FAO John68 Re: Nagative Fans

[Ted Hughes]

To John & Doug, yeah sorry I did veer off a bit from the 68 season, probably because of the mention of 4th place I suppose. After 68 though, I think most of us expected we'd finish in the top 4 pretty much every season from then on & were a bit surprised when we didn't. Well at least I did! I didn't lose my positivity until Swales sold Trevor Francis. Then I realised!

I think if we'd had the internet then though, the disgruntled would have made themselves at least as prominent in the 'good ol days' as they do now. I think we have a generally content majority, who don't want managers sacking or players abusing unless things get really bad but most of them don't use the net very much or appear on the radio, so their voice doesn't get heard so much. People who like to complain about things are attracted to the net & the media. I don't see the same kind of vitriol directed at players or managers in the ground on the whole as I do on the net & radio etc so imo it probably would have been the same if we'd had it in the late 60's & 70's. For instance I've never given Steven Ireland stick in the ground but I have on here; in the ground I mostly cheer him on.

That's probably why various numpties who never go to games, think we're responsible for driving Robinho away; they read comments on here & assume everyone's giving him stick inside the ground too, when in fact those same people who slagged him on here actually cheered him on when he played.

I recon if we'd had the net in the 70's Rodney Marsh would have probably caused much bigger arguments than Hughes did!

[john68]

I'm glad you raised the period after we won the League Ted, as it gives me a chance to revisit an issue I raised on here some time ago regarding our attitude to Joe Mercer and the City experience of that period.

We entered the 1968-69 season as the English League Champions and our 1st competetive game was at Maine Road in the Charity Shield versus West Brom, who we battered 6-1. As you confirm Ted, our belief in City's capabilities was sky high. We were soon brought down to earth with a bang and by Boxing Day, the game before we started on our successful FA Cup run, our record was abysmal. In the League, we had: Pl 25...Won 7...Drew 8...Lost 10, We had been knocked out of the League Cup in Rnd2 by a Div 2 Blackpool and had failed in our very 1st game in the European Cup, beaten by Fenerbahce.

I am aware that we eventually went on to win the FA Cup, but up until the start of that competition, we had experienced a very very poor season indeed. I never at any point of that season, even in its darkest time, heard any murmurings against Mercer or Allison. The only abuse i remember was direscted at Bobby Owen, who was nocknamed the sugarplum fairy, but who was dropped after only a few games.

I am convinced that had that scenario been played out today;
Mercer would have been shown the door before our FA Cup campaign began. I am convinced that fan and media pressure would have proved too weighty for the present board to ignore and I am sure that most fans on here would not have tolerated such a drop in our team's performance.

THOUGHTS PLEASE.

[citydonz]

Lets face it, this is the most exciting season i've had as a city fan in recent years.
I know we havent been winning the prem and competing consistently in europe, but i still remember how it felt in Div1 & 2 when we won our promotions. Yes they weren't so called "bragging" honours to show off about, but that feeling of end of season excitement and City actually being involved and winning the big games is AMAZING.

With regards to this season, i'm just happy we have two games to go and something thats worth getting excited about involves us for change with two games to go. I personally think if we can sneak a win against the arse, we will sneak it into 4th. Even if we don't, two games to end the season with an electric atmosphere...soak it up. Especially you fellas who actually get to attend, i bloody miss it.

So stay positive, we have still got our own fate in our own hands and we know we our boys CAN do it. So lets get the f&*^ behind them and push the buggers over the line!!

[Ted Hughes]

I'm glad you raised the period after we won the League Ted, as it gives me a chance to revisit an issue I raised on here some time ago regarding our attitude to Joe Mercer and the City experience of that period.

We entered the 1968-69 season as the English League Champions and our 1st competetive game was at Maine Road in the Charity Shield versus West Brom, who we battered 6-1. As you confirm Ted, our belief in City's capabilities was sky high. We were soon brought down to earth with a bang and by Boxing Day, the game before we started on our successful FA Cup run, our record was abysmal. In the League, we had: Pl 25...Won 7...Drew 8...Lost 10, We had been knocked out of the League Cup in Rnd2 by a Div 2 Blackpool and had failed in our very 1st game in the European Cup, beaten by Fenerbahce.

I am aware that we eventually went on to win the FA Cup, but up until the start of that competition, we had experienced a very very poor season indeed. I never at any point of that season, even in its darkest time, heard any murmurings against Mercer or Allison. The only abuse i remember was direscted at Bobby Owen, who was nocknamed the sugarplum fairy, but who was dropped after only a few games.

I am convinced that had that scenario been played out today;
Mercer would have been shown the door before our FA Cup campaign began. I am convinced that fan and media pressure would have proved too weighty for the present board to ignore and I am sure that most fans on here would not have tolerated such a drop in our team's performance.

THOUGHTS PLEASE.

I've absolutely no doubt that would have happened & what's more, many people in cyberland would have agreed with it. The quiet majority would have sighed & wondered where we go next, just like they did when Mercer was eventually sacked & have done ever since.

[john68]

...which brings up another memory...when Joe mercer 1st returned to Maine Road with Coventry City and the MASSIVE ovation he received from the whole of the ground.
That must have made Swales wince and cower with embarrassment.

[mcfc1632]

Bit of Edge on you this morning Slim?

Nice bits of Nostalgia from John68 there...Shame I was born in '71.

I seriously doubt anyone ran off to Vhero and cried about leaving the forum. I know people, but I won't say who. Just Vhero having a whinge cause he hasn't had an original thought in nearly 10,000 posts and those he copies, he inevitably gets wrong.

@mcfc1632:When I spoke out about the previous management, I was figuratively fucked up the arse by a large number of posters for not being behind the management and therefore not behind the club, not only that but having your say once meant that every fucking thing you posted whether on the topic or not was yet another opportunity certain posters used to have shot after fucking shot on the same subject. It got fucking tedious and it was like "am I not entitled to an opinion around here".

Now we are in a different situation with people switching sides and the same people who claimed that not being behind the management was not being behind the team are crying foul, saying they aren't entitled to an opinion? Well they were, and again, and again. Eventually you just gotta tell them to suck it the fuck up and get behind the team, which they use to whinge about not being entitled to an opinion? Fucking hypocrisy knows no bounds.

Being pro-Hughes seems to equal being anti-Mancini and they are singing from the rooftops at every set back, win 3 and the place was a ghost town, lose the derby(a match I bank on zero points on every season) and the place explodes, people should really be able to admit they were wrong and after destroying teams, Ronan comes out with "we've only won once against top 7 opposition". Not Mancini's only lost once against top 4 opposition. Not Mancini has won as many away games in 4 months that Hughes did in a year and a fucking half. Skew skew skew, just to get Mancini looking like a cunt and making sure that his opinion and his voice were the ones carried the furthest. Same as last year, only it was the minority(hughes out) who were making the most noise right? Wrong, the most noise came from the replies shouting them down, claiming we weren't supporting City because we weren't backing Hughes blindly into 10th place. And why was it cited that we hated hughes? because he was a rag? because he was a thug manager? Actually the one that stuck was that because we didn't want Sven sacked. Fucking hypocrisy knows no bounds.

Slim re the bit:

@mcfc1632:When I spoke out about the previous management, I was figuratively fucked up the arse by a large number of posters for not being behind the management and therefore not behind the club, not only that but having your say once meant that every fucking thing you posted whether on the topic or not was yet another opportunity certain posters used to have shot after fucking shot on the same subject. It got fucking tedious and it was like "am I not entitled to an opinion around here".

I think the point you are seeking to make is to compare anti-Mancini posts with anti-Hughes posts - i.e. anti-Hughes posters were criticised etc

Do not think it works as a comparison mate because (from what I can see) there do not seem to be anti-Mancini posters in existence - that seems a myth suggested by those that attacked the previous manager

Hughes is history so I only mention him to address your point - back in those days some of the anti-Hughes posters were 'simply that - anti-Hughes' in every way in extreme positions - using extreme terms etc - and in fact my memory seems to recall it being them that did the hounding - they were not the victims - savaged by the mass as you portray

Whereas with Mancini, posters like myself give him resounding support (he is the CITY manager) whilst also questioning his tactics in specific games - that is sensible debate / discussion without extreme behaviour - which is what such forums as this are for