Forget Recriminations, how do we sort this mess out?

[crystal_mais]

I sort of know where DD is coming from. Is some respects teams have sussed us out in some ways and seem to be able to cancel us out.

The defense is a big problem for me right now. Teams are scoring against us where as earlier in the season, they were nt getting a sniff.

Joe probably does need a rest, but it can go both ways for a young lad. I'd put Shay in for the replay and see how thing go.

We need to have a Plan B of playing.. and we really do need to put the small er teams under more presure and increase the pace at which we play.

I'm sure we will sort it out but I hope it's not too late in the day. This is the point of the season where the big teams start kicking on.

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

Pretty good post that mate - until the last line, that is, but then I expect your motives for including that were ever so slightly disingenuous ;)

I agree with most of what you've said said - I probably don't see it in quite as negative a light as you, but certainly agree that Mancini needs to shake things up in terms of formations, personnel and, most importantly, approach.

I also share your feeling that SWP and Lescott need to be brought back into the fold, given some encoragement to boost their coinfidence, and given the chance to contribute to the rest of the season - they are part of the squad, and there is no use in them sitting around doing fuck all til the end of the season when they could given us a different option in certain games.

Things are not as bad as most on here are making out - there is some chronic over-reaction going on today, and more than a touch of melodrama - but Mancini needs to take action and re-evaluate his approach to ensure we finish the season on a high.

We're in a very strong position as we stand, despite what all the drama queens would tell us, but the season could really go either way from here. The good thing is that from the tone of Mancini's post-match interview last night, I think he recognises all of the above, therefore I expect to see him make changes to his approach during the rest of the season.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

I think it is a mess because this season has looked to be coming off the rails for a while now. It isn't a crisis, and I said in my original post that this season is far from over.

We are underperforming week in week out. I'm worried we are indanger of doing a Chelsea. Overall we are underachieving yet again as a unit, for the third season in a row.

I thik we are going backwards at the wrong time, and we could be two or three results away from a major problem.

Make no mistake, failure to qualify for the champions league will be catastrophic for City. The existing players will be disillusioned. We'll probably lose the best ones. We won't be able to sign the biggest names. The whole project will be derailed. The football world will laugh.The club will be hugely deflated.

We need to stop the rot right now. That's my point.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Pretty good post that mate - until the last line, that is, but then I expect your motives for including that were ever so slightly disingenuous ;)

I agree with most of what you've said said - I probably don't see it in quite as negative a light as you, but certainly agree that Mancini needs to shake things up in terms of formations, personnel and, most importantly, approach.

I also share your feeling that SWP and Lescott need to be brought back into the fold, given some encoragement to boost their coinfidence, and given the chance to contribute to the rest of the season - they are part of the squad, and there is no use in them sitting around doing fuck all til the end of the season when they could given us a different option in certain games.

Things are not as bad as most on here are making out - there is some chronic over-reaction going on today, and more than a touch of melodrama - but Mancini needs to take action and re-evaluate his approach to ensure we finish the season on a high.

We're in a very strong position as we stand, despite what all the drama queens would tell us, but the season could really go either way from here. The good thing is that from the tone of Mancini's post-match interview last night, I think he recognises all of the above, therefore I expect to see him make changes to his approach during the rest of the season.

Optimus, I stand by my last line 100%. If we don't get in the top 4 Mancini has to go. And there is a risk of that happening. So it would be daft not to look at our options. Particularly one interesting one ;-)

 

[WNRH]

I think it is a mess because this season has looked to be coming off the rails for a while now. It isn't a crisis, and I said in my original post that this season is far from over.

We are underperforming week in week out. I'm worried we are indanger of doing a Chelsea. Overall we are underachieving yet again as a unit, for the third season in a row.

I thik we are going backwards at the wrong time, and we could be two or three results away from a major problem.

Make no mistake, failure to qualify for the champions league will be catastrophic for City. The existing players will be disillusioned. We'll probably lose the best ones. We won't be able to sign the biggest names. The whole project will be derailed. The football world will laugh.The club will be hugely deflated.

We need to stop the rot right now. That's my point.

I'm sorry DD but mess and off the rails is way way OTT even by your standards.

We have played well since xmas in the majority of games, i think we have only underperformed in the Leicester (A), Notts County and Birmingham games plus last 20 mins of the Wolves game. Every other game we have played well in since that Boxing day game. In each of those games we have seen defensive mishaps that we haven't been used to this season.

We certainly aren't a mess and we certainly aren't coming off the rails.

 

[Nils]

Every team has a blip and ours is right now. How long it lasts is really down to cutting out these maddening defensive lapses which our costing us. They shouldn't have scored at all last night, the first one looked like we were trying to play offside but one person forgot and as for viera, well i'm sure we all agree that he should never play for us in the premiership again, ditto jo. Bring zab on in midfield , i don't know why we don't use this option, he's got energy, drive and his tackling has improved. Start with barry in front of the back four not de jong..play milner in central midfield and if we're going to play kolarov, play him wide on the left...he can't defend. Boateng is also never a right back in a million years...he can't even control a ball.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

I think it is a mess because this season has looked to be coming off the rails for a while now. It isn't a crisis, and I said in my original post that this season is far from over.

We are underperforming week in week out. I'm worried we are indanger of doing a Chelsea. Overall we are underachieving yet again as a unit, for the third season in a row.

I thik we are going backwards at the wrong time, and we could be two or three results away from a major problem.

Make no mistake, failure to qualify for the champions league will be catastrophic for City. The existing players will be disillusioned. We'll probably lose the best ones. We won't be able to sign the biggest names. The whole project will be derailed. The football world will laugh.The club will be hugely deflated.

We need to stop the rot right now. That's my point.

Up until the Villa defeat which was only 12 days ago, many were still saying we were united's main challengers for the title, yet you make this sound like a chronic problem. Yes if we have another 2 or 3 bad results then we may have a major problem but at the moment, in terms of the league (which is pretty much all I am concerned about at the moment), we really are talking about one defeat and one draw. The main problem is that the teams around us have won on both those days but then there have been other days this season where we have won and others have lost or drawn and I am sure that will happen again soon. I think we'll win on Saturday and then, whilst I realise that not everything is perfect, we will be back on track and still comfortably capable of getting top 3 or 4. Everyone needs to get a bit of perspective imo.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

I think it is a mess because this season has looked to be coming off the rails for a while now. It isn't a crisis, and I said in my original post that this season is far from over.

We are underperforming week in week out. I'm worried we are indanger of doing a Chelsea. Overall we are underachieving yet again as a unit, for the third season in a row.

I thik we are going backwards at the wrong time, and we could be two or three results away from a major problem.

Make no mistake, failure to qualify for the champions league will be catastrophic for City. The existing players will be disillusioned. We'll probably lose the best ones. We won't be able to sign the biggest names. The whole project will be derailed. The football world will laugh.The club will be hugely deflated.

We need to stop the rot right now. That's my point.

I'm sorry DD but mess and off the rails is way way OTT even by your standards.

We have played well since xmas in the majority of games, i think we have only underperformed in the Leicester (A), Notts County and Birmingham games plus last 20 mins of the Wolves game. Every other game we have played well in since that Boxing day game. In each of those games we have seen defensive mishaps that we haven't been used to this season.

We certainly aren't a mess and we certainly aren't coming off the rails.

I'm trying to be clear that this is entirely correctable. But if we keep playing like we are we'll be in the shit. We look a mess to me on the park if I'm honest.

A fight for fourth place with Spurs would be a hugely disappointing end to the season. Failure in that fight would be a disaster.

 

[dancity19]

I think it is a mess because this season has looked to be coming off the rails for a while now. It isn't a crisis, and I said in my original post that this season is far from over.

We are underperforming week in week out. I'm worried we are indanger of doing a Chelsea. Overall we are underachieving yet again as a unit, for the third season in a row.

I thik we are going backwards at the wrong time, and we could be two or three results away from a major problem.

Make no mistake, failure to qualify for the champions league will be catastrophic for City. The existing players will be disillusioned. We'll probably lose the best ones. We won't be able to sign the biggest names. The whole project will be derailed. The football world will laugh.The club will be hugely deflated.

We need to stop the rot right now. That's my point.

In the end it does boil down to how you look at it. There are those who seem to have this incredible patience and enjoy the ride attitude. I don't think I can do that, unfortunately, as much as I wish I could. I have been praising our defence to many people over the season, as it has been good, but it looks weak at the moment. If people take time to look across games over the season, there has easily been as many poor ones as good ones. In too many games we have looked unconvincing and won, but we take great comfort in that from the old saying 'signs of a top team.' However, it looks like that has stopped now, too.

Blackburn (H)/ Birmingham (H) (A)/ Newcastle at home was far from convincing.

Some games we have been superb, but they need to become a more consistent feature.

 

[WNRH]

I'm sorry DD but mess and off the rails is way way OTT even by your standards.

We have played well since xmas in the majority of games, i think we have only underperformed in the Leicester (A), Notts County and Birmingham games plus last 20 mins of the Wolves game. Every other game we have played well in since that Boxing day game. In each of those games we have seen defensive mishaps that we haven't been used to this season.

We certainly aren't a mess and we certainly aren't coming off the rails.

I'm trying to be clear that this is entirely correctable. But if we keep playing like we are we'll be in the shit. We look a mess to me on the park if I'm honest.

A fight for fourth place with Spurs would be a hugely disappointing end to the season. Failure in that fight would be a disaster.

How long have we looked a mess on the park and where have we looked a mess in your opinion?