Tokyo Blue wrote:Maybe they mean Chester, Bradford, Hull or Birmingham.
The first paragraph of the piece would suggest that isn't the case.
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by King Kev » Sat Nov 10, 2012 6:09 pm
Tokyo Blue wrote:Maybe they mean Chester, Bradford, Hull or Birmingham.
by Peter Doherty (AGAIG) » Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:50 pm
Mase wrote:I forgot to add RE: Stadium Tour.
City know that they don't get fair treatment from the media. In the media room the tour guide mentioned they've put things going all the way around the media room on the walls to show what City are doing in the community and with the new training complex, etc.
by clawbaggio » Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:32 pm
by Tokyo Blue » Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:12 am
King Kev wrote:Tokyo Blue wrote:Maybe they mean Chester, Bradford, Hull or Birmingham.
The first paragraph of the piece would suggest that isn't the case.
by Ted Hughes » Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:49 am
by Tokyo Blue » Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:14 am
by john@staustell » Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:34 am
Ted Hughes wrote:Just got in the house for an hour and found this little selection; take into consideration that this bloke is a biographer of Ferguson, Utd have just scraped a win & City play a theoretically difficult game tomorrow.
by Hazy2 » Sun Nov 11, 2012 9:12 am
john@staustell wrote:Ted Hughes wrote:Just got in the house for an hour and found this little selection; take into consideration that this bloke is a biographer of Ferguson, Utd have just scraped a win & City play a theoretically difficult game tomorrow.
Ted - you aren't playing the game. United dont 'scrape a win'. They dig in, show the stuff of champions, same again, good old Fergie, it's winning when you aren't playing well that makes champions, they've been there before etc etc.
City ' scrape a win', and consequently are in major turmoil and crisis.
What's more a lot of pundits expect Spurs to win today. Why? Because they are playing away and up in the same league as City, Chelsea and Scum? No, because the pundits are a bunch of anti-City cunts, and because Spuds won at 'glorious' United they must therefore beat City!
by Swales4ever » Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:16 am
Manchester City 2 Tottenham 1: Stuart Brennan's Match Verdict
He hates being the super-sub – but City fans love him for his uncanny knack of stepping into the breach and pulling results out of the fire.
Edin Dzeko remains a potent weapon in City’s armoury and proved it yet again as he came off the bench to win a Sunday thriller against Spurs.
City deserved the victory, battling in the teeth of some poor refereeing – yet again – and still playing with the panache of champions, thanks to the return of David Silva.
It was the wee man whose insightful pass, with just two minutes left, picked out Dzeko’s brilliantly disguised run – and the striker almost broke the net with his finish, all the frustration of his situation being poured through that left foot.
City had shown their powers of recovery again, coming back from Steven Caulker’s headed goal to level through Sergio Aguero’s calm finish before Dzeko produced his typical late act.
There had been times when their frustration threatened to get the better of them, as they had been on the wrong end of some poor refereeing decisions from Michael Oliver.
If City were annoyed by the performance of official Peter Rasmussen against Ajax in midweek, they were climbing the walls of a metaphorical padded cell in the first half of this contest.
The same themes emerged again – a poor goal conceded from a set-piece, and then some dreadful refereeing to deny them the chance to get back into the game.
Spurs took the lead on 21 minutes when Tom Huddlestone swung in a free-kick from wide on the right, and Caulker was allowed a free header.
Mistake number one.
Still, he thumped it straight at Joe Hart, who so far this season has been performing miracles.
He proved he is entirely human by allowing the ball to thud into his chest, failed to grasp it, and saw it squirm out of reach and spin inside the near post.
Mistake number two.
Mancini had every right to feel hard done by. No-one can blame his tactics, and it is debatable whether it was zonal marking at fault. It was a simple case of more individual errors, and the manager can do nothing about those apart from drop the individuals.
If referee Oliver had been one of his staff, he would have been sitting in the stands with Mario Balotelli in the second half, such was the magnitude of the individual errors he made.
Three minutes after the Spurs goal, Sergio Aguero tried to flip the ball past William Gallas inside the box, and the ball struck the defender’s out-stretched arm.
We have seen dozens of them given this season, and City fell victim to a similar penalty award at Chelsea last season.
Oliver can claim he was unsighted, but the assistant on that side of the pitch should have been able to assist him in his decision.
City were pushing hard for the equaliser, and were almost caught on the break as Emmanuel Adebayor – with a point to prove against a manager who drummed him out of City – back-heeled for Huddlestone who drilled a low shot inches wide of the post.
Tempers began to fray as City became increasingly fed up with the ref, and with Spurs’ tendency to drop at the slightest contact.
Adebayor earned an earful of home truths from Pablo Zabaleta for one incident, and moments later Zabaleta was booked as the big Togolese striker hurled himself into a dive over his erstwhile team-mate’s leg, for which the Argentine was unjustly booked.
The surging feeling of injustice was cranked up again on 33 minutes when Zabaleta burst into the box onto Silva’s pass, and was barged to the floor by Huddlestone, coming in at an angle.
It was such a blatant penalty that there was a feeling of disbelief when nothing was given, rather than outrage, as if the ref had spotted something none of us could.
Still, City had to grit their teeth and go again. One swift break ended with Aguero nudging the ball inside for Aleks Kolarov – playing as a left-sided midfielder – but his attempt to sweep the ball up and over Brad Friedel was miscued.
City’s misfiring forward line failed again a minute later, when Caulker failed to clear and the ball popped up neatly for Aguero. It was half a chance, maybe three-quarters of one for a player of his quality, but he snatched at it and the shot flew well wide.
Spurs were being severely stretched by this point, and when Yaya Toure held off Sandro’s foul and thrust his pass into the path of Silva’s run, the Blues were away again. The Spaniard squared for Carlos Tevez, but he got no power in his shot and a grateful Friedel gathered easily.
The half ended with Zabaleta again surging into the box and on to Silva’s delightful reverse pass, and this time the right-back’s left-footed shot lacked the power to beat Friedel.
City stepped up the power again after the break, but were again finding themselves bashing their heads against brick walls, this time of their own making, rather than of the officials’.
Marginal offsides, mis-controls at vital moments and passes delayed a fraction too long all cost them.
When they finally sprang the offside trap, Yaya Toure’s long ball picking out Aguero’s sprint, the little Argentine – who stumbled several times against Ajax – again lost his footing as he tried to bring the pass down.
Mancini acted – and did so boldly.
The Spurs fans howled their delight at the sight if Maicon coming on for Nastasic, remembering the Champions League tie against Inter Milan two seasons ago when Gareth Bale had given the Brazilian a torrid time.
The switch also meant the Blues went to three at the back, inviting more potential criticism. It worked, as City tightened the noose and Spurs felt the pressure.
Aguero, after his earlier troubles, might have choked when the ball fell to him after Sandro had failed to control a Silva pass intended for Yaya.
Instead, he cut inside and slid a perfect finish beyond Friedel to bring the Blues level. That set up a big finish in which sub Dzeko flashed a header narrowly wide, Silva trundled a shot past the post and Aguero thundered a shot straight at Friedel.
It was neatly set up for Dzeko, and when he ranged inside from the right and passed to Silva with two minutes left, the Spurs defence stopped. Dzeko didn’t, and when the Spaniard lifted a superb return pass to him, the big Bosnian smashed an unstoppable drive past Friedel to win it.
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchesterevening ... ch-verdict
by london blue 2 » Mon Nov 12, 2012 11:35 am
by Swales4ever » Mon Nov 12, 2012 1:20 pm
london blue 2 wrote:Fucking hell change that font! :s
by london blue 2 » Tue Nov 13, 2012 2:16 pm
What a right old mess City are in! The Blues are lingering in second place in the Premier League.
They are the only side in all four professional English divisions not to have lost a league game this season and have conceded fewer goals than anyone in the top flight.
They have a squad most of Europe envy and are faced with the nightmare decision of which of their superstars to leave out on a weekly basis.
In Joe Hart, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero they have a core of players who would walk into any team in the Premier League tomorrow – if not any team in Europe bar Real Madrid and Barcelona.
They have a boss in Roberto Mancini who has ONLY managed to win the FA Cup and the Premier League in the last two seasons.
They have one of the wealthiest people in the world bank-rolling them.
They have a huge following, with loyal fans who are prepared to support them whichever division they are in.
They have a stunning stadium, with plans to improve it and increase its capacity. And they have recruited some of the best brains in the business to run the club.
You can bet your bottom Abu Dhabi dirham that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham fans are relieved they aren’t facing a crisis as big as the one City are having!
Because of what the Blues have done over the last two seasons, they are there to be shot at. Which is why some are lightning quick to label them a crisis club at the moment. It’s nonsense.
The only reason why the spotlight has fallen on the champions and Mancini is because of their Champions League form this season. And that needs to be put into perspective too.
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Maicon-steps-up-to-the-plate-to-show-why-roberto-mancini-has-put-his-faith-in-experience">Maicon steps up to the plate to show why Roberto Mancini has put his faith in experience
Roberto Mancini searching for 'perfect' Manchester City game, says Patrick Vieira
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Anyone remember United’s first two forays into Europe’s top competition under Fergie?
In 1993/4 – when it was a straight knock-out competition – they were sent packing by Galatasaray in the second round. And 12 months later – following a change in format – they failed to get out of the group stages. In fact, it wasn’t until six years after their first attempt that they won it. And it took Chelsea 13 years to win the trophy after they first entered the Champions League in 1999.
So, despite the money which has been poured into City, it was always going to be a tough ask for them to make a major impact in the Champions League in their first few seasons.
Even more so now considering the competition is tougher than ever, and when the baffling UEFA coefficient ensures new clubs to the competition are handed an immediate disadvantage in the draw, even if you are champions of England.
Because Sheikh Mansour wants immediate success, Mancini will always be under pressure. But the Blues aren’t in crisis.
Losing 2-0 to Gillingham with just injury-time to go in a Second Division play-off final four days after your closest rivals had won the Treble – now that is a crisis!
by Beefymcfc » Tue Nov 13, 2012 3:37 pm
by london blue 2 » Tue Nov 13, 2012 4:07 pm
by City64 » Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:11 pm
Beefymcfc wrote:Was that Stu Brennan by any chance?
I have noticed, since his little tip-toe into this forum, and others I think, that Stu Brennan's approach has changed. He maybe beginning to understand more about his audience and to be fair, his/their stories have been far better to read.
That piece was good. I don't want to hear the bullshit side of things to appreciate a good story, I just want to read the truth and even though not overly glamorous, it does hit the spot.
Thinking about it, the MEN may get even more hits on their website and more copies in peoples hands as we Blues will want to read it and those from the other side of town will want to criticise it.
Just think, all those 650 trillion Rags around the world logging into the MENs City stories, just so they can call us 'Bitters' in every one.
Thanks for posting LB.
by Alex Sapphire » Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:35 pm
by Mase » Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:53 pm
by Guy Debord » Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:36 pm
by Mase » Tue Nov 13, 2012 8:14 pm
Guy Debord wrote:I went to the Northwest football awards last night and it was solidly City throughout. Mancini won manager of the year and Sergio goal of the year, City won marketing campaign of the year for #together.
The Rags won something for being sponsored by Aon. Cheeseman was journalist of the year.
If there was a bias, it was all our way.
by Peter Doherty (AGAIG) » Tue Nov 13, 2012 10:02 pm
Guy Debord wrote:I went to the Northwest football awards last night and it was solidly City throughout. Mancini won manager of the year and Sergio goal of the year, City won marketing campaign of the year for #together.
The Rags won something for being sponsored by Aon. Cheeseman was journalist of the year.
If there was a bias, it was all our way.
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