Where did this season go so wrong?

[Blue_Mist]

Our players look like they just don't care and have done enough just by winning the title last season... I see no desire or willingness to improve. Look at the rags, they never seem to lose that hunger.. season in, season out they have that same momentum.

Even after the 6-1, they went on to win their next five games. It's just not in us right now to do what they do and they're a lot stronger than people give them credit for.

 

[Shaelumstash]

Its been a right F**K UP since the end of last season, transfer window in the summer, constant rotation, no pace or width, bizzare team selections, transfer window in January. In fact Typical City. And how the f**k did Milner get dropped on Saturday after his performance last week?????

Didn't think he played well against Liverpool myself

Completely agree. In the first half he was absolutely appalling. Actually played quite well in the second half, but unfortunately his tremendous effort and work rate often blind people to his second rate quality on the ball.

 

[Shaelumstash]

Last summers transfer window. We are a weaker squad than last season. End of discussion.

this^^^^^^all day long....

Completely agree. Mancini's first choice targets were RVP, Hazard and De Rossi. Imagine if we'd added them to last season's squad, we'd be challenging for the CL now.

Marwood tried to be clever and do a Daniel Levy and play the brinkmanship style of negotiation by leaving transfer dealings to the very last minute. It has backfired spectacularly and he should pay with his job.

We had the chance to build a sporting dynasty in the summer, and instead we are looking at having to completely rebuild the squad at the end of the season, and because of FFP we no longer have the capacity to be able to get the top players.

 

[King-Kun]

Completely agree. Mancini's first choice targets were RVP, Hazard and De Rossi. Imagine if we'd added them to last season's squad, we'd be challenging for the CL now.

Marwood tried to be clever and do a Daniel Levy and play the brinkmanship style of negotiation by leaving transfer dealings to the very last minute. It has backfired spectacularly and he should pay with his job.

We had the chance to build a sporting dynasty in the summer, and instead we are looking at having to completely rebuild the squad at the end of the season, and because of FFP we no longer have the capacity to be able to get the top players.

Yep.. I agree. With those signings we'd have the league wrapped up by now.
And "Slur" Alex would probably be in a retirement home as we speak..

This summer will (hopefully)see us right last summers wrongs.. try to get Cavani, Begovic, Suarez, Benat and Ogbonna in.. Ship out Nasri, Tevez, Dzeko, Sinclair, Lescott and Pantimillon... Win back our trophy, and get ourselves back on top - where we belong.

Whether Mancini is here or Jose, we won't make the same mistakes again this summer.

 

[mancity1]

The squad we had were good enough to go back to back but for various reasons they haven't clicked often enough on the day.

Most of the key players who were near or at the top of the game for much of last year have failed to match those standards this year.

A premiership hangover or perhaps a list of players who at various stages of their careers lacked the will and work ethic and mental fortitude to repeat or improve on the efforts of last season which would be needed to go back to back.

No doubt injuries , suspensions , a lack of preseason, oppositions changing their game style , our game style , poor decisions by RM before and during games have all played their part , this is the way it goes.

Perhaps it reached a head on Saturday and it will go one of three ways now.

Complete collapse , more stuttering but enough points to finish anywhere from 2-4 or some steel and graft and flair dare I say it and a solid and comfortable second place finish.

 

[Yaya_Tony]

Im going to take this opportunity to gloat

It's gone a bit wrong, everyone is pissed off and at each other's throat, but you think it is a good opportunity to gloat? Yer fucking twat.

 

[Freestyler]

1. A shocking transfer window
2. Mancini chopped and changed, for no reason and he didn't need to.
3. We still have no width
4. We've been found out
5. As a result of number 4 we have no plan B.
6. As a result of number 5 we've learnt mancini isn't the best manager everyone thinks, and is indeed average.

The biggest problem:

7. United stayed on track and strengthened and we weakened and spunked wages all over the place on below average so called footballers.

8. No one else to blame but ourselves.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Predominantly by continuing to employ a manager who has run out of ideas and revealed his limitations.

Not taking advantage of momentum

Not addressing squad imbalance/weaknesses and purchasing lesser quality players than released.

A lesser team spirit/off field spats.

Injuries/player unavailability.

Rivals strengthening.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

1 thru 10) The speed of our play is the biggest difference. We are pedestrian for RIDICULOUSLY long spells, and unless we are chasing the game!

No-one is afraid of a team that ALLOWS them to set up their defence BEFORE they even try to attack them, and are then completely unwilling to shoot on goal until they have made 20 passes and made the killer pass that creates a 3 yard opening for a striker inside the 18 yard box with enough players to only allow 2 yard openings.

Distant 11) "Plan B" has been 3 at the back, marauding full backs, and TRYING to whip the ball into the box, where we usually have no-one to get on the end of the cross. I'm not sure how many times Džeko has had a ball SPECIFICALLY sent over for him to get his head on it during open play, but I would venture I could count them on one hand.....even though he is our top scorer!

12) If you check the goals we have scored against us, I think you will find that MOST of them occur when we are counterattacked, or have few people in our box. If we had a midfield that played BOTH WAYS, then we would be in better shape late in games. However, we end up playing attack vs defence towards the end of most games, because AT LEAST two of our "midfielders" are either too knackered to defend after 75 mins or feel like they are attackers.

12a) One more thing, look how advanced our full backs were when Barry lost the ball for Soton's first goal. Either we DEFEND when the ball is in our half, or we attack at great speed. However, rolling the ball out to a DM 25 yards out, with both the full backs at the halfway line and no-one making themselves available, then we will ALWAYS get schwacked if the perfect pass does not come off, because with as little speed as we have in central defence when VK and MN are out, we have little margin for error against terrier attackers like Soton had on Saturday.

 

[NPBlue]

The season isn't over yet, and if we win the FA Cup, that will do me.

Let's see what happens before we start writing off our season. It's early February, not the end of May, and if we win nothing, so what?

How can you write the season off in February?