Do you think the players

[gillie]

Are feeling the pressure of the race for fourth more than we imagine?.I ask this as the simple things seem to be being made hard work for instance a simple 20 yard pass along the back line and it seems its panic stations so the player recieving the pass just hoofs it out of harms way.We dont seem to play calm possession football anymore which worries me.

[Ted Hughes]

I didn't think we looked panicky on Sunday. Just lacking in imagination.

[BlueSince72]

I would like to think it was just a case of nerves but I fear it is something much more sinister...ie. a manager who trains them on defensive formations for 3 hours a day with no time spent at all on attacking play. The players seem to have no direction other than defensiveley and look shit scared of attacking.

I can't believe I am so down hearted at being 5th in the league with a chance of 4th place but the last few months has drained me of all postive expactations. Yesterday was better as some people heve mentioned but only marginally, we should have ripped a poor Liverpool side apart and done what we did to Chelsea but those days of high tempo attacking footy are gone....we do boring shit football now and I'm SICK of it already!!

[FA cup winners 2006]

I would like to think it was just a case of nerves but I fear it is something much more sinister...ie. a manager who trains them on defensive formations for 3 hours a day with no time spent at all on attacking play. The players seem to have no direction other than defensiveley and look shit scared of attacking.

I can't believe I am so down hearted at being 5th in the league with a chance of 4th place but the last few months has drained me of all postive expactations. Yesterday was better as some people heve mentioned but only marginally, we should have ripped a poor Liverpool side apart and done what we did to Chelsea but those days of high tempo attacking footy are gone....we do boring shit football now and I'm SICK of it already!!

agree 100%. we dont seem to know what to do going forward

[Diggerman]

I would like to think it was just a case of nerves but I fear it is something much more sinister...ie. a manager who trains them on defensive formations for 3 hours a day with no time spent at all on attacking play. The players seem to have no direction other than defensiveley and look shit scared of attacking.

I can't believe I am so down hearted at being 5th in the league with a chance of 4th place but the last few months has drained me of all postive expactations. Yesterday was better as some people heve mentioned but only marginally, we should have ripped a poor Liverpool side apart and done what we did to Chelsea but those days of high tempo attacking footy are gone....we do boring shit football now and I'm SICK of it already!!

Reading Doug's reports, they don't get near 3 hours training a week some weeks, let alone per day!

[CityFanFromRome]

I would like to think it was just a case of nerves but I fear it is something much more sinister...ie. a manager who trains them on defensive formations for 3 hours a day with no time spent at all on attacking play. The players seem to have no direction other than defensiveley and look shit scared of attacking.

The latest Doug training reports seem to contradict you on this, there has been more focus on the attacking play since the Stoke game, but maybe it will take a bit before this more attacking training produces something during games...

[gillie]

I would like to think it was just a case of nerves but I fear it is something much more sinister...ie. a manager who trains them on defensive formations for 3 hours a day with no time spent at all on attacking play. The players seem to have no direction other than defensiveley and look shit scared of attacking.

The latest Doug training reports seem to contradict you on this, there has been more focus on the attacking play since the Stoke game, but maybe it will take a bit before this more attacking training produces something during games...

But mate we were awesome as an attacking force earlier on but now the same players that had such a fluidity going forward seem to be running in treacle.I just dont get why they have become this way.

[BobKowalski]

I would like to think it was just a case of nerves but I fear it is something much more sinister...ie. a manager who trains them on defensive formations for 3 hours a day with no time spent at all on attacking play. The players seem to have no direction other than defensiveley and look shit scared of attacking.

The latest Doug training reports seem to contradict you on this, there has been more focus on the attacking play since the Stoke game, but maybe it will take a bit before this more attacking training produces something during games...

But mate we were awesome as an attacking force earlier on but now the same players that had such a fluidity going forward seem to be running in treacle.I just dont get why they have become this way.

Because for the umpteeth time when we are going forward with such fluidity the other team was smacking them into the back of our net for fun or did you think they sacked Hughes just for a f**king laugh?

[BlueSince72]

What is so frustrating for me and I'm sure all blues are the same is why why why can't we hit a happy medium between Hughes's gung ho attacking style and Mancini's ultra defensive....surely a mix of the two would be just the ticket...BUT IT AIN'T WORKIN!!

I personally would rather watch the Hughes style entertaining stuff and leak a few goals than the shite that's on offer at the moment!!

[Douglas Higginbottom]

It is all about balance. When we attack now we certainly don't do it in numbers so if the opposition are still organised it might take something special to get through whether a team move or a piece of individual skill. Recently that hasnt been happening. When we move forward our passing options are severely limited and we end up going slow slow and usually nothing happens.

Seems to me we need to attack Stoke fast and in numbers and trust the defenders to deal with their counter attacks. They don't often score from open play and if it does go for a corner or throw in we have at least 30 seconds before it's taken while they dry the ball :)

[paulmclaren]

I would like to think it was just a case of nerves but I fear it is something much more sinister...ie. a manager who trains them on defensive formations for 3 hours a day with no time spent at all on attacking play. The players seem to have no direction other than defensiveley and look shit scared of attacking.

I can't believe I am so down hearted at being 5th in the league with a chance of 4th place but the last few months has drained me of all postive expactations. Yesterday was better as some people heve mentioned but only marginally, we should have ripped a poor Liverpool side apart and done what we did to Chelsea but those days of high tempo attacking footy are gone....we do boring shit football now and I'm SICK of it already!!

Reading Doug's reports, they don't get near 3 hours training a week some weeks, let alone per day!

Yeah.
Footballers don't half earn their money don't they :s

[CityFanFromRome]

I would like to think it was just a case of nerves but I fear it is something much more sinister...ie. a manager who trains them on defensive formations for 3 hours a day with no time spent at all on attacking play. The players seem to have no direction other than defensiveley and look shit scared of attacking.

The latest Doug training reports seem to contradict you on this, there has been more focus on the attacking play since the Stoke game, but maybe it will take a bit before this more attacking training produces something during games...

But mate we were awesome as an attacking force earlier on but now the same players that had such a fluidity going forward seem to be running in treacle.I just dont get why they have become this way.

I think it has to do with the focus Mancini has put on steadying the defence since he came. Focusing on that, now the players on the pitch are more careful (or should be) when then opposition has the ball, but when we have it, there's a nagging little voice in their minds saying "watch out and not get too out of position, otherwise if we lose possession we could be in trouble". It's a matter of balancing this with some flair when going forward, so I'm sure with a bit of time we will be seeing more flowing football once more, maybe not at the same level than before but definitely better than now.

[Dubaimancityfan]

I would like to think it was just a case of nerves but I fear it is something much more sinister...ie. a manager who trains them on defensive formations for 3 hours a day with no time spent at all on attacking play. The players seem to have no direction other than defensiveley and look shit scared of attacking.

The latest Doug training reports seem to contradict you on this, there has been more focus on the attacking play since the Stoke game, but maybe it will take a bit before this more attacking training produces something during games...

But mate we were awesome as an attacking force earlier on but now the same players that had such a fluidity going forward seem to be running in treacle.I just dont get why they have become this way.

Because for the umpteeth time when we are going forward with such fluidity the other team was smacking them into the back of our net for fun or did you think they sacked Hughes just for a f**king laugh?

You're spot on there mate. Just thinking that a team like Burnley can score 3 goals against us at COMS makes me cringe !

[Tokyo Blue]

I think some fans are feeling the pressure.

[Crossie]

I dont buy it, nearly all our players have won things, been there and done it all before.

Those who havent have plenty of influence around them to guide them through the next few months. The manger too, won plently of things as a player and a manager.

One game at a time, one pass at a time, no point thinking "oooh what if i fuck this pass up" because you will, just fucking pass it easy.

[Tokyo Blue]

I dont buy it, nearly all our players have won things, been there and done it all before.

Those who havent have plenty of influence around them to guide them through the next few months. The manger too, won plently of things as a player and a manager.

One game at a time, one pass at a time, no point thinking "oooh what if i fuck this pass up" because you will, just fucking pass it easy.

Absolutely spot on.

[dazby]

The nerves were there for all to see on the weekend, from both teams.

[john@staustell]

I would like to think it was just a case of nerves but I fear it is something much more sinister...ie. a manager who trains them on defensive formations for 3 hours a day with no time spent at all on attacking play. The players seem to have no direction other than defensiveley and look shit scared of attacking.

I can't believe I am so down hearted at being 5th in the league with a chance of 4th place but the last few months has drained me of all postive expactations. Yesterday was better as some people heve mentioned but only marginally, we should have ripped a poor Liverpool side apart and done what we did to Chelsea but those days of high tempo attacking footy are gone....we do boring shit football now and I'm SICK of it already!!

Reading Doug's reports, they don't get near 3 hours training a week some weeks, let alone per day!

Yeah.
Footballers don't half earn their money don't they :s

Had to laugh on Sunday Supplement when the idiots degenerated into the normal City-slagging. Only 1 sensible one, the bald guy from the Observer i think. The others were assuming that Mancini was driving them too hard, making them train 2 or 3 times a day etc, leading to player revolts.

LOL, if only they knew!