Pep up!

First of all my Christmas wish from 'last season' has finally come true, thank God! Pep it's good to have you buddy, I look forward to the players you will inevitably attract and the style of football you play. The news was broke to me by my Dad who went on to say he felt somewhat sorry for Pellegrini, now for those who regularly read my blog you will no full well I don't hold any such sympathy, and I expressed this to my father in no uncertain terms. He then continued with what inevitably the city hating press and pundits will jump on to rubbish us: that we are still in 4 competitions,  but as I have stated previously we are in them despite Pellegrini, with his foolish team-sheets and tactics; as well as the usual crap that we are somehow more mercenary than the rest, which simply isn't true.

Now what is also great is that only a few years ago there would have only been one choice for Pep in Manchester and that now simply isn't true and that is finally starting to hit home with the red side of 'just out of town' as they realise they are the new Liverpool for the next 20 years and Fergie's Roman Empire after stumbling for a couple of seasons has officially fallen!

Now to summarise all I ask is to watch exciting entertaining football comprising of players who want to play their hearts out for the manager, the badge, the club and the fans. For me if that happens it is not first and foremost about trophies, it's about a great positive atmosphere. This I believe Pep will bring and hopefully more.

Anyway, so Everton arrive and I am this time not sat in my season tickets, no I'm not just bumped to the 1st tier where my Dad resided with his mates for the game, I was in corporate for the first time ever at the Etihad. Back in the Maine road days I watched a couple of games from the millennium suite in the new kippax, and the citizen bar or whatever it's called was that with a few modern tweeks! As a one off it was good as we sat on the table next to Ricky Hatton and his mates, enjoying our three course meal, but for me I would still rather be in amongst it in the thick of it most of the time. My brother on the other hand, well he has found his football home and all the little comforts it brings!!

Anyway to the game! Firstly it was great to see, (from my comfy padded seat!), our two best full backs back and playing, and boy did they not disappoint both playing extremely well. Clichy with his head and Zaba running through brick walls right up to the final whistle. As well as Zaba's much missed attacking overlaps down the right flank with Clichy doing his bit down the other side in attack as well.

Then as one pervade the rest of the team it was easy to spot Grini's obvious mistake, something he never fails to treat you to every game! Namely the whole midfield this time (for Grini doesn't like to do anything by halves!): Silva marginalised mainly to the wing again (mistake again!), Delph on as well as Fernandinho (another mistake! One should play when the other is not), No king Kev (well that is just criminal and was proved as such in the second half! God we'll miss him!) Finally Yaya (impact player for me now on this and last years performances).

The game starts and we start slow, but work our way into it eventually. However it doesn't start to really turn until Grini puts his first mistake right at half time with Navas entering the fray at the expense of Delph and Silva taking up a more central role. Immediately we look more balanced, more exciting and more attacking. However the aggregate equaliser wasn't to come until he put his second mistake right and brought on King Kev for Yaya, with the energy level increase immediately obvious for all to see! Then within a few minutes the inevitable happened as the ginger prince pounced for his goal! Everton by this point were a broken team and broken not by a genius tactician in the dug out, he was merely putting right his earlier team sheet mistakes, rather by the 'Ginger Prince' as he set up our winner for Aguero! So you can imagine my dismay when our saviour got injured for that is bad news! I've done my media ligament and it had me out for three months it takes a while to come back to full fitness with that one!

So we won, and shut your cake hole Martinez! At Woodison one of your goals had a man off side interfering with play and we should have had a penalty, so it's swings and roundabouts! So put your toys back in your pram and draw you opinions from a more balanced aggregate, as that is what the semi final is. As for Robby Savage, well you can just piss off with your childish opinions, a replay? Who do you think you are? Your fame as definitely gone to your dizzy blonde head!!

Next was Villa, the game that no one was apparently recording! No dodgy feeds on my brother's lap top! No pub in Chorlton managing to find it! Even my Forza wasn't updating the in play action! So I was left to Match of the day to see what happened, and what happened was Iheanacho! Now those who read my blog know I have been saying all season that this guy demands minutes and I know you have to ease him in with his youth, but I'd ease him in a bit quicker. I would always now put him ahead of Bony if Sergio's out and wouldn't consider accommodating him in other roles at times. He is class, he is city youth and this is what we want more of as it warms your football soul as the hat-trick flies in! Good lad, well done and keep up the good work. As for Villa they are a team littered with has beens who are destined for the championship it seems!

In conclusion I think I stopped blogging for a while because of Pellegrini and now I am once again infused to write once again because of Pellegrini, namely his pending departure. I'm sure he is probably a nice man socially and that I believe is how a lot of businesses fail as an inept nice man gets to the top and no one has the heart to sack him! Well his personality aside his tactics are woeful and I will be glad to see the back of what he delivered on the pitch, massively riding his luck at times causing us to under-perform in one of our potential golden eras. So here's to the fresh hope and ideas Pep brings, and Manuel I'm sorry but I don't feel at all sorry for you, but I wish you good luck with whatever you do next.

Colin bell stand, third tier.