piece from Oliver Holt in the mirror..
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Stick or twisted? Manchester City will show what sort of club they are by how they treat Mancini
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<a class="postlink" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-city-show-what-sort-1846546" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... rt-1846546</a>?
Sacking a manager for coming second after delivering a first title in 44 years? Is that the club that will show itself in the next few weeks?
We will learn a lot about Manchester City in the next few weeks.
Nothing to do with whether they beat Wigan to win the FA Cup Final next month.
And only a little to do with how they perform in their remaining league games.
No, what it will tell us about them is whether they keep faith with Roberto Mancini, who won them a first league title for 44 years last season.
Do they back a manager who won the league one year and looks like finishing second in it the next?
Do they back a manager who will have won trophies in each of the last three seasons if City triumph at Wembley on May 11?
Or do they treat Mancini like Chelsea treated Carlo Ancelotti and fire him for the sin of once coming second?
After the FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea eight days ago, many City fans were keen to emphasise their allegiance to Mancini. His name was sung loudly by those who travelled to White Hart Lane yesterday.
Certainly, some voiced disquiet after City succumbed to a barrage of three goals in less than seven minutes and slumped to a 3-1 defeat.
That Manchester United can reclaim their title tonight at home to Aston Villa is bound to unsettle some.
But City have always sought to distance themselves from the kind of knee-jerk decisions that typified Chelsea’s attitude to their managers.
And if they were to dismiss Mancini next month, they would undermine their commitment to stability. He deserves to stay. This season is a disappointment for City but hardly a humiliation.
And, particularly towards the end of the campaign, they have showed just what a fine side they are. For more than 70 minutes yesterday, they dominated this game. They looked a class above Spurs.
Carlos Tevez was unmarkable in attack, Yaya Toure was the king of midfield and Matija Nastasic was majestic at the heart of defence.
Presuming they listen to Mancini and strengthen again in the summer, there is no reason why they should not regain the crown next season. No reason why they should not reach the later stages of the Champions League.
United beating City to sign Robin van Persie decided the title this time. “It’s useless now to talk about the past,” Mancini said yesterday when asked about the striker.
“Now we have a time when there are good players on the market. We need to improve our team, but this is normal.
“We will also work on our mistakes because we made some.”
Mancini grew a little tetchy when asked what City could do to close the gap on United.
“We don’t have a gap,” he said. “The last two or three years, every time we have played United we have played better.
‘‘We can win the FA Cup and finish second. If that’s not enough, then all the other managers should be sacked as well.”
It is hard to argue with that, or with his reaction when asked if he would explain City’s season to the club hierarchy. “I shall explain nothing,” he replied.
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Stick or twisted? Manchester City will show what sort of club they are by how they treat Mancini
------------------------------------
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-city-show-what-sort-1846546" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... rt-1846546</a>?
Sacking a manager for coming second after delivering a first title in 44 years? Is that the club that will show itself in the next few weeks?
We will learn a lot about Manchester City in the next few weeks.
Nothing to do with whether they beat Wigan to win the FA Cup Final next month.
And only a little to do with how they perform in their remaining league games.
No, what it will tell us about them is whether they keep faith with Roberto Mancini, who won them a first league title for 44 years last season.
Do they back a manager who won the league one year and looks like finishing second in it the next?
Do they back a manager who will have won trophies in each of the last three seasons if City triumph at Wembley on May 11?
Or do they treat Mancini like Chelsea treated Carlo Ancelotti and fire him for the sin of once coming second?
After the FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea eight days ago, many City fans were keen to emphasise their allegiance to Mancini. His name was sung loudly by those who travelled to White Hart Lane yesterday.
Certainly, some voiced disquiet after City succumbed to a barrage of three goals in less than seven minutes and slumped to a 3-1 defeat.
That Manchester United can reclaim their title tonight at home to Aston Villa is bound to unsettle some.
But City have always sought to distance themselves from the kind of knee-jerk decisions that typified Chelsea’s attitude to their managers.
And if they were to dismiss Mancini next month, they would undermine their commitment to stability. He deserves to stay. This season is a disappointment for City but hardly a humiliation.
And, particularly towards the end of the campaign, they have showed just what a fine side they are. For more than 70 minutes yesterday, they dominated this game. They looked a class above Spurs.
Carlos Tevez was unmarkable in attack, Yaya Toure was the king of midfield and Matija Nastasic was majestic at the heart of defence.
Presuming they listen to Mancini and strengthen again in the summer, there is no reason why they should not regain the crown next season. No reason why they should not reach the later stages of the Champions League.
United beating City to sign Robin van Persie decided the title this time. “It’s useless now to talk about the past,” Mancini said yesterday when asked about the striker.
“Now we have a time when there are good players on the market. We need to improve our team, but this is normal.
“We will also work on our mistakes because we made some.”
Mancini grew a little tetchy when asked what City could do to close the gap on United.
“We don’t have a gap,” he said. “The last two or three years, every time we have played United we have played better.
‘‘We can win the FA Cup and finish second. If that’s not enough, then all the other managers should be sacked as well.”
It is hard to argue with that, or with his reaction when asked if he would explain City’s season to the club hierarchy. “I shall explain nothing,” he replied.