When do we start ...

[kinkylola]

looking for the players to take some responsibility for our results?

Generally accepted stats from the Brum game:
Shots (on Goal) 24(7)
Time of Possession 60% 40%

I'm not saying I'm happy for a draw, of course I'm not ... I wasn't happy about a draw at Utd. I'll never be "happy" about anything but winning. But I watched the whole game, and have gone back and re-watched portions and I do not think that we played too defensively. What I saw was tevez having an off day, johnson making poor decisions, milner working hard, and apart from a shot cleared off the line, not doing too much. I saw yaya run out of steam fairly early again. I saw poor crosses from boateng, et al.

Besides the fact that it's very easy to just say "oh the tactics were shit, mancini out","boring" and all the other throw away comments ... when are we going to look at the players underperforming / not performing as a team / making bad decisions as another major contributing factor to our recent performances. I know certain players get called out individually, but there is never any real responsibility associated with it. Everyone shouts for johnson to start, he does ... and is ineffectual, and nothing is ever said about that, nor will it be again ...especially when the calls come for him to start again.

Pulling tevez might seem like a strange decision at first, but tevez himself is very guilty of failing to perform in the match and making some poor decisions during attacking moves. Ok, he brought on barry ... we don't play with attacking midfielders, get over it. we play with 3 very attacking, almost totally free, players in attack, supported by 3 midfielders who do get into the box and push up quite high, barring nigel of course. Maybe mancini saw the need for a change and brough on someone who could make a pass, considering our creative passing had been letting us down in the game as well.

I am not saying that mancini has his tactics absolutely spot on, and I am not making excuses for him ... I am simple putting forth the idea that there needs to be more responsibility put on the players and their performances, and it needs to take up a more important spot in people's minds when they think about why we lost, or look for a place to throw the blame. That's my opinion anyway.

for right now, we sit 4th, we have the opportunity to push on and I think we need to get behind the team ... and I can tell you, if I had the privilege of being able to attend matches, I wouldn't be boo'ing and chanting the name of not in the team players ... disrespecting our manager and the team on the field. I think it's a bit shameful.

[john@staustell]

I agree except I would say it would've been nice to apply the same urgency from the start as in the last 20 minutes - that's a tactics thing. I am behind the manager but here are a few posers:

Johnson was selected and was pants - so is that Johnson's fault or Bobby's for selecting him?

Tevez wasn't fit - should he have played?

If Yaya is the answer then what is the question? Or rather, would not Vieira, who knows how to unlock a door or two, be far more effective in that forward midfield role, where he can't be exposed so much as he is in deep mid?

Milner looked quite dangerous - why was he taken off and not AJ? Was it just to prove a point to the 'AJ must play' faction?

Why not direct swap injured Tevez for Santa Cruz, so the Barry substitution doesn't look quite so silly?

Most importantly - would the 'boring Bobby' formation have walked that game?
(Hart Boateng Kolo Komp Kolarov
Silva Yaya Barry DeJong Milner
Tevez)

[Beefymcfc]

I do think the players should take a lot of responsibility as once they hit the pitch, it's up to them to perform. My feeling is that the players are not happy with the tactics and that they don't like performing in such a rigid formation. I'm not saying that they shouldn't adjust, but with the players also playing in positions that are not preferred, complicate it even more.

I'm sure we've all noticed that we want to keep the ball but on Saturday there was an occassion on Saturday that just beggered belief. We had a throw in just below me which was goal side of their 18 yard line. Jerome Boateng went to take the throw whilst our tall players moved up to the box, expecting a possible long throw. For some reason he threw it back to Milner I think who then passed it back to Nige, who then passed it back to a retreating Vinnie in our own half. This may not sound a big thing but in the concept of the game it is saying that we'd prefer to keep possession rather than having an attack on goal.

Do the players decide this or is this a tactic decided by the manager; I don't know?

[saulman]

I don't think it helps with the crowd on Yayas back all the time. Every misplaced pass is met with howls of derision and calls of "200K a week! You're fuckin shite, Yaya!!!"

Do the crowd need to take some responsibility? How many times have the City fans destroyed the confidence of one of our players?

I seem to remember De Jong being shite when he first arrived, and for quite a few games after that. Yaya Toure is not a shit player. You don't play for Barca for all those years if you're shit. We do have the ability to make him shit though, and true to form.........we're doing a grand job.

[superkev8705]

I don't think it helps with the crowd on Yayas back all the time. Every misplaced pass is met with howls of derision and calls of "200K a week! You're fuckin shite, Yaya!!!"

Do the crowd need to take some responsibility? How many times have the City fans destroyed the confidence of one of our players?

I seem to remember De Jong being shite when he first arrived, and for quite a few games after that. Yaya Toure is not a shit player. You don't play for Barca for all those years if you're shit. We do have the ability to make him shit though, and true to form.........we're doing a grand job.

100 % agree with this.

[ENIAM NAM]

I don't think it helps with the crowd on Yayas back all the time. Every misplaced pass is met with howls of derision and calls of "200K a week! You're fuckin shite, Yaya!!!"

Do the crowd need to take some responsibility? How many times have the City fans destroyed the confidence of one of our players?

I seem to remember De Jong being shite when he first arrived, and for quite a few games after that. Yaya Toure is not a shit player. You don't play for Barca for all those years if you're shit. We do have the ability to make him shit though, and true to form.........we're doing a grand job.

Spot on.

[Ted Hughes]

I don't think it helps with the crowd on Yayas back all the time. Every misplaced pass is met with howls of derision and calls of "200K a week! You're fuckin shite, Yaya!!!"

Do the crowd need to take some responsibility? How many times have the City fans destroyed the confidence of one of our players?

I seem to remember De Jong being shite when he first arrived, and for quite a few games after that. Yaya Toure is not a shit player. You don't play for Barca for all those years if you're shit. We do have the ability to make him shit though, and true to form.........we're doing a grand job.

Spot on.

Agree but the truth is; Yaya, Johnson, DeJong, Silva, Milner, Barry, Vieira don't score that many goals. They can take responsibility for it as much as anyone likes but if you put 5 of them in a team, it's more of a surprise when they do score goals than when they don't.

[mcfc1632]

May be the wrong thread - but my major criticism re the Brum game (and others) is that I would like to see us kick off with the urgency level that we showed after half time - playing relaxed for the 1st half means that a team like Bum have only 45 mins to 'keep us out' when under pressure - lets go at teams from the off - and then throttle back if we find ourselves positioned to do so

That is the main tactical issue I wuold aim at Mancini and application issue I would aim at players

[Lees Alter Ego]

I dont believe our failure to score on Saturday was due to the line up. There certainly was enough creativity on the pitch to win the game. The problem is our mentality. We keep 7-8 men behind the ball at all times and are far to slow when attacking. This plays in to the oppositions hands as they can get men behind the ball which in turn makes it very difficult to break down and usually ends up with tevez faking a shot, cutting in side then hitting a shot which more often than not will be blocked.

Tevez has looked increasingly frustrated to me over the last few weeks. Seems to be becoming more selfish and perhaps holding on to it for too long at times. This is probably becuase he feels he doesnt have the support so he is looking to get a shot away whenever he can. I remember at Wigan he was fuming with the lack of support and turned round to the team and had a go, not often you see that from Tevez but just goes to show his getting frustrated.