Fergie admits Hughes shock
Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that ‘never in a million years’ did he expect Mark Hughes to make the step up into management.
The Manchester United boss was at the helm of the Old Trafford outfit while the Manchester City manager was on the Red Devils’ playing staff in his days as a marauding forward.
The Welshman has gone on to carve out a successful career in the dugout with spells at the helm of his national side, Blackburn Rovers and now City.
Hughes is the envy of many Premier League managers given the vast riches at his disposal as he is charged with the task of turning the Eastlands outfit into a Premier League force.
City are targeting a top-four finish this season and will face their bitter rivals in the two-legged Carling Cup semi-finals early next year.
That will pit veteran boss Ferguson against Hughes once again, with the Scot surprised at which of his charges have made a success of coaching.
Difficult
He told Inside United: “It’s difficult to assess that because you don’t know what ambitions the players have.
“Currently we’ve got (Ryan) Giggs, (Paul) Scholes and (Gary) Neville taking their coaching badges. That’s great and I encourage them to do that because it gives them a platform if they want to stay in the game.
“It can be difficult to pinpoint who would make it as a manager.
“For instance, nobody here thought Mark Hughes would become a manager, never in a million years, and we all thought Bryan Robson was a certainty to be a top manager.”
Ferguson is still unsure as to who poses the greatest threat to United’s bid for silverware this season, with both City and Chelsea boasting vast financial resources.
He added: “It’s difficult to say with so much money coming into the game. Manchester City have millions, Chelsea have money and you can’t count out anyone.
“You don’t know where the next deluge of money’s going to come from. You just have to say, ‘Here’s another challenge.’ We won’t be afraid of it.”
Man. Utd v Aston Villa Both Players To Score: Rooney, W. and Agbonlahor, G. 7/1
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Alex Ferguson, Aston Villa, Bitter Rivals, Bryan Robson, Carling Cup, Deluge, Dugout, Financial Resources, Gary Neville, League Managers, Man Utd, Manchester City, Mark Hughes, Million Years, Paul Scholes, Red Devils, Ryan Giggs, Semi Finals, Sir Alex Ferguson, Welshman
Fabregas wants more options
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas admits the side are too small and need a target man to give them a different option.
The Gunners have been criticised for being too lightweight after going down to heavy defeats to Chelsea and Manchester City in recent weeks.
Fabregas feels Arsenal were found wanting in attack against Chelsea and City in the absence of the injured Robin van Persie and believes the Gunners need a striker in the mould of Didier Drogba to provide them with a different option in attack.
“Throughout the game (against City) we had a lot of possession but didn’t really have anyone to go in behind the defenders, apart from Carlos Vela,” Fabregas told The Guardian.
“We had a lot of similar players who like the ball into their feet. Sometimes it’s true that you need a different kind of option.”
Difference
Fabregas felt Drogba was the difference between Chelsea and Arsenal in the Blues’ 3-0 win at Emirates last month.
“Overall, I saw a Chelsea team that was normal but a team that has probably the best striker in the world,” added Fabregas.
“An average team that has the best striker in the world can always do something and Didier Drogba makes all the difference.
“We dominated for the first 40 minutes without creating too much. Maybe we didn’t have someone whose game is to go beyond defenders, and we were a little small to fight them on crosses.”
The Spanish international admits Chelsea are the side to beat this season and concedes Arsenal cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to challenge for the Premier League title this term.
“We accept Chelsea are currently the strongest side. They are showing more consistency than us. What is for sure, though, is that we cannot afford any more slip-ups,” concluded Fabregas.
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Absence, Arsenal, Carlos Vela, Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea, Consistency, Drogba, Emirates, Game, Guardian, Gunners, Manchester City, Options, Possession, Premier League, Robin Van Persie, Slip Ups, Striker, Target Man, Ups
Ballack – Blues will bounce back
Michael Ballack insists Premier League leaders Chelsea will bounce back from their weekend defeat to Manchester City.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side lost 2-1 at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday evening thanks to Carlos Tevez’s winner.
Frank Lampard had a chance to secure a draw, but saw his second-half penalty saved by Shay Given.
The defeat was Chelsea’s third in the league this season and Ballack believes his team-mates will respond positively, as they did following the losses to Wigan and Aston Villa.
The Germany international thinks the result signals City’s intent to mount a serious challenge for the title following a string of disappointing draws.
Bounce back
“We bounced back after defeats to Wigan and Aston Villa and we must do it again,” said Ballack
“We could have got a draw if we’d scored from the penalty spot and that would have been a good away result.
“Even after that we had a good chance to equalise, so we have to take some positives from the game.
“We’re disappointed to lose but we have to remember the good things – the way we fought back and the fact we deserved a draw.
“We respect every team behind us and we’ve lost against a strong team. It looks like City are ready to fight for the title.
“I don’t know what their target is but they showed against us that they have a good team and with a bit of luck they can beat sides like us.
“They’ve spent a lot of money, and they have a lot of good players, so it’s not a surprise. But even if you spend a lot of money you have to go step-by-step.”
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Aston Villa, Carlo Ancelotti, Carlos Tevez, City 13, City Of Manchester, City Of Manchester Stadium, Draws, Frank Lampard, Good Chance, League Leaders, Losses, Manchester City, Michael Ballack, Premier League, Saturday Evening, Second Half, Shay, Target, Team Mates, Wigan
Ancelotti – Don’t panic
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has urged his side not to push the panic button after having their advantage at the top of the Premier League cut to just two points.
The Blues threw away the lead to lose 2-1 at Manchester City on Saturday evening as Emmanuel Adebayor cancelled out his early own goal and Carlo Tevez won the game with a free-kick.
Defeat at Eastlands ended Ancelotti’s side’s five-game winning run and allowed Manchester United, who hammered West Ham earlier in the day, to close the gap at the top.
But the Italian is not overly concerned, saying: “We don’t have any reason to be worried.
“We are doing well at the moment but today it was difficult because Manchester City played very well.
Disappointed
“But we are still top of the league and we have two more points than Manchester United so we do not need anything extra.”
Chelsea, who saw Frank Lampard fail to earn a 2-2 draw when his late penalty was saved, were clearly unhappy at what they felt was a handball by Micah Richards immediately before Adebayor’s equaliser.
“We were disappointed with the referee,” Ancelotti said. “I am surprised because I consider Howard Webb to be a fantastic referee but we felt it was a handball by Richards.
“I did feel we deserved to draw, but we lost.”
Ancelotti confirmed skipper John Terry – who limped off with a knee injury near the end and left Eastlands on crutches – will be fit for next weekend, although he will almost certainly miss Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League tie with Apoel Nicosia.
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Carlo Ancelotti, Crutches, Emmanuel, Free Kick, Handball, John Terry, Knee Injury, League Tie, Manchester City, Manchester United, Micah Richards, Nicosia, Panic Button, Premier League, Referee, Saturday Evening, Skipper, Tevez, Uefa Champions League, West Ham
Hughes: Wenger is a bad loser
• Arsenal manager refused to shake City counterpart’s hand
• ‘He should be more gracious,’ said Hughes
Mark Hughes branded Arsène Wenger an ungracious loser last night as Manchester City cruised into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup with a 3–0 victory which secured another derby meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson’s United.
Wenger disappeared down the tunnel as soon as the final whistle sounded on City’s convincing triumph, without offering a handshake to an affronted Hughes. Arsenal’s manager would later dismiss the Carling Cup as insignificant as he launched a familiar defence of fielding youngsters in the competition.
Relations between the two managers appeared to sour over an innocuous first-half incident when Hughes entered Arsenal’s technical area to retrieve a loose ball from Wenger. There appeared no other reason for Wenger’s behaviour than his side’s comprehensive defeat to goals by Carlos Tevez, the excellent Shaun Wright-Phillips and the substitute Vladimir Weiss.
“There is a certain protocol and I am disappointed because I have huge respect for Arsène and I think he should be a little more gracious,” said Hughes, whose side were drawn to face their local rivals within 20 minutes of a win which brought City a first domestic semi-final since 1981.
“It is unnecessary. At one point he questioned why I was over on his side of the technical area and he was aggrieved at that, or maybe he was aggrieved at losing. I have been beaten 6-2 at the Emirates and I offered my hand. You always hurt when you lose. There is nobody more upset than me when we lose but I always offer my hand.”
Wenger was dismissive of the incident as well as the Carling Cup and offered no remorse. The Arsenal manager said: “That has nothing to do with the game. I am free to shake hands with whoever I want to after the game. There is nothing more to say about it.”
When asked if it was professional courtesy to shake a counterpart’s hand, Wenger added: “Yes it is. I had no professional courtesy.” The managerial spat took some attention from City’s return to form and their semi-final date with United, although Wenger was adamant success in the Carling Cup would not satisfy a club that is without a trophy since 2005.
“We have not won a trophy since 2005 but I don’t concede that, if we win the Carling Cup, we can then have a parade with the trophy. It is a competition for our young players. To play the quarter-final of the Champions League, or the semi-final or final, is 10 times more difficult than to win the Carling Cup.”
Wenger did admit City, who had drawn their previous seven games against Premier League opponents to place added pressure on Hughes, deserved to win. “They carried more threat than us in the final third and their quality offensively paid off,” he said.
The City manager was pleased with the prospect of January’s semi-final derby against United. “It is a fantastic draw,” he said. “Everyone in Manchester will be excited by it and the wider world, too. We showed that we are a match for anyone.”
City’s first semi-final for 28 years was proof, said Hughes, that the riches from Abu Dhabi were paying dividends. “This was more important for us as a club because we need to be in domestic semi-finals and we want to win the competition,” the City manager said. “I picked a strong team because we felt it was important to treat the competition with respect and we deserve to be in the semi-final. We are reasonably pleased with where we are and you cannot deny we are making progress.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Bad Loser, Carling Cup, Carlos Tevez, Counterpart, Emirates, Handshake, Loose Ball, Manchester City, Mark Hughes, Protocol, Remorse, Rivals, Semi Finals, Shaun Wright Phillips, Sir Alex Ferguson, Vladimir, Whistle, Youngsters