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Mark Hughes to be the first managerial casualty of the season?

The Premier League season is still a few days away from the big kick off, and news of the first Premier League casualty could be just as close. Manchester City manager Mark Hughes, who has yet to take charge of a league game with the club after joining in the summer from Blackburn, looks like he might be on the way out.

Hughes took over from former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson after the Swede was sacked despite leading City to one of their highest league finishes in years, and completing the double over bitter rivals Manchester United. Clearly the City hotseat isn’t one to get too comfortable in.

Now news has emerged that Sparky Hughes may not be making all of decisions after the clubs sold a player without his knowledge. Add to that the fact that the City owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, has apparently skipped court and has had a warrant issued for his arrest in his home country of Thailand.

Just what is going in at City? The season hasn’t even started yet and they’re in complete turmoil.

However, Hughes has dismissed reports that he’s on the verge of walking away from City, speaking on the club’s website:

There’s been a lot of rumours flying around but I am not going anywhere.

There is a job to do here and I am looking forward to it.

There is speculation around the club and that has been prevalent since I joined the club.

From my own point of view I am very focused on what I am about and what I aim to achieve here and that means success on the pitch.

Nothing whatsoever has changed in that respect and the football operation hasn’t changed since I signed for the club.

Nor has my relationship with Garry Cook and his team. We get on really well and continue to speak on a daily basis.

I am the guy that makes the decisions in relation to the football, and they make the decisions in relation to the running of the club.

There’s always a lot of betting on the first managerial casualty of the season, get your money on Sparky now I’d say!

Ronaldinho snubs City for Milan

Manchester City fans can come back down to earth now as the impossible hasn’t quite happened, Ronaldinho will not be going to Eastlands. Instead the want-away Barcelona player looks like he will be joining AC Milan if the Italian club’s website is anything to go by:

AC Milan and Barcelona have reached an agreement in principle over the transfer of Ronaldinho.

The player will be in Milan on Wednesday to undergo a medical and sign a contract that will keep him at Milan until 30 June 2011.

Manchester City had offered a fee of £25.5 million for the Brazilian former two-time world player of the year. Despite City’s impressive offer, according to the Italian press, Milan will only pay Barca £14.6 million for the Brazilian’s signature. That figure is expected to rise however based on appearances.

Manchester City will now have to look elsewhere for that injection of flare.

Manchester City favourites to sign Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho, once the greatest player on the world, looks set to sign for Manchester City, according to Barcelona’s president. Laporta.

Man City are battling it with out Italian giants AC Milan for the Brazilian World Cup winner, with City having reportedly bid £25.5 million for Ronaldinho’s signature.

Barca president Laporta stated:

Ronaldinho and his agent have two interesting proposals and they are leaning more towards the one from City.

Barca have said they’ll be discussing Ronaldinho’s future with his agent today, though it’s not known whether they’ll be meeting with either Milan or City.

Barca started pre-season training this morning, and Ronaldinho was very conspicuous with his absence. Barca announced in June that Ronaldinho was no longer required at the club, alerting Europe’s big sides to his availability. Despite Ronaldinho’s obvious talents however, only Milan and Manchester City have shown any serious interest.

Richard Dunne signs new 4 year deal for Man City

Some good news for new Manchester City boss Mark Hughes this week as their captain, Richard Dunne, has put pen to paper for a new four-year deal. Dunne has been one of City’s star performers for the last few years and could have been tempted away with interest from other clubs, including Portsmouth.

Richard Dunne told the Manchester City website:

My first priority is, was and always has been to stay at City.

When Mark Hughes got the manager’s job I think everyone was pleased. I was thrilled he seemed to make it a priority to sort my contract out

Sparky, formerly of Manchester United of course, added:

I’m delighted with the outcome and Richard is a really important player for us.

It was one of my priorities when I took the job that I made sure that he was one of the players we needed to keep

Now Hughes can look at signing new targets to take the club forward to the level their ambitious owners want.

Sven-Goran Eriksson

Sven-Goran Eriksson has gone as expected from Manchester City, it looks like he’s been the next manager of Mexico slightly nicer place to live than Manchester!

Replacing Sven it might be Mark Hughes the current Blackburn boss. Rovers have accepted a request for Manchester City to talk to the former Manchester United legend about the vacant post at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Sven had some great times including a double over rivals Manchester City and the hey leave our Sven along song, pity he didn’t leave Sven alone.

Manchester City Fans sing to save Sven

We mentioned today about Scolari and a possible move to Manchester City. But the City faithful are not going to let Sven go easily. At the recent City V Liverpool game the City fans adapted the Pink Floyd classic Another Brick in the Wall to get thier message across to Thaksin.

We don’t need no Phil Scolari, We don’t need Mourinho
Hey, Thaksin, leave our Sven alone!’

Manchester City approach Scolari

Sven isn’t even gone yet and City Chairman Thaksin Shinawatra is lining up his replacement, the current Portugal national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.

The big Brazilian has stated that nothing will happen until after Euro 2008. It is though that Scolari will move on after the tournament but with other jobs in Europe City will have to fork out around £3.2m-a-year for his services.

Meanwhile Manchester City fans have reacted angrily at last weeks news that the writing is on the wall for Sven at City. Fans and former players have vented angry and have even sighted that protest could be made by stay away at games next year.

Sven to be Sacked

It looks like the writing is on the wall for Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Manchester City manager is going to be sacked at the end of the season, according to BBC Sport.

City owner Thaksin Shinawatra who has been unimpressed by the second half of City’s season told Eriksson he was “not the right man for the job” at a meeting on Saturday.

Eriksson took training on Monday and on informing the players many players didn’t like the news, Eriksson has done well at City considering the team hasn’t won in 2007 at home on his arrival.

But this year since the turn of the year City have been poor, being knocked out of the F.A. Cup to Sheffield United and losing on Saturday to lowly Fulham.

It seems like an insane move for the chairman Shinawatra to get rid of Eriksson but he might have someone lined up? Jose Mourinho anybody?

City kids are alright!

Manchester City’s youth team won the FA youth cup last night beating Chelsea 3-1 in front of 20,000 at the City Of Manchester Stadium. The team, mostly consisting of scallies drew in the first leg 1-1 at Stamford Bridge and it didn’t look good for them going 1-0 down within a couple of minutes.

The City kids came back with goals from skipper Ben Mee and winger Vladimir Weiss. Top scorer David Ball grabbed a third from the spot to seal the victory and the trophy for the first time since 1986 after losing two years ago to Liverpool.

The youth team in the last few years havs provide City with numerous players including Micah Richards, Nedum Onuoha, Michael Johnson, Stephen Ireland and the latest Daniel Sturridge who could have played a part in the final but missed out due to injury.

So the kids at City are alright and Sven should be looking forward to more young guns in the coming years!

Sunderland 1 - 2 Manchester City

A game that only came alight in the last ten minutes with all three goals. Kenwyne Jones had the best chance of the first half, a one on one forced a save out of City’s keeper Joe Hart.

Daniel Sturridge dived in the box, Elano put the ball away from the spot for an undeserved lead. Sunderland did come back into the game, Andy Reid’s cross being volleyed in by Dean Whitehead, a cracking goal.

But it wasn’t enough as with three minutes to goal sub Darius Vassell slotted in for a winner. A very unfair win for the away side considering in the dive from Sturridge.

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