Hughes rejects top four pressure

Paul Pycroft

November 17, 2009

MARK Hughes has rejected the notion that Manchester City's season will be regarded as a failure if they finish outside the top four.

After a short break in Abu Dhabi and a meeting with owner Sheikh Mansour, Hughes is ready to get City's season back on track again after five successive draws.

What has been dubbed a mini-slump by those who expect much better from a team put together at the not inconsiderable cost of £200m over the past three transfer windows, has left the Blues in sixth spot ahead of this weekend's trip to Liverpool.

It is two places below the standard required for Champions League qualification, which has been put forward as the minimum target for Hughes to regard the campaign as a success.

But the Welshman refuses to be drawn in by such arbitrary goals. His wants improvement. And in that sense, the march is inexorable.

"With the resources we have, people are saying the top four is the minimum requirement. That is actually not the case," said Hughes.

"The clubs you have to overcome are not just the best teams in the Premier League, they are also some of the best teams in the world.

"That is the challenge for everybody. And it is very difficult.

"What we are looking for is progress and I would defy anyone to say we have not made progress from where we were last year."

It is a source of pride for instance that City are the only top flight club not to have lost more than once.

Even that defeat, in the sixth minute of injury-time at Manchester United, was extremely unlucky.

If the season so far can be divided into three, with each cut-off coming at an international break, the United defeat was at the start of the second, which was not quite as good as the stellar first.

It is the third one where Hughes' team stalled. Yet they still have a game in hand of all the teams above them, with the exception of Arsenal, whom they will meet in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup on December 2.

"We have played 13 games in all competitions and have been beaten once," said Hughes.

"Ideally we would like to have changed some of those draws to wins but we have reached a consistent level that allows us to compete in every game.

"In terms of where we were last year and where we are now, it is a different place. I pleased with the progress we are making and that will continue. I am certain of it."

The transition from big club with big history but no chance of sustained success to the richest in the world is not an easy one.

It takes time to adjust at all levels, and Hughes realises the process takes time.

"It is an education for everyone to see the scrutiny that comes with being a big club. Everything is changing about the perception of Manchester City," he said.

"That is a learning process for everybody and is something that will never be the same again."

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Kippax 36, High Heath (17/11/2009 at 10:55)

Well Mark consistancy applies at management level aswell as the team. How about doing something that is inconsistant by changing the starting 11!! Give Sylvinho a start alongside Vincent Kompany? Or drop Gareth Barry or Ireland and get NDJ back in, then there is the case for SWP. Try giving young Weiss a run out, he is hungry and bursting to get on and show what he can do, plus teams are now wise to Shauny and he is struggling to get past his man. The fact of the matter is that the team he continues to put out are lacking confidence and at times appear rudderless! C'mon Mark get a grip, lets get back to winning ways.

£800 million in debt and no fans in manchester (17/11/2009 at 11:05)

So Hughes is making the excuse because he knows he isnt the man to lead City onwards and upwards. He should be saying we can and will make the top 4. Bloody hell Liverpool are rocking, Yoonited are the force they were , Arsenal will weaken in second half of the season, Chelsea are aging although still favourites to win title. So why is he talking down our chances, maybe he knows he has run out of ideas/excuses. Oh yes i hear you say only 1 defeat in 11 leagues games,but and its a big but only 5 wins. Prefer to win 3 and lose 2 rather than draw 5 more points and thats a fact . Why wont he play Weiss and go for wins instead of settling for draws. Hughes at Blackburn was negative and work ethic based , nothing changed just more expensive workhorses,and thats why he got rid of Elano and will get rid of Robbie and Rigsby. Rather keep robbie and get rid of Mr Negativity.

david leach, manchester (17/11/2009 at 11:24)

Yeah we know Mark you are doing a wonderful job blah blah blah,we are so lucky to have you blah blah blah,you have had to rid the club of all the disruptive influences blah blah blah.

Here is the crutch off it, you have been financed very heavily to lift us up the league, top 4 was never mentioned as a goal, but the reality is we all know it is.

Last season you took us backwards, we failed to qualify for the Europa League, plenty of stories then surfaced that the Europa had ruined our season, the players were tired, to many matches etc etc, and that the real goal was top 4 that's where the money was, I and many others accepted that with the mitigating factors of it being a transitional season etc.

Now 3 transfer windows later, reading between the lines it seems you are smart enough to realize we have been garbage against some pretty poor teams over the last few weeks, and that there is a distinct possibility over the coming weeks we slide out of the top 4 and top 6

He challenges any one to say we have not made progress?

Actually the jury is still out.

To much spin and not enough substance on the pitch.

If we don't finish top 4 this season it will be nothing short off a disaster, it will affect the caliber of players we recruit.

I also still expect that Hughes will be sacked if we don't finish top 4; our owners will have no alternative but to be proactive before Platinni pushes though financially crippling legislation that will affect the club, time is now of the essence.

So come on Mark a bit more energy where it matters,rather than preparing excuses.

49rs, Abu Dhabi (17/11/2009 at 11:33)

Mark Hughes has rejected the notion that Manchester City's season will be regarded as a failure if they finish outside the top four - it's a failure already mate.

We get worse with each game, can't despatch garbage like fulham when 2-0 up at home or mighty Burnley, who score more in their game against us than they had done in all their five previous away games combined.

Hughes has kicked out the dross and assembled a great squad. But no signs here that he can put a team together.

The Colin - Leeds, Over the hills and far away (Mancunian Reject) (17/11/2009 at 11:33)

*Off Topic*

I'm currently sat working with an Arsenal supporter who just won't shut up about Adebayour.

Can anyone offer some advice?

Just had to be Blue, Bury (17/11/2009 at 11:37)

£800 million in debt and no fans in manchester
Not sure I agree with you mate about Hughes at Blackburn. My lad is a Rovers fan so I`ve had the opertunity to watch then regularly over the years. During MH`s time at Ewood he slowly transformed a religation bound side through the stages of rough side giving nothing away to a decent UEFA side punching well above their weight ruffling and taking points of the top 4 on a regular bases. They usually beat us with anoying ease whilst they were at it. MH has a big job with us, we had few quality players, a lot of journeymen and the disruptive element of some senior players who didnt give a damm about the club and we`re only interested in their own ego`s and paypackets. Now we have better players than we could have dreamed of 4 years ago, a work ethic and we`ve stoppped loosing. As some of the more established lads on this site would say, "The future is upwards and its Blue" Oh and will people stop having a go at Santa Cruz, we havn`t seen anything of him yet and he really is a very good first touch striker who brings other players into the game. We will get out monies worth.

Elano's PR Manager, Gorton (17/11/2009 at 12:14)

We'll see what our owner thinks about finishing out of the top 4 at the end of the season. Hughes should stop getting his excuses in early and concentrate on winning the next game.

The Wright-Phillips Show, A Football Ground Near You (17/11/2009 at 12:36)

49rs, Abu Dhabi
17/11/2009 at 11:33

"it's a failure already ", you have got to be kidding, i'm lost for words, writing a season off 11 games in whatever next.

Cabeeno (17/11/2009 at 12:44)

personally i belive that this situation will deteriorate. I dont know how he has done it but JL has forgotten how to defend. Sorry hughes but you made a sore mistake by selling Dunne. Also WB needs a break, bring in Syvinho, his record even last season was second to none. SWP had a decent game the last day but i fear that his lack of delivery is costing us and that we could be deploying other players like bellamy on the right and using petrov on the left flank which would be a more potent combination

Cabeeno (17/11/2009 at 12:52)

oh and another thing. I think that Tevez should be dropped. Iv been dissapointed with him thus far and i think that if we went with one up top with Ireland given a free reign up the centre we would be far more creative in the last third which is something that has been distinctly missing with tevez

Coach, Oslo (17/11/2009 at 12:55)

Hughes knows that what he has done so far is not good enough. He is trying his best to hang on to his job, saying he needs more time. But seeing that his contract expires this summer, he will not get a new one unless we finish in the top 4. The way we have been going from bad to worse, we are due a good hiding. Something a highly motivated Liverpool side will provide on Saturday.

tonybookoverlapping, on the wing (17/11/2009 at 13:00)

20 points from 11 games, if we keep that up over the season we finish on 68. that will be enough for the 4th Champions league spot this year

or put it another way... it's still only november and we're already halfway to safety...

Sam Haggar-MCFC BLUEMOON IS RISEING (17/11/2009 at 13:04)

Coach, Oslo
17/11/2009 at 12:55

Hughes contract runs out in the summer of 2011

the tblisi tearaway, Manchester (17/11/2009 at 13:22)

Hughes is consistent if nothing else. As soon as anything goes wrong out come the excuses. Though, to be fair, the team have progressed in one aspect - we have better players. However, we have not progressed in terms of tactics, management, substitutions, training etc etc. Hughes is still the same mediocre mid-table manager he always was and will be, but with the benefit of having been able to spend large amounts of money.
Aftere watching SWP, Barry, Lescott and Bridge do well together at the weekend for England, in the same positions they play in for City, it did make me wonder how a coaching and management team such as the one we currently have at City could have such a detrimental effect on what still are very good players. Compare and contrast with Barry, Lescott and Bridge a few days earlier against Burnley. Hughes, you clown - go!

Philip Jones (17/11/2009 at 13:27)

need To turn attentions to Saturday to an under par Liverpool team we need to go at them all game. gerrard will be played even though not fully fit. None of this defensive line up. id play.

Given
Zab Toure Ned Barry

De Jong

SWP johnson Ireland Bellamy

Ade Tevez

Lets give Bridge a break, send Lescott to stockport County. Bridge has played left back many times and De Jong to take gerrard out of the game early. Also more attacking its about time that we tested Johnsons fitness and set him loose on Liverpool

The Kippax Kid, Irlam (now West Sussex) (17/11/2009 at 13:30)

Well we are a cheery bunch today arent we!

Trueblue Dublin, dublin (17/11/2009 at 13:32)

Of all fans; we of City should know by now that changing Manager is futile. Give MH a chance, he's one of the most talented young managers in the world. Bacon Face needed four years. Get behind MH and his squad, give him the time he needs. City will finish top six, as is the brief. Remember the interview with Kaldoon, play it again on mcfc.co.uk, look in videos??? Patience is the key !!!

Adebayors Knee Slide , Manchester (17/11/2009 at 13:32)

Its the fans on here that will ensure we never succeed. They are the loud mouthed opinion builders that the young listen to at the game.

For once can't you be positive and shed the "typical city "" fan tag!!!!

Nick The Voice of Reason,, Surrey Hills,( Blackley Born and Bred.) (17/11/2009 at 13:52)

Hughes is simply out of his depth.....he has no track record in management whatsoever.......take a world class manager like Roy Hodgeson and put him in charge, and I am certain we will be in the top four all season....maybe even win it.!!!!!With Hughes its a bit like taking the local second hand car dealer and putting him in charge of BMW,do you think he d make a success of it......??,precisley!!

mr bump, badlands (17/11/2009 at 13:54)

this site is full of doom merchants almost bordering ona hate campaign. i'm yet to be convinced by the management team but some of you lot are unbelieveable. 'getting excuses in early' ? 'already a failure ? how about managing expectation which is exactly what the management / owners are doing. presumably you think we should beat everyone 6-0...frankly youd soon get bored of that and what would be the point ? i know 'fans' who moaned after stuffing hull and portsmouth last year. what the hell do you want ??????????????????????? if we are 12th at xmas and lost 3-0 at wolves on 28th dec then by all means have a pop. BUT there are plenty on here and everyone knows who they are that have been itching since august for us to lose (or god forbid draw) so that they can put the boot in. very sad individuals. get sven and elano back and loan samaras / jo back (who both were never given a chance eh boys). if we beat liverpool you'll go back in yer shell for another week and come out again when we scrape by hull 1-0 and blame bridge / lescott / hughes / de jong / swp / ireland / robinho because you refuse to get behind your players, your manager and your club. who gives a monkeys what money we have spent...think youll find spurs and liverpool have both spent more than us in the past 3 yrs and theyre no better than we are. out went jol, out went ramos....so lets get rid of hughes and things will all be rosey. god help us.

Raph, Rossendale (17/11/2009 at 14:08)

Site full of morons. We are unlikely to finish 4th. Liverpool have quality throughout the squad, the same squad - minus one player - which finished 2nd last year. They've had their blip and are likely to push on strongly as the season progresses. Maybe Arsenal will come back to the pack when their current sublime form dips and injuries take their toll. If we finish 5th or 6th with a points tally of mid 60s or higher it will have been a very good season. Rome wasn't built in a day etc.

The moaners on here need to get a grip. Hughes is doing a fine job.

Just had to be Blue, Bury (17/11/2009 at 14:23)

Nick The Voice of Reason,, Surrey Hills,( Blackley Born and Bred.)

Nick, I`m not sure why you rate Roy Hodgson so highly, he`s kept Fulham afloat
but not much else. As you may or may not be aware his previous forray into the Premiership was to follow Kenny Dalgliesh as Manager of Blackburn Rovers. He managed to get Jack Walkers Premiership winning site relegated at the first attempt. After a brief respite under Sounesss it was Hughes who came in a saved them from another relegation and turned them into a UEFA side. Are we really sure all this venom towards Hughes isnt because he an ex Man U player, it looks like it to me. Like Mr Bump and others keep saying one defeat in 13 looks like the right direction to me.

Silky Blue. The Golden Moment has arrived, Manchester (17/11/2009 at 14:32)

Opinion is one thing but when you become to self-opinionated you start to lose credit.

Colonel Blitherer, Stockport (17/11/2009 at 14:46)

It looks like the destructive critics are having a field day. I stopped attending matches a while ago because these moaners on the terraces ruined what should have been an enjoyable afternoon. I am not spending £40 to be subjected to moans and whinges from so-called City supporters. They only seem to get behind the team when they have a 3 goal lead. City will never be a successful club whilst it is dominated by supporters that only know how to be destructive.

Blue Tit, Manchester (17/11/2009 at 14:48)

Sensible comments by Hughes - why do so many on here find them hard to take?

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