The Run In

[Slim]

I agree that it is exciting times, we have had some boring seasons where the last few games had little to no impact on our season and we were done with the season by the end of March. To have something to fight for and win, as opposed to a relegation battle which is more of a fight to 'not lose' or a outside shot at a Europa spot which never came to pass, to head into the last four games with something very tangible and very exciting to aim for, well how people can be less than teetering on the edge the entire time is beyond me. Oh yeah, and we're still favourites.

[avoidconfusion]

My only concern is that if we dont seal a top 4 finish, we will not attract the players we need to get in to the champions league ever, we will just end up paying silly money for cash hungry players!

Well... you could argue that Tevez and Adebayor for example joined us although we finished 10th... so really we should be able to attract decent players even if we "only" finish 5th. :)

[lets all have a disco]

I still cant see us getting the points for fourth.

Sorry people.

[ENIAM NAM]

Liverpool at Maine Road...Lomas taking it into the corner...City fans crying...and...relegation.
Stoke and a massive scoreline in our favour...yet more tears as we went down lower.
Gillingham at Wembley...0-2...the despair...Horlock...Dickov...Weaver's victory celebration...tears of Joy.
BLackburn...City fans on the hill...they hit the bar, the post...we won...thousands of Blues in Albert Square...promotion to the Prem.
Chelsea...lost...the pitch invasion...Royle sacked.
Keegan...new hope...promotion back to the prem
Fowlers missed penalty...no Europe for City.
Pearce...Beanie...avoiding rlegation.
Sven...new hope...Shinawatra...Boro 1-8.
Hughes...the project...the Sheiks...hope but no success.

We have travelled a long road of ups and downs together. Our lows have cuased us to weep and our highs...weeeell...in honesty, they weren't that high really. Just excuses to have a beer and laugh out loud...not really Earth shattering success was it/

Now we have 4 games to go and we are seriously challenging for a top 4 place. Seriously challenging for the CL qualification that only a short time ago we only dreamt of. Arsenal. Villa, Spurs and West Ham stand between us and a place at the same table as Barca, Madrid, Bayern etc. Too often our excitement has been driven by fear of our failures. Today our excitement is driven by our success.

We should relish it...celebrate it...we should be singing and dancing about it. Instead there are city fans who are actually moaning about it....It beggers belief.
Arsenal...LOSE (the rags beat Spurs)...2pts behind. We beat Villa...Spurs win...still 2pts behind...We beat Spurs and go 4th, we beat West ham and it is ours....the real start of something big.

God, you can be negative!

[Slim]

I still cant see us getting the points for fourth.

Sorry people.

That's okay, bookmarking this thread for a "neener neener neener" moment cause we are gonna get 4th and fuck all who say we won't.

[Ted Hughes]

I agree that it is exciting times, we have had some boring seasons where the last few games had little to no impact on our season and we were done with the season by the end of March. To have something to fight for and win, as opposed to a relegation battle which is more of a fight to 'not lose' or a outside shot at a Europa spot which never came to pass, to head into the last four games with something very tangible and very exciting to aim for, well how people can be less than teetering on the edge the entire time is beyond me. Oh yeah, and we're still favourites.

Imo, in each of the 4 games to come, we are favourites. Even the Arsenal game. If it was the other way 'round & we'd lost a procession of games & had nothing to play for against a top side with everything to play for containing 3 of our ex players we'd've written it off already.

Spurs & Villa; we are at home. West Ham; it could all be over by then but obviously we're favourites there anyway.

My biggest worry is that the rags were very very average the other day & many City sides of the past would have beaten them. Unless Spurs bottle it again at OT, they can give the rags a game, no question. If rags win though, I still make us slight favourites whatever the result at Arsenal.

[lets all have a disco]

I still cant see us getting the points for fourth.

Sorry people.

That's okay, bookmarking this thread for a "neener neener neener" moment cause we are gonna get 4th and fuck all who say we won't.

Mate i swear i hope to god you do.

I really do.
I'll be just as pissed as you and just as happy but i cant see it.

[Slim]

I still cant see us getting the points for fourth.

Sorry people.

That's okay, bookmarking this thread for a "neener neener neener" moment cause we are gonna get 4th and fuck all who say we won't.

Mate i swear i hope to god you do.

I really do.
I'll be just as pissed as you and just as happy but i cant see it.

Okay, let's look at it this way.

1. Anything from the Arsenal game is a bonus, count on nothing and that's okay cause we don't need it.
2. We outplayed Aston Villa earlier in the season when we couldn't win away and they weren't running flat, they are now...at our place they are there fore the taking, mark this down as 3 points.
3. West Ham are very poor, I think even walmai would agree with that and we have shown we can put easier teams to the sword in recent times, mark this down as 3 points.
4. Which leaves us with the Spurs game, and all our frustration and anguish coupled with revenge we have been saving up for 29 years, I think this is our cup final, mark down another 3 points.

Now Spuds play the filth and us, zero points there, burnley and bolton...let's give them all six there.

Us in 4th, them in 5th, job done.

[Ted Hughes]

Be funny if Vlad Weiss engineered a surprise Bolton victory v Spurs. Just the kind of game they lose from time to time.

[lets all have a disco]

I still cant see us getting the points for fourth.

Sorry people.

That's okay, bookmarking this thread for a "neener neener neener" moment cause we are gonna get 4th and fuck all who say we won't.

Mate i swear i hope to god you do.

I really do.
I'll be just as pissed as you and just as happy but i cant see it.

Okay, let's look at it this way.

1. Anything from the Arsenal game is a bonus, count on nothing and that's okay cause we don't need it.
2. We outplayed Aston Villa earlier in the season when we couldn't win away and they weren't running flat, they are now...at our place they are there fore the taking, mark this down as 3 points.
3. West Ham are very poor, I think even walmai would agree with that and we have shown we can put easier teams to the sword in recent times, mark this down as 3 points.
4. Which leaves us with the Spurs game, and all our frustration and anguish coupled with revenge we have been saving up for 29 years, I think this is our cup final, mark down another 3 points.

Now Spuds play the filth and us, zero points there, burnley and bolton...let's give them all six there.

Us in 4th, them in 5th, job done.

My prediciton.

Ok

Lose to Arse
Beat Villa
Draw with Spurs
Beat West Ham.


I hope to god im wrong,but in every big game weve played this season weve bottled it.

[Craig B]

Am I the only person that actually wants Spurs to win on Saturday?

Fuck the Champions League.. I just want United to lose! ;-)

[Ted Hughes]

Arseshaver's out for Saturday according to the Mail. Good news for us.

[walmai]

Spurs:

Scum (A) Lose Nil points
Bolton (H) Win 3 Points
City (A) Lose 0 Points
Burnley (A) Win 3 Points

Total: 70 Points

CITY:

Arsenal (A) Draw 1 Point
Villa (H) Win 3 Points
Spurs (H) Win 3 Points
WHU (A) Win 3 Points

Total: 72 Points

Even if Spurs manage a point against the scum and we lose to Arsenal i still reckon we'll sneak 4th on goal difference because we should slip a few past West Ham on the last day, Walmai might disagree but who gives a shit.

Spurs (LWDW) - 7 points
City (LWDW) - 7 points.

I don't disagree that you are going to murder us. However, I am hopeful that it won't matter to us anyway.

[Ted Hughes]

Spurs:

Scum (A) Lose Nil points
Bolton (H) Win 3 Points
City (A) Lose 0 Points
Burnley (A) Win 3 Points

Total: 70 Points

CITY:

Arsenal (A) Draw 1 Point
Villa (H) Win 3 Points
Spurs (H) Win 3 Points
WHU (A) Win 3 Points

Total: 72 Points

Even if Spurs manage a point against the scum and we lose to Arsenal i still reckon we'll sneak 4th on goal difference because we should slip a few past West Ham on the last day, Walmai might disagree but who gives a shit.

Spurs (LWDW) - 7 points
City (LWDW) - 7 points.

I don't disagree that you are going to murder us. However, I am hopeful that it won't matter to us anyway.

I don't think we'll murder you but I'm hopeful we'll win if we need to. Hopefully it won't condemn you lot to the Championship if we do.

[brite blu sky]

Each game is now massive and as john68 makes clear these are exciting times. 4 massive games to play, Everything to play for. A team that are very capable.
This weekend an out of sorts and out of players Arsenal with only revenge to play for.
Next week a Villa side that will give its all to stay in the race.
Then a humdinger against arguably the only other Prem side with some form. Head on clash for CL and the future.
A final game away from home that may yet be against a WH side needing 3pts and City needing 3pts.


You could be forgiven for not wanting to watch any of it, but that would be missing the whole point of being in the mix at this stage of the season. Unless you attend the matches and sing your heart out, there is nothing you can do about any of this apart from watch and enjoy it. It is almost unbearably fascinating. At the end of it, this City team will be in the position that ultimately they deserve as they stand as a team now. We all know they can get better, we know the team has fault lines, but as yet we still do not know what this set of players are really capable of, both in play and mentality.

This weekend is going to be incredible, Spurs have there most difficult game of their season against a team that are the most experienced in the Prem at getting results when the chips are really down. Some posters on here have slagged off our performance v the rags, but that is ignoring the strength they have at times like this. Spurs are good no doubt about it, but if you think for a moment that the rags will sit back and let their title challenge disappear without a serious fight then you are not on the same planet.
City also have one of the toughest games of the season, we haven't won at the Emirates since fucl knows when, but then we also haven't been challenging for a CL spot since.. err..
If there is a contrast it is that Arsenal have collapsed and only have pride, revenge and 3rd to play for.

Anything can happen in all of the games left to play. Each person is entitled to adopt a stance that works for them.. if you cant handle disappointment then dont get optimistic in the first place, if you can take it on the chin then look to the positive and stay upbeat.. in the end it doesn't really matter, what matters is that the players on the day take matters into their own hands and make a difference.

My personal view is that City are no walkover and can hold their own against any team, still learning yes, but we have the individuals that make differences in games, there is now no need whatsoever for any motivational stuff, we are in the seriously sharp end of a seriously hard season. I think the difference for our players is that they have to prove their worth not only for now but for next season's possibility of being there to play for glory in the CL.
This is the time to step up and make a claim to be there and i think our players know this. What was missing in the derby game will likely come out on Saturday, it is going to be a great game no doubt about it

[Fish111]

Spurs:

Scum (A) Lose Nil points
Bolton (H) Win 3 Points
City (A) Lose 0 Points
Burnley (A) Win 3 Points

Total: 70 Points

CITY:

Arsenal (A) Draw 1 Point
Villa (H) Win 3 Points
Spurs (H) Win 3 Points
WHU (A) Win 3 Points

Total: 72 Points

So far so good on my predictions. Though you could say the weekends games were the easiest to call as far as results were concerned. Villa is now a must win game for us. Anything less will be a disaster as i just cannot see Bolton upsetting Spurs at all. I really hope we go out to win the game at the weekend as this cautious approach is neither pleasant on the eye or any good for my ticker!

[Ted Hughes]

Spurs:

Scum (A) Lose Nil points
Bolton (H) Win 3 Points
City (A) Lose 0 Points
Burnley (A) Win 3 Points

Total: 70 Points

CITY:

Arsenal (A) Draw 1 Point
Villa (H) Win 3 Points
Spurs (H) Win 3 Points
WHU (A) Win 3 Points

Total: 72 Points

So far so good on my predictions. Though you could say the weekends games were the easiest to call as far as results were concerned. Villa is now a must win game for us. Anything less will be a disaster as i just cannot see Bolton upsetting Spurs at all. I really hope we go out to win the game at the weekend as this cautious approach is neither pleasant on the eye or any good for my ticker!

No reason we can't beat Villa & Spurs.

If we draw on Sat & Spurs beat Bolton we're still technically in with a shot at it of course but realistically if it comes down to goal difference & spurs need goals v Burnley, they'll be 10 up by half time even without Harry's brown envelope. The nightmare scenario is the usual City end of season frustration as we're winning our game comfortably but hear the goals going in at the Lane.

It's not out of the question that Bolton could nick something at Spurs though. Unlikely but not impossible. It's the kind of thing Spurs do. Then our playing for a point at Arsenal would actually be worth something rather than the managerial equivalent of Steve Lomas stupidly keeping the ball in the corner when we needed to score to stay up.

[Mike J]

im not even thinking about the spurs game yet as the villa game is a massive worry for me. they are a good team, if we dont step our game up and actually fucking attack them then i can see us drawing this one, maybe even villa nicking it.

[brite blu sky]

City to beat Villa convincingly
Spurs v Bolton.. should be a comfortable Spurs win.. but..
West Ham take advantage of a tired Fulham and get themselves safe
Liverpool finally give up after getting well beat by Chelsea.
Arsenal go down miserably at Blackburn

[Slim]

Looking at this for a scenario.(Count w's as +1GD, l's as -1GD)

City: (w)Villa, (w)Spurs, (d)West Ham. (70pts, +29GD)
Spurs:(w)Bolton, (l)City, (w)Burnley. (70pts, +27GD)
Villa:(l)City, (w)Blackburn. (67pts, +16GD)