Sunday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

THE BOLLOX

Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus admitted he needs to improve on his diet
Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus has admitted he must make drastic improvements to his diet or face the wrath of his mum.
The 20-year-old has made a sensational start to the Premier League this season with four goals in six games.
With no apparent weaknesses to his game in front of goal Jesus, rather honestly, revealed to The Sun it's fatty foods that makes him buckle at the knees.
Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus admitted he must make drastic improvements to his diet
'I have to improve healthy eating a lot,' he admitted.
'At home I don't feed myself so well. If I'm travelling, I eat bad things like pizza and pastries. I could eat pastries every day.
'I don't know if it's because of my age that it doesn't make any difference yet - but I'll still have to work.
'I will [have] to eat better now or my mother will tell me off.'

The Brazil international credited his mother, Vera, for inspiring his formidable form this season by making him eat healthy traditional cooked meals.
While the youngster could find himself in trouble if Pep Guardiola got wind of it, the Spaniard might be tempted to avoid upsetting the City current as things are going rather swimmingly at the moment.Plus, Vera is on the case, anyway.
City sit joint-top of the Premier League with their bitter rivals Manchester United and have won five on the bounce, scoring 17 goals and only conceding twice.
Guardiola's men will be confident of improving on that record when they take on struggling Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester City ready to offer winger new contract amid interest from Arsenal
Manchester City will demonstrate to Raheem Sterling that he is part of Pep Guardiola’s long-term plans by offering him a new contract, Paul Hetherington of the Daily Star Sunday reports.
The England international has close to three years remaining on his current deal, but with Arsenal reported to be interested, potentially willing to use Alexis Sanchez as bait to tempt City into selling the 22-year-old, the club want to reassure Raheem that they want him around for the long-term.
Sterling scored twice on Saturday against Crystal Palace to make it five goals in five Premier League games for the season and Pep Guardiola refuses to entertain the idea of selling him to the Gunners, who it is said could make an offer in January. Though City remain keen on signing Alexis Sanchez, there is no need to part with Sterling, with the Chilean out of contract next summer.
Sterling joined City in 2015 for an initial £44million, with a further potential £5million in add-ons, and is developing well under the guidance of Guardiola. He scored 7 goals in 33 league appearances last season and is only two goals behind that tally six games into the current campaign.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has almost achieved perfection - Mike Summerbee

MANCHESTER City great Mike Summerbee knew it was a lightbulb moment.
The day when the Pep Guardiola penny finally dropped for the club’s players and fans during a display of “perfection” which Summerbee will always remember.
Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus and the rest put in a dynamic performance which hit all the right notes in front of the watching Watford fanatic Elton John.
And the kind words City ambassador Summerbee heard from the legendary singer that day was music his ears.
The man known as ‘Buzzer’ said: “Elton said he had not seen football like it for a long time.
“Noel Gallagher was there and he was impressed as well.
“But Elton said it was a pleasure to watch Manchester City’s football, even though his side went on to lose 6-0.
“I know many of the Watford supporters went home admitting they had witnessed some amazing football.
“I think that day was a watershed moment. Everybody knew what they had to do. We played that day exactly how Pep wanted us to play.
“There was a magnificent control of the ball.
“Francis Lee said recently how he has had his breath taken away by some of the performances and he doesn’t speak willy-nilly. I feel privileged to watch them train.
“I believe Pep has got them playing now how he wanted when he first arrived. What I’m seeing now is close to perfection.
“This was the dream of the people who brought Pep to the club. It’s why they were so anxious to bring him here. His attitude to what he wants is quite amazing.
“It’s a pleasure being with them, travelling around Europe. I have to say I’m the most excited I’ve been for years watching this side.”
And Summerbee is also looking forward to raising a glass to mark the 50th anniversary of Manchester City’s never-to-be forgotten title win on a dramatic day up at Newcastle.
And how he would love to toast the current side lifting another Premier League trophy in May.
Summerbee, 74, said: “It would be a fitting tribute to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our title-winning side with another title or a first Champions League.
“There is a similarity between the entertainment value of the 1968 side and Guardiola’s.
“Joe Mercer always wanted us to play with a smile on our face.
“Malcolm Allison was very similar to Pep in that he was driven although he was a more flamboyant character.
“Both sides could play but it was more physical in my day – now I would get sent off in the tunnel before a ball was kicked.”

People are trying to figure out what Pep Guardiola was saying to that ball boy

It was a pretty good day for Manchester City.
They put five past struggling Crystal Palace, Raheem Sterling scored in his fourth league game in a row, and they sit atop the Premier League table.
There was one odd moment though – Pep Guardiola was captured appearing to give a ball boy a pep talk (no pun intended).
Apparently Guardiola was just telling him to get the ball back into play quicker

INFLATABLE SHARK OF THE DAY

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Are you on loan from Man City - Messi quizzes Girona's Maffeo
Lionel Messi asked Girona's Pablo Maffeo if he is on loan from Manchester City during Barcelona's victory on Saturday.
Manchester City loanee Pablo Maffeo caught the attention of Barcelona star Lionel Messi during Girona's 3-0 loss to the LaLiga leaders.
Maffeo, 20, is on a season-long loan at newly-promoted Girona, who are also owned by the City Football Group.
The Spaniard made 27 appearances for Girona last season as they secured promotion to LaLiga for the first time in their history and Maffeo was quizzed by five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi during Saturday's clash at Estadi Municipal de Montilivi.
"He [Messi] asked me a couple of things, like if I was loaned by City and how old I was," Maffeo said.
"It was all good."
On Messi, Maffeo added: "I had to mark him and I had to be close to him and not watch the ball.
"It is difficult, not just from a football perspective, but also psychologically.
"I appreciate the trust the coach placed in me."
Girona are 16th in the standings, 13 points adrift of high-flying Barca after six matches.

Manchester City Tracking Fulham Wonderkid: One For The Future?
Premier League giants Manchester City are keeping a close eye on Fulham’s blossoming starlet Matt O’Riley, as per one of the latest reports by The Sun. His notable outings have even drawn the admiration of Arsenal and Manchester United and thus, it goes without saying that he must be doing something really very good of late.
O’Riley broke into the first team of Fulham this season after impressing for the Cottagers’ youth team last season during his 19 appearances and is touted as one of the next big things in English football.
For a 16-year-old, getting into Slavisa Jokanovic’s senior squad is a huge achievement and it is unarguably a testament of his productivity and excellence. He has the quality and calibre, which is getting recognized adequately.
Manchester City, in particular, have been the breeding ground of many top quality starlets. They are apparently looking for some English starlets to fill their home-grown quota and no wonder why they are targeting someone like O’Riley. He has appeared twice in the Carabao Cup this season apart from starring once in the Checkatrade Trophy for the London based outfit so far this season.
O’Riley is a central midfielder with sheer creative prowess and is versatile enough to play in a number of positions. Despite his young age, he has shown immense technical and tactical understanding of the game and is a calm and composed figure in the middle of the park. He possesses the ability to dictate the tempo of the game and is also a shrewd passer of the ball.
Moreover, he is generally very comfortable on the ball, pushes his side forward during the attacking endeavours and knits the side together as a unit. He is a strong lad with a commendable height which gives him the edge during the aerial duels as well.
O’Riley constantly moves forward to find the back of the net and creates chances for his teammates as well. The Englishman is in his learning years and has enough time and room for further improvements.
Manchester City made some stunning signings during the summer transfer window, with the likes of Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva making a move to the Etihad Stadium.
It is perceived that the Citizens are now also willing to ensure that they have the requisite youngsters in their arsenal to cater to their needs of future and when a scintillating prospect in the shape of O’Riley is in their sight, they should try to prise him out of Craven Cottage.

Manchester City equal 59-year English top-flight record with win over Crystal Palace

Manchester City have become the first team to score five or more goals in three consecutive top flight games since Blackburn Rovers in the 1958/59 season.
Pep Guardiola’s side have played some swashbuckling football of late and ran out 5-0 winners at home to Crystal Palace today, with Raheem Sterling scoring a brace, while Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero and Fabian Delph also got on the scoresheet.
That victory followed on from City’s 6-0 thrashing of Watford at Vicarage Road and their 5-0 win over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.
Having taken 16 points out of a possible 18 so far in the Premier League, City are currently top of the Premier League table and although it is still very early in the season Guardiola’s team are certainly one of the leading contenders to win the title.

Manchester City had 25 attempts against Crystal Palace.
City will face a tougher test of their credentials next weekend when they play Chelsea away but so far this season they have been excellent.

English journalist gets embarrassed by Man City tweet following side’s 5-0 demolition job against Crystal Palace
English journalist Darren Lewis got hilariously embarrassed by a tweet he sent this afternoon mocking Man City’s stale first half against Crystal Palace after Pep Guardiola’s side demolished Man City 5-0 at the Etihad.
Lewis, who works for the Mirror, tweeted “Still goalless at City against Palace? Weren’t they supposed to be winning 12-0 today? #reality”, which was just before the home side put five past Roy Hodgson’s team to remain at the top of the Premier League
Maybe next time, Mr Lewis will think twice before mocking a Pep Guardiola team as dominant and clinical as this one.

PR mix-up.
John Stones, who played in City's defence this afternoon, posted a congratulations message to Morata and Chelsea on Instagram, accompanied by a picture of the Blues celebrating.

Of course, it was swiftly deleted, but not before a number of fans were able to screenshot it and poke fun at the mix-up.
According to the Mirror, Stones and Gary Cahill are managed by the same people, so it's believed the message was meant for his account.
It hasn't yet appeared on the Chelsea defender's Instagram and it's probably best for everyone involved if they scrap the idea for this week and start fresh next weekend.
FC Barcelona v Manchester City FC - UEFA Champions League
And one things for sure - if the Blues beat the Citizens in seven days time, Stones certainly won't be posting a message of congratulations again!

WAG OF THE DAY

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Spoilbox

OTHER BOLLOX
Mesut Ozil is set to turn down Arsenal's new contract offer, with the 28-year-old midfielder keen to join Jose Mourinho at Manchester United. (Sunday Mirror)

Liverpool asked Barcelona to "stop harassing playmaker Philippe Coutinho" during the summer after the club made it clear they wouldn't sell the 25-year-old. (Sunday Express)

Everton are determined to sign striker Olivier Giroud in January, and are prepared to offer Arsenal £40m for the 30-year-old. (Sunday Mirror)

Everton manager Ronald Koeman also wants to bring Bournemouth forward Joshua King, 25, to the club. (Sunday Sun)

The Toffees offered 75m euros, and a bonus, for Chelsea's Diego Costa but the striker only wanted to play at Atletico Madrid. (Marca)

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says defender Luke Shaw has to improve if he is to make Manchester United'sstarting line-up following his return from injury. (MUFC Sky Sports)

Nathan Redmond believes that Southampton were never under pressure to sell 26-year-old defender Virgil van Dijk as Premier League clubs are now stronger financially and can hold on to their best players. (Sunday Star)

Aston Villa striker Ross McCormack is in talks with Melbourne City, with the 31-year-old set for a loan move. (Express and Star)

Manchester United will make a decision next week on whether Paul Pogba will undergo surgery on his hamstring. (ESPN)

Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot says he has "fallen in love" with the city and that leaving the club would break his heart. (Express)

Cristiano Ronaldo tried to persuade singer Madonna to take her adopted son, David Banda, to the Sporting Lisbon academy where he began his career. Madonna, however, opted to take David to Benfica. (Sabadao via AS)

GOLDEN BOLLOX
On this day in 2013


[i]Premier League: Manchester City's Samir Nasri enjoys 'a little revenge' against United
Samir Nasri admits he enjoyed "a little revenge" as he helped Manchester City to a 4-1 derby victory over United on Sunday.
Nasri scored City's fourth goal in their emphatic triumph over the reigning Premier League champions at the Etihad Stadium.
It was a far cry from last season's equivalent fixture in December, when Nasri turned away from Robin van Persie's injury-time free-kick and diverted the Dutchman's shot past his own goalkeeper Joe Hart, sealing a 3-2 win for the visitors.
"It's a different feeling from last year, and a different feeling for me as well," said Nasri.
"Last year I was involved in the third goal in a bad way, so this was a little revenge. I just want to share this moment with our fans.
"Last year was a little bit sad because we were losing 2-0 and came back, but in the last minute Robin scored that free-kick.
"This year it was not the same scenario, and we are very happy."
Statement made
The France midfielder has made an impressive start to the season under new Manuel Pellegrini, having also been on target in the opening-weekend win over Newcastle.
The 26-year-old believes the manner and size of City's victory on Sunday is "a big statement" to the rest of the division.
"We have sent a message to our rivals that this year we can be a force. To win like that is always special," he added.
"We showed what good players we have in our team because we put in a very good performance."
"It was important to win this game, for ourselves as well as for the fans, because Arsenal won as well, and moved to 12 points."
Nasri believes the professional approach City took to their Champions League opener away to Viktoria Plzen last week set them up perfectly for the derby.
"We won our first game in the Champions League, which gave us confidence and we have trained really well," said Nasri.
"When you arrive at the game you have confidence, because you know what you can do.
"It was exactly that kind of game. We played our own kind of game, and won 4-1.
"At Stoke, it was difficult because we came back from being with our national teams for 10 days, and had players who had travelled all over the world, so when you come back you are not really fresh.
"But the win in Plzen made us really confident, and we did exactly what we had prepared for in the week."
After City's Capital One Cup tie with Wigan on Tuesday night, they travel to face Aston Villa in the league before then entertaining European champions Bayern Munich next Wednesday.

Lopes ready as City kids get League Cup chance
The 18-year-old Portuguese starlet made a dramatic impact in the FA Cup last season, netting against Watford to become the youngest goalscorer in the Blues’ history
Young gun Marcos Lopes is set to get another first-team chance for City as they begin their Capital One Cup campaign at home to Wigan tonight.
The 18-year-old Portuguese starlet made a dramatic impact in the FA Cup last season, netting against Watford to become the youngest goalscorer in the Blues’ history. That remains his only appearance, but Lopes is set to step up again as manager Manuel Pellegrini rings the changes from the side that beat United 4-1 on Sunday.
There is also a chance that 18-year-old left-back Greg Leigh, from Sale, will be in the squad, with Gael Clichy unlikely to be risked.
Leigh caught the eye last season as a pacy full-back, earning his first England under-19 cap – both he and Lopes were left out of City’s elite development squad fixture against Liverpool last night.
Jack Rodwell is set to return after being left out of the derby squad with a ‘twinge’ he felt in training, with Pellegrini expected to field an entirely new team. Micah Richards should return after injury, while Costel Pantilimon, Dedryck Boyata, Joleon Lescott, Javi Garcia, James Milner, Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko are all in line for starts.
With Lopes and Leigh absent, the Blues youngsters fell to a 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool last night.
The visitors went ahead on 25 minutes through a wonder strike from Adam Morgan and Cameron Branagan fired their second with 20 minutes to go.
The Blues came close through Jordi Hiwula’s header and a cross from Albert Rusnak – back after his loan to Oldham was cut short – which fizzed past the post.
City did give an EDS debut to Spanish defender Angelino, who impressed in the UEFA Youth League win over Plzen last week.

Manchester City target Pecks valued at £8million by Gil Vicente chief
Newcastle, Manchester City and Tottenham have been told they will have to pay £8m for Gil Vicente defender Pecks.
Gil Vicente president Antonio Fiusa says the Cape Verde international has a buy-out clause and added: “The player has a contract until 2017 and we do not have to sell at an inferior price."
City boss Manuel Pellegrinihad been linked with the 20-year-old tough-tackling centre-back after he broke through to the Portuguese side's first team, whose full name is Pericles Santos Pereira.


Aguero: We won't get carried away
Sergio Aguero is not getting carried away with Manchester City's stunning derby victory over Manchester United on Sunday.
Argentina striker Aguero struck twice as City hammered their rivals 4-1 in their Premier League meeting at the Etihad Stadium.
The emphatic nature of the win over the champions clearly signalled City's title ambitions under Manuel Pellegrini but Aguero knows there is much more hard work ahead.
Aguero said: "We will keep our feet on the ground - the manager won't let us put our hands down anyway - and keep on battling.
"It's important to keep going. There are a lot of teams capable of winning the championship, but we are going to do everything we can to be the team that wins it.
"I'm very happy for the victory and the three points. We are near the top and we want to be at the top.
"I like scoring against United, it's enjoyable, but the most important thing is to win the matches and that's all I think about."
In terms of sending out a message, City's win has been compared to their 6-1 thrashing of United at Old Trafford two years ago.
They went on to win the title the following May but Aguero is not reading too much into that.
The 25-year-old, who was also on target in that famous win of October 2011, said: "It's difficult to compare with the 6-1, this one has different players, but the important thing is to win and it doesn't matter if it is by four, five or six goals.
"We won, we scored and are winning the matches, that's the important thing."
City make a quick return to action as Wigan, their conquerors in last season's FA Cup final, visit in the third round of the Capital One Cup tonight.
Much has changed since the Wembley clash in May with both clubs having changed managers and City spending more than £90million on new players, while Wigan were relegated to the Championship.
City are likely to make changes with defender Micah Richards, who has missed the start of the season with hamstring trouble, among those likely to come in.
Richards did not play in the cup final but sees the latest tie as an opportunity to put its memory firmly in the past.
The 25-year-old told the club's website, http://www.mcfc.co.uk: "I wasn't involved against Wigan, but there was definitely something lacking.
"Wigan have always played us well and have been a bit of a bogey team, but I would never say the guys weren't up for it because we always want to win, but I just felt they wanted it more on the day.
"That game is in the past now but we have to make sure we put things right in this game and try and progress in the competition."

Bayern Munich should help Manchester City meet Financial Fair Play targets
Love is in the air between Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
When their eyes first met over a crowded balance-sheet two years ago, the mood was tense.
Their Champions League date at the Etihad was marred by bickering over Financial Fair Play.
City bridled at Karl-Heinz Rummenigge’s demand for Uefa to impose “strict penalties” on them for over-spending. Roberto Mancini even threatened to go looking for Bayern’s chairman.
Bayern are back in town next week and harmony now rules. City are proudly staging “an evening with [CEO] Ferran Soriano and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, discussing the business of elite European football’’.
With tickets starting “at £275 (plus VAT) and VIP tables and sponsorship packages available”, the dinner should generate a few quid towards City’s in-house FFP targets – thanks to their distinguished guest.
Perhaps between courses they could take Rummenigge over the road to peer over some builders’ hoardings. Dust is in the air as City’s FFP-friendly Campus takes wonderful shape.

Introducing Manchester City's Spectacular New Training Complex

Watch on youtube.com

Since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover of Manchester City back in 2008, much has been made about the amount of money spent on players. Mark Hughes was given £200 million during his 18 months in charge, and Roberto Mancini had a further £285 million. City won the FA Cup and the league title, but it came at a price.
Less is made, however, about City’s investment in their new training complex—a £100 million-plus state-of-the-art construction that will house both youth and first team football. The Etihad Campus, which is being built adjacent to the Etihad Stadium, will see every level of the club catered for in one unique 80 acre site.
The academy element of the complex will accommodate 400 young players, with classroom facilities for 200. Twelve of the 16.5 pitches will be designed for players between the ages of 8-21, and there’s even accommodation available to City’s most promising young players. City are desperate to become a financially self-sufficient football club, and producing their own talent is at the top of their list of targets aimed at achieving that goal.
There will be a 7000-seat stadium built on site, meaning the youth teams will have a first-class home ground for years to come. Young players learning their trade at the Etihad will be getting everything they need to develop their skills and carve out a career in the game.
The first team will be leaving their Carrington training base and moving to the Etihad Campus. A brand new gym and rehab centre is apart of the plans and is set to be the envy of clubs across Europe. Not only will this provide City’s players with everything they need to stay fit and healthy, but it will be a huge selling point when negotiating with potential new signings.
Even City’s clerical and media teams will be based on site, with new offices and a dedicated media centre set to be built. The entire club will now have a brand new, top-of-the-range facility to work from.
The new complex will not only revolutionise the club, but it will also bring jobs and prosperity to a struggling area of Manchester. City pledged to ensure that more than 90 percent of the materials used to build the Etihad Campus were sourced locally, with recruitment from the local area also high on City’s agenda.
The impact of the Etihad Campus may not be obvious for many years to come, but what’s clear is that City’s owners are absolutely dedicated to ensuring the club has a successful future ahead of it.

[Chinners]

BOLLOX UPDATE

Ultra-aggressive Guardiola constructing a fearsome knockout machine
The league leaders have overwhelmed their last three league opponents with Pep in the midst of building his most formidable ever attacking team
Manchester City missed too many chances for Pep Guardiola’s liking last term. To correct that failing he has assembled not only the most offensive, but the most aggressive team he’s ever had.
It may still only be September but the Catalan already has goal difference on his mind. The sole way he can ensure his team win the matches they are expected to win and stay ahead of title-chasing rivals is to set out to obliterate every opposition team from first whistle to last.
When they hit their stride, there is simply no stopping them.
You might expect in any football team that the defenders play at the back – doing most of their work in their own half – and the attackers go to the front.
Pep has turned that paradigm on its head. He’s lifted the defensive, midfield and attacking sectors of the team and plonked them far, far closer to the opposition goal, setting up a hyper-aggressive attacking unit that – in possession – appears in a unique and dominant 2-1-4-3.
Without the ball? Don’t worry about that; they are never without the ball for any significant spell.
Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones – with Fernandinho splitting them - played mostly on the halfway line against Crystal Palace. The midfield of Benjamin Mendy, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker were much closer to the opposition goal. Up front were Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane who gorged themselves on the pitiful Palace defence.
Silva and De Bruyne are the engine room but they prowl and probe around the other team’s box. That’s where City are plotting their midfield now. And everything City do well emanates from those two.
Against Palace they completed 180 passes between them – 91 for De Bruyne and 89 for Silva. De Bruyne had 78 of his in the Palace half. For Silva that figure was 65. De Bruyne put in six crosses and Silva seven. De Bruyne played three of what Opta describes as key passes. Silva hit six. De Bruyne had two second-assists – that is the pass before the pass – while Silva had two assists of his own.
Their shots? One between them; for Silva. Guardiola knew last season that Silva and De Bruyne would be influential in any successful City team but was also aware of their limitations in front of goal.
Now they load the bullets, they switch play, cross accurately and play cute through balls. It is their industry that has allowed Sane and Sterling further forward to flourish.
If you can imagine Chelsea’s highly successful 3-4-3 from last season without any semblance of caution and about 500 per cent more venom then you would be close to seeing Pep’s current City team for what it is.
That bloodlust is necessary and it’s frightening. City have won their last three league games 5-0, 6-0 and 5-0. They scored four more in the Champions League.
This was a glimpse of the power City possess when firing on all cylinders. There is simply no let up.
That said, Guardiola might well have been pulling his hair out in the first half here if he had any left. He was instead compelled to kick a chair on the Etihad sidelines to channel his frustration at a team too slow in possession and too compliant in allowing the opposition to settle into a defensive shape.
Guardiola’s teams in the past – at Barcelona and Bayern Munich – were criticised for a kind of sterile dominance. They would keep the ball for long stretches of the match without actually looking like scoring
City were lulled into performing like that here momentarily and Guardiola was not going to tolerate it. He put his arm around a ball boy at one stage and demanded he be quicker in returning balls to the field. He barked orders every time the ball went dead at a player who wasn’t shifting the ball quick enough.
City’s lull lasted maybe half an hour until Pep got them through the Tunnel Club and into the environs of the dressing room.
From then on it was all about overwhelming the opposition - not only in possession - but in speed, purpose and chance creation too. Guardiola expects rapid ball circulation as a matter of habit in his City players and when they are not giving it to him he is not shy about reminding them. What came after the break was utter destruction.
Every month the world of boxing seems to throw up a superfight these days. Well, there would appear to be another heavyweight contest looming at the top of the Premier League too as two old foes step on the scales.
In the red corner Jose Mourinho. He delivered another masterclass in Floyd Mayweather football against Southampton on Saturday. Cover up, break through occasionally, win the rounds.
If Manchester United are going to hang at the top of the table, it is going to be like this; cautious and a clean sheet at all costs.
In the blue corner Pep Guardiola. These days he’s like Vasyl Lomachenko – the Ukrainian featherweight who’s stopped his last six opponents on the road to superstardom.
And Pep’s City team appear like a boxer performing deep inside hostile territory where he can’t trust the scorecards; no option but to go for the KO every time.
Crystal Palace corner would have thrown the towel long before the 90th minute on Saturday afternoon if they’d had their chance.
And on this form, no defence looks enough to contain them.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

A couple of good examples of the perils of twitter there. Although why Darren Lewis thought he needed to comment before half time is beyond me, clearly a closet rag.

The O'Riley article was either written by a twelve year old with a dictionary or a foreigner keen to show off his English vocabulary- padded with big words adding nothing.

The young lady in the opening photo looks enthralled by your bollox Chinners, as we all are!

[Foreverinbluedreams]

A couple of good examples of the perils of twitter there. Although why Darren Lewis thought he needed to comment before half time is beyond me, clearly a closet rag.

The O'Riley article was either written by a twelve year old with a dictionary or a foreigner keen to show off his English vocabulary- padded with big words adding nothing.

The young lady in the opening photo looks enthralled by your bollox Chinners, as we all are!

I gave up on that O'Riley article after this line

"His notable outings have even drawn the admiration of Arsenal and Manchester United and thus, it goes without saying that he must be doing something really very good of late."

A simple 'also' rather than 'even' and I would've carried on reading.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Oh an nice one Chinners, some cracking bollox there, always appreciated.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

That Bollox update has put a spring in my step, where is it from Chinners?

[Swales4ever]

[highlight]A couple of good examples of the perils of twitter there[/higlight]. Although why Darren Lewis thought he needed to comment before half time is beyond me, clearly a closet rag.

The O'Riley article was either written by a twelve year old with a dictionary or a foreigner keen to show off his English vocabulary- padded with big words adding nothing.

The young lady in the opening photo looks enthralled by your bollox Chinners, as we all are!

Hate to sound as pathetic as I thought generations before mine were, when talking about rock'n'roll, mate but, I for one rather sail the Roaring Forties through the Brouwer Route, than signing on a tweeter account

that's some pair of B*ll*x, indeed!

Lovely quotes from Buzzer, too.

[Chinners]

That Bollox update has put a spring in my step, where is it from Chinners?

Unbelievably its from GOAL, not the most City friendly of football media sites ... 'The times they are a changing' TM Bob Dylan

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

That Bollox update has put a spring in my step, where is it from Chinners?

Unbelievably its from GOAL, not the most City friendly of football media sites ... 'The times they are a changing' TM Bob Dylan

Thanks, mate. Great reading.

[steelsnail]

Very good update . Great bollox as always .

[CTID Hants]

Ha ha, so which player introduced Gabriel to Gregg's then? My money is on kaptain K

That twat with his tweet, took a right pounding and rightly so!