Media Thread - 2021/22

[Groke]

If people find us boring, then what do they think of the opposition?

Chelsea, having beaten us 3 times last year, show up at the Etihad, and park the bus like nearly every other team we play home or away.

Time wasting from the first minute, 20 seconds from their goalkeeper getting the ball before he releases.

Want to talk about boring and soulless, watch the opposition in nearly every City game for the last 2-3 years.

This 100% - Chelsea should be getting destroyed by the media- champions of Europe (apparently), very expensively assembled and title challengers, yet they set up and played like relegation candidates. City games where teams come to attack are as exciting and technically brilliant as anything seen in this league.

 

[Bonzo Nododo]

When Liverpool were winning first division and European titles they were the most tedious club in the country to watch, yet very few in the media called them out for it. When Forest battered them in Europe there seemed to be a mass celebration throughout the country, and that was a time when many fans wanted all British teams to beat European opposition. Their football was genuinely boring and if the media aren't impressed by us they should look up a few old Liverpool videos.

The constant long back passes from the centre circle (usually done by 'ye cannae do that' but he always did) lan Hansen were a major feature of that period.

 

[Bonzo Nododo]

I take your points but I have, in the past, enjoyed many great English club sides over the years and, indeed, supported them when reaching European finals etc.

From first being taken to Maine Road I've seen the Tottenham 'double' side of the early 60s; the great Liverpool teams built by Paisley and Dalglish; that fabulous football played by Nottingham Forest under Clough; the amazing team Wenger built around Thierry Henry at Arsenal; and, credit where it's due, even United have played some good attacking footy down the years. And I've enjoyed the quality of the football that each of these great sides have served up.

I was always a believer (especially having witnessed the title being won by 10 different clubs between 1959 and 1971) that it is 'good for the game' that trophies etc are spread around and so on.

But now let me say two things..

First, I have never seen football played to such a level by any English side as with the City squad in recent years. Never.

The technical skill and physical output of each individual player has been amazing to witness. Put them together as a squad and the sum of their parts makes them even greater still.

This football we are privileged to witness each week from Guardiola and his players is lightyears ahead of anything any other English club has produced.

Second, given the way that the sports media whores linked to the 'Big 4' have behaved towards City since the arrival of Sheik Mansour, never giving us credit for what our club has achieved and continues to achieve; and given the way those self-entitled moaners at United, Liverpool and Arsenal have behaved towards City too (from letters to UEFA and the Premier League, bus wrecking, griping away at every opportunity from FFP to 'financial doping' to Covid/'lack of injuries' and so on); then given all that garbage, I say "f**k 'em", I want us to win everything, again and again and again. And then win it all again for good measure.

And let them all, media and the other clubs, cry in their beer about it because their whingeing right now is simply jealousy and self-entitlement.

Take City away and you would have Liverppol dominating (which was eagerly anticipated just over a season ago) with perhaps the odd title by the rags, a formula which was a happily accepted norm until Abramovich turned up.
The problem for the media and other clubs is not domination per se but the team that's doing it.

 

[give it to gordon]

Liking the way its City and Peps fault for improving the stand of the premier league lol love it !.

I watch other premier league games and think to myself this standard is poor, might be good games but the technical skill isnt there. But never have I thought this standard is poor I blame City for being so good.

 

[Bonzo Nododo]

I can imagine that. Lee got released several times early on and it wasn't until Burnley (I think) and then Stoke where he excelled and was POTS two years running before Arsenal signed him. He's a nice enough guy, bright, good sense of humour but, somewhat understandably when you're reasonably well known, careful about what he says and to whom.

He got very upset, fancying himself as a bowler, when he got knocked all round the ground and sometimes out of it at Lindow Cricket Club.
A real grumpy bad sport.

 

[Bonzo Nododo]

Sunday Express sports writer fired over Liverpool FC opinion piece vows to continue fighting 'gag on freedom of speech' - Press Gazette

https://pressgazette.co.uk/sunday-e...o-continue-fighting-gag-on-freedom-of-speech/

This apologising to the mayor in Liverpool seems to be both obligatory and unique.

 

[Charlesfarsbar]

Here’s a few points from me.

1. As a Stretford Blue, I do t get all this self-pitying guff. You had to give the rags as good as yku git on a daily basis.

2. Countless peole have bemoaned the Club being “soft” on an anti City media. The Club were straight on to Beglin, effectively forcing an apology, but I’ve seen little credit for thst action. Personally, I think there are too many apologies around eg Harry Maguire apologises for most rag non performances.

3. Take a step back and have a good laugh at some of the media bias. Here’s a modern classic.

This was an absolute disgrace that they presented this as opinion. It’s propaganda straight from the PR department at rags hq

£80m player my arse, they would be very lucky to get £15m for him now

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

This apologising to the mayor in Liverpool seems to be both obligatory and unique.

Probably has the obligatory accompanying brown envelope! Apologising to Joe Anderson … haha! Weird bunch.

 

[OB1]

If people find us boring, then what do they think of the opposition?

Chelsea, having beaten us 3 times last year, show up at the Etihad, and park the bus like nearly every other team we play home or away.

Time wasting from the first minute, 20 seconds from their goalkeeper getting the ball before he releases.

Want to talk about boring and soulless, watch the opposition in nearly every City game for the last 2-3 years.

Chelsea parked the bus at The Bridge too.

 

[OB1]

Take City away and you would have Liverppol dominating (which was eagerly anticipated just over a season ago) with perhaps the odd title by the rags, a formula which was a happily accepted norm until Abramovich turned up.
The problem for the media and other clubs is not domination per se but the team that's doing it.

"Unfortunately", we are so good that most teams do a variation on the same thing(s): park the bus in some form, try and nick the ball and break on us, hope for a set piece break through... It occassionally works.

Can't recall anyone trying to really take us on and winning.

This can create a bit of an issue spectacle wise (for some); especially if City fluff their early chances.

One of my mantras for at least the last 12 months has been: it's not City that are boring, it's their opponents.

 

[ArniArason]

Sunday Express sports writer fired over Liverpool FC opinion piece vows to continue fighting 'gag on freedom of speech' - Press Gazette

https://pressgazette.co.uk/sunday-e...o-continue-fighting-gag-on-freedom-of-speech/

I missed this article at the time of publishing but the guy was just saying what most people think about Liverpool fans. Trouble follows them almost everywhere they go and has done for decades, however, it is never their fault and it almost never gets the press attention it deserves. With phrases like 'loyal', 'passionate' and 'enthusiastic' used rather than 'violent', 'aggressive' and 'extremist'

 

[Bonzo Nododo]

"Unfortunately", we are so good that most teams do a variation on the same thing(s): park the bus in some form, try and nick the ball and break on us, hope for a set piece break through... It occassionally works.

Can't recall anyone trying to really take us on and winning.

This can create a bit of an issue spectacle wise (for some); especially if City fluff their early chances.

One of my mantras for at least the last 12 months has been: it's not City that are boring, it's their opponents.

Exactly. These teams who set out to be negative from the start never get any criticism for so doing. They put their plan on full display from the start with the goalie deliberately wasting time from the very first goal kick, wasting time quite literally and often from the first minute and it continues because although the whole crowd notices it the ref doesn't. A yellow card would stop that tactic for the next 89 minutes.
Then at the other end the last 10 minutes see several feigned injuries taking ages to treat to protect a point sometimes three. People look at their watches seeing their trains leaving as they hang on to see some one faking it on the deck like a pork actress. Or they leave and some dick of a commentator takes the piss when he really should be criticising the deliberate time wasting that causes it.

Ps the spell check put in 'pork' instead of porn so l left it as it cheered me up on a cold morning

 

[KS55]

I missed this article at the time of publishing but the guy was just saying what most people think about Liverpool fans. Trouble follows them almost everywhere they go and has done for decades, however, it is never their fault and it almost never gets the press attention it deserves. With phrases like 'loyal', 'passionate' and 'enthusiastic' used rather than 'violent', 'aggressive' and 'extremist'

He sued for wrongful dismissal and won.

 

[The perfect fumble]

Do you reckon he wakes up some mornings and cringes at shit like that, you know what I mean. Like when you've been on the piss, you wake can't remember anything. Then, It starts coming back in little bits, and you think oh shit do I ever learn.

No, they'll be no cringe, guys like him have no self awareness. He''s insulated from the any blowback. it doesn't matter how much shit they spout it never hits the fan, because they control the fan.

 

[The perfect fumble]

Exactly. These teams who set out to be negative from the start never get any criticism for so doing. They put their plan on full display from the start with the goalie deliberately wasting time from the very first goal kick, wasting time quite literally and often from the first minute and it continues because although the whole crowd notices it the ref doesn't. A yellow card would stop that tactic for the next 89 minutes.
Then at the other end the last 10 minutes see several feigned injuries taking ages to treat to protect a point sometimes three. People look at their watches seeing their trains leaving as they hang on to see some one faking it on the deck like a pork actress. Or they leave and some dick of a commentator takes the piss when he really should be criticising the deliberate time wasting that causes it.

Ps the spell check put in 'pork' instead of porn so l left it as it cheered me up on a cold morning

Suck me that was funny!

 

[The perfect fumble]

Liking the way its City and Peps fault for improving the stand of the premier league lol love it !.

I watch other premier league games and think to myself this standard is poor, might be good games but the technical skill isnt there. But never have I thought this standard is poor I blame City for being so good.

There you have it.

When I watch other Premier League games all I see is hoofball, three or four passes strung together then it all breaks down, one dimensional play with one dimensional players. I watched as much as I could tolerate of a dire rag game the other day, I can't remember which one, forget blue tinted specs it was awful at every level.

Liverpool are the best of the rest, but the gulf in class between us and them is immense.

 

[threespires]

"Unfortunately", we are so good that most teams do a variation on the same thing(s): park the bus in some form, try and nick the ball and break on us, hope for a set piece break through... It occassionally works.

Can't recall anyone trying to really take us on and winning.

This can create a bit of an issue spectacle wise (for some); especially if City fluff their early chances.

One of my mantras for at least the last 12 months has been: it's not City that are boring, it's their opponents.

Spot on. The easiest way to realise the 'boring City' narrative is a load of bollocks is to imagine (difficult though it is) that either the rags or arse had been capable of playing the way we have over the last few years. What do you think the headlines would be?
They would all be about 'taking the game to another level'; 'best team in modern football history'; 'unstoppable machine' (framed as a good thing) etc. In the case of the rags there would be a narrative of how they had learnt from their humblings in the CL finals against Barcelona and embraced and evolved that style of play.
There would be absolutely zero mention of them being boring, just plaudits and some criticism of the other clubs and their inability to live with them.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

It was a common mantra.
From pros and ex pros who lost their gig because these professionals came . They trained properly didnt drink and had a proper diet. won't catch on.

It's a slow process but I bet every PL training ground canteen has Riyad's pasta on the menu. I wager it won't be long before those teams are playing out from the back, too!

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Liking the way its City and Peps fault for improving the stand of the premier league lol love it !.

I watch other premier league games and think to myself this standard is poor, might be good games but the technical skill isnt there. But never have I thought this standard is poor I blame City for being so good.

Watching other teams, very rarely, I often tell my ERO that the major difference between us and t'others is the measure of control. The ball is rendered stone dead on the first touch, and often includes the right touch to leave a defender floundering. I thought David Silva's touch was sublime, but his level of skill and technique is now team-wide. I bet some PL forwards would choke their granny to have the touch of Eddie, let alone Bernardo!

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

If people find us boring, then what do they think of the opposition?

Chelsea, having beaten us 3 times last year, show up at the Etihad, and park the bus like nearly every other team we play home or away.

Time wasting from the first minute, 20 seconds from their goalkeeper getting the ball before he releases.

Want to talk about boring and soulless, watch the opposition in nearly every City game for the last 2-3 years.

Absolutely right. One of the major elements of a team's game plan is to reduce the playing time significantly and thus prevent us getting the ball into the areas and letting players have it who could slice them apart.