Saturday Fulham Stuff (26.02.2011)

[White Noise]

http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/hughes-wants-result-after-break



Hughes wants result after break


By PA Sport  February 26, 2011



Mark Hughes admits his players must make amends for their 4-1 thrashing by Manchester City when the sides meet tomorrow to prevent this week's trip to Portugal being branded "a jolly".

Hughes took his side on a four-day mid-season training camp in a bid to kick-start a late surge up the Barclays Premier League table. Hughes is confident the camp will ultimately pay dividends but knows another heavy defeat against his former club on Sunday will raise questions about its value.

"You go for a break and the reasons for doing it are correct," he said.

"But if you get beaten then people think you've been on a jolly. That's always the danger.

"We are hoping to get the right reactions. It was good for the guys to get together.

"They have never been taken away and, as a consequence, they really enjoyed it.

"I think the staff had a few beers. I don't know about the players!

"Some of the guys had games of golf. Others went on boat trips and caught squid and other different types of fish.

"That wasn't something that appealed to me, I have to say, bobbing up and down on the Atlantic.

"But it was a good break. I really enjoyed it."

[White Noise]

http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/02/26/man-city-v-fulham-preview-mark-hughes-is-a-man-on-a-mission-at/


Man City v Fulham Preview: Mark Hughes is a Man on a Mission at Former Club


26/2/2011 5:00 AM GMT


By Darren Witcoop


PREMIER LEAGUE: EASTLANDS, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2011. KICK OFF: 1500 GMT

Fourteen months on from his acrimonious exit from Manchester City, Mark Hughes makes his first return to Eastlands - and how he would love to get one over his former employers.

But Hughes, now in charge of Fulham, will need more than just extra motivation if he wants to exact revenge and prove a point.

Having coming a come a cropper last November when his old side showed no mercy in their 4-1 rout of Fulham, he will need a slice of luck on his side this time.

Why? Because Manchester City are scoring goals for fun at the moment, especially on home soil.

Not a statistic you thought you'd ever see under the guidance of Hughes's successor Roberto Mancini and his largely defensive mindset.

Yet, despite the goals, their form has not been too spectacular of late, managing only four points from as many games during a hectic period.

Now it's back to the bread and butter of the league where league positions suggest Fulham should be seen off with ease.

But with Fulham having picked up seven points from their last three visits here, coupled with Hughes's return, don't expect this to be a cakewalk.

Key Match-up: Carlos Tevez v Brede Hangeland: Tevez was too hot to handle when these two sides met earlier this season. The Argentine striker scored twice and had the beating of the Fulham defence last September. Hangeland will no doubt have his hands full again, although he and will be desperate to do a better job this time around.

Form Guide: Despite their success in the cup competitions, just one win from their last four league games suggests Manchester City's title push is over. They will be desperate to get back on track against a Fulham side who have lost just one of their last seven games to ease their relegation fears.

Odds: Manchester City 4/9, Fulham 6/1, Draw 3/1

[White Noise]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6781307,00.html


Hughes ready for City return

Fulham boss looks to take three points at former club


Last updated: 26th February 2011

   

Mark Hughes insists he has no problem returning to Eastlands on Sunday to face Manchester City.

Hughes is set to take his Fulham side to the City of Manchester Stadium, the first time he has returned to the club since his controversial departure last season.

The manager was unceremoniously sacked by the club 14 months ago, with Roberto Mancini quickly installed as his replacement.

Despite having to face some of the people involved in his departure, Hughes insists he can return to Eastlands with his head held high.

"It's a good club with good people here. I have no qualms about going back to Man City," Hughes told the Sun.

"There are good people there. But my focus is to do well in the job I have at the moment and that is with Fulham Football Club.

"I know I can walk through the doors with my head held high and look everyone in the eye, because of the job I did there.

"Whether or not that can be said of some people there, that is for you to decide.

"Certainly I will have no problem seeing people I am fond of. I'll say hello to those guys."

Stature

Since his departure Hughes has seen the club go from strength to strength, fighting for the Premier League title and, at the very least, expecting to qualify for the Champions League next season.

The Welsh manager admitted that a sudden ownership change and an influx of funds may have been too much too soon for the club.

"It's a different situation. It's a huge profile Manchester City have to deal with now," Hughes added.

"When I first went there, that profile wasn't in place and overnight it changed. Everyone had to get used to it very quickly and it took some people aback.

"Maybe if it was a different profile it would be shrugged off and it wouldn't be a situation. But it is magnified at a club like City and the club wasn't prepared for that initially."

Control

Hughes encountered a growing number of egos during his time at the club, with the 47-year-old having to extinguish fires lit by the likes of Robinho and Craig Bellamy.

He said: "During my time at City we were trying to drag it to where it needed to go and some players were a bit against it because change sometimes doesn't sit comfortably with some players.

"That was one of the main reasons I had a couple of problems.

"Big egos and big star names should be easier to control, it shouldn't be more difficult."

[White Noise]

http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/50870/Mancini_calls_for_less_fixtures.aspx

Mancini calls for less fixtures

Author:  Ben Moss


Posted on:26 February 2011 - 11:50 AM



City boss Roberto Mancini has told of his frustration at English fixture lists and thinks it affects England's performances.

Mancini was speaking following his side's 3-0 victory over Aris Salonika in the Europa league. City face Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday, just three days after the clash with the Greek side, and the Italian says he has never had to cope with such a busy schedule.

He is not alone in his complaints either, with Arsenal's Arsene Wenger and Manchester United's Alex Ferguson also unhappy with the congestion faced at this time of the season.

The former Inter manager said: "In my life I have never seen that a team arrives in February and March and has to play every two days

"This is a big problem, not only for us but for all the (English) teams. Something should change because this is impossible for all English players.

"At every World Cup and European Championships, there is a problem for England because all their players are tired.

Mancini is also frustrated with the amount of injuries he is having to contend with, with Vincent Kompany the latest of six senior players sidelined.

"Usually when I have 18 or 19, I can change six or seven players and keep them all fresh.

"At this moment, it is impossible because I can only change three or four.

"I don't know if these matches will eventually catch up with us."

[White Noise]

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1409372_mark_hughes_reveals_all_about_city_exit

Mark Hughes reveals all about City exit


February 26, 2011



Mark Hughes has finally lifted the lid on his sacking by Manchester City, revealing he was actually among the last to be told he had lost his job.

It was widely assumed Hughes knew of his fate before the end of what proved to be his last match in charge 14 months ago.

Reports of Roberto Mancini's appointment as his successor emerged at half-time of City's 4-3 Premier League victory against Sunderland, while Hughes even saluted the four corners of Eastlands as he left the field after the game.

But he insists he was simply "covering all eventualities" in response to the fevered speculation over his position and had no idea at that point he had already been given the boot.

Hughes revealed he was only made aware of events 15 minutes after the final whistle, giving further ammunition to those who believe City bungled the entire affair.

"I had a fair idea that something was afoot and something was likely to happen, but I didn't actually know at the end of the game," Hughes said.

"I waved to the crowd and everybody assumed I knew, but I didn't.

"Maybe I was just covering all eventualities and was proved right in the end.

"I found out about a quarter of an hour later."

Hughes continues to maintain he feels no lingering bitterness over his controversial departure.

But as he prepares for his first visit to the City of Manchester Stadium since that fateful night - he takes Fulham to his former club tomorrow - he admits there will be no handshakes with those who plotted his downfall.

Hughes still has plenty of friends at the club, who he plans to greet, but asked if he would avoid the boardroom while there, he replied: "You'd be correct.

"I'm there to do a job and I'd love to come away from there having seen my team play exceptionally well and win the game.

"I don't think I have anything to prove, to be perfectly honest, because I think everybody there understood that I was taking the club in the right direction, the direction it need to be.

"But they wanted to get there quicker, and with a different profile, and maybe that's the reason I lost my job."

The manner of Hughes' departure means one of those most interesting aspects of tomorrow's game will be the reception he receives from the home supporters.

"Many Man City fans have come up to me since I left and said they were disappointed with the way I was taken out of the club, and that I was hard done by," Hughes said.

"I think the vast majority of them felt that way and I appreciated the fact that some have taken the time to say that to me."

City was Hughes' first big job in club management and despite being stung by the experience, he has not been deterred in his quest to coach at the highest level.

"In terms being in charge of a big club, I know I can do the job because I have experienced it," said Hughes, who is among the favourites to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and was also recently linked with Chelsea amid speculation over Carlo Ancelotti's future.

"Irrespective of the circumstances that surrounded my eventual departure, I knew that the things we had put in place and the plan we had would bring success there.

"So it doesn't faze me whatsoever. I understand what it takes to manage a big club and it doesn't faze me at all."