BILLY BUNTER

Weblog: The football punter

Moaning Mancini should take a look at Shrimps

IT has taken precisely two minutes of the new football season for a Premier League manager to leave me in outrage.

Step forward Roberto Mancini.

Not content with having the best team in the Premier League having spent an absolute fortune in the process, Mr Mancini still wants more and is furious with the clubs for refusing to spend lavishly in making the champions even better over the summer months.

"United are favourites," moaned Mancini, who will hopefully be hoping a betting shop near me in the near future. "We are maybe second, third or fourth," he added without a hint of irony in the run up to Sunday's Community Shield clash with Chelsea.

I can see where you are coming from Bobby. It's not as if you have Joe Hart in goal or a defence which includes Richards, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Clichy, Lescott and Kompany.

The midfield does look short too with only Barry, de Jong, Johnson, Silva, Nasri and Milner in the squad and as for those attacking options of Aguero, Balotelli, Tevez, Dzeko, Santa Cruz and Adebayor, it's an absolute disgrace that City are refusing to spend money - how on earth are you meant to get buy with just that lot.

It's the sort of quote that must drive other managers crazy, not least poor Morecambe manager Jim Bentley who probably has a seasonal budget that would just about cover a night on the town for Balotelli.

Laurence Wilson, one of Morecambe's better players, has jumped ship to Rotherham and it could be a long season for the League Two team.

With that in mind, Blackpool may tonk them in the League Cup on Sunday and a half-time full-time double result punt on the Championship club looks a much better wager than those moaning Premier League prima donnas.
 
Hopefully with the winnings we can have a whip around for Mancini, who clearly has the toughest job in English football.