THE chairman of Manchester City has stepped in to try to stop a player revolt.
Khaldoon al Mubarak rang one of the club's top stars from his Abu Dhabi home to plead for the squad to give Roberto Mancini more time.
He knows the players are unhappy with the Italian manager's training and tactics but is desperate to stick with him after getting rid of Mark Hughes.
As SunSport revealed yesterday, Mancini had a bust-up with Craig Bellamy on Wednesday at City's training ground and told him to stay away from there for three months.
Chief executive Garry Cook and football administrator Brian Marwood both had to ring the Wales ace and contact Mancini so Bellamy could return.
It means Mancini has had to back down.
But this is only the latest in a series of problems that have beset Mancini's reign since he took over from Hughes.
Marwood once had to act when a player was ranting about the training just ahead of a Khaldoon visit to the training camp.
Frantic Marwood had to make a call to the player's agent to get him to ring the player involved and calm him down in case the chairman witnessed the chaos.
Mancini yesterday confirmed SunSport's revelations of an argument with Bellamy over his troublesome right knee.
Bellamy had insisted he stayed training one-on-one with a member of the sports science department, instead of with the Italian training staff as Mancini wanted.
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Asked if he had an argument with Bellamy, Mancini said: "Yes we did. I spoke to him in my office. We solved this face to face."
Asked what the row was about, Mancini added: "His knee. He worked in one mode, I preferred another. Only this.
"It's just one problem a manager can have."
Bellamy was adamant he would not apologise and it is understood an uneasy peace has broken out between the two ahead of tomorrow's all-important game against Liverpool.
Yet Bellamy is not the only unhappy player in the squad. A number dislike the length and form of training, claiming it leaves them tired for match day.
They feel this has led to the number of injuries the squad has suffered.
The players are also bemused by Mancini's tactics and the changes he makes during games.
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I wish someone would twat that Custis cunt.