Where do we go from here?

[Bluez]

"Out of interest DH, would you play 433 against The Arse, and if so with which players?"

I would play 4.3.3 in every game no matter who the opposition are. Ireland would be a key player as would Nigel as long as he isn't just breaking up the play which he does brilliantly.NDJ must be involved in starting and even joining in the passing movements.If he can't do that I would play Barry holding.

As for the front 3 I want 3 players with lots of movement skill and goal threat. Anyone who doesn't do it shouldn't get picked or should be subbed as we have plenty of options. Currently I would go for Ade/Robinho and Tevez ( on the right side) but as I said I would expect performances or others must be given chances. And Ade is in the last chance saloon for me as he isn't doing nearly enough.Having the option of SWP/Petrov/Bellers/Weiss/RSC on the bench is an exciting prospect and should put enough into those picked to play their socks off.

Have you seen anything in training to give us hope that we should be excited about RSC?

[Douglas Higginbottom]

How about sticking with the formation that we play best 4.3.3 and select a team around it rather than play a formation to get certain players into the team. Of course we should be able to beat Hull with any 11 we put out but with a mixture of the selection issue and not playing well and getting the odd tough break we lack belief and it is showing in the players.

"How we respond could well define our season." If we don't get it right in the next 7 days it will define something.

Are you still behind Hughes?

Don't forget that on a few occasions I have said that he has still to prove that he has the ability to manage a side that can win things. I do think though that so much of what has been done behind the scenes and in building a quality squad is really good for the club and it's future and he has played a very big part in that. He has to convince us and all football fans and himself that he is a trophy winning manager.

Am I still behind him yes. Do I agree with everything he does , no.As I have said elsewhere I believe strongly that playing 4.4.2 is not the right way for this City team. Most worrying though is the lack of belief that seems to be within the team at the moment. The last 2 home games have seen us concede silly late equalisers.They haven't come because we have gone all negative and let the other team attack.In both games they have hardly got at us at all but somehow they score and somehow we all knew they would.

Weird.If we had brought defenders on to hang on and let a goal in because we sat back Hughes would have been slaughtered. I don't see it as a big tactical issue but as many have said a motivational one. If we don't bring a defender on I would prefer to see a Weiss or Johnson come on to give the crowd a lift and thereby the team.That's just a personal opinion and might not work either but Hughes doesnt seem to be brave and take chances.

I want to see him be braver in his team selections and I also want to see more players showing leadership out on the pitch.

[Goaters 103]

How about sticking with the formation that we play best 4.3.3 and select a team around it rather than play a formation to get certain players into the team. Of course we should be able to beat Hull with any 11 we put out but with a mixture of the selection issue and not playing well and getting the odd tough break we lack belief and it is showing in the players.

"How we respond could well define our season." If we don't get it right in the next 7 days it will define something.

Are you still behind Hughes?

Don't forget that on a few occasions I have said that he has still to prove that he has the ability to manage a side that can win things. I do think though that so much of what has been done behind the scenes and in building a quality squad is really good for the club and it's future and he has played a very big part in that. He has to convince us and all football fans and himself that he is a trophy winning manager.

Am I still behind him yes. Do I agree with everything he does , no.As I have said elsewhere I believe strongly that playing 4.4.2 is not the right way for this City team. Most worrying though is the lack of belief that seems to be within the team at the moment. The last 2 home games have seen us concede silly late equalisers.They haven't come because we have gone all negative and let the other team attack.In both games they have hardly got at us at all but somehow they score and somehow we all knew they would.

Weird.If we had brought defenders on to hang on and let a goal in because we sat back Hughes would have been slaughtered. I don't see it as a big tactical issue but as many have said a motivational one. If we don't bring a defender on I would prefer to see a Weiss or Johnson come on to give the crowd a lift and thereby the team.That's just a personal opinion and might not work either but Hughes doesnt seem to be brave and take chances.

I want to see him be braver in his team selections and I also want to see more players showing leadership out on the pitch.

Good points Doug. iI'm not sure how much poorer SWP has to be before Weiss gets a run out.

Once again today SWP had umpteen chances to beat the full-back and put the ball over, and once again he failed to get a cross in or lost possession too easily. His workrates good as usual, but his end product sadly isn't.

Also agree on the 4-4-2 - whatever the rights and wrongs of why it isn't working, it plainly isn't and a switch back to 4-5-1 to get us started again is needed, with Stevie in the hole and Tevez on the bench.

[Dingus McDouchey]

i agree with Doug. let's see some of the younger lads with something to prove.
they shouldn't be having any confidence issues, and could be a spark for the 100,000+/wk club.

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

with Stevie in the hole and Tevez on the bench.

What are you basing that on can I ask? Tevez has been far better than Ireland in recent matches.

[Goaters 103]

with Stevie in the hole and Tevez on the bench.

What are you basing that on can I ask? Tevez has been far better than Ireland in recent matches.

Has he really, hmmm - you may want to rethink that.

Tevez is good at chasing down keepers and getting the crowd going with his effort and all round huff and puff, but better than Ireland? Your'e havin a laff.

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

with Stevie in the hole and Tevez on the bench.

What are you basing that on can I ask? Tevez has been far better than Ireland in recent matches.

Has he really, hmmm - you may want to rethink that.

Tevez is good at chasing down keepers and getting the crowd going with his effort and all round huff and puff, but better than Ireland? Your'e havin a laff.

That's just not true. It was widely regarded, even on here, that Tevez changed the game against Liverpool in our favour. If Ireland shown half the application Tevez did today then maybe we'd be celebrating three points.

Ireland live off last season. Even playing in a position he doesn't like (rightly or wrongly) he needs to step up this season.

[Goaters 103]

So your argument on Tevez is based on 15 good mins from Tevez at Anfield, or more to the point one good pass that Ireland ultimately scored from.

Hmm, OK then whatever. Tevez honeymoon period is over and he isn't doing nearly enough as an attacking threat, end of.

[walmai is back!]

I'm glad a few lickers are starting to see the light.

The team in 17th place has taken - over the last 5 games - 3 more points than you.

Not meaning to piss you off saying that, but....

[nigelmcfc]

IMO the manager will be replaced in the summer,for where we want to be we need an experienced coach with a proven track record of winning leagues and trophies..

Hughes does not have the tactical nous or experience to carry the job through although I feel the owners see Hughes as a stand in until they identify the man they want to lead us long term...

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

I'm glad a few lickers are starting to see the light.

The team in 17th place has taken - over the last 5 games - 3 more points than you.

Not meaning to piss you off saying that, but....

But over the season (which is what actually matters, btw) they've clearly not.

Not meaning to piss you off saying that, but...

[Wooders]

Hughes has done an amazing job of turning this club into a really top premier league outfit in terms of players and training facilities however his tactics are quite honestly fairly disastrous given the talent he's got as his disposal

Our one goal today was thanks to a deflection, then we lost the one goal lead, albeit to a bad decision, but we should have been ahead a lot more comfortably by then and its been the same for a lot of the frustrating results lately

So an answer I have thought up is
Hiddink comes in as manager and Hughes retains a role of "director of football" - although this is an approach that has had disastrous consequences so far in the UK, it is however a system that works very well abroad, especially in our rivals for the "best league" that is Spain.
Whether or not Hughes and Hiddink alike would be approachable to such a suggestion remains to be seen but I do feel it could be an answer to our current situation.

[HBlock Cripple]

Hughes has done an amazing job of turning this club into a really top premier league outfit in terms of players and training facilities however his tactics are quite honestly fairly disastrous given the talent he's got as his disposal

Our one goal today was thanks to a deflection, then we lost the one goal lead, albeit to a bad decision, but we should have been ahead a lot more comfortably by then and its been the same for a lot of the frustrating results lately

So an answer I have thought up is
Hiddink comes in as manager and Hughes retains a role of "director of football" - although this is an approach that has had disastrous consequences so far in the UK, it is however a system that works very well abroad, especially in our rivals for the "best league" that is Spain.
Whether or not Hughes and Hiddink alike would be approachable to such a suggestion remains to be seen but I do feel it could be an answer to our current situation.

bad day to give up smelling glue

[BobKowalski]

Hughes has done an amazing job of turning this club into a really top premier league outfit in terms of players and training facilities...

You mean he has spent £200m on established Premiership players from other clubs and that qualifies as 'an amazing job'. Seriously how difficult was it offering £25m for a player without a club or £24m to Everton for Lescott? I like the players we have and the squad. No complaints from me on the whole but I fail to see how offering other clubs large wodges of cash for established players was in any way amazing.

I see Wenger taking that Belgian CB for £10m as doing a better job but I wouldn't call that amazing either. I would call it doing the f**king job you paid to do and thats it.

As for the training facilities well I know we get training updates and very good they are as well and thanks to those involved but I am starting to wonder if they are works of fiction or the players have attention defict disorders because they seem to forget everything by Saturday (the alternative is that they are doing what they are told on Saturday but that is too awful to contemplate).

But seriously 'an amazing job?' Do me a favour.

[edge275]

Poor old Wooders has had his arse rimmed.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

What can I say? We got squad full of dream team talent (and Roque Santa Cruz).

Now that was fucking funny. Just what I needed.

[Green & Blue]

Good question Dubciteh,its hard to believe we are not beating the likes of Hull.Some serious questions need to be asked of Hughes ability to get the best out of these guys.I have supported him in the past but i really feel my patience is running thin at this stage.Results like yesterday and the draws against Birmingham,Fulham and Wigan really are pathetic and in my opinion unacceptable considering the side he has assembled and the quality of the teams they have been playing.The occasional blip fair enough but Hughes seems to be making a habit out of it now.Im just relieved we are still in a respectable position considering how few points we have been picking up.
I am now in a frame of mind that if results dont drastically improve soon i will be resigned to admitting that the best thing to do is find a replacement for Hughes.This is a dream job for any top manager,he will already have a fantstic squad at his disposal and have the resources to bring in players he wants.If the right manager comes along i think this will happen sooner rather than later,in all fairness the decison is being made easy for the owners,the recent run of results are unacceptable.

[walmai is back!]

I'm glad a few lickers are starting to see the light.

The team in 17th place has taken - over the last 5 games - 3 more points than you.

Not meaning to piss you off saying that, but....

But over the season (which is what actually matters, btw) they've clearly not.

Not meaning to piss you off saying that, but...

For sure, but for us, anything that isn't relegation is going to be worth celebrating this season. We are after all your opposites:

1. Rookie manager in his first job
2. Certain positions in the team with no back up of any description and loan signings papering over the cracks
3. Mounting debts to the brink of administration
4. Oh and probably at least 2 (if not more) first teamers wanting away from the sinking ship.

However, my reason for making that point wasn't to take the piss. I actually reckon that, for the first time, Hughes' job is on the line. You've got a fantastic squad, pretty much the envy of the rest of the Prem (bar one or two clubs and even they would gladly sign a few of your players). You've also got a fine record of a mere single defeat.

But, as I say, in an effort to actually contribute to the thread, I think you 'go' to another coach 'from here'. Or you miss out again in the league when you shouldn't be doing so. Or would you be satisfied after all that investment with the League Cup or FA Cup? Serious question.

[Dubciteh]

I'm glad a few lickers are starting to see the light.

The team in 17th place has taken - over the last 5 games - 3 more points than you.

Not meaning to piss you off saying that, but....

But over the season (which is what actually matters, btw) they've clearly not.

Not meaning to piss you off saying that, but...

For sure, but for us, anything that isn't relegation is going to be worth celebrating this season. We are after all your opposites:

1. Rookie manager in his first job
2. Certain positions in the team with no back up of any description and loan signings papering over the cracks
3. Mounting debts to the brink of administration
4. Oh and probably at least 2 (if not more) first teamers wanting away from the sinking ship.

However, my reason for making that point wasn't to take the piss. I actually reckon that, for the first time, Hughes' job is on the line. You've got a fantastic squad, pretty much the envy of the rest of the Prem (bar one or two clubs and even they would gladly sign a few of your players). You've also got a fine record of a mere single defeat.

But, as I say, in an effort to actually contribute to the thread, I think you 'go' to another coach 'from here'. Or you miss out again in the league when you shouldn't be doing so. Or would you be satisfied after all that investment with the League Cup or FA Cup? Serious question.

good question and good post.

whats happened your other name by the way?

I would love a cup thats for sure but at the expense of watching the same dire crap we had yesterday every week? im not so sure. Would like other peoples view on this.

[Goaters 103]

If we won the Carling Cup Walmai, theres about 40k of us who will go on a 3 day drinking bender.

We ain't won a carrott for 33 years so any trophy at this stage would be a major improvement. That said, under the current managers stewardship it remains a far fetched dream.