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New Times article
- Thread starter Ric
- Start date
The InvisiBLUE Man
Well-Known Member
superb ric, as always. great read.
reddishblue
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 4 Jun 2009
- Messages
- 1,332
"don't be surprised to see him end up at Old Trafford in the not too distant future. Arf."
arf arf arf arf
arf arf arf arf
Maineman55
Well-Known Member
Top drawer piece as usual.
blueloon
Well-Known Member
Very good article Ric. Agree with all the point 100%...
totallywired
Well-Known Member
Sit on the fence you get splinters in your ARSE.Ric said:A little bit of history repeating
And so the merry go round continues. On Saturday, Manchester City terminated the contract of Mark Hughes and appointed Roberto Mancini as the club's 53rd manager in as many days, or something. There was immediately much condemnation from journalists, supporters, and Hughes' peers alike, although the stench of hypocrisy could no doubt be smelt as far away as Abu Dhabi.
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce bemoaned the lack of loyalty shown by our Middle Eastern owners, and it is a topic that the grotesque gargoyle is well versed in, having managed just the seven clubs in the past ten years. Ask Crystal Palace fans about Bruce's loyalty. Well, go on.
The national press, meanwhile, could scarcely have been more morally outraged if Khaldoon Al-Mubarak had personally cut off Hughes' hands for failing to point out where Kolo Toure should bloody well stand at set pieces. Because, y'know, that's just what "these Arabs" do. In the tiny, xenophobic minds of Brian Woolnough et al, at least.
Their collective indignation conveniently ignored the part they played in Hughes' downfall, by heaping pressure on him as they mocked our inability to beat the likes of Hull and Burnley, despite the vast resources at our disposal. It's a bit rich that they now argue that he was actually doing an alright job, after all.
This selective memory loss isn't just confined to journalists however; many City fans who, just weeks ago were baying for Hughes' blood are now apoplectic that he has actually lost his job. Huh? There's an old Bill Hicks joke about women who have violent partners but become incensed if the police try to get involved: "He didn't mean to hurt me officer, he's a good man, don't take him away. I fell asleep in the driveway and he run over my head with the truck." OK, I concede it's a convoluted analogy, but hopefully you get the point. Or not.
Of course, it could have been handled better. In fact it could scarcely have been dealt with worse. But that's not the City way. We don't so much shoot ourselves in the foot as blow it clean off with a pump action shotgun. Indeed, I'm surprised we didn't install an ejector seat in the dug out, like the one in Goldfinger, so that Al-Mubarak could've sent Hughes jettisoning off into the atmosphere as the full time whistle blew against Sunderland. Just, y'know, to compound his humiliation.
Hughes, to his credit, has retained his dignity throughout (although I'm sure a £6m golden handshake has helped in that respect) but a sense of perspective is required. Premiership football is a ruthless industry, as Hughes is well aware, and it is only a matter of time before he is given another job. The Welshman tends to thrive on jobs with extremely limited resources, so don't be surprised to see him end up at Old Trafford in the not too distant future. Arf.
It's too early to say if the decision to replace Hughes will be vindicated, and I'm sitting firmly on the fence for the time being. Partly because I'm a spineless idiot, but also because I've recently become a father again and the sleep deprivation is such that I'm just meandering through the days, barely able to form a coherent thought, let alone dissect the nuances of yet another failed managerial regime at City.
This morning I caught the tail end of an interview with Brian Horton on Radio Five Live discussing the sacking, and for a brief, dazed moment I thought the decision was rash and unjust. The signings of Walsh and Rosler had been inspired, and I felt we were on the verge of becoming a good team. Then I realised that was 15 years ago. The more things change at City, the more they stay the same.
Ric Turner
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Ric
A top article perhaps summing up to equivocal feelings that most of us have suffered over the last couple of days.
The points about the press's ignoble role in the whole affair are well made and I feel your slepp deprivation, mate, having fathered twins just round the corner from you, allbeit a few years ago....that change is more permanent and probably more important for us in the real world than the soap opera of Prem footy.
Good luck with it all M8!!
Let's strap in and prepare for the ride , fellow blues ... !!!
A top article perhaps summing up to equivocal feelings that most of us have suffered over the last couple of days.
The points about the press's ignoble role in the whole affair are well made and I feel your slepp deprivation, mate, having fathered twins just round the corner from you, allbeit a few years ago....that change is more permanent and probably more important for us in the real world than the soap opera of Prem footy.
Good luck with it all M8!!
Let's strap in and prepare for the ride , fellow blues ... !!!
KolarovsLeftPeg
Well-Known Member
Had to log on just to say how much I enjoyed reading it, excellent stuff!