Noisy Neighbours - the Man City thread

[hhyftrftdr]

If he comes second in the EPL (lets not forget that they are still odds on for the title before we get too carried away) by a country mile from third which is likely with incredible offense/defensive numbers/GD and points total (they are currently in for 94 points on the spreads) goes relatively deep in the CL without winning it (thats just variance) it would still be an incredible season and not a failure.  FA/Milk cups surely make no difference to a team of your standing nowadays?  They are for the Arsenal's of the world to crow about winning?  If you win them its just a bonus right?  You don't think 'shit we came 2nd in the league/semi final in champs league but won the fa cup so its been a goood season because we got a pot?'

Would just mean the scousers have had a season for the ages and you have to tip your hat to their combo of offense/defensiive improvement with VVD/keeper etc recruitment wise.  They have spent nearly half as much as manure have spent on Pog/luk on those two.

Yeah with the domestic cups, obv they are 3rd and 4th on the priority list behind league and Europe, so in that respect they maybe are a bonus in the eyes of the club.

As a fan, and after going so long winning fuck all only just a few years ago, I still think they are a decent feather in our cap. I don't lose any sleep if we get KO'ed out the FA/league cup at the early stages, but when we do get deep it's nice to think their could be another trophy on the horizon and another expensive day out at Wembley.

I guess fans and the club hierarchy will view success slightly differently. If you offered Champions league or PL success this season, I reckon the club would snap your hand off for Europe, but I'd take league title all day long (think most City fans would tbh)

Agree with your assessment generally, whoever finishes above us wins the title and they will have to really earn it. If that does turn out to be Liverpool (shudder) then so be it. But a long way to go yet.

Edit; just to touch on further with the domestic cups, I think they can mean plenty to the players. Kyle Walker for example hadn't won anything until we lifted the League Cup last year. I'm sure Bernardo Silva didn't grow up dreaming of winning it but again that was his first taste of success in English football.

[arbboy]

The inverse of the argument is that Klopp (and mopo to a certain degree relative to finances and net spend/wage bill - please don't leave Spuds for Manure you done all the hard work and about to reap the rewards of your youth policy by having all the kids you brought through the system in their prime years career wise for the next 5 years alongside a shiny new stadium that will be much nicer to work in than the relic that is old trafford) keep hearing it about not winning anything but Klopp is doing stuff at liverpool that is incredible and he knows its all about Europe/PL not the devalued domestic cups.  That is what the owners/board want.  Klopp is probably going to score high 80s/low 90s points this year and not win a trophy in all likelihood.  How can that be deemed a failure?  One of you is going to have a season that would have pissed the league 95% of seasons and not win.

Both clubs should be celebrating the fact win lose or draw that between you both you have smashed up the Manure/Arsenal/Chelski stranglehold over the last 20 years.  Alongside mopo you have flipped those three out of the top 3 into the 4-6 Europa league spots effectively over the last 5 years through shrewd efficient spending and management/ownership.  The 2 dinosaurs in Jose and Wenger (alongside unsettled ownership/lack of focus from owners) have helped cause the demise of the other 3 whilst the 3 modern outlook clubs have soared past them without (apart from City) having bigger budgets which makes it all the more impressive.

[BigAdz]

The inverse of the argument is that Klopp (and mopo to a certain degree relative to finances and net spend/wage bill - please don't leave Spuds for Manure you done all the hard work and about to reap the rewards of your youth policy by having all the kids you brought through the system in their prime years career wise for the next 5 years alongside a shiny new stadium that will be much nicer to work in than the relic that is old trafford) keep hearing it about not winning anything but Klopp is doing stuff at liverpool that is incredible and he knows its all about Europe/PL not the devalued domestic cups.  That is what the owners/board want.  Klopp is probably going to score high 80s/low 90s points this year and not win a trophy in all likelihood.  How can that be deemed a failure?  One of you is going to have a season that would have pissed the league 95% of seasons and not win.

Both clubs should be celebrating the fact win lose or draw that between you both you have smashed up the Manure/Arsenal/Chelski stranglehold over the last 20 years.  Alongside mopo you have flipped those three out of the top 3 into the 4-6 Europa league spots effectively over the last 5 years through shrewd efficient spending and management/ownership.  The 2 dinosaurs in Jose and Wenger (alongside unsettled ownership/lack of focus from owners) have helped cause the demise of the other 3 whilst the 3 modern outlook clubs have soared past them without (apart from City) having bigger budgets which makes it all the more impressive.

Demise is amusing.... No one wins everything for ever. Im sure powerhouses of the distant past like Blackpool, Bolton, Huddersfield etc could never envisage their current respective plights. However for a "demised" team Arsenal are doing Ok. We are just a sleeping giant going through a transitional period, as Spurs have been for the last 50 years and City even longer, and Liverpool the last 25.......

[hhyftrftdr]

When do we get to add 'sad' to the title?

[arbboy]

Pep out.  Heard there is a multiple winning EPL manager on the market looking for work.  Maybe he would be more suitable for the role.

Comical scenes on oddschecker seeing the blue for pep.

https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/next-manager-to-leave-post

[Juperjiper]

Seen on Twitter

won The league by 19 points last season most goals ever scored most points ever won and now there 3rd in the league if you ask me if city don’t win this league that’s a suckable offence #PepOut

Ignoring the suckable/sackable error, if this season isn’t an improvement, why isn’t it, should he go?

[hhyftrftdr]

Seen on Twitter

won The league by 19 points last season most goals ever scored most points ever won and now there 3rd in the league if you ask me if city don’t win this league that’s a suckable offence #PepOut

Ignoring the suckable/sackable error, if this season isn’t an improvement, why isn’t it, should he go?

That a serious question?

[Juperjiper]

Maybe not should he go

But if they lose the title/don’t win champ league why haven’t they improved

[arbboy]

Seen on Twitter

won The league by 19 points last season most goals ever scored most points ever won and now there 3rd in the league if you ask me if city don’t win this league that’s a suckable offence #PepOut

Ignoring the suckable/sackable error, if this season isn’t an improvement, why isn’t it, should he go?

Think they need to up their transfer spending personally.  The big boys across the city spend much more.  Need to up their game.

[hhyftrftdr]

Maybe not should he go

But if they lose the title/don’t win champ league why haven’t they improved

Kinda hard to improve on last season's league performance tbh.

Champions League is a bit of a lottery once you get to the knockout stage. Arbboy described it as variance which is probs a good way of looking at it. Far too simplistic to say 'if you don't win the CL then the season is a failure', as long as we're in the mix then we'll be in with a shout, like half a dozen teams are in with a genuine shout.

Long way to go yet on all fronts.

[arbboy]

Maybe not should he go

But if they lose the title/don’t win champ league why haven’t they improved

Kinda hard to improve on last season's league performance tbh.

Champions League is a bit of a lottery once you get to the knockout stage. Arbboy described it as variance which is probs a good way of looking at it. Far too simplistic to say 'if you don't win the CL then the season is a failure', as long as we're in the mix then we'll be in with a shout, like half a dozen teams are in with a genuine shout.

Long way to go yet on all fronts.

CL is variance hence why the market is 4/1 the field every year pretty much.  Its like the grand national of football.  Anyone can fall or be brought down through bad luck no matter how dominant you are in the league you are in. 

[TightEnd]

Brahim Diaz set to swap Manchester City for Real Madrid after clubs 'reach agreement' for £13.6m transfer

After the loss of Sancho, another shame for the academy.

[DungBeetle]

Brahim Diaz set to swap Manchester City for Real Madrid after clubs 'reach agreement' for £13.6m transfer

After the loss of Sancho, another shame for the academy.

Sancho hardly a City academy product.  He was stolen from Watford under the disgraceful EPP rules. They also got Diaz from Malaga.

[TightEnd]

Sancho was nevertheless in the academy for two years, thought he was assured some first team playing time and when left out of a pre-season squad pined for a move

Much like Chelsea (though without the attention) its tough for the Academy boys there

Foden gets occasional time and beyond that?

It struck me when i saw Delph struggle at the weekend that there is Zinchenko sitting on the bench, a proper left back who i have only seen play in the flesh in the league cup but has looked a real talent whenever i have. Looks absolutely ready for playing time and when Mendy isn't fit he plays a midfielder there

[DungBeetle]

Sancho was nevertheless in the academy for two years, thought he was assured some first team playing time and when left out of a pre-season squad pined for a move

Much like Chelsea (though without the attention) its tough for the Academy boys there

Foden gets occasional time and beyond that?

It struck me when i saw Delph struggle at the weekend that there is Zinchenko sitting on the bench, a proper left back who i have only seen play in the flesh in the league cup but has looked a real talent whenever i have. Looks absolutely ready for playing time and when Mendy isn't fit he plays a midfielder there

Indeed.  Poached from FC UFA , Zinchenko does seem a real talent.  Unfortunately at the end of the day, Pep has little time for the output of the academy's widespread procurement programme so it seems to be just a money generation exercise as other clubs' top prospects are polished for a couple of years and moved on.