Football 2011-2012

[kaosmark2]

u r blaming the wrong player.

the team sheet said someone was playing beside him, but i only became sure he was on the field in the 79th minute. And then only because he was shit.

[eFestivals]

BBC updates blaming the wrong player. As I said, didn't watch the game (stupidly). Ferdinand wasn't mentioned, but he's been pretty dire every time he's made it onto the pitch this year.

i've seen trees with more movement.

[kaosmark2]

Wow. Chelski really struggling. Goal down and 2 players. I did not see that coming.

[The Nal]

Evans was bad but he is bad. Was defo a red, and a silly one at that. Why didnt he slide and tackle the ball first?!

Rio was fucking shocking. As hes been all season. Dreadful, both as a defender and as a "leader".

No excuses. A world class thumping. City were great. Defended well when utd were on top for the first half hour and went for the throat when they smelled blood. Well done to them.

[thetime]

City were good today and we took a right beating.

Just a thought.

1996 newcastle 5 utd 0, media were claiming newcastle had won't the league.

[kaosmark2]

Just a thought.

1996 newcastle 5 utd 0, media were claiming newcastle had won't the league.

[thetime]

Yeah. Too early to say really. 5 point gap in October means jack. 5 point gap in April means a lot more.

[modey]

Well and truly beaten today, it always worries me when I see johnny evans name on the team sheet, he's like a rabbit caught in headlights, don't know what happened to Ferdinand either, shocking display, it was never a 6-1 game but at the end of the day it's just one game lost and three points, Utd will bounce back, long way to go

On another note John Terry is now involved in a race after being caught on camera mouthing to anton Ferdinand

[eFestivals]

Well and truly beaten today, it always worries me when I see johnny evans name on the team sheet, he's like a rabbit caught in headlights, don't know what happened to Ferdinand either, shocking display, it was never a 6-1 game but at the end of the day it's just one game lost and three points, Utd will bounce back, long way to go

it was as much if not more of a 1-6 game as the win against Arsenal was a 8-2 game.

[pink_triangle]

Man Utd didnt do their reputation of having a lot of glory hunting fans much good, with the huge amount of empty seats at the end. For fans who support the premier league champions and european runners up to leave in droves considering their team wins nearly every single home game was in my opinion a disgrace.

Its funny I saw Rooney and Colleen walking in manchester last night, this was more than I saw him during the whole game! The way I look at it while the score was remarkable, the result was not. Man City have a better keeper, better defence, better midfield and better strikers. United may have the experience advantage of winning things but I think this is countered by Citys extra quality and the fact they have a lot of very good players who are hungry for medals.

I know he wasnt playing yesterday but the claim after the charity shield that United didnt need sjneider because they had cleverley are absolutely laughable. That united midfield may be fine against 80% of the premiership and champions league sides but will be found out against the top teams. I think this was evident even before the red card.

[Wooderson]

Man Utd didnt do their reputation of having a lot of glory hunting fans much good, with the huge amount of empty seats at the end. For fans who support the premier league champions and european runners up to leave in droves considering their team wins nearly every single home game was in my opinion a disgrace.

[The Nal]

On another note John Terry is now involved in a race after being caught on camera mouthing to anton Ferdinand

[eFestivals]

Man Utd didnt do their reputation of having a lot of glory hunting fans much good, with the huge amount of empty seats at the end.

you forgot to mention the total silence of fans who can't get behind their team unless they're winning.

The way I look at it while the score was remarkable, the result was not. Man City have a better keeper, better defence, better midfield and better strikers.

I noticed about 10 minutes into the match that City were 'out-Utd-ing' Utd - they were the team getting nine+ players behind the ball when the opposition had it, they were the team who were able to turn defence into a lightning attack, and I thought that Kompany's cynical foul on whoever it was (Welbeck I think) for which he got a yellow was just so typical Utd that I laughed out loud.

And alongside that was Utd unusually failing to do those same things, or when they did they did them poorly - of which Evans getting a red summed it all up.

And you've got to question Utd's mentality. Their mental response to going behind was to get bad-tempered and try and kick the City players till they got the ball, and hope that the ref's decisions fell in their favour*. They had nothing else to offer, and fergie's face was the same as in May's CL final, of resignation, of knowing that he had no answer at all, that they were getting beaten by a team who are indisputably better.

(* mind you, it was nothing as disgusting as Chelsea's tactics yesterday of falling over any time a player got into the box)

[eFestivals]

But all the same, I'm HUGELY pissed off that Utd lost yesterday, and lost like they did. It's going to be a cricket score tomorrow.

[The Nal]

They had nothing else to offer, and fergie's face was the same as in May's CL final, of resignation, of knowing that he had no answer at all, that they were getting beaten by a team who are indisputably better.

[eFestivals]

100%. Vidic should've started. Evans is a total liability and Rio is finished. His "movement" as you said was a disgrace, for a couple of the goals.

You know your 6ft 4 central defender is finished when hes losing 50/50s (headers too) to a 5ft 7 player (Aguero).

I've been saying that Ferdinand is horribly static for at least 5 years. It's a very very long time since I've seen him make an important tackle.

Just about every time I've said that, Ralph has come back with stats. I strongly suspect that those stats have been making Ferdinand appear far more important to Utd than has really been the case.

[The Nal]

I've been saying that Ferdinand is horribly static for at least 5 years. It's a very very long time since I've seen him make an important tackle.

Just about every time I've said that, Ralph has come back with stats. I strongly suspect that those stats have been making Ferdinand appear far more important to Utd than has really been the case.

[thetime]

I know he wasnt playing yesterday but the claim after the charity shield that United didnt need sjneider because they had cleverley are absolutely laughable. That united midfield may be fine against 80% of the premiership and champions league sides but will be found out against the top teams. I think this was evident even before the red card.

[thetime]

city won the league yesterday then?

no they got a great result in october.

[pink_triangle]

was cleverely playing?

dont think it was a case of not wanting sjneider, just the fact they wouldnt(couldnt) pay 250,000 a week in wages.

[eFestivals]

Five years may be a push but certainly 2-3. Beside ball winners like Terry and Vidic hes made to look good as his distribution to the midfield (Scholes) can used to be cool and calm. But now Scholes isn't there to drop deep to pick the ball up from Rio hes become useless.

Hes doesn't win 50/50s, doesn't make important tackles as you said,he has taken up ball watching as part of his game, is not a leader of any description and doesn't score goals from set pieces.

But in fairness, all this "Utd were shite" talk, in the media too, takes away from how good Citeh we're yesterday. Richards and Kompany winning everything at the back, Toure chopping up the midfield, Silva running the show and a real hunger and calmness up front.

It's always been Rio's distribution that's been his strong point, waaaay above any defending abilities. But that said, he's got significantly worse at defending in recent years (but for more years than I'd say you're recognising).

There's three options for yesterday:-

1. fergie put out a team that he thought would stop City playing, just like he did last week against Liverpool. But if that's the case, they played a LOT worse than they did against Liverpool, because they didn't get men behind the ball as they did last weekend or as they normally do (even when not having a plan to be defensive). And if this was the plan, he failed hugely, and could be said to have lost it.

2. Fergie put out a team he thought could win. But that was never a team that could have won ... so fergie could be said to have lost it.

3. Fergie knew they'd get a kicking, and picked the players who could pick themselves up again after such a kicking.

Whichever it was, it doesn't look great for Utd going forwards.

City played well, yes - they did absolutely everything better than Utd. But I'm not of the opinion that they were anywhere near as stunning as the result. Utd just weren't that great, exactly the same as last weekend.

They've gone off the boil since Fergie decided to change a team that was on fire for a Chumps match about a month back. I posted back then that I felt that might have been a big mistake, and it's looking like it might have been.

The one thing in Fergie's favour of course is that yesterday was just one match. I'm sure he'd take that big loss yesterday in exchange for winning the Prem this season and it's still early days. There's plenty of time of Utd to get their mojo back.

[eFestivals]

There's plenty of time of Utd to get their mojo back.

can I just ask ....

Could they wait until after Tuesday before doing this, please?

[The Nal]

They've gone off the boil since Fergie decided to change a team that was on fire for a Chumps match about a month back. I posted back then that I felt that might have been a big mistake, and it's looking like it might have been.

Edited October 24, 2011 by The Nal

[thetime]

Yeah this has been coming. Should've lost to Liveprool, were lucky against Otelul Galati, should have lost to Basel, should have lost to Stoke and should have lost to Norwich.

Cant complain really, been terrible of late.

[The Nal]

coincidence since cleverley got injured?

Edited October 24, 2011 by The Nal