Is Hughes mad to go to City?

Why does Mark Hughes want to work for trigger-happy Thaksin Shinawatra? Hughes could have bided his time at Ewood Park for two years until Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, when he would have been one of the favourites for the Manchester United job.

Money might have something to do with it. Hughes has signed a three-year contract worth about £9 million and he will have £35 million to spend on new players this summer. He will need it. City lost 8-1 to Middlesbrough on the final day of last season and Hughes has inherited a squad with a core of foreign players who were bought and who became attached to Sven-Goran Eriksson. Richard Dunne, the captain and defensive stalwart, is leaving the club and Manchester United are interested in signing Micah Richards, the England defender.

Hughes has a cosy relationship with John Williams, the Blackburn Rovers chief executive. Now he has to work for a billionaire who chews up managers and spits them out. Eriksson made a real difference at the club last season, but that was not good enough for Shinawatra.

Unless City break into the top four next season, Hughes could be unemployed next summer. And managing City will not look good on his CV when the United job becomes available.

Comments

[Ian Burgess]

Sven had to go - just look at our results against a very poor Fulham side and the debacle at 'Boro. Hinawatra was right to let Sven go. Hughes will undoubtedly rid us of players who don't want to play during the winter months. We will get some bite back into the team (lost when Barton left). He'll also bring our youngsters on. He's not crazy to come to us - he can build us into a very good side or he can develop his own skills before he goes on to a team with perhaps more potential. He may very well choose tostay with us rather than go to Old Trafford - remember Matt Busby played for City; could be the same for Sparky.

[Roy Anderson]

As a loyal supporter of Rovers since 1938 - though thick and thin, success and failure - I have never been more disappointed in the current news from Rovers.

Hughes was a superb Manager and the Club was headed into the higher reaches of the Premiership under his expert tutelage.

As for his move, I can quite understand the temptation to improve one's position in life. In all honesty, Hughes deserved to progress. What I can't understand is why he would chose a club where the owner interferes so totally in the running of the team. Hughes is is own man and will not like the constant digs and hints that Thaksin will throw at him.

At Ewood, Hughes was allowed free rein and had a sympathetic Management team. No longer!! I fear he will regret this move, from this aspect alone.

Meantime, where in the world do Rovers go from here. We require an experienced and respected Manager who is capable of inspiring the youth and encouraging the more mature. Where is such a man? Ince, hasn't obtained his licence yet!! Allardyce is too full of bluster and old time style! I feel some of the team will not take kindly to Steve McClaren.

Hughes will be sadly missed, I fear, for a long, long time.

I HOPE I'm wrong and that Rovers Management pull a rabbit out of their hat - pronto!

[Claire]

I cant help but feel that Hughes has left another job before it was complete. He did it with Wales and now again with Blackburn.

[Robert Wilson]

For a so called intelligent newspaper,your comments section reads more like something that belongs in The Daily Star.

Nothing but slurs and myths,Richards is going nowhere and probably now,neither will Dunne.
The "trigger happy owner",has acted decisively to rid us of boring negative tactics and a manager who admitted he didn't know how to halt the slide.

Sadly for you, city fans by and large share his view that Sven had lost his way,hence the initial criticism of Shinawatra has all but disappeared (save,for the media,of course).

So I will leave you to get back to your delusions and fantasies.

[Steve Phillips]

I think he is absolutely mad, but once again, money has spoken. You can't really turn down £3m a season to manage Manchester City can you? It'll be very interesting to see what everyones position will be this time in 2009 at the club. And as for buying Ronaldinho, yeah it'll sell a few more thousand shirts and add a few more hundred thousand a week to his bank account before he scuttles off in 'retirement' to Dubai maybe!

[George city till I die]

After the initial shock of mark Hughes becoming City's manager, City fans need to reflect on the past and remember the ex City managers who in there playing days
inflicted crushing defeats against us, brian Horton remember him, playing for Luton town and putting us down, Kevin Keegan tearing our defense apart, time and again, when playing for Liverpool, Joe Royle when at Everton, because these players were professional as players,it didn't stop them doing there best as managers, If we reject a manager because of his past association with other clubs, we restrict our prospect of advancement, Mark Hughes has been down this path before, I wonder how many Blackburn Rovers fans, were anti Mark Hughes when appointed as there manager,considering there intense rivalry with Utd, during the Shearer Sutton era, not so many now I think, If anything Rovers fans will be worried where there club goes from here, there loss our gain, In his time at Blackburn off the field discipline was paramount, allied to this, Mark Hughes created a team that always gave the so called top 4 clubs a hard time on the pitch, If teams like Utd and Chelsea have had Hughes in there sights they have seen something in him they like, we at City need to open our eyes, and see this for what it is, a great opportunity
to improve our club, He's at a big club with great support, and money to spend, if we keep the players we have got, and spend wisely we can make an impact. My only worry is our Chairman, in twelve months time if the mood takes him, another mass slaughter, and back to year one

[David Jones]

Hughes has built his career so far (managing Blackburn & Wales) on being able generate a team spirit based on the fact that his players have not been the greatest and most skillful superstars but were prepared to grind out results whilst the manager himself has been put under little pressure.
The situation he has put himself into at City will be the exact opposite.
Does anyone have information on the odds being offered on Hughes leaving City before the start of the season?

[Rich]

Mr. Hughes has just postioned himself to be the favorite to replace the Wizzard of Old Trafford in 2-3 years.

[Steve, Warrington Blue]

Being a long suffering city fan i dont know what to think anymore. Not really got a view about Hughes still cant believe what happened to Sven. We wont be surprised by what happens at our beloved club anymore. We are used to this rollercoaster that is City.. The only thing constant about us is our support we are and will always be the best fans in the land and all the world !

[Nick Dunning]

This is exactly what I have been thinking - seems a strange move to opt for City following what has happened to Sven.

[blue4you]

A lot of people have questioned the sanity of Mark Hughes opting to become the next manager of Manchester City for the next 3 years? As I see it... he had taken Blackburn as far as he could on the budget available and City are in europe next season offering him a huge warchest to build a team to win a trophy and break into the Big Four! I mean... what would you do??? Also Alex Ferguson has stated he will only step down at United in 2011 when Sparky's current agreement with City ends! Very astute when you think about it as Sparky no doubt believes that he is able to have more success at City than he would at Blackburn (thus raising his profile) and he can make up his mind in 3 years time whether or not to jump ship to the other side of Manchester? Simple as that really isnt it?

[denton]

Fovourite for united job when Sir Alex steps down? Joker. We're adults Samuel.