Mark Hughes to get chop from the City of Dreams?

jank

Xavi6 wrote: »

City won the league in 1936-37 and 1967-68.

Yea but was it 3 points for a win back then?;)

jank

Expect lots of drama in January with plenty of stupid money thrown about. Defenders being the top priority.

eagle eye

jank wrote: »

Yea but was it 3 points for a win back then?;)

Oh my, did you not bother to count up the points before you posted that?

I'm not into those facepalm pictures, lucky you.

pickarooney

eagle eye wrote: »

Oh my, did you not bother to count up the points before you posted that?

I'm not into those facepalm pictures, lucky you.

You can adjust the figures alll you like, 7 draws back then was 7 halves of a win, not 7 thirds of a win or 7 points dropped as opposed to 14 now.

LuckyLloyd

Xavi6 wrote: »

This is all very shameful, and a horrible way to go about things.

Mancini better hit the ground running.

lol, really? At this point, would you not be yearning for some patience with this endless parade of managers?


Hughes didn't get enough time considering the high turnover in the playing staff. Now, obviously the owners were kinda looking for an excuse to can him as opposed to giving him genuine space to get the job done to the best of his ability. Mancini won three league titles by essential default, and was shown to be inept in the Champions League. This is not a step forward imo.

Aidric

Are City intent on following the Real Madrid template?

JerryHandbag

Feel really sorry for Hughes, best of luck to him, he'll be back in a job fairly soon I'd say. What a bizarre day!

Charlie

This reminds alot of Newcastle circa 1997-1999.

Xavi6

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

lol, really? At this point, would you not be yearning for some patience with this endless parade of managers?

I meant from the point of view of the owners who clearly don't have much patience.

Of course I want stability, and I thought Hughes was the answer. If we're still in 6th (or lower) come May does Mancini go as well?

He needs instant success of he won't last.

Headshot

Mark Hughes has expressed his extreme disappointment at being sacked by Manchester City following their 4-3 win over Sunderland.

Big things were expected of City this season after Hughes invested heavily in his squad last summer, signings that included Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez, Joleon Lescott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz.

However, a run of just two wins in 11 Premier League outings forced the club's cash-rich success-driven hierarchy to act and replace Hughes with Italian Roberto Mancini.

Despite widespread reports on Saturday stating Hughes was going to be axed, the Manchester United legend has confirmed he did not know prior to their kick-off against Sunderland he was to leave.

Hughes believes he was on track to achieve the club's targets this season and that his biggest regret now will be missing out on the undoubted success that will come to the club in future.

Disappointed

"I was informed after Saturday's match against Sunderland that my contract with Manchester City was being terminated with immediate effect," read a statement on the League Managers' Association official website.

"Notwithstanding media coverage to the contrary, I was given no forewarning as to the club's decision. Given the speed with which my successor's appointment was announced, it would appear that the club had made its decision some considerable time ago.

"I am extremely disappointed not to have been given the opportunity to see through my plans at the club. At the beginning of the season I sat down with the owners and it was agreed that a realistic target for the season would be sixth place in the Barclays Premier League, or in the region of 70 points.

"All of this was communicated to the players and we all knew where we stood. Whilst everyone at the club would obviously have wanted to see more wins, we were absolutely on target at the time of my dismissal. Only recently we had terrific victories against both Arsenal and Chelsea.

"I am very proud of the fact that I steered the club through the most significant period of change in its history.

Responsibility

"I have always been aware of the responsibility that comes with being afforded the luxury of a significant transfer budget, and I was grateful that the club supported me with significant investment in players.

"I very much regret, however, that I will not now be able to enjoy the success that would undoubtedly have followed in the light of that investment.

I believe that I have handled with dignity the recent pressure placed upon me by press speculation.

"I would like to thank the fans for their support throughout my time at the club and particularly at this difficult time, and I wish the club every success in the future, particularly in relation to the forthcoming Carling Cup semi-final, the club's first semi-final for 28 years."

..

leninbenjamin

Aidric wrote: »

Are City intent on following the Real Madrid template?

A lot of Cook's comments to the media about the club's ambitions would suggest that this is the case. He's been on the record saying he'd have no problem sanctioning buys that would 'raise the clubs profile'.

RGDATA!

i can't understand how someone can come into the club, trust someone to spend a huge amount money on their behalf and then fire them after a few months. it is impossible to judge hughes on the amount of time they gave him, full stop, so why give him all the money to spend in the first place?. if i'm them and i have an inkling that i don't trust the manager i'm firing him in the summer and giving the funds to the man i presumably already have in place.

jank

eagle eye wrote: »

Oh my, did you not bother to count up the points before you posted that? .

Nope, but glad to know you have plenty of time on your hands....

everdead.ie

Headshot wrote: »

Mark Hughes has expressed his extreme disappointment at being sacked by Manchester City following their 4-3 win over Sunderland.

Big things were expected of City this season after Hughes invested heavily in his squad last summer, signings that included Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez, Joleon Lescott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz.

However, a run of just two wins in 11 Premier League outings forced the club's cash-rich success-driven hierarchy to act and replace Hughes with Italian Roberto Mancini.

Despite widespread reports on Saturday stating Hughes was going to be axed, the Manchester United legend has confirmed he did not know prior to their kick-off against Sunderland he was to leave.

Hughes believes he was on track to achieve the club's targets this season and that his biggest regret now will be missing out on the undoubted success that will come to the club in future.

Disappointed

"I was informed after Saturday's match against Sunderland that my contract with Manchester City was being terminated with immediate effect," read a statement on the League Managers' Association official website.

"Notwithstanding media coverage to the contrary, I was given no forewarning as to the club's decision. Given the speed with which my successor's appointment was announced, it would appear that the club had made its decision some considerable time ago.

"I am extremely disappointed not to have been given the opportunity to see through my plans at the club. At the beginning of the season I sat down with the owners and it was agreed that a realistic target for the season would be sixth place in the Barclays Premier League, or in the region of 70 points.

"All of this was communicated to the players and we all knew where we stood. Whilst everyone at the club would obviously have wanted to see more wins, we were absolutely on target at the time of my dismissal. Only recently we had terrific victories against both Arsenal and Chelsea.

"I am very proud of the fact that I steered the club through the most significant period of change in its history.

Responsibility

"I have always been aware of the responsibility that comes with being afforded the luxury of a significant transfer budget, and I was grateful that the club supported me with significant investment in players.

"I very much regret, however, that I will not now be able to enjoy the success that would undoubtedly have followed in the light of that investment.

I believe that I have handled with dignity the recent pressure placed upon me by press speculation.

"I would like to thank the fans for their support throughout my time at the club and particularly at this difficult time, and I wish the club every success in the future, particularly in relation to the forthcoming Carling Cup semi-final, the club's first semi-final for 28 years."

70 points for 6th:eek: i'd be shocked if 70 didnt get you 4th

Aidric

Not for the first time I agree completely with Henry Winter's analysis.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/mancity/6852263/Henry-Winter-Logic-has-followed-Manchester-City-manager-Mark-Hughes-out-the-exit-door.html

No class. No intelligence. No credibility. When Khaldoon al-Mubarak became chairman of one of English football's most famous footballing institutions, the feeling was that Manchester City were in good hands. No more.

Until his craven decision to sack Mark Hughes on Saturday, Mubarak had seemed a breath of fresh air after the stench of the Thaksin Shinawatra era. Of course, there was all the nonsense of rushing in Robinho without proper consultation with the manager or consideration over whether the Brazilian had the requisite character. Of course, there was Mubarak's similarly misguided pursuit of Kaka but that was as much down to the naïvety of his excitable chief executive, Garry Cook.

Robinho can be written off as a £32.5 million mistake. Kaka can be put down to experience. But Mubarak's suitability as a fit and proper person to run a football club must now be questioned after his shameful treatment of Hughes. The manager's defenestration will be dressed up as the work of Cook and football administrator Brian Marwood but the final push came from Mubarak.

Logic followed Hughes out of the window. Having promised that the board had a long-term plan involving Hughes, that one of the most widely respected managers in British football would be given time, Mubarak's credibility has also disappeared. The respect has gone.

Typical City: one step forward, two steps back. Hughes should have been given the rest of this season to prove himself. If he fell short, then Mubarak could legitimately have sought a successor; after a World Cup that could have been someone better than Roberto Mancini.

The new man would have had a pre-season and a proper transfer window to impose his ideas. Mancini must hit the ground running but history shows how hard that is.

Mubarak clearly has no understanding of what is happening in the Premier League, a division in a state of flux.

For all the focus on City's draws, Hughes still lost only twice this season, three fewer than Sir Alex Ferguson. Having been challenged to finish in the top six, City were "absolutely on target'' as Hughes reflected yesterday. Now Mubarak believes Mancini can steer the team into the top four. It looks pretty crowded in there.

City's chairman may not realise this but Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have been building teams for years, strengthening their squads, and will occupy three of the positions. Dear old Rafael Benítez, looking increasingly a ferry short of the full Mersey, clings to the conviction that Liverpool will take one of the Champions League spaces. He even guarantees it.

Martin O'Neill has nurtured Aston Villa's team over recent years, augmenting it intelligently, and they look well placed for the top four. So do Tottenham Hotspur under Harry Redknapp. City's Arabs, so successful in their own sphere, and the man from Nike, Cook, cannot understand that it takes time to come first, even fourth in football. Just do it overnight? No chance.

Nothing should surprise in football, the land that dignity forgot, but there will be many raised eyebrows over the role of Marwood in Hughes's demise. Nobody should really expect Cook or Mubarak to understand football but Marwood does. He has some explaining to do.

The former Arsenal and England winger would know that steady development is the name of the game. City were improving under Hughes.

As the dismissed manager himself rather pointedly observed in his statement, he had guided the team to the "club's first semi-final for 28 years''. If Ferguson continues fielding his reserves, City have an outstanding chance of reaching Wembley.

Everybody could see which players were worth building around, professionals with an appetite for the footballing fray like Shay Given, Craig Bellamy, Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Nigel de Jong and Carlos Tévez. Not Robinho, Mubarak's choice.

Hughes made mistakes, particularly in central defence, but he brought in enough good characters, some of whom signalled their anger to Mubarak's board. Mubarak wouldn't listen. No understanding.

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

Xavi6

The worst thing about this is the players that were 'Hughes signings' (Bellamy, Given, Barry, De Jong) are the ones we cannot afford to lose. Robinho and Adebayor are fairly expendable but are the chairman's signings.

The real professionals in the club must be gutted, and I wouldn't be surprised if a few want out come January or the summer.

BaZmO*

Is anybody really surprised at this? Rightly or wrongly, Hughes has been a dead man walking since the Arabs took over. The only real surprise in the timing and the replacement.

You gotta feel sorry Shay, from one circus to another.

leninbenjamin

BaZmO* wrote: »

You gotta feel sorry Shay, from one circus to another.

Tbh, if he didn't see this coming with after whole Robinho thing and Cook's sh*te talk about the clubs future then he has the mental awareness of a flea.

BaZmO*

leninbenjamin wrote: »

Tbh, if he didn't see this coming with after whole Robinho thing and Cook's sh*te talk about the clubs future then he has the mental awareness of a flea.

In fairness though, who out of the other "top" teams would've bought him?

Prufrock

Xavi6 wrote: »

The worst thing about this is the players that were 'Hughes signings' (Bellamy, Given, Barry, De Jong) are the ones we cannot afford to lose.

Too true. De Jong and Given have been hugh players for City this season.

Terrible decision.

mike65

Talk about Bellers handing in a request....

leninbenjamin

BaZmO* wrote: »

In fairness though, who out of the other "top" teams would've bought him?

That's part of my point. Shay must have known (to some extent at least) what he was in for. A calculated gamble to raise his profile imo.

BaZmO*

leninbenjamin wrote: »

That's part of my point. Shay must have known (to some extent at least) what he was in for. A calculated gamble to raise his profile imo.

I wouldn't say it was about raising his profile, I'd say it was more about trying to win some trophies.

Headshot

mike65 wrote: »

Talk about Bellers handing in a request....

where did ya hear that Mike ?

mike65

Its on the BBC gossip page, forget which paper. As he was one of those in revolt and given his temperment anyway I can believe it!

Headshot

mike65 wrote: »

Its on the BBC gossip page, forget which paper. As he was one of those in revolt and given his temperment anyway I can believe it!

cheers

9/2 to be the first city player gone

ill have a bit of that

Xavi6

Bellamy was first out at training this morning and was apparently in good spirits.

I'll go with a reliable source who attended training rather then a red top journo sitting in an office in London.

leninbenjamin

Xavi6 wrote: »

Bellamy was first out at training this morning and was apparently in good spirits.

I'll go with a reliable source who attended training rather then a red top journo sitting in an office in London.

Or he may have been in early to hand in the transfer notice and was simply in good spirits after 'sticking it to the man' (i.e. Garry Cook).

event

BERBA wrote: »

Wenger was at fault there.. bad loser. Hughes is a thorough gent. Wenger would want to worry about his own team , after all how many years is it since he won a trophy...4 years?...think sparky was still playing then !:D

COYS

wouldnt go that far tbh

Headshot

Mancini press conference coming up any minute now

going to be live on ssn

L'prof

BERBA wrote: »

Wenger was at fault there.. bad loser. Hughes is a thorough gent. Wenger would want to worry about his own team , after all how many years is it since he won a trophy...4 years?...think sparky was still playing then !:D

COYS

I'm sure this has been posted already, but I think this is justification enough for me!

Wenger wrote:

Tomorrow, by coincidence, I am managing my 500th [Premier League] game at Arsenal, and I believe I have shaken hands maybe 497 times.

It is a ceremonial courtesy. But the most important is not the ceremonial but the courtesy of behaviour.

I don’t deny that I am a bad loser but on this occasion I would have done exactly the same if we had won the game or lost the game. I am in accordance with the principals I think are important on the football pitch and I maintain exactly what I said and did.

I am used to treating this kind of thing with the needed distance and I do not want to make a fuss. There are incidents on the touchline [sometimes] but you have never heard me ever say anything about another manager after the game, in a press conference or during the week after. I maintain exactly the way I behave and do not regret one second of what I did.

But, if the world has no bigger problems than this then it is not so bad.

Headshot

bloody cooke hiding behind his statement :rolleyes:

Seems to be a bit of a cover up ?

The NOTW will surely find out the truth!

Headshot

cooke banging his fist on the table a couple of times

it was a pretty heated press conference

Instant Karma

rarnes1 wrote: »

Seems to be a bit of a cover up ?

The NOTW will surely find out the truth!

There is a separate Conspiracy Theory forum, I suggest you bring it up in there.