Preview: Manchester City Vs Rovers

[Silencio]

Good result in the end but with a full squad available for the next game and in the light of the recent (and not so recent) performance of some of our players Hughes has got to make some big changes.

Putting Zurab at right back to accomodate Nelsen was an awful, weak decision by Hughes. Nelsen has had serious injuries and it's clear he is struggling with getting back to the level we need if we are going for Europe. In the meantime it's costing us points. Hughes is here to get us points and Nelsen should not be in the team.

Zurab has never let us down but was played out of position against one of the best wingers in the league. He was excellent against Chelsea and deserved another game at centre half. I feel Hughes has treated him poorly and that Ooijer is ahead of him when fit simply because he cost more.

We desperately need at least one central midfielder. This was clear at the start of the season. Dunn is a useful squad player but not quite good enough. Reid might be getting back to a useful level. After those two we have Savage (getting well past it), Tugay (great player but past it) and Mokoena. I'd say we need two players here. Huddlestone will now be out of reach. If Hughes has money available we need to spend here and I hope Hughes has identified targets. Compare our central midfield with City, Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Everton and it's clear we need reinforcements.

The continued use of MGP is getting to the point of being a disgrace. Keith Treacy has been on the bench and in form for the reserves. I doubt he could last the whole second half of a season but we need to give him some playing time. Surely he can't do worse than MGP and Treacy is doing it for the reserves which is all he can do.

We need to make a decision on McArthy now. If he wants to stay we've got to keep him and work on playing him with Roque. Roberts can go, his finishing is terrible. If McArthy wants to leave then let's get his replacement early January and have done with it.

I still have faith in McArthy but have lost it in MGP and I fear for Nelsen too...

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

These were 2 teams in the top half of the division and the first half was drivel from both of em.

It does tend to happen quite a bit mr Plastic head!

[blue phil]

Another shocking first half display and only a bit better in the second.

This game just shows what a dreadful league the Premiership is.

As regards our second goal, surely in order for someone to be offside the ball has to be passed forward???

I suspect the ball did go forward and then swerved back .

You're right about the quality of the game , though - it wasn't good at all .

If we had lost this game (as we could so easily ) then there wouldn't have been much to brag about . Still a lot of problems , especially going forward from midfield and retaining possession .

Oh , and why was Santa Cruz substituted ...why take off someone who's playing like a demon ?

[grizfoot]

To be honest I thought Pedersen didn't do too badly tonight. I was however dissapointed with Dunny he gave the ball away on numerous occassions and holds onto the ball for too long at times. Overall though a point was probably about fair.

Anyone see similiarities in the negative tactics City employed in the second half and the way England use to play under Sven?

We've got to go 4-4-2 against Derby, no more of this 4-5-1 stuff unless it against one of the big four away from home. Keep Emerton at right-back at all costs, he's the only person capable of playing right-back who's got any pace plus the fact he seems to dissapear everytime he is pushed into a more advanced position.

[John]

What a lot of us have been saying for a while, is echoed by Henry Winter (Daily Telegraph writer) in his match report:

Blackburn appeared to look more balanced, more tenacious, although they badly lack a real authority figure in central midfield.

[JAL]

Lack of support from the centre of the park (Ried and Dunn) really wound me up Today, if one off them got forward alot more we would've won this game.

If Hughes thinks they are good enough along with the rest does this bring Mark Hughes judgement into question?

[78]

Have to admit, tactics is not one of Hughes' forte.

His H/T substition was a pleasant surprise, was expecting Roberts to be the 1st man to be brought on in 76th minute to try and salvage the match.

Also can we please play 4-4-2, not this 4-5-1. If the gameplan was to keep it tight, then you need players to be disciplined not 5 midfielders all who want to be the next Kaka! I would have had Mokoena in there instead of Dunn or Reid.

And Bentley is suited out on the wing where he can cause more problems for opponents rather than getting lost trying to dribble his way into a wall.

The defence is still out of sorts, although it doesn't help when every week someone is suspended or injured. Still think it was a shocking decision to have Zura out against Petrov who can terrorise most right backs in the Champions League let alone in this league.

Anyway good to see Roque still scoring and long may it continue, as until we sort out our leaky defence, we're going to need every goal.

[den]

Man of the match has to be Santa? The best CF since Shearer.

[philipl]

Just one point for the guys who say he doesn't care, Benni was absolutely ecstatic when Rovers equaliser was given by the ref. The huge smile and leap onto Roque was not an act.

[Eddie]

I remember reading early in the season that Roque could only head the ball back where it had come from, thankfully that has been put to rest tonight as well.

Its OK eddie, you can come out of hiding and tell us that Dunn and Reid are the worst central midfield partnership in the Premiership- please.

PS is there something wrong with the MB hosting at the moment?

Roque's goalscoring run at the moment is fantastic, but my view on him hasn't changed. He's a quality player, I've never said anything else, but I still don't think we can rely on him to score goals, I'll be very happy if he keeps this up for the rest of the season and proves me wrong.

I'm happy with the point, but it was another shocking performance and things look very bad at the moment.

We can't defend. None of them were good, not even Friedel, which is unusual.

The centre midfielders were horrible, I don't think we have one at the moment who is really up to the task. Reid didn't really do anything, Dunn got on the ball but then seemed as if he had no interest in passing it and wanted to just run into City players.

Pedersen and Bentley were dire for most of the game, although they were slightly better than the central midfielders and Bentley put in two good balls for the goals.

Santa Cruz had an ok night, no service, but took his two chances perfectly. His hold-up play wasn't as good as normal, but it was still good.

I know everyone thinks I love him and that he can do know wrong for me, but I think Benni was excellent when he came on. He had no service and wasn't helped by the fact that his team couldn't control the ball if they were given an hour to do it, but he put himself about, certainly seemed to care and his touch and contorl were top notch.

We have some major problems to address, what worries me most is that I'm not sure that we will. Hughes' selection policy and the fact that he does seem to be content with the current squad (I know that it's the usual media soundbite, but it still worries me) is really making me lose a bit of faith. It's one thing to be on a bad run, but it is another thing to be a total shambles.

[vyeo]

i think its easy to slate hughes for not buying a central midfielder, or not buying a new right back. i'd venture that he too knows that these are problem areas which must be addressed, but his hands were (are) probably tied by a lack of transfer funds. I know this funding issue has been done to death, but i seriously believe that he's not being supported well enough by the board. whatever john williams can scrap together, hughes gets it. but beyond that, the funding is simply no longer there, and its a sad fact we have to live with...

[jonv]

if we look at our upcoming games this is our chance to take off again and push up the table.. if we are wanting to push for europe we must get points, next we have derby then sunderland, bolton, middlesbrough and aston villa; 13/15 points is a must, especially when the teams around us enter big games against the top 4

[Cocker]

Man of the match has to be Santa? The best CF since Shearer.

I wonder if Eddie still thinks that he isnt a goal scorer

[Paul]

Just one point for the guys who say he doesn't care, Benni was absolutely ecstatic when Rovers equaliser was given by the ref. The huge smile and leap onto Roque was not an act.

How does that equate with his jog down the left wing to collect one of the best through balls from midfield all night? The City No.4 should have been beaten but McCarthy made no effort. Sat behind the goal Rovers attacked in the second half it was difficult to see any contribution from McCarthy. he has played himself into this position and has to work a damn sight harder than last night to justify staying at Ewood, let alone being a first choice. I have no faith in McCarthy at all.

Under the circumstances this was a very good result, the first side to take a point from City and we might have nicked three. Don't be fooled by the result, if City had turned up in the second half we could have gone down 3 or 4 - 1. Our problems appear to be simple and basic, I don't want to criticise individuals as this runs through the team, certainly defence to midfield:

We can't defend. Clearly playing our way out of trouble, as we did earlier in the season, is the way to do it. In our current form a few row Z clearances would be a lot more effective. When we try to play out of defence midfield is not providing the options.

The midfield cannot make a series of passes. Even the simplest balls are going astray, often played to or too close to an opponent resulting in lost poessession. Midfield aren't getting forward to support Santa, who must be wondering what on earth is happening! 4-5-1 is all very well but the "1" needs supporting.

Our next three games, given an in form side, would be winnable. I won't be surprised if we lose all three. It's hard to understand how such a good team has lost form in such dramatic fashion. I still believe we are a good side but can't see where the next result will come from.

[Cocker]

We can't defend. Clearly playing our way out of trouble, as we did earlier in the season, is the way to do it. In our current form a few row Z clearances would be a lot more effective. When we try to play out of defence midfield is not providing the options.

I just think someone needs to tell Samba that he dosent have a free role. He is out of position all of the time. Nelson looks bad because he is all over the place trying to cover for him. Thats why Zurab and Nelson are better defensively.

[Paul Mellelieu]

I thought we did better than OK. There really is a lot of nonsense written on this board. For example the notion that Hughes isn't tactically astute; that the 4-5-1 isn't a worthwhile tactic; it was a "shocking performance"; that Santa Cruz isn't a goalscorer! Bentley was dire for most of the game!

Yes Zurab was exposed, but the two goals weren't just his fault: in the build up to both goals, the City player who fed the ball to left winger was under no pressure at all. But we fought back and there are some signs that the team is pulling itself out of the mire. Samba looked better than in recent weeks, as did Nelsen, and Pedersen is slowly getting better. Even McCarthy looked something like his former self. I was impressed with Berner too, who didn't seem to put a foot wrong.

Not brilliant of course, but not terrible either.

[S15]

I wonder if Eddie still thinks that he isnt a goal scorer

He isn't, anyone who's seen his general one on one finishing, even whilst at Rovers could see that bread and butter finishing isn't natural to him.

However, at the moment he's going through a beautiful purple patch where the balls are landing right on the noggin' for him, and seems to be connecting bob on each time.

To start boasting about what a world class player, best since Shearer, natural finisher, great in bed, hollier than the pope will only lead to you looking more a fool when your holding the noose after a 5 match goal drought.

Like it or lump it, he hasn't scored more than 5 in a season in 10 previous years. Now after joining us you really think he's become a natural, world class striker.

No. Wake up. Sell McCarthy and the only natural finisher/goal scorer we have leaves, and you'll only see that by experiencing the worst of it.

[Exiled_Rover]

The second half was one of Rovers' better performances of late, which goes to show just how poor we've been.

I'm afraid Hughes made a tactical blunder by putting Zurab on Petrov, and exacerbated it by not immediately making a change after the Bianchi miss - Petrov has all day to pick out that cross. For him to go on and do it twice more without a switch is inexcusable. I'd have dropped Nelsen and played Zurab in his stead, the man isn't the same since his injury. Emerton's awful on the right wing, so Hughes should stop persisting with him there injuries or no - he should be at right back or out of the squad.

I thought the five man midfield didn't work as nobody was willing to take responsibility - Dunn, for example, was jogging back for the Nelsen own goal instead of busting a gut to at least put pressure on Petrov. Once Bentley was switched back to the right and Dunn/Reid assumed the role of CMs in a four we looked much more threatening. Moreso with having two upfront instead of asking Santa Cruz to try and win something against Dunne and Richards in the air - never going to happen.

As for the offside goal, well the rule is a joke at the moment isn't it? To me that's offside, Dunn made a play for the ball, the fact that he didn't get it is irrelevant. That said, City's second goal shouldn't have stood either; there was a foul on Santa Cruz by Richards. You win some and you lose some I suppose. In the end a draw was a fair result on the balance of play, though the game was there for the taking had Hughes started with the correct 11 in a 4-4-2 formation.

[RoyRover]

I'm very happy with the point we earned last night, even if it was in controversial fashion. If that goal had been the other way around then I would have been seething. Santa Cruz is really turning into a top class striker for us. When we bought him I always imagined him scoring lots of goals like the ones last night and at the moment he is on fire and long may it continue. I was also happy to see that Berner got his first league start and didn't disappoint. I feel sorry for Zurab, who had a very good game against Chelsea and then is stuck at right back (where I always thought he could do a job, but this doesn't seem to be the case) and he gets exposed albeit by a world class winger. Hopefully we can now start picking up some points again in the next few games.

[Mike Graham]

How does that equate with his jog down the left wing to collect one of the best through balls from midfield all night? The City No.4 should have been beaten but McCarthy made no effort. Sat behind the goal Rovers attacked in the second half it was difficult to see any contribution from McCarthy. he has played himself into this position and has to work a damn sight harder than last night to justify staying at Ewood, let alone being a first choice. I have no faith in McCarthy at all.

Under the circumstances this was a very good result, the first side to take a point from City and we might have nicked three. Don't be fooled by the result, if City had turned up in the second half we could have gone down 3 or 4 - 1. Our problems appear to be simple and basic, I don't want to criticise individuals as this runs through the team, certainly defence to midfield:

We can't defend. Clearly playing our way out of trouble, as we did earlier in the season, is the way to do it. In our current form a few row Z clearances would be a lot more effective. When we try to play out of defence midfield is not providing the options.

The midfield cannot make a series of passes. Even the simplest balls are going astray, often played to or too close to an opponent resulting in lost poessession. Midfield aren't getting forward to support Santa, who must be wondering what on earth is happening! 4-5-1 is all very well but the "1" needs supporting.

Our next three games, given an in form side, would be winnable. I won't be surprised if we lose all three. It's hard to understand how such a good team has lost form in such dramatic fashion. I still believe we are a good side but can't see where the next result will come from.

WHO VOTED FOR ZURAB!!!

Paul, this sounds like our conversation at half time.

Pleased that Sparky at half-time corrected the tactical mistake of Zurab at right back; we looked far more tight and balanced at the back after that.

Citeh did a good job of marking out Bentley for 70mins but he showed some class when the marking slacked off.

Good to see MGP coming better; he works his socks off, especially at the back, and even managed to get a couple of crosses past the 1st man!

The big worries are Samba, Nelson (who was dreadful yet again) and Dunny who causes us so many problems by giving the ball away time and time again.

All in all a poor display except for the last 25mins or so. The positive from this and the Chelsea game is the team spirit and the fight are clearly showing.

Maybe 2008 will bring us a victory

[Eddie]

I wonder if Eddie still thinks that he isnt a goal scorer

Shillito said it pretty much perfectly.

How does that equate with his jog down the left wing to collect one of the best through balls from midfield all night? The City No.4 should have been beaten but McCarthy made no effort. Sat behind the goal Rovers attacked in the second half it was difficult to see any contribution from McCarthy. he has played himself into this position and has to work a damn sight harder than last night to justify staying at Ewood, let alone being a first choice. I have no faith in McCarthy at all.

Under the circumstances this was a very good result, the first side to take a point from City and we might have nicked three. Don't be fooled by the result, if City had turned up in the second half we could have gone down 3 or 4 - 1. Our problems appear to be simple and basic, I don't want to criticise individuals as this runs through the team, certainly defence to midfield:

We can't defend. Clearly playing our way out of trouble, as we did earlier in the season, is the way to do it. In our current form a few row Z clearances would be a lot more effective. When we try to play out of defence midfield is not providing the options.

The midfield cannot make a series of passes. Even the simplest balls are going astray, often played to or too close to an opponent resulting in lost poessession. Midfield aren't getting forward to support Santa, who must be wondering what on earth is happening! 4-5-1 is all very well but the "1" needs supporting.

Our next three games, given an in form side, would be winnable. I won't be surprised if we lose all three. It's hard to understand how such a good team has lost form in such dramatic fashion. I still believe we are a good side but can't see where the next result will come from.

I know the exact ball you are talking about and he was screaming for the ball to be played into his feet, the ball was then, quite wrongly, played several yards in front of him. It is all well and good playing good balls, but you have to play the right ball, that one wasn't it. Essentially whoever played it poked it between two city players, it wasn't the right thing to do. He was at the root of a lot of the good things we had done and had Samba played the ball to him instead of to his right to Santa Cruz, when yet again Benni was screaming for the ball, we might well have won that game. He wasn't amazing, but he did his job. I really think some of you have now made up your mind about him and are going to close your eyes whenever he is doing anything. He did what Santa Cruz usually does last night, he played the furthest forward and he did a good job of holding it up, that would have got 99% of this board raving about Roque, but because it was Benni he simply didn't do enough.

[Paul]

WHO VOTED FOR ZURAB!!!

Paul, this sounds like our conversation at half time.

Yes. Second half display wasn't enough to convince me the good times are just round the corner.

Pleased that Sparky at half-time corrected the tactical mistake of Zurab at right back; we looked far more tight and balanced at the back after that.

I thought you popped down to the bar - obviously you nipped round to the changing room!

[Paul]

I know the exact ball you are talking about and he was screaming for the ball to be played into his feet, the ball was then, quite wrongly, played several yards in front of him. It is all well and good playing good balls, but you have to play the right ball, that one wasn't it. Essentially whoever played it poked it between two city players, it wasn't the right thing to do.

So a good ball is only one that suits McCarthy? I'm sorry but if you're trying to justify McCarthy's contributon you'll have to come up with a better arguement than " it was a good ball, but the wrong ball." He only had to run. All the fans around me where screaming blue murder at him for the lack of effort after that ball.

He was at the root of a lot of the good things we had done and had Samba played the ball to him instead of to his right to Santa Cruz, when yet again Benni was screaming for the ball, we might well have won that game. He wasn't amazing, but he did his job.

There are two problems with McCarthy. The first is the body language / attitude he gives off while on the pitch. To most of us he simply appears not to care what happens. The second is the bulk of his play takes place in areas where it doesn't benefit the team. I've lost count of the clever balls he has played, and yes they are very clever, which go nowhere because there isn't a blue and white shirt to receive. Now we can either blame the rest of the team or perhaps we can draw the conclusion McCarthy is playing for himself, to make his play look good and bugger the team effort. Using your arguement "It is all well and good playing good balls, but you have to play the right ball," McCarthy fails to do this most of the time.

I really think some of you have now made up your mind about him and are going to close your eyes whenever he is doing anything. He did what Santa Cruz usually does last night, he played the furthest forward and he did a good job of holding it up, that would have got 99% of this board raving about Roque, but because it was Benni he simply didn't do enough.

I have never liked McCarthy. When he was doing his job, scoring goals, that was fine. He has lost his form, appears disinterested and does not play for the team. Whatever we get for him will be better invested in a new player wuith something to prove.

When was the last time Benni had a shot on goal?

[Oklahoma]

For me, the problem is the midfield. They don't defend well or support the attack.

Besides Bentley, all of our midfielders should not be a first team option at this time.

They are either recovering from a long injury, out of form or not good enough.

[thenodrog]

but this doesn't seem to be the case) and he gets exposed albeit by a world class winger.

Yeah right. I must have told people on here a million times not to exaggerate! I'm sure that the term 'very good winger' would suffice.