But no-one seems to have told the bookies who are still pricing up the Blues as if they are title contenders rather than a rag-tag collection of panic buys and fading stars.

Chelsea make the trip to Newcastle on Saturday where Paddy Power make them even money favourites to take all three points.

That, on current form, is simply the wrong price and Alan Pardew’s men should be backed at a shade under 3/1.

Newcastle have taken on Man Utd and Man City in recent weeks so the Blues should hold little fear.

It’s amazing how quickly a team can lose its aura of invicibility. And Chelsea’s has disappeared faster than boss Andre Villas-Boas’ reputation.

A combination of a creaking squad and a manager under pressure is a toxic mix so let’s back Newcastle to take advantage.

Villas-Boas is fighting to save his job. But sacking him would just prolong the agony at Stamford Bridge.

The current squad is a jigsaw of inherited factions and talents with no manager ever given time to mould a club with long-term ambitions.

But it’s difficult to feel any sympathy for a club owned by Roman Abramovich and captained by John Terry so let’s just try and make a profit from their problems.

Over in the Championship and the doubters are having to tuck in to large slices of humble pie over Sam Allardyce at West Ham.

Something incredible happened during the week.

We won, up north at Middlesbrough in bad weather. Boro boss Tony Mowbray was even talking about how “hard to beat” the Hammers are.

I had to bang the radio a few times to make sure I wasn’t hearing things.

Big Sam hasn’t grasped this managing West Ham lark at all.

We’re supposed to travel up the M1 frozen with fear before capitulating to whichever bunch of northern bully boys line-up against us.

It may not be total football at the Academy at the moment but I’ll take second in the league at Christmas and I’m sure if we poke our noses in front Sam will make us very difficult to haul back.

I’m aware my tips have gone belly up in recent weeks so it looks like a Chelsea revival and a West Ham cave-in to Burnley beckons.

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