MARK HUGHES THREAD (all hughes opinions in here please)

[bobadji]

Hughes has had 50 PL games in charge now, how far, if at all, does everyone think he/the team has improved?

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Hughes has had 50 PL games in charge now, how far, if at all, does everyone think he/the team has improved?

well we've got much better players now so in that sense we've moved forward but tactically there has been very little movement forward overall. If you think that our best game under Hughes, Portsmouth demolition, was over an year ago and so far we haven't had single run of steady performances, it's bit worrying.

[Fidel Castro]

Hughes has had 50 PL games in charge now, how far, if at all, does everyone think he/the team has improved?

well we've got much better players now so in that sense we've moved forward but tactically there has been very little movement forward overall. If you think that our best game under Hughes, Portsmouth demolition, was over an year ago and so far we haven't had single run of steady performances, it's bit worrying.

We started this season with a run of steady performances. Still not playing anywhere near to full potential though, except the Pompey, Arse and Hamburg (home) games last season and Arse this season.

[Vhero]

I just thought I would come in to express my opinion.

[razor400]

Hughes has had 50 PL games in charge now, how far, if at all, does everyone think he/the team has improved?

well we've got much better players now so in that sense we've moved forward but tactically there has been very little movement forward overall. If you think that our best game under Hughes, Portsmouth demolition, was over an year ago and so far we haven't had single run of steady performances, it's bit worrying.

Thats coz we're turning into an expensive Blackburn, all work and no flair. Where have all the little backheels gone?

[Original Dub]

Hughes has had 50 PL games in charge now, how far, if at all, does everyone think he/the team has improved?

well we've got much better players now so in that sense we've moved forward but tactically there has been very little movement forward overall. If you think that our best game under Hughes, Portsmouth demolition, was over an year ago and so far we haven't had single run of steady performances, it's bit worrying.

Thats coz we're turning into an expensive Blackburn, all work and no flair. Where have all the little backheels gone?

I disagree mate, I think our one touch passing in the second half yesterday (mostly aided by Tevez) was very impressive, especially leading up our second goal.

There are times when we are hoofing the ball and I'm screaming at the tv just as much as the next lad... but it happens at certain points in most close matches (even in the top four) and its not like we constantly score goals from long balls.

For you to say we have NO FLAIR is madness mate. We have plenty of flair IMO. Its just sometimes, we try flair at the back and workrate up front....

The right balance is only around the corner, I've seen enough to tell me that.

[Wonderwall]

I am sure the flair will come when we are well on top and winning, I am also sure that you would not want to see little flicks and step overs when we are losing and need to work the ball a lot more than doing the fancy dan stuff.

[razor400]

I am sure the flair will come when we are well on top and winning, I am also sure that you would not want to see little flicks and step overs when we are losing and need to work the ball a lot more than doing the fancy dan stuff.

Maybe a bit of arrogance when attacking would see us with a few more points, rather than sitting back and allowing the opposition to push on. I suppose it goes back to that magical word 'BALANCE'

[Mr Miyagi]

Im no expert on body language

Great opening to your argument...

but looking at the manager at anfield I would hazard a totally uneducated guess that the manager knows hes on his way.

In other words you have no idea what you are talking about. Quality.

[Mr Miyagi]

I've come to the conclusion that Hughes will be our equivalent of Ranieri at Chelsea. i.e. reshape the team, set things up, but not able to take us to the very top. Someone else will come in and build on what Hughes started. In another 3 years we will have a world class manager and we will look back on the Hughes era as a staging post on the way to success.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

I've come to the conclusion that Hughes will be our equivalent of Ranieri at Chelsea. i.e. reshape the team, set things up, but not able to take us to the very top. Someone else will come in and build on what Hughes started. In another 3 years we will have a world class manager and we will look back on the Hughes era as a staging post on the way to success.

I think you are pretty much spot on. Can't really argue with most of Hughes' purchases (Well I'm not impressed with Santa Cruz but overall) however I still think he lacks that little bit of what is needed from really top manager. Looking at our squad, I can't help but to think what some other managers could do with them.

[ant london]

I've come to the conclusion that Hughes will be our equivalent of Ranieri at Chelsea. i.e. reshape the team, set things up, but not able to take us to the very top. Someone else will come in and build on what Hughes started. In another 3 years we will have a world class manager and we will look back on the Hughes era as a staging post on the way to success.

I think you are pretty much spot on. Can't really argue with most of Hughes' purchases (Well I'm not impressed with Santa Cruz but overall) however I still think he lacks that little bit of what is needed from really top manager. Looking at our squad, I can't help but to think what some other managers could do with them.

You both may very well be right. I think this season will tell us everything we need to know about being able to judge just to what degree MH has "it".

If we didn't get top 4 this season I would be a little disappointed but not devastated and the plus side would be, as you both rightly say, we have massively strengthened the squad and set-up in place at City.

Personally, if we came 5th I would likely be minded to give MH and team another season to try to push on. BUT I would stand fully by the owners and board if they decided that they had not seen enough managerial magic in getting to 5th to justify keeping faith and opted to change personnel at the top.

If that were to happen I would be amazed if any incoming manager would feel the need to tear everything up on the playing side and undertake major surgery on the squad. Therefore, any new guy would hopefully need to merely add the odd man of his own and tweak things to get us to the next level.

My jury is quite honestly out at the moment. I am satisfied with the start we have made but a little frustrated. But the degree of frustration is really quite marginal. If we had won two of the six drawn I would be actually happy. Even if we'd lost one of the six. So we really are talking about tiny margins.

I'm determined to enjoy the season though and am confident there will be plenty to enjoy. That's why I'd prefer to err on the Hughes In side until such a position becomes stark in it's ridiculousness

[simon12]

I've come to the conclusion that Hughes will be our equivalent of Ranieri at Chelsea. i.e. reshape the team, set things up, but not able to take us to the very top. Someone else will come in and build on what Hughes started. In another 3 years we will have a world class manager and we will look back on the Hughes era as a staging post on the way to success.

I think you are pretty much spot on. Can't really argue with most of Hughes' purchases (Well I'm not impressed with Santa Cruz but overall) however I still think he lacks that little bit of what is needed from really top manager. Looking at our squad, I can't help but to think what some other managers could do with them.

You both may very well be right. I think this season will tell us everything we need to know about being able to judge just to what degree MH has "it".

If we didn't get top 4 this season I would be a little disappointed but not devastated and the plus side would be, as you both rightly say, we have massively strengthened the squad and set-up in place at City.

Personally, if we came 5th I would likely be minded to give MH and team another season to try to push on. BUT I would stand fully by the owners and board if they decided that they had not seen enough managerial magic in getting to 5th to justify keeping faith and opted to change personnel at the top.

If that were to happen I would be amazed if any incoming manager would feel the need to tear everything up on the playing side and undertake major surgery on the squad. Therefore, any new guy would hopefully need to merely add the odd man of his own and tweak things to get us to the next level.

My jury is quite honestly out at the moment. I am satisfied with the start we have made but a little frustrated. But the degree of frustration is really quite marginal. If we had won two of the six drawn I would be actually happy. Even if we'd lost one of the six. So we really are talking about tiny margins.

I'm determined to enjoy the season though and am confident there will be plenty to enjoy. That's why I'd prefer to err on the Hughes In side until such a position becomes stark in it's ridiculousness

This is where I am at the moment. In the past it has been about survival for MH but now he has the tools he, like the squad are on a steep learning curve due to media pressure and a few wrist slashers on here and elsewhere because results are expected yesterday. The sky hasn`t fallen in for me YET.

[MaineRoadMemories]

I've come to the conclusion that Hughes will be our equivalent of Ranieri at Chelsea. i.e. reshape the team, set things up, but not able to take us to the very top. Someone else will come in and build on what Hughes started. In another 3 years we will have a world class manager and we will look back on the Hughes era as a staging post on the way to success.

This is what I said back in March on the old forum...

Its been done many times before but for your benefit this is the actual Chelsea model

1996 - Gullit manager - starts the ball rolling
1998 - Vialli - continues the development and wins a couple of tin pots
2000 - Ranieri - continues the development and then gets russian billions to play with
2004 - The "Special One" takes over and has 8 years worth of development and money been spent on the club to reach its final goal. He didn't turn it around in one season!

At this moment I'd say Hughes can be a Vialli and maybe deliver us a cup. In a couple of years we can then go for the top, top managers who only take the jobs that are already set up to win the leagues.

http://www.mancityfans.net/oldsite/view ... bb37763685

It's what I've thought about Hughes for a long time. I think he will deliver us some success but not ultimate success. I'm happy to enjoy the ride though :-)

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

I'm miffed about a couple of our efforts recently. The game at Brum was a truly dreadful waste of time and money. Throwing points and goals away against lesser opposition that hadn't come to attack us at home is frustrating. But I see not that much wrong with going to Anfield and grinding them down, before taking the game by the scruff of the neck to win. The equaliser whilst hardly being text book defending (It most deffo should have been cleared) owed a lot to bad fortune, as much as bad tactics. A mishit shot that took a defelction only to end up as a simple tap in for another player.
The season is set up okay at the mo. We are in a reasonable position in the league and have a home tie for a place in our first semi final for donkeys years.
I'm still alright with everything.

[ant london]

The equaliser whilst hardly being text book defending (It most deffo should have been cleared) owed a lot to bad fortune, as much as bad tactics. A mishit shot that took a defelction only to end up as a simple tap in for another player.

I almost made a similar point actually Piccs

Whilst our defenders haven't covered themselves in too much glory in the games where we have let leads slip (or just when we've conceded in general) I really do feel we've been unlucky on lots of occasions when it seems like the opposition has had every bobble or deflection go for them and we have conceded goals from attacks/efforts that ordinarily wouldn't have yielded as many.

Not saying every goal but we really don't seem to have been getting the rub of the green in many games.....that won't last forever and it's only a matter of time before we are on the receiving end of these benefits

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

Ant, all i could think of at the time, was how we worked hard to score a goal of craft and great beauty, only to get hit with scruffiest, jammiest bloody effort possible one minute later. Of course they all count the same and you don't get extra marks for style.

[john@staustell]

I think the Arsenal match next week will be an indicator.

We have reached QFs relatively regularly (going back to the Spuds horses on the pitch lark) but then completely and abjectly failed, often with home advantage, because the manager at the time couldn't do it in that situation and was outsmarted/out motivated. Although our players weren't the best, we often lost to teams equal to us at most.

So next Weds is a big test.

[gilford]

I'm not a lover of MH as I'm sure most of you are aware, but he cannot be held responsible for the lack of effort our players are putting in. Tevez and Lescott to name just 2 are playing terrible at the moment! I feel only Bellamy is really trying for us!

Until the new team is gelling then I cannot start another hate campaign, it is just not fair, so I will wait until the end of January to give my true opinion...........

[Original Dub]

I'm not a lover of MH as I'm sure most of you are aware, but he cannot be held responsible for the lack of effort our players are putting in. Tevez and Lescott to name just 2 are playing terrible at the moment! I feel only Bellamy is really trying for us!

Until the new team is gelling then I cannot start another hate campaign, it is just not fair, so I will wait until the end of January to give my true opinion...........

Your timing couldn't be worse mate, Tevez was exceptional against Liverpool and while I agree he hasn't got to where we know he can yet overall, he has scored 4 or five goals and has similar assists, so to tarnish him with the Lescott brush is a bit unfair IMO.

That said, I think Lescott could be settling...

*crosses fingers and toes*