[Archived] Manchester City V Rovers Preview

[RIML]

Sam - "It's a dive"

[gumboots]

Sam - "It's a dive"

No wonder we got a point - they had Paul Hart in goal

[Mr. E]

Considering some people like to make out players don't like playing for Sam Allardyce, they don't half give their all for the cause. Heroic defending at times, especially the Givet/Samba combination after Tevez had beaten Robbo to the ball.

To put the result in perspective, James Milner alone cost more than our starting XI.

I think City have a very limited amount of players that don't cost more than our starting XI.

[Grabbi Graeme]

No wonder we got a point - they had Paul Hart in goal

Chris Kamara made the same mistke on one of his reports on Soccer Saturday.

[Tom]

I wonder if Sam has seem some defensive weaknesses in Jones especially seeing as it was Olsson who came on for Nelsen and not Fonzi with Jonea dropping back.

[RIML]

I think City have a very limited amount of players that don't cost more than our starting XI.

Our starting XI today cost roughly just under £21 million (in transfer fees)

Lescott, Yaya Toure, Milner and Tevez, each cost more than that Not forgetting Silva and the ones who are injured

Btw I'm loving this Diouf blew kisses towards the City supporters

[CrazyIvan]

Our starting XI today cost roughly just under £21 million (in transfer fees)

Lescott, Yaya Toure, Milner and Tevez, each cost more than that Not forgetting Silva and the ones who are injured

Btw I'm loving this Diouf blew kisses towards the City supporters

Well done Dioufy Brilliant!

[BRFC1995]

kolo toure is such a weak link in the city team. Richards is'nt good enough by a long shot either and lescott looks more 2.4m rather than 24m, i think whoever the next city manager is will have learnt all he needed to know about who to show the door to after they're last 2 games. Honestly thought they'd have a shot at the league this year but they're defence is just crap.

Attack against defence today and our defence is every bit as good as they're attack, If they had our defenders they might do something this year.

[RIML]

I wonder if Sam has seem some defensive weaknesses in Jones especially seeing as it was Olsson who came on for Nelsen and not Fonzi with Jonea dropping back.

Sam said this not long ago and it makes sense to me,

Centre-half is a high-risk position, the only place with more responsibility is goalkeeper because your mistakes get punished.

I'd still like to see Jones play in defence against Fulham however, I wouldn't want to see him making a costly mistake. That's if Nelsen isn't fit to play next week of course

[Commondore]

Robinson - 9: A performance right out of the book, showed his reflexes and courage.

Salgado (out 45) - 6: Fought well against Johnson, Wright-Phillips and Tevez despite lacking support.

Samba - 10: A titan, just his type of last ditch defending was needed today and he supplied it.

Nelsen (out 39) - 7: Looked good before his injury, some good tackles and headers.

Givet - 6: Troubled at full back but excellent when moved into the heart of the defense.

Jones - 7: Invisible for long periods but showed his qualities when they were needed in the last 30 minutes. Great tackler.

Grella (out 56) - 5: Tried to step forward more than Jones but didn't have the class for it today, not surprisingly substituted.

Pedersen - 4: A tough game for him, but didn't add anything offensively and wasn't helping out with the defense either.

M. Diouf - 5: Looked useful at times but didn't really add to the team effort today, seemed to be playing for himself.

E.H Diouf - 6: Our best winger as of today, looked classy in flashes.

Kalinic - 6: Well taken goal, sniffed out a lot of dangerous situations in the City defense due to his work rate. Still felt like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole though.

SUBS

Olsson (in 39) - 5: Fought a loosing battle in defense while being constantly outnumbered. Didn't show anything of his offensive abilities.

Chimbonda (in 45) - 7: Played surprisingly well, kept his wingers quiet (although City attacked more on the opposite side) and added some calm to a team that was close to panic when he came on.

N'Zonzi (in 56) - 6: The classic N'Zonzi performance; Composed in his defensive work and added some height to set pieces.

[philipl]

If he didn't manage Blackburn then I would have admitted that his smug face deserves a smack. As he does manage my team, I love this picture.

Great pic- don't forget that Mancini was interviewed by Rovers just before Sam was appointed. Have to say the Premier league title is already getting away from City and deservedly so- they were a shambles in the 20 minutes I saw of the game in a pub in Manchester (was visiting my brother in hospital) and Rovers were shown as having 70% posession in the 5 minutes following our goal.

Sensational dummy by Toure to completely bamboozle Hart but irrespective of Toure's feint to head the thing Hart got completely under the ball to be able to head it himself- abysmal decision making.

The coverage I was watching kept panning to Tom Finn, John Williams and Sam Allardyce sat together. They obviously knew it because they looked so uncomfortably self-conscious sat together ("I must not scratch that itch in my nose, I must not scratch that itch in my nose...")

Wonderful point and looking at the table, much needed today.

[ROVERS]

a good game??? don't really think so.

i used to be neutral about Big Sam as manager, but i m having doubts now...............

The spirit is gone...... the spirit to win, the hunger to win, its all gone!!!!!........ you don't play football like robots, you play the game with passion!

what the hell were we trying to do during the last 3 mins???? we were awarded a free kick, and what happen? it was deliberatly sent out of play.

second free kick..... diouf came to collect the ball. its really....... WTH!?

its a draw on record, but in my eyes, rovers have lost, and had lost badly.

my friend was asking me after the match...... would you prefer dying as a soldier or staying alive like a coward?

[Hughesy]

That'll be that now, the flood gates will be opened.

Here comes the hiding, I hate the inevitable

Will be a miracle if this finishes 1 - 1

You 3 need to have abit more faith in OUR team....City have the cash, we have the team ethic & spirit - you cant buy that!

Our midfield was dire

Its not good enough - we all know that, but today it was against a team with HUGE resources

Hughsey makes the sun shine for me.

Ha ha you crack me up mate!

Allardyce got a real teamspirit going last season and it's looking like it's continuing this season. People who don't like Allardyce should try to recognise that and give some credit where it's due. Doubt they will though..... it'd be like admitting they were wrong.

Spot on!

[des]

with the cash that there have spent compared to us, I would of taken a point at home, so an away point is very good indeed, well done to all.

[rebelmswar]

a good game??? don't really think so.

i used to be neutral about Big Sam as manager, but i m having doubts now...............

The spirit is gone...... the spirit to win, the hunger to win, its all gone!!!!!........ you don't play football like robots, you play the game with passion!

what the hell were we trying to do during the last 3 mins???? we were awarded a free kick, and what happen? it was deliberatly sent out of play.

second free kick..... diouf came to collect the ball. its really....... WTH!?

its a draw on record, but in my eyes, rovers have lost, and had lost badly.

my friend was asking me after the match...... would you prefer dying as a soldier or staying alive like a coward?

I can recomend Prozac it takes awhile to kick in but then the world looks nicer.

[Hughesy]

my friend was asking me after the match...... would you prefer dying as a soldier or staying alive like a coward?

WTF was that post all about!!

My response would be - Id prefer to stay alive, and without a weapon in the middle of a fierce war where your enemy has the biggest guns...id do whatever necessary to survive.

[m1st]

If he didn't manage Blackburn then I would have admitted that his smug face deserves a smack. As he does manage my team, I love this picture.

Thanks for this photo, Tim. Your comment is spot-on; the photo's now my screen-saver!

[Andy]

a good game??? don't really think so.

i used to be neutral about Big Sam as manager, but i m having doubts now...............

The spirit is gone...... the spirit to win, the hunger to win, its all gone!!!!!........ you don't play football like robots, you play the game with passion!

what the hell were we trying to do during the last 3 mins???? we were awarded a free kick, and what happen? it was deliberatly sent out of play.

second free kick..... diouf came to collect the ball. its really....... WTH!?

its a draw on record, but in my eyes, rovers have lost, and had lost badly.

my friend was asking me after the match...... would you prefer dying as a soldier or staying alive like a coward?

Is this one of those ironic/sarcastic posts?

We played well today against a good City side and not only neutralised most of their threat, but could quite easily have come away with all three points.

Every one of us would have taken a point before the game, but the way we deserved it adds more credability to the draw.

And as for the last comment - staying alive as a coward is always preferable to dying as a soldier...or anything else for that matter.

[roversmum]

I can't believe the negativity.

I made a long post but unfortunately my connection dropped and it was lost.

The boys battled today and got a draw - I was expecting a thrashing so I was very pleased.

Plenty of singing, good stuff, got a sore throat.

Peds got a nasty elbow, in the face or neck, not sure where but it stunned him and he wasn't the same after.

The 'penalty' shout was a dive.

Great seeing all the miserable City faces trotting off home.

Robbo made sure the players applauded the fans, and Dioufy and Chimbo threw their shirts into the crowd although the stewards tried to stop them they were having none of it.

[LeChuck]

what the hell were we trying to do during the last 3 mins???? we were awarded a free kick, and what happen? it was deliberatly sent out of play.

second free kick..... diouf came to collect the ball. its really....... WTH!?

That'll be the free kick that resulted in Pedersen crossing and Chimbonda having a chance to win the game, would it?

No spirit? No passion? That's one of the most spirited performances you'll see this season, from any team. It's the kind we need to do when we're away from home against teams who have teams assembled at a cost of hundreds of millions.

This time last year we were rolling over and having our bellies tickled by the top six. Not any longer. Anyone playing us is in for a real game, and long may it continue.

[rebelmswar]

That'll be the free kick that resulted in Pedersen crossing and Chimbonda having a chance to win the game, would it?

No spirit? No passion? That's one of the most spirited performances you'll see this season, from any team. It's the kind we need to do when we're away from home against teams who have teams assembled at a cost of hundreds of millions.

This time last year we were rolling over and having our bellies tickled by the top six. Not any longer. Anyone playing us is in for a real game, and long may it continue.

Preach on Reverend. Amen!

100% Agree

[BPF]

You 3 need to have abit more faith in OUR team....City have the cash, we have the team ethic & spirit - you cant buy that!

Its not good enough - we all know that, but today it was against a team with HUGE resources

Ha ha you crack me up mate!

Spot on!

Point taken Hughesy, I should have more faith.

In my defence, I made that comment when we were really under pressure, I didn't say that we were not capable of performing miracles (Robinson did, several times.)

[Hughesy]

This time last year we were rolling over and having our bellies tickled by the top six. Not any longer. Anyone playing us is in for a real game, and long may it continue.

Everton - better performance than last season & 3 points more

Brum - better performance...didnt take our chance with the pen at 1-0...same

Arsenal - better performance....however didnt take anything...3 points less.

City away - better performance...1 point extra & alot less goals conceded

So far id say we have looked improved on last season...I have no worries about our season ahead - stick to doing what we do best until Jan & then (takeover permitting) improve with 3 or 4 players.

[BPF]

a good game??? don't really think so.

i used to be neutral about Big Sam as manager, but i m having doubts now...............

The spirit is gone...... the spirit to win, the hunger to win, its all gone!!!!!........ you don't play football like robots, you play the game with passion!

what the hell were we trying to do during the last 3 mins???? we were awarded a free kick, and what happen? it was deliberatly sent out of play.

second free kick..... diouf came to collect the ball. its really....... WTH!?

its a draw on record, but in my eyes, rovers have lost, and had lost badly.

my friend was asking me after the match...... would you prefer dying as a soldier or staying alive like a coward?

Congratulations on being the first poster to make my ignore list.

[Exiled_Rover]

I wonder if Sam has seem some defensive weaknesses in Jones especially seeing as it was Olsson who came on for Nelsen and not Fonzi with Jonea dropping back.

No. He just likes Jones in that DM role.