***City v Scum of the Earth Official Match Thread***

[stevefromdonny]

so boring bloody hell at half time pep should off brought 2 players on Foden and Torres than the last 20 brought silva on

I hope pep didn't moan about subs, and if he did I would have asked him why to moan when you don't use subs

[Beefymcfc]

To be fair, it’s been entertaining since the Sick-Swan. Doing well against the Rags has been entertaining apart from last season when we all got humiliated with 3 ridiculous losses. Why oh why didn’t couldn’t put the record straight against one of our bogey teams, I’ll never know.

Fucked off with this, we should be hammering any team within the league, especially away from home. Pep and the team are taking the piss.

[Beefymcfc]

Does KDB need to sort himself out? I only ask it as he seems to play an unplayable pass but then kicks the player who had no chance of getting it.

[Dubciteh]

Why did we play in slow motion? At one stage twenty on the clock sterling got it as we broke out and just went at snails pace before ending up god knows where with the ball in defence.

Have to say dias and stones are looking the business. Fair play to stones I wrote him off but probably man of the match for me.

Great to see fern getting back to his best too. Stick him in there on his own he would be grand against 90percent of teams.

Rodri poor again gave the ball away under no pressure several times and didnt stop a single counter attack.

You ask why we play at a snails pace but then say Fern is getting back to his best, so you think it’s coincidental?

Last season we used Fern in the back 4 thinking we could utilise his talents. I supported it due to the circumstances but I can’t support him now moving back to a more advanced role giving he didn’t get younger all of a sudden.

Sad to say but he’s not the answer and Gundogan brings far more nowadays.

Fernandinho isnt the reason we are playing at a snails pace, he was actually one of the better ones he had urgency looked to play forward passes and tried to take quick free kicks to get us moving. In fact he got pissed at the ref or his team mates at one stage for stopping one.

The incident with sterling was ridiculous, its like we are too afraid to be hit on the counter attack that we wont go direct in our attacks unless our shape is perfect which nulifies alot of our thereat.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Disappointed not to beat them cunts but glad that we're not trying to digest another derby defeat where we got sucker punched on the counter.

[PeterParker]

Fern is old as hell and still is faster than Rodri.

[Blue In Bolton]

Does KDB need to sort himself out? I only ask it as he seems to play an unplayable pass but then kicks the player who had no chance of getting it.

I don't know where to start with our attacking players with what has already been said but De Bruyne pissed me off the most yesterday as he was messing even the simple pass and his attitude stinks at the moment. I think the reason I was more annoyed with Kev than Sterling or Mahrez (you know that both will do the square root of fuck all in matches like this prior to the start of the match) is that you expect so much more of Kev as he is a more complete player and should get the basics right without question but isn't doing so.

Is the answer to bench him or play a more creative midfielder alongside him? I personally would bench him for a couple of matches but all-in-all that is one of the most toothless displays since Pearce was in charge.

[BrianF]

Does KDB need to sort himself out? I only ask it as he seems to play an unplayable pass but then kicks the player who had no chance of getting it.

I don't know where to start with our attacking players with what has already been said but De Bruyne pissed me off the most yesterday as he was messing even the simple pass and his attitude stinks at the moment. I think the reason I was more annoyed with Kev than Sterling or Mahrez (you know that both will do the square root of fuck all in matches like this prior to the start of the match) is that you expect so much more of Kev as he is a more complete player and should get the basics right without question but isn't doing so.

Is the answer to bench him or play a more creative midfielder alongside him? I personally would bench him for a couple of matches but all-in-all that is one of the most toothless displays since Pearce was in charge.

It 's a bit of a conundrum , Do we blame Kev or the players around him not making the runs or finding the space? You could see the frustration of Kev yesterday and when you get like that everything turns to shit. I know I get frustrated when we play siow,pass back and don't make forward runs.

[Blue In Bolton]

Does KDB need to sort himself out? I only ask it as he seems to play an unplayable pass but then kicks the player who had no chance of getting it.

I don't know where to start with our attacking players with what has already been said but De Bruyne pissed me off the most yesterday as he was messing even the simple pass and his attitude stinks at the moment. I think the reason I was more annoyed with Kev than Sterling or Mahrez (you know that both will do the square root of fuck all in matches like this prior to the start of the match) is that you expect so much more of Kev as he is a more complete player and should get the basics right without question but isn't doing so.

Is the answer to bench him or play a more creative midfielder alongside him? I personally would bench him for a couple of matches but all-in-all that is one of the most toothless displays since Pearce was in charge.

It 's a bit of a conundrum , Do we blame Kev or the players around him not making the runs or finding the space? You could see the frustration of Kev yesterday and when you get like that everything turns to shit. I know I get frustrated when we play siow,pass back and don't make forward runs.

You make some excellent points about the lack of runs and his frustration with this. I think this has a lot to do with Pep changing the team's balance in the middle of our last title winning season by playing inverted wingers. If you are an opposing full back you just know what Sterling and Mahrez will do when they receive the ball and that is come inside on to their stronger foot and either get congested in that part of the pitch or make a pointless sideways or backwards pass.

We need to mix it up more and Mahrez would be first out the door for me as soon as possible as he offers next to nothing on the right wing. Put Sterling back on the right where he is at his most effective and at the moment either Torres or Foden on the left. I would then play Gundogan at the base point of the midfield and Bernardo alongside Kev.

[s1ty m]

Fern is old as hell and still is faster than Rodri.

Rodri is dreadful. People getting at Fernandinho is amazing. Rodri ruins our midfield. Error prone too. In fact, in what was a dismal game, the only sniff The Rags got was either through Rodri or Cancelo making big errors.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Fern is old as hell and still is faster than Rodri.

Rodri is dreadful. People getting at Fernandinho is amazing. Rodri ruins our midfield. Error prone too. In fact, in what was a dismal game, the only sniff The Rags got was either through Rodri or Cancelo making big errors.

Their best chance came from an Ederson error.

[sheblue]

Fern is old as hell and still is faster than Rodri.

Rodri is dreadful. People getting at Fernandinho is amazing. Rodri ruins our midfield. Error prone too. In fact, in what was a dismal game, the only sniff The Rags got was either through Rodri or Cancelo making big errors.

I would play John Stones there instead of Rodri at the moment.
He is a bit like jesus, a good player, but not good enough.

[john@staustell]

Does KDB need to sort himself out? I only ask it as he seems to play an unplayable pass but then kicks the player who had no chance of getting it.

Yep that's it. Just gives away the ball

[PeterParker]

Fern is old as hell and still is faster than Rodri.

Rodri is dreadful. People getting at Fernandinho is amazing. Rodri ruins our midfield. Error prone too. In fact, in what was a dismal game, the only sniff The Rags got was either through Rodri or Cancelo making big errors.

I would play John Stones there instead of Rodri at the moment.
He is a bit like jesus, a good player, but not good enough.

As Notts I think pointed out, he is okish, but not in our system. He has excellent ball control, but doing his job he is not different than Fernando or Javi Garcia.
He can't do what Fern did.

There was a moment yesterday when he almost injured himself trying to stop an attack of the rags. I think it was "the penner", but I might be mistaken.
Then comes Fern taking out a the rags build up with a fantastic tackle. Two players in a different league, I reckon that is why Pep plays Fern or Gundo near Rodri, I think he understood he can't do it.

The same with Laporte, imho, I think he saw the mistakes he did.
If he can see the same with Sterling and Mahrez, maybe we can progress.

I am a heavy critic of Jesus, but I agree with many posts here. He has to come down and get the ball because Mahrez & Raheem can't give him a proper pass when it's needed. His work rate is fantastic.

[ruralblue]

As much as I hate Roy Keane and camel gob, I totally agree with them.

FIGHT! PRIDE, RIVALRY & PASSION all lacked in yesterday game.

[Nick]

As much as I hate Roy Keane and camel gob, I totally agree with them.

FIGHT! PRIDE, RIVALRY & PASSION all lacked in yesterday game.

This is why I was / am so pissed off. We did not want to win. Especially pep.

It's a derby ffs. Best player who bleeds blue on the bench ffs. All cuddles and smiles and happiness. Fuck off and get lads like de Jong zabs vinnie in the coaching staff.

[carl_feedthegoat]

As much as I hate Roy Keane and camel gob, I totally agree with them.

FIGHT! PRIDE, RIVALRY & PASSION all lacked in yesterday game.

This is why I was / am so pissed off. We did not want to win. Especially pep.

It's a derby ffs. Best player who bleeds blue on the bench ffs. All cuddles and smiles and happiness. Fuck off and get lads like de Jong zabs vinnie in the coaching staff.

If he managed Barcelona like he has done our team in derbys he would have been sacked...100% he would of been sacked.

He gets away with murder at our club because of what he did in the first 3 years here....some fans will forgive him no matter what he does wrong.

[branny]

A more inept front 3 I've not seen for a decade. Fucking appalling.

Hallelujah! Someone else sees it. Haaland alone doesn't solve our problems. He can stand in the box all day and will get nothing from Sterling or Mahrez. Mahrez is in it for himself so if the cut inside and shoot isn't on he's no interest in setting somebody else up and just recycles it back into midfield.

Almost every attack down the left ends up coming to nothing as soon as Sterling gets involved. He either gets dispossessed or is crowded out by trying to dribble through four defenders . As a result our central attacker is starved of the ball, more so if Kdb has an off day. Jesus or Aguero then end up dropping deep which is what defenders are quite happy with. It would only be the same with Haaland. He'd become frustrated and drop deep looking for the ball. The wide players are the big problem and that leaves Kdb as the only creative source.

[sheblue]

As much as I hate Roy Keane and camel gob, I totally agree with them.

FIGHT! PRIDE, RIVALRY & PASSION all lacked in yesterday game.

There was more energy used during the love, hugs and kisses after the game than there was during the game itself.
What's next? a full on orgy after the next derby.

[zuricity]

i don't know how the ref thought that was a penalty yesterday , since neither got the ball and they both kicked each other - feet connected . Puzzles me how you can a foul for 50-50 incompetence.