The Boss

[Moonchesteri]

Looks like the lads are struggling with the transition from super defensive to super attacking - we're sort of in limbo between the two at the moment

There was nothing super attacking in our play yesterday, nor at Cardiff for that matter imo

[Dameerto]

If he sorts our midfield out it will go a long way to sorting the defensive problems out we're been suffering from since preseason without sacrificing our attack. That fucling high defensive line scares me though, if we're playing a slower paced game.

[Blue Since 76]

My point is that people judge Lescott on what he looks like, rather than the end result which is that he is often the best defender out of the 11 he plays in & rarely gives the ball away. All centre backs have fuckup moments, he has no more of them than any top City centre back ever, yet for some reason people try to give him a rep for fuckups. Then when he evetually makes one ' I told you so' .

He definitely isn't the man for this game, but he's likely to be as good or better than most current alternatives, as they are struggling too.

I like Lescott as a defender, even if he terrifies me when he has the ball. I also think Kompany plays better along side him and Lescott, for me, was the best defender when we won the league even though Kompany got the plaudits.

As long as we accept he's more Butcher than Beckenbauer, there isn't a problem. Put players near him he can pass to and he's a good premier league defender. If Mancini hadn't dropped him every time there was a European game as well, the outcome could have been different.

[Wooders]

There was nothing super attacking in our play yesterday, nor at Cardiff for that matter imo

Nor super defensive - its almost like we were in limbo

Wait thats what i said the first time...

[Bluez]

Looks like the lads are struggling with the transition from super defensive to super attacking - we're sort of in limbo between the two at the moment

There was nothing super attacking in our play yesterday, nor at Cardiff for that matter imo

We only had four less shots against Cardiff than Newcastle. The difference was that Cardiff had 11 behind the ball almost all the time so it was trying to get through a red wall. They then got lucky on to corners.

[ashton287]

Looks like the lads are struggling with the transition from super defensive to super attacking - we're sort of in limbo between the two at the moment

Fuck all super attacking about city. Our one and only attic so far has been give the ball to navas.

[ross.mcfc]

Already ahead of United. All hail the boss.

[Dameerto]

The RAGs, a club in decline?

[Ted Hughes]

I've been on the Count's case re the defensive system because imo, he should have got the defence playing to win the league this season first & foremost. He can put his smartarsed system into play over time rather than doing it immediately. He has fucked up the defence pre season, same as Mancini did last pre season. Mancini organised his original defence over time though & that system is still the one the players know. The Count should have gone back to it.

BUT, he is miles ahead of Mancini re attacking. It hasn't always shown yet, because we keep falling back into the habit of unimaginative Mancini stuff or whacking it forward, trying to break that up, but look at the goals we have scored.

Yaya has been PRACTICING free kicks. Extra practice at free kicks reaps dividends. Mancini should have had Balotelli spending hours on it. Instead, he let him, & others, dominate set pieces & waste the ball. Now Yaya has been given the opportunity, practiced & scored 2 from 2. Others may well follow.

Crosses: 2 headers scored from crosses already. That Mancini one trick fucking pony of Silva tapping the ball round the back to Milner or a fullback got sussed after the 1-6. These are percentage crosses: we NEVER did it under Mancini. I'm fucking right on this; I sit right there where I've watched Zabba fuckarse about with the ball for 3 years. Yesterday FIRST TIME EARLY BALL IN. That's down to the Count.

There are plenty of big plusses hidden amongst the ridiculous defensive shambles.

[Sideshow Bob]

Already ahead of United. All hail the boss.

Quality of opposition. Will we get 6 pts from chelski at home and dippers away?

[Ted Hughes]

Already ahead of United. All hail the boss.

Quality of opposition. Will we get 6 pts from chelski at home and dippers away?

4.

[AG7]

4.

I'm not so sure after the last two games against Cardiff and Hull ... those two (Chelsea and Liverpool), in fact anyone in top half of the table would create a lot of problems for us if we don't sort out our all over the place system very very quickly, and by that I mean in the next game against Stoke as that's it before the derby.

[avoidconfusion]

He needs an holistic enema.

Engineers don't do Holistic!

Maybe that's the problem, so we need to ram it up his arse....hence the enema.

Is he cutting it?

'kin hell that is one weird drawing!

[Slim]

Already ahead of United. All hail the boss.

Quality of opposition. Will we get 6 pts from chelski at home and dippers away?

4.

1

[Twobob]

Anyone know for certain how manu players that we've signed this window had already played for Pellers at another club?

This new defender has, twice, and i'm certain 2, 3 or more have ...

Hope we've not got ourselves our very own version of Rednap...

[getdressedmctavish]

With Ted. For three years under Mancini we got to the line and never found a blue shirt in the centre. Now we do cos they've been practising their runs. Not rocket science. so the main probs were corners and the role of the midfielders. To me, if you play Jesus you have to sacrifice a striker as currently midfield gets out gunned. Ya Ya is clearly being told to hold. But what is dinho told. He doesn't look as if he knows. Rodwell is a miles better option because we saw last season he understands Ya Ya's game.On set pieces we have to go back to zonal for one simple reason.....it fucking worked.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Anyone know for certain how manu players that we've signed this window had already played for Pellers at another club?

This new defender has, twice, and i'm certain 2, 3 or more have ...

Hope we've not got ourselves our very own version of Rednap...

Apart from Demichelis, none to my knowledge. Also, we have director of football system in place now so no manager will be able to "do Hughes" and bring in all his bum chums with him. Maybe one cheap like Demichelis to provide comfort for Pellegrini in those long Manchester winter nights but they will not sanction the kind of orgies Hughes were looking for.

Bigger question right now is the scouting network Spafia is using. Is it really so that we can't find players anywhere else but Southern Europe?

[Colin the King]

He was always going to be under pressure given he's replaced someone who was sacked for coming second but knowing that he's Sorriano/Txixi's man means they'll probably give more leeway than another manager.

In some ways hammering Newcastle on the first day probably worked against him because it set such a strong benchmark. It's always going to take a new manager time to get things working his way and we saw obvious signs of that in the two games since. Similiary though, there have been positives - even from the Cardiff game - and I'd much rather have a mediocre start and get stronger as the season goes on than come out all guns blazing and collapse, ala Sven's season here.

Ferna is going to take time to settle in fully - think about Silva in his first season, it was October before he was looking up to scratch - and when Kompany returns we'll be stronger and more composed at the back. The time to panic and criticise is when we're outside the top three/four at Christmas, until then let's ge behind the boss and the team as a group and give them a chance to grow.

[Cocacolajojo1]

He was always going to be under pressure given he's replaced someone who was sacked for coming second but knowing that he's Sorriano/Txixi's man means they'll probably give more leeway than another manager.

In some ways hammering Newcastle on the first day probably worked against him because it set such a strong benchmark. It's always going to take a new manager time to get things working his way and we saw obvious signs of that in the two games since. Similiary though, there have been positives - even from the Cardiff game - and I'd much rather have a mediocre start and get stronger as the season goes on than come out all guns blazing and collapse, ala Sven's season here.

Ferna is going to take time to settle in fully - think about Silva in his first season, it was October before he was looking up to scratch - and when Kompany returns we'll be stronger and more composed at the back. The time to panic and criticise is when we're outside the top three/four at Christmas, until then let's ge behind the boss and the team as a group and give them a chance to grow.

Great post.

[Ted Hughes]

He was always going to be under pressure given he's replaced someone who was sacked for coming second but knowing that he's Sorriano/Txixi's man means they'll probably give more leeway than another manager.

In some ways hammering Newcastle on the first day probably worked against him because it set such a strong benchmark. It's always going to take a new manager time to get things working his way and we saw obvious signs of that in the two games since. Similiary though, there have been positives - even from the Cardiff game - and I'd much rather have a mediocre start and get stronger as the season goes on than come out all guns blazing and collapse, ala Sven's season here.

Ferna is going to take time to settle in fully - think about Silva in his first season, it was October before he was looking up to scratch - and when Kompany returns we'll be stronger and more composed at the back. The time to panic and criticise is when we're outside the top three/four at Christmas, until then let's ge behind the boss and the team as a group and give them a chance to grow.

I think one of the big problems is that we have watched Yaya in his current role on many occasions & we know it needs a Nige/Barry or both in order to work, even at Prem level, never mind the Champs League.

Something big has to change in order for this to work; either an extra mid or the whole team defending differently.

We know this, but we have to sit through games like Cardiff & Hull, waiting for Pellegrini to see it for himself & do something about it.

If he doesn't take special measures on the training pitch or in selection to sort it, & just plods on expecting it to work itself out, we will get our pants pulled down.

I think if everyone sees that he understands it's a problem, they will have more faith.