I've received a couple of polite enquires from long time readers about recent results and my thoughts. My infrequent posting is not a lack of opinion, far from it, but just an overwhelming sense of frustration. I'd much rather post positive thoughts about the team winning and players playing well than harp on the negative issues which have seemed so obvious to me for so long.

I look at the table and I shouldn't complain. I look at the result against a team that beat Chelsea last time out and I shouldn't complain. I look at a gritty rear guard action by 10 men and I shouldn't complain and I look at Petrov getting a run in the side and I shouldn't complain.

And yet.

A quick word on something that I saw in the Mirror today. Now, yes, it's the Mirror so grain of salt and all that but one of the comments was that Hughes was planning to buy both Santa Cruz and Tevez because he wanted to go to a formation with one central forward and two on the wing in support. Similar it would seem to Chelsea under Mourinho the first year when they were entertaining and devastating.

It would be very easy to get all upset at Mark Hughes after today's 1-3 home defeat. Easy, but wrong. Because tactically Hughes got it right. Hang on you are saying, how can he have got it right but City lost 1-3. Read on...

For today's game against Fulham

Man City: Given, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Garrido, Etuhu, Zabaleta, Ireland, De Jong, Petrov, Bojinov. Subs: Hart, Robinho, Elano, Fernandes, Evans, Sturridge, McGivern.

Pretty ballsy lineup from Hughes, Robinho and Elano who both start for Brazil let us not forget, are on the bench while Etuhu plays.

I had to smile this morning. No manager in the world wants his players playing international football with the chance of injury but there was Mark Hughes talking up Zabaleta for Argentina. Nice example of man management in supporting the player while knowing that he is not going to lose him for this round of international call ups.

The Rambling view from the City Perspective

An unfortunate loss against Stoke after a positive result mid week against Newcastle. Same team each time, with a very interesting Zabaleta/De Jong midfield anchor partnership and the team playing a 4-2-3-1. Good. Yes I know we lost against ten man Stoke, however this was Hughes maximizing the resources he has available to him given injuries and suspensions.

The Rambling view from the City perspective

Boxing Day has come and gone. And in some ways the thrashing of Hull typifies everything that is right and wrong about City. This squad, as it is composed at the moment, is capable of doing that any particular week. That it doesn't is what drives some of us nuts. It would be too easy to point out that Vassell didn't start and Elano did and that was also the case when City knocked six past Portsmouth.

But instead letâ..s look at what City did. Nominally you could say that the team lined up in a 4-5-1. The standard Zabaleta, Dunne, Richards and Ball across the back. Kompany as the midfield anchor with Ireland to his right and Elano to his left with Robinho and SWP on the wings and Caicedo up front. I say nominally because as the game got under way there was a real ebb and flow to the formation.

Elano played a much more withdrawn role, closer to Kompany than I'd seen him before while Ireland roamed from the middle to the right making run after impressive run. Zabaleta would occasionally join on this right side with Kompany providing cover and even Elano would stray towards the middle and right.