WITH their title hopes still hanging in the balance and speculation rife about summer comings and goings, it seems the only certainty at Manchester City right now is uncertainty.
That is why I believe Sheikh Mansour needs to take action to stabilise his club and improve their chances of even greater success in the future.
Before you ask, it does not involve the mega-wealthy City owner opening his chequebook — only his laptop.
He could blow away the clouds of uncertainty hovering ominously above the Etihad in one fell swoop by issuing a public statement giving his full and unequivocal backing to manager Roberto Mancini.
And insisting the Italian will still be in charge next season, regardless of what happens in the remaining five games of this one.
Such action might not be enough to earn them their first Premier League crown this season but it would certainly give them a better chance of doing so next.
And it would be rightful recognition of the achievements of a very good manager and coach who has continued to improve a club in transition under extremely difficult circumstances.
Yet despite leading City to FA Cup glory and Champions League qualification last year and the brink of this season’s league title — which they still could win — Mancini’s future, incredibly, remains unclear.
There are serious suggestions he could be sacked if his second-placed side fail to finish above leaders Manchester United this time.
That would be ludicrous.
In whichever of the top two positions City end up, Mancini deserves to keep his job.
I give no credence to those who claim he should have done more with all the riches at his disposal.
Nobody could have done better to keep the club on an upward trend in what has been a testing campaign — money or no money.
Mancini was put in an almost impossible position by the Carlos Tevez situation, which he handled admirably as it unravelled in front of a watching world. And when that battle was won, along came Mario Balotelli to give him even more things to worry about.
As if he did not have enough on his plate already…
The issues caused by both stars should have been enough to derail any title bid.
But, to his credit, Mancini has somehow managed to keep the Blue Moon rising high in the Premier League sky.
Of course, City will be disappointed if, as looks likely, United pip them to the top spot.
But they should take great comfort in how far they have come and realise how far they could go under a manager who deserves his owner’s backing, not sacking.
I’m not saying Mancini has not made any mistakes this season.
All managers make mistakes and he is only human. Too often this season he has come out after matches and made snap judgments and opinions, which in the cold light of day he has later retracted.
Maybe that is the Italian passion in him but it can send out mixed messages.
For instance, straight after the defeat to Arsenal on Sunday he said Balotelli was on his way out of the club — and a few days later he was staying.
Some things are best kept inside the dressing room.
And I hope that will be one of the mistakes Mancini rectifies next season when he is, hopefully, still in charge at the club.
You often learn much more from losing than you ever do from winning.
And even City, with all their money, could not buy the experience and know-how their boss has accumulated this season.
Whether they go on to win the title or not, it would be a travesty if Mancini did not get a chance to put all that into practice next term.
He will, undoubtedly, be stronger for it. And so will City.
Getting rid of Mancini would be a huge waste for everybody at the Etihad.
It would also create more instability in the blue half of Manchester.
And successful title campaigns are rarely built on unstable platforms.
Giving Mancini the backing he deserves would leave nobody at the club fretting about who will be in charge in the future.
The club can then focus on what really is important to them — overtaking their rivals in red down the road.
So Sheikh Mansour, it is over to you…
