The Owners

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Cracking post Tolmie. I understand Billy's point, too.

I am also as sure as I can be that we had talks with Mourinho last easter. I felt Cook almost admitted it at one point in the media - I can't remember the exact quote.

Who knows whether a gentleman's agreement was reached for the summer.....!?!?!

I have grave doubts about Hughes but still a little hope. Things will be clearer by Christmas.

This thread has turned into a pretty sensible debate.

Honestly, the Mourinho thing - I don't see it happening. No way in hell. He's not going to take over at City unless we finish in the top 4. Which if we do, we won't be looking for someone to replace Hughes.

I'm curious though - realistically, what do you think it will take to get the owners to start thinking about a mid=season change? Would we have to drop into the bottom half of the table, or just slip away from the champions league spots...

I guess it depends in a way on what you think the real target for this season is...

Clearly, the Liverpool game is a decent indicator as to our current state of progress, certainly with Liverpool's ongoing problems.

Defeat to Arsenal's kids would have a few more people considering if it is right for change midway through the campaign.

Then there's Chelsea at home - now it's all well and good people citing 'Well, if my aunty had a schlong, she'd be my Uncle..'

But therin lies the problem for Hughes, the breathing space which he could have been afforded beating the so-called lesser-lights, in recent weeks, has been taken away.

So even credible draws against messrs Liverpool and Chelsea, only compound the shortcomings we have had.

By then, the likes of Sunderland and Stoke could be vying around us. Not good reading for our owners who spent such an ammount in comparison to everyone else.

if we are six, seven or eight, going in to January, something which could also affect our transfer policy, then believe ADUG will have already made their minds up.

Whether they pull the trigger, immediately, can only be assumed if they are already being prudent, and have already reached a conclusion with regards Hughes, well before now.

 

[Dubai Blue]

Honestly, the Mourinho thing - I don't see it happening. No way in hell. He's not going to take over at City unless we finish in the top 4. Which if we do, we won't be looking for someone to replace Hughes.

I actually think Hughes may well be replaced even if we do get into the Top 4. In fact, it will be a lot easier to do so if he gets us in the Top 4 because that's when the truly big names will start showing a bit of interest. As I've said before, they usually only recruit the very best talent with proven track records to front their projects.

I think Hughes is there to kick the back-of-house aspects of the club into shape and get us to a point where we're attractive to the world's top managers. I doubt they view him as the man to take us on to the next stage of actually winning things.

Only my opinion though.

 

[moomba]

It would be interesting to see what Spurs' total gross spend has been since Santini took over...

04/05 - £16.5m (sales £10.5m)
05/06 - £26.9m (£7.15m)
06/07 - £42.9m (£25.1m)
07/08 - £50.1m (£14.75m)
08/09 - £77m (£57.05m)
09/10 - £17m (£26.25m)

Gross - £230.4m (£140.8m)

From <a class="postlink" href="http://www.soccerbase.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.soccerbase.com</a>

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Honestly, the Mourinho thing - I don't see it happening. No way in hell. He's not going to take over at City unless we finish in the top 4. Which if we do, we won't be looking for someone to replace Hughes.

I'm curious though - realistically, what do you think it will take to get the owners to start thinking about a mid=season change? Would we have to drop into the bottom half of the table, or just slip away from the champions league spots...

I guess it depends in a way on what you think the real target for this season is...

That an interesting one. I think things would have to pretty calamatous for us to change mid-season.

I would say out of touching distance of the top 4, say 12-14 points or more off 4th. And a League Cup exit.

Even then they may not get rid, depending on who they could get lined up. I don't think Mourinho is out of the question at all. He wants a challenge, total control and a huge budget - and a high media profile.

I think he might fancy a job like ours more than, say Liverpool, where he may have little cash and boardroom uncertainty.

If results were as above, and an approach was made to Mourinho who said he would take it at season end, then I think we'd wait.

What do you think?

 

[The Pink Panther]

It begs the question...what the fuck are these supposedly perfect owners of ours doing sitting on their hands. Ultimately, the buck stops with them. They are the ones who have been publicly backing Hughes since they took over. They are the ones who have let him fritter away over 200 million pounds on workhorses like Bellamy, Santa Cruz, and Tevez.

I've not read the seven pages of this, but in answer to this question..............

I'm a "Hughes outer" but I have every confidence in our owners. I'm backing them because they are winners.

 

[moomba]

another poster said earlier he was going to judge hughes on where we were after the chelsea game, this got me to thinking, if were in the top 4 after wins against liverpool, hull and chelsea will all the hughes outers be a little quiter in there disgust or maybe even have a change of opinion or will they still be just as noisy in wanting rid.

When we are performing well the criticism will obviously be less than when we're not.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

another poster said earlier he was going to judge hughes on where we were after the chelsea game, this got me to thinking, if were in the top 4 after wins against liverpool, hull and chelsea will all the hughes outers be a little quiter in there disgust or maybe even have a change of opinion or will they still be just as noisy in wanting rid.

When we are performing well the criticism will obviously be less than when we're not.

In the summer when everyone was excited, there were plenty of threads calling Hughes our "best manager since Joe Mercer". I kid you not.

Both camps are knee-jerk.

 

[Freestyler]

I posted this in another thread, but think it deserves a thread of it's own.

It's apparent that there's again moral outrage on Bluemoon at Mark Hughes' inability to improve the players he has, to beat the likes of Burnley, Fulham, Birmingham, et al To do anything other than blame Elano and Sven for all his own shortcomings. To dismantle a perfectly good youth system. To sack all the decent staff at the club and replace them with under-qualified mates of his. To play nothing but negative, long ball football. To be a glorified Sam Allardyce. The list of Hughes' crimes are as endless as the Hughes Out threads...

It begs the question...what the fuck are these supposedly perfect owners of ours doing sitting on their hands. Ultimately, the buck stops with them. They are the ones who have been publicly backing Hughes since they took over. They are the ones who have let him fritter away over 200 million pounds on workhorses like Bellamy, Santa Cruz, and Tevez.

Surely it makes sense to just get shot of Hughes now and bring in someone better - which lets face it, if we believe even 50% of the stuff written on here about Hughes - won't be difficult. The reality is that come the end of this season, if we don't finish 4th, there's no way we will be capable of attracting the kind of players we would want. Furthermore, even attracting a manager of the ilk of Mouinho or Hiddink is out of the question irrespective of what other people think, if we aren't playing champions league football next season.

So you see, it's a huge season this one. Isn't it time our owners stepped up to the plate. Showed that they know what they're actually doing in running a football club. Demonstrate the kind of nous which undoubtedly is going to be required in the coming years to ensure long term success at the club. Shouldn't they now, or in the very very near future, take responsibility for the "Mark Hughes Project" - rather than hiding behind the blank cheque book which they've given him. Accept that he is not what the fans want, and he is not good enough. I'll repeat myself. Take some fucking responsibility, show some leadership and character, and stop hiding behind empty rhetoric about stability, and long term planning...

THIS

 

[dingdingding]

In the summer when everyone was excited, there were plenty of threads calling Hughes our "best manager since Joe Mercer". I kid you not.

Both camps are knee-jerk.

This is true. But then people are for the most part fickle morons, whose moods swing like Collymore at an orgy.

I always hoped that when real success came our way, we would be magnanimous and classy, because we'd know how far we'd come to get that success.

Now, we haven't even gotten there and I can see that it was a vain hope. Football has changed along with modern culture. People have no patience anymore, they seek instant gratification and complain when they don't get it. I'm not old (27) but I remember being told that good things come to those who wait.

 

[crystal_mais]

the board are probably waiting until the end of this season when there may be some world class managers available. The best are currently in jobs and there is a matter of a world cup where there are also some class managers currently employed with teams.

I would definitly give Hughes until the end of this season!!!