We love a good Q&A here at TMB and are pleased to say that we were able to chat with the owner of @City_Watch – which is the go-to place for all City news and info. (Alongside ourselves of course!)
We talked about a range of topics from the lack of City fan accounts compared to other clubs, the emergence of youth and how serious City are as well as all first-team matters.
So you run @City_Watch which is comfortably the biggest City account on twitter. How did setting up the account come about?
In summer 2011, I was quite ill and not able to do much, so decided to start a City news account. I enjoy digging up info so thought I’d do it to pass the time and there were very few unofficial City accounts of note back then. The follower count shot up quickly and before I knew it, thousands of people were relying on the account for City info.
You obviously dedicate a lot of your time to watching, scouring and reporting all-things Manchester City. When did your love for City begin?
Very young, but not from the very start. I’m from a family of reds and they did their very best to have me continue the tradition, but being the brat that I was, I’d cheer for anyone facing them. So it is no surprise that as I got a bit older, City attracted my interest. They appealed me as the rebellious local underdog and even though so many like to take the easy route and support the established big brand, I went the other way. Since then, I’ve been in love with City.
Something I have noticed is that compared to other clubs, there are not that many City fan accounts and websites. Do you think that is true and if so why do you think that is?
It’s true and the reason is pretty obvious. We’ve always had a one of the best local followings in the country, but our global fanbase is still growing. It has grown a hell of a lot in recent years for obvious reasons but it’ll take years to reach the size of the established elite clubs. I have noticed more and more of a presence for City on Twitter, though, a clear sign of our growing fanbase.
City obviously ended the season trophyless last term but Pellegrini remains in charge. Do you think he deserves another shot?
I do now. I didn’t at the end of the season because I felt there was a chance to get a truly A-list coach who could take us to the next level, such as Pep or Ancelotti. I really like and respect Pellegrini, who is a quality coach, but don’t think he is the man who will see us to our full potential. And I don’t think City do either, hence the ongoing pursuit of Pep Guardiola. But with Guardiola not on the market this summer, I think it is wise to wait and retain the stability Manuel has brought us. Some suggested Klopp and he would have created a huge buzz, but I don’t think his style of football is suited to what we are building throughout the age groups.
What do you make of the new additions City have made thus far?
Sterling is an excellent signing despite the best efforts of many to put him down, the same people who a year ago were fawning over him. He is one of the brightest young players in recent Premier League history and won the Golden Boy award.
Already in pre-season he has shown that he will bring something new to the team and has linked up superbly with Silva and Kelechi. He’s an extremely intelligent player for his age and his movement is great.
Delph is a signing I’m not sure about, but he showed promise before his injury against Real Madrid. Central midfield is an area I feel we’ve neglected too much and while Delph may be a good player, who of course fills a homegrown spot, I’d be more than surprised if he gets us anywhere closer to Europe’s elite.
The young players signed are for the future, but seem to have plenty of potential. Roberts could save us a lot of money in future but has a long way to go and we have to be patient with him. He is 18 and very small, so it could take him a few years to adjust to the physical side of the game, but his skill-set is impressive.
Unal is highly rated and although he seemed a little slow in pre-season to me, looks to have the qualities to become a very good striker in future.
City’s two primary targets for the summer are said to be De Bruyne and Pogba. Who do you think is more likely to come in?
At this moment, De Bruyne without a doubt. Even though City have told the press they have cooled on Pogba, I don’t think it is completely dead – just very unlikely. De Bruyne isn’t certain yet either but our intent to sign him is clear and he looks far more likely to be our next addition than Pogba.
In this summer’s pre-season tour we have seen the likes of Kelechi, Garcia, Denayer and Lopes come to prominence. Which youngsters do you think could have a place in the first-team squad for next season?
Our youth system has improved so much that all of a sudden we have in front of us tons of kids with the potential to play football at a high level. The question is, how will they all transition to the senior game and who will make it at City, where standards are so high? Based on pre-season, I’d say the four you mentioned have a good chance of a career at City.
Denayer looks a certainty to be in the first team squad this season with Boyata gone. He is mature beyond his years and has the intelligence to play our defensive style. If he can perform like he did for Belgium against France, I think he could push Demichelis and Mangala for a starting spot.
With Denayer we could be looking at a watershed moment where finally we have someone from the youth system ready to become a permanent presence in the first team again. This is what City have spent years working so hard to achieve after most just didn’t cut it following the takeover. We’ve been criticised for our lack of promotions, but the truth is they just haven’t been good enough and we’d have been sacrificing quality.
The others you mentioned, right now, would struggle a more for games. Take Lopes for example. If we do land De Bruyne and sell no one, he is in competition with Silva, Nasri, De Bruyne, Sterling and Navas for maybe three spots in the team. He’s looking at cup games unless of an injury crisis, so another loan might be more beneficial for him.
Kelechi has a chance of games if he stays and assuming Dzeko follows Jovetic out of the club. He’d be third choice behind Aguero and Bony, but there would be opportunities. Again, a loan might be beneficial for a kid who has barely played senior football and yet, there is something very special about Kelechi so I could see City keeping him around and giving him some minutes.
Of all the outstanding talents in the EDS I’ve seen, I honestly think Garcia could go the furthest. Against Roma, a near enough full strength Roma full of seasoned professionals, he looked ridiculously good for a 17-year-old. This boy has ‘it’ but should be handled carefully. At 17, I don’t think we have to rush him into the first team, but could give him some time in cup games. I think he may have convinced Pellegrini in pre-season that he’s already ready for some minutes when it matters.
It takes a lot of work and effort to turn an academy fit for a mid-table team into an academy fit for a team challenging for all honours, and it seems to have just about reached the required level. From what I have seen and heard, we will be setting the standard in years to come.
Stevan Jovetic is on the move and Edin Dzeko is someone who has also been heavily linked with a move to Serie A. Would it be the right decision to get rid of both?
I think we’re taking a risk selling both of these, but in the long-term it is for the best to scrap the idea of having four big name strikers, which is fairly uncommon at top European clubs. If we’re switching to a 4-3-3 with one natural striker, then only three are needed and Aguero, Bony and Kelechi may be enough. I do think it is slightly risky though given Aguero’s injury record and Bony having some fitness problems since he joined us, but it seems wasteful to employ an extra big name striker who may only get a handful of games per season.
The club recently announced that it achieved a record sale of 40,000 season tickets and there will be a new singing section to go along with the new stand for the new campaign. Do you think an improvement in the atmosphere is much-needed at the Etihad?
It definitely is. Something changed after that Aguero moment. The atmosphere had been pretty great that season, among the best years since we left Maine Road. The only negative of experiencing the greatest moment in Premier League history is… what can top it? I’ve sensed a change in our crowd since then – it’s like they’re waiting for something to happen rather than willing it to happen with loud support.
The new stand is great and in the not too distant future, the entire stadium will be three tiers when the North Stand is expanded. But the extended singing area should help the atmosphere a lot. We currently have two singing areas but neither has been particularly noisy lately. By inviting like-minded fans into the new area next season, I think you’re guaranteed a lot of singing and more atmosphere. And if that block sings persistently, it could have an effect to either side and improve the two established singing areas.
Finally, what are your hopes and predictions for the 2015/16 campaign?
As it stands, I think we’ll find it difficult to win the league or go much deeper into the Champions League and the reason is our midfield. It is still too weak and left-back is another position that I think needs upgrading.
Even at his peak, Yaya wasn’t hugely effective in Europe for us and yet unless something changes, we go into the new season with 32-year-old Yaya as our best midfielder. Is any combination of Yaya, Fernandinho, Fernando or Delph going to get the better or Kroos-Modric, Vidal-Thiago-Alonso or Busquets-Rakitic-Iniesta? Or even Fabregas-Matic-Oscar? Our reluctance to significantly upgrade such a key area is confusing.
The Pogba link was exciting but seems to have cooled down and the lack of alternatives mentioned makes me worry we’ll just leave it at it is. Perhaps something will happen to change this by the end of the window. For now I think we will have the best attacking options in the league, but not the best overall team balance.
Our best chance of winning the league may be to simply blitz everyone with our awesome strike force. I think we’ll have at least one good cup run this season after the disappointments last year. Complacency won’t be so much of an issue and I expect the players to be more focused.
What did you think of the Q&A on the whole? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @TheMaineBlues.
