bluejon said:
waiting to see if more stories like this come out in the wash
Here's another from behind the Telegraph pay wall:
Manchester City's players greet Roberto Mancini's departure with 'delight' and 'relief'
Roberto Mancini’s dismissal as Manchester City manager has been received with “delight” and “relief” by the first-team squad and remaining members of the backroom team as a result of intense antipathy towards the Italian’s dictatorial approach.
Mancini, who guided Manchester City to the Premier League title last season, was sacked on the first anniversary of that triumph following a decision by chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak to end the 48-year-old’s increasingly acrimonious reign. Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini is set to replace Mancini.
On Tuesday night City confirmed that David Platt’s Mancini’s assistant, had decided to follow the manager out of the door.
A club statement said: “"With regret Manchester City announce that David Platt has this afternoon left his role as Assistant Manager at the Club.
"David was offered the opportunity to continue his work with us but has declined the invitation. He has decided to leave his role with his close friend Roberto Mancini.”
Although none of the club’s senior players was prepared to air his sentiments through social media sites on Twitter and Facebook in the wake of Mancini’s departure, it is understood that the manager had no remaining allies on the playing staff by the time he lost his job on Monday evening.
Mario Balotelli, who was sold to AC Milan in January, is believed to have been the only significant member of the team to carry any lingering admiration for Mancini, whose repeated public attacks on his players caused fury among the squad.
Mancini’s withering criticism of England goalkeeper Joe Hart following the Champions League defeat against Real Madrid last September proved the most damaging of his outbursts, with that condemnation hardening the ill-feeling towards the former Inter Milan coach.
Captain Vincent Kompany, French midfielder Samir Nasri and defender Micah Richards have also been the victims of Mancini’s outspoken comments.
Earlier this season, senior players privately voiced their annoyance with Mancini’s training methods and obsession with working on minor details of defending, while his reluctance to rotate his squad and rest key players also led to frustration.
And while the players are almost unanimously happy to see the back of Mancini, members of the coaching and medical staff also believe that his departure will lift the air of tension that has descended on the club’s Carrington training ground.
Some members of the medical team have spoken of Mancini’s overbearing nature and interference.
And a series of tweets on Monday evening from former City kitman Stephen Aziz, who left to work at Premier League rivals Sunderland last summer, highlighted the disdain shown towards Mancini by staff.
Aziz tweeted about Mancini: “Arrogant, vain, self-centred, no manners, ignorant – just some of the daily traits really made going into work a daily grind!! #karma”.
Meanwhile, City may be forced to wait until next month to confirm the appointment of Pellegrini.
With assistant manager Brian Kidd having been handed the responsibility of overseeing the first team for last night’s Premier League fixture at Reading and Sunday’s final game of the campaign at home to Norwich, City are prepared to wait for the season to end before accelerating moves to secure Pellegrini’s services.
Although reports of Barcelona’s interest in the Chilean are correct, it is understood that the Spanish champions have made only exploratory inquiries as to his availability should coach Tito Vilanova be forced to stand down due to health concerns.
City’s moves for Pellegrini are at an advanced stage, however, with lawyers for both parties exchanging contracts last week. With those contracts still unsigned, City only have Pellegrini’s verbal acceptance of the manager’s job on a £3.4 million-a-year deal – less than half Mancini’s £7.5 million salary.
There is a confidence at the Etihad Stadium, though, that a deal will be concluded once Malaga end their La Liga campaign against Barcelona at the Nou Camp on June 1.
Despite it being understood that Paris St-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti has also been sounded out by City as an alternative to Pellegrini, senior figures at the club were unable to confirm that suggestion when it was put to them on Tuesday night.
However, speculation that Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benítez has emerged as a contingency plan have been dismissed by City.
With City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain being involved in negotiations to recruit Pellegrini since February, the club believe that the 59-year-old’s record in Spain with Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga make him the outstanding candidate to lead the club in a new direction.
City have suffered ridicule for claiming in the statement confirming Mancini’s dismissal that the club is keen to pursue a more ‘holistic’ approach under a new manager.
However, the purpose was to highlight the desire of the club’s hierarchy to ensure a ‘connection and understanding’ between all departments of the club.
Mancini, in contrast, displayed little appetite to embrace this requirement and collaborate with senior figures throughout the club, but Pellegrini’s success at Villarreal, where he turned an unfashionable provincial club into Champions League semi-finalists, is regarded as evidence of his ability to work in the manner required.