Roberto Mancini was sacked by Manchester City yesterday and it has caused wide-spread opinions about whether City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak had made the right decision considering it was exactly a year ago to the day that Mancini had lifted the Premier League title with City.

Why was he sacked? 

The reasons behind the sacking supposedly lie in the demands expected of Mancini this season. He was expected to retain the title and make it to the latter stages of the Champions League, something in which he and City have failed to achieve on both counts.

Not only this but Mancini it can be seen that when it comes to man management skills, he is severely lacking in this department. Several moments throughout the season he clashed with members of his team ranging from public criticism of Joe Hart to falling out with the likes of Joleon Lescott, Samir Nasri and Vincent Kompany. His love/hate relationship with Mario Balotelli throughout the years before his depature to AC Milan in January and the public falling out with Carlos Tevez last season shows that it wasn’t just a case of the ego of some of his players but the ego of the man himself.

His relationship with members of the board had an impact upon City’s decision as well. City appointed former Barcelona technical director Txiki Begiristain as director of football last October to oversee player recruitment, with Ferran Soriano also leaving Barca to join City as chief executive. The City board stated that ”the need to develop a holistic approach to all aspects of football at the club” was not met by Mancini, referring to the development of the clubs youth system and the first team in flux with one another.

His European record was also deemed  inadequate by the City board. Out of 12 games in the Champions League, City only managed to win 3 of them. Although it can be argued that the group Manchester City had in this years competition was certainly tough as they were drawn alongside Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid, the expectation from the board to advance from the group stages wasn’t met in either of City’s two seasons in the Champions League.

Why was the sacking a bad idea? 

Mancini proved to be very popular manager with the fans and for understandable reasons too, he took Manchester City to the Champions League for the very first time in his first full season in charge after taking over from Mark Hughes in December 2010 as City finished third with a team featuring the likes of new signings at the time Yaya Toure, David Silva and Mario Balotelli as well as beating Stoke in the FA Cup final to win their first major trophy in 25 years.

The following season players such as Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy were purchased as City looking to push for the title and they battled throughout the season picking up emphatic wins such as the 6-1 smashing of Manchester United in October  in a title race that went down to the wire. City needed to beat QPR as United were winning against Sunderland to win the title and in the 94th minute, Sergio Aguero scored the winning goal to seal Manchester City’s first Premier League trophy.

This is a guy who won the FA cup, the Premier League and got to another FA cup final in the space of 3 years. Shouldn’t he be given at least another season? His record speaks for itself in that he won 59% of his games in charge in all competitions whilst in charge of the club.

Why was the sacking a good idea?

With the emphasis on the holistic approach that the City board wished to achieve, it is clear to see that the backroom additions and Mancini’s style were going to clash and at the end of the day the board are always going to win. As mentioned earlier on, his man management skills have come back to haunt him, but Mancini’s playing style at times left little to the imagination. The board want the side to be exciting and play entertaining football, something which they felt Mancini lacked and believed his football to be “tedious and formulaic”. Nowadays winning isn’t enough for some clubs, it must be done in an exciting style of play but if a boring style brings success and trophies then should it really matter how they go about it as long as they are winning? Two matches which show Mancini’s negative mindset can be pinpointed to the game against Real Madrid earlier on in the season in which City somehow managed to get a lead but fell apart right after. The FA cup final against Wigan in which the side looked disinterested and were outplayed by a side battling to stay up in the Premier league are unacceptable.

The transfers made this season were simply unremarkable, Scott Sinclair, Jack Rodwell, Javi Garcia and Maicon are not transfers that signal an intent to push on from last season and defend their title, they are simply at best squad additions, backup or youngsters with promise. Whereas United went out and purchased Robin Van Persie a man who will score vital goals and plenty of them, City also missed out on Eden Hazard who chose to join Chelsea. Missing out on players who can win you games cost City dearly and in the end it was one of the factors in Mancini’s sacking.

These are valid reasons for the board wanting to move in a different direction, one that looks likely to involve Manuel Pellegrini.

Manuel Pellegrini, the answer? 

Pellegrini came to the forefront of European football during his spell in charge of Villarreal from July 2004 to May 2009, a record of 123 wins, 72 draws and 64 losses with a side that took a Villarreal team featuring Juan Roman Riquelme  from nowhere to the Champions League semi finals. A man who earned a move to Real Madrid in which in his only season in charge took the team to a then record points total for the team but only to be pipped by a Barcelona that was dominating football. He only lasted a season due to frustrations with not being able to build a team he wanted, instead having to live with the “Galaticos” policy. The Chilean went to manage the Qatari backed Malaga team in November 2010 and led them to 4th in the 2011/12 season, his first full season in charge. Despite financial difficulties he has managed to lead Malaga into the quarter finals of the Champions League and he now looks set to take over the blue half of Manchester.

Pellegrini is an intelligent man, a tactically astute one who will stick to his principles, a man who craves structure, stability and a formula. Could he achieve this at City? It is entirely possible as long as he brings trophies, progresses in Europe (something in which he has proven he can) and brings entertainment to City. With the backroom additions having been made it looks possible that Pellegrini is best suited to work with the likes of Begiristain and Soriano. Add in Pellegrini’s close relationship he builds with his players then City could be onto a winning combination if he does become manager.

Feel free to leave any comments you have, do you agree with the sacking? Do you think Pellegrini could be a good appointment? Or just any ideas/advice you have for future topics.

Now the team will be under Brian Kidd’s supervision till they appoint a new manager to the club. This means that the two Manchester clubs will kick off next season with a new manager.

Roberto Mancini hasn’t lived up to expectations after winning the league title last season. This season they lost the league title to Manchester United and the FA Cup final to current relegation battling Wigan Athletic. They were also kicked out of the Champions League in the group stages.

I don’t think it will be easy managing a club that is being invested heavily by a rich individual. Demands will always be high and they expect a lot of improved changes in a short time. That’s what the new manager must remember about man city. They are now among the big name clubs in Europe just because of their financial status as the richest club in the world and they can afford any player they want on this planet.

English: Roberto Mancini (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They have a star studded line up in Man City but having too many big name players can ruin the team spirit. Tevez was one example of a player that Mancini didn’t handle well. In 2011, Tevez had a rift with Roberto Mancini and was suspended by the club for a maximum period of two weeks. Tevez was later suspended for a lengthier period and came back to the club in February 2013. Another player that Mancini had problems with was Mario Balotelli. Balotelli had been causing the club problems with his on and off the pitch antics. Mancini and Balotelli even had a training ground bust up in 2012 when Balotelli made a bad tackle on Scott Sinclair. Mancini ordered Balotelli to leave the pitch and that’s when the shoving started.

The lack of man management abilities by Mancini may have caused problems for the club. Something that has been going on behind the scenes in Man City. Man City needs a manager who can handle the big name players and the big expectations of the club.

Rumors reported that Man City is eyeing up Manuel Pellegrini to replace Roberto Mancini. News also informed us that Man City are not in a rush to get Pellegrini into the club stating that Brian Kidd will manage the clubs pre season tour. I however feel that they should get Pellegrini in as soon as possible before they go on to their pre season tour. This is the best time for the new manager to understand the club and his players. He can use the upcoming friendly matches to test out tactics and players before the opening premier league match. He would probably have a basic understanding of what’s lacking with the team and get new players in.

Whatever decisions that Man City makes, hope that they wont sack the manager after just a few months in charge like the way Chelsea has done for the past couple of years.

Sir Alex with his 13th Premier League trophy.

Harold Wilson, the former British Prime Minister, once coined the phrase “A week is a long time in politics”. I think old ‘Wilson’ would agree that the same turn of phrase can be applied to football, especially after this week’s events.

A week ago today, Twitter, the font of all knowledge and reason, was rife with speculation, rumours and gossip surrounding the future of arguably the greatest manager in British football history, Sir Alex Ferguson (SAF) was apparently on the verge of announcing his retirement.

Then, at around 0930 on Wednesday morning, the news that not only was SAF retiring, but that he was going at the end of the current season. It was the news that the majority of Manchester United fans have been expecting, but thought would never arrive. This started a chain of events that would not look out of place in the script of a Hollywood drama.

Sir Alex, is the most successful coach in the history of British football, winning 38 trophies during his two main management jobs, starting out at Aberdeen, where he broke the ‘Old Firms’ grip on the first division and conquered Europe, winning the Cup Winners Cup in 1983. The great man, then began his iconic 26 year stint at Old Trafford, winning 13 Premier League titles, 2 European Cups, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 1 World Club Cup, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup along with 1 Intercontinental Cup and 10 Charity Shields. It is a record that probably never be surpassed and Fergie’s legacy as one of the World’s best ever coaches is complete.

As the week progressed we found out the reasoning behind Fergie’s decision to call time at the end of the current season. The hip operation he was due to have, which would have ruled him out of effectively all of Manchester United’s pre-season weighed heavily on his mind. Coupled with the recent death of his sister in law and the need he felt to repay his long suffering wife Cathy. He also stated that he wants to spend more time with his 11 grandchildren. SAF said that he had made his mind up last Christmas, and this is fairly accurate, judging by his reaction to United’s Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid in February, a campaign which proved to be his last in Europe.

As football fans recovered, attention was now focused on the man who would replace Ferguson at the helm of United. From the beginning there were two front runners, David Moyes and the self proclaimed ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho. In the end the news broke that Everton Manager David Moyes was Ferguson, and the United hierarchy’s choice to succeed him. Signing a six year contract at Old Trafford, and with Fergie’s blessing Moyes is tasked with carrying on the success and triumph that has been the cornerstone of United for the past two decades.

Successor

Moyes, a fellow Glaswegian, has worked wonders at Everton with a pittance to work with, using his knowledge, smart buys, and excellent loan deals to consistently guide Everton to top half finishes in the Premier League and even into Europe on occasions.

Attention then shifted on to who would replace Moyes as Everton manager, with the bookies making current Wigan boss Roberto Martinez favourite.

Then came Saturday’s FA Cup Final at Wembley, with rumours abounding about the future of Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, who was under severe pressure after shortcomings in the Champions League and a sub-par defence of the title they had won last season. There was everything to play for on Saturday. City were dour and Wigan believed that belief was rewarded in the dying minutes of the game as Wigan scored a memorable winner. The rumour mill went into overdrive and it seemed that Mancini’s tenure at City was coming to an abrupt end.

After the dust had settled on Wigan’s astonishing win at Wembley, it was time for Sir Alex to bid farewell to the place that has become a home from home for him for nearly three decades. The guard of honour, the songs, the flags and chants of supporters all made the occasion extraordinarily special, as Fergie walked onto the hallowed Old Trafford pitch for the final time as United manager to the chant of ‘Ferguson’s Red and White Army’ and ‘We love you Fergie’ the emotion nearly overcame the great Scot, but he managed to compose himself and watch the game.

In direct contrast to the love and affection shown by United people everywhere to Ferguson, the same cannot be said for Mancini. The ‘noisy neighbours’ were starkly quiet and there was no word as to whether or not Mancini was still in a job.

Rio Ferdinand gave SAF the perfect leaving present as he scored the winning goal in the dying seconds of the game, the late goal and never say die attitude that Sir Alex instilled in every player to pull on the red jersey is a trademark of the Scot.

The pomp and fanfares began and Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra handed Ferguson his 13^th League title, who took no time in holding it aloft as the ground went wild. Ferguson then had the microphone and with an emotional Old Trafford already on the brink of tears, he thanked everyone who had been involved with Manchester United over the past 26+ years.

The celebrations and party continued into yesterday as Manchester United boarded an open top bus and were driven from Old Trafford to Albert Square. 50,000+ fans turned out to welcome the team and manager into the Square, where Fergie again thanked fans and said goodbye.

Gone, Mancini is sacked a year to the day since he won the Title

A little later, and with almost a whimper, Manchester City announced that they had parted company with Mancini, another manager that yielded to the force that is Sir Alex, and while Fergie was carried onto his horse on a wave of emotion and euphoria, Mancini was bundled into a black Mercedes on his way to the airport. His sacking, a year to the day since City won their first title in 44 years, is a testament to Sir Alex’s longevity and Manchester United’s commitment to him, and in this current world of cut throat modern football, where success is a must or your gone, makes Ferguson’s achievements all the more spectacular, the like of which will seldom be seen again.

Indeed, a week is certainly a long time in football!

The last bastion of longevity in football management.

Roberto Mancini is a former manager of Manchester City, the club announced last successfully separated after working together for three years, half of the main reasons for this decision stemmed from the past season. To end up empty handed and the defeat to Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup Final on 11 May 2013.

Brian Kidd will lead the team down the field in just two league games remaining, with the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini coach of Malaga, this grip is going to be commissioned in the first season.

Topics covered:

• A farewell to arguably the greatest manager of all time
• Can Moyes cut it?
• Is City’s FA Cup blunder the end for Mancini (well yes, it turns out it is)

Fancy downloading the podcast: https://archive.org/download/ParkTheBus33/Park%20The%20Bus%2033.wav

Roberto Mancini is sacked from Man City

After a season of failure, Manchester City roberto Mancini has been sacked by the club. A club statement on Manchester City’s website read:

“Despite everyone’s best efforts, the Club has failed to achieve any of its stated targets this year, with the exception of qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League. This, combined with an identified need to develop a holistic approach to all aspects of football at the Club, has meant that the decision has been taken to find a new manager for the 2013/14 season and beyond.”

Assistant Manager Brian Kidd will take charge as interim manager for the remaining last two games of the season.

Roberto Mancini’s Record:

(Source: Opta)

Time’s up: City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano have acted (Picture: PA)

OK, so Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City forgot how to score goals, got their tummies tickled by Wigan in the FA Cup final and the kitman thinks he was arrogant, but it wasn’t all bad news under the Italian was it? Metro Sport makes the case for why the Etihad Stadium suits were wrong to dispense with him.

MORE: Why City were right to sack Mancini

Short memories
Before Mancini arrived City’s last trophy polisher had been laid off due to lack of work some time around 1981. Yes, the Italian had money to spend but he repaid City in silver, lifting the FA Cup in 2011 and famously snatching the Premier League title from Manchester United last year. This season has been a disappointment but City are still second and, with reinforcements and past European experience to lean on, what’s to say a proven winner like Mancini wouldn’t have got back to winning ways next season?

Long-term view: City fans keep their eye out for a winner (Picture: Getty)

The voice of the terraces
Mancini might not have been popular with everyone but the overwhelming view of the City fanbase was positive – after years of losers these people know a winner when they see one and are loathe to voluntarily let one go. Top-flight football is full of fancy advisers but, for once, it would be nice if an owner listened to the people who know most about their recently-acquired club – the fans.

New neighbours
With Sir Alex Ferguson, the man who branded City his ‘noisy neighbours’, finally quitting Manchester United the timing would have been perfect for City to capitalise on their own managerial continuity. Mancini could have helped City steel a march on their rivals while David Moyes was still sorting out the soft furnishings in his new office. Instead, they’ve chucked away that advantage and will probably take on Moyes with a man who knows even less about Premier League title race than the former Everton boss.

Where do I park? David Moyes won’t be the only new man in Manchester (Picture: AP)

Show the players who is boss
Saturday’s limp showing in the FA Cup final made it clear some players had lost faith in Mancini, but why should the manager be the one to go? If the board reward their half-hearted efforts by sacking the manager, that merely strengthens the hand of an already difficult squad if they don’t like the cut of the new man’s jib.

Damp squib: City were disappointing in the FA Cup final (Picture: Getty)

Roberto Mancini has been sacked as manager of Manchester City following their FA Cup final defeat to Wigan Athletic on Saturday. Click here for the Full Story

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Sent packing: Mancini leaves City’s team hotel in London today (Picture: Reuters)

Sacked Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has been described as ‘arrogant, vain and self-centred’ by a former Blues kit man.

Stephen Aziz, who no longer works at the Ethiad, lifted the lid on his dealings with the Italian manager in a series of damning tweets, which he has since deleted.

Aziz wrote: ‘Some city fans unhappy about the sacking most mangers would have won trophys with this team a lot of happy staff and players will be happy!!!

‘Arrogant, vein, self centred no manners ignorant just some of Mancini’s daily traits that made going to work a grind!! #kama

‘Fans don’t get to see what really goes on and day 2 day running 2 years there seeing him every day was hard work getting a “good morning”.

MORE: Five games which cost Roberto Mancini his City job

Glory days: Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany lifts the trophy alongside Mancini (Picture: PA)

‘MCFC on the other hand what a club to work for some great players and staff nice down to earth ppl loved working there!!!

‘Not saying he didn’t do well to win trophy’s etc! Just expressing how I felt about this guy! Genuinely not a nice person!’

Fans though, have been left saddened by Mancini’s departure – just a year after he ended the club’s 44-year wait for the league crown.

Kevin Parker, general secretary of the Manchester City Supporters Club, told Press Association: ‘After the weekend I think we were all expecting it to happen but I think we are all a bit disappointed it happened yesterday of all days – the anniversary of when we won the Premier League.

‘All those fantastic memories we have of May 13, 2012 – that date is a special date for City fans and that’s been a little bit tarnished. We’re definitely all disappointed.’

MORE: Mancini’s Manchester City reign in his own words

Lighter shade of blue: The rush of money on Mourinho to City will be making Chelsea fans worried (Picture: AP)

A leading bookmaker has taken a flood of bets on Jose Mourinho to be the next manager at Manchester City.

The rush of money came after odds-on favourite Manuel Pellegrini went on the drift amid claims Barcelona are interested in installing him as their head coach.

Real Madrid boss Mourinho had been expected to return to Chelsea this summer but was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford when news broke that Sir Alex Ferguson was standing down.

Now it seems he could still head to Manchester but with the Etihad Stadium as his destination.

Ladbrokes have shortened Mourinho’s odds from 4/1 to 3/1 because of the number of bets they have laid this morning.

Malaga manager Pellegrini is still 1/4 with Stan James to be the next City boss but was 1/10 in places last night while Mourinho is currently a best-price 6/1 with Sky Bet.

Rafa Benitez is also emerging as a strong candidate for the City vacancy (Picture: Reuters)

Another candidate gaining interest in the betting markets is Rafael Benitez. He will leave Chelsea at the end of the season, even if he wins tomorrow night’s Europa League final in Amsterdam, and has expressed a desire to continue managing in England.

The former Liverpool chief is as short as 8/1 with William Hill and Bet365 to replace Mancini but is double those odds at 16/1 with Ladbrokes.

Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini is not expected to be out of work for long after and the Italian is odds-on to be given a managerial role at Monaco this summer.

The French riviera club are 1/3 with Ladbrokes to be Mancini’s next port while Paris St Germain are 7/2 second favourites and Inter Milan next in line at 8/1 ahead of fellow Serie A giants Lazio at 12/1 and Roma at 16s.

Ladbrokes quote Real Madrid at 25/1 to install Mancini as their coach and Chelsea are 33/1 but oddschecker.com show the best bet may be the 6/4 for France to be the next country in which he will work.

After three and a half years in charge, manager Roberto Mancini has been sacked by Manchester City, he is hotly rumoured to be replaced by Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini.

Ironically, it was year to the day after winning Manchester City’s first championship in nearly half a century, Mancini was dismissed as the club’s ambitious Abu Dhabi owners finally lost patience with the Italian manager.

The 48-year-old Mancini’s farewell follows City’s shock FA Cup defeat by Wigan on Saturday and their inability to defend the Barclays’ Premier League title the club won last season, with rivals Manchester United running away with the league this season.

A club statement read late last night: “Despite everyone’s best efforts, the club has failed to achieve any of its stated targets this year, with the exception of qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League. This, combined with an identified need to develop a holistic approach to all aspects of football at the club, has meant that the decision has been taken to find a new manager for the 2013/14 season and beyond.”

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan completed a reported $300 million takeover in 2008 and has spent millions more in making City, finish second this season, into a major force in the Premier League. After buying City, Sheikh Mansour invested more than $600 million on players like Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez, and helped the perennial underachievers beat neighbors Manchester United to the title on goal difference last season.

Yet the Manchester club did not make it out of their UEFA Champions League group this season, becoming the first English side to fail to win any of its six matches during the group phase of the competition.

The buildup to the FA Cup had been overshadowed with widespread rumors that Mancini, who signed a five-year contract last July, would be replaced by Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini (formerly of Real Madrid), who guided his team to Champions League quarter-finals this season.

“This has been a difficult decision for the owner, chairman and board to make and it is the outcome of a planned end of season review process that has been brought forward in light of recent speculation and out of respect for Roberto and his extensive contributions to the football club,” added the City statement.

On Sunday night, Pellegrini told Malaga’s website that he had not lined up any move to become the Sky Blues’ next coach. “I categorically deny I am the new Manchester City coach, nothing has been signed and no agreement reached,” said the Chilean.

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Found out: Mancini’s shortcomings were exposed this season (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

The axe has fallen on Roberto Mancini’s three-and-a-half-year Manchester City career – and this is why the Sheikh and his cronies were right to make a change…

Silver-bare:
Mancini will forever be loved by the City faithful for delivering the perennial underachievers their first championship in 44 years. Perhaps it was too much to expect them to defend their title with a vengeful Manchester United with the bit between their teeth. However, considering the talent at his disposal, his failure to follow it up with any other silverware this term verged on the negligent. The listless display against Wigan in last weekend’s FA Cup final confirmed Sheikh Mansour had a blase manager on his payroll.

MORE: Why City were WRONG to sack Mancini

MORE: Five games that cost Mancini his job

Not-so-super Mario: Mancini’s faith in Balotelli was misguided (Picture: PA)

Poor man-management:
Mancini has been accused of operating a gruff regime that alienated his players, but yet he was often endearingly defensive of Mario Balotelli’s brushes with the absurd. The boss, though, never displayed similar fatherly instincts towards others, with his tenure punctuated with falling-outs with Carlos Tevez, Samir Nasri and Joe Hart that damaged City on the pitch. The Tevez warming-up spat – and Mancini’s subsequent U-turn in allowing the Argentine to play again – exposed a confused approach while the public criticisms of Samir Nasri and Joe Hart just caused dressing-room discontent to fester. And ultimately his training-ground handbags and resulting sale of Balotelli would prove his faith in the striker was misguided.

MORE: Mancini’s most memorable quotes at City

Christian Eriksen and Ajax exposed City’s tactical naivety in the Champions League (Picture: EPA)

Continental drift: 
A win percentage of 25 in two Champions League campaigns tells its own story. For a man who has managed in Italy and won the Cup Winners’ Cup with Sampdoria and Lazio his tactical naivety in Europe was baffling, while City’s exit at the group stage for the second successive season showed the Italian was not learning any lessons.

Jack the bad: Rodwell has among a number of mediocre signings last summer (Picture: Reuters)

Bad business:
Had City managed to attract Robin van Persie, Eden Hazard and Daniele De Rossi to the Etihad Stadium last summer, their season could have been so different. But their failure to attract such big names reflects, in part, on Mancini’s lack of pulling power, while the dud additions of Maicon, Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair compounded City’s recruitment problems.

And another thing: Mancini has been decent value when it comes to quotes (Picture: PA)

Roberto Mancini was axed by Manchester City last night on the anniversary of that dramatic ‘Aguerooooooo’ moment against QPR  that won the club a first title for 44 years.

And while his three-and-a-half years may not have given us the famous Fergie phrases of his foe at United, who is leaving his Manchester hotseat under ever-so-slightly better circumstances, Mancini has had plenty to say in his time bossing in Britain.

Here are a handful of the Italian’s most memorable quotes during his time at the Etihad:

‘In my view there are eight or nine fantastic strikers in the world. Torres and Balotelli are two of them. Then there’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Lionel Messi. They’re all fantastic players and we’ve managed to get one of them. Trying to sign players like that is very difficult.’

A happy bunny after signing a chap called Mario Balotelli in August 2010 (it’s worth pointing out Torres was hot property back then)

‘If you want to buy a new player you must spend money. It is the market. I respect his [Ferguson's] opinion but Manchester United, not Manchester City spent a lot of money in the past.’

Mancini, again in August 2010, hits back at Sir Alex Ferguson criticism of City’s big spending

Friends reunited: Tevez and Mancini eventually put their differences aside (Picture: Getty)

 ’If I have my way he will be out of the club. He just refused to go on. I don’t know why. I cannot be happy with this situation. Would something like this happen at Bayern Munich, AC Milan or Manchester United?

After the infamous Carlos Tevez incident which sparked a massive falling-out in September 2011 – Tevez returned to the fold five months later

MORE: Why City were right to sack Mancini

Winner: Mancini, with skipper Vincent Kompany, gets his hands on the Premier league trophy (Picture: Getty)

“I never gave up. It was a crazy finish to the game and the season but the best team won the title.”

After that last-gasp winner from Aguero made him a title-winner in England

‘United have more experience but we have a much better team and play much better football.’

Adamant he had the better team after a 3-2 derby defeat to United last December

Shouting the odds: Mancini became frustrated with maverick frontman Balotelli (Picture: PA)

MORE: Five games which cost Mancini his job

‘We are waiting for the moment he becomes aware of his talent. That is why he is not for sale.’

Equally insistent the enigmatic Balotelli is not for sale on the same day he grappled with him in training…the striker was sold to AC Milan the next month

‘I would like to give him a punch. Because a player like him should play like today always. Always. Every game.’

Not apparently an arm-round-the-shoulder manager, Mancini thought this would help Samir Nasri continue to find his best form after a good performance against Newcastle

‘I don’t know why the club didn’t stop this because I don’t think it’s true.’

With the writing on the wall, he demands to know why City are doing little to silence rumours he is to be sacked and replaced by Manuel Pellegrini 

Man City pulled the plug on the Roberto Mancini era as swiftly as it began. Before anyone sheds any tears, remember that Mancini was near enough moving in to Mark Hughes’ office when Hughes was called upstairs for a meeting. The sacking has received a mixed reaction but if anything the majority have come down on the side of it being unfair. They point to his FA Cup win in 2011 and even more so, his Premier League win in 2012. They point to the fact that he wasn’t given the players he wanted this summer which left him with a thin squad. The counter argument is that he’s failed for two years in a row in the Champions League, lost the FA Cup to soon to be relegated Wigan and not put up a resistance in the title defence. He’s spent hundreds of millions of pounds and wasted a lot of that. The main reason though, could be that his personality just didn’t fit with how ownership wanted to portray the club.

Both of these have their merits, so let’s look through the main objections one by one.

The ‘Objectives’ The official reason that Mancini has been sacked is that he missed almost all of the targets given to him in pre-season by the ownership. Like, you know, in a real business. Those objectives were;
- Win the Premier League
- Reach the knockout phase of the Champions League
- Win a domestic trophy
- Play exciting football
- Qualify for next season’s Champions League
- Increase the reputation of the club

The Premier League title defence Mancini hasn’t been sacked because he didn’t defend the Premier League but because he didn’t even get close to defending it. If they were still in the race coming up to this weekend he would of course still be in the job. Even if City had finished runners up but had taken it right down to the wire and forced Man United to win it rather than letting them win it unopposed it would be a much different proposition to sack him.

The Champions League failure Now, this is by far the most harsh of the objectives that Mancini failed on. City’s group included finalists Borussia Dortmund, semi-finalists Real Madrid and a very dangerous young Ajax team. Even before the campaign started it looked like a huge ask to get out of the group. Again though, it’s not because they didn’t get out of the group but how. City didn’t win any games and their three points was the lowest ever recorded by an English champion. On top of this, they didn’t even look capable of winning games. City were completely outclassed both technically and tactically. Mancini never made an impact with Inter Milan in Europe and looked similarly out of his depth at City. It does take time for clubs to adapt to the Champions League, see Chelsea, but there weren’t any signs of promise that they could win the one competition that the ownership most desire.

The FA Cup loss This is really a compound reason, not a cause in itself. There is no way he would have been sacked just for losing the FA Cup final but on top of the Premier League showing and especially the Champions League showing it looks much worse. City were expected to coast to the cup win given their lowly opponents and make it a third successive season with a trophy. The real issue with this point, is that Mancini was already under intense pressure leading in to the final as news broke that he might be sacked before the final. Even if they’d won it he probably would have gone because of the first two points but that he didn’t win it, and they put in a really poor showing which looked to be physically embarrassing for ownership, was the final straw.

Tactical inefficiency and under performing players This is really the root cause of all of the above. Last season City won the league on the back of Aguero’s goals and the creativity of Silva and Nasri behind him. Sometimes Aguero was partnered by Dzeko and late in the season by Tevez which saw an explosion of goals. They looked formidable. This season though, Mancini has rotated his strikers around which hasn’t allowed them to gain any momentum. Last season Aguero was the striker and his support cast revolved around him. This season he was injured in the opening game and then rushed back and has only shown fits and starts of form. Silva and Nasri have not been any where near their levels of last year and in a desperate search for form have both wandered ever more centrally which has made City narrow and congested.

Mancini tried his much maligned 352/343 system to try and inject some width in to the team which did create more chances than the 4222 but the strikers were missing too many chances. What would really have helped City would have been a true goal scoring midfielder such as Frank Lampard or even Eden Hazard who they supposedly wanted in pre-season, to add a different dimension. He had some good ideas but he didn’t implement based on his personnel. He seemed to be forcing his tactical shapes.

Poor transfer market operation This one isn’t Mancini’s fault. He was not given any of the players he targeted in pre-season. He needed the pace and direct threat of Eden Hazard and was given Scott Sinclair. He needed the dynamism and goals of Danielle De Rossi and was given the stogy Javi Garcia. He needed the goals of Robin van Persie and was given nothing. He certainly has spent a lot of money whilst at the club which has counted against him. Signings like Kolarov, Dzeko and Balotelli who have proved anything but value and hamstrung him this year.

The club’s reputation To me, this might well be the key reason. The owners are using Man City to promote Abu Dhabi to the world. Pride and honour are big things in the middle eastern culture. Indulging Mario Balotelli and publicly, and continuously, questioning the owners, as Mancini did, are not what they had in mind. In the end, Mancini didn’t represent that kind of man that they wanted to represent their club.

It is telling that they have turned to the quietly effective Manuel Pellegrini rather than trying to pursue the bombastic Jose Mourinho. They want a manager to respect them, to respect the club and to be successful. They want, in effect, their own Sir Alex Ferguson.

Manchester City sacked manager Roberto Mancini after three and a half years at the Etihad

Just 24 hours after Sir Alex Ferguson took charge of his final Manchester United game at Old Trafford, a 2-1 win over Swansea City that saw Rio Ferdinand score his first goal in five years, there was another managerial departure just six miles across the city.

Roberto Mancini was unsurprisingly sacked as boss at the Etihad after they allowed United to runaway with a 13th Premier League title, whilst they were embarrassed by Wigan Athletic on Saturday as they scored in added time to lift the FA Cup.

Substitute Ben Watson’s goal ultimately sacked the 48-year-old Italian, who left City’s temporary training base of Loftus Road alone yesterday.

A statement on Manchester City’s official website read: “[Mancini] had failed to achieve any of the club’s targets, with the exception of qualification for next season’s Champions League.”

The departure of Mancini, who spent three and a half years at City, has raised speculation that Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini is in-line to the departing manager at the helm.

However, Pellegrini, who has previously managed Real Madrid has distanced himself with any rumours that a deal between him and City has already been completed.

Manuel Pellegrini the Malaga boss many expect will replace the departing Mancini

“I deny here and now being the new coach of Manchester City,” he said.

“I haven’t signed any agreement with anybody.”

With Blues fans witnessing a dismal season which saw them finish trophy less and over 10 points behind local Rivals United, it is no surprise that the hierarchy at the Etihad have acted quick to relieve Mancini of his duties.

Since joining the club in 2009 after replacing Mark Hughes as manager Mancini won the FA Cup in 2011, the Community Shield and the Barclay Premier League all just once.

Questions have been raised surrounding the relationship the now-former Manchester City boss had with his players. Mancini has had public confrontations with a number of players at City, with the most notable coming with a player that he sold in the January transfer window, Mario Balotelli.

Pictures showed the pair having to be separated during a January training session, whilst Carlos Tevez was also summoned by the City chief after he apparently refused to come off the bench during a Champions League match in 2011.

Mancini went on to say Tevez was “finished” at the Etihad, yet he later forgave him.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart and midfielder Samir Nasri also came into Mancini’s firing line. The England shot-stopper was rebuked after he criticised City earlier this season following a 3-2 defeat against Real Madrid.

Whilst, Mancini claimed he wanted “to punch” Nasri following a 4-0 win at Newcastle after he claimed the Frenchman was too inconsistent.

Former City defender Danny Mills told BBC Radio Five Live: “There wasn’t the togetherness between player and manager.

“Basically, Mancini just ignored players from day one. He was the manager, he made decisions, he made no attempt to have any sort of relationship with the players, didn’t take them under his wing.

“It was very much, ‘I’m the manager, I’ll do my thing, I’ll pick the team and then I’ll disappear’.

“You speak to the players and you know there’s a lot of discontent in that dressing room. They’ll say it wasn’t a particularly happy camp at times, there were a lot of different factions in that dressing room.”

Mills, who represented City between 2004 and 2009, added: “You need to understand the players, you need to know what makes them tick. You have never heard the players come out and back their manager and that sticks in the mind.

“You cannot come out and criticise your players publicly. Arsene Wenger doesn’t do it at Arsenal and Sir Alex Ferguson doesn’t do it at Manchester United. We know he kicks boots, or gives them the hairdryer, he might even have had the odd punch-up, but in public he protects his players.

Mancini and Mario Balotelli get into a training ground fight

“Why didn’t those top players, such as Robin van Persie, who City were linked with, go there in the summer?

“They were in the Champions League, they were the champions of England, they pay more money than anybody else. Why would you not go there unless it wasn’t a happy place to be?”

Meanwhile BBC Radio Five Live’s senior football reporter Ian Dennis’ view mimics that of Mills.

“What has gone against him is his man-management style,” said Dennis.

“It is other issues other than performance which have undermined him. When you look at the flashpoints that Mancini has had this season, that gives you an indication of the difference in holistic approach that City are looking for.”

Mancini’s assistant manager Brian Kidd, who won four Premier League titles with Manchester United as Ferguson’s right-hand man, will take charge of their remaining two games of the season but with speculation continue to rise about the man who will be at the helm next season it remains unclear if Kidd will be following Mancini out of the door.

Chilean Pellegrini is the bookmakers favourite for the Etihad hot-seat as he is currently best priced at 1-3 with SkyBet whilst his odds are as low as 1-9 with leading on-street bookmaker William Hill.

Jose Mourinho, whose time at the Bernabéu seems limited, is best priced at 7-1 for the job. However, he is odds on favourite to return to Stamford Bridge where he endured much success with Chelsea.

Words: Adam Grice

Photos: forzaitalianfootball.com and caughtoffside.com