The Carnival Is Over

No not another 1960's nostalgia trip to recount when I first heard The Seekers but a comment on the end of Part One of 'The Project.'

When Sky Italia announced the sacking of Mark Hughes before the start of its live football coverage yesterday then you knew the end was nigh. Hughes himself claimed that he wasn't told until after the match against Sunderland that he was being handed his P45 but it's clear from the swift appointment of Roberto Mancini as the new manager that this wasn't a decision taken by the hierarchy at Eastlands following last weeks abysmal capitulation at White Hart Lane.

Hughes has stated that the pre-season agreement with the club's owners was that sixth place was the highest position that could be reasonably expected and that 70 points was the target. What Sparky obviously wasn't told was that those expectations were to be reached by Christmas. something clearly impossible after 17 matches, however much money was being thrown at the team.

What surprised me about the whole Hughes era at Man.City was the way he went about building the side. Look at the forwards he signed: Bellamy (journeyman), Tevez (never a first choice striker), Santa Cruz (prone to injury), Robinho (prone to shopping), Adebayor (large periods of inactivity punctuated by impersonations of Usain Bolt). Where was the 20 goal a sesaon on a regular basis striker among that lot? There was no natural leader in the team, Gareth Barry was known as being quiet at Villa Park, Kolo Toure's English is worse than my Ivorian French and Joleon Lescott looks out of his depth away from the peace and quiet of Goodison Park.

Shay Given was a good buy, but in football terms that was a no-brainer, even Sunderland fans would have to admit Given has been the most consistent goalkeeper in English football over the past decade, if only he was English. Besides which Given actually pushed out Joe Hart, one of the best young English goalkeepers around.

Hughes departure and the arrival of Mancini means yet another British manager is replaced by somebody from overseas and I have no problem with that. The problem is that Hughes apparent lack of good judgement in the transfer market (£32.5 million for Robinho!) probably means that the next time a 'big job' comes up in English football the owners of the club (who themselves will probably be foreign) will look abroad for a person with proven success and for that reason alone it is not a good day for English (or Welsh) football.