IF TYPHOO PUT THE TEA IN BRITAIN WHO PUT THE **** IN SCUNTHORPE......?

...as the old joke goes.

Todays 4th round "clash" between the blues and Scunthorpe United is only the 6th meeting of the two clubs. In 1963 in the old 2nd division City beat them 8-1 but a more recent meeting was actually in the FA cup when City ran out 3-1 winners at home in 2006. The last meeting of the clubs was actually last October when City beat them 5-1 at Eastlands in the Carling Cup. Now then about that Carling Cup!!!

Ferguson has gone off the head about Tevez calling Gary Neville a "bootlicker" and "thick". Both of which appear to me to be bordering on compliments when applied to that obnoxious little gobshite.

Wednesday night seems likely to turn out to be the most exciting derby since the last one on Tuesday which turned out to be the most exciting derby since the last one in September. Lets look forward with relish.

IS THE EMPIRE CRUMBLING??

Just heard on Radio 5 Live that there is a rumour of fans demonstrations at Old Trafford this afternoon!!

It would be ridiculously premature to see this as the begining of the end of United's reign as the football superpower and I don't really want to use this blog to comment on United, but it is still interesting. Where is the £80m they got for Ronaldo? How much debt is the club in? What are the Glazers up to? Why is Obertan's head shaped like a frying pan? What in God's name has Gary Neville got on SAF that he keeps him in the squad? How does Nani make his living as a professional footballer? How sick must they be that they let Tevez go?

OK . That's enough!!

CAN'T LOSE FOR TOFFEE(MEN)

City at Goodison at 5.30 today. Ever since Mancini went to midnight Mass in my local Catholic church and got the muted blessing of the priest, who is a well known red, he hasn't had a sliver of bad fortune. The visit on Xmas Eve is in more detail here

To be fair we haven't really played much in the way of tough opposition, but as the cliche goes you can only beat what's in front of you. However the next four days will prove a stiffer test for Mancini's blueboys. Everton today and United on Tuesday will give a better indication of whether the dream of a top four finish is just that, a dream.

Anyway I can't stand Everton. I don't know why, but they just bore me. I don't find anything about them interesting . To me they are the football equivalent of Canada. I hope City play to their full potential and give them a good hiding. David Moyles is a po faced bore. If you believe the press he is the greatest manager in the world and a shoe in for the United job when SAF finally gets put out to stud. They would be mad. Though appointing a tight lipped grumpy Scot as manager would be much of a culture shock to be honest.

Prediction?

Everton 1 - Man City 3

RIGHT THEN. THIS IS THE BIG TIME.

3pm today. Old Trafford. Manchester United. Does it get any bigger than this. After the massive victory in the opening home game of the season this should not hold any fears for a Clarets team with 1 point on the road and a new manager who has seen 9 years at Scunthorpe and got sacked by Sheffield Wednesday.

But lets not be pessimistic. United are stuttering. There is grumbling about all sorts of things inside the club and amongst the fans. The very precarious financial position is clearly starting to affect the team. Berbatov is lazy and disinterested and Rooney is surely only one more unsupported 90 minutes from a blow up. However, United are United and they usually respond positively to situations like this. They may well be in the mood to give someone a bloody good hiding.

Prediction?

Reality - United 2-Burnley 0

Hope - United 0 - Burnley 1

Possible - United 1- Burnley 1

Nightmare - United 5 - Burnley 0

The last time Burnley played United at Old Trafford in the top flight was 27th December 1975. United won 2-1. The first meeting atOld Trafford in any competition was on the 10th September 1892. It was a 1-1 draw.

UNWANTED XMAS GIFT

No reasonable offers refused (in the region of £3.5 million please) for a now unwanted Xmas gift.

This CD features 20,000 clarets singing the famous Da Da Da Da Owen Coyle (to the tune of Papas Got A Brand New Pig Bag). Recorded on the night of Burnley's famous victory against Man Utd on the 19th August 2009.

You can't actually make out my voice but its in there somewhere. The CD also contains the superb 'Van Trip Down To Wembley'. The full story of the CD can be read here

A version of the Own Coyle song can be heard here.

This was actually recorded at Wembley after the Play Off Final in May 2009.

OH HELLO !! 2

Well thats that. Owen "God" Coyle out and Brian "You're kidding really?, that bloke who managed Scunthorpe for nearly 10 years and got sacked by Sheffield Weds" Laws.

Yes folks, thats him. I can't say its an appointment that sets the heart racing, but maybe , just maybe he is the man for the job. Lets see anyway. Lets give him a chance. When the Chairman of Sheffield Wednesday hired him he said

"I like him, he comes from the Clough camp, I’m a great admirer of the Clough camp".

First of all lets hope it was Brian not Nigel he was referring to and second lets hope it was the Brian Clough who won the European Cup twice not the Brian Clough who hit fans and got sacked from Leeds after 44 days.

For a full profile click here

OH! HELLO!!

Manchester City are giving Patrick Vieira a medical as I write. He's on his way for sure according to the MEN. Story here

He's a class player for sure. Only time will tell how much of the old magic there is left. Anyway Mancini appears to have got him for nowt (if you don't count the £100,000 a week!!). That should shut the "City buying success" mob up for a few minutes.

A biog is here

BYE BYE THEN!!

Well I just don't understand Coyle's move to Bolton. Generally speaking Burnley has been good to its managers. More have left of their own accord than sacked is how it feels anyway. He could have been at the club for years I reckon if he'd wanted to. The fans liked him.

Unlike in the early 1970s when I remember standing on the Longside shouting "Adamson Out!!" at every home game for what seemed like years. It can't have been that long because he had a few good years in the early 1970s and left in 1976. For more info on Adamson go here

Anyway, back to Coyle. My view is this. There are a number of possible options out of which going to Bolton is the worst under any circumstance.

a) He could have stayed at Turf Moor and if Burnley had gone down no-one could reasonably have blamed him. Staying up was always going to be tough. Not enough resources, competition too fierce, etc etc.. He could have decided to stay and have another tilt at the Premier League or he could have looked to move on with reputation intact and a year managing in the Premier League under his belt.

b) He could have stayed at Turf Moor and Burnley stay up. His reputation enhanced and he could have decided to stay at Burnley or look to go to a "bigger" club here or elsewhere. Maybe the Celtic job would have come round again. They change managers about every 10 minutes.

c) He could go to Bolton and they stay up and the Burnley fans think he's a twat.

d) He could go to Bolton and they go down and the Burnley fans and the Bolton fans think he's a twat.

Don't get it me. I hope we get some kind of statement from him. Attention now turning to a replacement. Paul Jewell a leading candidate according to todays Guardian. I hope not. I think he's a bit of a balloon.

OH WELL!! THATS JUST GREAT!!

Well thats great. The United games is off tomorrow. Postponed till the 19th Jan. Bad weather in case you aren't from Manchester (which is you United fans mostly!!)

More at the link below:

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Club-news/2010/January/United-game-off

....and to cap off a top football day it looks like Owen Coyle is gonna make a mug of me and my predictions and do one to Bolton. I really , really can't see the sense in this. Surely if he wanted a bigger club he would have gone to Celtic at the start of the season. Bolton I would say in terms of size and history and all that are probably on a par with Burnley, taking the long view. Surely it's a sideways step at best and if they go down (which is more than possible) he is going to look a proper muppet. I thought he would see out the season with Burnley and then take it from there. All I can say is it must have been a good offer from the trotters.

More at link below:

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5833004,00.html

OH! NO! -DON'T GO OWEN

Not much time for blogging recently but looks like another manager might be on the way out. Reports coming out of Turf Moor and the Reebok would seem to confirm that the talk about Owen Coyle going to Bolton are more than just rumour.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bolton_wanderers/8439458.stm

I predict now that he won't go. He'll make an idiot of me for sure but I can't see why a man who was offered the Celtic job and turned it down would head for a doomed outfit like Bolton. Time will tell I guess.