Doom and gloom!

[Slim]

Reading Doug's training report, the team were prepared to expect a physical battle and were told to keep the ball on the floor and out play Birmingham.... We got the physical battle which we lost and we hoofed balls up field all day long.... We did not have any creativity in midfield at all. Sweeps is at his strongest running at players, but just recently seems to be playing 1 touch football. Ireland should have been on from the start. The season seems to be going the same wat as Svens, great start but worked out by the opposition far too quick...

Said this after the fulham game and was shouted down. Opposition have the blueprint on how to shut City down now and we seem incapable of changing things around.

[simon12]

I think there has been too many players below par over the last month, thats whats dissappointed me. On the up side the games we`ve drawn we`d have lost last season and phil brown could be our manager!!

[Dubaimancityfan]

Think most folk are most likley fucked off with the past few performances fella, probably starting at Villa. I am and from what I see if we carry on with such performances we wont be where we are for long. Yes we are fourth, but will we stay there based on what we have seen today??

Exactly and Iam worried too. The performance curve is going down instead of up.
We are 4th thanks to the Top 4/6 loosing or drawing more than their usual share.
Liverpool loosing 5 matches already ! The Scum loosing to Burnley and drawing at home with Sunderland. Spuds loosing to Stoke at home. Chelski loosing to some unexpected team (can't remember who it was). Arse dropping points at Westham.
These are all unusal results that helped us stay in 4th spot.
But we shouldn't count on other teams helping us. We should have picked more points from the last 4 matches and
especially the home match v Fulham.

[Vhero]

Think most folk are most likley fucked off with the past few performances fella, probably starting at Villa. I am and from what I see if we carry on with such performances we wont be where we are for long. Yes we are fourth, but will we stay there based on what we have seen today??

Exactly and Iam worried too. The performance curve is going down instead of up.
We are 4th thanks to the Top 4/6 loosing or drawing more than their usual share.
Liverpool loosing 5 matches already ! The Scum loosing to Burnley and drawing at home with Sunderland. Spuds loosing to Stoke at home. Chelski loosing to some unexpected team (can't remember who it was). Arse dropping points at Westham.
These are all unusal results that helped us stay in 4th spot.
But we shouldn't count on other teams helping us. We should have picked more points from the last 4 matches and
especially the home match v Fulham.

Agreed scouse red are going through a bad stage and the top 4 have some hard games so this should be the time of the year we settle some points in which we could afford to lose later. Unfortunately thats not happened which means its gonna make it a lot harder for us later in the season

[Wooders]

predictably its livened right up on here after a few so called poor results - today, admittedly, was a poor game
we always seem to have players dip in form at the same time for some reason

[Wonderwall]

Think most folk are most likley fucked off with the past few performances fella, probably starting at Villa. I am and from what I see if we carry on with such performances we wont be where we are for long. Yes we are fourth, but will we stay there based on what we have seen today??

Exactly and Iam worried too. The performance curve is going down instead of up.
We are 4th thanks to the Top 4/6 loosing or drawing more than their usual share.
Liverpool loosing 5 matches already ! The Scum loosing to Burnley and drawing at home with Sunderland. Spuds loosing to Stoke at home. Chelski loosing to some unexpected team (can't remember who it was). Arse dropping points at Westham.
These are all unusal results that helped us stay in 4th spot.
But we shouldn't count on other teams helping us. We should have picked more points from the last 4 matches and
especially the home match v Fulham.

Whoa, you think we played BAD at villa!!! We played well at Villa FFS.

[Lionheart]

We have injuries to key players.

We are 4th in the league with a game in hand DURING A SPELL OF POOR FORM.

If this is as bad as our form gets, I'll be over the moon.

[david yearsley]

Didn´t see a lot of aimless long hoofs yesterday tbh - just a lot of aimless and useless FINAL balls in the place where it matters - the FINAL third of the pitch!!

[crossan]

Let's just show a bit a patience,its early days and there is no need to start panicking..................

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Let's just show a bit a patience,its early days and there is no need to start panicking..................

Every now and then you make my day.

[crossan]

Let's just show a bit a patience,its early days and there is no need to start panicking..................

Every now and then you make my day.

Thank's PBL,I am being serious BTW.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Let's just show a bit a patience,its early days and there is no need to start panicking..................

Every now and then you make my day.

Thank's PBL,I am being serious BTW.

Sure you are, just way out of the blue. Agree by the way.

[Grob]

The last 2 games have been dissappointing, last week moreso than yesterday.

Yesterday was our worst performance of the season so far but we still nicked a point.

Everyone can have an offday or 2. Just ask Chelsea.

A rethink is needed in midfield. Since De Jong came in and Ireland went out, the team has steadily gone downhill resultswise. Maybe the answer is there??

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

A rethink is needed in midfield. Since De Jong came in and Ireland went out, the team has steadily gone downhill resultswise. Maybe the answer is there??

When Ireland came off for De Jong on Sunday we got even more trounced in midfield than we had done before the change! I was surprised Barry didn't come off as he wasn't having a great game and De Jong staying on would've allowed Ireland to roam more. Ireland hasn't looked to great coming off the bench, perhaps he needs to start?

I look forward to seeing what team is out this weekend, I think we'll win convincingly and get some confidence, which will be nice.

[shawzy]

If we had a sound,concrete,settled back 4 i dont think Hughes would play Nige as much as he has.
The MF would look more like Superman,Johnno and Barry i reckon.

[mcfc1632]

If we had a sound,concrete,settled back 4 i dont think Hughes would play Nige as much as he has.
The MF would look more like Superman,Johnno and Barry i reckon.

I fully agree - that is why team selection needs to be done on a basis of performance / risks you see as a manager / target for the match - and not the simplistic picking from a fantasy football list or FM

I have seen CITY play away for decades and invariably lose - that is an entrenched malaise that manager after manager has failed to cure.

I see him using NDJ / Barry as some kind of 'insurance' which will be less necessary when the back four become a more reliable unit and able to link effectively with the MF / strikers rather than just hoof it - have people so quickly forgotten even last season when you have a void between attack and defence and we had waves of pressure because every time we stopped an attack we gave the ball away cheaply - or our MF was incapable of breaking up attacks from the opposition.

Hughes, I am sure, knows that he must achieve a minimum position this year and he will receive the best contract in football along with a 5 year contract in the best job in football - I can understand him wanting to break the losing habit and I also bet he is frustrated that the teams he has put out (including Sunday's) have not been able to nick 3 points every time

Problem is with Micah a pratt at RB, Zab not really being solid when he replaces, Lescott taking time to settle, Bridge only now beginning to find his form and Kolo injured the back four needs some insurance - if I was Hughes I would be desperate for them to settle so I could be confident to reduce the insurance - just not sure just how many posters on here actually think about things as clearly / sensibly /deeply as you do - football is more involved than just something played on a computer

[mcfc1632]

Think most folk are most likley fucked off with the past few performances fella, probably starting at Villa. I am and from what I see if we carry on with such performances we wont be where we are for long. Yes we are fourth, but will we stay there based on what we have seen today??

Exactly and Iam worried too. The performance curve is going down instead of up.
We are 4th thanks to the Top 4/6 loosing or drawing more than their usual share.
Liverpool loosing 5 matches already ! The Scum loosing to Burnley and drawing at home with Sunderland. Spuds loosing to Stoke at home. Chelski loosing to some unexpected team (can't remember who it was). Arse dropping points at Westham.
These are all unusal results that helped us stay in 4th spot.
But we shouldn't count on other teams helping us. We should have picked more points from the last 4 matches and
especially the home match v Fulham.

Whoa, you think we played BAD at villa!!! We played well at Villa FFS.

Well said WW - where did that come from??

We had a bad start and conceded - we deservedly equalised and were in charge of the 2nd half - think about that in the past - we were bossing and looking for the win at Villa Park - rather than clinging on - times are changing indeed

[Original Dub]

We've lost one game in 10 in the league, 1 in the last 15 games including friendlies. Conceded 2nd least goals in the league. We are currently placed 4th in the league with a game in hand and also a place in the quarter final of the league cup. We are not playing great but we are managing to NOT lose games. What the fuck is everyone moaning about??... I think we are suffering from being a little spoilt at the start of the season maybe? This team is still coming together and finding its feet. Give it time ffs! Any manager bringing so many players in in such a short space of time would take time to get it right! The way some of you are going on you'd think we were 4th from bottom! Be grateful!

This statement is very misleading. Did you know that we could hypothetically not lost one game all season and be 15th with 10 points?

Hypothetically yes but infact were not, were 4th.

Fuck FACTS mate. They mean nothing.

Everyone with a head on their shoulders knows sensationalism is the way foward. It opens so many doors.

So give over will you?

Ignore league positions for a second, hell you can even ignore the results and tell me, are you happy with our last four league performances?

Then ask yourself before these games happened how many points would you have expected to take?

Answered truthfully, how the hell can you not be disappointed and/or angry? The people who are expressing their anger, disappointment, fear are at least being honest. You're middling, give it time, look at the league position, things will turn around attitude it just a delusion giving hope based on nothing.

Yes we are 4th, but last night especially we had to get a result against one of the "easier" teams. When we come into a run of Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool and we come away with nothing(and it would be understandable to lose those matches) you will see 4th skip away from us like a gazelle who spotted the lion. We have had two golden opportunities now to cement our place so when the tougher games come up, we are well poised to take a hit. Now we are spitting distance from Stoke in 9th and that is a very real and very honest fear.

Slim, there is no right or wrong in these debates. You're definitely right that it is really disappointing not to pick up points against some of the teams we played recently. 12 points was acheivable, although I would have been happy with 10. Certainly not four points! But I'm definitely right that we are still in fourth with a game in hand and we haven't even started playing as a team.

I take your point that its nice to have these points under your belt going into the harder games against the top six, but the difference between us and the likes of spurs, villa, everton and maybe even liverpool this season, is that when we do really get going as a team (and I agree it needs to be soon), we can go on a run against the top teams and pick points up there.

The debate is healthy, and I agree with a lot of your concerns, its just the over-reaction is a bit silly from some folk. There's concern and then there's unrealistic doom and gloom.

The big difference between our points of view is that I believe we'll turn the corner soon and I get the impression that maybe you think the problem is deeper. But look at some of the starts United have had in previous seasons and look at the start Liverpool have had this season. It was because they hit bad form early on. Once we find our best eleven and system and go on a bit of a run, then injuries won't affect us as we'll simply slot somebody in without having to make bigger changes....

Although we have a big squad, there's no denying we're constantly missing big big players. Basically, we've been missing the real Ade since the Arsenal game. We've been missing Robinho for two months. Superman has said he's only starting to get back to normal after that mysterious illness at Fulham, which followed two injuries. Toure has been our for a few games.... these aren't excuses as to why we're not beating the teams we should be beaten but it has to be noted that generally when a team is missing its two or three most important players - the spine of the team that normally wins - sometimes you can be lucky to pick up points while they're gone and hopefully make up for it when they're back.

Santa Cruz has played two full games pretty much, scored in one and been wank in the other. The abuse he is getting on here now I won't even bother going into but Torres took something like 9 games to score last season after being out for only a fraction of the time Santa has been.... my point being we have players to come back or come back to their best. Big players that will help us. So I don't see why I shouldn't feel we will improve greatly.

Speaking of which, Torres may well have to have a hernia op and if so will be out for the same lenght of time Robinho has been. What do you think that will do to Liverpool? What kind of run do you think they could well go on? What do you think would happen if you took out Gerrard as well? Oh and Carra?

We may have a big squad but we will always have our best eleven we haven't had the chance to field that eleven for any run of games. That HAS to count for something Slim.

[Alex Sapphire]

The last 2 games have been dissappointing, last week moreso than yesterday.

Yesterday was our worst performance of the season so far but we still nicked a point.

Everyone can have an offday or 2. Just ask Chelsea.

A rethink is needed in midfield. Since De Jong came in and Ireland went out, the team has steadily gone downhill resultswise. Maybe the answer is there??

It's funny but it's right. First few games we were doing great but Stevie's individual performances were a cause for concern. Since Nige came in his individual performances have been praised (apart from by discopants) , but the team is looking a bit flat. Maybe it's all about that?
In any event don't let's forget that last season Wigan Villa and Fulham all beat us and rattled 9 goals past us in the equivalent fixtures. 3 points and only 4 goals conceded is a significant improvement. Not what we aspire to, but better and consistent with top 6 finish.

[salford city]

There was an interesting point raised in another thread by MCFC1632 in that he thought that maybe Hughes was trying to protect the back four whilst they bedded in together. Add to that the issues that Toure has also had with injuries so far and I reckon that there is some mileage in that hence Nige & Barry being paired together at the expense of Ireland. The question for me is whether Hughes now has the balls to go back to one of Nige & Barry alongside Ireland and put that link back in place between the back & front. I think alongside Ireland's loss of form and illness and the derby defeat Hughes has had a rethink and has opted to make us harder to beat whilst trying to settle the back four down rather than going the opposite way & thinking nah fuck it we'll just outscore whoevere we're up against.

If recent scouting(?) trips to Spain are to be believed, then we'll be looking at at least one new fullback in January so the process will have to be started again so why not go back to Ireland in last season's role with Barry as the anchor man and get Johnson on as and when we can

Now that we are approaching a fully fit squad it certainly makes for interesting times ahead