So, we win ugly...

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Both Adebayor and Rocky are great in the air. The thing is, we don't play that way. Buying Carroll would be like buying......Rocky or Adebayor.

We already have this type of player. Adebayor is better with the ball at his feet and Rocky is Carroll's equal in the air. So why bother with Carroll? Waste of time and money. He'd just become another boo boy.

Spot on that pal, like I have said many times, we have RSC as an option and have chosen not to use him on far too many occasions - on the very few occasions we have used him, we have played the ball into his feet wherupon he falls over. We are unable to play to the strengths of having a big bastard up front, first reason being that we seem to have very few players capable of picking one out with a cross.

Having said that, being the only club out of 92 not to have scored a header after half a season has passed is a fucking disgraceful statistic, and maybe it is working on this which would have enabled us to beat the likes of Everton, Blackburn etc.

Can't fully agree . Carroll is exeptional in the air whereas RSC and Ade are good and quite good. Carroll is very very physical in the air whereas our current two are not.Our two win some balls but Carroll seems to win them all.Still can't wotk out though how we would set up to play if we got Carroll ( or when we get Dzeko)


As for winning ugly if that's what that was I will take it any game. I feel that was as good a 3 points as we have won all season. We caught them cold , a bit like Everton did with us, and made them pay. I don't think we played that well and once Newc had woken up we were given a really physical quick game which we stood up to. We had 2 full backs who struggled with the full back part but happily Vinnie and Lescott did their jobs well and were supported well by Barry and Nigel.

Really top 3 points which we have to back up with 6 from the next 2 home games.

[Ted Hughes]

dont think we won ugly...
i thought that it was a great away performance.

The two things are not mutually exclusive.

why do u say that? i thought we were always on top of the game, played very well and was very professional. we scored 3 goals away from home, so it was a great away performance. winning ugly (IMO) is like everton did last week to us. 33 chances 5 penalty appeals and they still won.

We battled hard to a good 3 points without having anything like as much possession as we would usually & having to do a lot of challenging & clearing, which in my book is 'winning ugly'. If that isn't 'winning ugly' then personally I don't know what else a team could do which would fit that description.

[marvin]

Kolo Toure and Kompany have been amongst our best players this season. It took them 12 months to produce their best, and Kolo already knew all about the Premiership.

[Slim]

We won nearly all the 2nd balls today, which we shouldn't be allowed to & wouldn't, had it been rags or Chelsea we were playing.

Key reason for victory. Carroll is one of the best headers of the ball maybe ever. Just stopable. He'll always win the header but to reduce effectiveness make sure there is always someone there to challange him and that there are plenty around to clear the knockdowns.

As for his potential big money move to City, he's got a long way to go and alot of maturing to do before that becomes a reality.

On the subject of the full backs, both today were garbage. Boateng isnt good enough, too laid back, too easily beaten. Kolorov cant turn, he stands off players too much, gives them too much time, and cant stop crosses coming into the box. He's also not that great on the ball. Both really need to buck up their ideas. How Boateng gets in before Richards and especially Zabaletta, whose been great this season, is beyond me.

Even though you have taken to quoting yourself, cannot agree with you more. I hope Kolarov can meld into this team, but Boateng is a fucking waste of space, I have zero hope for him as a fullback, hope he is a centrehalf who is just being played in the wrong position.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Kolo Toure and Kompany have been amongst our best players this season. It took them 12 months to produce their best, and Kolo already knew all about the Premiership.

Kolo had a rough year, Kompany was brilliant all along. Got injured, kept playing and people look back and say he was adjusting. No he had a broken toe and was swapping between midfield and centre half in a pretty poor team.

People using the time to adapt thing for Boateng is fair enough, but can he please sit on the bench for prem games in the mean time because we have two decent right backs who have already adapted.

[Crossie]

RSC has it in him, he bullied our defence several times when he was at blackburn, we saw it first hand. He was a monster in the box, getting on the end of everything.

If we wanted to spend time with him on the pitch, getting him match fit and confident, he could do that again (injury free too of course)

Andy Carroll is a no from me. We dont need him and we already have a very similar option which Mancini clearly doesnt want to try. Plus if we bought Mario for his height and presence, why is he taking the corners?

[Swales4ever]

Teddy is spot on again.
We can have very good power and control in the air and a very decent association to the passing game in Dzeko, or LLorente at least.
I am only more positive of him about his desire: that is why Bob instructed Brian to chase for him since long ago.

[zuricity]

Never mind whether city win, win ugly, or pick up points. United won today in a very ugly way,