After I stopped throwing things last night, I sat down and tried to figure out Hughes' rationale for leaving Fulham, and I think I may have an explanation - though let me state clear I'm still angry and certainly don't approve. Here's my best guess: Hughes probably figured that he'd never get credit for Fulham' s success. Everyone knows Roy Hodgson built this team, and Hughes may have imagined he'd always be seen as just a caretaker for Roy's work. The only thing Hughes would get credit for is Fulham's failure ... i.e. if Fulham started sinking down the table, that blame would land solidly (and rightly) in Hughes' lap. So in every sense, the Fulham job was a "lose - lose" situation for Hughes. That may also explain why it took so long last summer for Fulham's management to find a new skipper. All the good managers were probably thinking along those lines - Fulham has/had hit its peak and only direction now was down. Of course, this is all just speculation, but I think it makes some sense. Rocky said it yesterday ... his heart was never with the team so we're probably better off without him. I think Hughes has underestimated the potential of this team, I think he'll live to regret casting us aside so selfishly.
Disagree. What manager would think like this? Surely he thought he could lead the team back into Europe (which he did) and surely he thought he could get us to the a cup final - which we could have seriously done this season and get us top 10 - which he did. He got funds to spend as well so can't complain on that front. He clearly used the club to get back into football, get his career back on track - that's why he agreed on the 1 year break out clause. We could all see at the games he was not interested. Just listen to him post game, deary me, did he really fill you with massive confidence and passion for the club itself? At least Hodgson & Coleman spoke about the history and Coleman still does on tv. They both understood us fans and was Fulhamish, Hughes was not. Fact remains he wanted the Villa job when it became available 8 days after signing for us. He knows he screwed up. We cried out "Hughes gives us a wave" at the Arsenal game....what did we get - a flick of the hand. I guess he thinks its alright after the way he was treated at Man City. Tosser. Sorry but its the truth.
There could be some truth in what you say Demps. Personally I'm not surprised or annoyed he's gone. I don't think his heart was in it as he was clearly second choice after Jol. This I'm sure had an effect on things. Don't forget we've always been a feeder club in the Prem for players and managers.
QPR fan in peace. I always had a lot of time for Hughes and still think that he's a decent manager, and I think that the way that City elbowed him out was pretty unfair. But I have to say that the way he's done the dirty on you guys, who gave him the chance to get straight back into Premier League management has seriously lowered my opinion of the man.
Intelligent points expressed here as we get over our anger, although, like Craving, I don't feel like I did last summer when Roy left. However, as suggested above, there are broadly two strands here: Fulham the club and its prestige value is one, and the individual manager as the other. Compared to the majority of clubs in the country we are a big club, established in the Prem etc., but at Prem level we are mid table at best and unlike say, Everton and Aston Villa, we have no history of winning the league or even a cup so an ambitious manager is bound to see Fulham as a step towards a top team. We are attractive in this respect as we are relatively well-funded by a generous chairman so a manager can show what he can do (as Roy did) or what he can't (thunderbirds 13). Hughes hasn't really achieved that much so far with us - a good finish but he's jumped ship before the coming season where he may have demonstrated something. I think he'll suffer for that, and let's face it, Roy bit off more than he could chew at Liverpool, but now he's back to showing what he can do at WBA. You know it wouldn't surprise me if Hughes didn't get offered a job in this country. I completely agree with CC that we need a Fulhamish manager, but the right one's going to be hard to find. If we find the right one I don't believe our only direction is down - they said that at the beginning of last season.
Hughes was out of work,and i did not see many clubs at the time,falling over themselves for his managerial signature,no Fulham to him with a modicum of success,was a way back in to the higher level of footballs gravy train
My personal thought is that Hughes by resigning has in his opinion, thrown the high stakes dice. 1 ? He may get the Chelsea managers job 2 salary 3/4mil per year3 year contract. 3 If he fails,to win the League, Cup, League cup, Youth Cup, and personally pleasure the chairman,"he is out on his arse,at what the age of 50,with a payoff of 7/10mil.a good gamble but will it come off
There are many things that puzzle me about Hughes's departure. The whole 'I'm ambitious' thing, for example. I'd have thought most football managers would say that, but any Premier League boss knows that there are only 5 or 6 clubs capable of finishing in the top 4, and only 3 or 4 capable of winning the league. They also know that, until one of those clubs comes knocking at the door, the way to get noticed is to stay in the frame by doing the best job they can with one of the others. An ambitious Fulham manager can do that by finishing in the top 10 year after year, maybe sneak into the top 6 in the odd season, and winning a cup competition or at least reaching a final. Fulham under Hughes had a good season last year, but it wasn't a great one. 8th place is highly creditable, but it was achieved with just one solitary win against another top ten side (an injury plagued Sunderland) and there were tame exits from both cup competitions. A decent season for Fulham, then, but hardly one that will get Roman Abramovich beating a path to Sparky's front door. The fact is that, unless you're Pep Guardiola or Alex Ferguson, there's always a bigger job to be aiming at. Without a far stronger CV Hughes isn't about to walk into the manager's office at Man Utd or Barca. And now he needs to convince any other club he talks to that he won't walk out on them the minute something better comes along. I suspect Sparky may be out of work for longer than he anticipated and, as Rocky says above, his next job won't be in England. Meanwhile, knowing what we know now, we're better off without him.
Fulhamish agree with what you said, very much in keeping with my views. We all know that the team he inherited,was not of his formation,with the exception of Salcido, and the ground work structure of playing formulation was allready there. Many of the training sessions i watched at MP were very noticeable by his absence, very much commented on by the staff who worked there. I could be wrong ,but we all know what a liar he is, by his recent statements referring to his happy tenure at Fulham. ITS VILLA,VILLA, VILLA
Another thing Hughes has to watch is that when he tries to sign players at a new club they will be thinking, how long will he be staying around. So it will only be for the money and not because Mark Hughes is manager. His advisor Kia Joorabchian seems to be panicking to do damage limitation on all the media he can get on. It's strange when you look at Hughes managerial statistics they don't show him as being a top 6 manager, with a even/lower win ratio to loses, more draws. And does he ride on the back of the previous manager, with a not great record in the transfer market. It makes no sense not to re-new his contract with Fulham unless he has a job to go to, after saying what a great set-up Fulham have.
Totally agree with all of you. Hughes took the team who very nearly won the Europa League and took them to 8th place in the premier league - hardly an outstanding achievement. There were some good results this season but few great ones - the absense of wins against the top clubs is noticeable especially when we've managed it in the last few seasons. Fulhamish sums it up really well. To walk out on a good job which was going pretty well is just bizarre - he must think an awful lot of himself if he imagines himself swanning into a "better" job any time soon. I hope he doesn't.
I agree with the point that his agent has been talking Hughes up in terms of ambition and Fulham down - not willing to go to the next level. Let's be honest, that is a spurious argument at best. Fulham are never going to be a top 4 club and would find top 6 a bit of a push. It's hardly a convincing reason for leaving.
I also disagree. Why would a manager feel unhappy about the team being built by another manager? Surely every manager inherits a team that's been built by someone else? Hughes has certainly put his mark on this team, but it is Hodgson's team, and I think Hughes would have been pleased about the standard of player Roy brought.
Seconded. All Hughes really did was sign Dembele (a good move) and Salcido ('nuff said) and ostracise Pantsil and Gera in terms of "building a team".
Pantsil and Gera didn't fit his mould. I think Pantsil might fit a Jol mould but maybe not O'Neil. I think Gera is gone either way.
Another possible explanation to all this is that Hughes was unhappy about the amount of money being made available for new players. It seems that we were being priced out of Dani Osvaldo, and Hughes wanted Al Fayed to open his wallet. If he felt he was being denied the players he needed to move us up a notch, he may have felt that he would be judged harshly for not achieving the impossible. That said, he's really left us in the lurch and it does leave a sour taste. If he does already have something better lined up, whether Villa or (today's rumours) Chelsea, then it all makes a bit more sense. If not, it's hard to see how another season with us, particularly one with the possibility of a decent European run, would have harmed his subsequent employment prospects. I still think he's a good manager who has behaved badly, selfishly and on the basis of bad advice from his agent.
i think Hughes and all of the back office numpties are all going to Chelsea. Guus upstairs to watch over the Welsh lads. All purchased houses in the area for me its done and we wait until July.
Joorabchian has said Hughes just walked away because he wanted to better himself, but when asked if Hughes would be interested in applying for the Villa or Chelsea job, he tried to swerve the question and said they have not talked to either club. But surely these are the types of clubs that Hughes meant in his statement. So is Joorabchian failing Hughes as his agent. By making Hughes serve his 30 day notice, it would seem Fulham have not only shown other clubs they were not happy with his conduct but have tied Hughes hands in openly touting himself for fear of legal action. Theres a hope that we have to play the Europa game on 30th June away from home first, as that might mean Hughes would have to travel with the club, his last day of employment.
