Midfield's looking a little better this season... - TalkSoccer

uptoeleven · 26-07-2003, 10:43 PM

Hmmm... Tiatto or SWP on the left, Bosvelt and Barton in the middle, Berkovic or Sinclair on the right... looks like we finally have a midfield with a little back-bone.

Thinking back to the premiership season under Joe "Dogs of War" Royle, looks like our midfield will actually exist

MUFC · 26-07-2003, 10:46 PM

The seniors are ready this year, can you beat the drop

uptoeleven · 26-07-2003, 10:52 PM

Can you beat us this year?

I hardly worry about relegation. Not when we're in the same division as Wolves, Portsmouth, Leeds, Leicsester, Tottenham (god they were awful), Bolton, Birmingham City, Fulham...

But can we improve on 9th?

Well I predicted 73 points this season and everyone thought I was nuts. I predicted 53 last season and we got 51...

73 points would put us in the top 4 which would be insane - even I recognize that. Still that's my prediction and I will take being proven wrong in good spirit.

By the way I think you will beat us this year. But I don't think we'll lose so badly to Leeds, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea... So we'll see what happens.

MUFC · 26-07-2003, 10:56 PM

Well it has taken you lot quite a long time to beat us but we will be up for it next year and cant wait to hear the silence in your new ground. :mrgreen:

To be fair i can see you going up a few steps this year, just need to get two defenders imo and you could get into the uefa spots

uptoeleven · 26-07-2003, 11:12 PM

To be fair it's been an AWFUL long time since we were anywhere NEAR as good as we are now. We really don't look like Manchester City any more. Inventive, exciting, mystifying... actually they still do frustrating quite well so not everything has changed...

Tarnat on the left is a good left back. Saw him in the friendly against Feyenoord and he was effective. Distin is a great CB and I would like to see him partner Mettomo (Cameroon) at CB with Sommeil at RB.

Unfortunately Keegan has fallen out with Mettomo so it will be Distin and Sommeil at CB and probably Jihai Sun or even Shaun Wright Phillips (please no he's not big enough) or Richard Dunne (please no he's too big and too slow) at RB...

And it could all be so good...

MUFC · 26-07-2003, 11:16 PM

A lot of experience in the team now too, why did benarbia leave?

ha:

uptoeleven · 26-07-2003, 11:21 PM

Do you want the official version or the unofficial version?

The official version is he realised that he wasn't up to Premiership standard and has retired from the premiership to go and play in the Qatar League of has-beens.

The unofficial version is that he was asked to leave when we realised that we shouldn't have extended the contract in the first place. He was told that it would be referred to as retirement and in exchange for terminating his contract he would receive a single, lump sum to pay off his contract. He probably had to sign a compromise agreement too. The whole thing was done amicably and he's off to make a few bob in the Middle East.

MUFC · 26-07-2003, 11:24 PM

Interesting, i do think he wasnt up to the premiership. He may have been a couple of years ago but his legs have caught up now and he will get a few quid in Qatar.

Also was a ciddy favourite, must have been a shock hearing it of the blue.

uptoeleven · 26-07-2003, 11:27 PM

He would've made a super sub. He ran riot against Newcastle at the beginning of the season, made their midfield look like it wasn't there. He's had a few shocking games too.

He needs replacing and yes it was a little disconcerting to hear out of the blue but I was relieved as I thought he was probably not consistent enough...

MUFC · 26-07-2003, 11:31 PM

To be honest, anyone can run riot to the barcodes defence and midfield. I cant believe they were title challengers, they do not have the same quality as us or arsenal.

Is Sinclair the buy of the summer or david seaman

Woody Blue · 27-07-2003, 10:33 AM

Hi, I'm Woody, and I'm a City fan. Very happy with the Sinclair signing and also that of a determined midfielder in Bosvelt. Seaman I think was probably the only keeper that could've replaced Schmeichel, such is his presence, all be it only for the short term (while Ellegard keeps improving and Weaver regains full fitness, who knows how long that'll take!) I can't help thinking though that either a right back needs to be bought, or we move Sommeil to right back and play Bischoff or Mettomo, if neither of them fit the bill, thren purchase a big centre half.

uptoeleven · 27-07-2003, 05:20 PM

Dunne's a big centre-half - and at centre half he is very good. We keep playing him as a fullback cos we already have 2 decent centre halves but Sommeil could go to fullback.

trunky · 28-07-2003, 06:10 PM

sommeil and distin looked good together last year so they should stay together.tiatto at left back and sun at right would be ok i suppose but id like us to get a quality right back and use sun as cover

no-no-yo-yo · 12-08-2003, 07:50 PM

[quote="Woody Blue"] . Seaman I think was probably the only keeper that could've replaced Schmeichel

Disagree Woody, Schmeical was an out and out red and I'd rather have bought Nigel Gelghorn back or stuck that woman with the bell in nets than see him on the team sheet. Pulling up 2 mins from the kick off at OT? W******
Happy with Big Dave tho and Sinclair looks the business

Woody Blue · 13-08-2003, 05:54 PM

Fair enough he was a dirty ex-rag, but you cannot fault what he is actually paid for and that's being a top class keeper, which he was for us last season. He was also an excellent organiser and he takes some replacing. Like him or loathe him, he was an important player for us last year!