Owner Sheikh Mansour has given a clear indication that Roberto Mancini's job will be safe even if Manchester City are eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage. The Premier League leaders are facing embarrassment on the continent after struggling to come to terms with top level European football. They have lost two of their three away matches, and won only against group whipping boys Villarreal. It has led to suggestions that Mancini's position could be under threat despite the record-breaking start to the domestic campaign, where City have dropped just four points and remain unbeaten. However Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi's ruling Al Nahyan family who has bankrolled the club to the tune of more than £1billion, has every confidence the Italian is the man to continue to lead City forward. In a rare interview, he said: 'Sometimes I meet City supporters who criticise the work of the manager. In my opinion, his plans are on the right path. We need to reflect upon where the club has been and what we have achieved so far, and realise that what we have accomplished to date is formidable. 'Ultimately, we are satisfied with the progress that is being achieved, but we must continue to have patience. Hard work is still required and it needs to be delivered with patience.' City have been elevated from a mid-table outfit to the title-chasers in just three years thanks to Mansour's vast wealth. And having been dismissed as nothing more than noisy neighbours by Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, inflicted the most humiliating result of the Scot's 25-year reign at their arch rivals. Discussing the match with the newspaper Al Ittihad, Mansour added: 'The first person who congratulated me â even before kick-off â was His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum [the United Arab Emirates vice-president and Dubai ruler]. I saw him five minutes before kick-off and he was confident that City would win. We must be aware that results like this [the United win] can be a double-edged sword. Other teams begin to regard us differently, and therefore prepare themselves the best way they can. But to win championships and trophies you must adapt and be ready to face those kind of challenges.' The win helped open up a five-point gap over the defending champions, something City fans have long yearned for yet never been close to. 'It is a new experience that the team has earned,' Mansour added. 'They deserve to be there because they didnât reach this position by chance, but with hard work. However, we also need to be patient with the team at this point. We must not forget that our main objective is to win the English Premier League. 'If we can achieve this, the outcome will impact the team and the club as a whole. This will instil us all with the confidence to look ahead and achieve even greater success.' On the fact that he has only appeared at Etihad Stadium once, Mansour added: 'God willing, I will visit again soon. However, even if I am unable to attend in person, I follow every game and every detail of every game, providing support for the people running the club.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...s-Roberto-Mancini-publicly.html#ixzz1fDdmvvL9
It looks as though you have a very decent owner there. These days they are few and far between. I like the fact that he wants man city to be self sufficient in the long run and that he is investing in the area as well as the club. I wish man city every success... Just not at the expense of Liverpool
Thanks for the positive comments, and to add to your best wishes i would like to add if you carry on playing like you did on Sunday i can see teams in the top 4 will be looking over their shoulders.
I'm not Mancini's biggest fan and i personally think his man management is nothing short of shocking. But i don't want him sacked as stability is the thing that this club needs more than anything else. Just like when Chelsea were stable with Jose mourinho
