Man City vs West Ham | PL | 20.12.25 | Predictions & Match Thread

[stubbo-admin]

I'll stick up all the usual match content a bit later, but thought I'd get the thread up:

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This weekend brings what has been in recent times arguably the most daunting match of the season 

Away at the ever fluent, ball-dominating Manchester City...a club that in previous times we had much in common with and a certain kindred spirit, but that in more modern times merely emphasise the difference that getting owners of means with a true desire for sporting success versus barrow merchants with no interest in the Club beyond buying it cheap, taking advantage of circumstance, and like house prices....doing just enough to keep it viable while watching the market trend see it's value appreciate.

We go into this game notably affected by the departure of two largely ever presents to AFCON.

AWB and Diouf are off in search of glory at the International stage. Füllkrug is unlikely to be risked with a move to AC Milan (!) seemingly on the agenda, and with January feeling as far away as ever our lightweight squad and it's meagre offerings take in one of the juggernauts of the North.

Predicted Line-up:

All eyes will be on the full-back slots, as well as if Nuno reverts to a 3 at the back.  Scarles is fit again.

Areola

Mavropanos   Kilman.  Todibo

KWP.     Magassa.  Fernandes.     Scarles

Paqueta

Bowen (c).    Summerville

Subs: Hermansen, Igor, Myers, Rodriguez, Soucek, Potts, Wilson, Earthy, Irving

Predicted Result:

Man City: 4 - 0 :West Ham

Can't see anything but a heavy defeat in this one after too much PTSD with the Sky Blues. Expect Haaland to run amok as usual.

Hope for the best. Expect the worst. But a 1-0 defeat would feel like a win.

COYI.

 

[Massive Attack]

Summerville keeps getting himself offside needlessly in their final third when we do rarely have the ball in their half. Useless wanker.

[ragingbull]

2 shots in succession we got them on the rack.

[claret on my shirt]

Great ball from Paqueta, but let's blame him anyway!

[Sir Alf]

Bowen has to put that away !!!!

Were not clinical enough 

[Takashi Miike]

The manager is a factor but by no means the main one. Anyone who thinks changing manager is all it needs is thinking in one dimension. The team out there is aside from perhaps Kilman and our AFCON players, about the best we got.  Harsh truths. We have lost to Pool, Arsenal, Villa and City snce Nuno changed the midfield.  Our season is about how we deal with the teams outside the top 6 starting next week and about a Jan window not being the ysual clusterfvck by Sullivan

 

 

of course its the fucking manager. it's all about mentality, and intent. he's given up before we leave the dressing room, and all he intends to do is minimise the margin of defeat. why else would you direct your team to constantly sit back? I wouldn't blame the players collectively to have had enough of this continual negative approach. manager after manager of this defeatist shit, yet you've still idiots giving them a pass. "he deserves his transfer window"

[Sir Alf]

Kilman strikes sgain.  Too slow again 

[Sir Alf]

YESSSS WE HAD A SHOT 

[Mex Martillo]

At fault for the first has to be the CBs, the only City player near the centre of the box was Haaland and Kilman and Todibo were either side of him. How the hell did they let him shot twice? It was totally incompetent.

[Come On You Irons]

The manager is a factor but by no means the main one. Anyone who thinks changing manager is all it needs is thinking in one dimension. The team out there is aside from perhaps Kilman and our AFCON players, about the best we got.  Harsh truths. We have lost to Pool, Arsenal, Villa and City snce Nuno changed the midfield.  Our season is about how we deal with the teams outside the top 6 starting next week and about a Jan window not being the ysual clusterfvck by Sullivan

 

 

We also lost to Brentford and Leeds and drew with Bournemouth and Brighton throwing away leads since he came in.

I don't think anyone is suggesting the problems are all down to the current manager, but he was appointed to make us better and yet he had made us worse results wise.

As I previously stated, I would set him an ultimatum that he needs to win at least one of the post-Christmas Fulham or Brighton games. If he doesn't I would give him the bullet before New Year. The buck stops with the manager ultimately.

[Sir Alf]

Its not all Paquetas fault of course but he doesnt work hard enough some games imo

 

[fraser]

The manager is a factor but by no means the main one. Anyone who thinks changing manager is all it needs is thinking in one dimension. The team out there is aside from perhaps Kilman and our AFCON players, about the best we got.  Harsh truths. We have lost to Pool, Arsenal, Villa and City snce Nuno changed the midfield.  Our season is about how we deal with the teams outside the top 6 starting next week and about a Jan window not being the ysual clusterfvck by Sullivan

 

 

Do keep up of course it isn't Nuno it's all Paqueta's fault even though he's been no worse than anyone in the team today 

[honky cat]

Yeah let's have 5 managers in less than 2 seasons.
We're playing one of the best teams in the world. Yes it's poor but he can only work with what he's got which is shit. I expect he is saving Wilson for the next 4 games that are winnable.

 

[Mex Martillo]

One thing that always fucks me off with City and other teams at the top. We get the ball in a good position to attack and they just foul us and take the fault or card. It's plain cheating to ensure we cannot play. Refs should do more about it as they do it every time.

[Sir Alf]

The manager is a factor but by no means the main one. Anyone who thinks changing manager is all it needs is thinking in one dimension. The team out there is aside from perhaps Kilman and our AFCON players, about the best we got.  Harsh truths. We have lost to Pool, Arsenal, Villa and City snce Nuno changed the midfield.  Our season is about how we deal with the teams outside the top 6 starting next week and about a Jan window not being the ysual clusterfvck by Sullivan

[Massive Attack]

I think the anger towards Crapaqueta is more to the fact that he is on the pitch as long as we haven't got a striker. We would still be two nil down without him though. Noone in this team would be missed except Bowen.

 

 

Thing is, we've had a perfectly good enough Steiker available the entire time Nuno's been in charge and he mostly wastes him on the Bench kicking his heels in sheer frustration. He needs to karate kick Nuno in the head just as he's about to board the Coach home. Fucking ridiculous to keep giving him a bit part place like some afterthought. The fella can play and yet he does his level best to ignore him. Dogshit management especially in our current predicament.  

[Keep dreaming]

Two nil without having to run.

If ManC up the tempo, they could easily win 10 nil

[Elpojohn]

They are just trying to avoid getting beaten by a high score,and  that is not the right approuch . With this attitude we are going down.

[Keep dreaming]

I would take Kilman and Paqueta off, and even sell the both on the way back to London.

[Come On You Irons]

An 18.18% win percentage (2/11) will soon become a 16.67% win percentage (2/12).

And yet delusional idiots on here don't want this Portuguese bus parker numpty Nuno sacked. Unbelievable.

 

Yes let’s sack him because it’s really worked for us before.

Moyes
Lopetegui
Potter
Nuno

Have you considered it might not be the manager? Especially one who has yet to bring anyone in

 

 

Each of those is progressively worse than the last. Look at the stats.

So Nuno, statistically the worst manager in our history, should be safe from the bullet because the previous two managers were duds? I won't categorise Moyes in this list.

You're an idiot, as I posted on the Ashes thread.

[fraser]

what has paqueta done wrong? Fernandez was at fault for the 1st and maybe the second, although summerville should have had a free kick

He's done nothing wrong at all but he's playing we're losing therefore it's his fault... 

Read the line above back to yourself and tell me if it makes sense? 

 

 

Perfect sense, I'm agreeing with you he's nothing wrong.. But he's a scapegoat... 

[Full Claret Jacket]

it's a disgusting brand of, I won't call it football. a disgusting brand of sitting back and surrendering

 

 

Its the same brand of football as Moyes. Negative, passive and surrendering the ball. This isnt even a contest. West Ham look like a lower league side. 

[Mex Martillo]

Our CBs are pretty crap. Don't mark, don't stop them getting a shot off. Kilman at fault for both goals.
Potts is excellent, will be an excellent captain, better than Bowen.
Paqueta usual good and very bad.
Summervile, wasteful, get Wilson on for him.
 

[twoleftfeet]

The only tiny piece of good news is that Arsenal are no longer top. 

[Sir Alf]

Cant press quickly enough or get near them. 

Fernandes guilty of trying to pass it out but Kilman had to get a tackle in on hat second goal but was simply too slow. 

They gave Palace a pasting at their place last week and back to their gedt unfortunately we just lack the pace and physicality to cause them any problems

[twoleftfeet]

An 18.18% win percentage (2/11) will soon become a 16.67% win percentage (2/12).

And yet delusional idiots on here don't want this Portuguese bus parker numpty Nuno sacked. Unbelievable.

 

 

Yes let’s sack him because it’s really worked for us before.

Moyes
Lopetegui
Potter
Nuno

Have you considered it might not be the manager? Especially one who has yet to bring anyone in