Roberto Mancini's family thank Manchester City fans for newspaper advert gesture
28 May 2013 18:37
More than 800 supporters raised £7,000 to run a poster in Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport telling the former Etihad chief, 'once a blue always a blue'
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Manchester City fans who splashed out on an advert thanking Roberto Mancini for his three-year spell as manager have received a message of thanks from his family.
More than 800 supporters raised £7,000 to run a poster in Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport telling the former Etihad chief, 'once a blue always a blue'.
The campaign, organised by lifelong Blue Adam Keyworth, 21, was launched after Mancini took out a full-page advert in the M.E.N thanking them for their support.
Grazie Mancini: Manchester City fans thank Roberto with advert in Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport
It comes as an M.E.N poll reveals 58 per cent of fans feel the club made the wrong decision in sacking the 48-year-old Italian.
Following the advert in yesterday's edition of the Italian sports tabloid, Mancini's daughter Camilla (@Cami_Mancini) took to Twitter to write to organisers.
She said: “Thankyou so much for the advert on the gazzetta! You are class, Mancini's Family.”
Adam, a student at the University of Nottingham, said he had been overwhelmed with the response from City fans – which surpassed the £7,000 target within just four days.
He said: “It all started out as a suggestion on Twitter which very quickly picked up a lot of pace.
“We didn't receive a single donation over £100 but had lots of ordinary City fans who wanted to show their appreciation for what he achieved.
“I think people wanted to get involved because we never got a chance to say goodbye. It's not really about the rights or wrongs of sacking him but the fact he gave most City fans the best three years of our lives.”
The advert, telling Mancini , 'once a blue, always a blue' appears on page 13 of the paper.
It also reads, 'per sempre uno di noi' – Italian for 'forever one of us'.
The love letter, with an image of Mancini smiling in his trademark blue and white scarf, is signed off from 'Manchester City Supporters'.
The Italian - who had not spoken to the media in England or back home since his bombshell sacking on May 13 - broke his silence with a full-page advert to acknowledge 'three unforgettable years' five days later.
Mancini, 48, told the Etihad faithful, 'You will always be in my heart' - before signing off with 'ciao'.
Speaking to Gazetta about the advert, Mancini is reported to have passed on his own message of gratitude to City fans – believed to be the first time such a gesture has been published in an Italian newspaper.
A survey by the nearly 500 fans by the Manchester Evening News reveals 57.9 per cent of supporters feel the club were wrong to sack Mancini.
And most City fans feel the players are to blame for the Club's trophyless season - with 43 per cent pinning responsibility to the squad compared to just 25 per cent who blame club chiefs. Thirty-two per cent blamed Mancini for the side's lacklustre defence of their Premier League title.
Meanwhile, Mancini's likely successor Manuel Pellegrini does not appear to have the unanimous backing of City supporters - who named him as their third choice to take the reins at the Etihad.
Jose Mourinho was the top choice for Blues fans with 30 per cent, followed by Borrusia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp on 26 per cent while Pellegrini won 20 per cent of the vote.
Opinion remained divided when asked fans were asked if they would be happy with Pellegrini's appointment - with 55 per cent saying yes and 45 per cent answering they would not be happy to see the Malaga boss take the hotseat.
