The Libero - City remain a joke despite their millions

Published: 23 Dec 2009 - 09:30:09

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Forget Friday nights at the Apollo for a giggle or two, why not try Saturday afternoons at Eastlands?

Manchester City have long strived to shake off the tag of 'comedy club', an accusation levelled at them not just by their bitter rivals across town, but from other football followers too, who have been able to take solace over the years from the fact that no matter how badly their own clubs have done, City fans have invariably suffered more.

City are a club who have always done things differently, although their bid to be taken more seriously was given a huge boost by Sheikh Mansour's takeover and the subsequent injection of millions into the club.

Now finally, the sleeping giant would emerge triumphant from its far-too-long slumber. They had a real chance to emerge from the shadows of their more illustrious neighbours and become a force to be reckoned with in English, and possibly even European football.

No more sniggering at City. With such monstrous financial backing, the jokes would soon become a distant memory of the dark old days, the barren years which started all the way back in 1976 following the last piece of silverware claimed - the League Cup.

Unfortunately, it has not quite worked out like that and the latest episode of the Eastlands soap opera has merely served to give the club's detractors yet more ammunition. Not the actual sacking of Mark Hughes as such, more the way the powers that be went about it.

Hughes deserved to go, just not in such a callous way. Two wins from his final 11 games in charge was not an acceptable return on £200 million spent on new players and Hughes was the obvious fall guy.

It has been said before, but football is a results business, and Hughes must have been well aware of that. But what was so cackhanded, so City, was the manner of his dismissal. When Hughes took to his seat in the dugout for what was his final match against Sunderland, seemingly everyone inside the City of Manchester Stadium knew his fate, himself included.

In terms of badly-kept secrets, Hughes's dismissal ranks right up there with the worst. A deal to install Roberto Mancini as manager, according to the Italian himself, had long been done, and all that was left to do was officially inform Hughes and hand over his P45.

Only with chairman and bearer of bad news Khaldoon al-Mubarak unable to get to Manchester in time, the axe hanging over Hughes's head had to wait until after full-time. Which, of course, meant the dead man walking had to lead out his side into battle against Sunderland, knowing full well he out of a job - a bizarre situation, but one an understandably forlorn-looking Hughes handled with grace.

Hughes's manner, if not City's, remained dignified throughout. He will be back in employment sooner rather than later, that is for sure. Less certain is how his successor will fare.

Mancini arrives at Eastlands with an impressive CV, having won three successive Scudetti with Internazionale, but also with several question marks over his ability to satisfy his paymasters. Out of those three Serie A titles, one came gift-wrapped and delivered on a plate following the Calciopoli scandal which rocked Italian football and saw Juventus stripped of their crown. The following season Juve, who should have been title contenders, were not even around to challenge Inter.

He has been out of work for 18 months, during which time some big jobs have become available, most notably at Chelsea and Real Madrid. Do those clubs know something City don't? The nearest he actually came to landing a job was at Sunderland, where eventually Steve Bruce was installed. Furthermore, he has never managed in this country and apparently the jury is out over his English.

But perhaps most worryingly for City fans is the identity of his long-term mentor - a certain Sven-Goran Eriksson, one of many previous - and failed - incumbents of the Sky Blues' hotseat.

Humour indeed, but of the blackest kind.

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