Manchester City 2 Bolton 0
Jack was promising and big Pat was on for the whole game.
In a game featuring several Arsenal rejects, Patrick Vieira played 95 minutes, while Jack Wilshere played 76 for Bolton before Matt Taylor replaced him.
Kolo Toure’s long passing was worse than ever.
Watching Toure try to run, you wondered how old he really is. He went off with a knee injury, Lescott coming on in 55.
Great for me to see the once-awesome Patrick Vieira starting a game in England again. Because my all-time favourite footballers are Denis Law, Peter Osgood and Patrick Vieira.
I’ve liked many, met hundreds, interviewed dozens, had fun with some, forgotten many more, but Denis, Ossie and Pat are my main men. And now Pat is playing in the sky blue shirt that Denis once wore at Maine Road.
With Pat blowing after ten minutes, and with De Jong and Adebayor making Manchester City look as if they were playing with nine men, this 2-0 win was welcome.
But it was a really dismal game in which the pitch looked like the biggest football pitch you’ve ever seen in your life. There were spaces everywhere.
Man City are two million miles away from being a Champions League side. Playing like this they will never finish in the top four. Craig Bellamy was badly missed.
Roberto Mancini doesn’t like Stevie Ireland because, being Italian, he likes to keep it tight all over the pitch. Mancini will go in the summer. That’s a promise.
A British manager, Owen Coyle, played the 18-year old Englishman in central midfield. Jack is a quick-thinking playmaker whose early passes add momentum to a game and, more crucially, add penetration to your attack.
Central midfield is his proper position. Coyle realises that Jack is more Liam Brady than Freddie Ljungberg. If Wenger realises that, he’s never shown it.
In Jack’s first game for Bolton he started shakily and improved and had a chance with a dropping ball in 43. He hit it neatly but without power. He’s learning the game but can already do things that many 28-year olds will never do. I’m glad Jack is on loan at Bolton because I just can’t see him playing for Arsenal while Wenger is the manager. He’s not French.
Jack needs to be playing football, not stagnating beneath mediocre foreigners that Wenger thinks are better than he is.
Adebayor had a good chance in 38 but shot wide.
He is shocking, always has been, always will be. He is gutless, always jumping six inches higher than then defender but never heading the ball. In 50 years of watching football at all levels, I’ve never seen a centre forward who always fails to anticipate where the ball will go. Forget what he does off the field, Ade is appalling on the field. He is a disgrace. He made Tevez look useless and Tevez had to score the first goal from a penalty in 31. Tevez could never have scored his 13th goal of the season in open play while being partnered by Adebarndoor.
In 73, Viera picked out Adebarndoor, who scored his trademark goal. A flighted diagonal pass found Ade inside, and he chested the ball and smashed it in. That’s his trademark goal and that made it 2-0.Game over.
Tevez is far better on his own with two wingers.
City centreback Vincent Kompany is a klassy player. Like him a lot.
Adam Johnson, a left- footed winger, made his debut on the right flank and played very well. Good player ! In a month’s time he will score a goal.
Portsmouth v Sunderland was a repeat of that FA Cup tie I saw with Mark Jacob on January 23, when John Utaka scored twice in a 2-1 victory that took Pompey into a 5th Round game at Southampton this weekend.
I was staggered by how bad Sunderland were that day. Kenwyne Jones was playing not to get injured because he wanted a transfer to Liverpool.
Begovic made a late wonder-save from a Darren Bent free-kick to prevent a replay. With Begovic now sold to Stoke, and Kaboul going back to Spurs, Pompey fielded a much weaker side in a controversial encounter last night but still managed a 1-1 draw when Dindane headed in Jamie O’Hara’s cross at the death. There were three red cards in the game and numerous penalty shouts which were all borderline calls.
Southampton v Portsmouth will be fun.
Southampton can’t be worse than Sunderland but I fancy Portsmouth. If the club survives today in the companies winding-up court.