Sparky heats up the forces to face Portsmouth

The fallout of the FA Cup loss to Nottingham Forest continues to dominate Manchester City conversation but as the club ventures forward against Portsmouth it must find the professional resolve to dust itself off and get back the the fight. While I am not positive I have seen that “back against the wall” attitude, it is time to heat things up and make sure those that worry about losing their jobs to new arrivals know every performance could be the difference in your career. Performances past are just that, the past and the mettle of a professional is how he gets back up.

Looking back on the recent loss Mark Hughes said:

“We all feel it very much so, obviously at the weekend we didn’t get anywhere near the level we know we are capable of, that was the galling thing from our point of view because we know we are better than we showed.

“We’ve had time to reflect on the game, watched it over and over again and the opinion of it doesn’t really change,” he said.

“After the game I gave credit to Nottingham Forest because they worked extremely hard for the victory. You look at the stats and the cold, hard facts, and at the end of the day they made the most of their opportunities.

“I think they had four shots on target and they scored three goals. We had numerous shots on goal and didn’t score any – that doesn’t tell the whole story obviously – goals change games and they got the first goal and that gave them something to fight for and defend.

“They could then play on the counter attack and we didn’t cope very well with that. When you’re chasing the game it’s important that you keep your shape and discipline, even when you’re trying to ask questions of the opposition. In the end we didn’t really have that much structure to how we were trying to approach the game.

“I’d be disappointed if they weren’t down in fairness but at the end of the day you can’t dwell on what’s gone on before.

“You have to look at the game in detail as a Manager and as a coaching staff you make sure that any issues that arose in the game are addressed early in the week. Then towards the end of the week you prepare for the opposition ahead of you.

“That never changes and the games that have been played you can’t allow them to impact you in a negative way. You have to learn from defeats as well as wins and make sure you’re better next time out.”

Nottingham Forest humiliates Man City

Legendary club Nottingham Forest relived the glory of its magnificent past as it humiliated Manchester City 3-0 in the third round of the FA Cup. While Mark Hughes was without the services of Stephen Ireland and Robinho, it is little consolation for the Citizens and could very well cost the manager his position.

While Man City had been dumped out of the Carling Cup earlier in the campaign the hope was with the new year a page had been turned and the success in the FA was imminent. However Man City task was uphill from the start as they lost Shaun Wright-Phillips to a hamstring injury after eighteen minutes in. While early efforts by Daniel Sturridge and an Ecuadorian international Felipe Caicedo were turned aside by Forest ‘keeper Paul Smith, Nathan Tyson made no mistake when a positively dreadful defensive blunder by Micah Richards eight minutes before the break resulted in the former Reading-man volleying the ball home from eighteen meters.

Forest’s new manager Billy Davies, sitting in the stands, must have wondered which squad was the Premier side as his side took a 2-0 lead when another defensive error, this by the normally reliable Pablo Zabaleta resulted in a Chris Cohen cross into the box for Matt Thornhill. With the resulting effort was heading off-course Wales international Robert Earnshaw sent the ball in three minutes before the break.

Finally in a match scarred with some highly unprofessional errors, Forest added the third with fifteen minutes remaining as veteran Dietmar Hamann’s sloppy throw-in to Richard Dunne as hi-jacked by the highly promising Joe Garner and dispatched into the net.

With the scoreline now 3-0, hope slowly evaporated from Eastlands and the club was “reminded” by supporters of disappointment as they left the pitch.

Man City v Nottingham Forest FA Cup match preview

Storied side Nottingham Forest side make their first visit to Eastlands as they face Manchester City in the third round of the FA Cup. Following Manchester City’s Carling Cup disaster losing to Brighton and Hove Albion, Mark Hughes is most likely to come out with both guns blazing and use his top shelf squadron.

Going straight to the point, the manager said:

“It’s such a prestigious competition, and the third round is one of the great dates in the football calendar. Because of that, I think it needs to be shown respect and that is what we will do.

“You don’t want to go out in the early rounds, and we have already had an example of that this season. That night we made changes hoping to protect some players, and you can come unstuck when you do that.

“The FA Cup is a competition that seems to have featured a lot in my career, both as a player and as a manager. It is a competition I have great respect for, I always try to show it the respect it deserves by going into every game with as strong a side as you can.

“The mentality of players is possibly a bit different now. I know that when I was young, if asked why I wanted to be a footballer the answer was to play for your country and win the FA Cup. That may well have changed in this modern era, but it is still a fantastic competition. The thought of going out at Wembley on that invariably warm day in May at Wembley is still an attractive one.

I have always felt that cup runs help your league form. Doing well in a cup competition gives you a boost going into a league game, you’ll be confident so for me it’s not a hindrance.”

Nottingham Forest’s new manager Billy Davies will be watching from the stands before taking over the reigns. He said of the match:

“The expectation levels are not high, but we will have the energy and ability to go and put on a performance. It’s a cup tie and an occasion to be viewed as a great challenge.”

For the match Man City is without Nedum Onuoha and Stephen Ireland is questionable but are very likely to employ the best possible eleven as they look to make a definitive statement to home supporters in the first match of the new year.