Before the beginning of this season, following the sacking of Sven Goran Eriksson and the departure of Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra, Manchester City made many changes as a football club. Shinawatra quit himself, and sold the club to the Abu Dhabi United Group.
A Season Of Change
Armed with a new owner, Sheik oil tycoon Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the club appointed a new Chairman, United Arab Emirates businessman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, and former Blackburn Rovers manger Mark Hughes was brought in as a direct replacement for Eriksson.
Equipped with the Sheik's millions, Hughes set about spending the money as quickly and ruthlessly as possible. The goal...crush other teams bids with their financial clout. After landing the signature of Brazilian and former Real Madrid superstar Robinho, a target of Chelsea, (who City ironically also supplanted as the richest club in world football) it became clear that City meant business.
Following the capture of Robinho murmurs began in England, not least in the media, that Manchester City, with a now seemingly endless supply of transfer kitty, would break into the top 4 spots in the Premier League, and perhaps even challenge for the Premiership title.
For any number of reasons, City's season thus far has been a disaster, as the club has struggled to even remain in the top half of the Premiership table, and has been knocked out of both domestic cups, League and FA.
The Best Laid Plans Often Go Awry
There could be a number of factors responsible for Manchester City's stuttering start to the season. Chief among these could be the fact that despite the acquisition of Robinho, and more recent additions in goalkeeper Shay Given and Welshman Craig Bellamy, City's squad is not particularly strong. They lack depth and class throughout their squad. The defensive frailties, namely Micah Richards and skipper Richard Dunne, both of whom have experienced an alarming dip in form, must be of particular concern to Hughes.
A further reason could be the characters and egos of some of the players that Hughes has bought. Craig Bellamy has a history of being a trouble maker, and has run into problems at every club he has played at. Though Hughes did manage him at Blackburn. His influence, bad or otherwise, remains to be seen.
And then we come to Robinho... A terrific player though he may be, he is armed with an over-whelming sense of self-importance. On the pitch he often looks as though he can't be bothered, and this is bound to have a negative effect on team mates.
Robinho's cavalier attitude is also of concern. He refuses to abide by specific rules set down by Hughes and his assisstants. Doesn't wear a suit when instructed, sometimes won't even wear club gear, turns up late for training, and even defected back to his home country for a week with no explanation.
Hughes needs to sort this mess out right now, before the flames that have been lit at City threaten to engulf the entire club. Well done to the board for sticking by their man, but results need to change, and quickly. The best way to help this along is to make some smart money buys in weak areas of the squad (namely defence), and to sort out Robinho.
No player is bigger than a club, no matter how much money he costs. Failure to fine him for defecting to Brazil has shown a lack of discipline on Hughes' part, that Robinho might just take advantage of. Discipline with players of that ego must be swift and strong, and the player must know, without reservation, that their manager is in charge. Can you imagine Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho allowing Robinho to saunter in to training half-cocked, wearing Armani jeans, a t-shirt and trainers? Exactly.
Matthew Biggin - Matthew Biggin is currentIy studying a freelance writing course with an organization known as The Writer's Bureau, whereby he completes a ...
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