Manchester City

[Frenchie]

Nice touch

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22647123

Roberto Mancini: Manchester City fans to thank former boss in advert

By Richard Conway
BBC Sport
Comments (51)
A group of Manchester City supporters plan to thank their former manager Roberto Mancini by placing an advert in an Italian newspaper on Saturday.
More than 700 fans have contributed to the "Grazie Mancini" fund, raising £7,000 in four days, with the piece to appear in Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Italian, 48, put an advert in the Manchester Evening News thanking City fans for "three unforgettable years".
Mancini was sacked earlier this month, a year after winning the title.
Roberto Mancini at Man City
W
D
L
W%
Premier League
82
27
24
61.65
All competitions
115
39
40
59.28
Champions League
3
4
5
25
HONOURS WON

Premier League 2011-12, FA Cup 2010-11
Source: Opta

He also lifted the FA Cup in 2011, but was relieved of his duties after City failed to win a trophy this season and were knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League.
City fans, led by University of Nottingham student Adam Keyworth, plan to donate any money raised over the price of the advert to a local Manchester charity.
Keyworth, 21, started the online campaign and told BBC Sport: "We raised £5,000 in the first two days and the money has just continued to pour in.
"We didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Mancini as the sacking was quite messy so we're hoping, now we have the money, to put the ad in this weekend.
"I'm told Mancini is aware of the plan. After his advert last week we thought, what better way to say thank you to him?"
Keyworth also used Twitter to thank those who had given money, saying: "Thank you to everyone who has donated, supported or publicised this; it just shows what fans can do when they pull together. Very proud to be a blue at times like these.
"Every single donation has been from everyday City fans and not one from any of our celebrity support.
"Incredibly, as donations continue to pour in, I am in the position to give every penny over the advert fee to a local Manchester charity, so more people benefit from this idea."

[AnfieldForever]

£7k for a ****ing advert?! I can think of several local charities that would be transformed with that kind of money.

[Liverpel]

The incoming Manchester City manager, Manuel Pellegrini, has been told by the club's chief executive that they are expecting him to preside over an extensive period of success at the Etihad Stadium, which includes wining five trophies in the next five years.

Ferran Soriano added that he felt City had underachieved last season and that their football had not "evolved" under Roberto Mancini. Pellegrini is expected to be confirmed as Mancini's successor on 3 June after finishing the season in Spain with Málaga, and the Chilean has been given no illusions about what is expected of him once he arrives in Manchester.

"I think that next season is going to be much better. I am convinced about that," Soriano said. "It doesn't mean we are going to win one or two titles but in the grand scheme of things, if we look at the next five years and I could plan now, I would say I want to win five trophies in the next five years.

"That may mean we win no trophy one year and two in another but on average I want one title a year. That includes the Champions League, the Premier League or the FA Cup. Is it a realistic aim? I think it is, yes, but I am talking about five years.

"If next year we don't win but progress our football and get to the semi-finals of the Champions League, finish second in the Premier League and lose the FA Cup final again that will be fine.

"What we are asking the new manager to do is build a squad but also a football concept and a way of working that will last for the next 10 years. The manager has a shorter span [than that]. We are asking the manager to win this season, next season and every Sunday."

Soriano, who is in the United States with City on their end of season tour, explained the club's reasoning for sacking Mancini, who ended City's 35-year wait for major silverware by winning the FA Cup in 2011, and followed it up with the Premier League title in 2012.

"This was a long-term decision taken with a lot of careful analysis," Soriano said. "We would never fire or change the manager over one or two results. Once you go down the path of change you have to be very sure. Roberto Mancini did very good for the club. He changed the mentality from a club that was not winning to a winning club and that is very hard.

"In the last year I think it's fair to say that our football did not progress or evolve as we hoped. If you play good football you will win and we have a fantastic squad.

"The squad we have is capable of winning the Premier League and is not a squad that should be kicked out at the first group stage of the Champions League. You know, these things can happen – this is football and we all understand football. But we have better players than that."

The Spaniard, who became City's chief executive in July 2012, said that the City board were concerned about the image of the club during Mancini's often fractious three-and-a-half-year reign, and cited his training-ground clash with the tempestuous Mario Balotelli, who was sold to Milan in January, as a clear example of a lack of unity within the camp.

"I was worried about the image we were giving to the world," Soriano said. "What we want is not the image of unity – we want the unity … with the new manager, we are asking him that the dressing room has as much harmony as possible, knowing total harmony is impossible.

"With the kind of squad we have, we want a senior manager at this point. We want a manager who knows about football but we want somebody who knows about man-management. It is impossible for us to win the Champions League if we don't have a group that behaves like a family."

He also wants a team half of whom are homegrown. "I have seen it at Barcelona and at Manchester United."

Soriano confirmed that Sergio Agüero will not be sold this summer, despite speculation that the Argentina forward is unhappy in Manchester.

"He is not leaving," Soriano said. "This speculation has gone on and on and on but we have had discussions with Sergio and his agent about several things and he has never expressed a willingness to go. We have never had an offer and even if we had an offer we would say no."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/may/24/manchester-city-manuel-pellegrini-trophies

[Mattshark]

£7k for a ****ing advert?! I can think of several local charities that would be transformed with that kind of money.

Me too!

[Bender]

The Argentine commits to a new deal, running until 2017, as the Premier League runners-up look to avoid interest from La Liga giants Real Madrid materialising this summer

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has signed a one-year extension to his contract, the club have announced.

As exclusively revealed by Goal in April, the Premier League side intended to tie the Argentine down to a new deal in order to ward off interest from Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old scored 17 goals in 40 games for the Etihad Stadium outfit in 2012-13, a slight dip in form from his 30-goal debut season, in which the last of his goals won the league title for City in dramatic fashion.

Aguero had pledged his future to the club on Friday, telling reporters that "there is no reason to go" despite a disappointing campaign that ended with manager Roberto Mancini's sacking.

His new contract runs through to the summer of 2017.link

[Phoenix07]

Has anyone see that toothy focker Gary Cotterill asking Pellegrini several times about Man City?

Pellegrini said to him in the press conference he won't answer anymore questions on this (in calm English like a Jedi), so Cotterill keeps asking him.

Then at the airport, he's still asking him and Pellegrini says to him (in calm English like a Jedi), 'I said to you 5 times I won't answer anymore', and after Cotterill continues, 'I said to you 6 times I won't answer'.

This is the reporter I'm referring to. You may have seen him hanging off the front of Harry Redknapp's cock during transfer deadline day.

[Bender]

yeah

[baitman]

This is the reporter I'm referring to. You may have seen him hanging off the front of Harry Redknapp's cock during transfer deadline day.

[McDermotX]

Was it him who chased, literally speaking, after Redknapp one transfer day ? Like Alan Partridge and Dan FFS.

How does he look his kids in the eye when he gets home ? Have some self-respect FFS

[Fivex]

You not thinking of Moyes getting legged the other week?

[Fosterbloke]

[Shaggy]

Graham Hunter @BumperGraham
I believe Jesus Navas deal to #City now fully agreed at €23m + €4m variables. Good luck catching him next season

[Reece]

Is he going to commute from Spain every day?

[McDermotX]

You not thinking of Moyes getting legged the other week?

Nah......this was a while back (might even have been when Harry was still at Spurs), but it wouldn't surprise me if it was him chasing after Moyes that time as well. Looked like he was running for the bus.

DAVID....DAVID....DAVID..........

[Fernandinho]

I will be very suprised if navas lasts there...