Tuesday, June 4, 2013

SEASON REVIEW: THROUGH OPPONENTS' EYES

PART TWO 

2. Roberto Mancini: Were City right or wrong to get rid?
Continuing the series wrapping up last season with the view of Evertonians, Unitedites, Throstles and Geordies, amongst others.This is what they had to say to the above....
Mancini explains his European tactics

  • Phil Lythell Chelsea ESPN correspondent, season ticket holder, writes at Shouty and Spitty 
  • "Tricky one. Has to shoulder some blame for being unable to supply correct motivation. Record in Europe still poor despite hard group. Spent all season criticising board for transfer policy. Players response after his sacking suggest he wasn't exactly popular. On the other side, only one team can win the title and 2nd is perfectly respectable. Having won the title for first time in 44 years probably deserved one more season - shades of Ancelotti's sacking at CFC a year after winning the double. I don't think Mancini did himself any favours but it was a little harsh to get rid of him...."
  • Luke O'Farrell writes for ESPN, EPL Index and blogs on all things Everton.
  • "Wrong, very wrong. It probably wasn't the season most expected, but few would emerge from that Champions League group. Evident at Chelsea and now City, these foreign money-men are yet to grasp the idea of continuity and longevity...." 
    Cup final woes didn't help
  • Pete Sixsmith 's chosen dish is Sunderland (gristle and all). He writes at Salut Sunderland
  • "Who knows? Managers have short shelf lives now. The players looked as if they wanted rid of him - how else can you explain such a dreadful performance at Wembley. Time will tell if Pellegrini is an improvement. Anyway, we have our own Italian to worry about...."
  • Peter Thorne aka Billy Blagg has been writing on all things West Ham for ESPN for many years 
  • "WRONG! He won the title for you last season - the world is going insane, country = dogs  etc....."
  • Matthew Evans is a West Brom season ticket holder and ESPN correspondent
  • "No. Thought Mancini was a very good manager, most success someone has brought Man City in many a year. Also enjoyed the fact he out-did Sir Alex in the mind games last season. Can't see that Pellegrini is that big an improvement on Mancini...."
  • Marc Duffy follows Newcastle through thin and thinner and writes for ESPN
  • "Absolutely right. I can totally understand City fans loving the man who delivered their first title in a generation, but as a neutral (although I do like City so would want you to beat most) I found it hard watching many of your completely dull games. I work for an Italian company in Milan and the locals there also don't get or rate RM in the slightest and they're overtly proud of their own...."
  • Chris Rann runs the excellent George Weah's Cousin and is Saints ESPN writer
  • "Right. People hark on about harsh sackings, but with the money at his disposal and the squad of players he had, a complete blank on the trophy front a horrendous champion's league campaign completely justifies it for me. He should have done better, simple as that and I think he lost the dressing room. No going back from there, and as someone who comes across rather dislikeable for me, I can see why...."
    Pulis without hat
  • James Whittaker, ESPN's Stoke reporter
  • "Wrong – though that is an outside opinion most probably with few of the facts available to me.(some outsiders thought Pulis should have stayed!)..."
  • Chris Dottie is an Evertonian child of the Kendall era and resident of the city of Gaudi and Messi
  • "Right. You pay an employee millions based on the future not the past and there was no feeling that City were any better placed to challenge next year than this...."
  • Phil Mison has been reporting on Fulham affairs across all media since the late 80s 
  • "I personally found him amusing but his obvious lack of chemistry with owners and big names went against him..."
  •  Dave Glenn is a regular visitor to Old Trafford in his leapord print jumpsuit and gold espadrilles.
  • He deserved another European campaign therefore should have stayed till at least Xmas..."



2 comments:

  1. Part of the trouble was that magnificent mane of hair. There were many moments when his strategy was questionable. There were many more moments when it seemed he had no rapport with his players. There were snits, and grousing, and the long, strange Balotelli odyssey, plenty of moments when you sensed that he simply wasn't getting everything out of this team. Doubt was a constant shadow.

    But that hair! The jaunty scarf! The smoldering intensity of his steely gaze! He looked like a Football Genius, a Leader of Men, a Fellow We Can Trust.

    Had he been bald, they would have fired him fourteen months ago.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lombardo wouldn't have lasted five minutes on his own.

    ReplyDelete

ON THE WINGS OF DESIRE

City's total domination of English football continues. Those that decried the self-styled one-sided end of football, this morning whoop...