***official city v dirty rags match thread***

[Beefymcfc]

I'd probably like to see something like this with our available players:

[center]Hart

Zabaleta - Kompany - Nastasic - Kolarov

Milner - Yaya - Fernando

Nasri/Jovetic - Aguero

Dzeko[/center]

It may look like a 4-3-3 or Xmas tree but I'd like to see Milner floating across allowing Yaya or Fernando to get forward (or both). Silva shouldn't be rushed back, neither Clichy and I'd like Navas to take part at some point. He's lost his place here for Milner but could be thrown in at a late stage.

[Herb]

The stat I liked on their was that we'd scored in our last 52 PL home games.

That's actually a lovely stat because it's current and entirely relevant to where we are right now - as is the fact that while there's been much criticism about our start to this season, after the majority of teams have played 5 games and we've played 4, we have the best positive goal difference in the PL at +5.
Let's hope that stoke fuck the arse today, cardiff peel the spuds and we wring the rags out to put us top of the heap of goal difference.

Come on the Blues!

[Beefymcfc]

Let's hope that stoke fuck the arse today, cardiff peel the spuds and we wring the rags out to put us top of the heap of goal difference.

Come on the Blues!

Nice sentiments indeed.

[city9_4eva]

Where is everyone congregating before? What's shambles square like?

[Crazy_Cabbie]

I am unusually confident about today's game,
Thinking we will beat them,
BUT.....
As with every match I still expect something bad to happen during the course of the match
Like a deflected Nasri goal to them....

Did I say I was confident...

Oh shit.

I need to lay down

[Ryan95]

To anyone who is not going to the game who wants to watch it on net via sky sports and good quality I have a now tv voucher you can use. Just think you need make an account.

[ashton287]

Heart says we will smash them 4-1 because they are shit.

Head says Rooney + Fellaini will expose our weak (lack of organization or defined roles) central midfield and be allowed too much time and have a fucking field day in the huge Gareth Barry shaped hole we leave between our midfield and the defence, drawing the defence into a narrow back 4 and giving their wingers too much space to put the ball in for the rapist when they counter attack. They will defend like they have most season which is very evertonian and will cause us big problems and I think they might embarrass us even though we look the between team for the most part.

But an early goal from us might shake them and moyes isn't exactly a tactical genius, he will stick to the usual game plan. The rags will lose patience with it if they are down and we are not doing what they need us to do. Then when Rooney's ego takes over and he starts dictating how they play we can abuse the confusion left behind and fuck them like a slag you find passed out at a party, in the arse.

So basically we will win or lose or draw. FACT.

[Risby]

Heart says we will smash them 4-1 because they are shit.

Head says Rooney + Fellaini will expose our weak (lack of organization or defined roles) central midfield and be allowed too much time and have a fucking field day in the huge Gareth Barry shaped hole we leave between our midfield and the defence, drawing the defence into a narrow back 4 and giving their wingers too much space to put the ball in for the rapist when they counter attack. They will defend like they have most season which is very evertonian and will cause us big problems and I think they might embarrass us even though we look the between team for the most part.

But an early goal from us might shake them and moyes isn't exactly a tactical genius, he will stick to the usual game plan. The rags will lose patience with it if they are down and we are not doing what they need us to do. Then when Rooney's ego takes over and he starts dictating how they play we can abuse the confusion left behind and fuck them like a slag you find passed out at a party, in the arse.

So basically we will win or lose or draw. FACT.

I think a lot of it will depend on who is on the left supporting Kolorov and how Yaya and Fern are lined up.
If those areas are not strong then our defence will be busy. They will target Kolorov so i expect to see either Valencia or Nani against him.
If we defend those areas well and we are strong - we will win today comfortably.

[harveytravis]

Looking for some derby related articles on the net to further get me in the mood I found this. Not necessarily inspirational it was hardly a classic, but interesting to reflect on what it was like then versus now.


You only have to look at our team to realise how drastically things have changed.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24167060

Interesting to note the cost of the teams.

Twenty seven years ago

City cost = .25 Million
United = 4.2 Million

ie their team cost sixteen times what ours cost!!

And was for ever so, until cometh the hour cometh the Sheikh!
Buying the league.... what bollocks.....

[Beefymcfc]

Anybody thinking that this game is pivotal to our seasons success?

Win this and it'll show that we're pulling it together with a new manager and the whole club will be bouncing, looking forward to the next game.

If we lose then it will have the total opposite effect where the fans will be thinking 'Is this the real deal' and the whole club will have to pick up itself up, possibly looking at different players and new partnerships.

I'll go for the former.

[brite blu sky]

We could be in serious trouble today, if Pell doesn't make an attempt to sort the midfield roles out and the rags come with an Everton style of get right at us from the whistle we could end up in serious doo without a way of organising ourselves out of it.

All the indications for me are that Moyes will set them up to be like a championship side coming for a cup game and rabid in closing us down... knock us off balance and then just simply look to exploit that. If I were Moyes I would sniff that City are vunerable right now.

Imo Pellegrini needs to realise this. From the off we need to first touch pass it round them till they give up their chasing, just like if we were meeting a lower league side.
I just don't think City are going to do that or even capable of it at present. So the game is going to go into a 50/50 scrap, and that is where the midfield organisation is going to win or lose. So if we don't change ours from the shambles it has been we are fucked.

Personally I would just accept the opening scrap scenario and field Fernandino in front of Milner and Rodwell, then swap Milner for you know who later on.

[mr_nool]

Anybody thinking that this game is pivotal to our seasons success?

Win this and it'll show that we're pulling it together with a new manager and the whole club will be bouncing, looking forward to the next game.

If we lose then it will have the total opposite effect where the fans will be thinking 'Is this the real deal' and the whole club will have to pick up itself up, possibly looking at different players and new partnerships.

I'll go for the former.

It might be a bit too soon in the season for it to be a make or break game.
However, I do think that the home derby defeat last season was the nail in the coffin for us. We were on the up, were generally considered the better team - even by scum fans, and would have gone in to the Christmas period on even footing with them. But the defeat made them stronger and us fall apart.

[brite blu sky]

Anybody thinking that this game is pivotal to our seasons success?

Win this and it'll show that we're pulling it together with a new manager and the whole club will be bouncing, looking forward to the next game.

If we lose then it will have the total opposite effect where the fans will be thinking 'Is this the real deal' and the whole club will have to pick up itself up, possibly looking at different players and new partnerships.

I'll go for the former.

Sort of pivotal, but then any game can be. It is pivotal in the sense that the rags are seen as somehow the benchmark for the league, so a comfortable victory would shut everyone up and give City pretty much season long breathing space.
If we get panned - see my last post - we will be in crisis according to some. But in reality it would just be a wake up call the sort some stuff out that we all know needs sorting.

[Beefymcfc]

Anybody thinking that this game is pivotal to our seasons success?

Win this and it'll show that we're pulling it together with a new manager and the whole club will be bouncing, looking forward to the next game.

If we lose then it will have the total opposite effect where the fans will be thinking 'Is this the real deal' and the whole club will have to pick up itself up, possibly looking at different players and new partnerships.

I'll go for the former.

It might be a bit too soon in the season for it to be a make or break game.
However, I do think that the home derby defeat last season was the nail in the coffin for us. We were on the up, were generally considered the better team - even by scum fans, and would have gone in to the Christmas period on even footing with them. But the defeat made them stronger and us fall apart.

That's my thoughts mate. Even though it's early on it would concern me just because of last season.

Like I said earlier, I'm quietly confident about today so hopefully we won't have to consider it.

[sidSmith]

It's pivotal to my mood for the rest of the day/week..... I won't define our season though, too early.

[Ted Hughes]

Defenders: assume that Kolarov won't stop the cross.

Where is it going ? You can tell by his position, if it is likely to be an aerial cross.

Otherwise, he is going to knock a percentage ball into the near post, (even if we have another player in the way he will still attempt this, hoping it goes through the bloke's legs or rebounds off him into the danger area) either Rooney or RVP will go in that area as, unlike City, they understand goals are scored there: FUCKING MARK THEM. MARK THE NEAR POST.

Other option: he pulls the ball back diagonally for a rag to tap in from the edge of the box: again, assume Kolarov won't stop it MARK THESE AREAS.

Short corners: wake up. Dives on the edge of the box: don't touch them.

Please, if we are going to let a goal in, don't let it be from these areas AGAIN.

It does my fucking head in.

[Tesl]

It might be a bit too soon in the season for it to be a make or break game.
However, I do think that the home derby defeat last season was the nail in the coffin for us. We were on the up, were generally considered the better team - even by scum fans, and would have gone in to the Christmas period on even footing with them. But the defeat made them stronger and us fall apart.

I think this is right. If we do end up losing its not the end of the world for us, but it will really, really hurt. A win on the other hand and Utd will be the new "crisis" team and we will be up at the top of the table again (for what its worth).

I must admit I fear a bit for us today. Last time they scored 3 with 3 shots, and I wouldn't be suprised if they did something similar today. That said if we play like we can and take control of the game we are more than capable of winning.

[aristation]

I thought I had lost interest but this game has got me nervous again putting City back at the heart of my day/week. The wife is going to be out when I get home if we've lost says doesn't want to be around a miserable b**tard ( I spent twenty years like that!).
We just need the heart we have the rest to win easily today

[DoomMerchant]

I thought I had lost interest but this game has got me nervous again putting City back at the heart of my day/week. The wife is going to be out when I get home if we've lost says doesn't want to be around a miserable b**tard ( I spent twenty years like that!).
We just need the heart we have the rest to win easily today

Lost interest? Weirdo.

[clippo22]

Since the fa cup semi I've always been confident about getting a result against the scum. This time though I'm nervous as hell! Couldn't bear to go through last season again, losing when it really mattered and winning when it didn't ( in terms of the league, it always matters!). Let's get at them from the start today!

COME ON CITY!!!!!!