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England legend Gary Lineker insists Manchester City will live to regret Mark Hughes dismissal

'Sparky' would have reached top four last season...

England legend Gary Lineker has insisted Manchester City will still regret the decision to sack Mark Hughes despite the weekend victory against Chelsea.

Hughes, 46, was dismissed last December even though the club lay on the edge of a Champions League qualification finish. New man Roberto Mancini failed to see through the job and could only place fifth spot in the Premier League table.

Writing in his News of the World column, Lineker believed the 1-0 weekend victory against pacesetters Chelsea didn't justify owner Sheikh Mansour's choice.

He wrote: "They have got to be in the same position at the end of the season for Mancini to keep his job.

"They were on the edge of the top four when Mark Hughes was sacked and if they had kept him they probably would have made it.

"Sparky had started to edge out the bad guys, the team was coming together and they had lost only one League game. It was ludicrous.

"The new manager came in, you had the usual spurt, then it petered out towards the end.

"They made their big mistake with the loss of Hughes. He is a very sensible head and commands a certain amount of respect with his presence.

"He wasn't taking any nonsense from a few of the players and was easing them out.

"He was getting the players he wanted. I don't think he would have gone into the summer and bought another six, seven, eight players.

"Mark would probably have spotted just a couple of areas where they needed to strengthen. That might have prevented some of the problems they now have with this huge squad.

"Yesterday's win against Chelsea - a very disappointing Chelsea, I have to say - certainly takes some of the pressure off Mancini."

The guy is a first class tool....and so is Lineker.

amazing...as if Mancini seems like he's letting this "huge squad" take the piss.

Mancini's running this show like a velvet glove cast in iron...

cheers

It's impossible to know what Hughes would have done & how many players he would have replaced. I doubt if Lineker could list half of City's squad or what their attributes are or has any idea which players Hughes would have kept or signed or which positions he wanted to strengthen or which players would have clashed with him personality wise etc. To pretend he knows that is just bollocks.

He's full of shit.

Ted Hughes wrote:
He's full of shit.

As are a lot of them

What really pisses me off is that if City, under mancini, go on to have a 'successful' season, they will simply find a way to either turn their own opinions on their heads or find a reason, other than that City/Mancini did well, to justify themselves - and they'll do it with the same smug self-satisfaction which has become Lineker's trademark.

The man's a fucking dinosaur when it comes to football.

Its embarrassing enough to watch him throw out cliche after cliche every sat night without having to stomach his worthless opinion during the week.

That show needs total refurbishment.

He's just pissed off with us for sacking his big buddy from the Barcalona days, thats why much more was made of the way he was sacked than actually happened, we were made to do it in a nasty way but in fairness he was treated the way he would have been had he been in any other business, people need to stop being pussys and realise that he got a big pay off and is now still a premiership manager.

They are big mates from when they were the English forward pairing for Venebles in the 80's. That is one reason I believe we always get such a poor deal now on MOTD.

DoomMerchant wrote:amazing...as if Mancini seems like he's letting this "huge squad" take the piss.

Mancini's running this show like a velvet glove cast in iron...

cheers

Umm what??

Considering we were shipping goals like crazy under Hughes, 9 alone in his final three games to Bolton, Spurs and Sunderland at which point we were a complete shambles at the back, I assume he means under his genius mate we would of course have been banging in 5 a game in order to make the top 4.

pretty sure our squad of 25 is just as big as every other prem team ... so, it's a bit strange to comment on that.

Id shag his bird mind !

sandman wrote:He's just pissed off with us for sacking his big buddy from the Barcalona days, thats why much more was made of the way he was sacked than actually happened, we were made to do it in a nasty way but in fairness he was treated the way he would have been had he been in any other business, people need to stop being pussys and realise that he got a big pay off and is now still a premiership manager.

They are big mates from when they were the English forward pairing for Venebles in the 80's. That is one reason I believe we always get such a poor deal now on MOTD.

Was that before or after he played for Leak-munchers?

It must be pretty embarrassing to sanction this story after the weekends events, makes the MotD pundits look like a right load of no-nothing muppets. Well done Gary, you'll kill off the programme single-handed.

City were 9th and not playing well when the decision to sack Hughes was made (after spurs away). It's stretching it a bit for jug ears to state we were likely to finish top 4 under him.

Walker's Cheese & Onion are good though in fairness.

Ted Hughes wrote:It's impossible to know what Hughes would have done & how many players he would have replaced. I doubt if Lineker could list half of City's squad or what their attributes are or has any idea which players Hughes would have kept or signed or which positions he wanted to strengthen or which players would have clashed with him personality wise etc. To pretend he knows that is just bollocks.

He's full of shit.

He does think we have 17 holding midfielders.

patrickblue wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:It's impossible to know what Hughes would have done & how many players he would have replaced. I doubt if Lineker could list half of City's squad or what their attributes are or has any idea which players Hughes would have kept or signed or which positions he wanted to strengthen or which players would have clashed with him personality wise etc. To pretend he knows that is just bollocks.

He's full of shit.

He does think we have 17 holding midfielders.

But Tevez, Adam Johnson, Silva and Milner are holding midfielders you buffoon;o)

Fulham's record of win and five draws really make me miss him. He hasn't lost a game for Fulham though. Drawing is the new winning.

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:Fulham's record of win and five draws really make me miss him. He hasn't lost a game for Fulham though. Drawing is the new winning.

He's not greedy like the other managers, why take three points when one will suffice.

Oh but he'll bring them some great attacking football won't he!? Defense be damned. Plan B? What's that?

IanBishopsHaircut wrote: "I don't think he would have gone into the summer and bought another six, seven, eight players."

"Mark would probably have spotted just a couple of areas where they needed to strengthen. That might have prevented some of the problems they now have with this huge squad.

"Yesterday's win against Chelsea - a very disappointing Chelsea, I have to say - certainly takes some of the pressure off Mancini."

What an absolute knobjockey Lineker is... Hughes would have DEFINITELY bought that many players had he been given the money that Mancini got, no doubt in my mind about that.