MARK Hughes is aghast that City's bid to break the stranglehold of English football's Big Four has drawn so much flak.
The club has been subjected to constant criticism since it began an expensive rebuilding spree, which is set to end with a possible £20m deal for Everton's Joleon Lescott later this week.
Hughes, not shy of defending the Blues against the snipers, admits he is puzzled that so many people in English football have not supported their attempts to break the dominance of United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Only United, Chelsea and Arsenal have won the league since Blackburn in 1995, and in the FA Cup - apart from 2008 when Cardiff and Portsmouth met at Wembley - the last time a final did not involve one of the top four was in 1991.
Hughes feels that predictability should mean football people would welcome any club which tried to break the stranglehold, something which was always going to take money, as the Big Four rake in huge amounts from Champions League revenue.
Hughes is adamant his club has conducted itself in the correct manner in all of their transfer dealings, and welcomed the supportive words of Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore at the weekend.
Criticism
Hughes said: "Are we doing anything that any other club has done differently in the past?
"What we are trying to do is really shake things up. We are building a club, building a team and building a squad, and at the moment we are getting a little bit of criticism because, for some reason, people don't seem to want us to do that.
"Maybe we should be encouraged to break up the top four a bit more than we are at the moment.
"It's all about `Why are City doing it?' and `Why are they doing it in a certain way?' rather than a case of `Good on them, let's see if they can do it'."
Among the critics have been other top Premier League managers, including Sir Alex Ferguson, Rafa Benitez and David Moyes.
But Hughes is unmoved by their harsh words: "We are comfortable with how we are building and will just let others get on with it.
"If what we are trying to do, and the way we approach it, affects other people so much they feel they have to say something about it, that is their decision.
"We are quite comfortable with how we are progressing and will continue to try to make things happen that will help us.
"We are there to be shot at, so what? All we can do is keep trying to win football matches."
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NEVER GIVE IN, NEVER SURRENDER
It probably should not be a suprise that there is sniping. Everbody wans to see the big 4's stranglehold on the league broken but by THEIR OWN team. Both Villa and Everton (+ Newcastle) have come close(ish) before. If I was one of their supporters I think I would be fealing a bit cheesed off myself. For everybody else it just shows that you need megabucks to make a serious stab at breaking into the top 4.
It should be quite an honour to have Fergie turning his lashing tongue onto us - he only has a go at teams that worry him, and clearly we're in that league.
Well said Hughesie!! Feel like loggin off and startin to walk to Blackburn now . . .
Excellent reply, I note that the managers named are all known whinge's anyway especially Moyes. Rafa has known to throw his teddy in the corner on a regular basis. Fergie he just old and that's what pensioners do
I'd love it if Hughes brings us success and stays around for years to come.
Come ON........I'm sick and tired of it as well, but honestly it's only the press. Speak to most genuine footabll fans and they say the same as me, we are lucky and enjoy it.
Quite right MH!
Unfortunately, this is what we have to expect now from the media in general. For any team to break the 'top four' takes one thing - money, and lot's of it.
Fergie was spending millions back in the 1980's, which was unheard of then. He has constantly broken Club, British and World transfer fees for various players over the years (he brought Hughes back in 1988 for £1.8m- club rec)
Now, it's our turn.
If this means we have to grow a thicker skin, pay less attention to the absolute rubbish that is being written at the moment...so be it.
This is a price I'm more than willing to pay.
It is because of the money, no mattter what people cannot look past that. They compare us to Utd etc because of the cash but that is football and without it no one can get to the top.
Ho hum, another slow news day..........`purple haze` jonsie.
Well said Hughes, all the other clubs and their supporters make me laugh, they give us stick for spending money on rebuilding a team to challenge at the top, but if they were in the same enviable position they would be crowing with the best of `em.
Anyway, as City fans we can take anything that is thrown at us, we are resiliant, we are strong, we are proud, WE ARE CITY. CTID
Absolute spot on Mark, stuff the lot of 'em.
Keep saying this in the way it's been said, keep it consistent, keep your dignity, be totalty blinkered, and don't get sucked in to any controversy, that's exactly what the papers want in supporting the red-nosed one from Trafford, and his pathetic childish taunts. This has been going on for years, and now we really are upsetting them with what we may do, they want to de-rail it at the earliest opportunity, the further it gets the more twitchier they'll get. Just keep repeating the party line and bore them to death with it, and they'll get fed up. And then, if we do get anywhere, they'll be so far up our backsides it won't be true.
Mark, Mark, are you listening Mark,
You are showing signs of weakness.
Ignore the comments. We are
"Don't you stop".....Gary Cook was given this message by me in Pretoria,because for 44 years I have wondered through the football desert and now we are at the Promissed Land.......in every part of our wonderful club the Sheik has invested money,time,talent and care......thank you from the bottom of my heart......
hughes, you are growing in stature every day mate.
We're comfortable with the way that we're doing things,too Sparky.As indeed are most genuine neutral fans,who wish it were them in our situation,or are fascinated to see what may happen this season.
I'm afraid it's very much the case of the big green monster rearing its ugly head with Fergie & his red Lemmings,Liverpool,Chelsea etc.They obviously see a threat to the status quo.
I am totally happy that we, as a club, hold the moral high ground with how we have conducted ourselves in all the transfer dealings so far. The only people who have deliberately generated nause and uproar have been the managers of the previously unthreatened 'Top 4' (soon to be called Top 5) and the entirely predictable 'Red Top' brain donors who will tell you any old tripe to sell papers. Give it two years and there will be a target shift to the next club who have been bought. How long before Notts County are getting slated for buying their promotion from the bottom tier to the top?
Glad to have a manager in charge who constantly talks complete common sense rather than spouting out bitter nonsense about other teams and how teams try harder against his and gets labelled a genius for it!
My main worry this season is that some people clearly don't want him in charge no matter what he does and who he signs and unfortunately if we have 2/3 bad performances on the spin they will expect him to be sacked. Pathetic i know, but thats how fickle some people are as we know!
Be patient
Well said Sparky !! They don't like it up em Capt. Mannering
every other team should be behind us for breaking this stagnent monopoly that is the "top 4"
I was a Hughes sceptic when it was announced that a former hero from down the road was to be our next manager. I did support the Save Sven campaign not only for the two victories against United but also because of his gentlemanly manner with the media and authorities.
But Mark Hughes has gone about his business with a coolness that has almost been aloof at times, he does not react to the rants of others with anything other than a "respectful" acknowledgment of their opinions.
The team he is building, and the weakening of some of the top 6 clubs by taking some of their best players, has convinced me that he can become one of the great managers. It took SAF almost 6 years to bring the fruits of his labours to the fore, we have had Hughes for just ONE season and I hope our owners keep on demonstrating their incredibly astute business acumen by giving him the time to create the best City team since the Mercer Allison days.
For all those Blues under 45-50 this is going to be the time of your footballing lives. Roll on August 15th.
Go on Hughesy, They've been at it for years and are only complaining because we're stealing their thunder. I want to see us bidding for the same players as united just to pump the price up, they simply can't compete with our wealth and Sir Alex would blow a fuse. COME ON YOU BLUES!
Chopper
The game is on at 4.45am Brissie time. So that will be 1973 in Adelaide. Enjoy.
Quite right. We know wh the likes of the top four are decrying City. Why are such a big section of the media so keen to protect the cosy cartel of th top four, and slate City? Couldn't be a vested interest could it? or is it just lazy journalism. As for ht emangers who slate City, well theirs is pure jealousy and vested interests (whetehr they are mates of Bacon face or not). The only one to be objective so far has been Martin O'Neill.
Quite right too Sparky. The flak and carping will continue. It's fulled by fear - from the existing top 4 bosses, and jealousy by all those wishing to be in our shoes. The most common snipe I hear is that we will not have achieved this on merit should we break into the top 4. Well hear this, all you non believers - attracting a takeover such as we did is merit enough. Who would want to take over a club and pump hundreds of millions into it without thinking it was a viable concern.