FanchesterCity

That is an impressive performance by anybody's standards. Would anybody want to get Liverpool in the next round? I very much doubt it. Teams that can score 5 away from home at this stage of CL will worry anybody.

As you start to get older, three key things start to happen. Firstly, your memory starts to fail. I can't remember the other two.

Something's just not right with that club. It's either Abramovic, or the players have lousy attitudes. They've got form for this.

His rationale for that was he'd rather have them playing an academy game, than pulling them out of a match just to sit on the bench for the sake of saying 'oh we had an academy player on the bench'. <script> </script>

Fair result, great game. Ali is an obnoxious player - petulant and dirty. Can't abide him.

It still might cost us trying to go on all four fronts, but I think a double is a possibility for us. Not good enough to win CL other than if we have some good fortune along the way, but sometimes you need a bit of luck. I'd be happy to win the league, one other cup would be a huge bonus.

VAR ensured the right decision all three times. Shame about the delays, but it's better than the wrong decisions.

I think you'll make it. Just. The only thing that needs sorting is the ability to win 1-0 when necessary, and I think that's where you struggle the most against the bus parkers. As devastating in attack as City, just not as consistent, that's all.

I don't mind West Ham, can't stand Moyes. Still he enjoys a spanking right?

Think he realised that Bristol City would be up for a fight, and it was too risky. I suspect he'll go easy on the FA Cup now though. Bristol were very good over two legs and it was yet another reminder of how slender the margin is between a 'top' team and a so called lesser one. It's really not that much, especially when the 'lesser' team are up for it.

Docker's Strike is absolutely right. With enough (good) investment, almost any club can be transformed. Of course, a club in the back end of nowhere will be significantly harder to transform than one in a major city, but a club in Bristol could just as readily be turned into top club as one in London. I'm no fan of Mike Ashley, but at the same time, he has actually invested in the club (just not enough for their fans liking), and by all accounts he's turned the club into a very streamlined business off the pitch. He's readily admitted that his level of 'rich' doesn't compare with a few of the other serious billionaires. He's just not in their league. What's he actually supposed to do? Sell up without recovering his investment just because the fans want a change? In truth, they just want another sap to spend a fortune, probably fail, then be hounded out by them again within 5 years.

Decent player. Not really an inspirational buy for the likes of Chelsea and feels like a stop-gap signing. Dzeko would be better suited to someone like Newcastle.

One way a club can massage these figures is by offering a lower salary but higher bonuses. Another potential way is by offering a sponsorship deal - i.e. 'if you join us, you'll also get a very attractive sponsorship deal with... ' - whilst in theory the club cannot guarantee this, I'm damn sure the likes of Barcelona can be fairly confident that Nike will sponsor their top players (providing they aren't already locked into some other firm). This is why it's not so easy to do like for like comparisons.

Well played Liverpool. Gutted we couldn't keep the unbeaten run going, but at least we went down to a team who played to win and got their just rewards. The scoreline flattered City, 4-2 would probably have been about right.