Stop Crying Your Heart Out

The past two years have realised a relentless procession of City players droaning on about themselves to shite stirring hacks. Roberto Mancini has seen enough...

It's a situation that isn't exclusive to Manchester City alone. Millionaire player prefers to talk about himself in an interview rather than the ambitions or aspirations he has with the club that employs him.

Furthermore, many Blues have got sick to the back teeth of what has become during some international breaks a parade of City stars talking about what goes on behind closed doors at The Citizens Carrington training ground.

Robinho and Stephen Ireland excelled at this ad nauseam and the likes of Roque Santa Cruz, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Shay Given as examples of the current squad have all moaned about something to do with themselves at some stage.

By way of contrast, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Kolo Toure and Patrick Vieira have been model professionals in their own media dealings.

This is the first and probably last time you'll read a compliment in this direction here, but fair play to Sir Alex Taggart who rules his squad's media activities with an iron fist. It's that kind of siege mentality that has been lacking at City under Mark Hughes and Mancio.

But the Blues gaffer, with a reputation as a no nonsense hardliner in Italy, has evidently had enough of the procession and is calling for focus:

'I want a mentality like at Manchester United and Chelsea, where the players understand why the manager has to make changes, but the problem for us is that we can't just change it in five months...I played football myself and I understand why the players who are not chosen are unhappy but at the same time it's really important that we start to change their mentality because if we want to win something, to become a top team, it's going to be impossible if every few days a player does an interview saying: 'Oh, I'm not playing.''

The foaming hacks and TV pundits latest obsession in their desperate attempts to derail City involve scanning the City bench for any signs of unrest or a miserable face. As if Real Madrid, Barcelona or Inter Milan are able to play all their stars each week!

'I understand that only 11 players are happy and the rest are unhappy but we must change because the other top teams have this mentality and now it's time the players here understand that the manager can choose only 11 players and if he leaves someone out it's not because he thinks Manu or Balotelli or Kolo are not good players. They can knock on my door and I will always give them an explanation.'

On a more unsavoury note, The News of The Screws which has been excelling itself with barrel scraping revelations of late, the City boss dismissed the bin rifling tabloid's claims that he had been involved in a training ground scrap with Adebayor:

'It's false to say we fought in the dressing room or on the training pitch. We discussed the situation with his injury but, for example yesterday, he worked with the team.'

It's understood that City are also intent in rooting out alledged 'sources' at the club with a tendency to be economical with the truth when telephoning journalists.

The sooner Mancio can get a grip of his entire squad, the sooner The Blues can move forward with focus.

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