According to Pep
'Everyone supports Liverpool', says Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... 74273.html

Of the two I do. Liverpool entertain, City bore. Pass, pass, pasz, pazz, pzzz, zzzz.

He's actually got that the wrong way round from my experience - I don't know a single proper football fan who is neutral who'd prefer LIverpool to win.

But I suppose he operates more in a "media bubble" and in a different plane to regular fans.

Just goes to show how we are manipulated by our immediate surroundings.

I much prefer Liverpool of the two. Have built a great team in a more “real” way, making profit some years and reinvesting from player sales. City have had 15 years of oil money, it would be hard for them not to be good at this stage.

On a related note, it's interesting how these top managers all have the exact same paranoia complex.

Sir Alex Ferguson
Jose Mourhinho
Herr Klopp
Pep Guardiola

They've all think the world is against them.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 10:56 am

On a related note, it's interesting how these top managers all have the exact same paranoia complex.

Sir Alex Ferguson
Jose Mourhinho
Herr Klopp
Pep Guardiola

They've all think the world is against them.

To be fair, they're right. I reckon the majority of football fans want both Liverpool and Man city to lose the title, preferably with relegation attached.

Do you think there's more people in the country that would rather see Liverpool win the league, or Liverpool be relegated?

That nasal whine versus Manc arrogance. I hate them both.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 10:56 am

On a related note, it's interesting how these top managers all have the exact same paranoia complex.

Sir Alex Ferguson
Jose Mourhinho
Herr Klopp
Pep Guardiola

They've all think the world is against them.

It's purely about engineering a siege mentality of being the underdogs against the world. Keeps players focused and with a point to prove instead of complacent or overly relaxed. I doubt any of them truly believe it with the amount of favourable decisions and coverage they get, if they do they're delusional.

Poor Pep, being backed by the billions of a murderous regime isn’t enough for him, he wants to be liked.

I hate Liverpool simple as that .

spt_claret wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 11:15 am

I doubt any of them truly believe it with the amount of favourable decisions and coverage they get, if they do they're delusional.

This is the interesting point. I think they really *DO* believe it, at least to a certain extent.

There was an intersting study I read about once where it was claimed that the single feature that successful people shared (from all walks of life) was the ability to believe two apparently contradictory things at the same time.

Maybe these guys manage to believe this and know it's not really true simultaneously.

I'd prefer City to win it of the two.

Though that probably has more to do with Klopp's entitlement and negativity towards Burnley over the years.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 11:43 am

This is the interesting point. I think they really *DO* believe it, at least to a certain extent.

There was an intersting study I read about once where it was claimed that the single feature that successful people shared (from all walks of life) was the ability to believe two apparently contradictory things at the same time.

Maybe these guys manage to believe this and know it's not really true simultaneously.

Almost everyone in the world has cognitive dissonance on some things, people generally try (usually unconsciously) to experience reality in ways that suit their internal models of reality rather than change their internal model, when there's vested interest in sticking to your internal model doubly so but the evidence contradicting Pep, Klopp etc is overwhelming, I don't know how you could maintain that dissonance without serious psychological difficulty.
I think, perhaps cynically, that it's just that the likes of Ferguson know they are never the put-upon outsider but keep claiming that status precisely to achieve the opposite. By playing the perpetual victim it increases the pressure to favour them even more than they already do.

Beagle wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 11:18 am

Poor Pep, being backed by the billions of a murderous regime isn’t enough for him, he wants to be liked.

Hardly a murderous regime. Have you ever visited Abu Dhabi or the Emirates?

I certainly don't Liverpool to win and I don't really want City to win either but I dislike the Scousers more.

Strange people who seem to think everyone is against them and wants them to lose, but fortunately we don't get any of those kind of posters on here.

You might laugh but I've seen some football messageboards where the fans actually think the refs and the league are conspiring against them and want them out of the league

CaptJohn wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 12:47 pm

Hardly a murderous regime. Have you ever visited Abu Dhabi or the Emirates?

No, I’m not into kitschy hotels and sunburnt Londoners at the best of times but when the monstrous buildings in question have been built by forced labour to coddle the ego of an unelected billionaire theocrat with backwards views on homosexuality and the death penalty, then I really start to take issue.
You might want to read up before you plan your next little trip.

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/c ... b-emirates

I'd prefer Liverpool to win the league than City. I don't like one team being too dominant. If City win it again this season (as seems likely) that's 4 out of the last 5 seasons they've been victorious. A bit of variety is far better.

Surprised it hasnt been in the media much more but just got the whatsapp thing doing the rounds about Liverpools asthma sufferers. Supposedly over 60% of their squad suffer from it, 5 times the national average. Which allows them to take the drug which Bradley Wiggins and many cyclists and swimmers are banned from using. Little wonder they can play at such high intensity. Guess it goes on at a lot of clubs but surely something needs to be done

Cleveleys_claret wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 2:20 pm

Surprised it hasnt been in the media much more but just got the whatsapp thing doing the rounds about Liverpools asthma sufferers. Supposedly over 60% of their squad suffer from it, 5 times the national average. Which allows them to take the drug which Bradley Wiggins and many cyclists and swimmers are banned from using. Little wonder they can play at such high intensity. Guess it goes on at a lot of clubs but surely something needs to be done

Probably hasn't been in the media much because it's a complete fabrication.

Not heard the asthma story before?

That's something crying out for a bit of investigative journalism if it's true.

daveisaclaret wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 2:32 pm

Probably hasn't been in the media much because it's a complete fabrication.

http://backpagefootball.com/why-liverpo ... on/126313/

Beagle wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 1:17 pm

No, I’m not into kitschy hotels and sunburnt Londoners at the best of times but when the monstrous buildings in question have been built by forced labour to coddle the ego of an unelected billionaire theocrat with backwards views on homosexuality and the death penalty, then I really start to take issue.
You might want to read up before you plan your next little trip.

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/c ... b-emirates

Hate to tell you this but I lived in Abu Dhabi for ten years and personally met the now deceased leader Sheikh Zayed. He was a very intelligent and dare I say it tolerant individual. There was no forced labour as everyone had a choice either to work there or not. If I were to criticise individuals then it would be the managers of contract labour who very often were economical with the truth when recruiting persons for jobs usually in their own countries such as the Phillipines, Pakistan etc. The fact that these workers were treated poorly was the fault of their own countrymen in many cases. I suggest you take a little more care when making sweeping generalisations which are not backed up by facts or first hand experiences.

Definitely a fair amount of Burnley fans who are Liverpool fans..... the reception for the team in the Owen Coyle prem season was pretty puke inducing....

Couldn't care less who wins the PL as long as Burnley are still competing in it next season.

Bosscat wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 3:08 pm

http://backpagefootball.com/why-liverpo ... on/126313/

Yes, I think a story from September 2020 with one unnamed source by "Alan Moore - RUSSIAN BASED SPORTS JOURNALIST AND CONSULTANT, WORKING WITH MAJOR CLUBS INCLUDING HAJDUK SPLIT, EINTRACHT FRANKFURT, LOKOMOTIV AND SPARTAK MOSCOW. CURRENT HOST OF CAPITAL SPORTS FM IN MOSCOW, FORMER INTERNATIONAL BOXER AND SEMI-PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER AND COMMENTATED AT THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2018." is a fabrication.

daveisaclaret wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 3:17 pm

Yes, I think a story from September 2020 with one unnamed source by "Alan Moore - RUSSIAN BASED SPORTS JOURNALIST AND CONSULTANT, WORKING WITH MAJOR CLUBS INCLUDING HAJDUK SPLIT, EINTRACHT FRANKFURT, LOKOMOTIV AND SPARTAK MOSCOW. CURRENT HOST OF CAPITAL SPORTS FM IN MOSCOW, FORMER INTERNATIONAL BOXER AND SEMI-PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER AND COMMENTATED AT THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2018." is a fabrication.

Dave ... all I did was google the question and that came up ... I wasn't suggesting it was true

CaptJohn wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 3:08 pm

...making sweeping generalisations which are not backed up by facts or first hand experiences.

I thought that's what the forum rules required us to do

Pep should be made aware that many of us are deeply offended by any suggestion of our favouring Liverpool.

Except, that is, whenever they play Blackburn or Leeds.

Not me, prefer City to win because of Klopp’s antics towards Burnley for many years… but away from that I don’t really give a fig who wins the title, as long as we stay up.

CaptJohn wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 3:08 pm

Hate to tell you this but I lived in Abu Dhabi for ten years and personally met the now deceased leader Sheikh Zayed. He was a very intelligent and dare I say it tolerant individual. There was no forced labour as everyone had a choice either to work there or not. If I were to criticise individuals then it would be the managers of contract labour who very often were economical with the truth when recruiting persons for jobs usually in their own countries such as the Phillipines, Pakistan etc. The fact that these workers were treated poorly was the fault of their own countrymen in many cases. I suggest you take a little more care when making sweeping generalisations which are not backed up by facts or first hand experiences.

The human rights abuses of Abu Dhabi’s governing family over several decades are well-documented facts, some of them well-documented in the link I posted above. I respect your decision to completely ignore it and endorse a theocratic regime which considers homosexuality punishable by death, there are thousands of Mancunians who share your views for their own convenience.

I despise Liverpool for many reasons. Don’t like the club that City have become either but I would rather they win the title.

It is far from the most interesting thing that Pep said this week i much prefer the thought about this in the Guardian and no doubt elsewhere - we are still awaiting the results of the now 3 year enquiry from the Premier League into their financial practises

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... lied-to-me

Guardiola says he would leave Manchester City if club hierarchy lied to him

• Manager has always publicly backed his bosses at the Etihad

• ‘I said to them, if you lie to me, the day after I am not here’

Will Unwin - Sat 7 May 2022 22.30 BST

Pep Guardiola says he would quit Manchester City if he felt the club’s hierarchy ever lied to him. The Spaniard has always backed his bosses publicly and put his faith in them, even when the club was given a two-year ban from European competitions by Uefa for alleged financial fair play breaches, a suspension that was eventually overturned by the court of arbitration for sport.

“Why did I defend the club and the people? It’s because I work with them,” Guardiola said. “When they are accused of something I ask them: ‘Tell me about that.’ They explain and I believe them. I said to them: ‘If you lie to me, the day after I am not here. I will be out and I will not be your friend any more. I put my faith in you because I believe you 100% from day one and I defend the club because of that.’

“When you put something here [sponsor] it’s overpaid, but other [clubs] the money comes from the USA but the money is correct, even if it’s higher. We have to deal with that, we have to fight with that. As always I am a big fan to support this organisation, no doubt.”

He added: “It’s a situation in 2012 or 2013, I was still in Barcelona, most of the people running that are not here now, but of course I would not like it. What I like is to represent a club who do things properly [and] well. It’s not about winning the Champions League and the Premier League, we want to do well for our people and our fans.”

City are looking to pick themselves up after their dramatic European exit in midweek against Real Madrid in the game against Newcastle . A win at the Etihad would take Guardiola one step closer to winning his fourth Premier League title in six seasons in charge. City have been criticised for failing to win the Champions League during Guardiola’s reign, a record that is threatening to overshadow the club’s domestic achievements in that time.

“The Premier League is the work daily, the father and the mother wake up every morning to go to work, to bring food home, the day after day after day, this is the Premier League and I like it a lot, especially because we are fighting an extraordinary team in the last three or four years and I feel we push them and they push us to our limits, being there it’s fantastic.”

Much prefer Man City as team and a club . Plus Guardiola is a class act both in the way his team play football but also in the way he conducts himself in interviews . Klopp on the other hand , wants everything his way and needs to understand that when Liverpool play there is another team involved that deserves a fair crack of the whip .

So there we are.
About 70% of us would prefer man city to win the title and a reasonable proportion would like to see Liverpool relegated for a variety of reasons, the main one being "I hate them". I concur with that sentiment.

If we stay up, could you now do us all a favour, pep, and only beat us by 1-0 each time we play and maybe even offer us an occasional 2-1 if it's a cup game?