Dramatic developments at Bescot this evening with the news Paul Merson has been sacked by Jeff Bonser - news that first emerged on this site’s message board before being confirmed by Sky Sports within the last hour.

Correspondent Magic Man Fan posted the news at 7.13 that Merson was in the Swan in Stonnall - and that Merson had told drinkers he had been sacked by the chairman at 5.30pm, and that Bonser was in the process of getting a new man in.

The information was then confirmed to other UptheSaddlers regulars via contacts.

At 8.10 Sky Sports News reported the departure as a news flash.

As of 9.05, the time of writing, the official site is still reporting on the main events at Bescot - the virtual trial available at the soccer academy, the man of the match text vote, and the Bank’s goal of the month…

Note to all UTS visitors: we are experiencing exceptional traffic levels so you may find the site slower than usual.