Former Players On Sparky (In Case You Missed This)

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So, what's it like to play for Mark Hughes? Sparky's former stars have their say...

By Sportsmail Reporter


Last updated at 12:27 AM on 4th August 2010


Mark Hughes will get down to work with his Fulham players on Wednesday morning, with just 10 days left until the Barclays Premier League season kicks off. But what can the Craven Cottage stars expect from the new man in charge?

We asked some of Sparky's former players and colleagues about their experiences with the fiery Welshman...

IWAN ROBERTS
(ex-Norwich City, Wolves, Wales)

At first I thought he was rude but he's just naturally quiet. He is thoughtful and very knowledgable and he's no ranter and raver. Welsh football needed someone like Mark, who instantly had the respect of players like Ryan Giggs. I don't think the importance of the team he has around him can be underestimated, people like Eddie Niedzwiecki and Mark Bowen. He's the manager who has got the best out of Craig Bellamy.

STEVEN REID
(West Bromwich, ex-Blackburn)

We were in trouble when Mark arrived at Blackburn. What we didn't know was that he had decided we weren't fit enough. I can guarantee the Fulham boys they will not be found wanting on that score! It was severe but we were in a scrap and that's what helped get us out of it. There is no doubt he is up to speed with the latest gadgets and anything that will give you that competitive edge. He is attuned to sports science, but he never joined in training. He wanted to be the manager.

ROBERT EARNSHAW
(Nottingham Forest, Wales)

The biggest compliment I can pay Mark is that I finished training with Wales thinking: 'I have improved today.' Whether it was fitness, the general session or specifics in team play, you get the feeling you are learning all the time under him. Everything is planned to the last detail. Having top coaches like Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki around helped and, no matter who we were playing, we stepped out thinking we could win.
DEAN SAUNDERS
(ex-Liverpool, Aston Villa, Wales)

It's going to be a tough job because he has a hard act to follow after what Roy Hodgson did, but he is back in the Barclays Premier League, which is where I know he would want to be. I'm sure he will take what happened at Manchester City in his stride and learn from it. If you can control a group of players at that level, with the expectation that surrounds it, and do a decent job, it will give you the confidence and belief to walk into any dressing room.

CRAIG SHORT
(ex-Blackburn Rovers)

I wish I had played for Mark when I was 26 or 27 because I think I would have improved massively under him and his coaching staff. He's very quiet. His routine followed pretty much the same pattern. He would train, come into the canteen, eat his steak pie, mash and veg and disappear. I can't say I'm pleased to see him at Fulham because he should never have been allowed to leave Manchester City. I knew he wouldn't be out of the game for long. He has too much to offer.

NATHAN BLAKE
(ex-Blackburn Rovers, Wales)

I played with Mark, who was one of my idols, at Blackburn and for him with Wales. One of his greatest strengths as a manager was his communication skills. He's not over-zealous with players. I just used to love his pre-match talks. It didn't feel pre-meditated, it seemed to come from the heart. It used to bring me out in goose pimples. It wasn't quite Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday, but it wasn't far off it! You would walk out feeling 1,000-feet tall.


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