Numbers game, and why its all over!

[zuricity]

Yeah it's the numbers game and City just played two teams that are likely to be in a relegation battle. They look for the point against City . Pack their defense and hope for the best, pretty soon the teams at the bottom will need more than one point and will need to attack. Just like Wigan needed to at home to united last season.

Let the media gloat about United for a few weeks. It will take the attention and their bile away from us.

This season has a few twists and turns. united will not always get the breaks

[ashton287]

Without van persie the rags will draw or lose 19 of their remaining 19 games.

So we just need them to lose van persie.

With a striker that would shoot at some point in games we would walk the remaining 19 games.

So we just need to buy falcao.

It's that fucking simple.

[sheblue]

It's not over yet... But our form for whatever reason is not good enough.

[Ted Hughes]

And there is the problem.

Do we look as if we will go through without slipping ? Do we look as if we will win at Goodison, The Lane, the swamp, & The Emirates ? So no matter how average the rags are, how do we catch them over the season, even if they slip up & we are level two weeks from now, when we fuck up at places like Sunderland & they win at Chelsea ?

Nope, but after the Arsenal game we all said the same. It can be done, but a change of some sort is needed, whether that comes from the players of the manager It would only need a small improvement from us.

We have improved defensively of late, and so long as Mancini grasps the gravity of the problem before its too late, there is no reason that a more balanced approach to games would not see us have a considerably better 2nd half of the season and convert 4 of those draws or defeats to wins.

Small margins for both teams, but I dont feel we can do any worse than we have already this season and must improve, wheras they have been getting those small margins.........call it luck or whatever for them, but the days will come, like swansea, where teams defend reasonably resolutely and resist the last minute winner and their abject defence will really cost them dear.

Would fucking love them twats to get to the semis of the CL too.

We've improved defensively compared to the start of the season, but only because the players are now match fit imo. I don't think people realise quite how poor we are defensively, because all the teams we play are sitting back. Whenever they come out of their own half, they run straight through us, as the rags did & Sunderland did. In Europe, they took us on & ran riot through us.

The thing that saves us is that teams are rightly scared of doing that, as we score when they do, & we are excellent (usually) at retaining the ball, so our defence doesn't come under the same pressure it would do otherwise.

I agree with Ashton; the rags need injuries & we probably need to spend.

[walmai]

One important point to me is that, whilst you are out of European competition, Man United are still in with a shout there.

The pivot of the season could well be their matches against Real Madrid. For me, it is considerably more important for Ferguson to win the CL for the 3rd time, than to win the Prem for the umpteenth.

That translates to me as the team definitely winning the domestic league, as consolation, if they go out to Mourinho & co, but more of a relaxed approach to the league if they are closing in on the CL.

I think Chelsea will push you, but only overtake you if there is some kind of City collapse (which is, to me, unlikely).

The thing about Ferguson is that he has a mentality that appears at least to translate a lot more easily to his players than any other domestic manager. That to me is why his team so often win after going behind. Even the seasoned pros, Vidic and Rio for instance, still seem to fear the reaction they'd get if they lost without putting up a fight.

I am afraid to say that instinct tells me that Man United will win a major honour this season. But I am not ruling out that they win the CL and you pip them to the Prem. You will have to win at least 75% of your games to do that.

[MR IMAINEROAD]

CIty concede 1 goal. Points = 0
Utd concede 2 goals. Points = 3

I think the problem is obvious.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

CIty concede 1 goal. Points = 0
Utd concede 2 goals. Points = 3

I think the problem is obvious.

Yes, you can't count. Rags conceded 3 goals.

[Alex Sapphire]

In April last year, and after 32 games we were 8 points and -2GD adrift with 6 to go. Stop talking daft

[AG7]

In April last year, and after 32 games we were 8 points and -2GD adrift with 6 to go. Stop talking daft

- Last year they didn't have Robin Van Persie. This year, he's been the difference for them getting wins even after going behind!

- Last year they didn't have the experience of having a comfortable lead but eventually losing the league on goal difference. This year, they will be very very watchful to guard against slip-ups!

- Last year at that point our strikers were in full form, scoring goals for fun. This year, they aren't!

- Last year our players seemed hungry, really hungry. This year tell me one except Zaba, well they all look like passengers!

- Last year we won both the derbies and still they managed to get same 89 points. This year, we have already lost the HOME derby!

STOP TALKING ABOUT LAST SEASON PEOPLE ... THIS IS NOT LAST SEASON!

[Ted Hughes]

The fact that rags blew a huge lead last season makes it less likely thay will do it again not more likely. Sure, if we can get them into the same position at the death, they may panic, but they are going to try & kill us off before that happens.

We are helping them do that, right now.

[Blue_Manc]

Excellent analysis AG7. I don't know why everyone keeps thinking this season will be the same as last season. If we do happen to get a repeat of last season, on our current form, we will fall 15 points behind them with 6 games to go. We will win our remaining games and end up finishing 7 points adrift.
Therefore, we need to make changes to our gameplay and improve.

[Chinners]

STOP TALKING ABOUT LAST SEASON PEOPLE ... THIS IS NOT LAST SEASON!

Just out of curiosity ... why have you got a thread comparing this season with last then?

[AG7]

STOP TALKING ABOUT LAST SEASON PEOPLE ... THIS IS NOT LAST SEASON!

Just out of curiosity ... why have you got a thread comparing this season with last then?

Good one Mr. B*ll*x ... it is there to keep things in perspective :)

They are just numbers, make what you make of them ... and as I said at the start of this thread, numbers don't lie! They are only highlighting all the facts and discussions going around in various threads ... check the goal difference columns for them and for us and you can perhaps pin point what's going wrong this season ...

What I hate is people without any reason or rhyme, simply pointing that because we overhauled 8 point lead in 6 games last year, overhauling 7 over 19 this season would be walk in the park ...

[AG7]

The fact that rags blew a huge lead last season makes it less likely thay will do it again not more likely. Sure, if we can get them into the same position at the death, they may panic, but they are going to try & kill us off before that happens.

We are helping them do that, right now.

THIS ... absolutely!

[Chinners]

Cheers AG7. Numbers make the world go round. Halfway through there are too many variables to contemplate tbh ... As long come the last 6 games we are in with a shout I'll be happy. I can't understand people getting stressed out about this now, things will changed, I'm sure of that, for all the clubs going for a chumps league place .... believe

[JamieMCFC]

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet. But the last 3 league champs were sitting at the top at Christmas.

[DoomMerchant]

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet. But the last 3 league champs were sitting at the top at Christmas.

I surrender. FA Cup it is then.

[City64]

NUMBERS = WE AVERAGED ALMOST 3 GOALS PER GAME LAST SEASON

NUMBERS = WE ARE AVERAGING JUST 1.8 GOALS PER GAME THIS SEASON


Here is our problem ......... WE NEED TO SCORE MORE GOALS !

[patrickblue]

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet. But the last 3 league champs were sitting at the top at Christmas.

And since football began in 1992, only 9 out of 20 premier champions have been top at Christmas.
It's all a bit of a nonsense really, there are so many variables. For instance if just one of our strikers hits a bit of form, things like the last two games will suddenly become comfortable wins. If van pussy gets crocked or hits a barren spell, scum will be losing 4-3 at home instead of winning 4-3.

Not saying that's what will happen, but then I'm not saying it won't. Far too long to go to say

Even yesterday could easily have gone the other way, and we'd only be a point behind.

[Blue Since 76]

It's interesting to see that the players do seem to be putting the effort in, we just don't seem to be scoring as freely as we'd like.

I'm not sure they are. Think back to last season and the home game against West Brom. Came off the back of Arsenal away and the league being blown. Suddenly it looked like a weight had been lifted and we hunted them all over the park and never have them a minute to play football. When we got the ball back, the pace, power and desire destroyed.

Same at home vs Chelsea. The power of midfield made Lampard look finished.

At what point this season have we repeated anything like that? That's not about luck, referee decisions, shooting, decent saves etc it's about hard work and I've not seen a lot of it this season. Who sets that tempo is debatable, but it's definitely missing