HOW DID THEY NOT GET HAMMERED?!

What a weird game that was hey! We only just made kick off after being stuck in awful traffic, due to the ongoing sink hole on the mancunian way and the students returning to south Manchester! Sat there we discussed the team sheet on Forza and for the first time, in god knows how long, I was in agreement with him! However retrospectively and based on performance I think there was one fundamental mistake, but we will get to that later!

Jim was the only one at the ground early, after his Chelsea game sink hole disaster! So he made a few bets for us in there that I conveyed from the traffic. They were what you would expect for such a game 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, with the only bet left in play at half time being West Ham winning at half time and us at full time! Something five minutes into the 2nd half I was convinced would come in at a 100 quid!

Anyway the teams come out and no Silva! (who was present on the forz app) He had been replaced by Navas due to injury. No Silva is never good these days and somewhat deflating as a fan! However we do have De Bruyne now for such occasions so you were still left with hope and anticipation for that midfield, and at least thank god he hadn't just put bony on instead like at Palace! That in itself shows the guy has no continuity in his tactics as he plays 4,4,2 away against 2nd in the league, yet doesn't at home! But thank god he didn't or it would have been worse!

The game starts and the hammers come out punching and look much better than those recent embarrassing crumbles at the Etihad under 'Fat Sam'!! (I assume he has once again reverted to 'fat' from 'big'!!!). We then have patches of good play, De Bruyne already looks class, but Yaya looks a bit out of sorts  as does Aguero, uncharacteristically missing a few relatively easy chances and you wonder is he actually fully fit or still carrying a bit of an injury!

Then our somewhat makeshift defence starts to highlight it's true colours and I figure something out retrospectively! Now from mid-week we already know our full backs aren't dynamic enough at top level, but you may think they could shine with a mid-table team, they did not! However the main problem was at centre back! Now in isolation Otamendi looked really good, I already like him, he looks tough, he looks clever, he looks like I could love him like Zaba! But the alleged reassurance of this partnership working because the pair had played together as a partnership at Porto didn't materialise. They didn't communicate well with more of the blame going on Mangala resulting in some soft defending and goals, and touching on the goals again I always have this deep down feeling that somehow Hart could have done a little better with those in between ones that aren't a mistake, but neither a great goal either! Now back to the centre backs it is somewhat weird that the other option was another seasoned partnership! That of the Argentinian national team with the inclusion of Demichelis, and retrospectively this is what should have been in place from kick off! As Demichelis came on and looked like everything Mangala is not, with composure, good positioning and intelligent calm play. It straight away highlighted that such a young immature head like Mangala's can only play with an older calmer head who knows him like Kompany or in fact Demichelis! That is not to say over time Otamendi couldn't play with him and marshal him, but Otamendi is the new guy and probably requires a bit more game time to do that. Indeed Demichelis looked really good and you immediately began to feel sorry for him as the forgotten man! Especially with the empathy of age with myself about to turn 38 this year and refusing to say it is over (No way is it, it's only just begun!!). So looking back when Kompany came off against Juve Demichelis should have come on and the only two parings that should have started this game were Demichelis/Mangala or Demichelis/Otamendi, with the latter more likely the better option. Now for those of you who are regular readers I have stood by Mangala calling for patience. Something I still do believe, even with his inconsistency, but for god sake Pellegrini manage your partnerships correctly and learn quicker about personalities you are with them nearly every day!

So we come out bullish in the 2nd half and although nervous I feel really entertained and excited, it was a really weird feeling this game highlighting we should have never have put ourselves in this position Pellegrini. Fernandinho still looks great, I already love De Bruyne as he looks mercurial! However the major frustration on this day was that unlike Juve we penetrated but once we were in we fluffed final ball after final ball with the two main culprits again bring Navas and Sterling. Bloody hell they are frustrating at the moment because they are both getting into the positions and penetrating something we have needed for years but again highlight both their composures with the final ball is appalling! With almost their assets enabling them to regularly highlight their shortcomings! This needs to be addressed on the training ground and mentally with the composure of these two potentially great wingers! Hopefully things will improve with fit better fullbacks!

So with Aguero out of sorts we fail to score in a second half, a second half we completely dominated with 85% possession! I leave the ground with a weird feeling of adrenalin and excitement co-existing with disbelief and frustration and I continue to hate Pellegrini for it. Looking at those interesting stats they put up around the ground now, with De Bruyne scoring he is the TENTH city player to score this season! Which on one hand is good but on the other hand highlights are strike force isn't scoring many and as highlighted above I put this down to poor supply!

Finally, and off football for a minute I hope you like the new platform! As Pablo's contract is ended early season and he is thrown to the lower leagues of blogs to be forgotten and probably bitterly turn to the drink, in favour of the new big talent that everyone's talking about in my good mate Adam who's day job specialises in such technology, has been reading my blog from his new home in Australia and very kindly offered to update it and drag myself (who is literally Fred Flintstone where technology is concerned!) into the future!!! Being serious Pabs is really happy for me that it looks like the profile of the blog can now rise and more people can read it! Or so he says!! No he generally is, as he knows I.T wiz trumps a high school teacher (with a bit more knowledge than me!) where blogs are concerned!!! The only down side to this new move at present is Adam is a West Ham fan! He bloody had to be didn't he! So inevitably I haven't heard the end of it and no doubt he would focus on different things if he was writing this! But he is not!!

Anyway onwards and upwards I guess and at least it's only Sunderland tonight!!

Colin Bell Stand, Third Tier.