Right then...

[alex]

What on earth happened there then? Sylla looked hungry and classy, Hume looked classy and his goals were very well taken, Hammond (finally) scored and at times Kisnorbo looked more Lennon than Lewis.

You've shown us a sight we need to see more of City...Season starts here please..

Smith by the way is a must to keep until the end of the season, an absolutely superb player.

 

[PFKAKTF FOX]

Excellent performance from first minute to last, every player was committed and played with passion, and the quality of the football was some of the best I have seen down at the Walkers. Credit to CL for being brave and picking a side and tactics to really have a go and try to win the game. Well played Craig you did us proud.

Credit to Sheff Utd as well, it was an end to end blood and thunder game, real advert for the championship.

Please, Please, Please Craig stick by these players and tactics, win lose or draw today playing that way the players would still have got a standing ovation and it is no coincidence that the atmosphere was the best for a long while.

 

[alex]

Here, here.

 

[fcukcov]

Ill second that. here, here

 

[flashyfox]

I'll 3rd it! Been 'buzzing' ever since the final whistle. Its nice to have a weekend when your team has won at home and played great football.

 

[PFKAKTF FOX]

I'll 3rd it! Been 'buzzing' ever since the final whistle. Its nice to have a weekend when your team has won at home and played great football.

To be honest whether we had won, lost or drawn today following that type of performance I would have been able to leave the stadium with my head held high knowing that we had given it everything, too many times this season I left thinking about the "if only's".

But I have to admit I am still buzzing about it now. I am sad to say this but it has made my weekend. And my zest for the game has returned, I am looking forward to wednesdays game again, I havent felt like that for a while and it is a good good feeling.

 

[joe501]

The deciding factor was the attacking mentality of the team. CL has finally listened to his critics and long may it continue.

 

[foxybru]

Can you believe what you read from W*nker Warn*ck, of all people ?

I rub my eyes in amazement....

Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock:
"It has been an important lesson to us because nobody has given us such an examination as they did in the first 45 minutes.

"Their front four were terrific, absolutely superb and you can't take anything away from them. "The third goal was the sucker punch and there was no way back from that."

Gosh. :icon_eek: :icon_eek:

 

[bocadillo]

CL has finally listened to his critics and long may it continue.

I'm not sure where you get the idea that CL has listened to his critics. What is it you mean by this?

If you mean in playing Hume and Hammond together, I wonder if he really could have done anything else. MdV clearly wasn't fit enough to play a full game and Dion didn't perform at Burnley - so what else could CL have doen yesterday other than playing Hume and Hammond. What alternative was there?

If he had been listening to his critics, Stearman and Sheehan would have been playing yesterday - but instead CL 'ate humble pie' and gave Nissa his shirt back.

If he had been listening to his critics, Kisnorbo would be on the plane back to the Antipodes - but he was there to lead probably the tightest midfield performance since Neil Lennon left the club.

If he had been listening to his critics, Momo Sylla would have been lying in bed with a hot water-bottle - but we witnessed a startling performance from him, full of thrust and initiative.

I don't think yesterday was a case of CL having taken advice - more a case of him being his own man and some of the promise coming to fruition; he always told us it would.

On one thing we are agreed - Long may it continue!!

 

[PFKAKTF FOX]

I'm not sure where you get the idea that CL has listened to his critics. What is it you mean by this?

If you mean in playing Hume and Hammond together, I wonder if he really could have done anything else. MdV clearly wasn't fit enough to play a full game and Dion didn't perform at Burnley - so what else could CL have doen yesterday other than playing Hume and Hammond. What alternative was there?

If he had been listening to his critics, Stearman and Sheehan would have been playing yesterday - but instead CL 'ate humble pie' and gave Nissa his shirt back.

If he had been listening to his critics, Kisnorbo would be on the plane back to the Antipodes - but he was there to lead probably the tightest midfield performance since Neil Lennon left the club.

If he had been listening to his critics, Momo Sylla would have been lying in bed with a hot water-bottle - but we witnessed a startling performance from him, full of thrust and initiative.

I don't think yesterday was a case of CL having taken advice - more a case of him being his own man and some of the promise coming to fruition; he always told us it would.

On one thing we are agreed - Long may it continue!!

Great post Boc ! Very true, what yesterday's performance did highlight though was the reasons why Levein signed the likes of Kisnorbo, Sylla and even Hammond and why he has perservered with them, when they are on there game, like today, they are very effective players at this level, what now has to happen is to try and play in that vein every week, the performance may not be the same but if the passion and commitment is matched then I dont think there would be many complaints at all.

 

[Bilborough Fox]

The deciding factor was the attacking mentality of the team. CL has finally listened to his critics and long may it continue.

The deciding factor was that CL picked a attack with movement and interchangability. Their defenders struggle to know who to pick as front two changed around all the while and Sylla & Smith doing likewise with them. We looked as though we could score everytime we attacked.

 

[bocadillo]

The deciding factor was that CL picked a attack with movement and interchangability.

I have no wish to belittle yesterday's performance, but one of the deciding factors was Colin Wankers's not picking a team that was going to come and defend.

What we now need to do is to work out how to be positive against teams that come to the Walkers only with the intention of stifling us.

 

[fcukcov]

The main thing for me yesterday was that CL picked two pacy strikers. Wigan play this type of football with pace wingers and strikers and solid central midfield men and a strong back line and look where they are. I just hope he keep sthe strike force together for next saturday, barring injuries, and uses MDV as the back up when it is clear we need a bit of height against the back four of whoever we may be playing that week.

The big man knocking it down to the little man tactic doesnt seem to wrok for many teams nowadays, as it did 5-10 years ago. i.e. Heskey/cottee etc. Two pacy forwardsis erm.....the way forward.

 

[maffyou]

The big man knocking it down to the little man tactic doesnt seem to wrok for many teams nowaday

very true, even when theyre top quality, look at how many Defoe's scored this year playing with Mido who's more a typical big man striker than Kanoute who's got a bit more guile and pace.

 

[Yorkshire Vixen]

Can you believe what you read from W*nker Warn*ck, of all people ?

I rub my eyes in amazement....

Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock:
"It has been an important lesson to us because nobody has given us such an examination as they did in the first 45 minutes.

"Their front four were terrific, absolutely superb and you can't take anything away from them. "The third goal was the sucker punch and there was no way back from that."

Gosh. :icon_eek: :icon_eek:

:icon_eek: nah he cant have said that he doesnt like praising the oppo his style is slagging the officials :icon_roll :icon_lol:

 

[flashyfox]

Amazed by Warnocks comments. Fully expected him to complain about something and that we didn't deserve to win. He's bloody right about our front 4 though. Awesome!

 

[Hazzman]

Here's my lowdown on City after Sheff Utd-
My only game of the season and you can see why £72 for 4 of us.

Douglas - Alright. Simply as. Though his monkey swing celebration after the third goal was priceless.

Maybury- Looked like him old self. Strong and was the first player to realise how to stop Kabba.

Johansson- Yesterday, I could tell why people have rated him so poorly. He looks lost in that position. For me he was City's worst player yesterday.

McCarthy- Brilliant, stayed fairly calm.

Gerrbrand- Impressed me, brilliant

Sylla - First half everywhere, second half dropped off and became lazy.

Smith- Immense, possibly in my time as City fan and no exaggeration, he looked the most skillful person I have seen in a City shirt. But raw as a lot to learn.

Gudjonsson- Battled and looked to get forward. He was hungry.

Kisborno- Looked the part as captain, strong and him and Joey really worked as a pair yesterday.

Hume- Looked the part, his second goal shone of confidence. But again raw and green. Needs to learn but two goals you cant ask for much more.

Hammond- He needed to score after the chances he had but in end he battled, ran at Jagikela who didnt like that.

The tactics were spot on, get into the faces and give them a go. For all the games I have been this season all levels of footie, this was the best one. Second half, Sheff Utd threaten a comeback but we stood strong. Though, they had chances to score.

Overall, if the tactics are correct and you can get the younger lads working. City are a strong force. Four goals from City aswell you see that in a blue moon.

By the way the corner leading up to their second goal was not a corner. Didnt touch a City player going out. Ref was shite, too many bookings, there was not a single dirty challenge.

 

[highland fox]

By the way the corner leading up to their second goal was not a corner. Didnt touch a City player going out.

Levein said the same thing on Sky last night.

 

[Hazzman]

Levein said the same thing on Sky last night.

I was up the stand in the Family Stand, so had a decent view and my father went apeshit at the ref's decision. Piss poor ref.

 

[Mike - True Blue Tinter]

I too was amazed by the change in performance/attitude and it is not the personnel. This is not a 'magic' combination. It just happened to all work yesterday.
Hume and Hammond played together against Derby and were shit.
Nissa was better but still kept getting 'skinned' by their right wing.
A guy behind me kept slagging off Sylla and Smith for swapping wings but it worked!
Momo gave us about 70 minutes of magic instead of the usual 10.
Having the back four defending near the half-way line certainly puts pressure on the opposition and lets short passes get to the front runners. So Dublin should be sub from now on, barring injuries and suspensions.
Of course if Nissa and Maybury are/can only defend the box and not the wings, maybe sometimes you could have a back three, letting Gerbrand move into the Lennon 'holding' role, then you have the choice of Kisnorbo or de Vries supporting in the centre upfront, with Hume and Hammond swapping sides as wingers, the same way Smith and Sylla do.