The end is nigh.

[liam]

I think the europhia that started when Mo'N Arrived and Randy bought the club made us all think we would be one of the top teams again in the next few years. The rise in the first couple of seasons was great, due to the low point we were starting from. However i think we were always going to plateau out for a season or 2 and thats where we are now. Shoudl Martin go? Have the fans had enough? Well his name was being sung at the bescot the other night, and it seemed to be by the majority. I'm not in Portugal so can't comment, but watching the game last night I felt gutted, even though it was a pre season friendly! I do wonder with the internet and the constant news about the all things football, we  read too much into a game that contained half fit players and a make shift team.
Martin is far from perfect and at times winds me up ( the Luke Young situation for one) But we were in contention for top 4 until the end of the City game last season, 2 trips to wembley..to say progress hasn't been made year on year is debateable. I think it has been. I do think the milner situation could be a clioud hanging over eberybody and although I hoped he would stay I now think the release of that money and some new faces may be the best bet.
Finally I think most of us on the forum have a slightly different view to the average fan who turns up on match dayl  I would suggest that a good majority of them are still happy with Mr O'neil and many wouldnt even realise we had played a game last night let alone be worried about the performance.

[richard moore]

Good post Liam and a very balanced summing up I feel. You are right about us not being a very representative cross-section of fans. In fact, that is one of the best things about H and V and even more noticeable if you meet up with fellow H and Vers at matches. We are not 'your average fans' in most cases which might sound slightly elitist and superior but it's true....well in most cases!

[Tom_Mc9?]

But we were in contention for top 4 until the end of the City game last season, 2 trips to wembley..to say progress hasn't been made year on year is debateable.

If a team of similar stature to ourselves, such as Everton, had the season that we had just had, and their fans wanted Moyes out because of them playing boring football, I'd be calling them ungrateful.
Regarding an earlier post saying that the fans in Portugal are obviously the more dedicated fans, isn't that what DOL said? (winky thing)

[villan1975]

agree with pretty much all of liams post and put myself in the mon staying until he wants to leave camp as we are still progressing,however slowly.Get the feeling that if we go backwards this year in anyway he will leave by his own accord and he will leave with my grateful thanks.

[Chris Smith]

You also have to take into account that we're in the silly season. Once the transfer window is closed and we get down to playing proper games then   there are more concrete things to worry about instead of all this naval gazing that we get at the moment (where every tiny rumour and soundbite is analysed to the nth degree) is replaced by a proper discussion on football.

How the team do next season will decide the future of the manager anything else is just idle chat.

[Concrete John]

Quite true.

There are many ways to judge a manager, but surely the most important is results?

[Phil from the upper holte]

Does anyone really think those people DCF is talking about have formed that opinion after one pre season friendly?

I'm imagining not.

Haven't man City got battered in nearly all of their games? I don't read too much into friendlies as im sure most of us don't but looking at the threads in the pre season friendly bit we were poor again.

My opinion of MON has been dropping for a while, I will judge us when the season starts but im not getting myself excited that's for sure

[boboonthecorner]

I'm not disappointed in last nights performance I think it was expected. We blatantly need to strengthen areas of the team and we're in exactly the same situation as every preseason.

Ten days till kick off and we're getting ready for the new season with players who rarely played at the top level and even somebody who was playing in the championship. No sign of new blood unless he can get rid of the players who cost huge sums of cash now deemed not good enough.

I would've been happier if he'd walked at the end of last season. I'd gladly give up 6th place and two semi finals to watch some good football, at the end of the day sport is still meant to be entertaining.

[b23]

I dont think the end is nigh at all.

[JUAN PABLO]

We have probably got him for one more season so we have to get on with it and get behind MON and the team.   But I for one am bored and frustrated by the man.

[Irish villain]

Good post andrew 08 , yes the Moscow debacle was where it began to go wrong for mon- a shocking mistake having played so many games to get that far and toss it away like that.

Things haven't been quite the same since then. That's when my opinion of MON took a knock.

However, I think he's a good manager and there's no point calling for him to be sacked when we have finished top six three seasons in a row.

Don't get me wrong, he frustrates me the majority of the time, I just think he needs another season. I'd hate to think he'd leave us and finally 'crack it' at another premiership club. I'd rather he 'cracked it' with us.

However, he needs to overcome his obsession with wing play, buying UK and Ireland based players and to learn to make our tactics adapt more to different types of games.

[boboonthecorner]

Good post andrew 08 , yes the Moscow debacle was where it began to go wrong for mon- a shocking mistake having played so many games to get that far and toss it away like that.

Things haven't been quite the same since then. That's when my opinion of MON took a knock.

However, I think he's a good manager and there's no point calling for him to be sacked when we have finished top six three seasons in a row.

Don't get me wrong, he frustrates me the majority of the time, I just think he needs another season. I'd hate to think he'd leave us and finally 'crack it' at another premiership club. I'd rather he 'cracked it' with us.

However, he needs to overcome his obsession with wing play, buying UK and Ireland based players and to learn to make our tactics adapt more to different types of games.

He's one of the stubbornest men involved in football and at 58 I don't think theres any chance of change.

[Villa'Zawg]

Too right I'm cantankerous, I'm fed up to the back teeth.

If someone had suggested that our 4th season would see us finishing above Liverpool, reaching the FA Cup semi-final and the League Cup final, they woudnt have been believed. People ike to portray it as a symptom of liverpool being unusually poor last season but 64 points and good cup runs was exactly what was needed to catch up with the traditional Sky4.

Now that we've reached that level, it seems the same people who said O'Neil couldn't get us to that level are now insisting that this is as good as it can possibly get and acting as though their opinion is a statement of fact.

Randy is the ony person who is going to make a decision on MON and its clear that he is backing him for next sesson. What is the point of focussing sooooo much attention on it?

How about we try to avoid creating the same poisonous atmosphere for West Ham that we created for Wigan. How about if we actualy go into this season giving the team our full unreserved support and give this ridicuous Martin O'Neill soap opera a fecking rest.

[Concrete John]

He's one of the stubbornest men involved in football and at 58 I don't think theres any chance of change.

In terms of style of play, he's all about playing to the team's strengths.  I think any tactical change for 2010/2011 will be dependent on who we sign this summer.  Players like Keane and Ireland would mean a change to the way we play.

[Irish villain]

Good post andrew 08 , yes the Moscow debacle was where it began to go wrong for mon- a shocking mistake having played so many games to get that far and toss it away like that.

Things haven't been quite the same since then. That's when my opinion of MON took a knock.

However, I think he's a good manager and there's no point calling for him to be sacked when we have finished top six three seasons in a row.

Don't get me wrong, he frustrates me the majority of the time, I just think he needs another season. I'd hate to think he'd leave us and finally 'crack it' at another premiership club. I'd rather he 'cracked it' with us.

However, he needs to overcome his obsession with wing play, buying UK and Ireland based players and to learn to make our tactics adapt more to different types of games.

He's one of the stubbornest men involved in football and at 58 I don't think theres any chance of change.

I tend to agree. However, he has brought us to three top six finishes, would another top six finish this season be such a bad thing? I think he should go if we finish outside the top six this season.
That would represent regression and prove , as many suspect, that he's just not going to take us to the next level.

I was hoping he would freshen things up a bit more in the window but there's another month for him to do that I guess.