Saturday's B*ll*x (updated)
Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:34 amManchester City boss Mancini says Ferguson is a 'teacher'
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has said he considers Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson a "teacher" as he prepares for Sunday's derby match.
The top two in the Premier League face each other at Old Trafford, with Mancini seeking a first league victory over Ferguson's side.
"I can say thank you to him because I have big respect for him - he won everything for 25 years," Mancini said.
"He is a teacher and I learn from him."
The Italian believes all aspiring managers should look up to Ferguson.
"He wants to continue to win and that's important for me and all young managers," Mancini added.
Sunday's derby will not provide a definitive answer, but may deliver a measure of how near Manchester is to any sort of shift in the balance of power
"He's 69, and after 69 years he is there every day concentrating and I think it's difficult at that age to have the same strength every day, want to win every game, want to work every day - it's not easy after 50 years because he started very young.
Since taking charge of City in December 2009, Mancini's side have failed to beat United in the Premier League but have secured wins in the Carling Cup and FA Cup, and Mancini is hoping those experiences can help his players this weekend.
"We have improved a lot in the last year but we have to continue to work," he said.
"I think that if we leave Old Trafford with a point that is good for us but that's not our mentality and it's the same for United.
"Any time City or United play, they want to win every game. It's very important because derbies usually are different from other games, but in this case it will be very different because the first time after a long time we can go there on top."
Two points separate the sides in the table so a win for United would allow them to leapfrog their local rivals, but Ferguson has been unwilling to overplay the importance of the fixture.
"This game could be significant at the end of the season," he conceded. "It is a six-pointer and it will make a difference to whichever team wins it.
"But it is early doors and you can recover.
"City have done fantastically well and if they had not thrown a two-goal lead away at Fulham they would have been top of the league with a 100% record."
City hand Carlos Tevez reduced charge
Tevez has not played for City since they beat Birmingham on 21 September A Manchester City investigation has failed to prove the claim of manager Roberto Mancini that Carlos Tevez refused to come on as a substitute against Bayern Munich.
Instead the Argentine striker attended a disciplinary hearing on Friday over a reduced charge of refusing to warm up.
The 27-year-old also faced a number of other charges and City are expected to make an announcement early next week.
Tevez, set to exit the club in January, will appeal against any punishment.
A senior City figure who was not part of the initial investigation chaired the hearing.
Tevez was able to request that club captain Vincent Kompany or a member of the Professional Footballers' Association be present.
He can now take his case to the City board - with that hearing likely to involve a representative of the club's Abu Dhabi-based owners.
If he is again unsuccessful, the Argentine would be able to appeal to the Premier League - and he could contest that ruling as well - meaning the dispute may not be settled until mid-December.
Both camps accept it would then be best if Tevez moved on during the January transfer window, although no talks have taken place with potential suitors.
Mancini said after the Champions League defeat in Germany that Tevez was "finished" at City.
The player denied refusing to play, blaming a "misunderstanding" and his adviser Kia Joorabchian insisted a post-match interview in which Tevez said "I didn't feel right to play so I didn't" was mistranslated.
Tevez was signed by then City manager Mark Hughes in the summer of 2009 and has since scored 53 goals in 91 appearances.
In May, he captained the club to FA Cup triumph, with a 1-0 victory over Stoke in the final at Wembley, City's first major trophy in 35 years.
However, he has also twice asked for a transfer away from Eastlands and looked set to get his wish before a proposed £40m move to Brazilian side Corinthians fell through.
He has made five appearances for City this season, but only two starts, and is yet to score.
For the latest updates and reaction to this story, read Sportsday Live. Have your say on Twitter via the hashtag #bbcsportsday.
Carlos Tevez charged with refusing to warm up at Manchester City hearing
Carlos Tévez was on Friday charged with failing to warm up against Bayern Munich. The charge, made by Manchester City at a disciplinary hearing, follows the failure of the club, after an investigation, to prove a more serious allegation that Tévez refused to come on as a substitute in the Champions League match. Telegraph - more : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... aring.html
SAMIR NASRI IN IT JUST FOR THE MONEY, SAYS BRYAN ROBSON
Bryan Robson never lost a derby in his 14 years at Manchester United
BRYAN ROBSON has accused Manchester United summer target Samir Nasri of joining their rivals just for the money. Express - more : http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/278 ... yan-Robson
PETER REID BACKS ‘RUTHLESS’ ROBERTO MANCINI
Peter Reid says Manchester City are the real deal
PETER REID believes that Manchester City now have a manager every bit as driven and ruthless as Sir Alex Ferguson.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/278 ... to-Mancini
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: WEMBLEY WIN WAS TURNING POINT FOR MANCHESTER CITY
ALEX FERGUSON fears Manchester City hit the jackpot when they beat Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup semi-final.
Fergie reckons the 1-0 triumph at Wembley was a watershed for Roberto Mancini’s side.
The Blues went on to win the Cup and claim their first silver- ware for almost four decades.
The landmark moment has seen City go on to secure Champions League qualification and even claim top spot above United in the Premier League this season.
But despite Fergie likening the win for Mancini’s men to a £100m lottery haul, he’s determined to make sure United continue to win the prizes that count.
Fergie said: “It was a turning point because they went on to win the Cup.
It was the first time they had won something for 35 years and that is a turning point.
“We all reach points in life and say, ‘This is a different life now’, whether it is a job or winning the lottery.
“Look at that couple who won the 110million Euro lottery. Do you not think that was a turning pointin their lives? We all have points in our lives when it happens.
“We never expect anybody to go away, but what we try to do is make sure we are better.
“The important thing is WE don’t go away.
“It doesn’t matter where the challenges come from in this league, you know that every year you are going to have to beat someone.”
The bitter rivals and neighbours are bracing themselves for a lunchtime showdown at Old Trafford tomorrow that promises to have a huge bearing on the outcome of the title.
Despite the furore surrounding Carlos Tevez, Mancini has man- aged to guide the Blues to the top of the table following seven wins and a draw.
Last week’s thrashing of Aston Villa was enough to relegate United into second place and Fergie insists Mancini deserves huge praise for the job he is doing in difficult circumstances at the Etihad Stadium.
Fergie said: “Roberto has done great. He has shown his mettledealing with a lot of situations in recent times. He has done fantastically well.
“Forget Carlos Tevez played for us, it has nothing to do with Carlos Tevez – it is about the decision-making of a manager, his handling of situations.
“I find it quite amazing that he has not had enough praise for that. I don’t think he has had enough praise at all.
“In fact, I have seen very little praise for him on the subject. It all centred around what they were going to do. But he acted, he did his job. I think he has done it well.
“It is nothing to do with Car- los Tevez. I am talking about Mancini and his approach to a difficult situation, which he has handled really well.”
Former United star Tevez has been frozen out by Mancini in the wake of his alleged refusal to play against Bayern Munich in Germany earlier this month.
It has led to a stand-off between both parties, but Fergie has leapt to the defence of Mancini and insists players’ agents can be to blame for making the job of managers so difficult.
He added: “Management today is complex in terms of the type of player we have to deal with. A lot of players today are dominated by their agent. You get agents who buy their groceries, do their travel, polish their boots!
“That is the kind of human being you are having to deal with these days with some agents.
“Other agents are quite responsible and allow the players to have their own responsibilities and do things themselves, like buy their house, buy their car and do their banking.
“But others dominate their lives. That situation for a manager is not easy. Any manager coming into the game today, it is not an easy job.
“It is different from when I started. It is much more complex and more difficult to deal with.” Star
Mark Hughes: Manchester Man
Mark Hughes tells Sam Wallace about 'autocratic' Mancini, his fury at being sacked by City, his relationship with Alex Ferguson and laughing at that Welcome to Manchester poster
'Whether or not the City players will love Mancini when he leaves, I would think probably not,' says Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes tells a funny story about the one occasion he met Sheikh Mansour, the Abu Dhabi royal who has bankrolled Manchester City to the tune of £1bn and done more than anyone to make tomorrow's derby against Manchester United the game of the season so far.
It was in November 2009, when the club were on a break in Abu Dhabi and Hughes, then the City manager, was invited to tea with Mansour. With then City chief executive Garry Cook and chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak, Hughes sat in the grounds of Mansour's palace watching a parade of thoroughbred racehorses. Hughes put what he thinks was an olive in his mouth when suddenly the sheikh arrived.
"I'm chewing it, when the tea is served and Sheikh Mansour arrives," Hughes says. "But I've still got this stone in my mouth and I can't spit it out because I think it will be rude, but for the whole time I'm with him it's there. For about an hour. He must have thought I had some kind of speech problem."
He can laugh about it now but it was an incredible time, as the oil money allowed City to buy famous footballers as easily as Arab racehorses and there are many more stories. This Hughes interview is the first he has given since he exercised the break clause in his contract with Fulham on 1 June. As a manager, he could be skilfully elusive when it came to addressing controversial issues but this time he is keen to talk.
Hughes opens up on how it felt to know he had been sacked by City before they told him officially; on the "Welcome to Manchester" poster; on his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson and how, as a former United great, he feels about his old club. He starts with Roberto Mancini, the man who took his seat in the City manager's office, and who takes the club to Old Trafford tomorrow as the Premier League leaders. There is no love lost.
"I don't know the guy personally but looking at him from the outside he comes across as autocratic," Hughes says. "It's either his way or the highway. I'm not sure he indulges players, tries to get to know players or understand players. I'm not sure he's that type of manager. He looks very focused and very driven in terms of what he gets from his players. But whether or not they will all love him when he leaves, I would think probably not. He never can put his arm around a player. He's not that kind of manager. He's got good players. But only time will tell if the potential of the group he has is realised.
"I think it is more difficult [to be like that] in the modern age with the modern footballers. To be an absolute autocrat, and not be flexible in terms of how it's going to be done and not understand that your decisions can impact on players, because they do."
Hughes had been appointed by the previous City owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, and believes that ultimately counted against him, as it does so many managers whom new owners inherit. Ask Hughes what went wrong and he says it was the "structure". He says he "compromised" himself as he tried to "buy into" the City approach. "There were certain things I wasn't comfortable with and I allowed to happen under my watch," he says. Asked to be more specific, he replies: "It was really Brian Marwood's role." The club's "football administration officer" was appointed in March 2009 to oversee the spending of City's considerable transfer budget.
Hughes says: "The way it was sold to me was that I was still in charge of football things. I was shown all sorts of charts and everything and thought 'What the hell's all this?' I had an understanding of business roles and what needs to be done and business models. But sometimes, really, it's about your relationships with people and that's the strength of your football club.
"Bringing in all these business people and consultants to tell people in the club what to do and how to structure their club wasn't right. The close relationships I had at Blackburn were a strength and I wasn't able to establish them [at City]. There were layers of management, which really frustrates me. But it was my own fault because I allowed it to happen.
"It's difficult but I wanted the club to succeed and you could see that the train was going in the right direction. They did things that maybe they regretted and possibly would have done differently with hindsight. It was a situation we all found ourselves in. There was so much happening and overnight we went from a team that had never been higher than eighth in the Premier League to being one that should win every week. That was different."
Hughes was sacked by City hours after they beat Sunderland 4-3 on 19 December 2009, with the club sixth in the Premier League but having drawn eight of their previous 10 games. That day Hughes, and the rest of the world, knew he was finished before the game. Already in the league that season his team had beaten Arsenal and Chelsea but his fate, Hughes believes, had been sealed long before his final day.
"It was results-driven. I was on a bad run. We hadn't been beaten [only two defeats] but hadn't won enough games. We drew too many games. Apparently I was sacked four or five games before I actually went. We beat Arsenal [in the Carling Cup on 2 December], we beat Chelsea [League, 5 December] and that postponed that [the sacking].
Hughes adds: "Aparently he [Khaldoon] flew in on the Wednesday after Hull [1-1 on 28 November] and I was to be sacked after the Hull game. Really, that's when the decision was made. We were playing that Wednesday so maybe the assumption was we were going to get beat. As it was we won 3-0 [against Arsenal in the Carling Cup].
"I got an inkling because people weren't around. People were going away on trips. It was 'Where is everybody?' With hindsight, I am asking 'What happened there?' and 'Where's the press officer?' She wasn't around. You were left asking 'What's going on?' On the day of the Sunderland game, people were phoning up and saying 'You getting sacked after the game?' Players were seeing that as well and it was very difficult."
Looking back, does he wonder why he took the team that day with the Saturday newspapers announcing his fate had been sealed? "That's what I'm talking about in terms of compromising myself. I knew it was hanging by a thread and the players did too."
His time at City meant that Hughes was pitched into the rows between his club and his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson. It would be wrong to pigeonhole Hughes as a Ferguson acolyte, and that goes back to before his days at City when he was Blackburn manager. He has never been as close to his former manager as, for example, Alex McLeish.
Ask Hughes which club had the most profound affect on his thinking as a manager and he is as likely to say Bayern Munich where he was on loan after his ill-fated move to Barcelona. But he admits that United was a huge part of his life. "I was at United from 14 to 31 with a gap of two years so I had been with United longer than I'd been with my mum when I left. But in terms of my emotion at the time, what I went through at City, there are a lot of good people there who I had the pleasure of working with at all levels. I had a great relationship with some of the players. Vincent Kompany, Nigel de Jong. Top guys, in terms of their presence and impact. Don't think I let my history with United cloud my judgement when it came to doing the job. You ask Fergie. Whenever he went up against one of my teams, at City or Blackburn, it would have been one of the hardest games he had that season. They were the best and I wanted to beat them."
And the poster that greeted Carlos Tevez's arrival at City under Hughes? "It was quite funny. I could see the reaction it would get. I was shown it before it went out and I chuckled because I knew it would get a reaction." It is put to Hughes that there is no point being deferential to Ferguson, anyway. "Yeah, as soon as he sees you as a threat your relationship with him changes," he says. "In the room after the game he's great if he's won but he's a little bit different if he's been beaten. It will be the ref's fault or the fault of one of the players."
So what of tomorrow's game? City have beaten United before – although Hughes lost all three Manchester derbies for which he was City manager – but rarely have they gone into a game in the modern era with such equality. "In the Champions League, I don't think City can get to where they want to be either this season or even next," Hughes says. "You have to build that knowledge. United improved year on year and you only develop like that from playing in the competition.
"But in terms of the Premier League it can happen much more quickly. They have players who understand the Premier League. They have players like Kompany and De Jong who have been there for a few seasons. They understand what's required.
"Whether or not the group as a whole work as diligently and with the same mantra United have, I'd maybe suggest not. Every United player understands what United is about. The players understand it is a privilege to play for United. They show the club that deference. I'm not sure the group of players at City understand that. A lot of people have come together very quickly. At United there has been continuity, with the manager, with the success they have had. It gives them a different dynamic."
For someone who disguises his emotions well it is interesting to hear Hughes say that at the time he was "devastated" to lose the job at City. "I had all the pain and other people are getting all the gain now," he adds, but there is no bitterness. Hughes will watch with interest tomorrow knowing he has played a unique part in both clubs' history, but that his own future lies elsewhere. Independent
Manchester City have won the race to sign Norwegian teenager Bersant Celina. Liverpool and Blackburn were also interested in the 15-year-old forward. Mail
[spoiler]Larissa Riquelme, Paraguay's No.1 fan – for obvious reasons.
[/spoiler]
OTHER BOLLOX
Portsmouth want former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their new manager. The 38-year-old has taken Molde to the top of the Norwegian Premier League. the Sun
Tottenham are said to be keeping a close eye on Barcelona defenders Marc Bartra and Martin Montoya. Daily Mail
Spurs are also believed to be tracking Poland Under-21 and Brescia midfielder Bartosz Salamon. Inside Futbol
Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers wants to take Chelsea midfielder Josh McEachran on loan to the Liberty Stadium. Daily Mirror
Chelsea are preparing a £17m offer for Napoli wide man Christian Maggio when the transfer window reopens in January. Footie-online
Hopes of Lille midfielder Eden Hazard joining Real Madrid are diminishing, with Inter Milan now emerging as rivals to Jose Mourinho and Premier League clubs Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City. talkSHIT
Manchester United are believed to be tracking Athletic Bilbao attacking midfielder Iker Muniain. Footybunker
Manchester United striker Mame Biram Diouf, 23, is wanted on loan by Championship side Cardiff. Daily Mirror
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is considering making an offer for Newcastle United centre-back Fabricio Coloccini as he looks to improve his central defensive options. Caught offside
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is expected to make himself available for the Great Britain Olympic squad, risking the wrath of his club manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Daily Mail
Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy is hoping to capture the eye of England manager Fabio Capello when the Canaries take on Liverpool. Daily Mirror
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has backed Andrey Arshavin to regain his best form and is adamant he still has a big future at the Emirates. talkSHIT
Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini says he will never cut his trademark long, curly locks. Daily Mirror
While Newcastle team-mate Demba Ba has revealed that taking up darts has helped the striker score goals at Newcastle. the Sun
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has said he considers Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson a "teacher" as he prepares for Sunday's derby match.
The top two in the Premier League face each other at Old Trafford, with Mancini seeking a first league victory over Ferguson's side.
"I can say thank you to him because I have big respect for him - he won everything for 25 years," Mancini said.
"He is a teacher and I learn from him."
The Italian believes all aspiring managers should look up to Ferguson.
"He wants to continue to win and that's important for me and all young managers," Mancini added.
Sunday's derby will not provide a definitive answer, but may deliver a measure of how near Manchester is to any sort of shift in the balance of power
"He's 69, and after 69 years he is there every day concentrating and I think it's difficult at that age to have the same strength every day, want to win every game, want to work every day - it's not easy after 50 years because he started very young.
Since taking charge of City in December 2009, Mancini's side have failed to beat United in the Premier League but have secured wins in the Carling Cup and FA Cup, and Mancini is hoping those experiences can help his players this weekend.
"We have improved a lot in the last year but we have to continue to work," he said.
"I think that if we leave Old Trafford with a point that is good for us but that's not our mentality and it's the same for United.
"Any time City or United play, they want to win every game. It's very important because derbies usually are different from other games, but in this case it will be very different because the first time after a long time we can go there on top."
Two points separate the sides in the table so a win for United would allow them to leapfrog their local rivals, but Ferguson has been unwilling to overplay the importance of the fixture.
"This game could be significant at the end of the season," he conceded. "It is a six-pointer and it will make a difference to whichever team wins it.
"But it is early doors and you can recover.
"City have done fantastically well and if they had not thrown a two-goal lead away at Fulham they would have been top of the league with a 100% record."
City hand Carlos Tevez reduced charge
Tevez has not played for City since they beat Birmingham on 21 September A Manchester City investigation has failed to prove the claim of manager Roberto Mancini that Carlos Tevez refused to come on as a substitute against Bayern Munich.
Instead the Argentine striker attended a disciplinary hearing on Friday over a reduced charge of refusing to warm up.
The 27-year-old also faced a number of other charges and City are expected to make an announcement early next week.
Tevez, set to exit the club in January, will appeal against any punishment.
A senior City figure who was not part of the initial investigation chaired the hearing.
Tevez was able to request that club captain Vincent Kompany or a member of the Professional Footballers' Association be present.
He can now take his case to the City board - with that hearing likely to involve a representative of the club's Abu Dhabi-based owners.
If he is again unsuccessful, the Argentine would be able to appeal to the Premier League - and he could contest that ruling as well - meaning the dispute may not be settled until mid-December.
Both camps accept it would then be best if Tevez moved on during the January transfer window, although no talks have taken place with potential suitors.
Mancini said after the Champions League defeat in Germany that Tevez was "finished" at City.
The player denied refusing to play, blaming a "misunderstanding" and his adviser Kia Joorabchian insisted a post-match interview in which Tevez said "I didn't feel right to play so I didn't" was mistranslated.
Tevez was signed by then City manager Mark Hughes in the summer of 2009 and has since scored 53 goals in 91 appearances.
In May, he captained the club to FA Cup triumph, with a 1-0 victory over Stoke in the final at Wembley, City's first major trophy in 35 years.
However, he has also twice asked for a transfer away from Eastlands and looked set to get his wish before a proposed £40m move to Brazilian side Corinthians fell through.
He has made five appearances for City this season, but only two starts, and is yet to score.
For the latest updates and reaction to this story, read Sportsday Live. Have your say on Twitter via the hashtag #bbcsportsday.
Carlos Tevez charged with refusing to warm up at Manchester City hearing
Carlos Tévez was on Friday charged with failing to warm up against Bayern Munich. The charge, made by Manchester City at a disciplinary hearing, follows the failure of the club, after an investigation, to prove a more serious allegation that Tévez refused to come on as a substitute in the Champions League match. Telegraph - more : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... aring.html
SAMIR NASRI IN IT JUST FOR THE MONEY, SAYS BRYAN ROBSON
Bryan Robson never lost a derby in his 14 years at Manchester United
BRYAN ROBSON has accused Manchester United summer target Samir Nasri of joining their rivals just for the money. Express - more : http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/278 ... yan-Robson
PETER REID BACKS ‘RUTHLESS’ ROBERTO MANCINI
Peter Reid says Manchester City are the real deal
PETER REID believes that Manchester City now have a manager every bit as driven and ruthless as Sir Alex Ferguson.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/278 ... to-Mancini
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: WEMBLEY WIN WAS TURNING POINT FOR MANCHESTER CITY
ALEX FERGUSON fears Manchester City hit the jackpot when they beat Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup semi-final.
Fergie reckons the 1-0 triumph at Wembley was a watershed for Roberto Mancini’s side.
The Blues went on to win the Cup and claim their first silver- ware for almost four decades.
The landmark moment has seen City go on to secure Champions League qualification and even claim top spot above United in the Premier League this season.
But despite Fergie likening the win for Mancini’s men to a £100m lottery haul, he’s determined to make sure United continue to win the prizes that count.
Fergie said: “It was a turning point because they went on to win the Cup.
It was the first time they had won something for 35 years and that is a turning point.
“We all reach points in life and say, ‘This is a different life now’, whether it is a job or winning the lottery.
“Look at that couple who won the 110million Euro lottery. Do you not think that was a turning pointin their lives? We all have points in our lives when it happens.
“We never expect anybody to go away, but what we try to do is make sure we are better.
“The important thing is WE don’t go away.
“It doesn’t matter where the challenges come from in this league, you know that every year you are going to have to beat someone.”
The bitter rivals and neighbours are bracing themselves for a lunchtime showdown at Old Trafford tomorrow that promises to have a huge bearing on the outcome of the title.
Despite the furore surrounding Carlos Tevez, Mancini has man- aged to guide the Blues to the top of the table following seven wins and a draw.
Last week’s thrashing of Aston Villa was enough to relegate United into second place and Fergie insists Mancini deserves huge praise for the job he is doing in difficult circumstances at the Etihad Stadium.
Fergie said: “Roberto has done great. He has shown his mettledealing with a lot of situations in recent times. He has done fantastically well.
“Forget Carlos Tevez played for us, it has nothing to do with Carlos Tevez – it is about the decision-making of a manager, his handling of situations.
“I find it quite amazing that he has not had enough praise for that. I don’t think he has had enough praise at all.
“In fact, I have seen very little praise for him on the subject. It all centred around what they were going to do. But he acted, he did his job. I think he has done it well.
“It is nothing to do with Car- los Tevez. I am talking about Mancini and his approach to a difficult situation, which he has handled really well.”
Former United star Tevez has been frozen out by Mancini in the wake of his alleged refusal to play against Bayern Munich in Germany earlier this month.
It has led to a stand-off between both parties, but Fergie has leapt to the defence of Mancini and insists players’ agents can be to blame for making the job of managers so difficult.
He added: “Management today is complex in terms of the type of player we have to deal with. A lot of players today are dominated by their agent. You get agents who buy their groceries, do their travel, polish their boots!
“That is the kind of human being you are having to deal with these days with some agents.
“Other agents are quite responsible and allow the players to have their own responsibilities and do things themselves, like buy their house, buy their car and do their banking.
“But others dominate their lives. That situation for a manager is not easy. Any manager coming into the game today, it is not an easy job.
“It is different from when I started. It is much more complex and more difficult to deal with.” Star
Mark Hughes: Manchester Man
Mark Hughes tells Sam Wallace about 'autocratic' Mancini, his fury at being sacked by City, his relationship with Alex Ferguson and laughing at that Welcome to Manchester poster
'Whether or not the City players will love Mancini when he leaves, I would think probably not,' says Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes tells a funny story about the one occasion he met Sheikh Mansour, the Abu Dhabi royal who has bankrolled Manchester City to the tune of £1bn and done more than anyone to make tomorrow's derby against Manchester United the game of the season so far.
It was in November 2009, when the club were on a break in Abu Dhabi and Hughes, then the City manager, was invited to tea with Mansour. With then City chief executive Garry Cook and chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak, Hughes sat in the grounds of Mansour's palace watching a parade of thoroughbred racehorses. Hughes put what he thinks was an olive in his mouth when suddenly the sheikh arrived.
"I'm chewing it, when the tea is served and Sheikh Mansour arrives," Hughes says. "But I've still got this stone in my mouth and I can't spit it out because I think it will be rude, but for the whole time I'm with him it's there. For about an hour. He must have thought I had some kind of speech problem."
He can laugh about it now but it was an incredible time, as the oil money allowed City to buy famous footballers as easily as Arab racehorses and there are many more stories. This Hughes interview is the first he has given since he exercised the break clause in his contract with Fulham on 1 June. As a manager, he could be skilfully elusive when it came to addressing controversial issues but this time he is keen to talk.
Hughes opens up on how it felt to know he had been sacked by City before they told him officially; on the "Welcome to Manchester" poster; on his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson and how, as a former United great, he feels about his old club. He starts with Roberto Mancini, the man who took his seat in the City manager's office, and who takes the club to Old Trafford tomorrow as the Premier League leaders. There is no love lost.
"I don't know the guy personally but looking at him from the outside he comes across as autocratic," Hughes says. "It's either his way or the highway. I'm not sure he indulges players, tries to get to know players or understand players. I'm not sure he's that type of manager. He looks very focused and very driven in terms of what he gets from his players. But whether or not they will all love him when he leaves, I would think probably not. He never can put his arm around a player. He's not that kind of manager. He's got good players. But only time will tell if the potential of the group he has is realised.
"I think it is more difficult [to be like that] in the modern age with the modern footballers. To be an absolute autocrat, and not be flexible in terms of how it's going to be done and not understand that your decisions can impact on players, because they do."
Hughes had been appointed by the previous City owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, and believes that ultimately counted against him, as it does so many managers whom new owners inherit. Ask Hughes what went wrong and he says it was the "structure". He says he "compromised" himself as he tried to "buy into" the City approach. "There were certain things I wasn't comfortable with and I allowed to happen under my watch," he says. Asked to be more specific, he replies: "It was really Brian Marwood's role." The club's "football administration officer" was appointed in March 2009 to oversee the spending of City's considerable transfer budget.
Hughes says: "The way it was sold to me was that I was still in charge of football things. I was shown all sorts of charts and everything and thought 'What the hell's all this?' I had an understanding of business roles and what needs to be done and business models. But sometimes, really, it's about your relationships with people and that's the strength of your football club.
"Bringing in all these business people and consultants to tell people in the club what to do and how to structure their club wasn't right. The close relationships I had at Blackburn were a strength and I wasn't able to establish them [at City]. There were layers of management, which really frustrates me. But it was my own fault because I allowed it to happen.
"It's difficult but I wanted the club to succeed and you could see that the train was going in the right direction. They did things that maybe they regretted and possibly would have done differently with hindsight. It was a situation we all found ourselves in. There was so much happening and overnight we went from a team that had never been higher than eighth in the Premier League to being one that should win every week. That was different."
Hughes was sacked by City hours after they beat Sunderland 4-3 on 19 December 2009, with the club sixth in the Premier League but having drawn eight of their previous 10 games. That day Hughes, and the rest of the world, knew he was finished before the game. Already in the league that season his team had beaten Arsenal and Chelsea but his fate, Hughes believes, had been sealed long before his final day.
"It was results-driven. I was on a bad run. We hadn't been beaten [only two defeats] but hadn't won enough games. We drew too many games. Apparently I was sacked four or five games before I actually went. We beat Arsenal [in the Carling Cup on 2 December], we beat Chelsea [League, 5 December] and that postponed that [the sacking].
Hughes adds: "Aparently he [Khaldoon] flew in on the Wednesday after Hull [1-1 on 28 November] and I was to be sacked after the Hull game. Really, that's when the decision was made. We were playing that Wednesday so maybe the assumption was we were going to get beat. As it was we won 3-0 [against Arsenal in the Carling Cup].
"I got an inkling because people weren't around. People were going away on trips. It was 'Where is everybody?' With hindsight, I am asking 'What happened there?' and 'Where's the press officer?' She wasn't around. You were left asking 'What's going on?' On the day of the Sunderland game, people were phoning up and saying 'You getting sacked after the game?' Players were seeing that as well and it was very difficult."
Looking back, does he wonder why he took the team that day with the Saturday newspapers announcing his fate had been sealed? "That's what I'm talking about in terms of compromising myself. I knew it was hanging by a thread and the players did too."
His time at City meant that Hughes was pitched into the rows between his club and his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson. It would be wrong to pigeonhole Hughes as a Ferguson acolyte, and that goes back to before his days at City when he was Blackburn manager. He has never been as close to his former manager as, for example, Alex McLeish.
Ask Hughes which club had the most profound affect on his thinking as a manager and he is as likely to say Bayern Munich where he was on loan after his ill-fated move to Barcelona. But he admits that United was a huge part of his life. "I was at United from 14 to 31 with a gap of two years so I had been with United longer than I'd been with my mum when I left. But in terms of my emotion at the time, what I went through at City, there are a lot of good people there who I had the pleasure of working with at all levels. I had a great relationship with some of the players. Vincent Kompany, Nigel de Jong. Top guys, in terms of their presence and impact. Don't think I let my history with United cloud my judgement when it came to doing the job. You ask Fergie. Whenever he went up against one of my teams, at City or Blackburn, it would have been one of the hardest games he had that season. They were the best and I wanted to beat them."
And the poster that greeted Carlos Tevez's arrival at City under Hughes? "It was quite funny. I could see the reaction it would get. I was shown it before it went out and I chuckled because I knew it would get a reaction." It is put to Hughes that there is no point being deferential to Ferguson, anyway. "Yeah, as soon as he sees you as a threat your relationship with him changes," he says. "In the room after the game he's great if he's won but he's a little bit different if he's been beaten. It will be the ref's fault or the fault of one of the players."
So what of tomorrow's game? City have beaten United before – although Hughes lost all three Manchester derbies for which he was City manager – but rarely have they gone into a game in the modern era with such equality. "In the Champions League, I don't think City can get to where they want to be either this season or even next," Hughes says. "You have to build that knowledge. United improved year on year and you only develop like that from playing in the competition.
"But in terms of the Premier League it can happen much more quickly. They have players who understand the Premier League. They have players like Kompany and De Jong who have been there for a few seasons. They understand what's required.
"Whether or not the group as a whole work as diligently and with the same mantra United have, I'd maybe suggest not. Every United player understands what United is about. The players understand it is a privilege to play for United. They show the club that deference. I'm not sure the group of players at City understand that. A lot of people have come together very quickly. At United there has been continuity, with the manager, with the success they have had. It gives them a different dynamic."
For someone who disguises his emotions well it is interesting to hear Hughes say that at the time he was "devastated" to lose the job at City. "I had all the pain and other people are getting all the gain now," he adds, but there is no bitterness. Hughes will watch with interest tomorrow knowing he has played a unique part in both clubs' history, but that his own future lies elsewhere. Independent
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