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With games coming thick and fast this month, I really think our season will be defined by it. Obviously there's no such thing as an easy or unimportant period in a season but so far anyway, this must be the most testing.

By February 1st we could either be looking forward to our first cup final in 29 years, safely in the hat for the FA Cup 5th round, and sitting pretty in a Champions League place with the advantage of a game in hand- or, we could be as low as 8th in the table with little or nothing to play for, trophy wise. Knowing City, it could go either way but given our newfound expectations, I'm sure we all hope and expect it's the first scenario.

For all the optimism Mancini's first couple of games have brought, this period of (potentially) eight games in the space of a month is going to be a huge test of our mental and, at Goodison and the Britannia, physical strength.

As a reminder, we've got

Middlesbrough away
Rags at home
Blackburn at home
Everton away
Rags away
FA Cup 4th round (hopefully)
Stoke away
Portsmouth at home

What strikes me about those fixtures is that aside from the rags, they're all gritty, physical games against sides battling for either pride or survival- exactly the kind of games that for so long have been our undoing. With confidence brought about by Mancini and the new playing style he's implemented, are you confident about the month ahead?

There is of course the transfer window on top of all that, so it'll certainly be an eventful month for us blues.

I am confident but we can't sustain anymore injuries! Hopefully Mancini can act quickly in the transfer market.

I don't think we will lose a game ever ever again.

I'm concerned that players won't move in jan maybe we need to sign players to see us through to next season I.e upson

paulh wrote:I'm concerned that players won't move in jan maybe we need to sign players to see us through to next season I.e upson

that's the challenge...find some bodies for cover. If Mancini can see some of these young guns in action vs Boro it will give him a better idea of how to face the month and the transfer market. Which means even if we play some youngsters and crash out of the FA Cup it might be fruit we harvest throughout the rest of the month in terms of making sure our buys are focused, and quickly achievable.

DoomMerchant wrote:

paulh wrote:I'm concerned that players won't move in jan maybe we need to sign players to see us through to next season I.e upson

that's the challenge...find some bodies for cover. If Mancini can see some of these young guns in action vs Boro it will give him a better idea of how to face the month and the transfer market. Which means even if we play some youngsters and crash out of the FA Cup it might be fruit we harvest throughout the rest of the month in terms of making sure our buys are focused, and quickly achievable.

Woah ! Easy fellas. Slow down with money spending. We have some good youngsters coming through as well and I'm sure Bobby Manc will also give them an even handed chance in the training sessions. I can see Mancini going for Maicon and Sobotic, the later being a very good defender and only 21 with good experience so far, but there has to be some quality coming through right now from the reserves and the academy. Shame we've only seen them on the odd occasion this season. Anyway now , with all these games it's their chance too. btw have you all seen how many youngsters Everton are playing because they have to ? and their youngsters aren't playing badly either. Rodwell in particular is playing very well.

zuricity wrote:

DoomMerchant wrote:

paulh wrote:I'm concerned that players won't move in jan maybe we need to sign players to see us through to next season I.e upson

that's the challenge...find some bodies for cover. If Mancini can see some of these young guns in action vs Boro it will give him a better idea of how to face the month and the transfer market. Which means even if we play some youngsters and crash out of the FA Cup it might be fruit we harvest throughout the rest of the month in terms of making sure our buys are focused, and quickly achievable.

Woah ! Easy fellas. Slow down with money spending. We have some good youngsters coming through as well and I'm sure Bobby Manc will also give them an even handed chance in the training sessions. I can see Mancini going for Maicon and Sobotic, the later being a very good defender and only 21 with good experience so far, but there has to be some quality coming through right now from the reserves and the academy. Shame we've only seen them on the odd occasion this season. Anyway now , with all these games it's their chance too. btw have you all seen how many youngsters Everton are playing because they have to ? and their youngsters aren't playing badly either. Rodwell in particular is playing very well.

did you even read what i wrote?

cheers

No doubt you are right CtK but the beauty of where we are now really defines basically every period as the same way. This one is special because of the cup games for sure though and could keep serious dreams alive but it's in the league where every bunch of games will always seem like they are going to decide things.

It's all about being at the top or at least challenging for it which is where we are or think we are now. I daren't look at the 4 or 5 matches after the list after January but no doubt the standard of the teams we play will have gone up but whoever they are a defeat is a defeat. Once at the top you just cannot afford many so every game will feel the same , a must win!

But with the confidence we will have after January plus a signing or two to add to the quality , players getting fit and Ade and Kolo back there will real reason for excitement. And that's without mentioning Robinho finding his form! He will won't he?

I agree with Dug that in the league every month will be crucial, as for the cups this one sure is. I am pretty confident Mancini will give pitch time to some youngsters to assess them and see if they are good enough or we need to go back to the market to get some cover, although I'm pretty sure a CB will come.

DoomMerchant wrote:

zuricity wrote:

DoomMerchant wrote:

paulh wrote:I'm concerned that players won't move in jan maybe we need to sign players to see us through to next season I.e upson

that's the challenge...find some bodies for cover. If Mancini can see some of these young guns in action vs Boro it will give him a better idea of how to face the month and the transfer market. Which means even if we play some youngsters and crash out of the FA Cup it might be fruit we harvest throughout the rest of the month in terms of making sure our buys are focused, and quickly achievable.

Woah ! Easy fellas. Slow down with money spending. We have some good youngsters coming through as well and I'm sure Bobby Manc will also give them an even handed chance in the training sessions. I can see Mancini going for Maicon and Sobotic, the later being a very good defender and only 21 with good experience so far, but there has to be some quality coming through right now from the reserves and the academy. Shame we've only seen them on the odd occasion this season. Anyway now , with all these games it's their chance too. btw have you all seen how many youngsters Everton are playing because they have to ? and their youngsters aren't playing badly either. Rodwell in particular is playing very well.

did you even read what i wrote?

cheers

Yeah , sorry it wasn't meant for your particular point , rather the general concensus on the thread about us buying this one and that one, rather first using what we've got available in the reserves.

I don't know about Upson though even the end of the season. No player will sigh for us, knowing they are going to be dumped by the wayside at the end of the season without some ridiculous contract for about four or five years ,doubling their current salary. Do a 'Millsy' so to speak.

I agree that we need to view the FA cup game today as a chance to see how the young players do, we could do with one or two of them breraking through.

Agree also that the only thing restricting us this month would be injuries, Full squad and I think we'll cope but we're bare bones as it is anyway, any more injuries and we could end up burning all our bridges.

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:No doubt you are right CtK but the beauty of where we are now really defines basically every period as the same way. This one is special because of the cup games for sure though and could keep serious dreams alive but it's in the league where every bunch of games will always seem like they are going to decide things.

It's all about being at the top or at least challenging for it which is where we are or think we are now. I daren't look at the 4 or 5 matches after the list after January but no doubt the standard of the teams we play will have gone up but whoever they are a defeat is a defeat. Once at the top you just cannot afford many so every game will feel the same , a must win!

But with the confidence we will have after January plus a signing or two to add to the quality , players getting fit and Ade and Kolo back there will real reason for excitement. And that's without mentioning Robinho finding his form! He will won't he?

It's actually; Hull A, Bolton H Liverpool H then the Cup final.

Great summary CtK. I have found that I am enjoying being a City fan and looking forward to matches again recently, great stuff!

King Kev wrote:Great summary CtK. I have found that I am enjoying being a City fan and looking forward to matches again recently, great stuff!

Hey, slow down there chief, we wouldn't want anything crazy to happen.... like a smile breaking out on your face ;)

Good post CtK, but I getting a bit bored telling you that, so from now on I'm not gonna tell you it was a good post....

This is THE defining month for us no doubt about it. Its winning most or all of these games that gives a team the confidence to then go on and beat the big guns and win a cup final.

It is our platform to the top four and our first throphy for a generation, so you're damn right its crucial!

If it is affecting us, there is no doubt that it also affecting our rivals too. We are in a great position because we have the money to strengthen but Zurich is quite right about the kids. We have shouted long and hard about our feted Academy, maybe now is the time for it to show its worth in the 1st team.
We may laugh at the situation at the swamp where taggart has been forced to play his kids but each time they step out, they gain invaluable experience.
I am particularly disappointed that while SWP has been out, his natural successor Weiss has been overlooked.

8 games in a month! Hard life ain't it being a footballer.

john68 wrote:If it is affecting us, there is no doubt that it also affecting our rivals too. We are in a great position because we have the money to strengthen but Zurich is quite right about the kids. We have shouted long and hard about our feted Academy, maybe now is the time for it to show its worth in the 1st team.
We may laugh at the situation at the swamp where taggart has been forced to play his kids but each time they step out, they gain invaluable experience.
I am particularly disappointed that while SWP has been out, his natural successor Weiss has been overlooked.

Big big difference John, between us and them.... they slowly built a team and then slotted in a few youngsters here and there, but the kids were surrounded by players who knew, not only each other's game inside out, but also knew exactly what their manager wanted and all the kids had to do was follow suit.

Even under Hughes I would have said it was a bad idea trying to slot the kids in for crucial games because we are still a new team with players who are learning each other's game.... but now its even riskier, because we also have a new manager. New team, new manager, and when every win offers much needed confidence to give us a healthy platform, I say that for now the kids can wait and take their 20 mins here and there when we're cruising in a game, ala Weiss v Arsenal.

I recon the 'spell' goes a bit further to include Hull, Bolton & Liverpool.


I've been saying that this is a genuine chance for us, not just to be top 4 but top 2 & imo it's purely down to whether we can find a method of defending without going into Sven/Pearce mode & completely losing the attacking threat.

If we can do that, bearing in mind we've only lost 2, it's not ridiculous to think that there is a genuine chance we could win all those games coming up to Liverpool H, then we would be due to face Chelsea but of course that would be cancelled due to the CC final.

I recon that would leave us in the top 2-3 as we approached the final.


Then we'd effectively be in a run for the league v the other top teams for the last part of the season. They'd all have more to lose than us & probably be in Europe too. Game on.

We'll find out very soon if that's a possibility or just a pipe dream & it'll all be down to defence or lack of it.

I agree, this is going to be a big month for us but at the same time, it's going to be for everyone else as well. January is usually make or break for many teams, especially those with depleted squads after the busy Xmas fixture list.

For me though, the real test comes in February. A nice build up with Hull away and a home leg to Bolton, followed by the acid test games against Liverpool and Chelsea. However, the Carling Cup final falls on the 28th meaning that the Chelsea fixture would have to be rearranged. February could see us well placed in the league and possibly the first piece of silverware in decades.

PS. Just seen your name in Sky Blue CtK, well done big man. Is there anyone else who made the Honours List?

I think we should win our home games no problem. The away games will be very tough though and I'd probably be satisfied going away with a point from Everton and Stoke.