Forget Recriminations, how do we sort this mess out?

[Didsbury Dave]

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?

Since the turn of the year, I'd say. Conceeding goals is the biggest problem, but we haven't dominated a whole game since Villa home, off the top of my head. WE look shaky at the back and our midfield aren't getting a grip like they were. Hart's become a nightmare, we have injury problems and suddenly our backups look weak. We have a top drawer centre forward and we don't get enough balls in the box. Suddenly teams are having a go at us and we are wobbling. We have no plan B because we have no pace.

But this thread is about how we move forward...

 

[fbloke]

I just checked and we are in fact in 3rd!

Chelsea are still to overtake us in points terms and have two games against United dont they?

Spurs are five points behind and have the CL in their immediate future.

Although we are mostly disappointed with the last few games I dont think we should consider this the worst place to be in.

There is of course the need to change things but also the risk of throwing the baby out with the bath water.

The next 5 games will tell us if Mancini is up to the job.

I still believe our nerves will be calmed by this time next month.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

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

Since the turn of the year, I'd say. Conceeding goals is the biggest problem, but we haven't dominated a whole game since Villa home, off the top of my head. WE look shaky at the back and our midfield aren't getting a grip like they were. Hart's become a nightmare, we have injury problems and suddenly our backups look weak. We have a top drawer centre forward and we don't get enough balls in the box. Suddenly teams are having a go at us and we are wobbling. We have no plan B because we have no pace.

But this thread is about how we move forward...

That is the most negative interpretation of events I could possibly imagine. I'm no optimist but I can say with a degree of certainty that things have not been that bad since the turn of the year.

 

[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.

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 ;-)

Agreed. I'm sure most of us are of the opinion that if we miss out on the Champions League again, Mancini will be sacked. And rightly so. I'm sure the Sheikh is also of that opinion, and his is the only one that matters in the end!

However, we are hardly there yet. We've had a disappointing January, but we still only lost once. Its hardly worth setting the wheels in motion to remove the Manager after a single defeat. That would be an extreme reaction, and the kind of knee-jerk behaviour that I really hope our board is better than. I mean - we has a shocking end to October and most of November, then picked up very well to be up challenging for the title in December.

If Mourinho genuinely wants out at Real, and wants to come back to England, what are his options? I don't think the Old Soak over the road is quite ready to shuffle off just yet - indications would suggest otherwise. I don't think Liverpool's owners have the intention to invest the type of money Mourinho demands when he becomes your team's Manager - despite all the chat, they actually invested fook all in January. They also won't make the Champion's League, which will rule them out for him. That leaves us and Chelsea. And does he really want to work with Abramovic again? I think we're in a strong position should we want to pursue that route, and don't see the need to be undermining Mancini at this stage. He showed he could turn it around in December, so lets give him a chance to do so again.

 

[WNRH]

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

Since the turn of the year, I'd say. Conceeding goals is the biggest problem, but we haven't dominated a whole game since Villa home, off the top of my head. WE look shaky at the back and our midfield aren't getting a grip like they were. Hart's become a nightmare, we have injury problems and suddenly our backups look weak. We have a top drawer centre forward and we don't get enough balls in the box. Suddenly teams are having a go at us and we are wobbling. We have no plan B because we have no pace.

But this thread is about how we move forward...

I'd agree with a lot of that except i also thought we dominated Villa at their place. When you look at the games individually i think we have done a minimum of ok in all of them, ok of course is not good enough but at the moment with the team changing from game to game we are still getting results when not playing well.

If you were to look at the goals conceded, i'm not sure what the problem is, i just think it is mistakes rather than system or set up.

We've conceded 3 pens since 9th Jan and Hart could of done better with 2 definatley and maybe 3 at a push, that is half the goals we have conceded. It's a problem without a doubt and if it continues it could be costly but i don't think it is a mess at all. We cannot be in a mess when two concecutive wins in the league will change everything.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Optimus, I'm not for a moment suggesting we remove the manager now. And I also believe that we will finish in the top 4. I think my Auntie Anne could get us in the top 4 with the squad we have if I'm honest.

But every club keeps its options open and we certainly should.

I agree we would in pole position should Mourinho become available. But if I were The Sheikh I'd be making a quick call to his agent just to see if he's serious about that.

 

[WNRH]

Optimus, I'm not for a moment suggesting we remove the manager now. And I also believe that we will finish in the top 4. I think my Auntie Anne could get us in the top 4 with the squad we have if I'm honest.

But every club keeps its options open and we certainly should.

I agree we would in pole position should Mourinho become available. But if I were The Sheikh I'd be making a quick call to his agent just to see if he's serious about that.

We have alot more class about us now than that.

 

[beziersblue]

I just checked and we are in fact in 3rd!

Chelsea are still to overtake us in points terms and have two games against United dont they?

Spurs are five points behind and have the CL in their immediate future.

Although we are mostly disappointed with the last few games I dont think we should consider this the worst place to be in.

There is of course the need to change things but also the risk of throwing the baby out with the bath water.

The next 5 games will tell us if Mancini is up to the job.

I still believe our nerves will be calmed by this time next month.

It's all very well saying we are third but since Christmas we have always been ahead on games played. In the past you would always say that that was an advantage because the opposition have to play those games and win them. Unfortunately that's just what they are doing while we are stalling.

Always looking to buy new players isn't the answer as we have as good a if not better squad than the opposition. The only problem is, getting all eleven players up to speed on the same day. At the moment after each match we can name two or three who had an exceptional game. When was the last time that the whole team was congratulated.

Somebody wrote that we don't dominate any team. When City score early, as last night, you're not sure which side is going to get the next goal.
Our opposition seem to be able to get an early goal and then plough on from there getting another three or four.

 

[Seosa]

As far as I'm concerned this would be the first team for West Brom, and if it goes well test it against Aris and maybe the Derby:

Given

Zabba (should be 1st choice RB anyway), Kompany, Kolo, Lescott

De Jong, Milner, Yaya (all as CM's, with Milner playing Barry's current role)

Silva, Tevez

Dzeko

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Tevez has to understand that he cannot always be No.1, Dzeko has a big role to play in this team and Tevez is undermining that. Guidetti has to be considered above Jo, and if we lose a Centre Mid then either Barry or Zabba can do that job, with either Boateng or Kolo replacing Zabs at RB.

 

[Skashion]

Quite simply I believe our problems have been injuries (our squad is still not as strong as it could be), related quite strongly to this is the fact that we're still very much a team under construction. The players are still so unused to playing with each other that even one or two players are yet able to slot in successfully. That only comes with time sadly. Another would be unnecessary rotation. We have a strong first eleven and it should be playing when fit, at all times basically, cups included, perhaps not Europe as it's over two legs. That's the only time we should get away with it. FA Cup and league, strongest eleven at all times. Respect the opposition. Those would be the broad problems. More specifically, we shouldn't be playing Jo and Vieira at all. Not good enough by half. Vieira should be restricted to a coaching role. Jo should be restricted to peeling the half-time oranges.