city at home

[Jennings]

Here's a little tale from last night. Not an exciting one.

 

I could probably write quite a bit about  the pre-match excitement. Queuing for a pint or two. In the fan-park 'cos the Sandon queue was massive. Singing on the way up the stairs in the main stand. Singing with the busker at the top. Allez, allez, allez. The YNWA with more choruses than I've ever known before. You'd probably prefer a little story about the coach welcome at the Arkles.

 

Instead though I'll tell you about a little thing that happened with the miserable old fellas that sit behind us. We have season tickets and sit with the same group of people each game. This season our seats got moved and we are near new folk.  I say these old dudes are miserable; it's probably not the right word. They're...just...a bit grumpy.  The only time they have spoken is to rebuke us for standing. Don't get me wrong. We hardly ever stand. A few times we've been stood up after a goal and lingered longer than they would like, and they's ask us to sit down. Well actually they tell us, in a rather grumpy fashion.

 

So last night I felt the familiar tapping on my shoulder and turned around to see the grumpy old dude say to me and the bloke next to me, "Sit down, eh!!! There's a game going on here!!". Jim Royle eat your heart out. It hadn't actually kicked off.. The bloke next to me didn't like the way he was spoken too and gave the old guy some verbals.  I just turned and scowled at him, but I did notice his walking stick and it made me think well maybe he has a little more difficulty standing than me...and maybe I should cut him some slack.

 

I sat down.

 

Minutes pass. Salah scores. Up on my feet. Hugging my mate. Cheering. Singing. "Salah, Salah. Salah...the Egyptian Kin..." interrupted by a familiar tapping on my shoulder.

 

Oh FFS!! We've scored. I am not gonna sit down now! I turned around ready for the grump. I see the old guy pulling something from his pocket. He is being jostled a little. but he is keen to show me something. He stabilises himself. It's a pack of wine gums. Open. He shakes it offering me one.  I don;t really like wine gums but I took one and thanked him with a warm smile.

 

Minutes pass. Oxo-Chambo rifles in a beauty. there's no tap on my shoulder. I turned around. Jumping hugging my mate, The grumpy dude joins in. His mates join in. all the guys around us join in. High fives. Back slapping. All manly stuff of course!!

 

Turns out I'm the grumpy one.

 

A great night!  

[suzy]

That’s brilliant Jennings, be back to rep later!

[Jennings]

The reaction to the coach welcome, in both the social and formal media is over the top. I don't agree with pelting the coach. Chucking beer bottles and cans is dangerous. But it needs to be put into perspective and the reaction should be proportional. Jurgen has apologised. That's enough.

 

"The coach was destroyed". Fuck off.

 

All the city fans talking about scum and European bans really is over the top.    

[an tha]

Brilliant atmosphere! One of the best I have experienced.

In 306...and it was unbelievable.

 

Can barely speak this morning!

[Numero Veinticinco]

Agree with that. Way over the top. Calls for us to be banned from Europe, to play games behind closed doors, etc. Lunacy.

[TheHowieLama]

[Bob]

The media aren't making much of the City coach at all.

In my opinion they are talking about it correctly from what I heard on the radio on the way to work and have seen on the bbc sport site.

 

The match is being talked about more, and without much mention of the coach, then the coach is being talked about separately without being blown up out of proportion but rightly chastising the actions.

 

The point I’ve heard mentioned (and it was by Colin Wanker on talksport when he was asked to weigh in) which I totally agree with is that unfortunately some of the dickhead element of our support will see the result as a vindication of the actions, when it had absolutely fuck all bearing on events, when weighed up in comparison with the overall atmosphere and the way we played on the park.

[rubble-rouser]

I see the City coach has posted a video from inside their bus. Save the chants, and a bit of banging on the bus, it's not that different from the one our players put up, the big fannies.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43651014

 

The fact he was filming it speaks volumes - they're in awe

[Bob]

Agree with that. Way over the top. Calls for us to be banned from Europe, to play games behind closed doors, etc. Lunacy.

Have those calls come from anywhere other than point scoring or sour fans though? I’ve not seen any such suggestions from media outlets. Even talk sport who love a bit of shit stirring weren’t making much of it this morning and focusing on the performance and result.

[M_B]

On the DailyHeil it's the leading story on their Sports Page. Not the game or the result, but the bus incident.

 

And the comments section is even shitter than it normally is.

[thegreatelephant]

think sides are getting more disheartened trying to get through VVD and a more solid keeper now. whereas before we would have comedy moments even in routine matches. this would be heavily exploited and would probably be the main focus of opposition team talks. not so much now, they all have to work for goals rather than relying on gifts.

 

there is more concentration and organisation and when you have the class we have up there it all takes care of itself.

 

more players to come too, exciting times, buzzing. but still loads of hard graft to do

[The Guest]

Still can't get over that score line 3 fucking nil. Our average midfielders did what they do best and harassed the fuck out of the more talented team for 90 mins and not only brought them down to our level, they turned them into playschool kids and slapped their bottoms.

 

Barring one of the worst collapses of all time we've got a semi final draw against Barcelona, Madrid or Bayern & we're close to securing another season of champions league football.

 

Genuinely thinking of working the second leg. I'm supposed to be in and Liverpool don't have much to gain now, It's either a routine win or one of the worst results in our history which I could do without taking a night off for,

Brought them down to our level. You really are one clueless fucking boring cunt.

[dockers_strike]

City cannot use the coach incident as an excuse for their result. They actually started the game better and were just about on top of things until Mo opened the scoring. You do not play very well for 20 minutes then go oh shit our coach was attacked over 90 minutes ago and has made my arse start to twitch. Well you might do if you lost an important game you thought you were going to stroll through by 3 goals to nil.

[s(k)aturation]

On the DailyHeil it's the leading story on their Sports Page. Not the game or the result, but the bus incident.

 

And the comments section is even shitter than it normally is.

 

 

Daily Mail in Daily Mail sensationalist shocker.

[Numero Veinticinco]

Brought them down to our level. You really are one clueless fucking boring cunt.

Agreed. I’m not sure he is a troll or just a twat. Either way, he brings fuck all.

[s(k)aturation]

Here's a little tale from last night. Not an exciting one.

 

I could probably write quite a bit about  the pre-match excitement. Queuing for a pint or two. In the fan-park 'cos the Sandon queue was massive. Singing on the way up the stairs in the main stand. Singing with the busker at the top. Allez, allez, allez. The YNWA with more choruses than I've ever known before. You'd probably prefer a little story about the coach welcome at the Arkles.

 

Instead though I'll tell you about a little thing that happened with the miserable old fellas that sit behind us. We have season tickets and sit with the same group of people each game. This season our seats got moved and we are near new folk.  I say these old dudes are miserable; it's probably not the right word. They're...just...a bit grumpy.  The only time they have spoken is to rebuke us for standing. Don't get me wrong. We hardly ever stand. A few times we've been stood up after a goal and lingered longer than they would like, and they's ask us to sit down. Well actually they tell us, in a rather grumpy fashion.

 

So last night I felt the familiar tapping on my shoulder and turned around to see the grumpy old dude say to me and the bloke next to me, "Sit down, eh!!! There's a game going on here!!". Jim Royle eat your heart out. It hadn't actually kicked off.. The bloke next to me didn't like the way he was spoken too and gave the old guy some verbals.  I just turned and scowled at him, but I did notice his walking stick and it made me think well maybe he has a little more difficulty standing than me...and maybe I should cut him some slack.

 

I sat down.

 

Minutes pass. Salah scores. Up on my feet. Hugging my mate. Cheering. Singing. "Salah, Salah. Salah...the Egyptian Kin..." interrupted by a familiar tapping on my shoulder.

 

Oh FFS!! We've scored. I am not gonna sit down now! I turned around ready for the grump. I see the old guy pulling something from his pocket. He is being jostled a little. but he is keen to show me something. He stabilises himself. It's a pack of wine gums. Open. He shakes it offering me one.  I don;t really like wine gums but I took one and thanked him with a warm smile.

 

Minutes pass. Oxo-Chambo rifles in a beauty. there's no tap on my shoulder. I turned around. Jumping hugging my mate, The grumpy dude joins in. His mates join in. all the guys around us join in. High fives. Back slapping. All manly stuff of course!!

 

Turns out I'm the grumpy one.

 

A great night!  

 

 

Lovely. Superb.

[TheHowieLama]

He has a valid point - he just says it all wrong.

 

The fellas in our midfield (specifically Henderson and Milner) are better at certain aspects of the game than others. Many of those are defensive - so against a good team those qualities are useful and more apparent - as opposed to an alehouse side who is sitting back giving them possession and time. I don't think either of them get in City's midfield - certainly neither have the quality on the ball of Silva or De Bruyne. Which is why City steamroll a side that sits deep and we sometimes struggle to break those teams down.

[RobbieOR]

He has a valid point - he just says it all wrong.

 

The fellas in our midfield (specifically Henderson and Milner) are better at certain aspects of the game than others. Many of those are defensive - so against a good team those qualities are useful and apparent - as opposed to an alehouse side who is sitting back giving them possession and time. I don't think either of them get in City's midfield - certainly neither have the quality on the ball of Silva or De Bruyne.

 

Bringing them to our level is something that Burnley or lower league opposition do by kicking lumps out of them and not letting them play football because they can't. We did what they usually do to teams because we can do it too. Nowhere near the same.

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

https://twitter.com/TillieMint88/status/981853458427936770?s=19

 

Check out Lampard's reaction to the Ox goal.

 

Worracunt.

 

Even Rio applauds it.

[TheHowieLama]

Bringing them to our level is something that Burnley or lower league opposition do by kicking lumps out of them and not letting them play football because they can't. We did what they usually do to teams because we can do it too. Nowhere near the same.

 

I agree - "bringing them to our level" is not the case - which is what I said. And unfortunately as has been pointed out over the last few weeks, we are as easy a team to bring down a level as there is. Probably because of a lack of quality on the ball in the middle.

 

Our current midfields strengths were on show last night as well as they have ever been. But it wasn't our quality on the ball (the quicker they get it off their foot the better) - it was closing space and negating Citys quality that was impressive.

 

Also Ox is far better if he is reacting in transition. Great strike from him.

 

Correct?

[johnsusername]

Bringing another team to our level is something Klopp has said previously (though not DOWN to our level)...

 

"You have to bring teams to your level and then you can kill them."

 

[Numero Veinticinco]

https://twitter.com/TillieMint88/status/981853458427936770?s=19

 

Check out Lampard's reaction to the Ox goal.

 

Worracunt.

 

Even Rio applauds it.

I like that, honestly. Lampard is a decent guy. A footballing man. And Chelsea/West Ham through and through. I’ve no issue with that at all. I’d react the same if his team scored. Good old fashioned giving a shit.

[RobbieOR]

I agree - "bringing them to our level" is not the case - which is what I said. And unfortunately as has been pointed out over the last few weeks, we are as easy a team to bring down a level as there is. Because of a lack of quality on the ball.

 

Our current midfields strengths were on show last night as well as they have ever been. But it wasn't our quality on the ball (the quicker they get it off their foot the better) - it was closing space and negating Citys quality that was impressive.

 

Correct?

 

Agree with the second part but not sure I agree on the first. We've dealt with shite teams perfectly this season. We were caught out by Swansea but other than that our dropped points have come against the top 6. 

[Numero Veinticinco]

A tactically and technically brilliant display in defence and attack by our midfield. We shut them down to not having a shot, but one scored a screamer, one had an assist, and were involved in all goals.

 

Just... a five minute break without digs. That’s all that’s required.

[an tha]

Mate of mine just nailed it when some pessimism was creeping into a conversation about the 2nd leg.

 

"Even if they go 4-0 up we are only a goal away from being in a winning position".....