blue_taff said:
if last season had come undone, as many round about march thought it was. i think we would all be looking back to ade being forced out as a major mistake.
Ifs buts & maybes! Mancini made it very clear from the off it was his way or the highway. In a team full of big egos, the manager stamped his authority and I think we can all see the team is the better for it. The likes of Manu and Bellamy really didn't like it and were told in no uncertain terms their attitude was bad for the team, so were not allowed any where near the team. Tevez, trained & played well, although the crap in the press all the time must have been an irritation to Mancini, he got on with it, for the good of the club. Balotelli has been shown that he must knuckle down and play for the team, and we're starting to see the benefits of that with the performance against Inter.
Yes, we might have had a few good performances from Manu and Bellamy, but the disruption to the team spirit would have had us calling for Mancini's head for not delivering! As it is, we are looking forward to the coming season, having already got past the hurdle of no silverware for, like, forever, and with more optimism than I can ever remember! The team spirit is there for all to see, so the press are no longer saying we're made up of a bunch of individuals, but rather a team with a real shout at the title. We're not scared of losing Tevez! (that in itself speaks volumes in terms of where we're at now!) And if Mancini had to upset Manu and Bellamy to get us here, then as far as I'm concerned they should have towed the party line instead of whinging to the press and manoeuvring away from the club.
In Mancini I trust, not just because he's our manager, but because he's earned my trust by delivering on his promises (how many managers in our past can we say that about?)
So bye bye Manu, bye bye Bellamy, and probably bye bye Tevez. Thanks for the memories. But to infinity and beyond with Mancini!