Alright let's be having you..

[Lev Bronstein]

I said that they were clear favourites, but also said that if the favourites won every time, every bookie in the country would go bust within a week.

Fence sitting bastard me.

[Grob]

It was also a vent for my frustration at some who, despite it being the greatest season ever in the history of our club, despite it being the best return ever game by game in the history of our club, despite seeing some of the greatest quality of football than ever before by our club, have spent much of this season, whingeing,crying and moaning.

But in essence, you are right.

I think the criticism comes from the drive for perfection. We almost expect things to go well now so when they dont, as they were not post WBA at home, criticism was bound to come of the players and the management. And it was deserved, some of the mistakes made were unacceptable for me.

On balance, this season is one game away from being an unmitigated success. I think some, and I include myself in this, feel we could and maybe should have had the league sewn up by now. And I dont think thats an unfair point of view. I think the team and manager have rescued the season in the last 5 games and the biggest domestic prize is within our grasp. If we can dot the last i and cross the last t, it will be the biggest achievement of the last 44 years for this club.

The debate element on this forum and football forums as a whole will always be driven by things that go wrong though.

I thought you got some undue stick around the time of the Arsenel game so Im guessing thats where the original post comes from, which is fair enough.

[john68]

Thanks for that Grob, it was an excellent read.

[DoomMerchant]

It was also a vent for my frustration at some who, despite it being the greatest season ever in the history of our club, despite it being the best return ever game by game in the history of our club, despite seeing some of the greatest quality of football than ever before by our club, have spent much of this season, whingeing,crying and moaning.

But in essence, you are right.

I think the criticism comes from the drive for perfection. We almost expect things to go well now so when they dont, as they were not post WBA at home, criticism was bound to come of the players and the management. And it was deserved, some of the mistakes made were unacceptable for me.

On balance, this season is one game away from being an unmitigated success. I think some, and I include myself in this, feel we could and maybe should have had the league sewn up by now. And I dont think thats an unfair point of view. I think the team and manager have rescued the season in the last 5 games and the biggest domestic prize is within our grasp. If we can dot the last i and cross the last t, it will be the biggest achievement of the last 44 years for this club.

The debate element on this forum and football forums as a whole will always be driven by things that go wrong though.

I thought you got some undue stick around the time of the Arsenel game so Im guessing thats where the original post comes from, which is fair enough.

Most rational humans thought mancini had blown it at the arse. Whereas in hindsight it took a really epic coming down to earth from what we all believe is just an above average rags team to falter to give us our crack to push through. Hats off to the team for doing that, but I'd say that with tevez this team would have cruised to the title by 6-8 pts and while it's hard to blame Mancini 100% for that it's surely more than 50% of his doing. I've had employees who've made me want to fucking rip their heads off but fortunately I don't have the media putting a mic in my face to talk about them in the heat of the moment either.

Regardless of the outcome this season I believe Roberto has learned some lessons, and I probably have as well.

John tho is beyond hope.

Cheers

[johnny crossan]

I bottled it at home against Sunderland - left early in misery missed the two goals.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

I think I lost faith after Swansea, then lost the script after watching yet another Mancini bottle job at Arsenal.
Let's not forget that attacking teams only arrived once the situation was hopeless so Bob was almost forced into it.
Also it should be remembered that the filth threw us a very unlikely lifeline.

However, since that chance emerged, Bob has done exceptionally well, hit the right note and not reverted back into his defensive shell. Ultimately if he delivers the title, it is mission accomplished.
I do like Bob, he just drives me nuts.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

No one in his right state of mind would had been convinced that we can win the league looking at our vs their fixtures.

Imho, something changed when Moses scored for 1-0 with them. City had a mediocre first half with WBA and when it was announced that Wigan took the lead, our game direction changed dramatically. What happend since then it”s movie material.

And i might add, QPR will have to PLAY FOOTBALL here. They aren”t in the situation to park their bus and wait. This will be the ace in our hand.

That's actually a very good point, their (Prem) life is pretty much on the line.

i don't think it's accurate. Hughes is the king of the draw...if he can park it and get 1 pt i think he insures survival, and that's a lot more likely than beating us at our own game.

He will come to kick us off the park and park the bus...mark my words. It will be EVEN harder than the last two matches if we haven't scored by HT.

Score an early one and make them chase it and we'll crush them. Keep ponging and hoofing balls around like we did today for much of the afternoon and we'll be hard pressed to not fucking REALLY start to grip it by the 70th min.

just thought some asshole should offer some clarity to what's really happening since everyone else is rubbing their very own jizz all over themselves like it's tanning lotion and we're on the beach.

cheers

Yeah.
Also his teams are always better in second half of the season. Or so I've been told.

[john68]

Doomie,
I have been beyond hope for many years mate.
What kept me going? What kept my belief in what was happening intact? What allowed me to take the kicks in the bollox and stand back up again?

It was simply, that this is and always has been about a long term project. It was never reasonable to think that in only 2 or 3 years a team could be built, good enough to win the League. No other club has done it. Taggart took 7-8 years and Chelsea were investing long before Abramovitch came along. What was/is happening at City is beyond reason. To build a team capable of doing what we have done this season in such a small space of time is almost miraculous.
I have never believed that money = success. Money buys players but teams win trophies. Teams take time. Money allows for mistakes to be rectified and poor signings to be replaced. Kolarov, Dzeko, Johnson, Balotelli may be some of those mistakes.

I also think that some City fans don't understand the value of winning the Premiership. What it takes to be better than long established and very rich clubs. Clubs who have been on the big stage and have had their successful infrastructures in place for many years. If winning the League was so easy, if beating enough of these established clubs was such a doddle, then why have only the rags, Chelsea, Arsenal and Blackburn managed to do it, during the Premier League era?

The criticism of Mancini's mistakes has been almost forensic. I understand the emotion but every manager in every club, in every year, Taggart, even at his most successful, Wenger, Mourinho, King Kenny and the host of other Chelsea bosses all dropped their bollocks and had their failures.

Mancini is NOT God, he will make mistakes, City players aren't robots, they will fuck up, The City team is not a machine, it will play badly. That is a fact of life and football is only a part of it.

If we win the Prem this season or finish runners up, This has been an amazing season. I have never seen such wonderful football, olayed by so many truly great players. I have never seen a better City team in my lifetime...Has there ever been a better City team, I doubt it.
Which brings me full circle....It is only the start....which means that this "BEST EVER" City team will get even better....AND HOW FUCKIN GOOD IS THAT?

[Avalon]

I never gave up. I've always backed the club, going as far as to say that the derby was going to be the critical game. Obviously we still need to beat QPR, but I have faith we will do just that.

[Swales4ever]

John tho is beyond hope.