***cska v city official match thread***

[Saul Goodman]

Yes, the penalty was awful.

But that was one of the biggest capitulations ive seen from this side. Dreadful performance. Defending and passing like an EDS side, but that might be harsh on the EDS players

[Two's Kompany]

I know people will say you can't blame the referee, that's just an excuse and that we have played poorly, but if the official gives that stone wall penalty on Silva in Munich, we would have been lauded for a 'classic smash and grab job'. Furthermore if he gets one of two penalty calls right last night we would be sitting with seven points after completing two away games including the toughest one on paper. It seems to be a never ending catalogue of these foul ups. It feels crooked.
Onwards and upwards, we still have a reasonable chance.

I can partly blame the ref and I fucking will. Every game there's some sort of decision that goes against us and last night was no exception, making 2 calls that would've sealed the game for us. Whatever I think of our team I always have to give them their due because they seem to be playing against the system, not with it. We see time and time again fouls go unpunished or penalties not given whilst other teams get things for next to fuck all.

And this is why I can't come to love the CL. It seems like if they can't get us one way, they'll get us another.

Fuck 'em I say, we'll qualify the hard way!

This all day. By not getting the 'big decisions' in the group stages we are having our money cut ultimately!
And this can only affect our attempts to comply with FFP.
If we make it through to the qualifying rounds it's a license to print money for teams. Big prize money, more TV coverage and bigger sponsorship deals.

[Hazy2]

We lack the hard edge needed, we are no further on than under Mancini when it comes to the Champions League, Yaya strolling around and no fucker prepared to grab the team by the throat and spell it out.

[Nigels Tackle]

We lack the hard edge needed, we are no further on than under Mancini when it comes to the Champions League, Yaya strolling around and no fucker prepared to grab the team by the throat and spell it out.

in short, it's the players not the manager...

[sheblue]

We lack the hard edge needed, we are no further on than under Mancini when it comes to the Champions League, Yaya strolling around and no fucker prepared to grab the team by the throat and spell it out.

in short, it's the players not the manager...

In short its probably everyone in the group. The past failures in this competition adds further weight to the pressure and the whole squad seems to lack belief and confidence.
Not an easy one to solve, and a bad run in the Europa with kids or fringe players will not help that long term confidence.

[Hazy2]

We lack the hard edge needed, we are no further on than under Mancini when it comes to the Champions League, Yaya strolling around and no fucker prepared to grab the team by the throat and spell it out.

in short, it's the players not the manager...

In short its probably everyone in the group. The past failures in this competition adds further weight to the pressure and the whole squad seems to lack belief and confidence.
Not an easy one to solve, and a bad run in the Europa with kids or fringe players will not help that long term confidence.

Easy as an armchair fan last night, I watch City home and away, and we are a joy to watch, we are a nightmare in the Chunps just as Bayern with new manager new style of play are relentless, they turned up in Rome and did to Roma what thet set out to, Quick Start from Roma, that was quickly sorted out. Isolated Totti, pressed high and smashed the team silenced the crowd , Could we do that, no chance ! Lets, stop the stupid excuses, Vinny has said some decent things after, but that is emotion and sorry toys out of the pram, The Germans are all biz, NO NICE GUYS ! Muller gashed his knee after 1 min and shrugged it off, we are fickle and soft as shit when it comes down to it, to happy and comfortable, and lack the personality and confidence of the major clubs to be a force, Yaya is the worst culprit and on the evidence of last night is in his last months at the club, I await his next hissy fit about 6 weeks from now. PSG in Jan. summer at the latest.

[john@staustell]

Disappointed we didn't show the tactics to 'close out the game'. There seems this obsession with scoring another, and another, and another, leaving us wide open.

Also I'm getting the impression this squad is coming to the end of it's sell by date. Hope FFP is sorted soon as we need another big injection!!

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Disappointed we didn't show the tactics to 'close out the game'. There seems this obsession with scoring another, and another, and another, leaving us wide open.

Also I'm getting the impression this squad is coming to the end of it's sell by date. Hope FFP is sorted soon as we need another big injection!!

I don't mind the 'obsession' with scoring goal after goal, but I think you're right about the sell-by date of the squad.

A lot of them are now hovering around the 30's mark and it could be a case of them all growing old together, if we're not careful. I just hope that the re-invigoration of the team can be effected by our 'home-produced' youngsters in due course, rather than by splashing the cash on a new tranche of transfers.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

I thought the problem was the exact opposite. We started doing that thing where we move the ball around without the intention of scoring. It's pointless, unnatural and we don't do it very well. It sets a negative tone. I would much rather we attacked and got the game won. It is what we are best at.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

I thought the problem was the exact opposite. We started doing that thing where we move the ball around without the intention of scoring. It's pointless, unnatural and we don't do it very well. It sets a negative tone. I would much rather we attacked and got the game won. It is what we are best at.

[zuricity]

Disappointed we didn't show the tactics to 'close out the game'. There seems this obsession with scoring another, and another, and another, leaving us wide open.

Also I'm getting the impression this squad is coming to the end of it's sell by date. Hope FFP is sorted soon as we need another big injection!!

I don't mind the 'obsession' with scoring goal after goal, but I think you're right about the sell-by date of the squad.

A lot of them are now hovering around the 30's mark and it could be a case of them all growing old together, if we're not careful. I just hope that the re-invigoration of the team can be effected by our 'home-produced' youngsters in due course, rather than by splashing the cash on a new tranche of transfers.

The re invigoration may take place if we do actually sell Yaya.

We will see over the next few weeks, if the manager has the guts to drop players that are not performing well. We certainly have enough players to replace the slackers.

Edin for example worked hard and unselfishly for the team last night and was clearly miffed to be taken off.Whereas Merlin was having a shocker.

Navas on for Silva would have made more sense.

[Ted Hughes]

Nothing to do with our failures in Europe but a squad needs 'refreshing'. We have had to be practical this season & we have imo made very good signings with Mangala & Fernando, but it's not the same as bringing in new attacking variation. If we could have found a Hazard type player, then the squad would look different & be more inspired, as we were when Navas & the Beast arrived.

Looking back now with the fact that they stitched us on ffp anyway, we should have just broke the fucking bank for Hazard himself & fucked ffp off. The penalty would have been no different, but clearly we thought we would pass and therefore not be punished at all. Had that been the case we would probably have DiMaria now, for 20 mil less than the rags paid for him.We have decided to wear it this once rather than sue. It won't happen again, but it affects this season.

But although one or two of this squad are reaching their 'sell by' date, most aren't. We can just gradually morph into the next team over the coming years, & BIG POINT HERE; the chairman & owner are not joking about the academy. They demand homegrown players & we will see them in the coming years.

That will enable us to spend huge money on a few players rather than signing another 20 of them for 20 mil each. We will have no problem evolving the squad.

The problem is getting this lot to get their act together in Europe in the meantime. It could be the case, that neither Mancini nor Pellegrini have what it takes to get the required performances from these players, but let's say Pep, for example, does. It shouldn't require a change like that; the fuckers should do it themselves, but something like that may be the eventual outcome; it may well have been the plan since Bob was here.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

Frank Lampard on that pitch last night for the last 30 minutes and it's a different result.

[Goaters 103]

Some of the many problems I had with what I saw last night

- The four man midfield brain fart. You cant go 4 in midfield, especially in Europe, when two of those aforementioned four are Toure and Silva - both liabilities when we don't have the ball. We keep doing it, and keep getting our hands slapped like a kid who continually traps his hand in the cookie jar. For fooks sake Manuel, be wiser from previous experience before I lose the will to live. You can play that system with Toure and Silva in the four at home to Burnley and QPR - for every other game, please please don't.

- 78 Mins to introduce Fernandinho into the fray. That was 77 mins too late as he should have started that match, and Dzeko should have started it with a blanket over his knees just below those 600 Uefa "sponsors" on our bench.

- The introduction of Navas as our first substitute - please explain that one to me Manuel as Im lost with it. We'd already pissed away the initiative, and needed a physical presence in central areas, some possession and ball retention and yet we add a featherweight winger who has all the physical presence of Dale Winton's slippers

- The usual disappearance of big name, big reputation players - that would be Aguero - yes him - who again was anonymous in a CL game. I think he found a hole in the centre circle and spent the 2nd half in it; Toure who again was a non-factor in a game he should have grabbed by the scruff of the neck and bossed; Silva was as wasteful as Ive seen in possession spending the night giving it away; in the 2nd half Milner perfected the art of dribbling into the defender and losing the ball; Kompany put on a masterclass of the ball-watching centre half; Dzeko had one of his classic "looks like Tarzan plays like Jane" nights with a small gust of wind knocking him off the ball; Zabba was strangely and oddly subdued all evening - is he carrying an injury or just knackered out from last season; Mangala scares the shit out of me in possession and can look like a giraffe on roller-skates - that crossfield hoof belonged on Cringle Fields; Fernando was committed but cant pass wind - I know that's not his job, but when those around him have gone to shit it becomes glaringly obvious

- Too many Indians and not enough chiefs. We seem to lack a couple of leaders who will stand up out there. Kompany seems to be the only one trying to fill this void, but the moment the first CSKA goal went in you could see us wilt in the face of adversity. Oh for a Mike Doyle, Dave Watson or (whisper it) even a John Terry character in our squad who will get in certain players faces and tell them in no uncertain terms that they are dogging it, and need to get their fingers out of their arseholes. In the 2nd half it looked like we were actually playing not to score, with little direction, no incisiveness and effectively letting CSKA have possession, unchallenged till they got near our box. CSKA are shite, and if we'd applied ourselves just as we failed to do against Roma, its a game we should have won with a bloody cigar on.

Bollocks.

[blues2win]

If Pep showed the slightest interest in moving on from Bayern we'd be in for him like a shot. He doesn't.

We still have an outside chance of qualifying from this League and Pellegrini needs to take it. A win against CSKA at home, draw against Munich and win in Rome would get the job done if Roma lose in Munich and fail to beat CSKA in Moscow. Bayern only won 0-1 there so it's a perfectly feasible outcome. If we repeat the second half performance we'll lose both the Bayern and Roma games and Pellegrini will be in real trouble.

[Renato_CTID]

The reason of this result is for me the unbelievable substitution of Edin. Why did you make such a terrible mistake like that, Pelle?

[Ted Hughes]

If Pep showed the slightest interest in moving on from Bayern we'd be in for him like a shot. He doesn't.

We still have an outside chance of qualifying from this League and Pellegrini needs to take it. A win against CSKA at home, draw against Munich and win in Rome would get the job done if Roma lose in Munich and fail to beat CSKA in Moscow. Bayern only won 0-1 there so it's a perfectly feasible outcome. If we repeat the second half performance we'll lose both the Bayern and Roma games and Pellegrini will be in real trouble.

He actually does, he keeps bringing it up , but not yet.

Decent chance he will end up at the rags in a few years if we don't get him, imo.

[Goaters 103]

If Pep showed the slightest interest in moving on from Bayern we'd be in for him like a shot. He doesn't.

We still have an outside chance of qualifying from this League and Pellegrini needs to take it. A win against CSKA at home, draw against Munich and win in Rome would get the job done if Roma lose in Munich and fail to beat CSKA in Moscow. Bayern only won 0-1 there so it's a perfectly feasible outcome. If we repeat the second half performance we'll lose both the Bayern and Roma games and Pellegrini will be in real trouble.

He actually does, he keeps bringing it up , but not yet.

Decent chance he will end up at the rags in a few years if we don't get him, imo.

If Guardiola wanted/wants our job he will get it, and when he wants too. No matter what Pelle did/does this season, Pep would walk straight in should he choose too - our top brass love him, have connections and past loyalties to him, end of.

[Hazy2]

If Pep showed the slightest interest in moving on from Bayern we'd be in for him like a shot. He doesn't.

We still have an outside chance of qualifying from this League and Pellegrini needs to take it. A win against CSKA at home, draw against Munich and win in Rome would get the job done if Roma lose in Munich and fail to beat CSKA in Moscow. Bayern only won 0-1 there so it's a perfectly feasible outcome. If we repeat the second half performance we'll lose both the Bayern and Roma games and Pellegrini will be in real trouble.

He actually does, he keeps bringing it up , but not yet.

Decent chance he will end up at the rags in a few years if we don't get him, imo.

If Guardiola wanted/wants our job he will get it, and when he wants too. No matter what Pelle did/does this season, Pep would walk straight in should he choose too - our top brass love him, have connections and past loyalties to him, end of.

He has always flirted, When he started out at Barca. Am I going to last a week a month, That becomes, each season you get more tired, the players get tired of you and the family get tired of you being tired, this club drains you, For me as you Know he is above most managers in he speaks they listen and do as they are told, His plans are for each team. Spurs on Saturday we ponced about and last night we got stung, We are a soft touch, Bayern are a bar we can use over the last 4 yrs, we are no better and they have had a massive turnaround, Pitch up in Rome and smash a team that we allowed to dictate to us, I think he watches the DVD of us and them and sets up to stop the obvious, it is no fluke he shuts Yaya down he knows him, He sticks Lham in MF against us 2 yrs. ago ball was moved about, which left 1v1 out wide all night, We are a team on passive players, they need some spice and hard facts, we are better than Chelsea, but we fail to show up in this Comp 2-0 flattered us, 5-0 did not flatter them. All that said if Real roll up and you get it wrong you get dicked, he was the first to say that, we look like novices. Celtic would cause us murders at Parkhead as we do not manage the game the night the noise. Roma should be on their knees when we play them will we manage the situation? If we need a point, Napoli 2 is more than likely to occur. Pep is the man, I have a bad feeling he will follow Buthead to the rags though.

[phips]

Also I'm getting the impression this squad is coming to the end of it's sell by date. Hope FFP is sorted soon as we need another big injection!!

if the club really cares about the CL above all else, this.