bobby......if they havent got mental strengh now, they never will kid.

Roberto Is a Great Manager, The players are great, I think they are close to getting it right but like he said there has been plenty of injuries, there has been loads of chopping and changing that was needed, and it doesn't always help. Maybe its a case of Some players may need to lose their nerves, relax the mind and concentrate on the game. Its no good if you have too much going on in the head. Just get stuck in. Maybe there is an urgency for results and if so then pressure can creep in? you have to learn how to switch off any pressure and switch on to go and enjoy a game. if there is pressure then it can effect. couple of tackles, sliding tackles wouldn't go a miss. The fist goal was bad marking and a school ground lay-off, the second goal was from a man all on his lonesome outside the box. You have to lookout for each other, notice potential danger give signal to cover. Anyway it was only boring old hull.


As a player I enjoy life, I enjoy getting up in the morning, I always get out of bed on the right side which I enjoy, I enjoy training,
I enjoyed the morning leading up to the match,I enjoyed traveling to the match,I enjoyed that pass, I enjoyed dribbling past that man, I enjoyed blocking that shot, I enjoyed that assist, I enjoyed how my team played, I enjoyed the fresh air today, even if you miss out you have to be happy you tried, be happy happy happy. I enjoy sticking to fingers up to idiots. Enjoy and get that extra spring in your step.

I am thinking back to a city press conference last week and all the noise in the room? The Manager is a very important person. And sometimes Great Managers don’t need unnecessary distractions, they need to be relaxed and have time to gather their thoughts, The Manager is in charge and the rest are guests. Try making a load of noise in the court room and the Judge will have you out by the ear.
I stook with Mark Hughes through thick and thin and I am going to do the same with re Mancio. You have to focus on a belief and believe to the end.

Anyone calling for the manager isn't in my view following proceedings proper and may need to rethink instead of shooting from the hip.

The negativity on here never ceases to amaze.

Yes Saturday was pants, but overall we are pretty much neck and neck with Liverpool, Villa and Tottenham. Are you all telling me you wouldn't have been content with that after 20 odd games back at the start of the season?

A middling win over Bolton tomorrow, and wins for Arsenal and United on Wednesday and we could easily be fourth come Thursday with a game in hand.

I know I'm fighting a losing battle, but get some perspective all you foamers and get behind Roberto and the blue boys!

The next 2 months are Big because after Bolton are next 3 league fixtures are big and could decide our season. We Having Liverpool at Home Chelsea Away and Tottenham at home but it could be reschaled due to FA Cup if City or Spurs Reach the Qualter finals.

We need a win tonight and a good performance. We have looked jaded since the unfortunate Semi final. It will be virtually pointless taking points off Liverpool and Tottenham at home in the coming weeks if we are getting beat off Hull away and Bolton at home before it!!!

I think Stoke away would be a hard game and obviously Chelsea away. A realistic aim in the next 5 games should be 11 points. If we can do this and get the right results against Liverpool and Spurs then that 4th place place position should be ours.... we would only be playing 1 team away out of the current top 9, with 3 'should be easy' home games (though we have got the rags and Villa at home towards the end of the season).

The scouser still have to play the rags and Arsenal away and have Chelsea at home towards the end of the season

Spurs have Arsenal and Chelsea at home and the rags away in the space of 2 weeks

Villa still have to play the rags at home and Chelsea away - playing us away on our last home game of the season could be a vitally important match!

We have got playing coming back. lets get this into a bit of form actually finish the season strong for once!!!!!

CTID!

It is a key period. Throughout the season we've had a number of chances to settle in to a top four position - either by our own play or others slipping up. But we've always squandered such opportunities.
With teams around us playing each other we had a great chance to gain a cushion over the likes of Spurs, Villa and Liverpool before we hit our run of tough games. Defeat at Hull has made that more difficult, but it's still pretty much going to be in our own hands.

I think we'll have to take some points from our harder games as we can't bank the easy ones. But I think we're well capable of doing that especially since all of our main rivals have to come to our place this time up.

Here we go again, thinking about getting into Europe, achieving this or that. All that matters is the next game. Can City never focus on this instead of promising how they are are about to qualify for Europe or break into the top four. Such prattle always comes before a heavy fall, time and time again. In my opinion, Spurs, Villa and Liverpool may not have better squads than us at the moment but they certainly have a better team spirit and work ethic. That means they are far better placed than City to challenge for the Chumps league places. United have hardly be brilliant this season have they? Quite mediocre much of the time in fact. But they still grind out results because of their togetherness and mental toughness. Something City don't yet have.

None of you have deserved your wages in the last two weeks. Mr Mancini your tactics in the last two games(don't get me started on the Carling Cup) have been shocking. Bin your defensive / Maginot Line tactics and lets see some football. Lets see our midfield crashing the box when our wide men deliver. Lets see a captain who is willing to stand above the parapet and get vocal. Lets see some passion. Lets see some centre backs that can jump more than 1 foot off the ground. Lets see wingers playing on the wing and on the correct one. Lets see Stephen Ireland given a shot at the centre midfield linking position he played last season.
I hope you stay because we need stability but stop messing with my head. I just don't get you your tactics fella.

He's right, February is key to our hopes, but on current form, which, and let's be honest (Everton, Pompey, Hull), has been nothing short of appalling, it's hard not to fear the worst. Certainly there need to be big changes, and for me it would be to drop either one of De Jong or Barry, play Johnson and SWP down their natural flanks, and go with any two from Bellboy, Ade and King Carlos up front. No Petrov, and certainly not down the right, thank you very much.

We need to put sides under consistent pressure. This does not mean "bombing" forward but playing the game in the opponents half and keeping them there.

"In the league, Mancini has mostly faced games against teams at the bottom end of the table since coming to City, and therefore games his side were expected to win. Two defeats have seen him already equal the number suffered by Mark Hughes before he was sacked"

Geez i see there is nobody's name to this article, no doubt written by a Rag journo at the MEN. What does it mean if we've lost twice under Mancini? Hughes won 7 out of 18 games, Mancini has won 4 out of 6, 3 less in 12 less games.

Is it Mancini's fault he played crap teams when he became manager? He can only beat what's in front of him. Oh, and lets not forget 5 of the wins under Hughes came in the our first 6 games against the likes of Pompey, Blackburn, Wolves & West Ham. (Mancini has beaten them also except West Ham who he hasnt played). The Rags needed a goal in the 182nd minute to get to the Cup final

The last 2 games have been dire, the Hull game more disappointing because we didnt have any excuses for that. Every team in the top 7 has had their ups and downs and i suspect this race will go down to the final weeks of the season. We can hardly get worse and yet from the day Mancini took over he's been dealing with an infirmary of injured players.

Now hopefully the injury with Bellers isnt serious but Mancini will have back at his disposal the likes of Bridge, Lescott, Kompany, Richards, Toure, Adebayor, Vieira, Johnson, Santa Cruz etc, when for various reasons he hasnt had the option to use them with continuity in the month and a half he's been in charge.

And yet we'll be sitting equal 4th with a win over bolton with 2 games in hand (assuming arsenal do the scousers) and we'll be close to a full strength squad. (Hughes left us in 7th with 1 game in hand)

One final note, of the top 9 teams on the table at the moment, we have 6 games at home vs the Rags, Liverpool, Spurs, Villa, Everton & Birmingham. Our only away games being vs Chelsea & Arsenal, a very favorable draw which any of the other contending teams would kill for.

Mancini is still working with practically all inherited players, not just from Hughes but from Sven. It may be harsh to even judge the guy before he has a summer of spending and getting in his players (a proven transfer record mind you) yet he is working on terms where he may not even last that far.

Cut the guy some slack, decisions will be made in the summer which we cannnot control. Yet he has less time, less signings of his choice, more injuries and more pressure than Hughes had (who still thought he was on target for 70pts or 6th) to deal with.

And if at the end we miss out narrowly on the top 4, im comfortable in knowing we'll be stronger next season (new manager or not). I know I'll still be supporting City, not sure by some of the posts recently whether some of those on here will be though. Perhaps that's not a bad thing after all.

A good and ambitious plan. Unprecedented team leadership will be need to motivate/inspire our squad for all future games to walk Mancini’s talk in terms of tempo, urgency to win and provide defence / midfield coherence.

catterickblue, Catterick
8/02/2010 at 16:09

I couldn`t agree more, all you say is spot on, let`s just hope Kiddo reads these pages! CTID

Agree with a lot of you here we need to attack attack attack it does not matter if we conceed one or two as we will always score more so its simple go for it every game home or away.

Just seen the brilliant Alan Bates video on the official site take a look its well worth it.

catterickblue, you forgot to ask Mancini to get us a goalkeeper who can take crosses and is prepared to leave his six yard box occasionally.
In the League Cup semi, Rooney headed the ball in from virtually underneath the bar. A good keeper would have had the ball in his hands and Rooney would have been heading fresh air.
Given may be a fantastic shot stopper but any ball hit high in to our box scares the living daylights out of him, and me.

With Lescott coming back in we will be back to the back 4 of choice (certainly based on money spent!)so we will see exactly how much we improved our shape and 'concentration'. This back four is also the one which couldnt keep a clean sheet for love nor money after the first 4 games and which arguably got Mark Hughes the sack. So we should see exactly the influence that the new manager has had. Personally speaking I don't think Toure should either be Captain or in the Team. Lescott was perhaps getting a bit of form just before he was injured so jury out. I still would prefer him at left back though. Bridge has been a massive let down in my opinion and not withstanding his problems at the moment, I don't think he warrants his place. Kompany is the best CB we have in my opinion but he doesn't want to play there. Mental strength is not something we have in abbundance in our side. Petrov on his day can light the place up but he goes embarrasingly missing when the going gets tough. Ade and again having uppermost sympthy for what he has been through, also doesn't show when the going gets tough. We have some quality players who lose the courage to play when the tackles are coming in. As a consequence our forwards receive no quality ball and we just defend deeper and deeper as the ball comes back at us. Courage is not all about going into tackles, its also about shouting for the ball when youre marked and having the faith that your ability will be good enough to do something constructive with the ball. Our players in the main are good enough, but they don't seem to have that faith in themselves or each other. The result is that we look distinctly average and hit punts up front rather than passes. Come on lads, have the faith, keep and pass the ball and above all else, impose our game on the opposition rather than inviting them to play their game!

I stopped listening to talk sport months ago its a dross station just glad that they dont get any of the licence fee their presenters and pundits are second rate they have the exact same topics no matter what show you listen too,and they caught controversy for anyone to quote them on here is mindless.

As for the Torres rumour again muted by the said station again to caught listeners with no foundation do we really need another sick note ?

At the risk of sounding old school (this'll annoy GC)....

We'll probably end up smashing Liverpool and Spurs at home after demoralising losses to Hull and (potentially) Bolton...

Typical City!!! lol!

Mancini's tactics stink of cowardice. He's afraid to try and play ball so he sets out the most negative midfield I've ever seen. We play anti football at the moment. Mancini should be replaced in my opinion.

Next 5 games may well determine City's fate. Will it also be a measure of whether RM is the right man for the job? I see no reason, with the players Mancini has available, why City cannot achieve 4th spot, and progress in the Cup. RM now needs to show us if he's capable of getting his team on a run of wins, and clean sheets. Pip..Pip..

I might have it completely wrong but its worth a mention. I have had many times in my life when I have been anxious and apprehensive. Once you know how to deal with it although the problem that started you being anxious is still there you can take positive thinking and the anxiousness goes, all because you seen a logical way to approach it. You can get rid of it if you want.

If you are being apprehensive in the sense of;Anxious or fearful,then it could be said you don’t know how to deal with it by the fact you are anxious and fearful and it isn’t going away.

if you are being apprehensive in a negative way then its my view you are carrying extra baggage on the mind that you don’t need and it can get in the way of your daily life, even a game of football, NO.

Being apprehensive in a negative way; Anxious or fearful about the future, uneasy. apprehensive of danger, lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance,mentally upset over possible misfortune or danger.

Thought I would pick this one out: affording no ease or reassurance. Reassurance has to be done in the right way for it to work.

Being apprehensive in a positive away; Capable of understanding and quick to apprehend a problem, having the ability to perceive or understand, understanding when people don’t know how to banish negative apprehension and being able to give them reassurance. having a perceptive eye to clear danger, and being able to clear the danger.

The players appear to at times to be apprehensive? at times they look afraid. My view is that If you get rid of the negative apprehension you will win more than you will lose in the long run. If you carry apprehension you will lose more than you win, thats my view. So just enjoy it. With apprehension you have extra unnecessary thought/baggage. Banish negative apprehension.

If you just go out and play the game and enjoy it at least you can say we played without worry on our shoulders going into the game. There is no pint going away trying to blame something else or masking over apprehension you don’t know how to get rid of. The only thing that should be on their mind is going out doing what you do best and that is outwitting the position in defence and attack. You choose that sport you must have a heart for it so you just keep it going. Don’t worry about the club the fans and the negative aspect if we lose just go out and do your thing. Win lose or draw just do your thing and showcase yourself because you have the talent, forget what other people think if something doesn't come off.

If the players think of the right minded thinking people then everyone is on the same wavelength and there is no problem because we know how it can go. But if you want to listen to negative people who are not being rational then you need to learn quick that their view doesn't count because their not thinking it out.

If there are issues of apprehension then the players and whoever need to sit in private and have a questions and answers from all sides and don’t be shy at coming forward, its about logical reassurance.

There is a world out there where people are a lot worse off so be thankful for what you receive. In some respects the players don’t have all the worries in the world.

What you want is a cognitive specialist who deals in what I am trying to explain and who understands the different disciplines, someone who is down to earth, someone who isn't above their station and with a big ego. You want someone like good old faithful man or dad, someone who will relax you and someone you feel comfortable with.

End of Rant...

i do worry about our gutless performances of late. Lets face it we battled hard in the 2 cup ties but were never great shapes in flowing attacking football,the win over pompey was a very very poor display and the hull game the same. We dont look solid without vincent kompany. Boyata needs to be taken out of the limelight but we have unearthed great potential. But what really frustarates me is players playing out of position ie petrov,ireland,zabletta occasionly. petrov is a winger he aint a midfielder and he cant play on the right, even stevie wonder would have noticed that by now why hasnt mancini?? ireland is not a right or left midfielder he is an attacking central pin. toure cant head the ball and given does not come for crosses. Adybeyor does not play up top like a centre forward should so hows about playing the game as it should be. its a simple game football. tell our wide men to get down the flanks and provide crosses for our hit man, who in turn can knock them down for tevez or bellamy or ireland. If we must play petrov play him on the left because as a right winger he aint even 3rd choice in my veiw. stop playing 2 defensive midfielders because they are too deep and get in the way of the centre backs. bring joe hart back to give proper competition for shay.Give barry a rest. I also think the way we have been set up of late, bojinov would have been more use than adybeyor. team for bolton.

GIVEN RICHARDS (if fit) ONOUHA TOURE LESCOTT(if fit) VIERA SWP IRELAND JOHNSON TEVEZ ADYBEYOUR SUBS:TAYLOR,BRIDGE,ZABLETTA,DE JONG,BARRY,BELLAMY,PETROV

CTID

The main difference betweeen Mancini and Hughes is that Mancini has the confidence to know the job is his to keep if he finishes the programme in 4th position. He is only just beginning to flex his muscles with changes for tomorrow's game. We will see if they work. He is confident they will and I for one have not lost confidence in him despite disagreeing with his tactics in the first gane against the rags. They were there for the taking at 3 or 4 - 1. Instead he preserved the 2-1 advantage. This month is crucial for the team and Mancini. At the end of the month he may well be buying a home in the UK

We won't get where we want to be with the likes of Manny and Petrov (white flagers) Ned and Viera (well below standard) in the squad, pick them at your peril Mancini.

Lets drop Barry to give him a rest and play Ireland in the middle instead. We should drop Ade and bring him on as a sub for Tevez.