WILL City's former rampaging powerhouse Micah Richards please stand up


EVERTON, enjoy the blue tide lapping against the ankles of the top three before the back-wash begins


AND were all Chelsea fans at Wembley chomping on prawn sandwiches?

Will the artist formerly known as the rampaging powerhouse of a teenager called Micah Richards please stand up?

As Manchester City's season begins to collapse, Richards was last seen hanging around an England dressing room like a hopeful autograph hunter.

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Italians are known to be masters of defence and Fabio Capello has already seen through Richards and his rippling muscles.

Dropped from his first game and now unrecognisable from the star turn who rampaged on to the international scene, he was swamped by Everton's rapid counter-attacking style last night.

Is he a right back, or a centre half? Can he defend as well as he can attack? Is this just a young man going through an inevitable fluctuation in form?

If anyone can find the player we thought he was going to be let me know.

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A blue tide has swept into the top four.

Now do Everton have the quality, the courage and the nerve to see it through right to the finishing line?

They are in fourth place, following their 2-0 win at Manchester City, and you could take your pick from a series of outstanding performances – Yakubu, Tim Cahill, Phil Neville or Phil Jagielka. All would struggle to get into the teams at any of the other top six clubs.

Tim Howard has conceded one goal – an own goal – in the Premier League since the turn of the year. No opposition player has scored a league goal against them in the calendar year.

The blue force is growing, but look at the dangers ahead. On March 30 they go to Anfield for what could be a Champions League-place play-off against Liverpool and their run-in includes matches against Chelsea (h) and Arsenal (a).

Moyes' boys are rich in entertainment (and he's done it by spending £40-odd million less than Liverpool), but surely it is doomed to failure in the end, which would sadly leave the Champions League qualifiers with a dull and familiar look.

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My postbag yesterday was a bit lively and I am a sensitive soul, really.

Fair point, I should have congratulated the awesome Fernando Torres - he's in my Fantasy Football team - for his hat-trick against an improving Middlesbrough at the weekend.

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Torres is quick, powerful and graceful, he reminds me of Thierry Henry with his balance and his elegance in riding tackles and beating defenders.

He says he has never won a medal in his career and, for that, I see warning signs flashing.

How long can Liverpool expect to keep him when they are fighting for fourth place?

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Chelsea fans don't deserve much sympathy from the rest of us, but Hatchet Man reproduces this harsh comment left on the site yesterday to give them a chance to defend themselves.

Beaten in the Carling Cup Final, kicked after the final whistle by this contributor. Or perhaps you agree and believe he has a point? Are Chelsea really the prawn sandwich champions of Wembley?

"Firstly, big congratulations to Spurs and Ramos for one of the best days of my life. It just shows what fitness, coupled with skill and passion can do. Chelsea just weren't at the races, on the pitch or in the stands, where it seemed like the 'prawn sandwich brigade' had occupied all the Chelsea seats." - Adam, London

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Is there a worse referee in the Barclays Premier League than Rob Styles?

Watching him last night in the Manchester City versus Everton game just gave me the hump. Granted, it doesn't take much, but Styles is so overly officious and condescending. I see a career as Window Twankey in panto when he hangs up his whistle.

Oh yes I do...

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Memo to every commentator, pundit, player and manager on TV: Stop saying, "He'll be disappointed with that".

Hatchet Man has banned the worthless phrase. On this site we'll name and shame everyone we hear use it, but let us know the ones that we miss.

The latest culprit - Tim Sherwood on Setanta last night.

"Richard Dunne will be disappointed with that," he said as Everton moved into a 2-0 lead. Yellow card to Sherwood.

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Always, always play to the whistle, my friends. As we can see here from Real Madrid v Getafe this weekend.

The ref gives offiside in build-up to Arjen Robben's "goal". While Real are all kissing each other by the corner flag, Getafe take the free-kick, run up field and stick it in the back of the net. And watch for their better-than-Nani, flipping celebration too. Priceless.