Burnley refuse to throw in the white towel after sickening 6-1 defeat

A thumbing swing from Adebayor, a neat hook inside the post by Bellamy, and a jab from Tevez. Ding-ding-ding. With little over 6 minutes on the clock, or the equivalent of two rounds of boxing, Manchester City managed to pulverize Burnley, in what was more like a towering heavy weight vs a whimpering feather weight than a Premier League match.

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Are you 6 months away from the sack??

Poor Mark Hughes. Just as he was plodding along at a turtles pace, slowly but surely racking up a healthy amount of draws, which he claims would keep his side on the righteous path to 70 points, he falls victim to the first major managerial decapitation, from an axed that had been sharpened since the summer.















Regardless of the money spent, $125m in all, and whether Hughes' claim that he was on target to reach the goals already agreed upon with his wealthy employers, the dismissal, and the resulting shit storm of PR that followed makes me wince with embarrassment at the thought that this is our beloved football we are talking about, and not the personal diaries of an ungrateful millionaire brat who didn't get his Premier League Crown underneath the Christmas tree.

I can not decide what is more obscene, the amount of money spent on building the Manchester City squad, or the fact that while the spending was taking place, Garry Cook was already exploring "contingencies" in the event he would need another sap, fluent in spending money by the truck load come boxing day sales? Could it be, that at this very moment while I ignorantly tap away on my lap top, that potential suitors to my job are being courted? Should I have devoted the last 6 months to overtime in favour of literary exploits? Are you in danger of being replaced even as you read this? Providing your not employed by impatient billionaires, or woefully incompetent, then your probably safe. You can continue to read on, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Garry Cook's dire treatment of Hughes, and his naive handling of the resulting public relations, has made me harbour an unhealthy, and somewhat unwarranted personal resentment towards Hughes' replacement, Roberto Mancini. I actually want him to fail. Its rare for me to wish such bad fortune on someone I have no prior report with, for all I know Roberto might be a bloody good bloke, and I have become some what use to the Italian Renaissance English Football is going through of late, but the way the way in which Manchester City are going about their inheritance in such an undignified manner, has inadvertently put Mancini on a wobbly perch that I am willing him to fall off.

Who knows, by the time the transfer window reopens in January for Roberto Mancini to skip in to the wilderness, and blissfully go about spending his Christmas money, like a boy that could afford the whole sweet shop, maybe Garry Cook will be doing his due diligence by looking at potential replacements for Roberto at the end of the year, if he has failed to perform miracles. By which point I will probably have grown fond of Roberto and forgotten all of my resentment and instead will be moaning about another manager dismissal.

Who'd be a Football Manager, at least of all, during Christmas time? Could we be in for more of my bleeding heart and violins sob story on boxing day if Rafa doesn't get a "must win" against Wolves? All I want for Christmas is three points Rafa.

The Ronaldo Theatre of Sanctuary

The formula would appear to be very simple, score over 20 goals a season and gain immunity from Alex Ferguson's gum chewing wrath. Perhaps in the privacy of the changing room, Cristiano Ronaldo's claim of sanctuary may not be quite so safe.

In the public arena however, Ferguson and all of Ronaldo's followers will blissfully ignore the petulance shown after being substituted during the Manchester derby, arguing it demonstrates just how much the "boy" wants to play, and his passion for the Manchester United cause.

From the enlightened neutrals perspective though, Ronaldo's antics make it increasingly difficult to appreciate his talent. Obviously, no player wants to be substituted with half an hour still on the clock in a derby match, and plenty will illustrate their dissatisfaction, but snatching your coat from the hospitable kit bag guy, and then pouting in the dug out for rest of the game, was naive at best and disrespectful at worst, and didn't win over any opposition fans who just jump at the chance to have a pop at the Worlds best player. Much as I am doing right now.

Being a Liverpool supporter, having any admiration for a United player, irrespective of the undoubted talent is hard to concede, and in Ronaldo, we have the unfortunate combination of talent and over inflated ego in equal proportion. In Ronaldo's defense, being popular among non Trafford devotees, is probably not among his top concerns. The same can be said for any professional, but others do manage to balance their talent and legions, while still earning respect even from their rivals.

Which, is why I have to do the disloyal deed, and heap praise on Carlos Tevez. Apart from Sheffield United fans, how can you not admire the guy? I was wondering how the acquisition of Berbatov last summer, would effect United's team line up and how they would cater for four quality forwards. Unfortunately for the hard working Tevez, it would appear, rather unfairly that his Goal haul the previous season didn't grant him immunity from Ferguson.

Despite all the pre-match tabloid squalor, prior to the Manchester derby, Tevez did start the match, and notably celebrated in Ferguson direction after scoring a cracking right foot effort, curled in off the post from the edge of the box. Such is the determination of Tevez, that he was even willing to head the post in an effort to get his second and a United third! Fortunately for Manchester City, the post won that battle against Tevez -this time.

For City, if they ever needed motivation in a derby, derailing United's Premier league title aspirations would suffice. Unfortunately, toothless finishing in front of goal by the Premier League's most expensive player Robinho, has already started the rumour mill that Tevez will be plying his trade over at Eastlands next season.

For all the Tevez brilliance, Ronaldo petulance and City impotence here are the highlights.

Manchester United V Manchester City