FOOTBALL pundits, or 'the muppets' if you listen to Sir Bobby Robson, up and down the country have dismissed Chelsea from the championship race on the back of their home defeat to Liverpool in midweek.

The Premiership's big-spenders - now feared around the world for their unrivalled power in the transfer market - have won just two of their last five League matches.

That serious decline in form has seen the gap open up between themselves and both fellow title contenders, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Normal service resumed, some may say.

Even if Chelsea go to Leicester and succeed tomorrow - along with defeats for North-East Middlesbrough today and Newcastle United tomorrow in London and Manchester respectively - then Claudio Ranieri's men will still be sitting in third place, such is the lead the top two hold.

Arsenal's home fixture with the Teessiders this afternoon, the first of four meetings between the two clubs this month, is sure to provide Arsene Wenger's side with a tough hurdle to overcome.

But Wenger's wonders are likely to break down the miserly Boro rearguard when they have the second best player in the world playing up front for them, Thierry Henry.

Boro are a much different proposition to the team who were humiliated 4-0 by the Londoners in August.

But Arsenal should still be able to reduce Man. United's lead to just one point, albeit temporarily, as tomorrow Sir Alex Ferguson welcomes Newcastle United to Old Trafford.

Welcomes is a carefully chosen word because Ferguson will be laying out the red carpet for Sir Bobby's men when they arrive in Manchester.

That is not a reflection of how badly the Magpies are doing this season - a fact highlighted by chairman Freddy Shepherd's calls for more Rolls-Royce performances - it is just an indication of how easy life has been for Man. United at home against Newcastle over the years.

Fifteen goals in the last four matches between the two clubs at the Theatre of Dreams has been an absolute nightmare for Robson and it is a dreadful spell which Newcastle will be doing their utmost to end.

Last weekend the Magpies won in Southampton for the first time in 32 years, and they will need to bury an Old Trafford hoodoo tomorrow that has lasted just as long.

Ranieri will be keeping his fingers crossed that Newcastle do earn a favourable outcome, as the likelihood of the Italian boss losing his job come the end of the campaign grows by the day.

The Tinkerman spent big in the summer; £110m is testament to that.

And Russian sugar-daddy Roman Abramovich has hinted he is willing to give Ranieri more cash to splash this month in a bid to steer Chelsea' title bid back on track.

But the Blues' slip from top spot to third place in recent weeks has led to the club's supporters seriously questioning the former Valencia coach's selection decisions - like failing to find a regular front two. And if silverware is not forthcoming to the Bridge this season, namely the Premiership crown, then it is more than likely to be: Roll over Claudio, Sven's surging in.