Poor little Chelsea had a decision go against them. About time we got some luck there, the refs usually make sure of a Chelsea win.

Good result for City

So what's Clattenburg been saying then? The Premier League are saying it's being treated very seriously and someone on the radio reckons it's that serious that he'll be sacked. Utterly bizarre, can't see a referee being sacked for just swearing and if he's called a player the kind of name you hear in the school playground, pub or office I think the public would see that as nothing major. Not racism surely? That would be insane and would cause the sport to implode in a media frenzy.

Shame really because he had a decent game I thought from what I saw. I didn't see Ivanovich's but Torres' red was the right decision, it would be great if today's interpretations are applied universally. Contact isn't an entitlement to fall over. Talking of which I've just been watching the derby again and Sterling's dive for Suarez's goal is a joke. The contact there was doesn't break his stride and he makes four strides before going down with a full length dive. The offside winner from Hernandez wasn't Clattenburg's fault either.

Exactly. Had to have a sly chuckle to myself when Ivanovic was sent off and then Hernandez scored from an offside position. Maybe they'll know how we felt at the Bridge last year.


Regarding the Torres sending off, I think the way he went down was why he got sent off. Had he just gone down he'd have got the foul, but because he went down with that sort of twisty thing they all do that makes it look like they're in an action film and grabbed his leg about 6 inches above the contact he was deemed to have dove.

Twitterati putting it out that Mikel is claiming Clattenburg called him a 'monkey' One hell of a claim, it will be interesting to see how this pans out.

Also suggested he called Mata a "spanish t**t"

Incredible if true. What I can't understand though is the apparent lack of reaction from the Chelsea (and utd) players. If a ref was using that sort language surely they would have been more animated, more outraged than they appeared?

Yeah, it's a well known fact that nearly all sides improve in their 2nd season in the top flight. Surely that's what the phrase 'second season syndrome' was coined for? You only have to look at QPR and Norwich, they're both significantly improved too.

Chelsea fans who see Terry as a legend despite the racism issue now calling for Clattenberg to be sacked.

There isn't any rule to how sides perform in the second season. Who's to say they wouldn't done better this season under Rodgers? Who's to say how they would have performed with Laudrup in their first season? It's ridiculous to use a side's first season in a league as the yardstick for comparing managers. Who's to say that Laudrup isn't profiting from the good work of Rodgers? He isn't exactly picking up the pieces of disappointment like Rodgers is.

IMO, we've been performing well but we're very under strength and one dimensional as a team. It's easy enough saying we only play one way, but how else do you play when you only have one recoginised forward that doesn't like to lead the line? Our only defensive midfielder is injured and we've introduced three fantastic teenagers into the team.

I like Rodgers, he's doing a lot right which gives me confidence he could be here for quite a few years. I'm mixed on whether he'll lead us to success, he needs a really good set of scouts on his side if he's to get us back into the CL, but he'll definitely put us in a great position. He'll establish the right attitude, he'll sign the right characters and he'll set the right footballing principles in the club, but whether we'll become winners will depend a lot on the likes of Citeh, United and Chelsea, as well as some stupendous ability in the transfer market.

Not really, football fans used to sing FSW in unison towards Benitez every week yet nobody reacted. Many fans used to sign Adebayor's dad washes elephants, yet there was little reaction to that. If he's called him a Spanish tw*t, I imagine the majority of football will laugh it off.