On the way back from the game - City.

[Rex]

One big beef from yesterday was the chant "there's only one Chrissie Armstrong!" I mean come on! It's Chris Armstrong. Really pissed me off.

Stuck to Chris myself.

[TFF]

Nice to meet TFF

Likewise

[Kitson12]

One big beef from yesterday was the chant "there's only one Chrissie Armstrong!" I mean come on! It's Chris Armstrong. Really pissed me off.

Stuck to Chris myself.

As did I, but the vast majority were singing Chrissie!

[Snowball]

I think it's to do with metre, y'know.

[Schards#2]

To the poster above Eastlands is easily the joint worst part of Manchester (along with Moss side, which is ironically home to City's old stadium). As a city Manchester is decent (a great night out!)

I really like Manchester; I work for a company beased there and spent a lot of time there before Christmas. The Christmas market was fantastic, whilst the range of restaurants etc is second to none. Even Canal Street was worth a visit!!

But the area near the stadium really was shockingly bad. And as for the Eastlands Bar......mmmmmmmm......shame it was home fans only, becasue it really looked like the sort of warm and welcoming place for a pint of real ale served by a be-whiskered mine host that a thirsty guest in the City would relish.

Or not.

The olympics is always surrounded by the word 'legacy' but there doesn't seem to have been any commonwealth games legacy for the area around the stadium, it's basically the same deprived area but with a stadium plonked in the middle of it. Oh, and a velodrome which i'm sure comes in handy for the locals.

I expected a bit of development since our last visit, maybe a showcase/harvester/retail park type thing but I saw absolutely nothing different.

[brendywendy]

One big beef from yesterday was the chant "there's only one Chrissie Armstrong!" I mean come on! It's Chris Armstrong. Really pissed me off.

Stuck to Chris myself.

tbf BMcD, and the players all call him chrissy

[Rex]

Shards the tram line was a building site but could be seen as a slight improvement when ready.

[Kitson12]

One big beef from yesterday was the chant "there's only one Chrissie Armstrong!" I mean come on! It's Chris Armstrong. Really pissed me off.

Stuck to Chris myself.

tbf BMcD, and the players all call him chrissy

Yes, but they know him personally, we don't, so we should keep it at Chris.

[Royal Lady]

"Chrissy" Armstrong scans better when chanting than "Chris" does. But thanks for telling us what we can or can't chant anyway.

[readingbedding]

Although it took ages for Man City to kill us off, they did deserve to win but until then a 'smash & grab' was on the cards.
Strange game, although City bossed the match they could not score and our players may be feeling that they had a good chance yesterday to reach the SF.
To the Jobi bashers, it was pretty clear that he carrying an injury.

Karacan is a good player and has a good attitude, in fact all of our players have, they seem honest and that's good enough for me.

We'll be back at Eastlands before long.

[Kitson12]

"Chrissy" Armstrong scans better when chanting than "Chris" does. But thanks for telling us what we can or can't chant anyway.

Who said anything about what you can or can't chant? I was giving my opinion. I think Chris sounds better than Chrissy. You don't, other don't, that's their opinion. Last time I looked I could say what I wanted, I said nothing about you not being able to chant it did I?

[No Fixed Abode]

Despite having tickets, I ended up watching the game in O'Shea's. Boy it was a boring game - good job I was hammered. Man City were boring and Reading didn't create anything of note. I can only remember a Shane Long shot in the 2nd half I think. Pretty much one way traffic for City, but they couldn't do much with it. Maybe a draw would have been fair, but Reading just didn't do enough to win it.

[Man Friday]

Hunt and Gunnar should have done better with headers as should Hunt with a shot.

[Mr Optimist]

I was in the east stand, and was probably the only person who didn't join in the backs-to-the-pitch jig thing (it's called the Poznan http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Video/Features/Do-the-Poznan) when they scored. Was in the section nearest to our fans (albeit up in the gods).

You were not alone. I was lurking up there too, with No 2 son, way up in the Gods. Being that high, and so far from the pitch, we seemed quite detached from the game. It reminded me of both the good and the bad of our brief Premiership period. Reading fans were good and loud in the first half, but seemed strangely quiet after half time. Too many pies?

+2!! me and my 8 year old son were also in the East Stand 3rd tier. Block 308 in the front row so got a good view of our fellow RFC fans.

Having worked in Manchester for a few years in the past and worked with a number of really good blokes who are City fans I can honestly say I agree with an earlier comment (Prostak?) that old school city fans must cringe at some of the complete bell ends (fans and players!) that money has attracted to their club. Win lose or draw, Maine Road was always a good day out and a few beers, "Wastelands" is just not the same experience.

My lad was talking about "us" and "them, as in City" so it was obvious where our allegiances lay but never had even a hint of bother. We walked to the ground from Piccadilly and at 4pm in sunlight the walk was grim but not dangerous. We started to walk back in the dark with no apparent chance of getting a bus back in to town, and my son was doing his best not to moan at the prospect of the hike ahead, when a mirage in the form of a bus to Piccadilly emerged and let us on when he was struck in the traffic. Watching the grim scenery from the bus as we slowly made our way back via Ancoats and wailing sirens and flashing blue lights, I was starting to think if we had made that walk the social services would've taken him off me! Makes a p'd up Saturday night walk through Whitley feel like skipping down main st in Disneyland!!

As for on the pitch I thought we couldn't realistically have done any more. Feel so confident in McCarthy in the same way I did after watching Shaka's first handful of games, what a keeper this lad is and will only get better. Special mentions (as others have already) to Jem and Bryn in particular. Don't get me wrong I love Jimmy but that's two games in a row against Prem opposition where he has frightened reasonable Prem defences without really delivering an end product, that is why he is still in the top end of Champ quality for me. Still, enjoyed it in defeat and glad we could hold our heads up high afterwards.

[handbags_harris]

"Chrissy" Armstrong scans better when chanting than "Chris" does. But thanks for telling us what we can or can't chant anyway.

Who said anything about what you can or can't chant? I was giving my opinion. I think Chris sounds better than Chrissy. You don't, other don't, that's their opinion. Last time I looked I could say what I wanted, I said nothing about you not being able to chant it did I?

Well well well, hasn't the leopard changed his spots?

BFTG at 1245am after a massive FLTLR cock up, getting lost on the way back to Piccadilly station and ending up an hour behind Tony Le Mesmer, floyde__streete and I.

The game - Citeh obviously dictated for long periods but seriously, 2 holding midfielders and one up front at home against mid-table Championship opposition? You pay millions and millions of pounds for that? Sheer lunacy IMO. Didn't feel we had enough going forward and on the flip side I always felt that Citeh were one pass away from creating that glorious chance and scoring, but they didn't get through once. McCarthy had a quite exceptional game, can't fault him at all, likewise the makeshift defence. Brynjar Gunnarsson, stand up and take a bow son. Karacan showed he is a more than capable right back and had a quite exceptional game also, certainly no worse than any of Andy Griffin's performances this season. Midfield - Tabb typically put himself about a bit but didn't really impose himself on the game I felt, whereas Legs was up against it in the shape of an even bigger version of himself in Yaya Toure. Long u pfront toiled and won more than his fair share of headers but with a lack of any real quality from wide he was always going to struggle. The one opportunity he got came on his wrong side. Had that been on his right peg I'd have backed him to nail it.

Very disappointed to go out to a set piece, a goal which had echo's of Bolton's first at Wembley in '95 - me sat at a similar level, a header to the left of goal, keeper gets a hand to it but can only push it into the top corner.

[Man Friday]

Not really, they've got a rep of being absolute dicks, so if they were saying nice things then we must have done something right.

Worth adding perhaps that a good number of City fans were applauding our lot after the post-match huddle. Magnanimous in victory.

Easy to be when you've won. It's the Everton fans who I'm impressed with.

[WoodleyRoyal]

Got absolutely soaked in the concourse at half time people throwing beer around, mental it was

Why did the bloke get chucked out in the top tier 2nd half?

[Kitson12]

"Chrissy" Armstrong scans better when chanting than "Chris" does. But thanks for telling us what we can or can't chant anyway.

Who said anything about what you can or can't chant? I was giving my opinion. I think Chris sounds better than Chrissy. You don't, other don't, that's their opinion. Last time I looked I could say what I wanted, I said nothing about you not being able to chant it did I?

Well well well, hasn't the leopard changed his spots?

I expected as much from you. I realised my mistake, and I've apologised for it, move on.

[Big Foot]

Got absolutely soaked in the concourse at half time people throwing beer around, mental it was

Why did the bloke get chucked out in the top tier 2nd half?

I BET IT WOZ WEL MENTAL M8

[Gav]

Nice to meet TFF and see BDC and Mrs BDC again after so long.

I was sat next to BDC. Nice guy, I probably irritated the p*ss out of him though!