Unpopular Football Opinions (Mark Hughes is shit thread)

[lordofthepies]

Why isn't polo called horseball, then?

That's certainly what I call it

 

[Abertawe]

This. If you look back at 2013/14 and see that he led a fairly average squad to 50 points and 9th place (despite being way off those above), you'd say fair job.

If you look at the end of the 2015/16 season and see that he led a much stronger squad to 51 points and 9th place (whilst being even further away from those above them this time), you surely have to ask questions.

Oh, and he can't seem to buy a half decent centre forward. Joselu??? Diouf??? Really.

If Stoke made the bold move of sacking him and looking for a bit of ambition, they have the potential to push on. If Southampton can get Pochettino and Koeman in, then Stoke can get managers with similar qualities if they stop resting in this comfort zone they appear to be in.

You're being overly harsh. After the Pulis era it was always going to be a process evolving the squad whilst overhauling the playing style. Hughes taking over also coincided with an operational change in relation to transfers. The team Hughes took over had been strangled of creative freedom & flair for the best part of a decade, they were also handicapped by an extremely short term transfer policy.

Ask any Stoke fan and they'd tell you without a seconds thought that they're now in a better position than they were two years ago. Undoubtedly Hughes' biggest mistake was letting Huth go, especially when Shawcross has been suffering from poor form due to niggling injuries. The positives are plain to see though. Bringing through Butland to the point he's now considered to be in the mix for the number 1 England jersey is good management, especially when he was replacing someone as established as Butland.

I was wary of Hughes but he's turned me round. This season is the big test. They need a striker because Diouf is shit but providing they do I cans see Hughes leading em to a good finish in the league.

 

[MJA]

Visit the Stoke forum and you will see that they were not happy with the lack of progress in terms of league position last season, nor are they happy with the start to this season

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Abertawe]

Like any M/B the Oatcake massively overreacts. As I say ask any Stoke fan, they much rather be where they are now compared to two years ago.

 

[Leewilson]

You're being overly harsh. After the Pulis era it was always going to be a process evolving the squad whilst overhauling the playing style. Hughes taking over also coincided with an operational change in relation to transfers. The team Hughes took over had been strangled of creative freedom & flair for the best part of a decade, they were also handicapped by an extremely short term transfer policy.

Ask any Stoke fan and they'd tell you without a seconds thought that they're now in a better position than they were two years ago. Undoubtedly Hughes' biggest mistake was letting Huth go, especially when Shawcross has been suffering from poor form due to niggling injuries. The positives are plain to see though. Bringing through Butland to the point he's now considered to be in the mix for the number 1 England jersey is good management, especially when he was replacing someone as established as Butland.

I was wary of Hughes but he's turned me round. This season is the big test. They need a striker because Diouf is shit but providing they do I cans see Hughes leading em to a good finish in the league.

If Stoke weren't in a better position now than they were two years ago, then I doubt Hughes would be in a job.

Pulis' remit is very simple. He's survival and nothing more. His task every year in the Premier League is to hit between 40-50 points and secure survival. He did it every year for Stoke and he's doing the same now for West Brom.

Hughes' comfort zone is to take a side in lower mid table and turn them into an upper mid table side. He did this at Blackburn and Fulham. He's now done this at Stoke. In my opinion, he can't take a team to the next level. I'm not saying he's a bad manager. There's a lot of teams in the Premier League who would love Mark Hughes as a manager to secure them a comfortable league position every year.

My argument is that Stoke shouldn't settle for that. They have shown with their purchases and their interest in players that they are ambitious in trying to get to the next level. If that's the case, they can do better than Mark Hughes. At the time, I thought Southampton sacking Adkins was the wrong move but it opened my eyes a bit to the ceiling certain managers have and that to evolve you have to take a bit of a risk. Stoke took a calculated risk for letting Pulis go for Hughes (although it was a small upgrade rather than an evolutionary one at Southampton). If Stoke want to progress further, they need to make their manager's ceiling higher.

 

[TomPNE94]

Eddie Howe is actually a bit of a prick.

 

[Abertawe]

If Stoke weren't in a better position now than they were two years ago, then I doubt Hughes would be in a job.

Pulis' remit is very simple. He's survival and nothing more. His task every year in the Premier League is to hit between 40-50 points and secure survival. He did it every year for Stoke and he's doing the same now for West Brom.

Hughes' comfort zone is to take a side in lower mid table and turn them into an upper mid table side. He did this at Blackburn and Fulham. He's now done this at Stoke. In my opinion, he can't take a team to the next level. I'm not saying he's a bad manager. There's a lot of teams in the Premier League who would love Mark Hughes as a manager to secure them a comfortable league position every year.

My argument is that Stoke shouldn't settle for that. They have shown with their purchases and their interest in players that they are ambitious in trying to get to the next level. If that's the case, they can do better than Mark Hughes. At the time, I thought Southampton sacking Adkins was the wrong move but it opened my eyes a bit to the ceiling certain managers have and that to evolve you have to take a bit of a risk. Stoke took a calculated risk for letting Pulis go for Hughes (although it was a small upgrade rather than an evolutionary one at Southampton). If Stoke want to progress further, they need to make their manager's ceiling higher.

Managers need time. This is the season for Hughes to prove he can cut the mustard in regards to pushing a club to higher levels than solid mid-table. I just think it's harsh to label Hughes as essentially mediocre when he the Stoke job was always long term.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Eddie Howe is actually a bit of a prick.

Most decent managers are..but any reason in particular out of interest?

 

[TomPNE94]

Most decent managers are..but any reason in particular out of interest?

Nope haha. It's weird, I've just never taken to him at all, he just really irritates me. Quality manager though.

 

[Leewilson]

Managers need time. This is the season for Hughes to prove he can cut the mustard in regards to pushing a club to higher levels than solid mid-table. I just think it's harsh to label Hughes as essentially mediocre when he the Stoke job was always long term.

We'll see if he's able to then. I don't think he is capable of leading Stoke beyond 55 points. So far, he's hit between 50 and 54 in his 3 seasons. Nothing in his history of managing club sides suggests to me he is capable of more than that.

 

[Abertawe]

We'll see if he's able to then. I don't think he is capable of leading Stoke beyond 55 points. So far, he's hit between 50 and 54 in his 3 seasons. Nothing in his history of managing club sides suggests to me he is capable of more than that.

Sweet we've got a challenge then, fiver?

 

[Leewilson]

Sweet we've got a challenge then, fiver?

Deal.

I assume we're saying for this season, right? (since it's a challenge)

 

[Abertawe]

Deal.

I assume we're saying for this season, right? (since it's a challenge)

Err yeah, it'd be a bit unfair on you to leave it open for the rest of his career.

 

[Abertawe]

That said they were utter wank yesterday. Hopefully Sparkie was proving a point by playing Crouch otherwise I've most likely lost a fiver.

 

[Jarv]

Given the resources he's been lucky enough to land with first at Barcelona (3 of the then 5 best players in the world) and then at Bayern (inheriting treble winners) Guardiola has achieved nothing more than the absolute minimum to what he should have. all the while unleashing the plague of Tika-Taka on the world

 

[navylad]

Manchester United will get Top 4 but will not come close to winning the league. It's between City and Chelsea.

 

[shoddycollins]

Given the resources he's been lucky enough to land with first at Barcelona (3 of the then 5 best players in the world) and then at Bayern (inheriting treble winners) Guardiola has achieved nothing more than the absolute minimum to what he should have. all the while unleashing the plague of Tika-Taka on the world

I tend to agree.

These top managers, when they come too English football always say they do it because they want a challenge.

If he really wanted a challenge then he'd have applied to take the Hull City job. Now Claudio Ranieri, that's a man who took on a challenge.

 

[SamScfc]

Slaven Billic is a fraud.

 

[PaulHaddock]

Jamie Vardy is a horrible person.

 

[HarvSFC]

Slaven Billic is a fraud.

Agreed. West Ham don't have a lot going for them, apart from Payet even after signing 10 senior players this season.

Struggling to get past a Slovenian side and then losing to Astra for the second year in a row doesn't look great, especially when you know they were actually trying this year.

The insistence to play a good attacker in Antonio at RB is a strange one too, with Sam Byram on the bench.

 

[JimJams]

Jamie Vardy is a horrible person.

I think that's quite a popular opinion really.

 

[Abertawe]

We'll see if he's able to then. I don't think he is capable of leading Stoke beyond 55 points. So far, he's hit between 50 and 54 in his 3 seasons. Nothing in his history of managing club sides suggests to me he is capable of more than that.

Bony & Bruno Indi, let's do this. Hughes has been heavily backed, pressures on but I can't see how he can fail to deliver given the talent at his disposal now.

 

[Leewilson]

Bony & Bruno Indi, let's do this. Hughes has been heavily backed, pressures on but I can't see how he can fail to deliver given the talent at his disposal now.

Because it's Mark Hughes. They'll draw too many games they should win much to the manager's constant befuddlement (I like that word) despite the problem being him.

Here is Mark Hughes being befuddled.

 

[Abertawe]

He does do befuddled very well it has to be said.

 

[mistermagic]

I think that, unlike last season where Lee bet me that City would win the league (I mean, come on, who does that?), he's going to win this one. I do agree that his ceiling is upper mid-table (some managers would kill for that ceiling) but also Hughes has done nothing this summer to improve the squad which just leaves the door open for decreased motivation and novelty wearing off. Happened at Chelsea last season and they went from champions to 10th!

 

[Abertawe]

I think that, unlike last season where Lee bet me that City would win the league (I mean, come on, who does that?), he's going to win this one. I do agree that his ceiling is upper mid-table (some managers would kill for that ceiling) but also Hughes has done nothing this summer to improve the squad which just leaves the door open for decreased motivation and novelty wearing off. Happened at Chelsea last season and they went from champions to 10th!

Are you taking the piss?

 

[mnb089mnb]

Why isn't polo called horseball, then?

Polo comes from the Tibetan word Pulu (meaning ball).

You Fucking Idiot.

 

[Stocky]

Bruno Martins Indi is absolutely awful. Wollscheid for him is a downgrade.

EDIT: Not a post for the unpopular thread (perhaps it is but..) but more for the Stoke debate.

 

[DontBringBertie]

Given the resources he's been lucky enough to land with first at Barcelona (3 of the then 5 best players in the world) and then at Bayern (inheriting treble winners) Guardiola has achieved nothing more than the absolute minimum to what he should have. all the while unleashing the plague of Tika-Taka on the world

If it was so easy to win the league with Barca, why did they finish La Liga 18 points behind Real Madrid in 3rd place the season before he took over?

 

[Leewilson]

I think that, unlike last season where Lee bet me that City would win the league (I mean, come on, who does that?), he's going to win this one. I do agree that his ceiling is upper mid-table (some managers would kill for that ceiling) but also Hughes has done nothing this summer to improve the squad which just leaves the door open for decreased motivation and novelty wearing off. Happened at Chelsea last season and they went from champions to 10th!

City bet was a bad call. I just couldn't imagine Leicester winning it to be honest at the time.