Now I don’t like sounding like that bitter old bloke in the corner of every bookies who’s always been robbed of a winner.

But City should have beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week after the home side registered a single shot on target.

And for the life of me I can’t understand why Manuel Pellegrini took off Aguero and Silva when his side were chasing a winning goal.

Obviously Pellegrini has got years of experience as a football boss – he looks about a hundred for a start.

But taking off your two biggest goal threats when you are pushing for three points just seems bizarre.

Pellegrini’s tactics aren’t the oddest in the Premier League though.

That award goes to my old favourite Sam Allardyce whose decision to stick by Kevin Nolan is a mystery that Poirot would struggle to solve.

West ham have won plaudits this season with their newly discovered ability to pass, move and attack with pace.

That was founded on a mobile attacking pair of Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho playing in front of a midfield diamond spearheaded by a reborn Stewart Downing.

That formation beat Man City and Liverpool at home and had the pundits purring.

So what does Big Sam do?

Obviously as soon as Kevin Nolan was fully fit he put him at the head of the diamond and shunts Downing out wide while also reinstating Andy Carroll to the attack at the expense of one of our successful strike duo.

Nolan has been a great captain at the club but the game now passes him by.

There’s no room for sentiment in professional sport – just ask Steven Gerrard.

West Ham have now been playing with a “play maker” who is too slow to make the plays while Downing reverts to his old ineffectual self on the wings.

Carroll hasn’t being playing badly – but is now injured so Allardyce has no excuse beyond pure belligerence not to revert to a line-up which served us so well at the start of the season.

It should be an interesting game against Man Utd Sunday but I’ll steer well clear of having a bet until the line-ups are announced.

I like the look of Stoke this weekend away at Newcastle.

Mark Hughes has got his team firing at the moment with three wins on the spin.

Newcastle beat a dire Hull last week but lost their three previous games.

Hughes will know the home side’s confidence is fragile and an early away goal could see the locals turn on their team.

Stoke are as big as 5/2 in places and that looks well worth a go to me.

Let’s just hope Hughes doesn’t make my managers’ blacklist come Monday…..

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Running Total for all bets this year to a £10 stake: £-40.00