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!