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Not happy with this statement. It is profound, however showing surrender at this point concerns me. Is this a direct quote or manipulated ?

Roberto Mancini believes that if Manchester United win their two matches this week, then the title race is over.

United face Blackburn live on Monday Night Football, before facing Queens Park Rangers on Sunday - both games live on Sky Sports.

And Mancini feels that maximum points for United, which would see them go eight points clear, would end their hopes of winning the title.

"If we go eight points behind then it is finished," said Mancini - who saw his side draw 3-3 at home to Sunderland on Saturday.

"It's clear we are disappointed. We have made some mistakes, me and the team.

"We have also been unlucky, like losing three or four key players at an important moment.

"But when you are a strong team you should be able to pass these difficult moments.

"Yet football can change in two or three games.

"I had an experience in Italy with Inter Milan when we were five points behind with five games to go yet we still went on to win the title."

Mind games.

The headline should read 'Utd will drop points at Blackburn' as that's what he said.

Chopper wrote:
"If we go eight points behind then it is finished," said Mancini -

it's quite likely that we will be 8 points behind, with a game on hand and still to play them at home, ie potentially only two points behind. They draw a game and it'd come down to goal difference.

I don't care what he says in the press as long as he believes he can win it and the players do. I'm just not sure that's the case. This sounds like all those weeks when he came out saying how we played too many games and how tired we are - it just gives players a reason in their head to fail.

King Kev wrote:Mind games.

If it did go to 8 points, we beat them, won our game in hand (arsenal) and clawed back another 3, their moronic fans who have suddenly crawled out of the woodwork would fucking implode.

I think they potentially have two very very tricky games comin up here though. Id be surprised to see them get full points

I've watched most of the interviews and have not heard that statement from Mancini. Can anyone confirm he actually said this?

PS. There's some good England in those quotes, sure it's Mancini speaking there?

Lets be realistic here, we arent going to win at Arsenal so even if United draw tonight and beat QPR which would be the best we can hope for, they will still have a nice 5 point cushion on us.

We are playing our worst football of the year and have 4 aways left out of the last 7 games. If we get to 85 points, I will be surprised.

Beefymcfc wrote:I've watched most of the interviews and have not heard that statement from Mancini. Can anyone confirm he actually said this?

He did say it but he was also offering to take bets on Utd dropping points; something the media have chosen to ignore as it doesn't suit their 'Fear Factor' agenda.

They've won there last 7, there's 8 games to go there's no way they can win 15 on the bounce in total, even 14 out of 15 is close to impossible, they will drop points, the problem is us. I cant see us not dropping points either.

Ted Hughes wrote:

Beefymcfc wrote:I've watched most of the interviews and have not heard that statement from Mancini. Can anyone confirm he actually said this?

He did say it but he was also offering to take bets on Utd dropping points; something the media have chosen to ignore as it doesn't suit their 'Fear Factor' agenda.

Cheers mate, I knew there'd be a quantifier to it. The thing I've noticed is that Mancini sometimes says things tongue in cheek and gives that little smile to say as such but the media seem to want to use his words out of context.

Goaters 103 wrote:Lets be realistic here, we arent going to win at Arsenal so even if United draw tonight and beat QPR which would be the best we can hope for, they will still have a nice 5 point cushion on us.

We are playing our worst football of the year and have 4 aways left out of the last 7 games. If we get to 85 points, I will be surprised.

I don see why we cant beat arsenal. Depends entirely on bob's mentality. If he knows we are drinking in last chance saloon, its pointless him setting up for a draw on the offchance we may nick one.

If he does, he will have drunk in his own last chance saloon too with regards patience from the fans

Arsenal have aweek to prepare their defence for our normal game. If we setup how we did earlier in the season, they wont have expected it and wont have prepared for such a high pressing game

Im_Spartacus wrote:
I don see why we cant beat arsenal. Depends entirely on bob's mentality. If he knows we are drinking in last chance saloon, its pointless him setting up for a draw on the offchance we may nick one.

If he does, he will have drunk in his own last chance saloon too with regards patience from the fans

Arsenal have aweek to prepare their defence for our normal game. If we setup how we did earlier in the season, they wont have expected it and wont have prepared for such a high pressing game

I think it depends more on our strikers not being able to score and refusing to shoot and our full backs getting caught in between defending or attacking and not doing either to a high enough standard and our midfield not creating ANYTHING so we can't go back to how we played at the start of the season and whatever bob's mentality has him trying the team probably won't be able to pull it off the way they are playing.

Well it IS over if they win those games. However if they happen to drop points......ooooofffff....pressure is starting to really mount at the swamp. I mean, it would mean they'd might lose title that was supposed to be wrapped up.

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:Well it IS over if they win those games. However if they happen to drop points......ooooofffff....pressure is starting to really mount at the swamp. I mean, it would mean they'd might lose title that was supposed to be wrapped up.

A bit like us then!

Grob wrote:

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:Well it IS over if they win those games. However if they happen to drop points......ooooofffff....pressure is starting to really mount at the swamp. I mean, it would mean they'd might lose title that was supposed to be wrapped up.

A bit like us then!

Agreed.

End of the day, with this squad in terms of numbers and quality, to win absolutely nothing having had 5 bites at the cherry is some achievement but it looks like we've pulled it off.

Beefymcfc wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:

Beefymcfc wrote:I've watched most of the interviews and have not heard that statement from Mancini. Can anyone confirm he actually said this?

He did say it but he was also offering to take bets on Utd dropping points; something the media have chosen to ignore as it doesn't suit their 'Fear Factor' agenda.

Cheers mate, I knew there'd be a quantifier to it. The thing I've noticed is that Mancini sometimes says things tongue in cheek and gives that little smile to say as such but the media seem to want to use his words out of context.

It's almost a month now, since the Swansea game, he is talking on and on about them. if you ask me, mind games from a rival manager can only motivate his squad to deliver and that is what he is doing to them.

I would rather hear him concentrating 100 % on us + other factors (bent refs) instead of talking about Taggart. What ever it will happen from now on, Bob will always be the manager that beated 6-1 Sir Bacon and he will have this joker on him untill the cunt dies, so he must use that in favour of him.

Grob wrote:

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:Well it IS over if they win those games. However if they happen to drop points......ooooofffff....pressure is starting to really mount at the swamp. I mean, it would mean they'd might lose title that was supposed to be wrapped up.

A bit like us then!

Two points margin at the top of the table means that title is wrapped up?

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:

Grob wrote:

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:Well it IS over if they win those games. However if they happen to drop points......ooooofffff....pressure is starting to really mount at the swamp. I mean, it would mean they'd might lose title that was supposed to be wrapped up.

A bit like us then!

Two points margin at the top of the table means that title is wrapped up?

There has become quite a deafest attitude of late, on this board anyway.

King Kev wrote:Mind games.

If it is mind games then its not a very good one. Giving up with 7 games left isn't the sort of thing i want to hear from Mancini.

maybe the last two goals against sunderland will show him that the tip tap and thread the ball through the middle is not necessary all of the time