How About Some for Our Boys in Blue

Can't bear the thought of Tony losing that 10p bet so here goes!

I suppose the first thing to dwell on are the comings and goings which could be described as modest by some and extravagant by others. Goalkeepers apart it looks like two down and one to go as far as arrivals are concerned. I can't remember which fellow OBIBer revealed his wish list but I remember it was for a goal scorer, defensive midfielder and left back. Well Haaland and Phillips have now landed and it would seem negotiations continue behind the scenes for the dancing cockroach Cucaracha (aka Cucurella). I suspect most on this site would be satisfied with the business done thus far and at prices which seem very reasonable.

Be interesting to learn others views about departures. I've always liked Jesus and I know his mother loves him to bits. Top marks for effort and you always got the feeling that he willingly accepted playing out of his preferred position for the greater good. His goals and assists stats are more than half decent and I do wonder whether he'll be missed more than we think. In terms of half way out the door we have Sterling and I remain firmly in the 'thanks for coming but time to move on' camp. We will miss his goals but my blood pressure tablets won't take such a hammering this coming season as he bottles yet another one on one with the keeper or blazes over from 2 inches out. Agnostic about Ake and will be sanguine also if we can avoid the other three getting lengthy injuries and some of the yoof get given their chance. The one I'm concerned about is Silva who I don't want to wave goodbye to but as we know, if they don't want to be here Pep has no compunction in letting them go.

Looking at preseason games we're playing Club America (is that a soft drink or a sarnie?) and then Bayern followed by those loveable scouse rogues on 30 July for the Charity Shield. I don't normally take much notice of preseason games but I can't help thinking the last of those games will be taken very seriously by both teams with a view to putting down a psychological marker. Can't usually get very worked up about the Charity Shield (although it is still some way north of the CL in my hierarchy of importance) but I will make an exception given who we're playing.

Lots more pre season issues for us to get our collective teeth into and this is only a starter for ten. But to finish on the theme of pretenders to our Premiership crown I have difficulty looking beyond Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottingham and Arsenal. I don't believe there will be a surprise package although I would love there to be one (the romantic in me says Forest). And with all the rejections the rags are getting together with the impending departure of Christine I can only envisage another trophyless season for them punctuated by bouts of unintentional black comedy and farce. I must be getting old father William because at best I pity them and at worst am completely indifferent.

Just wondering whether in addition to the fantasy league there might also be a place for a ' final placings' prediction before the season starts. Whaddya think Glyn?

I thought I'd start a new miscellaneous thread where we can post and discuss any topics that come along, as and when they do. As the new season gets nearer, we can even start a new thread called pre-season chat, until the whole thing starts again. When that happens, Saturdays and most Tuesday/Wednesdays will no longer remain my own and I once again become a slave to the God that is known as Manchester City Football Club.

I have anticipated that the club will not release a season review DVD or create anything for download and have therefore, once again done my own. As we have played so many matches, it's far too big for one DVD, so for my purposes and being still well and truly in 1999, I will create a two DVD collection and add it to the rest. For those who want a copy, I have now uploaded the clips to my MEGA account. You do not need to create an account to download or watch the videos, only to upload them to the site. I have split the season into three, part 1, August to October, part 2, November to February and part 3, March to May. You can either watch the clips on the site or download them to keep. The MEGA video viewer is not the best and I would recommend that you download them. I get 20GB of storage data, so I will leave them on there for a while. Here are the links to

part one.

https://mega.nz/file/63ozRCSK#rPyvMpqMXHbpU6yLvzHnJ2jP64HLkank16KGkHyj9Tg

part 2

https://mega.nz/file/jnpGyD5R#z5GHalbZBolDCpOVZiL9NKVqN0UzateM647dsJO9FSY

and part 3

https://mega.nz/file/ymYxwTZD#94AhGRO-JWNeuCCdEY9CVOF_JVkJ6JRCrfLFTkL_wBg

Now then Liverpool fans, let's see what you could have won – smashing, super!

I was hoping that, after Southampton had held Liverpool reserves to a draw, that I could start this thread slightly differently. Sadly, it wasn't to be and ten years almost to the day of our 93.20 success, we must once again win our final home game of the season to be proclaimed champions. With a fully fit defence, I'd be in no doubt that we would be crowned champions for the 6th time, but with the defence on show, particularly in the first half against West Ham, I'm not so sure. In fact, I'm far from sure and TBH, I fear the worst if Fernandinho is given the nod over Ake, partnering Laporte. There was a faint hope that Walker might make it back, but I reckon that's all it will be. This could be the game where, just like in the final game of 1971/72, when Rodney Marsh showed us what we could look forward to next year, where Jack Grealish has the game of his life and scores twice to shut up the baying Villa fans. It could be another game that mirrors 2012, where City leave it late, but once again take the title in injury time. Or it could just as easily be fate's way of reversing what happened 10 years ago, with City leading 1-0 going into injury time, for Villa to bag a late leveller and send the title to Merseyside. One thing I am pretty sure of, we won't make it easy for the fans and any hopes that we'll score early, grab a second just before half time and a third, just after to put us all in a party mode is fantasy. And even if we did, could we honestly trust them not to blow it after what happened in Spain? Again, I'll delay any predictions until I see the team sheet, but at present I'm thinking a 1-1 draw. It's going to be hard, because we aren't just fighting Liverpool for the title, we're playing against Steve Gerrard, Aston Villa, the referee, his two assistants, VAR and the media. If the unthinkable happens and we lose the title, we didn't lose it in this game. We lost it in the four games against Southampton and Crystal Palace, who Liverpool beat four times.

It's funny isn't it? Before the game against Wolves, which many thought would be our toughest in the final run in, all sorts of horrible thoughts went through my head on how we'd slip up. Then, after a convincing win and as good a performance we could wish to see, for a time, I enjoyed and basked in the warm glow of the result. Yet as the days tick by and the next game approaches, the nervousness and worries about the next game start up again. This time, I think with good reason though, for if we had our full compliment of defenders available, I'd have few fears that we wouldn't win our final two games and collect the title. Unfortunately, we don't and it's going to most likely be a patched up City defence who take on the 'Ammers on Sunday. But should we really be that worried? Prior to their win over relegated Norwich, West Ham had won just one of their previous eight games – so Liverpool they are not. I really would like to get this game won and not have to go into the last game against Steve Gerrard's Villa needing a win. Still no word on Laporte or Fernandinho, so until we do hear, I'll again reserve judgement on the score

I thought I'd put this one up (ooh err missis) as a separate post to our remaining matches in the chase for the title.

I was in the camp of Harry Kane being a worthwhile signing last summer (but certainly not now), and if we had signed him feel we would have been looking at quadruples rather than "just" retaining the Prem.

However, I feel this signing is a major shift, and next season will make us near unstoppable. There is also Alvarez in the mix, which gives us a very different look to the last 2 seasons, during which we have still been highly competitive.

On the playing field, I reckon opposition teams have the utmost respect for us, but the addition of this beast of a player will add a fear factor. I had been umming and aaring about season ticket renewal, considering the cheaper options, or just going for membership, and going to games as and when. However, I don't now want to miss out on next season, which could be really special.

Where this leaves the likes of Sterling, Jesus and Mahrez, I'm not too sure. I see the former as likely to leave, and the other 2 staying.

It's fair to say that I am very excited at this signing, together with a probable contract extension for Pep, bring it on!

After the euphoria of Liverpool dropping two points and City thrashing Newcastle to go three points clear, comes the realisation that we still have three tough games to face, with only one fit central defender available. Furthermore, unless we can spring Mendy, we are down to our last two senior full backs too. Were it not for this dilemma, I'd be quite confident that we will dispatch all three opponents and win the PL title, irrespective of what Liverpool do in their remaining three games. Liverpool play at Villa before us, but will need to win by four clear goals to go back top. Most Blues feel that Stevie G will have instructed his Villa players to allow Liverpool to do just that, but I'm pretty sure he and his players will do no such thing. Gerrard was a boyhood Everton fan and having left Liverpool will be thinking of his own managerial career, not Klopp's. Hopefully, Ake will be fit to start on Wednesday and that he, Lapoprte, Zinchenko and Cancelo stay fit for the remainder of the season. I'm going to reserve judgement on a score for Wednesday, until I see the Liverpool score from Tuesday

So, it is to be the two best teams in European football's glorious history, two teams who have won the European Cup/CL a total of 387 times between them, I might add, who meet in the final of the most prestigious tournament in football history. We, meanwhile must get back to the business of winning a Farmers' League. A league that is so easy to win, Liverpool have never bothered to take it seriously until a couple of years ago, preferring instead to concentrate all their efforts on winning the only trophy that ever mattered……OK, I know I'm being a bit sarcastic and sound very bitter, but so what? Back we go into the mundane task of playing Premiership opposition, with yet another game that is 'must win.' IF Liverpool are to drop points, this weekend is surely the last when they will, as they play top four chasing Spurs at Anfield. I suspect when I check out the scores at 8.00pm on Saturday evening, I will see, Liverpool 2 (Salah 1 min (pen) and Mane 5min) Spurs 0, but you live in hope. After Wednesday's result and how it happened I really have no idea what we will do, or even if, being 2-0 up with five minutes to go, we'll still win, but I'll stick with it and say a 3-1 win to City, who, being so fired up and ready to make amends, will fly out of the traps from the first minute and attack the Geordies non stop, rather than passing the ball from side to side around the half way line.

If ever there was a game that could determine which way our season is going to go, it's this one. Any kind of result in this game that sees us progress to the CL Final will, I believe give us the momentum to win our final four PL games and maybe our first CL. A negative result could well affect our confidence and see us end up with nothing. We dominated them in the first leg, yet still allowed them to score three times and I can't help feeling that we have shot ourselves in the foot by not putting the tie beyond their grasp when we had the chance. We need to be very thankful that UEFA scrapped the away goals rule too. I am hoping that both Walker, Ake and Stones will all pass fitness tests and I'll postpone giving a score prediction until I see who is out on the pitch on Wednesday night. Let's hope that the match officials – all Italian, aren't members of Ancelotti's family. I can only repeat what I've said before, that UEFA should avoid choosing officials if there is a possibility of any conflict. Perhaps a German, Swiss, Austrian, Belgian, French or Scottish referee and assistants would have made more sense.

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Source: https://ourboysinblue.wordpress.com/

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