The firing of Mancini is madness

Manchester City's decision to fire Roberto Mancini, exactly one year after City won the League for the first time in ages, seems crazy to me.  No club can expect to win multiple trophies every year, and if City's owners think they can find a manager who can guarantee such success every year, they are badly mistaken. Not even Sir Alex could guarantee that.  Most football fans will agree that Mancini has done a fairly good job at City, with considerable resources at his disposal.  Mancini also has a record of success from Italy, and will no doubt soon land a job with another top club.  City's decision to sack Mancini reminds me of Chelsea's decision to sack Mourinho a few years back - a decision Chelsea soon came to regret.  It is also a stunning display of the unrealistic expectations of some wealthy owners in today's football.  If City and Chelsea continue like this, at least one of those two clubs will change manager each season, as there will not be enough trophies to go around to satisfy their respective owners (I, of course, hope that most of the silverware will continue to end up in Man United). 

Thank you, Sir Alex!

We knew it had to happen at some stage, but nevertheless, Sir Alex' retirement came as a bit of a shock to many United fans.  How will our club fare now, without him at the bench?  Sir Alex is among the most successful managers of all time in the world of football, and managers like him only come around once a century.  So at the outset, we know that he can't be fully replaced.  We can also safely say that Sir Alex successor will likely not be as successful as him, as this is nearly impossible.  However, the successor may still be very successful!

I believe David Moyes is the right man for the job.  If United wanted instant success, then somebody like Mourinho or Ancelotti (if they are available) would perhaps be better.  However, none of them would be likely to stay at the club for more than 3-4 years.  Moyes, on the other hand, will likely stay for 10 years or more (unless he is sacked - let's hope that does not happen!).  I believe the right question should be: which manager would bring the most titles over the next 10 years, while taking Sir Alex' philosophy in terms of youth development etc. forward?  The answer, in my opinion, is Moyes.  Let's cross our fingers for a good start to the next season.  He'll need it!

Finally, Sir Alex' retirement means that all bets are off with respect to players coming and leaving the club.  I wrote earlier in this column that Rooney would stay at the club.  However, with Sir Alex leaving and Moyes arriving, I am no longer so sure.  Further, would Giggs and Scholes play for another year with a new manager?  What about Rio Ferdinand?  And, if there is any truth to the rumors about Ronaldo, would he want to come back if Sir Alex is not there?  We'll find out over the next couple of months.

The season is over

After United secured their 20th league title against Aston Villa, their performance has dropped markedly. The home game against Chelsea (1-0 loss) looked a bit like a Charity Shield match, with players from both teams seemingly taking it easy. Yet when the fixtures for this season were first released, this game looked like one that might decide which of the two teams would win the title.  In the end, it was a rather boring game.  United deservedly lost, but nobody seemed to care. It was particularly sad to see players like Anderson and Cleverley, who really needed this game to show their potential for next season, underperform.  Who could argue that we don't need another midfielder after watching this game?  Who would have thought United would end the game with the following midfield: Rooney, Giggs, Buttner?

I am already looking forward to next season, to be honest.  The last two games, against Swansea and West Brom, are likely to also be more like pre-season friendlies, with little at stake for either team.