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Mind games

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posted on 15/5/12

I've always been skeptical, but, if you believe any of the recent comments by our players/ chairman, then yes, Mancini successfully managed to take the pressure off the players which was key in us overturning the 8point deficit.

posted on 15/5/12

Mind games are as big, if not bigger in Italy. Fergie may have met his match.

posted on 15/5/12

I think United firstly got complacent against Wigan and Everton and then simply bottled it at City, partially due to a poor team selection. I don't think Mancini affected United so in that respect mind games didn't come into it. However, I do think he took the pressure off his players, so in that respect he was successful with mind games. So sort of yes lol.

posted on 15/5/12

No, it's all blown out of all proportion and has little to no baring on the outcome of matches and ultimately the season, i don't believe that Mancini saying "the title is over" makes United players lose against Wigan and draw with Everton when their own manager is telling them that it isn't over.

The most famous "mind game" is the Fergie Keegan dual from '96, it has been reported since that SAFs comments after the United Leeds game at OT got to Keegan to the extent that it made Newcastle lose the title, Keegans "i would love it" outburst came with 1 game of the season left with United already top by 2 points, had no baring what so ever.

posted on 15/5/12

Not to point out the obvious ... But it has nothing to do with mind games. It's good management.Mancini just made sure his team kept playing. I'm a United fan and have absolutely no beef with City winning the league ... How many reds have forgotten that they gave us a pitch to play on when Old Trafford was bombed during the war ?
If anyone here is so narrow minded to think that Mancini's words were going through the minds of any of the Uniteds defence when they dropped the 2 goals against Everton than you are surely deluded.
They switched off for 2 mins and it cost them everything. Simple as.

posted on 15/5/12

Mancini wiped the floor with Ferguson towards the latter stages of this season in terms of mind-games.

The most satisfying thing however is that the City team wiped the floor with the United team in terms of the latter stages of this season.

Whether one was the result of the other, we can only guess at that.

posted on 15/5/12

I don't believe in the mind games crap either, Mancini basically took the pressure off his players by saying it was over but the dressing room was obviously different. Thing that peeved me off, our players became complacent and actually listened to Mancini's crap as well. Everytime he said the title was still ours, it made my heart drop.

posted on 15/5/12

Mancini did very well at the end of the season to keep the pressure off his players he deserves great credit for that. But he needs to be more ruthless his "Tevez will never play for me again" comment and the "Balotelli is finished he won't play again this season" comment after the recent arsenal game when he was sent off have made him look foolish and a tad weak. If Fergie or Mourinho said the same things they would have stuck by it because to not do so shows weakness. I actually believe a lot of City's players secretly believe Mancini is a tad weak after those episodes.

posted on 15/5/12

Actually no ... They didn't ... Although United subsequently caught up, gained, and then lost a 8 point lead we still gained more points than City in the last 10 weeks of the league. So don't get on your high horse just yet ! £1billion over 4 year and a goal difference is not wiping the floor. It took you until the 95min on the last day of the season.

You are ranked with the "greats" of Blackburn at the moment in the Premier league rankings.... do it again and again and then you can start bragging.

posted on 15/5/12

Rafa and Keegan have visabily cracked because of Fergie's mind games in the past.

posted on 15/5/12

he looked to me like he was totally losing it at 90 mins and I don't think mind games had anything to do with the two injury time goals. His substitutions maybe but that is tactics not mind games.

posted on 15/5/12

I don't think Mancini's 'mind games' had any affect on United. I just think he was easing the pressure off his players by telling him that they were just playing football.

posted on 15/5/12

Rafa and Keegan have visabily cracked because of Fergie's mind games in the past.
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Rafa's just a tool, keegan got wound up by fergie but i think it happened to late in the season to have any real impact on the title race, that newcastle team couldn't defend for sh i t, that's what cost them the league.

posted on 15/5/12

we still gained more points than City in the last 10 weeks of the league

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An arbitrary time scale. Just as arbitrary as saying that in the last 6 weeks of the season City gained more points than United. Or in the last 11 weeks, or 9 weeks, or whatever.

One stat counts. The amount of points gained over the course of the season. Fortunately for City, when that stat comes into play, the goal difference counts. And that resides in our favour. Hence, we won the league.

Credit to United though. 89 points over the course of a season is not to be sniffed at. In most seasons that would have been enough. This season however it wasn't. And for that reason, credit has to go to City. So instead of all this "£1b spent and only goal difference to show for it" rubbish, just be humble and give credit where it is due.

After all, if you are going to belittle a team who did better than your own team in the league, the only thing you really achieve is to belittle your own teams achievements.

posted on 15/5/12

we still gained more points than City in the last 10 weeks of the league

We gained more points than United in the first 10 weeks of the season so that makes us about equal.

posted on 15/5/12

This was the best quote :

"That total would have been enough to win the title on 10 of the 20 seasons of the Premier League.

Khaldoon said: “For us to pick up 89 points and not win it would have been criminal.

“To get 89 points and not win the league is unbelievable.”

- yes quite, it is criminal.

posted on 15/5/12

Siempre - to Khaldoon's credit, he also said that that applies to United.

On a different note, when watching that interview with our chairman yesterday, he mentioned something along the lines of our owner's prudent approach. Have to say, I did chuckle a bit at that!!!

posted on 15/5/12

Also had to chuckle at Kompany's "We're not here for the money" quote too. That was funny.

posted on 15/5/12

On a different note, when watching that interview with our chairman yesterday, he mentioned something along the lines of our owner's prudent approach. Have to say, I did chuckle a bit at that!!!
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I saw the interview on sky this morning and the prudent comment was quite funny, Khaldoon comes across as quite a cool guy though to be honest, he always seems so relaxed and very personable when ever i've seen him on the box.

posted on 15/5/12

I am pretty sure when aguero's goal went in, the bonuses and salary were the very last things on the players minds (except Tevez)

posted on 15/5/12

Also had to chuckle at Kompany's "We're not here for the money" quote too. That was funny.

He was laughing his head off when he picked up that trophy.

posted on 15/5/12

True. I'm sure when they signed for City the salaries and bonuses were the very first thing on their minds though.

posted on 15/5/12

Kompany signed before the takeover, maybe he has a crystal ball and gypsy blood.

posted on 15/5/12

Zico do you have to be a spoilsport? All footballers of this day and age will probably retire right now if you didn't offer to pay them thousands of pounds a week. None of them are different.

posted on 15/5/12

Arab

Of course they are all the same and after the money there are very few exceptions. I just find it funny when they say it's not about the money. When Kompany said it the other day with a straight face it was quite funny come on? Nothing against Kompany he's a class player and a class act the best defender in the league and seems like a nice guy to boot. But it did make me LOL.

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