supercity88 said:
People seem to forget the context of Hughes' term in charge. We weren't Chelsea. We weren't the rags, or Arsenal, or Liverpool. We couldn't go from shite to top of the league. We couldn't buy Aguero and other world class talents at that stage. The only play we had was the money card. But Hughes decided rather than take a punt on some expensive foreigners he would spend money on players he knew and had worked with before and were proven in the league, and then spend smaller amounts of prospects from abroad. It was a sound plan.
In defending him, you've stumbled on his greatest weakness. Hughes had neither the confidence nor the panache to get the best out of anyone unless they matched those criteria. He was in his comfort zone with journeyman players who "owed" him and clueless with star players or freer spirits.
On a related note, despite his glittering playing career, he totally lacked X factor as a manager. He was dour and mumbling with zero pizzazz and limited vision. Always quick to blame and slow to accept accountability.
