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Roberto Mancini shows Manchester City how it's done

Roberto Mancini might have been one of the most successful managers in Serie A in the modern era but as a player he was no slouch either, rewarding Sampdoria with 15 years of loyal service before finishing his playing career at Lazio and er... Leicester City.

Quick, nimble and with a stunning eye for goal, he was one of the most flamboyant footballers of his generation, as demonstrated by this compilation which includes a stunning volley from a ball dipping over his head and an outrageous backheel direct from a corner.

If he can get City playing like this there will be some very satisfied customers at Eastlands next year.

The Rivals: Arsenal and Everton battle for Bordeaux striker

Everton join Chamakh battle - The Sun
Everton will battle it out with Arsenal to sign Marouane Chamakh (pictured), the Bordeaux striker, for £7m in the summer. David Moyes sent scouts to watch the Moroccan marksman play against Lorient on Saturday, while Arsene Wenger has been keeping tabs on the player for months.

Exit door opens for flop defenders - Daily Mirror
Roberto Mancini will sort out Manchester City's defence - and put huge question marks over the future of England stars Wayne Bridge and Joleon Lescott. Mancini has already given City chief executive Garry Cook names of targets, with Juventus left-back Giorgio Chiellini and Inter defender Maicon on the list.

Platt to join Mancini's coaching team - The Independent
David Platt, the former England midfielder, is to join his close friend at Eastlands. The pair played together at Sampdoria.

Curbs wanted - The Daily Express
Alan Curbishley could return as West Ham manager if David Sullivan's takeover of the Upton Park club goes through.

Trio battle for Anderlecht wonderkid - Daily Mail
Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan are all monitoring European football's latest teen sensation, 16-year-old Romelo Lukaku from Belgian outfit Anderlecht

Debate: Should Liverpool sell Steven Gerrard?

 

Patrick Barclay, Chief Football Commentator

It is all very well, in discussing Liverpool’s woes, to invoke the spirit of Shankly. But how do you define it? You can make a start by listening to 73 minutes and 30 seconds of the great man giving his thoughts to John Roberts, the journalist with whom he collaborated on his autobiography two years after retiring as manager in 1974.

Order the CD — The Amazing Bill Shankly — for £9.99 and I doubt that you will find a better distillation of the spirit that was to make Anfield a fortress than this, delivered in Shankly’s machine-gun Ayrshire tones:

"Now I want one thing. I want loyalty. I don’t want anybody to be carrying stories about anybody else. If somebody comes to me with a story — I warn you about this — whoever you’re telling it about won’t be the one who goes. It’ll be you.

"You’ll go — out! I don’t care if you’ve been here 15 year [sic]. I want everybody to be loyal to each other. And to do everything you do for Liverpool Football Club. And we’ll all get together. And that will make strength . . . And maybe one day we’ll get players as well!"

Life could be worse for United ... but then again a lot better

 

Oliver Kay, Football Correspondent

In his 1998 book Manchester United Ruined My Life, Colin Shindler lamented how every triumph that his beloved Manchester City enjoyed, no matter how minor, was obscured by the enormous shadow cast from Old Trafford.
 
It was just the kind of mindset, the kind of weary, depressed air of resignation, that the new regime at City have fought to challenge. Even before the club were bought by Sheikh Mansour, Garry Cook, a blue-sky thinker imported from Nike, was talking up the prospects of eclipsing United — of the need to shake employees and supporters out of their deeply entrenched inferiority complex.
 
From their blank-cheque transfer policy to that now infamous “Welcome to Manchester” billboard in the city centre, City’s new-found swagger has met with predictable disdain from Sir Alex Ferguson. He would complain sneeringly about “noisy neighbours”, saying that the only way to deal with them was to “get on with your life, put your television on and turn it up a bit louder”. In recent weeks the noises from next door have become more fractious. It was only a matter of time before news came through of yet another divorce.

Dismissal of Mark Hughes leaves bad taste

 

Tony Cascarino: Tony’s Fiver

1: Another clumsy dismissal leaves bad taste

Talk about ruthless headhunting. Not only did Manchester City arrange Mark Hughes’s replacement long before sacking him, they even had the new assistant manager lined up. Like Martin Jol’s mishandled departure from Tottenham Hotspur, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. But that’s football.

2: Players will always encroach to gain advantage

Even for Frank Lampard’s third penalty attempt against West Ham United yesterday there was encroachment. Forcing retakes was right by the letter of the law and brave refereeing but let’s face it — being a yard or two inside the box when a kick is taken makes no real difference and players from both sides always do it, so why worry?

3: Injuries are the main reason for United’s stumbles

Let’s not get carried away by Manchester United’s defeat by Fulham — it was down to a chronic defensive injury list. It’s daft to suggest that Sir Alex Ferguson needs to buy replacements — what would he do when his injured players are fit again? He’d have too many defenders.

4: Final table will show whether McCarthy was right

Wolves’ win over Burnley doesn’t justify picking reserves against Manchester United last week. We can only judge whether it worked or not at the end of the season. If Wolves go down by a point, the decision to throw in the towel against a vulnerable United will have been a bad misjudgment by Mick McCarthy, regardless of yesterday’s three points.

5: World Cup winner still happy to let good times roll

I was at a Christmas party in Liverpool and the disco classic Love Train was playing. I got a tap on the shoulder and it was Gordon Banks, who told me: "Come on, get on the Love Train!" Talk about surreal. It’s not often you hear that from a World Cup winner. Today’s footballers would be too cool to let their hair down and have a laugh.

Liverpool closer to the bottom than the top

Tom Dart: Weekend in numbers

14: The number of points Liverpool sit behind first place in the Premier League — they are only 13 points from the bottom.

6: Top-flight matches in the past six weeks where both sides have scored at least three; just one before November 7.

6: The penalties awarded to both West Ham and Chelsea so far this season, more than any other team in the Premiership.

2: Off-pitch yellows for Reading’s Simon Church: one for dissent as a substitute and a second for celebrating amid the crowd.

3: Festive-sounding names of the trio of goalscorers for Gillingham at home against Stockport County: Oli (Holly), Brandy and Nutter.

Grays players denied chance to placate Dicks

Walter Gammie

York City and Kettering Town were left counting the cost after the late postponements of their matches away to Grays Athletic and Gateshead in the Blue Square Premier on Saturday.

Grays called for volunteers to shovel snow off the pitch at the New Recreation Ground, with the promise of cups of tea to keep them going, and those that turned up did a pretty good job of clearing the lines and the areas nearest the goals, only for the match referee to decide that he was not prepared to allow the match to go ahead.

Both sides had been happy to play and underlined their feelings by taking to the pitch for training. In York’s case it was a run-out before boarding their coach for the return journey, having travelled down for an overnight stay on Friday. The Grays players exercised with the words of Julian Dicks reverberating in their ears after he placed the entire squad on the transfer list in the wake of their 3-1 defeat away to Worcester City in the FA Trophy the previous Saturday.

Were Manchester City right to sack Mark Hughes?

Ben Smith

Inevitable, ruthless, surprising. However you describe Manchester City's decision to sack Mark Hughes and appoint Roberto Mancini as his replacement yesterday, it can only be seen as a clear sign that the club's Arab owners will stop at nothing to achieve success - and quickly.

The Welshman was sacked by a club who felt he could not meet their target of a place in the top four despite being given £200m to spend on players and further huge investment in training facilities and other infrastructure at the club.

But have City done the right thing? Should Hughes have been given more time to mould his players into a team capable of challenging the very best? Or are you happy to see the back of a manager who has struggled to address his team's defensive failings and failed to lift his players against the lesser sides this season?

Mancini, who is believed to have been at Eastlands yesterday, is understood to have a three-and-a-half-year contract. Brian Kidd, a former City striker with extensive coaching experience, has stepped up from a role with the club's youth team to assist the Italian, who has been out of work since leaving Inter in May 2008.

But are these the right men to take the club forward? Would you rather have seen someone with Premier League experience brought in?

It's over to you, vote then leave your comments below.

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Manchester United and Chelsea will be too strong for Milan giants

 
Tony Cascarino

What a great draw. The highlight for me, as for many, is Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge with Inter Milan.

He's only been at the San Siro for a season and a half but Inter already look like a typical Mourinho team, organised, big, quick and powerful. They'll be tough to crack but Chelsea have more quality. Mario Balotelli is an imposing presence in midfield but Samuel Eto'o hasn't set Italy alight. Inter did well to qualify from a tricky group but Chelsea's superior technique and the advantage of being home in the second leg should see them through in the end.

Mourinho's press conferences will be as good as the matches. He should be in his element, the fans will welcome him back and I expect him to praise Chelsea's squad to the hilt for their talent - and probably take credit for it! It's still, to a large extent, his side.

The Rivals: Barcelona step up fight for £40m Fabregas

Barca plot £40m Cesc raid - The Sun
Barcelona president Joan Laporta will 'fight' to land Cesc Fabregas next summer. The Champions League kings plan a £40million raid for the Arsenal and Spain midfielder - and Laporta is determined to capture the ex-Barca youth team star

Harry's £6m bid for Fig - Daily Mirror
Harry Redknapp could be tempted to make a £6million move for Wigan left-back Maynor Figueroa when the January transfer window opens. The Spurs manager has been told there is no money to spend having already shelled out £160million since taking charge, but will raise the funds by selling Gareth Bale.

Moyes ponders cut price Maxi - Daily Mirror
David Moyes is weighing up a cut-price deal for Atletico Madrid midfielder Maxi Rodriguez. The Argentinian, 28, is out of contract next summer and Atletico are desperate to do a cut-price deal to stop him leaving for free at the end of the season.

Eid welcome a return - The Sun
Former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen is looking to return to the Premier League. The Icelandic frontman, 31, wants a quick exit from French outfit Monaco after a fallout with manager Guy Lacombe.

De Laet to plug defensive gap for United - The Guardian
Sir Alex Ferguson looks set to turn to the Belgian youngster Ritchie de Laet for Saturday's visit to Fulham as Manchester United's defensive problems continue to mount up