Fat Sam blames City stars

[Mark (Blue Army)]

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce believes the sacking of Mark Hughes at Manchester City was the 'ultimate sacrifice' after players ignored a duty to perform for their former boss.

Allardyce thinks that the expensively-assembled squad at Eastlands failed to live up to their high salaries and as a result cost their manager his job, with Roberto Mancini immediately appointed as a replacement on Saturday.

The Blackburn chief is disappointed for Hughes and does not think it is fair that the manager is always the one to be fired.

Allardyce said: "It looks like player performances have been the key issue rather than results.

"It looks like that has been the ultimate problem for Mark and that's very, very disappointing when he's gone out and he's brought those players to a club like that with huge amounts of money, not just in transfer fees but also in salaries.

"These are the sort of salaries they would never get anywhere else in the world of football in their entire careers.

"They had an obligation to have done and given more and from afar it looks like they haven't done so.

"That to me looks like it's triggered the ultimate sacrifice which is the manager - we are always the first to get chopped and that's a great shame."

Allardyce added that Hughes, who left Blackburn 18 months ago to take over at City, had not been given enough time.

"He will be frustrated because it's never happened to him before, it's his first one which is always more difficult," he said.

[Slim]

I'd agree with most of that, although I think his choices at the back were odd to say the least, not one of them has performed to the level they had at their previous clubs.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

It was Hughes who bought those players.

Anyway, I'm tired of all the Hughes arguments. Whether you thought his tenure was like dancing to 'Everybody Dance Now' on top of the rainbow or like being banged in the wrong one by red devil, the point is HE IS GONE NOW. He will soon fade into just another memory of just another manager.

[irblinx]

Interesting considering so much was made of the fact that Hughes went to great pains to sign players with Premier League experience and thoroughly researched their attitudes etc to make sure that they fit in to his work ethic. It's a typical Manager thing to blame players for letting their boss down but the Manager's job is to make sure that doesn't happen, considering Hughes bought them all too I just don't understand how anyone can take the stance that the buck stops anywhere other than with him

[Ted Hughes]

We're a few points off fourth place & in the semi final of a cup. For a team that's had a brand new spine brought in just a few months ago, I think that's excellent from both players & manager. Better than I was expecting at this stage of the season anyway.

[Patrick]

I have to agree with both camps - the players certainly underperformed many many times recently and yes - it is hughes most important duty to motivate them - but again players at that level shouldnt need that much motivation ffs - they are here to win stuff and paid handsomely to do just that

[Socrates]

We're a few points off fourth place & in the semi final of a cup. For a team that's had a brand new spine brought in just a few months ago, I think that's excellent from both players & manager. Better than I was expecting at this stage of the season anyway.

Strip out Adebayor's purple patch in the first 4 games though and it looked very dire. No amount of spin can change that.