Managing players the critical difference between Fergie and Mancini

As Manchester City's title bid choked at Arsenal, it was perhaps inevitable that the headlines should be made by one of their players - rather than one from the victorious Gunners.

Mario Balotelli's disgraceful lack of self-discipline ended in a last-minute red card and left City boss Roberto Mancini pondering whether to play him ever again and to ditch him in the summer.

Teammates Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany were seething as they left the pitch after defeat. Oh to be a fly on the wall in the City dressing room afterwards.

But the truth is Balotelli shouldn't have been on the park anyway: the boss should've subbed him at halftime. And therein lies the key difference between Mancini and his managerial title rival, Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

Fergie realises the overriding truth that players lose managers their jobs. Imagine Balotelli at United? Not once the Govanator had taken advice from one of the Italian's former bosses at Inter, Jose Mourinho. The Special One sold him to City.

Mancini has shown exceptional patience with both Balotelli and Carlos Tevez and his loyalty's not been rewarded. Fergie's demonstrated time and again that if he's crossed, it's curtains at Old Trafford.

Because the noxious cloud of Balotelli's show enveloped that other miscreant star of the Mancini regime who was also playing. Tevez was so key to City last season and but for six months of tabloid tantrums and AWOL's may well have pushed City over the title line at the expense of United this campaign.

City have splashed out millions on their squad but there's no substitute for experience, continuity and management. Brian Marwood, the conduit between players and the board, revealed the City strategy: win a first title, then invest in youth from there.

It's foundering and largely because Mancini hasn't been ruthless enough with the ill-disciplined elements of his squad.

Talent is valued more than self-discipline & personal morality.

eh, like. Sorry UEFEH!

Wayne Rooney's petulant kick during England's two-all draw in Montenegro could derail our hopes of winning EURO 2012 next summer, (says the ever hopeful England fan writing this!) 

Red mist!



Our preparations in the tournament leadup are compromised too. Fabio Capello insists he'll be using different strike combinations in friendlies ahead of the finals - irrespective of Rooney's availability. It's the right thing to do.

After all, Capello must examine other partnerships, forced as he is into Plan B and C by Rooney's moment of madness.

Why do you bother?

UEFA decided on Thursday that Rooney's straight red was worth a three-match ban at the start of the EURO 2012 Finals. It rules him out of the Group Stages entirely, by which time he could be on the plane home with the rest of the knocked out team.



In a bid to curb the full wrath of UEFA's punishment., Rooney wrote a "sorry note" to the powers that be. Turns out two games of the punishment were for bad grammar.

Personal morality remains the property of the individual. Isn't having a good name still worth something? Don't Rooney and Carlos Tevez owe it to themselves to behave better?

So who's show of peevishness was worse? Rooney's thickheadedness or Tevez's refusal to warm up off the subs bench?

The last Evertonian with any pace! Moyes take note.



Manchester City fans are less than impressed with their former hero, who refused to follow Roberto Mancini's orders and play while losing at Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

But it seems as soon as these players are cleared to play or available for transfer, there's a scramble for their services - even at the expense of players with better attitudes who staked a claim in their absence.

Even David Moyes, boss of the austere, workmanlike and thoroughly professional "School of Science" claimed even though Tevez's behaviour was unacceptable, he'd make every exception to have him in his Everton squad.

Never has the line "break the rules, 'cos you are the best" been more applicable, and it's not right.

I despair of football's morality. Winning at all costs is a given at club level. It's an environment where if any manager takes a stand against a miscreant player, they merely shoot themselves in the foot.



Everton, "the School of Science": Stuart Hall

Sure, we pass the ball back to the opposition goalkeeper or kick the ball out of play for an injury but those are rather small concessions in the face of banning players or kicking them out on a freebie.

Each time, the FA or UEFA fail to sanction clubs, managers or players, the wider game loses. Power seeps to the already over powerful clubs.

So it has to be upto the Governing Bodies to make these decisions. Otherwise, what does football teach our kids?

It's a sad era when professionalism is valued less than winning.

That Sergio Aguero moment

Sergio Aguero is the talk of the Premier League after a stunning cameo appearance in the second half of Manchester City's opening game of the season.

Aguero announced his arrival with a brace and a brilliant piece of athleticism which contributed to a goal for David Silva, as City broke newly promoted Swansea City's resistance at Eastlands.

Aguero's athleticism earns a goal for teammate Silva

Dubbed by new boss, Roberto Mancini as a 'carbon copy' of Romario, Aguero comes with that low centre of gravity seemingly fitted as standard in posher South American models. £35m well spent and any doubters as to City's title credentials are silenced now. In fact, Aguero could propel them above the dismissive mantle of "noisy neighbours", shrugged by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Before the final whistle, I was even tweet-speculating the Argentine could win both Player Of The Year gongs.

Because now Mancini has an embarrassment of striking riches at his right hand: Dzeko, Balotelli and if he can sort his life out, Tevez. Watching his countrymen out there can't possibly have left Tevez unaffected.

Aguero's second goal was so technically special, Sky's brand new pundit Gary Neville claimed he didn't know how he'd done it! A fierce looping shot with downward force that thumped into the bottom corner like a shot grouse.

But it was chasing a lost cause after lobbing the Swansea keeper that marks him out. Most would've let the ball loop out for a goal kick convinced they'd overhit it, content to get a ripple of applause from the crowd in running back to halfway.

Not Aguero, who kicked it over his head and back into contention for Silva to expertly half volley into the gaping goal.

Damian Comolli is charged with Liverpool's transfer policy. Anfield's Director of Football usually buys English. They're expensive. £35m was splashed on Andy Carroll. They're not even in the same ballpark.

Aguero is set to join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Henry and Zola as one of the all-time great Premier League imports, and he's only played 40 minutes. Hyping him up too much? Don't think so.

Tevez link with Corinthians shows Joorabchian still "owns" him

I thought football had rid itself of the scourge of players shackled to economic rights ownership.


Tevez, Pardew, Mascherano.

Evidently not.

As Carlos Tevez seeks to leave the Premier League to be nearer his daughters, it seems Corinthians are launching a £35m bid to bring the Argentine (near) home.

Brazilian football's just signed a huge TV deal, taking it to another financial level. Reminiscent of the Sky TV revolution here twenty years ago, Brazil didn't have that fiscal might before. When Corinthians signed Tevez and Javier Mashcerano from Argentina first time round, it involved unprecedented fees for the Brazilian game. Then the pair joined West Ham United, which was even more unlikely - a switch which landed the Hammers right in it with Sheffield United and the Premier League.

It smells a bit to me like Kia and the gang are ready to take "ownership" of Tevez again - and loan him to the Brazilian outfit.

With the tabloid headlines screeching a £35m transfer fee, it's a normal deal on the surface only.

City's unlimited ambitions aren't enough!

When Manchester City bought Carlito from Manchester United, City's billionaire owners had to shell out £47m, not to United but to Kia Joorabchian and his consortium. That was to buy out all claims on the players future earnings.

Tevez's track record suggests he's a mercenary with little desire to pledge loyalty to anyone or anything. His private and professional life show it - and his connection with Joorabchian's never quite been broken. But middle men who own portions of his future earnings don't suit the more mature European game, held to ransom as it is by agents already.

Though Tevez is a good player, both City and the Premier League are better off without the baggage he brings here.

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Second guessing Queen's Park Rangers' fate.

As QPR face Leeds United in the final game of their Championship-winning season, we're still no nearer knowing whether they'll be playing in the Premier League next season.

Despite the transgressions of West Ham, who it was decided had benefited from the purchase of Carlos Tevez at the expense of Sheffield United, there's no precedent for the alleged transgressions that Rangers have committed.

QPR are promoted as champions and will be awarded the trophy today, but face seven charges relating to the £3.5million registration of midfielder Alejandro Faurlin in 2009. The club deny everything.

They're represented by Ian Mill QC, who acted for the Blades during the Tevez affair which saw the rules on third-party ownership clarified.

The four-man three-day hearing began at Wembley on Tuesday and it's impossible to guess the outcome of their decision. So I'm going to try. The verdict was supposed to be delivered yesterday, but I think by delaying it they're boxing clever.

Faced by Mill, the QC with the fearsome reputation and the combined ownership of Bernie Ecclestone, Flavio Briatore and Lakshmi Mittal, the Commission needn't draw on anything similar previously and can be seen to look tough without materially changing QPR's promotion.

Therefore, I predict a points deduction which keeps them above third-placed Cardiff, and a six-figure fine. It'll rob them of the title but won't stop the promotion party. The playoffs won't be moved and life will go on.

Governing bodies are running scared in the era of multinational ownership, financial muscle and legal henchman, and this affair will no different.

United should have closed Tevez deal when they could

Manchester United rarely lose any player unless they want to, let alone two, but Carlos Tevez has now decided to join Cristiano Ronaldo in quitting the Premier League champions

A souring in the relationship between club and player appears to have proved the main reason for Tevez leaving. Not even the offer of a five-year deal which would have made the Argentine striker one of the highest paid earners at Old Trafford was enough to mend the broken bridges.

The club's fans recognised the value of Tevez to the team, especially after his two goals in the last four games helped clinch a third successive Premier League title and fend off the challenge of arch rivals Liverpool. They chanted at the board as they urged the club to sign him up on a permanent basis for the £25.5m agreed when he joined in 2007.

But in the opinion of United chief executive David Gill, despite the agreed figure, they found that fee "toppy" and the delay in securing Tevez did them no favours.

"From the moment I came here I wanted to sign a longer contract," Tevez said back in September 2008.

"It would be wonderful if the chairman put a long term contract on the table for me. I would sign it without doubt."

Instead, United signed striker Dimitar Berbatov for £30.75m last summer and postponed securing Tevez as they appeared to try to bring down the pricetag. Tevez felt he deserved more for his relentless industry on the pitch and 34 goals - 15 coming last season - in two campaigns.

He talked of being disrespected by the club and the belief that he was not getting as much first-team football as he wanted added to his unhappiness. Ultimately, he chose not to stay and, with Manchester City and Chelsea being linked as his next port of call, he may be accused of making a money-motivated move.

But United had ample opportunity to stop Tevez's head from being swayed into a move elsewhere and manager Sir Alex Ferguson has now been left to secure replacements for two prize players in a competitive market."He did feel a little bit unloved," said Kia Joorabchian, who is adviser to Tevez.

"He made that clear through the process and I think that has forced him to move on."

By Mandeep Sanghera (BBC Sport)

Other Tevez stories

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Tevez's mum visits United's training ground!

Even with all the pre-match tension of Argentina's square-up to Scotland this week, there was still some R&R time for Manchester United's Argentine striker, Carlos Tevez. His mum popped into United's training HQ at Carrington to see if Carlito was eating his greens!

Tevez's mum now has an unassailable 100% record as an international manager, so on the basis that the only way is down, maybe it's time to quit and concentrate on cooking young Carlos some parrilla and asado in the keeetcheen!