WHILE it is crazy to even think of Manchester City’s mega-rich Arab owners installing Darren Ferguson as their next manager, the first part of the Eastlands equation provoked by one of our tabloids is no laughing matter for Mark Hughes.
As good a manager and as nice a bloke as he is, I feared Sparky was on borrowed time the minute Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan bought the club from Dr Thaksin Shinawatra in August – just 87 days after he had left Blackburn to replace Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Now, despite assurances to the contrary from City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, it seems only a matter of time before the former Wales manager pays the ultimate penalty for struggling to deliver the success his new boss craves.
According to reports, the Sheikh is not necessarily looking for a financial profit and has spoken of a 10-year plan to build a dynasty, but he does want glory and kudos and will not get that if City are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League.
In Hughes’ defence, it is still early days. But Abu Dhabi funds have already enabled City to make significant additions to their squad – not least the record-breaking £32million capture of Robinho – and while he might well have one eye on the January transfer window, during which he hopes to sign at least three world class players, there is increasing speculation that he will not be around to enjoy the spending spree.
City have won just one of their last seven Premier League games and that is not what the sheikh expected when he bought the club.
As his spokesman said at the time: “Our goal is very simple – to make Manchester City the biggest club in the Premier League, and to begin with, to finish in the top four this season.”
Now, as limited as the sheikh’s knowledge of Premiership football is, he does have his advisors and they will be briefing him on possible replacements, should he decide on a change of manager.
And one thing’s for sure, Ferguson Jnr will not be anywhere near the wanted list.
Fair enough, he is the son of Sir Alex – the most successful and arguably the greatest manager British football has ever seen – and he has done a smashing job at Peterborough, seeing them through a bad patch and winning promotion from League Two last season, but he is completely lacking in experience at the highest level and, perhaps more crucially as far as City’s passionate supporters are concerned, he is the son of the manager of their fiercest rivals.
Imagine it, a Manchester derby billed as Dad v Lad.
It’s just not going to happen.
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