Mancini

[Hazy2]

I am not going along today which will largely be a warm down day but no doubt also a day for reflections after a poor night.How much time the management spend with the team talking about it would be interesting.Or would the management team talk more within themselves to consider what next to lift things.

I would say that's the most down I have seen Mancini look after a game and it will be fuel to the media fire that he/we are feeling the strain. Nothing that a good couple of wins won't put right.We hit a low at Liverpool last season and then finished superbly so we need the same again from here.Vinnie I am sure will step up as I believe he did in the run in last season.

Time to earn his money Doug, end of Story.

[lets all have a disco]

He needs to use hair gel.

On a side note im hoping Spurs,Chelsea and Scouse can take some points of the rags and we can throw the points in the bag,its crucial.

[Goaters 103]

Mancini and the coaching staff, along with the players simply didnt do their jobs well enough last night and we pissed away the advantage we had at the top.

Time to rectify things and for them to a) earn their money, and b) come up with a Plan B and C, especially away from home.

We have Fulham, Villa, Blackburn, Bolton and Swansea upcoming and all must be won, no excuses.

[Ted Hughes]

I'm amazed, as I was when Hughes was in charge, how a manager can be responsible for a bunch of players making all the wrong decisions on the night, on a football pitch. I always thought players like Silva, Aguero, Dzeko, Robinho, Ireland etc etc made their own choices when they got the ball but no, it's all pre ordained by the manager.

[PeterParker]

I'm amazed, as I was when Hughes was in charge, how a manager can be responsible for a bunch of players making all the wrong decisions on the night, on a football pitch. I always thought players like Silva, Aguero, Dzeko, Robinho, Ireland etc etc made their own choices when they got the ball but no, it's all pre ordained by the manager.

I think the point that is under the microspoce is the fact that in 90 % of the time, when the players near the 16 yard area, they pass it to the side, for a cross inside the box, where almost every time, the ball is wasted. I might be wrong, but this worked only two times. With Scum and Spuds, both away.
Here it the managers fault, when you have Silva, Nasri and Kun, players that can really shot, you ask them to pass the ball instead of trying. The only time we did this thing last night, was when Nasri hit the post.

[Ted Hughes]

I'm amazed, as I was when Hughes was in charge, how a manager can be responsible for a bunch of players making all the wrong decisions on the night, on a football pitch. I always thought players like Silva, Aguero, Dzeko, Robinho, Ireland etc etc made their own choices when they got the ball but no, it's all pre ordained by the manager.

I think the point that is under the microspoce is the fact that in 90 % of the time, when the players near the 16 yard area, they pass it to the side, for a cross inside the box, where almost every time, the ball is wasted. I might be wrong, but this worked only two times. With Scum and Spuds, both away.
Here it the managers fault, when you have Silva, Nasri and Kun, players that can really shot, you ask them to pass the ball instead of trying. The only time we did this thing last night, was when Nasri hit the post.

They didn't play football very well. If they had, it would have been a routine victory. They didn't see players running, they didn't look up when they had the ball & pick out crosses, just kicked it blindly hoping someone would be there. They shot straight into defenders rather than moving them first to create a gap. It was headless rubbish.

Imo, that's got fuck all to do with Bob, it's players not performing.

[Hazy2]

I'm amazed, as I was when Hughes was in charge, how a manager can be responsible for a bunch of players making all the wrong decisions on the night, on a football pitch. I always thought players like Silva, Aguero, Dzeko, Robinho, Ireland etc etc made their own choices when they got the ball but no, it's all pre ordained by the manager.

I think the point that is under the microspoce is the fact that in 90 % of the time, when the players near the 16 yard area, they pass it to the side, for a cross inside the box, where almost every time, the ball is wasted. I might be wrong, but this worked only two times. With Scum and Spuds, both away.
Here it the managers fault, when you have Silva, Nasri and Kun, players that can really shot, you ask them to pass the ball instead of trying. The only time we did this thing last night, was when Nasri hit the post.

They didn't play football very well. If they had, it would have been a routine victory. They didn't see players running, they didn't look up when they had the ball & pick out crosses, just kicked it blindly hoping someone would be there. They shot straight into defenders rather than moving them first to create a gap. It was headless rubbish.

Imo, that's got fuck all to do with Bob, it's players not performing.

Then RM will face the music if his players are not performing, we start well and need a goal, recent away games we yhave needed to score, otherwise we are open to last nights result as we saw at Sunderland, crap teams taking 6 points of us is not good enough.

[PeterParker]

We scored only once, since that game with Chelsea, and we scored after a free kick at the most vulnerable team in the league, and it that game, Joe saved our 3 points.
I would expect this when he had Jo, Ade, Bojinov, etc, but when you have the best squad in the league and your team is not performing, you have some problems. If you remember, we had the same problem last year, in this period of the PRM. We started to play well again, in april, after the FA Cup semi. We drew with B”gham away, Fulham home, we were out of Europe, we had an awful game at home with Wigan where we could had lost 2 huge points, we lost with Scum, Scouse gave us a hell of a beating, etc, after we had imho, a top autumn.
If one ore two players had problems performing i would understand, but almost all the squad?

[sheblue]

There are far too many players not performing well. We know they have the ability (most of them) Its up to mr Mancini + staff to do their best get them to show focus, guile and determination. It worries me that a lot of them are not showing hunger, its like they think its just going to happen rather than going out and making it happen.
Time to park the sideshows and put the shoulder to the wheel.

[Beefymcfc]

I think that when Mancini said that he'd not prepared the players that he meant he had not shown them how to go down properly and scream like a little bitch or getting in the ref's face in order to get a call. He surely sees what's going on out there and now realises he's got to play the game the English way which means basically cheat at all costs.

It'd be nice to think that, and I'm sure he does. It's just a shame we are trying to build a global fan base and strangely enough, that fan base will probably be switching on to us for being a straight-lace team who want to play football. Maybe these decisions are also getting the sympathy vote from those who haven't gone firm on a team?

[Grob]

I do think Yaya is a massive miss because he is a leader in the middle of the park and he tends to dictate the way we play. Slow and controlled at times but he alone seems to have the ability to lift the side when it's needed and push us forward.I have to say I would have expected more from Silva last night.I wanted him to come for the ball and try to be involved constantly to dictate the play and demand the movement from the rest of the team.He can do it but I didnt see it last night and with the 2 strikers largely shackled and making poor decisons when they did have a glimmer of hope we were seriously lacking as a threat.

Toure is the only player who can inject a bit of pace into the game. He's the only one who will run with the ball, take players on, and when pushed forward, get in behind defences. Dzeko cant inject pace into games and cant get in behind in a normal setting as he has no pace. Aguero has the ability but chooses not too. Thats a fundamental tweak to our playing style that we are missing.

The easiest part of defending is to defend whats happening infront of you

[guv111]

James Lawton in The Independent thinks he needs to "man up". I thought manliness was the least of our worries.

[zuricity]

Again on Tuesday night , watching the game in the pub being the only City fan there , although some independent fans were watching City. There were Chelsea fans, United Fans and Scouse 1 fans all frothing at the mouth when Everton scored. City really have upset the fab four. How Drenthe didn't get a yellow for diving and a straight Red for his attack on Micah. (whom he had already attacked in the first half), well it beggars belief. Howard's attack on Joleon, Handball chuckle 2. All seen by the Ref and casually ignored.

Mancini has seen all these things before in his playing days and as a manager. However , I reckon he never thought he would see such cheating in England. Hard crunching tackles maybe, but week in week out we see cheating and very bad refereeing and I don't just mean City games, Bolton could have had a penalty in the dying minutes last night. If that had been Van Persie going through at the other end you can bet a penalty would have been given.

I think Mancini will get the right reaction from the players.

We have had a very difficult month , now completed and are still at the top of the league. Some on here thought we might be knoecked off the perch and were willing to accept second place , staying in there for the run in. Now it's February and we have some very , very winnable games ahead of us. Here is where we must kick on. Here is where we see if Roberto can really bring us the success we all crave.

The two Porto games , without English Refs and a different environment, should help the team restore and rebuild their confidence and swagger. Also , the Toures will be back, alongside Mario, so everything is looking rosy. We are positioned perfectly fora strong run in now.

[DoomMerchant]

I do think Yaya is a massive miss because he is a leader in the middle of the park and he tends to dictate the way we play. Slow and controlled at times but he alone seems to have the ability to lift the side when it's needed and push us forward.I have to say I would have expected more from Silva last night.I wanted him to come for the ball and try to be involved constantly to dictate the play and demand the movement from the rest of the team.He can do it but I didnt see it last night and with the 2 strikers largely shackled and making poor decisons when they did have a glimmer of hope we were seriously lacking as a threat.

Toure is the only player who can inject a bit of pace into the game. He's the only one who will run with the ball, take players on, and whe pushed forward, get in behind defences. Dezeko cant inject pace into games and cant get in behind in a normal setting as he has no pace. Aguero has the ability but chooses not too. Thats a fundamental tweak to our playing style that we are missing.

The easiest part of defending is to defend whats happening infront of you

has anyone fuckin taken the time to say "welcome back motherfucker"?

if not, Welcome Back...if so, just yknow ignore me.

You'd figure as corrupt as football is that the Sheik would be able to get Ivory Coast knocked out of the ACON in short order so we can crack on with our title run. Amateur hour.

cheers

[ashton287]

33 points from the rest of our games, out of Europa by Porto. Finish second. That's if things don't pick up.

Mancini stays, a few players In, some out (TEVEZ, kolarov, AJ, de Jong) free up space, wages and cash for a new CB, CM, Striker and a winger. We win the league next season and do better in the CL.

Worst case scenario.

[brite blu sky]

I do think Yaya is a massive miss because he is a leader in the middle of the park and he tends to dictate the way we play. Slow and controlled at times but he alone seems to have the ability to lift the side when it's needed and push us forward.I have to say I would have expected more from Silva last night.I wanted him to come for the ball and try to be involved constantly to dictate the play and demand the movement from the rest of the team.He can do it but I didnt see it last night and with the 2 strikers largely shackled and making poor decisons when they did have a glimmer of hope we were seriously lacking as a threat.

Toure is the only player who can inject a bit of pace into the game. He's the only one who will run with the ball, take players on, and when pushed forward, get in behind defences. Dzeko cant inject pace into games and cant get in behind in a normal setting as he has no pace. Aguero has the ability but chooses not too. Thats a fundamental tweak to our playing style that we are missing.

The easiest part of defending is to defend whats happening infront of you

Nasri eventually i would expect to take players on and run at defences, he is still finding his feet though.

I have been saying it for a long time but something city need to try in games where it is locked is have players run in from deeper with someone trailing them 10yds behind in case they lose possession. For me it is one distinct lack City have. As said Yaya is apparently the only player trying this consistently.

That said our current difficulties imo are due mainly to the players still needing to know what each other are doing without even looking, that will come I rekon but it cannot be ordered it has to develop. Next season we will be the bees knees, if we lose out this season it will be simply because we were getting to the next level while competing on all fronts, we will just have to take it on the chin that whatever it has looked like this season the team are still learning about themselves.

[bluej]

33 points from the rest of our games, out of Europa by Porto. Finish second. That's if things don't pick up.

Mancini stays, a few players In, some out (TEVEZ, kolarov, AJ, de Jong) free up space, wages and cash for a new CB, CM, Striker and a winger. We win the league next season and do better in the CL.

Worst case scenario.

Incredible isn't it, that genuinely is likely to be the worse case scenario, who'd have thought that a few years ago.

[zuricity]

Roberto has had family problems with his father not being very well. Perhaps it is a personal thing that appears to be on his mind and not the football ?

He does seem to be subdued at the moment. However, I'm sure he will bounce back.

Re the Media: Living in another country and having to speak in their language can be very , very frustrating . I am sure Roberto
would love to be totally fluent in English to get his points over to the Media. I can't quite imagine he would be as arrogant as Ferguson (re Vinnie after the match interview in the FA cup, "He's done that before"), or as vile as a Rooney, Wio , or as cheap as
'arry.

Deep down , I think the entire staff and squad are breathing a sigh of relief. Still top of the league, still able to play two games a week, to keep things on the boil. Off to Portugal for February sun and a bit of golf. Come on !

[Alioune DVToure]

Apropos of nothing, here's a post from my Spurs-fan mate on my facebook wall earlier:

Have you noticed how haggard Mancini looks compared to when he started at Man City? He looks proper stressed atm. That thing he said about not preparing for the Everton game coz he thought it would be easy was bizarre! Are you still confident over the title?

[zuricity]

btw

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-city/9055291/Manchester-City-manager-Roberto-Mancini-shows-subtle-psychology-by-claiming-Everton-defeat-was-his-fault.html