In what way were we negative yesterday?

[Marvin]

As an attacking force, the whole team were poor yesterday and i include the management in that.

I have also offered an opinion on ways of improving us in that department.

The way we play now we rely entirely on a moment of magic from Tevez and he wont keep doing it, especially if he is getting pissed off.

Mancini has to see this and adapt his tactics when needed.

and this is the fundamental flaw......could you at anytime yesterday see us making a substitution to change the shape of the game. In fact the players sat o the bench were set up for one style of play only and that is dangerous at this level. We need to be able options on the bench to enable us to change the shape of our team if the need arises during the game or if injury forces our hand.

If bob has no short term matchday plan B, then what are the chances of him seeing the overall declining influence of carlos

I'd have put Santa Cruz on a lot earlier, but most of you don't rate him.

Without Balotelli and Adebayor and with AJ starting, there weren't many game changing subs he could have made

It was the quality of the passing that was the problem, and energy levels in midfield. Don't think the manager had much input on that, although they did start the 2nd half very well

 

[blueinsa]

Nonsense, sorry but it really is!

Defend Mancini by all means but don't resort to trying blaming our best player in doing so ffs.

I agree completely with flb.

Tevez is the heartbeat of our team, but yesterday, by his own very high standards, he had a shocker. Mitigating circumstances though. 3rd game in 6 days after coming back from injury.

Agree with the point about our fans believing the media bullshit about our negative tactics and manager. There was a nervousness yesterday from the crowd very early on. The fan's are going to have to be patient. Teams are going to park the bus and everyone has to be patient. Utd & Arsenal score plenty of late goals.

Booing and negative chants mid match help no one. Never hear it at OT or the Emirates. Then again, Utd and Arsenal have belief in their team.

So from now in, if Tevez fails to score he is to blame because he is the heartbeat of the side? Is that what you guys are implying?

Tevez was playing against 10 men of Birmingham yesterday. They parked the bus and he was crying out for support yet we commit only 4 players to attacking and trying to break them down. Do we really need a keeper, 4 defenders and 2 holding defensive midfielders sat in our half to stop a team from scoring that is keeping all its players in their own half, defending?

Do we?

 

[Marvin]

I agree completely with flb.

Tevez is the heartbeat of our team, but yesterday, by his own very high standards, he had a shocker. Mitigating circumstances though. 3rd game in 6 days after coming back from injury.

Agree with the point about our fans believing the media bullshit about our negative tactics and manager. There was a nervousness yesterday from the crowd very early on. The fan's are going to have to be patient. Teams are going to park the bus and everyone has to be patient. Utd & Arsenal score plenty of late goals.

Booing and negative chants mid match help no one. Never hear it at OT or the Emirates. Then again, Utd and Arsenal have belief in their team.

So from now in, if Tevez fails to score he is to blame because he is the heartbeat of the side? Is that what you guys are implying?

Tevez was playing against 10 men of Birmingham yesterday. They parked the bus and he was crying out for support yet we commit only 4 players to attacking and trying to break them down. Do we really need a keeper, 4 defenders and 2 holding defensive midfielders sat in our half to stop a team from scoring that is keeping all its players in their own half, defending?

Do we?

I remember Kolarov, and later Zab playing as a left midfielder, and Yaya Toure and Santa Crz were pushed forward. Even Kolo was getting forward.

We didn't do it with much effect, but that's a different matter

 

[Blue Punter]

I agree completely with flb.

Tevez is the heartbeat of our team, but yesterday, by his own very high standards, he had a shocker. Mitigating circumstances though. 3rd game in 6 days after coming back from injury.

Agree with the point about our fans believing the media bullshit about our negative tactics and manager. There was a nervousness yesterday from the crowd very early on. The fan's are going to have to be patient. Teams are going to park the bus and everyone has to be patient. Utd & Arsenal score plenty of late goals.

Booing and negative chants mid match help no one. Never hear it at OT or the Emirates. Then again, Utd and Arsenal have belief in their team.

So from now in, if Tevez fails to score he is to blame because he is the heartbeat of the side? Is that what you guys are implying?

No, what I am saying is that he is not exempt from criticism. If he's having an off day and is tired (as was the case yesterday) he should be substituted. As has been the case with Rooney this season.

Myself and the people sat round me called this before the change happened yesterday.

 

[blueinsa]

So from now in, if Tevez fails to score he is to blame because he is the heartbeat of the side? Is that what you guys are implying?

Tevez was playing against 10 men of Birmingham yesterday. They parked the bus and he was crying out for support yet we commit only 4 players to attacking and trying to break them down. Do we really need a keeper, 4 defenders and 2 holding defensive midfielders sat in our half to stop a team from scoring that is keeping all its players in their own half, defending?

Do we?

I remember Kolarov, and later Zab playing as a left midfielder, and Yaya Toure and Santa Crz were pushed forward. Even Kolo was getting forward.

We didn't do it with much effect, but that's a different matter

Push up, commit players, quick one touch passing with good movement off the ball, that's what was needed yesterday.

The squad we have is more than capable of playing that way as well.

Birmingham were comfortable, we didn't ask them enough questions because our play is slow and predictable and unless Bobby can get a plan b, every single manager in this league will come to Eastlands, play the same way and we will drop the points we need to grasp that top 4 spot.

 

[Deleted member 14625]

Fully agreed. We did lack pace and tempo, and take worse set pieces than a Sunday League team, but we were not negative. Birmingham were the negative team.

Goal attempts: 21
Attempts on target: 11
Corners: 6
Possession: 55%

Seems to me the problem was not tactics or Mancini but the players unable to find the cutting edge. Even so, we had some excellent chances (Tevez's disallowed goal, Tevez's one-on-one, Milner's shot cleared off line). Tevez having his worst game in blue since his settling in period ended didn't help.

Many of our fans have caved into the media's propaganda and now fully believe what they read/hear.

That's as many shots as we've created pretty much all season. Really good chances with Tevez, A Johnsons don't forget as well when he shot and should have squared it to Silva who was free, and Milner. We were okay yesterday. Yes the tempo was a little slow and we did many things wrong but with players like A Johnson and Yaya on the pitch and options of Jo and Santa Cruz on the bench, we are realistically not this great team so many think we are and therefore are not swashbuckling our way through these fixtures like the unrealists think we should be!

Some people don't know what they're talking about! The "sideways and backwards" "negative" "Mancini out" brigade - the clueless lot - can do all of us SUPPORTERS a favour and follow through with their threats of not going to watch the team anymore! I'd rather have 25000 supporters there and jibes from the away fans about empty seats than be associated with that sort if City fan!

With Tevez still building his fitness up after this injury and Balotelli still to come back, we may well be as not on the ball next week at Fulham as well! But I'm okay with that, I'll be bothered in two years time if things aren't going right, but right now I understand we are nowhere near the finished article. We've got a few average and a few below average players in our squad and so it's understandable we will not win 4-0 and wipe the floor with the opposition sometimes!

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

So from now in, if Tevez fails to score he is to blame because he is the heartbeat of the side? Is that what you guys are implying?

No, what I am saying is that he is not exempt from criticism. If he's having an off day and is tired (as was the case yesterday) he should be substituted. As has been the case with Rooney this season.

Myself and the people sat round me called this before the change happened yesterday.

Tevez wasn't great yesterday by his standards and I don't particularly agree with the way he plays. When he comes deep that's fine but then he needs to go forward and have the ball played into his feet. but too often he stays deep or goes out wide. Had no problem with him going off but we shouls have ended the game with something like Silva, Jo, Santa Cruz & two of Milner, Johnson or Barry on the field. There was no need to finish with Yaya AND De Jong plus four defenders.

 

[Marvin]

I remember Kolarov, and later Zab playing as a left midfielder, and Yaya Toure and Santa Crz were pushed forward. Even Kolo was getting forward.

We didn't do it with much effect, but that's a different matter

Push up, commit players, quick one touch passing with good movement off the ball, that's what was needed yesterday.

The squad we have is more than capable of playing that way as well.

Birmingham were comfortable, we didn't ask them enough questions because our play is slow and predictable and unless Bobby can get a plan b, every single manager in this league will come to Eastlands, play the same way and we will drop the points we need to grasp that top 4 spot.

I think they are capable of big improvements. Your judging the attacking play of City minus Balotelli and Adebayor and with Teve half fit. Not surprising you come up with a negative result

 

[Blue Punter]

There is a plan B. We used it last week at the Hawthorns. Balotelli alongside Tevez and Silva.

Get Fulham out of the way and this will be the way we play at home and Vs some of the perceived weaker teams away for most of the season.

In Jo & RSC he didn't have the players to do this yesterday. Jo not strong enough, RSC not mobile enough. Neither particularly good finishers.

Whereas Balotelli has no worries on all 3 counts.

Give the full backs time to bed in and you'll see another dimension. I've seen enough from Kolarov already to know he will create havoc down the left.

 

[Sabster]

As an attacking force, the whole team were poor yesterday and i include the management in that.

I have also offered an opinion on ways of improving us in that department.

The way we play now we rely entirely on a moment of magic from Tevez and he wont keep doing it, especially if he is getting pissed off.

Mancini has to see this and adapt his tactics when needed.

and this is the fundamental flaw......could you at anytime yesterday see us making a substitution to change the shape of the game. In fact the players sat on the bench were set up for one style of play only and that is dangerous at this level. We need to have options on the bench to enable us to change the shape of our team if the need arises during the game or if injury forces our hand.

If bob has no short term matchday plan B, then what are the chances of him seeing the overall declining influence of carlos

We brought on RSC to add more of an aerial threat....

And when our two other best attackers are injured who are we supposed to bring on?<br /><br />-- Sun Nov 14, 2010 2:20 pm --<br /><br />

Nonsense, sorry but it really is!

Defend Mancini by all means but don't resort to trying blaming our best player in doing so ffs.

I agree completely with flb.

Tevez is the heartbeat of our team, but yesterday, by his own very high standards, he had a shocker. Mitigating circumstances though. 3rd game in 6 days after coming back from injury.

Agree with the point about our fans believing the media bullshit about our negative tactics and manager. There was a nervousness yesterday from the crowd very early on. The fan's are going to have to be patient. Teams are going to park the bus and everyone has to be patient. Utd & Arsenal score plenty of late goals.

Booing and negative chants mid match help no one. Never hear it at OT or the Emirates. Then again, Utd and Arsenal have belief in their team.

No Tevez was absolutely terrible yesterday he hogged the ball and shot at every opurtunity.

Which lead the rest of our team to follow suit - if AJ or Milner had squared the ball silva would have had a tap in.