Progress and why Hughes should stay!

[bizzbo]

I'll agree with most of what you say apart from the signings.
Dunne is better than toure and lescott is a Donkey who should be in the Championship and not in our back 4.

Don't talk shit! There where plenty of posters on here last year slating Dunney and calling him a donkey.

IMO Dunney is relishing a new challenge and is happier playing in a team that is tighter and less offensive. Lescott has been our best defender and its Kolo that has me worried. I don't fault his attitude, but his positional sense worries me.

I feel bad about criticising dunne last year. I thought he had to go because of all the mistakes, and the amount of long balls he played. He's cleared that up at villa (so far), if he carries on like this, I'll have to admit, I was very very wrong. maybe it's just a fresh challenge, I think you have it right tho, any defender looks better in a tighter team. it's funny, the one thing I expected from hughes was to make us a tight unit, but it's the one thing we aren't (so far).

 

[RACHACE]

Progression?? It all depend on what you feel is progression. Sure if we finish 7th in the league, get to the Semi Final of a cup (which we have already) isnt that progression?

Would I see that as a good season though? No I would not personally, what I see is a squad of players that can be rivalled by Chelsea only in regards strength and depth.

I am happy for Hughes to stay but the benchmark that was set by our owners was top 6, I feel if we finish 6th that is slightly dissapointing with the resources we have at our disposal. Maybe we could overachieve and finish above 6th, I feel under a manager of the highest quality we would be at least 4 points better off, maybe even 6 or 8 points.

In the short term yes he should stay however if we finish 6th,7th, 8th then if there is a top manager that is interested then we should pursue that. Unless we win a pot, because if he wins a pot and we finish 10th I would not care, he could have the job for as long as it takes.

 

[Pigeonho]

Top post, enough said.

Moomba - I like you, even if I don't agree with you. I like how you put things across. For me though we are where we should be, without ruffling to many feathers just yet. Progression is/was the aim for this season, I think, and it will be next season when we should be looking at being in the top 2 come this time next year.

 

[robbieh]

as virtually all the players are so much better , on which point I totally agree with you, why are we only marginally better as a team?

Most of the last few seasons with Pearce, KK and Sven we have been hovering around 8th place apart from one relegation fight. So is 6th gonna be time to bring out the champagne?

 

[Unknown_Genius]

as virtually all the players are so much better , on which point I totally agree with you, why are we only marginally better as a team?

Most of the last few seasons with Pearce, KK and Sven we have been hovering around 8th place apart from one relegation fight. So is 6th gonna be time to bring out the champagne?

We finished 15th twice in Pearce's last 2 seasons, and around 15/16th under Keegan, we had more than one relegation fight, more like three.

 

[Paulmcfc2703]

lol at the comparison of players now to players we did have, not exactly a genius needed to see why they have improved.

 

[Grand Master Ram Rod]

I posted this a few weeks ago and I've decided I'm gonna keep bumping and updating this as much as I can to put across the point that thing's aren't all doom and gloom and that we are progressing nearly every game and that Hughes should definitely be staying for now.

I don't see the point in getting rid of a manager that keeps improving and that is still very much on way to reaching the owners and most fans targets.

As well as the obvious arguments of we have a game in hand over everyone above us bar Arsenal and that we have only lost one game all season in all comps, I have also got the results from last year, which compared to this year have all improved or been the same outcome bar one:

Blackburn (A) - 2-2 / 0-2 = improved.
Portsmouth (A) - 0-2 / 1-0 = improved.
Arsenal (H) - 3-0 / 4-2 = same.
Scum (A) - 0-2 / 3-4 = same.
West Ham (H) 3-0 / 3-1 = same.
Villa (A) - 2-4 / 1-1 = improved.
Wigan (A) - 1-2 / 1-1 = improved.
Fulham (H) - 1-3 / 2-2 = improved.
Liverpool (A) - 1-1 / 2-2 = same.
Hull (H) - 5-1 / 1-1 = worse.
Chelsea (H) - 1-3 / 2-1 = improved.
Bolton (A) - 0-2 / 3-3 = improved.

Add to that, that we're in the semi final of the Carling Cup, which we got knocked out of last year by Brighton in the second round and once again we have improved.

All the players he has brought in have improved us and the position they took over bar one, if you compare them to the players they replaced, we have improved yet again:

Tal Ben-Haim - shite = bad signing.
Vincent Kompany - better than Hamann = good signing.
Shaun Wright-Phillips - better than Ireland on right wing = good signing.
Glauber Berti - clearly wasn't a signing to improve us yet became a cult hero anyway = ok signing.
Pablo Zabaleta - better than Corluka = good signing.
Wayne Bridge - better than Garrido/Ball = good signing.
Craig Bellamy - better than Jo/Caicedo/Benjani = good signing.
Nigel de Jong - better than Fernandes = good signing.
Shay Given - better than Hart = good signing.
Gareth Barry - great player = good signing.
Roque Santa Cruz - target man we'll need in certain games = ok signing.
Stuart Taylor - Hart wasn't going to sit on the bench = ok signing.
Carlos Tevez - better than Jo/Caicedo/Benjani = good signing.
Emmanuel Adebayor - better than Jo/Caicedo/Benjani = good signing.
Kolo Toure - better than Dunne = good signing.
Sylvinho - better back-up than Garrido = good signing.
Joleon Lescott - better than Onuoha = good signing.

Also he put Ireland in the attacking midfield role, which was like a new signing - better than Elano. And he has got rid of the trouble makers holding us back.

Add all that to the fact that changing managers every five minutes has never worked and it just seems pointless to get rid of a manager who's improving in everything he does and is well on track to reach the target set.

I think the money has gone to fans heads tbh and a few are expecting too much, too soon. We just have to be patient and it will come, to get rid of yet another manager now who's doing nout wrong would just be daft and then we'd all have to wait even longer as the new manager rebuilds his team and starts all over again. As one of the younger fans, I'm desperate for some silverware, but we just have to be patient and support the team and manager.

If we don't finish in the top 6, then I'd agree he'd have to go but we have to give him this season yet to see what he can do.

nicely put, but what about Robbie?

I didn't think he was a Hughes signing, but him as well has impoved us.

 

[sky tot]

Top post, enough said.

Moomba - I like you, even if I don't agree with you. I like how you put things across. For me though we are where we should be, without ruffling to many feathers just yet. Progression is/was the aim for this season, I think, and it will be next season when we should be looking at being in the top 2 come this time next year.

pigeonho i like you,
you speak what i think .

 

[Neil McNab]

I posted this a few weeks ago and I've decided I'm gonna keep bumping and updating this as much as I can to put across the point that thing's aren't all doom and gloom and that we are progressing nearly every game and that Hughes should definitely be staying for now.

I don't see the point in getting rid of a manager that keeps improving and that is still very much on way to reaching the owners and most fans targets.

As well as the obvious arguments of we have a game in hand over everyone above us bar Arsenal and that we have only lost one game all season in all comps, I have also got the results from last year, which compared to this year have all improved or been the same outcome bar one:

Blackburn (A) - 2-2 / 0-2 = improved.
Portsmouth (A) - 0-2 / 1-0 = improved.
Arsenal (H) - 3-0 / 4-2 = same.
Scum (A) - 0-2 / 3-4 = same.
West Ham (H) 3-0 / 3-1 = same.
Villa (A) - 2-4 / 1-1 = improved.
Wigan (A) - 1-2 / 1-1 = improved.
Fulham (H) - 1-3 / 2-2 = improved.
Liverpool (A) - 1-1 / 2-2 = same.
Hull (H) - 5-1 / 1-1 = worse.
Chelsea (H) - 1-3 / 2-1 = improved.
Bolton (A) - 0-2 / 3-3 = improved.

Add to that, that we're in the semi final of the Carling Cup, which we got knocked out of last year by Brighton in the second round and once again we have improved.

All the players he has brought in have improved us and the position they took over bar one, if you compare them to the players they replaced, we have improved yet again:

Tal Ben-Haim - shite = bad signing.
Vincent Kompany - better than Hamann = good signing.
Shaun Wright-Phillips - better than Ireland on right wing = good signing.
Glauber Berti - clearly wasn't a signing to improve us yet became a cult hero anyway = ok signing.
Pablo Zabaleta - better than Corluka = good signing.
Wayne Bridge - better than Garrido/Ball = good signing.
Craig Bellamy - better than Jo/Caicedo/Benjani = good signing.
Nigel de Jong - better than Fernandes = good signing.
Shay Given - better than Hart = good signing.
Gareth Barry - great player = good signing.
Roque Santa Cruz - target man we'll need in certain games = ok signing.
Stuart Taylor - Hart wasn't going to sit on the bench = ok signing.
Carlos Tevez - better than Jo/Caicedo/Benjani = good signing.
Emmanuel Adebayor - better than Jo/Caicedo/Benjani = good signing.
Kolo Toure - better than Dunne = good signing.
Sylvinho - better back-up than Garrido = good signing.
Joleon Lescott - better than Onuoha = good signing.

Also he put Ireland in the attacking midfield role, which was like a new signing - better than Elano. And he has got rid of the trouble makers holding us back.

Add all that to the fact that changing managers every five minutes has never worked and it just seems pointless to get rid of a manager who's improving in everything he does and is well on track to reach the target set.

I think the money has gone to fans heads tbh and a few are expecting too much, too soon. We just have to be patient and it will come, to get rid of yet another manager now who's doing nout wrong would just be daft and then we'd all have to wait even longer as the new manager rebuilds his team and starts all over again. As one of the younger fans, I'm desperate for some silverware, but we just have to be patient and support the team and manager.

If we don't finish in the top 6, then I'd agree he'd have to go but we have to give him this season yet to see what he can do.

I can see reasons to keep players but none to keep Hughes, I'd also look to replace Adebayor, Toure & Robinho as all 3 have been proven to be mainly shite!

 

[Danamy]

I'm happy to stick with Hughes till the end of the season to see where we end up..........4th is a must with the squad we've got and i think many would agree with me?

BUT

If the opportunity arises and we get a chance to improve the management then we have to take it i.e Mourinho.....these opportunities don't come around too often and i'm worried that if we stick with Hughes when we're given this opportunity we might live to regret it.