Maybe Hughes is thinking.........
Mad Zab competes with De Jong for the DM slot (and is another backup for the RB slot)
Barry has LCM sewn up but Johnno needs to prove he can play better than him when fit
Richards is no longer automatic 1st team starter if we sign Johnson from Portsmouth, he needs to up his game to get that 1st team slot
Seems bloody sensible to me, no-one should be an automatic 1st team starter just because there isn't competition for that position. If we sign 1 or 2 top AMs (Kaka ???) even Robinho might end up having to work his balls off to prove he should have that 1st team place.
I've got no sympathy for any player whinging about another one coming in.
That's how it should be....