Shabby treatment

Tuesday, 22/12/2009

Watching Mark Hughes offer a wave of resignation towards to Manchester City fans last Saturday will have left a bitter taste in the mouth of all true football fans.

Whether Hughes knew his fate at that point – and it seems likely he did – to be sacked in the manner he has done shows that no amount of money can buy you class.

City CEO Gary Cook has since admitted contact had been made with new manager Roberto Mancini behind Hughes’ back up to two weeks before the appointment was announced. 

During the press conference to announce Mancini’s arrival it was intriguing to see Cook’s behaviour. Watching him squirm in his chair, hiding behind a statement in one breath whilst thumping the desk in front of him in another in an attempt to look authoritative, showed how uncomfortable he was with the situation.

Cook’s performance was in stark contrast to the confident and dignified manner in which Hughes has handled himself in front of the media. Hughes has always fronted up to his opponents and rival managers. Not one to hide from a 50-50 tackle on the pitch or a managerial handshake in the technical area, Sparky wore his heart on his sleeve as a player and has developed into one of the most composed and considered British managers around, with quiet authority and no little success.

He almost took Wales to Euro 2004, narrowly missing out to Russia in a two-legged play-off and re-established a waning Blackburn Rovers before being offered the City job.

To see him treated in this way is another illustration of how the money saturated, instant success-obsessed Premier League is becoming almost unrecognisable to its supporters.

Some City fans were always against the appointment of Hughes, a former Manchester United legend, Old Trafford fan’s favourite and one of Fergie’s warriors, who embodied the spirit of the Red Devils. But most of them realised they had one of the brightest young managers in England and were keen for someone to bring stability to the club and long-term success. 

There were signs to show the supporters and players were behind their manager. City have dropped a few too many points in recent weeks but it’s certainly not been a bad campaign thus far. A Champions League place isn’t out of the question and an intriguing Carling Cup semi-final with United could give City the first chance to win a trophy in 33 years, something Red Devils fans aren’t shy in referring to.

Perhaps Hughes has paid for not being able to get the best out of the frustratingly inconsistent Robinho. Selecting the industrious and more reliable Craig Bellamy probably didn’t go down to well with the billionaire owners, keen to see a return on their £32.5m plus investment in the Brazilian. Some of Hughes’ signings haven’t proved themselves yet, with Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor only showing glimpses of what they can do. But the likes of Bellamy, Shay Given and Gareth Barry have improved the team.

Sparky was arguably on a hiding to nothing from the start. Had he reached the seemingly ever-changing targets set by the City board and made the top six or reached 70-point mark, then it would’ve been because of the money.

If he struggled to reach these targets, no matter that he’d only lost two games all season, beaten Chelsea and Arsenal and reached the club’s first semi-final for 28 years, then it wouldn’t be good enough because of the amount of money he’d spent.

At least the Welshman can leave Eastlands with his head held high and is sure to get another chance to manage at the top level. Hopefully he’ll find a club that can match his genuine ambition and his ambition to be genuine.

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