THE Man normally polishes off his weekly opus on a Thursday evening. But this week he deliberately left 250 words spare to reflect on the Burnley game, given the unusual Friday night kick-off time.

THE Man normally polishes off his weekly opus on a Thursday evening.

But this week he deliberately left 250 words spare to reflect on the Burnley game, given the unusual Friday night kick-off time.

Therefore there might be a certain amount of contradiction on this page, given the differences between the past two performances.

While the venom and Carling still courses through my veins following the Burnley game, I can only describe the second half showing as disgraceful.

Fair enough, we should have been two up before they scored, but the second half was an outrage.

There's no hiding from this one Worthy. Rather than just the 1,000 to 2,000 usual away followers, everyone saw it.

Earnie and Safri on the bench - ludicrous!

What does Leon do all week? Can someone please explain the offside rule to him.

Greeno…not only does he no longer make many big saves; he can't even kick/throw the ball to a yellow shirt anymore.

There is no way he should be in the England squad. I'm sorry, but if there were more than three English keepers in the country, he wouldn't be.

Andy Clap…no comment.

Of course, a lot of this is just the usual post-match anger at having watched the best supported side in the division get beaten by another useless team.

But it's still justified.

Last season we gave up on our Premiership status with a 6-0 defeat.

This year we gave up on our final shot at promotion with a 2-0 defeat to one of the worst sides I can remember seeing.

We deserve better.

I'm utterly sick of this team now, and the sooner this excuse for a season finishes the better.

Don't book any holidays chaps - because you don't deserve them.

We are owed one big-time next season, so you better be ready for it.

OTBC.

t SOUR WARNOCK'S ANTICS WERE A DELIGHT TO BEHOLD

THE Man does not hate Neil Warnock. In fact, I kind of like the guy.

But, as Worthy pointed out, there really is nothing like beating one of his teams. Last Saturday was delicious.

From the moment Leon stole in to equalise you just knew it was going to be our day.

They are one hell of a physical side, The Man got worn out just watching the game, gracious knows how the players must have felt.

It was the first time in ages The Man had enjoyed watching a game at Carrow Road.

A decent atmosphere, the team getting stuck in, good banter with the opposition fans, and an Earnie backflip.

Textbook stuff.

When Earnie followed up his backflip with a digging/jazz-hands encore The Man even caught himself smiling.

“He's not so bad after all, this Worthy bloke, is he…”, I mused, “And that Hooz fella's a decent battler…”

All the angst faded away: “This is how it's supposed to be,” I day-dreamed.

I hate going to games and having a moan.

Give me and 25,000 others something to believe in and we will.

Warnock's post-match antics were an absolute delight.

By my calculations he offered his hand to Worthy for all of 0.1 seconds before converting it into a V-sign.

He went on to say the Blades were “a quality side”.

They may be a lot of things - but a quality side they ain't.

Three of their players are clinically obese for a start, and the vast majority of the rest are only still playing because of the Government's proposals to up retirement ages.

Neil Shipperley, Bruce Dyer…Warnock deserves a lot of credit for getting that lot anywhere near promotion.

The Man fancies they will still get up - just.

And I have to say, for all his hot air and complaining, Warnock probably deserves one season in the big-time with the Blades - because that's all it will be.

A final note on last Saturday's game, it regards Jason Shackell.

I thought he was awesome in the final 10 minutes.

One last-ditch tackle to take the ball off Akinbiyi's boot when even he couldn't have missed was incredible.

He is a proper blood and guts defender, a modern day Duncan Forbes.

He just needs to work on his first touch and distribution and he will be a good player.

t REDS FORCED TO ADMIT VILE TRUTH

AT last the Scousers have admitted some of their fans are s**m.

For too long the rest of football has been force-fed the idea Liverpool fans are somehow an extra special set of supporters.

Despite being partly to blame for the two incidents that robbed grounds of terracing - and English clubs of a chance of competing in Europe - the Scousers have still been portrayed as good fans.

But following trouble in a recent FA Cup tie at Anfield against Manchester United, Liverpool have been forced to admit the vile truth - they are as bad as it gets.

The stadium manager revealed in an account of the game that Scouse fans were “throwing coins, plastic cups, and in one case at half-time excreta…”

That's right folks - one fan even threw a mug-full of poo poo at opposition fans. Charming, although I guess it beats queueing for the bogs.

But the delusion continues. The stadium manager went on to assert: “Liverpool Football Club has prided itself, justifiably, on having a good reputation across the football world for their behaviour…”

Try saying that in Turin and getting away with it!

If The Man had been born in Liverpool - God forbid - he would definitely have been an Everton fan, although I'm not mad keen on them either…maybe Tranmere then.

t NO HIDING PLACE FROM THE MAN

THE Man knows this is a bit self-indulgent, but I'm going to keep mentioning this until my startling run comes to an end.

For the third week in a row I spotted a City player in the wild.

Just to recount, over the past two weeks it was Greeno in the barber's, Earnie and Robinson in Dixons, and Louis-Jean in M&S.

This week's footballer sighting was in Auberge in the Castle Mall on Sunday evening.

The crusher from Casablanca, Youssef Safri, was sat having a meal with two companions. There is no escaping The Man.