City beating Fluminense in the final of the Club World Cup sealed an extraordinary year for my team. That's 5 trophies this year, FA Cup, EPL, UCL, Super Cup and Club Worlds. The UCL being the highlight, the must win, the cherry on top, the "Pep's a shit manager if he doesn't win it" cup.
The interesting thing about Fluminense was that they played out from the back with incredible balls and skill. All the top sides are at it now and this may be Pep's lasting legacy to world football. I remember when he took over at Barça and made his team play out from the back at all times. They were playing in Pep's first El Clásico at the Bernabéu and Victor Valdes was having a 'mare. After several mistakes and near misses his nerves were shot and the crowd were raucous, but still Pep insisted they play out from the back. The Spanish "pro-madridista" commentators were having a field day slagging Pep off. In his post match interview he was unrepentant, insisting his side will always play like that and so will just have to get better at it. He has since relented a tad, and if the team is under immense pressure they can give the ball the laces up the pitch, but this insistence and his dedication to possession football has been a game changer in the world game.
As is his high press. Teams have pressed high long before Pep arrived, but with his sides they have 6 seconds after losing the ball to regain it, and they must all contribute to the winning back of that precious ball. After winning it back they will pass it around while everyone calms their heart rate. This makes his sides so difficult to beat.
What he has achieved is just incredible and it is now looking ominous for the other sides in the EPL.
Before going to the Club World Cup he was asked in an interview if he feared being 12 points behind Liverpool and Arsenal when he returned.
Two games after the return and City are 2 points behind Liverpool and Arsenal (before the LFC v NCFC game). Arsenal's wheels have well and truly came off taking just 4 points from the last 15. While Liverpool face a nightmare January, playing Arsenal away in the FA Cup and league, Chelsea, Newcastle and Bournemouth in the league and 2 League cup semi-final games against Fulham. In the same period City have just 3 games, one of those is Huddersfield in the cup, and they plan a winter training camp in Dubai. Add to this the news that KdB, Haaland and Doku are ready to return and you would have to bet that City will take their 4th EPL in a row.
I still have my doubts. I think there will be many twists and turns still to come. City have looked very flat in numerous games this season, so nothing is written in stone just yet. Gundo has been a huge loss, and we don't know how KdB will have been affected by the injury and how his form and fitness will be in the run in. That being said, who would bet against City now?
A Happy New Year to all you Quillers, and a big thanks to all who read and comment on the weekly blogs.
The interesting thing about Fluminense was that they played out from the back with incredible balls and skill. All the top sides are at it now and this may be Pep's lasting legacy to world football. I remember when he took over at Barça and made his team play out from the back at all times. They were playing in Pep's first El Clásico at the Bernabéu and Victor Valdes was having a 'mare. After several mistakes and near misses his nerves were shot and the crowd were raucous, but still Pep insisted they play out from the back. The Spanish "pro-madridista" commentators were having a field day slagging Pep off. In his post match interview he was unrepentant, insisting his side will always play like that and so will just have to get better at it. He has since relented a tad, and if the team is under immense pressure they can give the ball the laces up the pitch, but this insistence and his dedication to possession football has been a game changer in the world game.
As is his high press. Teams have pressed high long before Pep arrived, but with his sides they have 6 seconds after losing the ball to regain it, and they must all contribute to the winning back of that precious ball. After winning it back they will pass it around while everyone calms their heart rate. This makes his sides so difficult to beat.
What he has achieved is just incredible and it is now looking ominous for the other sides in the EPL.
Before going to the Club World Cup he was asked in an interview if he feared being 12 points behind Liverpool and Arsenal when he returned.
Two games after the return and City are 2 points behind Liverpool and Arsenal (before the LFC v NCFC game). Arsenal's wheels have well and truly came off taking just 4 points from the last 15. While Liverpool face a nightmare January, playing Arsenal away in the FA Cup and league, Chelsea, Newcastle and Bournemouth in the league and 2 League cup semi-final games against Fulham. In the same period City have just 3 games, one of those is Huddersfield in the cup, and they plan a winter training camp in Dubai. Add to this the news that KdB, Haaland and Doku are ready to return and you would have to bet that City will take their 4th EPL in a row.
I still have my doubts. I think there will be many twists and turns still to come. City have looked very flat in numerous games this season, so nothing is written in stone just yet. Gundo has been a huge loss, and we don't know how KdB will have been affected by the injury and how his form and fitness will be in the run in. That being said, who would bet against City now?
A Happy New Year to all you Quillers, and a big thanks to all who read and comment on the weekly blogs.
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| Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports |
City look capable of taking 53 points during the second half of the season . Lfc need to sign a # 6 & a c b / r b this window & forget about the domestic cups if they are to match them . Good win over the Barcodes last night . Who will get fourth ?
ReplyDeleteHave any of you joined a # Mens Shed ? If so , did you find it useful ? Spent a lot of time caring ( in recent yrs ) for my late parents ; need to reconnect with the world . Rooney has been sacked . Happy new yr !
ReplyDeleteRed Ron,
DeleteNot joined a men's shed but I've dealt with them a fair few times down here. Nice guys. Definitely give it a go, it's a great way to make new friends and good for your mental health so go for it. Good way to learn new skills too from what I can see.
Yeah but could Pep have done it managing Hull? Rather than inheriting a talent rich Barca, Munich and Cashed up Man City? lol
ReplyDeleteObviously not! He wouldn't even be able to do it at Chelsea ffs!!!!
DeleteLol we are shite it has to be said 🤣
DeleteSteve - can't quite figure out why Chelsea is underperforming at the minute.
DeleteThe bones are there. The players we bought are a bit green especially with each other, though in spells against Luton I could see some excellent interchange play and effective forward movement. It's the curse of having enormous amounts of money spent on young players and expecting them to instantly win everything due to the price tag. The Yanks (Seppo's as we call them in Oz) gutted the entire team to save on the wage bill, signed up a lot of promising youth on 8 year contracts and hoped for the best. Kick in the balls for us old fans. One saving grace has been Poch, for a former yid manager he's been quite accepted by most of our fan base now and we can see he wants attractive attacking football. Everything goes in cycles, just now it's our time to eat shit. We will be back.
DeleteFootnote, was at Stamford Bridge last summer after visiting Allianz arena in Munich.
Holy shit do we need a new stadium!
Red Ron
ReplyDeleteAn uncomfortable win over the Toon, you mean? Jota's dive should have earned him a yellow and Nuñez looks like he'll miss more sitters than Sterling. Salah off to the AFCON too. As for 4th, my hope is Villa or the Hammers.
I have visited the Men's Shed in Downpatrick a number of times and it looks very well run. My local club has helped raise money for their charity, MIND. Give it a go, nothing ventured...
I didn't think Jota deserved a penalty either. If Haaland had missed as many as Nuñez would he still make the City first team? I admire his effort and contribution to the wider game but he was not brought in to assist goals but to get them. Sheer profligacy in front of goal. If a defender made as many howlers, his team would be bottom of the table.
Delete@ Peter
ReplyDeleteI can't find the article that had the discussion about allegations about Clonard Monastery containing an IRA "ops room" but I wonder if some of the rumours started off of this: https://www.dividedsociety.org/journals/combat/march-1992/they-might-bomb-heart-out-citybut-they-will-never-bomb-heart-out-its
Brandon,
DeleteFormer Provo Shane Paul O’Doherty certainly believed so.
https://irishpeaceprocess.blog/2023/11/06/hamas-the-ira-clonard-monastery/
@ Steve R
ReplyDeleteThanks for that. It strikes me as a bit sensationalist.
This:
"the IRA’s leadership and its Northern Ireland campaign only survived because a Catholic monastery in Belfast city gave the IRA a secret operational headquarters from which the IRA planned and executed murders and bombings."
And this:
"I have no doubt that without the Clonard Monastery IRA Headquarters, the Belfast Brigade of the IRA would have been entirely defeated by the Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary by 1973 such was the number of arrests effected by the security services."
This is so far-fetched as to discredit the rest of the article. The IRA had a network of safehouses across Belfast and beyond. Given their weaponry, status/standing (respect and/or fear) in the community, and the total reluctance of locals to contact the army/RUC, the IRA were able to use a range of buildings for their operational purposes. An infamous IRA press conference took place in a school in 1971, for exampe.
I've always found the idea of one central HQ fanciful.
If we look at it another way, could Adair's C Company have managed to carry on as they did if it wasn't for the Diamond Jubilee? Or the UVF's without the Eagle offices? It just doesn't stack up.
I think increasingly, Shane Paul O'Doherty is degenerating into the nonsensical for clicks and endorsement from those who oppose Sinn Fein.
Perhaps, but maybe he can answer for himself as I'm sure he's commented on here before.
ReplyDeleteHenry Joy Comments
ReplyDeleteBrandon Sullivan,
Whatever Shane Paul O'D's motives, he has a unique perspective to bring. You do yourself and him an injustice through your comments. His contributions are no more nonsensical than some of my own, nor some of yours.
I'd encourage you to set aside 90 minutes at some point and watch his YouTube 'Gerry Adam's War - The Movie'.
It's a fine piece of work, one any journalist or commentator could rightly be proud of; a montage of clips from over the years curated into a startling and critical whole.
Restraint of pen & sword sir.
@ HJ
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, I was watching Shane on Face Down last night, and he was cogent, plausible accurate. That said, I find his blog sensationalist and wide open to challenge.
Maybe nonsensical was too strong: but certainly sensationalist and opinion given as fact.
When he said that which I'll paste again below, he may have no doubt, but I think it's entirely false:
"I have no doubt that without the Clonard Monastery IRA Headquarters, the Belfast Brigade of the IRA would have been entirely defeated by the Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary by 1973 such was the number of arrests effected by the security services."
Anthony you'd know if clonard was used to the degree we're talking about?
DeleteThink the first I heard of it described as such might have been from Peter in an earlier discussion. I have never given any credence to the suggestion.
DeletePS - I'll check that out
ReplyDeleteThe first time that anyone on TPQ mentioned that Clonnard Monastery was the most bugged place outside of the Kremlin was myself 10/12 years ago.....
ReplyDeleteI posted two videos of the same head saying it....
If anyone wants to Frankie check me--then they'll have to go into the vortex of TPQ and check the comments...(maybe one day I'll dig the links back out)....