Ciao Roberto

The news that Roberto Mancini had been sacked earlier in the week was sadly unsurprising given rumours it was coming had been doing the rounds pre the FA Cup Final.  What was perhaps most shocking was the rumours appeared to be leaking out of the club.  The lack of a denial or indeed Mancini's comments attacking club officials after the Cup Final only added more fuel to the rumours.

To an outsider looking in it does appear strange given Mancini took City from UEFA Cup qualifiers to Champions League regulars as well as adding the first major silverware in 35 years winning the FA Cup.  Just a year later that was followed up by the League Championship, City fans hadn't had it this good since the late 60's.  Modern football has brought us magnificent new stadiums and seen the Premier League generate billions in TV money and the Champions League has become a monster, so perhaps the need for instant results have played a part as 2nd this year wasn't good enough?

As the week has progressed more and more stories leaked out mentioning player unrest.  Mancini it is rumoured used his PA to talk to players whom he'd fell out with if you take what the Daily Mail say seriously.  The Mail article is a stunning read and really makes you question the standards in the Premier League in the sense with that much chaos apparently going on City we still able to finish 2nd place.  Speak to most City fans and they will probably admit performances this year haven't quite been the same as the previous year.  Certain players seemed pre occupied and unable to find the levels they had in previous years.  Mancini certainly didn't hold back in press conferences savaging players who he felt had cost the side his headmaster style of management coming through.  Added to the previous summers savaging of Brian Marwood for his apparent mishandling of transfers it appears Mancini had made a bad impression in the board room.  Champions League groups wouldn't have helped either as City failed to progress two years running yet on both occassions the draw was hardly kind.

Fans have been left stunned as the Club shot themselves in foot with the shoddy way the sacking leaked out and Mancini's reported replacement Manuel Pellegrini already in the public domain.  It was very much like 3 years ago as I got texts at a match at the Etihad telling me Mark Hughes was sacked and Roberto Mancini was in the crowd or on the way to Manchester.  Both sackings sadly show the club in a poor light and do nothing to aid it's growth.  The club need to learn from these PR disasters it genuinely feels like they have chased column inches to get the clubs name out there without caring about the content.

Personally I will miss Mancini he has brought Manchester City kicking and screaming from sleeping giants to contenders again and I thank him from the bottom of my heart it is a pity it ended so messily but in a great gesture Roberto took out a full page ad in the Manchester Evening News thanking the fans for their support and we in turn thank him.