Quote Originally Posted by the other bob wilson View Post
Agreed, yet City treat the goalkeeper's hoof as if it's a really important part of the game if you look at how keen outfield players from a range of sixty yards down are to get the ball back to Etheridge so he can boot it sixty yards upfield when possession is, invariably, given back to the opposition. Before anyone says I'm only saying this because we have lost a couple of games, I've always thought it was, to use your words, a very poor tactic and we were winning despite it, not because of it. Also, as you say, the quality of the balls played back to him often leave of a lot to be desired.
Anyone notice how even the intricately-passing Fulham had a game plan for a long ball from the keeper?

On at least two occasions when the ball was in the keepers hands a player started sprinting from about 15 yards in front of the back line of our defence. Didn't come to anything, but the threat was there. It was also very obvious that Fulham not only tried (successfully) to catch us with breakaways but also we seemed either unable to cope with that or oblivious to the threat.