Those players need to know that if they want to stay here and win things, they've got one hell of a season coming up next year.
They moaned and sulked this year. Blamed our below-par season and more recent piss-poor form on the manager. Only the manager. Now he's gone and today was fucking shite. Don't care if it's the last game and a dead rubber. It's, in many ways for them, a celebration!
They got their wish, the manager (who apparently was at fault for them not performing as well as they could) has gone and they had the chance to prove to us (who have no choice but to stick with City when times are a bit shit [as we all fucking know!]) that they can perform and will be willing to fight like mad next year. They just didn't show up. Fringe players who wanted to play more, didn't show up, didn't run enough (to quote Mancini) and didn't give a toss.
Body language reveals a lot in football. We've got a lot of babies in that team. Spoilt rotten. Mancini was in charge during the best home spell I think we've ever had? 1 loss in the league in the past 2 and a half years until today! That's taken a hit because they couldn't be arsed today!
I truly 'get' why Mancini has gone. But, if the owners are to go with this 'holistic' approach nonsense, I suspect that we'll be signing a different 'type' of footballer in the future. Much more in the mould of Rodwell (young, talented, promising and grounded). I've been pissed off by a lack of effort more than anything. Not something I ever expect to say again.