Well, he was making glaring defensive errors for us, and they couldn't even be blamed on the team or lack of cover from his winger, it was just stupid errors and moments of madness.

I was one of those saying that City had made a mistake in choosing to have him as first choice LB.

I guess a change of scenery and competition for places was what he needed. He has looked impressive for you since. I have to begrudgingly admit.

he was always decent. just a case of too long at the club and too many other issues. he needed a change thats for sure, and now looks a good player again.

at Arsenal he was woeful at times, but was in an ever changing back 4 (or 5 even) and had literally no cover most of the time from the left winger (Arshavin in the last few years)

so it looks like the change has been good for all really. if he stayed at arsenal he would lose his place to Gibbs as he was getting to a stage where he was just plain rubbish....

since his move he looks better, maybe its also down to how City play, they are more compact...who knows. good luck to him.

Nasri on the other hand can go f.... himself.

Surely you can't really blame Nasri for coming to city?

who said anything about blame?

I just said he could go F himself.....I would like to take this opportunity to add, the goofy c...

I can blame Nasri. We took him in, put him on the world stage, got him playing for the France first team, gave him chances to deputise for Cesc at centre-mid and he thanks us by leaving as soon as he can for the money.

We gave him the platform to get to City, you can be sure he wouldn't have gone there from the French league. He played one quarter of a season giving his all, couldn't be ar*sed when times were tough and cashed in big time.

Ultimately, he doesn't seem to want to work enough to make it for me, so he could well end up being another Adebayor. Which is a shame because he is very talented, and when he was here he was a fan favourite.

comment by TheWalrusandtheNasriator (U8186)

I can blame Nasri. We took him in, put him on the world stage, got him playing for the France first team, gave him chances to deputise for Cesc at centre-mid and he thanks us by leaving as soon as he can for the money.

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Can you really say that it was just for the money? In other words, would you not agree that City are a better prospect this year for winning trophies than Arsenal are?

Villa fans still knock Barry for moving to us, despite the fact he was proved right last season by picking up an FA Cup winners medal. If you think you've got it bad though you've clearly never had Carlos Tevez on your books!

Agree op, Clichy has been spot on this season - especially after a lot of Gooners weren't fussed when he left, reckoned he wasn't all that. Best LB I've seen in my lifetime as a City fan, and a shrewd bit of business for 7m (the price of two Kolarov's, with change).

Then of course there's Milner this season, who is proving with every game that he has more to him than being a mere workhorse.

Actually I'll go with the safe bet of Balo. Definately suprised me though we should have seen it coming with the 2 wembley performances last season. All he has to do now is caaaalm down when we play Liverpool.

Dont be fooled.
You're not noticing his mistakes because Kompany and Hart are taking care of business behind him. He's no Ashley Cole of five years ago thats for sure!

Judge, possibly that was the problem at Arsenal. Our defenders cover each other and are working as a unit hence the 11 in 13 games. Lescott knows that Clichy will cover for him and ditto back. Plus our wingers now double back in defence and cover. At Arsenal it was if they get past Clichy no one came across and covered, still happened at the start of the season as well though you seem to have tightened up recently. The defence is a unit and should work as such, I think from the CC final last season Arsenal forgot about that and started pointing fingers.

I think from the CC final last season Arsenal forgot about that and started pointing fingers
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We dont point fingers Lee, we pretend it never happened!

Amazing amount of City ex Arsenal the other night: Vieira, Platt, Kidd, Toure, Clichy and Dench!

Your forgetting the City fan who played for Arsenal as well, Mr L Dixon.

To be honest Judge, I'd go as far as saying that so far this season Clichy has been in better form than Kompany has.

You can't underestimate the help he haves from Gareth Barry being in the vicinity, but so far, he's got forward well and not been turned inside out for 90mins by any opposition he's come up against.

haven't really watched him tbf. I was in that minority of people who hoped to God clichy would make regular mistakes for you lot. But deep down i knew he would improve.

I'll let you into a secret.

There was a plan to play both Cole and Clichy as left back and wing half before Peter Kenyon thought he was in the Sopranos!

But deep down i knew he would improve.
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You'd expect that though.

Ask any player, when he goes to a better team/ Squad he either steps his game up or improves naturally. That's what has happened to Lescott, Clichy, AJ, and to a certain extent Milner but, I'd argue that it has taken Milner longer to see the steps forward.

It's the same for any job really, when you go to a different company earning more money they want and expect more from you than the last company, otherwise you tend not to last too long, football's no different.

gratedbean, I am with you on both your posts. Milner has also impressed me this season. I think he is close to be called a first team "regular" and I agree Clichy as made less mistakes than Big Vinnie this year.

comment by TheWalrusandtheNasriator (U8186)

I can blame Nasri. We took him in, put him on the world stage, got him playing for the France first team

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You forgot the "tongue in cheek" smiley.
I'm surprised. I thought all you North London ja606 users love smileys.

mancWoohoo - you're spot on there.

Just read the first two paragraphs from WalrusandtheNasriator. The first makes it sound as though Nasri is a top quality player. The second as though Nasri is nothing but average.

From my own experience, football fans only really care when a player who they rate leaves their club. I've lost count of the number of posts from Arsenal fans who have said that, in all of Nasri's time at Arsenalm he only really produced the goods for a few months (tantamount to around 10-15 games). Yet it appears the majority of Arsenal fans no longer like Nasri because he had the "audacity" to leave them.

Why is that? Whenever a player left City (who put in a good performance in less than a quarter of the games he played in), I, personally, have been glad to see the back of him.

So I can only conclude that something doesn't add up here. Either Nasri was a good player for Arsenal, and thus Arsenal fans can't handle the fact that he's left them, or Nasri wasn't good for Arsenal, in which case there's no reason to boo him but just rather be happy that he's now left their club.

OP.

At first I was kind of surprised, but the more I think about it, the more he has really convinced me. he probs just needed fresh scenery and Barry/Milner covering him rather than Nasri/Arshavin.

Also, how about Dzeko? I was very 50/50 on whether he'd improve but despite his very unique excuse for ball control, he has a fantastic all round game. Chuffed.