Sunderland Post Match

[Tim of the Oak]

Im not just saying this because it was Defoe but i feel nowadays far too much is made of elbows during aerial challenges. If you see Ayews tonight against West Ham, Thats an elbow that has no place in the game and he will rightly be banned but during aerial battles? Not for me unless its a real 'look before the balls played' and a forearm smash right into the face.

Its not you im referring to here but footballs soft as shite these days, Remember the days of dare i say it Duncan Ferguson and Alan Shearer? Even Quinny used to do it for us week in, week out! I dont want to see players banned for that at all. Theres nothing better than a real battle between centre half and centre forward for 90 minutes.

OK but the second elbow was premeditated and a straight red. The sort of tough battling I like to see is the challenge Pablo Zabaletta put in on two Everton players in the last minute of injury time the other night!

Likewise, your defending smashing Yaya over whilst getting the ball was too class too!

 

[Dax777]

Yay a got top marks in MEN player ratings

He was better than most of the favorites. But I think he and Pellars have a good understanding, he knows he can't over play him.

 

[tom_mackem]

Sorry, didn't see that post. Might have been while I was writing mine. Anyway, Defoe is going to need to be a bit careful now, because all the refs will know he leads with his elbow in the air...as will the centre halves!

Anyway, I played for you lot as a schoolboy (Jimmy Armfield was the Boss), so I have a soft spot for Sunderland. Enjoyed a nice night out there for the game last year, too. Good luck for the rest of the season!

Defoe has always had a nasty streak in him!

 

[FanchesterCity]

Otamendi for being a 6 foot odd powerhouse -who looks like a nutcase and has been very, lets say, 'commited' into challenges in the past shouldnt be rolling around on the floor like hes been shot then jumping to his feet within seconds regardless of any situation and that goes for any players, yours - ours - or anyone at any club.

I think he over-egged the pudding and it's not something I like. I'll agree to that much. The elbow was real, but reaction over the top.

 

[Chi-town blues]

Otamendi for being a 6 foot odd powerhouse -who looks like a nutcase and has been very, lets say, 'commited' into challenges in the past shouldnt be rolling around on the floor like hes been shot then jumping to his feet within seconds regardless of any situation and that goes for any players, yours - ours - or anyone at any club.

Really ? Now you are making up your own fucking rules? Lucky your ref decided to keep both of your players till the end.

 

[Dax777]

Oh right. But why not the two Ferns & Toure? That's how we started the second half so why didn't we do it for the first half.

So we could do it in the 2nd :)

 

[Dax777]

The GMR commentary crew also said he was good.

Coz he actually was

 

[Dribble]

I was with a Red Dipper earlier and was saying that as soon as I saw the line up in Saturday, I knew we'd beat Villa well but I predicted that Manuel would revert to type tonight and we'd struggle.

I even bet him a quid I could predict the line up, but I lost as I didn't see Nacho for Sterling coming but I got everything else correct even down to Yaya again in a midfield two against a fired up Sunderland away. If I can guess this, so will professional managers with all the technological assistance they have to aid them.

After he confirmed the line up and formation, I went on to say to the Dipper that Fat Sam would swamp the midfield and target Yaya and also hit Clichy as he would get no protection from Silva. Individual brilliance from Hart and Aguero saved us again, but I suppose the fact we've gone to the SOL previously, battered them and come away with a defeat goes some way to making up for the turgid display we put on tonight.

If ever there was a match that we needed the same starting line up as Saturday away to Villa (barring Aguero and Hart) it was this one. I suppose Manuel just didn't have it in him to drop one of Silva or Yaya for two matches on the trot.

 

[Kinkys Left Foot]

3 games in 7 days and we looked tired and didn't play to our optimum against a team who haven't played competitively for 10 days in the shittest weather away from home against a team scrapping for their lives you say. Why would that be then....

This game will be forgotten if we win the title never mind the performance. All about the points tonight and we grabbed all 3.
Well done boys.
Some clueless fannies on here tonight as usual.
City fans my arse some of them!

 

[East Level 2]

As posted in the ref thread:
Atwell has dropped a series of high-profile bollocks. He is a clown. But tonight he seemed like a one-eyed clown, ignoring their pulls, kicks and elbows but seeing all our errors. OK, I've only seen it from the away end and I may be a tad biassed but I'm sure that wasn't a fair performance.
And I worry because his high-profile fuck ups just looked like moments of madness but tonight (and that game against Wolves a few years back) looked too one-sided to be random errors.
Other than that the traffic was OK, the pulled chicken burger at KFC was messy and the car managed 50 mpg.
And we spent the last hour giving the ball to Sunderland because we were too slapdash to keep possession for more than two seconds. We didn't manage one meaningful attack in the second half against a side in the bottom three. That's piss poor by any standards.
The Pellers song got several good airings though.