Man City 5-1 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[Alan]

Is Alan our new signing to?

My first touch is about as good as Hwang’s!

 

[Jinky]

I’ve been quite surprised by the backlash to Gaz & the comments saying we’d be better without him next season. More so considering they’ve come after a match against that quality of opposition.

Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t particularly set up very well & our game plan was naive at best (just stop trying to play out from the back, please. We can’t do it!), but once again - a completely soft/shit decision puts us behind & after that it could have been anything.

Yes we have more players back, but Hwang & Cunha are a million miles off the pace. Nothing was sticking up top. Neto missing, Dawson missing - two massive players in terms of how we set up. Other players completely flogged (Semedo, Gomes etc couldn’t run at the end).

There have been some alarming moments from Gaz but he’s learning on the job with a patched up squad & has pretty much had to wing it weekly for the last three months.

I’m laughing as I type this because I know it’s absurd, but if Fosun actually put their hand in their pocket this summer, rather than the sheer gross negligence that the squad has suffered for a few years now - and Gaz can get some players that he wants through the door, we’ll be fine next season. I don’t see us being in a “relegation scrap” at all. Of course, we’ve been here before though.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Yep, it seems an odd moment, that being beaten by the likely Champions (away) is the game which seems to change the opinion on GON?

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

 

[Jinky]

View attachment 10311

Look at this still & then remember how we had Lemina sent off for being the third player to jog in the direction of the ref once upon a time?

Even playing field, though.

 

[ROVERT47]

O’Neill definitely has credit in the bank, I don’t think anyone would have excepted us to finish as comfortably as this early last autumn.
Having said that he has to take some responsibility for the mostly crap that’s been served up post Coventry.

 

[sycophantia]

I don't think I've seen us mis control the ball from a first touch that often before, allied to our glacial attempt to pass out from the back meant it seemed like theyd score any time they liked.Of course City are fantastic but we seemed to have no energy, we just rolled over like a subservient puppy. Horrible performance. If GON doesn't sort our defensive play with either different tactics or different personnel we'll be in big trouble next season.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Yep, it seems an odd moment, that being beaten by the likely Champions (away) is the game which seems to change the opinion on GON?

Personally I've not really changed.

- I like the way he speaks
- When everyone is fit I quite like how he has us attacking
- I think he can improve and improve us along the way
- This is the biggest and best job he'll ever get
- We have been bobbins defensively for most of the season
- His subs are routinely rubbish
- We had clear injury issues at the time but he also carries the can for how we played vs Cov (or seeing how awful we were for 30 minutes, not fixing it and watching it play out)

 

[Alan]

I don’t think he’ll take us down, necessarily, but the “he can improve” bit I’m starting to waver on. Hard.

 

[The Bear]

Yep, it seems an odd moment, that being beaten by the likely Champions (away) is the game which seems to change the opinion on GON?

Well the result against them earlier in the season was the exact reverse! From the GON OUT frothing after Ipswich in the cup to... Oh that was a good win.

Not as extreme this time but setting up naively has given people an excuse to stick the boot in while they can I guess. Nothing else to do when the season has petered out to basically nothing.

For me it was a shit result but I really couldn't care less. A game with zero riding on it for us and one they absolutely HAD to win. Ref gives them a bit of help to get going and they get their tails up properly and put us to the sword.

If we start next season in a similar way then maybe I'll start to get worried but right now... nah. Squad has been flogged to death and some are the walking wounded. I'm sure they'd all love to end the season right now.

 

[Del Woppio]

Yep, it seems an odd moment, that being beaten by the likely Champions (away) is the game which seems to change the opinion on GON?

I don't think it's turned any opinions really, it's just a little bit of fuel to fire that's already pretty hot. I don't think anybody on this board would be particularly disappointed if West Ham paid us £3m for him and we ended up with McKenna, Carsley or Carrick never mind the more ambitious options like Potter, Low or Flick

 

[Johnny75]

I don’t think he’ll take us down, necessarily, but the “he can improve” bit I’m starting to waver on. Hard.

I think our 2nd most important signing after a striker is a competent defensive coach to fill in the skills GoN clearly doesn't have in the defensive department.

 

[Alan]

I think our 2nd most important signing after a striker is a competent defensive coach to fill in the skills GoN clearly doesn't have in the defensive department.

Great shout honestly.

 

[Wolftone]

Semedo P.O.S.? .

First penalty was a joke.

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

I’ve heard the term “super fan” used derogatively about some posters on here previously but I’m putting my head above the parapet here.

Those saying that it’s a shit, meaningless end of season game (on here and on social media) aren’t the match going fans I sit with.
It’s easy from your armchair (me today) to say City are great, go easy on GON, we’re threadbare etc, etc but the cost of watching the team week in week on is real. Fans will rightly be pissed off and annoyed at the same mistakes and excuses repeatedly being made. We can’t play out from the back, we lack leadership, have odd match day selections and regularly fragment performances with odd substitutions.
VAR has already ruined the match going experience and setting up like we did today, with the apparent game plan we had isn’t acceptable.
This ‘turning’ against GON isn’t today (and it’s not just GON), it been accumulating for weeks and weeks.
I’m definitely not GON out but as Del Woppio said earlier West Ham coming in might not be the worst thing. I assume if they did that Rob Edwards is a shoe in but he’s suggested alternatives that ‘should’ or could be attainable.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Couple of digs at team selection and subs which I find odd. The team picks itself.

We don’t want Doc to play and I don’t think Santi was fully fit, so someone is playing on their wrong side. That’s the only selection decision he had to make. Same as other games recently, it was Doc or Hugo.

As for subs. He’s not really had and wriggle room there for ages. Today I can only assume Lemina is taken off to make sure he doesn’t get sent off and/or rested. Santi bought on to get the minutes in he could manage and return are back line to something close to what we’d want it to be.

Sarabia and Chirewa on to give the front 2 a rest when the game is done.

Not really sure there’s anything to pick out of that.

 

[Tony Towner]

I’ve heard the term “super fan” used derogatively about some posters on here previously but I’m putting my head above the parapet here.

Those saying that it’s a shit, meaningless end of season game (on here and on social media) aren’t the match going fans I sit with.
It’s easy from your armchair (me today) to say City are great, go easy on GON, we’re threadbare etc, etc but the cost of watching the team week in week on is real. Fans will rightly be pissed off and annoyed at the same mistakes and excuses repeatedly being made. We can’t play out from the back, we lack leadership, have odd match day selections and regularly fragment performances with odd substitutions.
VAR has already ruined the match going experience and setting up like we did today, with the apparent game plan we had isn’t acceptable.
This ‘turning’ against GON isn’t today (and it’s not just GON), it been accumulating for weeks and weeks.
I’m definitely not GON out but as Del Woppio said earlier West Ham coming in might not be the worst thing. I assume if they did that Rob Edwards is a shoe in but he’s suggested alternatives that ‘should’ or could be attainable.

I don't disagree with your points, but I'm not sure that is the view of the average match going fan. We saw with Lage that there was a lot more, imo misplaced, patience with him than in social media land and the video I posted earlier from Judah be it a very small sample size doesn't reflect those feelings either. I don't think GON is under any real pressure from the game attending fanbase.

Even with Fosun it was only directed at Sellars In one game, the wrong over promoted patsy of a target.

 

[Woburn Wolf]

I think our 2nd most important signing after a striker is a competent defensive coach to fill in the skills GoN clearly doesn't have in the defensive department.

We also need defenders that know how to defend. Dawson being out has really shown up the other centre backs frailties.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

My concern for next season is we keep making the same mistakes and at some point the manager has to realise that the players he has can’t play the way he is askig them to. Sa, Kilman and Toti are just not good enough to do it so are we going to replace them as well as replacing and other players we sell and bringing in a few bodies to avoid having a bench half full of youth players. Playing out from the back aside our defence is frequently a shambles without Dawson.

This season we looked great mid-season when Hwang was scoring and Neto and Cunha were on fire. If they, or their replacements, don’t replicate that form it’s hard to see us as high up the league next season. Doing the double over Spurs and Chelsea is beginning to look a long time ago given our form since February.

 

[sycophantia]

My concern for next season is we keep making the same mistakes and at some point the manager has to realise that the players he has can’t play the way he is askig them to. Sa, Kilman and Toti are just not good enough to do it so are we going to replace them as well as replacing and other players we sell and bringing in a few bodies to avoid having a bench half full of youth players. Playing out from the back aside our defence is frequently a shambles without Dawson.

This season we looked great mid-season when Hwang was scoring and Neto and Cunha were on fire. If they, or their replacements, don’t replicate that form it’s hard to see us as high up the league next season. Doing the double over Spurs and Chelsea is beginning to look a long time ago given our form since February.

I agree with this for the most part but also when Dawson is playing we're hardly water tight at the back, still let in too many poor goals.
As you say our forwards during the purple patch covered over some cracks. Also I don't think Lemina and Gomes (while still being 2 of our best players) have quite been the tackling monsters of the first half of the season probably just due to wear and tear.
We definitely need some better defenders but also GON needs to find a way of making us more solid at the back without neutering our forward play.