I would not have signed him and said so at the time. I would have a 'NO TWATS' transfer policy as they are almost always more trouble than they are worth. We have seen that here plenty of times in recent years.
However, I was willing to place faith in the opinion of Mancini on this one as the lad had potential (although nowhere near the amount that the hype would suggest - anything comparing him with the best players in the world is a joke).
I cannot stand the off field stuff though and it is insulting to Mancini, the club and the fans that he continues to be involved in a stupid incident every couple of months.
However, where it really counts, on the pitch, he has generally been poor. The fact that his biggest fans constantly point to the semi and the final, games in which he did nothing more than 'play well' is a sad indictment of the ability that he has shown here.
He cannot dribble or produce a game changing trick, although he seems convinced that he can. He does not score goals. He is not a creative passer. And if that doesn't change then he is not worth persisting with, given his attitude (even if he gets slightly better by 'NO TWATS' policy would still deem him not worth it, but that is probably unrealistic).
His number one priority when he gets possession is whether he can do something that can make him seem special. If that isn't on then you can often see him, in the instance that he realises this, become instantly disinterested and playing a half hearted loose pass or choosing to play the less incisive option because it involves less effort. I can't stand this.
What really, really winds me up though is the FA Cup homecoming shite though. It seems that this has been brushed under the carpet and everyone at the club wants to forget it. But FFS, even Tevez, who must have thought that he would never be coming back, had the decency to turn up. Yet this wanker hot foots it back to Italy. It sums up what he thinks of this club, for me.
Actually, that isn't what winds me up the most about him, his fanboys do. A debate about his influence on the pitch is not for them. No, the more reasoned of them repeat a never ending mantra of 'potential' whilst the more childish just want to read about him being a nob and get giddy about a shit song.
Can you tell I haven't got any time for the bloke until he actually does something on the pitch to earn it?