Let’s shed tears for Mark Hughes because managers of English Premier Club Manchester City are fast becoming endangered species. The determination of successive owners of City to halt the supremacy of rivals, Manchester United is so high that undue pressure is put on managers to shine in the shortest possible time. A couple of seasons ago ,Sven Goran Eriksson led City to set a hot pace but since he crumbled in the end he was subsequently booted out .Even though his successor Mark Hughes  did not show any wonders,  he was given more polished tools to work with in the second season.

With a fearsome attacking trio of Adebayor, Tevez and Robinho, the bank rollers of City expected instant success and since in their own words “there was no evidence that the situation would fundamentally change”, Hughes must go.

Hughes, a fine gentleman and formidable striker in his playing days at Old Trafford, has received a lot of sympathies from his colleague managers. And the one that tickled me most was from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Hear him “We believe in patience on the technical side but on the other side it’s not always the same”. Well, let’s welcome Italian Roberto Mancini to the hot seat at Manchester City and see how things work out for him.  Mancini needs no one to tell him that he has a tough task on his hands attempting to eclipse neighbours, United .The Old Trafford wizards are currently injury hit and completely weakened. As Fulham manager Roy Hodgson admitted after their incredible 3-0 win over United, they were fortunate to have played against a much wounded United.

The good news for United fans is that, Alex Ferguson is fast gathering his forces and is confident to get his full squad soon so Mancini should prepare for a fierce fight to determine who is who in  the metropolis. Remember the fuss about the huge sign board “WELCOME TO MANCHESTER’ that welcomed Tevez from United to City. There is tension all over. But Italian managers are noted for their tough skins and Mancini is highly tipped to rise to the occasion. 

Fabio Capello has been able to transform the England national team into a formidable force and they are odds on favourites for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Carlo Ancelotti has also added more poise to Chelsea who are confidently topping the English Premiership. The Manchester City faithful are hopeful that Mancini will follow the footsteps of his countrymen and make the invasion of Italian managers to England a perfect success story.

It looks like followers of English football would have exciting times in the coming weeks. Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.