Mancini march gathers pace

AS HE peered through the fog that shrouded Molineux last night, Roberto Mancini will have been acutely aware that he cannot possibly visualise a future at Manchester City without Craig Bellamy.

Just days after rumours abound that Bellamy was leading a rebellion designed on undermining the new City manager, following the dismissal of mentor Mark Hughes, the urbane Italian was given an immediate reminder that the Wales international will be crucial in his attempts to progress at Eastlands.

Carlos Tevez’s double and an excellent free kick from Javier Garrido maintained Mancini’s 100% start, securing City only their first away win since August, but it was the performance of Bellamy that shone out through the gloom in the bitter cold of the Black Country.