The Italian Benitez...

[fbloke]

I do know where you and other are coming from but I am firmly of the opinion that we are at risk of calling things too early.

We are now 12 games in and there are some very positive things to come out of those games and indeed some negative ones too.

I posted a few moths ago (and repeated it since) that Mancini simply doesn't rate/trust a handful of players he still has to call upon. The obvious one is Ade', for good reason IMO, and that has informed the way he sets out his stall.

The game against United was a game he was desperate not to lose as he is proving that mentality and his way gets results.

He also knows that United can swamp a team if they lose the ball a lot - Ade' gives away possession far too often - so he set things up with one up front.

So I am giving Roberto the chance to prove that he can play attacking footie when he has the players he trusts.

So basically, we're back to the 'bad eggs' in the dressing room argument.

I'm sorry, but I'm yet to come across a manager who has been afforded the luxury which Hughes and Mancini were afforded in terms of buying a new team. Most manager's have to find ways to adapt to the dressing room which they inherited, and most managers don't have the luxury of jettisoning players not because of their footballing abilities but because the manager can't handle having them around...

Anyway, it's a moot argument. In the coming months we'll see what does and doesn't change. My opinion is still that we ask far too much of Milner, Silva, and Tevez. The three of them are all doing the jobs of two players, and it's the reason why up against a well organized and hard working team we struggle so much. As much as people go on about the formation being a 4231 with Yaya playing in between Milner and Silva - that's not how it panned out last night, or in quite a few other matches this season. It ends up with Milner nominally playing from the right AND left, while Silva plays in behind Tevez.

I'm not sure why a squad with the quality of ours needs to play in that manner. I genuinely don't...

I do agree with a lot of what you are saying there, and in a way my position of 'give him more time' is quite weak as its as much about faith as it is about facts.

But if ever we we've had a manager who offered hope that he could get it very right it is him.

 

[jay_mcfc]

Calm down son. Calm down

You might be better to leave a sensible thread to those of us who like to discuss and debate.

Take your shouting and abuse to a thread populated by the kiddies and tubthumpers.

"MR MANCINI I AM 100% BEHIND YOU" might be a good place for you to start, which has just appeared.

I don't care about your "history" with anyone, I can see what you are. As can anyone else with brains.

Here it is:
<a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=196845" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">viewtopic.php?f=1&t=196845</a>

It' s got the spelling mistakes, the groundless optimism and the cliches wich your sort like. You get on there and get swearing and stuff ;-)

SHOCKER! Someone from 'Didsbury' in patronising sensation.

Speak to me like that again and I'll tubthump you on the nose, pal!!

 

[VOOMER]

After the usual brainless abuse by people like that jay-mcfc early in the thread, it's turned into a decent one. Fairplay to billy for not rising to it.

I can't believe any of you see that as a point gained, not lost.

Hugely disappointing

Brainless? That was exactly what this thread was until people other than Billy started talking. The OP was nothing other than attention seeking drivel in which he's changed his mind another three times in the thread.

What that has to do with you 'Didsbury' God only knows. Me and Billy have history; he gave me so much shit when I rightly said Hughes wasn't good enough for us and now he's getting it with both barrels.

You, meanwhile, are right up there with the attention seeking and are equally as much of a twat and shit-stirring prick as Billy bull shit!

Jay, I think billy simply hates the rags and any chance to smash is one to be cherished. As he got re-assured by other blues that things have seriously changed, he was able to relax.
Some people want to be in charged regardless of how things are going (Gordon Brown), so can say they have been in charge. I would have loved Hughes to be successfull , but there was no chance of that with welsh legions behind the scene's.
As a City fan, I would say this "I would rather be the man fitted a switch on the rocket that sent a man to the moon, than the guy who fixed the leak in my bathroom"

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Speak to me like that again and I'll tubthump you on the nose, pal!!

How are you gonna do that then, big man?

Are you like the poltergeist in the film of the same name, who comes out the telly? Are you like those geezers in the film Tron who get inside a computer?

Unless you posess one of those skills, and I'd be surprised if you have, then all you are going to do is get angry and throw round personal insults on a forum.

I can live with that to be honest.

 

[VOOMER]

How are you feeling this morning BIlly?

Same as last night mate.

Reading some of the other threads on this board last night and this morning, it seems I'm not as alone in my reservations about Mancini's way as I thought I was.

It's interesting that even some of the people who profess to be in full support of Mancini feel the need to make comments along the lines of "well, I'm not sure about his tactics" or "I'm not sure about his man management style" but they're prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt...

My problem is that I gave him the benefit of the doubt last season when everyone said "judge him after he's got his own players". He has, and it hasn't changed his philosophy one bit. I accept it's effective at times, but we've still come unstuck in the same ways as we did last season. Shit performances against "lesser" teams, defensive performances against "top" teams...the upshot is points dropped...

Since I've been battered so much by one particular child in this thread, I'm curious - what was Hughes' points trajectory at this point last season?

Billy how much time did hughesless have?

 

[ifiwasarichfan]

After getting into work late last Night from the Match this was the one thread my work commitments allowed me to follow. What I think I saw was that United are far from a spent force; Until last night I genuinely believed there was a possibility they could finish outside the Top 4. From us ? I think I saw a very impressive AWAY performance against a side that recently won the League three times on the trot and appeared in the Champions League Final twice in a couple of years. Defensively there was a ring of Steel thirty yards from City' goal last night.

The aftermath? Ridiculous headlines from the " Mirror" - all that Money spent and they dont go out and batter a significant rival 3 -0; conveniently forgetting last weeks Media driven Club crisis after a couple of losses.

The real aftermath? - a well earned point against a good side who may have put in there best performance of the Season who now see us as a force and we move on to Saturdays game.

We have a very good Manager and a very good side. Given time we the supporters will see more as we ( and this is a word we dont see on the Board) EVOLVE.

 

[fbloke]

After getting into work late last Night from the Match this was the one thread my work commitments allowed me to follow. What I think I saw was that United are far from a spent force; Until last night I genuinely believed there was a possibility they could finish outside the Top 4. From us ? I think I saw a very impressive AWAY performance against a side that recently won the League three times on the trot and appeared in the Champions League Final twice in a couple of years. Defensively there was a ring of Steel thirty yards from City' goal last night.

The aftermath? Ridiculous headlines from the " Mirror" - all that Money spent and they dont go out and batter a significant rival 3 -0; conveniently forgetting last weeks Media driven Club crisis after a couple of losses.

The real aftermath? - a well earned point against a good side who may have put in there best performance of the Season who now see us as a force and we move on to Saturdays game.

We have a very good Manager and a very good side. Given time we the supporters will see more as we ( and this is a word we dont see on the Board) EVOLVE.

How dare you talk sense when its as easy to threaten to thump someone over the internet? ;-)

 

[Balti]

After getting into work late last Night from the Match this was the one thread my work commitments allowed me to follow. What I think I saw was that United are far from a spent force; Until last night I genuinely believed there was a possibility they could finish outside the Top 4. From us ? I think I saw a very impressive AWAY performance against a side that recently won the League three times on the trot and appeared in the Champions League Final twice in a couple of years. Defensively there was a ring of Steel thirty yards from City' goal last night.

The aftermath? Ridiculous headlines from the " Mirror" - all that Money spent and they dont go out and batter a significant rival 3 -0; conveniently forgetting last weeks Media driven Club crisis after a couple of losses.

The real aftermath? - a well earned point against a good side who may have put in there best performance of the Season who now see us as a force and we move on to Saturdays game.

We have a very good Manager and a very good side. Given time we the supporters will see more as we ( and this is a word we dont see on the Board) EVOLVE.

way too sensible for the very small mancini out brigade

perhaps they write for the Mirror?!

 

[ifiwasarichfan]

Thanks Balti. Thanks FB. I am trying desperately to gain a reputation on the Forum as " The voice of Reason"!

 

[robbieh]

United defended deeper and in greater numbers than I can ever remember. They knew if they played their normal gung-ho game we would embarrass them. We had 71 per cent of the ball at one point. They were quite happy to sit back and then hit us on the break. In other words steal a win and go home 6 points ahead of us.

Mancini could see this and thus we decided not to get hit by the sucker punch. This led to a stalemate.

Whatever some on here might think, a back four containing Rio, Vidic and Evra is pretty impressive. Fletcher is often underated by us. Scoles has plenty of experience of these games.

Silva, Yaya, Boateng, Milner, Kolarov all making Derby debuts. It is quite obvious United are a well oiled machine and I thought they defended very well. Would have liked 3 points but more importantly we have played all the top four and Liverpool. Chelsea have not played Tottenham or United. United have not played Arsenal and Chelsea. While Arsenal have yet to play Tottenham and United.

So being three points behind United and 2 behind Arsenal is hardly the end of the world.