Why I Have Lost Respect for Man City … (But Gained Respect For Mark Hughes)
The treatment of Mark Hughes was, simply put, disgraceful. The fact that the whole ground knew during the match that the Welshman would be replaced shortly by Italian Roberto Mancini is a shambles. My previous respect for the way in which our Abu Dhabi backers, namely Sheikh Mansour and Khladoon Al Mubarak, conducted themselves has disappeared.
I’m not here to debate whether Mancini is the correct man for the job, or, indeed, whether it was the correct move to dispose of the services of Hughes. I’m more concerned with the way in which the business was conducted.
Since arriving at the club, Sheikh Mansour and his trusted companions have gone about their business carefully, taking into account the feelings and sentiments of many City fans. Despite the media on countless occasions calling for the head of Hughes, our owners remained steadfast in their support of him. They maintained a quiet public profile, with rarely any news emanating from Abu Dhabi.
They have been prepared, and ultimately done so, to invest unlimited resources and funds into City in an attempt to turn us into a side which is capable of breaking into the upper echelons of the Premier League. Despite some poor results and performances last season, including the time when City were in the bottom three, Sheikh Mansour conveyed the impression that he supported Hughes to the tilt, supplying him with even more funds to strengthen in January.
However, all that respect which I had for them has now disappeared in an instant. Surely they should have sacked Hughes and approached Mancini in due course if they wanted to appoint the Italian. Surely, it should not have become common knowledge during the match that a managerial change was due to happen following the conclusion of the game. Surely Hughes’s position was untenable as, by all accounts, he was aware of his forthcoming departure prior to kick-off.
With Mancini reported to have present at the game, I can’t even begin to imagine what Hughes must have felt like when he made any decision, knowing that it coult not have any meaning for him. I have the fullest of respect for Mark Hughes for the way in which he has handled himself and for the digninty and professionalism he displayed today. Perhaps our owners could learn a thing or two…
Totally wrong. Sacking a manager and then talking to potential replacements afterwards is a sure-fire way to mis-manage and de-stabilise your club. We’ve been left high and dry by this approach in the past. Couldn’t diasagree with you more (and I didn’t want Hughes out by the way).
Coming from a blog that supported Sven Goran Eriksson the waste of space football pimp is hardly a surprise.
If your a City fan you should be ashamed of yourself, if your not then your respect was never really of value anyway.
Clubs have to move on, sacking Hughes was the best thing City did, Mancini is probably temporary but one thing is for sure. Mancini is way far better than Hughes.
Sven, lmao was a complete fraud and still is.
CiTyBlUe – I was not a fan of Sven, merely my name is Steven so the SGE link is quite apt. Why should I be ashamed of myself??? Please explain.
Whether Mancini is better or not remains to be seen.
I don’t think it was fair on Mark Hughes. You can’t build a team in half a season. they are 6th in the League and in the Carling Cup Semis.
In Chelsea’s first year, they only finished 4th, and there was far less competition then. No Villa, no Spurs.
P.S. – Gaining the respect of your enemy is one of the biggest achievements possible.
Oh, I so miss those can’t pay the players, get a loan from good old John Wardle, going bust next Wednesday days of yore. I’m with you, Stevie boy. Best thing would have been sack Hughes, have a press frenzy, have a few people turn us down just so we could be told what a small club we are. Great business mind, there. SACK THE OWNERS!!!
“Dave”
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Personally, I disagree with you about how to manage the affairs of a manager’s departure. I’m really not sure that is is best, in any case, for a manager’s position to be undermined (as happened with Hughes) before he has left. Surely, in a position like Hughes’ (i.e. not won a lot, but not lost a lot), then it would undermine the foundations of the club, the support and the players’ confidence in the club before any news has been released.
However, if a club is on a real losing form – like Pompey earlier in the season – then to talk to potentiaql managers surely will do some good.
“CiTyBlUe”
>>>>>>>
I’m sorry but, to this day, i believe Sven to be the – or if not, one of the – best managers (of the many that there have been) of City in my lifetime.
With what he had, squadwise, he did tremendously well. We got into Europe and, at times, played some very attractive football.
If YOU are a city fan, then YOU should be ashamed of yourself. How can you condone this behaviour (i.e. the ground knowing before Hughes)? In fact, i knew through a friend at the club that it was 95% certain that Hughes was going to leave. Are you ashamed now?
Manchini may be better than Hughes but to sack a manager for lackluster players – as so often happens in football – is totally wrong.
CiTyBlUe – your talking like this confuses me, if you don’t like the opinions given here, then i can give no better advice than to Foxtrot Oscar.
Ok, rant over.
I am ashamed by the way that the board has controlled the situation. Mark Hughes is a quality manager and he has been punnished by the inability of the back 4 in every game. Today, Burnley, Bolton, United, Fulham. All of these games we have been more than capable of winning – and, more times than not, torn the opposition apart – but been let down by the defence. Whether Manchini can stop the rout, i don’t know, can he make Robinio perform away from home? Can he make Manu look less like a useless lump and more like he did against Portsmouth? I don’t know. Can he make Richards good? Probably not, but i’m sure you get my point.
For the club’s sake and, more importantly, for my sanity, i hope that Manchini may stay for the length of his contract and we get somewhere in the league and cups.
To those who think that I’m all pro-Hughes and anti the owners, that is simply not the case. As I state in the article, I’m not here to discuss the respective merits of Hughes and Mancini, I’m just here to criticise the actions of the owners in their plans, all conducted behind Hughes’s back.
If they were intent on sacking hughes, then by all means have a list of possible options. Howver, I think it’s mightily disrepsectful and wholly inappropriate to already have agreed a deal with another manager.
I hope Mancini turns out to be a fantastic appointment, but I just hope that City don’t go behind his back in the summer and appoint another manager. Stability is the key people. Look no further than our neighbours.
Well, in that case, that’s fine. I wasn’t of course aware that you knew what had happened. I thought you might just be reading the press guesses like us and might just be presuming that Hughes wasn’t told days ago and that he didn’t reluctantly agree to the process. My apologies. I don’t have the same sources as you. Of course, being a person without sources, I wouldn’t lose my respect for the people who saved my club like you have – at least until I had the facts rather than the speculation. But you’re better placed.
Just in case you missed it, by the way, 8 was sarcasm. It just hit me that you might see it as a compliment. Or a real apology.
Fairly obvious it was sarcasm, which is why it wasn’t worth replying to. Why bother commenting – you’re only wasting your own time …
If you have lost respect for city then pack up your website and send back your season ticket. City are bigger than hughes, bigger than the owner and bigger than you. Things are better at city than in my 30 years of supporting them nd i look forward to the future with optimism. If you want to gripe – become a man untired fan and support them on their downward spiral. You will get many an opportunity for moaninig and bitcing then. Some peopl edont know when they have a good thing.
That’s probably one of the most ridiculous comments I’ve ever seen. Some of the city fans have shocked me with the ill-thought out sentiments, and their seemingly lack of dignity.
I would just like to say a huge thankyou to Manchester City football club for yet again proving what a mockery you are, regardless of the Chairman or how much money you have in the bank you still always manage to entertain the rest of the football world. Tonight the reds are laughing at how pathetic your club is.
Martin coments on United’s Downwards spiral and makes city fans look even more stupid than any of their owners, retarded blue nosed scumbag. You see city have never been anywhere, you signed mercenaries, want aways and no one is ever going to motivate them, its like a nice enough ex pat spanish holiday resport at city, for stars who spat their dummies out, is it any wonder no other manager would touch half of your sigings, whoever the Managaer is thats not going to change. The worlds best still recognize you as nothing more than a kid acting like a spoilt brat. Once again thankyou MCFC you have kept us entertained with your idiocy for yet another year!
Interesting, impassioned writing Steven. You seem to be dividing opinions strongly between the Manchester City fans for whom success is everything and those who realise that success that comes at the price of mercenary, disrespectful actions is somewhat hollow.
As I don’t particularly care how successful you are I definitely fall into the second group. I’d have given Hughes a bit more time, but if the board decided it’s time to replace him in an attempt to move the club forward that’s fair enough, I just think that the way it happened, with everyone at the game, Hughes included, knowing it was curtains for him, and Mancini at the ground ready to move straight in, is very disrespectful to Hughes and the game itself and is not the way in which business should be conducted.
I heard a rumour that the powers that be at city were drafting a press release even when the game was going on. I agree that this just isn’t right.
Having said that, at this point in 6 weeks time, Hughes and this debacle will be a distant memory – we can’t change what has happened, so let’s look forward instead of backwards.
Also, let us not forget the golden handshake that I’m sure Hughes would have departed with – there’s nothing like a princely sum of money to soften the blow of being sacked!
Fortunately, VJ, you seem to have more sense than the majority of commenters on here. They seemt to be stuck on the idea that the owners are perfect, Mancini is perfect and that City can do no wrong. Your second paragraph, as far as I’m concerned, hits the nail sqaure on the head, causing terminal brain damage. I’m so vehemently annoyed with the manner of business conducted, rather than the actual moves themselves. I suppose it would have been better if Hughes had gone yesterday, and maybe Manicini appointed either today or toomrrow. But never mind, this is the entertainment which follows City around and we would want nothing else!
The decision was made straight after the 3-0 victory over Arsenal.
I wish Mancini luck…if he doesn’t get a top 6 finish, he will be on his way out too!
Oh the worry, the pain the heartbreak we should all feel for Mark Hughes and the way he was sacked what a crock off s..t. Get over it, tough decisions have to be made, at least we are now supporting a football club with real ambitions.
Many off the supporters from the other club of this city, call us a small club with a small club mentality, snap out of it.
I wonder how upset Mark was when Dunny was virtually pushed out of the back door mm m.