pingwing

Well me and a mate had Steven Davis down as motm! He did everything that the new guy was expecting and more from this high pressing game, deserved several goals and a starting position for a while from that performance! Cork and morg as well as maya an jos were all excellent but Steven Davis was that player they had no answer for today, too much energy and enthusiasm for city's liking. So pleased with the result as well, by far the better side over 90 mins, no idea why it was 5 of extra time but we won!

He wouldn't have been crying about Adkins sacking if it had been early December or after about 7 games. Good way to get his name out there though so he doesn't end up like the forgotten man of Gazza though.

Gaston Ramirez = Jay Rodriguez now...

I thought it was essential really, seems to be a key thing when its quiet to sing about a teams rivals.

Didn't work against Leeds or in the last 10 mins against United either. Adkins seemed to think despite being short and fast he could be a target man... No idea how he got it into his head that would work with Rodriguez on the left.

Would give this a go really. -----------------------Boruc------------------ Clyne---------Yoshida-------Forren (Jos)-------Shaw ---------------Cork-----------Morgan-------------- Steven Davis---------------Lallana------------Rodriguez---- --------------------------Lambert--------------------- Get the 3 in behind Lambert swapping about a lot and they'll look confused. Would bench Gaston and Punch as both have really been poor for a couple of games (confidence would help but this isn't a game they'll pick it up in). Get Steven Davis a start in that going really far forward position and give Lallana a start to feed Rodriguez who is getting the hang of going everywhere and leave Lambert up front to power something home (fully expect him to rip the net out for this 100th). Put Davis, Richardson, Forren/Jos, Punch, Gaston, Mayuka and JWP on the bench.

He's got plenty of potential, just think he's been hampered a bit by Adkins favouring Punch a bit too much (and not being an out and out right winger). Hopefully gets some more game time as his version of direct running is a lot better than De Ridder, actually involves the ball and defenders looking worried.

It's fine, under Adkins there was an imperative focus on getting out wide and crossing the ball in. Only down side is the only players that can do this in the prem are Lallana, Shaw, Lambert and Clyne which limits our attack badly. Watching Punch go out there and fail miserably to cross was infuriating. So instead of watching us struggle with that attack option (especially when Lambert couldn't be the target) we've switched it up to focusing more on getting our 3 attacking midfielders and striker into the middle more where they are more effective. It doesn't negate wide play but it aims to use it more as a shock tactic (like the second goal against Wigan) instead of the staple of the game plan. Pretty much suits the players we have more than anything else, Lallana works best with a lot of freedom, Guly works best coming inside, Steven Davis is the same, Punch is so hit and miss it doesn't matter, Gaston needs to play in the middle...

I like my bottom 3, QPR 24 points, Villa 28, Reading on 28 and Wigan staying up on 33...

Honestly he isn't that good, he can score but only when no one is bothered about him in the last 15 mins. Start him or ask him to do anything other than hit it from 6 yards out and he'll give you a brain dead stare. Shows what a joke the play of the month award is when someone gets it for playing about 40 mins of football across a month. By all accounts we have to beat them, and should, just requires no switching off at 80 mins.

Could have sworn Jos was closer to £1.5m and De Ridder was a around 800k. Still should have gone for 6-7m

Net spend or Gross spend? Net we still made a profit (from selling AOC). Gross £7 or £8m I think.

Still think Le Fondre is poo (though a couple of good finishes seem to be the way to win play of the month now). McDermott's prize is a very slow and patronising clap that realistically he should have been doing a lot better up until now and one run of a couple of results needs to embarrassingly congratulated.

Ah comical and childish. NC is clearly bored of our main media presence being MLT, MLT seems to be incapable of accepting that he isn't first to know everything any more, the fake owner of the club and the messiah. On the one hand it's sad someone who has been such a big part of the club is being left out quite so badly, but on the other if he actually wanted to be in the position of top dog at the club we would have bought it when he had the chance. Everything he's done since is in response to NC turning round every time MLT has shouted "do you know who I AM?!?!" and them being told "yes, but you didn't buy the club and we have no time to run this like a working mens club". I'm still sad MLT is still going on like this, yes everything is not always right from the club (sacking Nigel when we did was a bit tactless when there were plenty of decent opportunities in November) but he is really starting to look very silly now.

Find his car (no chance he'll travel on the team bus), let the tyres down then poo on it. Then 90 mins of a twitch twitch here, a twitch twitch there and there's only one cūnt called Redknapp and he's right thereeeee! Also bating QPR fans about being a small town in Brentford and managed by a crook is needed.

Odd one but who as a pair is better? I can't think of a pair of players who can both tackle and pass as well as ours...

Game will be on ESPN not sky incase that makes a difference...

Especially now Seaborne has been disastrously loaned out leaving us so short in that position.

Anyone know how Sam Hoskins is doing at Stevenage?

You tear up the train tracks I'll block the roads!

A very nice blog there! Very much agree on the assessment of how our midfield pairing works. It reflects a very modern attitude to midfielders, that they have quite a few things to do but should do them all well. As a pairing there isn't better in the premier league considering the work load they have between them, no other team has a pair of midfielders that can swap roles so effectively between them in the way Cork and Schneiderlin do, especially given the amount of cover the provide to attacking players, once Shaw and Clyne are forward they are covering their channels as well as potentially expanding into space created by attacking runners. As a foundation for play it should serve us very well.

Hope he avoids that running mess, seems to be more and more club owners are looking to raise their international profile without actually building a team or any success first... Leeds under new owner ship or Huddersfield would be more sensible moves than Forest (especially as the transfer window is now shut)

Or getting regular first team chances week in week out....

Hate the points dropped stat, clearly doesn't take into account games that we probably wouldn't win in the first place, City away, Everton away, United away.... Should have taken something more from United at home, Arsenal at home and Wigan away though. The other results are just dropped points without a doubt.

Some of it is just bad luck, we've let leads slip this season from own goals, moronic ref decisions and some calamity moments. Would rather we are still taking points this way instead of getting a lucky draw from being behind all game. Some of it is in our own hands, mostly taking the numerous chances we carve out every game would help, but some you can't seem to legislate for (ref's disallowing goals for a cb jumping and other nonsense). We have had a few slices of luck (Villa away) and it'll start to come good if we keep attacking and trying to iron out the errors (not playing Kelvin is one of the key ones).