Monday 2 October 2017

Donetsk task done!

So I grab a bit of wifi whilst out at sea and use a locals phone to get a stream that was just about watchable for the first half but died a death in the second half as the buffering escalated to a point where it was unwatchable! So I reverted to text's between Jim at the ground and Forza for the second half. So below is a new approach for my match report!














The end!

Still floating around on a boat in the Aegean!
• • •

Tuesday 26 September 2017

It's been too long

So I sit here on a boat in Turkey, somewhere that as I get older I am spending more and more time! The only downside being missing more and more of my beloved City! This time Jim has got my ticket to do as he pleases for the Palace and Donetsk game. Myself I have just received word through a nice old Turkish guy texting his mate that we have won the Palace game 5-0, for I don't even have a signal at the moment floating out here in the middle of nowhere (in this Aegean paradise!) never mind wifi! However I am promised wifi in another less remote bay, but we'll see.


So far this season I have made both games against the Scousers and managed to watch the Feyenord and Watford game on my dodgy box! The rest I have been in Turkey for unable to get a link due to the boat, or family engagements. I can't complain I am a lucky fucker having this Turkish link through my Mrs', but like I said the main thing I miss when I'm away is City, and obviously my dogs and my friends!
At present it means my posts are somewhat infrequent and to a degree more conjecture than a pass by pass account! However I guess to an extent that has always been the case!
So the summer brings with it exciting transfer news as we start to address the fact that with Kompany out we have always looked very vulnerable! So it hasn't been addressed firstly with the signing of someone like Godin as I would prefer, but rather with the introduction of new wing backs and a tactic change, something I am in favour of as well. At this point I would also like to draw attention to the additional 'silva' brought into our attacking treasury, he's a great player and now allows (with the help of Yaya still being there, Gundogan back from injury, as well as a new formation) for injuries to Silva and DeBruyne and a proper squad rotation through a busy calendar. I know our squad has been talked about for years but I genuinely believe this is the first year it truly delivers what has been alleged for some time now, with any one injury or suspension not able to tank our season.




Finally I am now so in favour of three at the back, with the right personnel, as it is a crime to rob all football and football supporters of two top strikers! Especially when you have Jesus and Sergio! It is genuinely great to see and has also seen Stones and Otamendi play much better together in a three, than the disaster of their traditional centre back paring last year. Indeed Stones looks to have grown into himself and Otamendi is not the player the press would have you believe he is. I like him and what he is about and believe he can become a real crowd favourite in time and as for the mainstream press balls to them, they will have it in for us no matter what!

So to the games, and some in little depth, because why write about something you don't know!!! We start slow and steady with the first game, and seemingly the season in general, initially against the south coast new boys! This approach I prefer to last seasons of: off like a bang then fizzling out somewhat! For all the reasons hopefully ironed out above! 

Next is Everton and for this I am sat in my seat watching! The football is looking good then Sane, who was in a right funk at the end of last season, ever since the semi final at Wembley, continued as he left off giving the ball away cheaply with it eventually culminating in 'him' of all people scoring! 

We to this point had missed some early chances, and it was beginning to worryingly feel a bit like last season. Then the ref had an even bigger say in the game, with a bullshit sending off that they seem somewhat desperate to give at the Etihad these days! Yet nonetheless we regrouped and should have just won it in the end, with the scousers looking like the team with ten men. But a draw isn't the end of the world and we still showed everyone on TV that we are going to play some good football this year. I think if there had be no sending off it would have at least been 3-1 to us. As for Everton aspirations of top 4?! They looked pretty toothless and shite to me! Hanging on against 10 men! 

Other things of note being Bernardo looking class when he came on, and secondly the devastating effect to my fantasy team with both Walker sent off and Jesus subbed at half time to accommodate it, gutted! Walker was in the wind after that in favour of Mendy!

Next was Bournemouth and I find myself in Turkey on the boat unable to watch it as we seemingly do what champions do and find a way to win it last minute, walking away with the three points.

Soon we had the other set of scousers at ours and they were exactly what you would expect from them over recent years with pace and danger up top backed up by a shit defence! Why he didn't sort that out in the summer is beyond me, have a plan B if you can't get what you want! Surely there is only so long you can get by on passion and being likeable, even in Liverpool!

So we get the lead amongst again a number of missed chances, yet unlike their blue cousins they are not impotent up front and to be fair they have a few as well, which is to be expected with players like Mane and the Egyptian lad who's name escapes me! However it was not an even game at this point, as those bitter reds would like to have you believe (and not those reds, rather the other local ones littered about all my what's app groups). Indeed it was a red card as well and anyone who argues it wasn't is simply wrong. Yes I feel sorry for Mane as I would have instinctively done the same, yes he was in my fantasy league team (but on the bench for this game and now transferred out for Alli), but it's a red end of! From then on it's was a no contest as Liverpool couldn't rally, had no plan B resulting in a bit of a free for all! Robbing us of the first chance to see exactly where we are. However if I was to guess I would say it would have been 3-1 without the red and give or take that is where we are. If you were being really generous 3-2, but gun to my head I would go with the former not the latter!

Then Feyenord and they look dreadful to be fair as they tinker with their formation and find themselves at sixes and sevens. Indeed it was difficult to tell how much was our talent making them look shit and how much was that they are actually shit! Probably a bit of both to be honest, and highlights how much further these minor leagues are falling behind than before, but definitely take that. Even though I watched it we were pretty much going through the motions! Very well, but the motions all the same!

Watford away was our next test which I watched from my couch and we looked at times irresistible! Yes it's Watford, but they have started pretty well this season and we simply tore them apart something we wouldn't have quite achieved last season. Yes we still haven't had a real yard stick but the overall yard stick has to say we have the potential of something special this year. In terms of the six goals it was great to see Sergio get a hat-trick and show just one of the many reasons why we couldn't let him go. Yes in the end I opted for Jesus in my fantasy team but the deciding factor between the two was just that I thought he would play more. The other news that was great to see was Ederson in goal once more showing steel, not subjecting us to the confidence sapping Bravo and man can this new kid kick a ball, I've never seen anything quite like it. Pin point from one end of the pitch to the other! The distance, the accuracy, It's a real potential weapon this season I believe.

Finally as the post mentioned at the start I am now away again! However I guess if I was to miss two games one of them champions league, I would chose these two. Palace goes as I expected! Hodgson? What were they thinking? That club has pushed the self destructed button this season. From the text I saw today it looked like squad rotation with Jesus which isn't good for my fantasy even though it is still good for my reality!

Till the next time from a boat bobbing around in the Aegean! 

• • •

Thursday 1 June 2017

What might have been

So it's the final game of a season that we have once again to a degree left the title on the pitch! But it is a new manager, one I wanted to come and definitely want to stay! Has he got everything right? No! It is however his first season and even a great such as Pep has to find his feet! For me the decisions that lost it this year in order of importance are:

1. Backing Sterling too much, as already stated that guy has left 10 goals on the pitch next to the trophy and subsequently at least as many points!

2. Although I was one who was ready for Hart to leave, his choice of Bravo was a mistake! For that guy just hasn't got it!

3. Earlier on in the season whilst Vinnie was injured not putting more emphasis upon Zaba as our captain giving us a backbone which was very much missing in some mid-season games.

4. Once Jesus arrived upsetting Sergio rather than Sterling.

Things out of his control:

1. Kompany's injury problems.
2. Sergio's spat against Chelsea at home.
3. Fernandinho's disciplinary problems early season.
4. Jesus' injury once he arrived.
5. The establishments witch hunt for us as a club.

Anyway lessons to learn for everyone and just a shame we aren't dominating more through a golden era! With some games like united away at Barca at home being an utter delight to watch, as on sheer entertainment factor alone it has rocketed since 'Mr Fizzy water' who regular will readers will know I didn't love!!!

The game itself was a walk in the park really for something that could have had an edge for 3rd is just that much better than 4th allowing you to relax somewhat through the summer! They put out a load of kids because there manager didn't really care as he was already sacked, which obviously suited us! We then used this to our advantage playing some, at times, beautiful football against a pretty piss poor opposition. All the right faces scored in this much more balanced line up and what might have been if this shape had been able to play together more this season.

Well enough said really and another season is put gently to bed! Man of the season for me being Silva as we say goodbye to the man of the decade in Zaba! Here's to next season and a bright future, Goodnight!The Couch!
• • •

Wednesday 31 May 2017

Gutted to see you go Zab!

So I turn up to the ground on the Tuesday night with no knowledge of what the last home game would actually become, just wondering why on my way in there were so many fans entering the ground singing Zaba songs?! Then when I got to my seat and Jim informed me that it was official he was off and this was his send off, I got quite emotional for me! Those who are regular readers of the blog will know some of the posts over the years have resembled almost love letters to the City legend, in every aspect, that is Zaba.

From previous posts you know my opinion on how he should have been treated so I won't get into that now, rather focus on what he did achieve and gave to this club. That being everything and every City fan appreciated that week in week out! What better to be remembered for hey when all is said and done! Not a money grabbing, mercenary, misfit sucking all the energy they can out of whatever club they next land at, rather a guy who could return as anything! A coach, a manager, an ambassador, me I'd give him a stand named after him! Anyway to the game in hand which we needed 3 points out of and that's a given! The team sheet arrives and I am disappointed to see Zaba on the bench with Fernandinho and Kolarov as full backs, but that debate/ship has definitely sailed!

However up front I am buoyed somewhat by finally what I have been saying since he arrived, in play the new Jesus on the wing, drop Sterling and keep Augero up front! Why the hell we were risking losing Sergio over Sterling I don't know! It was always a common sense move for me. So the game starts and the new Messiah doesn't let me down as he does exactly what we have needed all season (that Sterling hasn't rarely been able to deliver!) in an early goal. The nerves of European football were starting to feel somewhat settled, then soon they were further so, as Kev, who on recent for has not been a King, or a prince more a knight if anything, as he bagged the second!

We were by now coasting and with half time coming and going it wasn't long before Yaya bagged the third. Soon after it was the overdue entrance of the star of the show who was subsequently cheered for every touch of the ball and rightfully so! The game was all but done apart from a late goal for them which occurred post the Kompany substitution and you just knew it wouldn't have happened with him on the pitch, highlighting once more Stones and Otamendi is not a partnership!

Yet Otamendi under Kompany's wing looks a player reborn! Maybe stones can be adapted to a wing back and cover for when Otamendi is out. Whilst praying to the football God's for an injury free season for Vinnie, as that is literally critical for us.

 After the final whistle it was all about Zaba, goodbye you will be very much missed and somewhat irreplaceable! Good luck with the rest of your life, all the best!
• • •

Sunday 14 May 2017

Not so fantastic Mr Fox!

So Leicester arrive for the first time having shit all over the football fairytale with their title winning manager gone and since then climbing from near relegation to 8th! Last year I dared to dream the world wasn't fucked, but this? well this just reminds us all we are all fucked!!!! Go player power!!! Actually fuck player power and Vardy you are no fairytale just a scroat!

Anyway the game commences again in a ground littered with empty seats, I repeat we must address this and with soulful solutions! Let's focus more on this issue than tunnel clubs where it is between £7,500 - £15,000 a ticket for corporate elitists to try and kiss the asses of the players! Enough to make you puke in every respect! Indeed next Wednesday night I take to the very same pitch in a football aid game where I was bought 90 minutes at centre mid for my 40th birthday present by my Mrs! Putting her money where my mouth is! Now football aid is a game where anyone can bid or buy now to play, like eBay, and the money goes to charity. They arrange games at nearly all the football league clubs so fans can have the opportunity to live their dream and play in the stadium whilst giving to charity. You get a shirt with your name on, change in the dressing rooms, two teams with each team lead by an X player, the full shebang. However last week I was told after booking it 6 months previous that due to that bloody tunnel club it was off this year?! Luckily they eventually saw better of how this actually looks with elitism trumping charity and reinstated it, much to my delight!

Anyway enough I must talk about this game! It was a flat atmosphere which these 12:30 Saturday's can be, but we started ok making a few chances and then at the point when we needed to score Silva who after however many years seems to have found his shooting boots to finish the article did just that! This is great to see and makes me very happy (if I could play at 10% of his capability on Wednesday night I will be over the moon!). We are then cruising in this relatively non eventful game and soon we have a penalty that Jesus takes over Yaya and finishes with at least the same composure. At this point as a fan you should start to relax a bit, but we are city fans and we know it never quite goes like that and low and behold they pop up with a reasonable goal from nowhere just before half time!


The second half starts and we are a bit cagey as all around on the pitch and in the crowd know how tight the league positions of 3 to 6 are! We have a few half chances but everyone looks a bit out of sorts especially Kev who has definitely misplaced his crown at the moment!

Next the inevitable happens as they gain a penalty from where they were gaining the most penetration with the windy runs of Mahrez on the right wing. You can just feel it's happening again as the ball hits the back of the net! But no Mahrez twisted and turned one too many times! As he slipped on point of impact hitting the ball from one leg to another and it was disallowed! The football gods were very much shinning on us! However we still had to see it out where at times you questioned whether the gods would stick with us! But in the end they just about did!

There's not much else to comment on the this cagey, vanilla game that represents 3 points and average entertainment, apart from another shit ref, and that for me the team-sheet was again wrong! In that I would have played Zaba again, Fernandhinio in the middle, dropped Kev, played Jesus on the wing, told Sterling the game had been cancelled due to bad weather! and played Aguero. On this going back to Zaba again I heard his post this week was words to the effect of 'I love city but no contract offer as yet, so need to look around for the sake of my family'. This is wrong even if he had nothing left to give this clubman deserves a contract but he still has stuff to give and he has earned it! Him coming on was the biggest clap of the game! Clubs need Zaba's! So Pep I urge you to see this and give him a new contract! Pay him with the money you will save by shipping Sterling on! I repeat my reasons here could be sentimental but they are not I still believe he has more than enough to give to this club and for god sake be soulful when all around are not and reward loyalty, decency, tenacity and skill!

Colin Bell Stand, Third Tier. 
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