Skoorb
Alert Team
Four years ago on Match Day 38 of the Premier League Manchester City achieved a cathartic result which changed the landscape of the club. That day as the clock ticked over to 93:20 City fans everywhere were staring down the barrel of yet another glorious failure and the prospect of the ‘Typical City’ tag being hung around the club’s neck forever. History was made that day and the bar was raised - finishing in 17th place in the league and avoiding defeat in the FA Cup 3rd round to League Two opposition as measures of achievement were distant specks in the rear view mirror. The investment made in the club by Sheikh Mansour had delivered the Premier League title to follow on from the FA Cup the preceding season and standards of what constituted success moved up to a different level.
As City fans contemplate the end of another phase of the club’s growth it is inevitably a time for reflection and taking stock. For the first time in six seasons Manchester City face the prospect of finishing the season outside the top four. Remarkable really. Final positions of 3rd-1st-2nd-1st-2nd is something we all pretty much would have given a significant body part for a decade ago. Factor into this a league and cup double for the club in Pellegrini’s first season and a second League Cup success in his final one and reaching the semi final of the Champions League to lose by a single goal to the ten times winner of that competition…….when all is said and done it isn’t a bad place to be.
And yet…….there remains a gnawing sense of disappointment, a frustration at opportunities not taken, a feeling of underachievement and of the jeopardising of the future……which just goes to show how high the bar of expectation has been raised in recent years.
But the time for a full post-season review lies elsewhere - injuries, poor individual form, the ‘announcement’ - they must all be taken into account when the time is right and when we see where we are come 5pm Sunday evening.
There is still a job to do and a game to be won.
Swansea City await the Blues - a win and even third place is possible although with the Tarquins at home to relegated Aston Villa I am not taking any odds on anything other than a home win there. The basic fact remains and the focus should be clear - a win and City will secure 4th place ahead of the rags who, in true zombie fashion, have staggered through the season on our coat tails scraping wins. Thanks to West Ham’s resilience and determination on Tuesday, City go into this final fixture two points ahead of our bitter rivals and so matching the rag result or even drawing against Swansea will achieve the same outcome - 4th place - but we all know that this cannot be planned for. Win the game, keep control, get the job done on your own terms.
City go into this fixture minus Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Pablo Zabaleta - three of the players (along with Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure) represent the core of the team that drove the club to break through the glass ceiling on that day four years ago. What lies in the future for them all remains to be seen once our new coach arrives in the summer - again time for this another day. Kolarov is a doubt and the absence of Nasri from the draw against Arsenal is somewhat shrouded in mystery with Pellegrini previously citing ‘illness’. Apparently he has trained with the squad so he may feature.
Swansea will be without some key individuals - Ashley Williams has been given the remainder of the season off to prepare of the Euros and Sigurdsson is injured.
The Swans have hit decent form recently having won their last two games scoring 3 against Liverpool and 4 against West Ham although prior to those fixtures they had conceded 4 to Leicester and 3 against Newcastle without getting on the score sheet themselves. However their home form has been decent having won each of the last four matches at the Liberty stadium and they have just rewarded their manager Francesco Guidolin with a two year contract so his players may well be out to impress. Nothing can be taken fro granted in this fixture and the City players need to get their heads in the game and their workmate up from the get go.
City’s last away performance in the league is something consigned to the dustbin of history being so flaccid that it left the fans bewildered and tearing their hair out. A repeat of that shambles and City will be facing the prospect of Thursday/Sunday football when football returns in the late summer. Not something that will please the incoming coach nor our owners I am sure and a considerable handicap both in terms of player recruitment and income/revenue streams.
So. It all comes down to this. With the relegation places settled following Big Sam’s masterminding of another escape for Sunderland (another team that refuses to go away) and the Premier League trophy already settling in at The King Power stadium trophy room, Sky are focusing their attention on ‘The Race for Fourth Place’. That really doesn’t have the same ring to it does it? Still I am sure the boys and girls in the graphics department will have been hard at work designing suitably hyped up videos and montages to up the ante on Sunday afternoon.
Showing three games live (rags v Bournemouth; Swansea v City; Stoke V West Ham) they have elected, with their customary equanimity, to start their coverage of the afternoon’s events from The Old Toilet at 2.30pm. Maybe their studio is the only one big enough to accommodate the ranks of ex-Liverpool, Arsenal and Rag players that they customarily rely upon. Doubtless they will discuss all three fixtures but that they will be sat at the Theatre of Snooze will still grate somewhat.
What is done is done. The season is drawing to a close. In terms which most of us can relate to it might be summed up as…….
“B+ Could do better. Has a tendency to be erratic and lack focus. With greater application and effort it is not unreasonable to expect an improvement. All the tools are there - they just need to be applied consistently. Keep working hard.”
One more examination to take - I hope they will read the question and get the answers right.
For the last time this season - Come on City!!!
As City fans contemplate the end of another phase of the club’s growth it is inevitably a time for reflection and taking stock. For the first time in six seasons Manchester City face the prospect of finishing the season outside the top four. Remarkable really. Final positions of 3rd-1st-2nd-1st-2nd is something we all pretty much would have given a significant body part for a decade ago. Factor into this a league and cup double for the club in Pellegrini’s first season and a second League Cup success in his final one and reaching the semi final of the Champions League to lose by a single goal to the ten times winner of that competition…….when all is said and done it isn’t a bad place to be.
And yet…….there remains a gnawing sense of disappointment, a frustration at opportunities not taken, a feeling of underachievement and of the jeopardising of the future……which just goes to show how high the bar of expectation has been raised in recent years.
But the time for a full post-season review lies elsewhere - injuries, poor individual form, the ‘announcement’ - they must all be taken into account when the time is right and when we see where we are come 5pm Sunday evening.
There is still a job to do and a game to be won.
Swansea City await the Blues - a win and even third place is possible although with the Tarquins at home to relegated Aston Villa I am not taking any odds on anything other than a home win there. The basic fact remains and the focus should be clear - a win and City will secure 4th place ahead of the rags who, in true zombie fashion, have staggered through the season on our coat tails scraping wins. Thanks to West Ham’s resilience and determination on Tuesday, City go into this final fixture two points ahead of our bitter rivals and so matching the rag result or even drawing against Swansea will achieve the same outcome - 4th place - but we all know that this cannot be planned for. Win the game, keep control, get the job done on your own terms.
City go into this fixture minus Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Pablo Zabaleta - three of the players (along with Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure) represent the core of the team that drove the club to break through the glass ceiling on that day four years ago. What lies in the future for them all remains to be seen once our new coach arrives in the summer - again time for this another day. Kolarov is a doubt and the absence of Nasri from the draw against Arsenal is somewhat shrouded in mystery with Pellegrini previously citing ‘illness’. Apparently he has trained with the squad so he may feature.
Swansea will be without some key individuals - Ashley Williams has been given the remainder of the season off to prepare of the Euros and Sigurdsson is injured.
The Swans have hit decent form recently having won their last two games scoring 3 against Liverpool and 4 against West Ham although prior to those fixtures they had conceded 4 to Leicester and 3 against Newcastle without getting on the score sheet themselves. However their home form has been decent having won each of the last four matches at the Liberty stadium and they have just rewarded their manager Francesco Guidolin with a two year contract so his players may well be out to impress. Nothing can be taken fro granted in this fixture and the City players need to get their heads in the game and their workmate up from the get go.
City’s last away performance in the league is something consigned to the dustbin of history being so flaccid that it left the fans bewildered and tearing their hair out. A repeat of that shambles and City will be facing the prospect of Thursday/Sunday football when football returns in the late summer. Not something that will please the incoming coach nor our owners I am sure and a considerable handicap both in terms of player recruitment and income/revenue streams.
So. It all comes down to this. With the relegation places settled following Big Sam’s masterminding of another escape for Sunderland (another team that refuses to go away) and the Premier League trophy already settling in at The King Power stadium trophy room, Sky are focusing their attention on ‘The Race for Fourth Place’. That really doesn’t have the same ring to it does it? Still I am sure the boys and girls in the graphics department will have been hard at work designing suitably hyped up videos and montages to up the ante on Sunday afternoon.
Showing three games live (rags v Bournemouth; Swansea v City; Stoke V West Ham) they have elected, with their customary equanimity, to start their coverage of the afternoon’s events from The Old Toilet at 2.30pm. Maybe their studio is the only one big enough to accommodate the ranks of ex-Liverpool, Arsenal and Rag players that they customarily rely upon. Doubtless they will discuss all three fixtures but that they will be sat at the Theatre of Snooze will still grate somewhat.
What is done is done. The season is drawing to a close. In terms which most of us can relate to it might be summed up as…….
“B+ Could do better. Has a tendency to be erratic and lack focus. With greater application and effort it is not unreasonable to expect an improvement. All the tools are there - they just need to be applied consistently. Keep working hard.”
One more examination to take - I hope they will read the question and get the answers right.
For the last time this season - Come on City!!!
