Cole Launches Stinging Attack On City Boss

Andy Cole hasn't done a lot with his professional life since quitting football, but for some reason he's waded needlessly into an argument about the suitability of Roberto Mancini to Manchester City. After winning the FA Cup at the expense of Cole's former club Manchester United this season and also leading his players into the Champions League, Mancini surely deserves a break more than any other manager in the Premier League.

What Mancini doesn't need is a Premier League has-been casting doubt over his ability to lead City to a domestic title. With Cole suggesting that City will never be able to take that final step towards league glory with a negative manager such as the Italian in charge, the former striker went one step further by revealing his belief that the manager is even threatening to ruin the nature of the Premier League.

Although as neutral football fans, we all want to see goals flying in during any game we watch, any player or manager with experience of winning the league will tell you how important the defensive side of things is to a title-winning charge. Those following the football odds will realise this.

With Mancini at times seeing everything click into place up front for his side, even against some of the bigger teams in the Premier League, he's a man who deserves to be given a chance to stamp his mark on a settled team of superstars, rather than a side in transition.

Once the Sky Blues have a year of Champions League involvement under their belts, they could well be ideally placed, despite their doubters, to push on in the league as a settled team unit and prove everyone wrong in historic style.