Who knows, maybe Fabregas and/or Costa can help Torres this season. Just looking on the bright side. 

Who knows, maybe Fabregas and/or Costa can help Torres this season. Just looking on the bright side.

I've been trying that for the whole 500-pages of this bitter thread. Too tired of that anymore. We needed to get rid of him this summer but no. Nice to see City going into the season with Jovetic as their 4th choice striker.

His assists stats have been ok, and he likes to drift wide. Maybe when he plays he needs to go out on the wing. Clutching at straws a bit here, but if he's gonna stay he has to play at least sometimes. I actually think him on the right, schurrle on the left and costa down the middle with hazard and cesc playing just behind may work well. Would leave a lot of defensive responsibility on matic, but he's a beast!!!

Does this make you all feel just a bit more Special, why rehash the same sh*te, it ain't going to improve, unless he does massively, like 30 PL goals this season.....

We need to find out *why* he has failed or it could happen again with Costa. We have form when it comes to removing the goal scoring ability of proven strikers. Sheva, Mutu. More recently, Ba was a right handful at Newcastle, and suddenly became a non entity when he moved here. I suspect Costa will put himself about more, and feed on scraps, but the problem of service to the striker remains. Gerard and Alonso made the striker's job easy

I'd disagree Ba was a non entity, he didn't hit the heights Anelka did with us, but could still find where the goal was when he played.

Mutu is another I would say isn't a failure of our doing either, he was looking like a hell of a buy until....well you know.

I'd disagree Ba was a non entity, he didn't hit the heights Anelka did with us, but could still find where the goal was when he played.

 

Indeed. I wouldn't care so much about Torres falling over all the time if it meant scoring as he did so- like Ba, who always managed to ensure his vertigo delivered the ball into the back of the net. 

500 pages!!

Does this mean he is leaving now?

We need to find out *why* he has failed or it could happen again with Costa. We have form when it comes to removing the goal scoring ability of proven strikers. Sheva, Mutu. More recently, Ba was a right handful at Newcastle, and suddenly became a non entity when he moved here. I suspect Costa will put himself about more, and feed on scraps, but the problem of service to the striker remains. Gerard and Alonso made the striker's job easy

Ba was literally benched out of form by FSW. He scored a brace on his first game for us, then came the consistent and pointless rotation with Torres who was a lame duck all season. After a few weeks of this Ba seemed to lose his mojo. He came here on a hot streak and we broke it. He was never going to be the long term answer, but FSW certainly made that more complicated than it needed to be.

The cocaine may have had more to do with Mutu's failure than our lack of service.

Sheva was simply passed his peak, as was Torres. Sheva because of age, Torres because of being played through injury. Liverpool knew they sold us a crock, he hadn't been himself for them in his last season there either. Both were Roman romance buys and they cost us dearly.

We have a bit of a curse with strikers but I'd rather look at it in the sense that we're due some f**king luck. Costa will be a hit.

I'd disagree Ba was a non entity, he didn't hit the heights Anelka did with us, but could still find where the goal was when he played.

Ba just hit a hattrick in a CL qualifier for Besiktas tonight.

Ba just hit a hattrick in a CL qualifier for Besiktas tonight.

Chelsea curse. Im telling you, watch ba go and get the golden boot this season!! Couldnt score in a barrel of fannies at Chelsea, will end up banging them in like messi abroad

We need to find out *why* he has failed or it could happen again with Costa. We have form when it comes to removing the goal scoring ability of proven strikers. Sheva, Mutu. More recently, Ba was a right handful at Newcastle, and suddenly became a non entity when he moved here. I suspect Costa will put himself about more, and feed on scraps, but the problem of service to the striker remains. Gerard and Alonso made the striker's job easy

Maybe because our midfield over the years has been is so talented that they don't release the ball early enough and would rather hang on to it giving teams time to set up, hence we are generally running into a brick wall when we reach the box..mind you Torres running the wrong way doesn't help.  Fabregas will release the ball earlier which will help both Costa and even poor old Nando if and when he starts.

Maybe because our midfield over the years has been is so talented that they don't release the ball early enough and would rather hang on to it giving teams time to set up, hence we are generally running into a brick wall when we reach the box..mind you Torres running the wrong way doesn't help.  Fabregas will release the ball earlier which will help both Costa and even poor old Nando if and when he starts.

 

This. Not saying the strikers arent also at fault, at times. But this is a huge reason.

Maybe because our midfield over the years has been is so talented that they don't release the ball early enough and would rather hang on to it giving teams time to set up, hence we are generally running into a brick wall when we reach the box..mind you Torres running the wrong way doesn't help. Fabregas will release the ball earlier which will help both Costa and even poor old Nando if and when he starts.

EXACTLY. Ba and Torres were lethal at beating the backline when they came to us, but our buildup style never suited them.

Fabregas is certainly a step in the right direction though.

Edited August 7, 201411 yr by Thacker

Ba just hit a hattrick in a CL qualifier for Besiktas tonight.

Did you see his first goal? I have never seen a more Ba-esque goal in my life, it was hilarious. 

Did you see his first goal? I have never seen a more Ba-esque goal in my life, it was hilarious.

Stumble, fall over, manage to get a toe/heel/thigh/bum cheek on it?

Stumble, fall over, manage to get a toe/heel/thigh/bum cheek on it?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWoee8FwJUY

Start of the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWoee8FwJUY

Start of the video

 

LMAO that is vintage, VINTAGE Demba! Can't stand up to save his life!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWoee8FwJUY

Start of the video

 

Sometimes I wonder if he even knows what he's doing.

Ha ha, good old Demba. I think thats his main strength Castiel, no-one knows what the hell he is doing.

Was that Gerrards Turkish cousin assisting Ba's 3rd goal?

Sometimes I wonder if he even knows what he's doing.

 

Some questions are just better left un-answered.

I love my team and ALL it's players.