James T wrote:It seems likely for sure. I've never been a huge fan of Pellegrini, but he certainly brought some unity to the side and also had us playing some incredible football at times. He has done exactly what was needed to a point, but I never expected him to stay longer than his initial contract (which would've been up this summer away). I fully expect Pep to come in for 3 years, he doesn't like to stay anywhere too long it seems. Then Vieira hopefully can step up, a lot of respect for him within the club already.
think you'll get messi?
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness
'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.
'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.
'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
Absolutely not. Really, there are positions we could do with improving on before that. Not that anyone wouldn't want him!
Our wing backs are getting older now and have always been areas we could probably improve on. Zabaleta got injured last season a fair amount and it has continued this year. Sagna works hard but isn't top quality. Clichy? Not a fan. A lot of time for Kolarov, but again we could improve if we really went for it. A really strong DM also should be a priority. With Yaya on his way out, Fernando inconsistent and Delph still finding his feet. Fernandinho is super, but again he isn't young any more.
I don't want us to get to a point where we need a total overhaul because of age.
He has done everything I believe he can do, run fast, cut inside and lose it. Shooting inconsistent. A threat, but not a star. I hope he can progress more, but I think he peaked, the way a lot of fast English wingers seem to, very early.
Anyway...
MCFC: "Manchester City can confirm that in recent weeks it has commenced and finalised contractual negotiations with Pep Guardiola to become MCFC head coach for the 2016-17 EPL season onwards.
"The contract is for three years. These negotiations were a re-commencement of discussions that were curtailed in 2012.
"Out of respect for Manuel Pellegrini and the players, the club wishes to make its decision public to remove the unnecessary burden of speculation.
"Manuel, who is fully supportive of the decision to make this communication, is entirely focused on achieving his targets for the season ahead and retains the respect and commitment of all involved with the leadership of the Club."
Pellegrini: "I finish here on the 30 June. There's been lots of speculation, nothing done behind my back but I don't think it is good to have the speculation so that is why I told the press and the players."
James T wrote:He has done everything I believe he can do, run fast, cut inside and lose it. Shooting inconsistent. A threat, but not a star. I hope he can progress more, but I think he peaked, the way a lot of fast English wingers seem to, very early.
Anyway...
MCFC: "Manchester City can confirm that in recent weeks it has commenced and finalised contractual negotiations with Pep Guardiola to become MCFC head coach for the 2016-17 EPL season onwards.
"The contract is for three years. These negotiations were a re-commencement of discussions that were curtailed in 2012.
"Out of respect for Manuel Pellegrini and the players, the club wishes to make its decision public to remove the unnecessary burden of speculation.
"Manuel, who is fully supportive of the decision to make this communication, is entirely focused on achieving his targets for the season ahead and retains the respect and commitment of all involved with the leadership of the Club."
Pellegrini: "I finish here on the 30 June. There's been lots of speculation, nothing done behind my back but I don't think it is good to have the speculation so that is why I told the press and the players."
Weird that. 'Out of respect for Manuel Pellegrini', we are giving him the Arse. He was our second choice in 2012 they add to rub it in a bit more.
Putting the d'uh into dull on a tedious deadline day.
Weird timing announcing this, maybe not ? " Mutually agree to part " aka means got shoved out the door. I like Pellegrini and didn't deserve the sack. I don't know if any club could have caught up with Chelsea last season ? This season is going to the final day, I think with Arsenal and Leicester City will fade. City is still in contention for (4) titles and an analyst stated what if City won the treble and they just sacked Pellegrini. How would that go down ?
olan wrote:
Weird that. 'Out of respect for Manuel Pellegrini', we are giving him the Arse. He was our second choice in 2012 they add to rub it in a bit more.
Putting the d'uh into dull on a tedious deadline day.
oi yaya, pull your finger out
or what? you're not even my real manager...
surely this hurts his standing with the players
'man city would like to say that we have our plans for next season finaliised but we will keep it private- if you wish to speculate then good for you but we won't be saying any more'
respect my arse
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness
'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.
'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.
'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
I don't they have shown any disrespect, certainly when compared to the way Mancini was ousted. Pellegrini will almost certainly have been clear from the start that Guardiola was on his way after his stop in Germany, after all, everyone else did. He knows Guardiola and has a huge amount of contacts in Spain also, and the new deal turned out to be nothing more than an option for an extra year should anything change with the situation. This was always expected, and he will most probably have been involved in the whole process to a certain extent.
I don't think the players will react badly at all, they are a good group apart from 1 or 2 (Yaya, Nasri)
interesting to hear you say that- you are obviously closer to the club than i am- the outside perception of the players is not good but maybe it is the two you mentioned creating the image
vardy closing in on a new 3 1/2 year contract. wooo!
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness
'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.
'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.
'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
Awful 2nd half from city, time wasting and acting. Then again, Defoe should've been booked at least for that 2nd elbow, at most for the 1st one. Anyway, that wasn't football. Loada crap.
Would like to think any rational city fans would be supporting Leicester today..?? If such a thing exists of course.
I mean, there'll always be another title for city. They don't know what it means anymore. Leicester tho, they'd know how to appreciate winning the league..
I expect James to be cheering for Leicester today!
Last edited by jack white on Sat Feb 06, 2016 1:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jumped up cheering that mahrez goal, spilled my dink all over the table. I'm sure I'm not the only one reacted like that. Banging!
Jeez it'd be great if they win this game..
What is this fucking Wambulance thing you go on about? Is that a thing people say?
2nd half was shocking, hope Leicester win the league, good luck to them because we've done out best to lose it ourself. Yada deep and Delph on the wing meant the writing was on the wall, played right into their hands. If you ant to talk about decisions there were a couple of things, but it means nothing because we let them play exactly how they wanted to. 2nd half they were great, first half they were kinda fortunate but they were always going to sit back for a while after having a goal immediately.
Cantona, what do you think of United's plan to close the Sir Whisky Face stand for the Europa league game? I'm not one to go on about empty seats but it's really your thing, are you happy to see it make it's way to the swamp? Maybe it is an excellent tactic from Van Gaal to finally unleash the empty seat technique which has seen City become the leading football team (note: I never said business) in Manchester? Or maybe, just maybe, and it's only a maybe (see what I did there?) you don't actually care about empty seats and it's just about the only thing you can think to add sometimes? Your team will play, and you will watch them, and you will not particularly care if someone was in seat L84 Aisle 126 (I always actually use this seat at our place though) was seeing the game?
Really, the seats thing is so dull it's almost a coldplay album.
@Jack White - of course, never supporting Leicester at the game but happy for them. Conducted themselves great their fans. Delayed response because i went to bed in the dark for a while to avoid the Spurs score. I can cope finishing behind a great story like Leicester, perhaps because I like their manager a lot. Couple of rotters in their team, but overall I think they're pleasant and, at the end of the day (hate that phrase), they WORK AND OUT-BATTLE EVERYONE.
They wan't it more, so why should we have it? Worse if Spurs, or even worse, ARSENAL, win it. Big couple of months, I think there's a lot of turns yet in this unusual season.
Another note is that there always seems to be a lack of confidence at the games when we're playing high-value games like today under Pellegrini, mainly due to his unusual tactics at times..
City making some habit of losing these early goals this season, seem to start games at a canter rather the high tempo needed, fair play to Leicester, fantastic result for them, would be pleased to see them win the league but a fair bit still to go yet.
Also the situation where you announce the manager is leaving 2/3 of the way through the season, can`t see that being a good idea, is that going to be a factor in how the season plays out for City?
I'm not try to stir the shit with this but I was impressed with Leicester's fans during the City game. They made a right racket. The 'Is there a fire drill?' chant as the Stadium emptied was top class.
In the meantime, my mob won 3-0 at Stoke. I'm not getting too carried away because Stoke are shocking at present. It is a nice change not to need a fourth goal away from home. Our relentless march to sixth starts here .
niamhm wrote:
Also the situation where you announce the manager is leaving 2/3 of the way through the season, can`t see that being a good idea, is that going to be a factor in how the season plays out for City?
Absolutely not, today was completely in-line with the way we present ourselves under Pellegrini at times. He has been good for us, but also killed us in some games.
Well done Leicester City - deserves to win the title this year with their performance.
Read an article where the owner of Leicester City asked Ranieri if he would still manage the club if they were relegated this season and he said yes. Not much optimism for Leicester City to do well this season and surprised everyone - kudos to them.
James T wrote:What is this fucking Wambulance thing you go on about? Is that a thing people say?
Just pre-emoting any blame you might have attributed to the referee.. Not that you would ever do that
Just a wee joke is all.
This thing about the fickleness of the fans - thought it was a witty enough comment by cantona, if a little like people in glass houses sorta shit.
It's a problem with the big clubs.
The day trippers. Are they day trippers or hardcores or a mix? We're seeing it at Liverpool right now, & City I suppose. You see it at the atmosphere at old Trafford & Arsenal plenty.. It's to the detriment of the game but what are you going to do? The epl is heading the way of American sporting prices. It's pretty terrible & something should be done, but nothing will be, it'll just get worse. It's another reason why Leicester (& crystal palace earlier in the year) are such a breath of fresh air.
One thing about that city performance tho, on a serious note & ive said it before, but that midfield (& defence) is atrocious.
On the other side, Drinkwater/Kante are terrific footballers & a great pairing with a great understanding. Add to that mahrez & albrighton & it's a fantastic balance, traditional really.
Leicester can do it. (So could spurs, tho they're one of my most irrationally disliked teams so I'd prefer Arsenal or city over them!)
But then so could Liverpool & they cracked (& slipped). I mean city are set for a procession of titles & domination given not only how well they've built their foundations + pep, but also the weaknesses of their big 3 rivals, so I kinda think it's this season for some randomised fun before city dominate.. That's why I said James should be supporting Leicester - city's near immediate future is all but assured as one of success & that'll get boring (to some) pretty quickly so we should be enjoying & rooting for the underdogs while we can.
Ftr, I love watching pep's teams. I even watched Bayern draw 0-0 with Leverkusen this evening. Bayern were, typically, a joy to behold even tho they couldn't quite find the solution tonight. At least they tried to score, Leverkusen, unlike say Leicester, never once came out or had an outlet that tried to expose Bayern. City next year will be a team to love I think, tho somewhat begrudgingly. On the pitch it'll be brilliant as it has been every Pep team.
That's a cracking comparison between the bookies odds at the start of the season to tonight. Leicester were 5000/1 & spuds @ 150/1.
Do any of you think Leicester are favourites to win the league?
James T wrote:
Absolutely not, today was completely in-line with the way we present ourselves under Pellegrini at times. He has been good for us, but also killed us in some games.
I think it's a good, if slightly worrying, point about how comfortable the transition between Pelligrini & Pep will be. Similar but more intense. & Pep will also in some ball playing midfielders instead of.. Whatever the hell fernando/nandinho are meant to be. In fact yer man Milner would've suited Pep imo..
Pelligrini (those two ex-barca suits) have definitely introduced foundations which guardiola should comfortably capitalise on. With a few additions & deadweight shifted of course..
olan wrote:I'm not try to stir the shit with this but I was impressed with Leicester's fans during the City game. They made a right racket. The 'Is there a fire drill?' chant as the Stadium emptied was top class.
In the meantime, my mob won 3-0 at Stoke. I'm not getting too carried away because Stoke are shocking at present. It is a nice change not to need a fourth goal away from home. Our relentless march to sixth starts here .
Wtf has happened to stoke tho?! They were full of themselves a few months ago, terrible now.
Do I have a rep for blaming refs? I hope not! I call them out but generally I can admit we have ourselves to blame in many games. I do often defend that we play well when losing though, cause generally we play well a lot!
I make Leicester favourites for sure, they're not slowing down, if anything, thy just hit top form.
jack white wrote:
The epl is heading the way of American sporting prices. It's pretty terrible & something should be done, but nothing will be, it'll just get worse. It's another reason why Leicester (& crystal palace earlier in the year) are such a breath of fresh air.
What is happening over here in the US is finally the fans are saying enough is enough and not buying tickets. The at home experience is hurting tickets sales in every major sport. Fans can watch their favorite teams at home on a big HD screen, no crazy prices at concessions especially beer, no line for toilet, no blocked up traffic on the ride home. Saves people a lot of time and money.
Sad but true.
The only sport I can afford these days is a baseball game. I used to go to 20 odd games a year. Last year I went to one and I probably watched some or all of the 162 game schedule for my local team. Then again our television is way different than yours. In fact we get 6 of the 10 Premier League games every week on regular cable here.
http://www.lilmoxie.com
Detroit, Music, Sports and Other Stuff(including Spiritualized, Spacemen 3)
TV are prevented from broadcasting the 3pm Sat kick offs over here as a method of ensuring attendance.
Today @ Liverpool the fans staged a protest but all I can see is that those local fans will be easily replaced & supplanted by people who are willing to pay, be they from abroad or the British Isles.
I genuinely think I would take government intervention to not just curtail the increase but bring ticket prices down, but I really don't think that would ever happen.
It is sad that clubs are losing their identity only to replace it with something that just vacuous. But... So it goes..
jack white wrote:
Wtf has happened to stoke tho?! They were full of themselves a few months ago, terrible now.
I have no idea what happened to Stoke, perhaps Shawcross is injured again. But, on the other hand, I find that if I take a deep breath and focus on being brave I can just about deal with their suffering.
James T wrote:Also, Dr, well done! Good luck with the season, would be great to see.
thank you. you were always my favourite manchester club and i was thrilled when aguero won the league in the 90+ min. i just hope this isn't your year
nice to see vardy signed up for 3 more years
"I'm absolutely delighted to be fighting to achieve something special with this club. I've never known a spirit like it," he said.
"I want to be part of it for a long time."
He added: "Leicester have shown nothing but total faith in me since the day I arrived and it's impossible to measure how much that belief has helped me to improve.
"I'll forever be grateful for the investment the club has made in me and I'll spend every day working to repay it.
i'd still be thrilled with top 6- europe! when leicester are winning the fans chant 'we are staying up!'
i would have taken that after last year!
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness
'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.
'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.
'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
niamhm wrote:City making some habit of losing these early goals this season, seem to start games at a canter rather the high tempo needed, fair play to Leicester, fantastic result for them, would be pleased to see them win the league but a fair bit still to go yet.
Also the situation where you announce the manager is leaving 2/3 of the way through the season, can`t see that being a good idea, is that going to be a factor in how the season plays out for City?
i know the bayern players are very unhappy with the situation
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness
'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.
'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.
'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
James T I think it is incredible that we can get 45,000 to an indifferent europa league battle with that boring football we are playing.I believe City will get maybe 10,000 if they were playing FC Midtjylland.
Swamp,Sir Whisky Face stand.Is this really the best you can come up with
cantona wrote:James T I think it is incredible that we can get 45,000 to an indifferent europa league battle with that boring football we are playing.I believe City will get maybe 10,000 if they were playing FC Midtjylland.
Swamp,Sir Whisky Face stand.Is this really the best you can come up with
Well, when empty seats is the best you can come up with...
And for the record; we got 17,000 against FC Midtjylland. With Tal Ben Haim and Dixon Etuhu in the team, I think that is a miracle. 30,000 empty seats enjoyed a 1-0 defeat, with qualification to the UEFA Cup secured on penalties.
Depay has to be flop of the season.. Just incase there was any debate..??
Loved that finish from martial tho..
Chris Smalling totally culpable. Don't understand the praise he's received this season. He was at fault vs Newcastle too. Always prone to meltdown/lapse in concentration. An English michel silvestre.. Utd'd have been better off retaining Johnny Evans. Smalling's crap imo..
Outside of England - a little heartbroken for Napoli/higuain tonight. Trust Juve to rain on the parade of the good (& not so good) guys.
Smalling have lost his form, but i think he has been one of our better players this season.We deserved to lose and it was goodbye to Champions League.Martial was our best player until LVG decided that he should play on the right side.We are even worse than we were under Moyes and why LVG is still at the club I do not understand.
The Dr. : did you know the u.k. bookmakers odds on leicester winning the premiership before the season was 5000:1. If you would have put 20 quid on the foxes beginning of the season you would be sitting pretty nicely on that nest egg.
I doubt anyone, even the craziest of foxes, would've been spendthrift enough to splash £20 on a bet at the start of the year. A £5 maybe & even then..
But they haven't won anything yet.
Even tho it was a tense game I thought they were relatively subdued vs Arsenal - tho clearly undone by a terribly harsh red card all being said.
As for James & City, not much to say that hasn't been said before. Think Pep has a lot of work ahead of him overhauling that squad. I for one would dump every defender not named Kompany (& even he is a shadow of his former self, unfortunately), the only midfielders worth keeping are silva/kdb/sterling, maybe Delph cause he's English but even still.. Nasri/Navas/Yaya are all done, the two big destroyers are rubbish & can't pass water nevermind do what Pep generals do. & Bony needs moved on too.
But that's just me.
Really hope Spurs don't win it.
Or city.
Or Arsenal.
Oh & Southampton/West Ham to hopefully push Utd further down the table.
spacemanrich wrote:The Dr. : did you know the u.k. bookmakers odds on leicester winning the premiership before the season was 5000:1. If you would have put 20 quid on the foxes beginning of the season you would be sitting pretty nicely on that nest egg.
A Leicester City fan stands to earn £25,000 if his team win the Premier League title after placing a £5 pre-season bet on the Foxes at 5,000-1.
Leicester's 3-1 win at Manchester City leaves them five points clear at the top with two thirds of the season gone.
Carpenter Leigh Herbert, 38, placed his speculative wager while on a camping holiday and has declined an offer to cash in for a guaranteed £3,200.
"Even if they tail off, it's been worth that £5," Herbert told BBC Sport.
If Leicester - who were bottom of the table a year ago - do win the title, it is thought this would be the biggest-priced single winner in sporting history.
Listen: Story behind dream wager (BBC World Service)
How the wager came about
Bernie Ecclestone high-fives a yeti
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Leicester City 5,000-1? So are all these things...
Herbert has been a Leicester fan since the age of 10, when he went to a game with his uncle Adrian, who once played junior football with Foxes legend Gary Lineker.
After a few drinks one night on holiday in Newquay last summer, he placed the bet on a whim following the appointment of Italian Claudio Ranieri as manager.
"I watched them last season and they didn't play that badly. When he was appointed I thought he might bring something," said Herbert, who sold raffle tickets for the club when he was a teenager.
"The first thing I thought the next day was that I'd lost that fiver. I'm not a betting man, apart from a pound or two on the Grand National."
How Leicester's odds have plunged: (Price at start of month) August: 5,000-1; September: 1,500-1; October: 1,500-1; November: 500-1; December: 66-1; January: 16-1; February: 7-1.
Against the odds - big winners
2010: Africa Cup of Nations, 1,000-1. Punter won £5,000 after a £5 bet on Mali to draw with hosts Angola. Mali were trailing 4-0 when the bet was made but drew 4-4.
2004: Football, 150-1. Outsiders Greece shocked the football world by winning the European Championship.
1996: Horse racing, 25,000-1. Gambler Darren Yates won £550,000 after Frankie Dettori won seven races in a day.
1990: Boxing, 42-1. Buster Douglas shocked Mike Tyson to win the world heavyweight championship.
1981: Cricket 500-1. England, inspired by Ian Botham, came from behind to beat Australia and win the Ashes.
Bookmaker faces £2m payout
Herbert was one of just 12 people who backed Leicester at 5,000-1 online with bookmakers William Hill, who say their biggest payout would be to a customer from Guildford who placed £75 each way at 1,500-1 and could collect £140,775.
"For commercial reasons we are not Leicester fans," said spokesman Rupert Adams.
"Should they win the Premier League, we will be paying out £2m-plus. That said, we will not begrudge Leigh as this would be a fantastic feat."
Premier League table
Leicester are five points clear with 13 games to play
Support from other fans
The Leicester success story has seen them cheered on by some supporters of other teams as the underdogs battle with Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham for the title.
"If I'd have spent £5 trying to find as much excitement, I couldn't have got it," added Herbert.
"The majority of messages I've had have been supportive and said it's a great story. I even had a Nottingham Forest fan wishing me all the best."
He is determined to let the bet stand, even though he could walk away with thousands now by 'cashing out' for a smaller amount than his potential winnings.
"I'm trying not to think about missing out on the money. To have them finish in the top four would be out of this world," he said.
"I guess you'd usually bet on the other team as Leicester have disappointed a bit in the past."
What would he do with the money?
Clearing debts and funding a good wedding are top of the list if his bet comes in.
"I'm engaged to my fiancee Kerry and it would be lovely to have a deposit on a house. I've only ever rented," he said.
I don't get the appeal mourinho holds for man Utd & their fans. Seems like a culture clash to me. Mourinho is a horrible person with a history of unsavoury behaviour, never mind his football philosophy, so I'm surprised at the support for his appointment.
Or maybe he'll fit in perfectly..
Yeah, I hear those rumours too that he wants the United job really bad, but mgmt. is hesitant about him and I see why. He is toxic, a horrible person with his arrogance. What is his row with Arsene Wenger about ? Last season or so he stated that Arsene Wenger is " a success in failure " - pretty harsh statement. Also, last season Morono said something to Arsene at the touchline where he had to be restrained by a member of staff. If they do choose Morono, it'll be another step in failure : Moyes, LVG etc. I still don't know how LVG manage to land at these big clubs - Barca, Bayern, United ???
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