That Mercury interview with Milan.....
"For the first time since I became involved with Leicester City Football Club, I sat with my head in my hands and wondered what on earth I was doing this week. It happened during the game against Forest at the City Ground on Tuesday.
It was a strange match in many ways: a replayed cup tie, a local derby, Gary Megson's first real game in charge here and back at his old club.
On top of all that, there was the fact that we allowed Forest to walk through and score (more of which, below).
It wasn't the football which confused me and made me angry. It was the section of fans singing for Martin Allen.
It is not up to me to tell the fans what to sing. But do these people think, in all seriousness, that Allen is somehow a more important issue than the club they have supported for years?
I don't. I don't understand why they sang it and I'm finding it hard to forget.
I have always felt, since I first started negotiating with Leicester City almost a year ago, that this is a good, friendly, family club.
I still believe that. This is your family and you have taken me in and made me feel welcome and, for that, I am grateful.
Maybe now we need one of those "clear-the-air'' family chats. So that's what I propose. If you're one of the fans who would rather sing for Martin Allen than Leicester City, then come and see me.
Please, come down to the Walkers Stadium at 7pm on Thursday, September 27, and tell me why you sang it. I'll meet you, face to face, and I'll listen to what you have to say. Then I'll tell you why I think you were wrong.
For 45 minutes, maybe the Walkers Stadium will become the OK Corral on Thursday night. I am prepared for that.
If you don't want to come, if you don't trust me, if you don't think I've bought this club to make it a success, if you don't think I am trying my very best to keep my pledge to you that we will be promoted inside three seasons, and if you think Martin Allen is the best manager in the world... then, please, give me your season tickets and go and follow Allen wherever he goes.
I can't say as much as I would like to on this matter. There is a confidentiality clause in place which prevents me going into the kind of detail I think you deserve. Unfortunately, I think this clause benefits one man. That man is not me.
The relationship with Allen did not work. Which is a great shame, because I genuinely hoped it would.
Do you think I wanted to sack a manager I had hired, a man I had asked the fans to support, a man who spent the money I offered him on new players?
Of course I didn't. I believed that, in Martin, I had found the right man, the right kind of character, to take us forward.
Unfortunately, it didn't take me long to realise that it wasn't working out as I envisaged. If I thought Allen was the man to take this club forward, believe me, he'd still be here.
Did I make a mistake? You know, I don't think I did. When I interviewed him for the job, he was impressive. I spoke to him two or three times. Each time, he was brilliant. He said every-thing I wanted to hear.
I want to be open and truthful and to tell you why I had to let him go and how I came to that decision. I think it would clear up a lot of confusion.
People are calling me all sorts of names. I was listening to a radio station a few days ago and someone called in and called me a "barbarian".
A barbarian? Really? I am glad my wife and daughters were not in this country to hear that. I have to hang on to the hope that my definition of barbarian is different to yours.
I do accept that the fans don't know all the details. Maybe one day, you will know why I did what I did.
But ask yourself this: do you think I wanted to do this?
Do you think I planned to hire Allen, ask the supporters to back him, let him buy players to strengthen the squad - and then sack him after just four games?
Does it not suggest that by doing this that maybe there was something seriously wrong?
It wasn't the easy thing to do. I could have sat back and watched the team suffer - and my firm opinion is that we would have struggled - and let the fans start singing: "Martin Allen Out.''
That would have been easy. The decision would have been made for me. It happens at football clubs all over the world. But it wouldn't have been right.
Let me tell you this. I had made my mind up before the Watford game to let go of Allen.
But then after that game, which we managed to win 4-1, I changed my mind.
Even though I knew it wasn't right, I had a moment of doubt. So I slept on it, thought about it, mulled it over and then the first half against Forest made my mind up.
Perhaps I was wrong there. I wonder whether I should have stuck to my gut instinct and done it after the Watford game. Maybe it would have been more drastic, but maybe people would have understood - maybe they would have said: 'Something must be amiss here for the chairman to sack a manager after we won a game 4-1.''
I know that letting Allen go has not boosted my popularity. It has damaged my reputation. It cost me, personally, a lot of money. It has cost the club money, damaged the club's reputation, hampered our progress and, I can see, upset some fans more than I imagined.
But I hope we can move forward now. If you feel that we can't move forward, you're still unhappy and you want to see me, the invitation is there.
Please come to the Walkers Stadium next Thursday and we'll discuss things.
I want to bring in discipline and a positive attitude to this club.
To be honest, the chanting on Tuesday night did shock me.
Did I think about my position here? No, not seriously. It made me angry and I was confused by it but I didn't think about quitting.
I've put too much time, money, energy and enthusiasm into this club to walk away.
I'm not going to be put off by a few people who, I don't think, know the full story, or prefer to wallow in the doom and gloom.
They will not put me off.
Do you think this job is easy? Do you think it's a walk in the park? Come and have a go if that is what you think. Please.
I'd be happy to hand it over to you if you think you can do a better job."
* Milan Mandaric was speaking to Lee Marlow