Mancini has won an FA Cup and a league on goal difference. I really don't think that is much to be proud of given the money he has spent.

More than Fergie managed in his first 3-4 years at United, despite being big spenders at the time.

I think fans of teams like Everton can't truly grasp what it's like to compete at the top. You all seem to think every manager should be winning trophies. When you're a team at the top, it's an incredible achievement just to get in the top 4 in this league the way it is at the moment, you don't seem to grasp how hard it is trying to compete on all fronts.

Everton fans used to say Rafa was terrible because he hadn't won the league, they said he should have won the league over managers like Mourinho, Wenger, Fergie and Ancelotti. Tell me, Everton fans, how hard is it competing for a league title and trying to get through the group stages in the CL? How easy is it playing in a group against two of the four CL semi finalists?

I'm not saying Mancini is the best manager in the world, but he took a club with no recent history of success and won major trophies with them. Yes, he spent money, but Chelsea fans will tell you that money doesn't immediately guarantee success, it took a different class of manager for Chelsea to start winning things, it took a different class for Citeh, too, especially when you consider the 'top' sides are stronger now than when Chelsea first got vast investment.

If Mancini gets sacked, so be it, the club will live with their decisions, but he deserves much better treatment than he's received after winning them the league and Cup. Furthermore, he deserves so much more respect from fans.

Mancini gone.

He's been sacked for not achieving the goals he agreed with the owners. Does he really have any grounds for complaint? He has been given unprecedented backing in terms of finance to assemble the squad he wants. Bar Hart, Kompany, Yaya, Silva and Aguero (Half of which he didn't even sign) you could argue he's not made the best use of that money. They have failed to win any trophies and vitally failed to make an impact on the Champions League. Sure they had a tough group, but their performances this season have been pretty stagnant. They have struggled to break down the smaller sides that they demolished last season and never really got going in the big games.

If you believe the rumours Mancini is also not a very easy person to work with. He is stubborn and argumentative, often rude and always arrogant. It's a shame he didn't get to face Moyes in a Manchester derby, as Moyes despises him and the way he does business. That derby would have been one to watch as a neutral.

Fans of teams for whom coming second is a massive success might see it as harsh, but City clearly have different goals these days and the managers they employ know that. Whoever takes that job will be told Champions League winners in the second season at the latest.

£40m on.....

Sinclair (great prem signing for rubbish like Liverpool etc but never city)
Rodwell (come from rubbish like Liverpool, Everton etc but never good enough for city)
Garcia (see Sinclair)
Maicon (see Sinclair)

No great surprise the board got rid tbh, city will be better off now IMHO

Quote Cibaman="Cibaman"More than Fergie managed in his first 3-4 years at United, despite being big spenders at the time.'" Huge red11.org/mufc/fergie.htm

Quote Cibaman="Cibaman"More than Fergie managed in his first 3-4 years at United, despite being big spenders at the time.'" Huge red11.org/mufc/fergie.htm

Quote flipper="flipper"Huge red11.org/mufc/fergie.htm'" Loking at some of those names it's not really a surprise it took him some time to get going. £650k for Mal Donaghy? That was decent money in those days. Makes Kolarov seem a bargain.

Quote flipper="flipper"Huge red11.org/mufc/fergie.htm'" Loking at some of those names it's not really a surprise it took him some time to get going. £650k for Mal Donaghy? That was decent money in those days. Makes Kolarov seem a bargain.

It seems abundantly clear that City have gone backwards over the last 12 months - domestically and in Europe. The 'if it ain't working, try shoving Yaya Touré a bit further upfield' tactic is all Mancini seems to have and, from the outside looking in, it just feels like a time for a change.
Pellegrini - if indeed it is him - is a definite trade up.

From a neutral standpoint, while they've gone about it in entirely the wrong fashion I don't blame City at all for the decision.

United were never under any real pressure in the league, they were woeful in Europe again and they should have won the Cup.

For the players they have and the money they've spent, a poor season.

Also, just seen that Brendan Rogers is now the 7th longest serving manager in the PL, having been appointed in June 2012.

Madness.