***city vs cardiff official match thread***

[Tesl]

There is no doubt,win or lose,that matchday evenings are lit up by Carl and his considered thoughts.

You are being overly generous in describing them as "thoughts", let alone considered ones! :)

[blues2win]

De Michelis does indeed like diving in which is dangerous. Unfortunately letting a fast attacker get the run on you and trying to stop him is also dangerous. The back four don't get the cover they used to get under Mancini and we see the consequences; 103 goals but more conceded. In my view none of the three alternatives available to be first choice to Vinnie are what we need. None of them have enough pace to play in a side that has full backs endlessly bombing on and not enough midfield cover. We need a top class young centre back.

[City64]

Was at the Etihad today . Got the feeling we toyed with Cardiff for large parts of the match playing some fantastic football at times especially the first half without ever having to get into top gear so to speak . The ref was shite eg Negredo one challenge resulting in a yellow card first half , Noone for Cardiff persistantly fouled all fucking match and never recieved a caution ????? the penalty not given for us very early on ????? really done plenty of City fans head in today but heyho 4-2 and some sublime goals yet again , awesome stuff but a little lack luster at the back for Cardiff,s 2 goals . Some nasty stuff going on in both sections of the crowd involving Showcase stewards , dont really know the ins and outs ? Onwards and upwards !

[Cocacolajojo1]

First goal the player has the entire goal to shoot at. Perhaps could have stood closer to the post but in that situation when Kompany sells him short, it's a tricky one.

Second corner goes in low so Joe can't parry it and then Demi let's go of his man. What you could get at that point is a reaction save but if you don't get it you can't really fault him for it as the trajectory of the ball is so steep.

Worst keeper of the league, you're having a laugh.

Honestly you can't name 3 keepers having a poorer season than him. I bet the stats would show he has the poorest shots vs goals conceded ratio in the league.

That might actually be true though but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's a bad keeper, depends on what types of chances we give our opponents.

I'll see if I can look that up. Would be interesting to see, regardless.

[Crossie]

Stop moaning, we've scored 103 goals! Who gives a fuck if Hart etc make the odd mistake? We are so good at the other end it's fine.

[DoomMerchant]

Stop moaning, we've scored 103 goals! Who gives a fuck if Hart etc make the odd mistake? We are so good at the other end it's fine.

It won't be fine vs the CL opposition we face in Feb. I can promise you that.

[zuricity]

'Extra two goals' what the heck is bilbo talking about.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

The Joe Hart situation to day is interesting.Whilst I don't go for the hammering he gets from some on here there is no doubt overall he hasn't been great this season.That's why he was correctly dropped.Pellers brought him back I believe because a) I think he rates him as our best keeper and b) because Pants was starting to show worrying signs and let one or two in he shouldn't have.

Against Cardiff I would not at all blame him for the goal.The mistakes were in allowing the guy to come into the box so easily and then by Vinnie who should have showed him to the line.I don't think Joe was at fault for letting the ball in at "his near post" as he basically had either side to shoot in and if he got it right,as he did,there was no chance.

As for the 2nd goal on the surface it might seem he was at fault but I am not so sure.The ball swung over was fairly well hit and quite flat and I was quite surprised it wasn't headed at the near post by somebody.Had Joe gone for it there and someone flicked it in he would have been at fault as he could not have got there first.Then I look at Demechelis who just switched off and allowed Campbell to knock it in.There's probably the real culprit.

I wonder what SoFu's reading of it is?

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

Stop moaning, we've scored 103 goals! Who gives a fuck if Hart etc make the odd mistake? We are so good at the other end it's fine.

It won't be fine vs the CL opposition we face in Feb. I can promise you that.

Spot on, I'd so love us to sign a world-class central defender this month it isn't true. If we did the quadruple everyone's talking about would be a genuine goal.

[mirks]

The Joe Hart situation to day is interesting.Whilst I don't go for the hammering he gets from some on here there is no doubt overall he hasn't been great this season.That's why he was correctly dropped.Pellers brought him back I believe because a) I think he rates him as our best keeper and b) because Pants was starting to show worrying signs and let one or two in he shouldn't have. Against Cardiff I would not at all blame him for the goal.The mistakes were in allowing the guy to come into the box so easily and then by Vinnie who should have showed him to the line.I don't think Joe was at fault for letting the ball in at "his near post" as he basically had either side to shoot in and if he got it right,as he did,there was no chance. As for the 2nd goal on the surface it might seem he was at fault but I am not so sure.The ball swung over was fairly well hit and quite flat and I was quite surprised it wasn't headed at the near post by somebody.Had Joe gone for it there and someone flicked it in he would have been at fault as he could not have got there first.Then I look at Demechelis who just switched off and allowed Campbell to knock it in.There's probably the real culprit. I wonder what SoFu's reading of it is?

This. Noone did it pretty well, he had his body like he was going for the far post and you can see Hart shifting his weight to his right foot and got beaten.

[gillie]

The Joe Hart situation to day is interesting.Whilst I don't go for the hammering he gets from some on here there is no doubt overall he hasn't been great this season.That's why he was correctly dropped.Pellers brought him back I believe because a) I think he rates him as our best keeper and b) because Pants was starting to show worrying signs and let one or two in he shouldn't have.

Against Cardiff I would not at all blame him for the goal.The mistakes were in allowing the guy to come into the box so easily and then by Vinnie who should have showed him to the line.I don't think Joe was at fault for letting the ball in at "his near post" as he basically had either side to shoot in and if he got it right,as he did,there was no chance.

As for the 2nd goal on the surface it might seem he was at fault but I am not so sure.The ball swung over was fairly well hit and quite flat and I was quite surprised it wasn't headed at the near post by somebody.Had Joe gone for it there and someone flicked it in he would have been at fault as he could not have got there first.Then I look at Demechelis who just switched off and allowed Campbell to knock it in.There's probably the real culprit.

I wonder what SoFu's reading of it is?

Defenders fault all day long Doug poor marking cost us for 2nd.1st Noone gave Joe the eyes but he should'nt have been there in the first place as Garcia just let him wander into space to receive the pass from which he went on to score.

[MilnersJaw]

Easy, Nastasic is much better than both of them.

You're a deluded fool. Are you eastern European?

[gillie]

Carl is wrong Lescott is our best defender.Defender being the operative word because yes he is not very good at distributing the ball but neither is Vinny some of his passes are shocking but they know how to defend.Demichelis and Nastasic are crap defenders one is headstrung and the other is still learning the game.There is a reason we won the league that reason was we had the best defenders.The centre backs were Kompany and Lescott.Surely not rocket science Carl?

[zabbadabbado]

We were much the better side and thoroughly deserved our win, however I felt we were idling along for long periods.

I did not like the pairing in midfield of Garcia and Ya Ya.I am really sorry but I don't see what Garcia brings to the table. I only see a place for Garcia in the side for the last 15 minutes when we are shutting out a tight game, he drops far to deep and does not compliment Ya Ya attributes the way Fernandinho does. If we started with that midfield against Barcelona we would be comprehensively overrun, and well beaten. I would have started Fernandinho today and then rested him in the virtual dead rubber on Wednesday.

I also thought Hart could have done better with the first by at least covering their first on his near post. I am not saying he could save it, I am just saying he is beaten on his near post far to often and should have at least have that post covered. Their second, I am sorry but a keeper should be coming for that ball all day long ,and not be routed to his line as he was. Had fuck all to do and still conceded 2 goals. We definitely need a decent back up keeper because Pants is not the answer.

Some tough games coming up. I hope we play our strongest side in the Premier League from here on in, we don't need to start getting complacent by thinking some of our 2nd string players are better than they actually are, then having a reality check and finding out the hard way that they are not. That side was good enough to beat Cardiff, it was not good enough to beat Spurs,Chelsea,Barcelona, we have won nothing yet, the coming weeks we need to start with our best first 11 on the pitch in the League.

[Ted Hughes]

Being quite close to the action & side on ish & seeing the lousy attempts to defend the first goal by Demichelis & Vinny (let him come inside & shoot ? Really ?), I felt unable to comment on Joe hart's part in the disaster.

Having now just watched it, I can only assume that in the case of those complaining:

A: he shagged your girlfriend/boyfriend

B: you are fucking blind

C: you are partial to hallucinogenic drugs.

From the space Vinny left their player, I would have scored either side of Joe Hart & been absolutely gutted if I didn't. He was fucking hung out to dry by shite defending.

As for the 2nd, MDM shite.

Other than the back 4 & finishing though, I think I agree with the Count that our 1st half was as good as anything we have done.

We did the pressing thing really well in their half, even in the final 3rd & kept stealing the ball. We left our defenders with almost nothing to do (which was still too much for them). On another day the game would have been over by half time.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Carl is wrong Lescott is our best defender.Defender being the operative word because yes he is not very good at distributing the ball but neither is Vinny some of his passes are shocking but they know how to defend.Demichelis and Nastasic are crap defenders one is headstrung and the other is still learning the game.There is a reason we won the league that reason was we had the best defenders.The centre backs were Kompany and Lescott.Surely not rocket science Carl?

So in a nut shell..you are saying Pellers has got it all wrong....

Alrighty then........

[gillie]

Carl is wrong Lescott is our best defender.Defender being the operative word because yes he is not very good at distributing the ball but neither is Vinny some of his passes are shocking but they know how to defend.Demichelis and Nastasic are crap defenders one is headstrung and the other is still learning the game.There is a reason we won the league that reason was we had the best defenders.The centre backs were Kompany and Lescott.Surely not rocket science Carl?

So in a nut shell..you are saying Pellers has got it all wrong....

Alrighty then........

In a word YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[carl_feedthegoat]

There is no doubt,win or lose,that matchday evenings are lit up by Carl and his considered thoughts.

"That he could argue Boyata's stupid red card was Lescott's fault with a straight face tells you already what a clown he is. Pointless waste of time.

That was a gem but they just keep coming and are worth popping in for a look.

Boyatas red card was because Lescott passed the ball (as per usual) when Boyata had 2 players around him and was immediately in trouble...the red card was Boyatas fault and the assist was Lescotts...thats factual.

Just stick to climbing trees and report what you see at training you boring cunt!!.....although going on what you see in your head on match days, I will take that with a pinch of salt.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Carl is wrong Lescott is our best defender.Defender being the operative word because yes he is not very good at distributing the ball but neither is Vinny some of his passes are shocking but they know how to defend.Demichelis and Nastasic are crap defenders one is headstrung and the other is still learning the game.There is a reason we won the league that reason was we had the best defenders.The centre backs were Kompany and Lescott.Surely not rocket science Carl?

So in a nut shell..you are saying Pellers has got it all wrong....

Alrighty then........

In a word YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best football ever witnessed as a CITY fan and setting the world alight every fuckign week..records broken on the way and you say Pellers has it all wrong.

I suggest you go on a field trip with that other daft cunt a few posts up and pick conkers up and have a picnic with lashings of ginger beer......till the penny drops.

[zabbadabbado]

Being quite close to the action & side on ish & seeing the lousy attempts to defend the first goal by Demichelis & Vinny (let him come inside & shoot ? Really ?), I felt unable to comment on Joe hart's part in the disaster.

Having now just watched it, I can only assume that in the case of those complaining:

A: he shagged your girlfriend/boyfriend

B: you are fucking blind

C: you are partial to hallucinogenic drugs.

From the space Vinny left their player, I would have scored either side of Joe Hart & been absolutely gutted if I didn't. He was fucking hung out to dry by shite defending.

As for the 2nd, MDM shite.

Other than the back 4 & finishing though, I think I agree with the Count that our 1st half was as good as anything we have done.

We did the pressing thing really well in their half, even in the final 3rd & kept stealing the ball. We left our defenders with almost nothing to do (which was still too much for them). On another day the game would have been over by half time.

You do realise that a keeper should never really be beaten on the near post ?

It is fundamental to being a decent keeper to at least have your near post covered ,and force the striker to go across goal.

Not saying he should save it. Simply saying he should not be beaten on his near post that is all. Hart is consistently beaten on his near post. Cardiff obviously did their homework Noone tried to do him on his near post with a speculative effort from distance in the second half

Maybe you don't know as much about football as you think you know. Or maybe you just no fuck all about goal keeping in general to think that being beaten on the near post as consistently as he is ,is good goal keeping.

Cue more abuse from Mr Football Ecyclopedia Ted, Those who disagree fill in the ------------- when you have finished hallucinating lol.