Manchester City have sacked Mark Hughes and have appointed former Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini as the new manager of the Premier League club.
Hughes had been in charge at Eastlands for the past 18 months, but has been unable to meet the demands of the club's owners the Abu Dhabi United Group.
He led City to just 29 points from a possible 51 in the present campaign, despite spending over £100 million on the likes of Carlos Tévez, Gareth Barry, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Touré, Roque Santa Cruz and Joleon Lescott last summer.
In a statement on www.mcfc.co.uk, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak explained why the club decided to sack Hughes.
He said: "Prior to the current season beginning, with significant investment in players and infrastructure in place, the consensus between the board and coaching staff was that appropriate agreed targets should be set for the 2009/2010 season.
"The targets were agreed as a result of the player acquisition strategy of the club being radically accelerated in the summer as a result of very favourable conditions for any buying club.
"It was also based on the fact that the infrastructure of the club had been overhauled completely at great cost in order to create the best possible environment for the team.
"This is a particularly difficult announcement given the personal investment over the past 15 months on all sides and we would like to put on record our respect for and thanks to Mark Hughes and we wish him the best in his future career."
Commenting on Mancini's appointment, Al Mubarak said: "Roberto is a hugely experienced manager with a proven track record of winning trophies and championships.
"His experience and track record speak for themselves.
"What is absolutely clear is that Roberto believes in Manchester City's potential to achieve at the highest level and importantly in his own ability to make this happen.
"My hope is that our incredible fans will join us in welcoming Roberto to the football club."
The Italian tactician has been handed a three-and-a-half year contract to replace Hughes.
Mancini won three Scudetti with Inter during his four-year spell in charge at the San Siro before José Mourinho replaced him at the helm last year.
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Hughes had been in charge at Eastlands for the past 18 months, but has been unable to meet the demands of the club's owners the Abu Dhabi United Group.
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| Mark Hughes waves goodbye Photo: PA |
In a statement on www.mcfc.co.uk, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak explained why the club decided to sack Hughes.
He said: "Prior to the current season beginning, with significant investment in players and infrastructure in place, the consensus between the board and coaching staff was that appropriate agreed targets should be set for the 2009/2010 season.
"The targets were agreed as a result of the player acquisition strategy of the club being radically accelerated in the summer as a result of very favourable conditions for any buying club.
"It was also based on the fact that the infrastructure of the club had been overhauled completely at great cost in order to create the best possible environment for the team.
"This is a particularly difficult announcement given the personal investment over the past 15 months on all sides and we would like to put on record our respect for and thanks to Mark Hughes and we wish him the best in his future career."
Commenting on Mancini's appointment, Al Mubarak said: "Roberto is a hugely experienced manager with a proven track record of winning trophies and championships.
"His experience and track record speak for themselves.
"What is absolutely clear is that Roberto believes in Manchester City's potential to achieve at the highest level and importantly in his own ability to make this happen.
"My hope is that our incredible fans will join us in welcoming Roberto to the football club."
The Italian tactician has been handed a three-and-a-half year contract to replace Hughes.
Mancini won three Scudetti with Inter during his four-year spell in charge at the San Siro before José Mourinho replaced him at the helm last year.
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Related links:
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