McClennan wrote:
You've just said that Mancini knows exactly what his character is so doesn't that suggest that he also knows the best way to man manage him? Or are you suggesting that over the past several years when he's been working with him he's decided to suddenly ignore those experiences?
I would imagine that Mancini has a better insight into the motivation of individuals amongst his team than either you or I.
You cannot apply a generic psychological approach (i.e. the softly, softly touch) as a truth when individuals are very much that and different individuals can require different approaches. I'm sure City have enough sports psychologists involved to assist Mancini, however even then it still boils down to the choice of the player in how they wish to apply themselves. With that knowledge there comes a time when the manager will say "No" and stops pandering to unprofessional whims. It's no different to your work or somebody else's because that's why disciplinary policies and procedures exist. It might sound crazy to talk about that in reference to multi-millionaires and the cotton wool age of management but there always comes a time when the manager decides he has to draw the line and it's something that the great managers have no problem in doing.
The problem was Mancini didn't deal with it in a way you'd expect; Mancini lost it. And that is the massive problem with the situation. With immature players, you simply can't publicly humiliate them like that, it simply isn't the right approach and you see it in every day life in different situations. It's like being at school, if you have a kid with a huge temper and he loses it regularly, the last thing you do is embarrass him in front of the entire school. You wait after the lesson, you have a word and you deal with it that way. The problem is, like teachers occasionally, Mancini lost his cool and didn't approach the situation necessarily. The decision to bring him off was made in the heat of the moment, he hadn't even cooled down when he came off afterwards and he allowed himself to look a first class bell by arguing with him on the touchline.
If you want a great example of how 'losing it' with a player can work, look at Fergie with CR7. I remember a game when Ronaldo missed a good chance (I think it was a good chance, either way, he done something wrong) and Fergie flipped at him on the touchline. Fergie done that because he knew Cristiano would react with determination as he'd matured. Would he have done that when Ronaldo was an 18 year old? Of course he wouldn't, but Fergie 'losing it' with him was definitely a calculated move to motivate a top player. Mancini just shamed Balotelli, and, if you read anything about the career of Mario Balotelli, you'll know that shaming him and provoking a reaction isn't the right way to go about things with him. In the future, possibly, but now during a meaningless game? Deary me.
