“He’s the devil in disguise”

Rarely has an issue been so divisive amongst my social group. Abortion, the war in Iraq, the environment - nothing comes close to the possible appointment of Mark Hughes as the next Manchester City manager.

He may be one of the best young managers in the Premiership, along with Aston Villa’s Martin O’Neill and Everton’s David Moyes. He has taken Blackburn to two top six finishes in the last four years, on a relatively modest budget. He has also demonstrated an eye for a bargain in the transfer market (although for every David Bentley and Roque Santa Cruz there’s an Andre Oijer lurking menacingly around the corner). And his teams could never be accused of lacking fight or spirit, an accusation frequently levelled at City over the last few years. You can’t imagine, for instance, one of Hughes’ teams losing 8-1 or, indeed, 6-0.

But…… it’s Mark bloody Hughes, for christ’s sake. I spent much of my childhood loathing the man. To me he was the very embodiment of Manchester United for much of the 80s and 90s. And I’ve still not forgiven him for his cowardly assault on Richard Edghill whilst playing for Southampton. The only scant consolation is that my United supporting friends (an oxymoron, surely?) are equally aghast at the prospect of Hughes taking over.

I guess it’s not without precedent; Matt Busby was a Blue, after all, and more recently the cases of Messrs Schmeichel and Cole have taught me, if nothing else, that all footballers are shameless mercenaries, and most fans are incredibly fickle.

His Manchester United links aside, it doesn’t strike me as being a particularly progressive move by the club. I’m underwhelmed by the prospect, and concerned that our main route into Europe (i.e. the Fair Play league) may be jeopardised by his appointment. His curriculum vitae doesn’t stand up to Eriksson’s, and his teams aren’t known for playing particularly attractive football. Then again, neither did City in the second half of last season.

To many fans though it felt like we were making great progress under Sven; we had a nice blend of youth and experience in the squad and there was a sense of unity and purpose amongst the players. Eriksson’s sacking seems to have lost that momentum, with strong rumours that the likes of Richard Dunne, Michael Johnson and Micah Richards are on the verge of leaving City.

But there is little point in dwelling on the past. If, as is widely expected, Hughes is appointed as City manager he’ll have my full support (until things start going wrong that is; I imagine he won’t be granted much of a honeymoon period by the fans). But I’ll stop short of calling him ‘Hughesy‘ or, even worse, ‘Sparky’. The very notion makes me slightly nauseous. He’ll always be Leslie to me. Les, at a push, if we start to warm to him.

Ric Turner
www.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk

Comments

[Graham Whittingham]

CTID, but we won't finish top of the fair play league now!!!!

[MVW]

simon lomax, I think it is you who is delusional. Yes, being paid more and being allowed to realise your team - via more transfer funds, are reasons to join a new club, but so is the ability of the club to hold onto any success. City have an infrastructure and history to ,once success is achieved, hold onto to success and sustain it. If City were to become successful , the roof would literally come off the place. The sky is the limit at City. Blackburn? not really...

As for paying Ronaldinho 200k a week, well you get what you are willing to pay. Terry is on 130k a week, are you telling me then, that Ronaldinho, the greatest player ,along with Zidane, of our generation, and one of the greatest of all time, isnt worth considerably more than Terry? Not to mention the massive amount of Ronaldinho merchandise etc sold would help pay for a large chunk of that.

Yes, footballers wages are absurd, but it aint gonna change.

As for Liverpool, I havent been expecting us to challenge for the title. The day will come tho.... and it will happen before any other English club overtakes our trophy count.

You can hide your colors of course.

[Junaid]

this is dumb........dont u guys know that Sir Matt Busby was an ex-Man City player???????and he led man utd to success.....so integrity matters..and i think hughes has it.....

[sam]

at the end of the day no matter who or where he played for, if he signs ronaldinho and jo, itll be two of the greatest signings the club will ever have made. surely this will make him the most succesful manager and a legend for city fans?

[simon lomax]

the article questions mark hughes' professional integrity and i would consider that an insult. he was a winner but city fans would probably prefer a former city player who has won nothing and knows nothing about how to win game after game.

[Steve McBride]

MVW, a typical example of Liverpool fans' delusion. Now it seems even when talking about teams other than themselves and United. Yes, I agree Hughes moving from Blackburn to City is a more illustrious move, but one which has nothing to do with City being a "big", or permit me to say, "MASSIVE" club. Obviously the only influencing factor is money, the amount he's getting paid and will be able to spend.

You say even Ronaldinho is seriously considering going there. For 200,000pounds a week I think most footballers would consider it! Even the best and most loyal footballer ever to walk the earth, Stevie G, might give it a second thought.

I'm glad to see you finish your post with a solemn realisation of where your clubs expectations lie. "I welcome the competition" referring to City challenging Liverpool for FOURTH PLACE. Finally given up the facade of trying to win the title have we?

[Blubert]

Graeme. What a sad, pseudo-intellectual you are. Your pretentious comment was so littered with grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors that I don't know where to start (and if you can't spot them you are not as clever and eloquent as you think you are). It was also hopelessly devoid of any coherent meaning.

If you are going to portray yourself as some sort of literary genius, please be a bit more careful - you just make yourself look stupid!

[Paul Carr]

If all Man City fans loved Man City as much as they hated United, they would be the best supported team in the world.

[Will Fred]

He'll fit right in - he's won absolutely nothing as a manager.

Lucrative career suicide.

[Ric]

Nij, you do realise that the comment about the Fair Play league was a joke, right? Please tell me you didn't take it literally. Deary me...

[Nij]

''I’m underwhelmed by the prospect, and concerned that our main route into Europe (i.e. the Fair Play league) may be jeopardised by his appointment''...

HAHAHAHHAAHHA...YCNMIU. City fans are always good for a laugh. Has there ever been a more pathetic comment than that?

'Its alright lads, don't tackle anyone and we'll get into Europe. Oh no, Sparky's here, quick lads kick something, sod the party bus to Bruge...'

City fans, always good for a laugh, simply because they are the biggest bunch of morose, whining day trippers in the land.

[MVW]

Andy Schwab and other Blackburn fans talkin about how it is insulting , and a sidestep, for Hughesto move from Blackburn to Manchester City are in lala land.

Manchester City have always been and always will be a big club. There arnt many bigger and more illustrious in England. I am a Liverpool fan so I am lucky enough to support the most successful English club of all time , and along with ManU , the biggest domestically.

Please do not talk about Hughes taking a sidestep. Blackburn are a decent side nowadays, but dont get carried away, Man City is a far bigger, more exciting and potentially a world superpower in the footballing world arena. It looks very likely that Ronaldinho himself is seriously thinking of joining them. If it happens this could very well be the start of a great new era for City.

As far as I am concerned I hope City do challenge for the Champs league. I welcome the competition....

just as long as Liverpool win of course ;)

[grezmundo]

why do people always go on about crossing the divide man u n citeh

many people forget that sir matt busyby played 4 both citeh and liverpool

[Mathew]

He has also demonstrated an eye for a bargain in the transfer market (although for every David Bentley and Roque Santa Cruz there’s an Andre Oijer lurking menacingly around the corner).

Andre Oijer Is A Top Quality Defended, I suppose if your not a popular club you lot just make it up.

Oh and as for Hughes, it's all about the money. We've consistently been a better club than City for a long time now.

[Jack]

Why is it that City fans feel they have to let everyone know at any given opportunity how much they hate United, yet much less so in the other direction? I'm United and proud and I honestly couldn't care less about City- perhaps it's something to do with their being overshadowed by us everywhere except South Manchester!

[Graeme]

"So you play for Man City AND Man Utd? Like Denis Law... not like that Dennis, we'll go for a drink soon... as friends!"

Alan Partridge, trying to understand bisexuality on KMKNWAP... aha...

[JVS]

Poor old TMQ, no wit, no style, no grace, curlish, betrayed, bewildered, no history, no future, for so long a spectator at the making of history, so blue of spirit and so absent of hope, sadly consoled by the failings of others, a stranger to success, clinging to the wreckage of the present whilst having no expectations of the future, mortgaged to the very distant past, now in debt for the future, living in a rented council facilty, merrily pecking at the crumbs of others whilst blind to reality. Gosh, what it must be to be a Blue.

[Richard]

Is it true that he took the job when he realised just how massive City were when they took quarter of a million to Ewood Park one year?

[The Mighty Quinn]

Darragh in Dublin and a Man Utd fan!? You cant make it up, utter utter pleb that you are. No local teams for you to support then?

It's cretins like you that keep us Manchester Blues in laughs all season long.

2-1 on your special day.

TMQ
X

[johnboyblue]

Waaaaaah!!! I'm a Chelsea fan and i wanted Hughsie. Is Ranieri available?

[Oli Mellin]

I hate Mark Hughes as much as my Welsh Granmother loves him.
My main point for concern however are that as mentioned, he is no better than Sven with regards to previous results.
Rumours, as usual, should be taken with a boat full of salt, and I can only hope that he delivers results that are string enough for me to once again love my manager as much as I loved the pervy swede.
Only time will tell.

[Jonny F]

Take a look at Blackburn's results last season and you'll see some pretty horrible ones. Shipping 5 at Wigan and 4 at home to Birmingham and Coventry is surely worse than 6 at Chelsea? And the Boro result would never have happened if the Sven situation hadn't arisen. The UEFA Cup defeat to Larissa hardly inspires confidence either. Truth is that when physical intimidation didn't work, Hughes had no plan B. His team plays in his image, a bully and a cheat.

[Giordano Bennetti]

Ric. "...the very embodiment of Manchester United for much of the 80s and 90s." - you say that like it's a bad thing?! Are you saying you object to winning with passion and style?

What would you prefer instead? The traditional City virtues of lurching from one disaster to the next? Being a laughing stock? Finding ever more inventive and ridiculous ways to fail?

Since Dennis Tueart's overhead kick, you've had 32 years of failure, underacheivement, and embarassment. I would suggest that it's time for City to get a winning mentality - which is where Mark Hughes comes in.

[David Hawthorne]

Just a thought to cheer up the doubters, remember his best goal against us was in the 5 - 1 hammering of United, when everyone in the ground was waiving goodbye to Fergie ( whatever happened to him? ) happy days !

He is professional hardworking and a winner, you never hear a bad word about him from whoever pays his wages and he did the double over United with Blackburn thats good enough for me.

[JVS]

Sparky, Sparky, what have you done ? Going to Chelsea is one think but City ? They are a managerial train wreck waiting to happen and have twice had three different managers in a single YEAR.... yes, twice !! You would have been set fair for Manchester United in a couple of years but you cannot cross Manchester from the municipal facilty to the Theatre of Dreams. What a lapse of judgement and taste.

[Darragh, Dublin]

Typical bil-ridden bluenose.

For the first time in a generation his side get a talented, respected young manager not looking for a payoff and all he can see is his 'faults' - being part of a double-winning team.

To dip my toe into his nursery-school idiom for a moment: what a bitter bastard.

[colin dougan]

ric,

i couldn't read your article due to the disgraceful language used. perhaps you could take some english language classes.

[ph]

His teams do actually play good football, just because Blackburn are an unfashionable team doesn't mean they play unfashionable football. He's had next to no money, and Oojier is actually a competant player, good enough for a starting berth for the Netherlands at least, and they conceeded less than any other team in the qualification to Euro 2008 so perhaps you should let your club bias simmer down and give the guy a chance.

As for 'Sparky' i think it's a fantastic job to take, how long is his contract? oh right 3 years...and how long did Fergie say he's stay at United at most...oh yea...3 years? Coincidence anyone? Even if he left after 2 years that's only one year for Manchester United to buy him out.

He'll have europe, and plenty of money to spend, just what he needs to boost his CV. Good on you Sparky, come back to where you're welcome in a couple years. The Red half of Manchester that is.

[justin]

first paragraph is a bill hicks rip off

[Jim Regan]

Uniteds transfer record? At least City never bought Veron and Kleberson, Edward

[Andy Schwab]

As you're opening paragraph is so tranparently lifted from Bill Hicks Rant in E minor, can we be sure the opinions are your own? If you're going to be this sloppy about journalism you may be better suited for writing for The Guardian.

[Colin Watkins]

Why would Mark Hughes leave a well run club, a team he has crafted over four years, one that is on the brink of challenging the top four and certainly in the run for trophies for a car crash waiting to happen at Man City? I can understand Chelsea, they are a top European side but City. Yes they have fans and budget but so do Newcastle and look how succesful they are. Leeds had money and look at them. Blackburn may have modest crowds, it is a small town afterall, but they have security and potential.

If Hughes leaves for City it will only be for money. All this gubbins about winning trophies and the challenge is nonsense. Its much harder at Rovers.

Yes, I am a Rovers fan and I would love him to stay but if he left for Chelsea I would say fair enough but City. Instead of being a Blackburn hero he will probably become an also ran in our history, it pains me to say that but if you were dumped for George Clooney thats acceptable. George Costanza, that just hurts.

[Josh Dickson]

I'm a red and am equally appalled Hughes would move abroad.

[Teresa]

The fact that Chelsea are also in the race for Mark Hughes shows that he is indead a great prospect and you blues should be greatful that he should be considering your job.

[Edward]

I never knew Sparky played for Southampton. As for his playing ability I'm amazed you ignore his great talent just to complain about occasional misconduct. Instantaneous ball control and excellent choice of pass were what caught most people's eye - including managers at Barca and United (clubs with a slightly better record in the transfer market than City). Hughes was a fine player, so credit where it's due. Of course you lot don't see too much top-class forward play. Pearls before swine.....