Green and gold ‘til the club is sold…………….again
Written by Steve Johnson
I have noticed a hell of a lot of green and gold scarves around Manchester lately
The colours apparently represent those of the inaugural club which Manchester united grew out of – Newton Heath FC
It is a new mass movement by united fans to oust the current glazier regime
The evil glazier regime who bought the majority of shares in a plc-They had no right!
The evil glazier regime who have been in charge during part of Manchester United’s most successful period in their entire history-How dare they!
The evil glazer regime whose ultimate plan involves united winning everything-KILL THEM!
The whole situation makes me laugh
I’m sorry but you reap what you sow
If united hadn’t become a plc all those years ago in 1991, and got all that lovely shareholder cash, would they have become the force they are today?
NO!
How do you think the current ‘best player on the planet’ Rooney was bought, Ronaldo too, Berbaflop, Veron, Hargreaves, Nani, Ferdinand-all multi million pound players paid for with this money
So if you want to boast about United’s success (which is all they do to other fans who have been foolish enough to support another club) accept that it costs money
And if you have to pay for it via debt then so be it!
Would any united fan seriously swap the amount of success they have had under the glazier regime for a few seasons with no trophies?
Would they have took one less champions league, 3 less titles, 3 less carling cups and the all rest for fan ownership
NO!
Sometimes you can’t have it all in this world
United fans may be used to having it all but do they really think that having 40 fans on the board all with their own thoughts and opinions on everything, from who should manage after Fergie to how much a pie costs, will be ultimately beneficial?
40 fans, who will not only have had to put a shed load of their own cash into the club, but borrow too! (yes they won’t be debt free-they will just have fans getting in debt on their behalf)
The Cheesily named ‘red knights’ are saying they are doing it for the good of the club, but men with this kind of money are not just doing it for a laugh, surely they will want some serious input?
These guys will be used to being at the top of the tree wherever they have been for most of their lives-now they all have 1/40th of a say
I thought Keith Harris only had Orville to answer to
So to put it bluntly I think the green and gold brigade should shut up and let whatever happens happen
If they really want the club to be sold just don’t go, hit them where it really hurts via their major profit maker-ticket sales, but is that happening?
NO!
During a recent match I visited one of the OT exec suites and guess what I saw……. ‘green and gold’
You could not make it up! Idiots paying top whack for tickets and bad food but wearing the protest colours
……Talk about oxymorons! These guys can’t even grasp the basic concept
Lemmings spring to mind!
So to sum it up and put it bluntly, It seems to me that it’s just something to do when you are bored of winning everything and have nothing else to worry about
It is nice to know that some fans still believe in getting back to the roots of football but plc’s and Premiership money have made united what they are today
I guarantee if you asked any united fan what would they rather have;
The success gained from the point when MUFC became publicly owned in 1991?
Or take your chances at being owned by the fans during that period?
I know what they all would choose
Accept your fate United fans, you owe many happy years of success and trophies to Manchester united plc and all that comes with it
….even the glazers!
Mourinho Watch
Jose Mourinho has fuelled speculation that he is set to return to England by announcing he is unhappy with Italian football and he misses English football.
The Portuguese manager led Chelsea to two consecutive league titles and has been continually linked with a return to England, possibly replacing Roberto Mancini at Eastlands. And his recent comments will only add fuel to the fire that has been growing since last summer.
“I’m not happy in Italian football, because I don’t like it and they don’t like me,” said Mourinho before adding “I miss English football and English football misses me, there’s no doubt about that. But right now I’m thinking only about Inter.”
Mourinho has been constantly touted as returning to England, with Manchester on the list of possible destinations but whether it will Eastlands or Old Trafford remains to be seen. Mancini took over the reigns from Mark Hughes on a temporary basis and it has been suggested that Mourinho could replace him in the summer, but the Portuguese may want to hold out for the Old Trafford hot seat once Sir Alex Ferguson vacates it.
Meanwhile a recent poll conducted by Over The Blue Moon revealed that fans are narrowly split over Mancini. 44% of voters feel Mancini should be judged at the end of the season while 43% feel he has already done enough to take the job permanently.
What do you think? Should we stick with Mancini or go for Mourinho?
Calling All Budding Writers
Over The Blue Moon is a new site still that is developing into an unofficial Manchester City fanzine.
To progress its development further, OTBM is looking for new, upcoming writers who can give a humourous take on the football world. If this can be aimed towards United then even better.
There’s no money involved but if you are looking to get into sports writing then this could be the opportunity to get noticed.
Interested? Then send us an email at writers@overthebluemoon.net and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
Mancini Hails Win But Bemoans Performance
City manager Roberto Mancini hailed City’s 3-0 win over Wigan, which lifted the blues back into fifth and two points behind Spurs, but was not happy with the performance, particularly in the first half.
“We were not good in the first half and it was impossible for us to be like that again after the break,” Said the Italian. “I’m pleased with the clean sheet. If we want to finish fourth, we really have to pay attention in defence but we also need a lot of goals.
It took until the 72nd minute for City to finally break the deadlock, but when it happened, Carlos Tevez couldn’t stop and scored a 13 minute hat-trick. The first goal came following a blunder by the Wigan keeper which left Tevez with a simple tap in. Two minutes later, Tevez scored at the far post before completing his hat-trick with a superb solo goal.
Mancini later hailed the Argentine’s performance. “It was a good performance by Carlos. He scored three important goals. I am happy with him. He is scoring a lot of goals and has always been a good player. He is a young player, who is improving every year.”
Show Superiority
Not going to mince words over this one. Against Wigan tonight, we must show superiority from the start.
All season, Wigan have struggled which is why they are only four points clear of the relegation zone. In comparison, City have been in the top half of the table all season, rarely, if at all going below seventh in the league.
It is quite obvious that we are performing to a better standard than Wigan and that has got to be translated onto the pitch tonight. We cannot afford to lose any points, particularly to a team that is languishing close to the relegation trap door.
Wigan will come to Eastlands tonight as desperate for points as City will be, but they may choose to use similar tactics that provided success for Stoke and Everton. But the blues need to rise above it and put Wigan in their place. Spurs beat this team 9-1 at White Hart Lane and I’m not naïve enough to think we could get a similar scoreline.
But we have the players and the talent to put this game beyond Wigan’s reach early and it’s high time we used them.
Team News: City v Wigan
City will aim to close the gap on Spurs when they entertain Wigan on Monday evening.
Victory for the blues will move them to within two points of the London club and one point clear of Liverpool, who regained fifth place with a 3-0 win over Sunderland on Sunday. City will also be looking to erase the memory of last Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Everton which meant the blues missed out on overtaking Spurs in fourth.
The blues welcome back Emmanuel Adebayor following the completion of his four match ban for his sending off at Stoke. Stephen Ireland is a doubt for the blues with a shin injury, while Wayne Bridge, Joleon Lescott, Michael Johnson and Martin Petrov are all sidelined through injury.
Wigan are just four points clear of the relegation zone but will go into the game having lost only one of four meetings in the Premier League. In their last game, Wigan needed three minutes of injury time to break the deadlock against fellow strugglers Burnley.
The Latics have virtually a full strength squad to select from. Only Emmerson Boyce and Charles N’Zogbia are doubtful through injury.
League Form (Last Five)
City: DWDWL
Wigan: LWLLW
Over The Blue Moon Prediction: City 3-0 Wigan
Traditionally, this fixture has ended 1-0 but City will change that tonight with a comprehensive victory.
The Opposition – Wigan
Wigan sit two places and four points above the Premiership relegation zone and considering they have only won three Premiership games since the turn of the year, it’s not difficult to see why.
The Latics started the year by beating Hull 4-1 at the D W Stadium in the FA Cup third round and followed that up with a 2-0 away win at Wolves. But they had to come from two goals down to earn at draw at Notts County in the FA Cup before losing at home 2-0 to the League Two side.
That defeat followed two losses against Blackburn and Everton and drew the next three and lost two as their league position fell. A 1-0 home win against Liverpool was followed by a 4-0 hammering at Bolton and a 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa. Last time out they needed three minutes of injury time before scoring the only goal of the game at home to Burnley.
Wigan have been the scourge of City ever since they were promoted in 2005. They did the double over City in their first two seasons and are yet to be defeated at the D W Stadium by the blues. Last season, City scored their first Premier League win over Wigan, Pablo Zabaleta winning the game with a stunning strike.
Manager – Roberto Martinez
Former Swansea boss Martinez took over the reigns at Wigan after Steve Bruce left to join Sunderland. Martinez was part of the ‘three amigos’ that played for Wigan between 1995 and 2001. After playing for Motherwell, Walsall, Swansea and Chester City, Martinez became manager of Swansea in February 2007. During his time at Swansea, Martinez oversaw 125 games, winning 63 and losing just 25. From 25 games at Wigan, he has won just nine and lost 18.
Ground – D W Stadium
Wigan share the D W Stadium with Wigan Warriors Rugby League Club and have resided their since 1999. The current capacity is 25,138. Their previous ground was Springfield Park, which was Wigan’s home for 67 years.
Wigan Facts
Wigan are the youngest club in the Premier League, having only been formed in 1932.
Martinez was one of the ‘three amigos,’ the others being Jesus Seba and Isidro Diaz.
Liverpool ‘Supersub’ David Fairclough finished his league career at Wigan but continued with non-league Knowsley.
Former City midfielder Antoine Sibierski spent two years at Wigan, making 33 appearance and scoring 4 goals.
Big Match Statistics – Wigan Athletic
Wigan come to Eastlands with a good record against the blues. Monday’s game will only be the fifth Premiership meeting but already The Latics have notched up two wins compared to City’s solitary victory in 2009.
Outside the top flight, the teams have met on just one occasion in the league. That was in April 1999 when a Terry Cooke goal was enough to secure the points for the blues.
Although that was the first league meeting at Maine Road, the two teams actually first met at Hyde Road in an FA Cup 1st round match in January 1898. City won the game 1-0 and following that game, played Wigan five times in cup competitions, winning them all, although two were replays. They also met twice in the 1999 Division Two Play Off Semi Final, where a Shaun Goater goal gave the blues an aggregate 2-1 victory.
City’s Home Record Against Wigan
| PL | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| Premier League | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| First Division (Old) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Second Division (Old) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| First Division (New) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Second Division (New) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| League Totals | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| FA Cup | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| League Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Europe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Others | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| War | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Overall Totals | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
Rather Meaningless Facts
Games against Wigan tend to be low scoring affairs. All but five of their entire encounters have been won by a single goal, usually 1-0.
City’s highest ever attendance against Wigan was in January 1971 when 46,212 packed into Maine Road to watch the blues win their third round FA Cup tie 1-0.
The lowest home attendance was their first meeting in 1898 when just 6,000 watched the blues win, again 1-0.
City’s biggest home win was 2-0 during a league Cup tie in 1982 while the heaviest defeat has amazingly been 1-0.
Any takers for a 1-0 scoreline on Monday night?
Six Managers In Seven Years? No Thanks Says Toure
Kolo Toure has come out in defence of manager Roberto Mancini, saying the club need to give him time to instil his ideas at the club.
Mancini was appointed in December following the sacking of Mark Hughes and has led the team to fifth in the league. But a 2-0 defeat in midweek to Everton, City’s first loss at home this season, has seen the blues slip five points behind Spurs in the race for fourth and increased the pressure on the Italian.
But Toure has stated it would be wrong to replace the manager. “We can’t keep changing manager. Every time it happens we have to adapt to a new way of thinking under a new manager. He knows how to win trophies, but it takes time and it cannot happen straight away. We need to adapt to his system.”
It really goes without saying that the blues could do without changing the manager again. Since their move to Eastlands, the club has seen five different managers in seven years, a statistic that is not befitting a potential top four club.
Keegan, Pearce, Eriksson, Hughes and now Mancini have all managed the blues since 2003 and the club are desperate for stability. “When you build a club the only way is to have continuity,” says Toure. “Look at Manchester United, where Ferguson has been for 24 years. Arsene Wenger has been at Arsenal for 14 years and for the last five he didn’t even win a thing, but he’s still there.”
On Mancini’s touchline bust-up with David Moyes, Toure said it was the reaction of a manager who wanted to finish fourth. “It showed his fighting spirit, but it’s the first time I’ve seen him like that. It was actually quite funny.”
Let’s hope the regulatory commission see the funny side when they hear Mancini’s improper conduct case on April 19th.
Blues Look For Sunderland Favour
City fans will be keeping one eye on Sunday’s Premier League clash at Anfield where Liverpool take on Sunderland.
With City’s game against Wigan not taking place until Monday, Liverpool have an opportunity to move back into fifth place in the league ahead of the blues, who will be hoping the Wearsiders will spring a surprise on Merseyside.
Although City have eight games to catch Spurs up in fourth, fifth place might be the best they can achieve this season after the London side went five points ahead of City with a 2-0 win over Portsmouth at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
Aston Villa had an opportunity to overtake the blues but were thumped 7-1 at Chelsea with Frank Lampard scoring four of the goals.
This season’s Premiership has been the most open in recent years and will probably spring a few more surprises before the season’s out.
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