Man City Away

[Code]

One question I have, would people swap these two points we have got from our last two games with a win against Oldham?

 

I know I would.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

One question I have, would people swap these two points we have got from our last two games with a win against Oldham?

 

I know I would.

 

Would you have taken a win against Oldham over six points?

[Paco]

Nice try, but no biscuit. Henderson has had a good look at Allen, and realised he's a better player than Allen; he's topped it off by deciding to show us all. He's actually decided to fight for his place, and it's developing his character.

 

Downing on the other hand, is getting sloppy again. Rodgers made a huge error of judgement by not replacing Downing early in the second half, with Allen, or equivalent; Downing's passing and dribbling was below standard, and he cost us opportunities - mind you, so did Luis today -below par, squandering chances.

 

Gerrard's magical goal aside, he's tackling badly and passes are going astray more and more.

 

On the whole, regardless of how fluent we played at times, the players are still inconsistant - clumsy mistakes and poor judgement are why we only took 1 point today, and 1 point mid-week. Yes, we can point to the Reina howler, but we created so many goal scoring opportunities, and started so many attacks only to come to naught because of basic errors, that we only have ourselves to blame.

 

It's not the opposition that are making things hard, it's us. It needs to change if we want to win anything.

 

I thought we absolutely battered them for most of the game. some of the football we played was as good as I've seen from us in years.

 

Like the other night we didn't tale enough of our chances and like last season we're still getting punished for nearly every mistake we make but I suppose thats premier league level.

 

disappointing again that we've failed to hold on to a lead against a top side but I thought we played really well.

 

oh and I think Arsenal gave us far more problems than city did.

[Code]

Would you have taken a win against Oldham over six points?

 

I'm not sure.

[G Richards]

I just finished watching that. I will go back and skim through this thread to see what people thought, but I will offer my opinion.

 

I thought we were very good. We had more of the possession, more of the shots, and we looked more threatening. There were a lot of encouraging signs. Sturridge played really well. He put in a shift, got stuck in, showed lots of good touches and fast feet, and he has a shot on him that I hadn't really noticed very much before. Made up by the start he has had with us. As for Stevie, he had a very good game too. His goal was excellent. We've seen lots of them over the years, and this was a timely reminder that he can still do that. Well done Stevie lad.

 

To come away from Manchester City and be disappointed by the draw shows the progress we are making. The same might be said for the draw at Arsenal. In terms of points haul a win and a loss would have yielded more than the two draws we managed, but the two draws will hopefully give us impetus to kick on. We showed that we are becoming more of a match for the best teams in the land. This has been a difficult season and we have had more than our share of bad games and bad results. But it really does look as though a corner is turning. We look so much more dangerous.

 

I wasn't sure who was at fault for the Aguero goal. It was a combination of Pepe and Skrtel for me, though since Pepe was a long way out he will probably get most of the blame.

 

I don't know if top four has completely gone now. Chelsea are coming back into the pack so that may create another spot to possibly fight over. We have some easier fixtures coming up and our run in is not too bad. If we approach our games like the last two we might yet put up a fight for top four. I suspect we have too much to do, though if we beat Spurs that will help pull them back to us and it could get interesting.

 

I am encouraged by what I've seen in the last two games. There are flaws there, but progress is being made. I'm a hopeful Liverpool fan again. I'll take that.

[JustTosh]

The worry is that Rodgers' philosophy will always leave us exposed with the potential for losing or drawing matches and we'll simply have to out score opponents. Our development under him has mirrored what people who watched Swansea a lot said it would, that we'd play well at home but ship goals away. The team did brilliantly today and you've got to give them credit, but until we plug those leaks we can't plow on. We need a holding midfielder (against the arse we didn't seem to have a central midifled at all) and we need to keep it tight at the back and learn to kill a match again when we have to.

 

Agree.

 

We do look like a side that might easily concede a goal or two. It is a worry. The goalkeeper of a Brendan Rogers team won't pick up many awards for having most clean sheets, that's for sure. On the other hand I'd be happy to trade that honour with a nother league title.

 

If you create 20 goal scoring chances and give your opposition 10, it's simple statistic to prove we'll gain more points than we would had we made 2 for ourselves and letting op. have 1.

 

I believe in BR style football, but I admit my fingernails would do better with Rafa's security first style football.

[Jhinge Machha]

[YOUTUBE]pXALVS9R4Qk[/YOUTUBE]

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

Been told Hendersons commitment and desire to improve is phemonnal.

 

He is top of the gym and training charts at melwood and is always working with the sports analysis team, looking on areas to improve.

 

Are we seeing his improvement because he is playing through the centre or is it down to confidence?

 

Just looked at our next 5 fixtures and I know we always say it, but we should pick up a shit load of points from these games

 

West brom -home

Swansea - home

Wigan - away

Southampton - away

West ham - home

 

Ah, the old run-of-easy-games-ahead-analysis. Never get them right myself, hope you are better at it than me!

 

The game today, we did really well. I think we are moving in the right direction, but we have a long way to go still.

[JustTosh]

One question I have, would people swap these two points we have got from our last two games with a win against Oldham?

 

I know I would.

 

If we end up qualifuying for CL next season by goal difference and we go all the way to next years CL-final I know I wouldn't.

[Andre Wisdom]

The worry is that Rodgers' philosophy will always leave us exposed with the potential for losing or drawing matches and we'll simply have to out score opponents. Our development under him has mirrored what people who watched Swansea a lot said it would, that we'd play well at home but ship goals away. The team did brilliantly today and you've got to give them credit, but until we plug those leaks we can't plow on. We need a holding midfielder (against the arse we didn't seem to have a central midifled at all) and we need to keep it tight at the back and learn to kill a match again when we have to.

 

Completely irrelevant to this game. They barely had a shot on target all game and our defence would of held up fine if it wasnt for our fucking clown of a goalkeeper.

[Code]

If we end up qualifuying for CL next season by goal difference and we go all the way to next years CL-final I know I wouldn't.

 

We dont have a chance at getting 4th.

[JustTosh]

We dont have a chance at getting 4th.

 

I'm not a bookmaker, but before the 3 matches were played, I'm not absolutely sure the odds on us getiing 4th or better would be very different from the odds on us winning the FA-cup.

 

Thus, if we can't be 4th, we can't win the FA cup either. So why bother about staying in the cup.

 

Anyway, it was a stupid question. I only tried to provide a stupid answer.

[Code]

I'm not a bookmaker, but before the 3 matches were played, I'm not absolutely sure the odds on us getiing 4th or better would be very different from the odds on us winning the FA-cup.

 

Thus, if we can't be 4th, we can't win the FA cup either. So why bother about staying in the cup.

 

Anyway, it was a stupid question. I only tried to provide a stupid answer.

 

It was not a stupid question at all.

 

Take one game at the time as you have no idea what will happen in the next game.

 

In theory it sounds good to rest players in the FA Cup to save them for PL games to secure points, the reality is a bit different though.

[G Richards]

We dont have a chance at getting 4th.

 

Code, I remember last season when we were way off the pace in the league. You started a thread to try to rally the troops and argue that we could make fourth. I can't be bothered looking back, but I think it was you.

 

Anyhow, I got caught up in the positive vibe it generated.

 

Try it again this season, please. Come on. You know you can do it!

[KopOut]

Im not seeing this improvement in downing some are suggesting. Once again he didnt take anyone on today' date=' he cut inside when near the box instead of getting to the bye line and did he even put a cross into the danger area?

 

Dont see it.[/quote']

 

With Stirling out of favour, Downing has his spot nailed down, hence tha lack of effort, also, the transfer window has come and gone, he knows he's gone at the end of the season, so he's gone back to cruise control. He's basically a talented lazy arse.

[Code]

Code, I remember last season when we were way off the pace in the league. You started a thread to try to rally the troops and argue that we could make fourth. I can't be bothered looking back, but I think it was you.

 

Anyhow, I got caught up in the positive vibe it generated.

 

Try it again this season, please. Come on. You know you can do it!

 

Hehe I certainly did.

 

This is how the table looked like at the time.

 

1. Manchester United 28 21 4 3 68-27 67p

2. Manchester City 28 21 3 4 69-20 66p

3. Tottenham 28 16 5 7 52-34 53p

4. Arsenal 28 16 4 8 57-39 52p

5. Chelsea 28 14 7 7 48-32 49p

6. Newcastle 28 12 8 8 40-41 44p

7. Liverpool 28 11 9 8 33-26 42p

8. Sunderland 28 10 7 11 36-31 37p

 

The point of the thread was that even if Arsenal and Spurs looked to finish on the mid 70's pointwise the reality is that 69 points have always been enough to secure 4th so it could be done and we had showed we could beat everyone last season , we have not done that this season though.

 

 

Anyway, this was the first post in that thread.

 

So with 10 games left and 30 points to play for we can achieve 72 points if we win all our games left.

 

21/3: QPR away

24/3: Wigan home

01/04: Newcastle away

07/04: Aston Villa home

10/04: Blackburn away

14/04: Fulham home*

21/04: West Brom home

28/04: Norwich away

05/05: Chelsea home*

13/03: Swansea away

 

* could be moved because of the FA Cup.

 

I honestly have to say I will be full of confidence ahead of all of these games that we will grab 3 points and if we do we will get 72 points and there is no way 72 points will not secure 4th.

 

We can even afford to lose one game or not take max points in two of these games and still be in for a massive shout for 4th.

 

Statistically 68 points should be enough to achieve exactly that and those who think that is impossible looking at this fixture list should just stop following football.

 

Lets have a look at the points needed to secure 4th since the PL became a 20 team league.

 

Points needed to secure 4th:

10/11: 63 points

09/10: 68 points

08/09: 64 points

07/08: 66 points

06/07: 61 points

05/06: 66 points

04/05: 59 points

03/04: 57 points

02/03: 65 points

01/02: 67 points

00/01: 67 points

99/00: 66 points

98/99: 58 points

97/98: 60 points

96/97: 62 points

95/96: 64 points

 

So until its mathmatically impossible to achieve 68 points I see no reason to give up on 4th as these stats are not something to dismiss.

 

Believe.

[G Richards]

That's the one! Thanks.

 

Believe. I'm believing for fourth this season. We will close the gap in the next five games and we will pull Spurs back towards us when we beat them.

 

Believe!

[KopOut]

Im not seeing this improvement in downing some are suggesting. Once again he didnt take anyone on today, he cut inside when near the box instead of getting to the bye line and did he even put a cross into the danger area?

 

Dont see it.

 

You were too busy playing with your crayons ;-)

 

He has improved lately, but against city, he was shit - should have been chucked in the rubbish bin before 60 minutes.

[billypilgrimnz]

Downing slows things down too much. When he gets the ball, he usually shuffles towards the defender, slowly, slowly......and then cuts back and passes on the inside. Nothing wrong with this every now and then, of course, but he does it far too much.

[spider-neil]

Downing slows things down too much. When he gets the ball, he usually shuffles towards the defender, slowly, slowly......and then cuts back and passes on the inside. Nothing wrong with this every now and then, of course, but he does it far too much.

 

On current form I'd rather see Downing than Sterling but I think Coutinho will jump ahead of both of them in the pecking order.

[Code]

On current form I'd rather see Downing than Sterling but I think Coutinho will jump ahead of both of them in the pecking order.

 

Lets hope so.

[Jairzinho]

Magnificent stuff from Xerxes.

[billypilgrimnz]

On current form I'd rather see Downing than Sterling but I think Coutinho will jump ahead of both of them in the pecking order.

 

Oh, for sure. At least Downing keeps the ball, unlike Sterling. Here's hoping Coutinho proves his worth.

[Coro]

The shifting sands of the balance of power have repositioned this fixture more so than any other top flight encounter for us.

 

Once we were the aristocrats visiting a grand but obsolescent stadium. Our hatred of Man U uniting us only tangentally, the city rivalry still all-consuming. And how we enjoyed them being the Bitter Blues mark two, condemned like Tantalus never to escape their fate despite glimpses of glory. The side streets of Moss Side both familiar in landscape and alien in nature as Mickey Francis and his boys stalked the alleyways that surrounded the ground, the cries of “stay tight” on leaving as vital as any partisan chant. Rodney Marsh, Colin Bell and Franny Lee lingered longer on the lips of the City faithful than they had any right to, but pretenders to their crown never quite grasped their mantle.

 

Now we visit them as Champions, with players, and a wage bill, beyond what we can dream of, in a modern 21st century stadium and the glare of North West publicity increasingly on this unanticipated setting evoking conflicting emotions. In part there is sympathy for a support that have done their time in the shadows, in part there is jealousy at their new found wealth and in part disdain, as for an ASBO yob who wins the lottery with cash stolen from his mum’s purse.

 

This was my second visit to Greater Manchester in a week, the shock of Oldham’s cup giant killing only partly assuaged by the mid week performance at Arsenal. Lit from the outside the Ethiad resembles the spaceship in ET, with the Arab script as impenetrable as any alien message side by side with the Droylsden taggers, whose message was somewhat more direct.

 

The game itself? Our best performance, against quality opposition, of the season, we outplayed and outshot them, and were very unlucky not to win. King Brenny’s project is taking shape now with the SAS potent up front and Henderson and Gerrard in imperious form. A draw at the home of the league champions is a good result by any definition, following a spirited draw at the Emirates. The prospect of Coutinho adding guile and bullets for the SAS is mouth watering.

 

The only downside was another hard won lead conceded. Reina’s credentials are indisputable, that they are now to be found looking backwards equally so. His rash dash cost us two points, and it is difficult to remember a consistent run of impressive games for two seasons now. Spain don’t trust him in the big games, and we are now approaching that time. A summer sale whilst he still has some value seems the best answer. There is no point in talking about his ability if it is not on show. Although his reputation will endure, his motivational curve has been downwards for some time, driven by disappointment of unrealised dreams. He has been away from home for a long time now, it shows.

 

The future looks promising, an EL berth well within our grasp and with our noses in front of Laudrup’s Swansea and Clarke’s Albion. That gap should widen as the final third of the season plays out. As I left the ground I saw the City supporters celebrating a draw as they poured out- just as they should when playing LFC.

 

Please change your name to Sexrex.

 

Tears of joy.

 

Thank you Stringvest

[nAz]

They have to be the worst moneybags team ever assembled. They were so sh1t and we out played them for the whole game. United have this league won imho.