[Archived] Mark Hughes - Good Choice ?

[Alan75]

I still expect us to lose Hughes to a "bigger" club however. Probably next season.

Cant see him joining Brum

[philipl]

I believe a new record has just been set with November reached and no top division managerial casualties.

Could it be that there is a new maturity regarding managerial appointments or is it that Prem Managers earning at least £1m a year on rolling or long fixed term contracts (sorry about my error on Mourinho and Wenger) are just too expensive to dispose of.

There hasn't been a cavalier dismissal since Fat Freddie shot Bambie over twelve months ago.

If these are indeed changed circumstances, the opportunities for a move for someone like Hughes might be seriously reduced.

The Man U job will fall vacant but quite when RFW will hang up the hair dryer is anybody's guess. Souness now has a run of easier fixtures to consolidate the get out of jail fluke he got at Ewood. Bennitez has the European Cup and remember it took Liverpool donkey's years to sort out Houllier.

O'Leary could be at risk from new ownership at Villa but apart from that I can see no job coming up in England that would attract Hughes. OK so Bruce gets fired after losing at Sunderland on 26 November- so what?

However, given Hughes' experience in Spain as a player, he has to be an outside bet to go to Barcelona when they fail to pick up the pace in La Liga and get knocked out of the Champs League.

[jim mk2]

IO'Leary could be at risk from new ownership at Villa but apart from that I can see no job coming up in England that would attract Hughes.

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357771[/snapback]

Events, events. The unexpected always happens, particularly in football.

There are stories circulating in Scotland that McLeish is finished at Rangers and that Souness is being lined up for a return to Ibrox.

If that were to occur it would set off the managerial merry go round in England once more.

Hughes for Barcelona is way off beam: he is far too low profile and was not a success there as a player.

[Bobby G]

Would Souey leave to Rangers? Only if he feels he is about to be pushed out of Newcastle as was the case with us.

[philipl]

jim - I'll be delighted if you are right about Barcelona but I think you understate Hughes' profile. Look at Toshack getting the Real Madrid job!

I know Murray and Souey have a love in but that would be a massive step backwards- even from Newcastle.

[jim mk2]

I know Murray and Souey have a love in but that would be a massive step backwards- even from Newcastle.

357780[/snapback]

Souness was on radio last week professing his love for Rangers (he is a lifelong supporter). I think he would go back there tomorrow.

For Hughes to get near the Barca job he would have to win a trophy in England first. The league title back at Ewood would do me fine.

[Manchester Blue]

Events, events. The unexpected always happens, particularly in football.

There are stories circulating in Scotland that McLeish is finished at Rangers and that Souness is being lined up for a return to Ibrox.

If that were to occur it would set off the managerial merry go round in England once more.

Hughes for Barcelona is way off beam: he is far too low profile and was not a success there as a player.

357775[/snapback]

Very true he barely rates a mention in the Museum and certainly is not remembered with any fondness. It would be a massive risk for the President to appoint an unknown.

[T4E]

Souness was on radio last week professing his love for Rangers (he is a lifelong supporter). I think he would go back there tomorrow.

Dear God no....

[tonygreenbank]

If Mark Hughes was offered the United post he would accept without a second`s hesitation. He would be a fool to turn down one of the best jobs in the game. We are a club who will attract managers in the short term whilst they wait for the "big one" to come along.

[FourLaneBlue]

However, given Hughes' experience in Spain as a player, he has to be an outside bet to go to Barcelona when they fail to pick up the pace in La Liga and get knocked out of the Champs League.

357771[/snapback]

They only need a point from their last two group games to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League and are probably favourites to win La Liga again as they are only a couple of point adrift of Osasuna in second place. They are one of the best sides in Europe and would look for a manager who has achieved more success than Hughes has so far, if they were to be looking for a manager which I doubt they are.

Toshack had achieved much more than Hughes has yet and besides already had experience of managing in La Liga.

We don't have to be worrying about Barcelona poaching Hughesy...not unless he gets us into the Champions League or wins us a cup or two anyway.

[LeChuck]

If Mark Hughes was offered the United post  he would accept without a second`s hesitation. He would be a fool to turn down one of the best jobs in the game. We are a club who will attract managers in the short term whilst they wait for the "big one" to come along.

357805[/snapback]

Agreed, I don't think anyone could hold it against him if he did go either.

Luton are preparing our next manager anyway, surely only Mike Newell could be our next manager should Hughes leave in the next year or so?

Edit: Just realised how pointless the above speculation is. Nevermind.

Edited November 3, 2005 by LeChuck

[roversmum]

Off topic, but love Le Chuck's signature

[Duff's Minder]

Hughes for Barcelona wouldn't happen, he was miserable there as a player. The only club he wasn't a success at, he's more likely to be offered a job in Germany given his profile there.

I think it is encouraging that the Vogue at the big clubs for a few years now has been to appoint specialist coaches rather than famous old players. How many top players are in charge at top European clubs? A few, but nowhere near as many as before.

If this makes it less likely for United Plc to appoint Hughes on romantic grounds then all the better!

[tcj_jones]

After the last few years of, at best, mediocrity, last night I found myself more emotionally attached to the club than I have done for a long time.

Hughes is a very good manager. I look around at the other managers in the premier league and very few would I prefer. He is level-headed, tactically smart, calm and yet, very passionate. He has vastly improved our defense and is now looking towards the attackign side of the team.

Many questioned his purchase of Bellamy, and his ability to manage him. So far I have seen nothing to suggest that Bellamy had the upmost respect for Hughes.

Gone are the days when the players questioned the managers ability, gone are the days of regular bust-ups and gone are the days of wierd tactical decions.

Hughes respects the cup competitions and I think he really sets his sights on Europe through the cups.

Last night Hughes got it spot on tactically. Two of the three subs scored and, Kuqi in particular, turned the nature of the game.

With Thompson back in the team and Tugay nearing the end of his career, this season could be quite emotional.

He is getting the best out of the players - Reid (on last nights performance) and Neill in particular - and is gradually bringing back players like Thompson, not risking injury like Souness.

He is building a charasmatic team with players the fans can feel excited to watch.

In hindsight, I think the appointment of Hughes was an excellent decision.

[Florida Rover]

this was a nice write up of Hughes

http://sport.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jh...08/sfnbla08.xml

Florida Rover

[Jan]

I SO like Mark Hughes.

Isn't it nice to have a manager where you don't cringe at what he says!

[Florida Rover]

No doubt,Jan!Optimism is so much more pleasant.

Florida Rover

[joey_big_nose]

Chaeck out these comments by MGP:

What a love-in!

To be honest when can you remember any of our managers being that highly praised by the players, including King Kenny.

It is the sort of flowing tribute that is usually reserved for the likes of Wenger, Ferfuson and Clough.

Maybe young ed is just sucking up but, as if this hasn't been mentioned before, we have a real gem on our hands. Hopefully he can defeat the master again today!

[philipl]

Killer praises Hughes

Although it will have been Williams and Flynn who will have negotiated the deals.

But all-in-all, it looks like we've picked up Bentley for around a million without paying OTT wages, brought in possibly the best striker in the Prem who had been kicking his heels on the bench, given Gally an extended chance to really skin the Championship and reduced the wage bill.

Not only are the Rovers in excellent shape for a push towards Europe- be it Intertoto, UEFA or Champs League- but we are in excellent shape to move up to the next level if the Trustees decide that is going to be a sensible investment.

Just hope we don't have a cruel run of injury luck. That is probably the biggest risk for the remainder of the season thanks to the magic being worked by Hughes and co.

[Bobby G]

The higher we get, the more likely it gets that we will lose Sparky sooner rather than later.

Double-edged sword!

[S15]

The higher we get, the more likely it gets that we will lose Sparky sooner rather than later.

Double-edged sword!

386648[/snapback]

But the sword looks pretty blunt when you consider THERE IS NO JOBS THAT WOULD APPEAL TO HIM RIGHT NOW, AND PROBABLY WONT BE FOR QUITE A WHILE!!!!

Only the Man Utd, Barcelona and Bayern Munich jobs stick out as obvious ones, but none of those will be after Hughes any time soon. Man Utd wont want Mark Hughes, ask the Glaziers if they even know who he is. And how much money he would make them.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool (Seriously would doubt that anyway!) all have managers they will be looking to keep for a long while.

Other top european clubs from abroad wouldn't be interested, and jobs like Spurs and Newcastle wouldn't appeal as they hinder you getting to the VERY top, as those clubs are so disillusioned they think they are the VERY top.

[Eddie]

The Manchester United job is the only one we have to "worry" about. It is unclear when it will become available and even when it does, as pointed out, I'm not sure if the Glazers would prefer to appoint one of the massive European names rather than go for an old favourite. Hughes is certainly showing some potential, but a decent two year spell doesn't in my opinion put you on the same level as managers who have been doing it for 10 years or more.

[philipl]

If Sparky guides us into Europe, I'd be in favour of giving the lad a rise and doubling the length of his rolling contract.

That would push him into the sort of bracket where the cost of poaching Hughes would be edging towards the sort of numbers which forced Fat Freddie to delay firing Souness and using Roeder when he eventually did so.

Given a choice between splashing cash they haven't got and hiring which ever "big name" Italian/German/Swede was between jobs, hopefully the Glazers would see the sense of going Italian etc.

A very nice appreciation of Mark Hughes' achievements with the Rovers thus far.

Edited February 27, 2006 by philipl

[Ronin]

A very nice appreciation of Mark Hughes' achievements with the Rovers thus far.

386865[/snapback]

Good article

[Nayef]

"It is a stunning transformation from the chaos at the start of the Hughes era, which even saw the club subside 4-0 at home to Middlesbrough."

i WAS ON THE TRAIN FROM CARCASSONNE TO BIARRITZ BACK IN sEPTEMBER WHEN (friggin caps lock) a mate texted me the result from Ewood.

"Rovers 0 Souness 3. Ha ha!! Sandcastle Ewood!"

And I thought to myself "what a surprise. I know what sort of season we're in for. Yet another struggle to avoid the drop."

And despite the next result which lifted me somewhat temporarily, not once did I contemplate being 5th in the table in March! Funny how life springs surprises. Well done Mark Hughes. Please don't leave us for a long time yet!

Liverpool and Chelsea still have to visit Fortress Ewood...