"utterly crumbled" is a bit of an exaggeration.
Varchester City 18/19 discussion
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Imagine losing away at Newcastle after taking the lead, they should be relegated for that alone.
I can't find a thread for Pep, which I'm guessing is because it's got a title that uses some kind of alteration to his name?
Anyway, wanted to ask: if City win the title this season, will be the first league title he's won from a chasing position, as in, not just strolling away with the league?
Anyway, wanted to ask: if City win the title this season, will be the first league title he's won from a chasing position, as in, not just strolling away with the league?
If they don't win the league is there even any positions in their squad that Pep hasn't signed two world class players
Embarassing for them as they've basically hardly even got opportunity to improve with signings as they've already made so many
Embarassing for them as they've basically hardly even got opportunity to improve with signings as they've already made so many
1st season at Barca he won it by 7 points and was basically 1st all season.
2nd season at Barca, Real Madrid were right on their tails. Barca were 2nd in the league with 8 games to go then won the league by 3 points.
3rd season at Barca he won it by just 4 points but they were top practically all season.
4th season at Barca he finished 2nd behind Mourinho's Madrid by 9 points, he was 1st for only 2 match days.
At Bayern he won the league with relative ease every season.
So I guess Barca was the only time he didn't piss the league every season. And now it could be City too.
Thanks for that. Just wondered as the impression is that they (his teams) are always easy frontrunners. Would be quite the feather in his cap to chase down and beat Liverpool this season after the media anointing them champions in January.
DM- He has not signed anyone
LB - He is using Delph, Danilo a RB in the position since Mendy cannot stay fit
Striker - Jesus
They may not be world class but Danilo was around £25m for a substitute RB, that was even before the crazy transfer fees for defenders started. Jesus cost them £35m as a teenger. Hardly bargain basement signings.
Gabriel Jesus was 27(+5 or so in add-ons). Not a big difference but still quite a coup in my opinion.
Hearts bleed for him having to use a right back signing at left back since his 55m signing is a dud. It’s genius when he moves a player out of position sometimes, it’s forced when it suits the argument other times.
So Pep agrees to bring the Everton game forward before the Cup final against Chelsea.
This is a genius at work for 2 reasons.
1. Everton won't have the weekend off before they would have played City. (Who will probably play their strongest team v Chelsea). This way Everton will have to play City a few days after they play Wolves, and with City's squad stronger, they will make a few changes after the Arsenal game and will have a greater advantage against the toffees.
2. City will only be 2 points (if they win those games) behind Liverpool, before the Scousers come to Old Trafford.
The pressure and mind games are starting, and we are only in January.
This is a genius at work for 2 reasons.
1. Everton won't have the weekend off before they would have played City. (Who will probably play their strongest team v Chelsea). This way Everton will have to play City a few days after they play Wolves, and with City's squad stronger, they will make a few changes after the Arsenal game and will have a greater advantage against the toffees.
2. City will only be 2 points (if they win those games) behind Liverpool, before the Scousers come to Old Trafford.
The pressure and mind games are starting, and we are only in January.
So Pep agrees to bring the Everton game forward before the Cup final against Chelsea.
This is a genius at work for 2 reasons.
1. Everton won't have the weekend off before they would have played City. (Who will probably play their strongest team v Chelsea). This way Everton will have to play City a few days after they play Wolves, and with City's squad stronger, they will make a few changes after the Arsenal game and will have a greater advantage against the toffees.
2. City will only be 2 points (if they win those games) behind Liverpool, before the Scousers come to Old Trafford.
The pressure and mind games are starting, and we are only in January.
Genius, really?
They better fecking turn up this weekend.
It is so strange to see Manchester United fans so desperately backing Manchester City. I totally get it though, "anyone but Liverpool". I have experienced the same with United for years whenever they were going for the title. I guess it goes to show that this is the real rivalry, and how small time City and Everton really are!
People finally realized that City winning anything is kinda irrelevant. For example, you have no mates bragging or having banter about it because they have no fans. It also doesn't get mentioned as much in the media because it doesn't generate the same sales as United, Liverpool, Arsenal for example.
Everton might be slightly different though. They have been very successful over their history and battled Liverpool for those honors. City are just like a new club that share the same city as United.
A rough estimate in Ireland of PL fans would be 40% United, 35% Liverpool, 25% Spurs/Chelsea/Misc. (my age group anyway, might be more younger Chelsea fans and less Arsenal fans). As you can see Liverpool and United dominate the numbers so no set of fans want to be listening to the other sets shite
Decent back ups at both right and left back are needed as both Danilo and Delph are not of the standard required. Mendy being missing for almost his entire time at the club has been a huge loss for City. It doesn’t seem like they can rely on him to be fit, making left back an obvious weakness. Same with cover at centre back, with Kompany and Otamendi both being old and not really ideally suited to playing Guardiola football.
The key area for improvement is obviously at defensive midfield though. They have no-one who is capable of playing that position when Fernandinho needs to be rested and the guy is nearly 34. If they don’t sign a backup or replacement for him this summer I’ll be baffled.
You don’t need 22 world class players to win the league. They can improve positions but you need players happy to sit on the bench as well. Otherwise the dressing room morale will drop. I think Chelsea are very bad at doing this as well hence they always have unhappy players trying to push out managers.
Delph is meant to a leader in the dressing room.
I think the only valid concerns are Mendy's fitness and no cover for Fernandinho. Danilo, Delph and even Zinchenko are ok as back-ups for the FB positions. They don't have to be world-class to do a job. The problem is that with the first choice being sidelined for virtually the entire season, they are required to do more than that.
The issue with the centre backs is not their age. Kompany is too injury-prone, but when fit still a fine defender and equally fine for Pep football. Otamendi will turn 31 this month, suggesting that he is too old is laughable. He is a bit slow and rash, but was City's best defender last season. This season, Pep seems to prefer Stones and Laporte.
Fernandinho is the big one. None of Gundogan, Stones, Delph, Zinchenko and whoever else has been used in his absence can reliably fill his role at a decent level.
So Pep agrees to bring the Everton game forward before the Cup final against Chelsea.
This is a genius at work for 2 reasons.
1. Everton won't have the weekend off before they would have played City. (Who will probably play their strongest team v Chelsea). This way Everton will have to play City a few days after they play Wolves, and with City's squad stronger, they will make a few changes after the Arsenal game and will have a greater advantage against the toffees.
2. City will only be 2 points (if they win those games) behind Liverpool, before the Scousers come to Old Trafford.
The pressure and mind games are starting, and we are only in January.
It was a bold decision by Pep BEFORE losing to Newcastle. Try and push us hard, overtake us and make us crumble. However now the City players' mindset is not in hunting mode but in keeping up instead. That always leads to mental fatigue coupled with the physical demands during quick succession of games.
You can make a point without lying, Jesus was £27m as a teenager.
City starting to rival Liverpool for most cringeworthy fans in the world award. Everything they do smacks of fans who have recently got into football and are not quite sure how it all works. Like this for example...I think the comment at the end says it all really.
They're a joke of a club. It must really annoy them that even when they're winning leagues no one gives a feck.
I spoke to a guy recently who has been a City season ticket holder for nearly 40 years (he caught me singing the alternative lyrics to “This is how it feels” in a pub). I asked him if he secretly wishes they never got taken over by the Sheikh and he admitted yes he enjoyed it more when they were “sh*t” (his word!)
Then he's a sadist. Supporting City was fecking miserable before 2008.
This aged well.
Isn't that just Americans being their normal cringeworthy selves? You can't criticise us for being a small club with no fans and then criticise us for having American new fans as well. It's contradictory.
And for this video, I could find a ton for every club. The MLS is full of fans like this.
I'd rather not attract foreign fans full stop but seems we can't win either way!
It wasn't a dig. City are still 3 points behind with no games in hand.
I think he'll be in the minority if that's the case. I didn't love City any less back then, and the dark humour at some games was superb, but it was a generally miserable experience. The bus back into town after we got relegated following the 2-2 draw with Liverpool in 1996 is the first and only time I've seen my old man cry. The promotion seasons were good fun, but the lack of hope back then was what killed me. There was no way we could challenge the Premier League elite, so the joy was in passing the 40 point mark or the odd win against the big boys. I remember rarely watching MOTD back then, couldn't be arsed to wait until the last game in the running order to watch us lose again.
Nowadays, the joy is in the quality of football and of course winning trophies. I was born in 1984 and had long been resigned to never seeing us win anything. The FA Cup in 2011 was a day I thought I'd never see. So nah, I don't wish we'd never been taken over (I hope this thread doesn't turn into an ADUG/human rights circle again...).
Ha agreed. We're still playing catch-up and there's a long way to go. Loads of twists and turns to come yet (assuming this turns into a proper title race).
This would have more of a chance of being a proper title race if us and Spurs weren't your challengers. Both of us know how to spursy it up good and proper.
I joined RedCafe in 2013. I've been a City fan since 1999.How would you know? You're only supporting them since 2013
There won't be many that wish they hadn't been taken over. I work with a couple of older Blues. They are delighted in how the club has cheated it's way up the pyramid. The Aguero moment is something that many other fans won't ever get to experience.
The problem is though that that was their Zenith. Many ABU's were delighted when they beat us to the title & they didn't care how City had done it. This goodwill would only last a short time though. Most of the football world is now in an apathetic state concerning their success. Everybody want's credit when they achieve something. The problem is that City & financial doping are intrinsically linked which denigrates all that they do.
They've won multiple trophies since then and had a 100 point PL season. How's that their zenith? That was just the beginning. City will be around for a while.
Noticed Everton are on a win-loss routine...and they lost last time out.
Wankers.
Wankers.
They're the gateway drug to real football. You support them if you don't want to get into anything serious but you're still looking to dabble a little to stay relevant.
Everton will roll over for City, Silva will get sacked, new manager in for the Liverpool game, Everton win. You heard it here first.
That would do nicely.
Lies.