Skoorb
Alert Team
Middlesbrough come to town this weekend. I hope they are ready........
Before we consider the upcoming game let’s take a trip down memory lane……..
For Christmas in 2007 I was bought a present of a subscription a service called ‘My Football Year’. This enabled football supporters to create their own football yearbook - throughout the season you could upload from a selection of stock photos provided from each game and fill each page with stats, key moments from games and write your own match reports. You could also edit the headlines, reports, add picture captions, rate players/matches and add your own quotes. At the end of the season you this work was transformed into a professional, high quality hard back book (although sadly the idea never really took off and the service is no longer available).
I thought this was a fabulous gift and and after each game I would eagerly add my pithy comments under the photos, critique each game and summarise the month’s football delivered by my team under their new manager Sven Goran Eriksson. Exciting times as I anticipated the skills of Elano, the abilities of Giovanni and the attacking prowess of Rolando Bianchi and the promise of Valeri Bojinov. It was great fun and it allowed me to create a unique, personal record of what was a memorable season including the first double over Stretford’s finest in 37 years………......and the most dismal defeat it has ever been my misfortune to recall as a City fan.
The humiliating 8-1 loss to Middlesbrough on the last day of the 2007-08 season remains a scar on my mind and brought the drew to following comments from me at the time:-
“This was the most spineless, abject, disgraceful display by a City team it has ever been my misfortune to endure…….Lacking any leaders on the pitch, without any strength of character being shown, those wearing sky blue shirts played like a pub team. No shape, no resilience, no hope”.
Hardly Pulitzer Prize winning prose but it provides a stunning contrast to the football delivered by the City team earlier in the week when they laid to rest the ghost of their serial failure against Barcelona in competitive matches.
How the times have changed.
Four months after this pitfall capitulation City were acquired by Sheik Mansour and we have witnessed a transformation which has left fans breathless and which delivered last Tuesday the latest stage in the development that these new owners envisaged when they made their decision to invest in Manchester City Football Club back in 2008. If they were looking for vindication of the planning, the expenditure on players and infrastructure and their careful pursuit of the best coach on the planet they must surely have felt it when the crescendo of noise flowed from the Etihad stadium stands that evening.
Tuesday evening felt like a seismic moment for the club, the players and the manager. It was a privilege to behold.
After Barcelona had been put to the sword by a scintillating, vibrant City team the final whistle was greeted by a cathartic realise of collective joy and exultation at the Etihad stadium. City had stepped up and delivered. After a challenging few weeks which had seen many in the media quick to reach for the knives they had been forced to sheath during City’s imperious start to the season, City had vanquished one of the top teams in Europe, shaken off the monkey of 5 consecutive defeats in the Champions League to the Catalans and made a statement which no one could ignore. Nay sayers and haters will point to the absence of Pique, Iniesta and Alba whilst ignoring the continued presence of Messi, Diving Neymar, Suarez, Busquets, Mascherano etc. But the more studious and measured among the media such as Henry Winter were clear in what they had seen. City had moved forward, shown character and spirit to come back from a goal down, scored some outstanding goals, demonstrated their resilience and the technical flexibility to respond to their manager’s tactics and direction………and dismantled a team that was still bursting with talent.
Pep Guardiola, aware of what he had just delivered, chose not to celebrate with the players but headed down the tunnel. Dignified and poised to the last he felt too much respect for the team he had defeated, the club that where he learnt his trade and which remains in his blood. What a class act. No running down the touchline sliding on his knees, no fist pumping, badge kissing or other such antics we have witnessed all too often from the man chosen to lead a club just outside Manchester and who seems to be increasingly reverting to type. Maureen, were you watching or were you busy preparing for the Europa League game on Thursday?
Anyway back to matters in hand……
Aitor Karanka’s side arrive at the Etihad on the back of only their second victory of the season having defeated Bournemouth at the Riverside. That win brought an end to an eight match streak and followed on from their goalless draw against fellow title rivals at the Ashburton Grove Bottling Factory so if any City players, naturally ebullient from their win on Tuesday, think that it is time for the brandy and cigars they may find themselves in for a rude awakening. I am quite sure Guardiola will be emphasising the need to avoid complacency and be hammering home the message that the best teams don’t take a week off to relax and compliment themselves on how good they are, they drive on and continue to bring their ‘A’ game to the very next fixture. Some rotation may occur with perhaps Nolito and/or Sane gaining a starting berth up front, perhaps Vincent Kompany continuing his gradual rehabilitation to first team football at the back and the restoration of Bravo in goal. The exceptional Fernandinho may not feature following his early departure from the pitch against Barcelona after suffering from one too many of their disappointingly agricultural tackling so this might mean a chance for Fernando to step in. Regis’s professionalism is shining through - having taken on the unfamiliar role of right back against WBA, he delivered a strong showing against Barcelona. Not as versatile as his Brazilian team mate he nonetheless should be able to fit in nicely. After Aleix Garcia’s performance against the Stretford Rangers in the League Cup he might feel that he could feature at some stage as he continues his footballing education and is given the sort of opportunity that youngsters were starved of under Manuel Pellegrini.
But Pep will also know that you can be in danger of disrupting the flow, momentum and confidence in players if you disrupt things too much and with this game being on the cusp of yet another international break :017: he may choose to let the bulk of the team that has regained it’s scoring mojo show that they have learnt this important lesson. No let up. No passengers. Get the job done.
For the visitors we must be aware of the Threat of the Returning Player with Boro of course featuring that previous City favourite Alvaro Negredo….The Beast. I am sure he will get a warm welcome from the City fans but I am sure we can be forgiven if we hope that this weekend he shows the same form that he did for City after suffering the shoulder injury in the League Cup thrashing of West Ham. His prolific form took a bewildering nose dive after that and we have to hope that he isn’t inspired to return to the form which saw him thrive in his first few months in Sky Blue. Elsewhere in the Boro team they feature the dangers of Gaston Ramirez and have the experience of Stewart Downing available. Defensively they will feature ex-Gunner Calum Chambers (I wonder did he get booed on his return to the Emirates?) and between the posts the formidable experience of Victor Valdes.
This week has seen the club take a huge step forward. The beginning of some vindication perhaps of the faith placed in the investment in Pep Guardiola and all that has been done to provide the environment and infrastructure to support the playing squad. Time to consolidate that progress and follow the European victory with a solid and emphatic domestic result.
Come On City!!!
Team News:
Man City:
> Out - Sagna
> Doubtful - Delph; Fernandinho
Middlesbrough:-
> Out - De Roon; Stuani; Ayala
> Doubtful -
Sagna remains sidelined and I am beginning to wonder whether Fabian Delph is actually a fictional character.
For Middlesbrough it seems that The Beast is Back and Negredo will lead the line for them in the absence of their top scorer Stuani.
League Standing & Form:
01 Manchester City P10 W7 D2 L1 GF24 GA09 GD +15 Pts 23 Form WWLDDW
15 Middlesbrough P10 W2 D4 L4 GF09 GA11 GD -02 Pts 10 Form LLDLDW
Overall Form:
Manchester City P18 W12 D3 L3 GF42 GA18
Middlesbrough Albion P11 W2 D4 L5 GF10 GA13
Previous meeting (last 6 matches):
FAC 24/01/15 Man City 0 Middlesbrough 2
FAC 02/01/10 Middlesbrough 0 Man City 1
EPL 07/02/09 Man City 1 Middlesbrough 0
EPL 29/10/08 Middlesbrough 2 Man City 0
EPL 11/05/08 Middlesbrough 8 Man City 1
EPL 07/10/07 Man City 3 Middlesbrough 1
Goals - City 6 Middlesbrough 13
Y Cards - City 10 Middlesbrough 10
R Cards - City 1 Middlesbrough 0
Top scorers (all comps):
Manchester City - Aguero 13; Sterling 5; Nolito 5; Gündogãn 5; Iheanacho 4
Middlesbrough - Stuani 3; Ayala 1; Chambers 1
Before we consider the upcoming game let’s take a trip down memory lane……..
For Christmas in 2007 I was bought a present of a subscription a service called ‘My Football Year’. This enabled football supporters to create their own football yearbook - throughout the season you could upload from a selection of stock photos provided from each game and fill each page with stats, key moments from games and write your own match reports. You could also edit the headlines, reports, add picture captions, rate players/matches and add your own quotes. At the end of the season you this work was transformed into a professional, high quality hard back book (although sadly the idea never really took off and the service is no longer available).
I thought this was a fabulous gift and and after each game I would eagerly add my pithy comments under the photos, critique each game and summarise the month’s football delivered by my team under their new manager Sven Goran Eriksson. Exciting times as I anticipated the skills of Elano, the abilities of Giovanni and the attacking prowess of Rolando Bianchi and the promise of Valeri Bojinov. It was great fun and it allowed me to create a unique, personal record of what was a memorable season including the first double over Stretford’s finest in 37 years………......and the most dismal defeat it has ever been my misfortune to recall as a City fan.
The humiliating 8-1 loss to Middlesbrough on the last day of the 2007-08 season remains a scar on my mind and brought the drew to following comments from me at the time:-
“This was the most spineless, abject, disgraceful display by a City team it has ever been my misfortune to endure…….Lacking any leaders on the pitch, without any strength of character being shown, those wearing sky blue shirts played like a pub team. No shape, no resilience, no hope”.
Hardly Pulitzer Prize winning prose but it provides a stunning contrast to the football delivered by the City team earlier in the week when they laid to rest the ghost of their serial failure against Barcelona in competitive matches.
How the times have changed.
Four months after this pitfall capitulation City were acquired by Sheik Mansour and we have witnessed a transformation which has left fans breathless and which delivered last Tuesday the latest stage in the development that these new owners envisaged when they made their decision to invest in Manchester City Football Club back in 2008. If they were looking for vindication of the planning, the expenditure on players and infrastructure and their careful pursuit of the best coach on the planet they must surely have felt it when the crescendo of noise flowed from the Etihad stadium stands that evening.
Tuesday evening felt like a seismic moment for the club, the players and the manager. It was a privilege to behold.
After Barcelona had been put to the sword by a scintillating, vibrant City team the final whistle was greeted by a cathartic realise of collective joy and exultation at the Etihad stadium. City had stepped up and delivered. After a challenging few weeks which had seen many in the media quick to reach for the knives they had been forced to sheath during City’s imperious start to the season, City had vanquished one of the top teams in Europe, shaken off the monkey of 5 consecutive defeats in the Champions League to the Catalans and made a statement which no one could ignore. Nay sayers and haters will point to the absence of Pique, Iniesta and Alba whilst ignoring the continued presence of Messi, Diving Neymar, Suarez, Busquets, Mascherano etc. But the more studious and measured among the media such as Henry Winter were clear in what they had seen. City had moved forward, shown character and spirit to come back from a goal down, scored some outstanding goals, demonstrated their resilience and the technical flexibility to respond to their manager’s tactics and direction………and dismantled a team that was still bursting with talent.
Pep Guardiola, aware of what he had just delivered, chose not to celebrate with the players but headed down the tunnel. Dignified and poised to the last he felt too much respect for the team he had defeated, the club that where he learnt his trade and which remains in his blood. What a class act. No running down the touchline sliding on his knees, no fist pumping, badge kissing or other such antics we have witnessed all too often from the man chosen to lead a club just outside Manchester and who seems to be increasingly reverting to type. Maureen, were you watching or were you busy preparing for the Europa League game on Thursday?
Anyway back to matters in hand……
Aitor Karanka’s side arrive at the Etihad on the back of only their second victory of the season having defeated Bournemouth at the Riverside. That win brought an end to an eight match streak and followed on from their goalless draw against fellow title rivals at the Ashburton Grove Bottling Factory so if any City players, naturally ebullient from their win on Tuesday, think that it is time for the brandy and cigars they may find themselves in for a rude awakening. I am quite sure Guardiola will be emphasising the need to avoid complacency and be hammering home the message that the best teams don’t take a week off to relax and compliment themselves on how good they are, they drive on and continue to bring their ‘A’ game to the very next fixture. Some rotation may occur with perhaps Nolito and/or Sane gaining a starting berth up front, perhaps Vincent Kompany continuing his gradual rehabilitation to first team football at the back and the restoration of Bravo in goal. The exceptional Fernandinho may not feature following his early departure from the pitch against Barcelona after suffering from one too many of their disappointingly agricultural tackling so this might mean a chance for Fernando to step in. Regis’s professionalism is shining through - having taken on the unfamiliar role of right back against WBA, he delivered a strong showing against Barcelona. Not as versatile as his Brazilian team mate he nonetheless should be able to fit in nicely. After Aleix Garcia’s performance against the Stretford Rangers in the League Cup he might feel that he could feature at some stage as he continues his footballing education and is given the sort of opportunity that youngsters were starved of under Manuel Pellegrini.
But Pep will also know that you can be in danger of disrupting the flow, momentum and confidence in players if you disrupt things too much and with this game being on the cusp of yet another international break :017: he may choose to let the bulk of the team that has regained it’s scoring mojo show that they have learnt this important lesson. No let up. No passengers. Get the job done.
For the visitors we must be aware of the Threat of the Returning Player with Boro of course featuring that previous City favourite Alvaro Negredo….The Beast. I am sure he will get a warm welcome from the City fans but I am sure we can be forgiven if we hope that this weekend he shows the same form that he did for City after suffering the shoulder injury in the League Cup thrashing of West Ham. His prolific form took a bewildering nose dive after that and we have to hope that he isn’t inspired to return to the form which saw him thrive in his first few months in Sky Blue. Elsewhere in the Boro team they feature the dangers of Gaston Ramirez and have the experience of Stewart Downing available. Defensively they will feature ex-Gunner Calum Chambers (I wonder did he get booed on his return to the Emirates?) and between the posts the formidable experience of Victor Valdes.
This week has seen the club take a huge step forward. The beginning of some vindication perhaps of the faith placed in the investment in Pep Guardiola and all that has been done to provide the environment and infrastructure to support the playing squad. Time to consolidate that progress and follow the European victory with a solid and emphatic domestic result.
Come On City!!!
Team News:
Man City:
> Out - Sagna
> Doubtful - Delph; Fernandinho
Middlesbrough:-
> Out - De Roon; Stuani; Ayala
> Doubtful -
Sagna remains sidelined and I am beginning to wonder whether Fabian Delph is actually a fictional character.
For Middlesbrough it seems that The Beast is Back and Negredo will lead the line for them in the absence of their top scorer Stuani.
League Standing & Form:
01 Manchester City P10 W7 D2 L1 GF24 GA09 GD +15 Pts 23 Form WWLDDW
15 Middlesbrough P10 W2 D4 L4 GF09 GA11 GD -02 Pts 10 Form LLDLDW
Overall Form:
Manchester City P18 W12 D3 L3 GF42 GA18
Middlesbrough Albion P11 W2 D4 L5 GF10 GA13
Previous meeting (last 6 matches):
FAC 24/01/15 Man City 0 Middlesbrough 2
FAC 02/01/10 Middlesbrough 0 Man City 1
EPL 07/02/09 Man City 1 Middlesbrough 0
EPL 29/10/08 Middlesbrough 2 Man City 0
EPL 11/05/08 Middlesbrough 8 Man City 1
EPL 07/10/07 Man City 3 Middlesbrough 1
Goals - City 6 Middlesbrough 13
Y Cards - City 10 Middlesbrough 10
R Cards - City 1 Middlesbrough 0
Top scorers (all comps):
Manchester City - Aguero 13; Sterling 5; Nolito 5; Gündogãn 5; Iheanacho 4
Middlesbrough - Stuani 3; Ayala 1; Chambers 1
