Dr Spectrum

If we limit the number of foriegn players, english players won't have to play as well, improve, etc, to get in their club sides. And we'd be even worse. How good would Ashley Cole or someone like that be right now if they had been given a place by right at 18 without the threat of some johhny foreigner taking their place if they played shite.

Samaras There's been a Heerenveen fan posting on a City forum since we bought Samaras. He reckons Alves has been better for them than Huntelaar, Samaras, Tomasson or even van Nistelrooy was. Don't see it meself.

Breaking News of Worldwide Importance about fackin Citehhhh? Most probably don't care. Not really that interesting, not worth a new thread. But maybe a little insight into how the impact made by Thaksin goes beyond writing a cheque for Elano. I'm not what "Partnership" means tbh. But wve already launced Chinese and Thai versions of our official website this season. Proper ones that get updated every day. (mcfc.co.th? Catchy) Mugs of the world unite. And give us all your lovely money. Sometimes I just get the feeling that the people in charge of our club really know what they are doing.

They banned Thatcher for decapitating Mendes, even tho the ref had seen (and booked him for) it.

There was a brilliant one of these where someone, I think it was Stevie, responded to it by posting a story about a flood in a Congolese copper mine or something like that. Completely random. And absolutely hilarious. mackems.gif

I know where you're coming from in terms of attack being the best form of defence (or at least, control of the football being the best form of defence). But i'm trying to think about Allardyce's perspective. From what I've heard from him, especially when you play away, is that he seems to be want or expect you to keep clean sheets consistently. And I don't really see how he has any right to expect anything of the sort, fluent, creative football or no, when he picks a different backline for every game. And thats where I think he's going wrong. He should have worked out his best team by the last game of pre-season. And I think he would have done if he knew more about what he was getting.

That's a worthy point about the foreign defenders, but I'm not sure assembling a whole new back four is ever easy, even if they're all English, as Optymystyc Nyt points out. I strongly agree with you about experimenting in Premier League games as if they're friendlies. We only have two fit wingers and two fit full backs, that's been the case all season, and yet the four of them have only started one league game together (when we beat Everton in one of our most convincing performances of the season). The spine of the team changes every week, in central defence, central midfield and attack, and we haven't had many injuries for once either. There's no excuse for it. Parky is right about the need for some attacking quality though. It says a lot about the transfer window that many fans were hoping Barton would come in and give the team some flair and excitement. The longer he was out injured, the more he was being hyped up by fans desperate to see some decent football. In our last three games we have scored courtesy of two own goals and a fluke. We got 1 point out of 9, and it's more than we deserved. We were second best every time, all over the park, and two of those sides will be fighting relegation. There's a bigger picture to our defensive problems though beyond the individuals at the back. It's the inability to keep possession under pressure and a lack of quality on the ball and pace off it to put the other team on the back foot. It's not helped by our lack of width or wingers on the wrong flanks who keep cutting inside. Because we can't get in behind any teams they are quite happy to nudge their defence forward and congest our midfield, who can't handle it. The last time we got in behind a defence repeatedly was when N'Zogbia was in his proper position on the left, he got in behind and set up two goals. Sam's reaction was to move him to the right, drop him, then put him in defence. Against sunderland Sam dropped his only full backs, against Reading he dropped his only wingers. I think these wacky managerial decisions have largely contributed to the totally disjointed performances, add that to the fact the spine of the team changes every week and you can see why noone has had a chance to gel yet. Quite what Allardyce is up to I don't know, it appears he has used a third of the season to experiment and as you say you can't expect fans to tolerate that. He still doesn't seem to have any idea of his best team yet, so we can probably expect these experiments to continue. Uh huh. But I think he would know his best XI if he had signed less unknown quantities. There would be no settling in periods or owt, you could just plop em in and away you go. Maybe you wouldn't be unbeatable from minute 1. But you would be improving far quicker if the manager had faith enough in his players to play them consistently in the knowledge that these guys are definetly good enough and he could play them week in, week out, not dropping them after 1 mistake, or 1 game where the opposition striker got the better of them. And you wouldn't need to play CNZ in defence either. Obviously that wouldn't have been the answer to all your ills - good individuals defenders wont turn you into Brazil overnight, but Im not sure thats what Allardyce is aiming for. The way you talk about keeping possesion under pressure, this attack being the best form of defence type thing, I'm not sure thats the "winning football" Allardyce talks about. Whether he is right or not is niether here nor there (Well, he's not, but thats not the point of this thread is it...) but I reckon his methods would be working far better if it wasn't relying on a weak backline to keep his all important clean sheets.

Amount of money spent is irrelevant if it aint spent right (See Souness, G). He's definetly made one poor signing. £6m pissed away on a player who ain't worth 6 magic beans. But I'm not sure about whats going on with a few others - Rozehnal, Faye, Enrique, Cacapa, and Baye. Why are they in and out of the side? Does he not fancy them now he's had a chance to work with them (Rozehnal is less impressive each and every time I see him)? Is he spoilt for choice? Don't know. If you were better at the back that Milner cross would have got you a jammy win, instead its seen as a jammy draw cos of the chances they had. Wonder how things would have gone differently if you had gone into the game having played the same back 4 in every game this season. At the moment it seems to be a new back 4 every week. Not on, the premiership is not pre-season training and not many fans are going to sit on their hands and "give him time" if you're losing games while he experiments. Point is despite Parky's insistence that you needed Elano's long lost twin brother, we would have gone to shite this season if it wasn't for our defence. Players like that need a platform to work from or the moments of genius (Which aren't common) aren't worth owt. Like Martin's goal against us. Great goal out of nothing, worth fuck all cos the defence wasn't up to it. Seems to me Sam has got it wrong in buying too many defenders who aren't proven in the premiership. Cacapa couldn't deal with a bit of pace? Baye and Enrique need to 'settle'? What a waste of time. If only he'd gone out and got some proper, proven centre halves you might have the back 5 sorted already without the need to chop and change looking for the right setup and held us off. You might have kept Sunderland quiet. All these games Sam has gone looking for a point might have ended in wins cos the opposition never got a sniff. I know its easier said than done but just looking at two guys - Distin would have saved Martin Jol's job. He'd also be in the Liverpool side at the moment. And he would have improved Newcastle no end. I wonder how many (former) premiership managers wake up in a cold sweat about letting him walk to bloody Portsmouth. And Tal Ben Haim has looked pretty shite for Chelsea but he's fitted in well to Allardyce's formula before. Obviously it would have taken big offers in terms of wages to get these two guys, so in that sense, eyes I think he should have 'spent' more, but thats not quite the same. IMO he should have spent differently. Less exotic, more proven players.

1. A Premier League Match 2. A Championship Match 3. A League One Match 6. A FA Cup Match 9. A League Cup Match 17. An English Derby. 27. A UEFA Cup Match 30. A Friendly 32. A team get promoted 33. A team get relegated 35. A Penalty Shootout 36. A saved penalty 39. Participated in a pitch invasion 40. Seen a playoff final 41. Watched a game at Old Wembley 50. Travelled more than 400 miles specifically to watch a game. 16/50 All involving City. Apart from... 51. Watched a game in the Anglo Italian Cup.

aye. Is right. It was a great chance and it should have been taken. I'm not saying we were better - we werent. But if only.

Good point for City. Considering our last away performance (and theirs). Should have won it thru Vassell tho. Back into 3rd anyway. Richards was tremendous.

Anyone see that Nugent volley? That was like the opposite of the Milner goal yesterday. I thought it was in all the way. Then it went out for a corner.

Poor Darius. He's a good lad, as well. Always gets a fair amount of stick when he comes back to our place (mainly due to his habit of scoring), but he's always very respectful when he does so. Never celebrates. And he's another Aston boy as well. Some of our fans are f****** morons. doh!!! Can't say I'm suprised he missed that. He is a bit shit. I don't know what he's doing on the pitch tbh.

Vassell My mum understands the offside rule better. Good game tho. Hope to see Bianchi 2nd half.

Not a particularly good start for the mighty blues...could be 3-0 down (or conceeded a penalty) inside 100 seconds. Not going to end well I fear. :-[

Given; Beye, Faye, Cacapa, Enrique.

Money, schmoney. At least Ashley doesn't appear to want to turn Newcastle into New Cork

Today should be interesting. Already had a scan of the red tops - this week its Mascherano for £16m( ), Adriano/Bianchi loan swap( ), Berbatov for £20m( ), and Robinson for £6m( ) Then we'll be having the silence at 11...especially poigant this year - My Grandad, who was a WW2 veteran, passed away a couple of months ago tomorrow. RIP old fella. Then we come to the game. Portsmouth away. Real acid test. So far away we're 1-1-3 - but the 3 losses were all to good sides - Arsenal, Blackburn, Chelsea - but the way we rolled over last time out makes this a big, big game. Don't wanna become soft touches on the road. Diop is banned so Elano should have a bit of fun but I don't expect us to come away with any points - they're a very good side IMO, more than capable of keeping us out (especially if Sven persists with Mpenza and puts him up on his tod against Campbell and Distin). But I hope we put up a much better fight than last time. Also hope he keeps Vedran Corluka at centre half and plays Richards at right back. End up 2-1 Pompey maybe. Altho I'd prefer we won 13-0 and Blackburn get a point at the swamp. Top of da league.

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/11_01/bartonsplit1_468x241.jpg http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/11_01/bartonsplit2_468x381.jpg Throw away the key.

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/11_01/bartonsplit2_468x381.jpg Slightly? Only in the world of Roy fucking Keane.

To be fair to Dr S I think we would be speaking exactly the same if Barton had left us to go to City in the same circumstances and the comments from JB since. He was alright. One of our best attacking players. But we were shite. We didn't score 7 goals from open play at home last season cos he's the 2nd coming of Maradona. Think he's a proper cunt tho.

West Ham are winning 3-0. I think that means Newcastle are in the bottom half.

hang on. i've just remembered i watched your game against sunderland, when you were at home were you not, and you were shite Was that the game where we scored a non flukey goal, and Sunderland didn't get close to a sniff of ours...

Ok...apart from that one .. Agree with most of what you said, we looked decent playing for the tying goal, but nowt much else. Sam still has my faith, but those tactics were shocking. I hope he figures this team out sooner rather than later. Also Specky, I seem to recall a certain Derby not too long ago where a team was thoroughly outplayed most of the match yet scrapped a win out due to some lucky bounces and Kasper The Ghost haunting the goal. Nowt mentioning names, though. tbf...we weren't playing Sunderland. And we won. So there. Tbf I was expecting a pretty hopeless attacking performance with that midfield but also thought you were suprisingly iffy at the back. Thought Faye was dodgy apart from a few headers. There was one moment when he made a tackle on Chopra as he was running thru in space in the first half, but he was only in space and not miles offside because Faye was 15 yards behind the rest of the defence in dreamworld. Dug himself out of the hole there, poor for the goal too. Also thought Rozenhal was very iffy - for all his comfort on the ball he doesnt seem to know what to do when he's not got it - and i've never been a fan of Taylor. Very shakey performance defensively IMO - don't think Sam is doing himself any favours with all this chopping and changing, seems to be a new back 4 every week and you don't look that hot there. Got some sort of inverse Benitez thing going on at the back there, doesn't know his best back 4? No-one else seems to change their defence so much. And he signed most of em. Very strange.

Maybe its to be expected from a derby but that was a pretty poor game and aside from a few exceptions - perhaps the Sunderland centre halves, Jones, and Nzogbia - a shitload of poor performances individually on both sides. (Barton was especially hopeless which delights me no end) You were lucky to get a point. They got a good goal, you got a fluke, they had other chances, you didnt. You looked a poor side really.