[Archived] Sparky - Not A Great Manager?

[thenodrog]

I think it was Thaskin that appointed Hughes and gave him his contract not the current owners..

It's the current owners that have terminated it.

[Iceman]

as much as im loving the fact, that he got the boot, i thought the way it was handled was a disgrace. There is no way, that you can demand success and i don't think City will be successful anytime soon. I also think, the Arabs will be off in a flash if things dont turn out the way they planned.

What a way to run a football club. Roberto Mancini has admitted today in his press conference that he first spoke to the Arabs weeks ago.

It's been reported that Mancini agreed to take the job back on the 2nd of December, the night Man City beat Arsenal's kids in the Carling Cup to reach their first cup semi-final since 1981.

If Man City win their next two games - winnable matches at home to Stoke and away to Wolves - they will have 35 points from 19 games, which is exactly the target for the halfway point of the season that the ridiculous oaf Garry Cook claimed that City needed to meet.

The whole thing is a complete shambles. Mr Cook is an arrogant clown who thinks that the public are fools. Apparently Mancini has recently been staying at Cook's house and the way that Mancini brazenly turned up at Eastlands for the game against Sunderland on Saturday summed up the shabby and unseemly way that Man City go about their business. I have nothing but disgust for the way that Man City are being run at the top level.

It's reported in one of the tabloids today that despite the mega-rich Arabs being worth billions, Mark Hughes actually had to lend Man City £250,000 of his own money to sign Craig Bellamy this January.

The deal to sign Bellamy from West Ham nearly collapsed because City were £250,000 short and apparently Hughes had to dip his hand in his pocket for the deal to go through.

Link: Hughes had to lend the Sheikhs money

and thats why, im happy with John Williams overseeing matters at Ewood. What a shambles, not just at City but at Liverpool, Man United, West Ham,Hull, Pompey etc.

[RovertheHill]

City have got 29 points so far, from 17 games. Do the sums.

Joke club without money. Joke club with money. The new Newcastle anyone?

Still Den, I make that £6,896,551 per point (not including wages). Makes Sam's £526,315 per point (approx.) seem a positive bargain. Surprising that many of the people getting very hot and bothered about this sacking are the same ones who'd get rid of Allardyce in a heartbeat to bring Hughes back here... Surely not double standards on here?

[DE.]

Gary Cook is utter slime. What a mickey-mouse press conference. It takes a lot for me to hate a club Rovers have no direct rivalry with, but City have quite easily managed that. I hope they crash and burn.

[dillhallblue]

I do find the City saga a mixture of disgraceful & funny really ??!!!

Disgraceful ..... Because no-one in any profession deserves to be treated in this way, no matter how well or poor they were doing in their job.

& finally funny ..... Because if Coward ( no balls ) Cook had actually decided to strap a pair on this evening and answer questions, he'd probably be still there now still being roasted by the journo's lol.

[FourLaneBlue]

Surprising that many of the people getting very hot and bothered about this sacking are the same ones who'd get rid of Allardyce in a heartbeat to bring Hughes back here... Surely not double standards on here?

Football fans being fickle and hypocritical is not exactly breaking news.

[RovertheHill]

Football fans being fickle and hypocritical is not exactly breaking news.

As opposed to football club owners sacking managers prematurely...

[FourLaneBlue]

As opposed to football club owners sacking managers prematurely...

As opposed to nothing. The two are both part of football.

However I'm not sure why we should have any sympathy for Hughes. Ultimately he left us for better things when he had the chance and had been actively looking around for somewhere else for the last year when he was with us.

Personally I don't feel glad it has not worked out but I don't see how he deserves sympathy for Man City having looked around for other managers while he was in charge. Hughes looked around for other jobs while he was in charge of and contracted to Blackburn Rovers.

What's the difference?

[RovertheHill]

Personally I don't feel glad it has not worked out but I don't see how he deserves sympathy for Man City having looked around for other managers while he was in charge. Hughes looked around for other jobs while he was in charge of and contracted to Blackburn Rovers.

What's the difference?

A very good point and one that seems lost on all the hand-wringing ex-pro's and pundits being wheeled out on this one...

[John]

Article on the shambles that was the press conference earlier. Does not look great for Cook or the owners: Garry Cook’s lines poorly rehearsed during one-man show with Manchester City

[thenodrog]

Finest example of 'Live by the sword, die by the sword' in recent times. Hughes lived and died by it and shouldn't whinge cos of it. He looks like a right smacked arse now. He knows that Prem managers don't get 2 years on average and City managers get much much less. He must have had his eyes wide shut.

Also I'll show my arse on the town Hall steps if Cook doesn't suffer a similar fate. Beats me watching his antics over the past 2 years and his performance yesterday how he ever got the job in the first place. Prob told Shinawatra that he was of Royal birth of something ...... that sort of stuff carries a lot of weight in lots of backward countries. Also it beats me even more how he managed to climb so high up the corporate ladder at Nike. Brown nosing / never promote anybody of quality to the position immediately below you / right place at the right time man .... who knows? One thing for sure it's a mystery to me.

[Stuart]

Listening to Cook speak, he sounds just like a corporate suit. His press conference was like an AGM presentation to a board of directors or to the City.

He comes across as cold and his soul is clearly not in football. If netball was raking in billions he'd be doing that instead.

Praise the Lord for John Williams.

[thenodrog]

Listening to Cook speak, he sounds just like a corporate suit. His press conference was like an AGM presentation to a board of directors or to the City.

He comes across as cold and his soul is clearly not in football. If netball was raking in billions he'd be doing that instead.

Praise the Lord for John Williams.

Now now Jisty. Lets try to retain a sense of perspective and not get carried away eh? ......... For all his obvious faults Gary Cook has not tried to replace Mark Hughes with Paul Ince has he?

[tcj_jones]

I thought the same, Jisty. A souless corporate big shot who knows nothing about football and probably cares even less. You aren't giving a presentation to the board of directors...

[waggy]

So your accusing one of our all time greats of throwing a match are you now wag?!?!?!

yes i am do you not remenber the goals i would have saved 2 of them,funny how he joined villa

[T4E]

Now now Jisty. Lets try to retain a sense of perspective and not get carried away eh? ......... For all his obvious faults Gary Cook has not tried to replace Mark Hughes with Paul Ince has he?

Only you could insert that sort of perspective to the debate.

JW made a massive mistake with Ince, but Cook is on another planet. The guy is an embarrassment.

[Billy Castell]

That Cook seems a really classless guy. He is eager to stab whoever he wants to in the back to get to the shiny new employee in at the club. I wouldn't mind him back here after BFS leaves.

It would be interesting to see where he turns up next. I reckon Holland or Germany wouldn't be out of the question.

[JC4LAB]

Notts County?Bolton?Newcastle?.Ideal for Cardiff but they are doing OK

[tcj_jones]

I've got a feeling Hughes will end up at Birmingham in the summer. Either that or Newcastle.

[sambo]

I've got a feeling Hughes will end up at Birmingham in the summer. Either that or Newcastle.

Why would Alex McLeish leave though? Sacking him would be worse than Hughes getting the chop, especially given Birmingham's good start..

[T4E]

Birmingham wont be sacking Eck any time soon, he's doing a great job.

[Tom]

I think one way or another within a year Sparky may be at Goodison

[Billy Castell]

Interesting suggestion there. Everton are doing pretty poo right now, which is not damaging Moyes' reputation for some reason. Moyes will leave soon for a 'bigger' club with more cash (probably next season when Mancini loses 2 games).

I think PSV, Bayern Munich, Lyon and Porto would be the sort of club that may hire him.

[tcj_jones]

I say Birmingham because they are cash rich right now with a relatively unfashionable manager who doesn't want to mess with the current squad. I can see them hitting poor form either this season or next and the powers that be wanting a change.

I don't think Hughes has the reputation to manage a club abroad of the stature mentioned above.

[Iceman]

Hughes to be the next Bolton manager, well that is my guess. Either them or Hull.