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Great coaches and managers are those that get the best out of their players. Mourinho inspires. His tactical acumen is second to none, but it is that specific talent to get his players to excel that singles out the new Real Madrid manager as the best in the world. I was reminded of this watching tonight's Brazil vs. North Korea World Cup match. If ever there was one sentence that stands as a complete indictment of everything that was wrong with Mark Hughes it is "Robinho to Elano... 2-0."
Mark Hughes is a good manager, a competent Premier League manager. He will never, ever, be confused with a great manager. Hughes has a certain style of player that he prefers and does not prosper until a number of those players are brought into the squad. Hence his struggles the first year at Blackburn and City. This is also the reason that Hughes is not a good fit as a possible Liverpool manager as he would never survive the first year in charge.
The transfer of Elano remains the single most devastatingly stupid decision that City have made in the past 10 years. Daniel Taylor of the Guardian pointed out in February 09 that Elano took offence when challenged by another City player. The Brazilian's response? "I play for Brazil." He does, his exit from the team cost City a Champions League spot and it is no coincidence that Robinho's play also went downhill after his national team compatriot left.
I get it, Elano's time has passed with City. But there are still those at City who signed off on that terribly misguided decision. It doesn't fill you with confidence.
Comments
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Posted by Michael from Saskatoon on 06/16/2010
Well said, Wallace - Elano and Robinho when paired together brought something creative into the side that the current team still lacks. Ridiculous money aside, do you think Joe Cole would fill the "Elano role" - and would he come here?
Wallace Reply I think very highly of Joe Cole and think he is the most creative English player currently playing. Yes Cole could fill the Elano role. Whether he would come to City is debatable. My sense, and it is a gut feeling nothing more, is that he prefers London and therefore Arsenal have the inside track. If Wenger adds another central defender, a "strong" central attacker, Cole and doesn't lose Fabregas I'll pick them again to win the league...
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Posted by Bulan Biru on 06/16/2010
Not only Robinho, but Superman's form also nosedived after Elano's departure. Any coincidence? Now, we're looking at Hamsik and Gourcouff (amongst others) and they are no better than Elano.
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Posted by The Archivist on 06/16/2010
Well put, Wallace. Mark Hughes clearly had limitations as a manager, but his greatest personal liability as City manager was that he was never able to rise above the personalities he was charged with managing; time and again, he simply stooped to playing power games and using his players as shields to ward off any criticisms of poor on-pitch performances. In the end, it was easier for him to feud with players, rather than manage them. Evidently, his relationships with Cook and Marwood weren't much different, and if rumors are to be believed, he couldn't get on with Cassell, either.
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Posted by Jesse on 06/17/2010
I completely disagree Wallace. Elano and Robinho don't care about their clubs - look at their careers. Elano - if he is so great, why does his resume read "Shaktar, Man City, Galataseray?" Robi - if he is so great, why is he at Santos? Why isn't there a line of people willing to buy him? In January, because he was not CL cup tied, anyone could have had him and yet... nothing. Why was he dropped by Capello @ Real? Because he is stubborn and unprofessional.
I have a soft spot for Hughes, so I am biased. But Robi and Elano stopped caring about the manager, the club, and their teammates. Selling Elano was not a mistake given the personnel City have right now -- City are a counter attacking side who do not employ a creative midfielder, so Elano, attitude and all was surplus to requirements.
As for Robi, he is all sizzle and no steak unless he has a yellow shirt on - England is no place for him unless he is willing to raise his work rate, and more importantly, L.I.S.T.E.N.
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Posted by James on 06/17/2010
I would agree that Hughes is a good manager, not a great manager. And his greatest shortcoming at City wasn't tactical, it was an (repeated) inability to trust players that didn't match the profile. Certainly Elano & Robinho represent mercurial talents - just as capable of rising to the occasion as lapsing into disinterest - but Hughes knew, at the platform City sat at with the requisite demands for points, that consistency in approach, performance, and effort were required to meet what was required of him as manager. In short periods, both Elano and Robinho are accomplished performers. Over the course of a whole EPL season they could not, would not, consistently perform at a level needed. For a manager like Hughes this was unacceptable; it would have undermined his authority and destablized the locker room. I'm not confident that Mancini is any improvement. Hopefully he has been given better assurances from the sheikhs as to the time permitted to achieve success.
Wallace Reply Agree with your observation about Robinho's performance. Elano on the other hand, when healthy, was a significant plus for City. Folks forget that it was his injury in Sven's year that stalled the progress and his return at the end of Hughes' first that rallied the team.
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Posted by roman on 07/14/2010
Yep. I still miss Elano and just can't believe those in charge let Hughes make such a decision when they already were looking for a new manager? If Hughes was already out the door, why was he deciding who to bring in and who to get rid of? Makes no sense...
Posted by DanCTID on 07/22/2010
i for one was gutted when i saw the Brazil match that saw both Elano and Robinho score and each getting the assist for one-another's goals.... they may have been slightly difficult to deal with from a managerial point of view but when you have those type of players than can spell success for a club, you must make certain concessions while still attempting to maintain an authoritative figure. Hughes simply wasn't not this type of manager. he was too stubborn, just like Elano and robi, and i agree with Wallace that letting Elano go was the single biggest blunder of the decade. it both unsettled robi and took away the team's greatest creative spark. spot on wallace
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About
Wallace Poulter is an award winning video game producer, designer, industry consultant and writer. He has been a football fanatic since the day he moved in next door to Brian Clough. "Cloughie" being the acknowledged genius that he was promptly moved out and went to manage Derby. A serviceable senior school left-back in his youth, Poulter played one season of Sunday league football as a striker proving conclusively that he was a serviceable senior school left-back! Today Poulter remains involved with football as a licensed referee and most recently as a consultant on a Football MMO.
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