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I couldn't watch much of the game live as I was in the middle of working but I've made up for that since, to some fucking tune & after giving Bob a fair ol (well deserved imo) slating recently, I recon it's only fair to say how impressed I was with his tactics etc v the rags.

After watching several, admittedly mostly alcohol hazed, re-runs of the game, imo it wasn't a bog standard City tactical performance. Whether it's what we're supposed to do normally & don't, or whether it's an entirely new idea specifically for the rags, I've no idea but if you look at the players making up the 4-2-3-1, they are often changing & on quite a few occasions, Barry & De Jong are actually further advanced than Silva, Toure & Johnson! Of course they still patrol their usual areas but sometimes, one or both are charging through & pressing the rags in their own half, whilst Yaya, AJ etc cover. They're giving the rags a problem they weren't expecting.

To say it makes the rags uncomfortable is an understatement; they didn't know what the fuck to do & of course the goal came as a result of them cocking up when being pressed. Contrast that to earlier games when we strolled around & let them have the ball & it gives hope that Bob is starting to learn about the Prem & find a few ideas of his own about how to deal with it.

I've been asking for a sign that he actually contributes a bit more than a cheery smile & a scarf & is actually building something. In the 2nd half Saturday; that's what we got. He still has to see out the season in a positive manner to keep me happy & convince me he's the right man (irrespective of results) but I recon him & his staff played a blinder for that one.

Well done Bob.

Don't think it really had that much to do with Bob. First half hour we set upreally defensively, showed them far too much respect and played far to deep.Only after Berbs misses did the players take it upon themselves to attack United and it paid dividends.

Bridge'srightfoot wrote:Don't think it really had that much to do with Bob. First half hour we set upreally defensively, showed them far too much respect and played far to deep.Only after Berbs misses did the players take it upon themselves to attack United and it paid dividends.

Can't agree, if you watch the video, he quite clearly yells his balls off to get our defenders to push up & condense the play further up field. Bob was very much behind how we played.

Ted Hughes wrote:

Bridge'srightfoot wrote:Don't think it really had that much to do with Bob. First half hour we set upreally defensively, showed them far too much respect and played far to deep.Only after Berbs misses did the players take it upon themselves to attack United and it paid dividends.

Can't agree, if you watch the video, he quite clearly yells his balls off to get our defenders to push up & condense the play further up field. Bob was very much behind how we played.

I agree 100% with Ted.

Credit where it's due - Mancini (and his team) played a blinder on Saturday.
Keep it up and I'll have zero problem reassessing my opinion of him.

Ted Hughes wrote:

Bridge'srightfoot wrote:Don't think it really had that much to do with Bob. First half hour we set upreally defensively, showed them far too much respect and played far to deep.Only after Berbs misses did the players take it upon themselves to attack United and it paid dividends.

Can't agree, if you watch the video, he quite clearly yells his balls off to get our defenders to push up & condense the play further up field. Bob was very much behind how we played.

Fair enough, having been at the game I didn't really catch it. On the other hand though we generally have this season adopted a negative mentality which is why we struggled initially to take the game to United. But Saturday wasn't about Mancini, it was about passion and commitment. We could easily have gone a goal down and it would of made things very difficult.

Overall he did well but it doesn't make up for all the dross we've had to watch this season. Saturday (after 30mins) is hopefully a sign of things to come.

Ted Hughes wrote:

Bridge'srightfoot wrote:Don't think it really had that much to do with Bob. First half hour we set upreally defensively, showed them far too much respect and played far to deep.Only after Berbs misses did the players take it upon themselves to attack United and it paid dividends.

Can't agree, if you watch the video, he quite clearly yells his balls off to get our defenders to push up & condense the play further up field. Bob was very much behind how we played.

We were even the first 15 and got into trouble the next 15. Bob had a whinge, the lads kicked in, and we fucking slaughtered 'em.

Anything else you need to know?

On the subject of "the much maligned" it's also worth bearing in mind that the turnaround coincided with Balotelli's stinging 40 yard drive which had Van Der Saar's knuckles knocking - our team definitely seemed to puff out their collective chests from that moment on.

Kladze wrote:On the subject of "the much maligned" it's also worth bearing in mind that the turnaround coincided with Balotelli's stinging 40 yard drive which had Van Der Saar's knuckles knocking - our team definitely seemed to puff out their collective chests from that moment on.

Or the Barry turn and shot just before that. We started too slow and too deep in the first half hour and we were lucky not to go a goal down.

The second half just shows what you can do when you take the handbrake off.

Kladze wrote:On the subject of "the much maligned" it's also worth bearing in mind that the turnaround coincided with Balotelli's stinging 40 yard drive which had Van Der Saar's knuckles knocking - our team definitely seemed to puff out their collective chests from that moment on.

And/or Barry's shot just a minute or two before that.

Obviously none of us Really knows how much of that performance is down to Mancini and how much down to players but credit to them all. Fantastic performance.

Giving the armband to Kompany... rectifying the biggest mistake he has made all season is the smartest thing he did in this match IMO. Let's hope he sees it and lets him keep it!

Well played game and hopefully we saw the first few glimpses of his style finally working like intended vs top opposition.

Kladze wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:

Bridge'srightfoot wrote:Don't think it really had that much to do with Bob. First half hour we set upreally defensively, showed them far too much respect and played far to deep.Only after Berbs misses did the players take it upon themselves to attack United and it paid dividends.

Can't agree, if you watch the video, he quite clearly yells his balls off to get our defenders to push up & condense the play further up field. Bob was very much behind how we played.

I agree 100% with Ted.

Credit where it's due - Mancini (and his team) played a blinder on Saturday.
Keep it up and I'll have zero problem reassessing my opinion of him.

I mentioned it in the match thread (I think someone else did too) - we only started to dictate more of the play after Bob tweaked our backline at around the half hour mark - he pushed them further upfield to squeeze out some of the space we'd been giving them to play in. Before that they were taking the pee out of us at will. He was also on the ball swapping AJ for SWP in the second half when we were a goal up, looking strong, and they were a man down.

If we play well between now and the Final and all of a sardine Tevez is fit I will lose any respect I have for Mancini if he plays him..imo Tevez doesn't deserve to play in the Final......actually if we win our next few matches I wouldn't play him at all...bench him.

I say this as Mancini has been quoted as saying he hopes Tevez will be fit for the final......fair does if we are hit and miss between now and then but if not...fuck him.



Re The OP....aye.....first time I've seen us change tactics correctly this season...well in for a change !

Grazie, Mancini. Grazie mille.

Mmmmm? Machester? Maley(FA cup 1904). McDowall(FA cup 1956). Mercer. Malcolm. Mancini.

Bridge'srightfoot wrote:Don't think it really had that much to do with Bob. First half hour we set upreally defensively, showed them far too much respect and played far to deep.Only after Berbs misses did the players take it upon themselves to attack United and it paid dividends.

Yeah when we win 5-0 its a good performance by the team and a rousing speech from the boss, when we beat the rags 1-0 its fuck all to do with mancini. That was the fans that one.

If we win the fa cup that won't have fuck all to do with mancini. If we finish fourth it's probably because spurs fuck up and if we had a good mqnager we would have won the league with 190 points.



But if we lose, THATS mancini's fault

Yes, a great managerial performance. Can you imagine a world where some people would've wanted him sacked just 5 days before? Silly I know, but just imagine if that would've ever happened.

Fesan wrote:Giving the armband to Kompany... rectifying the biggest mistake he has made all season is the smartest thing he did in this match IMO. Let's hope he sees it and lets him keep it!

This too. The way he tactically masterminded Tevez's injury then changing the captin to someone else. A real triumph!

Forza Mancini!

I'm not saying it's nothing to do with Mancini.
I'm also not a fickle person unlike many others who change their minds every game.Ok one game he did well, but for the vast majority of the season we've played boring negative crap and one result won't cover that up.
I've also said we played very defensively and cautiously for the first 30 mins which very nearly cost us.

Citizen of Oslo wrote:Grazie, Mancini. Grazie mille.

Mmmmm? Maley(FA cup 1904). McDowall(FA cup 1956). Mercer. Malcolm. Mancini.

Bolton (1926). Bloody Scouse 2 (1933). Bobby (Mitchell) 1955 scorer. Bond (1981). Bobby Mancini

LookMumImOnMCF.net wrote:Yes, a great managerial performance. Can you imagine a world where some people would've wanted him sacked just 5 days before? Silly I know, but just imagine if that would've ever happened.

Fesan wrote:Giving the armband to Kompany... rectifying the biggest mistake he has made all season is the smartest thing he did in this match IMO. Let's hope he sees it and lets him keep it!

This too. The way he tactically masterminded Tevez's injury then changing the captin to someone else. A real triumph!

Forza Mancini!

Think you misunderstood me...

The few other times Tevez has been benched the armband has gone to Barry and a few others so giving it to Kompany WAS a decision and a good one. I have been calling for him to be captain since start of the season and I think we would have had more points if he was our captain from the Tottenham game last autumn.

Chinners wrote:

Citizen of Oslo wrote:Grazie, Mancini. Grazie mille.

Mmmmm? Maley(FA cup 1904). McDowall(FA cup 1956). Mercer. Malcolm. Mancini.

Bolton (1926). Bloody Scouse 2 (1933). Bobby (Mitchell) 1955 scorer. Bond (1981). Bobby Mancini

Don't forget Machin. No trophy, but 10-1 victory vs. Huddersfield, claimed to have been watched by at least 100 000. And don't confuse R(ob) with B(ob).

LookMumImOnMCF.net wrote:Yes, a great managerial performance. Can you imagine a world where some people would've wanted him sacked just 5 days before? Silly I know, but just imagine if that would've ever happened.

What the fuck's this all about?

You think one good performance from him and the team in the semi final is good enough to mask the absolute tripe he/we have produced for much of the season?

As good as it was, when it was and who it was against .... it does not.

More of the same and yes it does.