Roberto Mancini has been sacked by Manchester City
a year to the day since delivering the Premier League
title. City failed to publicly back their manager over the
weekend as the build-up to Saturday's FA Cup final
was overshadowed by reports linking Malaga's
Manuel Pellegrini with the job. City lost that final to Wigan, and that disappointment
alongside an unconvincing title defence and a
second successive failure get beyond the Champions
League group stage, means Mancini's time in
Manchester is up after three-and-a-half years. A club statement read: "It is with regret that
Manchester City Football Club announces that
Roberto Mancini has been relieved of his duties as
manager. "This has been a difficult decision for the owner,
Chairman and Board to make and it is the outcome of
a planned end of season review process that has
been brought forward in light of recent speculation
and out of respect for Roberto and his extensive
contributions to the football club. "Despite everyone's best efforts, the club has failed to
achieve any of its stated targets this year, with the
exception of qualification for next season's UEFA
Champions League. "This, combined with an identified need to develop a
holistic approach to all aspects of football at the Club,
has meant that the decision has been taken to find a
new manager for the 2013/14 season and beyond." Brian Kidd will be in charge for the final two games of
the season and the post-season tour to the United
States, but the focus now will be on Pellegrini. The Chilean, a former Villarreal and Real Madrid boss,
is an odds-on favourite for the job but denied on
Sunday night that a deal to take over is already in
place. More to follow...

Noted...incase