Mark Hughes : In the Rough-and-Tumble

BETTER DAYS

After wowing the English premier league by leading Blackburn into Europe during his second season in charge, former Welsh manager Mark Hughes was heralded - rightly so - as one of the best young managers on the British Isles. As manager of Blackburn, Hughes formed a formidable top half team while operating on a dime budget. The Welshman showed an eye for spotting cheap talent with the purchases of former Porto starlet Benni McCarthy(£2 million), current Tottenham flop David Bentley (£500,000), Ryan Nelsen (free), Stephen Warnock (£1.5 million) and Christopher Samba (£400,000). He acquired former Bayern Munich flop cum Premier League darling Roque Santa Cruz for £3.5 million and miraculously managed to get the best out of everyone’s least favorite player Robbie Savage (£3 million) and much traveled party boy/trouble maker Craig Bellamy (£5 million).

During his tenure at Blackburn, Sparky - as he’s affectionately known - led the team to three consecutive F.A. Cup semi-finals and a second knock-out round place in the UEFA Cup.

After Thaskin Shinawatra sacked ex-England manager Sven Eriksson following a second half slump as Man City manager, Mark Hughes was swiftly whisked in to work his magic. According to many football pundits, “Man City hit the nail right on the head with the appointment of Mark Hughes.” With a brilliant manager at the helm and Thaskin riches, the club was headed in the right direction. The situation at Man City got even better when it was announced that Abu Dhabi United investment group had become the club’s new owners. In a mere three months, Mark Hughes went from managing a poor club (Blackburn Rovers) to managing football wealthiest club (Man City). It appeared life couldn’t get any better for the Welshman.

With unlimited funds, the club captured the signature Real Madrid’s Brazilian superstar Robinho for a British record fee of £32.4m - a mere pittance for the club’s new owners. With the signing of CSKA wonder kid Jo, former Anderlecht starlet Kompany and the return of Shawn Wright Phillips to familiar surroundings, Sparky’s magical wand was more than ready. In theory Hughes had a top eight team under his belt and, with bit of luck, he could secure a UEFA cup spot.

Despite losing to Chelsea in his first game at City, the Robino era began well as the Brazilian scored in the team’s 6-0 demolition of Portsmouth. Then came the collapse at Livepool a fortnight later where, despite leading by two goals in a game, the Reds looked flat. Shambolic displays away at Middlesbrough and Bolton in consecutive weeks definitely weren’t part of the plan. Rumors swirled that the players were frustrated with Hughes and that preferential treatment was given to Robinho. Some questioned his tactics as Micah Richards and Richard Dunne became bad players overnight. According to several City players, “… Robinho swans around doing basically what he wants — and the boss lets him get away with it. He thinks he’s untouchable and Hughes hasn’t done anything to show that he’s not.” An enigmatic Robinho? Hmm, sounds eerily similar to a certain Robinho that used to play for Real Madrid who cried his way out of the club. So Mark Hughes was at odds with one lazy Brazilian who has the club’s billionaire owners on speed dial (*3) if he fancied a coaching change. Let’s not forget Robinho’s other speed dials; *1 - his private plane to whisk him back to Brazil for some much needed tropical weather and *2 - to curse former agent Wagner Ribeiro for bringing him to Man City instead of Chelsea. Things got worse at Man City as the Welshman fell out of love with another pair of lazy Brazilians, Elano and Jo. That’s 40 - love to the Samba boys.

At the end of December, potential Champions league qualifiers - a bit of a stretch really - found themselves at the bottom half of the table with six wins, four draws and ten losses. Hughes could not wait to get his sweaty palms on the transfer kitty as he sought to remedy an under performing team. As the winter transfer window swung open the world’s wealthiest club were linked with the talented - David Villa, Didier Drogba, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo (the fat one), Andrei Arshavin, Gianluigi Buffon, Santa Cruz and Kaka - and the not so talented - Mario Gomez, Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy. Mark Hughes acknowledged that while the club was on the prowl for quality players, Man City was not going to waste money or be held ransom by clubs over its transfer targets. Things looked to take a turn for the better.

WORSE DAYS

Mark Hughes bought Wayne Bridge for £12m, Nigel De Jong for £17m and Craig Bellamy for £14m.

Man City’s interest in Kaka showed the club’s ambition, as well as their naivety. The relentless pursuit of the former world player of the year would add a great deal of class and exposure for a club dwarfed by its crosstown neighbors Manchester United. Sure it’s a bit ludicrous to bid over £100mil for a player but in all fairness Kaka’s parent club Milan weren’t gonna let him go on the cheap. Whether Kaka fancied a move from the glitz and glamour of Milan to the wet and frigid alleys of Manchester is a separate debate but no one could ever accuse Man City for not living up to its promise of bringing in the world’s best players. On the other hand Mark Hughes capture of Wayne Bridge for £12mil is rather questionable. Even more questionable is forking a £100,000 weekly wage bill for his services. That’s £12mil & £100,000 a week salary for a very average left back. If Mark Hughes fancied paying ridiculous sums for average left backs instead of buying quality ones, how about we gave him a helping hand. For the same fee, he could have signed Marseille’s Taye Taiwo or Shaktar Donetsk’s Srna (adept at both full back positions) - both par with Wayne Bridge.. And since money is no object for Mark Hughes, why did he not splash big on a bit of quality and bid £20mil for Phillip Lahm, Giorgio Chiellini or Eric Abidal - i’m quite certain Barcelona would let go of the latter.

Heads were further turned when Man City announced it had signed Hamburg’s Nigel De Jong. Plaudits rained in for Mark Hughes until it was revealed the Welshman signed the Dutchman for £17m when he could have secured the player for a mere £2mil in the summer. It was pretty obvious Man City needed a quality defensive midfielder to partner Vincent Kompany but once again Hughes spent foolishly. For £17m, I bet you and I could come up with better players to purchase. You might fancy taking a pop at Lille’s Rio Mavuba or Bordeaux’s Alou Diarra while I would take a closer look at Miguel Veloso or Anatoliy Tymoshuck. The fact is that the aforementioned players are more experienced, probably better, and cost just as much. The same could be said for £14m Craig Bellamy. I’m sorry but Craig Bellamy and £14m should never be included in the same sentence. Why bring a golf club-wielding trouble maker into an unsettled team? Ah, i get it - nice guys finish last.

Along with abject transfer dealings, Man City’s performances are still lacking. Hughes has failed to address his team’s main hurdle, C-O-N-C-E-N-T-R-A-T-I-O-N. If games ended after 45 mins of play, Man City would sit in 6th place with 39 points - 2 points shy of third place Arsenal. Add to that the 4th worst away record and its current 11th place position in the league, and it’s safe to say Mark Hughes isn’t exactly living up to those lofty expectations.

One more thing.

It’s quite remarkable to witness the transformation of Mark Hughes from a very responsible manager at Blackburn to a slightly irresponsible manager at Man City. At Blackburn with a limited budget, Hughes took it upon himself to bargain shop for good players but at Man City he’s made a U-turn and fancies spending lavishly for the same talent. Of course some point to club’s quadrupling their prices once Man City come knocking but the fact is if money is no object and Hughes finds it hard to replicate his Blackburn days, he should spend the millions wisely by over-spending for quality players not named Craig Bellamy.

If Mark Hughes is to live up to his billing as one of the best young British managers, he is surely going about it the wrong way.

(Article published on SnippetSoccer on Mar 6, 2009)

From Riches to Rags

Out of Europe, out of sorts and out of money, Valencia is slowly but surely running out of luck. It’s been a decade of highs and lows for Valencia. From the early decade triumphs in Spain and Europe to its recent managerial go-round and battle with relegation, Valencia is headed down a slippery slope. How did the world’s third best club just eight years ago become the laughing stock of football? The last 18 months have witnessed the club’s demise as the penchant for instant gratification has seen the fortunes of a once successful club turn into a nightmare.

ON THE PITCH:

The Good

Following the imminent departure of Claudio Ranieri to Atletico Madrid in 1999, all eyes lay on ex-President Pedro Cortés. The pressure was on Pedro Cortes to find a suitable replacement for Ranieri, a man who led Valencia to its first major title in a decade as a team comprising of folk heroes Canizares, Carboni, Mendieta and Claudio ‘Piojo’ Lopez. This group defeated Atletico Madrid 3-0 to win the Copa Del Rey. Hector Cuper replaced Ranieri the following summer fresh off leading Mallorca to a Spanish Super Cup, a Copa Del Rey final, a Cup winners’ Cup final and a 3rd place league finish - Mallorca’s best ever finish in the Primera. Rare luck shone on Hector Cuper as Valencia defeated Barcelona to win the Spanish Super cup and finished 3rd place during Cuper’s first season. In Europe, however, Hector Cuper’s Midas touch paid dividends in Europe as the club reached its first UEFA champions league final in his first season. Once again lady luck frowned on Cuper as Valencia lost to Real Madrid 3-0 in the final. It was the same old story the next season as Cuper repeated the feat by leading Los Che to its second consecutive UEFA champions league final as they once again lost on penalties to Bayern Munich.
And then the chosen one arrived at the Mestalla.

There was a major shake up at the Mestalla during the summer of 2001. President Pedro Cortes resigned from his position due to personal reasons, cult hero Mendieta moved to Lazio to a tune of €48 million and Hector Cuper sought refuge in Italy as Inter Milan manager. The summer also saw the arrival of Jaime Ortí as the new club president with Rafa Benitez appointed as manager. In his first season as Valencia manager, Rafa Benitez - against all odds - led the club to its first La Liga title in over three decades as they set a new record by winning eleven consecutive games. Euphoria was in the air as the Los Che faithfuls were engulfed in a state of trance. Two years later, Benitez did the double as Valencia secured its second domestic title in three years and won the UEFA Cup.

The Bad

If the triumphs of the 2003-04 season cemented Valencia’s status as one of Europe’s top clubs, the past four years have been disastrous to say the least. After his Uefa Cup win, Benitez fell out with the board over a new contract as the Spaniard wanted total control over player transfers. The club stood its ground and thus Benitez left the club and joined Liverpool in the summer. Having lost its most successful manager in two decades, new club president Juan Soler re-appointed former manager Claudio Ranieri who had been recently sacked as manager of Chelsea. Ranieri’s second term was a bust; the team’s performance was woeful as the defending La Liga champions sat in 7th place in February. Ranieri was promptly fired and care-taker manager Antonio Lopez took control until the end of the season as the club failed to attain a European Cup spot. The summer of 2005 saw the appointment of former Valencia right back Quique Flores as manager. Much was expected of the 41 yr old ex-Getafe manager following the summer arrivals of Arsenal starlet Edu, former Barcelona star turned Newcastle flop Kluivert and prolific Real Zaragoza hitman David Villa. A successful first season saw Valencia finish 3rd place thus qualifying for the UEFA champions league. Like the previous season, the manager and the board became at odds as Flores began a public spat with former player turned sporting director Amedeo Carboni. Off the field, Flores won the cat fight and Carboni was replaced by by Angel Ruiz. On the pitch Flores lost the dog-fight as the team lost to Chelsea in the champions league quarter final and finished in 4th place.

It all apeared rosy at the onset of the 2007-08 season as Valencia began its domestic campaign with seven wins and three losses. David Villa was firing on all cylinders and the team sat in 4th place, four points behind leaders Real Madrid. Europe was a different story though as Valencia struggled to get going. Three matches into the European campaign, the team sat at the bottom of its group after a shocking away loss to Norwegian minnows Rosenberg. Impatient Valencia fans called for the head of Quique Flores as rumors swirled about unrest within the club’s dressing room. Media reports claimed Flores was unable to motivate his expensive signings, €25mil Joaquin and €20mil Zigic. His 53% win percentage in the league in two years as manager did little to help his cause. The players began questioning his tactics which had resulted in the team scoring a measly 10 goals whilst conceding 9 in its first 8 games. Several days later the board sacked Flores, much to the delight of several Los Che supporters. In an attempt to win back its supporters, the board compiled a short list comprising of 3 world class managers and Ronald Koeman. The list included the names of recently deposed Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, ex-Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello and Italy’s World Cup winning manager Marcelo Lippi.

Fabio Capello wisely ignored the calls of the Mestalla faithfuls as well as Marcelo Lippi, who decided a fishing trip on the Spanish coast paid more dividends than taking the reins of a troubled Spanish club. The various phone calls, love letters and bouquet of flowers failed to persuade Jose Mourinho. With a growing concern for a quick resolve to its managerial vacancy, club President Juan Soler turned to Ronald Koeman. On October 31st 2007 Koeman signed the dotted line and became Valencia’s manager. As they say, the rest is history.

The Ugly

In Koeman’s first official game as the club’s manager, the team beat Mallorca 2-0. This was followed by a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Rosenberg at the Mestalla. In Valencia’s next ten league games, the team recorded six losses, three draws and a single win whilst scoring five goals and conceding fourteen. The disaster in Europe continued as the team finished bottom of the group thus missed out on UEFA cup football. Not willing to accept any blame, Ronald Koeman turned on the team’s veteran players. He blamed the team’s performances on the power structure that existed amongst the club’s long time servants. The trio of veterans Canizares (10 yrs at Valencia), Angulo (12 yrs) and captain Albelda (13 yrs) were banished from the club’s training grounds. With the exclusion of the perceived trouble makers, Koeman hoped for a turn-around but the club fortunes took another major blow prompting fans to call for the Dutchman’s head. Despite a show of public support from the Valencia board, many suggested the Dutchman’s time was up as the team found itself on the wrong side of the table. The prospect of relegation to the Segunda division loomed large as the team suffered losses to Espanyol, Murcia, Mallorca and Racing Santander. While Valencia struggled to find its footing in the league, it defeated Barcelona to reach the final of the Copa Del Rey. On April 16th 2008, Valencia beat Getafe 3-1 to win the Copa Del Rey. The following day, Koeman received his pink slip as first team coach Voro took charge for the remainder of the season. Castaway’s Canizares, Albelda and Angulo were welcomed back to the team as they Valencia climbed its way up the table to finish 10th.

OFF THE PITCH:

The Fans

It’s hard not to feel pity for the faithfuls of a beleaguered football club but in all honesty the Los Che fans are partly responsible for the club’s downfall. During the eras of Hector Cuper and Benitez, Valencia fans called for the replacement of the men who had led the team to consecutive Champions league finals, two league titles and a UEFA cup. Rafa Benitez’s achievements were quite remarkable. Valencia winning the La Liga title is akin to Aston Villa winning the Premier league title TWICE! As British columnist and Spanish league expert Sid Lowe wrote, “…a tendency not just to hit the self-destruction button but to batter it into submission has long existed at Valencia..”, Two years later as the club enjoyed relative stability under Quique Flores, the fans whistles became ever so loud as they sought a replacement. Out went Flores and in came Koeman - the latter whose name is taboo amongst club fans. The desire for instant success following the glory days of Benitez looms large at the Mestalla. Some Valencia fans are oblivious to the fact that it will take decades for their beloved team to match the glories of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Patience, no matter how much of an anomaly it seems in the world of football, has its virtues.

The Board

Ex- Valencia president Juan Soler makes Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy look like a saint.

Valencia’s current financial crisis began five years ago after Juan Soler became club president in 2004. During his four year tenure as president, the club’s debt soared from €150mil to a staggering €400 mil coupled with the €300 from the construction of a new stadium. The result is a €750mil debt. Unlike Man United who can rely on its global brand, obscene T.V revenues and on the field success to alleviate its €800mil debt or Chelsea who have a billionaire owner that is willing and able to pay millions for instant success, Valencia have neither.

After its 2004 UEFA cup triumph, the board at Valencia decided to take the Deportivo La Coruna route. The club grossly overpaid its players and spent above its means in the transfer market. While the club was in €150mil debt, it overpaid for Morientes (€10mil), Joaquin (€25mil) and Zigic(€20mil). While it would be very harsh to blame the club’s misfortunes on its transfer market dealings, Soler’s fantasy of a successful superstar laden side like that at Chelsea has been quite disastrous. As the club bought high and sold low in the transfer market, it failed to provide any stability by changing coaches ever so often. During Juan Soler’s reign, Valencia had five different managers and five sporting directors. Throw in three different medical chiefs and a couple of director generals, and it’s bloody obvious the club was in a dire state.

With over €300mil in debt from bad business management, the club decided it was a good idea to embark on another grand idea. The idea was the construction of a 75,000 state-of-the-art stadium three miles from the current Mestalla. To the average football fan, the signs were clear; an under performing overpaying club with massive debt should not look to add to its woes by acquiring more debt without an adequate plan to resolve its current financial crisis.

But Valencia is anything but average.

Juan Soler and his hench men were convinced the construction of the Nou Mestalla would be beneficial to the club. Soler argued that the club would sell the current Mestallafor €250mil which would help payback the €350mil bank loan. Add the T.V. revenue from the club’s domestic and European campaign. If all else failed, the club could rely on sale of some of its top players and increased revenue from the merchandising and tickets from the Nou Mestalla. According to Soler, the future of Valencia lay in pretty good hands.

Soler’s wishful thinking - because that’s what it was - and poor planning never came to fruition. With a cool €350mil bank loan in hand, the board embarked on the construction of the Nou Mestalla. Just when the situation appeared somewhat bright, disaster struck. The club crashed out in the group stages of the UEFA champions league and failed to make it into the UEFA cup. That’s a whopping €30mil in lost revenue.

Much of Soler’s plan hinged on the sale of the Mestalla. The Valencia board assured its fans that it had secured the sale of the club’s current ground. Well, it all turned out to be a big lie. The so called “investors” that were supposed to purchase the Mestalla for €250mil never materialized. Despite numerous attempts and promises that the current ground will the sold, the club has failed to find a buyer. Thus, Valencia are stuck with two stadiums - one it cannot get rid off and another one it cannot afford to purchase.

Due to the current economic crisis, the likelihood that the club will find a buyer for the Mestalla looks very slim. Also, the club has to pay €65mil to the banks at the end of the season. The current need for cash injection has caused many to suggest the club should sell its prized assets but that option will fail to remedy the club’s current situation. Valencia could sell David Villa for €50mil and David Silva for €25mil if it had manageable debt, but the club is over €750mil in debt and thus it makes almost no sense for the club to sell its players since the income it would generate for its best players will do nothing to resolve its current financial crisis.


The current situation at Valencia is grimmer than ever. Players haven’t been paid for over two months, the club has crashed out of the UEFA cup and the team has had one win in its last nine games. Several players have begun to question their future at the club as they fear the club will be forced to go into administration, thus they would not receive owed salaries. Several attempts by current president Vicente Soriano to remedy the situation by borrowing more money from banks and investors have failed so far. As the end of the season draws closer, fans are becoming increasingly worried that the situation at Valencia might turn into their worst nightmare.

Ladies and gentlemen, Valencia CF just might become a distant memory.

(Article published on SnippetSoccer on Mar 4, 2009)