FA Cup
Saturday 24th January 2015, 3pm KO
Broadcast Schedule:
http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Team-news/2015/January/City-v-Middlesbrough-Global-City-TV-Listings
For anyone thinking that we can play to the same levels without Yaya Toure may have had a rude awakening last Sunday. Arsenal at home, some of the most hateful supporters in the land, a team there for the taking and we made them look like world beaters.
Although an absolute scandal for the penalty, once it was scored I felt that we’d already lost the game and we never really threatened Arsenal. I couldn’t face the newspapers/sky sports/match of the day/social media but I gather that it was dubbed Arsenal’s best away performance in a decade. FFS. We allowed Arsenal the freedom of the Etihad when they were in possession and we never got any tempo into the game when we were on the ball. When City were in possession it was a real problem as no one in the middle of the park would support the man on the ball and therefore every pass was under pressure, went sideways or backwards and I don’t think we ever played a pass that took a man out of the game. Merlin, for all his magic, is just not the man to drop 30 yards from goal to take the ball off the defence and then to turn and try and take on 9 players. Where Yaya is really key is he can hold the ball, ride the tackles and carry the ball under pressure and Fernando is not his like for like. How he continues to complete 90 minutes every week is beyond me.
However what we don’t want to do is panic, unlike the red scouse, the rags or Arsenal fans, the world actually doesn’t come to an end when we drop points, but I would enter the transfer market now and try and sign a centre midfield player who can retain possession, FFP be damned!
City v Middlesbrough FA Cup part one, 1997
So news was made in Middlesbrough when they sold out their 5,500 allocation in 10 hours I remember of a previous FA Cup meeting back at Maine Road back in the heyday of the 90s. First Division Manchester City having defeated Brentford in the third round and Watford in the Fourth Round drew Premiership Middlesbrough in the 5th.
It was the hottest ticket in town, as myself at 11 and my dad, who credit to him wasn’t even going to the game, queued for 7 hours for tickets, getting a full tour of Moss Side in the process. The result? A disappointing 0-1 loss that I’ll be honest I can barely remember other than sitting/standing in the part of the North Stand where the away supporters were usually housed. Middlesbrough went onto reach the cup final losing 2-0 to Chelsea in the final.
Middlesbrough were the quintessential 90s team, the BT Cellnet Stadium starting the rise of out of town stadiums, boasting the original mercenaries in Fabrizio Ravenelli, Juninho and Emerson. Ruining football.
City Margetson, Lomas, Ingram, McGoldrick, Symons, Brightwell, Summerbee, Brown, Crooks, Kinkladze, Rosler – subs Dickov(65), Dibble(unused), Beagrie(63)
Middlesbrough Roberts, Cox, Fleming, Festa, Vickers, Mustoe, Stamp, Whyte, Juninho, Hignett, Ravanelli – subs Beck(unused), Blackmore(unused), Miller(unused)
City v Middlesbrough FA Cup part two, 2010
A cold January day as a Manchester City side newly managed by Roberto Mancini headed to the North East to take on first division Middlesbrough. The 6,000 City fans behind the goal made up at least half of the gate but had the steam taken out of them when they saw the line-up. However it was not misguided by Mancini as he used it to blood some youngsters and give several fringe players a run out with Benjani scoring the winner. It was so cold people were leaving the game to watch it in the pub.
City Given, Zabaleta, Richards, Boyata, Kompany, Sylvinho, Weiss, Garrido, De Jong, Petrov, Benjani – subs Tevez(46), Barry(46), Bellamy(72), Taylor(unused), Vidal(unused), Trippier(unused), Tutte(unused)
Middlesbrough Coyne, Hoyte, Riggott, Wheater, O’Neil, Johnson, Bent, Arca, R. Williams, Franks, McMahon – subs L Williams(70), Emnes(31), Yates(56), Steele(unused), Shawky(unused), Grounds(unused), Bennett(unused)
Prediction
It’s hardly insight when you say we should be beating lower league opposition regardless of what team we put out. On that front we should be putting out our strongest team, as the third round proved sides won’t come to lie down and let us roll over them.
On the Middlesbrough front the one to watch is Patrick Bamford, on loan from Chelsea, who scored has scored plenty of goals for Boro this season and both Derby and MK Dons last season.
