It's Mid July...

[DoomMerchant]

The weather is shite today .... considering it's mid July

Welcome to Manchester

no place to get a decent meal either....

cheers

[Mase]

I refuse to just sit here and accept what is happening and not moan about it.
Yes, when I first started watching City we had fuckin Steve McMahon in midfield and we went on to have clowns like Frank Clark and Alan Ball manage us. They were dark dark days. But we weren't spending £25+ million on one player. And after being top for pretty much all season I'm disappointed that we're not now. And it doesn't make me a 'shit fan' or a 'cunt' just because I voice my opinion that losing to Swansea away and showing no heart whatsoever is not good enough. It's a fuckin football forum for crying out loud. That's what it is here for.

I'm not going to sit here and think 'Oh well, it's still in our hands if we win every game.' We're not going to win every game. We've just lost to fuckin Swansea. The players need a rocket up their arse.

I realise it's not the end of the world if we don't win the title this season. I don't listen to Paul Merson. But after working so hard at the start of the season it would be very very disappointing if we didn't win it. And I will be gutted. I can't say sorry for that.

[PeterParker]

The question is this: Would you had pick in july us on the second place, playing the best football in the league, taking a piss on those pathetic cheaters, but still being behind them, with bent refs, bent teams and other crap that we had so far? And making us angry and dissapointed of what happend since we were top? And the possibility of losing the title like this, in front of the most corrupted team in football? At the same level as Juventus?

[Goaters 103]

A team talk along these lines might be just the trick, come the next away game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4x05Z3MSkQ

[lets all have a disco]

A team talk along these lines might be just the trick, come the next away game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4x05Z3MSkQ

Im not sure Bobby's English is good enough to do this.

[youtube]WO4tIrjBDkk[/youtube]

[Mase]

Bob's just said we were unlucky and should have scored from our chances yesterday. He's not going to bollock the twats or give them a kick up the a-hole either.

[Goaters 103]

A team talk along these lines might be just the trick, come the next away game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4x05Z3MSkQ

Im not sure Bobby's English is good enough to do this.

[youtube]WO4tIrjBDkk[/youtube]

Now thats a team talk.

[PeterParker]

A team talk along these lines might be just the trick, come the next away game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4x05Z3MSkQ

Im not sure Bobby's English is good enough to do this.

[youtube]WO4tIrjBDkk[/youtube]

[youtube]_Z5OookwOoY[/youtube]

This can be easier for him.

[Goaters 103]

Whilst we are on the subject of Mancini speeches, can somebody please teach him the Italian to English translation of Kitchen Sink.

[simon12]

I`ve just imagined a shit atmosphere and a puma kit.

[lets all have a disco]

A team talk along these lines might be just the trick, come the next away game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4x05Z3MSkQ

Im not sure Bobby's English is good enough to do this.

[youtube]WO4tIrjBDkk[/youtube]

[youtube]_Z5OookwOoY[/youtube]

This can be easier for him.

[youtube]ZyVF1glhAfk[/youtube]

This is the one.

[Sideshow Bob]

Bob's just said we were unlucky and should have scored from our chances yesterday. He's not going to bollock the twats or give them a kick up the a-hole either.

if he actually believes that crock of shit (which he's trotted out for the press after nearly every loss this season), we truly have no hope.

[Kladze]

Bob's just said we were unlucky and should have scored from our chances yesterday. He's not going to bollock the twats or give them a kick up the a-hole either.

I'm struggling to remember these 'chances' tbh.

[Blue Since 76]

I'm struggling to remember these 'chances' tbh.

On MOTD2 last night, I definitely saw Vorm make a save. I also saw someone make a bad pass in our half which could have led to a chance. Possibly.

In fairness, we were tired. As we have been since September.

[Grob]

And if at that point someone had told you how poor we would be away from home, would you have thought we would win the title or come second, looking at the remaining games?

Poor away from home? You're joking right??

We have the second best away record in the league!

Poor away form? Yes - look at the facts.

Last 6 aways - Swansea 0-1, Villa 1-0, Everton 0-1, Wigan 1-0, Sunderland 0-1, WBA 0-0.

In our last 6 Aways, none of which came against sides in the top 8, we have won 2, Drawn 1 and lost 3. We have scored only 2 goals in those games and got 7 pts out of a possible 18. Thats 2 goals in 9 hours of football - only Torres would finds that strike rate decent.

Those games, and that away form, is what we will likely look back at in June when the "what ifs" start. We havent scored 2 or more in a Prem away game since QPR in early November. Concerns were raised about teams sussing us out away before Christmas but we have continued to play the same way - no width, no pace up top, no Plan B - and its getting worse.

I feel like there is some people knocking around with blinkers on.
Our away form is what will do us in the end its not been good enough convert those losses into draws and hey presto were top of the league again.
Some people need to wake the fook up.

Couldnt agree more.

We've the best squad in the league and can put out the best team 1 to 11. Why would you be happy currently being second or finishing second?? Regardless of whether it mid July, mid March or what.

[DoomMerchant]

And if at that point someone had told you how poor we would be away from home, would you have thought we would win the title or come second, looking at the remaining games?

Poor away from home? You're joking right??

We have the second best away record in the league!

Poor away form? Yes - look at the facts.

Last 6 aways - Swansea 0-1, Villa 1-0, Everton 0-1, Wigan 1-0, Sunderland 0-1, WBA 0-0.

In our last 6 Aways, none of which came against sides in the top 8, we have won 2, Drawn 1 and lost 3. We have scored only 2 goals in those games and got 7 pts out of a possible 18. Thats 2 goals in 9 hours of football - only Torres would finds that strike rate decent.

Those games, and that away form, is what we will likely look back at in June when the "what ifs" start. We havent scored 2 or more in a Prem away game since QPR in early November. Concerns were raised about teams sussing us out away before Christmas but we have continued to play the same way - no width, no pace up top, no Plan B - and its getting worse.

I feel like there is some people knocking around with blinkers on.
Our away form is what will do us in the end its not been good enough convert those losses into draws and hey presto were top of the league again.
Some people need to wake the fook up.

Couldnt agree more.

We've the best squad in the league and can put out the best team 1 to 11. Why would you be happy currently being second or finishing second?? Regardless of whether it mid July, mid March or what.

you wouldn't and shouldn't.

we need to do something remarkable to win the league now where if our away form had been even just decent over the last few months we'd have a nice 5 pt gap most likely.

what i DO believe however, is that there is fucking football to play so all is not lost. im not being pollyanna-ish about it because this is a steeper hill now, but ultimately we've got to kick it up a level and stop acting like we deserve it for all the reasons you listed, and don't have to earn it. That for me is the difference. Rags have been playing with a desperate and reckless abandon...and we like to wait until the 80th minute, make a sub then throw the kitchen sink. Ridiculous. That's about as much as i see in Mancini's plan B these days.

[Kladze]

That's about as much as i see in Mancini's plan B these days.

The problem with having a plan B (and do we?) is that it tends to be used as an alternative to plan A.

The truly great teams incorporate it into plan A

[john68]

Grob,
It is rare that I disagree with your opinion Mate but "Do we really have the best squad in the League?"

I would agree that we have the best individual players and that we are capable of some great football but I am not sure that we have the best team over a full season...not yet. I don't think we are far off but not quite there yet.
I still believe that it usually takes years to build a team and longer to build a great team. Our performances show that we aren't at that point.
The best teams don't always win the league, usually it's the team that makes the least mistakes over the season and eradicating errors is all part of the learning curve.

The City I see now is totally different from the one that begun last season. Wer are much improved. We have continuously met with hurdles and eventually overcome them. That process continues.

We can guess or try to calculate why our form has dipped, we can second guess Mancini's mind when he considers tactics, we can also wonder if the long season is taking its toll on the likes of Aguero, Silva and some others but we don't have access to his info.

What we do know is that over the last 2 years, we have made rapid strides and give or take a few ref's decisions, a few mistimed tackles, a few moments of non focus, a few wrong decisions by Mancini, a few inaccurate shots, we are within touching distance of the greatness we crave.

This is the time for continuing that learning and improving process. Not a time as some would think to empty the bath and start again.

[Grob]

Grob,
It is rare that I disagree with your opinion Mate but "Do we really have the best squad in the League?"

I would agree that we have the best individual players and that we are capable of some great football but I am not sure that we have the best team over a full season...not yet. I don't think we are far off but not quite there yet.
I still believe that it usually takes years to build a team and longer to build a great team. Our performances show that we aren't at that point.
The best teams don't always win the league, usually it's the team that makes the least mistakes over the season and eradicating errors is all part of the learning curve.

The City I see now is totally different from the one that begun last season. Wer are much improved. We have continuously met with hurdles and eventually overcome them. That process continues.

We can guess or try to calculate why our form has dipped, we can second guess Mancini's mind when he considers tactics, we can also wonder if the long season is taking its toll on the likes of Aguero, Silva and some others but we don't have access to his info.

What we do know is that over the last 2 years, we have made rapid strides and give or take a few ref's decisions, a few mistimed tackles, a few moments of non focus, a few wrong decisions by Mancini, a few inaccurate shots, we are within touching distance of the greatness we crave.

This is the time for continuing that learning and improving process. Not a time as some would think to empty the bath and start again.

In terms of having the best set of players based on ability we have by far and away the best squad in my opinion.

It takes time to build a great team but what great teams are we competing against this season?

Liverpool, Arsenel, and Chelsea are behind us in terms of development.

Tottenham have knitted a team together that wasnt far off competing with us with less resource.

And United are in no way shape or form a great team, and they have integrated more new players into their team this season than we have.

There is a learning curve I agree but United have integreated lesser players in De Gea, Smalling, Young, Jones, Cleverley, and Wellbeck into their team and they are above us in the league table after 28 games. We've had to integrate Clichy, Aguero, and Nasri. Far more talented players. Surely it should have been easier for us than them?

Does that hint that United's management are better at building a team than ours?

Of course we have improved from where we started last season as we should do given the players we have acquired and we should continue to improve. But when all around us have either got weaker or stayed at the same level over the last 2 years, does that mean we have stopped improving or are improving at a slower rate?

Players will come in and out of form throughout the season but isnt that why we have a large squad so we can interchange parts to keep them fresh? Maybe the likes of Silva and Aguero should have been left out completely for 2 or 3 games in Jan/Feb to freshen them up for the run in?

In my opinion, Mancini'S rotation of the squad this season has been amateurish. Players just seem to be plugged into the team willy nilly sometimes. Against Sporting it felt like he had picked the team then mulled over the tactics. I sometimes look at the 11 and cant spot a pattern of play, then watch the game and still cant spot one. We should have been rotating 2 or 3 at a time from the moment the Champions League kicked off.

The last thing i'd want is an upheaval but with the squad we have, regardless of who the manager is, I could see a new man wanting to make as many changes to the squad over the summer as Mancini probably does.

[Mase]

Why are you black Grob?