Say it ain't so, Sparky! Manchester United? Certainly! Chelsea? Well okay.

But for crying out loud...Manchester City?

The club that vies with your last suitors, Newcastle United, for the title of perennial crisis club?

And how so very fitting that they are owned by a "businessman" who is still to face trial in his native Thailand on alleged corruption charges.

Would you buy a used manager's job from this man? (ask Sven for a reference).

Why hasn't the board taken a leaf out of our manager's own book and refused City permission to speak to him?

Mark Hughes has stated loud and clear to David Bentley that, as he's under contract for a number of seasons, he can forget about moving on unless and until the club says otherwise.

Could John Williams not have played back the tape to Sparky?

Make no mistake, if Mark Hughes leaves it will potentially have more impact than when Kenny Dalglish resigned, or when Alan Shearer joined Newcastle.

Remember how bad a hangover the club suffered shortly after those departures?

If a similar fall is to be avoided the board will need to pull another rabbit out of the hat.

Forget some of the big names such as Mancini that are already being bandied about, or indeed the big man, former Bolton manager Sam Allardyce.

I would urge the club to adopt the same formula as last time.

An up-and-coming young ambitious manager and, as it happens, one with a United connection.

Paul Ince would be my choice. What's that? He's contracted to another club already?

Oh dear but there may be a way round that!