Close menu

Roberto Mancini: Manchester City sack manager

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments1570

Mancini sacked by Manchester City

Roberto Mancini has been sacked as Manchester City manager a year to the day since winning the Premier League.

The club saidexternal-link he "had failed to achieve any of the club's targets, with the exception of qualification for next season's Champions League".

Assistant Brian Kidd will take charge for the final two games of the season and a tour to America in late May.

Malaga's Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini has been strongly tipped to replace Mancini.

On Sunday night, 59-year-old Pellegrini, who spent one season in charge at Real Madrid in 2009-10, insisted there

"I deny here and now being the new coach of Manchester City," he said after Malaga's goalless Primera Division draw with Sevilla. "I haven't signed any agreement with anybody."

In a statement, City thanked 48-year-old Mancini for the job he had done since joining the club in December 2009.

But the club said the failure to hit "stated targets" and the need to "develop a holistic approach to all aspects of football at the club" prompted the sacking.

"Roberto's record speaks for itself, he secured the love and respect of fans," said chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. "He has done as he promised and delivered silverware and success."

City added it was "a difficult decision" to part with Mancini, explaining it was "the outcome of a planned end of season review process that has been brought forward in light of recent speculation".

A replacement for Mark Hughes, Italian Mancini was in charge for three-and-a-half years, winning the FA Cup in 2011 and City's first top-flight league title for 44 years in 2012 - a year to the day before his sacking.

In with the club.

But this term, City are a distant second to champions Manchester United, went out of the Champions League in the group stages and lost the FA Cup final to Wigan.

Mancini was critical of Manchester City officials for failing to deny the newspaper reports that surfaced on the morning of Saturday's FA Cup final stating he would be sacked and replaced by Pellegrini.

City were beaten by Ben Watson's 90th-minute header at Wembley as Wigan, struggling to avoid relegation from the Premier League in 18th place, became the lowest-ranked team to win the FA Cup since West Ham in 1980.

City thrashed rivals United 6-1 at Old Trafford in October 2011 en route to their first Premier League title and beat them again on their home ground this season.

But Sir Alex Ferguson's team wrapped up their 20th league crown last month with four matches remaining.

Mancini's record in the Champions League has come under particular scrutiny.

He reached the quarter-finals with Inter Milan, but City have been eliminated in the group stages of both their campaigns during his reign.

Having finished third in their group last season, behind Bayern Munich and Napoli, they again failed to qualify for the knockout stages this term.

They failed to win any of their six matches in a formidable group that also contained Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Ajax.

Their tally of three points was the lowest by an English side in the group stage of the competition.

City have two games remaining in the Premier League this season.

They face Reading at the Madejski Stadium on Tuesday before finishing their campaign at home to Norwich on Sunday and then travelling to America to play Chelsea in St Louis on Thursday 23 May and New York on Saturday 25 May.

Comments

Join the conversation

These comments are now closed.

1570 comments

  • Comment posted by TheLittlePea, at 22:51 13 May 2013

    FACT: Brendan Rodgers is now the 7th longest serving manager in the Premier League - having been appointed in June last year.


    What's going on with football??!?!

  • Comment posted by AustinBrock, at 22:53 13 May 2013

    Ridiculous. Second place in the league and runners up in the F.A. Cup. There were several years Fergie didn't win anything, but we never stopped backing him, or calling for him to be sacked. Good luck to you, Roberto.

    -A Manchester United fan.

  • Comment posted by User0295339106, at 22:52 13 May 2013

    Nonsensical decision, terrible indictment of modern football, really hope he lands on his feet. Owners like those of City and Chelsea really are killing the game.

  • Comment posted by Human Cash Point, at 22:52 13 May 2013

    "Deep Pockets - Shallow Minds!" - The description of the modern club owner

  • Comment posted by User0395068667, at 22:52 13 May 2013

    City only need to look to the red half of Manchester over the last week to see how continuity brings success.

    Poor decision, but Mancini won't have problems finding another job.

  • Comment posted by StretfordEnder, at 23:10 13 May 2013

    Their timing is as immaculate as ever.

    city fans have just had to watch the reds filling the streets of Manchester and Albert Square celebrating a 20th title and within hours the manager who brought them their first silverware in 35+ years is sacked.

    Pathetic.

  • Comment posted by MCFC_TID, at 22:50 13 May 2013

    The irony is on this day last year he gave every City fan probably the best moment of their lives, thanks Bobby we'll all miss you

  • Comment posted by User0858577096, at 22:53 13 May 2013

    City are now North Chelsea. No manager can have their reputation harmed by going there as the owners are complete idiots, just like their southern counterpart.

  • Comment posted by User0846406318, at 22:52 13 May 2013

    Tough break for Mancini. Doesn't look as though the club have handled it particularly well (again). As with the Chelsea role it's a dream job for somebody, work with some of the best and most exciting players in the league with a guaranteed massive payoff if you fail!

  • Comment posted by User0949094655, at 23:43 13 May 2013

    @348. Iron Horseman

    Not a City or Mancini fan but press treatment of this man has been shocking, . Respect to the majority of City fans for sticking by him on the terraces and on here.

    =============

    Yes its good to see football fans loyal to their manager.........especially on disappointing days like Saturday.

  • Comment posted by User0949094655, at 22:49 13 May 2013

    Thanks Roberto always a City legend

  • Comment posted by Gordon Pembury, at 23:16 13 May 2013

    First rule of business.
    Never, ever, ever criticize the owners however stupid you think they are. Note Ferguson, Wenger and Moyes never do that, even though they could have done.
    Those who say Moyes hasn't won anything should ask themselves what would Ferguson have won as manager there? Quite possibly nothing. To win you need big money to pay the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo

  • Comment posted by Tinnytanny, at 22:55 13 May 2013

    Robbie Savage obviously isn't as close to the Man City camp as he thought.

  • Comment posted by Dave, at 01:34 14 May 2013

    The only Premiership manager with glorious, glorious hair has been fired... when are board members and chairmen going to realize what is REALLY important.

  • Comment posted by HowQueerMissus, at 22:52 13 May 2013

    I'm available - How hard can it be ?

  • Comment posted by User0811295746, at 22:50 13 May 2013

    I wonder what kind of odds you could have got on 4 of the top 6 teams having new managers the next season...

  • Comment posted by joshington, at 01:23 14 May 2013

    There's a real lack of class towards managers these days. Di Matteo, Adkins and now Mancini. A sad state of affairs.

  • Comment posted by Abdi, at 23:58 13 May 2013

    City have shown all the class of a small club by sacking Mancini after only one year without a trophy, you can't win them all, and clearly they have no memory of the -recent- times when enjoying the kind of success they are now enjoying was only a pipe dream

  • Comment posted by Not My Real Pseudonym, at 23:20 13 May 2013

    Feel sorry for mancini. But he joined a team that's an oil baron's fantasy football plaything and managed a team full or mercenaries. Was always going to happen.

    In a sane world everyone would steer clear of being a part of the lunatic asylum that is city... but football and sanity are no longer bed partners

  • Comment posted by User0008224008, at 23:35 13 May 2013

    I would love to hear what Kompany makes of it. By the way what a sportsman he is, applauding Wigan and tweeting re: Ferguson. To lose with such class & dignity shows that the City shirt can be respected even on bad days. The owners have no such dignity.