Positive MCFC Articles:

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Many people on here are far too precious and need to be thick skinned. This pro rag media agenda is pure nonsence. The biggest story of last year was Giggs shagging glamour models and his sister in law, and the year before that it was Rooney shagging hookers. People also tend to forget that the person whom all this agenda blame is focused on, SAF, was the victim himself of a five year long media campaign where he was slaughtered by the tabloids from 86 - 91. It was what the public wanted at the time.

I think the Giggs and Rooney stories perfectly illustrate the point about the uneven way in which united and City players (and concomitantly the two clubs) are represented in the media.

Do we get sneering comments from pundits about Giggs or Rooney's extra-curricular activities? No we do not and yet they are all too willing to comment on our players social life and talk about how this demonstrates that we are lacking in 'class' etc.. It wasn't the level of coverage on those two players that demonstrated a degree of media bias, it was how what they had done appeared to have no bearing on their character among commentators in the game. It was like it never happened.

And 'SAF'? Are you for fucking real?

 

[squirtyflower]

Many people on here are far too precious and need to be thick skinned. This pro rag media agenda is pure nonsence. The biggest story of last year was Giggs shagging glamour models and his sister in law, and the year before that it was Rooney shagging hookers. People also tend to forget that the person whom all this agenda blame is focused on, SAF, was the victim himself of a five year long media campaign where he was slaughtered by the tabloids from 86 - 91. It was what the public wanted at the time.

I think the Giggs and Rooney stories perfectly illustrate the point about the uneven way in which united and City players (and concomitantly the two clubs) are represented in the media.

Do we get sneering comments from pundits about Giggs or Rooney's extra-curricular activities? No we do not and yet they are all too willing to comment on our players social life and talk about how this demonstrates that we are lacking in 'class' etc.. It wasn't the level of coverage on those two players that demonstrated a degree of media bias, it was how what they had done appeared to have no bearing on their character among commentators in the game. It was like it never happened.

And 'SAF'? Are you for fucking real?

you noticed it too

 

[Campagnolo]

How many pro Southampton articles have there been of late? Liverpool, Sunderland, Villa, Arsenal, West Brom...

What is it that you want, a constant arse lick of our club? What have we done this season to warrant the positive articles you appear to crave?

The media are only supplying what the people want. And outside of the walls of this forum, the people out there want schadenfreude at Man City's expense.

So if a story about Mario's paintjob, sells more newspapers or generates more internet hits than say a story about Colleen Rooney's handbag, then who do you think they are gonna keep reporting about as frequently as possible? And only when the public get bored of it, will the media will stop.

Many people on here are far too precious and need to be thick skinned. This pro rag media agenda is pure nonsence. The biggest story of last year was Giggs shagging glamour models and his sister in law, and the year before that it was Rooney shagging hookers. People also tend to forget that the person whom all this agenda blame is focused on, SAF, was the victim himself of a five year long media campaign where he was slaughtered by the tabloids from 86 - 91. It was what the public wanted at the time.

Media should be about more than what people want, particularly if what people want is a person or organisation getting unfairly maligned.

I don't see why we need to just accept that, and thankfully on this occasion it seems the club doesn't either.

Nobody is saying it's fair, but most inteligent people out there can take it with a pinch of salt. Do you read stories in the tabloids and treat them as facts. No you don't. 99% of people reading the mail today didn't believe that RM fell asleep during a match, it was a tongue in cheek story, but people on here have flipped out over it. As, the man himself would say, "Eet eez not important"<br /><br />-- Mon Nov 12, 2012 9:09 pm --<br /><br />

Many people on here are far too precious and need to be thick skinned. This pro rag media agenda is pure nonsence. The biggest story of last year was Giggs shagging glamour models and his sister in law, and the year before that it was Rooney shagging hookers. People also tend to forget that the person whom all this agenda blame is focused on, SAF, was the victim himself of a five year long media campaign where he was slaughtered by the tabloids from 86 - 91. It was what the public wanted at the time.

I think the Giggs and Rooney stories perfectly illustrate the point about the uneven way in which united and City players (and concomitantly the two clubs) are represented in the media.

Do we get sneering comments from pundits about Giggs or Rooney's extra-curricular activities? No we do not and yet they are all too willing to comment on our players social life and talk about how this demonstrates that we are lacking in 'class' etc.. It wasn't the level of coverage on those two players that demonstrated a degree of media bias, it was how what they had done appeared to have no bearing on their character among commentators in the game. It was like it never happened.

And 'SAF'? Are you for fucking real?

you noticed it too

JEHOVAH JEHOVAH...

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Many people on here are far too precious and need to be thick skinned. This pro rag media agenda is pure nonsence. The biggest story of last year was Giggs shagging glamour models and his sister in law, and the year before that it was Rooney shagging hookers. People also tend to forget that the person whom all this agenda blame is focused on, SAF, was the victim himself of a five year long media campaign where he was slaughtered by the tabloids from 86 - 91. It was what the public wanted at the time.

I think the Giggs and Rooney stories perfectly illustrate the point about the uneven way in which united and City players (and concomitantly the two clubs) are represented in the media.

Do we get sneering comments from pundits about Giggs or Rooney's extra-curricular activities? No we do not and yet they are all too willing to comment on our players social life and talk about how this demonstrates that we are lacking in 'class' etc.. It wasn't the level of coverage on those two players that demonstrated a degree of media bias, it was how what they had done appeared to have no bearing on their character among commentators in the game. It was like it never happened.

And 'SAF'? Are you for fucking real?

you noticed it too

*sniff sniff*

 

[squirtyflower]

i'm looking forward to it

 

[moomba]

The media are only supplying what the people want. And outside of the walls of this forum, the people out there want schadenfreude at Man City's expense.

So if a story about Mario's paintjob, sells more newspapers or generates more internet hits than say a story about Colleen Rooney's handbag, then who do you think they are gonna keep reporting about as frequently as possible? And only when the public get bored of it, will the media will stop.

Many people on here are far too precious and need to be thick skinned. This pro rag media agenda is pure nonsence. The biggest story of last year was Giggs shagging glamour models and his sister in law, and the year before that it was Rooney shagging hookers. People also tend to forget that the person whom all this agenda blame is focused on, SAF, was the victim himself of a five year long media campaign where he was slaughtered by the tabloids from 86 - 91. It was what the public wanted at the time.

Media should be about more than what people want, particularly if what people want is a person or organisation getting unfairly maligned.

I don't see why we need to just accept that, and thankfully on this occasion it seems the club doesn't either.

Nobody is saying it's fair, but most inteligent people out there can take it with a pinch of salt. Do you read stories in the tabloids and treat them as facts. No you don't. 99% of people reading the mail today didn't believe that RM fell asleep during a match, it was a tongue in cheek story, but people on here have flipped out over it. As, the man himself would say, "Eet eez not important"

If its not fair then I'll continue to argue against it, particularly when it affects my club.

And I'm not sure why people are persisting in misrepresenting one side of this debate as flipping out, or insane or any other piece of hyperbole we've seen today.

 

[squirtyflower]

Media should be about more than what people want, particularly if what people want is a person or organisation getting unfairly maligned.

I don't see why we need to just accept that, and thankfully on this occasion it seems the club doesn't either.

Nobody is saying it's fair, but most inteligent people out there can take it with a pinch of salt. Do you read stories in the tabloids and treat them as facts. No you don't. 99% of people reading the mail today didn't believe that RM fell asleep during a match, it was a tongue in cheek story, but people on here have flipped out over it. As, the man himself would say, "Eet eez not important"

If its not fair then I'll continue to argue against it, particularly when it affects my club.

And I'm not sure why people are persisting in misrepresenting one side of this debate as flipping out, or insane or any other piece of hyperbole we've seen today.

because if you don't have the same point of view as them then they resort to ridicule and personal abuse

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Many people on here are far too precious and need to be thick skinned. This pro rag media agenda is pure nonsence. The biggest story of last year was Giggs shagging glamour models and his sister in law, and the year before that it was Rooney shagging hookers. People also tend to forget that the person whom all this agenda blame is focused on, SAF, was the victim himself of a five year long media campaign where he was slaughtered by the tabloids from 86 - 91. It was what the public wanted at the time.

I think the Giggs and Rooney stories perfectly illustrate the point about the uneven way in which united and City players (and concomitantly the two clubs) are represented in the media.

Do we get sneering comments from pundits about Giggs or Rooney's extra-curricular activities? No we do not and yet they are all too willing to comment on our players social life and talk about how this demonstrates that we are lacking in 'class' etc.. It wasn't the level of coverage on those two players that demonstrated a degree of media bias, it was how what they had done appeared to have no bearing on their character among commentators in the game. It was like it never happened.

And 'SAF'? Are you for fucking real?

Notwithstanding which the Giggs and Rooney stories were big news for the sheer heinousness of their behaviour, one knobbing a hooker (not for the first time) whilst his poor old pregnant missus stayed in soaking her tired tootsies, the other doing his brother's wife non-stop for the better part of 5 years. A bit of a leap to try and compare those major deceits against the relentless drip, drip, drip of lies and non-stories about our players. 'Balotelli wears odd socks - what a fucking bastard! Mancini set to quit in disgust!'

 

[Berkovic_blue]

How many pro Southampton articles have there been of late? Liverpool, Sunderland, Villa, Arsenal, West Brom...

What is it that you want, a constant arse lick of our club? What have we done this season to warrant the positive articles you appear to crave?

Did you miss the bit in teh OP about 50/50?

Clearly you did in your rush to call all your fellow blues paranoid ad nauseum

*yawn*<br /><br />-- Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:03 pm --<br /><br />

Nobody is saying it's fair, but most inteligent people out there can take it with a pinch of salt. Do you read stories in the tabloids and treat them as facts. No you don't. 99% of people reading the mail today didn't believe that RM fell asleep during a match, it was a tongue in cheek story, but people on here have flipped out over it. As, the man himself would say, "Eet eez not important"

Eamon Holmes
Jimmy Nesbit
Zoe Ball

All hold too much sway over the pro united media agenda that pollutes the minds of the people in this country. People who don't have the inteligence or insight to think for themselves.

You seem confused.

 

[johnny crossan]

Is this positive ?

Dzeko Papering Over Man City cracks

Edin Dzeko has been the saving grace for Manchester City this season.

Jonathan Wilson

NOV 12, 2012 1:23 PM ET

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND


For Manchester City, the pattern is becoming familiar: the trait that was once (and is still) the trademark of its arch-rivals United has been adopted wholesale.

City was behind against Southampton, but came back to win. It was twice behind against Liverpool but came back to draw. It was behind against Stoke and came back to draw. It was behind against Fulham and came back to win. It was behind against West Brom with 10 men and came back to win. And on Sunday it was behind against Tottenham and came back to win. Whatever else can be said about Roberto Mancini’s side, its character when behind can’t be faulted (although United is still the king of giving the opponent a start, having come from behind to win eight times already across all play this season).

Against Spurs it was, again, Edin Dzeko who scored the winner – his fourth goal as a substitute, all of them scored after the 80th minute, in the last six weeks. The Bosnian remains a difficult player to read, looking at times almost unplayable, a pulsing blend of muscle and touch, and at times desperately ungainly. When he is confident, though, as he is at the moment, he can be devastating; as David Silva’s chipped pass fell to him against Spurs, there was not the slightest doubt that he would crash it into the roof of the net. In the way he addressed the ball, waited for it come into his stride, was a reminder that he and the largely unsung Grafite, now winding down his career in Dubai, between them inspired Wolfsburg to the Bundesliga title in 2009.


The theory with Dzeko always was that he needed a run of games to find that confidence and that he therefore wasn’t suited to a team like City, in which the size and quality of the squad makes rotation a fact of life. It seems a run of substitute appearances is enough, although Dzeko clearly wants to start games. He had said before the game that he hates it when he is called “a super-sub”; afterwards he insisted his goals were “a message” to Mancini.

Dzeko is becoming to City what Javier Hernandez is to Manchester United.

“A player so strong of character like Dzeko to come on when his team needs him deserves great credit,” the Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas said after the defeat.

Yet while Hernandez, at the beginning of his career, seems cheery enough in the role, Dzeko, reaching his peak, is not. “He is not happy,” said Roberto Mancini. “A player who is happy on the bench does not exist.”

That’s not necessarily a problem, even it does add to the vague background sense of discord that always seems to hang around the Etihad. In fact, to an extent it’s inevitable when clubs stockpile resources in the way the elite do in modern football – and, of course, it represents their strength. That United and City can afford to leave the likes of Hernandez and Dzeko in reserve is precisely why they occupy the top two positions in the Premier League.

Yet the difference in attitude between Dzeko and Hernandez – and Dzeko’s willingness to let his grumpiness show – feels telling. Morale at City always seems fragile, something that can’t have been helped by the revelations about Mancini’s dalliances with Monaco last season. After all, if the coach was willing to jump ship (admittedly perhaps pre-empting being pushed) when it looked like City wouldn’t win the title, why should any player feel any great commitment? It may be, as the Aberdeen, Tottenham and Barcelona forward Steve Archibald commented, that team spirit is an illusion glimpsed in the moment of victory, but there must surely be some effort to keep up appearances.

And even beyond that, the question remains why United and City fall behind so often. Both seem to have adopted a self-consciously more open, possession-based approach this season and it has left them vulnerable. Domestically, both keep getting away with it. In Europe, United has as well – so far. But City, in a much tougher Champions League group, has been found out.

Blaming the manager is often no more than kneejerk scapegoating, but there are issues for which Mancini and his coaching staff must be held accountable. Why has City so often been so narrow, something that allowed Cristiano Ronaldo and Marco Reus such space for Real Madrid and Dortmund? Why has City become so bad at defending set-plays that 60% of the goals it has conceded this season have come from them? And why, as Micah Richards admitted, are City’s players so frequently confused by their manager’s tactical switches?

To give him credit, on Sunday, Mancini got the tactical switch right. The move to a back three gave City numerical dominance in midfield and that was what led, indirectly, to the Yaya Toure surge that brought the equalizer. And he then brought on Dzeko who got the winner. But the sense is still of a club struggling with itself, being dragged along by the ability of a handful of individuals rather than any great collective purpose. Mancini’s job is to ensure that by the end of the season these awkward weeks are seen as teething problems on the road to excellence; the danger is they become the weeks when the rot set in.

Jonathan Wilson is editor of the football quarterly The Blizzard and a columnist for World Soccer. He is the author of five books, including a history of tactics, Inverting the Pyramid, and a biography of Brian Clough, Nobody Ever Says Thank You.

<a class="postlink" href="http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/premierleague/story/edin-dzeko-papering-over-cracks-at-manchester-city-111212" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/prem ... ity-111212</a>?

 

[nehe11]

Talking Tactics: How Mancini made changes to sink SpursIn his regular BBC Sport column on football tactics, Robbie Savage takes a closer look at Manchester City's 2-1 win over Tottenham.

City boss Roberto Mancini has been given a lot of stick this season for making what people have seen as unnecessary changes to his formation.

But his tactical tinkering, with his system and with his personnel, was the key to City's comeback from 1-0 down to beat Spurs.

Maicon came off the bench in the second half as City switched from a back four to a three-man defence and another substitute, Edin Dzeko, was the man to score their last-gasp winner.

MAICON MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
At most of the teams I played for in my career, we usually had one basic formation which we stuck to - no matter what other changes were made during games - because the manager was limited by what he had on the bench.


Maicon previously struggled against Gareth Bale for Inter, but excelled on Sunday for City
At City, Mancini can be more radical than most because of the quality and variety of players at his disposal.

But he still has to be brave to make sweeping changes to try to alter the direction of games, because they can backfire.

The most bizarre change I have experienced during a game came when I was playing for Wales in a friendly against Leyton Orient in 1996 and the manager Bobby Gould decided to move our centre-back Chris Coleman, who is of course now in charge of Wales himself, out onto the left wing.

It was a warm-up game before we played San Marino in a World Cup qualifier and Bobby must have thought they had a small full-back because our game-plan changed and we started hitting diagonal balls out to Coleman.

It did not work too well. We ended up losing 2-1 to Orient, who were then a Division Three side (the division now known as League Two), and reverted to a flat back four against San Marino with the experiment definitely over!

Clearly Mancini has not tried anything as outlandish as that in his time with City and, for all the criticism he has been getting, he has not actually played anybody out of position.

Continue reading the main story
“You can understand why Spurs fans cheered Maicon's introduction, and Bale must have been thinking the same. Instead, his arrival proved a masterstroke
”
Even so, you still feared the worst for City on Sunday when Maicon came on after 56 minutes. There must have been plenty of people waiting to leap on to Mancini's back again.

The Brazilian was taken to the cleaners by Gareth Bale when he was playing for Inter against Tottenham in 2010, and I saw him struggle badly as an orthodox right-back against Cristiano Ronaldo when Real Madrid beat City in September.

So you can understand why Spurs fans cheered Maicon's introduction, and Bale must have been thinking the same. Instead, his arrival proved a masterstroke.

Up until he came on, City were playing a variation of Mancini's favoured 4-2-3-1 formation and were finding it difficult to break Tottenham down.

Usually when you play that formation you look for your full-backs to get forward but Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy had got super-tight to Bale and Aaron Lennon to nullify Spurs' main attacking threat.

Zabaleta and Clichy did that exceptionally well and it meant that, with Emmanuel Adebayor on his own up front, the only way Spurs looked like scoring was from a set-piece, which unfortunately for City is exactly what they did.

But the two sets of wide men cancelling each other out also played into Tottenham's hands because it meant that, apart from a couple of decent runs down the right by Zabaleta, when City did come forward early on then it was mostly through the middle.

Tom Huddlestone and Sandro were soaking everything up in that area for Spurs, particularly Sandro who was mopping everything up, covering runs and making good tackles.

So City were dominating possession but not doing anything with it because they were very narrow. That changed when Maicon came on and they switched to a 3-5-2 formation, and he was the man who made the difference in the game.

It was a gamble because it really opened the game up and gave Spurs more of a foothold in midfield too. There was more space for Bale and Lennon in the final third and City were no longer seeing most of the ball.

But, crucially for City, they also had an injection of pace down the right and the boot was on the other foot with Bale, who was not giving Jan Vertonghen enough help in dealing with Maicon, allowing the City player to run at him and put balls into the box.

Maicon's performance was an example of how a player can struggle at full-back in a four-man defence but can be a revelation when he is released as a wing-back as one of the five men across the middle.

The tweak to City's midfield freed Yaya Toure up to make darting runs forward too and have a much bigger influence on the game.

And with Kolarov also high up the pitch on the left, City were able to get wide and behind the Spurs defence, which for some reason continued to try to hold a line high up the pitch and was soon exposed by Sergio Aguero's equaliser.

SUPER SUB DZEKO DELIVERS AGAIN
Maicon was not the only inspired substitution by Roberto Mancini at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Dzeko may not like being known as a super-sub but his manager and team-mates definitely won't mind seeing him come on to score vital goals like his late winner.

During my time at Blackburn, we had our own player in Matt Derbyshire who scored quite a few goals for us when he came off the bench.

He was clever and had a bit of pace and sharpness about him and, even though he was only a young kid at the time, we used to see him coming on when we were behind and struggling in games and think 'we've got a chance here'.


Edin Dzeko and Javier Hernandez are excelling off the bench for their Manchester clubs
It was a big lift and it is the same for City with Dzeko and Manchester United with Javier Hernandez.

I am not comparing Derbyshire to those two players in terms of their ability, just in the way that by offering something different to the people they replace, they always seem to make an impact.

Derbyshire had Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz and Benni McCarthy ahead of him so he knew that as a young lad he would not get the opportunity to start many games and he had to take his chance when he came on.

But he did not have the same effect when he started games for Rovers and, similarly, it will be tricky for Hernandez or Dzeko to displace Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie or Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero in their respective starting line-ups.

That is why it is difficult to lose the tag of 'super sub'.

You cannot see either Dzeko or Hernandez getting a run of five or six starts to build their confidence because of the other players their clubs have available in their positions and their reputation of changing games from the bench counts against them because their manager knows that it works.

MORE TO COME FROM MANCINI AND CITY
The worrying thing for the rest of the Premier League is that City have not really got going yet, and they are still unbeaten and have the meanest defence in the top flight.


Roberto Mancini's switch to a 3-5-2 formation was pivotal against Tottenham
For me, the most dangerous they have looked in any game so far this season is in the second half against Spurs when they had changed to a 3-5-2.

I do not think Mancini is going to suddenly start with that formation in every game, or even change to it mid-match, but it was the first sign that he is succeeding in terms of where he wants to take City.

For most of the campaign so far, they have had very little momentum but I think the players will take a lot of heart from that result and how they got it, and their manager will too. Imagine what they will be playing like when they find some real form.

Robbie Savage was talking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20283309" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20283309</a>

 

[Mikeegrini]

Talk of crisis at the Blues is just utter nonsense

Chris Ostick

November 13, 2012


What a right old mess City are in! The Blues are lingering in second place in the Premier League.

They are the only side in all four professional English divisions not to have lost a league game this season and have conceded fewer goals than anyone in the top flight.

They have a squad most of Europe envy and are faced with the nightmare decision of which of their superstars to leave out on a weekly basis.

In Joe Hart, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero they have a core of players who would walk into any team in the Premier League tomorrow – if not any team in Europe bar Real Madrid and Barcelona.

They have a boss in Roberto Mancini who has ONLY managed to win the FA Cup and the Premier League in the last two seasons.

They have one of the wealthiest people in the world bank-rolling them.

They have a huge following, with loyal fans who are prepared to support them whichever division they are in.

They have a stunning stadium, with plans to improve it and increase its capacity. And they have recruited some of the best brains in the business to run the club.

You can bet your bottom Abu Dhabi dirham that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham fans are relieved they aren’t facing a crisis as big as the one City are having!

Because of what the Blues have done over the last two seasons, they are there to be shot at. Which is why some are lightning quick to label them a crisis club at the moment. It’s nonsense.

The only reason why the spotlight has fallen on the champions and Mancini is because of their Champions League form this season. And that needs to be put into perspective too.
Maicon-steps-up-to-the-plate-to-show-why-roberto-mancini-has-put-his-faith-in-experience"> Maicon steps up to the plate to show why Roberto Mancini has put his faith in experience

Roberto Mancini searching for 'perfect' Manchester City game, says Patrick Vieira

Anyone remember United’s first two forays into Europe’s top competition under Fergie?

In 1993/4 – when it was a straight knock-out competition – they were sent packing by Galatasaray in the second round. And 12 months later – following a change in format – they failed to get out of the group stages. In fact, it wasn’t until six years after their first attempt that they won it. And it took Chelsea 13 years to win the trophy after they first entered the Champions League in 1999.

So, despite the money which has been poured into City, it was always going to be a tough ask for them to make a major impact in the Champions League in their first few seasons.

Even more so now considering the competition is tougher than ever, and when the baffling UEFA coefficient ensures new clubs to the competition are handed an immediate disadvantage in the draw, even if you are champions of England.

Because Sheikh Mansour wants immediate success, Mancini will always be under pressure. But the Blues aren’t in crisis.

Losing 2-0 to Gillingham with just injury-time to go in a Second Division play-off final four days after your closest rivals had won the Treble – now that is a crisis!

<a class="postlink" href="http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1593587_talk-of-crisis-at-the-blues-is-just-utter-nonsense" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://menmedia.co.uk/manchesterevening ... r-nonsense</a>

 

[Bozzie]

Looks like there is a definite shift in the attitude of the City PR machine this week. The pictures of Roberto with his eyes closed appears to have been one insult too many and has resulted in several of the players and management issuing positive statements about the club. It will no doubt be interesting to see how this developes in the futur. Could we see any "Fergie like" banning orders?

 

[Mikeegrini]

Bump. anything to add now we are top?