We've Been Undone by The Tinkering!,.....

[Twobob]

That loss had absolutely nothing to do with team selection. Mancini got it spot on.

The only criticism I have towards Mancini is how long it took him to change shit when we were clearly buckling... and this happens A LOT.
We were outdone not by change, but a lack of it at a crucial time.

If we play like that on Tue for the first hour, we'll be fine.

Thats spot on, I hate Gollum with a passion but I have to say that he identified thier weekness and how to combat our play and made the changes at half time very well - took Mancini way too long to realise what was happening in the 2nd half especially as grandpa Pat only has 45-60 mins in him these days.

by that time it was too late and we were 2-1 down and they did what they do best, got all men behined the ball ... wankers

But have to add that Gollums change at half time did negate Silva a lot, and worked to thier advantage, but it was then up to us to change t ocounter that - we didnt.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

We were undone by a team in the top 7. Again.

[Kiss_The_Goat]

We lost because we missed 2-3 glorious chances. Nothing else

Exactly. We should have been 3 up by half time. Nothing to do with tinkering, nothing to do with Moyes tactics. We hammered them first half and the players should have put that game beyond Evertons reach by half time. Just one of those days I guess. Thankfully Spurs blew it against Blackpool.

[The Original Special One]

By defending deep, it allows opponents a larger target area for the long ball. It also means that should we not deal with it effectively, the ball trends to be in an areas nearer our goal making it more dangerous for us.

Spot on
'Nuff said
(no need for the 'epistle'!) :)

Thank you for the advice...Do you do life coaching too?

in my spare time!

[The Original Special One]

We lost because we missed 2-3 glorious chances. Nothing else

Exactly. We should have been 3 up by half time. Nothing to do with tinkering, nothing to do with Moyes tactics. We hammered them first half and the players should have put that game beyond Evertons reach by half time. Just one of those days I guess. Thankfully Spurs blew it against Blackpool.

What odds Gomes to have a blinder on Tuesday?

[Dameerto]

We lost because we missed 2-3 glorious chances. Nothing else

Exactly. We should have been 3 up by half time. Nothing to do with tinkering, nothing to do with Moyes tactics. We hammered them first half and the players should have put that game beyond Evertons reach by half time. Just one of those days I guess. Thankfully Spurs blew it against Blackpool.

What odds Gomes to have a blinder on Tuesday?

He's a confidence player, it would be 'a shame' if our fans got on his back from the first whistle, it might just put him off.

[Wonderwall]

I see todays result as a blessing in disguise and one that will really help us win the cup.

The game against Liverpool was a serious kick up the arse for Mancini. He learnt from his mistakes and the FA Cup semi was magnificent. We played a very tough everton today, but they are NOT the better team, we are! At half time we should have been out of site, but thats not the point here. At half time, Moyes got his team up for it, he got them to rattle us, some of the challenges were x-rated and it got the crowd up for it as well. This is exactly what will happen in the cup final! Therefore I for one am very happy that this little lesson came Mancinis way before we step out at Wembley for the final as he must learn from it.

One thing to note here is the unprofessionalism of Mancini and Zaba. IMO, Zaba should have gone down on the pitch and been treated, he would not have been subbed as he was OK after. Mancini panicked and changed the sub as he thought he was injured... This was all done at panic stations and not good enough

[Douglas Higginbottom]

I see todays result as a blessing in disguise and one that will really help us win the cup.

The game against Liverpool was a serious kick up the arse for Mancini. He learnt from his mistakes and the FA Cup semi was magnificent. We played a very tough everton today, but they are NOT the better team, we are! At half time we should have been out of site, but thats not the point here. At half time, Moyes got his team up for it, he got them to rattle us, some of the challenges were x-rated and it got the crowd up for it as well. This is exactly what will happen in the cup final! Therefore I for one am very happy that this little lesson came Mancinis way before we step out at Wembley for the final as he must learn from it.

One thing to note here is the unprofessionalism of Mancini and Zaba. IMO, Zaba should have gone down on the pitch and been treated, he would not have been subbed as he was OK after. Mancini panicked and changed the sub as he thought he was injured... This was all done at panic stations and not good enough

Whilst I agree with what you say to a point I disagree that he learnt from his mistakes and the FA Cup semi was magnificent. We were shocking in the first 25 minutes against the scum and could easily have lost it in that period.It certainly didn't feel at all during that time that any lessons had been learned. Then yes after that we got better and the result,alomg with the 2nd half performance was magnificent.

Pulis watched the game today and saw how we played and reacted when Everton upped the pace of their closing down and tackling and of course they will do 100% the same from the start.If we don't handle that well we will have big trouble.But on the other side of it of course we will create chances so lets just hope we finish better than today.

[lets all have a disco]

Today it was obvious Pat V's leg had gone and he was getting passed by,nige is good but he cant cover a knackered grandad.
Mancini should have changed the game then,not waited till we went 2-1 down.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Today it was obvious Pat V's leg had gone and he was getting passed by,nige is good but he cant cover a knackered grandad.
Mancini should have changed the game then,not waited till we went 2-1 down.

Its been obvious PV's legs had gone from the day we got him.Any team that plays with pace through the middle and gets at him quickly will expose that.It's not just a question of him tiring in a match.

[The Original Special One]

Today it was obvious Pat V's leg had gone and he was getting passed by,nige is good but he cant cover a knackered grandad.
Mancini should have changed the game then,not waited till we went 2-1 down.

Yep, like I said its ok to play Vieira against the likes of Wet Spam or Championship no marks, or even, occasionally, to see a game out with ten minutes to go.
But he should never have started today.
And certainly shouldn't start in either of our next two games

[freshie]

For all you guys who are shitting it - put your hands down your pants and find these things called your balls. We are going to get 4th place and win the FA Cup - have some fookin faith. This is our time, this is our city, one love, one city, MAN CITY FOREVER BABY!!! (And this is coming from a bloke who was at wembley in 1999 when we thought it was all over)

[freshie]

I've been Mancini's biggest critic this season but even I don't think today's defeat was his fault. If Yaya had taken his chance when put 1-on-1 by Silva after 55 minutes then we would have won this game easily. By the same token if Dzeko had steered his shot on target rather than wide as he had done after 70 mins we weould have won the game easily. The problem we face is that when dominating games, as we have done many times this season, we lack a forward with the balls to put the ball in the back of the net and, consequently win the match for us

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

If if if. We fucking lost. Not because one or even two players missed their chance, but because we were thoroughly outfought in the second half.

Fuck the champions leauge, we get there and play like that we'll be spanked.

[aaron bond]

If if if. We fucking lost. Not because one or even two players missed their chance, but because we were thoroughly outfought in the second half.

Fuck the champions leauge, we get there and play like that we'll be spanked.

We play like we did in the first half but put our chances away, we'll spank a lot of teams. It's not as if we had a lot of possession but didn't do anything with the ball today, we created loads of clear cut chances that should have been goals.

I agree it's 'if, if, if', and I'm disappointed we lost a game we should have won comfortably, but we did play a lot of very good football yesterday.

[Swales4ever]

the same against Liverpool
when we rested players
The same today

Play your best XI, EVERY game
How difficult is that to understand???


They're professional footballers: they shouldn't need a 'rest'

I agree about Liverpool but today wasn't because of tinkering, today was because Moyes knows how to beat Mancini. It's as simple as that.

I took the clever advice from Craig while ago and I stopped posting - as the silliness widely spread throughout this board anytime the marmalade does not come straight to the bread really hit me bad and sick - BUT actually few brainless skulls on here are filled with a very peculiar sand!

now WHAT THE GLORIOUS BLOODY RED TRAFFORED FUCK have to do with the manager (team rotation, contingencies reaction or whatsover silly point) THE FACTS that:

a) PADDY Vieira's huge experience missed the easiest chance to score out of all he had all season long
b) YAYA scored a very difficult blinder but missed a far easier chance on the counter (after a wide galopping, tbf) and so on for a few others

AND MOST IMPORTANT

c) the "braveheart" DAVID MOYES had been entitled since several season to play matches of professional football UNDER the RUGBY UNION or better AUSSIE RULES instead of those created by FA and FIFA boards that USUALLY are governing the football games other than those involving EVERTON FC and partly STOKE CITY FC???

I also do acknowledge that bemoaning to a targeted scapegoat offered on a silverplate by tabloids to the weakest minds may be a good relief valve - cheaper than proper sessions of psychoanalysis. That's the other point because I did surrender and I left to the much eloquent and wiser MORAL SUASION of JOHN68 the task to explain what a fucking WORK_IN_PROGRESS is, WHY any time CITY are about to make a meaningfull step further the RED GUTTER ANTI-CITY PRESS are quick to run a destabilizing story in the attempt to undermine the CITY FIELD (last being the "subliminal suggestion" that the TEVEZ HERO is going to be prived of his widely deserved reward of playing the FACUP FINAL by
the arrogant_bastard_clueless_italianmanager_who_stolen_the_best_british_manager_ever_his_job)

FACT ARE THAT 18 MONTHS :

1) CITY WAS A NON GELLED AND UNASSEMBLED BUNCH OF SELFISH CHARACTERS WHO TOUGHT THEIR SATISFACTIONS WERE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE CLUB AIM AND TARGETS (IRELAND, PETROV, BELLAMY, ADEBAYOR and unfortunately by certain different issues TEVEZ (read KIA) and AJ (read youngness cockery)]
2) AFTER REMOVING THOSE UNSETTLED PERSONNEL (the last, the KIA'S TAX will be paid next summer) IT TOOKED SOME TIME TO BUILD A TEAM WORK AND SPIRIT WITHIN THE SQUAD. NOW THE SIGNS ARE SHOWING THE TEAMWORK IS MOSTLY ESTABLISHED IN TRHE LADS' MIND BUT STILL IS WORK IN PROGRESS AND - AS EVERYTHING IN REAL LIFE - IT TAKES TIME AND MATERIAL EVIDENCES (read RESULTS) TO BE INSTILLED INTO HUMANS' BELIEVE.

AS A RESULT OF THE ABOVE FACTS:

THE SOONER SOME CITY SUPPORTERS SHALL START TO BELIEVE TO MCFC OFFICIALS INSTEAD OF THE DESTABILIZING SHITES THROWN BY THE RED TINTED PRESS - AND CONSEQUENTLY TO SUPPORT THE CLUB BY BACKING THE MANAGER, ALL THE PLAYERS, COMES RAIN OR SHINE, THE BETTER SHALL BE FOR THE CLUB AND THE EASIER BRIGHTER DAYS SHALL COME FOR THE GLORY OF MCFC.

rant over. back to underground darkness.

[Arjan Van Schotte]

lovely post mancio. thanks for reminding us where we were 18 months ago and those bad apples that uncle bob has removed, enabling us to be a better team.

Y'know, if we get 5 points in the next 3 games - we'll have the same amount of points as last year!

Progress indeed.

[Chinners]

To be fair Mancini has made great progress in the cup this year ...

[Ted Hughes]

If if if. We fucking lost. Not because one or even two players missed their chance, but because we were thoroughly outfought in the second half.

Fuck the champions leauge, we get there and play like that we'll be spanked.

Tbf, how can we fight successfully when every time we go in hard for a tackle or even a header, the ref falls for the resulting dive & gives the oppo a free kick which comes straight into our box ? When we get into their half, the pollaxe us, get away with it & end up with a free kick outside our box. There was no way out.

If any others of the top four had played Everton under those conditions, they would struggle. If Barcelona played Everton under those conditions, with the ref giving them fuck all, they would struggle. The difference would be; Barca or rags, given the same opportunities, would have been 3 up by half time, so the 2nd half shenanigans would never have happened.

I said on the match thread that we needed a 2nd goal, because Dowd was giving Everton free kicks based on the high pitched screaming whinge from the crowd. He would have possibly given them a pen if they'd started diving in the box more. They were clever; it's easier to get the decisions outside.

[BobKowalski]

lovely post mancio. thanks for reminding us where we were 18 months ago and those bad apples that uncle bob has removed, enabling us to be a better team.

Y'know, if we get 5 points in the next 3 games - we'll have the same amount of points as last year!

Progress indeed.

5 points in the next 3 games gives us 4th spot and that's progress

There is still a fair way to go as the Everton game demonstrated but Mancini has moved this team forward. You can argue that he could have done it faster or better or that he has dropped a fair few bollocks on the way but if we get 4th spot he has fulfilled his brief and if we get 4th spot and the FA Cup then he has done very well.

Next year we should kick on further given the team will have been bedded in for a season and with the squad tweaked and pruned where needs be. In short whats not to like about City at the moment? Even the football is sublime at times and - oh yes - put the fucking ball in the net!!

Sorry. Mini rant