Everton - Post match thread.

[Chippy_boy]

And there's me thinking you were funnier than you actually are ;)

That's undoubtedly true!

 

[HarrytheBlue]

Oh they did. I think Everton must practice time wasting in training. Every time they look like getting something out of a game they start it.

Rooney reffed the game - going for twenty yard walks with the ball under his arm before free kicks (no-one seemed to pull him up about it).

 

[2infinity&beyond]

You said we should have been dead and buried though didn't you? Where were all these Everton chances out of interest?

I said Everton should have been dead and buried - you misinterpreted my comments !!

 

[2infinity&beyond]

What the fuck ?

That meaning City should have won the match by half time !!

 

[citytilllidie]

Watching last night I had a strange feeling of deja vu. Shit ref making bizarre game changing decisions, dominating possession first half without really creating much, the other team putting everyone behind the ball then scoring with virtually the first good chance they get, playing well for about 25 mins rather than the whole 90. Nothing much has changed from last season.

Positive's from last night. Can't wait to see B Silva getting some full games, he looks like he is going to be very good. I thought Sterling & Danilo were both decent when they came on too.

Agreed. Two games in, and so, last year. A midget team like us, will not win this league. What's Edin Dzeko up to these days?

 

[HarrytheBlue]

Quite the opposite mate l love players like Bernard and Kinkladze. But unfortunately Kinkladze career at City was dreadful.

Kinkladze didn't have any support acts on the same wavelength - Rosler, Walsh, Quinn (all top players in their own right) etc didn't like Kinky's unpredictability. We as fans loved it. The whole stadium rose to its feet once the ball reached Kinky. How many players can you say that about - anywhere in the world ? Not many.

 

[kiam06]

I think opposition teams seem to know that with a little bit of 'persuasion' we can be reduced to ten men. Of all the sendings off at The Etihad the only one that seems to activate my memory cells is Kun's v CFC, and then we were stiffed by the big black fellah only getting a yellow and the loathsome Fabregarse escaping what the Laws demand. All the others seem to have been soft 'uns! My memory may be suffering from these blue-tinted specs I'm wearing but we have been shafted with some right arse-end yellows that have mounted into reds.

One thing I have noticed is that City players seem to be booked for first foul there is rarely a warning like other players from other clubs receive.

Its literally two challenges and they're off.

 

[franksinatra]

The team needs to start playing with the same tempo in the first half as they do in the second half.

The more the game continues the more pressure the side is under and for the majority of sides a draw with is is a great result but for us a case of dropped points.

Lets go back to 4-3-3 or 4-1-2-3 whichever way you view it and bring natural width and pace into the side

 

[Bilboblue]

So 4 points out of 6, if we carry that kind of form on we'll win the league so I don't really care. Everton will do well this year, they have a great manager and they have always been a bogey team, not losing in the circumstances is a good thing.

76 points will not win the Premier League.

 

[Dribble]

I would hope he has a plan but how can he not be judged against the progress of others. He inherited a team that finished fourth, OK it needed some changes but he's spent over 350m so far, probably 450m by the end of the window. He needs to deliver this season, the pressure was off last year mainly because Manure were shit, they won't be as shit this season.

It took 3 years to completely dismantle the best team & strongest squad in the league, so I fail to understand why it will take less than 12 months to repair the damage & reverse the regression even if we have spent £350m.

FFP was extremely damaging for us & meant we had to mend & make do with a rapidly ageing squad. What Guardiola has done is to correct these glaring deficiencies within our squad & the lack of a left wing back last night proved we still have a lot more squad building to do, but there's still another consideration many seem to forget...... Our competitors.

Whilst we stalled because of FFP restrictions & regressed because of the previous managerial incumbent, our competitors caught us up & in some cases they surpassed us. Since Pep has been here, he has halted our decline & started the process of reversing the damage caused.

HOWEVER, as we have tried to do all of this, have our competitors just stood still waiting for us to catch up? Hell no. They've also been busy changing managers, spending vast sums on their squads & increasing stadium capacities etc, to maintain the advantage they gained during our stasis.

So whilst we have narrowed the gap, we still have a way to go, not least because of the huge shift in playing staff & philosophy. Kompany said in pre-season that Pep's influence only became really clear when the on loan players returned & were clueless as to what was needed from Pep.

Apparently only Nasri adapted quickly and the rest struggled. Kompany said this solidified the belief in the squad that we were heading in the right direction & progressing at a rate of knotts. BUT having said all this, have ManUre, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool or Spurs just left us to get on with our transformation unchallenged?

The huge changes this summer should finally prove the damage that has been done to our club, and it should also show the size of the task facing our new manager who is also having to adapt to the toughest league in the world.

Pep has a plan & that is clear to see, & as such he deserves time to affect his plan & should be afforded time from us. This is why for last season & this, all I want to see is a reversal of our decline & the advancement of our progress. This is why I believe we won't see the green shoots of recovery until next season & I believe it won't be until the season after, before we start to challenge in the Champions League. We just have to be realistic here. It may not be what many fans want to hear, but unfortunately it's the reality if our situation...