Now all the kids have gone to bed...

[Aaza]

Long time blue here, last saw the lads a couple of years back at COMS. Seen the game this morning, here's some thoughts, not meaning to piss anyone off. Evans - get rid - never be a premier player, Schmichael cost us the third goal, like a squirel in headlights. Vass gives everthing , that's ok but so did vinegar vera. Any one got another veiw of the goal? Kin class.

 

[crystal_mais]

Great Post Ramsdale.

Although we are going through a bad run and some of Hughes Tactics and selections do frustrate the living hell out of me, I am still in a position to give him until the end of next season, I personally feel he has not had the chance to mould his side. The players he has bought in have been the ones who have shone this season (TBH?)

I personally felt Sven was lucky last season for the first half anyway and Petrov & Chorluka aside, his transfers were not up to scratch.

Also if we did get rid. Who can we really get in that is proven class. I have stated before if we got rid of Hughes, the managers I would like to see at City would be:-
1. Martin O'Neill
2. Fabio Capello
3. Jose Mourino

I think all 3 are impossible to get, and i have it ona word from somebody in the know, Mourino is not bothered about money, the job he is after is the United job and Ferguson hasg personally recommended it once he retires.

 

[mancity1]

What do people think of this theory. I have to admit, its where my thinking is going more and more at present:


Under normal circumstances I think I'd be advocating him getting at least another couple of months. However, the fact that we have a ship load of cash from January onwards is, in my eyes, not a reason to give him until then, as many say, but the reason why I would sway towards getting rid now.

I don't buy into all this, he can't spend it properly. With this sort of money then you should end up with quality, even if Frank Clark were doing the buying. By the same rule, I don't think he's done anything to prove that he deserves the best transfer market oppportunity ever given to any manager in the history of football.

Anyway, my point is this. The fact that it will be so easy to guide this club upwards from January onwards (well, in honestly, it should be easy from tomorrow onwards, given the current squad) is, for me, a reason to think that we have nothing to gain from keeping him around. We are not in a situation where we have to consider whether this might affect the ability to attract people in the future (money talks and a rational explanation for sacking him can be made anyway). People are going to be lining up to come here in the next couple of years.

I honestly think that a caretaker, whoever it might be, could easily do enough to slowly move the club up the table over the next few months. In fact, I think that they would possibly show an immediate improvement as I honestly believe that Hughes has mismanaged the squad to the point where his relationship with some of them is quite obviously affecting the spirit and resolve within the camp and therefore performances and fight on the pitch.

In my eyes, getting rid now would remove that huge negative (low moral) that seems to run through every performance at the moment. When a manager is the cause of such feeling it almost never gets turned around. It almost always irretrievable.

As for spending the money. I don't really care if he is sacked and 'the club' has to make some big signings rather than Hughes. It could be argued that they might anyway (who is targeting Kaka, Villa, etc - Hughes or 'the club'). They certainly did that with Robinho and is anyone complaining. Anyway, it would only be until the end of the season or until a manager we really want comes in later in the season.

At present I honestly believe that Hughes presence is contributing massively to the underperformance on the pitch. Both his tactical decisions and his relationship with the team. I don't think that he has some particularly huge ability in the transfer market that will allow him to get more out of the billions in January than anyone with a modicum of knowledge could anyway.

Therefore, that would be my reasons for getting rid tomorrow.

Do I think it'll happen? Not at all. I think it will take a lot more than the current dross to make the Arabs go back on their word. Which, in my view, is a shame in this case.

Good Post JMA

As Spurs and Harry Redknapp have proved,the top players dont need to be told how to play football,they need an arm aound their shoulder and told how good they are.

I see Hughes and Bowen as 'old school'.By that I mean they rant and shout at the players and have turned training into a boot camp.

I see Mourinho as the perfect manager to take us forward,yet I admit that he wouldnt join until the summer,allthough its surely worth 'enquiring' behind the scenes??
£10m pa for Jose and a £300m transfer kitty would surely turn his head.

I know Hughes has so far had a decent track record in the transfer market but I do worry that the worlds top players would rather be coached by a top manager.

Good points well made JMA , I only disagree with your point about it being easy for any man to turnour current performance level around from now on as if it only needs a change in manager to do it.

It could be that some or the majority of players are struggling to warm to Hughes style but I think our current predicament to some extent goes beyond Hughes and beyond the new owners and the money supposedly available on new players.

In saying that I certainly believe there are far more qualified / more appropriate available managers that would want to manage the club if given the opportunity.

I wouldn't be too concerned if you in the Hughes out now camp about the owners backtracking and getting rid of Hughes if results do not improve soon because soon if this poor set of results continues we will be staring Championship football in the face.

Rarely does a side in the bottom three at Christmas do anything other than go down or struggle for the remainder of the season to only just survive.

This season the points spread already suggests you will need more than previous seasons to avoid the drop.

I am not guaranteeing that a replacement will necessarily do what say Harry has done at Spurs much as I would like it to happpen but Blackburn have bitten the bullet before they thought it was too late and we look like being the next if there is to be one.

 

[Gelsons Dad]

I'm very much in the get rid camp. I thought he would be ok when he joined, I'm not one of the "I hate anything to do with the rags" types and thought he had done well at Blackburn. But It's quite obvious now that he has very poor man management skills and is unable to lead this team of diverse individuals. His treatment of Elano shows he has no idea about modern (20th century) management techniques. I recommend if anyone from the top echelons of the club is reading this to send him on a situational leadership theory course just to let him know how bad his management style is. Better still just sack the **** before he wastes any money in Jan.

I would much prefer a new manager now. The next few fixtures are doable and a new face would raise moral and therefore performances enough to start a run of wins. It would also allow the new man to spend in Jan and have a good look at the team before the summer when the real transfers will come.

 

[mancyman]

we have to give hughes the next 4 matches. a win at west brom and against hull and maybe just a point at blackburn. beat forest. we should not be scared of anyone in the eufa cup next round so everything could look so much better at start of january. having said that if city lose at west brom he will be gone for sure.

 

[lionheart]

we have to give hughes the next 4 matches. a win at west brom and against hull and maybe just a point at blackburn. beat forest. we should not be scared of anyone in the eufa cup next round so everything could look so much better at start of january. having said that if city lose at west brom he will be gone for sure.

If Hughes stays and reflecting the current injuries and lack of form in our squad right now, I guarantee that we will NOT beat WBA, Hull or Blackburn so better to get rid now, especially as the Sunderland vacancy is still available for him. Look what happened to Spurs and Newcastle under new management. They will both be in the top half soon. Not so sure about West Ham and Blackburn as they have weak squads, which need improvement on the pitch as well as at coaching level.

 

[SboroBlu]

We can't afford to let him have more than 3 matches to prove himself. Its 3 matches we shouldn't have to look twice at. On current form I would be suprised if we come away with more than 3 points.

On the transfer side, why would all these top class players that we've been going on about, want to come to us. Apart from all the cash what reason is there. Most cases there is a manager they want to play for. Not in our case.

 

[simonk]

I'm not sure whether this is true but I get the feeling that Hughes has coached the flair out of the side. At the start of the season we were turning teams over 3-0 & 6-0, now we're lucky to get at least nil ourselves. Is this because at the start of the season the players weren't fully aware of Hughes' plan & therefore just went out & played? Now they are being stifled & are scared to express themselves in fear of rebuke from the mafia?

As they become more in tune with the Hughes plan they are becoming poorer players for it.

It's very puzzling!

its the opposition that have got us sussed, Early doors we were allowed to play, had players flooding through the midfield and goals were coming from all over. Now we get stiffled - put under pressure and arent allowed to play in their half. And we dont have a plan B. Too much is now getting lumped up to a single poor striker without support. And the opposition are taking their chances to grab goals to beat us.
Weve done well enough against more open teams like Arsenal and Shalke, but everyone else has wised up.
This is where Hughes is caught out - he doesnt know how to change things using the players at his disposal, Not an easy task when we have so may attacking midfielders, but thats why he gets paid a shit load and is supposedly one of the best up and coming managers

 

[ColinBall]

I think Les signed his own death warrant last night by playing Robinho. An absolutely baffling decision.

The 3 most important matches of his career coming up and he plays his best player who is already carrying a knock in a meaningless game.

Let's face it, he's a complete bell-end and we need to get rid.

If we can't get Mourinho, then get in Rijkaard, Mancini or Zico. Stop faffing about.

 

[The Fat el Hombre]

whats your real opinion on Hughes?

On here I post like im 100% behind the guy. It just annoys me when you get these hysterical posts calling for the heads of Hughes, Cook ,Dunnie etc. So i react as an ardent supporter and try and put across the positives about the game.

But to be honest, although i think we should give Hughes at least till next season, i wouldn't be to upset if i woke up tomorrow and he had been sacked.

However I like Hughes as a manager, and although many on here don't, i like his man management style. I cant be arsed with pre-madonna footballers who want to take the piss and if anyone can change that mentality then its Hughes. The trouble is, doing it this way means its going to get worse before it gets better (which is evident of our current displays) but given time and a few new faces brought in by Hughes then this type of man management could turn our club into a real force, like that tosser did at the swamp.

The trouble is most City fans want instant success, and with Hughes that isn't going to happen.

My sentiments pretty much exactly. Hughes has made some very dodgy decisions but I put most of them down to getting used to the new squad and trying to find out how we work best. Sacking him nw would be pointless, he should be kept until at least the end of the season although I am still hopeful we will get Mourinho in the summer.