***Official Stoke Tafia vs Gods Own Matchday Thread***

[Chopper]

We are looking fucking awful, not just awful, FUCKING AWFUL.

What the fuck has Pellegrini done to us ?,we cant defend, cant attack, cant keep possession, we have nothing in midfield, our passing is so slow and predictable. This man came with a reputation as a man who knows how to play football, fucking hell Stoke should have won that 3 -0,, top 4 ?,mid table more like..

I predict we carry on like this the engineer wont see Christmas, dreading the Derby for the first time in a long time.

This is what happens when you sack a manager for finishing second after winning the Premier League the previous season.

The sooner those two Spanish pricks fuck off the better

Pellegrini was supposed to be an improvement. Im not seeing it. Its going to be a long season.

[Nick]

shit. as expected. reminds me of end of pearce era where i actually dont want to watch us anymore.

spanish cunts better fix up i thought we ditched mancini to be entertained?! ive not seen football since the first game.

[Ted Hughes]

We are looking fucking awful, not just awful, FUCKING AWFUL.

What the fuck has Pellegrini done to us ?,we cant defend, cant attack, cant keep possession, we have nothing in midfield, our passing is so slow and predictable. This man came with a reputation as a man who knows how to play football, fucking hell Stoke should have won that 3 -0,, top 4 ?,mid table more like..

I predict we carry on like this the engineer wont see Christmas, dreading the Derby for the first time in a long time.

This is what happens when you sack a manager for finishing second after winning the Premier League the previous season.

The sooner those two Spanish pricks fuck off the better

We were jst as bad several times v Stoke under Mancini & in fact lost.

[Beefymcfc]

Can't wait to see Nastasic & Rekik against these next season, as some have predicted would be no problem.

Why dont you go fucl yourself?

I gather you must be one of them ? It was a stupid fucking idea tbh.

No need to get upset about it though.

So anyway, don't care about that, either the Count has decided that the two games coming up are too important to risk players, or he is a fucking moron.

We shall see.

Silly comment Ted, just to try and put 2 youngsters together and make a point. If either of them are playing they need a tried and trusted nect to them.

Anyway, the game. Shit 1st half, better 2nd half once Aguero came on. It was a terrible starting team selection which didn't allow for players trusting each other; none of them have played together before and there were far too many who hadn't played being thrust in against a team like Stoke. Pellers does not understand this league.

I'll take that result in the end though because we were absolutely dogshit. I don't remember a single clear chance for us but yet again left a team to have clear chances against us. The defence looked a little better when they got into it but there's still not one leader on the pitch. Yaya is not a captain and it looks like Zab's, our best player last year, has taken it hard.

It may come together, it may not. This is a busy week and the Boss has to deal with it the best he can. A point away against Stoke isn't bad and I'd have taken it before we played but what is worrying is that this performance could carry onto the CL and then into the Derby. These are 2 that we cannot afford to lose.

Hopefully we'll sort it out. We better because these performances are just not good enough.

It's not a silly point at all.

In the Premier League you come up against these kind of players. If we have two medium height kids as backup centre backs, as some have advocated, all it needs is a few injuries & we will be lucky to finish top 6.

Nastasic can't suddenly become a player who deals with that. It could take years or it may never happen. Put two of them together & we are fucked.

Have the masses advocated Nasti and Rekik as a CB pairing next season?

Saying that, it's probably better than what we are seeing at the moment. In fact, get the kids on, let's start again because this holistic crap isn't cutting it.

[twosips]

The most frustrating thing for me is that a very good solution to a lot of our problems is starting in midfield for Everton today :(

[Chopper]

Howlistic more like

[Ted Hughes]

Have the masses advocated Nasti and Rekik as a CB pairing next season?

Saying that, it's probably better than what we are seeing at the moment. In fact, get the kids on, let's start again because this holistic crap isn't cutting it.

Plenty of City fans have suggested that for THIS season. "Why don't we sign a cb, bring Rekik back & let Lescott go ?"

There is the answer. Two injuries at the back= season over.

We need to find real top quality defenders.

[twosips]

It still really bugs me that Yaya coasts through games. He has all the ability in the world but we saw absolutely nothing going forward from him today. He burst forward once, in the 86th minute, beat two men and got pulled down. We just don't see that from him anymore and its an absolute shame. A huge waste.

[Moonchesteri]

The only positive is that we don't have to wait a full week before our next game.

[Tim777]

Did anyone notice how on fire Nasri was today? Imo he was, apart from Hart, the most hard-working and precise of the squad, I can't help thinking that subbing Navas was not such a good idea despite Navas performing reasonably ok, I got a sense that Nasri was on the verge of making a breakthrough in the box before he got taken off.

[Beefymcfc]

Have the masses advocated Nasti and Rekik as a CB pairing next season?

Saying that, it's probably better than what we are seeing at the moment. In fact, get the kids on, let's start again because this holistic crap isn't cutting it.

Plenty of City fans have suggested that for THIS season. "Why don't we sign a cb, bring Rekik back & let Lescott go ?"

There is the answer. Two injuries at the back= season over.

We need to find real top quality defenders.

Mate, you are a Lescott Licker, get over it. I think he's our best CB but it's clear that his contract doesn't allow him to play.

F&B have the reigns, you are happy with that so surely must be appy with their decisions on a change in manager. Don't complain when it bites you on the ass. Just take it mate.

[twosips]

Gareth Barry just made an absolutely wonderful last ditch tackle for Everton. Perfect positional and covering sense. Ah ffs, why isn't he doing that for us.

[Ted Hughes]

Did anyone notice how on fire Nasri was today? Imo he was, apart from Hart, the most hard-working and precise of the squad, I can't help thinking that subbing Navas was not such a good idea despite Navas performing reasonably ok, I got a sense that Nasri was on the verge of making a breakthrough in the box before he got taken off.

He worked really hard but unfortunately his main creative idea involved running down blind alleys & turning inside. It's just not good enough to merit being our 'creative' player.

[Ted Hughes]

Have the masses advocated Nasti and Rekik as a CB pairing next season?

Saying that, it's probably better than what we are seeing at the moment. In fact, get the kids on, let's start again because this holistic crap isn't cutting it.

Plenty of City fans have suggested that for THIS season. "Why don't we sign a cb, bring Rekik back & let Lescott go ?"

There is the answer. Two injuries at the back= season over.

We need to find real top quality defenders.

Mate, you are a Lescott Licker, get over it. I think he's our best CB but it's clear that his contract doesn't allow him to play.

F&B have the reigns, you are happy with that so surely must be appy with their decisions on a change in manager. Don't complain when it bites you on the ass. Just take it mate.

Oh fucking Mancini again.

I didn't want him sacked, I didn't want Hughes sacked & I don't want this bloke sacked.

It is becoming fucking impossible to discuss football on here.

Some fucker write a list of things we are allowed to say.

[Beefymcfc]

It still really bugs me that Yaya coasts through games. He has all the ability in the world but we saw absolutely nothing going forward from him today. He burst forward once, in the 86th minute, beat two men and got pulled down. We just don't see that from him anymore and its an absolute shame. A huge waste.

I'm not going to have a go at Yaya as it's clear that he's been told not to move. His job is to play the ball out of defence and nothing more; as if we're playing 2 different teams - one attack, one defence.

How many runs have you seen him go on, runs that come natural to him? He doesn't get forward anymore and can only influence play within our own half. Maybe it will work but it's disappointing to think that one of our more influential players is not being utilised to the best of his abilities.

[zuricity]

Gareth Barry just made an absolutely wonderful last ditch tackle for Everton. Perfect positional and covering sense. Ah ffs, why isn't he doing that for us.

If he was faster he wouldn't have to make it so dramatic and last ditch :-)

[Fidel Castro]

I have to disagree. Even based on this game alone, Nasti is light years better than Grossia. What would make you think that?

Did he not lose that fat cunt Walters on two occasions, which should've been goals?

[Michael Brookes]

Did anyone catch pelligrinis interview? I missed it and feel I'm owed some answers

[TheReturnOfTheSpecialOne]

It still really bugs me that Yaya coasts through games. He has all the ability in the world but we saw absolutely nothing going forward from him today. He burst forward once, in the 86th minute, beat two men and got pulled down. We just don't see that from him anymore and its an absolute shame. A huge waste.

I'm not going to have a go at Yaya as it's clear that he's been told not to move. His job is to play the ball out of defence and nothing more; as if we're playing 2 different teams - one attack, one defence.

How many runs have you seen him go on, runs that come natural to him? He doesn't get forward anymore and can only influence play within our own half. Maybe it will work but it's disappointing to think that one of our more influential players is not being utilised to the best of his abilities.

I think Ya Ya would have occasional forays forward if he could be more confident about our centre-backs. But Pellegrini isn't helping our CB situation by altering it every other week.

Injuries aside, he should decide on what is his best CB partnership, and stick with it - no matter what kind of howler any one commits: the centre-back position depends more than any other position on the pitch on a partnership: the strength or otherwise of that partnership also affects other players in the spine of the team - such as goalkeeper and central midfield.

[twosips]

Gareth Barry just made an absolutely wonderful last ditch tackle for Everton. Perfect positional and covering sense. Ah ffs, why isn't he doing that for us.

If he was faster he wouldn't have to make it so dramatic and last ditch :-)

Not sure if you're watching it, but he was covering for someone else. It was brilliant. He's been wonderful so far. Helping Everton boss the midfield.