[Archived] Sparky - Not A Great Manager?

[BuckyRover]

FFS! BRFCS' answer to Prince Phillip

I prefer to imagine him as Bernard Manning, much more Northern than Prince Phillip

[Mr Creosote]

I prefer to imagine him as Bernard Manning, much more Northern than Prince Phillip

I suppose so. After all, Prince Phillip is a crusty old right wing bigot.

Oh wait........

[67splitscreen]

Is the dastardly deed being done behind MH back, naughty to say the least.

If there is any truth in this I can see MH walking away this weekend, but only with a big wedge ££££££.

Italian restaurant scene.

And dare I say probably the end of the RSC deal.

[waggy]

the biggest problem sparky has had at citeh,is that the club changed hands soon into his tenure.the arabs have loads of dosh and most players know they are going to be replaced,so obviously do not play to there full potential,from hull downwards in the league,only citeh will be safe from relagation as they have massive spending power.hughes will get it right,he has the potential to become a great manager

[67splitscreen]

the biggest problem sparky has had at citeh,is that the club changed hands soon into his tenure.the arabs have loads of dosh and most players know they are going to be replaced,so obviously do not play to there full potential,from hull downwards in the league,only citeh will be safe from relagation as they have massive spending power.hughes will get it right,he has the potential to become a great manager

I seem to remember Taksin, was going to throw quite a considerable amount MH way this summer. What a shame he has now got probably triple that to spend.

The city forums are full of comments regarding, poor team selection, poor man management, poor tactics, bad substitutions. Sound familiar, but we'll not go there, it's all been said before.

I was sorry to see him leave, and even sorrier now, although I do think BS will keep us up.

[thenodrog]

I prefer to imagine him as Bernard Manning, much more Northern than Prince Phillip

Hey good stuff! Didn't we once have a thread in ICBINF for posting imagined likenesses? You Bucky in my mind's eye are a ringer for Rodders from only Fools and Horses with Creosote is the straightjacketed Inspecteur Dreyfuss scrawling 'KILL DROG' on the wall of his padded cell with a crayon between his toes.

Alternatively thinking about you two as an item plotting together then it's got to be Dastardly and Muttley.

[Stuart]

Mourinho was in the crowd at Old Trafford today. Makes you wonder if he was in town talking to the neighbours? Hope Sparky didn't see him!

Actually, scratch that, hope Sparky saw him!

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

City need a world class manager first of all.

According to a report in today's Observer newspaper, Man City have made moves in the direction of attempting to bring Jose Mourinho to the club, possibly at the end of the season.

The Observer report claims that Sheikh Mansour's representatives contacted Mourinho's camp back in September to offer him the City job and that Mourinho hasn't ruled out the possibility of joining them next season.

Kaka's Brazilian friends Elano, Robinho and Jo are said to have found Hughes hard to work with at Eastlands - Elano complaining publicly about a lack of communication from the manager. A report in The Times yesterday suggested that the vision of Man City that is currently being sold to Kaka and other potential transfer targets includes the appointment of a new world class manager such as Mourinho at the end of the season.

A link to that report is below:

Mourinho tops Manchester City’s wish list

Ian Ridley in the Mail on Sunday makes the point today that Hughes was not hired by the Abu Dhabi Arabs. He was appointed last June by the disgraced fraudulent tycoon Dr Shinawatra, a couple of months before the Arabs rode their camels into Eastlands.

Ridley suggests that at Man City Hughes is now in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught up in a strategy with which he's not entirely comfortable. There's a difference of approach between Hughes and the Arabs. While Hughes eyes unspectacular but workmanlike players like Scott Parker, the Arabs prefer fantasy football Brazilians. It's a strategy that may well end in a messy divorce for Hughes.

A link to Ridley's article in the Mail on Sunday is below:

"Mourinho ideal for Man City"

[BuckyRover]

I don't think Mourinho will join City. It started going wrong at Chelsea when Abramovich started meddling in transfers (Ballack & Shevchenko), it would seem that is par for the course at City.

[Amo]

I find it funny how Man.City grab the headlines with galactic moves for Kaka, Rooney, Torres etc, interspersed with bids for Bellamy, Santa Cruz etc. It's as if the board are letting Hughes make a few token signings whilst trying to build their new own Tower of Babel.

[67splitscreen]

Didn't you know Sparky's team as we know it will play in Paris.

The new Manager with Kaka Etc, in the Prem.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Even worse for Hughes cos he's been well overdoing the 'I am the driving force behind the Kaka deal' so much that now the Ayrabs have a self declared scapegoat for their humiliation...... and those buggers don't like being publically humiliated. I don't think he'll survive much longer now.

As well as the Kaka farce, Robinho is widely reported in today's newspapers to have stormed out of Man City's training camp in Tenerife.

There have been reports in recent weeks of Elano, Ben Haim and Jo apparently doing some stirring behind the scenes and a report suggesting that a Brazilian player at Man City who is in contact with Kaka has told him not to come to Manchester.

Not a happy ship at Eastlands if these reports are true. As you say Gordon those Arab buggers on their camels don't take kindly to being publicly humiliated. All of which must be placing a big question mark over whether Hughes can survive in the long-term.

Link: Hours after Kaka snub, Robinho walks out on Man City

[philipl]

I had thought Hughes would make a very good manager wherever he went.

It is becoming extremely obvious that the City job is miles too big for him. Thaksin absolutely dumped on Mansoor by sacking Sven- SGE would have been in his element under arab ownership.

[Napoleon]

As you say Gordon those Arab buggers on their camels don't take kindly to being publicly humiliated.

Are you really such an idiot, or did that comment come in by telegram from the 1970s?

[BuckyRover]

To be fair, I was thinking about this last night, I am amazed that Hughes is still in a job now. He must be doing something right.

[Mattyblue]

Are you really such an idiot, or did that comment come in by telegram from the 1970s?

Get off your high horse (camel), I'm sure the racial equality lobby has higher priroties than protecting billonaire oil barons from a bit of sterotyping!

[BuckyRover]

Get off your high horse (camel), I'm sure the racial equality lobby has higher priroties than protecting billonaire oil barons from a bit of sterotyping!

Actually, I can't be bothered

[Pugg]

Actually, I can't be bothered

Darn it, and I was just about to type something about public humiliation being a bit of a fetish...ah well.

[mode_m]

Can't say I am sad that Hughes is doing poorly at City, I still can't get over what they paid for Bellamy.

[Tom]

I'll personally be glad if he gets the sack, so far he's proving himself not good enough.

He must be one of the luckiest managers around, did a good job here then walks into a lucrative contract at city, so far has been marginally better than Ince was for us (arguably worse considering what he's spent as manager) yet he still has a job. Even if / when he does get the sack he can expect a nice golden handshake from it all.

His smugness and arrogance is really grating.

[tony gale's mic]

I still really rate Sparky as a manager and think this current situation at City is all wrong for him, but still quite happy to see it happen.

[Kelbo]

I still really rate Sparky as a manager and think this current situation at City is all wrong for him, but still quite happy to see it happen.

Hey Fellas,

Sparky did a great job here, lets not forget that, we move on and so does he, yes, its good to see the turmoil at City, I do feel though that Mark Hughes doesnt deserve the Poo he is getting!!

When you get massive investments such as City and Chelski have, there will always be too much involvement from the owners and that is not good for the running of a football club!!

It could happen, what would be the stuation if City got relegated this year?? Think about it, playeres would leave, massive debts and what would the owners do then???

Time will tell!

[tony gale's mic]

Hey Fellas,

Sparky did a great job here, lets not forget that, we move on and so does he, yes, its good to see the turmoil at City, I do feel though that Mark Hughes doesnt deserve the Poo he is getting!!

When you get massive investments such as City and Chelski have, there will always be too much involvement from the owners and that is not good for the running of a football club!!

It could happen, what would be the stuation if City got relegated this year?? Think about it, playeres would leave, massive debts and what would the owners do then???

Time will tell!

Agreed pretty much. I do want to see him fail, if only to send out yet another message that leaving BRFC is a career move that should be thought through VERY carefully. But it must be difficult to manage in those conditions. I'm sure it'll get a little easier now he's got a couple of players he wanted in, even though 13 million or whatever for Bellamy is beyond all logic.

[thenodrog]

These Arabs must now be viewing Hughes very much like Jack Walker viewed Don McKay after the press and media took the p1ss over our doomed bid for Gary Linekar.

[tonyoz]

Is there an ironic parallel here? Ince failed with premiership players who had certain expectations. Hughes is failing on the next rung of the ladder because he cannot cope with so-called superstars?