It is full of painful truthes, and non rational thinking, all this from the M.E.N. ???
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...ty/s/1184518_snipers_are_quick_on_the_trigger
MARK Hughes is rapidly discovering the madness of life at the sharp end of the Premier League.
He must be the first City manager in history to reach December with one defeat in all competitions - and still be backed for the sack in some quarters!
In fact, Hughes is the ONLY manager in City's history to reach December with one defeat, even if that impressive statistic has been buried beneath the avalanche of frustration brought on by seven successive draws.
It is with some irony that Arsenal and Chelsea should be the next two visitors to Eastlands, for games which some snipers would have you believe are make-or-break for the Blues boss.
Arsene Wenger's bright young things are being trumpeted as evidence of the purity of the Gunners' ethos, a tribute to their dedication to youth.
And yet a quick glance at the weekend starting line-ups reveals that in the team destroyed by Chelsea on Sunday, Arsenal did not have one player who had joined them before his 16th birthday. City had three in their XI against Hull.
That kind of bare stat did not stop Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis making an abortive ascent of the moral high ground, taking pot-shots at the new money of City and Chelsea along the way.
"We believe that success which is built is more significant, more meaningful and ultimately, more important than success which is bought," said the Gunners supremo.
If they had had any money left after buying a spanking new stadium, presumably Arsenal would have given it to the poor and needy, otherwise known as Liverpool.
We are being told by the high and mighty at certain Sunday newspapers that, if City don't dismiss Arsenal and then achieve a good result against Chelsea, Hughes' job is on the line.
Wenger saw his team dismantled by Chelsea on Sunday. And yet the prospect of them also losing to City tomorrow night does not provoke any kind of howls for the studious Frenchman to be tipped from his seat.
Even though the fragile Gunners have also been turned over by United, City and Sunderland this season.
Yet Hughes' side, being dismissed as under-achievers in some quarters, are just three points behind them, having already beaten them, and beaten them well.
That brings us to Chelsea, who skipper John Terry says feel "unbeatable." Any City fan in possession of an anorak could point out that the "unbeatables" have lost precisely twice as many games as the Blues this season.
To describe Hughes' fate as hinging on a clash with Chelsea - possibly the best all-round team on the planet right now - is ludicrous.
This is a team who have already beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and United, three clubs which have the benefit of several years of the experience which survival at the top of the Premier League brings, and of the cash which the Champions League brings.
The task facing Hughes and City this season is not to be wiping the floor with Chelsea, but to scramble and fight their way into a position from which they truly can compete with the top teams
If Hughes can finish fourth this season, he should be Manager of the Year by a country mile. But look at the £200m he has spent, comes the cry.
Money alone solves nothing. If you splash out on an old ramshackle farmhouse, it still takes time, patience and prolonged attention to detail, as well as hard cash, before it becomes a home.
And when you buy that farmhouse, you don't have the problem that the best fixtures and fittings are unavailable because they prefer the swanky mansions, just down the road.
To expect Hughes to storm the Premier League top four, armed only with wads of dough, is preposterous.
The City manager has spent well, but the top, top players who win you a Champions League place and then keep it, have still eluded the Blues.
It is a vicious circle. Until you are in the Champions League, you cannot hope to attract the Kakas, the John Terrys, the Steven Gerrards, the Xabi Alonsos.
People have made the mistake this season of treating City as a peer of United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, by dint of wealth alone.
That mistake was intensified by the Blues' good start to the season, when Blackburn, Wolves, Portsmouth and Arsenal were all beaten, and the expectation hit volcanic levels.
City have attracted very good players, but the lack of Champions League football has meant they have been unable to lure the best, even though the knowledge of their wealth and ambition has meant they have paid top dollar for the players they have bought.
It should be noted that Wayne Bridge and Shaun Wright-Phillips - two excellent players and England internationals - are at City because they were surplus to requirements at Chelsea.
Joleon Lescott could yet prove Hughes right when he said the £24m buy could become the best defender in the Premier League. Yet, at the moment, he is not a Terry, or a Nemanja Vidic.
Similarly, for all their talents and potential, Emmanuel Adebayor is not Didier Drogba, Carlos Tevez is not Wayne Rooney, and Stevie Ireland is not Frank Lampard.
Claiming that fourth spot, and/or reaching a domestic cup final would be a major achievement for Hughes, and give the club a real foundation, rather than one based on the size of their bank balance.
Now is not the time for moaning and groaning. These are two big games for the Blues, and both Hughes and his players need and deserve the support of the fans.
It is a time for calm heads and clear vision, and a sight of the bigger picture, both on and off the field.
