Man City - the new bitters?

[George Costanza 627]

12 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

I just don’t have the faith the remaining sides can take enough points from City to make a fist of it.

Them drawing 4 games is also reliant on us winning 17/17. 

 

If we get / keep everybody fit, and I know it’s a massively tall order, I don’t think doing our part is necessarily unachievable, I just don’t currently see another 3 sides doing us a favour.

Its not just about other teams though.  We are IMO quite a way off the juggernaut we were through 2018-20.  The team is nearly the same except older, not as physically imposing and definately not as ruthless. We haven't evloved enough to keep it fresh.  We didn't repalce Lovren and it cost us and we haven't replaced Wijnaldum and its costing us (Thiago was never Gini's repalcement) This is not a 90+ points team I am afraid & that is what it takes to win the PL these days.

[Code 1,490]

On 15/01/2022 at 06:07, 3 Stacks said:

The Barney Ronay article is fantastic. 

Can anyone post it?

[Pidge 4,467]

I think they are comfortably the best side in the country this year. Hopefully we can give them a bloody nose before the end of the season.

[Code 1,490]

40 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

I feel I’m generally very positive about us.

 

I have faith we can go on a great run and take a significant amount of points.

 

Klopp giving it biftas at full time today, to me, suggests we can also go on a great run and not give up.

 

I just don’t have the faith the remaining sides can take enough points from City to make a fist of it.

Them drawing 4 games is also reliant on us winning 17/17. 

 

If we get / keep everybody fit, and I know it’s a massively tall order, I don’t think doing our part is necessarily unachievable, I just don’t currently see another 3 sides doing us a favour.

Eight wins in a row, then we visit Etihad. 
 

I have not given up at all. 

[johnsusername 3,347]

I only skimmed through Match of the Day last night - was there a discussion about how the race for the title is basically wrapped up in early January and they've made the whole competition a farce? Or is everyone still pretending the elephant in the room is normal? 

 

I still don't think enough is made of us winning the league (and our points total the season before). 

[Ronnie Whelan 1,080]

If we beat them, it's 5 points.

 

I actually think they will drop that. I just don't see us winning all our remaining games, which is probably what is needed.

 

They deserved to lose at Arsenal and draw with Wolves.5 points right there. If we do our business, then it can be done. To be fair, they did it to us 3 years ago.

[LFC 6 Times 959]

If they cunts had dropped points against Arsenal and against Chelsea yesterday I’d really fancy us, the gap just seems insurmountable to me now. But my God wouldn’t it just be great if they fucking collapsed the horrible cunts.

[TheDrowningMan 727]

They’ve dropped 10 points all season and have played all of their biggest away games. I think City failing to win the league from this position would be the biggest shock in sports history. Leicester’s title would be small-fry by comparison.

[coachpotato 668]

There’s a world of difference between calculating what could happen and what is likely to happen for the rest of the season.

True, if we beat them, we need them to drop 5/6 more points than we will and, presumably Chelsea won’t have a perfect record either to overtake us both should we drop enough points for that to happen.

The only possible way I can envisage them dropping points is if they end up having to make enough changes to concentrate on, what I believe is, the holy grail of the CL, and in doing that they drop points that way.

Still a massive ask and the head says they’ll win it by a distance even if the heart won’t give it up until it’s mathematically certain.

The Champions League though, now that’s another matter……..

[Bobby Hundreds 10,365]

We won't be within 10 points of city come the end of the season, probably even further away. They dominated Chelsea, in the first half against us they made us look like the under 9s. We are currently not at their level. The only way we ever get close is our very first choice 11 staying fit and playing week after week its not going to happen. Push them as much as we can and give everything in the champions league.

 

[Lee909 12,926]

Kind of agree

Teams have gone back to giving up before they play City and just playing out a game not to get battered. Don't think this City team is close to previous ones either, just far more solid

[Em City 1,782]

They will soon celebrate their fourth title win in five years, which is not an unprecedented level of dominance: Aston Villa did it in the 1890s, Arsenal in the 1930s, Liverpool twice in the 1970s and 80s, Manchester United three times in the 1990s and 2000s. City fans rightly point out that all of these dominant teams were underpinned by considerable economic clout. But in no previous case was the financial superiority as overwhelming as it is now.

For example, during the Liverpool-dominated 1970s eight other teams broke the British transfer record: Tottenham, Arsenal, Derby County, Everton, West Brom, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Wolves. Money was spread around more evenly, nobody had a decisive financial advantage. Contrast with the weekend, when City’s starting XI included nine players who cost £47 million (€56 million) or more – that is, each of these nine was more expensive than the record signing of every English club outside the big six. Is it surprising that nobody can give them a game?

Last week it was reported that City have leapfrogged apparently much-better-supported teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern to become the world’s top-earning football club. The news was a reminder that there is one thing City are good at making you feel, and that is the helplessness that comes from knowing that you live in a world where the richest will always get their way, and if you don’t like it they will spend £30 million on the 50 best lawyers in the world to sue you for the next 10 years, as someone once said. In that sense at least, City have captured the spirit of the age.

 

From Ken Early's latest article in the Irish Times.

[aws 7,984]

4 hours ago, Lee909 said:

Kind of agree

Teams have gone back to giving up before they play City and just playing out a game not to get battered. Don't think this City team is close to previous ones either, just far more solid

Things have fallen rather nicely for them over the last month and that's allowed them to build up a good lead. The truth is that with the disparity of resources we need things to fall nicely for us to compete with them over a season. The failure of the authorities to enforce the rules has turned the Prem into another Bundesliga while most of the media and pundits cheer from the sidelines. 

[Arniepie 613]

13 hours ago, johnsusername said:

I only skimmed through Match of the Day last night - was there a discussion about how the race for the title is basically wrapped up in early January and they've made the whole competition a farce? Or is everyone still pretending the elephant in the room is normal? 

 

I still don't think enough is made of us winning the league (and our points total the season before). 

Micah Richard's was on,I only watch it for his expert analysis.

[Ronnie Whelan 1,080]

A mate made a good point to me yesrerday - if our own billionaire owners weren't tight, we would have a squad to compete with theirs. Btw I'm not an FSG hater as I see some good things there, but my gut feeling is mo on a bumper contract will be our new signing for 2022, at a time when we need him signed plus about 120-150 million thrown at the team to freshen things up. I mean we should be going all out for someone like Bellingham and not be signing him only if Mo goes.

 

My only hope is that there is still hope this season. We beat them and it's 5. I'd put it at a 25/1 outside chance because they are just an outstanding team, which right now we aren't. Still, coming towards the end of the season, there will be teams chasing Europe or fighting to stay in the league, so teams won't roll over to them like they do earlier in a season. It will be the same for us.

 

If we can win all our games and get it down to even 5 or 6 points by the time we go to their place, then you just never know.

[johnsusername 3,347]

I think it's gone - but we need to keep the pressure on them definitely. Who knows...

[dockers_strike 4,083]

I think if you give up in your head, you're done. Sure, city are favourites but no, it hasnt gone yet for me.

 

Sorry to keep banging the drum but people should be complaining about city's spending. On another thread there's a comment on them spending 50m for Mendy and 40m for Ake. Ake was bought as cover. 40m for cover, let that sink in. That's the problem not our club's spending. We paid that for Jota with Hoever getting us £12m and people dont see the good business in that?

 

Bizarre world.

[Mark M 1,725]

Title is done - BT and Sky will be pissed off about it as they'll have to try and big up some of the big games for the rest of the season.

By the time we play City in April its far more likely we'll be further behind points wise my guess would be over a 10-12 point gap at least.

Its not a knock at us as its just unrealistic to expect teams to keep getting 90+ points a season unless they have huge squads like City.

Our points total of 45 after 21 games is pretty damn good but with the cheating City have done its not good enough. 

 

The default position of the media is to lap up the overspending & cheating as its easy headlines. Newcastle is another example of this.

 

[Section_31 24,600]

When talking about their current strength, don't forget we're in the midst of a pandemic where empty grounds and falling revenue has skewered the market completely, yet still they spend. 

 

As Rocky might say, it's not about how hard they can hit, but how hard they can get hit and still keep moving forward. Graelish is shite, everyone knew he was shite, yet they spent 100 - 100 - million on him, and when they've had enough they'll throw him over their shoulder and buy someone else.  

[No2 1,678]

The story goes that Ed Woodard rang Bill Kenright, he said Bill, we have just wasted 130m on Maguire and Wan Bissaka, what would Everton do? Bill said, Ed we have never spent money like that, I've no idea, why don't you ring Sheikh Mansour. Ed says I already did, he said just buy another 2.

[Grinch 3,301]

Title is long gone.  We’ve much more chance of falling into a scrap for 4th and everyone below Chelsea is utter shite.

[SlugTrail 1,328]

2 hours ago, dockers_strike said:

I think if you give up in your head, you're done. Sure, city are favourites but no, it hasnt gone yet for me.

 

Sorry to keep banging the drum but people should be complaining about city's spending. On another thread there's a comment on them spending 50m for Mendy and 40m for Ake. Ake was bought as cover. 40m for cover, let that sink in. That's the problem not our club's spending. We paid that for Jota with Hoever getting us £12m and people dont see the good business in that?

 

Bizarre world.

You know we paid 36m for Konate, he might be seen as a potential first teamer in a year or 2 but for now he's cover.

[Barrington Womble 10,741]

13 minutes ago, SlugTrail said:

You know we paid 36m for Konate, he might be seen as a potential first teamer in a year or 2 but for now he's cover.

It doesn't count when we do it to dockers. He's like a blue, only Liverpool have the Corinthian spirit and the rest of football is evil. 

[SlugTrail 1,328]

Don't get me wrong, I detest what city are doing, but we until(if they ever) the PL pull them up on their overspending, over inflated sponsorship and off the books payments then we will have to put up with it.

 

FSG are not going to change their business model and it won't be until Klopp leaves that we see if it is sustainable or if he is just papering over the cracks.

 

I think we just need to appreciate what we have now as we will be dropping back to the rest of the pack in a couple years.

[Barrington Womble 10,741]

1 minute ago, SlugTrail said:

Don't get me wrong, I detest what city are doing, but we until(if they ever) the PL pull them up on their overspending, over inflated sponsorship and off the books payments then we will have to put up with it.

 

FSG are not going to change their business model and it won't be until Klopp leaves that we see if it is sustainable or if he is just papering over the cracks.

 

I think we just need to appreciate what we have now as we will be dropping back to the rest of the pack in a couple years.

Which is mental when you look at what we earn.