http://backpagefootball.com/mark-hughes-the-most-deluded-man-in-football/50716/ http://www1.skysports.com/football/...anager-Mark-Bowen-wants-players-to-get-angry- Note the confidence that Bowen has in their systems and the criticism they get in the other article. Full articles below.
A quick glance at Tony Fernandes’s twitter bio sees the internationally renowned entrepreneur and Queens Park Rangers chairman describe himself as a dreamer. Scroll a little further down and you will find him once again urging QPR supporters for patience; the message: “keep calm, we will come good.” It will seem all too familiar to fans, who, with more than a quarter of the season played and still no wins, are left wondering when Fernandes will wake up and bring the nightmare reign of Mark Hughes to an end. The problem with the influx of wealthy outsiders into the game’s highest positions is that they are not footballing men, they do not have the knowledge and understanding of the sport that past owners had, and rely heavily on advisers whose motives do not always match up with their own or those of the fans. Despite spending the summer assembling a team of mercenaries akin to the latest Expendables blockbuster, Fernandes finds his team seven league positions worse off than at this stage last season, and must be scratching his head as to where he has gone wrong. Fernandes is just the latest in a line of foreign owners to be disappointed by Hughes, and it is hard not to feel a tinge of sympathy towards him (as much sympathy as one can have for a multimillionaire). Hughes spent an astonishing total of £272.75 million in just 18 months at Manchester City, failing to get anywhere near the best out of big name signings such as Adebayor (£25m), Tevez (£25.5m), Lescott (£22m), and Bellamy (£14m); and wasting big money on flops such as Robinho (32.5m), Jo (£18m), and Roque Santa Cruz (£17.5m). After a spell of just 2 wins in 11 league games he was replaced by Roberto Mancini who has since gone on to win the FA Cup and Premier League with many of the same players that Hughes had at his disposal. It was therefore a surprise when Fulham owner Mohammed al Fayed gave him another chance to manage a Premier League club, but bizarrely after less than 11 months Hughes repaid him by resigning, stating: “as a young, ambitious manager I wish to move on to further my experiences.” Leaving a bemused al Fayed to describe Hughes as “a strange man”. A year later Hughes was presiding over West London rivals QPR in a relegation dogfight, while Fulham finished in the top half of the table. It wouldn’t be the last statement to come back to haunt Hughes. After losing the last game of the season at Manchester City and avoiding relegation by just 1 point in May he uttered the now infamous lines, “We’ll never be in this situation again while I’m the manager”. With an extrapolated points total of just 15 if the remaining 28 games follow the same pattern as the first 10, many QPR fans would now happily settle for a situation in which they achieve survival come next May. Watching his post match interview after the Reading game this weekend, you would think the Welshmans side had just come off the pitch at Old Trafford; not at home against a newly promoted club who had not won a game all season and were recovering from a draining 120 minutes of midweek madness against Arsenal in which they managed to concede seven times. “Teams aren’t going to allow us to play our expansive game and pass and move.” he says. Newsflash: no team, not even Reading, are going to turn up and allow you to pass the ball around them and make them look like chumps. If you are unable to assert your style of play at home against one of the weakest sides in the league one wonders if this style of play is really the best way forward, or indeed if it exists at all outside the realms of Hughes’ imagination. “The key is that first win, once we get that things will settle down and we can play our football.” This is another of his favourite lines lately which suggests there is a Pandora’s box just waiting to be opened at Loftus Road and upon the receival of three points we will all suddenly see a dazzling new QPR whizz up the table and take up their rightful place challenging for a Champions League spot with Barcelona style flair and possession. For anybody still believing the fantasy that Hughes is a great footballing scholar in the mould of Guardiola or Del Bosque: his rough and ready Blackburn side finished rock bottom of the disciplinary table all 4 seasons he was in charge; last season his club captain was Joey Barton – he is by no means a purist. This is just the latest smoke screen to deter fans and Fernandes from unsatisfactory performances and results and to keep himself in the job a little longer; a job which will surely be his last in the Premier League. There have been arrogant managers before him, great ones too, like Brian Clough and Jose Mourinho. They get away with it by coming across as charismatic, inspiring, likeable. There is nothing likeable about Hughes. He lacks charm and charisma, and has twice failed to get anywhere near the best out of two expensively assembled teams. His greatest achievement to date is leading Blackburn Rovers to the FA Cup semi finals, but listening to him in interviews you would think he had achieved as much as the greats mentioned above. Fernandes certainly wants to believe the hype, confidently outlining plans last week for a new 45,000 capacity stadium stating “if we are playing good football and have a good stadium, people will come”. Hughes, who turned 49 last week, surely won’t be at Loftus Road by the time he turns 50. The question is how many more dreamers like Fernandes will be conned by the dour Welshman and leave their club at the whim of his unique blend of arrogance, overspending and dangerous delusions of grandeur.
Assistant manager Mark Bowen has revealed that meetings have been held with the Queens Park Rangers players over the past couple of days to let them know the current situation is unacceptable. An internal inquest was held in the wake of Sunday's 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Reading as Bowen and boss Mark Hughes urged the players to take on greater responsibility. QPR are currently languishing in the relegation zone after failing to win any of their first 10 Premier League matches and Bowen hopes the frank exchange of views will make a difference. Speaking to QPR podcast Open All Rs, said: "In the last two days we had meetings, sat down and let individuals know in no uncertain terms it's unacceptable. "They held their hands up and took it on board and we will work at it to make sure we are better next time. "We encouraged them to point a few fingers and put demands on them. I want them to be a bit more angry and demanding of each other." QPR assistant boss Mark Bowen Quotes of the week "We encouraged them to point a few fingers and put demands on them. I want them to be a bit more angry and demanding of each other." QPR owner Tony Fernandes has repeatedly given Hughes his backing this season but reports continue to suggest he could be sacked if results do not improve, with Harry Redknapp tipped as a possible successor. But Bowen does not believe it would be a good move to replace Hughes with Redknapp, saying: "People talk about Harry Redknapp and this and that. The fact is he took over Southampton in 2005 as the big saviour and he took them down. "But when things go wrong people say get Harry in." Bowen added: "We are really surprised and gutted the way it has gone. We expected and wanted better. "The common denominator is that it has usually taken a few months to get our methods across and way we play. "But like Tony said, I feel we are the best people for job. The facts, CV and history to prove it. We know our history over the last 10 to 12 years that this will change and we will be successful."
This 'not footballing men' stuff is beginning to get on my tits. With the exception of Dave Whelan I can't think of another current premiership chairman/ owner who has a football background and none I would prefer to Tony but will gladly reconsider if anybody can give me some names and reasons.
Well, did TF have Hughes in mind way before Warnock's team started slipping? Or was he desperate to find someone to fit his bill (even though MH obviously is not)? Anyway, my main point is both articles are using evidence of 'the past' to prove opposite things.
At any rate, what's your answer to my above questions? Do you think TF hand picked him and at what stage did he decide on MH?
I don't have the faintest idea! I am pretty sure that he was very reluctant to give Colin the boot and that player pressure played a role.
I believe that Colin sort of got a bit too excited with being in the premier league, eventually losing the backing of some of the players through making some strange decisions.
"The common denominator is that it has usually taken a few months to get our methods across and way we play", says Bowen. It doesn't occur to any of them that maybe, just maybe, that's because their methods ARE ****ING WRONG!
There was a group of people during the Summer that expressed concern at the kinds of players we were signing but for the most part they were shot down and told not to be so negative. LoneRanger was chief among the happy clappers if I can recall. With what has transpired so far this season, it now looks like they may have been right. I would like those who attacked those posters to come on now and show a little humility. (I won't hold my breath)
That ain't going to happen mate. I got shot down for saying our pre season was wasted and i was proved right!
I don't mind being shot down, in fact I welcome it! But it would be agreeable if those same guys held their hands up after the event and said "maybe you boys were talking a bit of sense". Some chaps do it in fairness but most will never admit to having gotten anything wrong. Remind me what you said about the pre-season Bobby lad?
That's silly. You can't blame them for being positive even if what they said turned out to be wrong. The only way they should apologise is if they were too harsh on some others in the process. But there's nothing wrong with being positive and upbeat.
I think you should name names mate. I can't even remember what I posted yesterday. Am I one of these folk you've mentioned? You've left the majority of the board wondering... ' Is he reffering to me? ' If I am one of the 'Happy clappers' then please forgive me. I wasn't in possesion of a crystal ball at the time. If I'm not a 'Happy Clapper ' then all those that said that these signings would be good are complete idiots.
They can be as positive as they like and that's right, of course. What I'm saying is that, as they are expecting their methods to start working around now because they take a long time to take effect, I think their methods on tactics are flawed.
Not you Nines. I can't remember who they were either but I remember clearly LoneRanger jumping down the throats of anyone that questioned the transfer policy. They were legitimate concerns and they didn't warrant the attacks they received. There was a view that anyone who questioned who we were signing were somehow disloyal and going against the Club.
Must have been me in there somewhere re: Taarabt..? Nelson..but in my defense i didnt know much about Nelson. Turned out a bargain at the moment!! Wasi on your hit list bruv?
