Carlos Tevez's almighty strop against Bayern Munich could end up helping Manchester City to glory - provided Roberto Mancini holds firm and continues to ostracise him.
After Tevez was found not guilty of refusing to enter the field of play two Champions League fixtures ago - and was instead convicted of the lesser offence of refusing to perform additional warm-ups at the request of his coach - City were forced to reduce their fine, with Mancini offering an olive branch to the former Manchester United forward on the condition he apologises for his actions.
Tevez is unlikely to apologise - a combination of a massive ego, appalling advice and rank stupidity will put paid to that - and Mancini is no doubt fully aware of this, but even if he does City should offload him in January.
Fans and pundits had been all too keen to point out that, over the previous two seasons, City were a one-man team, and that without Tevez they would be nothing or - at best - a mid-table side.
An initial glance at the stats would appear to back this up: 43 Premier League goals in two seasons was higher than anyone else and only bettered in terms of goals-per-minute by the irrepressible if fragile Robin van Persie.
But a closer look at the figures hints at a slightly different dynamic with Tevez on board.
It was pointed out in a BBC article that City's win ratio was higher with Tevez on the pitch - but the improvement was marginal (52 per cent to 50) and, given his tendency to score braces (more than anyone else in the division), questions are raised about his efficacy and consistency.
Furthermore, given his 'famed' work-rate, one has to wonder why his assist rate is relatively low. Over the two seasons where he was the queso grande, the Argentine weighed in with 13 assists. That is not exactly outstanding for a main striker, who often operates as a lone target man.
Just by way of casual comparison, Chelsea counterpart Didier Drogba created that same number of goals in the 2010-11 season alone, and 23 in the same two-year period; Van Persie, who started around half the matches Tevez did, raked in 14 set-ups.
For some time a misconception about Tevez was peddled - that, because he runs around chasing everything down and appears to give 100 per cent for the team, he is the dream striker: a workhorse with flair and finishing ability.
But Tevez is not working for the team, he is working for himself. Something that is clearly marked out in his off-pitch dealings, whether at the negotiating table, in the press room or on the touchline. And something explained by inspection of his numbers.
Is such a disruptive influence at a considerably higher outlay in wages and agent fees worth that extra two per cent win ratio? Probably not.
The 'incident' (on which Doors will not pass repeat judgement following the debacle that was the PFA's intervention in City's disciplinary proceedings) has also served to galvanise City's squad behind Mancini.
Since the touchline happenings in Munich, City have won seven games in a row, scoring a whopping 27 goals and conceding six. One-man team? My foot.
Of course they have been able to count on a vast array of talent but, before they were allowed to shine in Tevez's absence, the likes of Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko were not rated - or treated - as being as important as Jim White's 'poison dwarf', even if all the evidence pointed to the contrary.
Even Balotelli's dealings with silly hats, fireworks, large quantities of cash and the occasional glamour model are little more than comedy asides, certainly not the board-busting antics of Tevez and his advisors.
And Tevez's harsh treatment by City has answered the biggest question asked of Mancini since he was given a blank cheque to glory: can he unite - and dominate - a squad of massive egos with pay-packets to match, somehow convincing them to sacrifice personal glory for a greater good?
Balotelli's unselfish pass inside to Yaya Toure during the 3-0 win at Villarreal screams 'yes!' - there is a different ideal in the City dressing room to that peddled by "there's no me in team" Tevez.
For a spell City and their fans fell victim to the spell of someone "looking like a ball player" - a common fault in sports that was highlighted and exploited by Oakland As general manager Billy Beane and so engagingly explored in Michael Lewis's 'Moneyball'.
There is no doubt that Tevez is a very good football player - particularly for a side that would have been delighted to move incrementally from mid-table, to top-six, to third.
However - and as keen American sports fan Sir Alex Ferguson will testify - something else is required to achieve the consistency that wins league titles. ED is not sure if Mancini shares Fergie's Atlantic interests, but he shares his vision - one in which there can be no room for the likes of Tevez.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's something I have to consider for the weekend. Do I play Paul, do I play Alex Cairns, who is a young kid, or do I go into the loan market? If we're going to do something we'll do it before the weekend but we'll have to see what's out there and if I decide to do it or not. I've got a good young goalkeeper in Alex Cairns. Is the game too big for him on Sunday? We'll have to wait and see." - Leeds United boss Simon Grayson on Paul Radchubka after his horrorshow goalkeeping performance in a 5-0 defeat at home to Blackpool.
FOREIGN VIEW: "I yelled to him: 'you have no balls!' And probably worse things than that. And I added: 'You are sh***ing yourself about Mourinho! You can go to hell!' I was completely mad. If I were Guardiola I would have been frightened." - Zlatan Ibrahimovic explains the fall-out with Pep Guardiola that saw him barely last a year at Barcelona.
COMING UP: A plethora of Europa League action begins at 5pm when Tottenham take on Rubin Kazan, with Fulham, Stoke, Birmingham, Celtic and Shamrock Rovers also in action later. Our notorious Armchair Pundit will throw in his two drachma's worth, there is more exclusive chat with Tony Pulis and Never Mind The Ballacks' view from Deutschland.