carlyluvsunited
11-11-2007, 09:20 AM
Fergie on Hughes
www.dailymirror.co.uk
What Fergie REALLY thinks of Hughes
The man Sir Alex Ferguson affectionately calls 'the Rottweiler' returns to
Manchester United tomorrow, determined to show why he is considered the
favourite to replace the laird of Old Trafford.
In the eyes of many, including United skipper Gary Neville, Blackburn boss Mark
Hughes is the stand-out candidate to replace Fergie when the Scot eventually
calls time on his glittering spell at the club.
A former United player who would command both the respect of their players and
fans, Hughes has also proved he has the credentials for the job by transforming
Blackburn in a little over three years.
And although Fergie yesterday maintained his policy of not publicly discussing
Hughes in the context of replacing him, it was clear the United boss shares the
belief that the Welshman would be a wise choice.
"Mark was a very determined player," said Fergie. "He was like a Rottweiler and
yet off the pitch you couldn't get a quieter guy. He had two personalities. When
he was on that football field he became a warrior but off it he was a quiet lad."
Just as he said former United skipper Roy Keane was the embodiment of himself,
Fergie, nicknamed the Hairdryer, admitted he sees many of his own character
traits in Hughes, 44, who enjoyed two prolific spells at Old Trafford and earned
himself cult status.
"Mark has that same aggression and determination that I had as a footballer,"
said Fergie. "And I think they are great qualities.
"There are currently 13 managers who are former United players and I could look
through them all and see similarities of why they are successful.
"Good teams reflect their manager and Blackburn are very aggressive a lot of the
time. Mark has made the point that he has been unfairly treated at times about
how they play.
"But I don't have any great issue about it. Maybe three years ago they had one
bad season, but you can't paint them black all of the time. Their disciplinary
record this season, as it was last season, is good. There's nothing wrong with
being aggressive if it's the right type of aggression. I look for that myself. It's
finding the right balance.
"You can see Blackburn challenging for a place in the top four this season. No one
turns them over. You don't get any of those stupid scores with them.
"Blackburn need to steer clear of injuries because Mark doesn't have the numbers
we have, in terms of his squad size.
"What Mark has also done is ensure there's continuity at Blackburn. There aren't
many changes there now, he seems to have kept a side together for three or
four years. That gives his players the experience of playing together and forging
a good spirit, which makes them difficult to play against."
A glance at Blackburn's performances this season confirms just why Hughes is
certain to be on United's short list of managers when Fergie eventually decided
to retire.
Draws at home to Arsenal, Liverpool and away at Chelsea were sandwiched
between seven straight wins and only one defeat in the Premiership to leave
Blackburn riding high in sixth place.
And Fergie will not need reminding of how Hughes and his belligerent side have
been United's bogey team in recent seasons.
LUCKY FOR THESE 13
There are 13 former United players currently managing in the Football League, 10
of whom have played under Fergie at Old Trafford.
Mark Hughes Blackburn
ROY KEANE Sunderland
STEVE BRUCE Birmingham
BRYAN ROBSON Sheffield United
GORDON STRACHAN Celtic
PAUL INCE MK Dons
DARREN FERGUSON Peterborough
CHRIS CASPER Bury
BRIAN CAREY Wrexham
MARK ROBINS Rotherham
STEVE COPPELL Reading
ANDY RITCHIE Huddersfield
SAMMY McILROY Morecambe
Click below to join manutdtalk.com and read all breaking news on all things United !!!
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www.dailymirror.co.uk
What Fergie REALLY thinks of Hughes
The man Sir Alex Ferguson affectionately calls 'the Rottweiler' returns to
Manchester United tomorrow, determined to show why he is considered the
favourite to replace the laird of Old Trafford.
In the eyes of many, including United skipper Gary Neville, Blackburn boss Mark
Hughes is the stand-out candidate to replace Fergie when the Scot eventually
calls time on his glittering spell at the club.
A former United player who would command both the respect of their players and
fans, Hughes has also proved he has the credentials for the job by transforming
Blackburn in a little over three years.
And although Fergie yesterday maintained his policy of not publicly discussing
Hughes in the context of replacing him, it was clear the United boss shares the
belief that the Welshman would be a wise choice.
"Mark was a very determined player," said Fergie. "He was like a Rottweiler and
yet off the pitch you couldn't get a quieter guy. He had two personalities. When
he was on that football field he became a warrior but off it he was a quiet lad."
Just as he said former United skipper Roy Keane was the embodiment of himself,
Fergie, nicknamed the Hairdryer, admitted he sees many of his own character
traits in Hughes, 44, who enjoyed two prolific spells at Old Trafford and earned
himself cult status.
"Mark has that same aggression and determination that I had as a footballer,"
said Fergie. "And I think they are great qualities.
"There are currently 13 managers who are former United players and I could look
through them all and see similarities of why they are successful.
"Good teams reflect their manager and Blackburn are very aggressive a lot of the
time. Mark has made the point that he has been unfairly treated at times about
how they play.
"But I don't have any great issue about it. Maybe three years ago they had one
bad season, but you can't paint them black all of the time. Their disciplinary
record this season, as it was last season, is good. There's nothing wrong with
being aggressive if it's the right type of aggression. I look for that myself. It's
finding the right balance.
"You can see Blackburn challenging for a place in the top four this season. No one
turns them over. You don't get any of those stupid scores with them.
"Blackburn need to steer clear of injuries because Mark doesn't have the numbers
we have, in terms of his squad size.
"What Mark has also done is ensure there's continuity at Blackburn. There aren't
many changes there now, he seems to have kept a side together for three or
four years. That gives his players the experience of playing together and forging
a good spirit, which makes them difficult to play against."
A glance at Blackburn's performances this season confirms just why Hughes is
certain to be on United's short list of managers when Fergie eventually decided
to retire.
Draws at home to Arsenal, Liverpool and away at Chelsea were sandwiched
between seven straight wins and only one defeat in the Premiership to leave
Blackburn riding high in sixth place.
And Fergie will not need reminding of how Hughes and his belligerent side have
been United's bogey team in recent seasons.
LUCKY FOR THESE 13
There are 13 former United players currently managing in the Football League, 10
of whom have played under Fergie at Old Trafford.
Mark Hughes Blackburn
ROY KEANE Sunderland
STEVE BRUCE Birmingham
BRYAN ROBSON Sheffield United
GORDON STRACHAN Celtic
PAUL INCE MK Dons
DARREN FERGUSON Peterborough
CHRIS CASPER Bury
BRIAN CAREY Wrexham
MARK ROBINS Rotherham
STEVE COPPELL Reading
ANDY RITCHIE Huddersfield
SAMMY McILROY Morecambe
Click below to join manutdtalk.com and read all breaking news on all things United !!!
http://manutdtalk.com/forums/register.php