[Archived] Mark Hughes - Good Choice ?

[Ossydave]

Well USA blue could either be feeling very smug/indifferent in a few weeks or might have copious amounts of egg on his face, no-one knows. Respect to him for putting his case forward though and giving reasons.

I honestly can't remember a new manager having so much enthusiasm though from the fans AND players which is surely a good thing.

Can't wait till Saturday now and thats purely cos of the football (it used to be cos of the ale)

[Modi]

Well USA blue could either be feeling very smug/indifferent in a few weeks or might have copious amounts of egg on his face, no-one knows.  Respect to him for putting his case forward though and giving reasons.

That's what worries me. Are we going to give him a chance? We've effectively given the teams we should be matching up against anything from a two point to an eight point headstart.

He should be judged on how well he does over the rest of the season, not on the next few weeks. However, I can easily see some turning on him very, very quickly.

[samtheozzy]

No ones going to feel smug or celebrate that they're right if it means Blackburn get relegated (you hear me Bryan? i remember your pre-season rants about lack of quality and the imminence of relegation ) or that Hughes fails beacause we would all rather see Rovers do well. I'm pretty sure USABlue would rather be wrong, he just doesn't think he is.

Edited September 16, 2004 by samtheozzy

[AlanK]

I am one of the happy's as well.  He wasn't my first choice- Strachan was, but for sentimental rather than purely logical reasons.

I've been happy since the short list was "announced".  I'd have been happy with them.  I'd even have tolerated Advocaat until I was looking up some stats on the dirties website and realised just how rubbish he was.

Will see you all at the Middlesbrough game.

Alank, here you go.

I`m speechless, distraught even.

Who the bleedin ell am I going to argue with now?

That USA Blue chap seems unhappy...how about it? Never liked Phoenix anyway

[Scotty]

Well USA blue could either be feeling very smug/indifferent in a few weeks or might have copious amounts of egg on his face, no-one knows.  Respect to him for putting his case forward though and giving reasons.

That's what worries me. Are we going to give him a chance? We've effectively given the teams we should be matching up against anything from a two point to an eight point headstart.

He should be judged on how well he does over the rest of the season, not on the next few weeks. However, I can easily see some turning on him very, very quickly.

Spot on Modi. Finishing 17th this season would be a fantastic success for Hughes. He isn't going to be able to turn things around instantly. It will be a long slog.

[bryson]

Mark Hughes was my first choice.

Rationally: take time to look at what he's done, over five years, for the FAW.

Tactically: I'm sure it was his idea to play himself in midfield on that wonderful day in Cardiff. I remember moaning about it as the team sheets came up.. Sparky in midfield?? He totally destroyed the light weights in midfield that day. If you remember Parkes and Souness insisted he go up with then to the winner's platform.

Emotionally: He's totally up for it.

Linguistically: Very calm and controlled. A bright lad

You are at the start of a new and exciting era for The Rovers.

Let's stuff the Pompous Gets.

MARK HUGH-ES BLUE AND WHITE ARMY

[USABlue]

Well USA blue could either be feeling very smug/indifferent in a few weeks or might have copious amounts of egg on his face, no-one knows. Respect to him for putting his case forward though and giving reasons.

I honestly can't remember a new manager having so much enthusiasm though from the fans AND players which is surely a good thing.

Can't wait till Saturday now and thats purely cos of the football (it used to be cos of the ale)

I will be delighted if I have egg on my face and I will be in no way smug if this does not work out Rovers are my team and have been for almost 40 years.

I was opposed to us hiring Souness ( yes I actually wanted Hoddle) As it turned out and as is recorded on here I became one of Souness' most vehement supporters. Gally and playing Matteo on the left wing had caused me to begin to question the mans sanity though.

Rovers through and through so I look forward to that egg, scrambled sounds good.

[USABlue]

Well USA blue could either be feeling very smug/indifferent in a few weeks or might have copious amounts of egg on his face, no-one knows.  Respect to him for putting his case forward though and giving reasons.

That's what worries me. Are we going to give him a chance? We've effectively given the teams we should be matching up against anything from a two point to an eight point headstart.

He should be judged on how well he does over the rest of the season, not on the next few weeks. However, I can easily see some turning on him very, very quickly.

Spot on Modi. Finishing 17th this season would be a fantastic success for Hughes. He isn't going to be able to turn things around instantly. It will be a long slog.

Be careful Scotty, you'll have people whining about lack of ambition. Curious the already lowered expectations though. Souness finishing 17th= simply not good enough. Hughes finishing 17th = Fantastic acheivement. I am now totally confused with this double standard.

We are barely starting this season we have time to actually accomplish something if the man is that good. (Yes, it will be good enough for me if we finish fourth from bottom)

[vindaloobob]

Curious the already lowered expectations though. Souness finishing 17th= simply not good enough. Hughes finishing 17th = Fantastic acheivement. I am now totally confused with this double standard.

i think his meaning is that souness saying that he'd settle for 17th before the season started shows a lack of ambition, but hughes taking the mess that souness left and avoiding the drop would be a fair achievement tho i agree with you in that the season is only 5 games old, if hughes can turn the team around we could still be aiming for mid-table mediocrity

[JonnyH]

Just seen the report on Sky again. Did anyone else hear Uncle Nobhead taking the photos.

"Come on Mark, give us a smile, we've done this before"

[Legion]

Sparky was my first choice, so I'm very happy with this.

My thoughts are that he has the confidence, experience and abilities to lift and remould the team. Under Souness,things were coming unglued, we heard more and more stories of dissent and back room bust ups, and the common denominator was Souness.

Sparky already had the confidence of the senior members of the team before he was even appointed.

I don't think he is going to come in a 'new broom' and try to get rid of the team en masse and replace it with his signings, somthing which would have happened with 90% of the other choices.

So very happy, welcome back Sparky.

3-1 rovers against Pompey.

[USABlue]

Just listened to Mark Hughes on TV. He sounds like a straight talker, spoke his mind and was clear and concise. Could it be I am already warming to this fella.

[tchocky]

Spot on Modi. Finishing 17th this season would be a fantastic success for Hughes. He isn't going to be able to turn things around instantly. It will be a long slog.

I don't know. Sounds a bit pessimistic to me. Are we really that deep in? I mean, one win and we could be in midtable. On sunday we might be 13th. Fair enough a few players need to get their confidence back, but I seem to remember a poll/topic concerning the quality of our squad this season concluding that it was the best for a long time. 17th would be surprising to me, anyway. I expect us to finish no lower than last seasons 15th. We cannot possibly be that poor at home for another season.

[bubblerrovers]

usa blue!!

The reaction i get from posting such a positive post is a joke. I hate to think what you'd say if someone was critisising rovers. i thought this was a site we could all share are opinions but obviously if there not along the lines of yours there's trouble!! grow up

Edited September 17, 2004 by bubblerrovers

[Alan75]

bubblerover I think youve contradicted yourself.

i thought this was a site we could all share are opinions

you and usablue have conflicting opinions but there's no point falling out over them.

[Scotty]

Spot on Modi.  Finishing 17th this season would be a fantastic success for Hughes.  He isn't going to be able to turn things around instantly.  It will be a long slog.

I don't know. Sounds a bit pessimistic to me. Are we really that deep in? I mean, one win and we could be in midtable. On sunday we might be 13th. Fair enough a few players need to get their confidence back, but I seem to remember a poll/topic concerning the quality of our squad this season concluding that it was the best for a long time. 17th would be surprising to me, anyway. I expect us to finish no lower than last seasons 15th. We cannot possibly be that poor at home for another season.

IMO the team lacks sufficient quality to finish anywhere near mid-table this season. That's what Souness has left us.

So, if Hughes can keep us up then I think he'll have achieved all we can ask of him this season. He can then use next summer to truely shape the team to how he'd like it - and then we can judge whether he's a good manager or not. If we go down this year it won't be Hughes that I'm blaming.

[philipl]

Let's see what Pompey home and Charlton away bring us. A win and a draw and the team will be believing in itself and in Mark Hughes. Six points from six games will see the club around 15th/16th (points will be picked up by clubs around the bottom as there are quite a few playing each other).

In that scenario, it is quite possible that the squad reveals its capability and a dteady if unspectacular climb up the table will follow.

However, Harry Redknapp's Pompey are the ultimte party pooper and he will have them highly motivated for Saturday. A couple of draws or a draw and a defeat will still leave us in the bottom three and mass anxiety will follow with all kinds of criticism for allowing Hughes to continue in the Welsh job even only for two games.

Doubts about the capability of the squad from front to back will turn into certainties.

Poor old Sparky could have a very short and difficult honeymoon at Ewood.

He also has a "massive" first game in charge.

[Hughesy]

In todays paper Hughes says that Alex Ferguson told him to take the job.

He also says that we cannot expect to finish in the top tier, however we need to be the top of the 2nd tier.

What would you class as the 2nd tier? 5th and lower?

[Manchester Blue]

Considering the stage of the season and the games we've played I would think that as long as Hughes makes a good impact we should be able to expect mid-table. I disagree that we haven't got the quality, I just don't think they were playing well or with enough motivation. Whilst we are no world beaters anymore a quick look at some of the other teams shows where we should be challenging and to me it's not 17th.

[Hughesy]

For gods sake the season is still young. We are only 8 points off 3rd. We have no reason not to finish in the top half

[CAPT KAYOS]

However, Harry Redknapp's Pompey are the ultimte party pooper and he will have them highly motivated for Saturday. A couple of draws or a draw and a defeat will still leave us in the bottom three and mass anxiety will follow with all kinds of criticism for allowing Hughes to continue in the Welsh job even only for two games.

He also has a "massive" first game in charge.

Good points PhilipL but aren't all managers' first games 'massive'

As for Redknapp - I expect his side will be organised with the instructions to withstand the onslaught that is likely to happen for the first 20 mins - the nuse the counter-attack to get at us.

What Hughes needs to do is make sure that we capitalise on this first 20 mins and learn to get at Portsmouth rather than backing off and stop being the side that has been so easily broken down and 'bypassed' recently.

USABlue - I appreciate your concerns (which are backed up well with reasons) but it is only this season that Hughes that 17th will be accepted - remember this is not the side he built just the team he has taken over - and as Scotty says if we are relegated it won't be Hughes that I will be blaming.

Now do you like salt on or sauce on your eggs??

[Hughesy]

The squad is good enough to stay up and we are only 5 games into the season. Im sorry but if we were to get relegated then Hughes would have to take some of the blame.

Anyway that wont happen.

[scov]

For what it's worth I am pleased that Mark Hughes has been appointed.

In a number of ways, I was sorry that Souness went, not least because of the manner and speed of his departure. He did a lot for the club in his time at Rovers and I for one greatly valued his steadying influence in turbulent times. But, I also agree with may who have posted here - perhaps it was time for him to move on and I'm glad he left of his own accord rather than via the sack.

In Hughes we have a young manager with many of Souness's best qualities in terms of determination, charisma and reputation, but, importantly, without many of his less palatable characteristics - the ego, the dogmatic approach, the ability to publicly fall out with players and not have the humility to forgive and forget.

OK, Hughes lacks the experience at club level, but he also doesn't come with the baggage Souness increasingly seems to have been carrying around last season and this.

Who knows whether it will work out well for Rovers - there are so many intangibles? However, regardless, I'm proud that an ex-player who is globally revered and respected and who has successfully managed his national team for 5 years wants to come and manage the club I support.

I can't wait until the 'wins' start to come through but no-one should be intolerant enough to criticise Hughes if Saturday's game against Portsmouth (or indeed the next couple of fixtures) don't deliver 3 points.

Give him time to make the team, the regime and the way we play his way and I really believe that we will have a solid season and be out of the relegation worry zone well before the end of March, let alone April.

[broadsword]

If we go down this year it won't be Hughes that I'm blaming.

Yes, Souness was crap (for the last 12 months at least), but he was only in charge for the first four games. Yes, they're all his players, but guess what, the transfer window opens in January! Yes we're near the bottom, but we've only played five games.

If we go down and you blame Souness I can only think you're being extraordanarily petty and vindictive.

[jim mk2]

If we go down If we go down and you blame Souness I can only think you're being extraordanarily petty and vindictive.

That is the one thing we can be grateful to Souness for: he jumped the sinking ship so early in the season that Hughes has plenty of time to turn the club around.

It's going to be quite a test for young Mark. Even with the poor and demoralised squad of players bequeathed to him by Souness, he will be expected to provide instant results.

I, for one, however, will not be turning against him. It was a brave decision by the board to appoint Hughes when other, more experienced candidates were available, but I think they have got the right man.