The mancityfans.net football forum

ROBERTO MANCINI helped diffuse a little of the controversy surrounding his appointment as Manchester City manager by presiding over victory in his first game, then paying tribute to his predecessor, Mark Hughes.

After seeing his side defeat Stoke to gain ground on the teams above them, Mancini said he understood why Hughes’ dismissal had caused angst and denied rumours there had been a fall-out in training between himself and Craig Bellamy, one of Hughes’ main allies.

“Bellamy’s my friend,” said Mancini, who had dropped the striker from City’s line-up in favour of Robinho but brought on Bellamy in the second half after the Brazilian performed pitifully. “I spoke to him [Bellamy]. There are no problems. I think all the players are happy,” Mancini said. “I spoke to [Bellamy] because we have two games in three days and I need the players at 100 per cent.”

Addressing the sacking of Hughes, Mancini said: “Mark was a fantastic player in England and for Wales. He’s popular. I’m not popular in England. I’m popular in Italy. But it doesn’t matter.” Having heard City supporters sing his name towards the end of a hard-earned victory at Eastlands, with Carlos Tevez and Martin Petrov scoring, Mancini added: “I’m happy for the fans but I can answer to the fans only through my work. I love the crowd in England and the players responded to my message. Everyone is happy.”

Vhero wrote:I don't think he meant he's not popular just not well known.

Beefymcfc wrote:He's right, I didn't like the way his scarf was wrapped :-0

shawzy wrote:

Beefymcfc wrote:He's right, I didn't like the way his scarf was wrapped :-0

I can bet it causes a fashion trend with the fans..Watch out for it :-$

Vhero wrote:I don't think he meant he's not popular just not well known.

walmai wrote:

Vhero wrote:I don't think he meant he's not popular just not well known.

He's popular enough with my missus!

I took that to mean that he's not well known too.

I should also say that this guff about the 'dishonour' of Hughes' sacking is daft as well. So, a very rich club decides to make a change? So what? Its a cut-throat business and Hughes will get the pay-off and be back in the Premiership before too long. And I say that from the position of actually thinking Hughes is a decent enough bloke and coach.

The best bit of the story is how Mancini has already flatly contradicted that berk Cook in your boardroom, about Liverpool. Cook comes across as the most un-City-like bloke. To me at least.

Beefymcfc wrote:

shawzy wrote:

Beefymcfc wrote:He's right, I didn't like the way his scarf was wrapped :-0

I can bet it causes a fashion trend with the fans..Watch out for it :-$

Mmmmmm, football scarfs.................It'll never catch on ;-)

PS. 2 birds behind me were too busy drooling over Mancio than watch the game!

CityFanFromRome wrote:

Beefymcfc wrote:

shawzy wrote:

Beefymcfc wrote:He's right, I didn't like the way his scarf was wrapped :-0

I can bet it causes a fashion trend with the fans..Watch out for it :-$

Mmmmmm, football scarfs.................It'll never catch on ;-)

PS. 2 birds behind me were too busy drooling over Mancio than watch the game!

Hehe, he's always been a hit with the ladies :) As for the scarf, I don't remember about his days as Fiorentina and Lazio manager but he always had it around his neck when managing Inter Milan, glad he kept up the "tradition" here.

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:

CityFanFromRome wrote:

Beefymcfc wrote:

shawzy wrote:

Beefymcfc wrote:He's right, I didn't like the way his scarf was wrapped :-0

I can bet it causes a fashion trend with the fans..Watch out for it :-$

Mmmmmm, football scarfs.................It'll never catch on ;-)

PS. 2 birds behind me were too busy drooling over Mancio than watch the game!

Hehe, he's always been a hit with the ladies :) As for the scarf, I don't remember about his days as Fiorentina and Lazio manager but he always had it around his neck when managing Inter Milan, glad he kept up the "tradition" here.

he had them in Lazio as well. I can remember it. Suprised you don't to be honest as I would've expected it to piss Roma supporters big time!

john68 wrote:Walmai,
I am interested in one sentence of your post...."Cook comes across as the most un-City like bloke".

You pop in here quite often and know us quite well. That sentence implies that threre is a "City like" quality that exists. As a blue, I know how I would like the World to see my club...but you, as an outsider...what do you see as that city quality?

Lee_Kinda wrote:

walmai wrote:

Vhero wrote:I don't think he meant he's not popular just not well known.

He's popular enough with my missus!

I took that to mean that he's not well known too.

I should also say that this guff about the 'dishonour' of Hughes' sacking is daft as well. So, a very rich club decides to make a change? So what? Its a cut-throat business and Hughes will get the pay-off and be back in the Premiership before too long. And I say that from the position of actually thinking Hughes is a decent enough bloke and coach.

The best bit of the story is how Mancini has already flatly contradicted that berk Cook in your boardroom, about Liverpool. Cook comes across as the most un-City-like bloke. To me at least.

Would you mind hughes at west ham?
I think zola will be top and at times you play some great football, but your place in the league isn't great.

Thoughts?

walmai wrote:

john68 wrote:Walmai,
I am interested in one sentence of your post...."Cook comes across as the most un-City like bloke".

You pop in here quite often and know us quite well. That sentence implies that threre is a "City like" quality that exists. As a blue, I know how I would like the World to see my club...but you, as an outsider...what do you see as that city quality?

That's me on the spot now!

My main City supporting mate is not in fact a Manc - but an Ulsterman (STH nonetheless) - but I've met enough of you through the years to have built up some kind of profile.

I think Manc's in general know how to hold themselves, know how to put themselves across properly and can also have a laugh with other people without coming over too self-important (like fans of other clubs on the outskirts of your fine city, if I can put it like that - Bolton are some of the most arrogant tossers I have ever met). I don't see that Gary Cook has much time for the standard fan, to be honest; he comes across as a number-cruncher who knows precious little about what actually makes a grown man (woman) spend large portions of his/her hard-earned supporting their team. And frankly, even from the outside, he appears to be talking shit most of the time.

City are similar to certain other Northern clubs (Sunderland is one obvious choice, as is Sheff Weds) in my estimation - they are generally known to be staunch, despite also being long-suffering. Cook, on the other hand, probably didn't support a club before he got the job at COMS.

Socrates wrote:

walmai wrote:

john68 wrote:Walmai,
I am interested in one sentence of your post...."Cook comes across as the most un-City like bloke".

You pop in here quite often and know us quite well. That sentence implies that threre is a "City like" quality that exists. As a blue, I know how I would like the World to see my club...but you, as an outsider...what do you see as that city quality?

That's me on the spot now!

My main City supporting mate is not in fact a Manc - but an Ulsterman (STH nonetheless) - but I've met enough of you through the years to have built up some kind of profile.

I think Manc's in general know how to hold themselves, know how to put themselves across properly and can also have a laugh with other people without coming over too self-important (like fans of other clubs on the outskirts of your fine city, if I can put it like that - Bolton are some of the most arrogant tossers I have ever met). I don't see that Gary Cook has much time for the standard fan, to be honest; he comes across as a number-cruncher who knows precious little about what actually makes a grown man (woman) spend large portions of his/her hard-earned supporting their team. And frankly, even from the outside, he appears to be talking shit most of the time.

City are similar to certain other Northern clubs (Sunderland is one obvious choice, as is Sheff Weds) in my estimation - they are generally known to be staunch, despite also being long-suffering. Cook, on the other hand, probably didn't support a club before he got the job at COMS.

He supported Birmingham. One of his first foot-in-mouth embarrassing moments was when he called for an end to promotion and relegation from the Prem, and a smaller league, even though he said he knew that would mean his own club Birmingham would never be in it.