Garry Cook may have other things on his mind over his Christmas dinner, not least the further collapse of his public image after that disastrous Roberto Mancini press conference. The Manchester City executive chairman has made great pains, not least in an interview with ESPN Soccernet, filched by almost everyone else, to state his case but has struggled to make it any clearer or palatable to the press pack, whose newspapers are now banned from City's Carrington training complex.

The Times' estimable Italian Gabriel Marcotti can be expected to give a different opinion on matters to the Fleet Street set who hunt in packs so what does he have to say about a man who staged both an early and late charge for man of the year? Yet again, Garry may be choking on his yuletide chipolata when he reads this.

"Funny how, when the weather gets cold, Garry gets cooking. Last winter it was the Kaka extravaganza when the Manchester City chief executive turned a transfer coup (even just getting to the point where Milan agreed a sale was a huge achievement and one for which he and his advisors should have received more credit than they did) into a public relations fiasco with his absurd accusations of "bottling it" and the low blow directed at Kaka's father, Bosco, whom Cook deemed not "sophisticated" enough to represent his son. (Never mind the fact that Bosco is a civil engineer, whereas Cook spent most of his adult life flogging shoes and sports apparel).

Manchester City's handling of the sacking of Mark Hughes was, simply put, terrible. The idea, peddled by Cook on Monday, that Hughes wasn't told he was being sacked until after the Sunderland game because the chairman, Khaldoon Al-Mubarak wanted to tell him in person and was so busy that he couldn't physically be in Manchester until 10am on Saturday, is not an acceptable explanation for such uncivil behaviour."

Some levity is awarded to Cook before being swiftly withdrawn.

"I do feel a teeny, tiny speck of sympathy for Cook on one point though. Manchester City and Cook feel the furore and the accusations of him "lying" over when Roberto Mancini was approached is unfair.

You probably know the story by now: Cook's statement claims Mancini was only offered the job last Thursday (December 17), but Mancini, when asked directly, said he had met Al-Mubarak two weeks before that. Technically, Cook is correct: his statement is not inconsistent. (Watch video of the man here, it's at 5:45). Cook says that "the decision to seriously look at other options" was made "three weeks earlier", presumably around the time that Al-Mubarak met Mancini.

That's fine and I'm sure it would stand up in a court of law. But, from a PR perspective, it was far from clever and pretty much characteristic of how Cook communicates. Had he been straight - rather than pulling out the usual "carefully worded" legalese sludge - everything would have been fine."

And to add some brandy on to this already steaming Christmas pudding, The Sun has a rumour about City refusenik Craig Bellamy.

"HARRY REDKNAPP will move for Craig Bellamy if new Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini ditches the striker.

The Spurs chief tried to sign Bellamy from West Ham last year, matching the £14million asking price. But the player chose to join his former Wales boss Mark Hughes at City.

Yet Sparky's ruthless sacking has angered the hot-headed forward and Redknapp is ready to end his Eastlands misery."

The transfer window opens in 8 days. Be afraid, be very afraid.