Roberto Mancini thanks Manchester City fans in full-page newspaper ad

The former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has taken out a full-page advert in the Manchester Evening News to thank fans for their support in his three and-a-half years at the club.

The Italian, who won the Premier League title last season – the club's first since 1968 – and the FA Cup in 2011 and Community Shield in 2012, has received widespread support from City's fans following his sacking last week and appears to have been highly appreciative of their affection.

Below a picture of the manager standing in front of fans with the FA Cup, Premier League title and Community Shield, appears the message: "Manchester City Supporters 3 unforgettable years.

" Below is written: "You will always be in my heart, ciao, Roberto Mancini.

"The Málaga manager, Manuel Pellegrini, is the favourite to succeed the Italian, who "failed to achieve any of [the club's] stated targets this year," according to City's board in a statement confirming Mancini's dismissal last week.

Football: Mancini sacked! A year after winning the title City fire Italian boss with £7m pay-off

                                                     Mancini, pictured at Loftus Road for a training session yesterday

Roberto Mancini’s reign as Manchester City manager was ended in  brutal fashion last night as he was labelled a failure and sacked a year to the day after he won the Barclays Premier League title.

The Italian, who is expected to net a £7million pay-off, was told he was no longer wanted just hours after taking training for City’s match at Reading tonight.

City, whose statement bizarrely addressed the need for the club to develop a ‘holistic approach’, have yet to seal the finer points of a deal for Malaga’s Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini. Mancini’s assistant Brian Kidd has been put in charge for the last two games of the season

Mancini is believed to have been told by chief executive Ferran Soriano last night that he was being sacked. Mancini then took a call from chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who is in Abu Dhabi.

Football: Roberto Mancini set to be sacked by Manchester City before summer tour

Roberto Mancini is set to be sacked as Manchester City manager with the Italian's tenure almost definitely ending before the club's summer tour to the United States.

                    Roberto Mancini is to leave Manchester City, with Manuel Pellegrini set to be named as his successor

With club pursuing Manuel Pellegrini, the Malaga coach as his replacement Mancini cut a troubled figure following Saturday's FA Cup final 1-0 defeat Wigan.

Then he railed at the club for not denying the stories regarding Pellegrini, an illustration of Mancini's brusque style that has not endeared him to City's players or some members of staff.

This and other factors have caused City's Abu Dhabi executive to lose confidence in Mancini, who was given a five-year contract last summer after leading the club to a first top-flight title in 44 years.

Mancini has struggled to build on that success, with his team exiting the Champions League in the group stages, losing their league title to their Manchester United and on Saturday losing to Wigan at Wembley

Sheik Mansour close to $100m deal to start new MLS side... with link to Premier League giants

                              New ambitions: Sheikh Mansour (centre) wants to start an MLS franchise... and it could cost $100m

Manchester City owner Sheik Mansour of Abu Dhabi is close to sealing an astonishing $100million deal to establish a new Major League Soccer team in New York.

The billionaire owner of the deposed Barclays Premier League champions has been in top-secret discussions with MLS for months about establishing a lucrative franchise in the USA.

Oladele.com understands that a deal is close and the Sheik is hopeful he, and MLS officials, will be in a position to announce its completion when Roberto Mancini’s side play an exhibition game against Chelsea in New York at the end of next month.

Nobody at City will comment and it is understood that there are some crucial details to be ironed out before the deal can go through.

Sources close to the situation suggested last night there is still an outside chance the move may fall at the final hurdle.

However, staff at all levels at City are now working towards an announcement being made in New York next month. If and when it is established, the new club would be tied intrinsically to City and would probably be based in the New York borough of Queens, near to the home of the New York Mets baseball team and Flushing Meadows, venue for the US Open tennis tournament.

If Real beat Dortmund and reach Wembley they can SLEEP with my girlfriend!

Mario Balotelli might get a frosty reception from girlfriend Fanny Neguesha after he reportedly made a bizarre comment about the Belgian model ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.

The former Manchester City striker is apparently so confident Dortmund will qualify for the Champions League final, he is claimed to have said that he would allow the Spanish side’s squad to sleep with his girlfriend if they managed to upset the odds and reach Wembley.

In Spanish newspapers AS and Marca, the Italy forward was quoted as saying: ‘If Real Madrid come back in Champions League, I’ll let my girlfriend sleep with them!’

Indiscipline: Richards becomes THIRD City player to receive six-month driving ban after Tevez and Nasri

Manchester City defender Micah Richards today became the third player from his club to receive a six-month driving ban this month.

The England international was disqualifed after he failed to respond to two speeding notices sent to his home address.

He admitted to two counts of failing to provide the identity of who was driving his Ferrari 458 Italia car which was clocked at 51mph in a 40mph zone in Manchester in September.

Manchester City ensures derby win over Manchester United at Old Trafford

Once again Sergio Agüero was the man who condemned Manchester United. The elegant swish of his right boot that won this match will have far less significant consequences than its more famous counterpart against QPR last May but Manchester City will still cherish its impact and the message it sends to the team who are in the process of removing the championship trophy from their possession.

The gap is now 12 points with seven games to play and it means that wonderful moment when Agüero took Yaya Touré's pass, eluded three United players with his combination of balance and power and speed, then thumped his shot into the roof of David de Gea's net, will probably be only a consolation prize come the end of the season. Yet here was the evidence that there is still very little between these sides despite the gulf that has opened up at the top of the league. For all their elation the boisterous corner of City supporters must wonder why their team could not have exhibited this drive and togetherness more often. They had played like true champions.

Both sides gave everything but the team in blue had the greater penetration and sense of purpose. United will comfort themselves with the knowledge that 10 more points will still confirm their 20th league title. They can look ahead with confidence and circle their visit to Arsenal on 28 April as a possible date for the coronation but they will have found this game a disconcerting experience.

The matched ended 2-1 in favour of Manchester City, with goals from James Milner and Sergio Aguero for Man City while it was an own goal by Vincent Kompany for Man U

Football: Yaya Toure signs new contract

Yaya Touré has given Manchester City a boost ahead of Monday's derby with Manchester United at Old Trafford by signing a fresh, four-year contract that ties him to the club until 2017.

The deal is based around incentives, so if enough of these are triggered the midfielder can expect to earn around the same as his current salary of around £220,000 a week. In part these terms are an acknowledgement that Touré will have turned 34 by the time the contract expires.

Touré said: "This is where I want to be. When I first arrived at City, every time I went to sleep I would dream about us winning something; now it is about us being the best team in whatever competition we take part in. I will never forget how I have been treated here by the fans, the club and the owners, and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to finish my career as a Manchester City player."

#Too much money!

Football( FA CUP): Chelsea 1-0 Man United

If it had gone wrong yesterday, nothing could have spared Benitez from the full force of Stamford Bridge outrage, omitting Frank Lampard and John Terry deemed further incitement.

Yet not only did Benitez beat his old nemesis to earn a semi-final with Manchester City, he did it with a display all about the old-style Chelsea virtues.Solid defending, capped by the save of the season from Petr Cech, the sort of stop that inspires a team and left Javier Hernandez laughing in disbelief.

Effort and commitment, snuffing out a surprisingly flat United, for whom only Danny Welbeck shone.Creativity and ingenuity up front, with Juan Mata and Eden Hazard interchanging with bewildering subtlety.

And, in a game that was determined by the key moments and fine margins, a goal of consummate, breathtaking brilliance, Mata's clip forward steered magnificently home by the outstretched foot of Demba Ba.Enough to see off United. Enough to take some of the heat off Rafa. Enough to keep Chelsea's season on track and take some of the shine off Sir Alex Ferguson's.