[Archived] Hughes Up For The Chop

[Eddie]

Well we could drop into the relegation zone on boxing day yet very few people seem to be doubting Hughes' position. How long does everyone feel he has to turn it around before we make a change? Despite what he did last season I fear he may be doing exactly what he did at Wales. Personally I'll give him January, if he can sign the right people and turn things around with a combination of signings and players recovering from injuries.

[West Sussex Rover]

Well we could drop into the relegation zone on boxing day yet very few people seem to be doubting Hughes' position. How long does everyone feel he has to turn it around before we make a change? Despite what he did last season I fear he may be doing exactly what he did at Wales. Personally I'll give him January, if he can sign the right people and turn things around with a combination of signings and players recovering from injuries.

Didnt he just recently sign a new contract to stay at ewood? I think we got a Steve Bruce situation here. I think he might stay even if we get relegated!

[bob fleming]

JHC. Happy Christmas everyone.

[LWX]

its easy to say that we were on the verge of building something at the end of last season (maybe comparible to the season we finished 6th under souness).....and that MH has been unlucky with injuries and so on, but the truth is its the same for a majority of clubs in our situation and a good manager can deal with all these things.....having said that, saying that MH has january to save his job is an over-reaction.

[philipl]

What a stupid thread. Hughes is absolutely nowhere near the chop.

We have just played the best pure footballing side in the world and had them in panic after we pulled it back to 2-3 with a team missing SIX players.

Oh, and we qualified top of our group in the UEFA Cup.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

We're not scoring enough goals and concede far too many,a simple recipe for disaster.Hughes and this team of underperformers will really have to earn their coin in the new year,we are capable of better...............we hope and pray.

[tonygreenbank]

One of the problems of message boards these days is that it gives people the opportunity to abuse, revile, humiliate and criticise others in the public eye with no regard for their feelings or expertise or experience in the game. You only have to listen to football phone-ins to hear the usual litany of complaints after a heavy defeat.Let`s sack the manger; he`s lost the dressing room is another cliche, he`s taken us as far as he can; we have all heard them.

Hughesy has /is doing a fine job at ewood and long may it continue.We all know that he will be going to a bigger stage at some point so let`s enjoy his tenure rather than stupidly calling for his head.

[RevidgeBlue]

We all know that he will be going to a bigger stage at some point so let`s enjoy his tenure rather than stupidly calling for his head.

He won't be if his teams carry on producing results like they have over the last two or three months.

However, I tend to agree with Tony. Eddie, this constitutes a complete about turn for you. You're usually the first to condemn others for what you regard as "knee jerk reactions"

Have you been a naughty boy and nicked the keys to the wine cellar whilst mater and pater are out?

[1864roverite]

I personally think M Hughes and co have worked a minor miracle with what they have.

Take yourselves back to when he took over. He inherited a squad full of overpaid, underworked players that were on good money and indeed extremely poor value signings. He turned around the squad playing the best football he could get in our situation.

The following season, he tinkered and tailored the team and moved forwards, the team qualified for Europe and earned a reputation throughout the Premiership.

This season has been a blip, with injuries, bad defensive errors, players in and out of the team added to the foray into Europe where Rovers have been playing two games a week. The chance to move forward in Europe was grasped so something else had to give. That is the Premiership performances. Rovers have not got the squad to cover everything, the injuries and the extra games have clearly taken their toll.

Make no bones about it the Premiership place is the most important, but Hughes and co have taken Rovers into the last 32 in eufa and have a fantastic chance of making the last 8.

Yes he has little funds, but with the likes of Nelsen, Robert and Reid all coming back in January that alone is like 3 brand new signings and all in vital positions. I do think the board will see fit to back him in the transfer market and I also see some more departures.

Lucas will clearly go, his body language alone tells us he is off. Matteo can go and take Gray with him. I reserve judgement on Todd on whether he can really make it back in favour. I do think Gally is undervalued by Rovers and will leave.

Incoming, a midfielder, left back and forward are necessary. We have only one loanee in Nonda so there is a further option for 2 more in the squad, clearly a much cheaper option than buying. It is probable that the left back from Ukraine will sign we just have to hope he fits in immediately.

As for midfielders ? well money will have to be spent unless we can find a loanee. Up front Beatie is not the answer IMO. There are players abroad who can come in and do a job alongside Mccarthy but for me a fit Franny Jeffers and Roberts can do that.

Whatever happens, in the next 35 days or so we will have a clear picture of how Rovers will fare for the rest of the season. Although we clearly kick above our weight I dont think the Board and anyone else within the hallowed walls of Ewood want to see us lose Mark Hughes NOR do they want to see BRFC back into oblivion, because if we go down we will never return.

[colin]

Well said Tony,

It's all part & parcel of the "I want it & I want it now" society.

HM rescued us from seeming relegation and did really well last season. OK, we are in trouble this one, but sacking MH doesn't seem like a solution - give the bloke some time. Who can replace him?

BTW are you the Tony Greenbank who contributes the the Guardian's Country Diary

here

If you are, I envy you your job

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Up front Beatie is not the answer IMO. There are players abroad who can come in and do a job alongside Mccarthy but for me a fit Franny Jeffers and Roberts can do that.

Jeffers and Roberts! they can both follow Neill out the door for me Roverite.. NOT THE ANSWER TO OUR PROBLEMS!

[pick32]

If hughes got us relegated i would still stand by him. this thread shud be closed.

[cn_barlow]

Why would you? there is no way that this club should be fighting relegation.

Injuries or not...the book stops with him.

Although i dont thing we have anything to worry about

[ad0102]

A couple of points in response to Eddie's post.

Firstly, if you are going to sack Hughes you need to make the decision now. What the point of giving him January and then if we are still struggling sacking him then. He will spend what if any money is available and it gives the new manager no options in terms of bringing players in. The only hope would be that Hughes has left a good enough squad for the new manager.

Secondly, Hughes leaves in February with us struggling in the bottom 3 then who will we get as manager - Tony Parkes probably!

I think Hughes has made a couple of mistakes, but as long as the players are still playing for him then I think he should stay as manager. If he keeps us up and get us through a couple more rounds in europe then it will be a season I will remember fondly.

[MCMC1875]

Can't see Parkes leaving Blackpool. Another good win yesterday.

[Mr. E]

His objective is clear really. In January he must get the right players, inject some stability at the back and a whole dose of fight in the rest of the team, make us again capable of competing at a top level. If this is achieved we should be able to survive. If its not - we will pay with relegation, and he will have to go at the end of the season.

I have faith that he'll get the job done, though.

[Bobby G]

I think its stupid to suggest that he is in danger of losing his job, but the threat of relegation is real going on our recent form.

However, I would just like to say that the situation is exactly the same as the year after we finished 6th under Souness and then we fell apart...

[stuwilky]

We're not scoring enough goals and concede far too many,a simple recipe for disaster.Hughes and this team of underperformers will really have to earn their coin in the new year,we are capable of better...............we hope and pray.

I dont think Im ever taking you off suicide watch.

[James No. 7]

I never have once thought that Mark Hughes' job is under threat, or would be in the future, save for ten successive defeats or something like that. Just last season he took us to sixth and we have had an excellent UEFA Cup campaign so far. We are teetering above the relegation zone and could get mired into it if we're not careful, although even with relegation I don't think he would go. I could see him staying on and doing a miracle of a job to get us back up (I know some think it would spell disaster for the club to get relegated, but if we could back in within one season, then we could probably live a bare existence).

I never once thought Souness should go, though, so I have a high tolerance for error. Let's just wait until March or around that time before we start talking about his future in the job.

[Paul]

Stupid thread, read the first post and moved to here. Even if we go down, which we are not going to, I would Mark Highes as our manager. I really don't understand where you are coming from Eddie.

[rover6]

Sturrock to save Rovers from this plight... :ph34r: (Sorry for stealing you're thunder rover6 sceptics...)

Seriously, Hughes is the man for this club. I am one of the apparent minority who actually think that Hughes has made a few serious mistakes this season and should carry much of the responsibility for our low position. I don't think you can make injuries an excuse absolving Hughes completely. However, he's relatively new to club management and he's made some controversial but great choices this season (new contract for Emerton the RB).

Hughes doesn't have the bombastic, microphone-hogging style of someone like Graeme Souness which can mislead people as to his astuteness. Whenever we collapsed to a dismal defeat under Souness, you'd be down but then you'd hear/read Souey's comments and you couldn't help but be picked up. You know, all the Souey cliche favourites - but they worked. Boxing analogies and macho rhetoric about "hitting back."

Hughes isn't like that. He's not one for soundbites but by God is he a superior manager to Souness.

One thing I would say is that Hughes, imo, puts too much value on experience. I believe it happened with Wales where on-form Earnshaw was often over-looked. Signing Henchoz and retaining some serial under-performers in the first team are examples. It's no surprise Hughes is interested in Gomaa and Sheringham (reportedly).

[Daremz]

What a crazy topic. Hughes is doing a great job, and will get us back on track in a few weeks. No reason at all to get him sacked, not even when we're in danger around March. He'll work it out, and we'll finish 11th. Or something in that order.

[Presty On Tour]

i think there are a few panic buttons being pressed here.

imo hughes and the coaching staff are the best we have had at rovers for a long long time.

to say he should get the chop is a joke!!

people have well short memories, remember what a state we were in when hughes took over?

got us out of trouble, have made a few semi finals, made europe and has got rid of our european jinx. beat man utd home and away along with arsenal and chelsea last season on the road to finishing 6th!!

this season yeah our league form is crap, we lost bellamy cheaply and that hurt us big style, the neill situation hasn't helped matters imo and we have injuries to key players.

thank god the board have faith unlike some mb posters. come feb, reid and nelsen will be back, we will have some new signings and all this bullshit talk will be forgotten.

look at charlton, 3 managers so far this season!!

[Timmy]

Well we could drop into the relegation zone on boxing day yet very few people seem to be doubting Hughes' position. How long does everyone feel he has to turn it around before we make a change? Despite what he did last season I fear he may be doing exactly what he did at Wales. Personally I'll give him January, if he can sign the right people and turn things around with a combination of signings and players recovering from injuries.

I been thinking about this for a while...but no good changing now as who would we get in?

we don't want another Roy Hodgson/Brain Kidd situation alla 1998/99

[Gav]

Best manager since Kenny, the fans and board are behind Hughes so simply a pointless thread like many that have sprung up today.