I’m somewhat less than amazed that it’s a manager with a record of only three wins in his last twenty matches in all competitions is getting a little twitchy when the annual sack race begins to hot up but with Stuart Pearce calling for a “sack window” aren’t managers getting a little ridiculous in their attempts to save themselves from the axe?
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What a surprise to find that a British police force aren’t at all concerned with investigating further a violent assault that could have seriously injured or even killed the victim simply because he’s such a good bloke that he has asked them not to pursue it further.

Whether Pedro Mendes wants the attack by Ben Thatcher dealt with by the FA or not it should be a police decision to prosecute and in my opinion jail Thatcher for his deliberate act of grievious bodily harm on the Portsmouth midfielder regardless of what minor punishments the FA and Manchester City have dealt out.

A few games suspension and the loss of a few weeks wages will teach a lifelong thug like ben Thatcher absolutely nothing and I am disgusted to once again see one rule for thugs on the street and quite another for multi-millionaires just because they carry out their offences on a football pitch and not on the street outside a pub.
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I have always respected Stuart Pearce, first as a no-nonsense defender for Nottingham Forest and England (when Spurs had Justin Edinburgh at left back during that time I came to appreciate a quality fullback) and then as an energetic manager with some of Martin O’Neill’s traits of kicking every ball he watched from the touchline. That respect ended after watching Pearce vindicate Ben Thatcher for the GBH he had just inflicted on Pedro Mendes and say, with a smirk, that the referee had been right to issue a yellow card.

IfI was the Manchester City chairman I’d tell Pearce that he had one day to do an interview with Sky Sports on camera and make a very public aplogy for his flippant remarks and a couple of hours in which to tell Ben Thatcher to pack up his stuff and never come back to City. Pearce should have known better.

Thatcher on the other hand has always been a loathsome thug. An overrated youngster at Millwall and then Wimbledon led to a big money (waste of money) move to Spurs where he spent more time on the treatment table than the pitch (thankfully given his awful performances) and was then shipped on. He’s a paper thug, a snidey dirty individual with no redeeming football features and last night’s assault on Mendes proves that beyond all doubt.
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Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie is in trouble with the authorities again after Manchester City defender David Sommeil reported him to match referee Graham Poll on the grounds of racist abuse.

Van Persie had started this season under the cloud of a rape allegation in his native Holland and had been arrested and investigated by the Dutch police over the allegations. These latest racist allegations came to light during the Arsenal - Manchester City game this week and prompted referee Poll to speak to representatives of both clubs at half time during the match.

The FA has now written to David Sommeil asking for his version of events as they try to get to the bottom of the incident and if Van Persie is found guilty he could face personal punishment as well as fines or points deductions for his club.

“We went to see Graham Poll at half-time and he informed us there had been an allegation of racial abuse,” confirmed City boss Stuart Pearce. “None of my players mentioned it to me at half-time or after the game but if someone does come and speak to me about it, it will be taken very seriously.”

Pearce added that it was the first time he has had to deal with a situation such as this but whether the matter is pursued or not depends on Sommeil’s willingness to take it further.

Manchester City have announced a pre-tax profit of ?16.8m for the six months to 30 November 2005.

The figure incorporates the ?21m received from Chelsea for Shaun Wright-Phillips in the summer and helps to ease the club’s reported ?57m debt.

It is thought that City will use around ?5m of the profit to pay off some short-term loans.

The accounts also reveal that City made salary cuts of ?1m and increased turnover by 2% to ?28.2m.

City have since reduced their wage bill further with Robbie Fowler, who was reported to be earning in the region of ?35,000 a week, returning to Liverpool in the January transfer window.

The club’s continued involvement in the FA Cup this year will also boost their income compared to last season.