Lotus

Well, you can look at your players and use a system that best utilises their natural game, or if you're good enough, you coach them to fulfill a role in a system that you think would be most effective against the majority of the oppostion.

Is it really £24m over 4 years? Is that all? What a terrible deal!

It's only a problem if it's not managed properly. Most teams have at least two quality strikers, it doesn't mean they have to start together every game. Personally I think they are perfectly capable of playing together provided we get the football right in the other parts of the pitch. Full backs overlapping and midfielders passing and moving rather than standing in defensive formations and playing long balls to the forwards is as big a problem. No striker in the world is going to look good playing in that formation unless he's in an Allardyce team. So, all we've go to do is buy and LW, RW and LB who can cross and we can make it work!!!!

It's incredible how he can go from Super Slick to Complete OAF and back again. Strong as an ox though.

Thought he got better as the game went on. Started anticipating the ball to his man and either intercepting it or getting tight early. He's 21 so he's got time to toughen up. Think he could make a decent FB tbh. Lovely left peg too.

Yep.

Me too.

Thought Bordeaux were very poor, have to agree with Jack Flash on that. When we went to 4-4-1-1 Anita played RM and didn't get in the game much, wouldn't blame him for that though. He'll come good, good skill set and athletic ability and seems smart enough, will just take a season to adjust. Could see what Cisse's natural game was today when he went central. I'm going to stick my neck out and say i don't think Cisse and Ba will ever form good partnership. Ba needs someone to run the channels and make a nuisance of themselves like Best did and Cole before him, Cisse looks like he'd benefit from genuine No. 10 for a partner and Ba's isn't that kind of player. They've not sacrificed their game to get it working for Senegal and i don't see them doing it here. Our problem is we don't have an ideal partner for either of them.

I've said a couple of times i thought he would be better on the left, one swallow doesn't make a summer but i thought on the whole he looked better. The think with him on the left is the FB has a genuine problem, if he shows him inside Gabs is on his stronger foot but he knows he'll probably be done for pace going down the outside. That indecision seems to give the FB a bad starting body position.

Glad to know it's working!

If it was me i would put IPS Durham/Liverpool/Peterborough etc.

Is that a good idea? Hoping to put four applications in tomorrow, assuming there's tickets left. Also what does passport 'place of issue' mean? IPS or UKPA? UKPA on older passports, IPS on newer ones. They're both the same issuing body more or less so I'd amazed if it mattered. It can matter in visa applications so i would put whatever is written.

Is that a good idea? Hoping to put four applications in tomorrow, assuming there's tickets left. Also what does passport 'place of issue' mean? IPS or UKPA? Should probably put whatever is actually written in your passport.

Trying too hard to be all things to all men imo.

What? Not that hard to comprehend mate. How would you have set up the team otherwise? Our bench options were poor. Gotta say, odd question. How about the formation and set up that sent us on that truly excellent run last season? We put in exciting attacking performances with of verve, pulled teams all over the place. We also looked solid at the back too. Do you honestly not remember?

Think a genuine problem is that it's quite easy for other teams to judge our tactics and play accordingly. We don't seem to have the knack of doing the same to them though!

Their ideaology behind improving the footballing side has left me a little puzzled. Just because i don't get it it doesn't mean it's wrong but a couple of things have left me feeling that the words haven't been matched by the actions. We all know Pards likes a 4-4-2 and under that system (with Simmo back when fit, as he will be) the starting 11 will be no different to last years. So, we haven't bought a single 1st team player. We bought a back-up who can play in a couple of different positions for when we're short in midfield or fullback but the 1st 11 is exactly what it should have been last year (Saylor's injury curtailed it). Now, the rhetoric coming out of the club regarding trhe development of the 1st team has not been played out in reality. No imrovement in 1st team, no improvement in final league position/points total. If we could see an evolution in the playing style then that might lead to the team actually putting more points on the board, then maybe, but that's not happening either. Bit of a stagnation there if everyone's honest. Then there's the thinking that we will bring through players from the Youth/Reserve to fill some of the spaces or push us on. I can't name a single one who i can comfortably say will be displacing or seriously challenging a 1st team player by the end of season. Will Streete start to push Colo or Saylor out of the team? No Ferguson/Tavernier ahead of Santon/Simpson? No (don't for a second believe Pards would drop Simpson for Tav) Will Bigi look like getting starts ahead of Tiote/Cabaye when those 2 a fit and able? No Vuckci/Sammy ahead of HBA/Jonas? No Campbell ahead of Ba/Cisse? No There's no one behind the 1st 11 threatening to take their place and there appears to be little fear that players will be brought in either. If you do very well one season you don't rest on your laurels or sit back and consolidate. You use it to push on and an outlay of £3m with holes all over the squad is not indicative of a club with progress in mind. I do completely agree with Derek about one point though, 8th is realistic.

I wondered if that was down to Man u being weaker on the left tbh.

Was great to see!

Thought he looked better than any of the Man u youth, defended well and got forward well.

Can't see him becoming anything for us tbh.

He's going to have to start reading the game better. Needs games really. Probs could do with a loan move again.

It's been like we've been playing with 10 men with him on the pitch tonight. All he's done is jog about and when he's got the ball he's rolled 5 yards to whoever's closest.

There's no glory in what Man City are doing. There's no test that at first seems insurmountable but by courage and determination is overcome. There's none of that. There's no romance, there's no 'great story' to it. Watching them play 90% of the league is like watching a heavyweight go a round with a 12 year old girl. This is a club that can, and has, outspent everybody. Bought some top players for top money and pays them obscene wages but also buys decent, nothing special players just to flesh out an already ridiculous squad, or to stop other clubs getting them and goes on to pay them far more than their worth just so they can sit, fat and richer than expected some towards the back of the team bus. They should win both cup comps. They should win the league. They should reach the last 4 of the CL every f*cking year. For the most part of their season their only trial is not to rise up and conquer a worthy opponent but just to not trip over their occasional incompetence.