Pellegrini Satisfometer

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

Here they are upto the end of October:

Beat: Southampton H 3-2, QPR H 3-1, Sunderland H 3-0, Swansea H 1-0, Fulham A 2-1, West Brom A 2-1

Drew:Liverpool A 2-2, Stoke A, 1-1, Arsenal H, 1-1

Cups: Lost Real Mardrid A 3-2, Drew Dortmund H 1-1 lost Ajax away 3-1.

Lost, lcup: A Villa H 4-2

Set the world on fire we did. Out of 2 cups but who cares ?

Then we drew at West Ham, & home to Ajax. 2 good home victories v Spurs & Villa. Drew at home to Real Madrid, drew 0-0 away to Chelsea, beat Wigan drew 0-0 at home to Everton, lost to Dortmund, then lost at home to Utd. 2 weeks later we lost to Sunderland & the rags were 7 points clear at New Year, with a much easier run in.

We were then a dead man walking until May, apart from the FA Cup.

I can see why you are all yearning for those heady heights.

I'll settle for being in the champs league & putting 4 past those cunts for now & see where we are at New Year.

Dead right.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

Why let facts get in the way of an argument though...
Says it all. this time last season we were already out of 2 cups.
And I also maintain we were out the race after Christmas. You know after New year we closed the gap ONCE before they had won the title with 5 games spare. That was when they drew to Spurs at WHL. Apart from that though we let a distinctly average side win the title without putting up so much as a whimper.
And the worst part was that we were simply boring to watch last season especially away from home. There were times when watching us felt more like a chore.
The football this season has already been 1000 times better to watch.

I am becoming more satisfied all the time. Expansive entertaining football is becoming the norm.
We have just had four away games, won three of them, played decent football, and dominated one of the best teams in the league on their own midden. Only a weirdo fuck up cost us.
We have seem more entertaining football already this season than all of last. And we are making progress in two comps that we had fucked up at this point last season.
It's getting there.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

And it really is worth pointing out that what has been achieved so far has been without our talisman. Kompany's absence has mattered and always will.

[Original Dub]

The strange thing is I'm pretty sure we can all see what you and ted have said pics.

But some are associating those individual fuck ups with this thread. I don't get it. Or maybe I do...

[sheblue]

And it really is worth pointing out that what has been achieved so far has been without our talisman. Kompany's absence has mattered and always will.

yep, 3 wins from 4 away games without vinnie is quite good, this team wouldnt have done it under same circumstances last season.

[Ted Hughes]

Why let facts get in the way of an argument though...
Says it all. this time last season we were already out of 2 cups.
And I also maintain we were out the race after Christmas. You know after New year we closed the gap ONCE before they had won the title with 5 games spare. That was when they drew to Spurs at WHL. Apart from that though we let a distinctly average side win the title without putting up so much as a whimper.
And the worst part was that we were simply boring to watch last season especially away from home. There were times when watching us felt more like a chore.
The football this season has already been 1000 times better to watch.

I am becoming more satisfied all the time. Expansive entertaining football is becoming the norm.
We have just had four away games, won three of them, played decent football, and dominated one of the best teams in the league on their own midden. Only a weirdo fuck up cost us.
We have seem more entertaining football already this season than all of last. And we are making progress in two comps that we had fucked up at this point last season.
It's getting there.

Winning 3 out of 4 away games (& should have had a point in the other apart from Joe's brainstorm) has left me teetering on the brink of satisfaction (as we have mostly been shit away from home for over a year, no matter who the oppo) but I still can't accept the defensive incompetence. Obviously though, the attack is able to win us games.

I want to see a proper, organised, back 4 plus keeper before I change my position though.

[City64]

I want to see Pellegrini actually pick our strongest team for once . Norwich on saturday would be a good time for him to do so and that doesnt include fucking Garcia !!!

[Beefymcfc]

For those that don't want the real stats (that stand-up (against the PL)) don't look at them.

We'll smash them, I'm sure. We have to.

Here they are upto the end of October:

Beat: Southampton H 3-2, QPR H 3-1, Sunderland H 3-0, Swansea H 1-0, Fulham A 2-1, West Brom A 2-1

Drew:Liverpool A 2-2, Stoke A, 1-1, Arsenal H, 1-1

Cups: Lost Real Mardrid A 3-2, Drew Dortmund H 1-1 lost Ajax away 3-1.

Lost, lcup: A Villa H 4-2

Set the world on fire we did. Out of 2 cups but who cares ?

Then we drew at West Ham, & home to Ajax. 2 good home victories v Spurs & Villa. Drew at home to Real Madrid, drew 0-0 away to Chelsea, beat Wigan drew 0-0 at home to Everton, lost to Dortmund, then lost at home to Utd. 2 weeks later we lost to Sunderland & the rags were 7 points clear at New Year, with a much easier run in.

We were then a dead man walking until May, apart from the FA Cup.

I can see why you are all yearning for those heady heights.

I'll settle for being in the champs league & putting 4 past those cunts for now & see where we are at New Year.

Sat seventh in the PL, no chance of winning the group but should be a shoe-in to qualify in an otherwise easy group. Just made the quarters, in extra-time, against a club that we beat unanimously in the PL.

You settle for your CL and putting 4 past the Rags but I'd prefer winning the Prem and putting 6 past them.

PS. Are you saying we didn't lose 3 games at this point last season; drop 11 points?

[Original Dub]

By god Beefy, you are near impossible to keep up with...
Are you constantly playing devil's advocate or are you schizophrenic?It's just that you jump from one side of every debate to the other?!

I'll play along on this one - you posted stats up until recently this season, compared to the same time last year. Then, when more stats were brought to the table, you countered it with "I'd rather win the league".

It's a bit unfair to compare a league winning season with the first three months of a new season.

At the moment, we are in with a chance of winning all three competitions we are in. That is a fact. This time last year we were out of one competition and on our way out of the other.

This time last year we were scratching our heads as to how a title winning side with the same manager and new recruits could look so disjointed. Right now we're scratching our heads wondering how we will be when this guy has been given a fair crack of the whip.

Huge difference.

[Ted Hughes]

For those that don't want the real stats (that stand-up (against the PL)) don't look at them.

We'll smash them, I'm sure. We have to.

Here they are upto the end of October:

Beat: Southampton H 3-2, QPR H 3-1, Sunderland H 3-0, Swansea H 1-0, Fulham A 2-1, West Brom A 2-1

Drew:Liverpool A 2-2, Stoke A, 1-1, Arsenal H, 1-1

Cups: Lost Real Mardrid A 3-2, Drew Dortmund H 1-1 lost Ajax away 3-1.

Lost, lcup: A Villa H 4-2

Set the world on fire we did. Out of 2 cups but who cares ?

Then we drew at West Ham, & home to Ajax. 2 good home victories v Spurs & Villa. Drew at home to Real Madrid, drew 0-0 away to Chelsea, beat Wigan drew 0-0 at home to Everton, lost to Dortmund, then lost at home to Utd. 2 weeks later we lost to Sunderland & the rags were 7 points clear at New Year, with a much easier run in.

We were then a dead man walking until May, apart from the FA Cup.

I can see why you are all yearning for those heady heights.

I'll settle for being in the champs league & putting 4 past those cunts for now & see where we are at New Year.

Sat seventh in the PL, no chance of winning the group but should be a shoe-in to qualify in an otherwise easy group. Just made the quarters, in extra-time, against a club that we beat unanimously in the PL.

You settle for your CL and putting 4 past the Rags but I'd prefer winning the Prem and putting 6 past them.

PS. Are you saying we didn't lose 3 games at this point last season; drop 11 points?

So you prefer losing 4-2 at home to Aston Villa in the League Cup & being bottom of the Champions Lg group ?

Fair enough.

You posted the stats & seem to be trying to prove some point or other, which I'm not sure what it is.

I said last season that there were two teams in the Prem; City & Utd & the rest were a bag of shit. At Christmas/New Year, thanks to dropping home points v Everton & Utd the losing at Sunderland, I said I think we had already blown it as the rags had played all their tough away games & were unlikely to lose more games than us in the remainder of the season.

I thought we were utter shite last season, & are partially shite this season.

No idea what your angle is but it was you who started with the stats not me. The stats show that the only decent team we beat was Spurs at home & we either lost to or drew with evey other team who anyone would consider a threat & even some who weren't.

So far this season our comparable results v West Ham, Everton & rags are 7 points better than last season & Stoke away the same, but the Chelsea result is worse. We have won away in the LC rather than losing at home & look like we are about to qualify for the Champs Lg.

If that isn't good enough for you then then fair enough; last season wasn't good enough for me & this one isn't yet, but you were enjoying last season & thought we would win the league whilst I hated it & thought we had blown it by New Year.

Now I am enjoying this one as I much prefer the attacking side of the football; we are doing most of the things I was begging Mancini to do & I don't have Mancini/Balotelli etc picking fights every week, which I was sick of.

I just wish we had a back 4, then I would be satisfied.

[Cocacolajojo1]

I just wish we had a back 4, then I would be satisfied.

Fuck, I'll settle for a steady centre back pairing at this point.

[Original Dub]

I just wish we had a back 4, then I would be satisfied.

Fuck, I'll settle for a steady centre back pairing at this point.

I'll second that!

[Beefymcfc]

By god Beefy, you are near impossible to keep up with...
Are you constantly playing devil's advocate....

You could have hit the nail on the head there mate ;-)

I am 100% behind Pellers but as Ted proves, there seems to be a bit of a tangle going on with the way some are viewing our start. The losses we've had have been head scratching, as you said, but on the whole we are playing some good football. The problem is that those losses have dropped us a little to the point that we are now sat 1 position above those that a lot have said are finished; did anybody envisage this when the fixtures came out?

It's like being sat on the fence, knowing we've got what it takes but not actually proving it where the points lie. The issues are there and was proved when we played Bayern. That was a lesson that none of us will forget but it has to be one that we all learn from. The last 2 seasons in the CL were always going to be difficult once we knew the draw and last year we should've done a lot better than we did. Looking at the draw this season I don't think anybody could argue that we shouldn't go through as CSKA and Plzen are nothing onthe likes of Dortmund, Ajax or Napoli.

And to set the record straight, I've put 'Fairly Satisfied' at the moment and hoping that it gets stepped up in the near future.

[Beefymcfc]

So you prefer losing 4-2 at home to Aston Villa in the League Cup & being bottom of the Champions Lg group ?

Fair enough.

You posted the stats & seem to be trying to prove some point or other, which I'm not sure what it is.

I said last season that there were two teams in the Prem; City & Utd & the rest were a bag of shit. At Christmas/New Year, thanks to dropping home points v Everton & Utd the losing at Sunderland, I said I think we had already blown it as the rags had played all their tough away games & were unlikely to lose more games than us in the remainder of the season.

I thought we were utter shite last season, & are partially shite this season.

No idea what your angle is but it was you who started with the stats not me. The stats show that the only decent team we beat was Spurs at home & we either lost to or drew with evey other team who anyone would consider a threat & even some who weren't.

So far this season our comparable results v West Ham, Everton & rags are 7 points better than last season & Stoke away the same, but the Chelsea result is worse. We have won away in the LC rather than losing at home & look like we are about to qualify for the Champs Lg.

If that isn't good enough for you then then fair enough; last season wasn't good enough for me & this one isn't yet, but you were enjoying last season & thought we would win the league whilst I hated it & thought we had blown it by New Year.

Now I am enjoying this one as I much prefer the attacking side of the football; we are doing most of the things I was begging Mancini to do & I don't have Mancini/Balotelli etc picking fights every week, which I was sick of.

I just wish we had a back 4, then I would be satisfied.

Who said I prefer any loss? The stats were there to be used as one seen fit and was a pointer to where we actually sit compared to other seasons. This wasn't some sort of slight in anybodys direction, it was just a fact that I thought I'd highlight.

This is what I mention in my previous post to OD. The thought seems to be that we should judge/protect the manager when the reality is that we should actually be comparing teams, looking at the past compared to where we are going. The manager is a factor but the biggest factor is the quality of player on show. Our defensive woes, for me, are mainly down to the players but the chopping and changing has to be taken as a contributing factor.

As for being out of cups/league etc, who cares? We are where we are, 7th in the league, 1/4s of the LC and more than certain to qualify out of our group. Why would I want to swap it or feel it's somehow lesser than last season or the season before. That time has gone, this time is now and regardless of how we compare I want us to win every game. The stats you show are good ones but the fact you were so out for disproving what were unbiased stats, showing our current season against others, seemed a bit strange and so the subsequent post from me. Protect the manager all you want but show me where I've had a pop apart from the Bayern game when I was fuming?

No need to be defensive/offensive on this, it's all holistic my friend ;-)

[Bridge'srightfoot]

By god Beefy, you are near impossible to keep up with...
Are you constantly playing devil's advocate....

You could have hit the nail on the head there mate ;-)

I am 100% behind Pellers but as Ted proves, there seems to be a bit of a tangle going on with the way some are viewing our start. The losses we've had have been head scratching, as you said, but on the whole we are playing some good football. The problem is that those losses have dropped us a little to the point that we are now sat 1 position above those that a lot have said are finished; did anybody envisage this when the fixtures came out?

It's like being sat on the fence, knowing we've got what it takes but not actually proving it where the points lie. The issues are there and was proved when we played Bayern. That was a lesson that none of us will forget but it has to be one that we all learn from. The last 2 seasons in the CL were always going to be difficult once we knew the draw and last year we should've done a lot better than we did. Looking at the draw this season I don't think anybody could argue that we shouldn't go through as CSKA and Plzen are nothing onthe likes of Dortmund, Ajax or Napoli.

And to set the record straight, I've put 'Fairly Satisfied' at the moment and hoping that it gets stepped up in the near future.

This is a weird season though in that it's taking longer than normal to settle down. Normally after 10 games you can tell who will be the top 2/ challenging.
And re the Rags, I agree, people on here get two carried away and we are now one place and two points above a side who many on here and the general media have claimed are in complete disarray. But in the next few weeks all the top sides play each other whilst we have relatively winnable fixtures and that could and should catapult us right back up there.

One thing you can't say though is the football isn't a damn sight more exciting than it was last season. Entertainment and exciting football is nearly as important as anything.
And this time last year we were already out of two competitions. This year we very much have a chance of reaching the semi finals at least of the Cup and last 16 of CL. That's definitely progress.

[Original Dub]

This is a weird season though in that it's taking longer than normal to settle down. Normally after 10 games you can tell who will be the top 2/ challenging.
And re the Rags, I agree, people on here get two carried away and we are now one place and two points above a side who many on here and the general media have claimed are in complete disarray. But in the next few weeks all the top sides play each other whilst we have relatively winnable fixtures and that could and should catapult us right back up there.

One thing you can't say though is the football isn't a damn sight more exciting than it was last season. Entertainment and exciting football is nearly as important as anything.
And this time last year we were already out of two competitions. This year we very much have a chance of reaching the semi finals at least of the Cup and last 16 of CL. That's definitely progress.

Nail on head

[Ted Hughes]

So you prefer losing 4-2 at home to Aston Villa in the League Cup & being bottom of the Champions Lg group ?

Fair enough.

You posted the stats & seem to be trying to prove some point or other, which I'm not sure what it is.

I said last season that there were two teams in the Prem; City & Utd & the rest were a bag of shit. At Christmas/New Year, thanks to dropping home points v Everton & Utd the losing at Sunderland, I said I think we had already blown it as the rags had played all their tough away games & were unlikely to lose more games than us in the remainder of the season.

I thought we were utter shite last season, & are partially shite this season.

No idea what your angle is but it was you who started with the stats not me. The stats show that the only decent team we beat was Spurs at home & we either lost to or drew with evey other team who anyone would consider a threat & even some who weren't.

So far this season our comparable results v West Ham, Everton & rags are 7 points better than last season & Stoke away the same, but the Chelsea result is worse. We have won away in the LC rather than losing at home & look like we are about to qualify for the Champs Lg.

If that isn't good enough for you then then fair enough; last season wasn't good enough for me & this one isn't yet, but you were enjoying last season & thought we would win the league whilst I hated it & thought we had blown it by New Year.

Now I am enjoying this one as I much prefer the attacking side of the football; we are doing most of the things I was begging Mancini to do & I don't have Mancini/Balotelli etc picking fights every week, which I was sick of.

I just wish we had a back 4, then I would be satisfied.

Who said I prefer any loss? The stats were there to be used as one seen fit and was a pointer to where we actually sit compared to other seasons. This wasn't some sort of slight in anybodys direction, it was just a fact that I thought I'd highlight.

This is what I mention in my previous post to OD. The thought seems to be that we should judge/protect the manager when the reality is that we should actually be comparing teams, looking at the past compared to where we are going. The manager is a factor but the biggest factor is the quality of player on show. Our defensive woes, for me, are mainly down to the players but the chopping and changing has to be taken as a contributing factor.

As for being out of cups/league etc, who cares? We are where we are, 7th in the league, 1/4s of the LC and more than certain to qualify out of our group. Why would I want to swap it or feel it's somehow lesser than last season or the season before. That time has gone, this time is now and regardless of how we compare I want us to win every game. The stats you show are good ones but the fact you were so out for disproving what were unbiased stats, showing our current season against others, seemed a bit strange and so the subsequent post from me. Protect the manager all you want but show me where I've had a pop apart from the Bayern game when I was fuming?

No need to be defensive/offensive on this, it's all holistic my friend ;-)

I'm not being offensive/defensive, I just didn't know what you were getting at re stats & whether you think it's good bad or indifferent.

To me, I'm not satisfied from a football point of view because of the defence, but I think it's much more fun & I am enjoying it.

I really hated last season & was delighted when it was over.

[Beefymcfc]

I really hated last season & was delighted when it was over.

Same here mate and to be truthful I wasn't up for it from the off, nevermind the club. From the off it just all seemed wrong and the transfers confirmed the way we would go.

We will now see what the other teams are made of. I still maintain that the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool have had relatively easy starts compared to the rest (us being middle(ish) while the Rags and Chelsea being the hardest) and Arsenals run starts now with difficult games, not only in the league but in the CL also. The Dippers hit theirs in December with the likes of us, Chelsea and Spurs over the Christmas period.

We've got a nice period now where we play the majority at home with not too much travelling inbetween. Pellers has had chance to understand the intricacies of the PL and I feel we'll move on from our shortfalls/mistakes that we've seen previously.

I can honestly see us within a couple of points off the top come December with a CL last 16 to boot, and fighting it out with Chelsea come the New Year. My only caveat will be the things that you cannot explain, like Joe against Chelsea (et al) and Pellers tactics against Bayern.

We have everything to push on, Pellers just has to steer the tiller with a smooth hand.

[Ted Hughes]

I really hated last season & was delighted when it was over.

Same here mate and to be truthful I wasn't up for it from the off, nevermind the club. From the off it just all seemed wrong and the transfers confirmed the way we would go.

We will now see what the other teams are made of. I still maintain that the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool have had relatively easy starts compared to the rest (us being middle(ish) while the Rags and Chelsea being the hardest) and Arsenals run starts now with difficult games, not only in the league but in the CL also. The Dippers hit theirs in December with the likes of us, Chelsea and Spurs over the Christmas period.

We've got a nice period now where we play the majority at home with not too much travelling inbetween. Pellers has had chance to understand the intricacies of the PL and I feel we'll move on from our shortfalls/mistakes that we've seen previously.

I can honestly see us within a couple of points off the top come December with a CL last 16 to boot, and fighting it out with Chelsea come the New Year. My only caveat will be the things that you cannot explain, like Joe against Chelsea (et al) and Pellers tactics against Bayern.

We have everything to push on, Pellers just has to steer the tiller with a smooth hand.

I was instantly worried when I heard David Platt publicly criticising Bob's pre season defensive training live on City's in house tv, 1st game of the season. Then I saw how rusty & badly drilled the back 4 were v Southampton & it never got much better imo.

This season I thought the Count was also not organising the defence pre season & it has been similar with the added Joe Hart factor.

But going forward, I think we look like we have different ways of scoring goals & as you say, the others will hit hard times here & there. A fun season ahead I recon, like the old days, when there was more interest in who would win the league, possibly with several teams involved til right near the end. I still fancy us to spoil that party at some stage & go on a winning spree tbh though.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

As other posters have rightly said, it has been an up-and-down season so far, which makes it hard to come to a reasoned assessment of where we are, and has led the swingometer effect of this thread, changing with each result.

For my part, whatever the stats, the season to date feels most like the early first season under Kevin Keegan in the Championship (I can’t remember if the division was called that at the time). A new manager, new players and new style of play producing some fine performances (6-2 at Sheffield Wednesday followed by 3-0 against Walsall) while some loose defending (expected under Keegan anyway!) meant these were often followed by defeats (losing 0-4 away to Wimbledon after Walsall).

As the team got used to each other that season, we improved and hit our stride in December, going top on New Year’s Day where we stayed (except for a few weeks at second when we had games in hand because of FA Cup commitments). It ended as one of my favourite campaigns (1980-1, my first as a S/T holder, the solitary season in the real Division 3 with the famous play off final and the PL winning season are up there too).

Of course history never repeats itself exactly, and the quality of the opposition is now much higher than in the Championship (Rags excepted), so it will be harder to ‘play ourselves in’. Nevertheless, I am an optimist, and so I’m suspending my judgement on the manager until after Christmas, because I would love it, really love it, if he could repeat the pattern of King Kevin’s first season.