Essjayess

No one seems to have mentioned that its not just a matter of DF leaving...when he came here he brought 1 or 2 other guys with him...if Farke goes its almost assured those who came with him will leave to...so Webber will need to replace 2 or 3 guys not just Farke.

I agree with this totally. Sorry Indy but its completely a managerial problem...his system or style of play in this top tier..its a system that works great in the Champs but is totally inept in the Prem..its a brutal enough place even for teams that even play the English way, but look at Watford...they can get a beating one week but still get points and good results and score goals..3 goals in 19 Prem games and not a win in sight..i include the final 10 games from 2 seasons ago as its the same manager and same inept style of zonal and plod football. I dont want the clubs general revival in the last 3 or 4 years under Webber to change..its on the pitch where the issue is..and i firmly believe this squad of players can do better...much better..with a style more akin to the English type of play. The Prem is brutal...and for Delia and Michael sacking DF will be a brutal thing...both finacially and in respect of a guy thats given the club two Championship titles in 3 seasons..but its clear that DF will not change his philosophy and will stick to his way of how 11 players should play each match day in the Prem. DF may think he has to much respect from City fans and that those fans will stay with him..but times up...the fans can see clear as crystal whats happening...even the players seem to know the system does not and can not work. I dont mind relegation...heck as a City fan its hardly unusual..but to go down not fighting...thats unacceptable. Change needed in the manager / head coach position and soon...and this coming from me who has backed DF all the way.

Further to my post yesterday dealing with why UK's daily Covid cases are much higher than all our neighbouring countries and indeed much of Europe, i read a Bloomberg article that further shows more reasons why this is the case. I mentioned the almost total lack of wearing face coverings by the general population here, which is certainly one factor, but its really a selection of reasons why we are where we are. We vaxxed a good deal earlier than rest of Europe, so the vax protection has waned earlier over time than on the continent. Government policy in July, just basically saying to the populace "ok go back to normality, vax is enough and need nothing more". Our population density is 2nd highest in Europe of main nations, only Netherlands is higher. We have tested a hugely higher amount than any other nation in Europe, maybe Denmark excepted. These higher amounts of testings include schools and hospitals, no other nation comes close to the UK testings. "That" Labs 43k negative send outs mistake...it speaks for itself. Once again, its the UK starting to see the growth of yet another variant, the Delta Plus, of course the perfect breeding ground considering all of the above. There could be other less obvious reasons but the ones above by themselves do help to show that its a fair number of things put together and here we are...i dunno, this island race of ours always seemingly does things differently to rest of Europe...nothing ever changes does it...we are in Europe but not part of it...or should that be part of Europe but not in it..whatever. Maybe Covid even itself has become somewhat different to the rest of Europe to..certainly the stats relating to Covid usually has us bucking the trend in Europe.

Firmly believe this is the main reason now why the UK Covid rates are staggeringly higher than all the rest of the continental nations around us...which also affects the Covid death rate to, which is more than double the rate of most of our neighbours, even though vaccination has played its part here to in keeping deaths far lower than without vaccination...the simple attitude of most casting their face masks to the wind and living normally, purely relying on the thought that vax is so good that nothing else is now needed..a state of mind that has been partly brought on by our politicians who pretty much act the same way. Vaccination has given us the freedom to be able not to have to live a lockdowned lifestyle anymore but for me, the wearing of face coverings should be a way of life for us all now, as in so many other nations, it does not eradicate Covid but it does help quite a lot in suppresing further the chance of catching Covid. I still wear a face mask, indeed a double face mask, as my immediate household, not only in shops and enclosed areas, but even out in the street...after 18 months its now become a way of life for me. Finally, i do fear this coming winter, particularly for the NHS, it wont take much for it to become overwhelmed and that would be a very sad state of affairs nearly 2 years after this virus first showed itself...it would feel like the glaring lessons have not been learned or just ignored.

Playing against a muck n nettles side the lads showed grit, fight, determination and that feels so good. As others have said we had to make a start somewhere and today the lads stuck to their guns and got a point and a clean sheet away from home in the Prem..that 1-0 home win vs Leicester was so dang long ago so this is likely one of the best 0-0 draws weve had in many a season. Dreams of great attacking play and wonderful amounts of goals can wait a bit..today was about grit and fight and laying that foundation...well done lads. OTBC.

Have to go for a Burnley win seeing as ive believed before season start that we would break Sundeland's 20 match losing Prem record and still is to early to see a team as a unit all knowing what each other does and having a momentum to get us points as yet...DF says we are improving but feels still a good bit of that still ahead of us yet.

Thunderclap Normann?

Sad to hear of the loss of another of England's great strikers of the 60s so soon after the passing of Jimmy Greaves...to think i remember these guys in their prime makes me feel old to...not many of the greats from that era left now it feels like.

As for our financial model thats almost unique in its set up and is incredibly successful now, im happy sticking with it and would not like to see some other model that could fail as much as succeed. On the pitch its a simple matter really...can Farkeball ever work for City in the Prem?...we have seen it absolutely dominates in the Championship. But even though Farkeball has had 44 games up to now it has come at a time when extraordinary occurences have happened. Lest we have forgotten, we started the first DF Prem season virtually having almost our entire CB line up injured...then..halfway thru that season..when we were bottom of the pile...Covid struck. Yes, all clubs had to deal with that unprecedented situation for the run in...but we were bottom of the pile and never looked like being able to escape that fact. This summer transfer window has seen a heap of changes and with Covid again interrupting the pre season schedule...add to that the fact that there are so many new players who have to find a role within the starting eleven and understand how Farkeball works, what their team mates are capable of etc etc..plus the fixture list laughing at us by giving City as hard a start as is possible..then i for one am not surprised where we are right now. Im not using all the above situations as excuses but as realities that have hit a club such as ours...a club with a truly unique model and a head coach that has a certain philosophy..so has that philosophy truly had a proper time to succeed or fail properly?. Crazy times..we have a club where the fans mainly adore their head coach..why not after all...he has given us two consecutive Champs titles at a time when a certain other blues colored lot languish in L1...but maybe would'ave been easier if most disliked DF.. So , i have my reservations about Farkeball succeeding in the top tier..but same time acknowledging that those 44 games have come at undeniably the most difficult time period possible given all the circumstances. It could yet succeed...but realistically even if it did..would be well into this season and likely to late for any dramatic survival chance. Even so, i firmly believe that DF deserves much more time, irrespective of where we finish up at this season end.

I do agree with you quite a lot in parts Buh, but i dont know if a Euro super league would be an answer. For sure there is a definite pattern to how the Prem works season on season. Below the elite super rich are clubs that survive for quite a few seasons...the current examples like Palace, Soton, Burnley etc..but yes, eventually they succumb and drop down. Some get stuck in the Champs for many seasons...Stoke, Derby etc...others fall even further and find it hard to even get back into the Champs, never mind the Prem...Sunderland, Portsmouth and so on. Then there are a few specialists who are the yo-yo type...City and WBA...both of whom have had a few short runs in the Prem but often get relegated first season, Fulham another who are quickly becoming similar. Its just that in recent seasons City are taking this yo yo situation to ultimate extremes...how can a club romp the Champs twice...with 94 and 97 points..but be utter failure on their Prem return..21 points last time out and this time?..even 21 points seems a very long point to reach right now. I actually have some reservations about your Buendia / Skipp thoughts...mine being that do we really think City's current plight would have drastically changed if those two were still playing for us?...i dont think that it would have that much. It feels like a mix of quite a few reasons why we are where we are right now but i certainly dont feel its that all the new guys are just plain not good enough. With so many new guys it sure needs about half a season at least...yes that much...to develop and learn and gel into a team capable of turning DF's way of wanting to play as a team to produce a regular enough amount of points to survive in the Prem..which of course leaves us to far behind to make catch up succeed. And conversely, it feels like DF's demand for City to play in a certain way is another major factor in our current situation..its the ultimate good / bad, right / wrong, dark / light scenario..awesome for storming the Champs but derisive for staying in the Prem. Many fans feel his demand for zonal defense allied with the softly passing routine of posession starting from Krul onwards is our downfall...well, its DF's job to make that work or adopt a new approach that will work..and yes hes on borrowed time...perhaps a bit longer than most managers we usually have...but ultimately if nothing works the Board will act.

Crunch time for Daniel says the top vid...is he eating Toffee Crisp? Another hard, brutal weekend lined up for the boys, lets hope they at least find some fighting spirit and togetherness.

Feeling great, honestly..last night was at most underwhelming, the first 5 PL games have been brutal..but thats on the pitch yea?..In the Championship for years trying to outdo Ipswich...gone into administration....12 points deducted...i call that a failed project. Why are'nt we Derby?..coz our Delia and Board brung in SW and DF 4 years ago and our project has been a success. Im hoping the Board will continue to keep SW and DF here as long as humanly possible.

I have not voted because of the make up of the title, specifically the "We" part. I have no power to either sack Daniel or keep him installed. If the question was should the board sack Farke i would say no. Relegation is irrelevant to me, as a City fan im used to it happening. If in the next four years (yes, not just right at this moment) City at least retain their top 21 status, continue to blood new young players who can be sold on at a big profit to keep the club good and solid, carry on being Championship top dogs playing sweet football, then the Board i would hope would allow DF his full contract time. I of course would adore to see City somehow stay in the Prem more than one season but the above is far more important and is what is our reality right now. A good chunk of the new signings were swayed to join City based on talking to, and what, Daniel said to them...a heck of a lot of work was involved getting them here..they need time to gel, get used to the Prem etc etc...no length of losses will change my mind that what we have right now is the best we could ever hope for compared to 4 years ago pre SW / DF.

Just a personal family experience on the affects Covid can give to a family despite in general the nation not having seen huge infection increases from kids returning to school...my daughter and her husband, both in their 40s and double vaxxed and living in the Lowestoft area, had one of their 3 kids bring Covid into their household after going back to school and both mom and dad are very ill right now suffering with many unwanted symptoms. The kids all have the virus to but seem not to be anywhere near as badly affected as mom and dad. As we all try to get back to living as normal a life as can be its just a reminder of the misery this virus still causes and will continue to cause for the forseeable future.

I expect us to break Sunderlands 20 match loss record, i said this before the season started, said it will take at least..at least...10-15 games for these new guys to gel with the existing guys, said this would for sure mean another relegation and also have said the one big issue at end season will be trying to keep hold of Normann and Kabak. So, Farke to go?...absolutely not..he and SW at the start wanted this club to be a consistent top 25/26 club...the last 3 seasons we have been a consistent top 21 club...trick is to go a few places higher than that. One posting here said results are the business...how true...but its the results from two Champ titles and promotions thats given us two seasons in the Prem, and the money that goes with it...to transform this club into a self funding solidity that no other club can get close to..and this is thx to SW off the pitch and DFs guys on the pitch. Yea...its absolutely brutal on the pitch right now..but to change it risks more than on field results...it risks a complete club downturn thats been built up over 4 seasons..if you cant see the risks of that then its blinkered time.

It absolutely is..15 Prem defeats..the record is Sunderland with 20 and that was split like Citys is. I said weeks ago City were under serious threat of beating that and nothing changes my mind. Im not really concerned by it either, but i am waiting for one glimpse of a team who know each other , have cohesion, momentum and put in everything as a unit...that is just not happening as yet.

That bench...add a RB and a midfielder to that and youve another starting 11...Daniel has options now and good ones to in almost every position..just what the summer transfer window was all about Now we need to start to gather points...today...next week...the week after..whenever...but giving all his signings game time can only be a good thing.

For our type of model...self funding..we are the most ambitious...and not only that...the most successful and ambitious club out of all 92 English clubs...no more, no less than that.

I to was just a reader for many years until i finally decided to contribute my own junk pile of posts in 2015. My City watching days go back to the era of Ron Davies, Bill Punton, Tommy Bryceland etc. As a youngster i was always amazed how on a Saturday how the Pink Un was put together and delivered to Newsagents not that much after 5pm...we talk today of how the internet is an almost instant news type scenario but in those days the delivery of that sports paper was truly awesome in its speed. That is the main reason why i joined this forum, the Pink Un is so synonymous with the City and the county that i felt my own humble doodlings would at least be a small part of keeping its name alive, which of course is always under threat or feels that way. Im sure other forums and boards are decent enough but ive gotten used to the posters and their banter on here that being elsewhere would'nt be the same. Sure do miss a few of the come and gones but its usually a most recent one that my old memory would recall, that would be Lapps of course, miss his input .

Agree with is. My own thinking is look at the summer transfer window...did we just release 1 or 2 guys and bring in 1 or 2 to fill a small gap here or there? It was by far the biggest overhaul of players going in both directions than any other Prem club excluding youth / academy etc..it has been the 2nd big change around since DF and SW came in to the club...by necessity the first one was aligned to the financial needs at the time hence cheap but decent players who were good enough to get us Champs title. This second big change of players is an upgrade on the first but bought at an extremely challenging time, right at the start of a new Prem season where there is zero charity time to get all the new guys playing, gelling, being accustomed to the Prem etc. DF first time around spoke of needing a miracle to stay up , this time hes said theres a chance...personally i think that chance is slim, i tuly think it will take 10-15 or more games to find a first eleven that has gelled and then somehow gained some confidence / momentum to start picking up regular points...by then we will be to far behind to catch up. But that does not bother me, i think the real hard moment will come in somehow trying to keep Normann and Kabak here if we are relegated, im sure without those two we will be to good for the Champs and expect promotion again..then next time hopefully will have a team whove been together and can really give the Prem a good go from day one, but would likely be better if Normann / Kabak stayed.

We are Norwich mate, there are no "lesser" teams in the Prem for us, we are currently lesser than all the 19 others and likely to remain that for a fair few matches yet, expecting more losses , yes even vs. Watford. Also i really do think and have done for while that Sunderland's 20 match losing streak record is under serious threat, we are now at 14. Do i think we will be relegated?..yes absolutely. Ok negatives but realistics aside, now for the positives (hopefully). City are starting this season with a virtual new team, many new guys signed from abroad that all have to get used to their team mates, get used to a team gelling, get used to the highest quality division in the world, get used to picking up a point never mind 3, then getting used to a momentum and get used to carrying that on. To expect that to happen even after 4 matches is crazy, i would think 10...15 games at the very least in this division, by which time of course we will already be way adrift with a realistic very slim chance of climbing out of the bottom 3. But im a firm believer that DF is building a new side capable of someday finishing out of the bottom 3...maybe another 2 seasons. But the downside may come when its time for Kabak and Normann and City decide if both can give a Championship season a go. But first things first, finding a first eleven that can gel, and yes create chances and finally score some goals and pick up some points..that could come against any of the other 19 far as i see...still feels a bit ways off but im forever patient and think it will happen.

This is what i said over a week ago, cant expect the very newest guys to walk straight into the team unless its an absolute last resort. They have not even trained with their new team mates up until today, so to expect Normann and Kabak to walk straight into the first eleven is just unrealistic. The team will be as near to the vs. Leicester starting eleven as possible, maybe with a few changes on the bench.

Thx ICF and also YF for replying to my questions. I actually had not checked the governments colour schemed map of new infections for quite a few weeks and was taken aback by how most of England was blue for new infetions but most of Scotland, Wales and NI was red or very dark red..had never seen such a scenario previously. Very interesting how even the northern and pretty sparsely populated areas of Scotland are in the red. As YF indicated each nation has a different set of rules etc or lack of, concerning Covid and that seems to register in stat anomalies not only in EU but in UK to. Certainly pretty darn hard to draw concrete conclusions with Covid when stats show so many variations.

Awww cmon DE its not nonsensical if it actually happens even though it mat noy be of great importance. You bring in a pretty daft stat i agree about Brentford, but youve brung that in as a weird kind of "compare this" situation to stat records that City are breaking in very short time frames, and both good ones and bad ones at that. Take a look at last season, City recorded their highest ever 2nd tier points total at 97, set a new record for away points in a 2nd tier season for all clubs, ditto for away wins and equalled Sunderland and Middlesboro's record of being Champions of 2nd tier two consecutive times. Also the only team to get promoted to Prem and relegated to Champs in all available ways and in just about a decade at that, the only club in any division ever to finish above 50% matches drawn, probably (confirmation needed) the only side ever to finish in top 3 of Prem with a minus goal difference and now chasing (maybe not a choice description) down Sunderland's record of 20 Consecutive defeats (that was over 2 Prem seasons but is factually correct). The stat of worst start after 4 games may be of minor importance compared to the above but hey stats are stats and City's record ones show both good and bad.

Trying to understand why in the UK, deaths, new infections and hospital admissions have all been slowly rising without let up since about 3rd week in July, while in most of the EU rates are much lower and pretty steady. Is this because the UK has far less restrictions about Covid now than the EU? Or maybe is it to do with efficacy? The EU in the last 2 or 3 months has vaxxed a lot of their population, virtually catching up to us in the UK in many instances, while here at home newly vaxxed persons have been much lower due to our early big take up earlier in the year. Maybe the efficacy is slowly waning here while on the continent, as vaxxed numbers are more recently high there the efficacy is better right now? I really would like to know the whys of these trends.