****official champions vs scouse 1 match thread****

[PeterParker]

Wow, just heard him (Bobby) talk with Sky. He sounded very ... angry, bored, sarcastic.

[DoomMerchant]

Wow, just heard him (Bobby) talk with Sky. He sounded very ... angry, bored, sarcastic.

he hates losing, and he will look at this as a loss, and i'm sure in his mind it's because he has no players.

Everyone's fucking joking and calling Ant and I rag-like in our reactions to this summer and Marwood, but this summer has been a colossal mindfuck of a waste of time and energy and i'm fucking fuming, and bored, and sarcastic as well, so i can only guess how Mancini feels.

And yes i blame him for fucking about with the formation as well, so i'm not just wearing penne-shaped goggles either.

cheers

[dazby]

We were poor and lucky to get a point. However, I'd be happier for us to peak in a month or two after all players are fully up to speed.

No problem with the formation. We need to be flexible and get comfortable playing a variety of shapes.

We'll be right. But buying some pace is a priority.

[PeterParker]

Wow, just heard him (Bobby) talk with Sky. He sounded very ... angry, bored, sarcastic.

he hates losing, and he will look at this as a loss, and i'm sure in his mind it's because he has no players.

Everyone's fucking joking and calling Ant and I rag-like in our reactions to this summer and Marwood, but this summer has been a colossal mindfuck of a waste of time and energy and i'm fucking fuming, and bored, and sarcastic as well, so i can only guess how Mancini feels.

And yes i blame him for fucking about with the formation as well, so i'm not just wearing penne-shaped goggles either.

cheers

Not the type to relly on Daily Star, Mail, Bollocs, etc, but i think those reports of him going next season if he doesn't control the transfers may have some truth in it.

Still i don't understand is why he signed a new contract and then this happens to him. There are a lot of things going through my mind right now, but the next 5 days will be decisive.

[Ted Hughes]

Wow, just heard him (Bobby) talk with Sky. He sounded very ... angry, bored, sarcastic.

he hates losing, and he will look at this as a loss, and i'm sure in his mind it's because he has no players.

Everyone's fucking joking and calling Ant and I rag-like in our reactions to this summer and Marwood, but this summer has been a colossal mindfuck of a waste of time and energy and i'm fucking fuming, and bored, and sarcastic as well, so i can only guess how Mancini feels.

And yes i blame him for fucking about with the formation as well, so i'm not just wearing penne-shaped goggles either.

cheers

So two days ago when Mancini said people have been asking too much money for players & we aren't willing to pay it, was he lying ?

[blues2win]

I have the feeling that this frustrating transfer window is affecting us. It's got into Mancini's head and some players don't know whether they're staying or going eg Kolo, Kolarov De Jong and Dzeko. I pray for a couple of classy newcomers but if we end up with Rodwell and Sinclair at least we'll know where we stand. If Marwood doesn't get in a decent centre back and a defensive midfielder who can supply some penetration Marwood should be fired in my view. It could really cost us.

[Ted Hughes]

I have the feeling that this frustrating transfer window is affecting us. It's got into Mancini's head and some players don't know whether they're staying or going eg Kolo, Kolarov De Jong and Dzeko. I pray for a couple of classy newcomers but if we end up with Rodwell and Sinclair at least we'll know where we stand. If Marwood doesn't get in a decent centre back and a defensive midfielder who can supply some penetration Marwood should be fired in my view. It could really cost us.

Well if someone who has been given 100s of millions to spend on players but has decided some of his buys aren't good enough, who has a squad full of top players, can't start a season without throwing the players into depression because he hasn't got his new toys, he is letting the club down & not the man I thought he was. He would also be not fit to clean Slur Alex's boots as a manager, as he would be fucking delighted to have this squad & have them all chomping at the bit to play.

I prefer to believe what Mancini said two days ago & that It's all a load of bollocks.

[Mase]

worst I've seen us play in a long time. They looked like they couldn't be arsed.

I'm not bothered is de Jong goes. If he won't sign a contract because he wants more money and plays like that then fine; ship him out.

There'll be days like this though where we play crap, at least we got something out of it!

[DoomMerchant]

Wow, just heard him (Bobby) talk with Sky. He sounded very ... angry, bored, sarcastic.

he hates losing, and he will look at this as a loss, and i'm sure in his mind it's because he has no players.

Everyone's fucking joking and calling Ant and I rag-like in our reactions to this summer and Marwood, but this summer has been a colossal mindfuck of a waste of time and energy and i'm fucking fuming, and bored, and sarcastic as well, so i can only guess how Mancini feels.

And yes i blame him for fucking about with the formation as well, so i'm not just wearing penne-shaped goggles either.

cheers

So two days ago when Mancini said people have been asking too much money for players & we aren't willing to pay it, was he lying ?

yes. he's good at that. Or he simply changed his mind.

how the fuck would either of us know?

Maybe analyzing Mancini's post-match comments after a draw where we played craptastically are about as useful as reviewing our match thread emotional rants, and if that's yr point then....i won't argue.

cheers

[phips]

DDR JOVETIC AND CAVANI by friday please. Thank you Santa sheikh.

so whenever there's an issue we should just throw silly money at it and hope that works?
its not about having the most expensive and/or most world class players in a starting XI.....

[Arjan Van Schotte]

its not about having most world class players in a starting XI.....

it is, at least a bit.

[Swales4ever]

taken more than what deserved, gutted anyway for the performance.
I blame the manager, first. weird picks, to [highlight][say][/highlight] the least.

*edited for the sake of english lang.

[highlight]It's a strange habit Bob has sometimes of making unusual team decisions for big games[/highlight]. I doubt anyone would think we wouldn't have been better with Lescott playing & our usual formation.

The upside was Silva & Dzeko (even though he should have scored) looked good when they came on & imo when Rodwell settles down, he is going to be a real asset.

The puzzle for me is Mario, because I think he tried really hard, he made some great runs, but the team didn't look right with him in it.

We have seen today that Kolarov is a creative force at times but can't defend even against a kid from the reserve team. Kolo gives the ball away much more than Lescott & isn't fit to clean his boots as a defender FACT.

Absolutely.
what's particularly [strike]hard[/strike] impossible to understand is Kolo for Joleon: had he a late crack? and if so, why he has been brought on the bench? madness...
then, to look at the half full glass:
1) hardly we can say that the "B" formation has been trained by the best XI. this could be a possible explaination of why he picked Kolo. crazy, nonetheless. plus the present Dippers Under Refurbishment are difficult to be rated as a big game. they did even not had the aerial weapon of AC. all in all I'm disappointed there. Clueless mancini: BB-
2) Dave and Mario. Both were last to join back. both are clearly out of steam, let alone full game fit. Yet again, why do not start Edin instead of Mario. I will always take Dave on the bench, as a last resource, because he is class act even when in a metadone flash, but honestly I would have not started him today on the evidence of his performance v. Saints.
3) I have very little, if not zero concerns defensive face, season wide. It'll take 2-3 weeks but They will return to usual rock solid set-up, after some overdue working weeks all together, and some extra drills, maybe. Let's hope it'll happen before going at Stoke, and absolutely before the European Campaign starts.
4) Maybe he just saw something we couldn't get from outside. let's see.

all in all.
a) wrong formation: a bunch of passing game apprentices, with litlle effectiveness upfront and without the aerial threat of Carrol is nothing that can justify the decision to set the Champions at 3-5-2
b) wrong/weird picks
hence:
MANCINI OUT!

still, it seems more than clear that the season has already to start for the BEST XI as a whole.

[blues2win]

Mancini's made enough comments over the last few weeks including after the match today to make it absolutely clear he feels the squad needs strengthening if we want to challenge for the CL in particular and that he' doesn't 't think enough has been done to bring in the necessary players.I don't think it's credible to say that all this has been got up by the Press. They've had plenty of ammunition from Mancini.

[eddiecityfan]

Just to add some light in the gloom, of our next 8 games only Arsenal should cause us any real worries. Lets say we win 6 and draw 2 of them. That would give us 24 points from 10 games and we'd be right up there.

[eddiecityfan]

Also, which other teams have looked good so far. united amd Arsenal have problems, chelsea may have won all 3 but they scraped past reading on wednesday. Its not just us with issues at the start of this season!

[Lev Bronstein]

Liverpool reminded me of us a few seasons ago. We'd play one of the top four, be all over them and then balls it up by giving cheap goals away. And we'd be walking away from the groung saying "how the hell didn't we win that!?.

Playing 3 at the back might have it's virtues, apparantly quite a few teams are trying it out, but, surely away at Anfield isn't the place to experiment.

I reackon that Balo and David haven't properly recovered from the Euros.

It seemed that some of those who's position is in doubt, eg Nige and Kolo, were given their chance to shine - again Anfield isn't the place to try playing that game.

A bit of a stuttering start, but it's very early days to be drawing any firm conclusions. The begining of the season always brings some strange situations, after all, I remember Carlisle holding top spot one year - they got relegated.

[Chinners]

Actually, I blame the 4 stars.

Spooky, I seem to agree with this statement at some juncture in every match thread this season .... spooky

[stevefromdonny]

Just to add some light in the gloom, of our next 8 games only Arsenal should cause us any real worries. Lets say we win 6 and draw 2 of them. That would give us 24 points from 10 games and we'd be right up there.

didnt we have 28 pts after 10 games last year

[getdressedmctavish]

Its difficult to play for a manager who looks permanently pissed off.His attitude this last three months stinks.I personally think the board must be thinking do they need it. £40 mill offer comes in for the fruitcake and he says no, now buy me three £30 mill players.He's making the whole club fecking joyless at the moment. Will be glad when the window closes and he feckin gets on with it.Same as when he kept playing Savic. He's trying to make a point imo.(And he got one lol)

[OliverHardy]

Some of you guys need to go out and enjoy life, get pissed, have a shag, or watch a good movie with a girl. It's a bank holiday weekend in the uk and many people seem to have nowt better to do than post childish overreactional comments about a manager and team that are the English champions 2 games into a new season. Grow up, take a reality check and realise that no team can just bowl over everything that comes into its path. The league is a marathon not a sprint, most teams need time to get going. And for those calling Mancini, when was the last time you managed a team to win the worlds most difficult league?! Never so shut the fuck up and let the man do his job