Man City 3-1 Everton - Saturday 15th December, 2018

[RandoEFC+]

This is just depressing. Disagree with the commentator on why we're still trying to play the ball out against these. No point trying to get better at that type of football if it goes out of the window in favour of some brand of hoof ball. We are correct to prioritise developing our game for the long term than to be slightly more pragmatic for a one off game that we'll probably lose either way or improbably pick up one point that will almost definitely make no difference to our final league position anyway.

Pickford with the second best performance by an Everton keeper away at City in the last three years, not bad.

[Honey Honey]

1 minute ago, Bluewolf said:

What, you think he had a Wenger moment?? 

Not quite. Wenger never gives up. As Arsenal fans know too well.

[LFCMike]

Pickford made some good saves in that half but he's really poor for the goal

[Stan]

2-0!

Jesus again. Good cross from Sane. Should be defended better though. How he gets a free header in between two centre backs is poor defending. 

[RandoEFC+]

Cunts. Absolute odious club.

[Cicero]

Just now, Cannabis said:

Brilliant cross and movement from Jesus, nothing the defence could have done really. 2-0 and game over probably.

Woah, what? What was Mina actually doing there? 

[RandoEFC+]

Goal! Calvert-Lewin!

[Stan]

Ooh Everton back in to it! Good header by Calvert-Lewin. 

[Stan]

another free header. This time from Sterling. 

[Cicero]

Two 6 foot defenders getting beat by 5'4 attackers in headers 

Pathetic 

[God is Haaland]

That was a great goal by Everton. They moved all the way up the pitch from their own box with great combinations. City defended well, Everton was always a little quicker.

[RandoEFC+]

That was nice while it lasted. Had to be that Manc cunt though didn't it.

Solid marking from us defence has completely lost its shape. Starting with a back three for the first time this season and now having Zouma right back has been a failed experiment all round.

[Stan]

Richarlison. Poor again. Gotta be hitting the target. 

[Cicero]

Digne reminds me if Azpilicueta 

[Stan]

1 minute ago, Cannabis said:

Commentators wanking over "the week Sterling has had" as soon as he scores. Cringe.

Eh? How on earth is it cringe? 

[RandoEFC+]

Walcott . How are he and Bernard still routinely starting ahead of Ademola?

[Stan]

4 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

Just couldn't wait to get in there with it, how is it even relevant? Proper snowflake behaviour.

It's a current hot topic. It's obviously relevant considering he's the player that's been involved in what happened last Saturday. How do you not see that ?! 

[Cicero]

Id say City are lucky they are 3-1 up. Just been more clinical than Everton who have had great chances 

[Stan]

2 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

Mentioning it seconds after he scored screams that's it pre-planned and that the commentator couldn't wait to get onto the bandwagon. No mention of it being a good header, poor defending or the fact that he'd just come on as a sub - straight to the "controversy". Laughable.

Gonna happen with any kind of hot topic though. It's what gets the people talking and perhaps even more this week given how much traction it's had in the news anyway. 

[Stan]

That is embarrassing from Mina. First the dive then the fake headbutt

 

[RandoEFC+]

3 minutes ago, Stan said:

Gonna happen with any kind of hot topic though. It's what gets the people talking and perhaps even more this week given how much traction it's had in the news anyway. 

Nothing wrong with criticising the predictable Sky Sports leap to the gossip column instead of commenting on the actual football. It's another symptom of the Premier League being the best soap opera in the world isn't it.

5 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Id say City are lucky they are 3-1 up. Just been more clinical than Everton who have had great chances 

Arguably. We've given them something to think about the last 15 minutes but don't forget the first half where they were molesting us and Pickford had to make about 3 important saves.

Not upset with our performance here. Mina and Richarlison are the only ones who you'd say have been pretty poor.

[RandoEFC+]

Another goal saving intervention from Pickford there. Can't wait for the post match analysis though on how much he was at fault for the third City goal because he kicked long instead of bowling the ball out to the full back 7 minutes earlier, and no mention of any of his saves. The life of being England first choice goalkeeper isn't it.

[RandoEFC+]

Love our fans. Quick scroll through Twitter and Mina is ready shite and needs to be dropped because he's had a wobbly performance or two 5 minutes into his Everton career. Pickford apparently should have come and claimed the cross for their third goal . Richarlison best not miss any more chances this season or he'll start getting the Barkley treatment from the Goodison 'faithful' too.

City have better players than us in every single position. Andre Gomes is the only player we've got who'd get anywhere near their team. Perhaps Digne but only because Delph still isn't a left back and Mendy is injured.

I hate losing but unless Silva and Brands manage to improve the squad every transfer window for several years in a row and turn us into something resembling top 4-6 contenders, which is a big enough ask in itself, days like today aren't the days to judge the team unless we really do get embarrassed 5-0 or something.

We're having a dip in form, but overall heading in the right direction in the football we're playing and the players we're bedding into the side. This season doesn't really matter results wise, though I would like us to see throw all our resources to try and win the FA Cup. Otherwise keep developing the style of play and give some more time to Lookman, Calvert-Lewin, Davies, Holgate and Kenny so we can find out whether they are likely to become long term options in the first team squad or not.

[Stan]

Just now, Cannabis said:

Sky Sports is honestly so embarrassing now. Imagine having Joleon Lescott, Alex Scott and Craig Bellamy as your pundits . Used to be proper class in the Keys/Gray days but those are a distant memory. 

Decent game from the lads, City and their corruption are always hard to beat at home. That's what happens when you launder money through the Middle East and are backed by oil states.

Where does Moshiri get his money from? (Genuine question, I have no idea).

[RandoEFC+]

13 minutes ago, Stan said:

Where does Moshiri get his money from? (Genuine question, I have no idea).

Business, which is probably also dodgy in enough ways. I think if we're honest with ourselves basically all Premier League clubs have done a deal with the devil in some shape or form, some worse than others obviously. Most clubs profit from some sort of foreign investment that fast tracks their progression whilst indulging either the advertising needs, personal whims, or let's be honest, underhand financial requirements of foreign investors.

The Manchester City case is much worse though. I think most people want to like them, because their fans haven't had it easy over the years, because most people at least dislike Manchester United for either their shithousery against their own club over the years or simple envy, and City knocked them off the top in their own back yard, because they have the poster boy manager and the pretty football. However, all of this is a mere distraction from the dirty nature of what they're doing which is essentially clever money laundering and delivering positive propaganda for the Middle Eastern regime with questionable human rights backing them. The whole thing is a smokescreen at the end of the day but they're not stupid with how they dress it up. As football fans it's very easy to turn on, watch the football, enjoy the fast attacking play and just take it on face value and go about your day.

PSG get an awful lot of grief for some of the things I've mentioned because the Qataris have been a bit less smart in their presentation of the project, but Man City are just as bad. They just don't look as bad because people refer to it as "oil rich clubs like Chelsea and City" in England, which leads to Chelsea sharing the blame, sometimes more than half of it because they came first, when in actual fact Man City are the Abramovich model turned up by 500%.

The final factor is the point that City were the last ones to get their revolution over the line before financial fair play scared clubs like Everton, West Ham or Leicester, even Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs from being able to buy success to the same extent and if you think about how unfair that is it's actually surprising how little ill feeling there is towards Manchester City which again underlines how good their PR machine is to maintain a positive public persona in football.

It's ugly, cynical stuff at the end of the day and I think part of the reason it's not discussed that much is that most of us just don't like to think about it.