As someone from Manchester once said, this joke isn't funny any more.
Pantomime season should be over by now but the high farce continued on Gallowgate as our slide to oblivion continued with another disintegration beamed to the nation.

A bright start had given us a brief glimmer of hope but once Ronaldo crossed for Wayne Rooney to volley past Given in the 25th minute it was the start of an all too familiar collapse.

Charles N'Zogbia had allowed Rooney an acre of space to meet the cross as once again we suffered for playing without a recognised left back.

On the stroke of half-time Barton lost possession on the half way line and within five seconds Ronaldo had tucked the ball past Given with our defence looking non-existent.

Steve Harper replaced Given again to make his 100th appearance for the club but it was another mistake in front of him that allowed Ronaldo to make it 3-0 after 56 minutes.

Faye was the culprit this time, taking the ball off the player when he had slipped but he promptly gave it straight back and another bizarre challenge from Talyor left Ronaldo to round Harper for his second.

We got one back when Andy Carroll's mis-timed header fell to Faye in the six yard area but any hopes of a famous and unlikely comeback were extinguished when Rooney swept home a fourth two minutes later - former colleague Alan Smith gifting him the ball.

But the agony wasn't over and Harper saved superbly twice before former Magpie Louis Saha finished off the rout when the visitors waltzed through our backline to compound our misery.

It's now ten Premiership games without victory and it is only defeats for the teams below us that is keeping our heads above water.

But the drowning not waving phrase seems more appropriate now than ever.