Fantastic letter from a Blue to F365

[ant london]

Eloquently Defending Mancini

No surprise to see the Football Manager generation out in force whinging about City making it into the top four. That computer simulation game has changed the face of football. We now have a generation of fans who think football management is a piece of p*** and that given how much money City have, by now they should have won the League, the Champions' League, the World Cup, the war in Afghanistan, ended world poverty and done it all playing like Brazil circa '70.

Mancini has done a great job in the face of a couple of major problems. Firstly, the media. Mancini was always on a hiding to nothing with the duplicitous British media. Simple minded as they are, the media like stereotypes, plus they have this ongoing obsession with Mourinho. No wonder he wants to come back to England; nobody fawns over him like the British media did and still do. And so because Mourinho came into Chelsea and won back-to-back titles in his first two seasons and because City now have money and so are obviously just like Chelsea, surely Mancini (young, handsome, foreign, surname begins with M) should have won the title this season. This ignores (as stereotypes do) that Chelsea had won a number of trophies in the few years preceding Mourinho's arrival, had finished Premier League runners-up the season before, and were Champions League regulars (making the semi-final the year before, I think).

Mancini's second major problem is the Football Manager generation who have fallen for the media's script hook, line and sinker and think with all that cash even they could win with City. But real City fans know just what a task Mancini faced when he took over. For as long as I can remember there has been a culture at City of unprofessionalism, mediocrity, small-mindedness, and defeat from the jaws of victory. No amount of cash can change a culture like that overnight. When a world-class player goes to a club with a history of winning and is surrounded by players and staff who have been winning for years he senses (or should do) that he needs to try hard to fit in and prove himself. When the same player comes to a club like City, however much we would like to think he needs to prove himself, his attitude is different. He has more of an 'I'm doing you a favour by playing for you' mentality. When you bring in a lot of new players at the same time, all of those egos take some serious managing. You have to persuade them to train in new ways, adopt new tactics, rotate, play out of position, go for it in some games, sit back in others. It is ridiculous to think that a team can be blended in an instant.

When Alan Hansen says Fergie would have won the League with any of the top four teams, what does that mean? If Fergie had City's players at United brought in over the course of a few seasons, then granted he would likely have won the Title with them. But to suggest if Fergie had started the season as City manager City would now be champions is just stupid. City were a basket case. No matter who was in charge City were never gonna win the League this year. Mancini isn't just trying to win a pot or two, he's trying to change the whole ethos and mentality of a club that hasn't won anything for 35 years and just a decade ago was in the third tier of English football.

At times our football has been turgid this season. But I've seen a bit of that team from Trafford this season as well. Do y'know what, at times their football has been equally turgid and yet they are about to lift another Premier League title. Why? Because Fergie knows that you don't win anything in the first half of the season, or even the third quarter of the season. His teams peak in March-May (which makes the semi-final victory all the more significant). Mancini has done extremely well when judged over the course of a season (not just one night in Milan): majority of players fit and peaking at the business end of the season, FA Cup final, Champions' League position. He's built a team on a solid foundation of defence - Hart, Kompany, De Jong. Mancini knows how to win things over the course of a season, over the course of several seasons.

So for all the haters, stop whining about the money City have spent and will spend. Stop moaning about our style of football. Unless you're paying up at Eastlands, City owe you nothing. Save your Sky subscription and get back to your PlayStation. I'm sure you're a legend online.

Gomez, Manchester

[hyper]

Great read that. I'd like to memorise the whole thing and recite as my own in the pub.

[Sister of fu]

Thats a good letter and I agree with what he says. You sure you didn't write it?