What the hell has happened to my beloved club?

[Im From Manchester]

When you strip out the key players and fan favourites from any club, change the entire buying philosophy, manager, the youth policy, the owners, allow the fanbase to change dramatically. What exactly are you supporting anymore? A pile of players with no connection or loyalty to the team or tradition of the club pulling on the sky blue shirt purely because they're being paid 100's of thousands to do so?

I mean how much can you change in a club before you take away the very things people loved the club for in the first place?

I supported City because they are Manchester's team, the team that represents the place that I was born and proud to be part of.

I was 6 at the time. All this philosophical sh*t about the soul of the club and the philosophy being the reason to support your team is bullsh*t, I can only imagine if that was your reason for supporting the blues that you got into football at a much later age which in itself I find strange. To me it says I supported City precisely because they were sh*t and the nice losers.

City are my club, irrespective of who plays for them, manages them or owns them and I want to see them WIN something in my lifetime.

The OP should imo should F8ck off and support someone else if he wants to destroy thousands of blues dreams in the name of being 'nice little City and everyone's favourite second team'

[bluej]

When you strip out the key players and fan favourites from any club, change the entire buying philosophy, manager, the youth policy, the owners, allow the fanbase to change dramatically. What exactly are you supporting anymore? A pile of players with no connection or loyalty to the team or tradition of the club pulling on the sky blue shirt purely because they're being paid 100's of thousands to do so?

I mean how much can you change in a club before you take away the very things people loved the club for in the first place?

Yeah I loved watching a succession of shit players and managers drag us down to the depths of division 2, whilst those lot won every pot going. I then loved watching a load of ageing journeymen join us for one last paycheck whilst any decent talent we had emerge sold off to keep the club afloat. Add to this the style of football under Pearce that made me want to rip my eyes out.

If the above is what you're missing then I suggest you're missing something bigger in your overall life.

[paulh]

i must admit love being hated, accused of ruining football and preventing good players we dont need join our rivals. my belief is if we dont do it somebody else will and the more it winds up rags, scousers and the london massive the better. wathced city since year i was born 1976 and experienced the very bad times

[Beeks]

wathced city since year i was born

Quite an achievement!

[crossan]

wathced city since year i was born

Quite an achievement!

I wonder who his favorite Citeh player was in 1976 and where did he sit/stand? was it the Kippax?
;-)

[Beeks]

wathced city since year i was born

Quite an achievement!

I wonder who his favorite Citeh player was in 1976 and where did he sit/stand? was it the Kippax?
;-)

Perhaps they let him sit in the League Cup? ;-)

[Im_Spartacus]

I'm pissed off with City for the way they are treating Ireland. I'll be even more pissed off if we let Given go easily - he deserves no sympathy imo - he'll be part of the 25 and in with a chance to win his place back. Ireland on the other hand is being shafted - kicked out when his contract entitles him to stay and fight for a lace if he so wishes.

If we have a great season I'm sure I'll buck up and, if I ever meet Ireland in the future I'll appologize for so quickly forgetting about him and my values. At least I think that's what I think I'll do. But I'd very much prefer to have the success AND be proud to say our club has alwasy treated people with respect.

How exactly are we treating Ireland?

As far as I can see, we are offering him the chance to move to a club where he might have a chance of getting in the first team and resurrecting his career. What is the big problem here, he proved incapable of fighting for his place last season, so why should we keep him when he is substandard and showing no signs of getting back to his 08/09 form.

I really dont get this mistreatment business, he is a player, he is surplus to requirements, he has been out of form or not good enough for 4 out of the 5 years he has been at the club, he gets sold. Isnt that what happens in football?

[paulh]

ha ha you know what i mean! was not born when league cup was played first maine road memories was 80/81. just shows watch what you type on here and dont type on impulse from work desk

love the banter

[smurfsdabomb]

Steven Gerrard is a fan favourite Liverpool player. He loves the club to bits and gives his all for them.
Stephen Ireland is a fan favourite Man City player. He loves the club to bits and gives his all for them.

Steven Gerrard had a world class season in 2008/09
Stephen Ireland had a world class season in 2008/09

Steven Gerrard played like pants at the start of 2009/10
Stephen Ireland played like pants at the start of 2009/10

Steven Gerrard was retained in the first team because the club believes in his ability and that he'll return to form.
Stephen Ireland was dropped, given bit part sub roles, not included in the European squad and told to fuck off to Aston Villa.


Thats the difference for me in how players who have proven themselves in the past for the club should be handled. And unfortunately Dunne was the same story. And in fact Bellamy and Given appear to be the same and those two haven't even done anything wrong apart from not be English it seems.

If you think there's no room for sentiment in football, fair enough. But if the club shows so little compassion to their players as that then Man City is royally fucked if they don't get Top 4 this season because they'll get none back from the players.

[mr_nool]

Steven Gerrard is a fan favourite Liverpool player. He loves the club to bits and gives his all for them.
Stephen Ireland is a fan favourite Man City player. He loves the club to bits and gives his all for them.

Steven Gerrard had a world class season in 2008/09
Stephen Ireland had a world class season in 2008/09

Steven Gerrard played like pants at the start of 2009/10
Stephen Ireland played like pants at the start of 2009/10

Steven Gerrard was retained in the first team because the club believes in his ability and that he'll return to form.
Stephen Ireland was dropped, given bit part sub roles, not included in the European squad and told to fuck off to Aston Villa.


Thats the difference for me in how players who have proven themselves in the past for the club should be handled. And unfortunately Dunne was the same story. And in fact Bellamy and Given appear to be the same and those two haven't even done anything wrong apart from not be English it seems.

If you think there's no room for sentiment in football, fair enough. But if the club shows so little compassion to their players as that then Man City is royally fucked if they don't get Top 4 this season because they'll get none back from the players.

You seem to forget that2009/2010 was the first season Gerrard played like pants, whereas 2008/09 was the only season Ireland was on fire. Really bad comparison in my opinion.

[smurfsdabomb]

In fairness prior to that season Ireland was under 21 so its not like he'd have been expected to do anything spectacular then.

The point is he showed a lot of ability and potential in his time prior to last season, like serious ability and was rewarded with contract after contract to reflect this and keep him at city for as long as possible.
He wound up overworking himself pre-season, got a series of injuries, was played mostly out of position, and seemed to be unsettled by the sacking of Hughes. There are reasons there as to why he wasn't at his best last season. But the bottom line is he deserved another season at least to show what he can do and get back to where he was. He's still young and learning, didn't deserve this.

[crossan]

I saw the true glory years when we won trophies by players who were blue through and through end of.

name the city fans amongst the '68 side.

Pardoe,Doyle,Young,Connor,Oakes,Bell,Lee,Summerbee,Book,Dowd,Cheetham spring to mind!

yeah, all manc born and bred them lads. would have played for nowt but the love of the club.

get real mate.

Excusemoir............they all loved CITY and its fans to bits,they were proper servants of the club unlike to money grabbing employees of today!!

[Im From Manchester]

In fairness prior to that season Ireland was under 21 so its not like he'd have been expected to do anything spectacular then.

The point is he showed a lot of ability and potential in his time prior to last season, like serious ability and was rewarded with contract after contract to reflect this and keep him at city for as long as possible.
He wound up overworking himself pre-season, got a series of injuries, was played mostly out of position, and seemed to be unsettled by the sacking of Hughes. There are reasons there as to why he wasn't at his best last season. But the bottom line is he deserved another season at least to show what he can do and get back to where he was. He's still young and learning, didn't deserve this.

Dn't blame City blame this stupid 25 man squad ruling, I feel sure we would have kept him were it not for this, but the fact is that it wouldn't be fair on Ireland to keep him if he isn't going to get a game.

You may not agree with that decision but that choice is down to Mancini and in his time Stephen Ireland hasn't performed when he's had the chance.

Yes he was great in 08/09 but the season before that there were thousands of Ireland haters - I should know I was one of the few sticking up for him.

I'll be sad to see him go cos I know for a fact he loved the club but Mancini has made the decision that he won't make the cut, but seriously don't dress that up as City becomng some kind of nasty club. We're having to make difficult decisions forced upon us by a new ruling and Mancini like Fergie shouldn't shy away from making those decisions. The rags have done it many a time read Jaap Stam, Gabriel Heinze and David Beckham for Ireland yet I never saw the critcism for the rags that we blues are getting for making similar decisions.

[Burt]

Steven Gerrard is a fan favourite Liverpool player. He loves the club to bits and gives his all for them.
Stephen Ireland is a fan favourite Man City player. He loves the club to bits and gives his all for them.

Steven Gerrard had a world class season in 2008/09
Stephen Ireland had a world class season in 2008/09

Steven Gerrard played like pants at the start of 2009/10
Stephen Ireland played like pants at the start of 2009/10

Steven Gerrard was retained in the first team because the club believes in his ability and that he'll return to form.
Stephen Ireland was dropped, given bit part sub roles, not included in the European squad and told to fuck off to Aston Villa.


Thats the difference for me in how players who have proven themselves in the past for the club should be handled. And unfortunately Dunne was the same story. And in fact Bellamy and Given appear to be the same and those two haven't even done anything wrong apart from not be English it seems.

If you think there's no room for sentiment in football, fair enough. But if the club shows so little compassion to their players as that then Man City is royally fucked if they don't get Top 4 this season because they'll get none back from the players.

Ireland is a boyhood rags fan. A certain ol buzzard of a poster who had him in the back of his cab and is a respected member on here(no not like that you pervs) will testify to that if I remember correctly. So lets put that into the mix shall we.

[The Man In Blue]

I saw the true glory years when we won trophies by players who were blue through and through end of.

name the city fans amongst the '68 side.

Pardoe,Doyle,Young,Connor,Oakes,Bell,Lee,Summerbee,Book,Dowd,Cheetham spring to mind!

yeah, all manc born and bred them lads. would have played for nowt but the love of the club.

get real mate.

Excusemoir............they all loved CITY and its fans to bits,they were proper servants of the club unlike to money grabbing employees of today!!

crossan. the only things that are blue "through and through" are me and you and the rest of us poor long suffering bastards. no matter how much you idolise the players of your youth, and no matter how much they did for the club at the end of the day they were paid employees doing a job like the current crop of players. ok, most of them would have developed an affection for the club but who is to say players like vinnie kompany will not feel the same way in 3-4 years?

[john@staustell]

Crossan - your ancestor would have been moaning about buying Bell, Lee and Summerbee etc and losing the soul of the club, as against the players in the 40s and 50s who had the club at heart.

I dont understand why you think your little time capsule of 1967-70 IS City.

Do you remember the madness of Mal's second spell? LOL

[Im_Spartacus]

In fairness prior to that season Ireland was under 21 so its not like he'd have been expected to do anything spectacular then.

The point is he showed a lot of ability and potential in his time prior to last season, like serious ability and was rewarded with contract after contract to reflect this and keep him at city for as long as possible.
He wound up overworking himself pre-season, got a series of injuries, was played mostly out of position, and seemed to be unsettled by the sacking of Hughes. There are reasons there as to why he wasn't at his best last season. But the bottom line is he deserved another season at least to show what he can do and get back to where he was. He's still young and learning, didn't deserve this.

Hang on, he was hardly unsettled by Hughes leaving, lesley stuck with him despite his awful form. In return, Ireland was first in the queue to stab Hughes in the back when he left, saying it was all Hughes fault for asking him to play a slightly different role.

The reason he wasn't at his best last season was because he was asked to work hard to fit into the team by BOTH managers, and was either unwilling or unable. In his assassination of Hughes, he said this himself, how much more damning evidence do you need as to whose fault it was - or should Hughes have let the world revolve around Ireland? Thats one thing I absolutely back Hughes on, Irelands demise was not sparkless' fault, it was Irelands - it always has been.

Consecutive managers cannot all be wrong

[crossan]

Crossan - your ancestor would have been moaning about buying Bell, Lee and Summerbee etc and losing the soul of the club, as against the players in the 40s and 50s who had the club at heart.

I dont understand why you think your little time capsule of 1967-70 IS City.

Do you remember the madness of Mal's second spell? LOL

Oh I rmember Mal's second spell very well,my time capsule is actually 65 to 76...............;-)

[Crossie]

Fucks sake go and support Blackpool if your such a masochist!

Do you want to win things or not?

Give it 3 seasons and the normal will be us winning everything. Just like United have to decades now. Have they lost their heart and soul (go along with me)

Our clubs soul will be one of winners. Get ready for change

[Blue2]

Can't believe that someone is comparing Gerrard to Ireland.