Match Reaction v Southampton

[Niall_Quinn]

Although, interestingly, you didn't say so before the game.
But fair play, 100% of the 'predictions' you've made after a game have been spot on.
If you could just get the ones you make beforehand right you'd be cleaning up at the bookies.

Eh? We had some thread about "believing" didn't we? I think 4 people voted no. I said all the old signs are still there. It's a whole lot closer to reality than your cake tomorrow and yesterday never existed rhetoric. Though I admit, not even I thought we'd blow it 4-0. I'm still trying to gauge the result against our all time lows, it's right down there with the best of them. Another ultimate and comprehensive capitulation at a key moment in a season. Same pattern repeating over and over regardless of the players sent out. What could the cause be? The ref? The pitch? So hard to imagine.

[Master Splinter]

What's simple is - don't start debating officiating when you've been humiliated 4-0. That's it, really.

So, can I come back on in 4 weeks when we're on a good run and then mention the poor decisions?

Or the next time Fellaini elbows a player in front of the ref and gets away with it, I can highlight his thuggery and the ref's incompetence as long as it's not against an Arsenal team on the end of a beating?

This kind of coherent, logical thinking makes so much sense that I admit comprehensive defeat.

I will also make note that admitting the team was pitifully poor in all respects is null and void as soon as you mention any other aspect of the game because that is instantly an excuse. I will submit to this linear, yet watertight line of thought from now on.

[Özim]

Really? You look at one game. I look back at November because we had an opportunity to go top above City back then also. Let's look at it.

Nov 8th - We're level on points with City before playing Spurs. 25 points for both us and City. City draw in their early kick off with Villa. Beat Spurs at home for the later kick off and we go top. Massive opportunity but we failed to turn up. A very flat performance, similar to what we saw against Southampton, never mind going top of the table, this was a NLD and we were at home. We were lucky to get the draw and only responded to their first half goal with 13 minutes left on the clock. The draw at least kept us in 2nd and level with City who had Liverpool next so there was another opportunity the following week. We had West Brom.

21st Nov - City get smashed 4 -1 to Liverpool. But somehow we lose to West Brom 2-1. Again, this is our opportunity to go top of the table and we scored first only to end up losing. All goals came in the first half but somehow we're unable to score in the 2nd half. Awful. But at least City lost as well so we're still level but Leicester City and Utd leapfrog us and City so we're now 4th with 26 points. Leicester leading with 28. So now we're chasing 3 other teams. We get the usual spiel from the manager about a good opportunity to respond against Norwich City. Our next game.

29th Nov - We draw against Norwich City. Truly pathetic. Man Utd and Leicester City happen to draw but City won their game. So City go back on top with goal difference. We stay 4th. Typical.

And here we are in December. We beat Villa and Sunderland. Beat City to go 2nd and should have won on Boxing Day to go top of the table. But luckily, we have another opportunity today because Leicester City and Man City play each other next. Beating City may have been more of a challenge because of who they are but they've been very inconsistent as you always say, we've beaten them before and it's one of those games where the players turned up. Maybe they liked the big occasion. But to be champions we're going to have to do more. January and February aren't easy runs. We need to step it up and not have another repeat of last month.

Great post, proof of buckling under pressure if you ever needed it.

[Özim]

The amount of excuses that are banded about by some people round here is unreal, we get hammered by an average team and the emphasis is put on referereeing decisions and so called "freak results", it's totally irrelevant to the result in this case so don't see why it even needs mentioning for this game, start a new thread about these rather than making excuses for the team and managers failures.

How many bad decisions go our way, plenty but we never hear a mention of these, I don't think we have any less or any more bad decisions that any other team.

If saying this is a freak result isn't scratching around for excuses then I don't know what is.

[Globalgunner]

Choking is the one exemplifying characteristic of this team. Ever since the invincibles when Wenger decided to substitute characters on the field with his own weak-kneed mentality. This is a team built in his own image, they will always choke when the going gets tough. Every team knows how to play us. Just put in a few hard tackles and the entire team goes into its shell. Chokers and bottlers the lot of them.

[Letters]

Great post, proof of buckling under pressure if you ever needed it.

So there was no pressure against City or today?

[GP]

So there was no pressure against City or today?

There's only pressure when we lose.

[Letters]

That pretty much seems to be some people's definition.

[selassie]

That pretty much seems to be some people's definition.

Being the diplomatic man I am I do see both sides to this debate, though do kind of favour the opinion that we still choke when the going gets tough.

The facts are we have on a number of occasions had the opportunity to go top and we have blown it. Of course we were under pressure yesterday, more so after the horror show at Southampton and we responded well.

I think we will really learn a lot about this team over the next few months, for me it will pretty much make or break our season given the schedule which IMO is very difficult. Going to places like Stoke & Liverpool next month is going to be really difficult, especially if Sanchez is still out which seems quite likely. Chelsea at home isn't a gimme either.

[Letters]

If we fall short this year I don't think it will be because of 'choking'. I may be wrong but IMO the more likely cause will be burn out and/or injury problems.
Players like Ozil, Sanchez and Cech will win you the title but they can't do it on their own and a long term injury to one will see us struggling - although it was positive to see us get the City result without Sanchez.
A good signing or two in January could push us on but I'm waiting more in hope than expectation for that.