Does the media genuinely not get it or are they just trying to create headlines?

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Is that a serious question?

He's playing mind games and the media thrive of that sort of thing. They don't really care if he means it or not, it just helps sell the newspaper.

Is that a serious question?
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Media has mostly said that he is doing this to take the pressure off on his team. No one has seriously said anything about sarcasm.

He's saying it in hope we get complacent and to take the pressure off his team, which is fair enough.

You can be sure that on the training pitch he's saying something completely different

The media latches onto any bit of comment and then blows it up out of all proportion - it's been that way for years, whether it be TV or newspapers. (and in more recent years the fans lap it up and come on forums like this!!!)

It's all about taking pressure off yourself and trying to put it on your opponents. Let's be honest, it's just a bit of fun and games for the managers who probably like the limelight a bit more than they are willing to admit, but it really has little effect on the game itself.

Do you actully know the meaning of the word 'sarcasm'?

I don't think it's sarcasm, he certainly seemed to mean it when they were 8 points down, but I agree the last wek or so he has been more like, 'yeah, we can't win it not, it's Man Utds' wink wink.

He's taking the pressure off his team, since we went 8 points clear City have played with a freedom that teams do when there is no pressure on them, you see it with teams that get relegated with a few games to go, the shackles come off as they are more relaxed.

If he started to openly state that City could win it again the team may go back to the City we saw against Sunderland and Arsenal. Whether or not City win the league they've still had a good season in my opinion, they've improved since last year, so all the pressure is on United which Mancini knows.

What Mancini says to the media and what he says behind closed doors to his own players are 2 entirely different things - Same as Fergie.

gotta say, Mancini's Mind Game approach is pretty good.
Everyone stay cool...we got this.

Mancini's 'mind games' are the most amateurish attempt at them I've ever seen. You do wonder if City win the title it will be in spite of him rather than because of him.

I also wonder if they win at the council ground whether he will still say United are still the favourites, we are unlikely to win at Newcastle and United have two easy games.

I just couldnt believe the nonsense he was talking after the Wolves game, knowing if City win at home v United they're top with 2 games left. The biggest challenge must have been keeping a straight face spouting that drivel AND expecting people to believe it lol

He does struggle to keep a straight face but the media lap it up.

"Mancini's 'mind games' are the most amateurish attempt at them I've ever seen"

Really? Because they seem to be working. He started saying this after what must be our worst performance this season at Arsenal, dropping to 8 points behind United in the league. Since that point, we've won 3 games, two with October-level performances and scored 12 goals. United, in contrast, have won one, drawn one and lost one, allowing us to get back to 3 points behind and, unbelievably, the chance to go back to the top if we win next Monday.

Bobby's comments have had the desired effect, regardless of how amateurish you may think they are.

Brendan Rodgers looked rattled last night on MOTD2 after Mancini said United v Swansea was an easy game for you.

Go Bobby.

comment by leopold (U10439)
posted 59 minutes ago
"Mancini's 'mind games' are the most amateurish attempt at them I've ever seen"

Really? Because they seem to be working. He started saying this after what must be our worst performance this season at Arsenal, dropping to 8 points behind United in the league. Since that point, we've won 3 games, two with October-level performances and scored 12 goals. United, in contrast, have won one, drawn one and lost one, allowing us to get back to 3 points behind and, unbelievably, the chance to go back to the top if we win next Monday.

Bobby's comments have had the desired effect, regardless of how amateurish you may think they are.
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Are you really suggesting that because Mancini repeatedly says it's over that this is genius reverse psychology that has resulted in 3 wins and United's dropped points!? Surely you're not really saying that are you? Surely you're not that simple?

So if Mancini had just said the word 'Rhubarb' repeatedly when questioned by the media would you be saying that 'Rhubard' is the magic reason you've won some games?

I think you're confusing two things happening with cause and effect. If I go to the bathroom in 5 mins and chant 'United will win' while deliberately urinating into the sink rather than the toilet, and United then win the title, can I claim that you can't say it was insane because it had the desired affect?

All that's happened is City have unsurprisingly beaten West Brom at home while they thought the title had gone, then Norwich and Wolves away. That's it.

At the same time United had an upset at Wigan while 8pts clear, and then thrashed Villa, and drew a tough fixture against Everton at home.

This all had zero to do with Mancini repeating 'it's over'

Maybe SAF should say 'It's over' then him and Mancini can both fight over the magic words. My god some people are simple.

You're talking about urinating in a sink and I'm the simple one??

Mancini is a manager of a football club. His job is to manage the team and provide soundbites to the press. His assertion that it's over is bound to make Fergie think, "What's he planning?" and he'll be pushing his team to ensure they keep winning, which is added pressure on them. If they truly believed we'd given up, they'd sit back, relax and most likely go on and win the games they've dropped points in.

However, what you've done here is take something tangible and apply randomness to it. You weeing in a sink is much the same as turning up to the match in a specific shirt or eating the same flavour of pie at half time. Nothing you, I or anyone else outside the club can do anything to influence games. And then, after applying this randomness, carry on to say that I'm the stupid one for suggesting that someone who has a direct influence on the team could have a direct influence on the team. Duh!

I repeat so if Mancini had just said the word 'Rhubarb' repeatedly when questioned by the media would you be saying that 'Rhubard' is the magic reason you've won some games?

Why are you still struggling with the concept that you winning against Wolves, West Brom and Norwich in any sane world had nothing to do with Mancini's amateurish attempt at reverse psychology in saying 'it's over' repeatedly, even when it was clear it wasn't such as in the games against Wolves and West Brom. You just beat them as everyone would have expected you to because your team is far superior to those sides.

If you think Mancini has a direct influence over United, and him saying 'it's over' is why United lost to Wigan then I repeat you are simple. Why did Wigan then beat Arsenal? Upsets happen, and Wigan are playing well right now.

United beat Villa in the next game despite the magic words, but drew against Everton, which isnt a shock result imo as Everton are a strong team, and even if it had been a shock result it would not be because Mancini simply said 'it's over' otherwise maybe SAF should do it as well, and then presumably the world would end as these two things must work and yet can't work at the same time.

I'm amazed you honestly think the United players were thinking it's over because Mancini said so, or felt extra pressure because of Mancini's silly sound bite? Worse still you say Fergie reacted to Mancini saying 'it's over' by thinking 'what's he planning?' Decades of experience vanquished by 2 or 3 words!

The point is Mancini's objective was obvious, because it was amateur reverse psychology, no matter what coincidentally follows. City then winning against the teams they beat doesn't make it the effect of those words.

As for your comment 'If United truly believed we'd given up, they'd sit back, relax and most likely go on and win the games they've dropped points in.' it is not only flawed because there's no way United/SAF would change their approach because of a press soundbite from Mancini, but it also contradicts your own point.

The amateur reverse psychology Mancini was attempting was to exactly make United sit back and think they'd already won it, and then lose through complacency. You don't say 'it's over now' when it isn't to make your opponents try harder to win. My god this is painful.

Trust me, you're talking nonsense, and you're probably mentally ill, and I say that as someone with a degree in Psychology.

Wigan, no matter how well they've played, haven't taken a single point from United in the years they've played in the PL. So why now? This is a United team that have ground out wins against far better sides. I'd accept a blip from Arsenal at this point in the season, but United?

And as for the Everton game. How many times do United relinquish a big lead in a game they're dominating? I could count the times on one hand and that's AFTER I'd removed every single digit.

And moving on to us, you say we're superior to West Brom, but they are one of the few teams this season who've taken points off us. And Wolves, as bad as they are, have in the past been capable of taking points off us. Like last season, they were in need of a win and they got one, at our expense, at Molineux. The same ground we played at last weekend.

So what is it then? Is it just a rubbish team? Hardly. This is the same team that were 5 points behind and played through all their toughest matches to overturn it into an 8 point lead. What has followed since is not the mark of a team in the ascendency. In fact, it's almost as though something has happened to make them suddenly much more nervous.

And what happened in the intervening period? Ferguson has said nothing out of the ordinary. You've not been up against any opponents that normally give you a hard time and you're in the part of the season that, traditionally, you cruise home to victory. You've not got any significant injuries recently to cause the blip. In fact, the only thing of any note that happened was when Mancini said the race was over. As this is the only thing that's changed, it would be reasonable to assume that this may have had an effect.

Now, could you remove your prejuduce and acknowledge that it is at least possible that Bobby's words might possibly just have had an effect here? Because unless you can come up with some other suggestions, I fail to see how your team has suddenly dropped points. Unless, of course, they've fallen foul of Taggart's own squeaky bum time.

Lol, Mancini isn't a master of mind games. I wonder half the time weather he really has a grasp of English with some of the things he comes out with.

He will have told his players something VERY different, SAF knows this, United know this, City know this, everybody knows this.

It's just because City had a blip in form when they were under pressure, they haven't been under pressure for a couple of weeks now and their performances have improved.

It's nothing to do with what he has said in the media, behind closed doors perhaps...

Most likely, Busby. Bobby's providing tantalising sound bites to the media and it's almost certainly just pure coincidence. I just saw pea's reference to amateur mind games and I thought I'd mess with him a bit. He doesn't half get wound up for someone studying psychology, doesn't he? I hope that when I do eventually get diagnosed with mental illness, he isn't appointed as my shrink.

"He doesn't half get wound up for someone studying psychology, doesn't he?"

That is kind of ironic

I think he'd have been better off taking a course in mechanical engineering, like I did. It's very therapeutic knowing if you mess something up, you can pummel it with a hammer until you feel better.

Hey, peanis, have you got a sulk on because I was laughing at your expense?