Barry the Pro - David Moyes would have battered Mancini

Published: 25 Mar 2010 - 07:10:00

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Forget the football, the most compelling action last night was the battle of be-scarfed Italian and gnarled, battle-hardened Scot on the touchline at Eastlands.

Roberto Mancini was bang up for a ruck, you could see it in his wild Italian eyes. He wanted to throw that beautiful mane around and unleash his immaculate leather shoes all over David Moyes' weathered face.

There's something strangely life-affirming about a well-dressed man who's mad for a fight. Mancini's expensive coat and fitted trousers screamed elegance, confidence and control, but he lost all three when Moyes held the ball to delay a City throw-in.

Martin Scorcese would kill for a scene like that.

Naturally the wiley Scot played dumb, claiming he was just trying to make a substitution and that he actually sped up play with his brilliant catch - as if Eastlands was a remote park pitch where the ball can run for miles, or dribble into a distant lake.

Like all good football posturing, the fight itself never happened. Nobody got gouged, head-butted, or caught with a haymaker and Mancini even apologised afterwards for his reaction.

Hasn't he learnt anything about management in the Premier League?

Had it kicked off, there was surely only one result. Moyes would have battered Mancini and offered out the entire crowd afterwards. The man's from Glasgow for goodness sake, they raise them on raw meat, sour milk and two-footed tackles in that part of the world.

But the near ruck got me and the boys thinking. What other manager scraps would make good viewing? Moyes v Sam Allardyce would be brutal. And how about Steve Bruce v Mick McCarthy for an ugly brawl? Harry v Fergie would be really dirty. Your suggestions please.

As for Mancini and his blue and white scarf, maybe it's time to don a creased tracksuit, get that hair cut and start screaming blue murder at his players...before it's too late.

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Nag's Head creamed the King's Arms 8-3 on Sunday, courtesy of a double hat-trick from Micky 'Mother Cow' Barnes.

He got the nickname on account of his baby calves.

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