Hughes: Bellamy playing out of his skin

October 06, 2009

READY TO POUNCE: Craig Bellamy lines up the shot that equalised for City

MARK Hughes hailed Craig Bellamy after the Manchester City striker took his tally to four for the season in the 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.

Former Blues skipper Richard Dunne headed the home side again before Bellamy smashed a smart finish past Brad Friedel to a cap another fine performance from the Welshman.

Hughe said: “He is playing out of his skin at the moment.

“It doesn’t matter what position I use him in, he is still having a positive impact on the game and it was the same here.

“He is playing with great confidence. He always thinks he is the best player and most of the time he has been.”

Has Bellamy been City's best player this season? Have your say.

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SDS (06/10/2009 at 09:32)

Yes he has been our best player so far, like many city fans i was unsure when hughes signed him, but how can you drop him, he has been excellent i cannot see how robinho will get back in.
my only worry about this squad of players is we seem to be very poor at dealing with high balls into our box,as much as given, toure are very good players neither is commanding in the air, this part of our game hughes and his team must work on, had to smile when dunnie scored, thought 1-1 was about right, won 5, drew 1, lost 1, is more than i would have expected. thought bridge was outstanding last night.
think ireland made a big difference but he came on when villa were clearly running out of steam, our bench was very strong and i expect us to kill teams more so in the last fifteen minutes. Villa are a good honest side and i hope with dunnie there they end up one place behind us.overall a very enjoyable competitive match.

Gazinio Enzo Masserati (06/10/2009 at 10:24)

Ditto to SDS - Good hard game, very good test for our lads, thought SWP should have been changed after half time, he seemed a little out of sorts for me.

Good game all together, relieved with the point in the end.

wollongong blue. Aus (06/10/2009 at 11:30)

Its just a real joy to watch him play at the moment!!!- his work ethic is infectious. Its a shame to see SWP struggling and would be good for him to have a rest with bellers playing on the right last night.

The Admiral Mann (06/10/2009 at 11:31)

When he signed i was 100% skeptical regarding his temperament and the effect his attitude he could have in the dressing room,how wrong was i?,this fella has been IMENSE for the whole squad and as much as it pains me to say it,Robinho won't get back in the side,well not on the left anyway,maybe up front along side Ade.

I think Hughes sees Bellamy as if he were playing in this team himself,one thing with Bellamy in the eleven he certainly won't put up with anyone not grafting there gonads off for the cause.

BELLAMY FOR CAPTAIN ANYONE?

Garsinho, Manchester (06/10/2009 at 11:47)

I think SWP needs a rest. Put Bellamy on the right and Petrov on the left.

Yaba Daba Blue (06/10/2009 at 11:51)

SDS, spot on.

SOME people on bluemoon were moaning, but it was fantastic entertainment.

It speaks volumes, of the abilities of mark hughes, we have gelled so well, so fast. Am sure he will address, the niggling issues.

Top Cat, Preston, Preston (06/10/2009 at 12:02)

Think 1-1 was a fair result as neither keeper was worked hard enough. Tactical error (I assume by hughes) leaving Barry to pick up Dunne. With Richards not playing, Barry would have been better employed at the near post and Adebayor picking up one of their centre backs.

Thought Tevez was poor last night - his shooting and passing options were a tad off. Looking at the picture attached to this story, his knee is bandaged in - I assume that he was playing with an injury? (didn't notice this last on the box last night). If he was it surely would have been better to leave him on the bench and play either Petrov or Ireland - IMHO.

Anyway, a draw against the Villa is still a pretty decent result - the most positive thing last night was that we kept posession much better than recent games and hopefully this shows we are getting used to each other a bit more.

glad to be blue, halifax (06/10/2009 at 12:06)

bellers is a far,far better player than i ever imagined i like a lot on this site did not think it was a good move,i think we thought it was a old pals act with mark hughes,well how wrong can we be.he plays out of his skin wherever he plays left, right, up topfair play craig.as for sweep it proves the saying never go back,when sweep was here first time round we had some very average players now,we have got some real quality in he might not be up to that level,after all he did not get in the chealsea side to often,the odd carling cup game etc,but he was never a first team regular,he is also about third choice for england now,i think we have to exept he is not top class

Sam Haggar-Feed the Goat and he will score (06/10/2009 at 12:18)

Bellemy is joint top scorer with Adebayor with 4 goals theres no way robinho wont get back into this side. Robinho knows if he has any chance of getting back into this team he will need to track back robinho wont get on the bench at the moment. He will proberly be back in training after the internatonal break.

Cityman 5 (06/10/2009 at 12:22)

Can everyone give SWP a break please, though as usual he ran his socks off last night and is well worth his place in the team. Him and bellers give us so much energy on the flanks and great support to the full backs too.

SWP is miles better than Aaron lennon or Milner or Ashley young or Downing or Babel or Pienaar or Nani or Valencia. We are very lucky to have SWP he's top.

Lets Get Down to the Nitty Gritty (the club that's got a bob or two in the kitty), Manchester (06/10/2009 at 12:28)

Good strong performance by the Blues against a very strong Villa side. Though I think we dominated much of the game. We should have nicked it 2-1, but a draw away at Villa Park is respectable. Bellamy was excellent, and everyone else played very well. Though I think SWP needs a rest, and I would have played Petrov on the left and Bellamy on the right. Cruz looked a bit out of his depth and needs more macth play. Only time will tell what impact he makes in this very strong City side - it won't be easy. But Bellamy and Ade look like the best combination up front. I would play Tevez in a more central attacking midfield role. I noticed Ireland was moving much better too. But DeJong - simply formidable.

Lets Get Down to the Nitty Gritty (the club that's got a bob or two in the kitty), Manchester (06/10/2009 at 12:32)

Lot of you mention how Bellamy must have priority over Robinho. TOTALLY AGREE. There is no way I would play Robinho instead of Bellers. His form last season, for me, was poor overall. He just doesn't work for the team like the others. Come January I now reckong he'll be gone.

Ulster Citizen, Lisburn (06/10/2009 at 12:35)

Agree with all the comments to date. Was sick of all the glory hunting Man Ure fans making jibes about us missing out on Kaka and ending up with Bellamy. look who's laughing now!!

mark jones (06/10/2009 at 12:41)

look nobody is having a go at swp were just saying what we see the lad needs a rest hes played in every game plus friendly,s before that. weve got cover in abondance so lets use it.

Pivo, Manchester (06/10/2009 at 12:47)

A very entertaining game last night and a draw was probably a fair result. Several players didn't seem to play as well as they can against Villa. SWP looks out of sorts, Tevez after a bright start seemed on the periphery of things and although Barry worked hard the return to Villa seemed to get the better of him (along with Dunnie). Things picked up a bit when Ireland came on but he's another player who hasn't really replicated his form of last season yet. When they do find top form, some poor team is going to get battered. Bellamy in recent games has been absolutely superb but I'd still give Barry my vote for the best player overall so far this season. Good to see that our fans at Villa didn't give Dunnie any grief when he scored. I hope he's shown the same respect when we play the return fixture at Eastlands. One final thing, we're quick to slag off refs when they're poor but I'd just like to send my thanks to Mike Dean for the way he handled last night's game. His only blemish was the booking of SWP which I thought was a little harsh.

Block 110 blue (06/10/2009 at 12:55)

edski
unfortunately your an idiot...
not many teams will get a result from villa park, win our game in hand were second. i use the term "we" losely as you cant possibly be a blue probably jumped on the band waggon when robi signed. Get behind the lads to push for europe

glad to be blue, halifax (06/10/2009 at 12:58)

cityman5..........buzzer is still better than babel,nani,and velencia

£700m and rising......, Sale (06/10/2009 at 13:25)

SWP is struggling this season that is an undeniable fact. He offered little to the side last night with his poor control and ball retention putting the side on the back foot over and over again. For whatever reason he is out of sorts and he isn't performing well enough by his standards. Perhaps his place shouldn't be guaranteed and if that means giving other players an opportunity then so be it.

Batmanho, Robinhos big brother, Bat Cave, Brazil (06/10/2009 at 13:27)

Excellent Bellers, excellent City. We are becoming a major force! Tev & Ade were great and it is wonderful to see balls played upfront to our strikers who can retain possession, feed team mates and so create many attacking opportunities. I thought that we more than dominated the game and should have won. I now sit and watch each game believing that we will win and at least not get beaten by inferior sides. Well done to all at City. I'm lovin it

£700m and rising......, Sale (06/10/2009 at 13:27)

Bellamy has been excellent all season and deserves his place in the team - other players not performing should look over their shoulders, particularly when we have the likes of Robinho to come back

woolleyback blue, Heart of the City (06/10/2009 at 13:36)

I think the thing that says it all about Bellamy's performances this season is the absolute silence from the armchair managers who were slating MH and the rags who tried taunting us for buying him. Talk about him shoving it down their throats. Fingers crossed his knee holds out. Robbie had better pull his socks up and up his work rate if he wants a sniff of getting back into the side. At the moment the best he can hope for is as an impact sub for the last 15 mins.

SkyBLUE in TORONTO, Toronto Canada (06/10/2009 at 14:07)

Bellamy has been fighting hard out there like a little general!! But I think it would be foolish to write off Robinho. I could see Robinho playing in an offensive mid role in the centre - which would put stevie Ireland or SWP or Tevez out of the team. Robinho is quality - Having him as an option with Adebayor, Tevez, Bells, will be brilliant. RSC needs to get a few games in/ maybe in the reserves - his passing and pace seemed off. He has potential - but needs to find his feet - been a long lay off and coming in in the last 10 Min is hard when you are fully match fit - never mind after the layoff he's had.

At any rate - I took the afternoon off to watch the game here in Toronto- and I'm glad I did - This team has a mental strength I have never seen in a city squad - We would have lost yesterday's game badly last year - Not now!! Come on CITY!!!

United ueber alles, Manchester (06/10/2009 at 14:38)

Good result for City last night, as a red myself you can't help but worry about what City have in their arsenal this year, some quality players, which have been carefully selected and now you can see them really coming together.

Fair play to Bellamy, I thought he'd be warming benches this year but he has quickly become one of your top players. I will hold back on the superlatives as I think it's early in the season but this City team looks worryingly strong, like they have a chance of winning every game.

Without having my 'red tinted glasses' on I do honestly believe that the City team that turned up to OT was well beaten and that the scoreline was flattering to City, however there was a resolve there and I think this year they are twice the team. I know I am certainly not looking forward to the return fixture at Eastlands.

I think last night was a very good point to get at Villa Park. I think you got beaten 4-2 there last year so that is one point gained. I think one of the "top 4" will be displaced this year. I hope it will be Liverpool, I think it will be Arsenal. Good luck either way...

bludarnsarf (06/10/2009 at 14:58)

Block 110 blue
6/10/2009 at 12:55

Think thats really offensive to all those Idiots out there! They don't deserve to be "awarded" an EDSKI!

Andrew Shaw (06/10/2009 at 15:00)

Bellamy is a top top player. He was our man of the match by a country mile last night and not for the first time either! Who would anyone rather have down the left in a game like that? Robhino, Petrov or Bellamy? It is an absolute no brainer. Petrov was about to come on when we equalised. Hughes must have been thinking that we may as well lose two nil and go down fighting than stay the same and lose one nil. Presumably he would have withdrawn SWP who had been kicked off the park and put Bellamy on the right and Petrov on the left. But as soon as we equalised, Petrov was sent back to the bench on the basis that we had a point and there was no way Hughes was going to blow that by leaving Bridge exposed by having a left winger who won't track back! And how right he was. Who was scrapping for the ball like his life depended on it near our corner flag in injury time? Bellamy was the man as he was surging forward at the other end trying to get the winner. Absolute quality! And to think the before we signed him, so many on here were slagging him off.

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