Our Next Four League Games

[Ted Hughes]

The best way to finish in the top 4 is to aim for 1st though don't you think? I 'd be surprised if we win the title but imo there's no reason we shouldn't try. I think that playing under pressure of winning is something that, as a club we're not used to. We're used to relegation battles; pressure of losing everything rather than winning. Not being scared of losing & not panicknig about it is new for us. Getting the habit of winning games under pressure & trying to live up to expectations is probably the only piece of the jigsaw we can't fix with the wallet & the training ground. We may as well get used to dealing with it right away; it's good practice for the future.

Don't get me wrong mate, I'm not saying we shouldn't be aiming for 1st, that is exactly the mentality to have, and pretty much what I am saying in a roundabout way. I think targeting a league position this season, especially this early into it is adding unneccesary (?) pressure to us, and in the same way, if we just concentrate on winning every game we play, and it paying off, would lead to us taking the title anyway, if that makes sense? I just feel if we start planning on a title challenge this season, aiming for first or second, it'll be a disappointment at the end of it if we don't, and a nice easy way for the media to deride us even more. concentrating on beating the next team takes away that pressure to the team and I think it would be a more pleasant season for the team, and may bring a better result at the end too.

I can see what you mean mate but even if we say nothing I think it's going to be unavoidable we get put forward as challengers if the results come. If we were a team that's a surprise package & found ourselves in the top 4, everyone would assume we'll fade away but as we've spent £200M & have a side full of stars, everyone knows we have the squad to stay there. If we get it right, & we're around the top 4, they're going to put us in the frame for the title whether we like it or not & heap on as much crap as they can. We'll have the whinging section out in force whenever we drop a point too, they're straining at the leash for a good whinge, you can tell.

I agree, just trying to win the next game is the best way to go though & hopefully that's how the staff will try to deal with it.

[john@staustell]

Obviously management and club should only look to the next game, but in the context of KKs thread then we stand a good chance of winning all four. Add to that the analysis above of the other teams' fixtures and we need to take this chance.

The media will only really take us seriously when we're up there. Notice last weekend/week no-one at all mentioned 'and Man City have 2 games in hand which would take them second', they just mention the usual suspects. If SCUM had been in the same position with 2 games in hand we'd never had heard the end of it.

So let's get ahead and stop this 'do you think Man City stand a chance of breaking into the top 4?' bollox.

Lets do it!

[MaineRoadMemories]

I've never been more optimistic about our games, fully expecting a win and putting in a performance home and away. When we went behind at villa, very few if any of us felt like that was the end of that. All of us were confident that the team would put together enough chances to equalise.

It feels scary and not normal to be part of a city away crowd that has self belief! :-)

[Fidel Castro]

10 points will do for me. We're always shit away at Wigan

[john@staustell]

10 points will do for me. We're always shit away at Wigan

I thought that until they lost at Hull. First time Hull scored 2 for 9 months.

I think Martinez' football style could just mean we bury them, like Arsenal and Scum did.

[john68]

I have no doubt that the management look at each game as it approaches as being winnable.
I don't think any teams will lie down and let the city stars roll over them, but I do think we have the quality to beat them.
I don't think we are getting ahead of ourselves, I genuinely think we can and will win our next four games.
I don't believe in bogey teams.
What happened at Wigan and places like Birmingham, happened to a different City team that bears no resemblance to the team that we have now.

I do think that our management and players are mentally ahead of many fans. I think they are comfortable with the thought that they can win any game they play. I think too many City fans are still weighed down with our disappointments and failures of the past.

We are in the big league now...Have every right to be there...Have got the players to do the job...And the resources to correct any weaknesses. The media would have us believe otherwise...There will be slip ups and we will lose some silly points but so will our rivals.

[wesmancity]

Would like to see we get 12 points out of them games and be top of the table, but are we getting carried away with all this?

[Beefymcfc]

After reading the thread and agreeing with the majority of posts (in part), I am starting to wonder what will happen if we actually lose a couple of games. Are we going to do what Villa did last season and start booing the team (Agbonglahor was a main target) or will we do what City Fans always do, take it up the Arse and carry on with our excellent support.

It does seem that we are now expecting to win every game and am just wondering if the 'Management of Expectation' as now not only been thrown out of the window, but landed in the dustbin and taken to the tip?

Let's not forget, as Bingo Boy has stated, we are a team very much in transition and with every transitional period comes some disappointment. And although I hope we win every game, I have not quite got into the Scum/Chelski mentality yet, if I ever will!

[10.Goater_Legend]

If we win against Wigan, it will be our first ever win at the JJB or "DW" Stadium, so let's hope we get the result and end this hoodoo crap.

[Ted Hughes]

After reading the thread and agreeing with the majority of posts (in part), I am starting to wonder what will happen if we actually lose a couple of games. Are we going to do what Villa did last season and start booing the team (Agbonglahor was a main target) or will we do what City Fans always do, take it up the Arse and carry on with our excellent support.

It does seem that we are now expecting to win every game and am just wondering if the 'Management of Expectation' as now not only been thrown out of the window, but landed in the dustbin and taken to the tip?

Let's not forget, as Bingo Boy has stated, we are a team very much in transition and with every transitional period comes some disappointment. And although I hope we win every game, I have not quite got into the Scum/Chelski mentality yet, if I ever will!

The way things are going in the PL now, it looks as though just about any team can have a good day & mug one of the top 4 so the likleyhood is that we'll cop for it at some point via a red card & missing a load of open nets or something. That will lead to a load of of doom mongers coming out of the woodwork on here to say 'I told you so' but the fans in the ground don't tend to turn so easily. The key is to win the next game. No doubt that's what those rag bastards will do after their diabolical display v Sunderland.

[mcfc1632]

Just a thought about squad comparisons - thinking about the CTK thread some while ago

We all did our comparisons at that time - I think most of us doing that again with 7 games experience and I think that people would upgrade their assessments

I remember being particularly positive about the full squad comparisons - I would now think only Chelsea is ahead of us at that level

this will be a very important factor in the coming months - imagine our position with the injuries we have already had without the quality of squad we have been able to draw on

[Ted Hughes]

Just a thought about squad comparisons - thinking about the CTK thread some while ago

We all did our comparisons at that time - I think most of us doing that again with 7 games experience and I think that people would upgrade their assessments

I remember being particularly positive about the full squad comparisons - I would now think only Chelsea is ahead of us at that level

this will be a very important factor in the coming months - imagine our position with the injuries we have already had without the quality of squad we have been able to draw on

My only concern after seeing us over a period of time is that most of our best footballers are physically not quite as strong & often not quite as big as the other top teams. One v one that may not seem important but when you get 5 or 6 in the same team, it adds up to quite a difference & it's cost us points already imo.

[dazlebluefrog]

10 points will do for me. We're always shit away at Wigan

don't you think that should and will change in 10days time?? they have been a bogey team for us ,time to change all that nothing other than a win and i'll be pissed off ,as for fulham ,burnley,birmingham,well who is afraid of them ??ok fulham at home is a bit of a bogey team so let's finish that off,we normally get decent results away to brum and excellent at home to burnley so anything other than 12pts i'll be disappointed with

[Somerset Blue]

10 points will do for me. We're always shit away at Wigan

don't you think that should and will change in 10days time?? they have been a bogey team for us ,time to change all that nothing other than a win and i'll be pissed off ,as for fulham ,burnley,birmingham,well who is afraid of them ??ok fulham at home is a bit of a bogey team so let's finish that off,we normally get decent results away to brum and excellent at home to burnley so anything other than 12pts i'll be disappointed with

Yeah, we can't afford to have bogey teams any more, not if we want to be serious contenders.

[sandman]

No team will underestimate City this year, and no players will give City an easy ride.

Whether it be Respect, Jealousy, Hate or Vengence I reckon every team is going to have their own reason to come to Eastlands and want to battle. Every point will have to be fought for and truly earnt, we have not had a squad worthy of that status before this year?

I think it will be a hard season but the transition to World Class will possibly be harder than staying there?

[Pretty Boy Lee]

I had a bad feeling that I didn't voice (fear of jinxing us) going into Villa so was pleasantly suprised with the point. I'm not normally one to say I'd be dissapointed if we didn't get this, guess it's ingrained in many of us, but looking at the 4 games individually I have to admit a loss to any of them would dissapoint me as I'm starting to get the feeling we are onto something now.

[john68]

It's not how you fall over that is important but how you stand back up.
We have already shown that we are capable of fighting back from behind. Not easy when you are away at the swamp or Villa Park...but we did so...3 times at the swamp.

We have already proven that we have the guile, skill and talent but also the fighting instinct of "a refusal to lose"

[Tokyo Blue]

It's not how you fall over that is important but how you stand back up.
We have already shown that we are capable of fighting back from behind. Not easy when you are away at the swamp or Villa Park...but we did so...3 times at the swamp.

We have already proven that we have the guile, skill and talent but also the fighting instinct of "a refusal to lose"

Correct. The key now is not to go behind in the first place.

[john68]

It's not how you fall over that is important but how you stand back up.
We have already shown that we are capable of fighting back from behind. Not easy when you are away at the swamp or Villa Park...but we did so...3 times at the swamp.

We have already proven that we have the guile, skill and talent but also the fighting instinct of "a refusal to lose"

Correct. The key now is not to go behind in the first place.

I fuclin hate you perfectionists....:-)

[Blue2]

Interesting read in view of our recent run. Max is now 8.