When do we start to believe ?

[WMUG]

I'm kinda torn on the issue of whether City are paying off the officials or not. They're certainly getting some very dodgy decisions in their favour, and with the amount of money swilling around in football it's certainly possible, but I dunno. You just can't rule out monumental incompetence in anything.

[Özim]

Man City have been dishing out thrashings regularly, whilst they may have had the odd break here and there this doesn't explain them spanking teams as they do. They've got a top manager, some real top players and have been winning basically because they've largely been much better than the opposition.

You don't score the amount of goals they have without being pretty potent. We've been solid and efficient but our lack of quality up front is very apparent and at the end of the day that lack of quality up front will most likely be the difference, they've got 3 strikers who have proved they can score goals (and a 4th one who's been injured but potentially could score plenty as well), we have Giroud who although does score goals isn't a potent force up front.

They always use to say you need 3/4 decent strikers to compete in different competitions, we did when we were winning, so did Man U etc, we're well short on that score nowadays.

[JonasTC]

But think about it, you're saying City has been beastin it (and i dont disagree). Yet we're only 1 point behind and if it wasnt for corrupt refs helping them out, we would probably had been ahead by 5+ points easily. So i dont think we're doing too bad

[the non-flying dutchman]

Man City have been dishing out thrashings regularly, whilst they may have had the odd break here and there this doesn't explain them spanking teams as they do. They've got a top manager, some real top players and have been winning basically because they've largely been much better than the opposition.

You don't score the amount of goals they have without being pretty potent. We've been solid and efficient but our lack of quality up front is very apparent and at the end of the day that lack of quality up front will most likely be the difference, they've got 3 strikers who have proved they can score goals (and a 4th one who's been injured but potentially could score plenty as well), we have Giroud who although does score goals isn't a potent force up front.

They always use to say you need 3/4 decent strikers to compete in different competitions, we did when we were winning, so did Man U etc, we're well short on that score nowadays.

Momentum can explain the spanking, a decision goes the other way gives the opposing team some confidence and in-turn takes some wind out of City's sails and the all conquering juggernaut we're seeing comes grinding to a halt.
City are a great side in terrifying form, however, I feel a lot of that is due to confidence, which is something that can be further boosted when you know the refs pulling for you.

[Özim]

Yes but we also have to acknowledge that Pellegrini came in last summer and that it's taken him time to get things right (as expected), they had some poor/unexpected results early on, which allowed us due to our good start and consistency to build up a nice lead.

We're not doing badly, noone is saying we are, I just don't think we have enough firepower to really compete, if we had some goals up front I'd be much more confident as we'd be able to play a different game (especially if we had pace) and perhaps be more unpredictable, as it stands I just think that's a major hindrance for us.

[Niall_Quinn]

What is the purpose and ambition of sport? From the point of view of the sportsman as opposed to the fan? Is it just to win, at any cost? Or is it to achieve in direct competition with your peers at the highest level? If we are to fawn over city then why don't we hold the sprinter Ben Johnson is high esteem? He blew Lewis away in the Olympics, he was unbeatable. There is a difference, city haven't broken the rules (if you ignore their accounting and sponsorship frauds). Johnson took drugs in contravention of the rules. But what if the Olympic Committee had ruled in favour of drugs? Would Johnson then be exonerated and rightfully elevated to champion status? Would any of the results in sprinting be valid any more? Or would it be a farce? The FA has allowed the equivalent of drug cheating but on a financial level. They have allowed the most unsavoury individuals to inject however much cash it takes to win at any cost. This is what city looks like to me, Ben Johnson throwing his arms in the air as he beat Lewis to the line and those God awful commentators falling over themselves to express superlatives.

[Özim]

Momentum can explain the spanking, a decision goes the other way gives the opposing team some confidence and in-turn takes some wind out of City's sails and the all conquering juggernaut we're seeing comes grinding to a halt.
City are a great side in terrifying form, however, I feel a lot of that is due to confidence, which is something that can be further boosted when you know the refs pulling for you.

I agree, however they've been scoring plenty of goals, it's a bit like us in the old days, when we went behind we always felt we had the quality and firepower to turn it around (and we did so many times), with the amount of goals in that team you just feel going behind isn't a big issue for them as they can score goals for fun. The fact is goals gives you confidence, it's quite common for a team to go on a winning run after knocking in 4-5 goals against one team, the fact they've been doing this with so much regularity it only going to strengthen their belief that they can beat anyone whatever the situation.

Even if they're 2-0 down, they have so many goalscorers you would never feel the game is over.

[Niall_Quinn]

When do we start to believe?

Yesterday.

Today is a new day though.

[IBK]

I'm afraid that all I believe in now is that we may finish third rather than fourth. No team does as well as us while underwhelming at the same time. We're almost unique in this.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

On