17 Mar 2025 12:55:50
Surely Maresca is on thin ice now? I understand the SDs are going to give him more leeway due to how they have tied themselves to him, but how much longer can this go on?
A reminder that we reached the CC final last season, the FA cup semi final and lost only 3 league games after Xmas.
Like most fans, I would like a managerial appointment to last more than 12 months, preferably for more than 3 years. But I am just not seeing it with Maresca. What has he shown to suggest he deserves the time that no one else has been given?
A season coaching City's u21s.
Sacked after 14 games at Parma (quote: 'no one told me I had to win') .
A season picking up the cones for Pep.
Stumbled over the line last season having overseen a precipitous drop in form after Xmas (sound familiar? )
If the club really want a manager who 'grows with the team' as it is often briefed to the media, then at least choose someone who has shown an ability to either win consistently, or get more than the sum of its parts out of a team. Maresca has done neither, if anything its the opposite.
Ed001, have you heard anything about what Maresca's fate is tied to? I know he's said that no one demanded champions league football, but surely that has to be the minimum requirement?
{Ed001's Note - I haven't heard but when he was appointed he was told he would have 2 years to return to the Champions League.}
17 Mar 2025 13:53:53
Blimey Ed, he could reach that target ahead of schedule. They may well extend his contract.
{Ed001's Note - I would worry about anyone who considers offering him a new contract based on what I have seen.}
17 Mar 2025 14:22:22
My comment was meant slightly tongue in cheek!
17 Mar 2025 14:27:29
Goodness me, that is shocking to hear. We're on course for one more point than last season, but I have to say I don't see a route to 15 more points from the remaining games. I really hope he's given his p45 if we don't get CL, especially in a year where three normal challengers have fallen off a cliff AND there is an additional spot up for grabs.
I was chatting to a fan at the pub yesterday and he was of the opinion that getting CL would be more damaging than missing out, as it would mean another season of this rubbish. Personally, I think if he manages to survive this season he'll be out of a job by Xmas.
17 Mar 2025 14:56:54
RBD, how strange that a group of us season ticket holders pre the Leicester game had our usual meeting and there seemed to be unanimous opinion that our current style of football is more likely to be successful in the Champions League than the premiership.
To find out we will have to qualify first. ?
I assume the scousers will get more points than last season and obviously we have the Forest fairytale but there can’t be many teams who will get more points than they did last season? It’s been a truly any team can beat anyone bang average season for most clubs.
{Ed001's Note - City and Arsenal have both been poor by their recent standards Tom.}
17 Mar 2025 15:26:50
I keep on reading / hearing that he wants his wingers to get into 1-on-1's and attack the opposition player. I see them take two, three, four touches, step over here, pirouette there, and play the ball backwards.
A new striker would make a difference, over the course of a season, but during games like yesterday (a tough watch all round) a top class striker would have cut a very frustrated figure.
During the course of the January window it was said that this ownership group aren't afraid to admit when signings aren't working out and move on - KDH, Tosin, Felix and Veiga all either made moves, or were linked with them. Maybe they should think along the same lines with the manager, and the sporting directors.
17 Mar 2025 15:32:00
RBD, the thing that annoys me most about Maresca is his arrogance: he hasn’t achieved anything to be arrogant about.
17 Mar 2025 16:30:55
His tactics will not win a thing. Waste of yet another season.
17 Mar 2025 16:34:17
“J” I guess judgement on the manager and SD’s I’d dependant on the parameters set by the owners.
Could be worse we might have to wait 70!years before we win another’s trophy!
17 Mar 2025 16:36:09
Ed001, putting aside the Champions (Liverpool) and Forest the whole division has been bang average.
{Ed001's Note - very much so.}
17 Mar 2025 17:46:37
With 9 games to go Maresca has 14 wins 7 draws and 8 losses. Poch by end of season withn record injuries and having to gell large number of new signings into squad had 18 wins 9 draws and 11 losses. Could be a close finish in terms of Marewsca doing any better though it may be that fewer points needed to make ECL football given also that fifth place qualification possible. Point is that Poch#s team did finish the season strongly and looked to be really enjoying their football. We can onbly hope it will be the same this season. Arguably Maresca benefioted from the strong fnish to last season that gave many players hope for better things things this season.
But yes I've not seen anything yet with Maresca that is obviously better than Poch. Given multiple (14 for some time) injuries in Poch squad for much of last season plus huge number of additions to squad in last transfer window. We looked way worse in the two league games v City this season though margin of defeat far smaller in away games v Arsenal and Liverpool this season (though could easily have been greater v gunners at least) . Plus no domestic cup run.
But Poch clearly disputed transfer strategy with SDs and Maresca unlikely to?
17 Mar 2025 18:18:47
I think he hasn't had much time but at the same time he doesn't have the pedigree to warrant time. It was an odd appointment in the first place and maybe this is ver, very harsh, but I think being a yes man is very important to this clubs ownership.
Poch very likely walked because he was unhappy with things, it's speculated it was the sales of gallagher and chalobah being forced out, but who knows.
Maresca had sterling as his primary winger, and when the club ordered the bomb squad, he complied straight away.
I think UCL is an absolute must this season. Anything else should be the end of him. If he makes ucl and we finish the season strong with a conference win, I think he deserves another season.
17 Mar 2025 20:30:14
I have no idea if Poch fell out with the the owners about player signings or if EM complied with the wishes of the SD’s or owners.
I do assume that the owners call the shots and if managers or SD’s don’t do what is expected of them they will be sacked. That’s the same at most privately owned companies.
18 Mar 2025 10:06:35
I'd be very surprised if he is still here by the end of April. If we turn in another two performances akin to the last 3 months against Spurs and Brentford then CL will be all but gone.
A depressingly familiar feeling, but I didn't have much hope when he was hired. Third choice, third rate. We've been out-fought and out-thought for months. I actually thought these performances were how we'd start the season and he'd be gone by Xmas. He binned off everything we did in pre-season and reverted to Poch-style football until Xmas. Since moving back to his preferred style we've been absolutely abysmal.
If he does stay, there is no way this football will ever achieve anything, so it's going to be a stay of execution at best.
18 Mar 2025 10:48:52
Having read all your posts, I'd like to suggest that this season seemed like a transition season for EM and the SDs.
It seems like they are only focusing on getting a CL spot and doing good in the new Club World Cup tournament, so any other achievement like in FA Cup, was not a priority.
We have to accept that we are not going to see a rapid rebuild, like in the previous era, which hasn't worked very well, to be honest.
So, a financial success, like running deep in that World Cup tournament will help us build a more solid team.
I expect EM to be our manager at least for another season and I expect to see only a few improvements in the current team, like a new winger, ST, CB and GK, probably. Nothing more.
18 Mar 2025 14:03:47
Ashk, I think you are just about spot on mate.
18 Mar 2025 18:19:09
I haven’t checked out the teams in the CWC but I doubt we will go that far. Yes I think Maresca will be coach next season because the SDs won’t want to expose their incompetence. Not sure we will sign a goalie unless we sell at least 2 of our current crop. We will sign a few players but it is doubtful they will be an improvement going by recent history. We don’t sign top class players just as we don’t appoint top class coaches.
18 Mar 2025 20:18:24
Jimbo, sadly I agree about us not signing a goalkeeper but that’s only because I desperately want us to sign Costa.
I find myself agreeing with the pundits who think we will have more players leaving than we sign.
I have a feeling we will sign a CH and a ST and that’s it.
I also think that Palmer, Caicedo and Lavia are all top class. I also think that Neto and Jackson will prove to be top class.
19 Mar 2025 05:10:02
Jimbo, I should have added that I think a South American team will win this summer’s CWC. It appears to me that the timing of the competition favours there sides. I just can’t see it working well for the European teams.
19 Mar 2025 08:10:07
Tom
Whether we sign another GK or not, Sanchez should be sold, I would bring back Petrovic as our no1 if we are not buying anybody. Kepa can go as well, even Bournemouth are looking for a new GK next season.
19 Mar 2025 15:12:03
Bill as I’ve said several times I would sell two maybe three of our goalkeepers if we can sign Costa but sadly I don’t think it will happen.
21 Mar 2025 10:56:52
For our GK spot, I think our Belgian kid might turn out to be a really solid keeper, but for the moment, I'd give every GK we have to sign Kobel or Costa.