At the start of the closed season it was muted in here that we had two 
problem areas.  Firstly right-wing which was the biggest issue and 
secondly left-back, with the possible requirement of an additional 
striker required if we let go some of the under-performing ones.

We change Manager and the new manager must be judged on the signings he 
brings in and the way the season goes.  The press have confirmed, Mark 
Hughes has confirmed, the club have confirmed that their is plenty of 
money available if the right players are found.

Therefore the right winger,

Jo - Nope he is a striker.
Ben Haim - Even though for the first six months of last season we had 
the tightest defence in the league and only through serious injuries 
did this lapse we buy a central defender.  Not a left-back which is the 
problem area.
Kompany - Another young promising centre-back, again not a left back.

Centre backs and right backs:  Onouha, Richards, Dunne, Corluka, Ben 
Haim, 5 very good players vying for three spots with Kompany making 
six.

Where is our right winger.

We play FC Mil : We played Ben Haim as a left back, a more right-footed 
player I have yet to see.  Play the players not the system.  If we have 
3 centre-backs on the pitch go 3 at the back.

We play Aston Villa : We play Elano as a striker, last season he played 
as right back and is actaully a midfielder.

The gaps we have are not being plugged and none of the above three 
signings would I really have a problem with on their own.  Mark Hughes 
must be judged on what he does and upto now with no right winger coming 
in I have yet to see anything positive I can take away from his first 
few months in charge.  He might have held on to Corluka and Ireland 
although by all accounts Corluka made that decision not him but 
strengthening the real problem areas.  He has not yet acheived 
anything.

-- 
www.fowp.org -  Support your local community park.

I pretty much agree with all of that. MH has made good signings, but none 
address the balance issues that he himself first highlighted when he joined 
City. Indeed, his pursuit of Santa Cruz would have made the striker glut 
worse and the addition of one centre back (assuming Corluka goes) seems 
unnecessary. This is doubly baffling if money is tight, which it must now 
be, given that Frank is on the run.

But as for MH's overall performance, it's early days yet. I thought that 
Martin O'Neil made little impact in his first season at Villa, but there's 
no doubt that they're an excellent side now. You have to give a manager time 
and resources, and if MH is given those then I have no doubt he will 
succeed, but maybe not this year.

"The Web-Editor"  wrote in message 
news:mn.b27a7d88ecb2bd06.71978@no-spam.freightaid.co.uk...
> At the start of the closed season it was muted in here that we had two 
> problem areas.  Firstly right-wing which was the biggest issue and 
> secondly left-back, with the possible requirement of an additional striker 
> required if we let go some of the under-performing ones.
>
> We change Manager and the new manager must be judged on the signings he 
> brings in and the way the season goes.  The press have confirmed, Mark 
> Hughes has confirmed, the club have confirmed that their is plenty of 
> money available if the right players are found.
>
> Therefore the right winger,

Maybe we just need to feed Vladimir Weiss some Weight Gain 4000.  Beefcake 
BEEFCAAAAKE!

>
> Jo - Nope he is a striker.

Somehow, I managed to miss the first 15 minutes when he must have done 
really well since the commentators were giving him plenty plaudits when I'd 
not seen that much to be super chuffed about.  Worse than that, I managed to 
think he was being substituted at about 70 mins so I just went back to work 
and missed his second goal.

Was reasonably impressed but not blown away.  Good points - strong, really 
hard working, good eye for a pass, knows when to pass and when to shoot, 
first goal was harder than it looked and he took it well like a striker 
who's got instinct.  Bad - thought he hid a little bit, not sure he's got 
enough pace.

It is a bit worrying that we're looking for strikers and central defenders. 
Strikers because, though crocked, we have about 53 of them, and central 
defenders because again, we have good ones with cover.  The gaps and 
imbalances are very obvious and can be seen by everyone, including I suspect 
MH.  Maybe it's just harder to find decent players in those positions. 
Maybe people know we're desperate and hike up the price?

+mrcakey

"The Web-Editor"  wrote in message 
news:mn.b27a7d88ecb2bd06.71978@no-spam.freightaid.co.uk...
> At the start of the closed season it was muted in here that we had two 
> problem areas.  Firstly right-wing which was the biggest issue and 
> secondly left-back, with the possible requirement of an additional striker 
> required if we let go some of the under-performing ones.
>
> We change Manager and the new manager must be judged on the signings he 
> brings in and the way the season goes.  The press have confirmed, Mark 
> Hughes has confirmed, the club have confirmed that their is plenty of 
> money available if the right players are found.
>
> Therefore the right winger,
>
> Jo - Nope he is a striker.
> Ben Haim - Even though for the first six months of last season we had the 
> tightest defence in the league and only through serious injuries did this 
> lapse we buy a central defender.  Not a left-back which is the problem 
> area.
> Kompany - Another young promising centre-back, again not a left back.
>
> Centre backs and right backs:  Onouha, Richards, Dunne, Corluka, Ben Haim, 
> 5 very good players vying for three spots with Kompany making six.
>
> Where is our right winger.
>
> We play FC Mil : We played Ben Haim as a left back, a more right-footed 
> player I have yet to see.  Play the players not the system.  If we have 3 
> centre-backs on the pitch go 3 at the back.
>
> We play Aston Villa : We play Elano as a striker, last season he played as 
> right back and is actaully a midfielder.
>
> The gaps we have are not being plugged and none of the above three 
> signings would I really have a problem with on their own.  Mark Hughes 
> must be judged on what he does and upto now with no right winger coming in 
> I have yet to see anything positive I can take away from his first few 
> months in charge.  He might have held on to Corluka and Ireland although 
> by all accounts Corluka made that decision not him but strengthening the 
> real problem areas.  He has not yet acheived anything.
>
> -- 
> www.fowp.org -  Support your local community park.
>
Kompany plays better as a holding midfielder (according to my colleague 
Horst who is a Hamburg SV fan and a bit cross today).

City have also put in bids for Diego Milito (another forward) and Thiago 
Neves (a right sided midfielder)

Henry Crun laid this down on his screen :
> "The Web-Editor"  wrote in message 
> news:mn.b27a7d88ecb2bd06.71978@no-spam.freightaid.co.uk...
>> At the start of the closed season it was muted in here that we had two 
>> problem areas.  Firstly right-wing which was the biggest issue and secondly 
>> left-back, with the possible requirement of an additional striker required 
>> if we let go some of the under-performing ones.
>>
>> We change Manager and the new manager must be judged on the signings he 
>> brings in and the way the season goes.  The press have confirmed, Mark 
>> Hughes has confirmed, the club have confirmed that their is plenty of money 
>> available if the right players are found.
>>
>> Therefore the right winger,
>>
>> Jo - Nope he is a striker.
>> Ben Haim - Even though for the first six months of last season we had the 
>> tightest defence in the league and only through serious injuries did this 
>> lapse we buy a central defender.  Not a left-back which is the problem 
>> area.
>> Kompany - Another young promising centre-back, again not a left back.
>>
>> Centre backs and right backs:  Onouha, Richards, Dunne, Corluka, Ben Haim, 
>> 5 very good players vying for three spots with Kompany making six.
>>
>> Where is our right winger.
>>
>> We play FC Mil : We played Ben Haim as a left back, a more right-footed 
>> player I have yet to see.  Play the players not the system.  If we have 3 
>> centre-backs on the pitch go 3 at the back.
>>
>> We play Aston Villa : We play Elano as a striker, last season he played as 
>> right back and is actaully a midfielder.
>>
>> The gaps we have are not being plugged and none of the above three signings 
>> would I really have a problem with on their own.  Mark Hughes must be 
>> judged on what he does and upto now with no right winger coming in I have 
>> yet to see anything positive I can take away from his first few months in 
>> charge.  He might have held on to Corluka and Ireland although by all 
>> accounts Corluka made that decision not him but strengthening the real 
>> problem areas.  He has not yet acheived anything.
>>
>> -- www.fowp.org -  Support your local community park.
>>
> Kompany plays better as a holding midfielder (according to my colleague Horst 
> who is a Hamburg SV fan and a bit cross today).
>
> City have also put in bids for Diego Milito (another forward) and Thiago 
> Neves (a right sided midfielder)

According to Wikipedia Neves is a Left winger and on you-tube he is 
very left footed?  Not sure why we are looking at back-up for Petrov 
with a glaring hole on the other side of the pitch.  I don't buy the 
there are no players available in the whole of Europe for the right 
wing.

-- 
www.fowp.org -  Support your local community park.

Just listening to the MCFC podcast, Andy Hinchcliffe was talking about 
having to sell Micah to fund the purchase of other players. I really hope 
that's not true, I thought we'd gone past being a feeder club for the big 4, 
but that offers an alternative explanation to the signings of Kompany and 
Ben Haim.

Anyone read this?!!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/7578022.stm

We've got a proper fugitive in charge.  How exciting.  City would make a 
great film one day.

+mrcakey

"+mrcakey"  wrote in message 
news:g8ogq9$v98$1@news.albasani.net...
> Anyone read this?!!!!
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/7578022.stm
>
> We've got a proper fugitive in charge.  How exciting.  City would make a 
> great film one day.

Exciting stuff!  At Villa some of the City fans were singing "We're on the 
run, with Sinatra!"

Can't quite get my head round that "fears for his safety" stuff inside the 
stadium, but what do I know.

Pity if he resigns. He's a good businessman and I thought the one good thing 
about him giving up on the Thai politics thing would be that he could put 
all his energy into the club.

"The Web-Editor"  wrote in message 
news:mn.b3db7d8821d75582.71978@no-spam.freightaid.co.uk...
> Henry Crun laid this down on his screen :
>> "The Web-Editor"  wrote in message 
>> news:mn.b27a7d88ecb2bd06.71978@no-spam.freightaid.co.uk...
>>> At the start of the closed season it was muted in here that we had two 
>>> problem areas.  Firstly right-wing which was the biggest issue and 
>>> secondly left-back, with the possible requirement of an additional 
>>> striker required if we let go some of the under-performing ones.
>>>
>>> We change Manager and the new manager must be judged on the signings he 
>>> brings in and the way the season goes.  The press have confirmed, Mark 
>>> Hughes has confirmed, the club have confirmed that their is plenty of 
>>> money available if the right players are found.
>>>
>>> Therefore the right winger,
>>>
>>> Jo - Nope he is a striker.
>>> Ben Haim - Even though for the first six months of last season we had 
>>> the tightest defence in the league and only through serious injuries did 
>>> this lapse we buy a central defender.  Not a left-back which is the 
>>> problem area.
>>> Kompany - Another young promising centre-back, again not a left back.
>>>
>>> Centre backs and right backs:  Onouha, Richards, Dunne, Corluka, Ben 
>>> Haim, 5 very good players vying for three spots with Kompany making six.
>>>
>>> Where is our right winger.
>>>
>>> We play FC Mil : We played Ben Haim as a left back, a more right-footed 
>>> player I have yet to see.  Play the players not the system.  If we have 
>>> 3 centre-backs on the pitch go 3 at the back.
>>>
>>> We play Aston Villa : We play Elano as a striker, last season he played 
>>> as right back and is actaully a midfielder.
>>>
>>> The gaps we have are not being plugged and none of the above three 
>>> signings would I really have a problem with on their own.  Mark Hughes 
>>> must be judged on what he does and upto now with no right winger coming 
>>> in I have yet to see anything positive I can take away from his first 
>>> few months in charge.  He might have held on to Corluka and Ireland 
>>> although by all accounts Corluka made that decision not him but 
>>> strengthening the real problem areas.  He has not yet acheived anything.
>>>
>>> -- www.fowp.org -  Support your local community park.
>>>
>> Kompany plays better as a holding midfielder (according to my colleague 
>> Horst who is a Hamburg SV fan and a bit cross today).
>>
>> City have also put in bids for Diego Milito (another forward) and Thiago 
>> Neves (a right sided midfielder)
>
> According to Wikipedia Neves is a Left winger and on you-tube he is very 
> left footed?  Not sure why we are looking at back-up for Petrov with a 
> glaring hole on the other side of the pitch.  I don't buy the there are no 
> players available in the whole of Europe for the right wing.
>
Liverpool are trying to buy Albert Riera for an asking price of £10m. I 
don't remember him being that good when he came on loan to us.

"+mrcakey"  wrote in message 
news:g8ogq9$v98$1@news.albasani.net...
> Anyone read this?!!!!
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/7578022.stm
>
> We've got a proper fugitive in charge.  How exciting.  City would make a 
> great film one day.
>
> +mrcakey
I keep telling them it's the one-armed man but no one will listen

"+mrcakey"  wrote in message 
news:g8ogq9$v98$1@news.albasani.net...
> Anyone read this?!!!!
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/7578022.stm
>
> We've got a proper fugitive in charge.  How exciting.  City would make a 
> great film one day.
>
> +mrcakey
At least he's prepared to acknowledge that his presence could be detrimental 
and is prepared to do "the right" thing...unlike some of our lords and 
masters who keep losing our personal  and other confidential data and take 
no responsibility whatsoever.