In a fairly candid manner, Vincent Kompany has spoken about where he thinks City lost out on Champions League football this season. Without saying the name, he places the blame almost entirely on Hughes' draws. It is always easy to look back and pick out results that would've changed things - and in any season they are always going to be there - but Kompany won't be alone in pinpointing the draws at home to Burnley, Hull and Fulham as the crucial results of the season. These, of course were not only games we should have won, but games we threw away.
In the interview that can be found on City's official website, he said:
"The season has been long. It’s painful, but so many games we can look back on and think, if we would have played those games today, we wouldn’t have lost or drawn them. We would have won them and add those points up and it’s a completely different situation.
"I think we did very well to stay in the Champions League battle. There were some moments where it does not look so good anymore because we spilled stupid points. I can remember Burnley at home, and then we win 6-1 at Burnley and you realise it was a massive, massive loss.
"Then Fulham at home, and we are talking about teams we have been leading by one or two goals and we drew those games. Those types of situations wouldn’t have happened anymore at this time. But then you think, you have got a whole season to progress next year and that gives me a positive feeling."
Obviously, this is about as explicit as he can get without blaming Hughes by name. It is a harsh viewpoint, and players should always take a bit of blame for bad performances too, but it is the hopeless run of draws that convinced the board that Hughes had taken the team as far as he could - and evidently the team suffered because of it. These three games were six points we shouldn't have lost and would actually have put us level with Arsenal in third. They are big 'what if's', and every team has a lull, but this is the period that did the damage.
Kompany goes on to look at the future and describes the team as improving all the time, and how City can only be stronger for the campaign next season. I am itching for it to start again already!
I'm ruing the negativity we showed against Arsenal, United and Liverpool more, plus the fact we lost 3 of our last 6 home games.
ReplyDeleteSo yet another season fizzles away to nothing. Indeed the pathetic diversion the useless Europa league provides is actually a hindrance.
ReplyDeleteJust love the monotony of reading, "it`s down to Hughes and those draws". Very convenient to forget losing to Hull, Spurs, nitid, and Everton twice, drawing with the mighty Stoke, Sunderland, useless Liverpool, and disinterested Arsenal.
Strangely the only real highs, awful Chelsea away aside, came early season, and lest we forget, it was that early season period that got us to the semi of the Carling. 70 points was the stipulation this season end of.
In the 20 games post Hughes we have dropped 23 points from an available 60. That gives us a return of 1.85 points a game, which will ALWAYS struggle to hit a champs league position. Even if we win our final game we still fall short of an average 2 points a game needed to get even anywhere close. Mancini`s points return average is always only good enough for Europa qualification. This is not opinion it`s FACT.
Despite the knee jerk, and total demonstration of lack of knowledge sacking Hughes effectively was, the fact is the reason and replacement has failed. Cook wanted another name to trip off the tongue for his posters, but again got it badly wrong with Mubarak`s approval. When assessment is made of where points were lost under Mancini it is simply not good enough. We had it in our hands to make top 4, HAD IT REMEMBER, but under Mancini we have failed.
Due to this failure we have now blown our chance to secure the services of the best manager in the world. The board has in footballing terms failed.
I expect the board to stick with Mancini due to pinning their reputations on him succeeding, but the bottom line is they have been found wanting. Cook has operated in areas he`s no right, savvy, or place to operate in because Mubarak has apparently more important things to do and has no more experience anyway. Marwood....well really, what is the point full stop in this man being at the club if the manager knows what he`s doing. Is it not obvious it`s purely to protect Cook`s position because he has zero clue about how football works, just as Cook is employed to protect Mubarak`s position because he has zero clue either.
Mancini has shown some ability at times, but the overall effect comes up short of what`s required. There may be a huge pot of money, but that really is the only change in our circumstances. Due to the ineptitude of the most important figures at a football club we can sleep soundly safe in the knowledge that the term "typical City" prevails. We might be cash rich, but no one it seems has any idea what to do with it within the club.
Thank God/Allah/Buddha, you choose, for property deals to keep Mansour interested a while longer. I would respectfully suggest however he employ some people that actually have a clue to replace his current bunch of completely naive chancers as they are taking us all, Mansour in particular, for fools.
Anonymous 2014.
ReplyDeleteWhilst a lot of what you say is true vis-a-vis Cook/Marwood etc. I don't think this season can be classed as fizzling away to nothing...
People like you expect too much too quickly, it takes time to build a team capable of challenging at the top. You fail to mention that Hughes' points per game total is quite a bit worse than Mancini's.
Things are getting better - and at the start of the next season we will be stronger precisly because of the continuity of keeping Mancini and letting him build his squad.
It is not Hughes' fault we didn't qualify for Champions League, but what does it matter. Next season we will be in a far better position. Stop fretting. City are on the up!