Notes on four days at #MCFC

It began on Friday. Stories leaked of Pellegrini being earmarked as new City boss. Guillem Balague doing his journalistic job to break exclusives of course. But giving fellow Catalonian Roberto Martinez a huge boost. There was a word for it - Destablisation. But this was no conspiracy, just converging circumstances.

City stayed silent - that’s how they ‘conduct their business’, we were told. Why back a condemned man if we’d regressed from last year’s zenith? Mancini had been nudged all year by hacks keen to deliver a fall guy. Abu Dhabi and the Hispanophonic mafia were at least consistent. They never backed him then too.

(The pall actually developed on Wednesday; Fergieout meant another ‘Man U week’. Effusive praise from every area of the sphere – business, tabloids, politicians. Continuity; legacy; doing things the right away. That’s what the Arabs promised. That was what was happening at OT. Our preparation was overshadowed.)

Saturday, and 45,000 plus Blues headed to Wembley in expectation. We came with cans, refusing to pay for every aspect of modern #commerceballs. Having been licked by Budweiser, the FA, the trains, the rest of the sorry bunch. His head gone, Mancini U-turned on playing Pants, who’s going anyway. Joe Hart to start; Cup to be won here.

Something’s not right; complacency against ‘little Wigan’, maybe not enough fight. Squeezed in the middle and shit out wide. Wrong substitutions too. Barry sells Zabaleta short; Zaba dives in recklessly; he walks. Who’s that ginger sub on for them? Ben Watson, about to score the winner. The giant Pants would have got that, or Zaba on the line.

That awful sinking feeling, a missed opportunity, a fucking mess of a managerial situation. #Cupforcockups returns, but the Latics deserved it, definitely. Dave Whelan’s a self-regarding tit but impossible to deny them that. And some of us stayed to clap them off; not every loser would. Sometimes it’s better to go in hope than expectation.

Sunday, Ferguson finale: what? A late OT winner you say! Champions ceremony. They know how to draw the spectacle out, pure brand hype, #tears flow worldwide. Blues switch off and switch back on the gallows humour, still nothing announced. Blues want eras and empires as well as moments too. A 60-year-old can’t build those.

Now it’s Monday 13th May - exactly a year ago, pure reverie could begin. All those Aguero videos; the Yaya-Kolo dance; Makems winding up Reds. Merson’s Lovebites; ‘you’ll never see this again’, so drink it in. That’s Sky talk; as fans we’re helplessly exploited every step of the way. By 11pm Manciniout - decision may be right but circumstances weren't.