Pep Guardian football genius

[Mikhail Chigorin]

The point I am making, the bald footballing Oracle don’t think like us mere mortals.... What is black to us, is white to him.

steady on BJ, you're not suggesting a Conte style retuft would improve the situation are you?

Surely Conte can't have had a transplant; I thought they all looked like Shrek ??

[johnny crossan]

The point I am making, the bald footballing Oracle don’t think like us mere mortals.... What is black to us, is white to him.

steady on BJ, you're not suggesting a Conte style retuft would improve the situation are you?

Surely Conte can't have had a transplant; I thought they all looked like Shrek ??

an expensive Italian job MC, wait till you see Joe's

[Mikhail Chigorin]

The point I am making, the bald footballing Oracle don’t think like us mere mortals.... What is black to us, is white to him.

steady on BJ, you're not suggesting a Conte style retuft would improve the situation are you?

Surely Conte can't have had a transplant; I thought they all looked like Shrek ??

an expensive Italian job MC, wait till you see Joe's

Phew JC, that's a lot of follicles.

I wonder where they all came from ??

[zabbadabbado]

The point I am making, the bald footballing Oracle don’t think like us mere mortals.... What is black to us, is white to him.

steady on BJ, you're not suggesting a Conte style retuft would improve the situation are you?

Surely Conte can't have had a transplant; I thought they all looked like Shrek ??

an expensive Italian job MC, wait till you see Joe's

Phew JC, that's a lot of follicles.

I wonder where they all came from ??

Thats fucking impressive.

Reminds me of the Alberto Balsam Shampo Add.

Is he ?,i think he is you know ?,,,,,,,,he isnt ?,

[johnny crossan]

The point I am making, the bald footballing Oracle don’t think like us mere mortals.... What is black to us, is white to him.

steady on BJ, you're not suggesting a Conte style retuft would improve the situation are you?

Surely Conte can't have had a transplant; I thought they all looked like Shrek ??

an expensive Italian job MC, wait till you see Joe's

Phew JC, that's a lot of follicles.

I wonder where they all came from ??

one doesn't like to speculate

[Dameerto]

Sod that, let's speculate: the belly of sub-Saharan camels.

[zuricity]

two seasons ago we started brilliantly under Pelle. The players got wind of Pep coming , or simply got wind and it all blew up!
We started well this season and the players have now twigged that Pep is a bluffer.

I can't see it getting better for at least two more seasons .

[Justified logic]

two seasons ago we started brilliantly under Pelle. The players got wind of Pep coming , or simply got wind and it all blew up!
We started well this season and the players have now twigged that Pep is a bluffer.

I can't see it getting better for at least two more seasons .

The players seeing through the bullshit and knowing they'll be leaving the club soon is a surefire recipe for insipid performances.

Separately, my earlier comment about Guardiola "and his gang" was referring to his coaching staff, as witnessed by the frantic bench discussions yesterday whilst we were 2-1 down. The Brits who know the English game seem to have been relegated to boot cleaners. He should listen to them. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. This tippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

[johnny crossan]

.. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. Thistippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

but that's Pep's USP, the only reason he's here is to promote his vision and methods in our primitive football wilderness.

[carl_feedthegoat]

.. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. Thistippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

but that's Pep's USP, the only reason he's here is to promote his vision and methods in our primitive football wilderness.

The ''average one'' wants to make sure he gets in the CL this season by whatever means necessary....yesterdays performance from him was championship level at best and if he carries on in that vein for the next few matches we will end up 5th.

[Hazy2]

.. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. Thistippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

but that's Pep's USP, the only reason he's here is to promote his vision and methods in our primitive football wilderness.

The ''average one'' wants to make sure he gets in the CL this season by whatever means necessary....yesterdays performance from him was championship level at best and if he carries on in that vein for the next few matches we will end up 5th.

Pep using the the words Top 4 will be go to the last day. That must be a first in his managerial career. City do not do things the easy way, a trait He will not be familiar with. This season has become a slog for everyone and the sooner it is over the better for me. I blame Pep for the goalkeeper situation, and his tinkering has me baffled at times it is now a 4 game season with his CL ambitions resting on a squad that he cannot wait to dismantle,injuries have not helped either, however Gundy was a risk he took and a style that teams have learned to counter by sitting back it Is one he has failed to sort out, we have the ball 70% of the time and the last 3 games sum up our Season. If we CL it is forget it, rebuild and go again.

[Dimples]

.. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. Thistippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

but that's Pep's USP, the only reason he's here is to promote his vision and methods in our primitive football wilderness.

Maybe he has looked at Spain's record compared to England's and decided that tippy-tappy is a better option?

Very very unfair to judge him this season.
He is a visionary and needs time to implement his ideas.
Players know they are being moved on at the end of the season yet he has to rely to them to put in the effort?

Finally, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, 4th place would be in the bag now if the system was not corrupt.
Arsenal and the Rags would be nowhere near us.

So how about a bit of balance - you guys sound and act like a mob.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

.. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. Thistippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

but that's Pep's USP, the only reason he's here is to promote his vision and methods in our primitive football wilderness.

Maybe he has looked at Spain's record compared to England's and decided that tippy-tappy is a better option?

Very very unfair to judge him this season.
He is a visionary and needs time to implement his ideas.
Players know they are being moved on at the end of the season yet he has to rely to them to put in the effort?

Finally, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, 4th place would be in the bag now if the system was not corrupt.
Arsenal and the Rags would be nowhere near us.

So how about a bit of balance - you guys sound and act like a mob.

Football is results business though. Big money and big risks. In football you are being judged every single game. In fact every single training session. Now I'm all for giving Pep time to build his team but you can't just wipe away full season filled with tactical errors and stubborness.

Oh and as far as this site is considered Pep has gotten exceptionally easy ride. By far easiest since early Pearce era (where we were all wrong). I first joined during Royle era and he got rough ride from lot of people. Keegan was HATED by VERY vocal minority. Everyone wanted Pearce to do well eventhough it was there to be seen that he was THE tactically most clueless manager we've had since Alan Ball. There were people who didn't like Sven because of his past and style. Hughes....LOL. When Mancini came in he got TONS of shit especially from the former pro-Hughes brigade. There were people who, despite his wins, never gave up and were delighted to see him go. People were generally quite indifferent about Pellegrini because everyone knew he was a seatwarmer but there were lot of people asking questions from the get go. Yet despite overall pretty terrible season apart from the first ten games I don't see anyone asking for his head. Football supporter by nature is inpatient yet everyone seems to be eager to see next year. However people should be able to point his shortcomings. He's not fucking Kim Jong-Il after all.

Regarding the corrupt system. UEFA is fucking crooked and have it in for us. Gill's fucking puppets. However I would not question integrity of refereeing as such. We HAVE been getting absolutely TERRIBLE decisions going against us all season. I don't question that at all. It's partly to do with the amount of posession we have so things are going to be magnified. However, objectively, during Pellegrini's Championship season we seemed to be getting calls for us week in week out. These things will even themselves out over time and I can't bring myself to believe that there would be some massive conspiracy among referees against us. AND let me repeat, we have got some absolutely abysmal decisions going against us all season so much so that I have broken enough shit on our household because of it (thank god for all the toys on the floor!).

[carl_feedthegoat]

.. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. Thistippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

but that's Pep's USP, the only reason he's here is to promote his vision and methods in our primitive football wilderness.

Maybe he has looked at Spain's record compared to England's and decided that tippy-tappy is a better option?

Very very unfair to judge him this season.
He is a visionary and needs time to implement his ideas.
Players know they are being moved on at the end of the season yet he has to rely to them to put in the effort?

Finally, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, 4th place would be in the bag now if the system was not corrupt.
Arsenal and the Rags would be nowhere near us.

So how about a bit of balance - you guys sound and act like a mob.

4th place would be in the bag now if he had not fucked around with the set ups from the off , yesterday as an example, was a fuckign abortion.

Yes he should be given time to make a serious challenge to win the CL and the PL but Ill be fucked if we should give him time to qualify for the CL in his first season!!!..seeing as previous managers have done this basically year on year!!!....we've been in it for years now and along comes PeP with hs tika taka boring pass football and hes struggling to get 4th spot !! having spent the best part of 170 million the minimum he should do is get us into 4th spot ffs !!! regardless of the bent corrupt referees.

[Justified logic]

.. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. Thistippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

but that's Pep's USP, the only reason he's here is to promote his vision and methods in our primitive football wilderness.

Maybe he has looked at Spain's record compared to England's and decided that tippy-tappy is a better option?

Very very unfair to judge him this season.
He is a visionary and needs time to implement his ideas.
Players know they are being moved on at the end of the season yet he has to rely to them to put in the effort?

Finally, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, 4th place would be in the bag now if the system was not corrupt.
Arsenal and the Rags would be nowhere near us.

So how about a bit of balance - you guys sound and act like a mob.

The players seeing through the bullshit and knowing they'll be leaving the club soon is a surefire recipe for insipid performances.

I'd add that he had plenty of youths to choose from, still has a few, yet has opted to continue with players who are waiting to be shown the door.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

.. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. Thistippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

but that's Pep's USP, the only reason he's here is to promote his vision and methods in our primitive football wilderness.

Maybe he has looked at Spain's record compared to England's and decided that tippy-tappy is a better option?

Very very unfair to judge him this season.
[color=#40FF00]He is a visionary and needs time to implement his ideas.
[/color]Players know they are being moved on at the end of the season yet he has to rely to them to put in the effort?

Finally, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, 4th place would be in the bag now if the system was not corrupt.
Arsenal and the Rags would be nowhere near us.

So how about a bit of balance - you guys sound and act like a mob.

He may well be a visionary and, moreover, he might be the greatest manager ever to have lived.

However, the way things are going at the moment, it would feel nice just to have a competent, pragmatic personage at the helm and someone who can mould the players we have into an effective unit, playing in a style that suits them. I don't want to have to go on an extended, seemingly endless trek across arid, burning deserts in the hope that somewhere in the future, we might possibly reach our promised land.

I don't want to be regarded as being wilfully impatient but the way things have gone this season, give grounds for some degree of scepticism as to how well the next campaign will go.

[zuricity]

if he is a visionary, he must be making a killing on those bets he is making in China .

[BookJunior]

I don't care about hairstyle as anyone who knows me will confirm.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

.. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. Thistippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

but that's Pep's USP, the only reason he's here is to promote his vision and methods in our primitive football wilderness.

Maybe he has looked at Spain's record compared to England's and decided that tippy-tappy is a better option?

Very very unfair to judge him this season.
[color=#40FF00]He is a visionary and needs time to implement his ideas.
[/color]Players know they are being moved on at the end of the season yet he has to rely to them to put in the effort?

Finally, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, 4th place would be in the bag now if the system was not corrupt.
Arsenal and the Rags would be nowhere near us.

So how about a bit of balance - you guys sound and act like a mob.

He may well be a visionary and, moreover, he might be the greatest manager ever to have lived.

However, the way things are going at the moment, it would feel nice just to have a competent, pragmatic personage at the helm and someone who can mould the players we have into an effective unit, playing in a style that suits them. I don't want to have to go on an extended, seemingly endless trek across arid, burning deserts in the hope that somewhere in the future, we might possibly reach our promised land.

I don't want to be regarded as being wilfully impatient but the way things have gone this season, give grounds for some degree of scepticism as to how well the next campaign will go.

Excellent post as always.

I love football visionaries: Valeri Lobanovski, Giovanni Trapattoni, Rinus Michels, Arrigo Sacchi and so on. However football is also pragmatic game. If it's not working, you got to change it. Look at the visionaries mentioned there. They all had some base system but were also reactive. In fact, what really made them visionaries was their ability to take notes and make changes. Pep on the other hand is extremely rigid with his system. Not only will he rarely if ever change the base system he will rarely be flexible with the philosophy according to opposition. And then he ask for completely unsuitable players to fit into his system.

This rigidity is actually the reason why I'm so worried about him. And to me that sort of rigidity is kind of opposite of being visionary. His system is more fancy and complicated than 4-4-2 wide that some English managers held onto u til it was completely outdated and go some extent Pep has hint of that stubborness about him.

[Tru_Blu]

.. Spanish-style football don't work here pal! We've been at our most effective when we've been fast and direct. Thistippy-tappy, playing it sideways and then backwards when it reaches Clichy or Navas is killing us.

but that's Pep's USP, the only reason he's here is to promote his vision and methods in our primitive football wilderness.

Maybe he has looked at Spain's record compared to England's and decided that tippy-tappy is a better option?

Very very unfair to judge him this season.
[color=#40FF00]He is a visionary and needs time to implement his ideas.
[/color]Players know they are being moved on at the end of the season yet he has to rely to them to put in the effort?

Finally, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, 4th place would be in the bag now if the system was not corrupt.
Arsenal and the Rags would be nowhere near us.

So how about a bit of balance - you guys sound and act like a mob.

He may well be a visionary and, moreover, he might be the greatest manager ever to have lived.

However, the way things are going at the moment, it would feel nice just to have a competent, pragmatic personage at the helm and someone who can mould the players we have into an effective unit, playing in a style that suits them. I don't want to have to go on an extended, seemingly endless trek across arid, burning deserts in the hope that somewhere in the future, we might possibly reach our promised land.

I don't want to be regarded as being wilfully impatient but the way things have gone this season, give grounds for some degree of scepticism as to how well the next campaign will go.

Excellent post as always.

I love football visionaries: Valeri Lobanovski, Giovanni Trapattoni, Rinus Michels, Arrigo Sacchi and so on. However football is also pragmatic game. If it's not working, you got to change it. Look at the visionaries mentioned there. They all had some base system but were also reactive. In fact, what really made them visionaries was their ability to take notes and make changes. Pep on the other hand is extremely rigid with his system. Not only will he rarely if ever change the base system he will rarely be flexible with the philosophy according to opposition. And then he ask for completely unsuitable players to fit into his system.

This rigidity is actually the reason why I'm so worried about him. And to me that sort of rigidity is kind of opposite of being visionary. His system is more fancy and complicated than 4-4-2 wide that some English managers held onto u til it was completely outdated and go some extent Pep has hint of that stubborness about him.

O great moaning ones, who should have the mighty City brought in to manage the team that can
A. stop The corrupt FA refs
B. stop teams from playing 11 goal keepers
C. implement tactics to get pass teams from playing 11 goal keepers


All the opinions in the world you moaners have but yet to say who instead of Pep guarantees this fucking ridiculous expectation in 9 months