Carlos Tevez

There are many football fans who wish to see Manchester City's project fall flat on its' face. For that reason many will regard last nights' events with an unabashed glee.That being said, no fan of any club should be happy at the sight of a highly paid player disrespecting a club in such a flagrant and public manner because the reality is it could happen to any club nowadays. The players have far far too much power.

City in many ways have made a rod for their own back. It was clear early during last season that Tevez despite being made captain was agitating for a move. No one knows the real truth, whether it is money orientated, whether he has actual regard for his family situation or whether it is just that he feels City are not Barcelona, Real or even the team from across the city that he had just left.

Regardless of his unrest, City simply attempted to buy him off by increasing his already hugely inflated wage packet. During the Summer Tevez's situation became untenable after his public courting of any suitor that he could find. The reality however was that other than a left field bid from Corinthians of Brazil, no club came forward in a meaningful way to attempt to buy the player and this was in no way City's fault.

Tevez was accepted back in to the fold after the Copa America but was duly stripped of the captaincy and has been dropped to the bench which is the least that should have happened to him. Tevez would have to earn the renewed respect of his manager, his teammates and the fans after his Summer antics. The early form of Sergio Aguero coupled with the emergence of Edin Dzeko only served to hamper his cause of winning his place back.

It is clear that Mancini has problems within the camp. Dzeko's reaction to his substitution last night was extremely poor and Balotelli has had several public spats with his manager. Anyone can see that Mancini is a confrontational manager, indeed it is possible to believe he revels in it - after all he re-signed Balotelli from Inter. That being said it is imperative the club backs the manager and does so without reservation.

The manager whomever he is cannot ever have his authority challenged or it is the beginning of the end. Ferguson, no stranger to confrontation himself has had a string of powerful characters in his dressing room but all have worked on his behalf. The instant that they became disruptive or in any way undermined him, they were sold at the first opportunity. Beckham, Stam, Van Nistelrooy and even the fans' favourite Roy Keane were all jettisoned when the situation demanded it.

Chelsea as an example enjoyed the strongest of characters leading their club in manager Jose Mourinho. He formed an axis of Cech, Terry, Lampard and Drogba in the same way that Ferguson had Neville, Keane, Giggs and Scholes that would walk through concrete walls for him. Once Mourinho left the players simply did not want to play for Grant or Scolari and they made it publicly known.

It is no coincidence that Chelsea won nothing in that two year period apart from the FA Cup. Indeed Chelsea can probably never really move on until that quartet is broken up. Mourinho did a smiliar thing on arrival at Real with the sale of both Raul and Guti, he knew the dressing room must belong to the manager and he alone.

Football clubs do not generally have the option to sack players given the huge writing off of a valuable asset that is trasferred for free to a rival. City have the resources however to make Tevez sit and rot away the best years of his career should they so wish. Whilst this might sound harsh, the lack of respect shown to the club last night beggars belief and he should be punished severely. For Tevez to be taken back there would have to be a full and public apology to all concerned and even then it should only be temporary until a bid is found that is acceptable to City.

Tevez was quick to take huge signing on bonuses, astronomical wages, the captaincy and all the acclaim that came with it. In return he has treated Manchester City in a truly disgraceful way and one that no football fan of any persuasion should find amusing. City must take the harshest of stances with regard to the player and let him and the others in their squad know that the authority of the manager and respect towards the club are sacrosanct - No Nonsense