No. I am NOT serious, but how long will it be before someone takes up that chant for real? This has nothing to do with Saturday’s match. It’s about a comment I made about Mark Hughes before last season began. I said I felt sorry for him because it was going to be no easy task melding the egos and expectations into a cohesive team. Well, it sure wasn’t. Goodbye, Mark. Hello, Roberto.

Mancini now has the same problem, maybe worse. He’s no longer new to the team and if anything he has even more of an embarrassment of riches than Hughes. He even has “stars” no longer deemed necessary. Yikes! City doesn’t need a great coach so much as they do a team psychologist on full retainer.

This all came to mind again while I was watching Emmanuel Adebayor come on as an 82nd minute substitute. I am not criticizing Mancini. I just think that is a perfect indication of his problem… too many stars and options. How many teams have the luxury of sitting someone like Adebayor until there are just 8 minutes left in the match? Not mine (Fulham). If he’s on one leg he’s out there!

What is Mancini to do? We have all seen great coaches make more out of a team than the sum of its parts. With a roster like City’s you’re more likely to see the opposite. Perhaps more than any other sport soccer requires all the pieces to mesh and work together like a well oiled machine. There is no question City has the talent, but how do you get the right parts working together? How many combinations can you try and how much time do you have to find that perfect combination? I don’t envy Roberto any more than I did Mark.

I do not begrudge City the money spent or the fans their high expectations. Let’s be frank, there are tons of teams in the Premier League that would love to have City’s problem, mine included. However, in the end, it is results that count. City fan or not…what do you think is the answer? Can you make a tight eleven out of that roster or is it Mission Impossible? Do more egos need to be shed first? Is it Champions League or bust?

By the way, I would be quite happy to take that little Welsh madman Craig Bellamy off your hands. At least he would then be *my* team’s madman.