Hull (a) Post Match Thread

[SWP's back]

67% possession.

14 fouls to 11.

How does that happen? Week after week. Genuine question. Are we intrinsically dirty?

 

[Armaan]

Important we didn't let Chelsea widen the gap.

KDB and Sagna best for me.

Sagna defensively is as Good as anyone. His off the line clearance will probably be forgotten by most but it was the most crucial piece of play in that match.

 

[MarsLlama]

Was there any reason given for sanes omission?

Apparently he picked up a small injury in training today. Not sure though.

 

[blue ranger]

3-0 flattered us, we didn't play well. But all that mattered was the result. Luckily our quality told in the end and we get 3 points. Great clearance off the line by sagna though after the flapping by Bravo. Also feel we look better with our 2 more mobile full backs.

 

[GeorgeHeslop'sTackle.]

9 out of 12 in period without Ferna and Aguero. 2 clean sheets in 3 since switch to back 4. Take that all day.

Here, Here.... 'AVE THAT TAYLOR, YOU BENT RAG C*NT!!

 

[SWP's back]

I don't usually like to criticise the team too much, but I think we can all agree that the first half at Leicester- just two weeks ago- was a disaster, and one of the worst performances we've seen in a long time.

I'm so impressed with and proud of the way Pep and the team have turned things around. Two professional, clean sheet victories, one of which was away from home. One brilliant comeback win against a title rival. Seven scored, just one conceded, and all without our top goalscorer and our captain, who's also our best defender, and we somehow got by without Delph as well.

Fernando, Touré, Otamendi, Kolarov and Sterling have stepped the fuck up in these three games, as has everyone- even Bravo has shown no sign of the nerves that made him (undeservedly, in my opinion) unpopular. I don't know exactly what Pep has changed, but he's done it well and it's worked.

Congratulations City, and long may it continue.

Great post.

 

[BuryBlue1977]

Rocky Marciano used to punch his opponents in the arms for the first 6 rounds till they were unable to defend themselves. Then he battered them into submission. That's what we've just seen

 

[Blumers Bloomers]

Not vintage but three points was all that mattered today. Another three on Saturday and I'll be chuffed to monkeys .

 

[ono]

Such as who. In the premier league?

Are you asking me to tell you who we should have signed from the Premier League?

What I'm getting at is this...

Yaya and Silva aren't quite the forces they were. And Nasri has gone. Between those 3 we managed to have a great handle on games because each player kept the flow of our game going. Nasri and Silva in particular were great without actually scoring a goal or setting up a goal. They wanted to always be on the ball and it resulted in us looking much more threatening as a team in general. We got good overlapping width and we also looked much calmer at the back because we had more control.

Sometimes our games tend to resemble basketball at times. We are racking up ridiculous possession stats yet looking all at sea when we are attacked by anyone with quality...and I personally think that's because we have good but wildly inconsistent defenders, great but wildly inconsistent match winners and not enough midfield metronomes - I know Gundogan was brought in to help with that but even before his injury, he was up and down. I think we notice Dinho for his interceptions, energy and tackling, and De Bruyne for his assists or goals, but I think we are missing someone who knits everything together.

Not a knock, just an observation.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

Not vintage but three points was all that mattered today. Another three on Saturday and I'll be chuffed to monkeys .

And 3 on the Monday or am i being too greedy.

 

[CrownPointBlue]

That new 42 looks a prospect.

Thank you again Yaya,utterly peerless. We are privileged.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Result better than the performance but conceded very few chances apart from a cockup by the keeper & Sagna playing them onside from a set piece & we ended up with 3 goals. No idea why we made it so difficult for ourselves to score though. Sterling got a pen simply because he actually tried to get into a shooting position. DeBruyne hit the post when he had a go. Just try to actually score ffs.

Will need to be 50% better to even get a draw at Anfield but even if that goes pear shaped, a win v Burnley would make it a really good Christmas/New Year run.

We can be much much stronger 2nd half of the season wheras everyone else has shown us their maximum level here & there. Chelsea will hit a dodgy spell at some point.

 

[dreamlands]

Chelsea have played a lot worse and won 1-0 four times in their current run of wins (1/3rd of their run to be exact) and yet we win 3-0 and half the support slate the performance for much of the game?!?

It was a solid, professional, controlled performance. Gave very little away and waited for them to wilt. I'd take another 20 of those.

Was Chelsea slated by half of their support for those worse performances?

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

That new 42 looks a prospect.

Thank you again Yaya,utterly peerless. We are privileged.

10 out of 10............................. Penalties, that is.

 

[Bluemoon115]

67% possession.

14 fouls to 11.

How does that happen? Week after week. Genuine question. Are we intrinsically dirty?

Stopping counter attacks means quicker thinking in defence, so we concede a lot of fouls on the halfway line to break up the play.

That and we do give a few silly ones away (Sterling late on for example).

 

[CelesteItis]

Chuffed with the 3 points.

But Otamendi, I dunno if it's acceptable how he slided recovered the ball and put a precise pass for Blondie to Merlin to Iheanacho to the net, City two nil.

 

[Vienna_70]

Good performance; showed great patience and took our opportunities when they arose.

Great run by Raheem to earn the penalty. Reminiscent of the goal against Arsenal and that might well have played on the Hull defender's mind in making the challenge. The penalty was brilliantly dispatched by Yaya, as always.

Brilliant work from kKdB for the second. Told Nacho to make his way into the box and played a beautiful pass out to Merlin, who put the ball on a plate for Kelechi to tap home. Another great run by Sterling for the third. If the Hull lad hadn't put it in, Nacho was waiting at the far post for another tap-in.

Three wins on the bounce. Now let's make it four at Klanfield.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

Result better than the performance but conceded very few chances apart from a cockup by the keeper & Sagna playing them onside from a set piece & we ended up with 3 goals. No idea why we made it so difficult for ourselves to score though. Sterling got a pen simply because he actually tried to get into a shooting position. DeBruyne hit the post when he had a go. Just try to actually score ffs.

Will need to be 50% better to even get a draw at Anfield but even if that goes pear shaped, a win v Burnley would make it a really good Christmas/New Year run.

We can be much much stronger 2nd half of the season wheras everyone else has shown us their maximum level here & there. Chelsea will hit a dodgy spell at some point.

My lad summed it up. We have the ability to make some very good sides, look average.
But we also have the ability to make some poor sides look world beaters, at times.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

67% possession.

14 fouls to 11.

How does that happen? Week after week. Genuine question. Are we intrinsically dirty?

It's clumsiness rather than dirtiness. Otamendi seems to me a very clumsy player, and Kolarov too, at times. There was a point in that match where we were giving away needless free kick after needless free kick, and I though, fuck it, one of these is going to go in any minute now. We're not actually a very savvy team at fouling deliberately to break down opposition momentum in low-risk areas of the midfield. And since NDJ and Barry, we haven't been, in my opinion.

 

[gios_left_boot]

Rocky Marciano used to punch his opponents in the arms for the first 6 rounds till they were unable to defend themselves. Then he battered them into submission. That's what we've just seen

Agreed mate.. I know people are complaining about the first half, but for me it was a case of pass it around and have them running around, then come second half when they tire we pick them off which is exactly what happened, perfect away performance.