This season we have the luxury of being one of the big boys in this division. Our Premier League status last season helps with recruiting better players and has a psychological effect on the opposition, who in some cases have arguably paid us more respect than our form deserved. If we don't manage promotion there will be three bigger boys next season (in terms of most recent Prem. experience). We will have to work harder to attract players who may no longer feel we're amongst the favourites to go up. The opposition will also know more about us and will be more prepared. Add to that the likelihood of losing some of our best players who have been prepared to stick around after relegation in the hope we bounce straight back up. My point is even at this early stage in the season City have to be ruthless in every match. We need the points now and forget this notion that we can just gradually wait to find our 'A' game and then gallop to promotion. The battling performance at Forest was a positive sign, but the two points dropped to Rhodes' last minute equaliser could be crucial at the business end of the season when the penny drops and teams realise they have to scrap for every point. So while I appreciate we're in a decent position, City need to exploit the respect we currently get and grab the top spot asap and then focus on building up as big a gap as possible.
Naturally, it’s easier said than done, but I completely agree – we need to set the scene in this division and we have more than the means to do it. Matches were we seek a point away from home should be few and far between this season. Of course, we’ll lose some, but let’s change the mindset and start to act like champions. Brad Rial writes in today’s HDM, that ‘nothing but promotion will do this season’ and he’s right. We’re no longer the plucky underdogs in this division.
Completely agree with this and the best way to do it is go and attack teams home and away. Just from looking at the lineup Forest was a good start. Hopefully we'll carry on with teams like that and not regress back to playing with 9 defenders.
it always takes time for teams to gel. it should come and does need to, preferably sooner rather than later. the three bigger boys you mention won't always have enough to challenge for promotion - look at wigan, fulham, bolton, blackburn, blackpool (admittedly a more exceptional case).
We need to start knocking a few goals in early! I know it sounds obvious! But I mean we need to stop this 1-0 malarkey, when it's 1-0 a team has nothing to lose in the last 20 minutes by slinging everything at us.
I hate how we seem to sit deep in the last 20 mins defending a 1-0 lead. Go for the throat, squad we have on paper should really be beating some of the teams in this division by 3,4 goals.
City had a similar number of effortss on goal as Forest last week. They had a lot off target, and that's where the statos will say they were the better side or we were lucky to win. The difference we scored & defended better than them. Thought we created some decent chances- a couple of headers we could've done better with, a shocking penalty & we hit the woodwork. That's before the goal. I expected them to come at us in the second half. We might have a premier league players, but the championship has got a lot better over the years. We might have the better players, but it's not a massive gulf in class. Our defence is one of our assetts this season, but all sides will have shots on goal. You can't prevent everything.
1-0 or 5-4. As long as Hull City win I don't care what the score is. Kevin Keegan had this gung-ho attitude @ Newcastle and they won nowt. 1-0 to the Arsenal under George Graham did have its good points.
He won the title in the second tier and finished second in the Premier League, I'd take that to be honest.
We need to start playing from the off. It seems like we need a good 20 minutes to limber up and understand that there's a game on.
I think that. We have this poster called 'greengrocer' here who seems to think we are much smaller than some teams in this division, and says that me, you or others who think we aren't are talking out our arses, in his words.
Recent history, players and the general profile of the club has definitely risen. It's funny that you didn't defend your position in this thread at all. It was up to me to actually bring up your opinion.
So why did you put threat? Can't you spell? You're right it's a thread and everyone can have their own opinions! So when i say that "we're not a big club" then that's my opinion! I define a big club by cups won & average attendances over a long period! But it doesn't mean I think we're a small club! We've got arguably the best team in the division so we should be doing well!
