Former Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given wasn't surprised by the sacking of Roberto Mancini.

Given wrote in the Irish Sun: "There have been rumblings about the Italian's future at the club for a long time.

"When you spend that much money and finish a season with nothing to show for it, there has to be big question marks over the manager.

"There were too many arguments and fallouts between him and his players and it just got to a stage where the dressing-room was no longer a happy camp.

"Mancini failed to foster the sort of togetherness that you need if you want to win trophies season after season, and I would put that failure down to his poor man-management skills.

"I experienced them first-hand. He didn't speak to his players enough and he had a habit of criticising them in public, which never sits well with players.

"A proper professional will have no problem with a manager criticising them when it's deserved - as long as it's done behind closed doors. But they feel betrayed when it's done in a public forum.

"He came out in the media a lot this season and really had a go at the players. That's not the right way to go about things because you want them to be fighting for you the following week."