We've packed our pre-season with Champions League teams to prepare ourselves for these sorts of challenges. If we beat Udinese, then well have a lot of confidence to pull off an upset against City. It seems pretty unlikely, but there is a glimmer of optimism stemming from the way we're playing football (if you were at Ajax or Wolves, you'd know what I mean) and the team ethic that we've always had under Adkins. The new system has made our pressing much more effective and our interplay much more joined-up. Underestimate us at your perill.
I don´t "live in a happy little bubble of rainbows" and I´m not "deluding myself we´ll get a result". I´m just saying that we have a chance, however little it is, like every team does. I´m NOT saying we are going to win or draw, nor am I saying we are going to lose. This is football and in a 90 min match anything can happen. Why say things like "WHEN we lose 4-0"!? We haven´t played them yet, no one knows what is going to happen. We could lose 7-0, we draw 1-1 we could win 1-0, who knows. That is the great thing. ....If saying things like "when we lose 4-0" and "we´ll ship in goals" is a good attitude then whatever. There is chance we could lose 4-0, but there is a chance we can can draw 1-1. If we lose 4-0 then we lose 4-0 and we´ll get over it and move on. But we haven´t played them yet and we start the match at 0-0 so anything can happen.
Yaya Toure is the best all round player on the planet I'm afraid. Not a player on earth with his set of skills.
No, saying things like "when we lose 4-0" and "we´ll ship in goals" is having a ****ing awful attitude. I´m going into the game thinking anything can happen and if we lose 4-0 then we lose 4-0 and we´ll get the **** over it but we haven´t got beat yet.
That is very typical of you. When you don´t know what to say, you just come out with these little immature comments and try to wind people up. Grow up, seriously.
I don't know what to say because you're being stupid. Your whole argument is based around one word - "When" in "when we lose", which I didn't say until after you got offended at my heinous crime of not thinking we're going to win. When your argument is based on such a weak foundation there's nothing I can say
This is the first time I have anyone say Milner is an attacking force for all of our guys, this will be he biggest game of thier careers- forget Wembly, this is playing the English Champions in thier own back yard. For City, it will be a blow out before the real teams come. Our game plan will be to frustrate them and hope to hit on the break. They will have 80% of the game but I saw lots of teams frustrate city last year. They have a good passing team so man marking is crucial, but they lack the winger that can run past 2 or 3 players at speed. If Clyne plays then he has to attack Clichy or Clichy will have him (and especially Richardson) for breakfast
Self-Appointed Umpire of Arguments here (I'll hopefully come up with a better job title soon). I don't think it's so much Dan not knowing what to say, as Dan already having made a valid argument which you haven't really succeeded in countering, so if he were to continue arguing, he would just be repeating himself. As one would expect, he grew weary of being made to repeat himself and therefore resorted to making witty comments about your vagina.
"heinous crime of not thinking we're going to win". lol just shows that you don´t even know what we are debating about. If I had to bet my house on what I thought the result would be, I would bet that we would lose. Who wouldn´t? All I said was that there is a CHANCE that we could get something from the game, and while there is a chance then we can believe. So, considering that you don´t even know what my argument is, you can´t say it is based on "such a weak foundation".
Seeing as your entire post was responding to the word "when", I think it's fair to say that was pretty much your basis unless you think of yourself as master of the subliminal. Of course there's a chance we're going to win, but only because it isn't literally impossible. To see it as a literal impossibility would be factually incorrect. However I fully, wholeheartedly, 100% expect a loss. Use of the word "then" etc is hyperbole (obviously) and I'm sorry if, for whatever reason, you're angered at 99% of Saints fans having "a ****ing awful attitude" because we, a recently promoted team, definitively expect to lose comfortably to the best team in the country. I don't know why that winds you up so much, but each to his own.
I can see Clyne causing problems. Personally, I think Kolarov is quite a bit better than Clichy but if Mancini decides to pick Clichy, then I certainly won't be complaining!
Clichy isn't that good defensively, but he is better going forward than Kolarov, who is better defensively, and has a rocket of a shot on him.
I know you think you sound cool when you say things like "unless you think of yourself as master of the subliminal.", but don´t. It just sounds like you are trying too hard. I´m not "angered at 99% of Saints fans having "a ****ing awful attitude". That´s a lie. That´s something you´ve made up and what you think. I´m talking about 2 saints fans on a Saints forum. No offence but you don´t exactly represent the whole Southampton fan base. I know you think you do, but you don´t. How many times do I have to explain what I mean about "having a ****ing awful attitude"!? Seriously, this is getting boring. One thing is to say "I don´t think we´ll win" or "we´ll probably get beat" and another is saying "we´ll be shipping in goals", "when we lose 4-0". Why would anyone say that about their own team? I would understand if you were talking about Pompey. Where is your belief , faith or pride? I think the "normal" attitude for a Saints fan going into this is "we are going to go to Man City and give it everything we´ve got and give them a godd game, we´ll probably not get anything from it, but we´ll do ourselves justice". not "We are going to be shipping in goals"....If we do get spanked then we´ll worry about that after the game but going into it, we should be a lot more enthusiastic and positive.
Does anyone want to help me out? I'm trying to find what his actual point is but I'm really struggling. Alright, if you say so. I know you think you sound cool when you try to talk down to somebody on the internet, but don't (see that? It's an apostrophe) It just sounds like you're desperate to score a point against me and win the internet. Let me set this out easily. Several fans (more than two, I assume 99% percent because that's a reasonable figure for fans without mental illness) say they fully expect Man City to win. The fans in particular who have done this today have been met by your accusations of having "a ****ing awful attitude". Therefore, you would say to (an assumed) 99% of Saints fans who fully expect Man City to win that they have a "****ing awful attitude". Simple enough? Does everything that has to be said anywhere need to be completely literal? It's hyperbole, it's exaggeration. Of course I know it's not 100% set that we'll lose 4-0 but it's a manner of speech, it's not to be taken completely as fact, don't be a moron. Do you go around criticising everything you read that's spoken as fact? Do you want me to put "IMO, lol" after everything I say just to make it completely evident to people like you that it isn't actually fact? My belief is rational - that Southampton are a good side, but nowhere near as good as Manchester City. My faith is rational - I have faith we'll stay up, though not beat Man City. My pride is rational - I'm very proud that Southampton are a Premier League side and that we'll be getting the opportunity to play Man City. None of belief, faith or pride have to be blinded by bias in thinking we can come away with something. Why should we be a lot more enthusiastic and positive? I'm very enthusiastic and positive for the most part - I'm enthusiastic and excited to play Man City, and positive we'll stay up this season, but not to extreme levels of thinking we'll get something against City!! What are you trying to argue? What are you expecting from this, what do you want me to say? "Okay, I was wrong, I'd now be disappointed with anything other than a three goal winning margin"? Or "There's a possibility, factually, though a very small one, that we won't lose to Man City" - which is something I said earlier, which is factually correct so has no need saying? Seriously, what are you trying to prove? Actually Alan, don't bother responding to that because it's just getting convoluted with you trying to explain things that don't need to be explained and confusing both me and yourself. Answer this simple question - What is "****ing awful" about expecting to lose to the league champions, and why does it matter so much to you?
The game will be won and lost in the midfield. They'll have lots of possession and we'll have to press them hard and limit their chances because they have the quality to make their chances count.
