Man City v West Ham. Men Against Boys

We can criticise some of the performances tonight but that would be missing the point. Just look at the two substitute benches and it tells you everything you need to know. Tomkins and Da Costa as a centre back pairing? Twelve Premiership starts between them! Now we see the total folly of selling Collins. Unlucky because Upson and Gabbidon were injured? Not really when you take into account their respective track records with injuries. The uncomfortable truth is that we have been lucky with Upson over the last two and a bit seasons - he is overdue an extended lay off.

The worst thing about tonight was the tactics. With Unreal City playing Petrov and Wright-Phillips wide and reverting to a 4-4-2 formation, what in God's name was Zola up to fielding his 4-3-3 formation with no natural protection for the full backs? Yes Faubert was badly at fault for the first goal but where was the poor sod's protection? How many times was Petrov given the ball and invited to run at Faubert with no protection whatsoever for Le Sulk? Diamanti was again, nominally detailed to play on the right but he isn't going to tackle back is he? And even if he tries, he is tackling on his wrong foot. For those of us who remember Petrov humiliating Neill, the formation was bloody absurd. Before kick off I said to my son, Petrov will murder Faubert and so it proved. That's not the Frenchman's fault, it was Zola's. The tactics were as flawed as Haig's in the Great War!

Poor Tomkins and Da Costa! Apart from the first goal, I thought both aquitted themselves reasonably well in the circumstances but what chance did they stand? Yes Tomkins was slow to cover across when Petrov broke free for the first goal and yes Da Costa should have got goal side of Tevez, but that was five minutes into their first game together. It reminded me of the contest between the Christians and the lions! Basically, it was a no contest from the off and Tomkins, in particular, came out of the game with some credit for his bravery and commitment. But how much psychological damage is the kid suffering at the moment? Three consecutive three goal reverses must be affecting the lad's confidence. Ilunga, meanwhile was fantastic, largely keeping Wright-Phillips quiet and doing his best to cover the entire back four.

In midfield, we were over-run. On half a dozen occasions I was screaming, look, look, six, seven or eight West Ham players that you could cover with a blanket when we were in possession. There was no width whatsoever and De Jong and Barry simply picked our pockets as we tried to thread passes through the eye of a needle. City, meanwhile, took the ball and hit it to the flanks - blindingly simple because of Zola's ridiculous tactics and team selection.

Why have we wasted money on Kovac exactly? Surely we should have retained Collins rather than sign him? Jimenez? He conceded a stupid freekick for the second goal and was peripheral throughout. No wonder the Special One let him go! £8m? He isn't worth £3m from what I've seen so far. And Diamanti? He can hit a free kick and that shot was stunning but can we afford such a luxury player? And Noble and Parker? They battled hard but did they make a killer pass all game?

The other star, apart from Ilunga, was Cole. His goal was Zolaesque and he was robbed of an assist by an appalling decision. Time and again, he received nightmare passes but made the ball stick and time and again he found himself with no options. All the passes go straight down the middle, what Cole needs is somebody getting down the flanks and putting in crosses. But how is that going to happen with no natural width and players played on the wrong flank anyway? Again, Zola's tactics are questionable.

Was Green at fault for the second goal? Royle thought so, though I think that is a little harsh. But why was there such a big gap in the wall? That is Green's job.

It is now official, we have less points after six games than in the Great Escape season. This is getting very very very worrying indeed. We have lost our defensive solidity and we are no more effective going forward. The team isn't gelling and heads will go down if this continues. What is most worrying, is the lack of alternatives. Tell me, what happens if Cole is injured? Franco anybody? Has he taken a flight back to Mexico without anybody telling us?

Player ratings: Green 6, Faubert 6, Ilunga 8, Tomkins 6, Da Costa 6, Parker 6, Noble 6, Kovac 5, Jimenez 5, Diamanti 5, Cole 9 Zola 0