Lotus

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.

I'm with you on this Wullie, just as I was last season after a few games when people were questioning him, but I'm a bit concerned about his lack of movement. Last season he was constantly running backwards and forwards across the line and always looking to make space. He's just running up and down the pitch at the minute, nowhere near as productive in terms of pulling defences about. I think the movement across the whole team is really poor in comparison to some teams so far this season, and let's face it, our gameplan was the same last season - keep it tight, play a very rigid game with no-one gambling or leaving their position and hope that our lethal strikers will put at least one away, even though we actually generally create very little for them both. Our football is light years away even from a team like Everton who pass and move the ball exceptionally well. I completely agree with this. It was hard to debate it last season though because people would just shout you down because of the points we were racking up (which was great). We need to evolve from there though and there's no signs of it yet. It's soo odd that a group with a sprinkling of such good footballers plays such tepid, predictable football!

The only thing he's got going for him is that it was Pardew's decision to buy him and not Carr's recommendation. Don't think Pardew's going to give up on him anytime soon either.

I think that the problem with 4-4-2 as we play it is that we have no penetration down the left and teams can seemingly waltz through our middle. It's quite odd to watch really. Is Simpson back?

They had a couple of decent balls in from the their left. Thought Perch should have done better their. They seemed to catch our CBs at 6s & 7s too. Another thing, sometimes you'd see Bigi press the ball a bit higher up and Gosling (who i don't dislike) was just ball watching leaving about half an acre behind him. He didn't seem to have good enough positional sense to play one of two in the midfield.

Decent player already, this lad. Hope he becomes a top player in time. Definitely the most assured looking of the younguns/reserves. Just looks like he knows what he's doing!

Thought he did well yesterday. Wouldn't cack it at the idea of him starting against Norwich tbh.

doesn't look that bad actually.... We won't see much of the ball with that line up imo. Well, Harper will i suppose...

At 6ft 4 i would say CB is his more natural position!

He writes as if Van Dijk is an alternative to Debuchy.

Wouldn't think either a too great an obstacle, actually. Gosling's not really had a good game for us yet and Vuckic is competing for a different position.

We're often poor after a international break and i don't expect this to be any different. We'll need 5 in midfield for this one or they'll waltz right through us with consumate f**king ease. If we play 5 in the midfield we could choke this game and catch them on the break.

Sounds daft but that block was worth a goal. Turned to be worth a point anyway!

Ba'a best performances in a 4-4-2 have been with the other striker running around doing the dirty work for him. Cole and Wham and Best for us last season (with an occasional blinder from Shola). Having a guy who's willing to run the channels, compete for the ball, flick it on, etc. Ba has good instincts and thrives off the opportunities having a hard working partner give him. Cisse is not a foil in a million years though. These guys are in their prime and have been successful playing their natural game. Neither one of them is is going to give up what comes natural to them when playing through the middle. They can't even do it for Senegal. They just don't work well together when both upfront and i don't think they'll ever do it with any consistency. Maybe the odd game or two but not for long.

Nice to see you back NM. You sticking around a bit longer this time? I miss those diatribes !!!

Contributes nothing when we have possession. Shame as most of the team play better as a 4-3-3 but we need FBs to provide width for that to be truly effective.