Is Mancini the right man for City?

[Duckman]

I thought we love this club because of the constant fuck ups, among other stuff, no?

and now we cant handle losing at chelsea...ffs.

what would have happened if we had lost 6:1 at the swamp?!?

[guv111]

He may not be the right man when we begin to realistically aspire to winning the Champions League (such as when we have already made the last four, or the last eight) - time will tell - but I can think of no one better for the next few years when wracking up domestic trophies must be our prime concern. The fantastic way we have played this season, and the superb results we have had week in, week out show me, at least, that we can expect the Premier League title sooner rather than later. To look elsewhere at the moment would be foolhardy in the extreme.

[Lev Bronstein]

As far as I'm concerned he's turned us away from being the Harlem Globetrotters into a serious force in quite a short time. He's stamped his authority on the club and is developing a strong collective spirit and work ethic.

I wouldn't necessarily fall out with him if we failed to win the Prem (as long as we were in the top three). But I would look closely at the circumstances.

The questions would be "Are we making progress" and "Is he learning from his mistakes". If the answers to both questions are yes, then I don't see a problem.

Ideally, I'd like to see him stay for many years and create a winning culture to rival you know who, but unlike them, a culture that would survive its creator (probably unlike you know who).

[halnone]

top of the league and only lost one game.

If he's not the right man then who is???
The only other manager I would even consider would be mourinho. But I prefer mancini right now.

[Socrates]

Mourinho wins stuff but he stays a short time and doesn't leave a good legacy when he goes. This discussion is insane. We are making terrific progress and I just can't understand these kneejerk reactions when we have a minor setback of any sort. It actually embarrasses me given the advances we have seen in such a short time.

[BobbyJ1956]

Yes he is, now and for many years. The game at Chelsea turned on Aguero's miss and the penalty not given. Either one of those goes City's way and they're 2-0 up, looking at maybe 3 by half-time and being hailed as champions-elect. Instead it became 1-1 with ten men, so Mancini was right to aim to defend the draw. He's won the FA Cup and got City in a great position to win the Carling. They have the best players & best squad in the league as well as a record goal difference. Yes he's the right man, it's a daft question.

[Beefymcfc]

Cunt bollock twat.

PS. Cunt, Bollock, twat.

[Tokyo Blue]

In the past I've been a critic of Mancini, especially some of the dire, dire shit we played last season.

This is going to sound nasty but it isn't meant to be mate. If you think last season was "dire, dire shit", the I don't know what you would have made of the 1997-98 season. You'd probably have jumped off Blackpool Tower. People of my vintage find it hard to understand you at times.

Possibly perspective is the most important thing.

Mancini has provided great entertainment (even last season despite what the media will tell you), the biggest win at united for seventy-odd years, a team that is capable of doing the same to anyone in the country, Champions League football and most importantly an FA cup. I can't imagine sacking him after wanting these things for decades.

[john68]

Sorry Bridges Mate but did it never occur to you that what you saw last year was merely the very start of this teams evolvement? Did you not think that as the season went by, so City slowly improved to a point where they played some quality stuff that was very effective and pushed us to the same points total as 2nd placed Chelsea, as well as seeing off the rags at Wembley and eventually lifting our 1st trophy for an age?

Has it occured to you that what you are seeing now is still the beginnings of our evolvement and some of those players we now cheer will be replaced and better ones brought in.

The aim is football domination and the project, despite sitting at the top of the League, being in the Carling Cup semi final as well as preparing to compete in the FA Cup and Euro League, plus playing for periods, some the best football we have ever seen from a City team, we are still learning as is Mancini.
Our club, team and manager have made huge progress in a very short space of time but you seem dissatisfied. This is not like making instant coffee, just add water and give it a stir. To build a great team requires learning, mistakes, corrections (repeat as necessary) and patience to allow those corrections.
What you saw last season was the necessary start of our journey. We are still only a short distance along the way. Instead of being disgruntled and dismayed, enjoy it, It took the rags a number of years to make this amount of progress.

[DoomMerchant]

I have a daughter who's 11 who's never gotten anything but an "A" in school...every test, every report card grade, for 6 years running. I keep telling he she needs to fail something, and fast...just to get a taste so she understands before it's too late, what it feels like to fail and to not get her chin down when she does, because she will fail at something.

A few days out I'm glad we're learning this lesson in December and not March...it would have been hellish to go on a spring swoon where we lose a couple and draw a couple and watch a 7 point lead dwindle and then panic stations because we've not known how to respond to defeat. Chelsea and Bayern and Napoli will help us in the long run i think, and while It informs the league that we're not invincible, it's also something i think we'll push on from and reap some rewards.

bring on the goddam arse...are you ready for some football?

cheers

[john68]

I totally agree Doomie mate. All the major lessons of life are learned from adversary. I have no doubt that Bob will have learned more about his team and the individuals last night, even possibly himself, than he has learned from all the previous games, where we have dominated.
That "unbeaten" monkey on our shoulders could have begun to weigh heavily too and it could prove to be weight well lifted.

Regarding your daughter, straight "A"s is cool Mate. They will give her masses of confidence to meet future challenges, keep her self esteem intact, at an age when she is very vulnerable and help her reach her true academic potential. As a caring Dad, I am certain that you can find other areas of her life to offer her challenges where she may benefit from small failures and learning to overcome them.
She is shortly entering into her teenage years mate...a very complex time for kids. She will seek more independence and meet many problems on the way. You'll probably not need to contrive challenges. You'll probably find your shoulder is cried on quite regularly.

I have a waterproof jacket going spare Pal.

[dazby]

I expect that Ashley Cole's tunnel-goading will assist in motivating the team in future. We won't lose to them while he's at the club now.

[Avalon]

Lost a game have we?

FFS. His subs , imo, were spot on last night, we had no chance of winning the game and the best option was to try and hold on for a draw, which very nearly worked apart for an unlucky pen.

Yaya or Milner should have been subbed before the wheels fell off.

Why don't you apply for the role then, seeing as you suggest you know everything about managing a club.

I always find it annoying when fans go, he should've done this, he should've done that. Chelsea dominated us. They harassed Silva, they gave us no space, but we were giving them very few options either. Hart made hardly any saves, because it wasn't required. We lost due to a penalty against Chelsea.

As for the CL, we got 10 points in the group of death in our first CL campaign ever and we are the first club to have not make it through to the playoffs in 5 years after amassing 10 points. In case people had forgotten, 10 points is usually considered the 'safe point' for getting through.

Sure, Mancini doesn't have a great record in the CL and we messed up our campaign against Villareal and Napoli, but considering the group we were in and the amount of points we had, it would have been a qualification in any other group.

We lost ONE game in 17 matches. Come on people, this is incredibly dramatic. Sure, our defense is not of the high standard it was last season, yes, Kompany is not at his best and yes, I agree with the OP we need a top class defender, but so far we're doing great in this season, far better than anybody could've imagined. Gave both Spurs and Rags a whopping and have been scoring goals for in all, but a few games.

I do think we could use another defender though, maybe Hummels from Dortmund, or maybe Sakho from PSG. Both are young highly rated defenders.

[Ted Hughes]

Tbh, although I'm right behind what Bob is doing 100% (and that includes if we don't win anything, provided we are still growing as a team) I don't agree that last season was good entertainment or that what he did was right for a lot of it. At the end we started to play but we spent months & months working on details of defending; doing something which has just totally failed at Bayern & Napoli. For that to have been worthwhile, we should be like George Graham's Arsenal now when we lose the ball but instead we're pressing more like Barca. It's different than what he spent more than a year teaching them. We still leave players unmarked at crosses & set pieces & are not especially brilliant at any of the things he spent all that time on. With a team full of quality players, we should have been able to tighten up a bit & still play great football, rather than being so negative early on.

It's what happens when you sack a manager in the middle of a season though; the new one has to start over learning about his players & making mistakes. He should have been in earlier if they knew they wanted him. I don't blame Bob for that & I love what he's doing at City but I'm not having it that the preceding year & a half was anything more than 'ok' apart from the end part of last season, which was very good & got us a trophy.

The job he's doing now is fantastic & more like the evolution of the team I would have expected & wanted when he first took over.

[stommy]

is mancini good enough for city? YES ; is he the best for CITY, the future will show it but I doubt it. Many of you talk about the first title after many years, first place im prem and so on... The truth is with such a team worth over 400 mil, it is not that hard... I don't want you to take me wrong, he's a good coach, but with such a potential in the team your goal should be at least k.o. phase in the CL and the prem title of course. Most of you live in the UK, of course is the prem title the highest trophy for you, that's normal. But the real deal in the international football is the champion of the CL. We can just wait for the end of the season and hope the best:)

[King Kev]

Is Mancini the right man for City?

150 points from 75 league games, and FA Cup win, top of the league since August, in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, best start ever for a City team, shit loads of goals scored, embarrassed the scum in their own back yard, won global respect for the way he handled the Tevez saga, unbeaten at home for 12 months...

My answer is 'Yes'.

[Seanyod]

Unbelievable !! I don't care what else he does. For me he won the cup. Destroyed united and has me at the ground early every game through exitement . He shows true class in interviews . Something other managers wanna look at. will never ever want anyone else as manager. I'd let him bang my mrs! Haha

[Crossie]

Sorry OP, I was venting at the article now that I've seen the link at the bottom!

Personally I think Mancini has had a go about about 4 maybe 5 champions league campaigns, not many when you compare it to other managers who usually end up in the finals.

Don't give me examples of Barcelona managers, Pretty Boy Lee would win the champs league with that team. Oh and Mourinho has the touch, but his football is usually shit.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

Tbh, although I'm right behind what Bob is doing 100% (and that includes if we don't win anything, provided we are still growing as a team) I don't agree that last season was good entertainment or that what he did was right for a lot of it. At the end we started to play but we spent months & months working on details of defending; doing something which has just totally failed at Bayern & Napoli. For that to have been worthwhile, we should be like George Graham's Arsenal now when we lose the ball but instead we're pressing more like Barca. It's different than what he spent more than a year teaching them. We still leave players unmarked at crosses & set pieces & are not especially brilliant at any of the things he spent all that time on. With a team full of quality players, we should have been able to tighten up a bit & still play great football, rather than being so negative early on.

It's what happens when you sack a manager in the middle of a season though; the new one has to start over learning about his players & making mistakes. He should have been in earlier if they knew they wanted him. I don't blame Bob for that & I love what he's doing at City but I'm not having it that the preceding year & a half was anything more than 'ok' apart from the end part of last season, which was very good & got us a trophy.

The job he's doing now is fantastic & more like the evolution of the team I would have expected & wanted when he first took over.

Ted, you have the happy knack of often saying what I'm thinking.

[Socrates]

Tbh, although I'm right behind what Bob is doing 100% (and that includes if we don't win anything, provided we are still growing as a team) I don't agree that last season was good entertainment or that what he did was right for a lot of it. At the end we started to play but we spent months & months working on details of defending; doing something which has just totally failed at Bayern & Napoli. For that to have been worthwhile, we should be like George Graham's Arsenal now when we lose the ball but instead we're pressing more like Barca. It's different than what he spent more than a year teaching them. We still leave players unmarked at crosses & set pieces & are not especially brilliant at any of the things he spent all that time on. With a team full of quality players, we should have been able to tighten up a bit & still play great football, rather than being so negative early on.

It's what happens when you sack a manager in the middle of a season though; the new one has to start over learning about his players & making mistakes. He should have been in earlier if they knew they wanted him. I don't blame Bob for that & I love what he's doing at City but I'm not having it that the preceding year & a half was anything more than 'ok' apart from the end part of last season, which was very good & got us a trophy.

The job he's doing now is fantastic & more like the evolution of the team I would have expected & wanted when he first took over.

Ted, you have the happy knack of often saying what I'm thinking.

Two neanderthals in a pod :o)