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Just browsing through our fixtures list after Saturdays appalling display. What do you think we will do having to meet Stoke twice in a week, back in form Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham!?!?

Its going to be a hard 4 weeks lads, I hope we can get good results!

gilford wrote:Just browsing through our fixtures list after Saturdays appalling display. What do you think we will do having to meet Stoke twice in a week, back in form Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham!?!?

Its going to be a hard 4 weeks lads, I hope we can get good results!

The amount of goals were conceeding i dont hold much hope.

I think after Saturday we really need to sort things out, we cannot go in to these coming games playing like we did first half against Hull, the scouse, Chelski and Tottenham will destroy us!

Plus, the F Cup game with Stoke is a crucial one for us, I really want us to get a cup this season!

I

We may have all our players fit by next weekend. I still think Lescott & RSC can be big players for us, especially with us having at last signed a player who can deliver a ball into the box. We need kickstarting again though.

This Bolton game could put a different perspective on things if we win it well. On paper we'd be favourites to win about 90% of the games coming up, even Liverpool or Spurs but it's the 2 horrible performances we've just had which is hurting confidence. We know we're better than that & we need to show it right now.

We're at home v scouse & Spurs & we should have them worrying about us rather than the other way around.

It is probably the most crucially defining part of the season for us and whatever happens, it will set the tone for the final run in.

CITY;........Bolton (H)....Stoke (A)...L'Pool (H).....Chelsea (A).....Spurs (H).
CHELSEA;...Everton (A)................Wolves (A)....CITY (H) ........Pompey (A)
the rags.....Villa (A) ....................Everton (A)....WHU (H).......Wolves (A)
ARSENAL....L'Pool (H) ..................S'Land (H).....Stoke (A).......Burnley (H)
VILLA........the rags (H) ...............Burnley (H)....Hull (A).........S'Land (A)
L'POOL......Arsenal (A) .................CITY (A) .......Bl'Burn (H)......Wigan (A)
SPURS.......Wolves (A).................Wigan (A).....Everton (H).....CITY (H)

By the end of that lot we'll probably have some answers to the questions we are now asking and have a fair idea of our chances.

The Stoke FA Cup game is at home also, but I still think it will be a hard game, and I for one am not looking forward to it.

As important as the League is, I really feel we need to win a cup this season, so a full strength squad and all out for this one I'm hoping!

Ted Hughes wrote:
We're at home v scouse & Spurs & we should have them worrying about us rather than the other way around.

Absolutely Ted...our home form is unrivalled so anyone who turns up at COMS knows they have a daunting task to get anything out of the game

IanBishopsHaircut wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:
We're at home v scouse & Spurs & we should have them worrying about us rather than the other way around.

Absolutely Ted...our home form is unrivalled so anyone who turns up at COMS knows they have a daunting task to get anything out of the game

Agreed, but I feel very uneasy for us at the moment, hopefully a win tomorrow night will settle that!

Ted,
You make a good point about others worrying about us, rather than us worrying about them.
It concerns me that by setting City up to defend and not concede goals, we are setting up to be reactive rather that proactively stamping our authority and our strategies on games.
There is a danger that opponents are being allowed to dictate the pace and where the on the pitch the game takes place.
IMHO, we should be setting up to win, to stamp our authority on games and have opponents chasing after us.

Another concern I have is the close space between our defence and midfield. I understand why tactically this is good but we are defending far too deeply and the close proximaty of the defence and midfield inhibits our attacking options. It tends to leave our forwards more isolated and we seem to be more reliant on individual talent up front to get us through, rather than moving up as a team and pressurising.

john68 wrote:Ted,
You make a good point about others worrying about us, rather than us worrying about them.
It concerns me that by setting City up to defend and not concede goals, we are setting up to be reactive rather that proactively stamping our authority and our strategies on games.
There is a danger that opponents are being allowed to dictate the pace and where the on the pitch the game takes place.
IMHO, we should be setting up to win, to stamp our authority on games and have opponents chasing after us.

Another concern I have is the close space between our defence and midfield. I understand why tactically this is good but we are defending far too deeply and the close proximaty of the defence and midfield inhibits our attacking options. It tends to leave our forwards more isolated and we seem to be more reliant on individual talent up front to get us through, rather than moving up as a team and pressurising.

Agree with all of that & think it cost us the cup final, we should have been frightening the shit out of Wes Brown in the 1st leg.

I imagine it's one of the conditions of him getting the job though, he was probably asked if he could tighten up the team as we were letting in stupid goals. I believe the previous regieme was concentrating on attack first & now we're concentrating on defence first. Both would probably even out eventually but it's possible neither will get the chance to prove it.

Cheers ted,
There was an incident just prior to the 196? Liverpool v Leeds Cup Final. Shankly had given his instructions to the players and the teams were ready to move into the tunnel when a Liverpool player complained that Shankly had not given any instructions on how to contain Leeds.
Shankly answered..."We're Liverpool Son. Let Leeds worry about us."

I am sure that our tactics work perfectly well in Italy but I am also sure that we have the players to go out and muller some teams and frighten the life out of the rest of them.

Don't forget, if we progress to the QFs of the FA Cup the Spuds game on 6 Mar will be postponed - and then we'll have another game in hand...

Somerset Blue wrote:Don't forget, if we progress to the QFs of the FA Cup the Spuds game on 6 Mar will be postponed - and then we'll have another game in hand...

games in hand are only good if we win them mate :-/

On reflection the Hull result was not that bad in the big scheme of things if you look at it like i do.1.Hull drew with Chelsea 3 days before our visit and by all accounts were unlucky not to win so they were obviously on top form for us.2.We really should beat Bolton at home or we have no right to think we will be top 4 these are the games that top teams stamp there mark on like the rags did on Saturday and Chelsea did when they mullered Sunderland so really we should be playing with freedom to express ourselves at home.

gilford wrote:

Somerset Blue wrote:Don't forget, if we progress to the QFs of the FA Cup the Spuds game on 6 Mar will be postponed - and then we'll have another game in hand...

games in hand are only good if we win them mate :-/

Agree, didn't mean it was necessarily a good thing...in fact, if we do well against Liverpool and Chelski then that would be exactly the right time to play Spuds, it's all about maintaining the momentum and at the moment we're coughing and spluttering along.

gillie wrote:We really should beat Bolton at home or we have no right to think we will be top 4 these are the games that top teams stamp there mark on like the rags did on Saturday and Chelsea did when they mullered Sunderland so really we should be playing with freedom to express ourselves at home.

I totally agree with this, we should go there with our heads held high and beat them 4-1, but I have got a very bad feeling about this! What makes it worse is the pundits constantly having a dig, they seem to hate us this season! If we are not picking up points against the likes of Bolton this evening I cant see us finishing top 4 this season, it is these games like you state we should be winning easily.

Svensational wrote:WERE GONNA WIN THE LEAGUE

Thats the spirit mate!