***mcfc v bcfc lc 1/2 final match thread***

[Tokyo Blue]

And the Wigan FA Cup final, where Panty had played all the way through, then got dumped.

[iwasthere2012]

Pep seems to be getting the balance right between fielding a strong side and rotating. It doesn't help having only one striker of course but I thought last night's team was about right. 5 of our back 6 were second stringers and the other still isn't back to anything close to his best after injury.

Even so with better work in the last 3rd we would probably have win easily. We got into some great situations but just got the last bit wrong. As for Bristol showing other teams how to play against us then bring it on. It's one thing to press a reserve back line plus Yaya but a whole other thing to do it against the real team.

I thought Huddersfield showed everyone how to play against City by retreating to the last 3rd and somehow that hasnt worked either. Others have tried just kicking us off the park but we won those as well.

Can we really beat the dippers on their home turf? How good would that be!

I mostly agree with your summation Doug although like FIBD I feel having Yaya in the lineup as well is illogical to my mind.
He won't be here in the future and I think some formation without him that afforded an energetic youngster some game time, would be much more productive.

I do think our first team is more than capable of winning at Anfield. How good would it be for Raheem to score the winner.

For FIBD:
relating to your earlier post, would you just change Yaya for Fern and keep the rest including Mangala, Danilo,Gundo, B.Silva and Zinchenko, or would you only keep Bravo out of the B team?

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Yeah just swap Yaya for Fernandinho, keep the rest as is, although I'd play one of our two strikers if both were available too.

[brite blu sky]

Bravo is not a real problem this season.
Mang neither really - there are a lot with a downer on him tbh, he plays ok most of the time.

We should have won this game about 4-1 with ease, poor organisation/roles in the final third led to poor decision making imo.

If we had won 4-1 then there would be no debate here at all. We had the chances so really where is the fault ?

I'm with those who pin Yaya as the weak link.. just not dynamic enough now and as he had the role of ball spreader to start moves etc he seemed to slow us down which let BC organise that bit more and stifle the final third.

Fern for the return leg, maybe Big Dave in place of KDB and we are good.

It is easy to pick holes in a B-team because each player is just that little bit off the first choice and it adds up.

[BlueinBosnia]

I mostly agree with your summation Doug although like FIBD I feel having Yaya in the lineup as well is illogical to my mind.
He won't be here in the future and I think some formation without him that afforded an energetic youngster some game time, would be much more productive.

I'm seriously wondering whether there was some kind of behind-the-scenes clause in Yaya's contract extension that if he featured in X amount of games he (and Seluk) would be required to speak favourably of the club after he left, as some kind of 'golden handcuff'. I can't see any other reason for him featuring in a game like yesterday, unless ADUG have plans for him elsewhere within the group after this season.

[johnny crossan]

Yeah just swap Yaya for Fernandinho, keep the rest as is, although I'd play one of our two strikers if both were available too.

7 changes minimum needed from last night for Sunday, anybody who says different is a nitwit

[iwasthere2012]

Yeah just swap Yaya for Fernandinho, keep the rest as is, although I'd play one of our two strikers if both were available too.

7 changes minimum needed from last night for Sunday, anybody who says different is a nitwit

Agreed, but we’re talking about the cup not the league.
Give FIBD some credit.

[johnny crossan]

Yeah just swap Yaya for Fernandinho, keep the rest as is, although I'd play one of our two strikers if both were available too.

7 changes minimum needed from last night for Sunday, anybody who says different is a nitwit

Agreed, but we’re talking about the cup not the league.
Give FIBD some credit.

sorry fibd, I'm just an innocent bystander

[Kippax Sean]

Yeah just swap Yaya for Fernandinho, keep the rest as is, although I'd play one of our two strikers if both were available too.

This, fern and Aguero would make all the difference.

[bigblue]

We have had our fair share of shit players and ludicrous transfers, but this has to go down as one of the most appalling scouting jobs in the history of the sport.

He's certainly not good enough, but "most appalling scouting jobs in the history of the sport"? Ever heard of a guy named Bebe?

[Mase]

We have had our fair share of shit players and ludicrous transfers, but this has to go down as one of the most appalling scouting jobs in the history of the sport.

He's certainly not good enough, but "most appalling scouting jobs in the history of the sport"? Ever heard of a guy named Bebe?

Bebe wasn’t scouted he was recommend by Carlos Queiroz....see the stories last year about certain managers buying players because they got a backhander from the agent.

[fangsanalsatan]

We have had our fair share of shit players and ludicrous transfers, but this has to go down as one of the most appalling scouting jobs in the history of the sport.

He's certainly not good enough, but "most appalling scouting jobs in the history of the sport"? Ever heard of a guy named Bebe?

As I said, there are worse players, but a worse fit? Oh, we're trying to recruit Pep and he likes ball-playing centre-backs who are capable of playing in a high line? Let's buy the exact opposite for a record-ish fee among defenders. Utter scouting failure.

[johnny crossan]

This only the second game of the season (in all competitions) where Pep hasn't used all three of his subs. The other was West Brom also in the Carabao Cup.