City can be stopped; exciting games ahead

Manchester City had another big win last night, 5-1 against Tottenham. Are they unstoppable?

Well, no, I don't think so. While they have been scoring for fun (68 goals in 23 league games so far), they do show occasional vulnerability in defence. Whereas teams like Spurs (sorry Spurs fans) are not good enough to hold them at bay, they very top teams (e.g. Chelsea and City's next Champions League opponents Barcelona) are capable of stopping City.

Ironically Chelsea failed to beat West Ham United last night, despite having a record-equalling (while failing to score) count of 39 shots. Jose Mourinho has accused West Ham of playing football from the 19th Century. Well, he's not afraid to vary his playing style, and although he wasn't in charge at the time, didn't Chelsea win the Champions League a couple of years ago by basically trying to stop Bayern Munich from playing?

West Ham boss, Sam Allardyce, was (quite rightly) unrepentant. He said: "He can't take it, can he? He can't take it because we've outwitted him - he just can't cope.

"He can tell me all he wants, I don't care.

"I love to see Chelsea players moaning at the referee, trying to intimidate him, Jose jumping up and down saying we play rubbish football.

"It's brilliant when you get a result against him. Hard luck, Jose."

There are many ways to play this great game of ours, Jose. Deal with it.

So on to the match on Monday night: Manchester City v Chelsea. This will go a long way to indicating whether City really are destined for the League title this year.

Then barely two weeks later the same two teams meet in the FA Cup 5th round. Mouth-watering.

City ride high, but Sam's days are numbered

The problem for West Ham United last night was that Manchester City were just too good.

And Manchester City have been 'just too good' on several occasions this season - mostly at home of course. Here are the games in which they have scored four or more at home this season:

19 Aug: 4-0 v Newcastle United
22 Sep: 4-1 v Manchester United
24 Sep: 5-0 v Wigan Athletic (League Cup)
2 Nov:  7-0 v Norwich City
5 Nov:  5-2 v CSKA Moscow (Champions League)
24 Nov: 6-0 v Tottenham Hotspur
27 Nov: 4-2 v Viktoria Plzen (Champions League)
14 Dec: 6-3 v Arsenal
8 Jan:    6-0 v West Ham United (League Cup)

That's pretty impressive. Most fans would take that in a season! But you can't doubt that there's more to come. Backed by their multi-millions, Manchester City should win the Premier League, and could well add the League Cup to that. The FA Cup remains unpredictable, as ever. As for the Champions League, the next round against Barcelona will, to put it mildly, be fascinating.

As we have seen, West Ham United went the same way as many other teams at the Etihad this season. Sam Allardyce's real problem was the embarrassing 5-0 defeat in the FA Cup at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. By saving his top players for last night's League Cup tie, he sacrificed West Ham's place in the FA Cup, but the hiding was not on the agenda.

Sorry Sam, but unless the Hammers' league form takes a swift turn for the better, then your days are numbered.

Blackburn Rovers join the insanity

Blackburn Rovers sacked manager Sam Allardyce yesterday.

They have simply joined the lunatics in the asylum. The new owners of Blackburn Rovers are the Venky's group from India.

Undoubtedly, they are well versed in English football and the Premiership. Or at least, they have seen some of the recent goings-on and think that sacking a manager is an excellent first step.

We neutrals are running out of clubs we hope will get relegated "to teach the owners a lesson"! Big Sam didn't deserve this ignominious treatment. What do the new owners expect from Blackburn? A title? A cup? Pretty football? Get real.

The trouble is that the clubs are selling out to foreign ownership with ridiculous haste and alacrity. They're falling over themselves to get overseas owners in; plus, of course, foreign players, managers, coaches. The only English people left in the game are those who brave the recent freezing weather and pay out their hard-earned, but likely to reduce, money to see the madness unfold before them.

It's become insane, and the lunatics are taking over the asylum.

There's a big fall coming for Premier League football.