Tuesday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

Mancini job in doubt due to City's disarray
Club hierarchy growing tired of poor results and divisions in dressing room
Roberto Mancini's Manchester City future is not guaranteed beyond the end of the season and the club's chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, will review whether the Italian's abrasive management style is helping to move the club forward, if they lose out to Manchester United in the title race.
The relationship between Mancini and Al-Mubarak has always been a good one and the manager's more ruthless mentality than his predecessor, Mark Hughes, is perceived to have been a vital asset by the Abu Dhabis, with whom Mancini has established far closer direct relations than Hughes ever did. But Mancini's determination to stick with Mario Balotelli in a season when he has publicly challenged other players is having an increasingly divisive and toxic effect in the dressing room and damaging the manager's credibility with his squad.
Narrowly losing out to United may be acceptable to City's owners – who had targeted this, their fourth season of ownership as "the year we were going to go for it" and "win the league". But a more substantial deficit on United – six or more points, perhaps – and further evidence of the internal strife that has left James Milner as the latest disgruntled squad member may force a rethink. Mancini, who has spent £240m on 16 senior players and is at serious risk of ending the season with no silverware, has 12 months remaining on his current £3.5m-a-year deal, so the cost of parting company with him would not be substantial. He will get a new contract if he stays.
If Mancini can re-impose a sense of order – which Nigel de Jong tweeting from the airport en route to Amsterdam and Pablo Zabaleta flying to Barcelona yesterday did not exactly add to – he could be able to argue that he has finished the current Premier League campaign with the most points of any second-placed side. But despite Abu Dhabi's delight with the season until February, Mancini's personal relationships with those in the dressing room and beyond are under question. Ahead of a summer in which a certain amount of rebuilding will be required again, the question for Al-Mubarak appears to be whether Mancini can bond a team to take the next step.
A key factor may be the availability of Jose Mourinho, whose future beyond the end of this season at Real Madrid is by no means guaranteed and who, if he brings them the Champions League and La Liga double, may decide that he can take the club no higher and leave. If Mourinho only wins the domestic title, he may stay for one more tilt at the top European prize. Madrid's ABC Punto Radio said last week that Mourinho had already negotiated a deal with City, though he denied this. As yet, there is no distinct impression from Roman Abramovich that he wants Mourinho's brand of football back at Chelsea.
The substantial advantage to City of hiring Mourinho is that he would bring with him Jorge Mendes – his agent and a deal-maker who would like to see Mourinho at City. Atletico Madrid's Colombian striker Falcao, a Mendes client, was linked to City in the Spanish media late last week.
City, who will also be aware that Guus Hiddink has a contractual clause allowing him to leave the Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala this summer, are certainly likely to be in the market for a striker during what may be a busy summer, despite the stipulations of Uefa's Financial Fair Play regime. Balotelli's unpredictability may lead to his sale – whatever Mancini might say – while Edin Dzeko has not developed as the club had hoped. He, too, might go – along with Carlos Tevez, whose eagerness to return to the fold is in part motivated by a desire to make himself attractive to Milan. Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, on loan at Tottenham and Real Betis respectively, must also be offloaded as City seek funds for a new striker. A substantial offer will be required to make Arsenal go back on Arsène Wenger's vow not to let them have Robin van Persie.
De Jong may have done enough to be in contention for a new contract offer and to be more realistic than when he turned down the club's proposal last summer, though the general need for more pace through the side may make Eden Hazard, Lille's attacking midfielder, another target. A central defender is also a top requirement as last summer's £7m gamble on Stefan Savic from Partizan Belgrade has not paid off. City have received a number of inquiries from Italy for the player and are likely to get their money back if they sell rather than loan out a man who is perceived to need experience in a less rarefied environment. Last summer's calculated gamble on Owen Hargreaves has not paid off either and he will also leave.
Such is the size of the task with which Abu Dhabi must decide whether to trust Mancini. Independent

A similar theme also runs in today's Telegraph ...

Roberto Mancini's fate at Manchester City could be decided by the outcome of title run-in
Roberto Mancini’s fate as Manchester City manager rests on the manner of his team’s response to recent setbacks over the final weeks of the season.
While the Italian retains the support of the club’s Abu Dhabi hierarchy, with chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak designated to make the final decision on his future, the combination of City’s recent loss of form and Mancini’s fractious relationship with senior players ensures that his position at the Etihad Stadium is no longer as secure as it appeared to be until recently.
Growing resentment inside the dressing-room over Mancini’s perceived indulgence of controversial forward Mario Balotelli is no secret at senior levels within the club and public displays of frustration in recent games by James Milner and Gareth Barry, while being substituted by the manager, have exposed the divisions within the camp.
Chairman Al-Mubarak and the club’s power-brokers have long accepted that Mancini’s abrasive style of management does not endear [/scroll]him to some members of his squad and, with City enjoying five months at the top of the Premier League until last month, it was regarded as a contributory factor to the team’s improvement this season.
Yet the issue of Balotelli remains unresolved, with the 21-year-old clashing with team-mates on the pitch during Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Sunderland before being involved in a dressing-room confrontation with Yaya Toure.
Despite the concerns over the disharmony within the squad, however, no decision has been made in Abu Dhabi to part company with Mancini at the end of the season.
Reports in Spain last week that a deal had been agreed with Jose Mourinho to replace Mancini were forcefully denied by the Real Madrid manager last Friday.
But with Mancini’s £3.5 million-a-year contract due to expire at the end of the 2012-13 season and no negotiations yet under way to extend that deal, the remaining games of this campaign are likely to be decisive in terms of what happens next.
The key factor for Abu Dhabi is to see improvement on the pitch and, with City equalling last season’s total of 71 points with seven games to spare, Mancini has clearly raised the bar this term.
But ending the season empty-handed, 12 months after winning the FA Cup, would be regarded as a failure following an outlay of almost £80 million on new players last summer.
Despite the loss of form that has seen Manchester United overturn a seven-point deficit to claim top spot in the Premier League, Mancini’s future does not rest solely on winning the title.
If City rally in the coming weeks to win the league, his position will undoubtedly be secure and a lucrative new contract will be thrashed out as a reward for his efforts.
Similarly, if City ultimately miss out to United by a narrow margin, the on-field progress will satisfy the owners that the team is edging closer to the target of the Premier League.
But if results continue to disappoint and United are allowed to pull clear and win the league by a comfortable margin, the reasons for City’s collapse will scrutinised and Mancini is likely to pay the price if his management style and decision-making are judged to be key factors.

OTHER BOLLOX
Arsenal will have to break their transfer record to buy £17m-rated Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila. The France midfielder, 21, is also being tracked by Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Daily Telegraph

Paris Saint-Germain are considering a £7m move for Newcastle's 16-goal striker Demba Ba, 26. talkShite

Manchester United are prepared to spend £28m to sign Athletic Bilbao's Spain international midfielder Javi Martinez, 23. Caughtoffside

Lyon's France international left-back Aly Cissokho, 24, who has been linked with Newcastle, AC Milan and Juventus, is confident of earning a summer move to Manchester United. talkshite

Liverpool's owners will demand answers from manager Kenny Dalglish when they carry out a "strategic review" of the club's season.

Kenny Dalglish will reportedly face some tough questions from Liverpool's owners this summer Daily Mail

Dalglish will have to submit a written report, detailing his account of why Liverpool have fallen short in the Premier League. Daily Express

Andy Carroll is running out of chances at Liverpool after the striker, 23, showed his frustration at being substituted in Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Newcastle. Daily Mirror

West Brom will offer manager Roy Hodgson £3m a year to extend his contract beyond the end of the season. Daily Mail

Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo still does not know whether he has a chance of being appointed on a permanent basis. Daily Express

Martin Allen, 46, who was sacked by League One Notts County in February, is set to take over at Conference side Luton. Daily Mirror

Leeds United boss Neil Warnock plans to tell chairman Ken Bates that his squad needs telling investment if the Elland Road club is to win promotion back to the Premier League. Yorkshire Evening Post

Brazilian defender Alex, 29, who left Chelsea for PSG in January, claims he is happy to be away from the "egoism" of life at Stamford Bridge. Daily Star

Benfica's Oscar Cardozo believes the Portuguese side will give Chelsea another chapter of Champions League misery at Stamford Bridge. Daily Star

Liverpool could turn to Australian Brad Jones, rather than Alexander Doni, as goalkeeper Pepe Reina prepares for a three-match suspension. : Daily Mirror

Brad Jones is also in contention to replace Pepe Reina due to his experience of English football
Doni admits he is unsure whether he will be at Anfield next season as he gets ready to replace Reina. Daily Express

Midfielder Cheick Tiote believes Alan Pardew is wrong to dismiss Newcastle's chances of a Champions League place. The Sun

Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh has angered manager Arsene Wenger after being pictured smoking a shisha pipe in the wake of the Gunners' 2-1 defeat at QPR. Daily Mail

[CityGer]

I read the fist couple of paragraphs of the first piece then binned it.

What has James Milner done to show that he is disgruntled?

In what way does Zabba and Nige tweeting from the airport show a "lack of order"?

I might just get my head down until August if this is a sign of things to come.

[Beeks]

I read the fist couple of paragraphs of the first piece then binned it.

What has James Milner done to show that he is disgruntled?

In what way does Zabba and Nige tweeting from the airport show a "lack of order"?

I might just get my head down until August if this is a sign of things to come.

For once Ger I'm in complete agreement..sick of all this bullshit now

[Beefymcfc]

It's amazing how these stories are written. Custis writes a shit piece with the old 'Insider Source' which states that there is serious unrest in the dressing room and now everyone quotes that story as fact. This is the way the media work, one makes it up, the others quote it.

[Goaters 103]

Here's Guillem Balague writing in AS today, aka The Real Madrid fanzine. Real want to "help us" by offering Higuain and £10m for Aguero - on what planet exactly is that a deal we would even consider, unless our entire management team had undergone a frontal lobotomy?

Real Madrid prioritise Aguero signing

Manchester City forward Sergio Kun Aguero has developed into a number one transfer priority for Real Madrid and the La Liga side are preparing a strategy to bring the Argentine to the Bernabeu this summer. José Mourinho is prepared include Gonzalo Higuaín as part of the bid along with a transfer fee in the region of €5 to €10 million and has the full support of the Spanish club. The player has been aware of Madrids interest for several months and has already told team mates that he is delighted that the Spanish are prepared top make their move: believing that a return to Madrid could happen this summer, he has retained a home in the Spanish capital where he spent 5 years playing for Atletico.

While it is true that Aguero could still finish the season at City with a trophy, the fact is that he, like several Latin American players before him, have failed to truly settle in the North of England and the player, including his family, would favour a return to Spain where they are more accustomed to the lifestyle and have no problems with the language barrier.

In order for a deal to be struck, both clubs will be mindful of the relationship between Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez and the City owner Sheikh Mansour, and of their agreement that neither club will sabotage or challenge the others transfer dealings that means a mutually beneficial arrangement will be pursued. If Aguero does leave City, then securing an immediate replacement for the forward line clearly appeals – with Mancini a fan of HIguain whom the Premier League club value at around €35 milion. An alternative option would be for City to try and prise Robin van Persie away from Arsenal, and they have already made the Arsenal striker’s agent aware that they would be prepared to double his current salary. However, despite lingering of a contract renewal at the Emirates,Van Persie and his family are reluctant to leave their London home and a strong finish to the season by Arsenal could see him sign a new deal with his current club.

Higuaín will analyse his own situation at the end of the current campaign, but a move to City, a club guaranteed a place amongst the elite for the foreseeable future and where he may find himself as the focal point of a completely revamped attacking line (with Tevez’ future uncertain, Balotelli losing the trust of his coaches and Dzeko pursued by other clubs), would no doubt appeal.

There has been speculation over Mancini’s future at City, with the name of Jose Mourinho strongly linked. However, both City and the Real Madrid manager’s close associates deny any contact between them with regard to the possibility of Mourinho taking charge of Man City next season.

The feeling at Real Madrid is that, although they may sense that it was a mistake not to have signed Aguero last summer, Florentino Perez was happy to have honoured his promise to Atletico that he would not prise away their prize possession. However, 12 months on, the Madrid president would be free to move for Aguero while staying to true to his word given to his neighbours in Madrid.I

[Beefymcfc]

Well, that's the end of the Mourinho rumours then! I'm sure somebody will be telling us that it's because Maureen doesn't rate Sergio and wants to bring Higuan with him though ;-)

[Im_Spartacus]

Well, that's the end of the Mourinho rumours then! I'm sure somebody will be telling us that it's because Maureen doesn't rate Sergio and wants to bring Higuan with him though ;-)

The gospel according to the guy who categorically stated robinho wasnt going to city live on sky sports news.

Also, i thought marca was the real madrid rag

[ashton287]

No matter how many times I read this kind of shit I always come to the same conclusion.

It's amazing how anyone can make money coming out with this dribble

[Goaters 103]

Well, that's the end of the Mourinho rumours then! I'm sure somebody will be telling us that it's because Maureen doesn't rate Sergio and wants to bring Higuan with him though ;-)

The gospel according to the guy who categorically stated robinho wasnt going to city live on sky sports news.

Also, i thought marca was the real madrid rag

Marca is even worse, but AS too basically print anything Perez wants them to - family friends who are Real Madrid fans told me themselves!