Essjayess

Chico?...full marx for a cool nickname...better than 'Stic' at least.

No, let his legendary status among City fans be upheld for all time, for i fear him coming back would very soon tarnish that. Lakey said one real truth in that the Prem is a money rich place where the members there dont like self funded clubs such as ours to belong there. Its been a bizare season up there with the likes of unfashionable Brentford, Bournemouth, Forest, Fulham etc all surviving the season, pushing the likes of Southampton and 2 from Leeds, Leicester and Everton down into the Champs...and therein lies realism..even the Champs itself has fast become a division for yo-yo clubs and others, most of them still with more money than City to spend, we are realistically drawing nearer the likes of Rotherham, just surviving in the Champs will be our norm, until a few seasons with MA at the helm would give us more idea what, financially, will be our status as a club. Once the parachute payments are gone we will be slogging it out with the likes of WBA, Stoke, Boro etc...either having one decent enough season like Boro did this time to sneak into the top 6..or bomb like Reading and head to L1. In this scenario i would not DF to return..he gave us two amazing feelgood Championship titles and a rapport with fans that few others have even got close to. In anycase, im sure before to long he will find a role with another club and this topic will be redundant.

No idea why you would love to see Everton relegated, but in any case...if Burnley, Sheff Utd and either Luton or Coventry are replaced by say, Southampton, Leicester and Everton in our division next season then it will make it even harder to get our team anywhere near top 6, never mind top 2...which was going to be hard as it was with the current state of our squad.

Well...i had City to finish 12-18th with 55-60 points finish...this was months ago amidst the long 7th place and better results...i never waivered from thinking that...unlike others who kept thinking week in week out that play offs was a whisker away..so i was pretty darn close to my thinking. Just hope the months ahead bring in a complete refresh of this squad of players...otherwise next season itll be mostly spent in bottom six, being realistic.

So thats Pukki, Dowell, Martin, Sinani, McGovern and Byram plus two loanees Hayden and Marquinhos...8 players out the door already and perhaps 1 or 2 more possibles such as Max, Omo etc being transfered. Not sure how many such as Mumba and Tomkinson are returning and how many of those would even be regulars in next season's squad but sure feels like quite a few team positions are needed to be filled for next season. Bring on the Summer transfer window and with it all its craziness, rumours and fun.

Just the end to what has been, for quite a few fans it seems, a very disapointing season, but to me predictable mid table finish. After a few crazy seasons of constant yo-yoing i sensed this would be the start of a spell in the Champs for the club, a bit like Stoke, Middlesbro etc who did not find a way for immediate return back to the Prem. The result of the Blackpool game is almost of no concern, its just a final hoorah for Teemu and as already said, bye bye to a number of other players, the extent of which will only be known in the coming months. Perhaps to, many fans are now with more open eyes and far from expecting us to walk this division next season...and with the possible scenario that Luton may be going up and replaced with some clubs with the calibre of Everton or Leicester...even Soton or Leeds..its going to feel way different to how expectations were at Summer last year.

Well with Pukki and Dowell already known to be off it could be quite a different looking team come the new season in August. No idea about Wagner but of the players it seems nearly all of our foreign buys...Rashica, Tzolis, Nunez, even Sara to a point, not forgetting Sarge and Dimi to.have not lived up to expectations. But..we will see what the next few months bring.

I never voted in that poll at all, but all i go with is realism, all thru this season i stuck by us finishing mid table, even when we were in 7th and with some thinking play offs were a real possibility, i never thought for a second that was going to be the end result. Its been a bizarre season, with us top in October after a decent lengthy unbeaten run, two good 4 goal victories when Wagner took charge, even a couple of good away wins at Millwall and Blackburn more recently, but far to much mundane football and poor results in between, especially at home, where our former fortress has felt more like a run down chicken coop most of the season, ready now to for a Southern based Tractor to come riding thru next season. Am i happy with it?..Just realistic...mid table Champs is far from new for this club, its where i expect us to be for some seasons again, though am concerned about next season being even poorer right now...but we have the next few months to see what develops for the club then come August see where we stand .

Stability?...oh like no more yo-yo tween Prem and Champs?..No worries, i feel mid table Champs stability could be here for a few seasons.

Sorry Lakey, admire your optimism that kept going so late into this season, but i said months ago i thought City would finish 12th to 18th with around 60 points for the highest of those positins and those occasional good away wins...even the two 4 goal wins at start of Wagners campaign did and have not changed my mind thru all these past months, even that long period we stuck at 7th. By no means the only team who dive bombed...Preston for instance...and Watford having as poor a season as us. Also said often we are now firmly in Championship mode...like other sides relegated and getting stuck here a few seasons...Stoke, WBA etc. Indeed in its current state, we have the real possibility of being in a bottom half fight against relegation next season...club needs a real summer of positivity and changes...heck knows how SW will handle that...but personally think Wagner aint the guy to do much at this club.

oh cmon Lakey..this post is embarrasing. Do we just roll over?..City have been rolling over since October, not able to string any decent length of form, weve had months of oppurtunity to cement a top 6 place. It may well be a roller coaster ride for a few other clubs but not us...we are on the final down slope before the buggy stops at its end. Anger and frustration?...ive not been that all season, just very realistic that we are a mid table Champs side, with the prospect of being that, a bit like Stoke City. Wants, needs and expects?...Honestly, believe me, i dont want it...why?..to survive in the Prem you need around 40 points...we were barely able to get that many points in two Prem seasons!..no other club have been so completely out of their depth like City in the past decade in the Prem. Needs?..nope, not on this self funded model thats been our motto for so long..its proven not to work for Prem sustainability. Expects?...nope...We are a club that has shared out time between Champs and the top flight since Saunders first took us there half a century ago..that includes two or three lengthy stays in the Champs and a couple in the top tier...and purly as a fan...i dont expect us us in the Prem anymore until a huge change at the clubs top...likely meaning Attanasio at the helm for a few seasons. We can do this?..mathematically maybe..but in reality...not a cat in hell's chance.

Its not about whining, ive never whined, just wanted to raise a couple of questions. In anycase, as my post said, our dodgy home form makes a play off place less than 50 / 50...after today's game i think that is still the case...likely more so now.

If we finish 7th i think, given the inconsistencies of the team, the change of head coach, injuries etc would be a decent effort in reality. But should we make the play offs...would we fancy facing Boro...who would want revenge for their 2-0 defeat at Wembley...or Luton...who for whatever reason seem to do well against City so often?...Would fans be disapointed at losing in the play off games? I still think our home forn is so dodgy that making the play offs is less than 50/50, but we will see...as early as the Rotherham game maybe will give more of an idea such is the nature of this division this season.

Its been nothing like a horrendous season, or a great one obviously. I for one could see us finishing mid table all season long and said weeks ago 60 points was around our end total...still dont see us getting much above that...it would roughly equal Farke's first season here. We are in Championship mode and believe set in for many a season here. But its been our home form that has been sad...must be our worst number of home defeats since the relegation season to L1? and its not over yet.

Another week or two?..its been on the cards nearly all season that we are a mid table side, weve just hung around just outside the top 6 due to most of the division being as mediocre as us...a few wins followed by a few draws / losses. Burnley apart nearly every team can win , draw or lose at anytime with no true long run of good form..its the story of the Champs this season and we are slap bang in the middle of it all