The Owners

[Anonymous]

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?

It's tough one definitely. Personally I think Mourinho is waiting for the United job. It makes sense - especially if you read his statement from the other day regarding seeing out his contract at Inter...plus, I don't think the cream of the crop in a management sense, would take the City job if we weren't in the Champions League...maybe, at a push, Hiddink. But it leaves far too much to chance. Benitez's future, Pellegrini's future, and Ferguson's future are all somewhat up in the air. Guardiola won't sign a new contract at Barca until the outcome of this summer's presidential elections.

That's a lot of competition for top class coaches - especially if we don't finish in the top 4.

To answer Dubai Blue's point regarding Hughes finishing in the top 4 and then getting sacked - I just can't see it. It would go against everything which they have espoused since they took over...

 

[C_T_I_D]

If Mark Hughes leaves this football club, he will not get a better job in football management for the rest of his career in that respect in terms of resources available and what can be achieved here in terms of trophies. If he isn't successful here he'll look back on this as a missed opportunity to make his name and make it big in this aspect of football.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

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.

I take your point mate but Bluemoon is not real life.

In the main the supporters are behind the team, and the manager even, in the stadium.

 

[browny33]

I agree entirely with the last few posts. We've a massive hang up in this country with the manager and building something and being given time. But of all the hugely succesful footballing countries this is the only one that works this way. I made the point about Roy Hodgson and Harry Redknapp on another thread and the way they turned failing squads around with little or no buys. Now I'm certainly not saying I want either of them as our manager, but to me they proved they are quality managers, irrespective of whether they bought the player in or not.

Barca, Real Madrid, Inter etc constantly change their managers but the squads are full of excellent footballers, the coach then makes the best of it. They are still amongst the most succesful clubs sides in the world, justs because taggarts managed them lot for the length of time he has doesn't necessarily make it the only way.

That has just blown your whole post apart. Slime ball blinker Redknapp spent that much money on wages and players at Portsmouth he nearly bankrupted them. As for his spendimg at Spuds well it must be over the £120M mark by now.

I was thinking specifically when he took over at Spurs in about October last season. And just as a point of reference they finished above last season and are currently above us. Whether that continues we'll have to see. He did quite well at West Ham and at Portsmouth he quite simply shouldn't have been allowed to spend the money that the club quite clearly didn't have, but he created a team. I wasn't putting forward a case for Redknapp as our manager simply offering an opinion that sometimes money is not the be all and end all. What about Guus Hiddink at Chelsea? Under performing team, no new signings yet helped them push on by sorting out a formation that worked with the players available.

 

[Damocles]

Billy - do you actually like anything about City? You seem to spend an awful long time slagging of it's players, management and ownership.

Here for the pies,
You're only here for the pies,
Here for the piiiiiiiieeeeeeesss!

 

[Dubai Blue]

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?

It's tough one definitely. Personally I think Mourinho is waiting for the United job. It makes sense - especially if you read his statement from the other day regarding seeing out his contract at Inter...plus, I don't think the cream of the crop in a management sense, would take the City job if we weren't in the Champions League...maybe, at a push, Hiddink. But it leaves far too much to chance. Benitez's future, Pellegrini's future, and Ferguson's future are all somewhat up in the air. Guardiola won't sign a new contract at Barca until the outcome of this summer's presidential elections.

That's a lot of competition for top class coaches - especially if we don't finish in the top 4.

To answer Dubai Blue's point regarding Hughes finishing in the top 4 and then getting sacked - I just can't see it. It would go against everything which they have espoused since they took over...

I know what you mean, but they can also be extremely ruthless in their pursuit of success. If they really truly believe in Hughes as part of a long-term project, he will still be in charge next season regardless of where we finish. If they don't, he won't, again regardless of where we finish. To that end, I honestly believe their mind has already been made up; I just don't know which of the two options they've settled on!!!!

They will happily accept a bit of short-term negative criticism in exchange for long-term success. Abramovich was rounded on for sacking Ranieri, but that was all soon forgotten once Mourinho started winning things. If the very best are willing and able to come on board, ADUG won't hang around and miss the boat out of some kind of misguided loyalty to a man who potentially isn't up to the job and who they didn't even appoint in the first place.

 

[Anonymous]

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?

It's tough one definitely. Personally I think Mourinho is waiting for the United job. It makes sense - especially if you read his statement from the other day regarding seeing out his contract at Inter...plus, I don't think the cream of the crop in a management sense, would take the City job if we weren't in the Champions League...maybe, at a push, Hiddink. But it leaves far too much to chance. Benitez's future, Pellegrini's future, and Ferguson's future are all somewhat up in the air. Guardiola won't sign a new contract at Barca until the outcome of this summer's presidential elections.

That's a lot of competition for top class coaches - especially if we don't finish in the top 4.

To answer Dubai Blue's point regarding Hughes finishing in the top 4 and then getting sacked - I just can't see it. It would go against everything which they have espoused since they took over...

Judging by his recent comments about wanting to build a legacy i wouldn't imagine him doing that at United.

 

[Freestyler]

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?

It's tough one definitely. Personally I think Mourinho is waiting for the United job. It makes sense - especially if you read his statement from the other day regarding seeing out his contract at Inter...plus, I don't think the cream of the crop in a management sense, would take the City job if we weren't in the Champions League...maybe, at a push, Hiddink. But it leaves far too much to chance. Benitez's future, Pellegrini's future, and Ferguson's future are all somewhat up in the air. Guardiola won't sign a new contract at Barca until the outcome of this summer's presidential elections.

That's a lot of competition for top class coaches - especially if we don't finish in the top 4.

To answer Dubai Blue's point regarding Hughes finishing in the top 4 and then getting sacked - I just can't see it. It would go against everything which they have espoused since they took over...

He can't spend money at the rags, one of the reasons IMO he wouldn't go there, he said he wants to build something, sounds like city to me that.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

If Mark Hughes leaves this football club, he will not get a better job in football management for the rest of his career in that respect in terms of resources available and what can be achieved here in terms of trophies. If he isn't successful here he'll look back on this as a missed opportunity to make his name and make it big in this aspect of football.

No doubt about that, CTID.

He is the luckiest man in football. He took our job as a step up, and then suddenly was given unlimited funds.

It's like taking a job in McDonalds, then on your first week it becomes a Michelin Starred Restaurant and you're the Chef.

Doubtless it's the opportunity of a lifetime for him. Hundreds of other managers dream of that happening. It will certainly make or break him and I'm sure he knows that.

If he gets the sack in summer it's Blackburn again at a push or more likely Sheffield United, in terms of club calibre. If he succeeds he'll be a huge name in world football.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

It's tough one definitely. Personally I think Mourinho is waiting for the United job. .

I can't see that myself. That would be a bastard of a job in lots of ways - Ferguson's shadow over everything, questionable finances and an aging team.

The only was is down for him there, and he's got too much of an ego.