Have we got Brian?

[Dimples]

Serious question.
Is anybody factoring in the corrupt nature of the PL when slating Pep?

The business decision has been made that the Rags have to be back in the top 4.
We are the team that will make way.

Anybody who doubts this is not looking at the same Rags matches as me, offside goals, no red cards, etc...
And today for us no peno, no red card at 0-0. The Chelsea debacle, the Burley decisions, etc...

When a player tweets 10 Vs. 12, when they get kicked of the park week after week, don't get decisions, etc...
Spirit is bound to be affected.
How is Pep supposed to compete with that - he can't.
This has to be resolved upstairs with the FA in the boardrooms.

[Nigels Tackle]

Serious question.
Is anybody factoring in the corrupt nature of the PL when slating Pep?

The business decision has been made that the Rags have to be back in the top 4.
We are the team that will make way.

Anybody who doubts this is not looking at the same Rags matches as me, offside goals, no red cards, etc...
And today for us no peno, no red card at 0-0. The Chelsea debacle, the Burley decisions, etc...

When a player tweets 10 Vs. 12, when they get kicked of the park week after week, don't get decisions, etc...
Spirit is bound to be affected.
How is Pep supposed to compete with that - he can't.
This has to be resolved upstairs with the FA in the boardrooms.

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

Haha. FIFA was shit at the back today.

I have faith in Pep, the guy wins trophies for fun. Give the bald twat some time and he'll turn this shit show round.

[aaron bond]

I don’t like the way he is coming across in those interviews, he is giving off an ominous vibe. He doesn't look that happy in the City job, or being in England. Lets be honest he has no real affinity to City like we do. He is only with us because he thought the Premier League was a piss easy league, and it was good money in the bank. He didn't have stress in the script .

People talk about Guardiola signing contract extensions. We really do need to get through this season first so he can test his mettle. City is a stressful job, as he is finding out. A few more results like today, then anything is possible with Guardiola. He might decide to walk, he is an emotional man. Remember he took that sabbatical because he was stressed out.

He badly underestimated the Premier League. He thought it would be a walk in the park, he has acknowledged himself he got this wrong. This isn't Spain Or Germany with 1,2, team leagues, teams don’t just roll over and die, stand off and watch whilst you play total football.

The next few games will either make him, or break him.

Watching him on the bench today, I was wondering if he would actually quit on us anytime soon. He really doesn't look happy here and genuinely looks lost when decisions need to be made. We only made 1 sub against Everton when our game plan clearly was not working. Pep just sat on the bench the whole second half watching the match pass by.

I'm happy to give him more time as his recent experience has given him that right, but top 4 is increasingly looking unlikely. Although looking at Pep on the sidelines or in interviews and I do wonder if he'll choose to stay.

[Grandad Rosler]

Well as frustrated as I am on days like today, I have it in my head that the guy needs a proper transfer window once he's had a full season to know exactly what's needed and that hasn't changed.

If it was this time next year, I'd be questioning him directly a lot more than I am right now.

He's acutely aware of what players are too old or not good enough now and I'm sure he'll replace them, so let's give him an opportunity to do that, now that he has worked first hand with the team.

Summed up perfectly for me here OD. I know we say that he should have been prepping to come here but would he of had much influence on transfers when not at the club?

I'm guessing there has been misplaced faith and he's playing the hand he's been dealt

[sheblue]

Well as frustrated as I am on days like today, I have it in my head that the guy needs a proper transfer window once he's had a full season to know exactly what's needed and that hasn't changed.

If it was this time next year, I'd be questioning him directly a lot more than I am right now.

He's acutely aware of what players are too old or not good enough now and I'm sure he'll replace them, so let's give him an opportunity to do that, now that he has worked first hand with the team.

Summed up perfectly for me here OD. I know we say that he should have been prepping to come here but would he of had much influence on transfers when not at the club?

I'm guessing there has been misplaced faith and he's playing the hand he's been dealt

Respect your opinion, but I do not agree.
Pep knew he was coming, and the club knew he was coming from a long way out.
He had a transfer window as our appointed manager in the summer and we didn't address the main problems in the squad which were then and still are now glaringly obvious.
We didn't absolutely NEED to change the keeper. We needed defenders particularly a left back and centre half.
Were mid way through another window and so far it doesn't look like these problems will be sorted this window.
I am not in the 'sack him camp' but he needs to change his approach, hes too stubborn, and that cant go on. If we dont have the right players to play the way he would like well then he has to adapt and play the way that suits the players we have.
I hope he stays and i hope he turns it around, but there is no guarantee he will do either.

[s1ty m]

I am just very disappointed with Pep. He'll stay and try to put it right, but the football is fucking shite, mainly. Some of the players we've brought in though, what a downgrade. It's a bit of a mess right now.

[london blue 2]

So are we saying pep has to have the best squad in the league with all the best players to show his "magic"?

[PeterParker]

Saw something today in the media, but did not open the article to see the whole context, but, did he say:

”In my 8 years of management I won the title 7 times?”

If so, he might be more deluted that we actually think. You can't say that after what happend yesterday. Anything but that.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

Saw something today in the media, but did not open the article to see the whole context, but, did he say:

”In my 8 years of management I won the title 7 times?”

If so, he might be more deluted that we actually think. You can't say that after what happend yesterday. Anything but that.

He said that winning 7 title in 8 attempts is unusual and that what he's dealing with at the moment is normal for a manager.

[PeterParker]

Saw something today in the media, but did not open the article to see the whole context, but, did he say:

”In my 8 years of management I won the title 7 times?”

If so, he might be more deluted that we actually think. You can't say that after what happend yesterday. Anything but that.

He said that winning 7 title in 8 attempts is unusual and that what he's dealing with at the moment is normal for a manager.

Cheers, I was avoiding some clickbait shit.

[Justified logic]

At the moment, he's surviving on reputation. If we'd brought in Giuseppe Guardioni from somewhere in Europe, everyone would think we'd made a mistake. The only reason people are on the fence or still on side is because of what he has done previously and we think/hope he can repeat the trick. This is undoubtedly his biggest challenge

I'd wager that Giuseppe Guardioni would do better because he'd know how to organise a defence and build from the back. He wouldn't, to quote one poster on here, leave the back door, front door and all the windows open. Guardiola clearly has no idea how to organise a defence. I'd like to see us take on a specialist defence coach, someone like Signor Guardioni or any decent coach who has done well in Serie A, to assist Guardiola. If we have one already he is doing failing.

[Justified logic]

We all had a lot of chuckles and downright guffaws at the Scum's expense when they had, firstly, "Agent Moyes", followed by "Agent Van Ghoul", in charge at the Swamp and we positively split our sides at the good jobs they both did in taking Manure down the League table.

It was a continued source of merriment for us all, but it doesn't feel funny anymore, given our own current state of affairs.

To my mind, Pep has two options available. He either 'risks' bringing in a load of our youngsters who can play the way he wants us to play and do it more effectively than the current incumbents, irrespective of results, or he temporarily abandons his principles on the altar of pragmatism and changes the style of play to suit the said current incumbents.

With regard to the latter option, 'normal service' in the Pep mould can resume next season, after an almighty clear-out and recruitment summer.

With regard to the former option, he might find a number of gems who have risen to the occasion and who could be confidently slotted into the squad for next season, minimising the numbers needing to be bought in the summer.

I'd agree with that choice, although I think he desperately needs help with organising the defence.

I'd most definitely favour the second option - using motivated kids rather than tired, soon-to-be-gone players; and the future is with the youth. But he's sent the two best fullbacks out on loan hasn't he.