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About time: New Era at Man City
It was no major surprise that Mark Hughes' job was on the line but the speed with which Roberto Mancini was appointed will have surprised many football fans.
More worryingly, it will have annoyed even more as it will have provided proof that the exit of Hughes was a long time coming. There is no chance that the decision to sack Hughes and pursue Mancini was taken in a minimal amount of time. There are many who are losing interest and excitement with football and this sort of decision is not going to help. It may be the season of goodwill to all men but Mark Hughes will not be feeling very happy this moment in time.
There are rumours that the decision to sack Hughes was made a few weeks ago but it was decided to wait until the fixture list provided Manchester City with a few easy games to enable the Italian to get settled into his new position.
The time for Mancini is now upon him and the next two games for Manchester City are at home to Stoke City and then away to Wolverhampton Wanderers. After this, there are two big Cup matches that could be extremely important for the career of Mancini but the first two league games will provide their own challenges.
Sold Out at City
Manchester City have already announced that their home match versus Stoke City, the first home game of the Mancini era, has sold out. This means that the fans are desperate to see how the Italian will take to English football and if there will be an immediate improvement on the Hughes team.
There was no doubt that the excitement of the attacking force of Manchester City has been wowing the fans at Eastlands but the defence has given cause for concern. In fact, if it wasn't for Shay Given in goals, City would probably be a lot lower in the league than what they currently are.
Strikers Under Pressure
Losing three goals at home to Sunderland puts a lot of pressure on the strikers at the club to score goals and fortunately for City fans, they were able to do so in that match. However, the high rate of draws this season has indicated there has been a problem.
Depending on your viewpoint, this may be the fault of the forwards or the defenders. If the defenders can keep a clean sheet, then one goal will win it. However, if forwards don't take their chances, it means that one mistake at the back could cost two or three points. It is not as simple to say that the defenders need to stop goals or the attackers need to score them, the team plays as a unit and needs to take collective responsibility.
Stoke City away from home would be a tricky test but they are not as good on the road as their home form suggests. With a full crowd roaring on Manchester City and Stoke City's poor travelling form, the bookies will definitely favour Mancini to win on his debut. However, these things have a habit of being spoiled. Stoke City players will be looking forward to spoiling the party and there may be the situation where the manager's new plans and tactics haven't been fully understood yet.
British Players Not Happy
Another thing which may give Stoke City some hope is that there appears to have been a mutiny at Manchester City after Hughes was sacked. It has been reported that Craig Bellamy, Shay Given and Gareth Barry have all demanded talks with the board to discuss what the club is doing.
Unsurprisingly, the foreign players seem less perturbed by what has gone, which may lead to divisions occurring in the Eastlands camp. The last thing a football needs is for players to be breaking off into different factions so this could be something which causes problems for City.
Mick McCarthy Has Been Through Wars
After their home game versus Stoke City, Mancini takes his new men to the Midlands and Molyneux Stadium to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wolves boss Mick McCarthy came under fire recently for making ten changes to his team for a game at Old Trafford but it allowed him to rest players for a crucial home match, which Wolves won.
Wolves have won three out of their last four games prior to Christmas and could be building a run of form which will help keep them in the English Premier League.
This means that Wolves will have no fear of taking on City in their own back yard and again, Mancini may find it a harder game than what he has been promised. The Italian will need to rely on new assistant manager Brian Kidd to get up to speed on the teams in the league but hopefully he will know not to under-estimate clubs. This can be easier said than done but if the Italian thinks that there are going to be a number of easy games in the English Premier League he may suffer a rude awakening. Although Mancini is the man that the money men at City have chosen, there is no guarantee he will have a long term future at the club.
How Long for Mancini?
Privately, Mancini has already admitted fears for how long will be at City and there would be no surprise if he was not the boss for next season. There is the suspicion that come summer, and after the World Cup, there may be a few top bosses available for City to choose from.
A top of the range boss is required to bring the top players in and to be able to handle the big time egos that will be at the club.
Brazilian star Robinho has barely featured this season and there are suggestions he is looking for an escape route from the harsh weather in Manchester. The player is said to hope for a move back to Spain but Barcelona has distanced themselves from this move.
Given the success that Barcelona are experiencing under Guardiola at the moment, it may be difficult to see where the player will fit in. There is a strong team ethic in the Catalonian side and the inclusion of the Brazilian may disrupt the balance.
There is a lot of pressure on Roberto Mancini and if he fails to win in his opening games, the pressure is going to be huge.
by Andrew Reilly
for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk
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Dear Greg,
I've been a member since July 2003, maybe one of the first to join the Silver Circle.
2004 was a good year but I really enjoyed the long run we had in, I think, July 2005. It was exhilarating! 2006-2007 was not as exciting although still quite profitable and so far 2007-2008 looks quite good. I'm wondering if we're going to hit a long one again soon. Anyway, it's been a pleasure as always with your service, Greg. Armstrong and you are one of the few people I trust on the internet. You have made my retirement so much more fun and financially happy!
Best Wishes, Trent Wrayford, Sidney
