Deciding to take the "inside-track" to understand what FA Cup fixture really means to Manchester City supporters and to discover if Barnsley FC have registered [even as a small blip] on their radar. I spoke to Robert Pollard – Editor and Writer at the Manchester City Blog - Typical City.
Deciding to take the "inside-track" to understand what this fixture really means to Manchester City supporters and to discover if Barnsley FC have registered [even as a small blip] on their radar. I spoke to Robert Pollard – Editor and Writer at the Manchester City Blog - Typical City.
Robert got his first season ticket at City in 1994 when, as a young lad at Maine Road, he was dazzled by the skills of Beagrie, Quinn, Rosler and Walsh. The grip the club has had over him has continued ever since. He is a freelance music, sport and politics writer.
What is the typical perception of City fans towards Barnsley and its football club?
I can't answer that question because I'm not sure we have one!
Can you pick out your worst performance this season, who was it against and why?
Our worst performance of the season was Southampton away. It was the worst City have played since Spurs battered us in '09. Totally spineless and lacking in effort, with a good measure of comedy thrown in for good measure. The 3-1 scoreline flattered us.
What was your worst experience as a City fan?
My worst experience as a City fan was having a season ticket during Stuart Pearce's reign. We score 10 goals at home one season and could barely string 2 passes together. Shocking, shocking football. Who is your best player? David Silva is still our best player. Zabaleta has been the stand-out performer this season, but Silva is key to everything we do. Even when he has an average game, he oozes class and creates chances. I love watching him play.
What's your view on this weekend's tie?
Some say the FA Cup has lost its shine, but the importance of this year’s competition to Manchester City cannot be underestimated. With an ailing league campaign meaning retaining the title is now almost impossible, the FA Cup represents City’s only chance of silverware. We’ve not finished trophyless in either of the last two seasons, and doing so this time around would represent a step-back.
It’s also important to Mancini. In truth, City’s performance in the competition won’t be the deciding factor in whether or not he leads us again next season, but it will certainly play some kind of role. If he can win the cup and convince the board that Brian Marwood’s hesitancy in the summer transfer market was detrimental to out league and European campaigns, the Italian may be given another year to prove he can make City competitive in the biggest competitions.
With that in mind, the draw for the quarter finals seemed kind to us. With United, Chelsea and Everton all still in the competition, the idea of playing a struggling Championship side was widely greeted with relief and happiness amongst City fans. However, we need to show respect to Barnsley, and recognise that lower league opposition often provide much sterner tests than first anticipated.
I’m really looking forward to it, it feels like it could be a good one, certainly not as straight forward as many City fans think, but I’d like to think we’ll have too much and take our place in the last-4.
We would like to thank Robert for his contribution, you can keep up with him on Twitter by following @TypicalCity. Do you think the tie is a foregone conclusion, will City dominate the fixture and march on to Wembley instead of the Oakwell boys? Feel free to add your comments below, or join the debate on Twitter by following @OnThePontyEnd or on Facebook. See you at the Etihad!
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