I wonder! Definately not ITK.

[Curlie]

Dunnie didn't play at the weekend. A deal with Villa looks on the cards.
Robbie didn't play at the weekend. Is he going somewhere?
Just a thought!

[edge275]

I don't think Robinho is Hughes type of player, and it worries me.

[thegoatfeeder]

I wouldn't worry, Portsmouth and the likes of Brown are not the sorts of game for Robinho, now that we have a squad and aren't as reliant on him as we were last season we can keep him fresh for home games and bigger away games rather than have him having stinkers away at places like Stoke, Bolton and Portsmouth like he did last year.

He'll be back against Arsenal and causing Sagna no end of problems I expect.

[john@staustell]

No, Barca was the only rumour and Pep says he wont come.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

If Hughes had played Robinho against Portsmouth and he hadnt played well and even worse if we hadnt won, there would have been questions asked about why he didn't leave him out of this one. We can't keep the same team for 38 matches and this seemed an ideal one for him to miss as most on here seem to agree.

You can't please all the people all the time etc etc

[Wooders]

I wouldn't worry, Portsmouth and the likes of Brown are not the sorts of game for Robinho, now that we have a squad and aren't as reliant on him as we were last season we can keep him fresh for home games and bigger away games rather than have him having stinkers away at places like Stoke, Bolton and Portsmouth like he did last year.

He'll be back against Arsenal and causing Sagna no end of problems I expect.

Absolutely, Hughes got the lineup (almost*) spot on

*Personally I would have tried to get De Jong in there and Ireland pushing higher up the pitch - would have meant dropping someone though, probably teves
How you can say you don't reckon Robinho is a hughes player just because he got dropped for one game a season and a bit after he signed for the club is quite beyond me.

Oh, it was Edge... carry on

[edge275]

I wouldn't worry, Portsmouth and the likes of Brown are not the sorts of game for Robinho, now that we have a squad and aren't as reliant on him as we were last season we can keep him fresh for home games and bigger away games rather than have him having stinkers away at places like Stoke, Bolton and Portsmouth like he did last year.

He'll be back against Arsenal and causing Sagna no end of problems I expect.

Absolutely, Hughes got the lineup (almost*) spot on

*Personally I would have tried to get De Jong in there and Ireland pushing higher up the pitch - would have meant dropping someone though, probably teves
How you can say you don't reckon Robinho is a hughes player just because he got dropped for one game a season and a bit after he signed for the club is quite beyond me.

Oh, it was Edge... carry on

Beyond you?

Oh, it's Wooders. Carry on.

[Original Dub]

If Hughes had played Robinho against Portsmouth and he hadnt played well and even worse if we hadnt won, there would have been questions asked about why he didn't leave him out of this one. We can't keep the same team for 38 matches and this seemed an ideal one for him to miss as most on here seem to agree.

You can't please all the people all the time etc etc

That's true mate. Teams that want to play football against us will suit Robinho, but the fact is that he tends to be anonimous when the game doesn't suit him. We can dress that fact up all we want but he was a factor (I'm not saying THE factor) that we had such a poor away form last season... it was like we had ten men in some of those games and away from home, if you're down to ten men you're fucked 9 times out of ten.

It doesn't worry me that Robinho might not be a 'Hughes type' player. I love the lad, but I love City far far more and if leaving him out increases our chances of winning a particular game, then that's the way it should be.

When he turns it on, he's absolutely amazing and one away match last season that I thought he was breathtaking was Everton away... so we know he CAN do it... he kind of reminds me of Ronaldo in his second season. Flashes of brilliance but sometimes going missing... Ronaldo became the best player in the world because he became stronger and drove himself to perform at that level on a consistant basis.

Robinho wants to be the best player in the world and if he performs and trains like this is the case, then he will be the 'type' of player that any manager could not drop.

[Wooders]

I wouldn't worry, Portsmouth and the likes of Brown are not the sorts of game for Robinho, now that we have a squad and aren't as reliant on him as we were last season we can keep him fresh for home games and bigger away games rather than have him having stinkers away at places like Stoke, Bolton and Portsmouth like he did last year.

He'll be back against Arsenal and causing Sagna no end of problems I expect.

Absolutely, Hughes got the lineup (almost*) spot on

*Personally I would have tried to get De Jong in there and Ireland pushing higher up the pitch - would have meant dropping someone though, probably teves
How you can say you don't reckon Robinho is a hughes player just because he got dropped for one game a season and a bit after he signed for the club is quite beyond me.

Oh, it was Edge... carry on

Beyond you?

Oh, it's Wooders. Carry on.

come on then mate, enlighten as to why you think he isn't a hughes player despite starting virtually every game he's been fit for and finishing our top scorer last season, I would love to hear it.

[edge275]

I wouldn't worry, Portsmouth and the likes of Brown are not the sorts of game for Robinho, now that we have a squad and aren't as reliant on him as we were last season we can keep him fresh for home games and bigger away games rather than have him having stinkers away at places like Stoke, Bolton and Portsmouth like he did last year.

He'll be back against Arsenal and causing Sagna no end of problems I expect.

Absolutely, Hughes got the lineup (almost*) spot on

*Personally I would have tried to get De Jong in there and Ireland pushing higher up the pitch - would have meant dropping someone though, probably teves
How you can say you don't reckon Robinho is a hughes player just because he got dropped for one game a season and a bit after he signed for the club is quite beyond me.

Oh, it was Edge... carry on

Beyond you?

Oh, it's Wooders. Carry on.

come on then mate, enlighten as to why you think he isn't a hughes player despite starting virtually every game he's been fit for and finishing our top scorer last season, I would love to hear it.

I think Robinho was more an owners' buy than anything.

Hughes loves grafters. You can see it in all his purchases. Robinho is not a grafter he's a flair player.

[Mr Miyagi]

I think Robinho was more an owners' buy than anything.

Hughes loves grafters. You can see it in all his purchases. Robinho is not a grafter he's a flair player.

In a way I agree with what you are saying, although I would not word it as "hughes loves grafters", which is sounds like an implied put-down. What Hughes loves is strikers who will pressurise opposition defenders high up the pitch, and try to win the ball back in a position that is dangerous to the opposition if play breaks down.

Robinho (like Elano and Jo) has grown up in a footballing culture where you concede space to the opposition, put 10 men behind the ball, let the opposition have their attempt at breaking you down, and when they fail it is your turn to try and attack. That is the problem. It is not because they are Brazilian, it is about adjusting to a different system. Jo and Elano couldn't do it. Robinho tries to hassle the opposition full back which is why he will still figure in the future plans. The problem is Robinho is made of straw and gets muscled off the ball when he tries to tackle. But he has shown a willingness to pressurise the opposition defenders.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

I think Robinho was more an owners' buy than anything.

Hughes loves grafters. You can see it in all his purchases. Robinho is not a grafter he's a flair player.

In a way I agree with what you are saying, although I would not word it as "hughes loves grafters", which is sounds like an implied put-down. What Hughes loves is strikers who will pressurise opposition defenders high up the pitch, and try to win the ball back in a position that is dangerous to the opposition if play breaks down.

Robinho (like Elano and Jo) has grown up in a footballing culture where you concede space to the opposition, put 10 men behind the ball, let the opposition have their attempt at breaking you down, and when they fail it is your turn to try and attack. That is the problem. It is not because they are Brazilian, it is about adjusting to a different system. Jo and Elano couldn't do it. Robinho tries to hassle the opposition full back which is why he will still figure in the future plans. The problem is Robinho is made of straw and gets muscled off the ball when he tries to tackle. But he has shown a willingness to pressurise the opposition defenders.

You make it sound like it's all about pressurising opposition but Robinho contributes in many other ways. Being player who can hold the ball and do stuff with it he contributes to defending in his own way. And he also scores goals. Bagloads of them. and gives assists.

11 men running around like headless chicken isn't going to do it.

[Mr Miyagi]

In a way I agree with what you are saying, although I would not word it as "hughes loves grafters", which is sounds like an implied put-down. What Hughes loves is strikers who will pressurise opposition defenders high up the pitch, and try to win the ball back in a position that is dangerous to the opposition if play breaks down.

Robinho (like Elano and Jo) has grown up in a footballing culture where you concede space to the opposition, put 10 men behind the ball, let the opposition have their attempt at breaking you down, and when they fail it is your turn to try and attack. That is the problem. It is not because they are Brazilian, it is about adjusting to a different system. Jo and Elano couldn't do it. Robinho tries to hassle the opposition full back which is why he will still figure in the future plans. The problem is Robinho is made of straw and gets muscled off the ball when he tries to tackle. But he has shown a willingness to pressurise the opposition defenders.

You make it sound like it's all about pressurising opposition but Robinho contributes in many other ways. Being player who can hold the ball and do stuff with it he contributes to defending in his own way. And he also scores goals. Bagloads of them. and gives assists.

11 men running around like headless chicken isn't going to do it.

Where do I make it sound like "it's all about pressurising opposition"? I talk about one aspect of the game that's all. Edge raised the issue of "grafters" and I was elaborating on that. Successful teams defend as a team.

And I agree about headless chickens. But where do I suggest that the players do this? Pressing is about carrying out a targeted game plan. Closing down space on the pitch. It is not (nor do I say this) about running around aimlessly. Are you bored and just looking for an argument or something ??

[Robinho_Is_GOD]

Robinho has adapted his game a helluva lot since being in England and is a much better all round player now probably because of it than the player who joined us last September, the skill should always be used first and will never go, and because Robinho is a showman like Rodney Marsh was, he will continue to entertain.

This season and even more so towards the latter end of the previous campaign, I thought Robinho adapted more to working just as hard when off the ball as he does when on it, that bit goes un-noticed to some, as they don't see him chase back and help out the full back, but that is not his job, if he was to chase back and do that and we then broke away, the people moaning he doesn't track back would be the first to say "he wasn't where he should have been" for the break-away.

Robinho is still by far and away the most skillful player at this club and the one who can turn a game City's way in a second, we have spent big money on some great players yes, and they will prove decisful this campaign for us, but none of them have got the individual brilliance that Robinho has got, and they all had played in this country prior to joining us, that experience helps and we are seeing that this season with Robinho.

I worry that Hughes (like Edge has highlighted) will prefer someone who runs more around the pitch, but lacks the cutting edge (Bellamy) to him too often this season and sell Robinho, we will live to regret that if he does, and then it would be time he was sacked!!, there would be no turning back then for me.....I am hoping that Robinho doesn't get moved onto Barcelona, and that in itself should tell Hughes and his doubters on here (probably the same ones who didn't like Kinkladze, Marsh etc) just how good this player is, when the best team in Europe and arguably the greatest in the World at this moment in time need him and want him, I cannot remember them moving for Bellamy last January.

Robinho, Tevez, Ireland, Adebayor (yes I was a wrong in my assessment of him before he signed), Given, Toure, Lescott, Zabaleta, SWP, Kompany, Onouha, Weiss and Barry are players we should mould our side around, the rest can move on for me and are all replaceable, them players IMHO must stay if we intend to challenge and be amongst the best sides both at home and abroad.

[Robinho_Is_GOD]

I think Robinho was more an owners' buy than anything.

Hughes loves grafters. You can see it in all his purchases. Robinho is not a grafter he's a flair player.

In a way I agree with what you are saying, although I would not word it as "hughes loves grafters", which is sounds like an implied put-down. What Hughes loves is strikers who will pressurise opposition defenders high up the pitch, and try to win the ball back in a position that is dangerous to the opposition if play breaks down.

Robinho (like Elano and Jo) has grown up in a footballing culture where you concede space to the opposition, put 10 men behind the ball, let the opposition have their attempt at breaking you down, and when they fail it is your turn to try and attack. That is the problem. It is not because they are Brazilian, it is about adjusting to a different system. Jo and Elano couldn't do it. Robinho tries to hassle the opposition full back which is why he will still figure in the future plans. The problem is Robinho is made of straw and gets muscled off the ball when he tries to tackle. But he has shown a willingness to pressurise the opposition defenders.

I agree with that assessment there, it is a massive culture change from continental football to that of the English game, (not just the Prem, but the English game in general as always been this way), of high speed tempo and an "up and at em" approach carried out by all teams, but done to more devastating effect by the better teams when they have the ball.

The closing down and hard work was the reason that Barcelona walked the La Liga title last season and comfortably beat the side who won our domestic title, but they also have an abundance of skill, which would be only so much use without the graft their players give when the oppo do have the ball for the few seconds that Barca allow you to have it, I hope that Hughes is trying to establish this mentality and gameplan at City, we have skillful players now, and all put the work in both on and off the ball, that has been the big plus point for me this season, we were rolled over to easy last year by the physical sides, we have played 4 very physical sides this season and beat the lot of them.....oh! we also beat Barca at Barca.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Hughes loves winners and players with a big heart and character.

[Slim]

Hughes loves winners and players with a big heart and character.

Do you have any idea how much you come off as the Hughes poster boy some times?

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

It was very noticeable last season that we tried to take the ball off the oppo deep in their own half. Ireland and Sweep were particularly successful in this. Tevez also has this in his game. It reminds me very much of an Ice Hockey fore checking game. Put the less skillful players under pressure in their own end of the pitch by getting in their faces. Win the ball in a dangerous area with them not ready in a defensive formation. It's not headless chicken stuff, it's planned and targetted.
Hughes does like players that work hard, but what's wrong with that? Watch Chelsea and see how hard they work both going forward and in defence.
However, Ade hardly came with a reputation of a grafter did he? So it's not just muscle and running that Hughes has signed, he's gone for quality too.

[Wooders]

I think Robinho was more an owners' buy than anything.

Hughes loves grafters. You can see it in all his purchases. Robinho is not a grafter he's a flair player.

I completely disagree with this myth that Robinho doesn't need to work hard because he is a flair player, when he doesn't do his bit of grafting, its as plain as the nose on your face and he is largely missing from games - when he does work hard, his flair, pace and skill is abundantly clear
Hughes claims he asked to signed Robinho and he doesn't strike me as a man who tells fibs to save face

[Ted Hughes]

I wouldn't worry, Portsmouth and the likes of Brown are not the sorts of game for Robinho, now that we have a squad and aren't as reliant on him as we were last season we can keep him fresh for home games and bigger away games rather than have him having stinkers away at places like Stoke, Bolton and Portsmouth like he did last year.

He'll be back against Arsenal and causing Sagna no end of problems I expect.

Absolutely, Hughes got the lineup (almost*) spot on

*Personally I would have tried to get De Jong in there and Ireland pushing higher up the pitch - would have meant dropping someone though, probably teves
How you can say you don't reckon Robinho is a hughes player just because he got dropped for one game a season and a bit after he signed for the club is quite beyond me.

Oh, it was Edge... carry on

Beyond you?

Oh, it's Wooders. Carry on.

come on then mate, enlighten as to why you think he isn't a hughes player despite starting virtually every game he's been fit for and finishing our top scorer last season, I would love to hear it.

I think Robinho was more an owners' buy than anything.

Hughes loves grafters. You can see it in all his purchases. Robinho is not a grafter he's a flair player.

Hughes has apparently been showing one or two journos the marks on the wall where during the initial meeting with the new owners reps, he wrote the name of the player he wanted to bring in to start everything off; it says Robinho.