, then it will be the same old thing for me and he can fuck right off. Simple as that. He has a lot of talent. He better fuclin use it goddamit. Properly.

No reason Mancini shouldn't feel like every goddamm week his job is on the fuclin line...until he proves otherwise. That's where i am at with him.

cheers

[kinkylola]

You're wrong by the way doomy ... if we drew all the "big games" (big 4 home and away) and won most of the other "not so big games" we'd probably win the league. You want a big game cup manager ... let's hire benitez on. Mancini plays the long game and in the end it's much smarter to get a draw against a big team rather then "go for it" and end up losing. You can say "playing for a draw" is an atrocity, or whatever you want to say ... besides the fact that I don't believe we actually play for draws, I think this viewpoint is very short sighted and probably intentionally ignorant as to all the circumstances of match.

If Mancini goes to OT and plays some "expansive game of football" and loses ... you'll be calling for his head, as will many others, and it will do a lot of damage not only to our (almost dead) title hopes, but our hopes of finishing 4th overall.

[CitizenYank]

If he wins next week, he can stay until the four horseman start approaching!!

[zuricity]

Mancini rode his luck today..i was pleased with the result, but he wasn't a tactical genius, and i haven't seen any indication that he will win a big game, or even try to. In every opportunity since he's taken over -- Spuds, Arse, Rags -- he's wilted and reverted to form as a defensive-minded pussy-ass bitch. FACT. He needs to chuck that if we're going to win anything.

If he goes to OT and tries to play an expansive game of football, even if we lose 3-2 or 2-1, then i'll have some respect for him...but if he goes there acting like Mother fucking Hubbard with nothing on the shelves on offer, then it will be the same old thing for me and he can fuck right off. Simple as that. He has a lot of talent. He better fuclin use it goddamit. Properly.

No reason Mancini shouldn't feel like every goddamm week his job is on the fuclin line...until he proves otherwise. That's where i am at with him.

cheers

I guess you don't consider the current champions away last season and comfortably at home this season, sufficiently good enough ?

We clearly outplayed Chelsea at home and with this squad , with many new players to get used to the everything we completely destroyed Liverpool at home . So too Villa and Fulham away

Next week , if we bring one or three point home that's great for me. We must make sure we stay with united. They have three hard games away from home after us.

To me next week is just another game on the road to cl qualification and more.

And what rot is that about his job being on the line ? Of course it isn't.

[Blue Since 76]

How about now????????

anyone want him out???

noooo?????

My opinion hasn't changed. It didn't after the Brum result and it didn't after today's.

Personally, I think he's a decent manager, however, I'm still not convinced he will be a success in the Premier League. That doesn't make him a bad manager, as many good players and managers have failed here, just as many of ours have failed abroad.

At times, the football we play can be breathtaking, like the 1st half today. At others it can be poor, like the 2nd half today. Maybe after 3 or 4 seasons he would be able to build a squad and COACH them to play in the way he wants. Time would also allow him to shape the entire club to play the same way, so that youth or reserve players seamlessly blend in when required.

However, I think our owners want the best for the club in anything they do and, come summer, Mourinho is likely to be available. If he came, I don't think he'd be the best in the league, but I doubt we could convince Taggart to swap sides (and NQDP would have a coronary if he did), so he'd be the best we could get. Unfortunately, I think Mourinho is a bit of a chancer, taking other people's good sides and making them great. I'm not so sure he could build a great side or keep one at the top, as he's never been anywhere long enough to try it.

Ultimately, I think Mancini will be our Ranieri - building a great side, but not having the chance to see it grow and fulfil its potential.

the fact that you even toy with the idea of Taggart as our manager gets my heart beating in scary tempo.

I think you are dead wrong about Mancini by the way. I don't think he was brought in as 'Ranieri'. Hughes was a 'Ranieri' ie previous owners manager who got to play around with money and ultimately proved it to owners that he wasn't taking us to where they wanted us to go. Mancini was brought in to do that job.

Personally I think some people underestimate our owners and how invested they are to Mancini. They owed Hughes nothing and got rid of him in the end after giving him a chance. However I believe they brought Mancini in for long term. I'm not even sure he'd be sacked if we didn't make it to top 4. With the players we have got, for me, it would be sackable offence but I don't think our owners are your average impatient football supporters.

Whole Mourinho talk is just crap journos fill their papers with. There is no way Mourinho would leave Madrid if, as it seems, he isn't going to win La Liga.

I know we'd never have taggart, or that he want to come, I was merely mentioning that he's the best manager in the league, at the moment, and, let's face it, up there with the best ever in English football. The point that he has the worst rags team I've seen since he won the league at the top of the table in Feb is proof of that. Put an average manager in charge, I'd they'd be below Liverpool. So frankly, the sooner he retires, the better.

I don't think Mancini was brought in as a Ranieri, I just think he'll turn into one. However, as you say, the owners brought him in and therefore must take some liability if he isn't a success. I think he'll lead us to top 4 this season, but then the lure of Mourinho may be too much. Hope not, but we'll see.

I suspect Mourinho will leave in summer - he hates the owners, they hate him. If he wins the league or champions league, he can quit with his head held high and more trophies in another country. If he doesn't, they'll sack him anyway, as they make us and Newcastle look stable manager wise.