Looking back, how do you feel about Hughes now?

[Rincks]

I think the difference in the two managers is becoming more and more obvious now. I really wanted to give Hughes a chance, he's brought in the players we have now, but the main difference is Mancini's got them organised, individuals are being coached, everyone has a role, we are so much more tactically aware it's incredible.

I still think Hughes could have done something in the long run, but in the short term we could still be 6th/7th. The remark that Mancini has had an easy run is an obvious lazy comment. If you look at those kind of games under Hughes, we always made hard work of them, we were never able to break down teams that played a flat back ten. We could have easily lost/drawn the last four under Hughes. Not necessarily lastnight's, but Stoke & Wolves definitely. Under Mancini we are controlled and patient, we absorb the pressure, draw the opposition out and kill them off, perfect Italian tactics.

Hughes = Good
Mancini = Better

One other good thing about Mancini is unlike Hughes, it looks like he knows how to play Robinho with 2 strikers. I know he's barely played but lastnight he gave him more freedom than just the Petrov role and he looked close to when he first arrived and had a similar role but with 1 striker. We shall see though.

 

[Gelsons Dad]

Massively flawed personality (not a crime in itself, aren't we all?) that massively hinders his ability to be a good manager - that would be my impression based upon the bulk of evidence of his managerial career, especially here.

Always been full of excuses and an expert at deflecting blame onto someone else, not just here but elsewhere also.

Worst of all though, I find him, in his professional capacity as a football manager, to be snide. And that is something I find very hard to forgive in a City manager. That's not to say that he is like that as a person in his private life but that is a different matter. He might be a great bloke to know and a really decent fella. I'm not really bothered about that though. My concern is his managerial ability and I don't like someone who is snide to refs, lsnide to others associated with the club, less than honest in his appraisals and whose first and foremost priority is always to spin everything he addresses towards attempting to direct undeserved praise his way. Worst of all, someone who is snide towards his own players, their ability, honesty and professionalism is something I cannot forgive.

Again, that is not to forgive players who may have acted in the same way but there is a pattern with Hughes and even if there isn't I expect a lot higher standards and a much more considered and balanced approach regarding personnel dealings from a manager than from a player.

Apart from all that, don't rate what he achieved on the pitch here at all. Bought good players with an extraordinary amount of money. That is nothing to lavish significant praise upon. More tellingly, constantly produced under par results throughout the whole of his time here.

Always had an excuse - and that excuse, whether explicitly or, more often implicitly, layed the blame for it at the feet of someone else.

I have to say, from being completely neutral regarding him when appointed, I grew to resent his managerial (and I repeat, his managerial, not his private - that would be ridiculous) personality and the traits associated with it. Not based on a lack of ability, which there was imo, but on the way he conducted himself in relation to the above. And I've rarely felt like that about a manager - more often than not I have sympathy for buffoons who happen to be out of their depth.

I appreciate that many people thought he behaved in a very dignified manner here. So maybe I have it all wrong.

And there are many other managers who are flawed and exhibit some of the traits I consider very low and have mentioned above. I don't really care about them though, they are nothing to do with City. And I don't really accept the argument of "Fergie is a senile, disgusting, cheating, vile managerial personality so everyone else must be ok in comparison" excuse/argument.

I share your opinion JMA. A also thought he showed his true colours when he played to the camera after Wenger refused to shake his hand. I really don't understand the "dignified" label he has been given because I found him anything but.
Still he's gone now and I think it's time to end these threads. He divided the fans when he was here, we shouldn't let shim divide us now he's gone.

 

[City Raider]

Too early to judge Mancini really but signs are good. What does make me laugh though is all those who criticised Hughes tactics and now praise Mancini. But if it was Hughes playing Petrov on the right he'd be getting royally slagged.

Winning makes you bullet proof though and Mancini is nothing if not a winner. I'm really interested to see us in tougher games though, that spell Blackburn had in the second half tells me we're not quite there yet.

 

[mdmd]

Not sure, but when i find out how i feel, i wont post in the 3 billion threads about hughes.

Im gonna make a new thread, cause im that little bit special.

 

[quinny's disco pants]

HUGHES IS HISTORY
WHY KEEP GOING ON ABOUT HIM????

 

[TheMightyQuinn]

Actually I feel it's time for us to return to thinking of Hughes as the fat arsed curly haired whining cheating **** who played for the rags as opposed to the silver haired mumbling long ball merchant who once tried to manage City with a few of his inept mates.

Fuck him, he's history now, fuck him to fucking fuck he means nothing anymore.

Condense all his interviews into one and you're left with little more than - 'Well, City have always been shit, even with unlimited funds it's stupid to think they can ever be anything other than a mediocre English side, it'll take 5 transfer windows for me to transfer them from being bottom (in fact 8th under Sven) to the top 6, I mean they have no history and have always been shit, 3-3 draws with Burnley are great, we're on track, remember City have always been shit'.

End

 

[Cityfan]

Mixed bag for me.
I don't think premiership management is easy and is ultra competetive there are plenty who have tried and failed dismally.
Hughes kept a B/burn team with lower than average resources consistently in the top half, he is certainly not a managerial muppet as some would have.

Shortly after he arrived it appeared we were selling players behind his back and would have no budget for new ones. If this had not been stopped we could have been in freefall and a laughing stock, he appeared to put a stop to that. Would the takeover have happened in these circumstances? We dont know but it would not have helped. Personally whatever else happens I will be grateful to Hughes for that.

He bought players consistently well at Blackburn on a low budget, I think he has bought good players here on a high one, though it is to early to be sure with some. I think this is a harder trick than it looks there are plenty of examples of expensive failures bought by competent managers in the premier league and teams getting relegated on some of the larger budgets sucjh as Boro and Newcastle. Our own recent record of buying strikers prior to his arrival was not good.

Personally I alwyas felt that he handled interviews with dignity and we certainly at times played entertaining football. Our home wins against Portsmouth Arsenal and Chelsea were some of the best in recent times.

It ws however a mixed picture. Throughout his time I thought that resluts were always at the low end of expectations and we never seemed to kick on from the good ones. Watching matches where whatever was happening the tactics seemed not to change was depressing particularly this season where such a big thing had been made of the versatility of the players bought.

Defensively the players changed considerably during his time unfortunately the faults remained the same. The away performances were dreadful last season and rarely convincing this season. There seemed to be a failure of nerve to atrtack a woeful Liverpool team an abject performance against Spurs and profoundly dissapointing performances against vigorous but limited teams such as Bolton, Wigan & Birmingham. The Portsmouth win was less emphatic than it might have been suggesting that we still failed to travel.

I have been watching football for a long time and realiset that even the best managers struggle at ttimesa and there are periods when nothing goes right. I would have given HUghes till the end of the season to see if he was able to sort out the problems. Having said that I am thoroughly enjoying everything Mancini is doing and was probbly wrong in wishing to give Hughes that extra time.
I hope he does well in the fuure providing it is not at our expense.

 

[hgblue]

Actually I feel it's time for us to return to thinking of Hughes as the fat arsed curly haired whining cheating **** who played for the rags as opposed to the silver haired mumbling long ball merchant who once tried to manage City with a few of his inept mates.

Fuck him, he's history now, fuck him to fucking fuck he means nothing anymore.

Condense all his interviews into one and you're left with little more than - 'Well, City have always been shit, even with unlimited funds it's stupid to think they can ever be anything other than a mediocre English side, it'll take 5 transfer windows for me to transfer them from being bottom (in fact 8th under Sven) to the top 6, I mean they have no history and have always been shit, 3-3 draws with Burnley are great, we're on track, remember City have always been shit'.

End

We can always rely on you to cut through the bullshit and get straight to the point! Good stuff.

 

[Maineblue]

I was dissapointed to find an up and comming young british manager fail given a golden opportunity but having the inconsistant first few months of the season it was reaffirmed that the task was to big for him although I wish him well in his next job...even if he was an ex rag bastard!

 

[bizzbo]

I hated him for all the reasons outlined by JMA, TMQ and others.

but when he left I realised there had been some very good moments as well. when he took over he DID bring an air of dignity to a club that had lost it's last game 8-1 and was imploding off the pitch. that's why I stuck with him through the winter, until he ballsed up the most important part of the season, I always gave him the benefit of the doubt.

his leaving was a huge relief to me. couldn't take another moment under someone who was so cautious and inward looking, he talked down everything to the point where all hope and joy was a distant memory. now it appears he really did buy some very good players, and for that, I'm grateful.