The date is 27th September 1997. My 15 year old
self is sat in her season ticket seat at Maine Road –Kippax Stand BB Lower. The
opposition today? Swindon Town.
It was one of those rare days; we had six goals to
celebrate. That never happened. Nobody could quite believe it – we actually
battered a team for once! Driving home from Moss Side with a smile on your face
because of what you’d witnessed on the pitch was a very rare occurance. We’d
even found a new cult hero – there’s only one Barry Conlon.
Neither the football nor the ‘cult hero’ lasted very long -
which couldn’t be further from what we are experiencing right now at City. I
can’t believe I’m writing this, but it’s January and City are still unbeaten in the Premier League (this goes to print before the Watford game).
No, I’m not still pissed from Christmas, it’s actually happening. We started
the New Year with a 14 point lead at the top of the Premier League – all the
best for 2018, Blues!
JUGGARNAUT 1-0 BUS
At the time of going to print last month, we were about to
play United; which feels odd because so much has happened since then. Jose
tried his predictable mind games pre-match, claiming we were nothing but a team
of drivers. Change the record eh Jose.
When the team news came out and I saw how attacking their
line-up was, my confidence did waver slightly. But within minutes of the game
starting, it became clear that Jose was parking the bus.
‘Park the bus, park the bus, Man United,’ City fans mocked.
It was 90 minutes of deep defensive play from them, with the
odd hoof it up towards Lukaku in the vain hope of creating something and their
players surrounding the referee begging at any given opportunity. In fact,
Lukaku assisted us – twice. United were never at the races and the confident
2-1 win was made all the more sweeter when Jose kicked off over our
‘disrespectful’ dressing room celebrations. Hello Jose: pot, kettle, hypocrite.
This behaviour is of course Classic Jose – all a ploy to detract from what happened
on the pitch. He’s the master of manipulation, of smoke and mirrors – but I
think it’s about time he practiced what he preached and showed a little respect
(don’t hold your breath!)
Swansea was next: a delightful 4-0 away win in first gear,
with two goals from David Silva and another futile parking the bus attempt from
the opposition.
It was then onto Spurs at home and a game that many viewed
as our strongest test of the season. I didn’t – I felt strangely really
confident. Spurs tend to play open, expansive football, which suits us just
fine; ideal to play through. But even I was shocked at the extent of our
dominance through the 90 minutes.
David Silva had been ruled out after returning to Spain due
to personal reasons – something we all wish him the very best with and respect
his privacy with too. Gundogan came in- and had his best game in a blue shirt
yet. The German scored the first goal and had a part to play in almost every
other goal to. David Silva is David Silva; nobody could ever emulate or replace
him. But Gundogan proved to be a more than capable stand-in.
But it was once again Kevin De Bruyne who again stole the
show in midfield: orchestrating City attacks with bewildering simplicity. His
vision and passing has made him the best box-to-box midfielder in Europe – not
bad for a Chelsea reject!
It’s worth nothing of course that Spurs, as well as being on
the end of a 4-1 drubbing, should’ve been down to 9 men after what can only be
described as potentially career-ending tackles by Harry Kane and Dele Alli. But
they’ll be more on those later.
Leicester next in the Carabao Cup quarter final: Pep rang
the changes and fielded a second string side made up of youth players and
fringe first teamers. He managed to strike a perfect balance: just enough
experience, coupled with gifting Foden, Zinchenko and Tosin with starts against
a fellow Premier League team; a fantastic opportunity for the lads to grasp and
learn from.
Leicester started with Mahrez and Vardy on the bench too,
perhaps surprisingly given this would possibly be their best chance of
silverware this season. City’s one goal lead was looking to be enough – until Demarei
Gray managed to convince Bobby Madley that his dive was a penalty. Not only was
it blatant cheating, the fact Madley had given seven minutes of injury time seemingly from nowhere meant the game
should’ve been over before the decision was made.
We then had to play an entirely unnecessary 30 minutes of
extra time before winning on penalties – and what a penalty that was from
Nmecha! Good save from Bravo too and I’m happy that he got to enjoy that
moment. Pep’s celebration though – orchestrating the fans to his own ‘we’ve got
Guardiola’ chant – may have gone some way to silencing the minority who thought
he didn’t care so much for the Carabao Cup.
A relatively routine (!)
4-0 home win against an initially stubborn Bournemouth side was swiftly
followed y a 1-0 away win over Newcastle. They set up so defensively – any
deeper and they would’ve been in the North Sea. It was another instance of how
we have to be patient to break such teams down. We should be confident in our
ability; press, push and stretch them and force them into errors to be able to
take advantage.
They had a 10 minutes rallying spell in the second half, but
the one goal was enough to make it 18 wins in a row – a new record and only one
behind Pep’s own record that he set at Bayern Munich.
Onto Crystal Palace on New Years’ Eve and fair play to them
for giving it a bloody good go and actually taking a game of football to us.
The winning streak may have ended, but it could’ve been worse: Ederson save a
late penalty, another dive that tricked referee Jon Moss, and we looked below
par, lacking intensity and our typical passing accuracy.
More disturbingly, both Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne
went off injured – the latter after a horror tackle from Puncheon that once
again failed to result in a red card. Moss had a nightmare: he delayed our
physio getting onto the pitch to treat Jesus’ injury, gave a penalty that was a
dive and no red for another potentially leg-breaking challenge.
It wasn’t a disaster – in fact, it proved to be a decent
point against a team that put up more of a fight than most have and I admire
them for that at least. Most Blues going into the game were nervous and knew it
would be a test. But Aguero missed a hatful – a worrying trend – and the
passing in the final third was abnormally sloppy. We looked more of a threat
when Sterling came on, but we never really looked like Sterling – I wanted
Sanchez in the Summer and I would like him even more now please City.
It’s really difficult to single players out for praise when
it’s such a team effort. Players who would’ve previously been seen as selfish
as passing more, thinking more and the team spirit is infectious and exciting.
I heap praise on Otamendi this month – rightly so – and my love for Ederson is
ever-growing. For me, he’s the key signing this summer. He’s made a monumental
difference to the team: his distribution is ridiculous and he instills
positivity and confidence from the back. I keep praising Sterling too; his
scored 18 goals in 95 apperances during his spell at Liverpool and he’s scored
17 for us in all competitions so far this
season. Of course, he credits Pep with the praise for his remarkable
progression – as do all the players involved.
Pep’s attitude and mentality runs through the players’ veins
and they all credit that with the remarkable form of City this season. They’ve
won games that a Pellegrini side for example would’ve definitely lost. It’s all
down to the Pep effect – and to think people were worried about whether he
could do it in the Premier League. He’s now reported bought an apartment in the
city centre – hopefully it’s a sign of his commitment to City beyond his current
contract. A girl can dream!
IF YOU CAN’T BEAT US,
HACK US DOWN
I’ve just mentioned instances in recent games of opposition
players subjecting our players to horror tackles. Referee Craig Pawson failed
to send off both Kane and Alli for potentially career-ending tackles on
Sterling and De Bruyne during the Spurs game. Similarly, Andre Marriner failed
to even book Jacob Murphy for a despicable studs-up challenge on Gundogan (even if he couldn’t see it properly, the
linesman had no excuse as it was right in front of him). During the Palace
game, Jon Moss didn’t show a red card to Puncheon for his high, rugby-esque
tackle on De Bruyne.
It’s become a worrying trend of late, where opposition
players seem to think it’s okay to hack our players down to try to stop us
playing. Even more worryingly perhaps, is Gary Neville’s recent quotes
encouraging this kind of behaviour. Neville has become increasingly bitter
towards City of late, with snide comments aplenty during coverage of our games.
How is it okay that an ex-professional even thinks about coming out with such
garbage?!
I don’t particularly enjoy finger pointing at referees – but
when the quality of officiating is this poor and inconsistent – questions need
to be asked. But where do we go from here, because this is now a proven
problem. Up until the Palace game, our players/victims had thankfully emerged
unscathed, but it was sickening to see De Bruyne hacked down so maliciously and
stretchered off in agony. It had been coming unfortunately; and will continue
unless the FA clamp down on it. I don’t expect
special treatment in any way and it’s not asking for much – just a fair,
level playing field where such tackles
are greeted with the punishment they rightly deserve.
BLUE MOON PODCAST
Since I’ve had my two little boys, my career has well and
truly taken a back seat. I was delighted to start writing for King of the
Kippax again - I couldn’t believe Dave and Sue would want me back – it’s
nothing but an absolute privilege.
I’ve always been close friends with Ian Cheeseman; since I
was about 15 years old, looking to start a career in Sport Journalism, Ian has
always been there for me offering opportunities, like the BBC Manchester radio
show, Blue Tuesday. So not only could
I not believe it when he phoned to invite me on his XS Manchester radio show Forever Blue, I was gobsmacked when he
phoned to ask if I would like to be one of his panel members on a podcast he
was launching with City Watch.
I’d followed City Watch on Twitter for years – they have over
115,000 followers and are seen as the number one unofficial source for all
things City. So it was a pleasure and a privilege to be invited to be involved
in such an exciting media project. We record the podcast at the XS Manchester
studios in Spinningfields once a week: Ian is the host and I feature alongside
two of the guys from the City Watch team. I rotate in with one of Ian’s other
friends and it’s a fantastic experience to be involved in.
For the first show, we just sucked it to see if people would
listen to us all rambling about City. But the figures have been brilliant – and
by show three we had made it into the iTunes top 10 for sports and recreation
podcasts – above established Sky and BBC podcasts. We were all amazed – and
it’s justified recognition to the collective effort that we all put into it.
Stuart, City Watch’s owner and founder, is over the moon with how it’s going.
For me, it’s just nice to be able to talk about City for an hour a week and
have people actually listen. It’s a lovely hobby to have and the lads involved
are all so talented and knowledgeable. If you fancy listening, head to mcfcwatch.com,
@City_Watch on Twitter, @mcfcwatch on Instagram and the City Watch page on
Facebook.
I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoy making
it.
OTAMENDI IS SUPERMAN
It’s a testament to Pep as just how many players have
improved under his leadership. But one of the most remarkable turnarounds has
come from our Argentine centre back, Nicholas Otamendi.
I’m happy to admit that, the past couple of seasons,
Otamendi and his sliding tackles have put the fear of God in me. He could be
hot-headed, rash and inconsistent. But this season he is establishing himself
as one of the best defenders not only in the Premier League, but in Europe.
His passing stats have been incredible: during the Newcastle
game, Otamendi completed 122 passes – seven more than the entire Newcastle team
including substitutes. He’s matured: his passing out from the back has become
crucial to the transition from defence to attack. He’s also managed to get on
the score-sheet a few times himself.
The change hasn’t gone unnoticed, with Pep likening the 29
year old to Superman. For me, it’s a fit John Stones and Otamendi in the heart
of defence as our best pairing now moving forward. I do think we could do with
another central defender during the January transfer window. Kompany (as much as it breaks my heart), is more
liability than reliable, Tosin is too inexperienced to use consistently in the
Premier League just yet and Mangala is, well, Mangala. We could do with a
player who is happy to play his part, accept being a part of the squad rotation
but who’s skilled enough to be able to play it out from the back and fit in
with Pep’s system. We’ve been linked with Origi Martinez and, of course, Jonny
Evans. I would love Bonucci, but I can’t see that happening anytime soon. An
interesting month of rumours is ahead!
PARK THE BUS, PARK
THE BUS
Well, what a month it’s been in Trafford. It seems like Jose
is well on his way to cracking up: the post Derby Day dressing room feud, being
knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Bristol City and poor results across the
board have left United a laughing stock and let City fans have a lot of fun on
social media mocking them.
Jose even moaned about the amount of money City have spent
on full backs. We bought Aguero, David Silva and Jesus for what it cost them to
buy Pogba back. Maybe he should try the money at his disposal a bit more
wisely? We also bought Fabian Delph for £8million and Pep turned the fringe
midfielder into a superb left-back – so, although I know he’s pointing the
finger towards Mendy and Walker specifically, maybe he should educate himself
on the craftsmanship and coaching skills of Pep instead of being bitter and
resentful.
The ‘park the bus’ song and mind the gap comments from City
fans are nothing but a bit of fun. We couldn’t be cocky or arrogant if we
tried. In the 1990s, we had to endure that
banner, along with a tidal wave of jibes and comments from their lot
constantly. We did live in the shadow of their success: we got promoted from
Division Two the same season they won the treble and they even mocked us
celebrating that! At the time, celebrating anything City-wise was few and far
between, so we took the positives where we could find them.
But there would always be United fans to knock us back down
again. We should savour this moment and give it out both barrels: after all, we
cannot forgive nor forget their behaviour. I’m not saying we are stooping to
their level and it’s certainly not arrogant. It’s just poking fun while we are
watching the best football of our lives. It’s harmless, and in most instances I
just get ‘20 times’ (yawn) thrown
back at me. I never thought I’d live to see the day where we are in this
position – try wiping the smile off my face!
FESTIVITIES
Christmas has now been and gone and what an exciting it was
with my little boys. Vincent is three so it was his first Christmas knowing
about Father Christmas, Rudolph and putting out the carrot and mince pie before
bed time on Christmas Eve. Noel Sergio is only one, so he was oblivious, even
when he crawled into a front room laden with presents on the big day. But it
was so magical and, although exhausting as any parent will be able to relate,
oh so worth it to see the look on V’s face on the morning opening his presents.
We spent most of the time celebrating with family of course.
All our family are Blues, so Boxing Day we took great delight in watching the
United-Burnley game with more than a few drinks. It did feel very weird not
watching City on Boxing Day, it’s such a tradition, it’s all gone so daft now
and it’s so unfair on the travelling fans. Adam and I then enjoyed a night away
in the Lakes – precious time to relax amongst all the madness and mayhem!
So it’s now 2018, a World Cup year, and the only real plans
we have involve City and a week away with the boys in Cornwall. We have gig
tickets for Noel, Liam (why won’t they
just get back together and have done with it – saves me spending money paying
to watch them separately all the time!) and The Killers.
But with a Carabao Cup semi final on the horizon against
Bristol City, that final weekend in February could potentially involve a trip
to the capital. Factor in the return of the Champions League and City being in
the form of their lives - something
tells me this year is set to be an absolute corker.
All the best to you and yours fellow Blues.
What a time it is to be a City fan – oh what I’d give to
have just one day back in the classroom at high school right now! #bothbarrels
Emily Brobyn
@kippaxgirlemily
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