I imagine that at this moment realistic Manchester City fans up and down the country are shaking their heads in disbelief at the notion that this summer one of their most successful managers in recent history is to be sacked. He may not have won anything but he has made City into a competitive team once again, and to beat their city rivals United home and away is not mean feat when you consider some of the teams that have tried and failed in that task this season. At the end of last season City were perhaps lucky that their early season form meant they weren't relegated because their home form was dreadful and goals were like goal dust for the Citizens. 

To steal a quote from a BBC news reports I saw earlier today, City change their managers more regularly than people change their tooth brush. Sven-Goran Eriksson may not be in the same league as Steve Coppell and his 32 day reign but what Manchester City need, if they seriously want to challenge for honours, is stability and plenty of it. Whilst the former England manager may have dropped a clanger this weekend, I mean who throws away a two goal lead against Fulham, a team single-handedly carried by Jimmy Bullard at times but that's for another blog. Sven may have dropped £46m last summer on a few players who have been less than successful, Bianchi for £8.8m springs to mind. But City were making progress this season, for the first part of the season they were even challenging for a Champions League pace, now I will be the first to admit they have been dismal in the second half of the season but they lack strength in depth in key positions. The lose of Micah Richards and, more recently Richard Dunne, has seem them leak goals like a sieve leaks water but I would have predicted that Eriksson would have added to his squad in that position in the summer. Now he won't get the chance.

Eriksson is a good club manager, winning Serie A with Lazio is no mean feat and while he may have failed to carry England past the quarter-finals at least we reached those major tournaments under the Swede. I think Thaksin Shinawatra is being extremely naïve to presume that success would just come to a club that hasn't won a major trophy since the 1976 League Cup, I don't include the First Division a major trophy for a team like City who have a European tournament. It seems that Mr Shinawatra presumed taking over a football club and success come hand in hand if your knowledge of football is based on how Chelsea have done under Roman Abramovich. Sven was building a squad that would have been challenging for major honours given enough time, the future looks bright for City whose youth side just won the FA Youth Cup. Perhaps like Chelsea it was another clash of personalities between the two or perhaps Now the future for City looks grey, who could they readily get to provide instant success whilst working under some extreme conditions where you are only given a season. Most managers like their own freedom and to have someone staring over your shoulder will only fail to fill your manager with confidence. Anyone with any knowledge of football knows that a manager needs time to build a successful team and it looks like if your thinking of applying to become City manager....don't

Place your bets on Sven being the next manager to get the sack here