The performance last night...

[The Fat el Hombre]

Richards for Zab at right back
Onuoha for Toure at centre half
Barry for Viera in central midfield.

Barry was rested and you're splitting hairs with the other two. I think you've just highlighted there that Rammy was correct and there was indeed a lack of options

 

[Anonymous]

I think it's fair to say that team selection aside, we hardly looked like a fluid passing side, and the rigidity of our play prior to Bellamy coming on made us woefully predictable for Wigan...

It continues to amaze me how poor performances are solely down to how bad our players are, or a lack of options, whilst even the faintest of criticism sent Mancini's way leads to deep sighs and the puffed out cheeks of exasperation.

The man is a very very good manager, but he'll need to ask himself why in over three months we still haven't mastered the art of the forward pass...or why we still haven't mastered the art of playing in the first half the way we inevitably need to in the second to get something out of games...

The paucity of the midfield should actually have made it easier for him to choose his best formation and his best team, and play it consistently, rather than constantly chopping and changing personnel. Again, just my opinion....

In my eyes a football team is not a rigid maths equation with one solution. It's a much more than that, and Mancini has done lots of good, but he hasn't necessarily got the best out of a single player who was already at the club when he joined barring maybe Kompany. So there's much to admire and much to criticize because my gut tells me he will be here next season...

 

[hgblue]

I think it's fair to say that team selection aside, we hardly looked like a fluid passing side, and the rigidity of our play prior to Bellamy coming on made us woefully predictable for Wigan...

It continues to amaze me how poor performances are solely down to how bad our players are, or a lack of options, whilst even the faintest of criticism sent Mancini's way leads to deep sighs and the puffed out cheeks of exasperation.

The man is a very very good manager, but he'll need to ask himself why in over three months we still haven't mastered the art of the forward pass...or why we still haven't mastered the art of playing in the first half the way we inevitably need to in the second to get something out of games...

The paucity of the midfield should actually have made it easier for him to choose his best formation and his best team, and play it consistently, rather than constantly chopping and changing personnel. Again, just my opinion....

In my eyes a football team is not a rigid maths equation with one solution. It's a much more than that, and Mancini has done lots of good, but he hasn't necessarily got the best out of a single player who was already at the club when he joined barring maybe Kompany. So there's much to admire and much to criticize because my gut tells me he will be here next season...

Ireland was injured. Barry has looked knackered recently. He took a gamble with the water carrier and the water treader in midfield, and we won. When Ferguson does it, he's a genius.

 

[Braggster]

I'd say the majority of performances under Mancini have been poor overall.

We haven't dominated a game from start to finish for a long, long time.

We are missing some key players but last night's first half was the worst at home of the season.

We won 3-0 so job done. But things still haven't "clicked". Time's running out - but we're still in the running so there is hope. I'd feel much better with the back four we were settled on of Richards, Kompany, Lescott and Bridge.

We must get 6 points from the next two games, and start to play well, to have any chance of the top four.

I don't disagree with your assessment of the Mancini era. Even games which we've won comfortably, where his tactical influence has been considerable (e.g. Blackburn and Stoke at home in the league) were not fluent performances, IMO. They were about defensive solidity and the brilliance of individuals.

However, this is not a new thing. It has been true all season. I struggle to think of games this season where we played consistently well and looked really cohesive and outplayed the opposition all game. There were games where we looked good and scored exciting, brilliant goals, but few - if any - games where we looked in control. For example - sure, we put 4 past Arsenal, but on another day they could comfortably have put 4 past us.

Under Mancini, the balance has changed: we look less likely to concede, but also less likely to score. But there is still a lack of cohesion in the team, both on the ball and - mores so - when the other side have possession. We still don't control a game, and that is down to the players available, particularly in the midfield.

 

[m27]

I think it's fair to say that team selection aside, we hardly looked like a fluid passing side, and the rigidity of our play prior to Bellamy coming on made us woefully predictable for Wigan...

It continues to amaze me how poor performances are solely down to how bad our players are, or a lack of options, whilst even the faintest of criticism sent Mancini's way leads to deep sighs and the puffed out cheeks of exasperation.

The man is a very very good manager, but he'll need to ask himself why in over three months we still haven't mastered the art of the forward pass...or why we still haven't mastered the art of playing in the first half the way we inevitably need to in the second to get something out of games...

The paucity of the midfield should actually have made it easier for him to choose his best formation and his best team, and play it consistently, rather than constantly chopping and changing personnel. Again, just my opinion....

In my eyes a football team is not a rigid maths equation with one solution. It's a much more than that, and Mancini has done lots of good, but he hasn't necessarily got the best out of a single player who was already at the club when he joined barring maybe Kompany. So there's much to admire and much to criticize because my gut tells me he will be here next season...

Lescott's played his best football under Mancini Billy.

I'm open to criticism of Mancini and I though he got the selection and substitutions awfully wrong against Everton. Last night I would have played Barry instead of De Jong all things being equal but Barry will now be fresh for Saturday.

He is far from perfect but I see the chopping and changing as him just trying to stumble on a central midfield partnership which works in the absence of an obvious one. I would imagine he now realises AJ, Bellamy, Ade/RSC and Tevez have to start when fit, so that leaves us with the neverending problem in the middle to which there is no obvious solution.

 

[Rammy Blue]

I think it's fair to say that team selection aside, we hardly looked like a fluid passing side, and the rigidity of our play prior to Bellamy coming on made us woefully predictable for Wigan...

It continues to amaze me how poor performances are solely down to how bad our players are, or a lack of options, whilst even the faintest of criticism sent Mancini's way leads to deep sighs and the puffed out cheeks of exasperation.

The man is a very very good manager, but he'll need to ask himself why in over three months we still haven't mastered the art of the forward pass...or why we still haven't mastered the art of playing in the first half the way we inevitably need to in the second to get something out of games...

The paucity of the midfield should actually have made it easier for him to choose his best formation and his best team, and play it consistently, rather than constantly chopping and changing personnel. Again, just my opinion....

In my eyes a football team is not a rigid maths equation with one solution. It's a much more than that, and Mancini has done lots of good, but he hasn't necessarily got the best out of a single player who was already at the club when he joined barring maybe Kompany. So there's much to admire and much to criticize because my gut tells me he will be here next season...

You're the master at criticism without a single element of what you would have done instead.

You got asked the other day and evaded the question, again what would you have done differently?

 

[Anonymous]

I think it's fair to say that team selection aside, we hardly looked like a fluid passing side, and the rigidity of our play prior to Bellamy coming on made us woefully predictable for Wigan...

It continues to amaze me how poor performances are solely down to how bad our players are, or a lack of options, whilst even the faintest of criticism sent Mancini's way leads to deep sighs and the puffed out cheeks of exasperation.

The man is a very very good manager, but he'll need to ask himself why in over three months we still haven't mastered the art of the forward pass...or why we still haven't mastered the art of playing in the first half the way we inevitably need to in the second to get something out of games...

The paucity of the midfield should actually have made it easier for him to choose his best formation and his best team, and play it consistently, rather than constantly chopping and changing personnel. Again, just my opinion....

In my eyes a football team is not a rigid maths equation with one solution. It's a much more than that, and Mancini has done lots of good, but he hasn't necessarily got the best out of a single player who was already at the club when he joined barring maybe Kompany. So there's much to admire and much to criticize because my gut tells me he will be here next season...

Lescott's played his best football under Mancini Billy.

I'm open to criticism of Mancini and I though he got the selection and substitutions awfully wrong against Everton. Last night I would have played Barry instead of De Jong all things being equal but Barry will now be fresh for Saturday.

He is far from perfect but I see the chopping and changing as him just trying to stumble on a central midfield partnership which works in the absence of an obvious one. I would imagine he now realises AJ, Bellamy, Ade/RSC and Tevez have to start when fit, so that leaves us with the neverending problem in the middle to which there is no obvious solution.

Very true about Lescott, my mistake.

Can I ask you a question, have you seen any improvement in our attacking play between when Mancini took over and now?

 

[The Fat el Hombre]

Very true about Lescott, my mistake.

Can I ask you a question, have you seen any improvement in our attacking play between when Mancini took over and now?

There hasn't been any improvement in the attacking play, but the defence has improved ten fold and that was the priority

End of the day the guys been here 3 months. To come in and sort what was a woeful defence out was very good. To ask him to sort both the defence and the attack in such a short space of time is asking too much

That said. How many goals have we got under Mancini? Plenty I'd geuss at

 

[m27]

Lescott's played his best football under Mancini Billy.

I'm open to criticism of Mancini and I though he got the selection and substitutions awfully wrong against Everton. Last night I would have played Barry instead of De Jong all things being equal but Barry will now be fresh for Saturday.

He is far from perfect but I see the chopping and changing as him just trying to stumble on a central midfield partnership which works in the absence of an obvious one. I would imagine he now realises AJ, Bellamy, Ade/RSC and Tevez have to start when fit, so that leaves us with the neverending problem in the middle to which there is no obvious solution.

Very true about Lescott, my mistake.

Can I ask you a question, have you seen any improvement in our attacking play between when Mancini took over and now?

Immediately (Wolves and Blackburn) yes. Since then, no I haven't.

You don't really want me to point to the improvements at the back though do you Billy?

It certainly seems he's sacrificed attacking flair for defensive stability (of sorts). If it gets us to 4th I honestly don't care.

 

[Anonymous]

You're the master at criticism without a single element of what you would have done instead.

You got asked the other day and evaded the question, again what would you have done differently?

This thread wasn't about team selection. If you read the OP again, and my subsequent contributions, it's generally about the WAY we play. Now you keep stating ad nauseum that it's because our midfield is shit. I don't believe that is solely the case, nor do I believe that that excuses certain deficiencies in our team play...pretty simple.

Calling me the master of criticism is a cheap shot that will only help polarize peoples opinions, but hey ho, you seem to make a habit of taking the things i post very personally...<br /><br />-- Tue Mar 30, 2010 4:30 pm --<br /><br />

Very true about Lescott, my mistake.

Can I ask you a question, have you seen any improvement in our attacking play between when Mancini took over and now?

Immediately (Wolves and Blackburn) yes. Since then, no I haven't.

You don't really want me to point to the improvements at the back though do you Billy?

It certainly seems he's sacrificed attacking flair for defensive stability (of sorts). If it gets us to 4th I honestly don't care.

I suppose if you'd all "parking the bus" improving our defending, then you're right...;- )

That's a joke btw, before anyone freaks out. I actually think he'd sorted our organizational problems out while back.