dave_blue12 said:
Prestwich_Blue said:
Always like to do a "meaty" post when I reach a milestone (this will be post 3,000) and this is something I feel strongly about.
While there may be relatively few fans that expected "instant" success there are some. Clearly expecting instant success, such as top 4 this season, is ridiculous. Quite a few more expect us to be doing better than we are and that's understandable but that belief is still based around the notion that "He's had loads of money to spend". Some don't like Hughes simply because of his history (forgetting Brian Kidd, Denis Law, Peter Schmeichel, etc.) These people truly deserve to be called numpties in my opinion.
I don't deny money is useful but it's quite possible to spend lots of it and not succeed, like Spurs and Newcastle have for many years. Both have occasionally done reasonably well but they haven't achieved consistent success. I suspect that's largely because they've never achieved stability, apart from at Newcastle when they had Robson for 5 years, which was one of their most successful spells in the last few years.
Unlike Mourinho at Chelsea, Hughes didn't come to a successful club that just needed a bit of tinkering. We did OK last season but that was on the back of a nine game winning home run in the early part. The second half of the season was relegation form plus people forget that there was turmoil behind the scenes (and I suspect that we don't know half of it). There was a real and distinct danger of a serious financial collapse less than nine months ago. Name me one manager that has come to a Premiership club and turned its fortunes around in a season. O'Neill is an exceptional manager but we will do better under Hughes this season than Villa did under him in his first season. And he had a long run where they didn't win that season.
So there was a rebuilding job to be done and very few of the players Sven bought have figured at all, let alone consistently. We've had 30 years of almost unbroken mismanagement and lack of investment and that can't just be brushed aside or corrected in one season. I thought at the beginning of the season that 6-8th place was the realistic target and we still should be capable of getting that. If it wasn't for our shocking away form then we would be doing much better. In fact our average away points haul since 2002/3 is 19 points; if we had been on target to achieve that then we'd probably still only be in 7th place.
So let's suppose that we do finish 7th or 8th this season but next season we finish 17th. I'm pretty certain that virtually everyone would be calling for Hughes' head and with some justification. But that's exactly what happened to Everton under Moyes, when we had our own little cup final with them on the last day of the season for 16th & 17th place. (We won 5-1 to get 16th). Yet the Everton board stuck with him, they sold Rooney, invested the proceeds in a bunch of new players and have gone on from there. Moyes was saying on Sunday that it takes time to build a team the way you want it and stability is the most important factor to the players. They also need time to settle in, particularly as we're often playing with seven or eight players who are new this season (and four only arrived in January).
I don't really know what goes on behind the scenes these days but I hear some sources (e.g. Ric) say that things have changed for the better under Hughes. There are other sources that say that some people would be delighted to see the back of him (seems to be some tension between Hughes' coaching team and the youth set up).
I judge on what I see on the pitch and I think that I've seen more good football at CoMS this season than I have for quite a while. I've seen some very good players come in to the squad, which is now looking much stronger than it ever did. I believe he should be given a reasonable amount of time (three seasons) and if our owners are happy to give him that time then that should be good enough for us.
This is a top post. I agree with every word and couldn't have written it better myself.
Some people on here and elsewhere need to chill out and enjoy the ride. If in 12 months time we're languishing in the bottom half and playing crap then start moaning. My goal for next season would be 5th or 6th place. Expecting to break into the top four next season is a big ask. For me top 4 is the target for the season after. I say this regardless of how much money we spend. Football is a team game and teams must be built and welded together. Buying a load of expensive players and shoving them together in the same team does not guarantee a successful side. If the Sheik is happy with Hughes then so am I.
Been waiting a lifetime for a great City side I can wait a while longer !
All of your points start with I, which is fair enough.
But, it's the owners' money, not yours, with which they attach a greater importance in terms of a return.
They have to be commended for showing patience during this season and the poor results, especially away from home.
But they are in this for the enjoyment, certainly not for any financial gain.
Hence, they are simply biding their time, will sack Hughes within two weeks of the end of the season and will appoint the person they have courted all along - Jose Mourinho.
Does anyone seriously think our owner got excited about sanctioning the purchase of Bellamy and such like?
They revealed their hand and ambitions somewhat by the Kaka attempt.
When a footballer sees his money and earnings go through the roof they stop driving the runaround Peugeot/Audi A3 etc etc.
They don't say to themselves I think I'll buy a BMW next, so I can get used to a more powerful car before I buy my dream motor of a Ferrari.
No, they say fook it, I have the money and I'll take it now.
Exactly what our owners are thinking.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. Just like the Sheikh, he is in it for the prestige for his homeland and the enjoyment, certainly not to pat themselves on the back how they can be perceived by outsiders as considerate custodians.
We need to enjoy this period while it lasts and that means not settling for second best, we've done that for most of our history.
