DaveT

Stuttgart vs Mainz it is, then.

No VAR check on the little bump by White on the goalie as he started to go for the cross? There would have been a 5 minute check if we’d scored that.

Yeah, he gave the penalty after Gusto wiped him out. Certain yellow anywhere else on the pitch.

How come Gusto didn’t get a (2nd) yellow for that penalty? Even in games I don’t care much about, the inconsistency is infuriating. He should have had straight red a few weeks ago against Fulham too.

This is how I saw it. At the point of the Virgil/Ali fuck up I thought we were looking good for a point at the very least. Arsenal at that point were defending deep and playing on the break. I was amazed to see those xG and big chance stats, can’t remember Ali having that much to worry about.

Nailed it, Dave. Shit first half performance, somehow got back into it, started second half well and looking increasingly dominant. At that point I was starting to feel comfortable and confident of at least a point. The Virgil/Ali fuckup changed everything, played completely into their hands and allowed them to manage the game out. The Trent situation is tricky - Bradley's defensive performances have highlighted Trent's barely adequate defending. Bradley just loves the dirty work of harrying, chasing, getting a foot in. Trent plays like it's beneath him. Trent's vision and passing range are world class, but I think we'd have to radically change our shape to accommodate him, if we were to have a conventional (Bradley-type) RB in the team, as I don't see Trent as having the energy or work-rate to thrive as one of our 8s in a 4-3-3. Finally, Taylor. He became more Taylor-like as the game wore on. Blatant (Yellow-worthy) fouls on Jota and Nunez ignored late on, probably denied us easily 6 clear fouls over the course of the game. The first yellow for Konate was bollocks - 2 players being physical, Konate simply outmuscles him. And anyway, what were the grounds for a yellow in that instance? Sure, he wasn't the reason we lost, but he helped make sure we couldn't salvage something out of it.

Taylor well and truly nailing his colours to the mast . Cunt

Again

Nah, I think we'd have been embarrassed if we'd got a pen for the Gallagher one. The Nkunku one, on the other hand, was clear cut. It's really suspicious the way Tierney is suddenly not taking an opportunity to shaft us, something's amiss! Chelsea were looking to hit the deck at the first opportunity all night.

Quite. Including Arsenal,Taylor and Tierney will have been ref for 4 of our past 5 league games - and Tierney was VAR for the other one (when the red card challenge on Diaz was ignored as well as a stonewall penalty on Jota).

I heard that too. The unbelievable irony of City fans singing that to Tierney of all people.

Cheers, Lee. Wouldn't it be funny if Kane, having gone to the serial BL winners, scored a shed load of goals....and still didn't get a title winners medal.

Without the weird, insecure, hypocritical twat thing going on.

And an intimate little moment between Guardiola and occasional UAE employee Darren England…

I see they’ve taken their own ref down south with them tonight

I said earlier that having to compete with the cheats would grind anyone down. But also trying to compete knowing that at least 2 refs have an agenda against us, and that their boss is ex-SWP….. Can’t be a coincidence that, now that it looks like we might mount a serious title challenge, Agent Tierney is involved in every other game we play.

Having to provide the only competition to industrial scale cheats is going to grind anyone down. Let’s hope he bows out to a trophy-laden season end and we give him an unforgettable send off.

He’s been the mainstay of a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 for years.

This was how we saw it too. These days you just have to be content not to get shafted on a big decision.

Agree totally on Nunez. There was a piece - generally complimentary - by Northcroft at the weekend, which referenced the xG stuff. He talked about 'efficiency' in goalscoring. But he failed to mention another important element - luck. Nunez has made good contact with a lot of his efforts but has been thwarted, by for example, brave saves by keepers - Newcastle and Fulham are both recent examples. Contrast that with Gakpo's goal against Newcastle - mishits it, and wrong foots the goalie. Nunez has also hit the woodwork about three times more than the next person in that particular table. A couple of centimeters can be the difference between those rebounding out and going in. Talking about xG - there was hardly any difference between the sides, 1.37 vs 1.57, and 2 big chances each. Just shows that, as in most things, you can't rely on a single measure to get the bigger picture. I think their big chances came after the game was won, but I can't remember Ali having anything to do. Agree about Tierney too, and frustrated that nobody in the media is picking up on his blatant agenda. Dave could also have mentioned the stonewall penalty on Jota in that Spurs match and I still wonder why more wasn't made on his decision in the pandemic-era game vs United when he blew for half time 20 seconds before the end of the MINIMUM added on time, with Mane chasing a through ball. And now he gets appointed for the Chelsea game, his 5th involvement in 11 games starting with Brentford at home (3 as ref, 2 as VAR). Webb clearly sees us as a serious threat now - Tierney didn't ref us at all in the first 11 and was on VAR twice (once for the Mac red card).

Condolences, Beefy. Puts football into perspective.

…..but that Kluivert’s a lucky boy. Not sure how both can be true. We just want some consistency. Tierney on VAR. Just like he was at Anfield when he allowed the blatantly incorrect red for Mac to go uncorrected. Massive massive cheat.

Looking forward to Moysie’s presser

Yeah, very harsh.

That’s the direction of travel for all the international federations….shoehorn as many games into every tournament . Against the wishes and advice of all those concerned for players welfare and playing standards.