***soton v city official match thread***

[zabbadabbado]

Obviously i am disappointed we have not won today,but i would have took 4 points from these 2 away days beforehand.

It was the lazy arsed performance that grated me more than anything.

[Jon London]

Very disappointed with Milner. I like him even have his name and number on my sons shirt but he looked slow off the pace gave too many balls away. He had a chance a couple of times to shoot following loose balls and blew them. Had a chance to be unstoppable and blew it. Rightly substituted.

[City64]

Ok point away from home with no real damage done . Lots of points to play for over the Christmas period ....... move on.

[phips]

if we can't play well away vs a possession-based pressing side we will struggle mightily in the CL

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

As I thought.

It's what people think Lescott looks like, rather than what he actually does, which is used to judge him.

i hear you as i know lescott has a high pass completion percentage, but his decision making and passing do not really generate much in terms of our counter attack, or really just getting it started faster. he will usually just give the ball to another nearby player who likes to dribble or make a long pass. demichellis likes to dribble more and is a bit more creative, which suits our style of play, i think.

he's a stop gap player anyway. this is an area that needs improvement on the team, clearly.

That's not the centre backs job ffs. I want a defender who defends well - not goes on mazy runs up the pitch and tries through balls.

Spot on.

[Goaters 103]

Lescott should have played instead of Demichelis, & the decision to not put Kompany & Lescott back together remains baffling.

After the first 20 mins today we were played off the park. Southampton sussed us out, outnumbered us in midfield, nullified any threat we had - which was basically just Kolarov overlapping - and Pellegrini again showed little recognition of what was going on or how to change things. Garcia ... again? Ffs.

Our big 3 in midf, Ya Ya, Ferna & Nasri - who was lucky not to get red carded - were ineffective. Negredo, like City, is a different "beast" away from home, whilst Sergio too.looked off colour, frustrated and out of sorts.

Has to be a point gained as it was a lucky one, and normally it would be a good point if not for the previous balls ups that have given us no margin for error. As amusing as it is to point fun at Utd, we need to look at our own deficiencies.

Mr Pellegrini continues to confuse and confound me with some of his selections, formations and substitutions.

[zuricity]

A good week , Swansea were good , so too wba and Soton. We did well 7 out 9 points, going into three difficult games. Players coming back from injury , difficult times for a constantly changing defense. I am certainly pleased.

[Herb]

A good week , Swansea were good , so too wba and Soton. We did well 7 out 9 points, going into three difficult games. Players coming back from injury , difficult times for a constantly changing defense. I am certainly pleased.

It's nice to hear the voice of reason cutting through the cackle of the pantomime dames.

[Original Dub]

It's nice to hear the voice of reason cutting through the cackle of the pantomime dames.

Exactly.

Some ridiculous whining going on.

[Moonchesteri]

Mention for Fernandinho; fucking heroic.

I was impressed by him today as well.

After this now we need to rest the team mid week and take second in the group. We are nowhere near good enough to beat bayern and certainly not 7-0.

Aguero, negredo, navas, fernandinho, zaba, nasri. Don't even fly them to Germany FFS just leave them home to rest up. Arsenal is a massive game now and we need to beat them home and away to close that gap.

Deffo agree with this as well. Next week's game is gonna be huge and we must get three points. of course it's not over or anything if we don't get 3 but it would make things difficult. we can't be too much behind going into 2nd half of the season, esp. as we must still travel to Goodison, Emirates, Anfield and swamp among others later in the spring.

A good week , Swansea were good , so too wba and Soton. We did well 7 out 9 points, going into three difficult games. Players coming back from injury , difficult times for a constantly changing defense. I am certainly pleased.

I think I would've taken 7/9 before these three games. Especially if I knew that at the same time some others will drop points. If only Everton could nick a point tomorrow

[Hutch's Shoulder]

7/9 points is a good return. We have no divine right to win or play well every week: most teams in any one week don't do both. The Arsenal result could change our interpretation of today one way or the other. In the end, we are not even half way through the season yet, so no worries.

[Saul Goodman]

I agree with the notion of wide spread changes midweek. We stand no chance and there's no point risking injury or even tiring people out.
Sadly I don't think Pelle will oblige

[john@staustell]

On the Demi/Lescott debate, if you've got 2 players who have equal strengths then surely you play the best player in that position?

Lescott everyday of the week for me, Demi just doesn't look confident.

I am still amazed why Bobby changed the best defensive partnership in the world at that time, Vinnie and Lesco, We had 3 best defence seasons in a row and he changed it and all went to crap.

Imho, i was always convinced he blamed Lesco for that goal Cisse scored in the game with QPR.

We're not watching the same matches. LESCOTT never looks confident on the ball. Demichelis always finds space, is nothing if not confident, has a lot of the ball and holds/passes it well. He also talks a lot which is not obvious to all his critics it seems (Lescott notoriously quiet).

I saw Kompany make at least 2 howlers ( their goal and trying to dribble past a man 8 yards out). Wonder what would be said if that was Demichelis or Garcia?

In any case we didn't win that match because Aguero (2) and Negredo (1) missed chances that should've been buried - again.

[City64]

Could be a decent point come May.

[Breks]

We lost 3-1 there last season, so 1-1 is an improvement.

[sheblue]

In the end it was a lucky point. But the performance was error ridden, incoherent and way below potential. We need to rest most for arsenal next week.

[Ted Hughes]

On the Demi/Lescott debate, if you've got 2 players who have equal strengths then surely you play the best player in that position?

Lescott everyday of the week for me, Demi just doesn't look confident.

I am still amazed why Bobby changed the best defensive partnership in the world at that time, Vinnie and Lesco, We had 3 best defence seasons in a row and he changed it and all went to crap.

Imho, i was always convinced he blamed Lesco for that goal Cisse scored in the game with QPR.

We're not watching the same matches. LESCOTT never looks confident on the ball. Demichelis always finds space, is nothing if not confident, has a lot of the ball and holds/passes it well. He also talks a lot which is not obvious to all his critics it seems (Lescott notoriously quiet).

I saw Kompany make at least 2 howlers ( their goal and trying to dribble past a man 8 yards out). Wonder what would be said if that was Demichelis or Garcia?

In any case we didn't win that match because Aguero (2) and Negredo (1) missed chances that should've been buried - again.

And that's what you lot judge Lescott on. The fact that Demichelis is comfortable giving the ball to the oppsition 3 or 4 times a game doesn't fucking matter, so long as he looks good doing it. Same with Nastasic & as you pointed out, same with Kompany.

They all do it, but you lot are waiting for Lescott to fuck up, so when he actually does, you all jump on him. The rest get a free ride.

Bollocks to the fact that he's our best defender & safer on the ball that all the rest, he doesn't look right when he kicks it, so hang him.

Also, get ANY recording of a City game out now, the nearest one with Lescott playing, have a look at who is shouting to the back players, the bloke with both arms out shouting, telling them to line up; it's fucking Lescott.

V CSKA, we wre lining up for a corner, Lescott was shouting at someone to pick up a loose man near post (as obviously worked on in training) & Garcia plus another geezer both went to him. Then Lescott shouted at them (probably asking if they are fucking stupid) & moved Garcia into another area.

I sit watching this from side on every fucking week. Then I read bollocks on here about Lescott not talking to others.

I've let that one slide for years but it's utter utter fucking garbage. It's completely made up by people who don't like him, like most Lescott myths. It's fucking incredible the shit the bloke gets, absolutely incredible & absolute fucking nonsense.

These criticisms are not accurate & NOT FAIR.

If these criticisms were true, I would fucking hate him. I am all over shit cbs like a rash. Always have been.

I was on Kit Symons' case when most people were sucking his dick, & calling him 'captain fantastic'.

Lescott is one of the best cbs I have seen at City in 40 odd years of watching them. As is Vinny.

Their partnership was in the same mould as Doyle & Watson.

Now it's gone, thanks to dickheaded thinking by successive managers, & neither player looks as good without the other.

Fucking madness.

[AG7]

Yesterday we dropped two points ... not gained one ... reason I say that is simply look at our fixtures list ... in last seven games this season we have to go AWAY to the Emirates, Anfield and Goodison ...

Now if we keep up this win away then draw away kind of accumulation of points, we'll end up where we are not comfortable towards the last stretch and *needing* wins at those grounds and I frankly don't want it to get to that ... get as many pts as we can now and Saints away was a good opportunity if only our players had worked a little harder and a little more sensible ... and come March/April we won't have the kind of pressure I just mentioned above ...

[Ted Hughes]

Yesterday we dropped two points ... not gained one ... reason I say that is simply look at our fixtures list ... in last seven games this season we have to go AWAY to the Emirates, Anfield and Goodison ...

Now if we keep up this win away then draw away kind of accumulation of points, we'll end up where we are not comfortable towards the last stretch and *needing* wins at those grounds and I frankly don't want it to get to that ... get as many pts as we can now and Saints away was a good opportunity if only our players had worked a little harder and a little more sensible ... and come March/April we won't have the kind of pressure I just mentioned above ...

Pressure is our friend. Arsenal can't handle it. Arsenal play Utd home, Sunderland home, Stoke away, Swansea home, Spurs away, Chelsea away, City home & Everton away, March April.

If Ferguson was 14 points behind them, he would still fancy that.

[twosips]

On the Demi/Lescott debate, if you've got 2 players who have equal strengths then surely you play the best player in that position?

Lescott everyday of the week for me, Demi just doesn't look confident.

I am still amazed why Bobby changed the best defensive partnership in the world at that time, Vinnie and Lesco, We had 3 best defence seasons in a row and he changed it and all went to crap.

Imho, i was always convinced he blamed Lesco for that goal Cisse scored in the game with QPR.

We're not watching the same matches. LESCOTT never looks confident on the ball. Demichelis always finds space, is nothing if not confident, has a lot of the ball and holds/passes it well. He also talks a lot which is not obvious to all his critics it seems (Lescott notoriously quiet).

I saw Kompany make at least 2 howlers ( their goal and trying to dribble past a man 8 yards out). Wonder what would be said if that was Demichelis or Garcia?

In any case we didn't win that match because Aguero (2) and Negredo (1) missed chances that should've been buried - again.

And that's what you lot judge Lescott on. The fact that Demichelis is comfortable giving the ball to the oppsition 3 or 4 times a game doesn't fucking matter, so long as he looks good doing it. Same with Nastasic & as you pointed out, same with Kompany.

They all do it, but you lot are waiting for Lescott to fuck up, so when he actually does, you all jump on him. The rest get a free ride.

Bollocks to the fact that he's our best defender & safer on the ball that all the rest, he doesn't look right when he kicks it, so hang him.

Also, get ANY recording of a City game out now, the nearest one with Lescott playing, have a look at who is shouting to the back players, the bloke with both arms out shouting, telling them to line up; it's fucking Lescott.

V CSKA, we wre lining up for a corner, Lescott was shouting at someone to pick up a loose man near post (as obviously worked on in training) & Garcia plus another geezer both went to him. Then Lescott shouted at them (probably asking if they are fucking stupid) & moved Garcia into another area.

I sit watching this from side on every fucking week. Then I read bollocks on here about Lescott not talking to others.

I've let that one slide for years but it's utter utter fucking garbage. It's completely made up by people who don't like him, like most Lescott myths. It's fucking incredible the shit the bloke gets, absolutely incredible & absolute fucking nonsense.

These criticisms are not accurate & NOT FAIR.

If these criticisms were true, I would fucking hate him. I am all over shit cbs like a rash. Always have been.

I was on Kit Symons' case when most people were sucking his dick, & calling him 'captain fantastic'.

Lescott is one of the best cbs I have seen at City in 40 odd years of watching them. As is Vinny.

Their partnership was in the same mould as Doyle & Watson.

Now it's gone, thanks to dickheaded thinking by successive managers, & neither player looks as good without the other.

Fucking madness.

That's so fucking true that it's making me feel pretty fucking low. I miss the VK/JL partnership.